Out in UK cinemas now. Directed and narrated by TeenCanteen's Carla J Easton, Since Yesterday platforms the trailblazing popstars, post-punks and pioneers who challenged a male-dominated industry. Featuring unheard demos, lost archive performances and personal anecdotes from The Ettes, Strawberry Switchblade, The Hedrons, Sophisticated Boom Boom, Sunset Gun, His Latest Flame, The Twinsets, Lung Leg and more, Since Yesterday celebrates the women who never compromised, and subsequently got lost in time. Sinead Ferguson reviews for LOUD WOMEN.
Since Yesterday is a thought provoking documentary, delving deep into the fearless, talented but underrepresented female bands from Scotland. The name is taken from Strawberry Switchblade‘s 1984 hit.
It chronologically follows the journey of Scottish girl bands through a range of musical genres, from the 60s pop of The Mckinley Sisters who experienced the highs of touring with The Beatles, The Stones and Dusty Springfield, to the lows of misogyny experienced, being taken advantage of and never getting paid – a theme which features more than once in this film. Then the Post-Punk era comes with The Ettes, who gave a screaming voice to girls who experienced daily discrimination and misogyny.
Filled with raw, enraging, hilarious and thought-provoking interviews from Scottish female bands such as Lung Leg, The Hedrons and Strawberry Switchblade, it gives an authentic insight into what it was like to be in a band of those times; times filled with beautiful moments, but also inherent misogyny, sexism and pure disregard by male-dominated industry professionals from the 60s right up until 2010, when one band was refused a record contract in case they got pregnant and broke up. At times it will leave you pissed!
Not all the time though. Theres some incredible music in there and the heartwarming talks of being in a girl gang, the tight bonds that were made and the brilliant times that were had while getting to be in a band with your best mates.
It’s an empowering, raw and honest documentary celebrating the talent of the Scottish female bands in the music scene, culminating with Easton interviewing today’s Scottish organisations who are out there advocating for change, for safer and welcoming spaces both on and offline for women, trans and non binary artists in Scotland.
Carla Easton was looking to rewrite the narrative to create a safe space for girls to dream big and to normalise women making music together and she fuckin delivers.