A CONVERSATION WITH... CHERYM
How do you describe a band giving a new voice to Irish punk? One word: CHERYM.
Photo Credit: Wall of Sound PR
Pop rocks. Punk music. And an almost van robbery.
(Key word: almost.)
Don’t worry, CHERYM didn’t participate in the van robbery but they live to tell the tale.
The only thing that possibly tops this punk trio’s captivating stage presence and seriously infectious songwriting is their storytelling abilities. Though we were all separated by Zoom screens (and the Irish sea), bassist Nyree’ (they/them) and guitarist/vocalist Hannah’ (she/her) passion for everything they spoke about had me on the edge of my seat for their answers.
While we were missing one of the band (drummer Alannagh, she/they), it felt like the night I met them at SXSW 2023 with their quick banter and welcome energy. Their time at SXSW almost didn’t happen, but due to the band’s perseverance and creativity, they found a way to jump onto life-changing experiences.
“It was class getting accepted for SXSW, you know? A true bucket list moment. Then we got offered to support The Beths straight after SXSW, which was wild on its own. But we couldn’t afford to do both at first. We cut a lot of corners by doing stuff like renting out a motorhome instead of hotel rooms, but we got to do both!” Nyree laughs. “We knew we could do it, and we knew we had to do it. How could we miss out on these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities?”
Their time at SXSW 2023 and tour right after was one for the books so the motorhome plan was clearly worth it. Whether they were in basement venues with instrumentals so intense that they shook the whole room or passionately pumping up crowds in support of the distinctive The Beths on tour, they left audience members wondering “How haven’t I heard them before?”
CHERYM’s now in their sixth year as a band, and while they feel like they’re “the seniors in high school” (Hannah’s current obsession with Cheer on Netflix prompted that), they’re really just getting started. Cliche but true, the band’s rebranding from this summer led by the yearning queer punk bop ‘Taking Up Sports’, means they’re busy preparing the world for their newest chapter.
“Obviously we come from Ireland which is still very Catholic and in some ways incredibly conservative, so our new music will be shit on by a lot of people and we know that. We also know that there are a lot of things that need to be talked about, like Sinéad O’ Connor (Shuhada’ Sadaqat) did,” Nyree asserts.
“Exactly, it’s art at the end of the day. Some people will like it, and some won’t. And those who attack us about our music need to realise that it’s simply okay to not like something. We’re too busy making the music to care,” Hannah continues.
Earlier in the band’s career, plenty of reviews and interviews came out mislabelling the band as political — primarily because they were (at the time) a woman-led punk band and that was seen as inherently a political statement. “Of course, outside of the band we’re all feminists, and we were back when we started. We don’t have any choice in our identities impacting the music we make or who we are, they just do. Because this is my life and these facts about it are what I know, so I’m going to talk about it. But now we want to make more political statements, so we will. Our music evolves as we do,” says Hannah.
So who is the ‘we’ behind the music?
There’s no better way to describe your bandmates than a “tag yourself” game with reactions to a van robbery happening in a van you were in.
“So Alannagh is the one texting their girlfriend (at the time) being like ‘Oh someone’s attacking the vehicle we’re in now so I’ll text you back later, BRB’,” Hannah says.
“They’re the brains of the band. The lot of us have brains but Alannagh will calculate the best scenario in any situation. Externally, she’s an incredibly calm person and internally there are a hundred million calculations and thoughts going on,” Nyree chimes in.
“Nyree’s the practical one, for sure. They understandably might not have been during the van incident, but that’s them. They taught me how to pitch a tent at 17, they were the one who had jumper cables at the ready when we were recording one day because someone else’s car at the recording wasn’t working. Like how do you even do that? You’re just so selfless naturally,” Hannah comments.
Nyree and Hannah crack sweet smiles at each other and it’s evident that expressing their kindest thoughts about one another isn’t a rare occurrence. Clearly travelling in a motorhome together gave them whatever the opposite of cabin fever is.
“Hannah’s the most outgoing person, even when she’s going through something. She was ready to fight in the van, but that shows how much she cares about everyone. You absolutely thrive on being around others and in being in community with others. You’re never the one to shy away from something, you’re always ready to go and do something,” Nyree finishes.
It’s always easier to describe your closest friends compared to yourself because it feels like you do know them better than yourselves. But one thing CHERYM doesn’t have a hard time with is describing their sound. Sticking true to the punk ideals of true expression and going against the grain, they’ve come up with their own descriptor. “Pop rocks! You know the fizzy pop rocks that go mad in your mouth? I feel like when you come to our shows that’s how it is. Spotify can call us bubblegum power pop but pop rocks fits us and our vibe better,” Nyree jokes.
So their new album, Take It Or Leave It, combines the pop rocks madness, storytelling, and frustrations about the world into a body of work that one-ups anything they’ve previously released. “Nyree came up with the title, and it really goes on what we were talking about earlier. We are speaking our minds a lot more now, and we know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea,” Hannah explains. “But it’s our cup of tea!”
Two songs that the band teased at with ‘Alpha Beta Sigma’ and ‘The Thing About Them’ explore the band’s deep-dive into much more personal and political songs.
Nyree explains that ‘The Thing About Them’ is about their own experiences with being non-binary and the frustrations behind being misgendered. “Even if people accidentally do it, it builds and builds. It hurts. I understand how it happens but I want to get those emotions across and out of me so people can possibly change how they view non-binary people. You have to be willing to try to be better at understanding others.”
And ‘Alpha Beta Sigma’, as Hannah explains, touches on a lot of the issues plaguing Ireland at the moment with misogyny and sexism — especially where the Catholic Church is involved. “It’s terrible how they treated, and still treat, women. Like if you look at the Magdalene Laundries, it’s a clear example of how Ireland treated women. I think that’s rippled on, too. And so we talk about that in the song and we talk about how with the rise of the far-right and incel culture, how much hatred towards women exists because women are women. So it’s a song about taking back your own energy, taking charge, and reclaiming what’s been used against you.”
How punk rock.
Two years ago, NME said that the “Derry girls are ready to take on the world” and while that label isn’t fully accurate anymore, they have been taking over the world. This month they’re going on a headline tour across the UK (partnering with Safe Gigs For Women), next year they’re supporting Enter: Shikari on the Irish leg of their tour next year, and there are plenty more surprises in store from Ireland’s rising-star pop rocks band.
However you want to describe CHERYM, you can’t deny that, through their music and words, they’re always proving that punk’s heart is still beating strong.
(Key word: always.)