A Chat with Femegades (16.06.24)
Bringing the recklessness of Bikini Kill to the rambunctiousness of Hole and adding their flair of gritty grunge, Femegades is truly a force of nature. We discovered the UK grunge band a few years ago with the 2021 EP Pornsick, and the foursome continues to astonish with each release (in a good way). We speak with vocalist Em about their new EP Sex Robots, what music means to her, what Femegades stand for, and much more!
OSR: Cliché, but hey it’s a good opener. How did Femegades come together? What drew each of you to music and each other?
Em: We’d had various versions of the band previously, but it wasn’t until we sat down and felt there was a need for more militancy in music that was perhaps apolitical, that the songs started to find a home. And I think on an individual level, we all have some kind of basic need to be playing loud in a room together!
OSR: You recently released your EP Sex Robots. What can you tell us about the EP, is there a particular concept or backstory?
Em: ‘Broken Bones’ was written to question the medicalisation and individualisation of social issues and natural responses to trauma. Within that there’s a range of mental health issues, from anxiety to body image, and ultimately hopefully an empowering call to men and women alike to reject what you’re being sold.
‘Depleted’ is really the only one solely based on personal experience: that journey into becoming a mother again and how as glorified as this concept may be, the reality is different. Motherhood gets lonely, it’s not an easy job and don’t expect a thank you from a newborn!
For the rest, I think you try to bring in elements of personal experience whilst making sure you do justice to the people affected by those negative experiences. But then I think the concept for the EP is really how the themes relate to each other. It feels like this one paints a pretty bleak picture of where things are at. But maybe there is some hope in that too…
OSR: Sex Robots is your third EP. I was wondering, is creating each EP rather similar when it comes to writing, recording, production, etc, or are they each unique?
Em: Main challenge I guess that affects everyone is you start to run out of songs you’ve already written! Also with any of the subjects we’re writing about there’s always a question of whether you’re hitting the mark. Maybe you get more confident in that over time, I dunno.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Em: Music can be anything. It can be a way of escapism, it can be a way of soul searching and it can be a way of expressing yourself. Whether you’re listening to ‘Killing In The Name’ or ‘Kung Fu Fighting’, it can probably be all of those things at the same time or at different times for different people.
It’s constantly changing, what it means is evolving.
OSR: A bit of an odd one but what do you hope to achieve with your music? What does Femegades stand for?
Em: Is ‘world domination’ the right answer? As for what we stand for, I’d say ‘critical thinking’. We might not have the answers, but at least we’ll ask you some difficult questions!
OSR: Do you think Sex Robots is a good representation of Femegades at the moment?
Em: Definitely. We’ve been playing some of these songs for a while now given how long the process takes so maybe we’re starting to move on. But I think it is our most coherent and consistent work, plus by far the best production we’ve had. We’re hoping to carry that all forward into the next one.
OSR: What is your opinion on tattoos and piercings?
Em: Depends on who you ask in the band!
OSR: What is something you completely don’t understand?
Em: How full-time musicians manage to survive financially.
OSR: What thing from childhood do you still enjoy to this day?
Em: Having a bath in the sink… Although actually having kids ourselves means things have kinda come full circle. Gig days now are going swimming, doing lego, and then rocking out
OSR: What can we expect from Femegades in the future?
Em: Pornsick 2. That and maybe matching perms.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Em: Music doesn’t have to be about nostalgia… don’t give up on looking for (and finding) great new bands!
Many thanks to Em for speaking with us! For more from Femegades, check out their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
