The exciting Manchester quintet talk mange tout, pug life, a tiny tour and the allure of elipses…
Photos: Hazel Blacher | Words: Elvis Thirlwell
Rich with heartfelt ballads, scratchy sincerities, and a jaunty cover of Kelis' 'Milkshake' that would not be out of place at a summer 'fête' on some quaint village green, Manchester based quintet Truthpaste are as well as stocked with carefree fun as they are with nifty alt-folk flair. Their majestic debut single 'See You Around' is one of our favourite tracks of 2025, and they've got headline dates coming up in October, with the promise of new music on the horizon too.
And so, given the time to catch up with them at this year's Green Man festival, we decided the best course of action was to pack a hat with random questions, and see what they pulled out.
If you could be one animal for the day, which one would you be?
Theo: I picked up a pug earlier at the station and I would quite like to be that pug. Maybe not for a day though, it would get quite boring. Or a tortoise, because they don't have any natural predators.
You just have a day though. Maybe you can survive a day as a pug?
Esme: They can't breathe very well?
James: It's a crazy choice.
Theo: I just wanted to talk about the fact I got to pick up a pug earlier!
James: I'd be something that could fly, if I was here. Like a hawk.
Esme: We saw a hawk on the way here. It might have been something else.
Hidden gem on the line-up?
Theo: Us!
Esme: I want to see @ later. I love them. They have a really cool song called 'Soul Hole'. It rhymes nicely. I respect that. Good for them.
James: In terms of hidden gems… there's a lot of big names…
What's your big gem?
James: Cymande on the Sunday.
Theo: Stewart Lee.
Esme: caroline!
What is the last thing you listened to?
Esme: Maroon 5, on the way here.
James: No, it was a bunch of Herbie Hancock actually.
Esme: Don't deny it!
Theo: I mean, I was listening to an audiobook about the Thirty Years' War…
What Maroon 5 song was it?
James: What was it called? 'One More Night'. It's got a good chorus.
Esme: My favourite is 'She Will Be Loved'. So beautiful. So emotional, poetry of our time!
Favourite Green Thing?
Theo: Sustainability!
Esme: Lettuce.
James: Like moss. Or Broccoli?
Theo: You know those, like, microwave green Medley Bags.
Esme: I hate those.
Theo: You get like mange tout, some tender stem broccoli, and green beans. We got ours reduced for like 50p. I was just eating it like crisps.
Esme: It was kinda smelly,
Theo: This was yesterday. The highlight of my week.
What was a better highlight. Picking up the pug, or the Green Medley?
THeo: No definitely the pug actually. The pug was great.
Most threatening punctuation?
Theo: Obviously ellipsis right!
Esme: I love ellipses, they're so gentle.
James: The interobang, it has to be!
Esme: Surely a full stop.
Theo: To be fair, semi-colons kind of freak me out because you know there's more coming.
So what we're saying is all punctuation!
Theo: Abolish, defund punctuation!
Socks in bed. Yay or nay?
Esme: Obviously nay.
Theo: One on, one off.
Esme: Shoes in bed? Yeah.
Theo: Sunglasses in bed.
What about breakfast in bed!
Everyone: Yeahhhh!
What else do you have coming up this year?
Theo: We're going to bed for a bit.
Esme: We're going on tour. A tiny tour.
James: We're going to Rotterdam.
Esme: We're releasing a single soon.
Which one?
Theo: You wouldn't know it, it goes to a different school.
