Niche Genres For Baddies - Track Two: Riot Grrrl
- Tia Babatzikos
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
For this edition of Niche Genres For Baddies, we are stage diving headfirst into the rowdy and unapologetic world of Riot Grrrl.
What Is Riot Grrrl?
Riot Grrrl is a feminist and political movement that was born from an underground female punk collective in the early 90's in Olympia, Washington. It was a direct response to the rampant sexism and misogyny in the male-dominated punk scene of that era, as well as a society that did not value women and their experiences.
This community of women formed the fundamental core of Riot Grrrl, where DIY art forms like zines and music emerged from as a way to express their ideas, thoughts and manifestos.
Lyrically, Riot Grrrl as a genre typically dealt with heavy themes like abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, misogyny and queerness. Drawing influence from the punk scene, most Riot Grrrl bands played music that was raw, fast, heavy and abrasive
Bikini Kill and Bratmobile are commonly considered as some of the most influential bands that pioneered the genre and for coining the terms "Riot Grrrl" and "Girl Power" They were known for their politically charged lyrics, zines and confrontational live performances.
Some of my all-time favourite bands that influenced the Riot Grrrl sound and are associated with the genre are Babes in Toyland, Jack Off Jill and L7.
These bands inspired a whole scene, with many other Riot Grrrl bands forming around the same time. This live music scene became a safe space for women, who could meet likeminded people and develop a sense of community.
Contemporary Riot Grrrl bands and those that are shaping the new wave of Riot Grrrl today like Babe Haven and Nova Twins, are more focused on intersectionality and bridging some of the gaps that the original Riot Grrrl scene had, mainly regarding race and gender identity.
Here is the link to an excellent article about how Riot Grrrl was viewed as "predominantly white" and how the contributions of women of colour were often overlooked within the scene.
Interview With "Violet Tendencies":
I asked local Naarm-based band “Violet Tendencies”, who describe their music as a “fierce blend of punk rock with riot grrrl attitude and intense metal breakdowns”, for some of their thoughts on politics, the scene and their influences. Read on for their answers below! ♡
Your band name is a twist on the phrase “violent tendencies”. Talk to me a bit about the inspiration behind the meaning of the name "Violet Tendencies".
For our name, we knew we wanted to include “violet” as purple is a big part of our visual style, in the way we dress, our instruments and our sound. Hopefully people with synaesthesia would agree.
A further meaning is the oxymoron that Violet Tendencies describes; a violet, such a cute, soft and fragile flower, with violent tendencies. As a mascot for a hard-hitting punk rock movement.
A hard-hitting gutsy attitude and sound; from such a small and fragile flower can also be used to describe the menacing growls that Kat does on stage.
Punk music as a whole and riot grrrl especially is inherently political. With tracks like “Hey
Officer!”, what role do politics play in your lyrics and overall attitude as musicians?
All art in inherently political, when you live in a world that profits off of systemic violence, corruption and racism.
its important to have a message that people can connect and related to; although our message for hey officer is inherently missing the point (its about getting a $90 fine for having your feet up on a train, not technically about police) the message is still one that people can related their own personal experience and opinions to.
A political message shouldn’t aim to persuade the public, but to encourage people to think for themselves and see things from a different angle.
A lot of our lyrics are politically motivated, we aren't afraid to talk about uncomfortable social or political issues topics because SILENCE IS VIOLENCE
Are there any specific aspects of the riot grrrl genre & musicians in that scene that you guys
draw inspiration from?
What really makes our sound work is our diversity, each of us have such different inspirations and every part of it can be seen, from old school punk rock and riot grrrl to Prog, Reggae and Frankston metal; we love it all.
The inspiration we get from riot grrrl bands specifically (like Bikini Kill or Xray specs) is their attitude towards speaking up and standing up, for woman's rights especially.
I was first introduced to you guys when I saw you play at 'Siren Sounds' earlier in the year. What are some of your favourite things about the heavy/ alternative local music scene in
Naarm?
The people. The culture and community that lets everyone fit in. And potential to discover your new favourite sound.
Can you tell us anything about any new music or other things that you guys have planned
for the future?
What we have out at the moment is just a taster, your yet to see our actual sound and style in its entirety. In the works at the moment we have at least 4 songs, and album getting built.
The struggle is funding studio and mixing sessions, which leads to much of our music being home recordings and student engineers. Which is a fact of the local scene that is frankly unavoidable.
Are there any other Naarm based riot grrrl bands that you want to share with the people?
Dropkicks, Orphix, Sage, Penalty, Dilemmas, Frenzee, RUB. Just to name a few (●__●)
are there any final messages that you want to let anyone reading this know about you guys or your music? ♡
Speak up for your mates, SILENCE IS VIOLENCE & keep encouraging change for a better future.
Support live music!
Check out "Violet Tendencies" on their official website here which has links to their music as well as their socials too 💜
