Happy Bulletproof weekend to those who celebrate! The inaugural edition of the Peace and Justice's new festival is underway right now across EartH in east London, as well as the Shacklewell Arms (today) and The Jago (tomorrow).
I'm down on site working on a full write-up of the event, but ahead of the party continuing this evening I caught up with Annie Dorrett of Brighton noise-punks CLT DRP and Cody Frost, the latter of whom is headlining the second stage at The Jago tomorrow evening.
CLT DRP: "I am personally finding the industry very exhausting at the moment"
You dropped ‘What Is She For?’ (Bandcamp) quite recently. Why was that song the one you wanted to lead your new chapter with?
The single felt like a nice blend of our 'new sound' as well as the past albums, we thought we'd ease in with something with a mix as well as a song that felt socially relevant at present.
It deals with “the endless requirements you have to meet as a DIY AFAB-fronted band”. What sort of pressures do gender expectations bring for you?
There's loads of pressure to uphold gender ideals which is stressful enough in our everyday lives, as you can see with the recent documentary Manosphere by Louis Theroux or the ever evolving attack on trans rights at the moment. Those are just a few examples of the gender binary causing more damage than positives.
There's also just the historically draining expectations on women and AFAB folks in the industry to be skinny / desirable / digestible / punk enough that you're bold, but not punk enough that you challenge too much.
Obviously those tropes are changing but they are so ingrained into our society that it's very hard not to internalise it all of the time.
I am personally finding the industry very exhausting at the moment. Sometimes you only have so much fight to offer before you burn out, there's so much riding on the individual image these days, it feels darker than normal.
The use of the phrase “What is a woman?” felt quite significant when that’s obviously a TERF dogwhistle. Why did that come into those lyrics? Was it an exercise of reclamation?
Yes it was an intentional usage of the TERF dog whistle. Gender is a made up social construct and nobody really has a linear idea of what a woman is or what she's for. I despise the question even being asked because it's frankly ignorant and ridiculous. Women aren't FOR anything and we are inherently intersectional, simple as that. I feel as though the more cis folk question gender and the complexities of it the more gender fluid and trans folks will be able to feel like they can experiment freely with their identity, which will hopefully and eventually lead to a less binary society.
Indigenous folks have been practicing 'two-spirit' gender fluidity that dates back thousands of years - this isn't some new ideology at all and that information isn't spoken about enough when discussing trans and non-binary rights.
What does it mean to you to get to play in a space like Bulletproof that’s so focused on celebrating independent music, resistance and community building?
It means a great deal - independent music, acts of resistance, and community are the heart of good music, what more could you really want in a festival?
How do you think the community building aspect of music can help build unity and resistance in the real world? What does that mean to you?
I am honestly still figuring that out, but mostly everything comes back to the community. Music helps build foundation for community, community builds strength in cities and combats loneliness. It helps culture thrive and creates space for resistance and support. Our world is so caught up in individualistic thinking that we need as much community practice as possible for the future, that's how we survive the scary stuff.
You’ve already said your next body of work is a very diverse collection of music. What might we hear from you that’s different from what you’ve done before?
All of it still feels very 'CLT DRP' in terms of having bold music and abrasive sounds but it's just pushing those boundaries all a little further. The electronic bits are much more electronic and the heavy bits are much more heavy, almost a bit nu-metal at times. Hopefully we get it out at some point soon, and you'll love it when we do.
CODY FROST: "Too many working class people go unheard in this industry"
How's your 2026 been treating you so far? What have you been up to so far?
It's definitely looking good now the sun is finally out. I've been writing the next project demos and tattooing a lot, but we're mainly rehearsing for festivals this week!
You previously said that it was music that gave you your political awakening - who inspired that and what did you learn from them?
The first band that really connected with me on a political level was Enter Shikari, they have a strong focus on unity and that really impacted me from a young age, but those general circles of musicians really inspired me to vote for the first time, but before that I was listening to system of a down, rage against the machine and really anything that pushed against the grain in that way.
I knew from a very young age that I was different and it developed into me realising that I have ADHD and that I'm queer, and whether I wanted to accept it or not, being that way was always bound to be political.
What have been your favourite examples of your music doing this for other people? What does that mean to you?
I think I always struggled to communicate, and I feel like music is the best way for me to do it, it's nice that I've finally found like minded people. Music has a way of connecting on another level, sometimes even if you can't talk. I think my music is delivered in a way that's not always obviously political but was always going to be, whether I intended it to be or not.
Too many working class people go unheard in this industry and I want to change that, and I think people wanna see people that have more in common with themselves these days, and I've had so many people that felt connected with it because it sounds very ADHD hahah.
Your EP deals with rising technofascism - how do you feel like it's manifesting itself? Do you think AI has a role to play too?
I think AI is the worst thing that has happened to the internet. We're gonna struggle to see real information at some point and it's getting closer, it feeds into everything that is happening right now. I hope it becomes cringe for everyone (it is already for a lot of younger people), but we're at a really depressing stage already with how real it is,
I feel like it sucks the fun out of trying, and also obviously awful for the planet.
This timeline is actually terrible, but I think it's prime time for people to document their experiences in a physical form in some way, even if you just write about your work day. I feel like the past few years have changed everyone in some way and we need to communicate and connect more, I was writing about it in 2023-4 and it's wild how fast things got worse. I thought people would be more mad by now.
What does it mean to you to get to play in a space like Bulletproof that's so focused on celebrating independent music, resistance and community building?
I'm extremely excited to play Bulletproof, I've wanted to play more queer led shows and I feel like this is something that is super important right now, not only are we supporting a good cause; but I think just getting to connect with other queer people is always a fun time, there is a spark in the alt queer scene that I have always felt a part of and every show like this makes me feel affirmed and seen, and as always it's a pleasure to be supporting independent artists, they are hardworking and deserve more credit.
How do you think the community building aspect of music can help build unity and resistance in the real world? What does that mean to you, especially when you recently released an EP about the toxicity and trauma of growing up online?
Right now I think it's more valuable than ever to build community and I have always found that through music. I don't know where I'd be without it to be honest, art feels like one of the only ways to cut through in the sea of bullshit we wade through online.
I think gen Z witnessed the birth of the internet and will ultimately witness its death, paywalls are becoming more prevalent. Which makes it even more inaccessible. But the older end of gen Z also got to experience a life without a full time screen, and we're really at the precipice of a life changing forever, I thought things had started to improve around 2019 but then I think covid really set us back in many ways, it was a slow decline after 2021 and then it snowballed. I think I am traumatised, not just by the internet, but it definitely has a strong part to play.
You are raising funds for the Trans Legal Clinic at the show. For readers who aren't aware of what they do, why do they matter so much as a charity right now?
I think being openly queer right now is an act of protest, I think it always has been, but right now I really feel like we need to look after our trans siblings, the government is doing their best to make life difficult for minority communities right now, and as a queer person myself; it feels good knowing that we have charities that are specific to the trans community, they built this and it's our job to lift them up. The charity centers around raising money for Trans Legal Clinic, they fund housing for trans housing and homelessness, and help trans people pay for legal help for things such as; gender based violence, discrimination in the work place, education, healthcare and public services and also help with gender recognition and healthcare. An extremely valuable service considering the current political climate, and also considering that 25% of trans individuals have experienced homelessness.
Learn more about Bulletproof Festival here.
Two huge losses to the UK's grassroots network...
As much as we're celebrating grassroots venues at Bulletproof this week, it would be remiss not to take a moment for two huge losses in the UK. The closure of the legendary The White Hotel in Salford, Manchester has sent huge shockwaves across the music landscape as they confirmed they would be shutting due to redevelopment pressures and flooding issues.
"Basically, it's a swamp," co-founders Austin Collings and Ben Ward told The Guardian. They will close in January 2027, saying they wished to "go out on our own terms, long before we became a museum."
Guardian staff reporter
The Six Six Bar in Cambridge is also closing. In their statement announcing their closure, they said that "the reality is the costs of operating grassroots venues have become relentless", adding that they required roughly four sold-out shows every single week just to survive. In this economy, they had very little room for error.
"But this is not a collapse, and we are not being forced out," they added. "We had funding ready to continue but we have decided now is the right time to move on. This is a conscious decision to evolve, move forward and build something new from everything this venue taught us. We leave proud, grateful and on our own terms."
... and there's a new exhibition about that very thing
An exhibition about lost music venues at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London - where the Music Venue Trust launched their annual report - opened last weekend. It commemorates the cultural contributions and legacies left by music venues that sadly no longer operate, which shuttered between the 1980s and 2010s. It runs until October 2027 and chances are, I'll probably go and have a wander when I'm in London for Bulletproof.
Rest in Power Kanya King
Alex Taylor