Wargasm talk leaving Universal, and why they definitely aren't industry plants

If you attend a Wargasm show, you may find yourself dashing to the toilet mid-set. This is the stark warning issued by Wargasm’s Sam Matlock, who promises that the bass will be as powerful as per his dream specifications. Joined by former model Milkie Way, they are a duo sticking nu-metal, hardcore, electronic, and several more genres in a blender with very high wattage. Following their 2023 debut album that brought in their hero Fred Durst for a guest spot and garnering award nominations, they give Headliner the lowdown about cutting ties with Universal to go independent, and new single Vigilantes and Small World Syndrome.

Matlock, who is the son of Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, was playing in his former band Dead! when he met Way when she was hired to film the band. Born Rachel Hastings in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, she had dabbled in modelling, with jobs alongside Cara Delevingne and shoots in Tokyo. Way had embedded herself in the UK’s heavy music scene with her Girl in the Pit project, a photography project she had built by going headfirst into mosh pits with disposable cameras.

Following the demise of Dead!, Matlock contacted Way to ask if she played any instruments — she originally taught herself to play bass guitar in response to an ex-boyfriend who poked fun at her desire to pursue music. She had been a touring bassist for Yungblud at this point, and fitted the bill for Matlock’s vision for Wargasm.

“I didn't really have any friends when I first moved to London,” Way says, in her Northern Irish-meets-several-years-in-London accent. “I went to gigs on my own, like five days a week, and I just brought a little disposable camera into the mosh pit, which was my favourite place to be at the time. And word started spreading. Sam heard about it, and he wanted me to come shoot one of their shows.”

On his previous musical life, Matlock says, “It was very traditional rock and roll, no click tracks, no backing tracks. I’m not sure how much of it was really me, because Wargasm is much more chaotic and outside the box.” “I loved your old band,” Way says. “A lot of people did, but you didn’t have to tour with them,” he replies.

When Matlock is asked if the idea for Wargasm was inspired by Way herself, to which she replies, “Was I your muse, is what he’s asking?” – he says, “There's always a bunch of different ideas floating around in my head. And when I met Milkie, the potential to make one of these ideas into a real, tangible thing became an option. I was just working in pubs and stuff after my old band decided to part ways, feeling a bit aimless and trying to work out whether I wanted to go into a career in music management.

“It was a transitional period for the UK music scene. TikTok was starting to be a thing. And no one had really accepted how disposable everything was becoming. There wasn't much fun in music. Everyone was trying to be serious, but not serious enough to be serious. So the modus of Wargasm was, ‘How can we make shit exciting again?’. Bands like Limp Bizkit, Pitchshifter, The Prodigy, they're real, but they're fucking fun.”

Wargasm released their debut album, Venom, in late 2023, following the EXPLICIT: The MiXXXtape the year before. Their mixtape hit No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, while Venom further solidified their place within the UK’s heavy music scene. It’s a blistering record that barely stops to take a breath.

The three-track run of "Ride The Thunder," "Do It So Good," and "Bang Ya Head" is particularly riotous and showcases the way the pair expertly blends guitars and Prodigy-esque dance music elements. The last song of those three brought in Fred Durst, a special moment for the pair who bonded over a love of Limp Bizkit. Durst’s vocal performance is particularly reminiscent of the band’s signature track Break Stuff, a hallmark of early ‘00s nu metal.

“I call that manifestation,” Way says of getting to work with Durst. “I have a video of myself when I first listened to the stems he sent over. I am proud of that album. I really don't tire of playing the songs on that record live, which I think is a good indicator of where a record sits with you in life. If you get sick of it, then what's the point?”

Besides a few singles that followed the album, including 70% Dead which features Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Venom was Wargasm’s last work with Slowplay and Republic Records, both divisions of Universal Music. If it isn’t already abundantly clear, Way and Matlock don’t particularly enjoy being directed creatively and told what to do. Wargasm is now a fully independent outfit, and they seem to have chosen the perfect time in their career to do so. They had always used their own label, Angry Songs For Sad People, and then used Universal to distribute it, but their own label now holds all the cards.

“We were always releasing the songs through our label,” Matlock says. “There's this big myth that Wargasm is some manufactured industry plant. I mean, if I was gonna manufacture a band, I wouldn't call it fucking Wargasm. That’s a very dumb way to make money. I like the power that it gives an artist. I like that you can just be like, ‘We want to drop something. So we will. Or no, we don't want to drop something. So we won't.’ With labels, it’s all rigid structures and timelines.”

For Ways’ first and possibly last major label experience, she says that: “I would like to say that everyone tried their best, but I don't think they did. There was a lot of red tape. We were being told, ‘You can't do this because of this. You need to push this more.’ The catch-22 is that we have a vision. And you know what is great for executing all of our visions and our creative outlets? A little bit of cash, and that is what a label can provide. Apart from that, I don't think it's worth it.”

Matlock adds, “Can I just sum up what it's like to work with a major label? ‘You need to do more TikToks. You need to do more TikToks. By the way, we've taken the entire Universal discography of TikTok.’ That's it. That's the genius of major labels in the 2020s.”

Wargasm marked their 2025 return with Vigilantes, surely the most fitting title for two independent musicians who’ve cut ties with major labels and have no qualms whatsoever about speaking their minds. The song’s chaotic, black and white music video is reminiscent of Firestarter by their heroes The Prodigy, and it mixes things up by having Way perform the first verse herself, instead of the aggressive back and forth between the two we have come to expect.

“It was a slight departure from the conversation style we usually do,” Way agrees. “I think we just got a little bit sick of talking to each other. We needed a break. We've been listening to a lot of Fatboy Slim, so that's a little bit of the inspiration of where that came from. And also Brazilian Phonk music (a Brazilian subgenre of hip-hop and trap).”

They followed this up with their most recent single, Small World Syndrome. It’s one of the most exciting songs they’ve put out thus far, with Way again taking the first verse over a starkly minimalist and atonal beat as she raps: “Stop and follow me / I wanna get it started, started / Free lobotomies.” And the line “Throw it down like ‘06 Fergie” appears to be a swipe at radio-friendly music, social media, and insipid music and culture in general.

Wargasm recently announced one of their biggest headline shows yet, at the cutting-edge venue Outernet in Central London, on the 28th September. For Matlock, however, this concert represents something even more significant than the average headline performance.

“Hopefully, we’ll know whether it's album time by then. It'll reveal itself shortly. We're just gonna keep writing ‘til then. But that show for us is the complete fucking reset. I've enjoyed playing the shows. I'm happy that people enjoy seeing us live. But this can be fucking better, this can be god-tier shit. That's why we booked this show – to give us a line in the sand, and when we cross that line, all hell's gonna break loose.”

“And as soon as we booked it, I knew I wanted to make it a phone-free show,” Way adds. “So many people have been complaining about phones at shows. I was at that Ghost show where they took everyone’s phones, and I had a wonderful time. So for this show, you’ll be given a little sticker to cover up the camera on your phone. And if I see anyone breaking my rule, I’m coming after you!”

And with Outernet having one of the best audio and visual technology capacities in the country, Matlock signs off the interview with a public health warning for the gig:

“Audio and visual assault. Don't eat too many carbs before you get there, it might be a bit of a workout. And the bass might make you want to shit yourself.”