My Picks for Record Store Day

This year's Record Store Day is nearly here, and the exclusive releases were announced yesterday. Here are some of the record's I think are worth checking out:

Best Coast - s/t

Featuring two new tracks, Fear of My Identity and Who Have I Become, this release also features frontwoman Bethan Cosentino's dad, Ricky Cosentino, on drums.

Bis/Big Zero - Borderom Could Be Good For You/Tear It Up And Start Again

A split-7 inch from Bis, who will soon be playing a handful of UK dates, and Big Zero, who are supporting the band on their Manchester and Reading shows. Boredom Could Be Good For You is a new track from Bis, only heard live so far, and provides an exciting taster of their forthcoming new album. Big Zero meanwhile are fantastically-Devo-influenced on their track Tear It Up and Start Again, and I'm looking forward to seeing them support Bis in Manchester after checking them out!

Jack Off Jill - Clear Hearts Grey Flowers

Released on a clear vinyl and, yes, a grey vinyl!

Jack Off Jill - Sexless Demons and Scars

The band's first full-length, on vinyl for the first time - and it's red!

Lush - Origami

This limited LP boxset coincides with Lush's first live shows in almost 20 years, and includes all five of their albums, with each one on a different colour vinyl.

PINS - Trouble
The Manchester five-piece will be releasing new track Trouble on a limited-edition red vinyl.

The Runaways - Right Now/Black Leather
This rare release is being made available again, on a translucent red vinyl.

The Wedding Present - The Hit Parade
This release collects all of the band's singles, and their b-sides, from 1987 on to one album.

Happy International Women's Day!

For International Women's Day, I've decided to do a post celebrating some of the women who have particularly inspired me over the last year (and hopefully, I'll still be blogging next year and can do the same thing again!).

1. Carrie Brownstein

I was lucky enough to see Carrie Brownstein twice last year - once with Sleater-Kinney, who were every bit as amazing live as I dreamt they'd be, and then again, as part of her book tour. I've loved Sleater-Kinney for years, and consider all three members to be among my favourite musicians, so to finally see them play live was such a great experience.
Carrie also released her memoir late last year, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, and after reading it, I admire her even more. I'd definitely recommend reading it.

2. Jessicka Addams

Jessicka is someone I've admired since I discovered Jack Off Jill when I was 15. Jack Off Jill are another band I was lucky enough to see last year, and getting to finally meet Jessicka didn't disappoint at all!
Jessicka also put together a great zine called After Grrrl, featuring contributions from so many other great women, including Allison Wolfe, Molly Soda, Camille Rose Garcia and Tara McPherson.

3. The Tuts

The Tuts are one of the most exciting bands around right now, and I've seen them live twice over the last 12 months. They always put on an amazing show, and treat every fan like a friend; the fact that they hit 100% on their PledgeMusic campaign so quickly is a testament to how much they mean to people.
They are also completely DIY in everything they do, from booking shows/tours to recording, and are always so encouraging when others ask them for advice on doing their own thing.

4. Maureen Herman

I've always admire all three members of Babes in Toyland, but I can't pretend I'm not disappointed about the way Maureen was kicked out of the band. I'm so glad I was able to see them live before any of that happened, and meet them all. I admire Maureen not only as a bassist, but also for the way she handled the circumstances around her being kicked out of Babes in Toyland, and her refusal to stop talking about sexual assault.

5. Charli XCX

Charli has been using to rising popularity to speak up about sexism, particularly in the music industry. Last month, she also launched her own record label, and has already released music from her ex-bassists solo project Cuckoolander, and female-fronted band RIVRS. She also writes for other artists behind-the-scenes too, such as Icona Pop and Selena Gomez.

6. Claire Boucher

Claire Boucher aka Grimes released her self-produced new album Art Angels late last year, and it pretty much cemented her place on my list of favourite musicians/artists ever. It's some of her most creative work to-date, featuring collaborations with Janelle Monae, and also Aristophanes, a Taiwanese rapper she disocvered on SoundCloud. Not only is every song amazing, she uploaded a piece of her own artwork to accompany each one.

7. Lauren Mayberry

The CHVRCHES vocalist has never been afraid of speaking her mind - whether it's calling out sexist audience members, responding to internet trolls on 4Chan or writing about sexism for The Guardian. She is also one of the founding members of Glasgow feminist collective TYCI.


Which women have inspired you over the past year? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Live Bands I Saw This Year

This year has probably been the best for me, in terms of seeing so many bands I love play live. I've been able to see (and meet) bands I've loved for years, and never thought I'd get the chance to see, as well as newer bands I've fallen in love with.

It was so hard to narrow this down to just a top ten; especially as I decided to list by bands rather than gigs, meaning I considered opening bands separetely (hence The Tuts being there at number 9!).

1. Jack Off Jill - Gorilla, Manchester - Reviewed here!

Jack Off Jill have been an important part of my life for over 13 years, so naturally I peed my pants a little when they announced a Manchester date as part of their final three shows. I got to meet the band before they played, which was a dream come true in itself, and they played a great set, squeezing in the majority of their discography.

2. Sleater-Kinney - Albert Hall, Manchester

Definitely one of the best reunions this year (a bold statement considering how many there have been!). It's hard to believe they even took a break as they play so seamlessly with each other, their new material slipping in comfortably with the rest of their material, which still possesses that tense urgency that makes it so captivating.

3. Babes in Toyland, Gorilla, Manchester

Another band I never thought I'd have the chance to see, this gig means even more now that bassist Maureen Herman isn't in the band anymore. I'm glad I got to see and meet the band while she was still in the line-up.

4. L7 - The Garage, Glasgow

Some of the best gigs are the ones where the band look like they're having just as much fun onstage as the people jumping up and down in the crowd do - this was definitely one of those gigs.

5. Garbage - Academy 3, Manchester - Reviewed here!
This date was part of the bands "20 Years Queer" tour, and was the perfect celebration of their self-titled debut. Even when bands do decide to play a whole album on tour, it's rare that they'll also throw in all the b-sides, but that's what Garbage did. Getting to hear "Subhuman" live was definitely my favourite moment!

6. The Selecter - Academy 2, Manchester - Reviewed here!

At times, this gig felt more like a party. The Selecter are one of the most energetic bands I've ever seen, and barely seemed to break a sweat onstage!

7. Ex Hex - Soup Kitchen, Manchester
I pretty much love anything Mary Timony is involved in - Autoclave, Helium, The Spells, Wild Flag, her solo stuff, and now, Ex Hex. She's been one of my favourite musicians for a while now, and this was my first time seeing her play, in the flesh. Ex Hex are a great band, and definitely worth going to see live, and getting to meet the band afterwards was obviously fun too!

8. Mudhoney - 02 Ritz, Manchester

Not only did Mudhoney put on an awesome show, but my boyfriend and I managed to get ourselves backstage afterwards - if you're interested, the band had a lovely cheese platter in their dressing room.

9. The Tuts (opening for The Selecter) - Academy 2, Manchester
The Tuts are one of my favourite bands to see live,  they never disappoint. I can't stress enough how empty your lives will remain until you let The Tuts into your life.

10. CHVRCHES - 02 Academy, Newcastle - Reviewed Here!
Since first seeing CHVRCHES play at Glastonbury, I was amazed at just how far they've come when I saw them again this year. They have so much more confidence on stage, and as soon as they left the stage, I immediately wanted to see them again.

Jack Off Jill - Gorilla, Manchester

This week saw Jack Off Jill hit Manchester for the first of their three final shows, all to be played in the UK.

Jack Off Jill might never have been the biggest band in the world, but their cult following has always been strong enough to rival any bands fan base. Although rarely mentioned in articles pertaining to the history of riot grrrl (possibly due to their being based in Florida rather than Washington), their ties to the movement are just as relevant as those from the likes of Bikini Kill and Bratmobile.

The band had already broke up when I first got into them - I bought Sexless Demons and Scars on a whim after liking Jessicka's vocals on the My Ruin song "Miss Ann Thrope". I instantly loved them and, knowing I was three years late to the party, quietly accepted the fact that I would never get to see these songs played live. 

Jack Off Jill announced their reunion earlier this year, and tiny goth hearts all over the world swelled up and leaked black glittery tears. Unsurprisingly, the shows all sold out pretty quickly and the excitement among fans has been building up online.

On reaching the venue, I was instantly struck by how friendly everyone in attendance was, and ended up making a few new friends throughout the night (Hi!). Also, being a Golden Ticket holder, I was lucky enough to meet the band beforehand and they couldn't have been nicer!

The Regrettes, a two-piece from California, are opening for Jack Off Jill on all three of these shows and were the first band to play tonight. They quickly won the crowd over with their surfy-garage sound (think The Aquadolls, Vivian Girls, early Best Coast).

Manchester-based ILL were the second support for tonight's date. While they put on  a good show, a lot of the crowd just didn't seem to get into them, which is a shame. Their frantic feminist post-punk sound reminded me a lot of Voodoo Queens, another underrated UK band, from the 90's.

After an excruciating 30 minutes, it was finally time for Jack Off Jill.  As the band took to the stage, Jessicka was dragged on in a body bag, unzipping herself and launching straight into "When I Am Queen". 

Back in the day, Jack Off Jill became known for their onstage antics, and Jessicka seemed more than happy to indulge this side of her again as she pulled wax crayons from her Star Wars knickers and throwing candy into the crowd.

Listening to the excitement ignited by every song was just more proof of just how much Jack Off Jill's songs mean to their fans (myself included); "Fear of Dying" inspired some of the loudest crowd-singing-along that I've experienced at any gig I've ever been to,  and nothing can compare to the joy of finally getting to see the likes of "Girl Scout", "Angel's Fuck" and "Strawberry Gashes" played live.

When it came to the encore, Jessicka returned, now dressed in white, before being dowsed in fake blood and stripping to her underwear, talking about body-shaming and her own experiences with it, before the band launched into "Strawberry Gashes".

The night ended with the band's well-loved cover of The Cure's "Lovesong".

As a longtime Jack Off Jill fan, this night couldn't have been better and, judging from the people I spoke to afterwards, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't agree with me on that one.

Important Life Band: Jack Off Jill

My last Important Life Band post was back in September, when I wrote about my love of Hole, so I think I'm due to make another one. Who am I fangirling over this time? Why, Jack Off Jill!

Jack Off Jill had already broke up by the time I discovered them, when I was 15. I actually first heard of them through my love of another band, My Ruin - yes, I think we can assume I'll be talking about them on this blog at some point. At the time, My Ruin's vocalist Tairrie B was good friends with JOJ's vocalist Jessicka (I don't know what happened between them, I still love them both so *shrug*) and Tairrie had posted an interview she did with Jessicka on the My Ruin website. I can only imagine how many times I read it while it was still online, but I loved reading what they had to say.

I'd just started reading this interview for the first time when I realised, hey, this is the Jessicka who sings on the My Ruin song "Miss Anne Thrope"!. Quite proud of myself for connecting those dots, I read on.

That weekend, I was idly flicking through the unimpressive CD section in my local HMV when I saw the Sexless Demons and Scars album. It was the most excited I'd felt all day and, despite not having actually heard any JOJ songs, I bought it.

As soon as I got home, I put the album on while simultaneously falling in love with it and joining JOJ fan communities on LiveJournal (ah, the good old days!). It might sound a bit strange, but I quite liked the fact that Jessicka's voice is high-pitched. A lot of female-fronted bands I was listening to had more husky or aggressive vocals, which I loved singing (or shouting) along to, but also felt a bit silly while I did, because my voice is very much on the softer end of the spectrum. I guess it helped me to feel a bit more comfortable with my own singing voice.

Naturally, this album was on regular rotation for me... I'd often listen to it through my headphones at school while glaring at people :)

One of my friends got me the Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers album for my 16th birthday and, while it could be seen as a bit of a jump, sound-wise, from SSDAS, I loved it just as much. I actually quite like that these two albums have such different moods, I still go through phases of which one I play the most. On a side note, this also led to my liking of Mark Ryden's artwork!

I also started to play bass when I was 16, starting by learning mostly Hole and JOJ songs. It was quite a proud moment when I could say I'd learned to play every song on SSDAS.

I feel like JOJ were the exact sound that I wanted to hear in my angsty kinda-goth-mid-teens. "Angsty" usually has quite negative connotations, but I don't mean in that way at all. It gave me something to relate to and Jessicka's screams playing loudly was a nice way or purging some of my negative feelings - Angel's Fuck was particularly good for this.

These days, while I guess some might still call me "angsty" (though I'd hope they'd be more respectful with regards to my mental health problems), listening to JOJ tends to make me feel happy. Even though I listened to them a lot when I was feeling terrible, they also remind me of happier memories from that period.