One of the nicest parts of the evening happened before anyone even got there- we ran through Oh Bondage Up Yours! and out panel convenor, Zoe Howe, rose to the challenge of playing a Punk IPA box I'd procured from the bar, and played a spot-on version of the drums for us.
There's lots more to say but having just done a three-hour song writing workshop this morning, I am going to relax for the rest of the afternoon an post more stuff tomorrow.
Big thanks also to Gina, Karina, Jane, Tessa, Terry, and the audience for singing and dancing at the end. Boy, did I thrash that guitar with relief!
If anyone who reads this came along, I'd love to know what you thought.
Hi, I was the first person to stick up their hand last night ( I thanked you for through buying your records making me not even question aged 16 putting together an all girl band or thinking that it was a difficult thing)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking today about your comment re it just being about playing instruments. I have to say that it also made non singers believe that they could sing however good they were, just singing for the fun of it. It's not like a lot of learner musicians were headed by professional singers. I am a singer that can't sing but felt that it didn't matter, because at the time everything seemed possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, such a feeling of "we can do it" togetherness. Thank you Gina
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ReplyDeleteThank you Gina- I was just talking about the difference between singers and vocalists last night with one of my daughters- I have always loved the sound of a real person with message better than a perfect vocal take on a record- and I prefer it when fantastic singers are prepared to sound not-so-fantastic because the feel is more important to them than anything else. Thank you for coming, and for asking the first question x
ReplyDeleteI always feel a little shy/embarrassed saying this but I think you probably heard me at some point as I was in Marine Girls,and you can probably realise that I just sang because I loved singing as I certainly do not have an amazing voice! I really like non singers and people that sing like they speak. I just wanted to put the point across that it was inspirational for me as a non musician too and probably for a lot of other people too(both male and female)
DeleteIt was a very good evening, and very educational. I've always had a problem with the band-wagon jumping aspect of punk, insomuch as a lot of Pub Rock bands mutated into punk bands. What I only realised last night was that that was a male-only phenomenon, probably because Pub rock was (by my reckoning and memory) a 100% male scene. Because of this, the She-Punks were more credible than the He-Punks, and writing them out of history was just plain wrong.
ReplyDeleteFrom the interviews I picked up an underlying, but tiny, sense of guilt. The "we can do it" Gina mentions above seemed to be tinged with a feeling of "but we shouldn't really". Only the same sort of guilt that goes with scrumping apples, or smoking behind the bike sheds.
And what was Fenella Fielding doing in the bar afterwards? I'm assuming she's been to something else. Looking very frail
Anyhow - BRAVO!!!
Hi Wilky
DeleteJust wanted to say that the "we can do it" really wasn't tinged with any sort of guilt, it never crossed my mind, literally totally enabling no negative thoughts whatsoever.
Thanks Wilky- Sandie said she'd seen you. I think it was Fenella Fielding and I think she did come along. Apparently Glen Matlock was there too, or it could have been a doppelgänger.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, it was fantastic! Loved it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for making that long journey Cazz! See you soon!
ReplyDeleteI did wonder if you were Gina from the Marine Girls- I was given your album by Mike Alway at Cherry Red many moons ago! Hester from the Dollymixtures gave me Alice's contact details to interview for my book (I wrote an academic book called The Lost Women of Rock Music) but I stopped interviewing after while, as I felt that if I carried on I'd never finish it! Something I've realised about our film, too- a few people have come forward asking to be in it, but it can't be an endless project. What I always hope is that people will see the value of documenting their musical lives themselves; it is endlessly interesting. Have you thought about writing about the Marine Girls? Even if you never kept a diary, it's a cathartic process just to remember the adventures that you had x
ReplyDeleteJust heard Women of the World Take Over. So good. Plus bloody good idea.
ReplyDelete