unpeople are a haven of unity in an era of polarisation. Originally the word referred to people who were considered by the elite to be politically unimportant and effectively without rights. But in social media discourse it has been redefined: a catch-all phrase to dismiss the opinions of people on the other side of the argument. But unpeople are a band all about inclusivity, and the belief that there are far more things that unite rather than divide us. That’s something represented by the communion of a live show. Whether we’re leaping around in the pit, hollering along to the songs, or simply observing from the back, we’re all sharing a moment in which our differences become irrelevant.

As guitarist and co-founder Luke Caley explains, “The reason why the name resonates is more on the human side than having a political agenda. I’ve got a bit of a romance about the concept of how music can bring people together. That’s not with the naivety of, ‘Oh, can’t we all just get along?’ because there’s so much nuance to every single thing. But if you’re at a gig with thousands of other people, you don’t know anyone else’s opinions. In that moment you can share the joy of putting your arms around each other and jumping up and down.”

It helps that unpeople’s sonic attack can connect across the spectrum. They’ve been described as the lightest band at Bloodstock and the heaviest band at Kendal Calling, while going down a storm at both. And it’s easy to see why. Often the band’s four-voice choruses are as instantly addictive as anything else in alt-rock, but at other times Jake Crawford’s screams hit almost as hard as his key influences, Devin Townsend and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation. Their riffs can be instant earworms or swaggering stoner metal grooves, but regardless of their approach, the music is simultaneously colourful and joyous but also aggressive and intense. If you had to pick just one word, it would be simple: it’s fun.

The unpeople ethos extends to the band and their audience being one. As Jake often signs off at gigs, “We are unpeople. You are unpeople. We are all unpeople.” Nonetheless, Jake’s lyrics provide something to believe in. Their self-titled debut EP focused on universal and often traumatic emotions: struggling with anxiety and stress, and trying not to drown in the avalanche of shit news that emerges seemingly every day.

And with their upcoming debut album, his latest recurring theme is staying true to yourself. “You should stick to your guns,” he summarises. “If something makes you feel good, if you know it’s the right thing, just carry on with no compromise. If you stick to your virtues, you keep your integrity.”

Yet unpeople aren’t preaching from the pulpit. They’re all acutely aware that they no more have the answers than the fans in the audience. Which is apt, as despite their individual looks, they’re all exactly like the type of people who would be in the crowd if they weren’t performing. In Luke’s words, “The goal for this band was that we would walk on stage and you’d have no idea what we sound like.”

unpeople as a band are equals too. Luke draws parallels with BTS or Spice Girls and Jake agrees: “there’s no one star, and fans are likely to have their own favourites”. Drummer Richard Rayner describes Luke as a “super hyper-focused ball of energy, really creative and doesn’t have an ego,” while bassist Em Lodge credits Jake as “a Jack of all trades, but annoyingly good at all of them – like he has a Midas touch.”

The rest of unpeople are universal in their love of Em, whose optimism, excitement and passion means that she’s in a band for the right reasons. It’s a continuation of her teenage fandom, where she remembers waiting at KOKO at the crack of dawn to meet her favourite bands. “I just love being a woman in a band and being able to be that next person for the younger girls in the audience,” she says, citing Janine Shilstone of Vukovi and Becca Bottomley of Marmozets as inspirations. “16-year-old me would be really gassed to see what I’m doing now.”

That leaves Richard (his bandmates have nicknamed him JPL: jacked percussive legend). His background is unorthodox, having studied jazz, classical and world music while also playing in a teenage band covering the likes of Blink-182 and Muse. He has a particular love for playing world music. “Each culture awakens something inside of me, like African drumming touches my soul. There’s something about that which is really similar to unpeople. You’ll have twenty people drumming in one room, so what you can create together is bigger than any one person. But then, similar to Luke and Jake, I was playing in rock bands from when I was about ten.”

The others credit Richard’s desire to excel at everything in his life as a mindset that always encourages them to push themselves harder. “This band could not exist the way it does without Richard,” asserts Luke.

unpeople were formed by Jake and Luke in 2023, immediately in the wake of their previous band’s split. They simply took their myriad influences and ran with them – providing the roots for the genre-agnostic band we now hear. Luke and Richard had been casual friends for more than a decade, but only discovered the strength of their personal and creative connection when they became bandmates. Em is the most recent recruit, having filled in at Bloodstock in 2024 before her self-confessed keenness made everyone else want her to be a permanent addition.

Released that same year, the band’s debut EP was praised by Louder for bringing “something brand new to modern metal” while Kerrang! hailed them as “one of alternative music’s best new bands.” That impression was again reiterated with ‘the garden’ alongside the ominous ‘Midsommar’ aesthetic of its music video. Their impact was just as strong in the live arena too, opening for Metallica in Vienna and Smashing Pumpkins in London, attracting a huge crowd at 2000trees’ main stage, and making their Reading Festival debut.

Now with a new single ‘clouds’ out, their debut album incoming, and a summer main stage opening slot at Download, Luke affirms, “We all have ambition that is sky high and we’ll work as hard as we can to take it as far as we can.” It’s only a matter of time before the population of unpeople grows exponentially.