Feminist punk band from London Dream Nails have just announced they join Krod Records family to release European wide their recent single Deep Heat.
They have headlined Glastonbury’s Sisterhood stage, featured in Vice and Love magazine, played on BBC 6 Music and toured Europe with Cherry Glazerr. It’s exciting times for this band who are continuously playing gigs for their fans and spreading the word about women’s rights. You can check out Deep Heat below!
We managed to catch up with Janey, Anya, Lucy and Kate as they spoke about signing for Krod Records, women rights, recent terror attack in London and more!
So how pumped are you to be signing for KROD Records?
Janey: We’re honoured and excited. KROD have signed our favourite feminist punks like Colour Me Wednesday and distribute The Tuts and Petrol Girls so we’re really happy to be part of the KROD family too!
How well has Deep Heat gone down with fans so far?
Janey: When we first released it in the UK, we got some fanmail that said “fuck you for making the catchiest song ever” and the song’s spread across the world ever since.
Anya: In our music video for the tune, we got a massive audience made up of friends in bands to sing the choruses together at the top of their voices, that was pretty satisfying!
Lucy: My favourite reaction to the song was when a woman came up to me after a show, and said incredibly thoughtfully, like it was a truth she was waiting to have verbalised her whole life, ‘you’re right, nobody does care that your dick is on fire’. Yeah, it goes down pretty well.
Kate: We’ve just been touring Europe, supporting US band Cherry Glazerr. The lead singer Clem was singing the chorus to Deep Heat in the tourbus! I think it’s super catchy.
Can you tell us a little bit about the single?
Janey: We’re punk witches, so ‘Deep Heat’ is actually a hex on misogynist politicians that are ruining women’s lives and choices across the world. We originally released it around the time of the U.S. election, to target Donald Trump.
Kate: When I’m singing the backing vocals for Deep Heat on stage “nobody cares if your dick is on fire!” it feels like a real moment of female empowerment. And at that moment, I feel like women can achieve whatever they want to, both in music or in other spheres of their lives; and I really don’t care about dicks- anywhere in the world.
Will you be releasing a EP/Album this year?
Janey: We’ll be recording our second EP over the summer, and releasing it in the Autumn!
Anya: Yeah, we’ve got loads of new songs we can’t wait to show everyone. We are going to be raising money for recording via PledgeMusic so keep an eye out!
What’s the alternative scene like in London?
Janey: The DIY punk community in London is really special. Lots of people are picking up instruments for the first time and forming bands, usually because they’ve got a political message that they want to share. It’s beautiful to have a feminist, queer safe space where people can come together to be joyous and rageful. It keeps us all sane.
Anya: We played our first gig with DIY music and feminist collective Loud Women so we’ve grown as a band feeling like we’ve got people looking out for us, which in my experience is so rare for an all-female band in other music scenes.
Lucy: I can’t tell if it’s just because we’re in it, but the community really is expanding and hopefully becoming even more accessible and inclusive. I feel spoilt by how friendly the scene is when we play outside of it sometimes. Within the DIY scene, everyone is happy to share kit, stages and band members, and help newer bands get their first shows. That’s really not the case with the broader scene. It’s really special.
Do you think music community will only get stronger in London following the recent terrorist attacks?
Janey: We can only really speak for the feminist punk community, which is built from activism. Any form of male violence is fuelled by toxic masculinity, which is why there are such strong connections between domestic violence and terrorism. In the feminist punk scene and in our work as activists, this is something we’re already fighting against – by organising shows that have a ‘safe space’ policy, centring women’s needs through ‘girls to the front’ and making sure that violent men are held accountable for their actions in our community. We’ll continue to fight for safe spaces from male violence, and challenge the underlying causes of this violence itself.
Kate: I think that the sense of democracy is very strong in London, it’s such a cosmopolitan place; and when our freedoms are contested we only band together more strongly to defend them.
Do you think there’s still a lot of work to do to gain more women’s rights in the world of music?
Janey: Yes, absolutely. Women’s rights, representation and treatment in music is no different to the broader picture of women’s lived experiences where discrimination and violence are just part of womanhood. It takes a lot of guts and strength to express yourself creatively, and to try and do that in a sexist, hostile environment is really challenging.
Lucy: Of course, and it’s not just about representation at shows and festivals, but about how female musicianship is treated and respected by the industry and the whole world of music. I’m thinking specifically of how alienating it can sometimes be in drum and music shops – it’s a hotbed of mansplaining and assumptions that you can’t play.
Anya: And whatever your gender, it’s hard to assert your rights without representation, without organisations that promote solidarity. The Musicians Union does great work but it’s hard for part time musicians to afford the fees. We are trying to organise an agreement amongst DIY musicians that means everybody gets paid properly but it’s not easy.
How was it playing at Glastonbury?
Janey: Glastonbury was wild, and we’re going back to play again this year! We played The Sisterhood stage, which had a lot of workshops and great female artists playing.
Lucy: We were playing in Shangri-La which was genuinely too nuts for words.
Anya: …especially because we were playing inside a fake Nail Bar (total coincidence) which opened up into this amazing club called the Sisterhood, just for women and non-binary people. My guitar and gear were covered in mud by the end but it was worth it.
Do you find it different playing at live venues rather than festivals?
Janey: At our shows, we have a solid base of fans who know the words and will dance along right up front. At festivals, it’s usually the first time an audience has really heard us, and usually lots of them are pretty rowdy and drunk. Both of those are fun for different reasons really.
Anya: We love winning over a new crowd!
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Janey – It’s not really a band but I’d actually really love to work on a song with Dolly Parton. I love her and think we’d have a lot of fun.
Lucy – I saw an amazing all-women Salsa band play recently and I think we would make a pure dance banger together and it’d be wild to have about 15 women on stage.
Anya: I just discovered the singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy. I love her writing style and her lyrics are on so point, so Margaret if you’re reading this and want to go a little riot grrrl on the new record do not hesitate to get in touch.
Kate: I’d like to work with Devin Townsend. His music and voice are incredible and he doesn’t fit into any genre. He also refuses to pose for promo shots- he deliberately makes himself look ridiculous, which I respect! Plus he’s open about being bipolar- it’s great to have more visibility for mental health.
What were your first gigs that you attended?
Janey – The Offspring on their 2001 Splinter Tour!
Anya: I saw Cake at the Kentish Town Forum in probably 2002.
Lucy – Steps at Wembley Arena in 2001. Too punk for most people.
Kate- Sigur Ros at Hammersmith Apollo, 2003. Still the best gig I’ve been to