PETROL GIRLS
Le Public Space, Newport
Tue 14 Jan
Armed with vocalist Ren Aldridge’s sharp tongue, coarsened with abrasion and anger, and an array of gorgeously erratic instrumentation, post-hardcore quartet Petrol Girls are the walking, screaming embodiment of counterculture. The four rekindle the anti-nationalist sentiment that’s been nurtured by the punk scene since its inception and fuse it with fiercely feminist ideology to add up to a left-wing whirlwind.
Don’t mistake the band simply for rhetoric-spitting parrots, though: these issues are clearly the foundation that a band formed on International Women’s Day by members from Lithuania, Austria and the United Kingdom would choose to build itself upon. Indeed, by trading empty slogans for extrospective lyrics, the group has established themselves as pre-eminent feminist punks. Fresh from supporting two A-list names of the genre, Thrice and Refused, across Europe, the band are set to embark on a whistlestop tour of the UK, with dates also stretching across England, Scotland and Ireland.
It’s clear that Petrol Girls aren’t willing to settle for simply challenging our current political climate – they’re stomping it into the ground, and broadcasting it to the world through the medium of vivid, cerebral punk.
Tickets: £8. Info: 01633 221477 / www.lepublicspace.co.uk (AP)