A spotlight interview with Ru Taylor, Hannah Hodges, Eva Parfitt, and Evie Pres of MOXIE DOLLS, ahead of their LOUD WOMEN debut on 16 July at the Bread and Roses
How did you choose your band name?
Our bassist originally came up with the name when the band first formed. There’s a hotel in Bristol called Moxy which she liked the sound of, but wanted to change the spelling of it to make it more unique. And then, the ‘DOLLS’ part of the name came after when thinking of words that went along with ‘MOXIE’. We wanted a name that strives to break down misogynistic stereotypes in the industry, but that also proves that we’re not your typical ‘dolls’ within a patriarchal world, and instead a collective of proud women that hold power and femininity.
Who’s in the band, and what do you all play?
Ru Taylor – main vocals and guitar
Hannah Hodges – backing vocals and bass
Eva Parfitt – backing vocals and synth
Evie Press – backing vocals and drums
Where do you call home (geographically and musically)?
We all met whilst at university in Bristol, so Bristol is our home musically. However, we all come from different areas: Exeter, Swindon and the Gloucestershire area.
Describe your sound in three words.
Bold, direct, feminist
Tell us about your music
Recently, we released our two debut singles. ‘Pretty Silly Boys’ challenges the hyper-masculine nature of the music industry, with fun, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The chorus was written in the bathroom of a gig that Hannah went to – she was fed up with the way an all-male band was acting and performing on stage. This was one of our first originals as a band. We knew that we were highlighting a major issue within the music scene with this song, and the audience interaction with it is always top notch at gigs. Even when recording both our latest singles, we had a long rant with our engineer Claire Sutton (Western Audio Studios, Swindon – go check her out!!) about the hyper-masculine nature of the industry and how it really tries to surpress women from doing what they love.
‘Rockstar’ acts as a joke between bandmates thinking we’re proper rockstars, but also making fun of artists that use their egos and status to get further in their careers, not having to work as hard as other people.
What’s your local scene like — and how do you fit in, or stir it up?
The Bristol music scene literally has something for everyone. You could find anything from neo-soul and jazz, indie, drum and bass, metal, and punk. We like to think we sit somewhere in between the rock and punk scenes within the city.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far as a band?
Definitely releasing our two latest singles and continually booking gigs to share our music with more people <3
What’s a dream gig or collaboration you must make happen before you die?
We’d love to collaborate with HotWax as a band. A lot of inspiration for the songs we write come from their sound, so would be amazing to collab with them!
What’s next for you?
We have numerous different gigs lined up over the next couple of months:
16th July – The Bread & Roses, London
18th July – Bristol Harbour Festival
7th August – Bristol Balloon Fiesta
2nd September – The Croft, Bristol
12th September – Swindon Shuffle Music Festival
We’re taking a bit of time over the summer to keep writing new material and then hopefully build up the funds to record a few more tracks before the end of the year!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Cannot wait for the LOUD WOMEN gig on the 16 July – STACKED LINEUP!!
Catch MOXIE DOLLS with Sisters of Hysteria and I, Doris on 16 July at the Bread and Roses
