🔗 Share this article

Upon being questioned about the most punk act she's ever pulled off, Cathy Loughead responds instantly: “I took the stage with my neck injured in two locations. Not able to move freely, so I decorated the brace instead. It was a fantastic gig.”

Loughead belongs to a rising wave of women transforming punk culture. Although a new television drama spotlighting female punk airs this Sunday, it mirrors a movement already blossoming well beyond the television.

The Spark in Leicester

This momentum is most palpable in Leicester, where a local endeavor – now called the Riotous Collective – set things off. Loughead was there from the start.

“At the launch, there were no all-women garage punk bands in the area. By the following year, there we had seven. Now there are 20 – and growing,” she explained. “Riotous chapters exist throughout Britain and internationally, from Finland to Australia, laying down tracks, performing live, featured in festival lineups.”

This boom doesn't stop at Leicester. Across the UK, women are repossessing punk – and changing the environment of live music along the way.

Revitalizing Music Venues

“Numerous music spots around the United Kingdom doing well due to women punk bands,” she added. “Rehearsal rooms are also benefiting, music teaching and coaching, recording facilities. That's because women are filling these jobs now.”

They're also changing the audience composition. “Women-led bands are gigging regularly. They draw more diverse audiences – people who view these spaces as safe, as intended for them,” she continued.

An Uprising-Inspired Wave

Carol Reid, programme director at Youth Music, said the rise is no surprise. “Women have been sold a dream of equality. Yet, misogynistic aggression is at epidemic levels, extremist groups are exploiting females to promote bigotry, and we're manipulated over topics such as menopause. Females are pushing back – by means of songs.”

A music venue advocate, from the Music Venue Trust, observes the trend transforming regional performance cultures. “We're seeing more diverse punk scenes and they're integrating with regional music systems, with independent spaces booking more inclusive bills and establishing protected, more welcoming spaces.”

Mainstream Breakthroughs

In the coming weeks, Leicester will host the first Riot Fest, a multi-day celebration showcasing 25 women-led acts from the UK and Europe. Earlier this fall, Decolonise Fest in London celebrated BIPOC punk artists.

And the scene is entering popular culture. One prominent duo are on their maiden headline tour. Another rising group's debut album, their record name, hit No. 16 in the UK charts recently.

Panic Shack were in the running for the 2025 Welsh Music Prize. Another act earned a local honor in last year. A band from Hull Wench appeared at a major event at Reading Festival.

This represents a trend originating from defiance. In an industry still affected by misogyny – where women-led groups remain lacking presence and live venues are closing at crisis levels – female punk bands are forging a new path: a platform.

Timeless Punk

In her late seventies, a band member is testament that punk has no expiration date. The Oxford-based washboard player in her band started playing only recently.

“At my age, there are no limits and I can follow my passions,” she stated. A track she recently wrote includes the chorus: “So shout out, ‘Who cares’/ It's my time!/ The stage is mine!/ At seventy-nine / And at my absolute best.”

“I love this surge of older female punks,” she commented. “I didn't get to rebel during my early years, so I'm doing it now. It's wonderful.”

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

Another artist, who has toured globally with various bands, also considers it a release. “It involves expelling anger: going unnoticed in motherhood, as a senior female.”

The Liberation of Performance

Comparable emotions led Dina Gajjar to form Burnt Sugar. “Performing live is a release you never realized you required. Females are instructed to be obedient. Punk isn't. It's noisy, it's flawed. As a result, during difficult times, I say to myself: ‘I should create music from that!’”

But Abi Masih, drummer for the Flea Bagz, said the punk woman is all women: “We are typical, professional, amazing ladies who like challenging norms,” she explained.

A band member, of her group the band, agreed. “Women were the original punks. We were forced to disrupt to gain attention. We still do! That badassery is in us – it appears primal, primal. We are amazing!” she declared.

Challenging Expectations

Not all groups fits the stereotype. Julie Ames and Jackie O'Malley, involved in a band, try to keep things unexpected.

“We rarely mention certain subjects or curse frequently,” said Ames. O'Malley cut in: “However, we feature a brief explosive section in every song.” She smiled: “That's true. Yet, we aim for diversity. Our last track was regarding bra discomfort.”