FAUX MACHISMO

Faux Machismo are a two-piece performing stoner-witch-doom-grunge and hail from the fringes of Leeds’ city centre.

A combination of downbeat, sludgy guitar riffs with scuzzy, opiatic drum beats, the duo’s musical output is uncomplicated. That’s not to say it isn’t frank, assertive, and incredibly direct.

With support slots for Witch Fever, Dead Naked Hippies, and Swedish Death Candy already on their CV, the duo (Maeve Munro, Anna Ridley) released their compilation of demos, EP, which garnered the interest of Chris Mulligan in recording the band. Mulligan’s sessions led to the release of three new singles, each receiving supporting airplay from Amazing Radio and smaller, equally as integral radio shows across the UK and Europe – Dopamine, For Daze, and Artemisia. The complexity of Anna and Maeve’s work stems from their influences – affected art, literature, and esotericism. Their works look to avoid the hazard of being supercilious – art in all its forms is meant to be discussed and informative rather than withheld as a means of elitism.

The Genesis of Faux Machismo

The story of Faux Machismo begins not in a rehearsal room, but in the dimly lit corners of Leeds' independent art and music scenes, where Maeve Munro and Anna Ridley first crossed paths. Both were already active in various creative circles—Munro with a background in visual art and experimental noise, Ridley with roots in DIY punk and zine culture. Their initial collaboration was almost accidental: a one-off performance at a warehouse party that was meant to be a single evening of improvised sound. The chemistry was immediate and undeniable. What emerged from that first session was a raw, unpolished energy that neither had fully tapped into before.

The name itself—Faux Machismo—arrived as a kind of inside joke, a deliberate provocation against the hyper-masculine posturing that often dominates heavy music. It was a statement of intent: to occupy the space of sludge and doom without adopting its tired clichés. The duo's early rehearsals were unstructured, often beginning with a single riff or a drum pattern and spiralling outward. They recorded everything on a battered four-track, capturing the hiss and warmth that would later define their lo-fi aesthetic. Those early tapes circulated among friends and local promoters, building a quiet but devoted following long before any official release.

Leeds itself plays a crucial role in the band's identity. The city's post-industrial landscape, its brutalist architecture, and its perpetually overcast skies seep into the music. Faux Machismo's sound is not an escape from that environment but a direct response to it—a soundtrack for walking through empty car parks at 2 a.m., for the hum of fluorescent lights in underpasses, for the weight of concrete and steel. It is music that feels rooted in place, even as it reaches toward something more universal.

Musical Approach and Creative Process

To describe Faux Machismo's music as "uncomplicated" is to miss the point. The duo's approach is deliberately reductive, stripping away anything that does not serve the core of the song. A typical track is built from a single, monolithic riff—often downtuned and drenched in fuzz—over which Ridley's drumming provides a hypnotic, almost ritualistic pulse. There are no guitar solos, no tempo changes for the sake of virtuosity, no unnecessary layers. What remains is a kind of sonic essentialism: every note is load-bearing.

The creative process is deeply collaborative and often begins with a visual or literary prompt. Munro and Ridley share a fascination with the occult, with medieval mysticism, and with the ways in which art can function as a form of knowledge rather than mere decoration. They have spoken in interviews about the influence of alchemical texts, the tarot, and the writings of surrealist women like Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. These references are not worn as badges of intellectual superiority but are woven into the fabric of the songs—sometimes literally, in the form of whispered incantations or sampled readings buried low in the mix.

Lyrically, the band avoids straightforward narrative. Instead, they favour fragmented imagery and repetition, allowing meaning to emerge through accumulation. A phrase repeated until it loses its semantic content becomes something else entirely—a mantra, a texture, a physical sensation. This approach is particularly effective in a live setting, where the audience is drawn into the same trance-like state as the performers. The result is less a concert than a shared ritual.

Live Performance and Visual Identity

A Faux Machismo live show is an exercise in controlled intensity. The duo perform facing each other rather than the audience, a deliberate choice that reinforces the sense of a closed circuit, a private dialogue made public. The stage is often lit with a single, harsh light source, casting long shadows that make the two figures appear almost monolithic. There is no banter between songs, no requests for applause. The set flows as one continuous piece, with only the briefest pauses to retune or adjust levels.

This austerity extends to their visual presentation. The band's artwork—created primarily by Munro—draws on woodcut prints, anatomical diagrams, and esoteric symbolism. Their releases are deliberately physical objects, with hand-stamped sleeves and inserts that reward close inspection. In an era of endless digital scrolling, Faux Machismo insist on the tactile, the tangible, the imperfect. It is an ethos that aligns them with a broader DIY tradition while remaining entirely their own.

The duo's commitment to accessibility is also notable. They have been vocal about the importance of affordable shows, all-ages venues, and safe spaces within the heavy music community. This is not a contradiction to their austere aesthetic but an extension of it: the music is for everyone, not just those who can afford festival tickets or expensive merch. In this, they embody the best of the underground tradition—serious about the art, but never about themselves.

Recording with MUZAI and the Evolution of Sound

The partnership with MUZAI Records came about organically, through the network of Leeds' independent music scene. Chris Mulligan, having heard the band's early demos, recognised something that set them apart from the countless other heavy duos vying for attention. It wasn't just the riffs—it was the restraint, the patience, the willingness to let a song breathe. Mulligan's production approach was a natural fit: he understood that the band's power lay in what they chose to leave out, not what they piled on.

The recording sessions for the three singles—"Dopamine," "For Daze," and "Artemisia"—were deliberately unhurried. The band spent days experimenting with microphone placement, amplifier settings, and room tones before committing anything to tape. The goal was to capture the physicality of their live sound without sacrificing clarity. The resulting recordings are heavier and more detailed than the demos, but they retain the essential rawness that defines the band. There is no studio polish, no digital trickery—just two people playing together in a room, captured with care.

The airplay on Amazing Radio and smaller stations across the UK and Europe was a validation, but not a surprise. Faux Machismo's music has always had a strange accessibility despite its darkness. The hooks are not obvious, but they are there—buried in the repetition, in the subtle shifts of dynamics, in the moments of unexpected melody that surface like bones in the earth. It is music that rewards patience, and in an age of instant gratification, that patience is itself a radical act.

Influences and Artistic Philosophy

The band's influences are wide-ranging and often unexpected. While the sonic touchstones are clear—Sleep, Electric Wizard, Melvins, early Hole—the deeper currents come from outside music entirely. The duo have cited the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, the paintings of Francis Bacon, and the poetry of Anne Carson as formative. What unites these disparate sources is a commitment to emotional truth over technical perfection, and a willingness to sit with discomfort. Faux Machismo's music is not designed to be easy; it is designed to be honest.

This honesty extends to their engagement with the heavy music scene itself. The band are unapologetic in their critique of the genre's more reactionary elements, while also refusing to be defined solely by their gender. They are not a "female-fronted" band—they are simply a band, and a formidable one. Their presence in the scene is a quiet challenge to those who would reduce them to a novelty. The music speaks for itself, and it speaks loudly.

Ultimately, Faux Machismo's philosophy can be summed up in their approach to art: it is meant to be discussed, not withheld. Their work invites interpretation without demanding it. It is dense enough to reward deep analysis, but immediate enough to be felt on first listen. In a cultural landscape that often values surface over substance, the duo's commitment to depth is a rare and valuable thing.

What's Next for Faux Machismo

As of now, the band remain focused on writing and recording new material, with plans for a full-length release in the near future. The singles have laid the groundwork, but the duo are clear that they are still evolving. The new songs are slower, heavier, and more atmospheric, drawing even more deeply from their esoteric influences. There is talk of incorporating field recordings, found sounds, and even elements of spoken word into the next project.

Live performances will continue to be a priority, with the band committed to playing in unconventional spaces as well as traditional venues. They have expressed interest in collaborating with visual artists, dancers, and filmmakers to create immersive, multi-sensory events that blur the line between concert and installation. It is an ambitious vision, but one that feels entirely consistent with their ethos.

For those who have followed the band from the beginning, the trajectory is clear: Faux Machismo are not interested in compromise. They will continue to make the music they want to make, on their own terms, and the audience will find them. To keep up with their latest releases and live dates, visit the All Artists page or explore the work of their labelmates, including Colonel Troutman and Dusker.