{"id":1921608,"date":"2026-05-06T09:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1921608"},"modified":"2026-05-06T09:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:05:00","slug":"villanelle-are-becoming-rocknroll-stars-in-their-own-grungy-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1921608","title":{"rendered":"Villanelle are becoming rock\u2019n\u2019roll stars in their own grungy image"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/villanelle_Credit-Simon-Emmett_1.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Villanelle are becoming rock\u2019n\u2019roll stars in their own grungy image<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>As Gene Gallagher and co release their debut EP \u2018Measly Means\u2019, the London trio tell us about finding their tribe and bringing rock back to sweaty venues<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Andrew Trendell<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-06T10:05:00+01:00\">6th May 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/villanelle_Credit-Simon-Emmett_1-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett, exclusive to NME\" title=\"Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett, exclusive to NME\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett, exclusive to NME<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u201cI<\/strong>t\u2019s going incredible!\u201d bursts Gene Gallagher, leaning back on a sofa with his arms behind his head. The nonchalant ease with which he presents himself certainly reminds us of a certain someone, with his rock<em>\u2018<\/em>n\u2019roll air completed by some oversized fly-eyed Kurt Cobain-esque sunglasses. Joined by his bandmates, guitarist Ben Taylor and bassist Jack Schiavo, the three pals chatting to us from the basement of their label offices seem a really tight unit considering they only met through a chance encounter in the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0Gene Gallagher\u2019s Villanelle are ready to launch with \u201ca genuine passion to bring back rock music\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since then, the NME 100 stars have been building up their scuzzy sound, as showcased in the early Nirvana-indebted debut single \u2018Hinge\u2019. As you might have guessed from that song, Villanelle prefer to rock out rather than get their Britpop on. It\u2019s an approach that\u2019s found them a camp of fans of their own, assisted by some pretty relentless touring of late. When <em>NME<\/em> speaks to them in early April, they\u2019ve recently come off the road with Miles Kane. \u201cIt was great, man,\u201d Schiavo says. \u201cWe were playing the Academies and those kinds of places. It was great to be doing that and trying to collect some more fans as we hadn\u2019t done a support slot for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Kane and a Gallagher on the road together might sound like the perfect recipe for chaos, but the trio say that wasn\u2019t exactly the case, with their headliner \u201con the waters\u201d rather than the sauce. \u201cI was desperately trying to corrupt him, but he was unflappable,\u201d the bassist says. \u201cGene was sober the whole tour because he was on antibiotics, so me and Ben were drinking for three.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VILLANELLE - Opportunity Arising\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2c5GmHHE2GU?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Still, that didn\u2019t stop Gallagher from living up to his family name in some way by staying up all night. \u201cHe\u2019d remember everything we\u2019d been up to and we wouldn\u2019t necessarily, so he\u2019d always have something over us the next day,\u201d says Schiavo, as Taylor shares: \u201cMe and Jack were acting like all three of us were drinking, because we normally are, then the next day Gene would be like, \u2018Do you remember when you did that\u2026?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They compare him to the physical embodiment of a hangover, while Gallagher admits to being their \u201csleep paralysis demon\u201d. His vice on the road was staying up all hours \u201cfishing and making sushi\u201d on his favourite game, <em>Dave The Diver,<\/em> on his Steam Deck. If his bandmates dared to stop the party and retire, he\u2019d call them out. \u201cYou can\u2019t be going to bed when I\u2019m fishing, bro,\u201d he says, shaking his head.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Gallagher did at least get on it when they played the \u2018Punchbag\u2019 tour of uni venues last year \u2013 a run that meant a lot to them in a bid to \u201cbring to light a just cause of trying to get band music back into university culture\u201d. It was a gruelling run, they say, but one that brought them up close and personal to their late teen and early twenty-something rock fans. \u201cYou see the whites of their eyes, you can see their reaction to what you\u2019re doing, and it really can be fulfilling,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cThere are so many degrees of separation when you\u2019re playing arenas. If they\u2019re yawning, then you can\u2019t really tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gene shares a memory of a gig in Leeds where he briefly lost his mojo when he spied someone in the crowd scrolling Instagram reels. \u201cThat is peak,\u201d he smiles, \u201cand fair, because I would do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019d scroll through reels on stage if you could \u2013 even between songs,\u201d Taylor ribs his pal. Just wait until you see someone chopping up a tuna on <em>Dave The Diver<\/em> at the next gig. \u201cThat\u2019s just pathetic!\u201d laughs Gallagher. \u201cHaving a Steam Deck in the crowd?\u201d Imagine.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3943581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3943581\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3943581\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/villanelle_Credit-Simon-Emmett_2.jpg\" alt=\"Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3943581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">N<\/strong>ot many bands of their age have played such a variety of stages, but Villanelle were given a proper baptism of fire when Liam Gallagher invited them to be the opener on his 2024 anniversary tour of Oasis\u2019 \u2018Definitely Maybe\u2019. The gigs were their first-ever shows. \u201cIf you\u2019re about this life and you want to do it, then fucking do it, right?\u201d relays Gene of his dad\u2019s offer. \u201cWe look back now, having got a little bit more experience behind us, [and] it felt insane, but we weren\u2019t so aware of what was going on at the time,\u201d admits Taylor. \u201cIt was slapdash, and we were doing it off our own backs. Now we\u2019re doing smaller gigs, but we\u2019ve got a tour manager, a guitar tech and all this. It was blissful ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Not feeling part of The Windmill\u2019s talky art rock crowd or like they fit into any other indie pockets, the threesome say they\u2019ve been gigging in a bid to \u201ccarve out their own scene\u201d. As they\u2019ve toured, they\u2019ve noticed a younger generation\u2019s ever-increasing thirst for harder and heavier sounds. \u201cThere\u2019s a hunger for a previous age of rock that\u2019s definitely coming back,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cYou\u2019ve got Deftones and Oasis, but they\u2019ve paved the way for the new wave of music, which we\u2019re hoping to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Do their fans have a name yet, like \u2018Swifties\u2019? \u201cNah,\u201d shrugs Gallagher, \u201cthey\u2019re just called \u2018absolute fucking legends\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The AFL team will have been eagerly awaiting the release of the band\u2019s debut EP \u2018Measly Means\u2019: a gnarly dose of Smashing Pumpkins and Black Sabbath with a truck full of \u201890s colour and swagger, and probably more \u201cgrebo\u201d than anything LG would have gone near back in the day. From the paranoid and chugging title track to the more introspective scuzzy ballad of \u2018Squeeze\u2019, it\u2019s an EP bursting with energy and ambition, perhaps best told by Gallagher in \u2018Opportunity Arising\u2019 when he mourns days lost to \u201c<em>sitting facing backwards\u201d<\/em>. \u201cThat song\u2019s just about getting your shit together,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p>That seems to be the band\u2019s MO right now, already working on their second EP, with some big ideas being held back for an eventual album. There\u2019s no rush, mind. \u201cI\u2019m like a footballer, man,\u201d he adds. \u201cI take it game by game.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPeople know who Gene is. We\u2019re a band that own that and appreciate everything that\u2019s coming from that, but we also work extremely hard at the same time\u201d \u2013 Ben Taylor<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With the simple drive to keep \u201cspunking out tunes,\u201d as Gallagher puts it, Villanelle feel like they have little to prove, especially in the face of the inevitable \u201cnepo baby\u201d discussion. \u201cWe\u2019ve never not been open,\u201d says Taylor of the elephant in the room. \u201cWe\u2019ve always just said what we are. People know who Gene is. We\u2019re a band that own that and appreciate everything that\u2019s coming from that, but we also work extremely hard at the same time. People can not like the music, but we\u2019re making music that we really enjoy. We work really hard in the studio, and it\u2019s something we take a great deal of pride [in].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher agrees: \u201cI\u2019ve always stuck to the ethos of doing stuff that I like and that we like, because then it never gets old. If you start listening to what other people say, then you\u2019re just going to drive yourself fucking crazy. As long as I like what we put out as a band, then I\u2019ll never get bored of it and keep that drive forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adding that they\u2019re \u201cnot trying to be some pop band\u201d, Gallagher says that he has no interest in returning to the arenas from the \u2018Definitely Maybe\u2019 tour. \u201cI was happy just to play The Lexington because I used to go there all the time,\u201d he says, beaming. \u201cThat\u2019s my one little box that\u2019s been ticked now, so all this afterwards is just fine. I\u2019ve officially made it, lads!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Villanelle\u2019s \u2018Measly Means\u2019 EP is out on May 6. The band play The Great Escape on May 15<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Liam Gallagher<\/li>\n<li>Oasis<\/li>\n<li>Rock<\/li>\n<li>Villanelle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Paul McCartney details nostalgic new album \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 at London listening event: \u201cMemories are a weird thing\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Ash announce \u20181977\u2019 30th anniversary reissue with UK and European tour<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Paul McCartney confirms \u2018Home To Us\u2019 \u2013 first ever duet with Ringo Starr and featuring Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri at special Abbey Road&#8230;<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The Rolling Stones announce new album \u2018Foreign Tongues\u2019, with contributions from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and more<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Fans think Greta Van Fleet might have split up after cryptic post: \u201cThanks for the wild ride\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Dave Grohl shows off his music knowledge on \u2018Track Star\u2019: \u201cThese are too easy!\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_105  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_107  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u201cI<\/strong>t\u2019s going incredible!\u201d bursts Gene Gallagher, leaning back on a sofa with his arms behind his head. The nonchalant ease with which he presents himself certainly reminds us of a certain someone, with his rock<em>\u2018<\/em>n\u2019roll air completed by some oversized fly-eyed Kurt Cobain-esque sunglasses. Joined by his bandmates, guitarist Ben Taylor and bassist Jack Schiavo, the three pals chatting to us from the basement of their label offices seem a really tight unit considering they only met through a chance encounter in the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0Gene Gallagher\u2019s Villanelle are ready to launch with \u201ca genuine passion to bring back rock music\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since then, the NME 100 stars have been building up their scuzzy sound, as showcased in the early Nirvana-indebted debut single \u2018Hinge\u2019. As you might have guessed from that song, Villanelle prefer to rock out rather than get their Britpop on. It\u2019s an approach that\u2019s found them a camp of fans of their own, assisted by some pretty relentless touring of late. When <em>NME<\/em> speaks to them in early April, they\u2019ve recently come off the road with Miles Kane. \u201cIt was great, man,\u201d Schiavo says. \u201cWe were playing the Academies and those kinds of places. It was great to be doing that and trying to collect some more fans as we hadn\u2019t done a support slot for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Kane and a Gallagher on the road together might sound like the perfect recipe for chaos, but the trio say that wasn\u2019t exactly the case, with their headliner \u201con the waters\u201d rather than the sauce. \u201cI was desperately trying to corrupt him, but he was unflappable,\u201d the bassist says. \u201cGene was sober the whole tour because he was on antibiotics, so me and Ben were drinking for three.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VILLANELLE - Opportunity Arising\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2c5GmHHE2GU?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Still, that didn\u2019t stop Gallagher from living up to his family name in some way by staying up all night. \u201cHe\u2019d remember everything we\u2019d been up to and we wouldn\u2019t necessarily, so he\u2019d always have something over us the next day,\u201d says Schiavo, as Taylor shares: \u201cMe and Jack were acting like all three of us were drinking, because we normally are, then the next day Gene would be like, \u2018Do you remember when you did that\u2026?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They compare him to the physical embodiment of a hangover, while Gallagher admits to being their \u201csleep paralysis demon\u201d. His vice on the road was staying up all hours \u201cfishing and making sushi\u201d on his favourite game, <em>Dave The Diver,<\/em> on his Steam Deck. If his bandmates dared to stop the party and retire, he\u2019d call them out. \u201cYou can\u2019t be going to bed when I\u2019m fishing, bro,\u201d he says, shaking his head.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Gallagher did at least get on it when they played the \u2018Punchbag\u2019 tour of uni venues last year \u2013 a run that meant a lot to them in a bid to \u201cbring to light a just cause of trying to get band music back into university culture\u201d. It was a gruelling run, they say, but one that brought them up close and personal to their late teen and early twenty-something rock fans. \u201cYou see the whites of their eyes, you can see their reaction to what you\u2019re doing, and it really can be fulfilling,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cThere are so many degrees of separation when you\u2019re playing arenas. If they\u2019re yawning, then you can\u2019t really tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gene shares a memory of a gig in Leeds where he briefly lost his mojo when he spied someone in the crowd scrolling Instagram reels. \u201cThat is peak,\u201d he smiles, \u201cand fair, because I would do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019d scroll through reels on stage if you could \u2013 even between songs,\u201d Taylor ribs his pal. Just wait until you see someone chopping up a tuna on <em>Dave The Diver<\/em> at the next gig. \u201cThat\u2019s just pathetic!\u201d laughs Gallagher. \u201cHaving a Steam Deck in the crowd?\u201d Imagine.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3943581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3943581\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3943581\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/villanelle_Credit-Simon-Emmett_2.jpg\" alt=\"Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3943581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">N<\/strong>ot many bands of their age have played such a variety of stages, but Villanelle were given a proper baptism of fire when Liam Gallagher invited them to be the opener on his 2024 anniversary tour of Oasis\u2019 \u2018Definitely Maybe\u2019. The gigs were their first-ever shows. \u201cIf you\u2019re about this life and you want to do it, then fucking do it, right?\u201d relays Gene of his dad\u2019s offer. \u201cWe look back now, having got a little bit more experience behind us, [and] it felt insane, but we weren\u2019t so aware of what was going on at the time,\u201d admits Taylor. \u201cIt was slapdash, and we were doing it off our own backs. Now we\u2019re doing smaller gigs, but we\u2019ve got a tour manager, a guitar tech and all this. It was blissful ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Not feeling part of The Windmill\u2019s talky art rock crowd or like they fit into any other indie pockets, the threesome say they\u2019ve been gigging in a bid to \u201ccarve out their own scene\u201d. As they\u2019ve toured, they\u2019ve noticed a younger generation\u2019s ever-increasing thirst for harder and heavier sounds. \u201cThere\u2019s a hunger for a previous age of rock that\u2019s definitely coming back,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cYou\u2019ve got Deftones and Oasis, but they\u2019ve paved the way for the new wave of music, which we\u2019re hoping to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Do their fans have a name yet, like \u2018Swifties\u2019? \u201cNah,\u201d shrugs Gallagher, \u201cthey\u2019re just called \u2018absolute fucking legends\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The AFL team will have been eagerly awaiting the release of the band\u2019s debut EP \u2018Measly Means\u2019: a gnarly dose of Smashing Pumpkins and Black Sabbath with a truck full of \u201890s colour and swagger, and probably more \u201cgrebo\u201d than anything LG would have gone near back in the day. From the paranoid and chugging title track to the more introspective scuzzy ballad of \u2018Squeeze\u2019, it\u2019s an EP bursting with energy and ambition, perhaps best told by Gallagher in \u2018Opportunity Arising\u2019 when he mourns days lost to \u201c<em>sitting facing backwards\u201d<\/em>. \u201cThat song\u2019s just about getting your shit together,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p>That seems to be the band\u2019s MO right now, already working on their second EP, with some big ideas being held back for an eventual album. There\u2019s no rush, mind. \u201cI\u2019m like a footballer, man,\u201d he adds. \u201cI take it game by game.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPeople know who Gene is. We\u2019re a band that own that and appreciate everything that\u2019s coming from that, but we also work extremely hard at the same time\u201d \u2013 Ben Taylor<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With the simple drive to keep \u201cspunking out tunes,\u201d as Gallagher puts it, Villanelle feel like they have little to prove, especially in the face of the inevitable \u201cnepo baby\u201d discussion. \u201cWe\u2019ve never not been open,\u201d says Taylor of the elephant in the room. \u201cWe\u2019ve always just said what we are. People know who Gene is. We\u2019re a band that own that and appreciate everything that\u2019s coming from that, but we also work extremely hard at the same time. People can not like the music, but we\u2019re making music that we really enjoy. We work really hard in the studio, and it\u2019s something we take a great deal of pride [in].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher agrees: \u201cI\u2019ve always stuck to the ethos of doing stuff that I like and that we like, because then it never gets old. If you start listening to what other people say, then you\u2019re just going to drive yourself fucking crazy. As long as I like what we put out as a band, then I\u2019ll never get bored of it and keep that drive forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adding that they\u2019re \u201cnot trying to be some pop band\u201d, Gallagher says that he has no interest in returning to the arenas from the \u2018Definitely Maybe\u2019 tour. \u201cI was happy just to play The Lexington because I used to go there all the time,\u201d he says, beaming. \u201cThat\u2019s my one little box that\u2019s been ticked now, so all this afterwards is just fine. I\u2019ve officially made it, lads!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Villanelle\u2019s \u2018Measly Means\u2019 EP is out on May 6. The band play The Great Escape on May 15<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/villanelle-interview-gene-gallagher-measly-means-ep-radar-3943577&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/villanelle_Credit-Simon-Emmett_1.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews Villanelle are becoming rock\u2019n\u2019roll stars in their own grungy image As Gene Gallagher and co release their debut EP \u2018Measly Means\u2019, the London trio tell us about finding their tribe and bringing rock back to sweaty venues By Andrew Trendell 6th May 2026 Villanelle, 2026. Credit: Simon Emmett, exclusive to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-1921608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1921608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1921608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1921608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1921608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}