Man/Woman/Chainsaw are on the rise

“It’s just up here,” says bassist and vocalist Vera Leppänen, before continuing up another flight of stairs. Completed by guitarist/vocalist Billy Ward, drummer Lola Cherry, violinist Clio Starwood, vocalist and keys/synths player Emmie-Mae Avery, and guitarist Billy Doyle, Man/Woman/Chainsaw give more than a warm welcome. It’s a little chaotic, but it's fun. Emerging in the current musical landscape, some bands breakthrough not only for their talent but for an aura of enjoyment that stems from a very real connection – and what’s more genuine than friendships sparked in secondary school music rooms?

“Friends first, bandmates second,” jokes Starwood when asked to describe the teenage troupe, provoking laughter all round. While said in jest, it’s a statement that rings true for Man/Woman/Chainsaw. The roots of their collaboration trace back to their school days, with work emails shared in Sixth Form hallways and collaboration offers chatted over in lunch breaks. “All of us knew each other from like Year 10 to Year 12,” shares Leppänen. Elaborating, Ward adds: “between those years we gradually came together as a band. We started doing shows quite young. The lineup changed quite a lot; we would get people in and out on different instruments, then this lineup settled,” he says, sweeping his hand around the group. “Two guitars, keys, bass, drums, synthesiser – that kind of settled.”

“Yeah, all of them met at school except for me,” Starwood interjects with a faux-offended pout. “I was actually playing drums very badly for a band that Billy was playing guitar for, and then we met and he was like, ‘oh yeah, you play violin, that’s cool’.”

“It was more like ‘join our band, please, you play violin!’” Ward corrects, eliciting another outbreak of laughter. It was around this time that work on their upcoming EP Eazy Peazy first began. With such an easy bond, its unsurprising that the group were already finding the confidence to explore different styles in their brief but budding discography, all while solidifying their own sound.

Songwriting for this collective is fluid – a collaborative process dedicated to merging individual visions into something unique to the Man/Woman/Chainsaw outfit. That’s not to say there isn’t still some vulnerability in bringing a song to the table only to watch it turn into something else. “I think we all probably start a song thinking it should sound a certain way,” Avery muses. “If you listened to the inside of our brains, we’re all probably thinking: ‘this person’s suggestion is shit’,” she laughs, as bandmates shared pointed looks at one another lightheartedly. “But I think the best part is when a song does go in a completely different direction than what you expected, you know?” Leppänen poses. “Because there’s a reason you needed somebody else's brain to think of it.”

“Yeah, the song is so much better once you’ve surrendered it to six people’s mishmash of influences,” concludes Ward. It’s a particular patchwork of creativity that not only makes their music so rich but also embeds within it a sense of that very collaboration. In the sounds they produce, their instruments never compete, instead interweaving a musical push-and-pull. Lighter orchestral notes balance against boisterous fuzzy guitars and sometimes they shape shift, the twinkling now pouring from the guitars while the violin and keys take on the grit.

But, before Man/Woman/Chainsaw were even thinking about writing in this way, before even Eazy Peazy was in the works, this DIY outfit was founding their dynamic approach to making music in the raw energy of live performances. “There was something chaotic about the early gigs,” Ward recalls. “We try to tap into that now, but with more filtering out of the crap.” Cherry carries on the thought: “It started as writing for live performance. Since recording though, we've kind of played the songs a bit differently live. The backbones are the same, but they feel tighter,” she concludes, looking around at the nods of agreement. With over 100 gigs under their belts since debuting at just 16, it's impressive – and a bit surreal – that these young musicians can already tap into their early days for inspiration from their unfiltered expression. “The earliest songs were like, ‘this has a verse where the lyrics are one line repeated four times, a noise section, then the chorus’,” Leppänen recalls with a laugh.

In July of this year, the London-based band announced they were signing with American independent label Fat Possum alongside news of their debut EP. A double whammy of big steps. They reflect on how this partnership lifts a weight off from their shoulders, letting them continue to explore musically with fresh confidence and leaving the logistics to trusted hands. “I think it was definitely a big change,” says Cherry. “There's people that want to support us, let us record songs, and release a project we're proud of. If we did that on our own, it wouldn't have been financially viable. And the organisation?!” she finishes emphatically.

There’s something special about watching a band like Man/Woman/Chainsaw embracing every opportunity with the balance of talent and wide-eyed enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s only possible in the sweet spot before needing to update the Spotify bio to include “responsible adult”. Listening to their reflections, their amazement at being where they are so early in their career is as endless as their energy, playfully questioning, 'are we professional?' as if still accepting the news now.

“We’re putting a distortion on the violin, having more aggressive synth sounds, and getting more out of the instruments,” Ward describes, discussing the ways the group balances aggression with tenderness. This experimentation, removing musical expectations from their own instruments and seeing what happens next, is palpable throughout Eazy Peazy. “The Boss” with its heavy theme and heavier sounds, exploring power dynamics through electrifying violin and synth lines, is unlike anything on “Grow a Tongue in Time”, with its floating sonic experience and intimate vocals from Leppänen. Yet, they are both without a doubt Man/Woman/Chainsaw, exemplifying the band's adeptness at dancing around and with each other, letting the sounds take the lead when they want to.

It’s a duality that reflects their growth as artists, allowing them to push boundaries all while capturing the confidence their new label has afforded them. Cherry reflects on this dynamic approach when they remark, “the EP is very much like the coming of age element of us figuring it out. And the stuff we’ve been writing now is–.” Ward finishes, “–much more mature”. Leppänen retorts with an incredulous smirk, “that is crazy coming from the mouths of 19 and 20-year-olds.”

Man/Woman/Chainsaw seem to be a band full of contradictions, their youthful energy contrasting sharply with the depth of their musical maturity. They maintain a DIY ethos while collaborating with seasoned professionals like Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, who's production helped bring a more polished edge to their output. Despite being firmly anchored in their local scene, they also hold ambitions of touring further afield — Europe and beyond (“O2 arena, 2026”) – already in motion with their recently announced SXSW debut next year.

Yet, there aren't many bands with the same conviction in their own musical language as this indie outfit. As they prepare to unleash Eazy Peazy on the world, the group look forward to what’s next. When Starwood sheepishly asks if she can “dare say we’re on the short little road to finding our sound,” she is met with an answer from Ward that encompasses Man/Woman/Chainsaw: “We found our sound and now we’re taking it apart.”