{{Short description|English musician and songwriter}} {{use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Billy Nomates | image = Billy Nomates (54183150967).jpg | caption = Maries in 2024 | alt = | landscape = yes | birth_name = Victoria Ann Maries | alias = Billy Nomates | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1990|5|2}} | birth_place = Leicester, England | genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|no wave|post-punk}} | occupation = {{hlist|Singer-songwriter|musician}} | instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|synthesizers}} | years_active = 2020–present | label = Invada | website = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iambillynomates.com/ |title=Archived Official Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118051908/https://www.iambillynomates.com/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref> }}
'''Victoria Ann''' "'''Tor'''" '''Maries'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/919793216 |title=BALANCE IS GONE |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=November 22, 2024}}</ref> (born 2 May 1990) is an English musician and singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name '''Billy Nomates'''.
==Life== Maries grew up in Leicester and was a member of a number of bands that failed to be noticed. Following a period of depression, a Sleaford Mods gig inspired Maries to return to making music and she moved to Bournemouth to write and compose.<ref name=hrun>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-01 |first=Laura |last=Snapes|title=One to watch: Billy Nomates |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/01/one-to-watch-billy-nomates |access-date=2023-01-07 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Her stage name, Billy Nomates, was taken from an insult directed at her when she turned up at a gig on her own.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-23 |title=Billy Nomates review – post-punk soloist could do with some company |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/23/billy-nomates-review-post-punk-soloist-could-do-with-some-company |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=The Guardian |first=Sophie |last=Walker}}</ref> In 2024, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.<ref name=bigissueisbig>{{cite web |last1=Jack |first1=Malcolm |title=Billy Nomates on her MS diagnosis, nearly quitting music and why online trolls only make her stronger |url=https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/billy-nomates-interview-music-ms-diagnosis-trolls/ |website=The Big Issue |access-date=5 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519163242/https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/billy-nomates-interview-music-ms-diagnosis-trolls/ |archive-date=19 May 2025 |date=18 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=times18sept2025>{{cite news |last1=O'Neill |first1=Sean |title='I'm determined to go on' — Billy Nomates, the punk star living with MS |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/im-determined-to-go-on-billy-nomates-the-punk-star-living-with-ms-tfl25h7lk |access-date=12 December 2025 |work=The Times |date=18 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250919034125/https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/im-determined-to-go-on-billy-nomates-the-punk-star-living-with-ms-tfl25h7lk |archive-date=19 September 2025 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==Music== [[File:Billy-nomates-strom-muc.jpg|thumb|Billy Nomates at the Strom Club in Munich, 2023]] Maries' first album was recorded in Bristol with Portishead's Geoff Barrow.<ref name=hrun/> She released this in 2020<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/billy-nomates-billy-nomates-review-one-of-the-quirkier-albums-of-the-year-1.4321828 |title=Billy Nomates: Billy Nomates review – One of the quirkier albums of the year |first=Lauren |last=Murphy |date=7 August 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> and quickly gained attention from BBC Radio 6 Music.<ref name=hrun/> She describes her music as no wave.<ref name=":0" /> Critics make mention of post-punk and describe her delivery as ''sprechgesang.''<ref name="hrun" /><ref name=":0" /> She featured on "Mork n Mindy" by Sleaford Mods in 2021. She released the ''Emergency Telephone'' EP in October 2021, produced by herself on Barrow's Invada record label.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/billy-nomates-emergency-telephone-ep-review-radar-2894070 |title=Billy Nomates – 'Emergency Telephone' EP review: dial into one of Britain's most distinctive new voices |first=Max |last=Pilley |date=4 March 2021 |website=NME}}</ref>
Maries's second album, ''Cacti'', was released in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pilley |first=Max |date=2023-01-10 |title=Billy Nomates: "I'm a woman in the modern world, of course I'm angry!" |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/billy-nomates-interview-2023-cacti-3377120 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> Later that year, after playing a set at Glastonbury that used a backing track instead of live music<ref name=times18sept2025 /> (something that was also a feature of her earlier live performances<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fearon |first1=Amelia |title=Billy Nomates: New Century Hall, Manchester – live review |url=https://louderthanwar.com/billy-nomates-new-century-hall-manchester-live-review/ |website=Louder Than War |access-date=13 January 2026 |date=23 April 2023}}</ref>), Maries received what she called an "insane" amount of online abuse and requested BBC Radio 6 Music to remove footage of her performance from their web pages, a request the BBC complied with.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bbc-removes-billy-nomates-glastonbury-clip-after-online-abuse-3461672|title=BBC removes Billy Nomates Glastonbury clip after online abuse|first=Hollie|last=Geraghty|date=26 June 2023|website=NME|access-date=27 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Savage |first1=Mark |title=CMAT attacks 'fat shaming' comments on BBC video |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c800p0nk04po |website=BBC News |access-date=12 December 2025 |date=30 May 2024 |quote=However, it is not the first time the BBC has had to police comments on clips from music festivals. Last summer, BBC 6 Music deleted a video of indie singer Billy NoMates performing at Glastonbury following a barrage of criticism.}}</ref> Fellow musicians such as Billy Bragg, the Anchoress, and Lonelady expressed their support for Maries and criticised the misogynistic character of the abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/billy-bragg-glastonbury-billy-nomates-abuse-online-3460366|title=Billy Bragg shares support for "brilliant" Billy Nomates after online abuse|first=Elizabeth|last=Aubrey|date=24 June 2023|access-date=27 June 2023|website=NME}}</ref> Maries initially vowed never to perform live again after the incident, and even considered leaving music altogether, but eventually recovered on both fronts.<ref name=bigissueisbig /><ref name=times18sept2025 />
Maries's third album, ''Metalhorse'', was released in 2025 and was the first Billy Nomates release where Maries worked with other musicians instead of performing all musical aspects herself, with Mandy Clarke being her bassist and Liam Chapman her drummer.<ref name=bigissueisbig /> A tour showcasing the album took place that autumn and began with a benefit gig for the MS Society.<ref name=times18sept2025 />
==Reception== thumb|Billy Nomates at the Valkhof Festival, 2022 BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Amy Lamé chose Maries's debut as her Album of the Year in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4lrd9KXPP625cmXC4R6GxKG/6-music-recommends-albums-of-the-year-2020 |title=6 Music Recommends Albums Of The Year 2020 |website=BBC Radio 6 Music}}</ref> ''The Guardian''{{'}}s Laura Snapes picked out Maries as one to watch in 2020, describing her voice as "deadpan yet biting", offering "an acute lens on British class structure".<ref name="hrun" />
==Discography== === Studio albums === * ''Billy Nomates'' (2020) * ''Cacti'' (2023) * ''Metalhorse'' (2025)
=== EPs === * ''Emergency Telephone'' (2021)
=== Music videos === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" | Album |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2" |2020 |"No" |Jack Joseph & Bobby Spender | rowspan="2" |''Billy Nomates'' |- |"FNP" |n/C |- ! scope="row" |2021 |"Heels" |Jack Joseph Dalby & Bobby Spender |''Emergency Telephone'' |- ! scope="row" rowspan="4" |2022 |"Blue Bones" |Tia Salisbury | rowspan="4" |''Cacti'' |- |"Balance is Gone" |NWSPK |- |"Saboteur Forcefield" |John Minton |- |"Spite" |NWSPK |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nomates, Billy}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Leicester Category:English post-punk musicians Category:British indie rock musicians Category:No wave musicians Category:Invada Records artists Category:21st-century English singer-songwriters Category:English women singer-songwriters Category:21st-century English women singers Category:English women rock singers Category:People with multiple sclerosis