You might recognise these two from the programme Waterloo Road, first moving into the public eye as Rhona and Shona Mansfield in the popular high school drama.
But twin sisters Millie and Hope Katana – a.k.a. The KTNA – have done A LOT of growing up since then.
Now two strong independent women, the self-titled ‘Sisterz of Darkness’, with their edgy style and alluring sound, couldn’t be further away from the school ties and blazers that kickstarted their career.
First of all, we’re too curious about the nickname. So The KTNA tell us how it came about – amongst all the other things that the duo have got going on right now.
“The ‘Sisterz of Darkness’ came to be, originally, because we wear a lot of black and a lot of black high shine leather and PVC – think trinity from the matrix,” said Millie and Hope. “That coupled with the fact we write with a lot of melancholy and sadness, it became the perfect nickname for us and it stuck. We actually love it.”
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With this, The KNTA have managed to forge a strong image and brand that works seamlessly together with their music. The girls are the full package, brimming with passion and a raw honesty.
A strong sisterly bond
The music industry is a tough nut to crack, everyone knows this. But no one knows it more than those who are working tirelessly to make a break. Luckily, the KTNA are there – and they’ve got each other. And as twin sisters, their bond runs even deeper than your typical duo or band, producing a whole new level of trust.
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“We’ve been singing together in harmony since before we could talk. I think it’s subconsciously something we always knew we wanted to do,” they said. “However the reality is, it’s really difficult.”
“To know your sister is as disappointed or heartbroken sometimes is awful. That said we wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s always someone for me to trust, somewhere safe and that’s with my sister. That’s pretty amazing.”
They’ve got their mum to thank for their taste in music, who has fed them on a diet of purely “the finest music of the past” throughout their childhood. Because of this, the girls cite Stevie Wonder as their biggest inspiration, describing his song writing as “other-worldly”. This is all thanks to their mum’s music time machine.
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Though, as they’ve got older, they’re into soft rock and classical a bit more. This shines through in their music today, and is clearly what gives them their refined soulful yet punky edge – the signature The KTNA style.
Empowering music
With over a year spent in lockdown, they were able to put plenty of time aside to lay down the foundations of their brand-new EP ‘Resurgence’ which is out on 24 November.
As long-time fans of The KTNA, we know they produce empowering music time and time again. And this new project will be no different. Except we might be seeing a new era of The KTNA.
“‘Resurgence’ is slightly more up-tempo but we’re still dark-sided chicks,” Millie and Hope tell us. “It’s entirely self-written and produced – and as women, we are so, so proud of being able to put out work that hasn’t been dictated by men. Resurgence is our re-birth.”
Ahead of the release of Resurgence, they’ve released a couple of from the project, like ‘Can’t Stop It’ which is a sultry R&B track, accompanied by some amazing leather and chain-clad visuals.
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Now you’ll see why the nickname “Sisterz of Darkness” makes sense. But more importantly, the playful metaphor of the chains explores the idea of breaking free from things are holding you down. This is what the girls are all about. Building strength and hope through their song writing, to help others through their own experiences.
On the road
As well as new music, the KTNA have just announced their first ever headline tour for next year. Which if you’ve seen these two perform live before, you’ll know they come into their own and are bursting with personality.
So the tour kicks off on Wednesday 30 March at Headrow House in Leeds. Then they’ll visit Bristol and London before winding up back in Manchester on Saturday 2 April where they’ll play YES’s Pink Room.
Millie and Hope admit one of their favourite things about touring and performing in front of crowds is making people cry.
Okay, not actually cry like that, obviously. But what they mean is seeing people get emotional over their music means here job here is done. They’ve created something that means that much to someone.
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“Looking out into the crowd and seeing people singing along or crying is the best feeling in the world. It still blows our mind that people know our songs to be honest.
“There’s nothing better than going to see a great show with great music and we cannot wait to do that every night. Being on stage is our most favourite thing to do, so we are going to give it some right welly!” they said.
Tickets are on sale now, grab them whilst you can here.
The future
With new music and touring all in the pipeline, The KTNA are still looking beyond that. With plans for a third EP already in motion to complete the trilogy, the girls will finally make a start on an album after that.
But above all else, they’re just ready to play more shows, make more beautiful music and keep growing as artist, producers and people. And we’re looking forward to seeing where The KTNA go.
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If you’re a fan of music in Manchester, head here to read more – and make sure you’re following The Manc Audio for updates on music and events in the city.
One of the most momentous live music weekends in Manchester is fast approaching, as even before Parklife 2025 gets underway, we must first prepare to welcome Catfish and the Bottlemen.
The Welsh indie rock band remains one of Britain’s biggest and best contemporary exports, even with a fairly substantial hiatus; the proof is in the pudding too, with their huge Heaton Park headline gig selling out and the fandom not fading even one iota in the time between their last album and now.
Are there tickets left for Catfish at Heaton Park?
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but unsurprisingly, Catfish’s Heaton Park – their first Manchester headline gig in many years – sold out very quickly.
On the other hand, you’ll be glad to hear that there are some official resale tickets and VIP packages listed on Ticketmaster.
You can grab your tickets HERE and, of course, you can always keep your eye out for spares on trusted resellers like Twickets and TwicketSwap. Proceed with caution, though, and don’t risk getting stung.
Support acts
Now, for those who don’t know who is supporting Catfish and the Bottlemen at Heaton Park, you’re in for an absolute treat, because this is a great little lineup that includes a much-loved Manchester band.
As well as a set from London-based DJ and producer Katie Owen to kick off the day, local legends and fellow indie rock favourites James are the main warm-up act.
In terms of when you can expect the action to get underway, Katie Owen is expected to get underway right from doors at 5pm until approximately 7:05pm; there will then be a roughly 25-minute interval before James take to the stage at 7:30pm.
Following a slightly longer break in play, the main event kicks into gear at 9pm, with Catfish expected to play a roughly 1h30m set.
Curfew is at 11pm, so you can expect people to start filing out of the park promptly after the end of the show. We’d also urge attendees to arrive nice and early and get in the queue from 4:30pm.
Setlist
Now, while the setlist obviously hasn’t been confirmed yet (that would spoil the fun now, wouldn’t it?), for the more impatient among you who are trying to figure out what the boys might play, you can check out the most recent running order of tracks from their comeback at Reading Festival last year on Setlist.fm.
It looks a little something like this:
Intro: ‘Aint That a Kick in the Head’ (Dean Martin song) and ‘Helter Skelter’ (The Beatles song)
Longshot
Kathleen
Cocoon
Soundcheck
Pacifier
Twice
Fallout (‘Bartender and the Thief’ snippet in outro)
2all
Rango
Outside
Fluctuate
7 (Extended outro)
Cocoon
Who knows what the encore will be at this point, but one thing we will see is that the above setlist will surely include their most recent song ‘Showtime’ as well as persistent die-hard fan favourite ‘ASA’, which was recently released as a single at long last – maybe a bit of ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Hourglass’ too.
To be fair, we’d be happy with just about any of their tracks.
Last but not least, if you’ve never been to the massive green space before, your best bet is to travel via tram or other Bee Network public transport. Metrolink services will be running direct from Victoria to the venue during the day, and thankfully, it’s just a case of getting off at the Heaton Park tram stop itself.
From there, you can enter the event site via the North Gate; after the party is over, the Bowker Vale tram stop located near the East Gate is your quickest exit. Please also be mindful that Heaton Park station will also be closed from 9pm due to help with congestion and safety reasons.
Otherwise, the usual Big Green Coaches will also be running from the city centre, which can be booked in advance, and taxis home will be available from Blackley New Road and along Bury Old Road.
And that should be just all the important key information you need to know ahead of what is sure to be a memorable night. Touch wood and keep everything crossed, folks…
Legendary Greater Mancunians James are currently back out on the road and delighting fans as per, especially with their ever-energetic lead singer, Tim Booth, doing his thingboth up on stage and out in the audience too.
But did you know that Bradford-born Booth claims to be the only person who is actually insured to crowd surf in the entire UK?
Well, neither did we until this week.
Playing another pair of massive shows at Halifax’s unbelievable amphitheatre, The Piece Hall, following their two sell-out shows at the amphitheatre back in 2023, the Yorkshireman spoke to Chris Hawkins about how the whole thing came about – and how he earned himself this unique title.
You heard it here 👀
@wearejames 's Tim Booth is the only person in Britain insured to crowd surf 🏄♂️⚡
Joined by bandmate and founding member Jim Glennie for a lengthy interview, Booth was asked just how “high-risk” his infamous crowdsurfing is these days, explaining that although he does “choose [his] moments, there’s little more thinking that goes into it than making sure they don’t have their phones up.
Not because of filming concerns or anything like that, mind you, simply because catching him one-handed wouldn’t be safe enough.
The BBC Radio 6 DJ and presenter then asked if being “insured to crowd surf” is a possibility, at which point he singer-songwriter and actor revealed, “I’m the only person in Britain insured to crowd surf.”
While we’re sure some international acts take out some kind of policy to protect themselves when interacting with the crowd, the liability usually falls on the venue – unless you’re Tim Booth, apparently.
Hence why he can do stuff like without almost any hesitation:
As you can see, the frenetic frontman is still jumping up and down as he always has; even at 65 years old, he’s not afraid to get amongst it and bring their party vibes to their gigs.
He goes on to add that despite a company threatening to remove that particular clause around five years ago, he said that after seeing some of his performance in person, they joked that it was more like the crowd was merely ‘passing him around.’
When we spoke to bassist Jim ourselves earlier this year, he said of his long-time friend: “He’s not as young as he used to be, none of us are, but it’s what he does and he loves it – we’re still amazed by his energy to this day.”
You only have to look at his antics over the years for it to click that interacting with the crowd in this way is something he’s always done, and given his special and seemingly unprecedented protection, we imagine he won’t stop until his body physically won’t let him.
Tim Booth crowd surfing at Athen’s Ejekt Festival back in 2016.…and at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia just last year.Christos Gaifyllias/Jim Powers (screenshots via YouTube)
In terms of all-out performers who leave everything up there on the stage, Booth may just be up there with one of the most underrated this country has ever produced.
And we’re not just saying that because he’s a Northerner and Manc adoptee, though the group’s much-loved local status does grant them bonus points.
We certainly enjoyed seeing them at Neighbourhood Weekender this year and, much like Tim himself, we have no intention of sitting down to see a James gig.
Hannah Starkie -
5th November 2021 
