Get amongst these names.
To celebrate International Women’s Day just passed, this week we’re looking at some of our favourite female-led punk bands from the local scene. For a genre that’s been male-dominated for years (or forever, really) female punk bands aren’t just a breath of fresh air – many of these groups actually capture that unhinged and raw spirit that helped establish punk music in the first place.
Primo!
A favourite of the Melbourne underground, Primo!’s take on punk is idiosyncratic and minimal. Stripping things back to the bare essentials, wiry guitars tangle with a no-frills rhythm section, and leave plenty of space for the band’s robust triune vocals to hold things down. Turbulent and terse, but just as buoyant and oddly addictive, Primo! is as fun a name to exclaim as this band is good. Check out their killer new album, Sogni.
Gutter Girls
After forming in mid-2018 with almost zero musical background, Gutter Girls have won Melbourne over with their punchy, self-effacing punk. What they lack in technical know-how they make up for with sheer force, a DIY determination that is just as playfully charming as it is furious. Their latest single ‘The Bullet’ captures everything GG do best – relentless power-chord guitar, spluttering synth and frontwoman Iso Buckley’s unapologetic vocals.
The Faculty
Irreverent, grimy and made for a good time, The Faculty toe the line between snarling proto-punk and singalong rock’n’roll. In true punk spirit, they didn’t follow through on the 20-minute debut album they’d promised last year, but when it drops, we can bet it’ll be as exuberant and agitated as their live show.
Shove
Forming out of the ashes of a handful of local groups, Shove have quickly asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Melbourne scene. Chaotic and sprawling waves of noise spiral around each other, while frontwoman Bella Kranjec takes charge with her assertive yelp. Living up to their name, a Shove set is a lot like a sonic barrage.
Future Suck
Future Suck describe themselves as “music to charge your electric motors to” and it’s easy to see why. Served with a fistful of attitude and chaotic energy, the band are as disarming as they are ruthlessly brash. While their scrappy hardcore blasts might seem more suited on the floor of a DIY venue, we’re likely to see Future Suck playing bigger stages as the year progresses.
