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Upon being questioned about the most punk thing she's ever pulled off, Cathy Loughead responds instantly: “I played a show with my neck injured in two locations. I couldn't jump around, so I decorated the brace instead. That show was incredible.”

Cathy is a member of a expanding wave of women reinventing punk culture. While a new television drama spotlighting female punk broadcasts this Sunday, it echoes a phenomenon already flourishing well outside the television.

Igniting the Flame in Leicester

This energy is felt most strongly in Leicester, where a 2022 project – currently known as the Riotous Collective – set things off. Cathy participated from the start.

“In the early days, there existed zero all-women garage punk bands locally. By the following year, there seven emerged. Today there are twenty – and counting,” she stated. “There are Riotous groups across the UK and globally, from Finland to Australia, laying down tracks, playing shows, featured in festival lineups.”

This explosion extends beyond Leicester. Throughout Britain, women are repossessing punk – and altering the scene of live music along the way.

Revitalizing Music Venues

“There are music venues around the United Kingdom flourishing due to women punk bands,” noted Cathy. “The same goes for practice spaces, music education and guidance, production spaces. That's because women are in all these roles now.”

They're also changing the crowd demographics. “Bands led by women are playing every week. They attract wider audience variety – attendees who consider these spaces as secure, as belonging to them,” she continued.

A Rebellion-Driven Phenomenon

Carol Reid, programme director at Youth Music, stated the growth was expected. “Women have been sold a vision of parity. However, violence against women is at alarming rates, radical factions are manipulating women to peddle hate, and we're gaslit over issues like the menopause. Females are pushing back – by means of songs.”

Another industry voice, from the Music Venue Trust, observes the trend transforming local music scenes. “We are observing more diverse punk scenes and they're feeding into regional music systems, with local spots booking more inclusive bills and building safer, more welcoming spaces.”

Mainstream Breakthroughs

In the coming weeks, Leicester will host the first Riot Fest, a three-day event showcasing 25 female-only groups from the UK and Europe. In September, an inclusive event in London honored ethnic minority punk musicians.

And the scene is edging into the mainstream. A leading pair are on their debut nationwide tour. A fresh act's first record, their album title, hit No. 16 in the UK charts lately.

A Welsh band were shortlisted for the an upcoming music award. A Northern Irish group secured a regional music award in recently. A band from Hull Wench played the BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival.

This is a wave originating from defiance. Within a sector still dogged by gender discrimination – where all-women acts remain lacking presence and live venues are closing at crisis levels – women-led punk groups are establishing something bold: a platform.

Timeless Punk

Now 79 years old, Viv Peto is testament that punk has no expiration date. The Oxford-based washboard player in a punk group began performing only recently.

“Now I'm old, restrictions have vanished and I can follow my passions,” she declared. One of her recent songs features the refrain: “So yell, ‘Fuck it’/ It's my time!/ I own the stage!/ I'm 79 / And in my fucking prime.”

“I love this surge of elder punk ladies,” she commented. “I couldn't resist during my early years, so I'm doing it now. It's great.”

Another musician from her group also mentioned she was prevented to rebel as a teenager. “It's been important to be able to let it all out at this late stage.”

Chrissie Riedhofer, who has toured globally with various bands, also sees it as catharsis. “It's a way to vent irritation: feeling unseen as a mother, as an older woman.”

The Power of Release

Comparable emotions motivated Dina Gajjar to form Burnt Sugar. “Standing on stage is a release you never realized you required. Females are instructed to be obedient. Punk rejects that. It's noisy, it's imperfect. As a result, when bad things happen, I think: ‘I'll write a song about that!’”

Yet, Abi Masih, drummer for the Flea Bagz, stated the female punk is any woman: “We are simply regular, working, amazing ladies who like challenging norms,” she explained.

Another voice, of the act the band, concurred. “Females were the first rebels. We had to smash things up to be heard. This persists today! That fierceness is in us – it appears primal, instinctive. We are incredible!” she exclaimed.

Defying Stereotypes

Some acts match the typical image. Band members, involved in a band, try to keep things unexpected.

“We don't shout about certain subjects or curse frequently,” said Ames. O'Malley cut in: “However, we feature a bit of a 'raah' moment in each track.” Ames laughed: “That's true. Yet, we aim for diversity. Our most recent song was on the topic of underwear irritation.”