Growing up, music was a constant presence in my life. My earliest album collection was full of talented female musicians like Karen Carpenter, Donna Summer, Pat Benatar and Stevie Nicks. While I enjoyed their music, there was always something missing. It wasn't until I discovered punk, post-punk, goth and 2 Tone music that I found the women who I could truly identify with. These women were powerful, iconic and unapologetically themselves. They shattered the music industry's expectations for women and made space for themselves on their own terms.
Debbie Harry (Blondie), Patti Smith, The Go-Gos, Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) were the first of these women that I heard on mainstream radio. They were the only ones getting radio play in my area in the late '70s and early '80s. As I delved deeper into the punk and post-punk scenes, I discovered a whole new world of fierce, badass women who didn't apologize for their opinions, their fashion sense or their music. These women paved the way for me and countless other young women to reject society's expectations and embrace our own individuality.
These musicians were powerful, iconic and unapologetically themselves.
Pictured Debbie Harry (Blondie), Viv Albertine (The Slits), Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees), Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex) and Pauline Black (The Selecter)
Credit Michael Putland
Influential punk icons such as Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex), Ari Up (The Slits), Poison Ivy (The Cramps), Alice Bag (The Bags), Wendy O. Williams (The Plasmatics) and Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) challenged gender norms and stereotypes with their fashion choices and lyrics, and inspired me to look at politics and gender in a different way. Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees) and Patricia Morrison (The Bags, Sisters of Mercy, The Gun Club) showed me that it was okay to embrace my dark side.
Pictured Lora Logic and Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex)
Credit Gus Stewart / Redferns
These women paved the way for me and countless other young women to reject society's expectations and embrace our own individuality.
2 Tone bands like The Specials, English Beat and Madness inspired me with their music, and Pauline Black (The Selecter) and Rhoda Dakar (Special AKA, The Bodysnatchers) brought much-needed female voices to this genre; as black women making music in a predominantly white and male-dominated scene. Both were a powerful force, on stage and off, and advocated for racial and gender equality.
All these women were more than just musicians to me - they were role models. They taught me to be confident, to stand up for what I believe in and to never let anyone tell me what I can or cannot do because of my gender. They showed me that women can be powerful and influential in their own right, and that we don't need to conform to anyone else's standards.
Pictured Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
Credit Polydor Records
Looking back on those formative years, I realize just how much these women shaped and molded me into the person I am today. They taught me to be unafraid of speaking my mind and to reject societal norms that don't align with my values. I am grateful for their music, their fashion sense and their fearlessness in the face of the status quo. They helped me find my tribe and gave me the confidence to be myself, and for that, I will always be grateful.
Pictured Ari Up (The Slits)
Credit Ray Stevenson / Rex Features
Today, their legacies continue to inspire generations of female musicians, with newer bands like Surfbort and Amyl and the Sniffers — both fronted by badass women and pushing the boundaries for women in the world.
I am grateful for their music, their fashion sense and their fearlessness in the face of the status quo.
Even Sonicglow is an extension of the influence that these female musicians have had in my personal life. So in honor of International Women’s Day, I’m not gonna pause to appreciate what punk rock women have done for our world. Instead, I’ll throw on a vintage concert t-shirt, crank up the tunes and pour new candles here in the studio. Because the more we talk about supporting women, the less time we have to actually make it happen.
