Petrol Girls is an English punk rock band 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 2012 by Ren Aldridge and Liepa Kuraitė, with Joe York and Zock Astpai joining later. The band is named after the historical

Pétroleuses ''Pétroleuses'' were, according to popular rumours at the time, female supporters of the Paris Commune, accused of burning down much of Paris during the last days of the Commune in May 1871. During May, when Paris was being recaptured by loyali ...

and is outspokenly

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 ...

. They have released three albums on independent labels. They have received media coverage from

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

, NPR and

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); V ...

History

Petrol Girls formed and played their first show in 2012, after just two practises, at a house party hosted by founding member Ren Aldridge (vocals) to celebrate International Women’s Day. Retaining original bassist Liepa Kuraitė, who had never played before Aldridge invited her to join, they eventually recruited Joe York (guitar) and Zock Astpai (drums) to complete a sustainable lineup. Aldridge took the name from a group of 19th century French revolutionaries, ''les Pétroleuses'', after hearing them mentioned by

Laurie Penny Laurie Penny (born Laura Barnett, 28 September 1986) is a British journalist and writer. Penny has written articles for publications including ''The Guardian,'' ''The New York Times'' and ''Salon''. Penny is a contributing editor at the ''New ...

. After two EPs, their eponymous self-released 7-inch from 2014 and ''Some Thing'' from 2016, the band released their debut album ''Talk of Violence'' on Bomber Music in 2017. In April 2018 the band released single "Survivor" and announced they had signed to Hassle Records for their next release - EP ''The Future Is Dark'' released on 14 September. Their second full length album ''Cut & Stitch'' was released on 24 May 2019. It received positive reviews from NPR, The Skinny, and

- who in June also called it 'one of the best albums of the year so far'. In July 2019 it emerged that Aldridge is one of several musicians being sued by singer/rapper

Jonny "Itch" Fox Jonathan "Jonny" Fox, better known simply by his stage name Itch, is an English rapper. Fox is the lead vocalist of The King Blues, previously performing briefly as a solo musician during the band's absence. Early life Jonathan Fox was born an ...

, seeking aggravated damages and an injunction for alleged libel. The defendants are fundraising towards their legal costs. On 6 November 2019 Kuraitė posted a statement on Facebook stating she was going to leave the band by the end of the year. On 8 March 2022 (

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

) Petrol Girls released the single ''Fight For Our Lives'' featuring Janey Starling. Starling, formerly lead singer of the London band

Dream Nails Dream Nails is an English DIY punk/ riot grrrl band from London founded in 2015. The group identify themselves as “''punk witches''” and are known for their riotous live shows that mix storming punk guitar with sweet three-part harmonies. ...

, works for the British feminist organisation Level Up. Ren Aldridge said of the song; "I directly referenced Janey’s Dignity for Dead Women Level Up campaign in the lyrics to this track. Through this campaign, she introduced media guidelines for reporting on femicide and fatal domestic abuse in the UK – this is huge, because media narratives that place blame on the victims of femicide and abuse and treat these murders as isolated incidents are part of the problem". On 31 March 2022 the band announced their third album, ''Baby'', would be released on 24 June that year. It was recorded with new bassist Robin Gatt, also of Personal Best. On 27 June 2022 an article penned by Aldridge was published by

about the overturning of Roe V Wade in the US, restrictions on abortion in Europe, the requirement for Doctor's approval in the UK, and ways to counter state encroachment on bodily autonomy.

Discography

Albums

*''Talk of Violence'' - Bomber Music, 12-inch LP, CD, MP3 (2016) *''Cut & Stitch'' - Hassle Records, 12-inch LP, CD, MP3 (2019) *''Baby'' - Hassle Records, 12-inch LP, CD, MP3 (2022)

EPs

*''Petrol Girls'' - Self Released, 7-inch EP, MP3 (2014) *''Some Thing'' - Laser Life Records (EU) / Panic State Records (USA), 7-inch EP, CD, MP3 (2016) *''The Future Is Dark'' - Hassle Records, 12-inch EP, MP3 (2018)

References

{{Authority control Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 2012 English punk rock groups 2012 establishments in England Feminist musicians