Page 6 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 04-09 Millie Manders.qxp_BV109 pg06 17/12/2023 17:54 Page 3

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ut, while ‘Shut Your Mouth’ is the latest deer is because at a rate capitalists are remov- sitise themselves to that, then they’re going to
Bsingle, we start off by going back to ing their habitat, this culling is because there’s end up with huge mental health problems.”
2018, when the band released a song called no longer enough space for the animals, but we On the subject of ‘Silent Screams’, we ask
‘Right To Life’, a thought-provoking song that don’t actually need the housing for anything else Millie how she feels now, personally. Does she
speaks up for animals in captivity. that’s happening with the land when there are feel better than when she wrote that song?
Millie begins by telling us, “At the time, it was so many empty buildings and empty houses al- “Oh, for sure,” she replies. “I had to go
just about, like, obviously, veganism is a big part ready. So yeah, there isn’t a single excuse that through a lot of self-reflection… medication,
of my life, just in terms of the environmental im- they can throw at me that could possibly make some therapy, time off work, some touring, in
pact of meat consumption, the cruelty of any and me feel that there isn’t a need for the Hunt Sabs order to pick apart some of the reasons for what
all animals. I particularly dislike things like zoos to be there stopping it.” was going on, and I certainly wouldn’t say that
over wildlife parks and stuff like that. I totally un- Millie has enjoyed seeing their fan commu- I’m completely healed, and I certainly haven’t
derstand that some zoos are conservation, but nity come together at the shows with the Hunt dealt with all the issues surrounding how I felt,
most of them are dire. And, I think, around that Sabs community to perpetuate the idea that but I’m in a much better place, a much more sta-
time, this was around 2017/2018, I was still liv- hunting needs to stop. She tells us, “We have ble place now, than I was.
ing in London, or largely in London, and I re- had a couple of fans join up to be Hunt Sabs, so She says that what has helped her was a
member walking down… You know the Camden that’s really cool.” combination of having a really good community,
canal goes past the London Zoo? You can see Partway through the tour, Millie tweeted that learning how and when to talk, and letting her
into the zoo. You can see all of these pens of old men had sent her playground insults for be- family in more. “It wasn’t until I had a breakdown
hyenas and stuff. They are so small in compar- lieving ripping animals apart shouldn’t be a that my family even understood that I had men-
ison to the miles and miles of habitat that they thing. When we ask why she thinks some peo- tal health illness,” she tells us. “And, also, just
would normally have. People are like, ‘Oh, no, ple don’t seem to care about animals, and some learning to allow myself those days where I
they’re big cages and stuff.’ I’m like, ‘But they’re are so cruel to inflict cruelty on them, she might not be the best, and be open about that,
cages.’ They still can’t do anything about the fact replies, “I think that’s a huge part of British cul- especially with my band on the road. In fact, it
that they’re never going to have the amount of ture and privileged white culture in general, for happened the other day, I had to say to my
space that naturally they should have to roam centuries. And so, I think, generationally, you get band, ‘Listen, I’m feeling emotionally unstable
about. So, I think a lot of the lyrics came about people who are completely desensitised. I think today. I might not deal with situations in the way
from that. It was like, ‘Well, what if humans were there are definitely part of those groups where that you’re used to me dealing with them. But, if
locked up in cages? What if we were made to they are scared of the knowledge. They don’t you could have patience with me, that would be
have sex together in front of an audience? What want the knowledge because they’ll have to face great.’ And I’m very lucky that I have a band like
if every minute of our existence was under a mi- up to the things that they do that aren’t ok. And that, that we all, to one extent or another, have
croscope for animal entertainment?’ And that you get plenty of people who just see animals all had mental health illness, and so we all un-
was kind of the spin I took with the lyrics and almost as they see their car. You know, it’s a derstand that if one of us says, ‘This is what I
stuff.” thing that is a means to an end. It’s a working need right now, for the sake of my head,’ then
Millie committed to veganism thanks to Ve- animal. You even get some people, I can’t re- we all understand that has to be a priority and
ganuary in January 2017 – the movement that member who the MP was, but they were talking make allowances for.”
inspires people to try going vegan for the month about how they don’t think animals feel pain or Things that she’s realised help lift her mood,
of January. She had been vegetarian for a long emotion, and it’s just, it’s insane that there are or make her feel a bit better, include watching
time before then, and, before that, was so many people out there that don’t understand old movies, “like 80s cult classics, Lord Of The
pescatarian. “I’d done the whole journey of cut- just how sentient and how intelligent even some Rings, or something like that. Something that I
ting out various animal products over a really, of the smallest animals are. Rats can learn to have always enjoyed that could just be in the
really long time,” Millie explains. “And the less read and take cues and do as many tricks as a background. Even just a line in one of the
you eat, the more you are interested in the pro- dog can. Pigs have the intelligence of a 4-year- scenes, I only need to hear it and I’ll know where
cesses of it, because you are no longer attached old. Lots of people, I think, don’t want to know we are in the film. I find a lot of joy in that kind of
to it on your plate. You no longer want that de- that, because that would affect their daily life too thing. The escapism of movies that are part of
sensitisation of what’s on your plate. It doesn’t much, and it would make them face so many of my nostalgia bank, if you will, because they’re
have to be there anymore, so I became a lot the awful things that they have done to animals easy things. You don’t have to think about them.
more aware of things. And then, of course, you in the name of hunting or tradition, or whatever. There’s no learning the story; it’s already there.
start researching the things you still have on I think it would cause them a lot of internal harm It’s like reading one of your favourite books from
your plate, and it’s this whole hellhole, isn’t it? that they would have to face, so I think a lot of being a kid. It’s always there, it’s easy to put on,
And it’s a rabbit hole that you end up going people don’t want to. “ there’s always a smile or something funny, or
down, and I just could no longer justify any of whatever within that, and yeah, a lot of the time
those things being anywhere near me.” ne of Millie’s most successful and that’ll be a whole day of me just sitting and lis-
Orecognised songs to date on their tening to the movies being on in the back-
illie’s bandmates are also vegan and ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album is called ground.”
Mvegetarian. “Three of us are vegan, ‘Silent Screams’, which is related to human Another thing that has helped is having kind
one is vegetarian,” she tells Black Velvet. “So, mental health, in particular, Millie’s own depres- and caring bandmates. She tells us, “Just the
we’re very much on the same page about ani- sion and anxiety, with suicidal thoughts. But, on other day, Pete, my drummer, just stood there
mal cruelty and animal rights.” the subject of animals, we ask if she thinks many and hugged me while I sobbed on his shoulder.
The band chose to take the Hunt Sabs out animals are silently screaming – like animals I messaged him because he’s also had George
with them on their most recent needing his help over the last two
tour, letting them have a stand “It was like, ‘Well, what if humans were locked up in cages? What weeks, because she’s physically
at their shows to sell merchan- if we were made to have sex together in front of an audience? What impaired, and I just messaged
dise and spread awareness. him and said, ‘Thank you for
Millie is a big supporter of the if every minute of our existence was under a microscope for animal being there, for being that stability
Hunt Saboteurs Association, entertainment?’” - Millie Manders within the band, for both George
who are an organisation that and I to be able to lean on you at
aims to stop fox hunting. The Hunt Saboteurs that are caged and tested on in laboratories, for different points within those two weeks, and you
Association was founded in 1963, with its first example? just took it all and you just held us up,’ and he
sabotage event occurring at the South Devon “I don’t think they are silently screaming, I was like, ‘Well, yeah, ‘course, you’re my bud-
Foxhounds on Boxing Day, 1963. Millie tells us think they are absolutely loudly screaming,” she dies.’”
they’re an organisation worth supporting be- replies. “If you look at some of the documents In an interview that we read online, Millie
cause, “No animal deserves to be ripped apart you can find about people who stopped working said it took her a while to find hard-working, ded-
by dogs. No animal deserves to be run into the in laboratories like that because it was affecting icated and kind musicians. We ask if she specif-
ground with exhaustion in order to be a trophy their own mental health, people that can no ically searched for vegans or veggies for the
on a wall, or a coat, or sport for your pack of an- longer work in abattoirs because of the screams band. “No,” she replies, “and, since that inter-
imals that can quite easily have exercise without of the animals, the tears running down the faces view, certainly one person in the band has
needing to chase something that’s alive. It’s of cows as they wait to die, as they listen to their changed, and it’s an even kinder set-up now. I
such an outdated, privileged white tradition and relatives dying, there are thousands of accounts think I learned the hard way how to gauge
it’s just so unnecessary. It’s not necessary for of people who have had to listen to very audible someone’s personality in interview and audition
the countryside. The reason they have to cull screams of animals and, unless they can desen- stages. I learned the hard way that I needed to
MILLIE MANDERS & THE SHUTUP