Milkie Way

Last updated

Milkie Way
Wargasm Full Force 2023 04 (cropped 2).jpg
Hastings performing in 2023
Background information
Birth nameRachel Alexandra Hastings
Also known as
  • Milkie Way
  • Girl in the Pit
Born (1997-12-09) 9 December 1997 (age 26)
County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Occupation(s)Musician
Member of

Rachel Alexandra Hastings (born 9 December 1997), known professionally as Milkie Way, is a Northern Irish musician. Born in County Antrim, she moved to London to study at the London College of Fashion and spent time as a model and a concert photographer. She and Sam Matlock formed Wargasm in August 2019, and their mixtape and album Explicit: The Mixxxtape (2022) and Venom (2023) peaked at number 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and number 88 on the UK Albums Chart respectively.

Contents

Hastings also played bass guitar as a session musician for Barns Courtney after meeting him through her Girl in the Pit photography project and for Yungblud during 2021. She also featured on Trash Boat's 2021 single "Bad Entertainment" and Gunship's 2023 single "Monster in Paradise". Her performance of "Bad Entertainment" at the 2021 Heavy Music Awards shut the ceremony's Twitch stream down, prompting defiant social media posts from the ceremony, Hastings, and Trash Boat's Tobi Duncan.

Life and career

Early life and modelling

Milkie Way was born Rachel Alexandra Hastings in County Antrim on 9 December 1997. [lower-alpha 1] She was raised on Motown, soul music, and pop music such as David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations, got into guitar music via the Smashing Pumpkins and Bikini Kill, [5] and got into nu metal via Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. [6] Aged 14 or 15, she taught herself bass guitar to spite an ex-boyfriend who had derided her musical ambitions. [7] She moved to London to study at London College of Fashion, but dropped out due to her inability to cope with being told what to do. [8] She spent a period modelling in Tokyo [9] immediately after dropping out. [8] She also modelled alongside Cara Delevingne [7] and for Toni & Guy and Valentino campaigns. [10]

Girl in the Pit and Wargasm

While at university, she would make friends by attending concerts with mosh pits, which she would photograph using disposable cameras. [11] After accruing a collection of images, she launched the "Girl in the Pit" photography project, named after a sobriquet she had earned from her ubiquity at gigs. [11] As part of the project, she photographed Dead!, [7] a band who charted at number 11 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart in 2018 with The Golden Age of Not Even Trying . [12] After being given a press pass to Reading & Leeds Festivals, she also met Barns Courtney, [11] who would take her on tour as his bass player. [13]

In 2018, after Dead! broke up, the band's Sam Matlock direct messaged Hastings asking if she played an instrument, [7] as he was looking to set up a band with female vocals and a Riot grrrl attitude. [13] They began producing pop punk, [1] but pivoted to producing nu metal after an incident in which Matlock rejuvenated a failing party with Limp Bizkit. [14] The pair launched Wargasm in August 2019, [15] and played Reading and Leeds Festivals' Apex Stage in 2022, on which she was the only woman to perform that year. [16] Wargasm also released the mixtape Explicit: The Mixxxtape (2022) and the album Venom (2023), [17] which respectively charted at number 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and number 88 on the UK Albums Chart. [18]

Solo music career

"People are haters. I’ve had people at gigs and on live streams shouting/commenting for me to get my tits out and then this it’s like… what the fuck do you all want from me?!"

Hastings talking to Loudwire in October 2021 [19]

In July 2021, Hastings featured on Trash Boat's "Bad Entertainment", a track about media bias [20] from their August 2021 album Don't You Feel Amazing, [21] which charted at number 9 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and number 70 on the Scottish Albums Chart. [22] Trash Boat and Hastings performed the track at that year's Heavy Music Awards, [23] for which she wore a custom designed crucifix vest created by Anine Irdem, [19] a Norwegian designer. [24] The ceremony's Twitch stream was banned for three days [25] after trolls reported her for exposing her nipples, [19] prompting Hastings to sarcastically tweet that she could not believe how powerful her nipples were. [25] She also received tweets of support from Trash Boat's Tobi Duncan, who observed how hypocritical the ban was given that his nipples were also visible through his fishnet shirt, and from the award ceremony itself. [25] Matlock later attributed the ban to multiple fans of another artist filing reports, [4] and Hastings would later wear the outfit on the artwork for Explicit: The Mixxxtape. [24]

By the time of "Bad Entertainment"'s release, Hastings had toured with Yungblud. [26] She asserted in a September 2021 interview with the Heavy Music Awards that he had previously declined a request for her to be his session bassist as she was just about to announce Wargasm and that she had stepped in for some of his shows at the start of that year. [27] In July 2023, she provided vocals for Gunship's "Monster in Paradise", which also featured Dave Lombardo, Tyler Bates, and Tim Cappello; [28] later that year, the track appeared on their album Unicorn, [29] which charted at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart. [30]

Artistry

Hastings performing in London as part of Wargasm, 2023 Milkie Way in 2023.jpg
Hastings performing in London as part of Wargasm, 2023

In a January 2020 interview with Crowdsurf & Turf, Hastings cited vocal inspiration from Romily Alice of Japanese Voyeurs, on the grounds that her voice was the "perfect combination of sexy and aggressive". [31] When asked in an early 2021 interview with Fred Perry what subcultures inspired her, Hastings cited disco music, on the grounds that the genre was "as much about sex and drugs as rock and roll was, only everyone just looked much more grandiose". [32] When asked who her style icons were by Rokit Vintage Clothing in March 2021, she cited Prince, Wendy O. Williams, Paris Hilton, Sora Choi, Tank Girl, 1980s cock rock, Dennis Rodman, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Brody Dalle, and Lady Gaga. [15]

Discography

YearTitleAlbumRef.
2021"Bad Entertainment"
(Trash Boat featuring Milkie Way)		Don't You Feel Amazing [21] [20]
2023"Monster in Paradise"
(Gunship featuring Milkie Way, Dave Lombardo, Tyler Bates, and Tim Cappello)		Unicorn [29] [28]

Notes

  1. ↑
    • For her first and last name, see [1] .
    • For her middle name, see [2] .
    • For her birthday, see [3] .
    • For her birthplace and year, see [4] .

Related Research Articles

<i>Kerrang!</i> British rock, punk and heavy metal music magazine

Kerrang! is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd. The magazine was named onomatopoeically after the sound of a "guitar being struck with force".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fightstar</span> British rock band

Fightstar is a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally considered a post-hardcore band as a whole, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. Their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was released in 2005 and was a critical success.

<i>Trash</i> (Alice Cooper album) 1989 studio album by Alice Cooper

Trash is the eleventh solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released on July 25, 1989, by Epic Records. The album features the single "Poison", Cooper's first top ten hit since his single "You and Me" in 1977 and marked a great success in Cooper's musical career, reaching the Top 20 of various album charts and selling more than two million copies. Trash features John McCurry on guitar, Hugh McDonald of Bon Jovi on bass as well as Bobby Chouinard and Alan St. Jon, both from Billy Squier's solo band on drums and keyboards, respectively. The album was the "biggest hit among his hair metal albums", peaking at number two in the UK and number 20 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creeper (band)</span> English rock band

Creeper are an English rock band from Southampton. Formed in 2014, the group originally featured vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Sina Nemati, bassist Sean Scott, and drummer Dan Bratton. The band independently released their self-titled debut EP in 2014, before signing with Roadrunner Records and issuing follow-up The Callous Heart the next year. At the end of 2015, Nemati was replaced by Oliver Burdett and touring keyboardist/second vocalist Hannah Greenwood became an official band member. A third EP, The Stranger, was released in 2016 and reached the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart top ten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapdance (song)</span> 2001 single by N.E.R.D. featuring Vita and Lee Harvey

"Lapdance" is a song by American rock/hip hop band N.E.R.D. from their debut studio album, In Search Of.... The song features rappers Vita and Lee Harvey, and was produced by the Neptunes. The song compares politicians to strippers giving a lap dance for free, due to the use of their excessive propaganda without ever taking action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring Me the Horizon</span> British rock band

Bring Me the Horizon are a British rock band, formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean. They are signed to RCA Records globally and Columbia Records exclusively in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwrestledabearonce</span> American metalcore band

Iwrestledabearonce was an American metalcore band formed in 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana. In their nine years together, they released one EP, four full-length albums, and two remixed releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">While She Sleeps</span> English metalcore band

While She Sleeps are a British metalcore band from Sheffield. Formed in 2006, the group consists of vocalist Lawrence Taylor, guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran McKenzie and drummer Adam Savage. They are currently signed to their own label Sleeps Brothers in the UK and in collaboration with Spinefarm Records in the US and UNFD in Australia. They have released three EPs, And This Is Just the Start, Split and The North Stands for Nothing, and six studio albums, This Is the Six, Brainwashed, You Are We, So What?, Sleeps Society and Self Hell. They received the Best British Newcomer award at the Kerrang! Awards 2012. The group has maintained the same line-up since its formation, with vocalist Taylor being the only bandmate who is not an original member. Despite this, he has still appeared on every release apart from the group's first two EPs.

<i>Venom</i> (Bullet for My Valentine album) 2015 studio album by Bullet for My Valentine

Venom is the fifth studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The album was released on 14 August 2015 via RCA Records, their second and last album under the label as well as their final album under the Sony Music umbrella. It is the first album by the band since the departure of bassist Jason "Jay" James, which was announced in February 2015 while the band was recording the album. Jamie Mathias was announced as his replacement on 18 May 2015, along with the album's title, release date and release of the album's first single, "No Way Out". This would also be the final album with founding drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas who parted ways with the band officially in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trash Boat</span> British punk rock band

Trash Boat are a British punk rock band formed in St Albans in 2014. The group consist of Tobi Duncan, Dann Bostock, Ryan Hyslop, James Grayson, and Oakley Moffatt (drums).

Gunship is a British synthwave band formed in 2014 by Dan Haigh and Alex Westaway; they were later joined by drummer Alex Gingell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creeper discography</span>

The discography of Creeper, an English rock band, consists of three studio albums, six extended plays (EPs), 20 singles, 24 music videos and three other appearances. Formed in Southampton by vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Sina Nemati, bassist Sean Scott and drummer Dan Bratton, Creeper independently released their self-titled debut EP in June 2014. After signing with Roadrunner Records, the band released their second EP The Callous Heart in September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poppy discography</span> Artist discography

The discography of American singer and songwriter Poppy consists of five studio albums, one reissue, three soundtrack albums, six extended plays (EPs), 41 singles, two promotional singles, and 36 music videos. Signed to Island Records in 2014, she would release her debut single "Everybody Wants to Be Poppy" in June 2015. Her debut EP, Bubblebath, would go on to be released in February 2016, and included the critically acclaimed single "Lowlife".

<i>I Disagree</i> 2020 studio album by Poppy

I Disagree is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Poppy. it was released through Sumerian Records on January 10, 2020. It marks her first release on Sumerian following her departure from Mad Decent in 2019, as well as her final collaborative project with Titanic Sinclair before the end of their creative partnership in 2019. I Disagree debuted at number 130 on the Billboard 200 for the week of January 25, marking Poppy's first entry on the chart. The album also experienced moderate chart success in Australia and the United Kingdom, debuting atop the Rock & Metal Albums Chart in the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep Token</span> British rock band

Sleep Token are a British rock band from London, formed in 2016. The group are an anonymous, masked collective led by a frontman using the moniker Vessel. They have been categorised under many different genres, including alternative metal, post-rock/metal, progressive metal, indie rock/pop, and djent. After self-releasing their debut extended play (EP) One in 2016, the band signed with Basick Records and issued a follow-up, Two, the next year. The group later signed with Spinefarm Records and released their debut full-length album Sundowning in 2019, which was followed in 2021 by This Place Will Become Your Tomb. A third album, Take Me Back to Eden, was released in May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wargasm (band)</span> British electronic rock duo

Wargasm (stylised in all caps and sometimes known as Wargasm (UK)) are a British electronic rock duo from London. The band formed in 2018 by Sam Matlock, who had previously performed as part of Dead!, and Milkie Way, who had previously photographed their concerts and played bass for Barns Courtney. The band released several standalone singles before making headlines in 2021 over incidents at that year's Heavy Music Awards and after a performance at Scala. Their 2022 mixtape Explicit: The Mixxxtape charted at No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and appeared on Loudwire's "Best Rock + Metal Debut Albums of 2022", while their 2023 album Venom charted at No. 88 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Venom</i> (Wargasm album) 2023 studio album by Wargasm

Venom is the debut album by English electronic rock duo Wargasm, released through Slowplay and Republic Records on 27 October 2023. The album includes a collaboration with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. It was announced alongside the release of the single "Do It So Good". The album is produced by Charlie Russell, with additional production by Wargasm and Kieron Pepper.

<i>The Golden Age of Not Even Trying</i> 2018 studio album by Dead!

The Golden Age of Not Even Trying is the first and only studio album by English punk rock band Dead!, released on 26 January 2018 under Infectious Music Ltd. and BMG. It was produced by Charlie Russell and mixed by Thomas Mitchener. The group announced their split on 5 June 2018, cancelling their summer tour dates and announcing that their final show would be their sold-out show on 5 October at The Underworld in London, England.

<i>Hot Singles in Your Area</i> 2024 studio album by Scene Queen

Hot Singles in Your Area is the debut studio album by American singer Scene Queen, released via Hopeless Records on June 28, 2024. The album features artists Wargasm, 6arelyhuman, and The Ready Set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70% Dead</span> 2024 single by Wargasm featuring Corey Taylor

"70% Dead" is a nu-metal single by Wargasm featuring Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor. Released on 12 July 2024 on Slowplay & Republic Records, the song is about the current state of the world as vocalist Milkie Way describes, "a cry out at a world gone mad" due to war, disease and inequality.

References

  1. 1 2 "WARGASM on creating their spiky brand of electro-rock in AltPress issue #402 cover story". Alternative Press . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "HASTINGS RACHEL ALEXANDRA". ASCAP . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  3. ↑ @milkieway_ (23 November 2011). "oop. kinda forgot it's my birthday in 16 days" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. 1 2 "Meet the rising NI heavy metal star who caused 'topless' stir at awards ceremony". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 24 July 2022. ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Shutler, Ali (27 October 2023). "Wargasm: Thank you for the Venom". Dork. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Nu-metal is cool now". The Face. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Wargasm: Nu-Metal-Loving, Riot-Grrrl-Spirited U.K. Duo Are "Fire and Fire"". Revolver . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 "The Downbeat Podcast w/ Milkie Way (Wargasm)". YouTube . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "WARGASM | LUX" (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  10. ↑ Summan, Yasmine (13 March 2020). "Female musicians breaking through the industry that you NEED to check out". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "WARGASM's Milkie Way: "If the choice isn't presented to you, do whatever you can to make one. Be a rebel and be an ally"". Kerrang! . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "DEAD". Official Charts. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  13. 1 2 "WARGASM: "We stand for chaos"". Kerrang! . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  14. ↑ ""Someone said that they were in a Portaloo while we were on stage, and the bass rumbled some excrement out of them." Getting to know Wargasm, the genre-splicing, Fred Durst-approved duo making major waves in modern metal". LouderSound . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Ten Minutes With Milkie Way". Rokit Vintage Clothing. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  16. ↑ Shutler, Ali (27 June 2023). "Why it's never been a better time to be a UK metalhead: "There's a sense of togetherness"". NME. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  17. ↑ Shutler, Ali (27 October 2023). "Wargasm: Thank you for the Venom". Dork. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "Wargasm". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 Summan, Yasmine (21 October 2021). "What Can We Learn About the Double Standard Toward Women in Rock?". Loudwire. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Trash Boat team up with Wargasm's Milkie Way on new single Bad Entertainment". Kerrang! . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Album review: Trash Boat – Don't You Feel Amazing?". Kerrang! . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  22. ↑ "Trash Boat". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  23. ↑ "Trash Boat - Don't You Feel Amazing? (album review )". Sputnikmusic . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  24. 1 2 "WARGASM show off their favorite s**t: PRINCE jackets, MAIDEN merch, bullet belts and more". Revolver. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  25. 1 2 3 Childers, Chad (3 September 2021). "Twitch Shut Down Heavy Music Awards Stream Over Nipple Incident". Loudwire. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  26. ↑ Vandenbogaerde, Matthijs (7 July 2021). "Nieuwe single Trash Boat - "Bad Entertainment" (feat. Milkie Way)". Dansende Beren (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  27. ↑ Heavy Music Awards (4 September 2022). Heavy Music Awards 2021 - Milkie Way (Wargasm) - Best UK Breakthrough Artist . Retrieved 30 July 2024– via YouTube.
  28. 1 2 "Hear Milkie Way, Dave Lombardo and more on Gunship's new single Monster In Paradise". Kerrang! . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  29. 1 2 Marshall, Will (29 September 2023). "Gunship - Unicorn | Album Review". Noizze UK | Live Music | Reviews | Interviews | Podcasts. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  30. ↑ "UNICORN". Official Charts. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  31. ↑ "Crowdsurf & Turf Meets: Wargasm". crowdsurf & turf. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  32. ↑ "WARGASM Musicians — London" . Retrieved 9 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.