“Every scene needs work and needs to check itself. The punk scene needs more diversity.”
–Harriet Doveton (bassist of The Tuts)
The rock industry is a part of the music industry that is mostly dominated by white men in bands with little to no diversity. It is rare for people to even find a female lead singer or a female guitarist/bassist or drummer; so imagine actually finding a band that you like that are all-female, who believes in the same things as you do, as political as you are or a person who simply represents you as a person of colour in an industry dominated by white people.
Rock n’ roll’s history stems from the creation of rhythm and blues, with great influences from gospel, folk and jazz. The “classic rock” sound was first made popular by a black woman, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a self taught guitarist who is frequently known as “the Godmother of rock and roll” – some may even say that she started it, therefore influencing artists such as Elvis Presley who definitely didn’t invent rock n’ roll… So if people of colour created rock music, that then influenced punk music, why is there a lack of representation in today’s punk/rock industry?
Upon searching for new music randomly on Spotify, I stumbled upon three diverse female bands who create amazing music – all three are different from each other, even though all can be grouped under the one umbrella of rock, they all have different influences and definitely different vibes in their music. Check them out below:
- The Tuts
The Tuts hail from West London and consists of three members: Nadia Javed, who plays the guitar and sings; Harriet Doveton who plays the bass, and Beverly Ishmael, who plays the drums. They often describe themselves as “three-tone” due to the diversity that they promote in all of the members of the band; as a woman of colour hoping to succeed in the same industry as them, they makes me hopeful for the future of punk. They have been a band since 2011, with releasing their first self-titled EP in 2012, featuring the song “Tut Tut Tut” which is probably one of my favourite songs from their entire discography.
The band recently released their full-length album “Update Your Brain” in September, listen to it on Spotify here!
- Nova Twins
Bass-heavy, dominant punk and dynamic are the few main words I would use to describe this duo that hails from South London. Nova Twins are Amy Love (vocals/guitar) and Georgia South (background vocals/bass) and frequently describes their unique music as “urban punk”; with influences ranging from Grime artists such as Skepta and rock artists such as MC5. This duo has definitely created a genre of their own; listening to their music, it is hard to find a genre to describe it as – which is one of the best things about them as a band. Their “I don’t give a f***” stance on what people think of them is admirable; they stick to what they want to do and doesn’t let obstacles stop them from thriving.
Their self-titled EP was released in August, this year and is available on all streaming and music services at the moment – listen to it on Spotify here.
- Skinny Girl Diet
Once again hailing from London, Skinny Girl Diet consists of three members – Delilah Holliday (singer/guitarist), Ursula Holliday (drummer) and Amelia Cutler (bassist). One of my favourite descriptions about their band comes from a review on their new album “Heavyflow” by Ryan Lunn – he describes their music as “scrappy as hell yet surprisingly melodic” which is surprisingly true. This band is certainly one of the bands that also create their own genre that stems from the normal “punk” sound, they are unique and are definitely worth your time. The DIY aspect to their band also makes them so much more genuine; you know that their music comes directly from their passions and is able to portray their beliefs in an accurate way.
Skinny Girl Diet’s new album “Heavy Flow” is out now on all streaming services – listen to it here for free.
It should be reminded to every one that not every band full of girls is a “riot grrrl” band; girls can be hardcore, punk rock or just simply punk with their music too.
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