LIVE: Petrol Girls – Shacklewell Arms, London 25.04.18

Loud, lethal and life-affirming, Petrol Girls‘ headline show at The Shacklewell Arms on Wednesday night was a  furious, raw, frenzy of noise. The band, who recently signed to Hassle Records, packed out the venue with the help of their friends Pretty Pistol and Screaming Toenail (aka our new favourite band.)

Adorned in a Dream Nails band tee, Petrol Girls’ front-woman Ren was energy incarnate, pushing girls in the crowd to the front with electrifying stage presence. Fans of Dream Nails’ may have noticed the familiar face of their vocalist Janey in the crowd too, stood at the front alongside several other fans, all of whom had their eyes fixed on the stage.

Together, Liepa, Joe, Zock & Ren tore through a set-list that included tracks ‘False Peace’, ‘Treading Water’, ‘Restless’ and ‘Phallocentric’ – all taken from their 2016 debut Talk Of Violence. The songs topics range from militant disregard for oppressive patriarchal values, to a refreshingly loud promotion of female sexual pleasure. On new single ‘Survivor’, the band continue to tackle the issue of sexual violence. Ren prefaced the track with words of solidarity to survivors of this abuse and urged them to remember that just because something bad has happened to you – you are not defined by your trauma.

Between songs, Ren also spoke of her activism – which includes an essay in a collection titled ‘Nasty Women’ – and told her crowd that it’s okay to say “NO” to fascists and oppressors, whether that’s in political or personal spheres. It seems there’s no differentiation between the two for Petrol Girls and closing song ‘Touch Me Again’ proved how vehemently they believe this. The track’s visceral live delivery made it impossible not to chant in unison with Ren as she repeatedly screamed the line “Touch me again, and I will fucking kill you!” She finished the gig on her knees, sweating, smiling and probably exhausted, but the crowd around her and her band mates lit up with rounds of congratulatory applause.

Petrol Girls are a talented band with an uncompromising ability to motivate, entertain and inspire listeners to speak out against all forms of injustice. Their furious blend of aggressive, cathartic, punk songs had more than the desired effect on their crowd at The Shacklewell Arms, and we can’t wait to catch them live again. See you at the front next time.

Follow Petrol Girls on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Nova Twins – ‘Hit Girl’

Nova Twins were already on our ‘Hitlist’ after we reviewed their knockout EP Mood Swings last year, but with the release of new single ‘Hit Girl’ they’ve rocketed right back to the top of it.

Accompanied by a sleek monochrome video, ‘Hit Girl’ seethes with Nova Twins’ trademark lethal attitude and deviously distorted bass lines. “I’m just a girl / I’m feeling hostile” snarls guitarist & vocalist Amy, a line that resonates as deeply as Georgia’s thundering bass lines. The pair want to show the world that women – particularly women of colour – are not going to be overlooked in music anymore.

When speaking to AFROPUNK, the girls explained: “We wanted to kill people’s perception of what a rock act – and women in music – should look like/sound like! Women of colour still get pigeon-holed into genre specifics, like R&B or Hip Hop, and although we are amazing at performing these genres, we also pioneered a lot of other things too.”

With their defiant new single and existing dedication to challenging industry norms, Nova Twins have us riled and ready for more ferocious new music in 2018. Watch the video for ‘Hit Girl’ below and get your tickets for their headline gig at The Victoria on 24th May here (tickets are also available on DICE)

Follow Nova Twins on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: by Sana Abstrakt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Amaroun – ‘Indecisive’

Following support for recent singles ‘Bed Bugs’ and ‘Made A Fire’ from the likes of Clash, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins, Jay Brown – aka Amaroun – returns to grace our ears with another simply beautiful offering.

Produced by Kristofer Harris (Ghostpoet/Belle & Sebastian/Bear’s Den), ‘Indecisive’ is about emerging from a period of deep denial. Flowing with Brown’s smooth, soulful vocals and catchy, twinkling hooks, it oozes a sweeping emotive power and a heartfelt lyrical richness. And, as her stirring vocals sing the perfectly relatable “I can agoraphobic, London can be overwhelming. Yes, I am addicted, I’ve learnt to live through all the noise”, it’s impossible not to be completely swept away by this dreamy, captivating sonic delight, marking Amaroun out as a truly unique artist.

Of the track, Amaroun explains:

“It’s set right around that point where you’re making peace with yourself and your decisions… This song is about the future, and that’s where I’m looking now. And I really can’t wait for everyone to hear the songs we’re writing and recording at the moment – summer’s coming and we’re getting our dancing shoes on!”

Catch Amaroun live on tour throughout May and June, including dates supporting Laura Viers. More info here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Introducing Interview: Aisha Badru

New York artist Aisha Badru has been charming our ears for the last few months with the sweeping emotion of her unique folk-tinged electronica. Previous single ‘Bridges’ blew us away with its heartbreaking beauty, whilst latest track ‘Fossil Fuels’ is another captivating offering.

With her debut album out this week, we caught up with Aisha to find out more…

Hi Aisha, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Yonkers, New York, but deep down I’m really just a poet masquerading as a musician.

How did you initially get into creating music?
I was in college and depressed because, like many of my peers, I wasn’t doing something that truly gave my life purpose and meaning. During my third year of school I decided to withdraw from my classes, buy a guitar, and teach myself how to play as a way to express what I had been keeping inside. I’ve been creating music ever since.

We’re loving your new single ‘Fossil Fuels’ – what’s the meaning behind the track?
‘Fossil Fuels’ is a personal recount of a one-sided relationship, but it’s also symbolic of how we treat the earth in a unsustainable way. If you observe closely, reciprocation is a natural law of the universe. When you don’t give back, whatever you are taking from eventually becomes depleted.

Who would you say are your main musical influences?
There is no one specific that I can say has influenced by style, but I have definitely been influenced the most by folk music, particularly folk music from the UK.

Your debut album Pendulum is out next week, which is super exciting! Can you tell us a bit about what went into making it? And are there any themes running throughout it?
I worked with a producer that I’ve never met in person. His name is Chris Hutchison and he lives in the UK. I would send him a very stripped demo of my song and he would send back a fully produced masterpiece. As for the lyrical content, Pendulum explores the swing between the light and dark aspects of life. This swing is an inevitable and under-appreciated part of existence. Eastern philosophical themes can be found in songs like ‘Splintered’ and ‘Dreamer’.

How do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment? Would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s an exciting time for new artists because the internet has become a platform where you can do everything yourself and you can target and engage your fans directly without a middleman. With that being said, there is also a dense saturation of music online, so you really have to try to set yourself apart in order to be noticed. It can be difficult, but I believe there is a market for everyone, you just have to be persistent and creative enough to find ways to tap into it.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming artists at the moment that you’d recommend we check out?
Check out ‘Legends‘ by Lannds. You won’t be disappointed.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for you?
I’m looking forward to traveling more. I want to create short documentary films to remind people that we’re all connected, even though it’s easy to disconnect from the issues that exist all over the world. In addition to that, I’m writing again and working on a new EP!!

Huge thanks to Aisha for answering our questions! 

Pendulum, the debut album from Aisha Badru, is out 27th April.

 

Photo Credit: Neda Bridgeman

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