Reading Festival 2024: Lambrini Girls talk new music, IDLES support slots, and using their platform to speak out

Lambrini Girls have spoken to NME about their plans for new music, upcoming tour dates with IDLES and why they insist on using their platform to highlight political issues.

Catching up with NME backstage at Reading Festival 2024, the Brighton duo — comprised of guitarist and vocalist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lily Macieira – told us about their immense set at the Festival Republic Stage.

They also looked back at the response that they had to their latest single ‘Body Of Mine’ — a more personal track that explores the complexities of gender identity – as well as the decision they made to boycott several festivals earlier this year in solidarity with Palestine.

Check out the full interview above, or read it below.

NME: What was it like to get on the Reading stage? 

Phoebe Lunny: “It was good. We’re a bit frazzled because we came back from America, and the next day we went and played Green Man. Then we had a few days off, then it was our mate’s hen-do yesterday, then we woke up this morning for Reading. Ta-da!

2024 has been a big year for you – you had a huge response at Glastonbury and also went on to play your biggest headline show to date in London. How has it felt to see a new wave of fans come in?

PL: “It’s been nice. It’s weird to think about because this band’s played to two people in a 30-capacity venue before. So, to go and play a sold-out show at Scala was amazing and really fulfilling. You can’t ask for much more… and if you did ask for more, I think that makes you a wanker. It’s nice to see people connect with the music and mosh and have fun and enjoy it.”

It was an intense set here at Reading! Wasn’t there a point where you were lying in the mosh pit and someone handed you a Bible?

PL: “Yeah! This person handed it to me, and I was like, ‘What the fuck? Like, why have you handed me a Bible?’ And they were like, ’It’s a joke! It’s a joke!’ It was just like a legit Bible; it looked like they’d just stolen it from a library. Because it was a joke, I did ‘I’ll say fuck, and you say the Bible’ so everyone could go along with it. But it’d have been very different if someone genuinely handed the Bible like, ‘You need Jesus’. I would be very offended.”

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen at your shows? 

PL: “Bible takes the cake, I think. Oh actually, shout out these two guys – I’ve met them multiple times – they come to our shows dressed like fried eggs. Shout out to the egg boys. We don’t even speak to them that much at shows. They just turn up and crack on, pardon the pun, then leave.”

Earlier this year, you joined the boycott of some festivals out of solidarity with Palestine. Why was it important for you to use your platform to speak out on issues like that? 

PL: “There was such a massive, prevalent conversation around boycotting, and I think with every band, it is a conversation that you all should have.

“Existing in the music industry, which is an inherently very capitalist industry, means that you do have to really look at how much autonomy you have over your actions and make sure that your actions align with your beliefs and values. With the targeted boycotts, which were organised by bands to boycott Barclays, that was amazing to see there was a mass mobilisation and collective solidarity.

“It was something that you have to participate in, that means it raises visibility. Ultimately, it was about making as much noise as possible and bringing these issues to the forefront, which it did, and it was amazing. You’d see it in the mainstream media, and there was so much coverage. What that does is it gives people who may not be exposed to this the opportunity to learn and educate themselves on what’s happening.

“A lot of people do want to bury their head in the sand about these things. But if you make enough noise that it’s unavoidable and it’s everywhere you look, then you have to learn about what is what’s happening. So it was really good to see that collective effort and coming from a community standpoint.”

Speaking of using your platform to address important topics, you recently released a new single, ‘Body of Mine’, which is about exploring gender identity. Have you had any fans reach out to you, recalling what the song meant to them?

PL: “With a lot of things when you play, people will be like, ‘Oh, that meant a lot’, or ‘I really identified with that’, or sometimes you’ll get, ‘I didn’t know about this issue, and now I do’, which is amazing.

“Usually when we sing about societal issues, it’s usually about pointing the finger at other people Like, ‘I’m pissed off about this’, but this one was more like pointing the finger at yourself. I think that is arguably a lot more scary because you’re kind of laying yourself out on a platter and being like, ‘Here you go, everyone, here you go, BBC Radio 6, have a chomp on this!’ You feel a bit more vulnerable, so we don’t really play that one as much live anymore, ironically.

“I think it’s hard to find a boundary of like how much you give. How much do you portray of yourself, and what are you allowed to keep for yourself? Finding that balance is quite difficult, and I think [it] is something that we’re both still learning how to do.

Lily Macieira: “It varies from artist to artist. I think there are a lot of artists out there who are much more comfortable looking inward and use music as a means to do so. I don’t think [Lunny] is that kind of lyricist. It’s something that we don’t usually do, so it was nice to see growth in that sense.

PL: “The next song’s about croissants, though!”

Later this year, you’ll perform at Alexandra Palace at IDLES’ sold-out shows. How did that come up? 

PL: “We’ve been like banging on IDLES’ door for a while now… eventually I think they were just like ‘Yeah, go on then’. It’ll be really fun. We love IDLES. I’ve been a big fan always, so it’s really good to see that come to fruition.”

What’s next in the pipeline for you? 

PL: “A lot of festivals and, not that we’re saying that we would, but if there was to be a larger body of work released at some point, it would be really good and amazing — but that’s neither confirmed nor denied. We’ve written some more music, and we’ve been trying out a lot of it live. There’s been really nice responses to it. So just ultimately cracking the fuck on and smashing it as much as we can until we explode.”

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