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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LISTEN: RUEN – ‘Bad Behaviour’

A brooding pop-rock gems,  Margate based producer-turned-artist Ruen has shared her debut single ‘Bad Behaviour’. The track is a slow-burning mix of sultry vocals and atmospheric guitars, which she penned after helping a friend out of a toxic relationship.

Ruen started her career behind the scenes helping other artists bring their visions to life. Working with the likes of Laura Marling, Bryde, Kimberly Anne, DIDI and Emma McGrath, she’s now decided to channel her production and engineering skills into her own music.

“The song was inspired by being close to someone in an abusive relationship,” explains Ruen about her new single. “Witnessing the negative cycle of going back again and again, after being repeatedly hurt. It’s as if they were becoming addicted to the abusers bad behaviour.”

Listen to ‘Bad Behaviour’ below and catch Ruen live at The Finsbury on July 3rd.

Follow Ruen on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: LIERS – ‘Universal Female’

A torrent of alternative sound designed to shake your ear drums and get your feet stomping, Dublin-based LIERS have shared their debut single ‘Universal Female’. Formed of vocalist Liz Seaver, Ed Scanlan (Lead guitarist), Stephen Farrell (Bassist) and Ronan O’Hanlon (Drummer), LIERS are inspired by the sound of 90’s bands like Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins and PJ Harvey.

The band will be celebrating the release of their debut single by joining Sub Motion to open for post-grunge rockers Fangclub at Whelan’s in Dublin on Thursday April 26th. With the support of Polite Society (Fangclub, Long Tail, Vulpynes) and an EP release lined up on Headwire Records later this year, 2018 is set to be a big year for LIERS.

Listen to ‘Universal Female’ below and follow LIERS on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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