Mildred Maude is making a big noise

Mildred Maude consist of local lads Matt Ashdown on guitar, Lee Wade on bass and Louie Newlands, who now lives in Bristol, on drums.

Named after the middle names of Louie’s nan the band release their second album Sleepover on cult indie label Sonic Cathedral on October 22.

Completely improvised it was recorded at the famous Rockfield Studios at the tail end of 2019 but, just before it was due to be finished, the pandemic hit and it ended up being completed in Matt’s bathroom of all places.

Mildred Maude at Boardmasters

They cite My Bloody Valentine, no-wave Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Melvins, Sun Ra, Stereolab and most of all krautrock heroes Can as their influences. They even backed former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki a few years ago.

“We’ve never been a band that thought we must get somewhere but we’ve slightly lucked out,” says Matt. “We’ve put ourselves out there. Avoided all the ‘you must do this, you must do that'.”

The thing with Mildred Maude though is you will never get the same song twice, they may start off quiet or they may start loud but you do know you will be going on a sonic journey with them.

“People who know us know we will never play the album as it is,” says Matt. “We know the riffs and motifs but how it comes together that’s another thing.

“We’ll know the basics but don’t know where we’ll go. We’ll be ‘let’s start noisy or let’s start gentle’ and that will be it.”

Anchored by almost dubby bass-lines and Louie’s jazz like drumming it’s the kind of music the Sonic Cathedrals label was created for. BBC Radio Six DJ Lauren Laverne called them ‘tremendous’.

The album was mastered by the drummer in mega 90s shoegaze band Slowdive, who are full of praise for the album.

The tour to promote it will be the first time the band have played live together for two years and Matt says they are really looking forward to it.

“We want to get some more people into this kind of music,” he says. “I know it sounds cheesy, but because it is improvised it’s big and immersive.

“We want people to have this big sense of togetherness whenever they see us play live. That’s what we want to kind of get. If we get that sort of thing going on then we’ll feel like it’s good and worthwhile. Having fun. It can be quite serious music when you hear it, but it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be fun and enjoyable.”

You can catch Mildred Maude on tour during October half-term (it’s a child care thing). They play Woodlane Social Club, Falmouth on October 23.

drummer The finished album is now ready to go with even a limited Rough Trade vinyl edition running to only ? copies.

2019 then all improvised quite a long process umming and ahhing SC wanted to release it few things to soirt out lockdown happened me an Lee needed to fix a few things he was shielding for 12 weeks eventually we ggot together in my bathroom and did some feedback stuff noises did some bass effects eventually mixed and one took ages rtaken evben longer because of vinyl manufacturing issue/.When put order in 6 to 7 moth tiurnaround even longer now, should get few weeks, got the CDs.

4 tracks most of them pretty loing except for one all impro vised and like all centred round drums provifdging rhythm to move around the bass.

Lee had cancer so he chemo brain resukt of chemo sometimes can’t remember what’s happening, happenes rarely now but sometimes he can only remember one riff throughout track because of muscle memory his fingers will remember. Always been how he worked been interesting plays effects. Meander around weachj other nicely.

We ddnt decide don’t thnk wehat band would be me mand Lee jamming somebody else ofr a while. Other bands write song practice song dfound that boring can’t we just jma. Shall we book a giga nd just jame it.

Bnad together since 2014 no gig til 2016.

SC Remember played giga tRT booked Adrian from Spectres on Sonci Cathedral Nat;s emailing from lable play a gig in London on one of jhis nights.aYear later wanted to put something out. He’;s quite in with the showgaze crowd.

Neil Halstead from Slowdive was coming to our gigs Bit approval from Slowdive the drummer mastered it.

Noise rock lot of bass in it deleiberately put bass deliberatly massive soundsystm in a nightclub.

Rough Trade releasing Ltd edn of the album. Transparent green. Brooklyn Vegan really like it.

First proper tour it’s a child care thing, doing tour in half term.

Got six dates round UK up to Glasgow and back.

First time properly promoted an album, it’s a second.

Played a gig in Redruth couldn’t hear each other but got away with it. In Bristol promoter didn’t turn up played 15 minutes in darkness other band played for sound check for two hours.

Met Lee online meet musicians, had few rejections because I was too old. In end Louis’s bit cooky Recorded in 2019 Haven’t played together for two years. Louis lives in Britaol rehearse day before tour record something in the new year.

All got different styles listening to new music new influences I was listening to minimalism and classical.

People bought new effects Louis jazz and world music. After two years we’ll be like we’re all different now, but for an improv band that is really exciting.

Don’t know what to expect from each offer something new again. The next album will be realty different because we have no rules.

Bazouki from a guy there was a bar very drunk Bazouki sounds great where do a I GET OJNE?Guy about 40 miles away wrote it down for me said go and get one.

The band's new album Sleepover is out on Sonic Cathedral on October 22

Greek double strings six strings, three in pairs, sounds really shoegazy. Learnt to play it improvising, I bought a book to learn out there but it was all in Greek, literally all Greek to me.

Get some more people into this kind of music, I know it sounds cheesy, because imprivsed big an immersive big want people to have this big sense of togetherness whenever they see us play live. That’s what we want to kind of get. If we get that sort of thing going on then we’ll feel like it’s good and worthwhile. Having fun. It can be quite serious music when you hear it, but it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be fun and enjoyable.