MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW – RESIDENT, BRIGHTON 8.8.26
Resident started as a tiny shop, which has gone from strength-to-strength and expanded from its tiny beginnings to its impressive double fronted space it proudly holds within the heart of North Laine in Brighton.
Indeed, as the tote bag emblazoned by a quote from former Brighton resident and local ‘Saint’ Nick Cave currently on sale in the shop, states, Resident is “The Best F*cking record shop in Britain The World”. You can ask anyone, not just me or a Brighton resident, it’s a fact that Resident has grown to become THE place to go!
Tonight, we were here for a live performance (and signing) of the new album ‘Cannonball’ (which for anyone of a certain age will bring to the forefront the classic track of the same name by the Breeders), from the band Man/Woman/Chainsaw. These events at Resident have become something of an institution and a hot ticket.
It is not often that you come across a new band that you at once resonate with, even rarer still do you find that their music has been your earworm for a little while. I had kept on meaning to look up who was producing the new songs that were pricking my ears up, but we’ve all been busy with back-to-back gigs and festivals during what I like to refer to as the ‘silly season’ so, well I’d put it to the back of my mind to look up that band that kept on creeping into my peripheries. Imagine my joy when I realised that I was finally going to be reviewing Man/Woman/Chainsaw, THAT band with the songs that I kept on meaning to find time to sit down and listen to.
I am an art rock/ post-punk kid at heart. Born in 1976 my preferred list on rotation features everything either created or released during the long scorching summer of ‘76. Taking that into consideration you can see why I at once took to Man/Woman/ Chainsaw’s post-punk/art rock sound. Moving between looming threat and heartfelt tenderness the band combines orchestral instruments with synths, and my absolute push button of grungy guitars.
They formed at secondary school. Starting out with a revolving line of bandmates, they have now gelled into a slick and tight outfit, releasing their first single in 2020, ‘Any Given Sunday’. The first track from them that many, including myself, heard and grabbed our attention by the scruff of the neck as soon as it hit the airways. The debut EP, 2024’s ‘Easy Peazy’, produced by the hugely talented Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, marked the start of that new and exciting band we are all looking for and everyone talks about.
There was a tangible buzz outside Resident Records as the city’s musos, photographers, reviewers and stone-cold music fans gathered near 6pm to make sure they could get pole position to both see and hear the new phenomenon.
Credentials, [check], musicality, [check], personality, [check], talent so much that it seems to be visibly bursting out of all of them [check]. This band are the original triple threat. They are also still young enough that we can expect to enjoy music from the collective and their inevitable side projects for years to come. If you were looking for a glimmer of light to get you through these challenging times, that break up, that suffocating cloud of blue that you have been hoping to shrug off? Man/Woman/Chainsaw is it.
A combination of personable charm and so fizzing with exuberance and the sheer joy of music that not one of them is able to keep still, so wound up that they just have to play is, well as rare as …the proverbial whatever. Watching a band loving what they do and doing it well, so well that they themselves get to dance along with the music is one of the great joys in life. There is nothing, NOTHING worse than watching an act just going through the motions for the money, but it can come to any performer, usually when they least expect it and usually at the time that it can do the most damage.
Luckily for us, and for them the band’s youth and excitement ensure that it will be some time before the rot of the industry starts to set in, if ever.
Now to the album, which they decided to play in its entirety, but with one song switch at the end, just to confuse the mind and ear, cheeky; I like their style.
There is in all honesty not a bad track on this eleven-track album. There are also some genuine absolute bangers, (as the old folks say), hiding in the mix of better than anyone else average tracks. They resonate with broken hearts, yearning un-requited love and absolute frustration, in short with the human experience. Not unlike Bowie, who has a track for every human emotion and experience from A-Z this album does it in one. Not that I am saying they are better than Bowie, I would not put that pressure on anyone. However, there are six of them, so I think they can collectively handle it.
One of my favourite things to see a band doing is swapping instruments, and better still vocal duties. There is a sense of collective unity, an understanding of each other that comes, they fundamentally understand each other, their vocal strengths and each others’ instruments. There was also a clear camaraderie between all the members of the band. Not only with each other, but also with the staff at Resident and the audience that gave the whole night a feel that we were all in this together and for the love of performance and obviously music.
To the album itself, well it’s hard to separate the tracks, but I will start with telling you what the absolute bangers are. Stand out for everyone is ‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’ Nearly all the audience mentioned it while we chatted amongst ourselves prior to the gig, listening to the soundcheck, which was also flawless, again a rare thing, even from accomplished performers twice their age. Why this track resonated with the audience so much is because the guitarist and vocalist Billy Ward sounds more than a little like ‘Saint’ Nick Cave, at least this is what I thought on a first listen to the album.
Given that Cave had played only a week before to mass city excitement and a thoroughly excited audience it’s no wonder that it was a hit. His deep timbre is a huge asset and offsets the vocal pitches of both Vera Leppänen, who has the widest range and most ‘commercial’ voice of the three, deeper when compared to Emmie-Mae Avery’s lighter folk/ country style. When singing together in harmonies, gang, or group vox, well its pure magic, they quite literally cast a spell.
Back to the music. The first track on the album ‘Only-Girl’ really hits home for most of the audience. Speaking of which, the audience was an interesting mix, it always is at Resident, but on the night, there was a real mix of ages and tastes gathered in the crowd. The venue was at capacity and the gig sold out halfway through the day if my web searches were correct. It was one of Resident’s ‘Hot Ticket’ events. OK not as HOT as Cave, but respectably sold-out which meant more passers-by surveying outside to see what was happening and who was playing.
For me ‘Canyons’ is the weakest track on the album, followed by, well actually even the ‘weakest’ track still rocks. The album builds on every track becoming more aggressive and visibly boisterous until it reaches a crescendo with final track ‘Something Else To Give.’ Other standouts include, ‘Get Up And Dance’, ‘Lighter’, ‘Nosedive’ (transferred to the final track of the gig), ‘Flick Of The Wrist’… oh sod it after ‘Canyons’ it just goes from strength-to-strength.
Enough of the superlatives. Just buy the album and get that ticket you will not regret it! It’s available HERE and HERE.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are set to return to Brighton next month where they will be headlining at the Concorde 2 on Wednesday 30th September as part of their UK & Ireland tour. There are currently some tickets still available for this concert and they can be snapped up HERE.
The full tour dates are listed below.
Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw:
Billy Ward – vocals and guitar
Vera Leppänen – vocals and bass guitar
Emmie-Mae Avery – vocals, piano, keys, and synths
Billy Doyle – guitar
Clio Starwood – violin
Lola Cherry – drum
Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw setlist:
‘Only Girl’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Canyons’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Lighter’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Get Up And Dance’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Snakebite’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Flick Of The Wrist’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘The Thing’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Still Angry’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Something Else To Give’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
‘Nosedive’ (from 2026 ‘Cannonball’ album)
Man/Woman/Chainsaw live UK & Ireland tour dates:
September
Sat 19 – Belfast – Ulster Sports Club
Sun 20 – Dublin, Ireland – Whelan’s
Tue 22 – Manchester – Gorilla
Wed 23 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
Thu 24 – Newcastle – The Grove
Fri 25 – Glasgow – King Tut’s
Sat 26 – Sheffield – Float Along Festival
Tue 29 – Guildford – The Boileroom
Wed 30 – Brighton – Concorde 2
October
Thu 1 – Portsmouth – The Wedgewood Rooms
Fri 2 – Bristol – Thekla
Sat 3 – Cardiff – The Globe
Mon 5 – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
Tue 6 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
Wed 7 – London – Electric Ballroom
