Pigtails Weekly Update

News Round Up

Fleetwood Mac have released new music after ten years. They have released a four track EP called 'Extended Play' on ITunes.

The songs are 'It Takes Time', 'Miss Fantasy', 'Sad Angel' and 'Without You.' The band will be touring the UK later in the year.
Dublin 02 (September 20)
London O2 Arena (24, 25, 27)
Birmingham LG Arena (29)
Manchester Arena (October 1)
Glasgow The Hydro (3)

Nineties girl band TLC have announced a live show and a new album. They will be playing The Mixtape Festival at Hersheypark Stadium, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, from July 26-27, alongside other old skool favourites New Kids On The Block, Hanson and Boyz II Men. This will be their first performance since 2009. They did speak in the past about using a hologram image for late band member Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez, who died in a car crash in 2002, but it's not known whether they will be using this for the performance yet. A full tour is also expected to be announced for later in the year.

TLC will also be releasing a new album, their first since 2002's '3D'.

Little Boots has released a video to new song 'Broken Record'

Event guide Monday 6th May- Sunday 12th May

10 May - Third Annual Postgraduate Gender and Sexuality Conference, Birmingham University

Roles: A Gender and Sexuality Forum are pleased to announce our Third Annual Postgraduate Gender and Sexuality Conference (http://groles.wordpress.com/roles-gender-and-sexuality-conference/), at the University of Birmingham on the 10th of May 2013.

Our Key Note Speaker is Dr. Nadine Muller (twitter: @Nadine_Muller)

This one-day interdisciplinary conference offers postgraduates the opportunity to present their research in a friendly and supportive environment for people of all genders. Registration is free. (http://groles.wordpress.com/register-for-roles-colloquium/)

We invite applications for twenty-minute papers. Suggestions for presentations may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• social policy, government legislation, and matters of the law
• cultural products: film / music / art / TV / literature
• media, representation, and social images
• sexuality, otherness, erotic practice
• the body: subject, object, identity
• theory, methodology, practice
• feminism and postfeminism: representation and invisibility
• queer and trans*: changing images of femininity and masculinity

Please send an abstract, including a short bio, of no more than 300 words to g.roles@hotmail.com by 10th March 2013.

Roles is an interdisciplinary research forum hosted by researchers at the University of Birmingham for the purpose of fostering discussion and debate

Artist of Month

It's now May so that means time for a brand new artist of the month! This month I've picked Brighton based Wolf Like Child who I've recently discovered and think others should hear too! They like Patti Smith and drinking rum, so they're welcome to my home anytime ;) In the following weeks I'll be chatting to them and sharing their music with you so keep reading!

Cover of the week

as I've been working with the element of Air this week, it's Ann Wilson's version of Goodbye Blue Sky

Obsessive Compulsive: Seculo Seculorum album review

The last in the series for the April artist of the month.
Seculo Seculorum is the second full length album from Manchester based four piece independent band Obsessive Compulsive. This album was fan funded using the PledgeMusic platform, it’s not available to those who have been pledged but will be out on full official release on June 24th.
The title ‘Seculo Seculorum’ immediately grabbed my attention, for me I imagined it representing the album as a large mystical book filled with power and potency, but I have since learned it actually means ‘Forever’ as music does indeed live forever, no matter how long ago someone passes away, their music can be still enjoyed for eternity.
I felt that this album is about strength, independence and self- empowerment. For instance the song ‘Stamp Your Own Path’  with it’s lyrics “You don’t need anyone, you never did, you never will, so come on stamp your own path.”
My personal favourite is the shouty ‘No Logo’ about being against corporations and remaining true to who you are “I won’t sell my soul to the corporations” “We won’t tell you what to buy or how to live your life” sung with such conviction, you know this is something the band feel strongly about.
Musically I can’t put this album into one particular category, “No Logo” has elements of punk, there’s a definite metal influence across the album as well as hard rock and on the final song ‘Swallow the Sound” I feel like lead singer Kelli is channeling Alanis Morissette vocally and to some extent lyrically too.
The album has anger and passion in spades, but overall it personally makes me feel empowered and strong, this is a band that have worked hard and it shows. We need more bands like Obsessive Compulsive. So please support them and other independent bands by buying their music and going to their gigs. You can find all Obsessive Compulsive tour dates by clicking here 
The first single will be ‘Regurgitate’ released on May 13th.

Artist of the Month: Obsessive Compulsive

My band of the month for April are Manchester based Obsessive Compulsive. 
They recently had a PledgeMusic campaign for fans to fund their second album, which was a successful campaign and for those fortunate people like me that pledged, can now enjoy the fantastic album 'Seculo Seculorum'.  They are a very hard-working band with a strong DIY ethic, booking their own shows and releasing music on their own label.
There are four members in the band- Keli on vocals, Giz on guitars, Pete on bass and Dani on drums. It's hard to pinpoint an exact genre to put their music into, as they certainly have their own sound, but there are elements of metal, punk and grunge all mixed in.
here's a couple of their songs for you to check out:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCfdu5SAhiE&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7QpmwmXDw&w=560&h=315]

Pigtails and Army Boots weekly update

Latest News:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released the disturbing video to go with epic new single 'Sacrilege' check it out:

Obsessive Compulsive's new fan pledged album 'Seculo Seculoram' was released to pledgers about half hour ago, I pledged, so am listening as I type and it's sounding AMAZING. Review to come soon!

La Roux revealed a new reggae tinged song at a gig recently

Weekly Event Guide

Monday 1st April- Sun 7th April

Tues 2nd April- La Roux at The Fleece, Bristol

Wed 4th April- 'What's the Most Important Issue Facing Feminists today?' at The Conway Hall, London. 6.30pm £5. Feminist bloggers from The New Statesman including the wonderful Laurie Penny discuss the issues.

Fri 5th April- Paramore at The Garage, London

Sat 6th April- Kate Nash at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

With the new album released today, I'm making OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE my artist of the month for April- expect an album review, videos and more over the course of the month.

Review: Kate Nash- Girl Talk

Earlier this month, Kate Nash released her third album 'Girl Talk' which she released her on her own label 'Have 10p Records' with the help of fan funding using PledgeMusic.

I personally find Kate Nash inspiring. I liked the sweetness of her first record, it was almost like she was the less brash version of Lily Allen- a similar singing style and both capable of writing interesting lyrics, whilst Lily   sang about weed smoking brothers and enjoying seeing her ex boyfriend squirm, Kate was behind a piano, singing about the demise of a relationship, and about falling in lust with someone- but she wasn't the typical singer songwriter behind the piano, she was more cheerful, the songs were bouncy, catchy pop ditties like 'Foundations'



I have to admit despite enjoying 'Made of Bricks' I never got round to buying her second album 'My Best Friend is You' but in the interim I found out more about Kate Nash, the person behind the music. I found out that she proudly calls herself a feminist, started an after school club to help get more girls into song-writing when she found out the measly amount of females who received song writing loyalties as well as volunteering at a women's shelter, working with all girl band and female sound engineers.

Then last year, she released a new free to download song which sounded completely different to what she had previously recently, that caused quite a stir on the internet-


for me though, I loved it! I really felt it captured the riot grrrl spirit, and knowing she had also been playing in a punk band, I found the progression seemed to be a natural one for her, and when I heard she was releasing a new album, I was really looking forward to hearing how her music would develop.

Girl Talk didn't disappoint! I find it an intriguing mix of the more sweet, candy pop side of her with songs like '3am'


but then she goes much grungier and heavier on songs like 'Death Proof'


The album really shows the flexibililty of Kate's voice as well, one minute she's singing in harmony, then she's 'rock chick', on 'Cherry Pickin' she seems to be channelling Kathleen Hanna on an almost surf beat, and she even attempts rap on 'Rap For Rejection' which is surprisingly good.

I also love how she really shows her feminist colours on this album, in 'Rap for Rejection' she sings about sexism in all it's form and shapes, from men calling her a lesbian for refusing to give her phone number, to only finding the music magazines in the men's section of the news-stands. Then there's my personal favourite 'All Talk' where she sings 'You have a problem with me 'cause I'm a girl, I'm a feminist and if that offends you, then fuck you'.  But she also has songs about friendship, breaking up, and feeling like a freak. 

'Girl Talk' is a punk album with a feminist, female empowerment soul behind it, and lyrics that I'm sure most girls will relate to in some way. Highly recommended! 

The Women of Hard Rock Hell

Everyday I look at all the various music websites to find relevant information and bands for my show, and sometimes I'll enter competitions- if I think Miguel (my husband) or I would enjoy the prize. Earlier this year I entered a competition I think via Planet Rock to win tickets for Hard Rock Hell- a rock festival in Wales- I entered thinking of Miguel as I wasn't too familiar with the bands that had been announced on the line up but he knew he liked a few of them, as they were names I knew he had played on this radio show The Rock Experience.

Little did I know, but I actually won tickets! The prize was for 6 people, with reduced price accommodation for all the nights. It turned out to be quite difficult to get other people to take the spare tickets due to either not being interested in the bands or various other commitments. In the end I got two other people to join us, one of them a friend of mine from my local Animal Aid group who has been a few times before and was also happy to drive us up there as long as we were happy to contribute to petrol costs. We were lucky enough to only pay £100 each for the four nights on site.

I had no idea what accommodation we would get, or what it would be like, especially as my friend Maria was telling me that the accommodation on a previous year was really bad, but they had actually changed camp site from previous years. As it turned out, we were lucky enough to have a chalet as opposed to a caravan and it turned out to be pretty nice- it had heating in all the rooms, a shower, and a basic but workable kitchen- for us it was amazing as the only festivals we'd been to in the past have been camping- so this was real luxury! The site was at a Havens - the Hafan Y Mor site in North Wales. It took us forever to get there- probably about 7 hours- and the tiny roads in the mountains looked rather intimidating in the dark! It really felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. The site happened to be right near the beach, it was a short walk to a fantastic view of the sea (with Snowdonia in the backdrop)! and fields full of sheep right next to it!

the kitchen in the chalet

view of the sea and mountains

sheep!

The actual campsite was fairly large with plenty of chalets and caravans available, but it was only a short walk for us to get to the main festival location. There were two indoor stages right opposite from each other so you could easily go from one to the other. The first stage was pretty huge with just a few bars and a chippy and Burger King at the back. The second stage was also large but there was a 'metal market' in there also with loads of stalls with lots of things, like handmade jewellery  music, clothes and other bits and bobs and most of the prices were pretty reasonable too- I got some handmade earrings for £5 and also got given a African bloodstone by the lady running the stall who was a psychic wiccan. There were also more bars and just next door there was a Starbucks where they had some acoustic and signing sessions- we tried to watch one acoustic session but it was so small we couldn't get in. There was also a restaurant on site but each time we went there was no vegan food and on Sunday they didn't even have a vegetarian option. Luckily we had brought some of our own food along but we did have chips from the chip shop several times! There was also a few Spar shops so we could easily buy some groceries and basics if needed.

Anyway onto the music- from the perspective of my show this review/blog will be about the female side of the festival. I looked up all the bands before we left and made an effort to watch all the bands that I knew of which were female fronted.

Thursday night was the fancy dressed themed 'Gunslingers Ball' as we had travelled for so long we arrived quite late anyway, but there were no female fronted bands playing that day and the bands we saw were very 80's style cock rock and not very good. I was a bit worried this might mean I wouldn't enjoy the rest of the festival that much.

Friday was a different story. The first band we watched properly were Ajenda, an Irish band led by small pixie like Jen- but with an amazing rock Goddess like voice. Big riffs, melody you can dance to and a lively performance despite being on fairly early in the day.

Second female artist of the day was Dante Fox. Quite different from Ajenda, Dante Fox has more of an 80's AOR rock feel- a bit like the more commercial side of Heart. She seemed to have a few hardcore fans down the front with us but there were some hecklers- I felt like she coped well with it though- joking about being in a cold caravan, and also saying stuff like "you know I wrote these guys guitar riffs..." We got a drumstick and a copy of the setlist at the end too.

The final female fronted band and the final band of the day on Friday were Die So Fluid. Now I was vaguely familiar with the band enough to know I would like them- but watching them made me ashamed that I don't own any of their albums as I completely fell in love with their awesome slightly metal tinged hard rock and Grog's great voice. They were the absolute highlight of the weekend for me. The crowd went wild for them and it was great that was the case as they were competing with Sebastian Bach on the main stage.

Saturday we saw my second favourite of the weekend Domenica, who get an extra special shout out for having TWO girls in the band! For some reason I was expecting something along the lines of Doro- but I was totally wrong. More awesome hard rock with a tinge of grunge influence.

Second female fronted band of Saturday's line up were Spiders who are very much in the vein of 70's style rock in the same vein as Led Zeppelin. I wish I hadn't been feeling tired when they came on as their set was a bit short but really awesome and I think I could get to really like this band.

On Sunday, there was a line up change that I wasn't aware of, so sadly we only caught a small portion of the last song of The Amorettes, a Scottish all female band who sounded really great- very much like The Donnas- pure straight up rock n roll.

The final female fronted band of the weekend were Kobra and the Lotus who almost like Iron Maiden- if they had a female singer and were a bit heavier-yes they were very much metal. Funny enough they even played a cover of 'The Wicker Man'' by Iron Maiden. Even though I'm not too fond of metal myself, I found the singer incredibly likeable, she looked like she was having the best time on stage, throwing the horns right back at the crowd who loved her as much as she loved them.

There was also a performance group going around all weekend called Area 51, either on stilts with various costumes and some ladies who danced and could BREATHE FIRE!! When I saw these ladies come out in very little clothing during Bonafide, at first I thought it was all a bit rock n roll cliché but then when they started breathing fire I got a whole other level of respect for them!

Overall the festival was not as male dominated as I had expected it to be, there were rock fans of all ages and the gender divide was pretty even. The attitude was good too, there seemed to be no trouble at all and I always felt safe- even in the front row by the barrier. Some people may think it's a bit rubbish if there was no mosh pit, but for me I want to go to a gig and be able to dance without the fear of getting trod on or beaten up, everyone was having a great time dancing or head banging but it was all happy and not angry!

I suprised myself- it was the best festival I've ever been to- so well organised and friendly. All I would chane is the time of year it's on and to have vegan food available on the site. There were many other highlights like feeding the ducks in the pond, catching a Buckcherry pick and singing loudly to Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You" but for now I say Rock on and hopefully see you at the barrier next year Hard Rock Hell!

Majority of photos taken by Miguel :) 

Pigtails and Army Boots returns!

Just an update to let you know Pigtails and Army Boots will be back on the air from Monday 10th December over on Firebrand Rock Radio! The show will be going out every Monday night live from 8pm UK time.
So I'm now open again for you to send your new music for airplay, and/or reviews for the blog.
I always play two independent/unsigned bands in the show, as well as an unsigned/indie band for artist of the month- if you want to be considered for the coveted artist of the month slot, you will need to send at least 4 mp3's.
I also play a cover version at the end of each show, so if you have recorded any great covers, then also please send those over!
To be considered for airplay please send your track/s to pigtailsandarmyboots@gmail.com- in MP3 format please. If you're interested in having your album/ep/gig reviewed on this blog you can contact me on the same address.
Looking forward to bringing you more exciting female fronted music!

August Gone

You may remember the awesome music of Le Monnier, who have been a previous artist of the month on Pigtails and Army Boots and also played at two of the gigs I've organised.
Sadly, the guitarist left the band, and Le Monnier are no more...

but from the ashes come an exciting new band
'AUGUST GONE' - still with Alex's amazing vocals, backed by Aaron's guitar playing and new drummer Kayli Williams adding the backbone.
The debut song is 'Watch you Bleed' a stomping rocker, a mix of 90's tinged grungy guitar with the stunning powerful vocals- I'm personally very excited to hear more and there is a promise of an album in early 2013...

You can download the song 'Watch you Bleed' from their Facebook page

Bleech Album Launch Show at The Borderline, 22nd June 2012

 (Top photo: Jen of Bleech, Bottom photo: Drag Your Heels)

After recently writing reviews of their recent single 'Adrenaline Junkie' and also their debut album 'Nude' recently, I managed to get myself into their album launch party at London's Borderline venue on Friday. I've seen them once before a few years back at the Pink Festival when the band were known as Slummin Angels and even then I thought they were great, and they've developed so much more since then.

I hadn't been to The Borderline and was quite surprised how small it was, but it is a lovely venue with two bars, places to sit, (where you could watch the bands on a TV screen if you wanted to) as well as a nicely lit stage and dance floor.

The first support act were Drag Your Heels. The band are a female fronted three piece based in London who say they are inspired by blues, girl groups and punk. Their singer Lucy, reminded me a lot of Stevie Nicks, although their music doesn't remind me of Fleetwood Mac! They had a fantastic full sound, rock n roll infused with blues and catchy chorus's- I dare you to have a listen to the song 'How It's Meant to Be' and not tap your feet! In fact, I dare you to not be moved in some way by any of their songs.

The second support act I didn't watch properly so straight on to Bleech!
They came onto the sound of her majesty herself introducing them over the speakers as they happened to release the album on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. * To a packed out venue, they blistered their way through the majority of 'Nude' including 'Break My Nose',  the slower track 'Flowerhands' and an extended version of 'Dancing Without You' before ending it with my personal favourite (and most other people's it seemed by the crowd's reaction) the ever so catchy 'Monday's.'

They talked a little between the songs, joking that the audience was just their mates and talking about releasing the album their selves and encouraging us to enjoy ourselves.  There was no need- with music as fresh and exciting as theirs is, it was inevitable. If you get the chance- buy the album and see them live it'll be well worth it!

Awesome Bands: Trash Monroe

In my awesome bands post last week, I wrote about We Rock Like Girls Don't, a band although I've been interested in for a long time, I've only seen live recently.

Another awesome band who I've seen many times as they are a local band, and I've also had them play at two events I've organised, headlining one of them- the one time I've ever seen a local band be urged to play an encore- they were that good!

The band I'm talking about is the fantastic Southend based Trash Monroe. The band have garnered quite a reputation for their live shows as well as their music, and I really can't understand why this band are not well known yet!
It's quite hard to put into words what their music is like as it's a mix of several genres, so here's some videos for you to check out, my personal favourite song is 'Venus Envy'

Awesome bands: We Rock Like Girls Don't

Last night I got to see the fantastic We Rock Like Girls Don't live for the third time and the second time in a venue local to me, thanks in a way to my Pigtails and Army Boots live night as the sound engineer Duncan, actually asked them to support his punk covers band Swindle at Club Riga and they agreed- hooray!

Each and everytime I have seen them whatever the circumstances they have always performed a fantastic and lively performance. The first time I saw them live was at Ladygarden in Cambridge last year, which was in a tiny and very crowded pub and it was a proper rock n roll finish to the event- then I saw them at my event, sadly due to things running late there wasn't a massive crowd for them but they still managed to perform a great rock set, and then last night I was really happy for them as despite not being a 'punk' band and being a support act, the crowd reacted very positively to them and were asking about cds etc.

I've known about WRLGD for quite some time, back in the ye old MySpace days and had one of their cds sent to me years ago but it was after seeing them at Cambridge that I got back in touch and subsequently got more of their music and even interviewed them for my show.

In recent months the album 'How Did We Get to This' has been one of my most played- particularly 'I Just Want to Stick My Head in the Bass Drum' and 'Rock n Roll Freak' there may only be two of them but they make a hell of a lot of noise and it's an excellent rock n roll explosion of joy for your ears.

If you haven't already checked them out, I highly suggest you do- they sound great recorded but even more amazing live- here are some videos of their music for you to enjoy:

The Black Belles

Last weekend I went down to my local pub The Railway Hotel to check out a hotly tipped band called The Black Belles. When I first got the invite on Facebook, I hadn't heard of the Black Belles, so of course I looked them up, and got excited when I found out that they were an all female band, who also dress in a kinda witchy way, I looked up a few videos and liked what I heard.  I also discovered there was a big buzz around them, mainly because of them being discovered by the one and only Jack White and being signed to his record label.

On the night itself, you could tell this gig was a BIG DEAL. I had never seen the pub as full as it was on this particular night. You could barely breathe as it was so full- yes it was a free gig, but they have free gigs very regularly. We even saw other people we knew, and most of the people we spoke with hadn't even heard their music, they had just heard there was a buzz, so wanted to see what the fuss was about.

The Black Belles certainly have presence, most of them were quite tall, so the microphone stand had to be put on a box just so it was high enough- and they have this cool gothy look with matching hats and dark hair. I was completely enthralled by the drummer- she had a beautiful dress with skulls all over it and she played the drums with such passion.

I was really impressed with their sound and look forward to hearing more- here are some videos to give you a taster:

Garbage

This coming Wednesday I'm going to see Garbage live for the first time- it's in support of their new album 'Not My Kind of People' that will be their first new studio album since 2003's 'Bleed Like Me'- that in itself is enough to be excited about, but I'm extra excited as I've liked Garbage for years and years. When I wasn't quite out of my pop music phase as a teenager, I think Garbage's 'Version 2.0' may have been one of the first rock/alternative albums I owned. I remember distinctly that I got it for one of my birthdays, and I had a birthday party- all my friends came round and we sat in the garden with music blaring out- we were playing something like one of the 'Now that's what I call music' compilations, when I got up, took the CD out and put in 'Version 2.0'- I remember at the time, my friends looking at me with horror! This was quite a contrast to my usual tastes back then, when Spice Girls and Hanson were my favourites.



It wasn't until a good few years later, when I started getting properly into rock music, that I went and got their debut album and this song became one of my favourites..



I don't know what it was exactly about Garbage that made me listen to them amongst the pop, but maybe it was something to do with one Miss Shirley Manson..

I had something about red-heads, perhaps as a red head myself, as my favourite Spice Girl was Geri as well and I didn't like them the same once she left..

Not only that. but Shirley always looked (and still does) so cool, such style and looks the kind of girl you wouldn't mess with!

Now years later, and obviously female fronted rock music is my main music of choice, so Garbage still remain..and Shirley Manson has only gone up in my estimation. She didn't get known until she was in her thirties, and she refuses to be moulded into something she's not, while Garbage were barely on speaking terms, she was contracted to do a solo album- this got cancelled after the record label didn't like what Shirley had recorded, they wanted her to be 'The Annie Lennox of your generation' and Shirley wasn't having any of that.
She's also done lots of charity work including an anti fur campaign for PETA and also has defended Madonna and the criticism in general the media gives to women in music.
So that's why I'm so bloody excited that I'll finally get to see her on stage..here's some more videos of my favourite songs and their latest..

latest release..








and I love Shirley's dress and look in this video..

Review: Rock In Your Pocket- Gutterdub release date:5th March

Rating: ****

Rock in Your Pocket were first brought to my attention when I wrote this introducing piece for thegirlsare, based on hearing their single 'Doubtbox'. I was undeniably impressed with what I heard and felt their sound was something refreshing in a sea of mild mannered women singers that seem to be overplayed and overrated at the moment. So when singer Charlie gave me the opportunity to listen to their debut Gutterdub it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

'Doubtbox' was a mere scratch on the surface of what Rock in Your Pocket are capable of. The band are only a three piece but judging by Gutterdub, have the sound of a much larger outfit. The album is dirty, raw and rocking throughout. My immediate comparison is to Queen Adreena, but I by no means want to sell this band short as despite my comparison I feel the band has an original and fresh sound. I am yet to witness Rock in Your Pocket live, but if this album is anything to go by, I feel like it would complete the experience.

Asides from 'Doubtbox', I'm also particularly drawn to 'Nobody's Bitch But Mine', a track that feels empowering and also anthem like, a perfect driving start to this album, that is well worth taking time to check out.

The band play gigs regularly, and their next gig is their album launch party which is taking place on Friday 2nd March at the Jubilee at the Barfly in London.

I think there is a real lack of heavier, guitar based female fronted bands at the moment that aren't in the vein of bands like Nightwish and Lacuna Coil. Some are starting to emerge to a great reception for example Wild Flag. Is it time we saw even more girls rocking out? Why are these amazing bands more in the spotlight instead of the likes of Adele and Lana Del Ray?

Robots in Disguise@ The Lexington 10th Feb 2012

well the other week I went to see Robots in Disguise, for the fifth time, and this time by some very lucky fate I also got to interview Sue and Dee just before the show. It was very brief but well worth it! The interview and the review of the gig will be up on The F Word very soon, but I thought I'd share some of the photos I took...

Wild Flag @ The Electric Ballroom London 1st Feb 2012

It's fair to say I have been listening to Wild Flag's debut self titled album pretty much non stop since I bought it, and the more I listened to it the more I fell in love with their unique sound. It has the best album I have bought for quite some time. When I first read about them, and realised they were in essence a Riot Grrrl supergroup comprising of members of Sleater Kinney, Helium and The Minders (as well as the other bands they all had been part of too) and of course I had high expectations! I wasn't disappointed. As soon as I saw they had a gig in London, I had to witness it! I just hoped I wouldn't be let down when I saw them performing.

The support act was Peggy Sue who I had seen previously as a Ladyfest in their former carnation as Peggy Sue and the Pirates. Their music is very bluesy and folk influenced rock.

You could feel the anticipation in the packed out room as Peggy Sue finished their set and we waited for Wild Flag to emerge. When they did they did, they did in style starting off with 'Black Tile'. The set consisted of the entire album and a few new tracks. But Wild Flag don't just go through the motions of playing song after song, oh no, this is one band I highly recommend, in fact I COMMAND you go and see live as soon as you can, because even though the album is amazing, it really makes it special to hear it live. The band put so much energy into their performance, jumping around the stage, doing AC/DC style guitar moves. They also extended 'Racehorse' so it had a Jimi Hendrix style breakdown in the middle with a mass crowd clap along to the bridge "pony up pony up", ending with a very rock n roll finish.

They of course ended with single 'Romance' before they returned to do an encore that featured covers of Television's "See No Evil" and The Patti Smith Group's "Ask The Angels".

I left the venue feeling elated, feeling I had witnessed the evolution and resurrection of the Riot Grrrl Movement.

Projects you can be part of!

First of all the lovely Sarah Rocks of Times Beach magazine wants to do an issue dedicated to women in the riot grrrl underground music scene, with interviews, photos and videos among other things. She's interested in hearing from Feminist groups as well.

if interested, send the following details to: Sarah@times-beach.com

Name/ Band Name:

Location:

A Link to your music:

musical influences

band bio (brief)

and if that's not enough Riot Grrrl Berlin are putting together their 2nd compilation and the deadline is

15th Feb

https://www.facebook.com/events/108199912626694/

if you haven't downloaded the first one yet, it's completely free and has TWO AND A HALF!! hours of great grrrl music on it

http://riotgrrrlberlin.tumblr.com/compilation01 it's really awesome so I highly recommend you get it :D

Review: Russian Doll Life/ Le Monnier, release date: October 3rd

Rating: *****

Russian Doll Life is the second album from Hertfordshire female fronted rock band Le Monnier, the follow up to their exciting debut album Cynic Sister which has provided them with many positive reviews and headlining slots at various gigs across the country. Since the previous album, singer Alexandra Le Monnier and guitarist Matt Keill have recruited a new drummer Josh Williams.

In their bio on their official website they claim this album is the best thing they have ever done and they don't disappoint. There is still the trademark powerful vocals and epic guitar riffs but on Russian Doll Life, Le Monnier also experiment with some songs that sound different to anything else they have done, including the epic ballad 'Home' and the unusual but still ultimately satisfying 'The Moth'.

The songs demonstrate further the variety of influences the band have and the flexibility the band have as a whole which surely shows Le Monnier have massive potential ahead of them. Alexandra Le Monnier's voice is stunning and the guitar work, especially on stand out track 'Mediocre Me' are unforgettable.

Russian Doll Life is sure to appeal to a wide range of music fans and if this album is anything to go by, they can only get even better.

Le Monnier's next tour date is on October 14^th at Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.

Any Love is Good Love

My friend Emma and the awesome Ste McCabe have been working on an awesome project the last few months and it's now nearing completion.
They have been working on 'Any Love is Good Love' a cd with loads of fantastic bands including Death of the Elephant, The Lovely Eggs and of course, Ten Tigers, to raise awareness of homophobia and transphobia, as well as to raise money for Lesbian and Gay Youth Manchester.
There isn't an official release date yet, but I have heard a promo copy and can confirm that is a great cd. You can keep up to date and become a fan on Facebook

Interview: Georgia of Bitter Ruin!

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Georgia, a member of the great band Bitter Ruin. We had a little chat about inspirations, feminism and the new single 'Trust' Here's what she said:

For readers that maybe unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe the sound of Bitter Ruin? 

 Georgia: Elements of rock, musical theatre, classical and flamenco. We have found the best genre description to be 'contemporary expressionism' - meaning that the style, mood, instrumentation etc changes according to the message of the song.    

  Have you had any classical music training or are you self taught?

  G: Both of us have been classically trained in Piano and we have degrees in music. But I always think there's a huge element of self tuition with anything your passionate about.   

   Bitter Ruin are recommended to fans of Dresden Dolls and there are certainly similar elements to your music. What was it like touring with Amanda Palmer? 

 G: Well, I think the core of the music is very different but there are similarities in the noir edge to the lyrics and the passionate delivery. Also, both bands are boy girl duos. Touring with Amanda is great fun, singin Delilah with the Dolls in Boston has to be one of the best moments of our career so far.(note- they are also supporting AFP on her London dates in September) 

 Who are your idols and how have they influenced your life- whether it be by music or another area of your life?  

Georgia and Ben: I (Georgia) Love Fiona Apple and also strong female performers like Beyonce, but I prefer the songwriting of people like Fiona or PJ Harvey. I (Ben) am really into Jeff Buckley and some heavier stuff too as well as the Flamenco greats, however, I have a soft spot for Stevie Wonder! 

 My radio show focuses on female fronted and all female bands, and has a feminist stance. Do you consider yourself to be a feminist? And do you think women in music get the attention they deserve? 

 G: Am I a feminist??? Have you HEARD our album?! Yes, hugely...all men are...no, just kidding! But, I don't think women are treated much differently to men in the industry these days, I know that I pretty much run this band and everything that goes on around it and I have never had to overcome any obstacles because of my sex. However, I purposefully try to look a little messy in videos and photos etc because I do worry that I'll look too glamorous (being young and blond and all) and that people will not take the music seriously. But I could never be bothered with make up anyway!

   What inspires Bitter Ruin's songwriting? Is it an easy process? 

 G: I'd say that it could be easy...but we manage to make it as hard as possible! - The songs always come from real life experiences, I think good songs can ONLY come from real life. They tend to be written by me  and then we'll spend hours and hours on the harmonies and guitar parts...I'd say each song takes 30 hours of arrangement before we're ready to rehearse it!!! 

 Tell us about your new single 'Trust' what's the song about, the story behind the video and when can people buy it? 

 G: HAHA! Yes, well amazingly Stephen Fry just tweeted the video yesterday. It had 7500 views overnight! But the song is essentially an argument. It's a desperate rant and lull between two lovers who are in the turmoil of a vicious break up...screaming and slamming doors and all that drama!  Trust is available for 'official' download on the 3.10.11 - But if you join our twitter/facebook/mailing list at www.bitterruin.com, we'll remind you about that! 

 Any tour dates coming up? 

G: LOADS...we're doing a huge UK tour with the likes of Amanda Palmer and Duke Special, we're bound to be somewhere near you soon, wherever you live. All of the dates are on the website too.  Any bands you would like to recommend to my readers?  If you haven't heard of her, Fiona Apple and also Jack Weissman, he's supporting us on tour! He rocks!  When can fans expect a new album?  CRIKEY! Yes, erm, we have all of the songs ready to go, it's just a case of finding time to record...I hope we'll record in December and maybe have something out by May 2012 - but don't hold me to that!