Some of the world\u2019s most famous bands met at university. Talking Heads famously forged their path while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, Blur came together amidst the creative energy of Goldsmiths, Pink Floyd united at the Regent Street Polytechnic\u2014which is now known as the University of Westminster\u2014and The Doors first crossed paths at UCLA. These legendary formations serve as enduring proof that the dreaded "freshers’ friend curse" can indeed be broken. Occasionally, the very people you happen to sit next to or meet during your first chaotic weeks at higher education will go on to become your globally recognized bandmates.<\/p>\n
At least, that is the ambitious trajectory of My First Time, a fast-rising post-punk four-piece that originally met at Bristol University in 2021. Comprising members Isaac Stroud-Allen, Jordanna Forsey, James Mellen, and Niamh Jones, the group has quickly carved out a distinct space for themselves within the contemporary alternative music scene. They set a fierce, uncompromising tone with their 2023 debut single, "Wind Up Merchant," a sarcastic post-punk anthem that bluntly warned listeners of what they planned to deliver. With memorable, biting lyrics such as, "I’ll twist your arm, I’ll pull your leg until you scream and shout," the band made it clear from the outset that they intended to use their music to aggressively poke holes at modern society.<\/p>\n
Rather than relying on vague romanticism or traditional indie tropes, My First Time tackles heavy, systemic themes including power dynamics, political and institutional corruption, and the crushing societal pressures facing Generation Z. They wrap these bleak observations in wry, self-aware lyricism and crashing, electro-punk basslines that demand physical movement even while provoking deep thought. <\/p>\n
This thematic focus is starkly evident in one of their more recent tracks, "The Kids Are," which paints a depressing yet startlingly accurate portrait of coming of age in the current economic and social climate. The song lays bare the isolating realities of contemporary youth culture with unvarnished lines like: "I stay inside, live my life through my iPhone\/ Taught as kids we should provide, You need a house, degree, a family, Retire when you die\/ The kids are taking Ozempic, Getting violently sick." Through their music, Stroud-Allen, Forsey, Mellen, and Jones reflect on the grim realities of their generation with palpable anger, while rightly hurling the blame upward toward the economic elite who built the very systems they are forced to navigate.<\/p>\n
In the steady run-up to their highly anticipated debut album, the band has released a calculated handful of singles alongside their debut self-titled EP. Music critics have widely raved about the EP, praising its cutting, cynical edge and its undeniably catchy, chant-along choruses that translate effortlessly to a live environment. The upcoming full-length album will, without a doubt, throw even more political and emotional punches than any of their previous shorter releases. Until that record officially drops, however, the band remains firmly in heavy touring mode, with seven more stops scheduled before the end of the year to bring their chaotic energy directly to audiences across the country.<\/p>\n
As featured in the Autumn 2026 issue of Dazed, the members of My First Time sat down to discuss everything from their dream musical collaborations to the best\u2014and most dangerous\u2014bars in their adopted hometown of Bristol. <\/p>\n
When asked about the very first song they fell in love with, the band pointed directly to Courtney Barnett\u2019s "Pedestrian at Best." They recalled that when they first started performing together as a developing band, they used to play covers, and Barnett\u2019s track was a staple of those early, formative setlists. <\/p>\n
For listeners looking to dive into their catalog for the first time, the group offers straightforward advice: start anywhere from their new EP onward, and don’t bother wasting time listening to the older material. Describing their unique sonic identity, the four-piece characterizes their sound as a bizarre yet compelling collision where "Marina and the Diamonds meets an overly pampered Dizzee Rascal."<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the pivotal moments that changed their trajectory, the band humorously credits two distinct milestones: hitting puberty, and the surreal moment when their fans began hand-making and trading bracelets bearing the acronym "MFT." <\/p>\n
When it comes to sourcing creative inspiration, My First Time looks less to traditional musical theory and more to the visceral qualities of language itself. The band maintains a massive, sprawling Google Docs list filled entirely with words that strike them a certain way\u2014ranging from mundane terms like "beers" to domestic necessities like "babywipes." This colossal compilation serves as a lexical bank that they continuously pick through when writing new material.<\/p>\n
For those visiting their creative hub in Bristol, the band points out local staples like The Crown and The Mother\u2019s Ruin as prime hangout spots, though they offer a wry caveat that those are precisely the places "where good souls go to die," recommending that adventurous visitors order the venue’s Venus Fly Trap cocktail. <\/p>\n
Fans looking to expand their musical horizons beyond My First Time are encouraged to check out a handful of peer bands the group has been heavily spinning recently, including Adult DVD, Get Down Services, and Gans. <\/p>\n
Asked about the best piece of advice they have ever received, the members cite a surprisingly pragmatic philosophy courtesy of Rodrick Heffley from the popular cultural touchstone Diary of a Wimpy Kid<\/em>: "Set the bar low and you\u2019ll never be disappointed."<\/p>\n Their expansive musical palette is further reflected in their choices for their favorite four albums of all time, which span contrasting eras of punk, alternative rock, and electronic experimentation: Bikini Kill\u2019s Pussy Whipped<\/em>, Blur\u2019s quintessential Britpop classic Modern Life Is Rubbish<\/em>, The Prodigy\u2019s high-octane electronic masterpiece The Fat of the Land<\/em>, and Twenty One Pilots\u2019 emotionally resonant Vessel<\/em>. Looking toward the future of their career, the band notes that their ultimate, dream musical collaboration would be with experimental electronic outfit The Hellp.<\/p>\n As My First Time continues to build momentum toward their debut record and navigates the grueling realities of the modern music industry, they do so with a clear-eyed sarcasm and an unwavering refusal to sugarcoat the world around them. Whether they are poking fun at societal expectations or packing out sweaty venues across the UK, this Bristol-born four-piece is proving that the classic university band formation is very much alive and well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some of the world\u2019s most famous bands met at university. Talking Heads famously forged their path while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, Blur came together amidst the creative energy of Goldsmiths, Pink Floyd united at the Regent Street Polytechnic\u2014which is now known as the University of Westminster\u2014and The Doors first crossed paths […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4380,12,693,1932,1799,14,4382,560,1751,784,8,4383,13,494,4381],"class_list":["post-3443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oriental-textiles-and-fashion","tag-bristol","tag-fashion","tag-first","tag-four","tag-meet","tag-oriental-style","tag-piece","tag-post","tag-punk","tag-realities","tag-silk","tag-taking","tag-textiles","tag-time","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}