The Menstrual Cramps are 21st century queer punk at its finest. Tackling themes of abortion, gender and taking down the Tories all within an hour-long set, they are surely one of the ballsiest bands to have taken to the 100 Club’s hallowed stage.
The 100 Club is like a really cool church hall. Everyone grabs a plastic chair from the stack in the corner and kicks back with their (reusable) plastic cup of Brixton lager. But instead of crucifixes, the walls are crammed with framed photos of the venue’s impressive alumni, from Alice Cooper to Amy Winehouse – although, as Menstrual Cramps lead singer Emilia rightfully calls out, quite a lot of them would need to be removed if background checks were run.
There’s another icon there in the flesh: the legendary Jeremy Corbyn. The gig is part of the Peace & Justice Project‘s Music for the Many campaign, which Corbyn founded in a bid to fight back against the UK government’s lack of funding into grassroots music and subsequent loss of an alarming number of independent venues. It also falls on the final night of Independent Venue Week 2025.
But this night is not about him; it’s about the exceptional talent on stage. Opening up for the main act is spoken-word soloist Generation Feral. In one swift movement, she’s on the stage and the crowd are on their feet. She opens with ‘Horizontal Girl in a Vertical World’, “a song about [her] love of lying down,” and I’m instantly on board. Flitting between ukulele and keyboard, she performs a collection of tracks that are equal parts comedic and moving. No backing band is needed: her witty lyrics and harrowing exploration of all-too-real female struggles are enough to captivate the crowd. To top it off, she’s written the best novelty song about a national coach service since The Divine Comedy in 1998.
Between the two performances, speeches are given by Jeremy Corbyn and Sam from Music for the Many, addressing the ongoing atrocities being inflicted on the people of Palestine and Ukraine, and the UK goverment’s abhorrent failure to act on these humanitarian crises, as well as their negligence of grassroots venues and working class music. They demanded that everyone does their bit by signing their petition and supporting their local venues in any way they can.
The Menstrual Cramps entered the stage to a roar of support from the fired-up crowd. Photographers rush to snap Emilia’s signature orange hi-vis scrawled with “No Men At Work: Support the Strikers”, before she whips it off and hurls it across the stage. The Bristolian four-piece rattle through their repertoire of punk anthems, with outspoken lyrics over heavy drum beats and raucous guitar riffs. Their studio recordings may be great, but hearing them live is a different experience altogether. ‘Cull The Tories’, ‘Boycott the Lot’, and ‘Mutual Masturbation’ go down a treat, with the whole room hanging on their every fierce word.
The set list goes all the way back to 2017, taking songs from the band’s debut album We’re Not Ovaryacting [the one that scooped them a Hercury Prize]. Written while wine drunk at Center Parcs, ‘Lying Cheatin’ Fucking Scumbag’ is a diss track to James from Deaf Havana, who is the toxic ex of a friend of the band. Emilia is wonderfully unafraid to name and shame him. ‘JC Our Saviour’, a love letter to Jeremy Corbyn, is a track they rarely perform live, but how could they not take the opportunity to play it to the man himself?
Perhaps being likeable is not the main goal of a punk band, but for The Menstrual Cramps, it’s a bonus they achieve without even trying. Emilia has a flair for getting the crowd on board with serious issues using outrageous humour. When performing ‘Abortion’, they declare they’ve had two abortions named after their favourite cigarette brands – and promise anyone who’s had more than two a free T-shirt from the merch stand. If one thing is for sure, the night proved that anarchy is well and truly alive and kicking.
Sign the petition to introduce a ticket levy at grassroots venues here.
Follow The Menstrual Cramps on youtube | instagram | bandcamp
Follow Generation Feral on youtube | instagram | soundcloud | bandcamp