Featured image: Ella Venn and Nicola Cutts

Manchester’s Open Fly talk new music, performance mishaps and men.

Bassist Lily Rose believes that women have better things to say than men when it comes to song lyrics, especially in the world of indie bands. She says this with a sheepish smile as her bandmate and frontwoman Emily Rose (no relation), nods assertively. “We’re far more creative,” says Emily.

It’s a bold claim from Open Fly, the Manchester-based, self-proclaimed “punk-ish” band, who are preparing to release their debut EP in early 2026.

Formed in 2023, the all-female band, which includes guitarist Tatum Paul and drummer Ellie Morrisroe, have spent the last year writing and recording, all while gigging across Manchester’s grassroots venues.

Three quarters of the band arrive at Spirit Studios, Ardwick, on a cold Monday evening for our interview, which I’m told precedes a crucial meeting about the production of the upcoming EP. Their punk style extends beyond their music: the musicians sit coolly, dressed in distressed denim and chunky 1970s-style knitwear decorated with enamel pins.

Open Fly’s career kicked off with a performance at THUMP, a live music and poetry event at Withington Public Hall in 2023. During a rendition of their tune ‘What’s a Girl’, the power cut out mid-performance. “Every single amp stopped working,” says Tatum. “We made it acapella and then all the amps kicked in just as we were ready to go back into the chorus – and then it was like: ‘Woah!’ This electrical disruption was inspiring enough that when it came to finally record the song as a single, the band decided to let it shape the composition.

On-stage, Open Fly radiate confidence whereas in person, they’re more reserved, giggling nervously. But when the conversation turns to the experiences of  women in music, a fire ignites. Before the group began, both Emily and Lily were the only women in their previous bands. “I’ve played gigs before where you get [singled] out,” Emily recounts. “Like one time, the sound tech came up to me and went, ‘Are you okay? Do you know how to play that?’ He didn’t ask anyone else and I was like, ‘Yeah mate, I’m in the band I know what I’m doing.’ This is why women are put off, because they get disrespected over and over again.

Even within Manchester’s thriving music scene all-female bands remain rare. “Putting yourself on stage and asking for things is something that a lot of women aren’t taught to do – you have to have a strong enough ego,” says Tatum. “We just aren’t socialised that way,” adds Emily. The band says they draw inspiration from “all-girl bands” with muses spanning from The Saturdays to Tori Amos. But the quartet bemoan that grassroots gigs seem dominated by all-male lineups. “You’re just not inspired,” says Emily, exhaustedly.

Open Fly’s inspiration often comes urgently through improvisation. Most songs are created in long jam sessions, with initial ideas built upon in a jazz-like process, except if jazz musicians rehearsed in their basements at times coordinated with their corporate working neighbour’s plans. This flexible nature even extends to their live shows. Ellie Morrisroe speaks proudly about resorting to “playing on bins” at a London venue that didn’t have a drum kit. Penning lyrics is also a spontaneous process. “It’s just the first thing that comes out, I don’t really think about it – make music fun again,” Emily declares.

Although the EP is fully recorded, production is taking time. Hesitant to “squash” their sound, the band are attempting to mix the raw, somewhat messy energy of their live shows with high quality production. “That’s the hard problem,” says Tatum. “You hear it and you’re just like, ‘That’s not right’ – which is not helpful to anyone.” Whereas Lily believes: “You know it when you hear it.” 

While they mull over their first release of multiple tracks, Open Fly plan to continue gigging in Manchester – something they can do with unusual freedom, thanks to Tatum and Lily’s own ‘Cstar’ Wave Promotions gig booking and promoters company. All the members have a say in where and with whom they perform.

The band is dreaming big. “I want to play with Kim Gordon,” Emily announces. “And she has to do her trap song ‘PLAY ME’,” Tatum adds. If their dream show does happen to come true, we should all hope that the power goes out.

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