Words and photos by Magda Campagne
It’s been an incredible couple of weeks for feminist punk in London. As I walked through the curtain of gold streamers into the welcoming halls of the Southbank Centre and sat down in the comfy seats of the Purcell Room soon to be taken over by UK black feminist punk duo Big Joanie, performing there as part of Chaka Khan’s Meltdown, I thought how lucky I was to have witnessed Bikini Kill, L7 and Big Joanie all within 10 days.
There is no denying that punk unites people. As I waited for the show to start, I took in the audience slowly filling up the room and the cross-section was remarkable: from teens in their ripped up fishnets and protest t-shirts via women who could be their mothers (some sporting freshly acquired Bikini Kill merch) to elderly connoisseurs. The contrast between the venue and the music we were we were there for was striking – I haven’t been to a sit down punk gig before, and I am not sure how often Purcell Room hosts an audience in fashionably ripped up Death Grips t-shirts, yet we all felt like we belonged.
Soon Chaka Khan herself ushered us to our seats via a voice recording and Stephanie Phillips and Estella Adeyeri took to the stage and filled the room with their brand of what I will start calling warm and fuzzy punk. The duo were joined by Vanessa and Lou from a fellow feminist punk outfit GRUNT on drums and keys. They opened with ‘Happier Still’ from their sophomore album Back Home and when everyone’s bums were starting to wiggle in our seats, Estella remarked that she wasn’t sure what the dancing policy was at the venue, but encouraged ‘illicit dancing’:
“We’re gonna fuck up the Southbank Centre!’
The first half of the set focused on songs from Back Home, with a throwback to their debut Sistahs in the shape of ‘We Used To Be Friends’. ‘Confident Man’ with its commentary on rejecting the hustle and promoting ‘confident people who believe in community without resorting to capitalism’ was a particular highlight.
During the instrument changeover before menacing drums and synth of Sainted, Stephanie remarked how fortunate Big Joanie were to play Meltdown for the second time this year after initially playing Grace Jones’s edition two years ago. However incredible the invitation to play again was, ‘a decree has come from Chaka and you just turn up’.
When the opening notes for ‘It’s You’ – ‘a song about men who are shit in bed’ – there was no holding back and some audience members left their seats and started to dance in front of the stage, encouraging a small troupe to form. Soon it was time for the last song – ‘but not really, wink wink’ the band joked – and the slashing grunge guitars and 80s synth of ‘Fall Asleep’ filled the room providing the perfect (not really) closing moment.
The encore came in the shape of a brand new song ‘Home For You’ – unreleased, and quite possibly unfinished. The performance was raw and stripped back – with only Stephanie with a tambourine and Estella on bass – and I felt as if we were treated to a wonderful and intimate insight into the band’s creative process.
After the cover of Solange’s ‘Cranes In The Sky’ with a beautiful guitar solo and a thunderous finale, the actual last song ‘In My Arms’ was dedicated to the people fighting genocide in Palestine. As the first notes were ringing out, one of the solo dancers in the front took out a Palestinian flag and was immediately embraced by another and they both joined the larger group soon after. And this is what punk truly is: solidarity forever. Because as Maya Angelou said: ‘no one of us can be free until everybody is free’.
You can catch Big Joanie on their tour with The Breeders this June and on 29th June in Hastings at LOUD WOMEN Minifesto with Barbican Estate and Florescent.
