Minneapolis punks Menstrual Tramps are bringing their raw, in-your-face punk to Rebellion Festival for the first time this year.
Vocalist/guitarist Chyna gives us the lowdown on how the band formed, and where else you can catch them while they’re in the UK…
Firstly, how did you all meet and when was Menstrual Tramps formed?
We started in 1998. At the time I was in a band with Sigrid (MTs original bassist) and we were at Extreme Noise, our local punk record store. We saw a flyer that read, “Drummer looking for all female band. No pussy shit.” And that’s how we found Selena. She’d just moved into town. Our first practice was just myself and Selena. I was working at a gas station at the time and she comes in at the end of my shift holding a 12 pack of shitty beer with 2 drum sticks sticking out of the case. I took that as an awesome sign. We got to the practice space, started playing and immediately meshed.
Sigrid moved away in about 2002 or so. We went through a number of bassists til we found Val who joined in late 2004/early 2005. When we started playing with Val it was like we finally found what we were missing. The Tramp we’d been waiting for.
For anyone not familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?
I always suck at this question! Um…hardcore punk. Fast paced songs usually under 2 mins. Lots of yelling.
If you had to recommend one of your songs to a new listener, which one would you choose?
Americanized Suicide, No Heroes, Burn Fucker Burn, and Suicide Streets.
Sorry, that’s more than one. But they’re our babies- can’t play favorites!
Are there any other bands on the line-up you’re particularly looking forward to seeing?
Girlschool, Maid of Ace, The Exploited, Crux, In Evil Hour, Menace, The Chisel…
What can we expect from your set at Rebellion?
Femme-punk anthems, fishnets and fury.
What else are you up to this year?
We’ll be doing a west coast (US) tour right before we go overseas. Gonna play some shows opening for Lower Class Brats and Guida which, of course, we’re beyond stoked for. Then home for 2 days and off to Dublin, Bristol, Derby, Manchester, Blackpool… and hopefully find another show or two in there.
The show in Bristol is with The Menstrual Cramps. When I first saw the flyer I was like, fuck, they spelled our name wrong! Then I saw our logo too. Definitely looking forward to that bill.
In Derby we’re playing with Sick on the Bus and Backstreet Abortions. I’ve been a big fan of Sick on the Bus for many years. And Backstreet Abortions are rad. Gonna lose my shit at that one.
Thank you so much to Chyna for answering these questions!
Rebellion Festival takes place 7-10 August 2025 – full details and tickets here
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