Between Download, Reading & Leeds, and supporting Metallica in Vienna, was there a specific moment on stage where you realised how big things were getting?

Opening main stage Download is the biggest honour I can think of. That was a week filled with a headline show, album announcement, and flying between European festivals… so that, combined with Download, definitely helped cement it!

You move seamlessly between heavy festivals like Bloodstock and mainstream lineups. Why do you think your music translates so well across such different crowds?

There’s something for everyone in there. If you like riffs, sorted. Someone screaming their head off, sorted. Four-part harmonies and big choirs? Sorted. Even if not all of it is the crowd’s cup of tea, hopefully there is one aspect in it that makes them smile.

Do you alter your setlist or stage presence depending on whether you’re playing to metalheads or a general festival crowd?

Stage presence will never change, whether you’re playing to 50 or 50,000 people. You have to give it a full go whenever you get given the opportunity to play on a stage. Now that we actually have more than six songs out, it’s been both fun and challenging trying to pick a setlist for each show. But mostly, we are catering the setlist for ourselves, and what we think feels the best in the moment.

You’re (currently) opening for Don Broco and Royal Blood next. How do you approach winning over thousands of fans who might be seeing you for the first time?

As long as we keep putting on the same show we always do, and show the audience just how much fun we have on a stage, that should hopefully be the secret sauce to winning people over. You can’t make anyone change their music taste, but you can put some loud amps and smiles in their face and hope it will bring them some joy.

Watching bands of that size night after night, is there anything specific you’re hoping to pick up from their live production and showcraft?

I'm very much looking forward to the day we can get a big lighting rig behind us to enhance the show even more. For me personally, a good light show can really add so much depth to a performance as a viewer. Both Don Broco and Royal Blood have been inspiring me for over 10 years, so I just hope we can keep playing shows for at least that span of time too!

Your London headline show and tour have practically fully sold out before the debut record is even out. How are you feeling about those dates, and what can fans expect from a full-length set?

I still can’t believe the speed at which some of those shows sold out. It feels incredible that that many people want to come and see a show, so many that we’ve been asked a bunch if we’re going to upgrade the venues. But we’re going to keep them small and sweaty. Fans can expect all of the regular unpeople chaos, with maybe a couple of special surprises along the way.

The term "unpeople" has dark, political origins. What made you want to reclaim it as your band’s identity and philosophy?

Now more than ever, it’s important that us all as humans (or unpeople) find the common ground that we all share, rather than focus on the differences. At a show, all that matters is you have your arm around a stranger, jumping up and down together to some rock music, and blocking out the outside world for 30–45 minutes.

Having four distinct vocalists in a heavy band is rare. How do you construct those complex harmonies in rehearsals, and how hard is it to execute them live?

Live isn’t too complicated at all, as we always practice a bunch for shows. Luke has a real talent for writing interesting harmonies that don’t just do what your ear expects, but go down an interesting path to resolve in its own unique way. The song ‘As You Were’, the album closer, has my favourite harmonies out of the whole album; it still gives me goosebumps listening to it!

'Blueprints' started with Luke's core chorus idea. How did the rest of the band build on that spark, and was dropping a more melodic track a deliberate shift ahead of the album?

We all heard the chorus and fell in love with it, and instantly knew we wanted it on the album. So it was a no-brainer to continue the work on it and make it into a full song. Jake followed the lyrical themes that Luke set out, and it all just flowed out from there. We quite literally struggled to turn the tap off. That guitar solo still brings me so much joy. We always wanted to delve into the ’stadium ballad’ territory, and we’re all so proud of that song and the new colours it’s added to our palette.

With your debut album dropping on October 9th, what overall journey do you hope listeners take away, and how are the four of you processing the noise right now?

I genuinely just hope the album puts a smile on the listener’s face, and that they can really hear all the hard work we put into it over the months of recording. We really left no stone unturned. It’s a lot of noise to process for sure! I just keep reminding myself what an honour it is to be part of a project that really fulfils everything I love about bands and live music. Eight years ago, I was working in the HMV Brighton store, and always dreamed of having my band’s album on the shelf, available to buy, so as long as I keep reminding myself I’m on the right path, then the noise is just nothing but excitement for everything we’ve done, and is still yet to come.

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