Few young bands have spent the last couple of years generating the kind of momentum that surrounds Man/Woman/Chainsaw. Emerging from London's fertile experimental underground and steadily transforming curiosity into genuine devotion, the six-piece now find themselves at a pivotal moment. With their debut album Cannonball freshly released via Fiction Records and a new run of UK dates set for May 2027, the band are no longer the exciting newcomers everyone is talking about. They're becoming a serious force in British alternative music.

The newly announced nine-date tour will see Man/Woman/Chainsaw step onto their biggest stages yet, beginning at Manchester's New Century Hall before winding its way across the UK and culminating at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town. For a band that only recently graduated from sold-out club shows and breakthrough festival appearances, the move feels less like a gamble and more like the next logical step in a remarkably rapid ascent.

What makes their rise particularly fascinating is that it has never felt manufactured. Formed when the members were just 16 years old and writing music in a converted vicarage, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have allowed their reputation to grow organically through electrifying live performances and increasingly adventurous songwriting. Their breakthrough year saw them sell out London's Scala and complete another fully sold-out UK tour, while appearances at SXSW, KEXP and BBC 6 Music introduced the band's restless creativity to a much broader audience.

At the centre of this new chapter sits Cannonball, an album that captures a group refusing to be constrained by convention. Across eleven tracks, the record fuses dramatic arrangements, emotional vulnerability and an instinctive disregard for traditional song structures. The result is a debut that feels ambitious without becoming self-indulgent, balancing moments of soaring grandeur with passages of unexpected tenderness.

Recent singles including "Get Up and Dance", "Goddamn! Lizard Man!" and "Nosedive" showcase the band's remarkable ability to switch between chaos and control, often within the same song. There is a theatrical quality to their music, but it is always rooted in genuine feeling rather than spectacle for spectacle's sake.

That balance is reflected in drummer Lola Cherry's description of the album's development. Originally envisaged as a collection of all-out, high-energy anthems, the band ultimately discovered that the quieter moments carried equal weight. Rather than forcing a singular sound, they embraced the contrast, creating a record that feels more complete and emotionally resonant as a result.

Collaborating with producer Seth Evans, whose credits include Geordie Greep and Black Midi, alongside Margo Broom, known for her work with Fat White Family and Big Joanie, the band have crafted a sound that is both expansive and intimate. The production amplifies the scale of their ideas without sacrificing the rawness and urgency that first attracted attention.

What ultimately makes Cannonball such an exciting debut is its confidence. Not confidence born from certainty, but from exploration. Man/Woman/Chainsaw sound like a band willing to take risks, challenge expectations and follow ideas wherever they lead. In an era when many emerging acts are encouraged to streamline their identities, they seem determined to do the opposite.

As the band prepare to take their music into larger rooms across the country next spring, the feeling is that this is only the beginning. Cannonball doesn't simply introduce Man/Woman/Chainsaw to a wider audience; it establishes them as one of the most inventive and compelling young bands currently operating in the UK. The upcoming tour may be their biggest yet, but judging by the trajectory they're on, even larger milestones are likely just around the corner.

Cannonball Tracklisting:

Only Girl
Canyons
Goddamn, Lizard Man!
Lighter
Nosedive
Get Up and Dance
Snakebite
Flick of the Wrist
The Thing
Still Angry
Something Else to Give

Man/Woman/Chainsaw UK & IR Headline Tour 2026 (remaining dates) :

Mon 5 Oct – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Tue 6 Oct – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
Wed 7 Oct – London, UK – Electric Ballroom

Man/Woman/Chainsaw UK & IR Headline Tour 2027:

Sat 1 May - Manchester - New Century
Sun 2 May - Glasgow - The Art School
Mon 3 May - Newcastle - King Street Social Club
Wed 5 May - Leeds - Project House
Thurs 6 May - Birmingham - Castle & Falcon
Fri 7 May - Bristol - Electric
Sat 8 May - Southampton - Engine Rooms
Mon 10 May - Oxford - O2 Academy
Tues 11 May - London - O2 Forum Kentish Town

Man/Woman/Chainsaw are:

Billy Ward (vocals, guitars)
Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths)
Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass)
Clio Harwood (violin)
Lola Cherry (drums)
Billy Doyle (guitars)