The name “Mermaid Chunky”- a special kind of wool you can purchase from “Shaw’s” (a local drapery, Stroud, Gloucestershire) was twisted and sullied when it was taken up by local violent Wolf gangs.

We wanted to rebrand the dark history our town has faced. When anyone hears the phrase “ Mermaid Chunky” they think of Wolf gangs-we want to change this by doing something completely different.

Tackling subjects that aren’t easy to broach didn’t stop there, Mermaid Chunky’s most recent tracks cover issues such as The Herb Hierarchy, Newbury Bypass and Lonely Chaperones. Born in the soft and homely valleys of Stroud from the same egg, they find themselves now straddling with one foot in Stroud and one foot paddling in North-East London’s murky experimental music scene.They aren’t afraid of asking their audience difficult questions such as’ where is your umbilical cord right now?’ or ‘ do you love your tiny dog as much as you love yourself?’ Secrets are beguiling, that’s hard-hitting factfullness.

‘Ceremony is something that helps us exorcise the weight of Popey pagan guilt we both felt from a young age’ . Mermaid Chunky have become renowned for their large-scale events with lavish decorations and collaborations with multiple artists.

Last year they hosted the largest ever dog wedding in the south-west. With a mixed audience of humans and dogs, Morris dancers, shadow puppets, virgin bitchmaids and a dog pastor flown in all the way from Vegas it certainly wasn’t a modest affair.

Beavering in the endless baths of electronic chaos at all times-Freya and Moina’s sound boasts a bouquet of pumping trance rhythms, sad Easter time chicks and seriously arousing sax solos. Much of their growth and cultivation has come out of the moss and club culture of Stroud, and in particular SVA, a havoc driven arts centre with an incredible furnace of visual art pizza and experimental sound toppings.

Balancing their appreciation for the city and the countryside hasn’t always been easy. When their first 17 record deal offers were burnt on the end of the pitchfork (to symbolise a rejection of the ownership of sound as well as a celebration of a certain kind of pagan illiteracy) they weren’t sure where to turn next. Luckily best friend and star child Kristian Robinson (Capitol K) was there to offer them an opportunity of a life time to release their sell out debut album ‘VEST’, on Faith and Industry records.