Thee Dinnerladies are a “trash garage” band from Walthamstow, joining us on 30 September at our all-ages matinee at The Lexington. The band is three women (Laura, Spangle and Emma) and two men (Lee and Ant), and we sent them 10 questions to find out more about them …
1. Who would you most like to cover your songs?
LAURA – I’d like dub versions of them all to be done by Lee Scratch Perry
LEE – Or crushing doom versions with Glen Danzig handling the vocals
2. Choose: Cat or dog?
SPANGLE – Cat – we have an honouree band member with Lulu the cat who belongs to Laura
LAURA – Definitely Cats. You can’t own a cat, they own you.
3. Choose one of your songs to be played on Strictly Come Dancing. What dance would you like to be performed to it
Spangle – ‘Puddin’ and with the Viennese Waltz
LAURA – That would have to be ‘Checkouts’. It’s a song is about working in a supermarket (or other dull retail job) and getting sleazed on by oddball members of the public at the till. The song has a “you only shop here cos you fancy me” refrain and ends in a fast raucous shouty bit. Not sure how any one could dance to it but it would be fun to watch them try.
4. Choose: Pixies or Breeders?
LAURA – The Breeders (better hair)…but also Kim and Kelley. ❤
LEE – Pixies because Doolittle got me through a lot of long shifts at Threshers
5. Recommend a record and a book that you think our readers might not have heard of.
SPANGLE – ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ by Norton Juster. It’s a kid’s book that I still love reading as an adult. A fairly trippy fantasy adventure about a boy called Milo who thinks everything is a waste of time, only to go on an adventure and realise the beauty of life and learning.
LAURA – Hagar the Womb’s ‘The Word of the Womb’ is a fantastic slab of feminist anarcho-punk. It’s brill.
LEE – I saw Hagar the Womb play a few years back at Silver Bullet and they had all their lyrics for new songs in a ring binder which I thought was great.
6. Bikini Kill or Fugazi?
Spangle – I could (but won’t for this fanzine) write an essay on this. I’m going to have to say Bikini Kill. Punk (especially the DC movement) prided itself on its inclusiveness but very much glossed over the fact that many women felt uncomfortable at these shows – it took someone like Kathleen Hanna to stand up and challenge this notion, make a welcomed space for women and to show that women are as capable as men (this was and is continued to be glossed over).
7. What’s the most difficult thing about being in your band?
Spangle – on a personal level the fact it’s taken me 37 years to be in band. It means you start from scratch with how it all works, learning an instrument and gaining the confidence to go out and do it, challenging to say the least especially when you have a toddler and full-time job to take care of. On the plus side it shows you are never too old (or young) to do what the hell you want to do.
ALL – Juggling our very important dinner lady duties of serving hot meals, while also trying to be in a rock n’ roll band.
8. What are your band goals?
LAURA – To play in Manzes Pie and Mash Shop in Walthamstow and get paid in food.
LEE – To have our songs released on vinyl – that’s the dream. Also to play as many gigs as possible and to HAVE FUN! They have always been the 3 goals since we started.
9. What’s the most important thing we need to know about your band right now?
LAURA – We believe in free school dinners! And we like leopard print.
10. Give your top 5 contemporary bands
LAURA – I love Good Throb, Kitten Forever and Lil’ Tits – all brilliant bands featuring some very LOUD women.
LEE – For me The Cowboys, Liquids, ShitKid and our mates Smiler have also been getting a lot of play in the dinner lady canteen.
Find Thee Dinnerladies on Facebook and Bandcamp and Instagram, then come see them at Little LOUD WOMEN on 30 September, 2pm to 5pm at The Lexington
LOUD WOMEN 