🔗 Share this article

Upon being questioned about the most punk gesture she's ever pulled off, Cathy Loughead doesn't hesitate: “I performed with my neck injured in two locations. Unable to bounce, so I embellished the brace instead. It was a fantastic gig.”

Cathy is a member of a rising wave of women redefining punk culture. Although a recent television drama focusing on female punk premieres this Sunday, it mirrors a phenomenon already blossoming well outside the TV.

The Leicester Catalyst

This momentum is most intense in Leicester, where a 2022 project – now called the Riotous Collective – set things off. Cathy participated from the outset.

“When we started, there weren't any all-women garage punk bands locally. Within a year, there were seven. Today there are twenty – and counting,” she remarked. “There are Riotous groups throughout Britain and worldwide, from Finland to Australia, producing music, gigging, taking part in festivals.”

This explosion extends beyond Leicester. Around the United Kingdom, women are repossessing punk – and transforming the landscape of live music along the way.

Breathing Life into Venues

“Numerous music spots across the UK thriving due to women punk bands,” she added. “The same goes for practice spaces, music education and guidance, recording facilities. That's because women are in all these roles now.”

They are also transforming the audience composition. “Bands led by women are performing weekly. They attract wider audience variety – attendees who consider these spaces as protected, as belonging to them,” she added.

An Uprising-Inspired Wave

An industry expert, involved in music education, said the rise is no surprise. “Females have been promised a ideal of fairness. However, violence against women is at crisis proportions, extremist groups are exploiting females to spread intolerance, and we're deceived over subjects including hormonal changes. Ladies are resisting – via music.”

Another industry voice, from the Music Venue Trust, sees the movement reshaping regional performance cultures. “We're seeing varied punk movements and they're feeding into regional music systems, with independent spaces scheduling diverse lineups and creating more secure, more inviting environments.”

Entering the Mainstream

Soon, Leicester will host the inaugural Riot Fest, a weekend festival showcasing 25 women-led acts from the UK and Europe. Recently, Decolonise Fest in London celebrated BIPOC punk artists.

This movement is edging into the mainstream. The Nova Twins are on their maiden headline tour. Another rising group's debut album, their album title, hit No. 16 in the UK charts this year.

Panic Shack were shortlisted for the an upcoming music award. A Northern Irish group earned a local honor in 2024. Recent artists Wench appeared at a major event at Reading Festival.

This is a wave originating from defiance. Within a sector still dogged by gender discrimination – where female-only bands remain underrepresented and live venues are shutting down rapidly – women-led punk groups are establishing something bold: a platform.

Timeless Punk

At 79, one participant is testament that punk has no age limit. From Oxford washboard player in horMones punk band picked up her instrument only recently.

“As an older person, all constraints are gone and I can pursue my interests,” she declared. A track she recently wrote contains the lines: “So shout out, ‘Fuck it’/ It's my time!/ This platform is for me!/ I'm 79 / And in my fucking prime.”

“I appreciate this influx of elder punk ladies,” she said. “I didn't get to rebel when I was younger, so I'm doing it now. It's fantastic.”

Kala Subbuswamy from the band also noted she couldn't to rebel as a teenager. “It's been really major to be able to let it all out at this late stage.”

Another artist, who has performed worldwide with different acts, also considers it a release. “It's a way to vent irritation: being invisible as a mother, as a senior female.”

The Freedom of Expression

Comparable emotions led Dina Gajjar to create her band. “Being on stage is a release you didn't know you needed. Women are trained to be acquiescent. Punk isn't. It's noisy, it's flawed. This implies, when negative events occur, I consider: ‘I should create music from that!’”

Yet, Abi Masih, a percussionist, remarked the punk lady is any woman: “We are typical, working, amazing ladies who love breaking molds,” she commented.

Maura Bite, of the Folkestone band the band, agreed. “Females were the first rebels. We had to smash things up to be heard. This persists today! That fierceness is within us – it appears primal, instinctive. We're a bloody marvel!” she stated.

Breaking Molds

Some acts fits the stereotype. Band members, involved in a band, strive to be unpredictable.

“We rarely mention certain subjects or swear much,” said Ames. The other interjected: “Well, we do have a brief explosive section in all our music.” She smiled: “That's true. But we like to keep it interesting. The latest piece was about how uncomfortable bras are.”