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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
–
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.
Neil Young U-turns on Glastonbury drop-out after being confirmed as festival headliner
Danny Jones
Barely a beat or two after having seemingly dropped out of the festival, Neil Young has now U-turned on Glastonbury 2025 and now looks set to be headlining it.
Thelegendary musician called out the world-renowned music festival for being under “corporate” control at the whim of the BBC (its official media and broadcasting partner for nearly 30 years) and said he would no longer be playing his slot.
Young went so far as to call it a “corporate turn-off”, claiming the event is “not how I remember it” in a message on his website.
However, just a few days after posting the news, it now appears as though the Canadian singer-songwriter will still be playing Glastonbury – and not just as one of the multiple legends lined up for 2025 either, but as a headliner.
Neil Young is now seemingly headlining Glastonbury 2025. (Credit: Screenshot via Neil Young Archives)
As you can see in the update shared on Friday, 3 January, the 79-year-old now claims there was an “error” in the information he received regarding his performance at the festival.
Having now cleared up whatever confusion occurred, he and his band the Chrome Hearts will in fact be playing the festival as planned, reiterating his long-lasting love for the festival.
Quite a far cry from the sentiment he seemed to be getting across in his previous post, but make of that what you will.
Furthermore, chief organiser Emily Eavis – whose parents Michael and Jean Eavis set up the first ever Glastonbury music festival back in 1970 – not only hopped on social media to confirm that ‘Shakey’ will be performing but that he will be headline the main Pyramid Stage.
“Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury”, she wrote, adding: “He does things his own way and that’s why we love him.”
So has he been given a slot upgrade of sorts or what? It still remains a little unclear.
At present, Rod Stewart is set to play the iconic and outright ‘Legends’ slot during Sunday teatime this June. We likely won’t hear much else about the rest of the lineup until sometime in spring.
This, of course, isn’t the first time Neil Young has done a 180 following a well-publicised decision in protest against a big media company.
The music veteran famously removed all of his discography from Spotify for two years before it eventually reappeared back in March 2024.
As for whatever happened between him and the festival or whether this was some gamesmanship from the influential music icon, at the end of the day, he’s heading to Worthy Farm after all.
Neil Young pulls out of ‘corporate controlled’ Glastonbury Festival
Danny Jones
Music icon Neil Young has pulled out of Glastonbury Festival 2025 after claiming it has lost its identity and is now under “corporate” control.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential to have ever lived, was due to play the festival as one of the legends named on this year’s lineup.
However, despite lots of excitement around the veteran being given the nod over others from what has largely been seen as a pop-leaning pool (at least according to the detractors) in recent years, Young has now decided to drop out of the festival.
Neil Young’s latest ‘NYA Times Contrarian’ post explains the decision to drop out of Glastonbury.Neil Young in 2023 Credit: Screenshot (via Neil Young website)/Per Ole Hagen (via Flickr)
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs”, it reads. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.”
For context, the BBC has been partnered with Glasto since way back in 1997 and Neil Young has already headlined the festival back in 2009, so this shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for coming to us the last time!”, he continues. “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.”
The message concludes with him hoping to catch fans at other venues and a simple “LOVE Neil – Be well”, but the tenor of the somewhat abrupt update is that the ever-opinionated and long-celebrated protest song-writer clearly believes the BBC‘s influence over the festival has now grown too strong.
Known not only as ‘Shakey’ and the ‘Godfather of Grunge’ but as one of the pioneering anti-establishment figures of a generation, the Canadian was previously in the headlines for demanding Spotify remove his music after taking issue with Joe Rogan’s anti-vax messaging on his show.
All that to say, the solo artist co-founding member of supergroup, Buffalo Springfield, is no stranger to taking on big business and companies if he feels he has good reason. Meanwhile, Rod Stewart will be performing in the coveted ‘Legends’ headliner slot at teatime on Sunday, 29 June.
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts are looking set for a European tour this summer but if he’s taking on corporations and concerts under umbrella control, it seems unlikely we’ll see him at too many festivals or the likes of Co-op Live.
The better question is: do you agree – has Glastonbury Festival become too corporate and sanitised, or do you think it still upholds the same core values it had when it first popped up on Worthy Farm in 1970?
Hannah Starkie -
5th November 2021 
