TW: flash/strobe lights in the video, mentions of sexual assault in the article.
Kathleen Hanna once told Problem Patterns that if there was no backlash, then the band was not doing their job properly. So, before we continue with the review itself, let me put this additional trigger warning for all the gatekeepers that think women in the music industry must look like a certain industry plant: mute, with no opinions and singing about buttering your muffins. Gay, queer and nonbinary folks should not exist in this scenario, or at least know their place and be invisible. Dear gatekeepers, you are free to foam at the mouth because this article mentions talented musicians who write their own songs, feminism and political stances. You could, of course, see those things as indicators that an artist is worth listening to, supporting and championing. And this is exactly why we are putting a spotlight on Belfast based four-piece Problem Patterns.
Single cover
Beverley Boal, Bethany Crooks, Ciara King, and Alanah Smith represent everything that I love in up-and-coming music: they are fearless, spontaneous, resourceful and outspoken. They are all multi-instrumentalists, composers and lyricists – all at once. The band doesn’t have assigned roles, there is not even a leader. Instead, they change instruments and places in the group to ensure every one of them has a voice.
Problem Pattern is more than just a group. I would see them as a collective – with a very strong artistic and political vision. They design their own covers, direct their own videos, produce their own merch. They are fiercely fighting for inclusion and diversity on the circuit. It puts them in a league of other rising acts that support for the same goals: Tokky Horror, Delilah Bon, Glytsh, Alt Blk Era, Izzy T, Venus Girls or Manchester based The Red Stains and I am mentioning just a few. Alumni of the same `wave of change` Nova Twins, Cassyette and Bob Vylan are being recognized internationally at the moment, so there is a demand for reinvention on the circuit, no matter what you may have heard from creepy bros attending concerts at your local grass root venue. And before you will sneer at me for `inventing drama`. This is a statement that Tokky Horror had to make just a few days ago after a continuous harassment of their singer Ava Akira from men in their 60s who come to the shows to film and photograph bodies of performers on stage for objectification. Any female/nonbinary artist will tell you hair raising stories – the number of incidents is unbelievable and rising. The same people who will bring gear worth of a Reuters stringer to the show, will also shout at you for any signs of supporting LGBTQ+, climate crisis, animal rights or `being foreign`. I took a beating at two separate gigs for being Polish/gay/leftist in the age of Brexit. I know people who have been forced from gigs over anti racism t-shirts or just for belonging to minority groups. I have seen gangs of grown-up men silencing kids at local shows. You may have heard that a certain band with a major following considered introducing women only sectors at the gigs because sexual assaults were so common at their gigs. The more acts we have that demand and inspire change, the bigger backlash comes from a portion of the audience that deems live gigs/music industry as `their turf`.
Remember being inclusive is a political statement, being a woman/queer/nonbinary is also political, we will get back to this in a bit.
Problem Patterns – music collective with a strong moral compass
Returning to Problem Patterns. Coming from Belfast in Northern Ireland is also significant. Ireland (on both sides of the border) saw the emergence of incredible acts in recent years that tackle head on social, religious and political issues. Vulpynes, Meryl Streek, Strange New Places serve as examples of this scene and Problem Patterns are in great company here. Reviewing of such artists is very demanding because your piece must explain a lot of background information but it is also incredibly rewarding. If you want to read our review of Meryl Streak debut album you will see why I say I could finally put my MA in The Troubles/Irish Modern History to a good use. I will have to do a bit of the same in this review. On the other hand if you wanna read more about Alternative Ulster punk scene in the 70s and 80s, here`s a great article on the topic from Irish Times.
You cannot appreciate Problem Patterns before you truly understand the reasons why this band started out. So many groups cite childhood friendships, mutual interests in art or simply fame and money as the reasons for playing music. This is what Problem Patterns bio says: “they originated in 2018, formed by the group’s collective fury over a high-profile rape trial. Their debut single ‘Allegedly’ was swiftly written, recorded, and released at the end of the same year in response”.
The case that shook Ireland in 2018 included four rugby players: Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison who stood accused of raping and intimidating a young woman at a house party. All four men were found not guilty despite overwhelming evidence (including pages of misogynist and violent texts and app messages) and at least 4 witnesses. If you have nerves of steel you can read this article from The Guardian. In short, court proceedings lasted 9 weeks, for 8 of them the victim has been on trial, cross examined by four all male lawyers’ teams (some accused had up to five barristers representing them), her bloodied underwear was passed as evidence. Her details, including name and address were published online (for which a man has been fined £300). It took the male dominated jury just under four hours to pass a not guilty verdict. Five years on Paddy Jackson is still a professional player with a great career and leading a rugby team. His victim most likely had to leave the country. For those who say this was a one off and women are not having so bad. Degrading women is sadly systematic. Just eight people have been found guilty of rape in Northern Ireland in 2020/21. It may be a part of the UK but women of the region have less rights than women in Wales or England. Abortion Act of 1969 was not extended to NI, so up to three years ago, women could be sentenced to prison based on Victorian era laws (here`s a long read from Amnesty International). Like in the Republic of Ireland, women in NI were subjected to being locked in Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries. The Paddy Jackson verdict did not occur out of thin air.
It`s hard not to feel rage writing those words. Now hands up – how many bands do you know that formed in protest of such a colossal injustice? If you need one reason to cherish Problem Patterns forever, let it be this. They took the anger and turned it into a powerful statement, into a creative, positive force that cannot be silenced. It is a gargantuan strength to call out decades of systematic oppression in your own home, despite ridicule, backlash and possibility of having your career harmed. In 2022 Problem Patterns returned to the issue of how women are treated in society by releasing the single “YAW” (Yes All Women) in response to the killings of Sarah Everard and Ashling Murphy.
The killing of Sarah Everard brought back memories of murder of Mia Zapata in Seattle in 1993. That case sparked a big response from the music community: Pearl Jam helped to raise over $70 000 for private investigators, a self defence program Home Alive was founded, it was referenced on two excellent albums: “Evil Stig” (that included Joan Jett) and ¡Viva_Zapata! from 7 Year Bitch. Most of those efforts came from female and LGBTQ+ folks but the most publicity and recognition was given to males involved. Similarly in the UK. Sarah Everard was referenced not only by Problem Patterns but also on Deux Furieuses excellent song “She`s Not Coming Home”. If you check the videos on YouTube they barely get two thousands views each. The songs received limited radio play. Compare that to Porij`s “Nobody Scared” single statistics that was issued at the same time and apparently penned in response to the documentary about Yorkshire Ripper. 150K video views and the song placed on playlists at leading radio stations. I already mentioned how tone deaf that whole thing was – four boys walking around their hometown in broad daylight and playing together while proclaiming that nobody feared returning home at night. Show me a woman or non-binary person with this level of confidence at 5PM in winter. Maybe one day at some music conference there will be a panel to ponder as to why violence against women seems to be profitable for men in the music industry, but female artists protesting it often find themselves considerably worse off.
Problem Pattern`s new single “Who Do We Not Save?” is another song in the band`s repertoire that deals with an overwhelming social issue. It is happening in the open and everybody talks about it but somehow nothing is being done. We all know about thinly veiled privatisation of the NHS and health care services in the country. I will spare you with quoting numbers and links here – it`s so painfully obvious to anyone who had to go to see a GP. Even hard-core Tory voters are aware by now. Constant cuts, stagnant wages, old equipment at the hospitals, work loads that are not humanly possible drive one of the most important branches of society into the ground. While private companies and shareholders profit. All these elements you can see in a brilliant DIY video that accompanies “Who Do We Not Save?
Problem Patterns by Carrie Davenport
Problem Patterns are switching roles between frustrated ambulance staff trying to save a life and creepy board members introducing a new wave of cuts. The topic is serious but the video itself is done with a sense of (dark) humour to help deliver the message. Paper ambulances, confetti symbolizing life support, cut outs instead of equipment, how to manuals – sometimes having a quirky idea and a creative team can produce better results than big budgets. Big kudos to Darren Hill who served as cinematographer, editor and colourist and Alanah Smith for writing and directing. One of the best videos I`ve seen this year and if nobody at PP camp thought about it yet – please consider sending it to a few film festivals. It may bring the band some awards.
The track itself is furious. It is the musical equivalent of a breakneck ride with no brakes on. The lyrics are shouted out with no time for a breath. I swear members of Problem Patterns are almost superhuman in their vocal delivery or at least related to Canadian rapper Snow. I love the heavy, almost doomy riffs on “Who Do We Not Save?”. I know it`s a punk tune but for some reason it reminds me of the NYC hard core scene, mostly because of how melodic lines go hand in hand with those heavy riffs. It adds to the general allure of the band. They can do very well on both sides of the Atlantic and could fit right in with a whole spectrum of artists, from pop/rock orientated Meet Me at the Altar to Seattle underground acts such as Filth Is Eternal. Actually, if somebody brings a combo of Problem Patterns/FIE near Manchester, I`m gonna be in the first row.
I could write whole annals about the importance of “Who Do We Not Save”, but the reality is very simple and contained in the song`s title. With persisting cuts, ongoing political and economic crisis – who do we need to leave out to balance the books? Who is to die, so the rest of us can live. And when will be our turn to be expendable? What society do we want? What music scene do we want?
Again you think those are separate questions? In America, land of the lack of health care musicians must rely on organisations such as Sweet Relief or SMASH to be able to see a doctor. I remember a story where after breaking a hand one NYC musician had gone 7 years without seeing a doctor. The bones in the hand grew back together, but this person cannot play guitar anymore. In the UK almost 80% of artists live on less than 10K – basically on the poverty line. We are all not that far off from our US colleagues. Just a pay check or two, really.
We find ourselves in an era where everything and everywhere is connected, all at once. Here`s a short tip for those who want to change the world we are currently living in: don’t vote for the Tories. And don’t listen to industry plans mumbling about food. Your grandchildren will thank you later.
You can follow the band on socials:
https://www.facebook.com/probpatterns
https://problempatterns.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/probpatterns
https://twitter.com/probpatterns
https://www.tiktok.com/@problempatterns
https://www.youtube.com/@ProblemPatterns
https://soundcloud.com/problempatterns
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4u5UG0TxXroCBnpgBruPOP
Additional reading if you want to know more about Problem Patterns:
https://joyzine.org/2023/03/16/single-video-review-problem-patterns-who-do-we-not-save/
https://www.punknews.org/article/79458/problem-patterns-release-video-for-who-do-we-not-save
https://www.hotpress.com/music/belfasts-problem-patterns-dedicate-who-do-we-not-save-to-healthcare-workers-22955705
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 