photo galleries – LOUD WOMEN

Opening the night, Retropxssy was nothing short of brilliant — part theatre, part gig, all fun. There’s no one who sounds like Retropxssy; she’s her own genre, and she owned that stage (and the whole room). The absolute highlight was spotting her mum in the audience — the surest sign you’re in a safe, supportive space: one where artists know they can invite their mums.

Then came I, Doris (hi!). It was a joy to look over and see the twin axe attack of Charley Stone and Lenie Mets — what a sight, what a sound. Our newly returned drummer Sharon smashed it after her travels, and our special guest cowboy, Dunstan Bruce (him off of Chumbawamba), joined the fun. He’s a total sweetheart — and look what he gave me as a birthday present the next day. What a dude.

Next up, THWACK! lived up to their name and then some — a full-on sonic punch of top tunes and top people. They turned everything up a notch and got the place properly jumping.

The raffle, as always, was an absolute masterclass in efficiency. The sound engineer was worried it might overrun, but I’m a seasoned raffle pro these days — it ran like clockwork, thank you very much. So well, in fact, that our headliners Yakkie started five minutes early. Love it.

And oh my god, how much do I love Yakkie. Quite possibly the best band on the planet. Janey Starling’s songwriting is pure kickass grunge-pop-punk perfection, her stunning vocals soaring over Robin’s face-melting guitar work (pure metal in places). Add the harmonies from Ankles and Robin — both exquisite vocalists in their own right — and you’ve got something transcendent. And Maeve on drums? Don’t tell the other drummers, but she might just be the best ever. She even improvised along with the raffle draw — total babe.

It was an emotional night, made all the more special by the full-circle moment: Janey fronting Yakkie ten years after opening the very first LOUD WOMEN gig. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Happy birthday, LOUD WOMEN — here’s to many more years of friendship, fury, and turning up the volume.