Carina Ramirez

British Pop Music

NEHRING

4/9/20

Female Punk of the 70s

For the last few decades, the music industry had been dominated by male

figures, especially in the rock and punk genres. In the way that women were making an

uprising in other careers in the modern and progressing world, they were also making

an appearance in the music world. They defied all stereotypes of what a singer should

have been at that time and crushed the typical male’s standards of needing a specific

personality, attractiveness, or sexuality. The female influence made big waves

beginning in the decade of the 70s and changed the music scene in Britain indefinitely.

The beginning of the decade allowed for female singers and artists to make

progress in music but it was toward the middle and end of the decade when big-name

groups and soloists really took off. Siouxsie and the Banshees, for example, were

among a number of groups that were first to establish a strong punk rock style. Led by

singer Siouxsie Sioux, the group experimented with new rhythms and darker sounds,

something that was newer to the industry now that glam rock had begun to die out.

Their discography would go on to influence future musicians such as The Smiths and

Depeche Mode.

Similarly, female duo The Raincoats, formed in 1977, also attributed to the post-

punk sound at the time. Sandy Carter references the group in Women Guitars and

Rebellion when speaking of the influence older punk groups had on Riot Grrrls, a
“grass-roots uprising” composed of young female feminists inspired by these musicians

who exuded a “raw, aggressive sound.” They eventually made their way to America

through a debut on a radio station in Olympia, Washington called KAOS. In The

Raincoats, Olympia is compared to them in the sense that they both were “quietly

eccentric [and] profoundly imperfect.” People from Olympia, like many other fans in

Britain, appreciated the duo's ability to “combine sophisticated ideas with crude

musicianship to create magic.” Kurt Cobain also gives credit to them for “playing music

for themselves” and thanking them for how they made him feel. Both Siouxsie and the

Banshees and The Raincoats were heavy influences in the growth of female musical

artists for years to come.

As it is seen in many careers, women, for decades, never had the upper hand in

the road to success. Within the music industry, males were the majority, especially in

the punk and rock genres. For a long time, it was considered too rigid and masculine for

women to participate. That is until sexuality and gender norms began to redefine the

“look” of a rockstar and, in turn, made changes in what music was being written. Frith

states in Rock and Sexuality that “the problems facing a woman seeking to enter the

rock world as a participant are clear...A girl is supposed to be a listener, she is not

encouraged to develop the skills and knowledge to become a performer.” Artists like

The Raincoats and Siouxsie Sioux have left lasting impressions not only with their

talents and records but with their ability to open up doors for fellow women to create and

be successful. Their iconic contributions allowed for the passivity of women to come to a

close and gave way for a more accepting industry.