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If you inquire about the most punk act she's ever accomplished, Cathy Loughead doesn't hesitate: “I played a show with my neck fractured in two spots. Unable to bounce, so I bedazzled the brace instead. That was an amazing performance.”

Cathy is a member of a expanding wave of women reinventing punk music. Although a new television drama focusing on female punk broadcasts this Sunday, it mirrors a phenomenon already blossoming well beyond the television.

Igniting the Flame in Leicester

This momentum is most palpable in Leicester, where a recent initiative – now called the Riotous Collective – sparked the movement. Cathy participated from the start.

“At the launch, there existed zero all-women garage punk bands in the area. Within a year, there seven emerged. Today there are twenty – and growing,” she explained. “There are Riotous groups around the United Kingdom and internationally, from Finland to Australia, producing music, playing shows, taking part in festivals.”

This surge doesn't stop at Leicester. Throughout Britain, women are taking back punk – and changing the landscape of live music along the way.

Breathing Life into Venues

“Numerous music spots throughout Britain doing well due to women punk bands,” she added. “The same goes for practice spaces, music teaching and coaching, recording facilities. This is because women are in all these roles now.”

They're also changing the crowd demographics. “Female-fronted groups are performing weekly. They attract more diverse audiences – attendees who consider these spaces as protected, as intended for them,” she remarked.

A Movement Born of Protest

An industry expert, programme director at Youth Music, said the rise is no surprise. “Females have been promised a vision of parity. However, violence against women is at epidemic levels, the far right are manipulating women to peddle hate, and we're manipulated over topics such as menopause. Women are fighting back – through music.”

Another industry voice, from the Music Venue Trust, notes the phenomenon altering regional performance cultures. “We're seeing more diverse punk scenes and they're integrating with local music ecosystems, with local spots booking more inclusive bills and establishing protected, more inviting environments.”

Entering the Mainstream

Later this month, Leicester will present the first Riot Fest, a weekend festival featuring 25 female-only groups from the UK and Europe. Recently, a London festival in London showcased punks of colour.

This movement is edging into the mainstream. One prominent duo are on their first headline UK tour. The Lambrini Girls's debut album, their record name, hit No. 16 in the UK charts lately.

Panic Shack were shortlisted for the 2025 Welsh Music Prize. A Northern Irish group secured a regional music award in last year. Recent artists Wench played the BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival.

It's a movement rooted in resistance. Across a field still dogged by misogyny – where female-only bands remain lacking presence and performance spaces are facing widespread closures – female punk artists are establishing something bold: space.

No Age Limit

At 79, Viv Peto is proof that punk has no seniority barrier. The Oxford-based musician in her band started playing only recently.

“At my age, there are no limits and I can follow my passions,” she said. A track she recently wrote includes the chorus: “So scream, ‘Forget it’/ This is my moment!/ The stage is mine!/ I am seventy-nine / And in my fucking prime.”

“I adore this wave of elder punk ladies,” she said. “I didn't get to rebel when I was younger, so I'm rebelling currently. It's great.”

Kala Subbuswamy from the Marlinas also noted she couldn't to rebel as a teenager. “It's been really major to be able to let it all out at this point in life.”

A performer, who has traveled internationally with various bands, also considers it a release. “It's about exorcising frustration: being invisible in motherhood, as a senior female.”

The Liberation of Performance

That same frustration inspired Dina Gajjar to form Burnt Sugar. “Being on stage is a release you were unaware you lacked. Girls are taught to be acquiescent. Punk isn't. It's loud, it's imperfect. It means, when negative events occur, I think: ‘I can compose a track about it!’”

However, Abi Masih, a band member, stated the female punk is all women: “We are typical, career-oriented, brilliant women who love breaking molds,” she explained.

Maura Bite, of the Folkestone band She-Bite, concurred. “Females were the first rebels. We needed to break barriers to gain attention. This persists today! That badassery is part of us – it seems timeless, elemental. We are incredible!” she declared.

Breaking Molds

Not every band match the typical image. Julie Ames and Jackie O'Malley, from a particular group, strive to be unpredictable.

“We rarely mention the menopause or swear much,” said Ames. Her partner added: “However, we feature a bit of a 'raah' moment in each track.” She smiled: “Correct. However, we prefer variety. The latest piece was regarding bra discomfort.”