🔗 Share this article

When asked about the most punk gesture she's ever pulled off, Cathy Loughead answers without pause: “I played a show with my neck injured in two locations. Not able to move freely, so I embellished the brace instead. That was an amazing performance.”

Cathy is a member of a expanding wave of women reinventing punk expression. As a recent television drama spotlighting female punk premieres this Sunday, it reflects a phenomenon already thriving well outside the TV.

The Spark in Leicester

This drive is most intense in Leicester, where a local endeavor – now called the Riotous Collective – sparked the movement. She joined in from the outset.

“When we started, there existed zero all-women garage punk bands here. In just twelve months, there seven emerged. Today there are twenty – and counting,” she remarked. “Riotous chapters exist across the UK and globally, from Finland to Australia, recording, gigging, appearing at festivals.”

This surge extends beyond Leicester. Across the UK, women are taking back punk – and changing the scene of live music along the way.

Revitalizing Music Venues

“There are music venues across the UK flourishing because of women punk bands,” noted Cathy. “Rehearsal rooms are also benefiting, music teaching and coaching, recording facilities. This is because women are in all these roles now.”

They're also changing the crowd demographics. “Bands led by women are performing weekly. They draw more diverse audiences – attendees who consider these spaces as secure, as for them,” she continued.

A Movement Born of Protest

An industry expert, from a music youth organization, stated the growth was expected. “Females have been promised a ideal of fairness. But gender-based violence is at epidemic levels, radical factions are manipulating women to peddle hate, and we're manipulated over topics such as menopause. Women are fighting back – via music.”

Toni Coe-Brooker, from the Music Venue Trust, sees the movement reshaping local music scenes. “There is a noticeable increase in broader punk communities and they're feeding into local music ecosystems, with independent spaces scheduling diverse lineups and establishing protected, more welcoming spaces.”

Entering the Mainstream

In the coming weeks, Leicester will present the debut Riot Fest, a weekend festival showcasing 25 women-led acts from the UK and Europe. Recently, Decolonise Fest in London celebrated punks of colour.

This movement is entering popular culture. The Nova Twins are on their maiden headline tour. The Lambrini Girls's debut album, Who Let the Dogs Out, hit No. 16 in the UK charts this year.

A Welsh band were shortlisted for the an upcoming music award. Problem Patterns secured a regional music award in last year. Recent artists Wench played the BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival.

This represents a trend originating from defiance. Within a sector still dogged by misogyny – where female-only bands remain lacking presence and performance spaces are closing at crisis levels – female punk bands are forging a new path: opportunity.

Ageless Rebellion

At 79, Viv Peto is evidence that punk has no age limit. From Oxford washboard player in horMones punk band picked up her instrument only twelve months back.

“Now I'm old, all constraints are gone and I can do what I like,” she said. A track she recently wrote contains the lines: “So scream, ‘Fuck it’/ Now is my chance!/ I own the stage!/ I am seventy-nine / And in my top form.”

“I appreciate this influx of elder punk ladies,” she said. “I didn't get to rebel during my early years, so I'm doing it now. It's fantastic.”

Kala Subbuswamy from the band also said she hadn't been allowed to rebel as a teenager. “It's been important to release these feelings at this late stage.”

Chrissie Riedhofer, who has toured globally with various bands, also considers it a release. “It involves expelling anger: being invisible as a mother, at an advanced age.”

The Liberation of Performance

Similar feelings motivated Dina Gajjar to create her band. “Standing on stage is a liberation you were unaware you lacked. Females are instructed to be acquiescent. Punk isn't. It's noisy, it's flawed. This implies, during difficult times, I consider: ‘I can compose a track about it!’”

Yet, Abi Masih, a band member, stated the female punk is all women: “We are simply regular, professional, brilliant women who love breaking molds,” she explained.

Maura Bite, of the Folkestone band the band, agreed. “Ladies pioneered punk. We had to smash things up to be heard. We still do! That rebellious spirit is in us – it feels ancient, instinctive. We are incredible!” she declared.

Breaking Molds

Not every band conform to expectations. Two musicians, part of The Misfit Sisters, aim to surprise audiences.

“We rarely mention age-related topics or use profanity often,” commented one. The other interjected: “Actually, we include a bit of a 'raah' moment in each track.” Ames laughed: “You're right. Yet, we aim for diversity. Our last track was regarding bra discomfort.”