A Chat with MuddiBrooke (23.12.21)
A sonic representation of “angry chick music”, UK-based alt-rock meets grunge trio MuddiBrooke are sharing their unique sound with the masses. We speak with bassist Anna Melidone about their EP Lunacy, favourite reviews and being on a desert island.
OSR: How did MuddiBrooke come about?
Melidone: It all started for me when Brooke dropped me a message looking for a bassist, she sent me a few demos of some songs she had written and they sounded great! We met up and had a bit of a jam together, kind of like an audition really. I felt like we were on the same wavelength with music and so she asked me to join, and that was that. We then were on the lookout for a drummer, Brooke happened to bump into Mary on a night out (how convenient!), so we auditioned her and yeah, that was that really.
OSR: Is there a backstory to your EP Lunacy?
Melidone: There’s a common theme that seems to run through most of the songs, most of them are about mental health, that’s why we decided to name the EP Lunacy. It’s all about the daily struggles we go through with anxiety, dissociation etc., as all three of us struggle with these things. The first track on the EP, ‘Devil’, is about domestic abuse which really hits home for Brooke as it’s written about an experience that she actually went through.
OSR: You recorded Lunacy during lockdown – what sort of challenges did you face if you weren’t able to go to a studio?
Melidone: The hardest thing about recording the EP was actually being able to get together and practice the songs. We managed to have a few writing sessions on a Zoom call showing each other different riffs or lyrics that we had written, then we managed to get together when restrictions eased a little and practised in Brooke’s garage. We did manage to upset a few neighbours in the process, but hey ho, gotta do what you gotta do! *laughs*
OSR: What do you hope people take from Lunacy?
Melidone: As all three of us struggle with the themes that the songs are about, we hope that people find comfort in the songs and to know they’re not alone if they also experience those things too. I think ‘Devil’ in particular, for anyone out there who has experienced domestic abuse, can listen and find some sort of comfort in hearing the anger and frustration being released.
OSR: If you could change one thing about the EP, what would it be and why?
Melidone: Reading back some of the reviews that we have had, there was one in particular that spoke about the dynamics of the songs. I think one thing we could improve on for our next releases is to focus on bringing some sections right down so that the bigger parts feel even bigger.
OSR: You performed your first gig in July 2021. What was the experience like?
Melidone: It felt amazing to be able to perform as a band finally after forming a year and a half before that. We had so many gigs cancelled and rescheduled that it almost felt like it was never really going to happen, so to actually perform the songs we had been working on for so long felt so good! You could tell the crowd were just so happy to finally be out at gigs again, the support act Siobhan Mazzei was incredible too!
OSR: What has been your favourite review to date?
Melidone: It’s got to be the one from Naomi Sanders that she wrote for ERB Magazine. She has shown us so much support since we first formed and actually travelled two hours to see us for our first gig. It was amazing to be featured in ERB magazine, and on top of that, for her to give us a 10/10 review!
OSR: As an all-female grunge group, do you believe women are adequately represented in the music industry?
Melidone: I’d say it’s definitely gotten a lot better over the years, I see so many more women on stage which is so nice to see, but like most things, there’s still progress to be made.
OSR: What do you think is the best way to discover music nowadays?
Melidone: Spotify is probably the easiest with their daily mixes and artist radios, however, I think if you really want to support the music scene and upcoming artists, go to gigs and don’t just go for the headline. I’ve discovered so many great bands from watching the support acts, everyone starts somewhere.
OSR: If you were on a desert island and could take only two items, what would they be? No mobile phones or boats allowed.
Melidone: Aww, I’d have to take Brooke and Mary with me! If they class as “items”? Couldn’t be doing without my bandmates. On second thought, maybe I’d just take a bottle of Amaretto and an MP3 player filled with KT Tunstall, Royal Blood and Jeff Buckley!
OSR: What does the future hold for MuddiBrooke?
Melidone: We hope to be able to do a European tour in the relatively near future after everything has settled down again. I think one of our dream places to play would be Greece as we hit their rock charts last year! To be honest, I think we just want to keep going, writing more stuff and improving as a band really.
Many thanks to Anna Melidone for speaking with us. For more from MuddiBrooke check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
