Loud Women Fest 2017 was a party rrriot from beginning to end. Held at the community-run DIY Space for London in Peckham, it featured 20 amazing acts. Music styles ranged from beatboxing to sax punk, and careful programming across two stages meant there were no clashes!
Singer and four-time UK Beatbox Champion Grace Savage stunned the crowd with her amazing vocalizing - which ranged from four layers of beatboxing through to hip hop and more. From a cappella to looping and savage giant bass sounds she thrilled with tracks such as ‘Medusa’ from her electro pop ‘Savage Grace’ EP, and also a great cover of Banks’s ‘Waiting Game’.
She Makes War - pic Terry Tyldesley
Always incredible live, this was a landmark She Makes War performance. It was great to hear her passionate anti-bigotry protest track ‘I Want My Country Back’, as well as a spine-tingling new song called ‘Dear Heart’ that she performed on her ukelele. One of our all-time SMW favourites ‘Delete’ got an outing complete with a new megaphone with a siren, that the Bristol-based artist bought in Jakarta on a recent tour.
Party Fears - Katie Frost Photography
Formed in Seoul, resident in Berlin, and originally from Ireland, indie pop band Party Fears got the party going with a cocktail of high energy tunes, dub FX, fantastic drums, lashings of glitter and a wave of surf guitar.
Gaptooth - pic Terry Tyldesley
Mixing showstopping keytar and electronics with lyrical acrobatics, political anthems and audience participation “if you’re fucked up and you know it clap your hands” Gaptooth won plenty of new friends with her solo set. An alt bard from Basingstoke.
Thunder On The Left - pic Terry Tyldesley
More thunderous than stampeding horses, Thunder On The Left were fierce, fast and riff-heavy, with amazing drumming. Blistering rock of the best kind from this London trio fronted by the electrifying Carla.
Sink Ya Teeth - pic Terry Tyldesley
Norwich duo Sink Ya Teeth were on our ‘must see again’ list, and their dazzling electro funk punk soon got the bar stage moving. Standout tunes included their new single ‘Glass’ and they are back in the big smoke soon.
GUTTFULL - pic Terry Tyldesley
GUTTFULL brought the house down with their dirty sax punk party tunes like ‘Keyboard Warrior’, ‘Arsehole’ and ‘Gaslighting Motherfucker’. Their feelgood fightback songs put these Londoners in a league of their own.
London’s self-styled punk witches Dream Nails summoned grrrls straight to the front and wasted no time setting their own musical agenda. It was great to hear their ‘DIY’ song off the Loud Women album, and top tunes were ‘Bully Girl’ and ‘Mercury’. They sent out Dream Nails thanks to superhuman Loud Women Fest organiser - also guitarist in GUTTFULL - Cassie Fox.
Rising stars LIINES were phenomenal - a post-punk three-piece from Manchester with an incredible energy that swept you up from the very start. Their intensity was reminiscent of Savages, with standout drumming, stabbing bass and soaring guitar.
Hands Off Gretel - pic Terry Tyldesley
South Yorkshire’s finest, the ‘Grrl grunge’ Hands Off Gretel, slammed the crowd with their wall of sound, all fierce guitars and a dash of The Runaways, fronted by all round creative powerhouse Lauren Tate. It was a rare treat to see them in London, ahead of their German tour, and them heading back to the studio for album number two.
Big thanks to Loud Women for such a stellar session, and let’s be seeing all these artists on big festival stages next year. Bookmark them bookers!