Mimi Webb is one of UK pop’s leading ladies right now and if her latest singles are anything to go by she will continue to be a staple for many more years to come.
The singer, who is 24, has been steadily growing her fanbase since 2020. Releasing her debut EP ‘Seven Shades of Heartbreak’ in 2021, then setting our homes ablaze with the smash hit ‘House On Fire’ in 2022, later releasing her debut album ‘Amelia’ in 2023, she is building quite an impressive portfolio.
Known for her endless pop roster like ‘Good Without’, ‘Ghost Of You’, ’24/5’, Webb recently visited our glorious city and has big plans on returning soon.
We sat down for a chat with the Canterbury superstar days after her Manchester gig at Co Op Live where she’s supporting the Jonas Brothers on the remainder of their European tour.
Mimi Webb | The Interview
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What is it like touring with the Jonas Brothers?
It’s going so well. I just love this show, because I’ve been able to sink my teeth into it and really go for it. I’m just happy that we’re being able to have the kind of opportunity to expand our own show.
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Manchester was one of the first dates on the tour, how did that set you up for the rest of the shows – How good was the Manchester crowd?
Manchester is just one of the main cities in the UK that just goes so hard for me at shows, I had the best time. It was such a cool, cool show. And I think it’s great to keep growing and growing the show every night and trying to figure out new things I want to do on stage and just kind of building the blocks of my performance.
So having played Manchester quite a few times now, do you have any favorite spots that you like to go to?
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My friend actually lived in Manchester for a bit, and she was always telling me about Blank Street (Coffee) so we popped in there, because I was like, I need to go and see it. We normally just go for a nice dinner and drinks, wherever we can. There was a really nice Italian called Fumo too.
You’ve played lots of Manchester venues, what did you think of playing Co Op Live for the first time?
Well, it’s crazy, because there they were telling me how new it was, and the backstage is gorgeous, you can tell it’s new, and they’ve really got into it. It was really cool to be there and be one of the first, among other artists to play that arena, it was so cool!
Now I know that you have a song called ‘Red Flags’, does Manchester have any red flags?
The traffic. I remember, I went out for a massage and on the way I was like get me there now, this is too long!
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‘Erase You’ is your latest single – Talk me through it?
I’ve been writing a lot of my new music in LA so it’s like a change of environment. And it was really cool to go into the room and just kind of write a song where it’s kind of the last farewell. I remember saying,, I just want to erase this person and have them completely gone. I wanted to write a song about that, but I don’t want it to feel too angry. I wanted to have that sassy fun to it too.
We really achieved that with this song. And it was fun to be in LA. And I feel like when I’m there I I’m the same person, but with a different energy. It’s perfect to tap into the feeling that you’re done with all the BS.
What can we expect from your second album?
I feel like I’m the 2.0 Mimi Webb. With house on fire, I loved the whole process of the writing, the recording, the video and then releasing it. That’s just the whole vibe. I want to write stuff that really locks me back into that feeling that I had when ‘House On Fire’ dropped. So a lot of the new songs are very upbeat pop, sassy, and they’ve also got a lot of darker meanings and emotions running through them.
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I’ve dipped into a little bit of country, writing country songs, it’s coming together really nicely, it’s a little album of everything I wanted all in one place. I’m coming into my popstar era.. I’ve always been the loudest one in the room and I feel like now I’m able to really show me, as a person and an artist.
You’re working with Ryan Tedder (known for Greedy – Tate McRae, Welcome to New York – Taylor Swift), he’s been involved on the past two singles, ‘Mistake’ and ‘Erase You’ – How did that come about?
So I met Ryan in Malta at an MTV show there two years ago. Me, One Republic, and a couple more artists were performing. It was so cool because I could just easily meet him. I went up and just said “Hi”. My mum was like “Go, and you can do it” . I was nervous, but I pulled through. And yeah, I was like, “Right, how are we doing? Can we,get a session in the studio?”. He was like, “Yeah, this is so cool. Like, nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you”. Then four months later, I got the call, we got the session, and I was like, “Oh my god”, I went to LA andthen we started writing.
When you’re in tour mode, what things do you have to bring with you?
My steamer, my hair products, makeup and I really love a robe and then a good tracksuit for sound check.
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After touring with the Jonas Brothers, what can we expect from yourself?
Christmas! Christmas shows. I might drop a new song before the year ends. Then next year, it will all just be about finishing up the album and tying it up, figuring out what we’re going to release next.
And finally, when can we catch you in Manchester again?
Hopefully, very soon! I loved it. Manchester was such a great show, it was a really good night.
Having a chat with one of the main artists who is currently leading the soundscape of the 21st century music scene is very fascinating. It’s great to see that Webb genuinely loves what she does and it’s noticeable through the songs she writes and the ability she has to command any stage. Bring on 2025 and bring on the sophmore project – you can never have too much Mimi Webb!
Review | Villanelle debut: Liam Gallagher’s son’s band release their first track – here’s our review
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher’s son, Gene, and his band Villanelle, have officially released their debut single to the masses, and since we’re still very much immersing ourselves in everything even remotely to do with Oasis, we thought we’d give this first track a review.
Now, if you’re expecting a familiar Britpop vibe like his dad and uncle used to bash out back in the day, you’d be very wrong…
It’s one thing to settle into something similar to what you’ve grown up around and try to continue a lineage if you’re from a successful family – especially with a legacy as important and influential as the one left by Liam and Noel – but we’re glad to report they’ve done something pretty different.
24-year-old Gene Gallagher and his bandmates Ben Taylor (guitar), Jack Schiavo (bass), and Andrew Richmond (drums) haven’t just tried to do an impression of Oasis; instead, they’ve found their own sound, and while it does give somewhat of an old-school flavour, it’s not what we expected.
It takes literally milliseconds for you to click into realising the vibe they’re going for.
‘Hinge’ is a simplistic but hard-hitting, grungey and dark debut from Villanelle, who, despite having played a number of in-progress songs live over the last year or so, have only just dropped their first studio single.
In fact, they’ve actually taken the admittedly bizarre and unorthodox first steps of having already played live with Liam Gallagher on the Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour before they actually released anything people can easily listen to outside of their live performances.
Nevertheless, the young four-piece introduces Villanelle as the latest post-punk outfit amidst the ongoing revival of the classic rock genre.
That is to say that punk is a tried and true classic style of music, not that these lads are trying to sound like The Rolling Stones…
Anyway, we’re getting sidetracked: Villanelle draw plenty of influences from both original and contemporary examples of this sonic subculture, and while it isn’t explosive per se, ‘Hinge’ is short, direct and hits the same formulaic notes.
It’s also fair to say you can hear a bit of the recognisable LG whine in Gene’s vocals at times, too. Listen to it in full down below and see if you agree.
Even the basic found-footage style video fits into the same category.
To call it straightforward isn’t intended as any kind of a diss, by the way – some of our favourite tunes and best artists spearheading the renaissance of the punk scene write like this.
What we will say is that it looks like bloody good fun to both play and listen to in a small, sweaty room, with plenty of pits and people bouncing off the walls.
Gallagher Sr. might be surprised to see his son going for a slightly heavier, more hardcore route with his sound, but he can’t accuse him of forgetting his roots as the child of a ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.’
The boys are actually hitting the road this winter, including a date at The Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter, if you fancy grabbing a ticket.
You can grab your tickets to see Villanelle on tour HERE, and in the meantime, let us know what you think of their debut track down in the comments.
Johnny Marr teases his work on upcoming Gorillaz album
Danny Jones
Legendary Manchester musician Johnny Marr has revealed he features on the new Gorillaz album, adding even more interest in the highly anticipated release.
The Mountain is the ninth studio LP from the musical collective led by Damon Albarn, which is set to drop in early 2026, more than three years on from their last album, Cracker Island.
Although the virtual band made up of several real-life creatives (though the ex-Blur frontman and artist, Jamie Hewlett, technically remain the only two consistent core members) hasn’t been away for too long, each new project brings a wave of excitement.
With that in mind, we have no shame in admitting we have even more interest in Gorillaz’s latest album now that we know Johnny Marr is attached to it.
I’m pleased to share that I appear on four tracks on the upcoming Gorillaz album The Mountain. It’s a privilege to be a part of this record along with so many great artists. #Gorillaz#JohnnyMarrpic.twitter.com/KXVZxgyGg9
In the new rundown of tunes already posted earlier this month, the former Smiths songwriter and lead guitarist features on four different songs on the new record. You can see it in full down below:
Gorrilaz – The Mountain tracklist
1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash) 2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought) 3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks) 4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen) 5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar) 6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES) 7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof) 9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith) 11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) 12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash, and Ayaan Ali Bangash) 13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr) 14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
As you can see, the 61-year-old appears for the first time on song seven, ‘The Empty Dream Machine’, as well as ‘The Plastic Guru’, ‘Casablanca’, and the penultimate track on the album, ‘The Sweet Prince’.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fits into the captivating soundscape already teased by the group, with Gorillaz having now shared ‘The Happy Dictator’ featuring art pop duo Sparks.
A strong and politically loaded start.
Marr – who only released his fourth batch of solo material, Fever Dream Pts 1-4, back in 2022 – has continued to craft and produce with countless other artists over the past few decades, sharing the studio with fellow icons such as Noel Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Talking Heads and many more.
He even helped create the score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack with legendary composer Hans Zimmer.
That being said, we can only hope to hear some of his famous guitar tones sprinkled throughout this album, though it’s still unclear as to exactly how much input he had on The Mountain overall.
What we do know about the album is that it’s the first to be released via Albarn’s new record label KONG; it’s 15 tracks, and was largely made following extended recording sessions across India, with the likes of Ajay Prasanna, Omar Souleyman and Anoushka Shankar, joining IDLES, Jalen Ngonda and other collabs.
Perhaps most excitingly, the announcement of ‘Gorillaz no.9’ came alongside a series of tour dates, including one right here in Manchester. We can’t wait to see 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle ‘live’ in 0161.
Thomas Melia -
23rd September 2024 
