This one's very much hitting the sweet spot today, it's a dose of pure uncensored female rage from Brighton all girl punk band Pussyliquor (https://www.facebook.com/pxssyliqxor).
Featuring a line up of Ari Black (vocals), Hannah Villanueva (guitar), Tallulah Turner-Fray (bass), Victoria Lewis Piper (drums) & Oshen Dee (guitar), they're an energetic riot grrrl explosion of spit and bile.
They've just released a new video and I doubt you'll have seen the wanton destruction of so many sausages anywhere else. I'm guessing the girls are big on metaphors.
Death Pill (https://www.facebook.com/deathpillband) are a hardcore punk trio (Mariana, Anastasiia and Nataliia) from Kyiv, Ukraine. I first came across them couple of years ago when they released an explosive Self Titled album. I played a few tracks on the show and then last year I also played their split single Monsters which as recorded in collaboration with Shooting Daggers.
Today sees them release ‘A bold exploration of personal empowerment’ in the form of new album Sologamy. It's every bit as powerful as previous releases and it's available on vinyl, cd, cassette and digital download : https://deathpillgrrrlz.bandcamp.com/album/sologamy
Shirthole are a fairly new trio from the New Jersey/New York tri state area. I've only just stumbled across them but I liked their new single and thought it needs shouting about.
I don't know much about LEMON BOY (https://linktr.ee/lemonboyband). They're a trio from Seattle; Yasiman Ahsani (Guitar/Vocals), Nicole Giusti (Bass Guitar/Vocals) & Ethan Geller (Drums/Mastering). They tag their music as sour punk. What's sour punk? On the evidence of their new album, it's an attitude fueled mix of garage punk and riot grrrl.
It's always good when a band you've just stumbled across choose a strong track to kick an album off with as it immediately grabs your attention. LEMON BOY did that with this song. It's called I'm Fine and it's definitely more than just fine...
PENNY are a punk/riot grrrl band (Liz vox, Jordan guitar, Steve drums & Kevin bass) from New York. They debuted with a self titled album back in 2019 whilst a trio and are now back with an expanded line up and a new 5 track cassette titled The Bubblegum Tape. You can find it here : https://pennypunks.bandcamp.com/album/the-bubblegum-tape
As I don't know anything else about them other than Jordan and Liz used to be in a band called FLEASPOON, let's instead concentrate on the song you'll find below.
The original version, recorded by Heavenly in 1995, is one of the greatest songs ever. It's recently gained a new lease of life popping up in various clips on Tik Tok and now it's been covered by PENNY. Whereas the original often gets described as Twee, this reinterpretation is the sound of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown shrieking madly with gay abandon. It's a different beast to the original but it's ace. If this doesn't hit your sweet spot you should check your pulse.
It's called P.U.N.K. Girl
People say she's bad But they Don't see The way she is with me P is for the painful way she makes me feel some day U is for Utopia, the other times with her N is for the new wave dreams she had back in her teens K is for the kid in her, my PUNK girl She is honest and kind but in a way that people see As telling lies and being mean She has thousands of dreams but what they are I'll never know I hope I figure in them though I don't care if they can't see Just how great that girl can be But I wish, she'd find a way To act well, for just one day I don't mind if they can't see Just how much she means to me I still know what I will say If that girl comes my way She is hardened to hurt her softness hidden from the world But almost ready to unfurl She tries so hard to change but something always happens to Persuade her its to hard to do
A band I know pretty much nothing about today. They're called Sloptart, they hail from Philadelphia and their line up is Dev (guitar/vocals), Cora (bass/vocals) & Matt (drums).
They've just released an album titled Full Of Juice. It's very much a case of rough around the edges, abrasive riot grrrl style punk rock. It's unapologetically in your face, it's pretty one dimensional and it probably won't get much attention (a shame for those that miss out) but I'm enjoying it a lot.
"dirty dead wives playing dirty dead punk" Sounds interesting? Read on...
Private Wives (https://www.facebook.com/privatewivesband) are from Wollongong in Australia and promise us music that's empowering, unapologetic and angry. They mix elements of garage punk and grungy riot grrrl and so far this year they've released 3 singles. The latest of those is getting a shout out today.
A tale of betrayal by a friend you thought you could trust, this single tells how it's ok to be pissed off, it's ok to hit back. It's called Never Again...
Thanks for the friend Thanks for the bed Can’t see my hands Slept with my shoes on
Wish I didn’t have to prove it Wish I didn’t have to prove it
Thanks for the hand Tucked into bed I feel so sick Just want to sleep
Wish I didn’t have to prove it Wish I didn’t have to prove it
I wouldn’t have stayed If I knew you’d be this way Put my trust in them Never again Your so highly rated And I’m super hated Put my trust in them Never again
Thanks for the drinks You haunt my dreams Now I’m waking up Still in my makeup
Wish I didn’t have to prove it Wish I didn’t have to prove it
Thanks for the lift You slipped it in Clench my eyes closed Where are your clothes
Wish I didn’t have to prove Wish I didn’t have to prove it
I wouldn’t have stayed If I knew you’d be this way Put my trust in them Never again Your so highly rated And I’m super hated Put my trust in them Never again Bridge
Never ah again Never ah ah ah ah ah ahhhhhhh
I wouldn’t have stayed If I knew you’d be this way Put my trust in them Never again Your so highly rated And I’m super hated Put my trust in them Never again
Froggy (https://www.facebook.com/froggytheband) are a punk/riot grrrl trio from the Doylestown/Lansdale area of Philadelphia. They've been together for a couple of years and feature a line up of Morgan McClain (vocals/guitar), Brooke Feenie (bass/vocals) & Fiona Clark (drums).
They've released a 6 track ep titled Sopa de Elote, an album recorded live for the Left Of The Dial radio show and a few other songs, the latest of which is called Jimmy's Song and is "about the heartbreak of finding out somebody you love is in love with another person." It's the first single from an upcoming album and you can find it as a name your price download on Bandcamp : https://froggytheband.bandcamp.com/track/jimmys-song-2
Their sound is a mix of C-86 and riot grrrl, think mid paced menace rather than all out aural assault. It's bass led & growly with comparisons being made to the likes of Huggy Bear, Period Pains, Shop Assistants etc.
I played closing track Neo-Lib Dreams on this Week's Just Some Punk Songs show and it went down a storm, one of the listeners mentioned how much the opening track reminded them of Niki Eliot from Huggy Bear and so as I couldn't find that track on Youtube I thought I'd rectify the situation.
Of the 2 songs streaming, this is my favourite (no doubt because it's the punkiest!). Lux Lisbon is the troubled character from the novel (and movie) Virgin Suicides who is found dead from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. This song ("achingly vulnerable while delivering its message like a thrashing sonic sucker-punch") is inspired by her. It's called Lux...
They've previously featured on here several times but if you've not been paying attention, Bratakus (https://www.facebook.com/Bratakus/) are Onnagh Cuinn, Breagha Cuinn and A. Drum Machine. They're a vegan, riot grrrl punk band from the north of Scotland. If you have been paying attention you'll know they love Halloween.
They love it so much that they release an annual Halloween single. In 2017 we got Ghouls To The Front, 2018 Ghoul Power and 2019 Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun. This year I was confident we'd be getting another so left a space for it on the playlist of this week's Just Some Punk Songs Show (UK Special). They didn't disappoint.
It's titled Ghoul Gang and features a couple of new horror themed songs. The first begins with a soundbite from the classic tv series Bewitched. It's from the episode I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha and sees Samantha Stephens, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, admitting to her new husband; "I am a witch. A real house-haunting, broom-riding, cauldron-stirring witch." Then, as with most Bratakus songs, things get loud and shouty.
The other track is inspired by Carrie, the classic Stephen King movie in which the titular character's religious nutjob of a mother lectures her daughter on how the first sin was intercourse and how the Lord visited Eve with The Curse Of Blood.
Riding high
Leaving trails of smoke across the sky
On a broom
Glad that I am safe within my room
I know my girlfriend is a witch
Spells fill the air
I think I hear footsteps on my stair
Coming near
Her thoughts are telling me that she's here
I know my girlfriend is a witch
What a fate
A worshiper of magic for a date
But tonight
I become a warlock out of spite
I know my girlfriend is a witch
I like you by my side Your magnetic power is hard to decline...
Lucky Malice (https://www.facebook.com/luckymalice/) are the riot grrrl punk trio from Halden in Norway who formed in 2004 and who've released 3 albums plus a split lp with fellow Norwegians Danger!Man. The most recent of those albums was the excellent Misfit and you can snap it up as a name your price download here : https://kraftpest.bandcamp.com/album/misfit
Featuring a line up of Karine Brække (drums/vocals), Linda Haug (guitar/vocals) & Hanna Fauske (bass/vocals), they've just released a new single. It's a catchy but uncompromising pop punk delight, energetic with plenty of melody, it's "a maybe-it-will-be-love song about the careless and unstable time, before we put the labels and frames on a relationship." It's also the title track of their upcoming album and from today it'll be streaming on all digital music platforms as well as being made available for download name your price https://kraftpest.bandcamp.com/music
It's called Magnetic...
Surfing on a wave of questions no one really will ask or answer. Tan in your sunshine, keep the right to turn my back and walk my way.
Get down and dirty, forget about the outcome. No limitations.
Sometimes I wish I knew all about your covered hopes and intentions. But maybe the clear air might ruin everything.
Get down and dirty, forget about the outcome. No expectations.
I like you by my side. Your magnetic power is hard to decline. Even though we're label free and not short of time, I can't but feel there's a blurry deadline.
Every time I want to be flirty and show my admiration - I draw back. Body Language, the only language. Sunglasses on I can't see your shade.
I like you by my side. Your magnetic power is hard to decline. I want you by my side, But I can’t help feeling there’s a blurry deadline.
Depression Breakfast are a Riot Grrrl band from Nashville protesting capitalism, nazis and annoying lo-fi art boys since 2017. The line up of the band is Meg Pharr (vocals), Linda Parrot (guitar/vocals), Audra Mueller (bass) and David Mayer (drums). Their tagline states OVERTHROW COCKROCK AND IDOLIZE YOUR GIRLFRIEND. Their music is "stripped down fiery feminist punk." https://www.facebook.com/depressionbreakfast/
They announced themselves last year with a demo ep and then last week they released their debut album, Just Because I'm A Womxn. It also looks as though it could be their swansong as they appear to have split up due to vocalist Meg moving out of the country. To paraphrase the recent Rotten Foxes ep, they arrived, raised hell and left. The album boasts 8 short, sharp blasts of punky noise railing against the establishment and the patriarchy. It's a sonic kick in the balls. It's a blast. It's out on To-Go Records and available as a name your price download : https://depressionbreakfast.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-im-a-womxn
The weekend has arrived so I suppose I better start putting together a playlist for Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show (shameless plug : https://www.facebook.com/events/235748777103418/). One song that'll feature is a new one from Mary Bell.
Influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth and Bratmobile, they're a band from Paris who I wrote about last year when featuring a song from their very fine (name your price on Bandcamp) debut album https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/01/mary-bell-empty-puppet.html I don't really need to repeat myself so I'll just point you towards their Facebook and band pages (https://www.facebook.com/MaryBellFTW/) (http://marybellftw.com/) and get on with telling you that they're preparing to release (on Oct 1st) a new ep titled Histrion. It'll contain 6 tracks on 45 rpm 12" vinyl and it'll also be available digitally. Pre order it here : https://marybellftw.bandcamp.com/
There's a couple of songs already available for you to stream, this is the second one that's been teased out. When I play Mary Bell on the show, the chatroom folk are always very complimentary, I'm sure they will be again for this critique on the pressures faced by women after giving birth and the need to put their lives on hold and Be A Mom...
They tell me I'm a muff and i'm supposed to hide my stuff Since birth that I am wrong Abort my ideas and get along
They tell me I must be a mom Forget what's really turning me on
Living at society's pace 10-day-make-up dripping on my face Since birth that I'm too serious And now I know that... We are living in a farce And I'm so pissed at the human race
They tell me I must be a mom Forget what's really turning me on
Since birth that I'm too showy And I'd rather hide my cavities Living at society's pace 10-day-make-up dripping on my face We are living in a farce We are living in a farce
They tell me I must be a mom Forget what's really turning me on
And I'm so pissed at the human race... And I'm so pissed at the human race...
The Menstrual Cramps formed in Bristol before moving to London to record their 2017 debut album We're Not Ovaryacting. Diy, political, riot grrrl punk with a sense of humour, definitely a band to check out. A typical example of their music comes in the form of first single My Bush Ain't Ur Business, a song that upset the powers that be on Youtube but which can be found on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/184982068). Other highlights from the album include Cull The Tories, Hashtag Sad Penis, Another Sesh and Lying Cheatin' Fucking Scumbag. Poly Styrene once sang "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard." Like Poly Styrene, this is a band that would give those people short shrift. The Menstrual Cramps are loud, opinionated but definitely not po faced. They're going to speak their minds but they're going to have fun too.
Lining up with Emilia Elfrida (vocals), Cooper Rose (guitar), Robyn Jenner (bass) and Beth White (drums) they've recently returned with album number 2. It's titled Free Bleedin' and you can stream it on Spotify, i Tunes, Google Play etc. Cds will be available at their upcoming gigs and you can find details here : https://www.facebook.com/TheMenstrualCramps/
The first video from the album is below. Unfortunately for some reason I can't suss out it doesn't seem to want to paste on here so you'll have to click the Youtube link to watch it. It's called Boycott The Lot : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvsSMGiBTNg
"I might be hungry, I might be cold, it might be a shame but it isn't a crime..."
Scary Women formed in 215, are from Lansing, Michigan and as well as playing searing rock n roll with a sinister edge they aim to celebrate strong females. With influences running all the way from Bikini Kill to Led Zeppelin (via the likes of Patti Smith, Husker Du, Guided By Voices etc....), they feature a line up of Jennifer Toms (bass/vocals), Amy Starr (guitar/vocals), Tammy Cook (guitar/vocals) and Joel Kuiper (drums).
Intent on world domination, they released their debut, Self Titled album in March. It features 13 tracks of riot grrrl type rock and is available digitally here : https://scarywomen.bandcamp.com/album/scary-women
My pick of the bunch is a song about Joyce Patricia Brown. Better known as Billie Boggs, she was a homeless person who the city of New York attemped to force into a psychiatric treatment programme following then mayor Ed Koch's policy of removing mentally disturbed homeless people from the streets. You can read more about it here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Patricia_Brown
They formed in New York in 2014 and feature a line up of Naomi Scott (guitar/vocals), Lysa Opter (bass) and Nick D'Amore (drums). They've previously released the City Slackers album, the My Body, My Choice single and there was a track from the album (the snappily titled Mass Shootings And Donald Trump) on the Band Cramps Volume 1 comp. You can find them, along with the new song that I'm posting today, on Bandcamp : https://basicbitches.bandcamp.com
The perils of growing up and watching all your mates drift away as they get involved in relationships, this is called How Come None Of You Ever Want To Hang Anymore?
Boys with girlfriends, Girls with boyfriends, Boys with boyfriends, Girls with girlfriends, How come none of you ever want to hang anymore?
I don't wanna interrupt your domestic bliss But do you ever think about all the things you miss By hanging out with just one person every night with no dispersal I don't want to break you up but I just want to have some fun
Bratakus are a vegan/straight edge riot grrrl punk band from the north of Scotland comprising of 2 sisters, Breagha Cuinn (guitar/vocals) and Onnagh Cuinn (bass) plus a drum machine. They list amongst their influences the likes of The Distillers, Bikini Kill, Alkaline Trio, Ramones, Minor Threat, Reagan Youth and Quarantine.
Last year they released debut ep Gigantopithecus, on Screaming Babies Reords and they recently returned with debut album Target Grrrl. It contains 10 tracks of "distortion driven break-neck riot grrrl sounds" and you can check it out here : https://bratakus.bandcamp.com/album/target-grrrl. If you want it on vinyl or cd then go here : http://bratakusmerch.bigcartel.com/. You may have caught them recently at the Rebellion Festival.
From the album, this is No More Love Songs....
Verse 1: I'm so bored, yeah, I'm so bored, This is getting so absurd, No more love songs for Christ's sake, I'm falling asleep while I'm standing awake.
Pre-Chorus: No more love songs x6 Chorus: No more love songs before you make me laugh, No more love songs before you make me cry, No more love songs before you make me scream, No more love songs before you make me die.
Verse 2: I'm asleep, yeah, I'm asleep, Wake me when there's something unique, No more love songs for Christ's sake, This is more than I can take.
Pre-Chorus: No more love songs x6
Chorus: No more love songs before you make me laugh, No more love songs before you make me cry, No more love songs before you make me scream, No more love songs before you make me die.
Outro: No more love songs, I think we've got it by now x3 No. More. Love. Songs.
Fresh are from London, they formed in 2015 and they're a bit punky, a bit indie, a bit bloody good. Some of their songs are acoustic, some are a little bit noisier than that. They write about subjects such as depression, sexuality, exams and bible camp! Their frontwoman, Kathryn Woods, has a great voice. So check them out.
May 2015 saw them release debut ep, Gewingchum, whilst the follow up, These Things Are Not That Fun, appeared later that year. Now on Specialist Subject Records, they recently released their self titled debut album and it's been the subject of a number of very positive reviews. Deceptively sweet tunes with bite are very much order of the day, lend them your ears.... https://freshpunks.bandcamp.com/album/fresh
Norwegian riot grrrl punks Lucky Malice graced the Just Some Punk Songs best of 2016 chart with a wonderful song that featured on their split album with DANGER!MAN. ( If you're very quick you can snap that album up on coloured vinyl for £1 in the Boss Tunage sale http://bosstuneage.bigcartel.com/product/the-boss-tuneage-festive-vinyl-lp-sale )
Today I'm more than happy to post a song from their brand new album, Misfit. There's a video to every song on Youtube and you can grab the album name your price from Bandcamp.... https://kraftpest.bandcamp.com/album/lucky-malice-misfit. I've only had time for a quick listen but hell, it's good. Definitely one to grace the car stereo for the next few trips to work.
Will they feature in the best of 2017 chart? I'm thinking it's highly likely. There were several contenders to fill the space below but I'm going with Keeping A Secret......
