LOUD WOMEN is delighted to bring you the first listen of SmokeFairies‘ beautiful new single, ‘Chew Your Bones’ – from their forthcoming album ‘Darkness Brings the Wonders Home’.
Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire aka Smoke Fairies told us more about the track:
“I needed to write about the growing feeling that the world is on the verge of real change, there is the sense that there is this scary, unknown future lurking just beyond us. We’d just adopted a cat and were told to keep him inside because the Croydon Cat Killer had just struck in the area. This sanctioned belief of a mythical killer lurking the streets was terrifying and intriguing. At the same time I was reading Sarah Perry’s gothic, Victorian novel ‘The Essex Serpent’ about a fabled beast that stalks the Essex backwaters. Both these tales came together to help me finish the song.”
Out today from London’s favourite electro-punks, FeralFive, a floor-filling sexy-guitar banger. We challenge you not to shake your tail feather to this … and you can shake it live too, as Feral Five are joining us for our next LOUD WOMEN gig at the Hope & Anchor in London on 11 May!
Excited to bring you the premiere of Malak’s awesome new video and single, ‘VISA’.
Malak’s music reflects her mixed background – a gorgeous fusion of Western and Middle Eastern pop culture.
Says Malak:
“I wrote Visa about being denied opportunities based on your background instead of on merit, and how certain gatekeepers perpetuate this by claiming you’re not qualified. But in fact, where I come from is the only difference between us.”
Ever wondered what the story of Squeeze‘s classic ‘Up the Junction’ might look like from her point of view? London’s I, Doris are here to tell you.
The band are releasing today (fittingly, International Women’s Day) their debut single, ‘The Girl From Clapham’ – a loving, fuzzed-up tribute to the original song, with a poignant reminder that women’s experiences are all too often erased from history.
The new song lyrics were written by punk poet Janine Booth, and published in her brilliant anthology ‘Disaffected Middle Aged Women‘. Squeeze’s Chris Difford has given the new lyrics – and the I, Doris version of the song – his personal seal of approval. All profits from the sale of the track on Bandcamp are being donated to domestic violence charity Women’s Aid.
I, Doris are a self-proclaimed “kitchenpunk mummycore” band, consisting four 40-something women, dressed in dinnerlady-esque tabards, and answering to the name of Doris (that’s Doris on guitar, Doris on bass, Doris on drums, and Doris on – wait for it – keytar). Audience members are sworn in to the Doris collective with a group pledge at the start of each gig. Their live set is 60s girl-group style pop with lashings of fuzzy punk and plenty of good-humoured swipes at the patriarchy. At least, we think they’re good-humoured.
Bassist Doris (AKA LOUD WOMEN’s own Cassie Fox) takes the lead vocals on ‘The Girl From Clapham’.
L-R: Doris, Doris, Doris and Doris.
“I’ve always loved the song, and feel so honoured to get to sing this version” she says, “I am, legit, a girl from Clapham though. My childhood and teens were spent by/on Clapham Common, mostly trying to stay out of the way of my drunk and violent father. The song strikes a big power chord for me. That feeling at the end – of being trapped in a hopeless situation – it’s painfully familiar to a lot of people I’m sure, particularly women. This is the reason I was keen for the profits from the track to go to Women’s Aid.”
I, Doris are currently blazing a gloriously happy trail through the DIY gigs circuit, and beyond – they’ve played with Mekons in Leeds, the launch of Loud Women NYC in Brooklyn, they’re playing the Royal Albert Hall on 17 March, and Rebellion Festival on 2 August. Keep an eye on the I, Doris Facebook page for news of their continued adventures.
Erin Austin of OK Sweetheart – photo by Cameron Holt
OK Sweetheart is the soul-pop project of Seattle’s Erin Austin, and we dig it. Here’s a first spin of ‘We Could Have it All’ – an instant kick of bouyant sunshine you’ll be humming for the rest of the day. Enjoy!
Erin Austin says:
“The song is a commentary on the American Dream. Watch the first episode of Cosmos and then think about the American Dream. The system we have is broken but we’re so busy abiding by it (so we’re not swallowed by it) to do anything to actually fix it. We’re so busy selling ourselves to ‘have it all’ that even if we did get to a place where we feel like we’ve checked the boxes to fulfill the American Dream, we still would question our purpose and have to grapple with the meaninglessness of life.”
In addition to OK SWEETHEART, Austin is part of Seattle supergroup, LADIES, with Lydia Ramsey and Miranda Zickler (Kuinka). LADIES released three holiday songs in November 2018. She has also recorded an EP with LA-based electronic soul-pop duo LETS, who are set to release music in 2019.
London’s beloved DIY duo Panic Pocket (Sophie Peacock and Natalie Healey) have a fab single out today, ‘Mr Big’! LOUD WOMEN is excited to bring you a first listen.
‘Mr Big’ is, they say, the result of too many formative Sex And The City marathons. It’s about desperately wanting your close friend to stop defining herself by her relationship status and focus instead on friendship. Hard relate! Natalie says:
“Sophie and I probably spend too much time watching TV. But whatever your thoughts on SATC (and, OK, it hasn’t dated well!), you can probably relate to having someone close to you who spends all their time distracted, wondering where they stand with a potential – and probably unworthy – partner. This song is our Miranda moment; getting real about how toxic the subject of your best friend’s obsession really is.”
Sophie says:
“Take your best friends on dates and treat them like your soulmate because chances are, they’ll love you better than any Manhattan investment banker ever could.”
The track was recorded at the legendary Dean Street Studios, thanks to the generosity of King of the Scene, Keith Top of The Pops, with Healey and Christabel from Wolf Girl on bass and drums respectively.
LOUD WOMEN is stoked to bring you a first listen – enjoy!
Catch Panic Pocket live on 8 December at The 1 in 12 Club Bradford w/ Fightmilk and Ghost Guilt.
