LOUD WOMEN is delighted to announce that feminist punk supergroup YAKKIE have won the 2026 Hercury Award for their outstanding debut album Kill The Cop Inside Your Head.
The self-released album, which came out in February, was voted the year’s best by Team LOUD WOMEN, beating off fierce competition from an exceptional shortlist of 12 albums by women and non-binary-led British and Irish artists.
Now celebrating its tenth year, the LOUD WOMEN Hercury Award is an independent alternative to that other, suspiciously similarly named music prize. With no entry fees, corporate sponsorship or major-label requirements, the award exists to celebrate brilliant music made by artists who might not otherwise receive the recognition they deserve.
The winner is chosen through a rigorous democratic voting process conducted by Team LOUD WOMEN. The precise workings of this process remain a closely guarded secret, involving confidential deliberations, intense negotiations and, quite definitely not any biscuit-based lobbying.
YAKKIE’s Kill The Cop Inside Your Head is a ferocious, intelligent and exhilarating record, combining huge grunge-influenced riffs with feminist fury, political conviction and an infectious sense of possibility.
Fronted by activist and vocalist Janey Starling, alongside Robin Gatt on guitar, Laura Ankles on bass and Maeve Westall on drums, YAKKIE bring together a formidable collection of talent from across the UK’s DIY punk scene.
Recorded live to analogue tape in just four days, the album tackles everything from internalised oppression and toxic masculinity to capitalism, gender-based violence and the importance of collective resistance. It’s furious, frequently funny and, crucially, full of hope.
LOUD WOMEN has been championing YAKKIE since their earliest releases, naming the title track our Single of the Week in October 2025 and the album our Album of the Month in February 2026.
Reviewer Kris Smith described the album as a remarkable combination of musical ambition and political urgency, suggesting that some of its finest songs deserve to be counted among the greatest British rock music of recent decades.
The band also brought their incendiary live show to the LOUD WOMEN-curated Introducing Stage at Rebellion Festival this summer.
We’re enormously proud to see this extraordinary band take the 2026 Hercury crown.
Watch YAKKIE accept their award here:
Celebrating the 2026 shortlist
YAKKIE were selected from a particularly strong field of nominees, reflecting the extraordinary breadth and quality of music being made by women and non-binary artists across the UK and Ireland.
The full 2026 LOUD WOMEN Hercury Award shortlist was:
- Breakup Haircut – No Worries If Not!
- CHROMA – 25 Forever
- The Dead Zoo – Suspects
- Gimic – New Traditions
- goo – Oh Wow, Oh Well
- Irked – The Grievance
- Lime Garden – Maybe Not Tonight
- mary in the junkyard – Role Model Hermit
- Nervous Twitch – The Day Job Gets In The Way
- The New Eves – The New Eve Is Rising
- Witch Fever – Fevereaten
- YAKKIE – Kill The Cop Inside Your Head
Read about all 12 nominated albums here.
Huge congratulations to every artist on the shortlist. And, frankly, in a world that appears to be permanently on fire, we reckon any independent artist managing to write, record and release an entire album deserves an award of some kind.
Preferably one involving a large cheque, a year’s free rehearsal space and somebody else taking care of the admin. Sadly, our prize budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, but the admiration and appreciation are absolutely genuine.
Two Hercury winners, one unmissable tour
In a rather lovely coincidence, YAKKIE are heading out on tour next month with Petrol Girls, winners of the 2022 LOUD WOMEN Hercury Award for their album Baby.
Petrol Girls have a long history with LOUD WOMEN, having performed at our very first Fest in 2016 and returned for further festivals in 2018 and 2019. They’re part of the fabric of our community, and seeing them share a bill with this year’s winners feels particularly special.
There’s a musical family connection too: YAKKIE guitarist Robin Gatt has previously played bass with Petrol Girls, while Janey Starling contributed guest vocals to Baby.
Two Hercury-winning bands, united by uncompromising politics, feminist solidarity and the ability to make an almighty racket. We can’t recommend these shows highly enough.
Catch YAKKIE supporting Petrol Girls at:
- 12 November – Downstairs at The Dome, London
- 13 November – Boom, Leeds
Find tickets and further tour information here.
YAKKIE join a remarkable roll call of previous Hercury winners, including Lambrini Girls (2025), Problem Patterns (2024), Big Joanie (2023) and Petrol Girls (2022).
Congratulations once again to YAKKIE, and to every artist nominated for this year’s award. Thank you for continuing to make music that challenges, inspires, entertains and reminds us that a better world is worth making some noise about.
Listen to and buy YAKKIE’s Kill The Cop Inside Your Head on Bandcamp.