A spotlight interview with Charlie Wood and Chlo Spinks of London’s queer orchestral punks THWACK!, fresh from a suitably enormous appearance on our LOUD WOMEN Sunday stage at Rebellion and ahead of their return to the fold at LOUD WOMEN Fest London at Rich Mix this Saturday, 5 September.
How did you choose your band name?
Charlie suggested THWACK! partially as a joke and it was the favourite. Charlie wanted to be Miss World 3000.
Who’s in the band, and what do you all play?
Charlie Wood, singer/guitar
Chlo Spinks, bass/vox
Maj J, cello/vox
Blake Shortt, drums
Natalia Gruca, violin
Describe your sound in three words.
Queer orchestral punk.
Tell us about your music
Our first EP, BURIED BUT BLOOMING, is a wide-ranging fever dream of a record imagining an underground punk club for queers and freaks.
It’s angry and romantic and luxuriant, and also has one curveball song about Margaret Thatcher as a demon vampire.
You should play it loud to piss off your Tory neighbours.
Our song ‘Blue Ray (Still Thorned)’ is about the album cover posters of Britney’s In the Zone and Evanescence’s Fallen in opposing record store windows falling in love from across the street, knowing they’ll never truly be together.
One for the yearners.
Whilst writing ‘Fat Cats’ we were throwing around references from Steve Reich’s ‘Clapping Music’ and ‘Just Wanna Be With You’ from High School Musical 3.
Diverse.
What’s your local scene like?
We love the London punk and queer scene! It’s really vibrant and alive and we’ve got to play with some incredible acts. Shout out Bella Artois, Cheap Dirty Horse, Twat Union and many more!
I think we fit in well with the irreverence, the high effort and high energy. Proud to be part of it, but no one else has a cello and violin.
We are light years ahead of the punk scene when it comes to having a string section.
If you could rip up the rulebook of the music industry, what’s the first thing you’d rewrite?
It would be great if you had any hope in hell without having millionaire parents, so that.
Also, less sexism and transphobia would be real solid.
What’s the wildest/strangest thing that’s ever happened at one of your gigs?
A lesbian throuple was taking turns to kiss during our cover of ‘I Kissed a Girl’.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve faced?
Trying to fit an enormous Margaret Thatcher puppet into a car every time we tour.
She got rain damage at Wilderness Festival.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far?
It’s pretty hard not to say playing to a packed-out tent at Glastonbury.
Chlo crowd surfed. People cried. Dreams were made. I think a child was born.
What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?
A riot almost broke out at a gig in Hull.
A very complicated series of events led to it being resolved by arm wrestling Daniel Radcliffe.
What’s a dream gig or collaboration you must make happen before you die?
Imagine the THWeastie Boys.
THWACK! x Beastie Boys.
That would be incredible. Call us, Ad-Rock!
Dream lineup: you + three other acts, alive, dead or imaginary. Who’s on the bill?
THWACK! + Beastie Boys + Beastie Boys (secret set) + Aqua.
Just FYI, we bear no musical resemblance to Beastie Boys.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Follow us @thwackstagram on Insta, live your truth, eat your vegetables, be sun safe and topple the government.
Catch THWACK! at LOUD WOMEN Fest London this Saturday, 5 September, at Rich Mix, Bethnal Green.
GET YOUR LOUD WOMEN FEST LONDON TICKETS HERE
