Feminist. Punk. Glitter. Need I say more?
Glitoris are playing at Transit Bar in Canberra this Saturday. We caught up with Bec Taylor, one of the amazing women behind the band, to talk feminism, expression, and what you can expect from their show.
Where did Glitoris come from?
*/ The idea for Glitoris – a naked-glitter-covered-punk-band rebelling against the male-dominated music industry – has been on the back-burner for a number of years. A brain-child of a group of friends at uni, I always assumed it was a bit too radical, I never believed that I would follow through with it. Then Julia Gillard happened. Then Glitoris didn’t seem radical at all. Gillard’s spectacular fall from power uprooted some buried truths; Australia is a very sexist country. There was no turning back. As a musician I understand our communicative position in society; we can say things that people would listen to, we can do things that people would see. It was time. I tentatively asked some musician friends whether they wanted to be in a band called ‘Glitoris’. They immediately replied ‘yes’, before I had mentioned the naked thing. We played at 2014 You Are Here Festival, intending it to be a one-off political expression but the overwhelmingly positive response to our message told us that others had shared our sense of action. So we decided to spread it further.
What is your nudity an expression of?
We are four women rejecting the objectification and commodification of our bodies by rocking out naked and covered in glitter. Its just a body. Quit worrying about yours and dance.
You all play in other bands. What does Glitoris give you that you don’t get from those groups?
Individually, we all play a range of different musical styles, from pop to jazz, classical to folk. Glitoris is a potent blend of our shared performing experiences and the result is loud, raw and punk-pop. We sound like Pussy Riot blended with your favourite pop song rolled in Peaches and Bikini Kill. Complete with shouts of ‘GLITORIS!’ and ‘UTERUS!’, our band is a hell of a lot of fun. With no preconceptions of genre that can limit musicians’ creativity, we express ourselves in anyway we want. Maybe it’s because we have always been among the minority in our musical projects and now we are the majority. Either way it feels great.
Is Glitoris part of the alleged ‘fourth wave’ of feminism? What other feminists inspire you?
I went to a panel recently by the ANU Gender Institute that explored the idea that there is a fourth wave of feminism going through Australia that is a reaction to the media’s treatment of Julia Gillard. Instantly I realised that Glitoris fits that mould. We recently went on a band excursion to see Pussy Riot in conversation at the Sydney Festival of Dangerous Ideas. I have noticed the increasing discourse around women’s issues in the media, especially in Canberra and I hope that this movement can continue to build as people realise we still have a long way to go in this country.
Can you tell us a bit about the songwriting process? What themes are you most interested in exploring?
Our songs are about women, men, society and fun. Our songs are written by women and men both inside and outside the band. (We are open to more song donations!). We explore themes that centre around our experiences, ranging from political rage to personal anguish, from obesity to celebrating glitter. Some of our song titles include ‘Off with their heads/take off your shirt’, ‘Wet hot punk rock’ and ‘Whaddacunt’.
What can we expect on Saturday?
The greatest boy band you’ve never seen. */
You don’t want to miss this.
GLITORIS – Saturday the 18th October at Transit Bar, 8pm.
Glitoris will be joined by Faux Faux Amis and Ell Bella and 10% of proceeds with go to the Domestic Violence Crisis Centre. You can buy tickets here (they’re selling fast).
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www.facebook.com/glitorisband
