WARGASM – AN INTERVIEW with ANNE ESTELLA
London-based Riot-Grrrl duo Wargasm might not have been on the scene for very long, but they’ve already made huge waves, attributing their rapid success to the side effects of lockdown. Not only were they invited to play on the Main Stage at this year’s Download Festival Pilot (not bad for any band’s UK festival debut!), but they’re due to return to the hallowed Donington Park again next year, whilst juggling a jam-packed diary that will see them play headline shows as well as embarking on a US tour. Having just been nominated for ‘Best UK Breakthrough Band’ in the Heavy Music Awards, I caught up with Milkie Way and Sam Matlock to find out why they’re so angry…
[ANNE] Let’s start from the beginning… How and when did you form? And why the name, Wargasm?
[WARGASM] We met in 2018 – my previous band had fallen apart and I think my old manager had made me aware of a photographer in London called ‘Girl in the Pit’. It was awesome; literally just a little girl going mad in the mosh pit with a disposable camera. Does what it says on the tin, haha. That was Milkie Way – at some point during the depression that comes with your life’s work crumbling away, I sent Milkie a drunk Instagram message with some song ideas while she was working in Japan, hoping to God she played an instrument. She said yes and that was it! We started hanging out at hers in Camden, listening to Nu-Metal, going to gigs and slowly some songs of our own started to form. We’re big fans of the Riot-Grrrl sound so the name comes from the L7 song – one of us is the “war”, and the other is the “gasm”. It’s that clash of violence and euphoria that makes the project work.
[ANNE] You are the self-professed writers of “angry songs for sad people”… so, what sort of things make you the angriest?
[WARGASM] Open any app or step outside for a minute and you can see what’s inspiring us. I think I’m inherently quite a negative/miserable person and anger is just my outlet. I hate people – they’re fucking dumb. I’m probably dumb too. I would love to go a round in the ring with any member of our government. No gloves. Everyone’s just treating everyone like shit, the planet’s dying, we can’t go outside and I don’t know how people cope without a creative outlet.
[ANNE] If you ruled the world for a day what would you change?
[WARGASM] It would be like that film The Purge, but a very hostile and militant takeover and deposition of a lot of powerful old men. And what do you mean for one day?! Control the water and power and you can rule forever. Do an anti-U2 and take their music off everyone’s phones, hahahahaha!
[ANNE] Which bands and artists have been the most influential to you on your musical journey and who are you listening to at the moment?
[WARGASM] Lots of soundtracks! Big fans of the Dust Brothers, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross… between us we listen to loads of shit. I like a lot of West Coast Metal, Milkie likes a lot of Prince and ‘00s Pop music, but our inspiration comes more from non-musical sounds and a lot of visual places.
[ANNE] How have you spent lockdown?
[WARGASM] Writing and creating. As soon as we knew the first lockdown was coming we ghosted England and flew to a big house in the middle of nowhere in Northern Ireland and just started writing and trying to stay sane. It did and didn’t work, haha. To be honest, Wargasm has been shaped by lockdown; it’s developed the project, we’ve been forced to work inside a box and succeeded – I don’t think you would be asking to interview us right now if there hadn’t been a lockdown.
[ANNE] What was it was like to be part of the recent Download Festival pilot?
[WARGASM] Playing to 10,000 people on the Main Stage on a Saturday afternoon after not playing to anyone for 18 months, and barely even touring before was pretty terrifying, but it felt right. Some sounds belong on a big stage. The whole event feels like a dream to be honest.
[ANNE] Tell us about the meaning behind your latest single, “PYRO PYRO”?
[WARGASM] Well that one’s got a big social disconnect/lockdown vibe. It’s just venting. There’s nothing more to read into, to be honest. I don’t think any of us have the mental capacity to read deeper at the moment. The brain’s taken a beating lately, haha.
[ANNE] Is a debut album in the making?
[WARGASM] No, we’re just enjoying experimenting and evolving. An album will come when we feel ready.
[ANNE] What do you have in the diary for the rest of 2021 and 2022?
[WARGASM] So much if fate allows us outdoors and back to events; pretty much every festival the UK has to offer, tours with some awesome acts such as Yungblud and Creeper, our own headline shows then next year we’ll be heading to the USA for the first time. This shit’s going transatlantic! Oh, we’re also going to be dropping our “Hot Girl Summer” track, as Milkie says, it’s fucking wild, haha. She can’t wait!
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Anne Estella
Freelance Music Journalist & Presenter
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