There aren't many people in the metal scene like Mimi Barks right now. The genre-meshing nu gen star powers her propulsive 'doom trap' racket with abrasive, no-holds-barred live shows and provocative music videos, all of which have marked her out as one of the most engaging, fast-rising artists in the alternate music scene right now. We caught up with the Berlin-based songwriter to talk classic gigs, weird award show attire and the perils of having a rather unique fashion sense.
So we hear you ran off to Berlin after your UK tour ended?
“Sometimes it’s good to take a little break from London. All of us were pretty sick after the tour but, honestly, it was incredible. Having Raven [Gray, who recently collaborated with Mimi on the single Wormgirl] come over from America was such a beautiful experience. My entire team is very wholesome, so there was an incredible energy throughout the whole tour.”
The tour looked like a riot! What’s the craziest show you’ve ever played?
“Well, if we’re talking location, one of my first gigs ever was in a bunker in Berlin. It was this abandoned bunker that was squatted in by punks. It had no windows because they’d all been smashed. That was pretty intense. I could talk about another gig where crazy shit went down... but I can’t go into much detail. I’ll just say that someone interfered with my vision and allegedly got punched in the face for it.”
What do you reckon has been your worst show?
“When you play support for bands with a different kind of audience, sometimes the crowd just... stand there. They just look shocked! Honestly, it’s pretty funny. But that’s usually the moment when, after the show, I go to the merch stand and they’re all like, ‘That was incredible!’ And all I can think is, ‘Why did you stand still for the ENTIRE set then?!’”
You’re covered in blood and latex like something from a horror movie and they’re just gawping at you...
“Exactly. But I have never had a really bad experience. When I perform I go into a kind of‘ flow-state’, so I don’t always really register the crowd. My first ever show was in front of two people, and I wouldn’t say that was a bad show. Afterwards, they said my energy was like I was playing in front of 10,000 people. That’s my one rule: just concentrate on yourself, be in the moment.”
Are you quite a spiritual person, in that sense?
“I started feeling more spiritual about three and a half years ago. I don’t know what it was exactly – my mind suddenly just shifted. I started meditating and having these insane experiences. Up until that point, I was just walking around being angry.”
Does it ever shock people, your mindfulness?
“Yeah, some people definitely only see the surface-level anger and screaming. But my fans understand me. My music isn’t just anger – it’s healing, it’s self-reflection. Each track is a process, you’re constantly learning and studying yourself.”
What’s another thing people might not know about you?
“Well, I used to work in bakeries and coffee shops. But I always made sure they would let me wear whatever the hell I wanted. So sometimes I used to serve coffee in full-on fetish outfits. Once I was serving espresso in an open-cup bra.”
Probably had to be quite careful with the boiling water, I assume.
“Yep. But, honestly, my boss at the time was a back-up singer for PJ Harvey, so she got it. And it was in central London, so the customers were super-fucking-rich and too posh to comment. I looked out of place, but I just did my thing.”
When would you say you’ve been the most inappropriately dressed?
“Oh, most of the time. Even the other day, I went to an award show with my tits out, just wearing chains. But they were proper chains that I found at a hardware store and made into an outfit. I expected it to be heavy, but at a certain point my body just gave up. But Lordi thought I looked cool, so that makes up for it.”
Can things get too uncomfortable?
“My fashion often isn’t practical. When I did special effects for the Banshee video, I had these fake long fingers and I couldn’t do anything – I couldn’t even piss. I was also wearing white contacts, which made everything blurry. But we shot some scenes on the beach at night, and when the tide came up, we couldn’t go back the way we came from. I had to climb over fences and shit to get back to the car, basically blind with these long prosthetic fingers. But at least I looked sick.”
This Is Doom Trap is out now
