WATCH: The Baby Seals – ‘Yawn Porn’

Following the release of their debut album, Chaos, earlier this year, and ahead of their headline gig with us at The Cavendish Arms on 12th September, Cambridgeshire feminist punks The Baby Seals have shared a homemade video for album track ‘Yawn Porn‘. Showcasing the band’s ability to bring a cathartic sense of fun to poignant subject matter, the track races with a driving energy and gritty raw emotion, offering a fierce take down of the continuing sexism and derogatory imagery that consumes the world’s porn industry. Of the track, front woman Kerry explains:

“Porn has been something I’ve been concerned about for a few years now, especially as I have friends with young children who could have access to it soon. And it always seems to end in the same way, with the same theme of women being minimalised, and always in a submissive role. ‘Yawn Porn’ is about the fact that I’d like the industry to shake it up a bit, and to celebrate women enjoying sex. I think we are failing our young people by allowing the industry to continue in a way that is derogatory towards women, and feel that we should be guiding young people to have healthy sexual relationships.”

The video for ‘Yawn Porn’ was filmed by the band in Brighton, and features some punk friends that they made on the beach that day, dancing and singing along to the track. Kerry adds, “I like that all our videos are very DIY, because I want people who might not necessarily be confident enough to pick up a guitar or be in a band to watch them and to know that anyone can do it as long as you’re having a good time!”

Watch the brand new video for ‘Yawn Porn’ here:


Don’t miss the chance to catch The Baby Seals live at The Cavendish Arms, next Thursday 12th September. Support comes from indie legend Charley Stone and exciting new band Skutterfly. Tickets are cheaper in advance, and it really helps us and the bands if you’re able to nab yours sooner rather than later – so, pick one up on Dice now!

Chaos, the debut album from The Baby Seals, is out now via Trapped Animal / Green Island / Big Romantic.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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WATCH: pink suits – ‘Are You Gay Yet?’

One of the first songs written, but the final single to be released from pink suits’ recent album Dystopian Hellscape, ‘Are You Gay Yet?’ has now been blessed with an accompanying music video, complete with all the riotous style that makes up the band’s signature impact on the punk scene.

The video is set in the kind of classic British pub that will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever stopped for a pint in a small town. Union flag bunting is strung up above the bar and a painting of the queen watches over the punters. Other than rather muted blues and greys, the only pop of colour is the golden yellow of very manly beer as the old mate from school chuckles, “Are you gay yet?”

As the music ramps up and the band delivers their response, the video switches gear. With the rallying cry “Am I gay yet? Fuck yes”, the band infuse the drab, simple setting with vibrant energy and colour. They swap out a grey hoodie for a pink mesh tank top and fringed leather waistcoats and leap up onto the karaoke stage. As the song goes on, the crowd joins in, replacing jeans and jumpsuits with bold silk scarves, bright pink cowboy hats and an eclectic assortment of fetish-wear. The camera lingers on different looks, highlighting all the styles and identities that fall under the queer umbrella; making a question as simple as “Are you gay yet?” horribly insufficient in its goal of pinning a label on any individual.

Throughout, neither the setting nor the people change. But the way the band bursts unapologetically into the scene opens a door for everyone there to embrace their own uniqueness and individuality. It hammers home the unavoidable truth that queer people aren’t separate from society, but a fundamental part of it. Whether you see that at a glance or not, the only difference is how much they hide it from you when they’re not sure if you’re safe to come out to. By standing up and being themselves, pink suits take a bland heteronormative room, where it passes as a hilarious joke to suggest someone might be gay, and turn it into the party of the century.

As the video continues, the line “What will the neighbours say?” is delivered from behind a pink latex fetish mask complete with blond braids and a spiked collar. The answer is right there in the room: the neighbours are as wild as anyone else and have been waiting for exactly this permission to show off their authentic selves.

Of the inspiration behind the video, the band explain:

The video was inspired by a real conversation Lennie had in a pub in Manchester with someone they went to school with, as well as an awkward experience doing Karaoke in a bar in a small town in Colorado. The guy hosting the karaoke night had a toy guitar and would play all of the guitar solos, so Lennie did a song and on the solo got on their knees to play the guitar with their mouth and it made the guy absolutely freak out and lose his shit at having a bloke drop to his knees in from of him. It was a very uncomfortable end to the song!”

Watch the joyously empowering new video for ‘Are You Gay Yet?’ now:

Kirstie Summers
@actuallykurt

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LISTEN: LIINES – ‘Holding On’

The first new single from Manchester’s LIINES since 2021, ‘Holding On‘ blends the post-punk grit that they are known for with a raw emotional depth that draws you into the vulnerability of the track. A song about hope and desperation, the ache in the delivery makes it impossible to ignore how those two sensations can often be two sides of the same coin.

The song broadly centres on a connection that has shifted into dissatisfaction; not going into specifics, the lyrics focus on feelings of anguish. The verses are simple and direct, narrowing in on the physical sensations that go hand-in-hand with the emotions at the core of the song, leaving them at the forefront of your mind as it leaps back into the powerful choruses. Zoe McVeigh’s vocals ache with the emotion of the song, as the repeated lines “… and I’ll wait for you” are delivered with a tone that shifts as the feelings behind them shift with the passage of time. It starts out confident that the wait won’t be too long or arduous, then becomes increasingly forlorn as that confidence wavers, until it is finally belted out in a desperate plea for that confidence to return; clinging to the last of the hope as desperation takes over.

Throbbing bass and drums create the foundation for the track. Combined, they create a heartbeat that begins with a consistent but fairly gentle rhythm, then ramps up to with a fierce energy as the song reaches its most intense moments. Wailing guitars match the intensity in the vocals perfectly, until at last the instruments fade away allowing the vocal cry to ring profoundly out into the silence.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more from LIINES throughout 2024!

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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LISTEN: pink suits – ‘Be Good To Yourself’

A distinctly pink suits take on the self care anthem, ‘Be Good To Yourself‘ combines the fierce drums, screaming guitars and passionate vocals the band are known for with an unmissable wholesome message. It’s easy to ignore empty platitudes telling you to live, laugh, love, but pink suits take a more insightful and defiant approach to self-care.

The track acknowledges how hard an instruction as simple as “be good to yourself” can be in a world where everyone is struggling for one reason or another with support increasingly difficult to access in the rare places it is available. A world where people feel more isolated than ever, despite the tools we have for connection, because of the dog-eat-dog nature of contemporary society; where you are made to feel guilty for not being on the grind every waking moment of your day; where the controlling elite profit when you feel bad about taking the time out to practice even the slightest moment of genuine self care (assuming, that is, you ever manage to practice genuine self-care, and not the self-care defined by capitalists involving spending money you don’t have on things that only really offer short time comforts). 

pink suits point directly at the cause of the problems likely to be weighing on you and make it impossible to argue with them when they tell you to find a way to be kind to yourself anyway. Every reference to the issues making self-care a struggle comes as a comfort. ‘Be Good To Yourself’ is a track designed to make you feel seen; the rage integral to pink suits’ energy echoes the frustration of self-care feeling so elusive. That energy makes you want to be good to yourself in spite of all the elements of the world around you seemingly designed to make you feel awful.

In a world that is cruel, and makes a particular target out of people who are already marginalised, this song redefines self-care as an act of rebellion and defiance. It hammers home how truly vital it is to ensure that, when there is no guarantee of compassion or kindness from anywhere else, you, at the very least, will be good to yourself.

‘Be Good To Yourself’ is taken from pink suits’ immense new album Dystopian Hellscape. Listen / buy on bandcamp now!

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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