Cheap Meat

Ross Drummond (vocals and guitar), Matt Rebeiro (drums) and Peter Hakola (bass and vocals) - formed at a chance meeting by Ross and Matt at a pub quiz hosted by ex-Coronation Street star Martin Hancock, before later recruiting Peter via Gumtree.

Cheap Meat had already kicked up a fuss with their hook-filled, guitar-heavy The Parts That Show EP and subsequent single Spin-Offs. Some years on they now return with People Are The Worst, an LP which has been created despite significant setbacks.

The theme of the record is misanthrope; the story, DIY.

People Are The Worst was mostly written during a time of significant sociopolitical unrest – Brexit debates at their peak, Trump being, well, Trump, and culture wars on left and right of increasing hysteria. The band refrain became the title of the LP.

The specific context and themes of the record are rooted in the day-to-day unpleasantness the band found themselves involved in – which is captured in the album artwork, a series of microaggressions all claustrophobically close together in a high-rise apartment block.

It’s taken a long time for Cheap Meat to get their heads around releasing People Are The Worst. In the span between the EP release and now, Matt’s had two kids, Pete was diagnosed with manic depression/bi-polar disorder, and Ross was diagnosed with high-functioning depression and anxiety. Safe to say the group have been through the ringer: emotionally, physically and creatively.

Despite the challenges, People Are The Worst is the record the band wanted to make, on their own terms, and is released on their own label, Jerk Store Records.

Despite too, People being The Worst, some are the best – not least the crew of friends and creative contacts Cheap Meat relied on to make their record.

There are plenty of moments of light and love throughout the LP. Musically, as a counterpoint to the bleakest lyrical moments, the album delivers a sonically upbeat palette, delivering poppy hooks and air-guitar-euphoria.

Clocking in at only 30 minutes or so, People Are The Worst is here for a good time, not a long time.

Cheap Meat have previously received acclaim from Kerrang!, Rock Sound and Upset, and supported Bob Mould, Frank Iero, Tellison, Lonely The Brave, We Are The Ocean, and have performed at 2000 Trees and The Great Escape festivals, among others.