It`s not fun to be asthmatic in post pandemic times. We went from attending several concerts a month to several years of not being able to go to any shows at all. Thanks Covid! It is a miracle people still remember who we are or that we still know our way to the Northern Quarter! Therefore, it was really important to us to make it to the Star and Garter in Manchester on November 27th to see a band we have been following for ages: The Empty Page. Bonus point: A VOID and Steel. were supporting. We just had to be there. So we risked our lungs, put potentially spending a few weeks in bed with a double ear infection in the back of our minds and went clubbing like it’s 2019.
Single cover
Social gatherings full of great individuals, sold out gigs in iconic venues – nights like this make Mancunia a powerhouse, you can almost feel it still is a town that does things differently. We loved being a part of a packed room singing our favourite songs from The Empty Page catalogue. We had a chance to film, photograph the band, even use a polaroid camera for a gig photography – something we haven’t done for ages. But it was also a bitter sweet night.
If you are part of the local scene this paragraph will feel like preaching to the choir. Star and Garter is not just an old pub or a grade II listed building. It has always been a place for community – be it for rail workers, post office workers or indie artists on a toilet circuit. The place has its own Wikipedia, it appeared in at least 5 movies (including the award winning It`s A Sin) and hosted more club nights than most other venues in town. But it is also very run down, at places requiring urgent renovations.
While Manchester City Council is busy building towers in the city center with tiny flats that nobody can afford and cosying up to AI companies, local artists have to play local iconic venues that fall to pieces. We wonder if anyone from the City Council has been to Star and Garter and seen what the green room there looks like or tried to squeeze on a narrow staircase. If there is money for more high rises, surely there are funds to make sure our local venues don’t fall on our heads while we are having fun there. For a town that prides itself on a local music scene and the immortal “doing things differently”, it feels like the City Council doesn’t do anything at all, except maybe actively undermining the entire night economy in Manc. Please see City Council taking another legendary venue Night and Day to court over a single noise complaint. We strongly feel Manchester venues and artists should be given the same courtesy as big international developers, or maybe even more because unlike the developers everyone on the art scene here pays taxes.
Anyway, back to The Empty Page. They have a kick ass new single out and a brand new line up and it was a great opportunity to sit down with Kel Page, the singer and bassist of the band and catch up after a long time. Kel is funny, observant and has the famous northern no- nonsense attitude. She represents what we adore in Manchester – fiercely independent spirit and passion to contribute to her community. And when she is up there on the stage, shouting and singing you can tell who really built this town: artists.
Oh dear, last time we spoke to you was in 2019! Pre pandemic times! It almost feels like another lifetime. Please say a few words about the band to our readers who haven’t had the pleasure yet of hearing your music.
Kel: Hello! We are The Empty Page from Manchester. We have been a band for about ten years, released two albums and a few random singles and EPs in that time. We write songs about the human condition in all its painful, beautiful, ugly, weird, hopeful, creative, and destructive forms.
Kel sings and plays bass, Giz plays guitar and Steve plays drums.
From left: Kel (vocals, bass), Giz (guitars) and Steve (drums), picture by Debbie Ellis
Since the departure of your drummer and a founding member Jim Cattell two years ago, the Empty Page has continued as a duo. Are you planning on ever becoming a trio again? Who is supporting you as a drummer during live shows?
Kel: We’re a trio again now! We were in between drummers for about two years, with various good people helping out. Steve Kent joined us for a few shows in 2024 and quickly became a part of the band for real. He’s been with us over a year now.
You have released a new single titled “When We Gonna Run?” on November 26th. Tell us more about it.
Kel: We’re really happy to already be releasing new music with our new line up. This is the first of at least three singles we have lined up. The next one, “Death On Our Side”, is out in January 2026.
“When We Gonna Run?” is a song of yearning and anxiety. It’s about preparing to escape, as apocalyptic times come down like a grey cloud on everything. It’s about the tension of not knowing if now is the time to run away, or even if the person you want to run away with is on board with it. It’s sort of a love song but a dark one.
We are curious about the cover for the single – a striking black and white picture. We heard there is a story behind it!
Kel: We never want to do generic, stock imagery or god forbid AI artwork. We had a few ideas for these singles but when we did a Facebook post asking our fans to share images of their teenage punk/goth years we saw so many great images that we decided we would like to use those. This one is of Kerry Wilson, who has been a fan for several years, with her then boyfriend at 19 years old. We think it looks like the people in the song. The next singles “Death On Our Side” and “A Feminine Ending” will also feature fans on the cover. They will all have different colour washes inspired by old punk covers.
The Empty Page again as a trio by Debbie Ellis
You know how it is, a new single must be followed by either an EP or a new album. Is a record number three in the works?
Kel: I am not sure! At the moment we don’t have the funds to record and press a full album so these are one off singles for now. Who knows what will happen later.
Recently we had a chance to interview Camille Alexander of A VOID. She directed your video to “I Am a Hot White Blade”. We have asked Camille about collaborating with other artists. Now we have a chance to ask you about the filming. How do you remember the shooting of that video? Was it hard to operate all those tools while trying to make a sword in an actual forge?
Kel: I am terrified of power tools, fire and pretty much all of the things you see in the video. I was shaking like a leaf the whole time. Camille is amazing. She captured exactly the energy we wanted for this video. We love her and her band.
“I Am a White Hot Blade (Witches are Wicked)” video gathered over 2 thousands views on Youtube, few thousands on Facebook and over ten thousand views on TikTok (where somebody used your music however that post seems to be removed now). It is actually a great achievement for an independent band working on a really tight budget. You must have been very proud to see this happen.
Kel: Hmm, not sure which TikTok post you mean, well at least I haven’t removed any. It’s probably fallen down the feed! Seeing numbers of plays makes it clearer that people are interested in listening to our music. It’s especially hard without the industry muscle behind you so arguably more satisfying when things do well too. I am trying really hard not to get caught up in vanity metrics though. Streams don’t always equate to real fans. A more reliable measure is that we keep selling out our headline Manchester shows!
The Empty Page are no strangers to going viral. In 2019 your song “When A Cloud Explodes” created quite a buzz online. A love letter to Manchester as Andy Burham described it. It landed on BBC 6 Music, Get In Her Ears ran a comic about it while Moshville Times described it as “fuzzy, feral, frantic”.Many bands dream of such a moment, but does it actually bring any real or practical benefit to the artists?
Kel: Did Andy Burnham say that? Haha! Again, it’s hard to say whether airplay, blog coverage etc translates to new fans because it takes several touch points for people to fall in love with a band or a song. We really do appreciate any and all mentions or plays of our music though. It all adds up and it’s good to know people are digging it.
Kel, a question for you. You are running another successful business – Manchester Wine Tours. Please tell us how it started?
Kel: To be honest, I try not to conflate the two things. Most musicians have a day job, the wine tour business is mine at the moment. It’s completely unrelated to the band though!
Giz, and a question for you as well. The main focus is always on the singer, so guitar players can remain a bit in the background. But you are a volcano of energy on stage! We were wondering if you would share your tips and tricks on how to stay in shape during the live gigs?
Kel: Sorry, answering these questions without him, but I can tell you he doesn’t do much to stay in shape (laughs). He has a natural Iggy Pop physique!
Last time we went to Manchester, the Northern Quarter looked so quiet and rather dead, a shocking change from 3 or 4 years ago! Is the independent scene drying up in Mancunia? As Manchester residents, do you have any ideas how to help our local night time economy?
Kel: As far as I can see, Manchester’s nightlife is thriving! The NQ has always been busiest at weekends and when students are around. Manchester is a very student driven city. It ebbs and flows but there are lots of good places to check out bands. We go to gigs several times a month and they are usually well attended. I think the best thing to boost it more would be for the government to offer more support to the hospitality sector. The cost of living is making everything a squeeze and it is so vital to society that we have pubs, bars and restaurants to meet up in, or we will become further radicalised by a weird detached online existence.
Last questions are fun: Kel Page for the mayor of Greater Manchester! What’s in your electoral manifest? Will Rowetta finally get a statue at Stevenson Square?
Kel: If I was mayor, I wouldn’t be prioritising statues of anyone, as great as Rowetta is. We need more affordable housing, better support for the arts and hospitality and more funding to mental health services for a start. I would never want to be a politician though. Sod that!
Follow the band online:
https://theemptypageband.com
https://facebook.co/thmptypg
https://twitter.com/thmptypg
https://www.instagram.com/thmptypg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRvo9IV6VKi6HRdzJRXwawA
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qWwVAQahrqNPgG8pEkcwM
https://www.tiktok.com/@thmptypg
https://www.threads.com/@thmptypg
https://theemptypage.bandcamp.com
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 