GET TO KNOW: Unpeople

If you've been to a festival at any point in the last couple years, chances are you’ve come across UNPEOPLE. Having recently played the main stage at Download Festival this year alongside LINKIN PARK, THE PRETTY RECKLESS and RORY on Sunday, they feel like a rising band to look out for. Featuring guitarists Jake Crawford and Luke Caley, joined by Emily “Em” Lodge on bass and Richard Rayner on drums, this alternative rock band from the heart of London brings raw energy, brimming with heavy riffs and throat-shredding, melodic, infectious songs that make them impossible to ignore.

The band brings a community spirit for those who feel they don’t belong, with the meaning behind their name UNPEOPLE being those who are considered politically unimportant. A feeling shared by the band members themselves that, in turn, creates a deep connection to their fans, with anyone who relates to their philosophy and ethos. Their rallying cry at live shows is: "We are UNPEOPLE, you are UNPEOPLE, we are all UNPEOPLE!"

You may also recognise a few of the members from another iconic band on the festival scene. Exactly three years back, in July 2023, PRESS TO MECO, after eleven years and three critically acclaimed albums, played their final show to a crowd of 15,000 at 2000trees festival. The band came to a natural end, after announcing their break-up back in December the previous year. Reborn from the ashes of PRESS TO MECO, Crawford and Caley debuted their new project UNPEOPLE the very next day at the same festival. The first track on the set list being waste, giving the crowd their first taste with the lyrics “Give the people what they want, no questions!”, the start of something unique and fresh. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vvkgi9qWXY

While UNPEOPLE haven’t released much music yet, what they have put out has been unbelievable and fresh to the alt-rock scene. There’s a reason they are making waves, the way they are able to blend catchy, approachable pop rock that hooks you in, with the twists and turns of overwhelming emotional explosion that whiplashes you. By completely flipping the script and pulling the rug from under your feet to bring in the heaviness and screaming breakdowns before whipping back to the melodic tone. Their latest singles, Friends and Clouds, showcase this perfectly.

While most bands have backing vocalists alongside the lead, UNPEOPLE take things in a different direction with a four-vocalist dynamic, each bringing something unique to the music. The way they blend and mix together in interesting ways, but also each has moments to shine on their own. We have Crawford with the gritty delivery, Caley bringing in the punk vibes, Lodge with her melodic vocals, and finally Rayner behind the drums with his chaotic driving energy. 

This is best shown in their music videos and live shows with their intense stage presence. The way the quartet just always seems to be having the best time jumping around and jamming with each other. UNPEOPLE have a visual language that matches their tone, a dreamlike quality that gives off a trippy, surreal nature. Caley’s partner, Bethany being the band’s key visual creative working behind the scenes to create something that showcases the psychological weight of their music.

When UNPEOPLE first arrived back in 2023, the band originally had bassist and vocalist Meg Mash in the group. She brought a Pixies-like sound with her ethereal melodic vocal style mixed with the heaviness that UNPEOPLE is known for. You can hear Mash on the band's self-titled EP released in 2024, and whilst being in love with playing heavy music, her visceral bass on tracks like Smother and Going Numb harmoniously show this. Unfortunately, a chronic illness diagnosis after a severe case of COVID-19 caused Mash to make the hard decision to leave UNPEOPLE. 

Enter new bassist Em Lodge, bringing the raw energy that defined her previous band DELAIRE THE LIAR, one of her standout tracks from that era being the haunting ballad Angel Number,  which saw her take on lead vocals for the band. While also on other tracks, being able to harmonise her vocals to bring texture and a punk vibe, not to forget her iconic melodic basslines. This made her a key piece to safeguard UNPEOPLE’s four part harmonies going forward into the next festival season. Lodge matched the vibes of Crawford, Caley and Rayner with frantic on-stage energy and made 2025 a breakout year. Live shows like supporting VUKOVI on tour, Download for the first time, returning to 2000trees where they first made their debut, all these set up their current explosion.

Leading into 2026 UNPEOPLE kicked off the year by headlining Underground Festival in Gloucester, dominating Slam Dunk and moving to the historic main stage at Download. If this year wasn’t big enough for the band already they are set to release their highly anticipated debut full-length album, WE ARE UNPEOPLE on 9th October 2026. This is bound to be something special if the singles are anything to go by.

Catch UNPEOPLE when they play Radar Festival on 1st August 2026.

Words: Amy Lynch

Cover Photo: Simon Arinze and Libby Percival