If LOUD WOMEN were a darts player, ‘Tokened’ by Bratakus would be our walk-on music at the Lakeside Championships — eyeliner sharp, pint in hand, and aiming straight for the bullseye of smug, stubbly face of music industry gatekeepers.
Formed in the Highlands by sisters Brèagha (guitar, vocals) and Onnagh Cuinn (bass, vocals), Bratakus have always punched well above their “most remote band in the UK” tag. They’ve toured Japan, supported The Hives, and now, signed to Venn Records, they’ve unleashed their fiercest track yet.
Lyrically, ‘Tokened’ is a hard-relate for any non-cis-male musician (and it was the very reason I started LOUD WOMEN ten years ago):
“It’s based on many experiences we’ve had as women playing music being thrown on first at gigs so that the cis male line-up appears more equal,” says Brèagha. “Also, festivals that put all the bands with women on the Thursday, before the actual festival starts, and bill it as a day to ‘empower’ us.”
Onnagh adds:
“There’s some awareness of the need to address the gender gap in the music industry but so much of what’s dressed up as genuine attempts at progress end up feeling like you’re getting thrown crumbs in what are still hugely male-dominated spaces. We’re then told we should be feeling grateful about it. It’s about wanting to be booked based on genuine recognition of what you’re doing as a band, rather than feeling like your opportunities are coming from an empty form of box-ticking.”
The track’s power is amplified by its video, filmed with the young musicians of Girls Rock Glasgow — the same grassroots organisation where Bratakus played their first gig back in 2015, and where they’ve volunteered as teachers ever since.
“It felt very special to have them involved,” says Brèagha. “Like a total full circle moment. We’re still here, they’re still here and we’re all fighting against tokenism together.”
And the absolute highlight? As Bratakus tear through the track, the kids start a spontaneous conga line in the pit — a pure punk joy explosion that proves smashing the patriarchy can (and should) come with laughter, sweat, and a lot of stomping feet.
‘Tokened’ will feature on the band’s first album for Venn Records, due in 2026.
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