{"id":59030,"date":"2018-04-18T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T10:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=59030"},"modified":"2018-05-09T21:02:11","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T20:02:11","slug":"guest-blog-screech-bats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/guest-blog-screech-bats\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: \u2018What\u2019s it like to be an all-female band?\u2019 – The Definitive Answer by Screech Bats’ Esme Baker"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As part of our Guest Blog series, we have handed over our digital platform to\u00a0Esme Baker of London punk rock quartet\u00a0Screech Bats<\/strong>. On their recently released EP, ‘Wish You Were Her’,<\/em> Baker along with drummer\u00a0Lexi Clark, bassist Rio Hellyer and drummer Kit Reeve, take their grungy riot girl brand of punk rock down a darker route. Covering a variety of topics; mental health, death and grief, failed relationships, and the life lessons that are thrown at you as you grow older, ‘Wish You Were Her’<\/em> is drenched in emotion and energy. While songs such as ‘Get Better’<\/em> and ‘Just Like You’<\/em> have stylestic nods to Alkaline Trio and Against Me!<\/span><\/p>\n

Although\u00a0Screech Bats\u00a0<\/strong>show plenty of lyrical depth, some people unfortunately can’t look past the fact that they’re a non-male band. For any band with a new release, Screech Bats<\/strong> have seen the usual, routine (and lazy) questions being thrown at them; “tell us about the EP?”, “Why is it called that?”, “what inspired this song?” and so on. However, the one question that repeatedly get asked is “what\u2019s it like to be an all-female band?”<\/p>\n

Well to lay it all out in the open, Screech Bats<\/strong>‘ Esme Baker has decided to write a detailed answer to what it is like to be an non-male band. Unfortunately, the experiences she and her band mates have been through aren’t pleasant. From being mistaken as girlfriends at their own headline shows to the lack of opportunities they get. Esme doesn’t hold back and her comments are certainly thought-provoking but are certainly needed to be said.<\/p>\n

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A note from Esme:<\/p>\n

This is an article about gender. And let me assure you, I like discussing it about as much as you like hearing about it. But this is what the article is about, so I am going to be unapologetically banging on about all issues regarding wee wees, hoo hoos, who likes what hoo hoo, and how we should all stop giving a fuck for as long as you can be arsed to pick through my flowery turn of phrase for. Let the minge-whinge commence!<\/em><\/p>\n

I just wanna make music. Like the formation stories of most mainstream bands, I made some friends, they also wanted to make music, we decided to make music together and we started doing it. However, unlike a lot of mainstream bands, none of our members have penises. And unlike a lot of mainstream bands, we won\u2019t get through 90% of interviews without being asked what it is like; to play music, and yet not have a penis. You may think this is strange, having never seen an interview with Sum 41 for instance, that asks, \u2018So what\u2019s it like, not having any vaginas in your band?\u2019 and yet with us, it seems to be one of the main topics to discuss. Please don\u2019t get me wrong – it\u2019s totally okay, I mean, although it can become tedious repeating ourselves, none of us mind discussing gender, we would just prefer to be discussing music. So I have taken the time to slosh out once and for all, the definitive article, the article to end all articles, the heavily requested, intensely anticipated, Esme Baker (of Screech Bats fame) and her musings about what making music and not being male feels like and all her thoughts on the commonly posed question: \u2018What\u2019s it like to be an all-female band?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, let me stumble over the starting line and crack my forehead on the very first hurdle muttering something about how we are not an all-female band. I am going to backtrack a bit from my earlier genital statements. I say vagina and penis a lot because I find them funny words to say. Your GENDER is NOT defined by what ORGANS you have. This is the first point people don\u2019t understand, but it\u2019s okay to not understand, I\u2019m right here to clear it up. People misinterpret our statement about \u2018not being a girl band\u2019, assuming that we are saying that we are \u2018not JUST your average GIRL band, we are GIRLS that ROCK!\u2019 (peace sign\/pink anarchy badge\/rainbow Tshirt\/\u00a350 guitar etc.)<\/em><\/p>\n