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When asked about the most punk thing she's ever pulled off, Cathy Loughead responds instantly: “I performed with my neck broken in two places. I couldn't jump around, so I decorated the brace instead. It was a fantastic gig.”

Cathy is a member of a rising wave of women reinventing punk culture. Although a recent television drama spotlighting female punk airs this Sunday, it echoes a movement already flourishing well outside the television.

The Leicester Catalyst

This energy is most intense in Leicester, where a 2022 project – currently known as the Riotous Collective – lit the fuse. She joined in from the outset.

“When we started, there existed zero all-women garage punk bands in the area. In just twelve months, there we had seven. Currently, twenty exist – and increasing,” she remarked. “There are Riotous groups throughout Britain and internationally, from Finland to Australia, laying down tracks, performing live, featured in festival lineups.”

This surge extends beyond Leicester. Across the UK, women are taking back punk – and altering the scene of live music simultaneously.

Rejuvenating Performance Spaces

“Various performance spaces around the United Kingdom doing well thanks to women punk bands,” noted Cathy. “Rehearsal rooms are also benefiting, music teaching and coaching, recording facilities. That's because women are filling these jobs now.”

Additionally, they are altering the audience composition. “Bands led by women are performing weekly. They draw more diverse audiences – ones that see these spaces as secure, as belonging to them,” she continued.

An Uprising-Inspired Wave

A program director, involved in music education, said the rise is no surprise. “Females have been promised a ideal of fairness. However, violence against women is at alarming rates, the far right are manipulating women to spread intolerance, and we're gaslit over subjects including hormonal changes. Women are fighting back – by means of songs.”

A music venue advocate, from the Music Venue Trust, notes the phenomenon altering regional performance cultures. “We're seeing more diverse punk scenes and they're feeding into community music networks, with independent spaces booking more inclusive bills and creating more secure, more inviting environments.”

Mainstream Breakthroughs

Later this month, Leicester will stage the first Riot Fest, a multi-day celebration including 25 female-only groups from the UK and Europe. In September, Decolonise Fest in London honored BIPOC punk artists.

The phenomenon is edging into the mainstream. The Nova Twins are on their maiden headline tour. The Lambrini Girls's debut album, their record name, hit No. 16 in the UK charts this year.

One group were nominated for the an upcoming music award. A Northern Irish group won the Northern Ireland Music Prize in 2024. Hull-based newcomers Wench played the BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival.

This represents a trend rooted in resistance. In an industry still affected by misogyny – where all-women acts remain underrepresented and live venues are facing widespread closures – female punk bands are creating something radical: opportunity.

Timeless Punk

At 79, Viv Peto is evidence that punk has no seniority barrier. From Oxford musician in horMones punk band picked up her instrument only twelve months back.

“Now I'm old, all constraints are gone and I can do what I like,” she stated. Her latest composition features the refrain: “So shout out, ‘Who cares’/ Now is my chance!/ I own the stage!/ At seventy-nine / And in my fucking prime.”

“I appreciate this influx of senior women punks,” she remarked. “I wasn't allowed to protest during my early years, so I'm rebelling currently. It's fantastic.”

Another musician from the Marlinas also noted she couldn't to rebel as a teenager. “It's been important to release these feelings at this point in life.”

A performer, who has performed worldwide with multiple groups, also considers it a release. “It's a way to vent irritation: being invisible as a mother, at an advanced age.”

The Liberation of Performance

Similar feelings motivated Dina Gajjar to establish a group. “Being on stage is a release you never realized you required. Girls are taught to be acquiescent. Punk rejects that. It's raucous, it's raw. As a result, when negative events occur, I consider: ‘I'll write a song about that!’”

However, Abi Masih, a percussionist, stated the female punk is all women: “We are simply regular, professional, talented females who enjoy subverting stereotypes,” she explained.

Maura Bite, of the act She-Bite, concurred. “Ladies pioneered punk. We had to smash things up to gain attention. We still do! That fierceness is part of us – it appears primal, elemental. We are incredible!” she stated.

Challenging Expectations

Some acts fits the stereotype. Band members, involved in a band, try to keep things unexpected.

“We don't shout about certain subjects or swear much,” said Ames. Her partner added: “Actually, we include a bit of a 'raah' moment in each track.” Julie chuckled: “Correct. Yet, we aim for diversity. Our most recent song was regarding bra discomfort.”