Women On Vox is our series highlighting talented ladies in music by tipping over 100 brilliant bands where women take centre stage.
Today’s installment shifts our focus onto some of the fieriest women we know, with 25 bands from genres including punk, grunge, riot grrl and alternative rock.
Some of our Part 3 picks use their platform to highlight important issues or execute a political statement, while others – including a couple of fluffier selections at the end – simply record infectious, riff-heavy music.
We’ve again included profiles for all of our choices by FEISTY editor and Women On Vox curator Katy, vital statistics on every band, and discographies listing all of the releases you’d need to collect their essential output.
For more details on the selection process behind Women On Vox and what to expect in the final two chapters, plus our opening picks, see Monday’s Part 1. Part 2, featuring a sugarier alt-pop selection, was published on Tuesday.
Read on for the full third installment, or alternatively skip straight to the sounds with our full Spotify playlist:
Deap Vally
In a sentence: Garage rock from two of the leading women in music, featuring bruising guitar tones, invading blues influences and rousing, turbulent vocals from Lindsey Troy.
We’ve picked: Smile More, the second single and bonafide anthem of sophomore album Femejism is the perfect way to open our list.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Vocalist: Lindsey Troy
Spotify followers: 44,787
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Femejism (2016), Sistronix (2013); Singles – End Of The World / Hobo Playa (2012)
Estrons
In a sentence: Robust, sharply-cut alternative rock from a Welsh band that dislike being labelled as punk while nonetheless capturing much of its energy and spirit.
We’ve picked: Glasgow Kisses from last year’s Cold Wash AA-side. Early single Make a Man is also excellent.
Hometown: Cardiff, UK
Vocalist: Taliesyn Källstrom
Spotify followers: 7,943
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – She’s Here Now (2016), Whoever She Was… (2015); Singles – Cold Wash (2017), Strobe Lights (2017), Drop (2016), Make A Man (2015), C-C-Cariad (2014)
Hey Charlie
In a sentence: Rarely seen outside of their matching outfits, Hey Charlie play infectious grunge-pop with sugary dual harmonies and potent guitar lines.
We’ve picked: Love Machine, their first contribution to 2018. It isn’t a Girls Aloud cover, by the way.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalists: Lizz Steichen, Sophie Scott
Spotify followers: 1,687
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Young & Lonesome (2017); Singles – Love Machine (2018), Hey (2017)
False Advertising
In a sentence: Instrument swapping grunge scene favourites that get better with every release, organisers of next month’s Falsetival event in Manchester, and a solid live band to boot.
We’ve picked: Not My Fault, from their I Would Be So Much Happier If I Just Stopped Caring EP.
Hometown: Manchester, UK
Vocalists: Jen Hingley, Chris Warr
Spotify followers: 803
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – False Advertising (2015); EPs – I Would Be So Much Happier If I Just Stopped Caring (2017), Brainless (2016); Singles – Give It Your Worst / Scars (2016)
BERRIES
In a sentence: London prospects flaunting a stainless take on alternative rock that’s less raspy than others in favour of a more tuneful, yet equally riff-ready, approach.
We’ve picked: Wild Vow, a standalone single put out last year. Their most recent single, Faults, appeared in February.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Holly Carter
Spotify followers: 242
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Those Funny Things (2016); Singles – Faults (2018), Wild Vow (2017)
Babe Punch
In a sentence: A riotous East Midlands upstart producing both fractious garage pop and, more recently, in-your-face punk.
We’ve picked: 2017’s Control. For a different angle, check out early track Snake Tongue, currently only available on SoundCloud.
Hometown: Nottingham, UK
Vocalist: Molly Godber
Spotify followers: 231
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Control (2016); Singles – Stanford (2017), Control (2017), Fixation (2015), Snake Tongue (2015)
Shit Girlfriend
In a sentence: A brash punk collaboration between Blood Red Shoes’ Laura Mary Carter and Miss World’s Natalie Chahal.
We’ve picked: Mummy’s Boy, the first of two singles, both released last year. Sadly, we understand that the project has already reached its conclusion for the moment.
Hometown: London, UK + Los Angeles, CA, USA
Vocalist: Natalie Chahal, Laura Mary Carter
Spotify followers: 413
Links: Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Singles – I Don’t Wanna Die (2017), Mummy’s Boy (2017)
Petrol Girls
In a sentence: Punk scene titans using their considerable platform to speak about issues including consent, sexual violence and harassment in the music community.
We’ve picked: Barbed single Touch Me Again, from 2016’s Talk Of Violence album.
Hometown: Bristol, UK
Vocalist: Ren Aldridge
Spotify followers: 1,672
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Talk Of Violence (2016); EPs – Some Thing (2016), Petrol Girls (2014)
Skinny Girl Diet
In a sentence: A modern day riot grrl triumph from sisters Delilah and Ursula Holliday, featuring DIY-styled production and a biting expression of feminist social commentary.
We’ve picked: Yeti, the opening track proper from their Heavy Flow debut album.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Delilah Holliday
Spotify followers: 5,581
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Heavy Flow (2016); EPs – Reclaim Your Life (2015), Skinny Girl Diet (2013), Girl Gang State Of Mind (2013); Singles – Skinny Girl Diet (2013)
Dream Nails
In a sentence: Formed by young feminist activists, Dream Nails are four arresting, self-proclaimed punk witches creating spiky music that’ll stick around in your head.
We’ve picked: Tourist from last year’s Dare To Care EP, although they’re best known for their anti-Trump statement Deep Heat.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Janey Starling
Spotify followers: 711
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Dare To Care (2017); Singles – Double A Side (2018), Bully Girl (2016), DIY (2016), Deep Heat (2016)
Dronningen
In a sentence: Taking their name from the Norwegian for “The Queen”, Dronningen bill themselves as electro-rock, binding brisk riffs and danceable beats with Beatrice Bonnano’s thistly vocal snarl.
We’ve picked: Sugarbox, taken from the EP of the same name.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Beatrice Bonnano
Spotify followers: 49
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Sugarbox (2017), Royal Riot (2016), Carry On Dancing (2014)
Dilly Dally
In a sentence: Phenomenal alternative rock from a Canadian four-piece with a uniquely gloomy sound thanks to Katie Monks’ gravelly vocals.
We’ve picked: Purple Rage from Sore, released back in 2015. The band are finally in the studio, so we’re hopeful of new material this year.
Hometown: Toronto, CA
Vocalist: Katie Monks
Spotify followers: 10,965
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Sore (2015), EPs – fkkt (2016); Singles – Know Yourself (2016), Gender Role (2015), Candy Mountain / Green (2014), Alexander (2013)
Kamikaze Girls
In a sentence: Acutely lo-fi duo from Leeds that produce noisy pop, hefty rock laments and, most notably, frantic punk rock.
We’ve picked: Berlin, the hectic lead single from debut album Seafoam. If you’d like to check out their fuzzy pop side, try Lights and Sounds.
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Vocalist: Lucinda Livingstone
Spotify followers: 919
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Seafoam (2017); EPs – Sad (2016), Kamikaze Girls (a.k.a. The Girl Gang Sessions) (2014); Singles – Tonic Youth (2015)
Destroy Boys
In a sentence: The unmistakable sound of U.S. West Coast punk from a breezy twosome that count Green Day among their famous fans.
We’ve picked: Gold Medal, from last year’s AA-side single on Uncool Records.
Hometown: Sacramento, CA, USA
Vocalist: Alexia Roditis
Spotify followers: 917
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Sorry, Mom (2016); EPs – Grimester (2016); Singles – I Think I Should Makeout With Other People (2018), Methatonin / Gold Medal (2017)
Bitch Falcon
In a sentence: Heated alternative rock from Dublin, typified by grungy riffs and at their best when Lizzie Fitzpatrick turns up the vocal intensity.
We’ve picked: Syncope, released as a single last April. We’re also pretty partial to Clutch and their stark early effort TMJ.
Hometown: Dublin, IE
Vocalist: Lizzie Fitzpatrick
Spotify followers: 1,729
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Singles – Of Heart (2017), Wolfstooth Reloaded (2017), Syncope (2017), Clutch (2017), TMJ (2015), Breed (2015), Wolfstooth (2015)
The Franklys
In a sentence: Consciously capturing the graininess of their live sound in their studio work, The Franklys are unvarnished alternative rock with a spry hint of garage-punk.
We’ve picked: Castaway, the opening track from their Are You Listening? debut album.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Jennifer Ahlkvist
Spotify followers: 350
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – The Franklys (2017); EPs – The Franklys (2013); Singles – What You Said (2014)
Goat Girl
In a sentence: Overcast, politically-fuelled indie rock with shades of alt-country from one of the leading lights of a riotous London scene that stirs as vociferously as ever.
We’ve picked: Latest single The Man, released at the beginning of February. Their 19-track debut album is released in April.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Clottie Cream
Spotify followers: 6,911
Links: Facebook • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Singles – The Man (2018), Scream (2017), Cracker Drool (2017), Crow Cries / Mighty Despair (2017), Scum (2016), Country Sleaze (2016)
Angelic Milk
In a sentence: Charming noise pop from the unlikely climes of Russia, via the awesome PNKSLM label, from a band first formed as a bedroom pop project by Sarah Persephona aged 15.
We’ve picked: Tie Me Up from Teenage Movie Soundtrack is our favourite, but Ripped Jeans from the same EP is the best fit for our playlist.
Hometown: St. Petersburg, RU
Vocalist: Sarah Persephona
Spotify followers: 1,427
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – Demos To Rowland S. Howard (2016), Teenage Movie Soundtrack (2016), PALE (2015), Sacred Holidays (2013); Singles – IDK How (2015), Saint-Brooklynsburg Mixtape (2014)
ShitKid
In a sentence: Unconformist, occasionally discordant, sometimes plain daft Swedish solitary producing uncluttered music that she personally describes as “anti-pop”.
We’ve picked: Sugar Town, featured on both EP 2 and debut album Fish. Tropics and Oh Me I’m Never are two other favourites from her relatively prolific body of output.
Hometown: Gothenburg, SE
Vocalist: Åsa Söderqvist
Spotify followers: 4,414
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Fish (2017); EPs – This Is It (2018), EP 2 (2017), ShitKid (2016)
TEAR
In a sentence: Jagged garage rock with a tinge of punk thrown in, recorded with straggly DIY vigour for influential Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess’ independent label.
We’ve picked: Careless Again, the single we described as a “surefire epic” last year.
Hometown: London, UK
Vocalist: Camille Benett
Spotify followers: 145
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Spotify
Selected discography: EPs – VINYL01 (2017), TEAR (2015); Singles – Never Fade Away (2017)
Bethlehem Steel
In a sentence: Grubby rock fuzz, dominated by dirty guitar lines and long instrumental breaks just as much as it is by Rebecca Ryskalczyk’s untamed, revealing vocals.
We’ve picked: Finger It Out, the wonderfully bedraggled single from their Party Naked Forever album.
Hometown: New York City, NY, USA
Vocalist: Rebecca Ryskalczyk
Spotify followers: 788
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Party Naked Forever (2017); EPs – Docking (2015), Grow Up (2014)
Sœur
In a sentence: A proper British rock band, packing in meaty riffs and dual, interweaved vocals from frontwomen Anya Pulver and Tina Maynard.
We’ve picked: No Fire, a weighty single from the back end of last year.
Hometown: Bristol, UK
Vocalists: Anya Pulver, Tina Maynard
Spotify followers: 547
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Singles – No Fire (2017), Left Living (2017), Pass Out (2015); EPs – What Separates Us (2017)
VUKOVI
In a sentence: Scotland’s snappy answer to the pop-punk of America’s Warped Tour.
We’ve picked: Target Practice, first released in 2012 and later remixed for last year’s self-titled debut album.
Hometown: Kilwinning, UK and Troon, UK
Vocalist: Janine Shilstone
Spotify followers: 7,674
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – VUKOVI (2017); EPs – Sweet Swears (2012), …But I Won’t Wear You Again (2012), It Looked So Good On Me… (2011); Singles – Boy George (original, 2016), Animal (original, 2016), Bouncy Castle (original, 2015), So Long Gone (2014)
Sløtface
In a sentence: Empowering pop-punk from the Nordics, taking aim at the patriachy in the catchiest of ways.
We’ve picked: Nancy Drew, the punchiest single from last September’s debut album Try Not To Freak Out.
Hometown: Bergen, NO
Vocalist: Haley Shea
Spotify followers: 11,767
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Try Not To Freak Out (2017); EPs – Empire Records (2016), Sponge State (2016); Singles – Shave My Head (2015), Angst (2014)
Have You Ever Heard The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS?
In a sentence: Bizarro synth-driven punk from Finland that sounds just as nutty as their name suggests.
We’ve picked: Bambi Act, featured on their new album Jazzbelle 1984 / 1988.
Hometown: Kouvola, FI
Vocalist: Susanna Stemma-Sihvola
Spotify followers: 1,373
Links: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Selected discography: Albums – Jazzbelle 1984 / 1988 (2018), Teenage Sweetheart (2015); EPs – American Heartbreaker High School Girls (2014); Singles – Taxidermia / Moron (2016), Grey Panthers / Junkyard (2014)
Part 4 of FEISTY’s Women On Vox will be published on Thursday 15 March 2018. Like what you’ve heard? Let us know, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
