Big Joanie is a British

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

trio formed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 2013. Its members are Stephanie Phillips (guitar and vocals), Estella Adeyeri (bass guitar and vocals), and

Chardine Taylor-Stone Chardine Taylor-Stone is a British feminist activist, writer and musician. In December 2015 Taylor-Stone founded Stop Rainbow Racism to campaign against the performance of ‘Black face’ at LGBTQ+ Venues. The campaign began in response to a perf ...

(drums and vocals). After a few singles and EPs they released their first album in 2018 with

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moo ...

and Eva Prinz's Daydream Library Series, and have since signed to

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known ...

in the U.S.

History

Formation and early releases

Big Joanie was formed by Stephanie Phillips in 2013, who posted online asking for bandmates with whom to start a

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feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

punk band after becoming frustrated with the lack of

intersectionality Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of adva ...

in the scene. Chardine Taylor-Stone, who Phillips had met through

Imkaan Imkaan is a UK-based Black feminist organation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls. Imkaan was founded in 2004. From 2004 to 2013 its executive director was Marai Larasi Marai may refer to * Marai (name) * ...

, and the band's original bassist Kiera Coward-Deyell responded. They played their first set at the inaugural First Timers, an event where all the bands had to be new, most of the members had to be playing a new instrument and they had to include someone from a marginalised group. The name of the band is partly a tribute to Phillips’ mother, Joan, and partly based on a Caribbean figure of speech. ‘When we say a child is “acting big”, they’re acting bigger than themselves. I just thought that would be a great phrase for a strong, confident woman.’ In 2014 the band released their first EP ''Sistah Punk'' on Tuff Enuff Records, and in 2016 they self released a 7" three song single entitled ''Crooked Room'' on their own Sistah Punk Records. The title track is inspired by a lecture by the writer

Melissa Harris-Perry Melissa Victoria Harris-Perry (born October 2, 1973), formerly known as Melissa Victoria Harris-Lacewell, is an American writer, professor, television host, and political commentator with a focus on African-American politics. Harris-Perry hoste ...

, who compared life as a black woman in a white

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

to trying to find a true vertical in a room where everything is crooked. Another song on the release is a punk cover of

No Scrubs "No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, ''FanMail'', on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, forme ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

Line-up change and Decolonise Fest

Estella Adeyeri (also of

Witching Waves Witching Waves is an historical flat ride that was installed at several amusement parks worldwide. The first was at Luna Park on Coney Island, New York, United States, in 1907,Jeffrey StantonConey Island — Independent Rides 1997. where it was on ...

and Charmpit) joined in 2017 to replace Coward-Deyell after she moved to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Later that year the band supported American bands

Sad13 Sadie Dupuis (born Sarah Dupuis; July 8, 1988) is an American musician who is the guitarist, lead vocalist and lyricist for the band Speedy Ortiz and formerly for the band Quilty. She has also released two solo albums, ''Slugger'' and ''Haunted P ...

and Downtown Boys on UK tours. In early 2018 they recorded their debut album with producer Margo Broom at Hermitage Works Studios. Over the weekend of 2–4 June 2017, DIY Diaspora Punx (a collective started by Phillips and also containing other London musicians such as

Rachel Aggs Ray Aggs is a musician based in Glasgow. Primarily known for their distinctive guitar work, influenced by both West African highlife and post-punk, they also sing and play the violin. Career They have been playing with the band Trash Kit since ...

) put on the first Decolonise Fest at DIY Space For London. Decolonise Fest is the UK's first music festival created by and for

people of colour The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

. The second edition of the festival, again mostly held at DIY Space, occurred from 22 to 24 June 2018. The festival was held for a third time over 29 to 30 June 2019, at which Big Joanie performed.

Release of debut album

On 5 September 2018 Big Joanie announced their debut album ''Sistahs'' would be released in late November the same year with a music video for lead single "''Fall Asleep''". It is the first album to be released by Ecstatic Peace Library, a publishing company ran by visual book editor Eva Prinz and musician

, in their Daydream Library Series. '' Sistahs'' was released on 30 November to positive reviews, including in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

, and

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

. In November 2018 they supported American band

Parquet Courts Parquet Courts is an American rock band from New York City. The band consists of Andrew Savage (vocals, guitar), Austin Brown (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Sean Yeaton (bass, vocals), and Max Savage (drums). History Band members Andrew Savage a ...

on a UK and European tour. They played their first American shows in March 2019 at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

, debuting via

BBC Music Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, ...

, and were announced in April as

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the ...

's main support for their two European shows of the year at

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

in June. On 26 February 2020, Big Joanie supported

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

alongside Harkin at the

. Phillips cites Sleater-Kinney as having "really influenced the way I thought about writing emotional songs, and my approach to punk music". On 14 August of that year the band released a 7" single of their cover of

Solange Solange (died 10 May, c. 880) was a Frankish shepherdess and a locally venerated Christian saint and cephalophore, whose cult is restricted to Sainte-Solange, Cher. Saint Solange was the patron of the traditional Province of Berry, of which C ...

's ''Cranes in the Sky'' with a live recording of ''It's You'' from their first album on the flip. On 2 October it was announced that Big Joanie had signed in the U.S. to Portland OR based independent record label

ahead of their second album. Their first release for the label was a split with Adeyeri's other band Charmpit, which was released on 27 November of that year. On 1 June 2022 Big Joanie released the single ''Happier Still'', it was written after the release of the debut album and finished whilst they were in Austin for SXSW 2019. On July 27, 2022, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' revealed that their sophomore album, titled ''Back Home'', is set for release on November 4 of the same year.

Musical style

OkayAfrica OkayAfrica (stylized as okayafrica) is a digital media platform dedicated to African culture, music and politics. Founded in 2011 by Vanessa Wruble and Ginny Suss as a sister site to The Roots frontman Questlove's Okayplayer, the site has become ...

, the trio were noted as one of ''20 Black Punk Bands You Need To Listen To''. They were also called a

riot grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultur ...

band.

Discography

Albums

*'' Sistahs'' – Daydream Library Series, LP, MP3 (2018) *''Back Home'' -

/ Daydream Library Series, LP, CD, MP3 (2022)

EPs

*''Sistah Punk'' – Tuff Enuff Records, Cassette, MP3 (2014) *''Crooked Room'' – Sistah Punk Records, 7", MP3 (2016)

Singles

*''Cranes in the Sky'' / ''It's You'' –

Third Man Records Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...

, 7" (2020) *''Kluster Rooms Sessions'' (Split with Charmpit) -

, 7" (2020) *''Happier Still'' -

/ Daydream Library Series, MP3 (2022)

References

External links

*
Big Joanie
on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

{{Authority control All-female punk bands Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 2013 Musical groups from London British musical trios Black British musical groups 2013 establishments in England Riot grrrl bands