Described as a musical “love child of Bikini Kill and The Clash, who was raised by Courtney Love”, London based quartet Femegades are a band you just cannot afford to miss. Forget the PR clichés comparing them to any famous bands. Such overused marketing tricks hardly ever help anybody to break through in this business. I will give you more valid reasons why you should listen to their music. They are absolutely brilliant songwriters; their lead singer has a unique timber of her voice and the band says they like to write songs about things they think are important. If that won’t convince you to play their newest single “Toolish” at least once, then you might be a lost cause.
Single Cover
Femegades started around 2020 and so far, they released at least 8 singles (if I counted them correctly) and two EP’s: “Pornsick” in 2021 and “Not All Men ” in 2022. Their first one brought them a lot of attention from mainstream musical press, including those magazines who normally only cover industry plants in frilly dresses. They were so good that they broke the editors’ silly little echo chambers. The band is signed to Regent Street Records, home to Zara Sykes, Emma and The Fragments and For the Girl among others. It consists of Em (vocals), Emily (bass), Tom (guitar) and Simone (drums) and they plan to issue another EP sometime early next year. Released on 9th of November, “Toolish” is the third and the last single from the forthcoming release following “What Is Yours Is Mine” (23rd of September) and “Depleted” (10th of August). The band was featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X and many others national and independent radio stations. In all, Femegades should remember 2023 very fondly.
I have to admit, despite hearing their name before, I somehow stayed oblivious to how good they were until last week, when “Toolish” was sent to me with an annotation that I should listen to them and pronto. And since that day, the song is on high rotation in my house. My cats are probably sick of hearing it on repeat, but they are getting fed and cuddled, so they should be ok.
“Toolish” stands at exactly 3 minutes and can easily be classified as a post-grunge and adult alternative track. There is a certain 90’s flavour to their music but it can hardly be described as Bikini Kill meeting The Clash. Femegades are not looking back for inspiration to the 90’s, they are a very modern band – crisp, radio friendly yet not afraid to use explicit language and singing about issues that matter to modern audiences. Their music is much softer than Bikini Kill, a leading band in the riot grrrl movement. I’m not really sure why every rock band with a female singer ends up being suddenly thrown into the “90’s riot grrl” bag, but it’s a bad journalism or lazy PR, and hugely misleading to potential listener. Bands such as Bikini Kill, L7 or Hole emerged from post hardcore/punk scene of the 80’s that started in Olympia (the capital of Washington state) and then spread to California two years later. The genre became notorious for its absolutely wild shows filled with feminist performances and political agitation. They looked up to Black Flag, The Sex Pistols, Marianne Faithful and Joan Jett (The Runaways) alongside The New York Dolls and The Ramones. Femegades sounds much different, their music doesn’t have the same gritty and dark underbelly that allowed the grunge to flourish in Seattle. If I was to point to a certain part of America that Femegades could musically fit in, it would be the completely opposite coast – NY scene, Boston, Connecticut. They are more art rock orientated. The harmonized vocals, layered structure reminds me of Sonic Youth, Throwing Muses, Le Tigre, Liz Phair, closer to Amanda X and power pop than to the metal roots of the riot grrrl. On the other hand, they do not sound American at all, they are consequently very British. They are The Slits for the 21st century, with an absolutely delightful pop(ular) vibe.
Femegades picture taken by the band
Femegades remind me of the Soeur, Bristol/Worcestershire trio that sadly called it quits two years ago. They have the same addictive dynamics: slow rhythm section, strong beating bass, a powerful rock core hidden behind melodic refrains and harmonized vocals. I have mentioned the unusual timbre of Em’s vocals. Her voice is warm, soothing, not scratchy or sharp like Courtney Love’s. I listened to Femegades’ back catalogue and not once is Em screaming or howling like Love. Em is a master singer; she has total control of her voice and it is joy to hear each word she sings. Rock music is filled to the brim with coarse, powerful or high-pitched voices (especially in symphonic metal), it’s very rarely we get to hear somebody whose tone is bright, light and sunny. One reviewer mentioned that it feels like a sunny, spring day when Em is singing and I have to agree. It’s very hard to convey feelings one gets when listening to music into words, but that would be a very fitting description. Please do not mistake this for saying that Em’s voice is delicate or fragile, it’s nothing of this sort. She is a proper rock singer that can be loud and powerful when she needs to be.
Em’s vocals may be all fuzzy and warm but “Toolish” touches on a rather dark topic – constant harassment girls and women face. The band says the song is dedicated to anyone who has received unwanted attention from “that guy“, any local creeper haunting bars and other establishments in search for their victims. At first glance, they look normal and caring, but quickly showing their true colour. Sexual assaults are one of the most common assaults women face when out, yet they remain the least reported due to fear and social stigma surrounding it. The single is supposed not only to raise awareness about the issue but to serve as a wake-up call to those who are quick to judge the women and ask “why didn’t she just fight back?”.
“Toolish” was recorded a Westbourne Rehearsal Studios in London. It was produced by composer and producer Asa Banerjee-Bennett (Chelou, Bakers Eddy, Rose Betts) and mastered by singer/songwriter and drummer Elliot James Mulhern (Extremely Bad Man, Hey Monday).
Please follow the band online at:
https://femegades.com/
https://www.facebook.com/femegades
https://femegades.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@femegades
https://twitter.com/femegades
https://soundcloud.com/femegades
https://www.instagram.com/femegades/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ElQLcTpCrv2utVIQcPy5v?si=v6PyEAO8S2yMolFR9CgJIA&nd=1
https://www.tiktok.com/@femegades
More information:
https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2022/6/28/introducing-231-femegades
https://yorkcalling.co.uk/2022/12/01/interview-femegades/
https://shemakesmusic.co.uk/new-music/femegades-share-undulating-grunge-tinged-single-toolish/
https://thoughtswordsaction.com/2021/10/15/femegades-unleash-no-holds-barred-debut-ep-pornsick/
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 