The post-punk soloist Billy Nomates brings unstoppable, unapologetic dynamism to the stage, finds Miriam Balanescu
Legend has it that the alias Billy Nomates, originally known as Bristolian Tor Maries, was born after she was heckled by an audience member for attending a Sleaford Mods gig alone. Her name says it all – and has given rise to a synth-rich sound of defiance and no-nonsense steeliness.
It’s not just her sound that takes on this unapologetic stance. As soon as Billy bolts onstage at Mash, it’s clear that she will take no prisoners with her performance. Marrying early singles, including her debut No (a battle-like resistance song) with frenetic dancing that’s difficult to keep up with, it’s no surprise that the audience is at first left trailing behind – and Billy is often just dancing with herself.
For this post-punk artist, the 80s – sometimes 00s – instrumentation is crucial, and although the quality of the backing tracks can’t match up to the recorded versions, her vocals transcend. As Sophie Walker has noted in the Guardian, these live performances would greatly benefit from the company of a band, though Billy is later able to hold her own.
In a string of ‘emergency’ singles, Billy brings the audience onboard, the grungy, siren-backed Heels pulsing and urgent. Balance is Gone veers onto indie rock territory, with a taste of The Killers’ mid-career. Meanwhile, Hippy Elite is a well-worn favourite, its scathing lyrics centred on upper middle-class eco-warriors and class divides, instructing the privileged to “hug a tree, for me.”
While Billy, contrary to her underpinning philosophy, may benefit from some onstage mates, her electric, politically charged tracks are indeed hard to resist. Only on the scene since 2020 and already whipping up a storm of devoted fans, if you don’t know her name already, you certainly will do soon.
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