The Wimmins' Institute was a four-piece all-female
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band from
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 ...
, England, formed in 2015.
The band was formed by Jennifer Denitto on
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s/guitar, Cassie Fox on
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, Melissa Reardon on
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
/drums, and Deborah van der Geugten on
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
. All four members provided vocals.
Fox and Reardon also played together in Socialist R&B band
Thee Faction
Thee Faction are a British garage rock/garage punk band from Surrey, England, noted for their explicit socialist agenda. They refer to their music, which incorporates elements of garage rock, pop and rhythm and blues as "Socialist RnB". Th ...
; Denitto and van der Geugten had both been members of
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
Linus
Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...
. Reardon and Denitto also play in
.
The group played their first gig in 2015 and subsequently played with
Grace Petrie
Grace Petrie (, born 24 July 1987) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leicester, England. She was hailed in ''The Guardian'' as "a powerful new songwriting voice" in 2011.
Biography
Grace Petrie began performing in 2006 as ...
,
the Ethical Debating Society
The Ethical Debating Society (aka T.E.D.S.) are a three-piece DIY punk, post- riot grrrl group from London. They have been described as "one of the most exciting DIY bands" in the UK.
History
Initially a solo project for vocalist/guitarist Teg ...
,
Vice Squad
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...
,
the Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk/ new wave band, originally formed in London in January 1978. The most recent line-up consists of Bid, Andy Warren, Athen Ayren and Stephen Gilchrist.
History Original band: 1978–1985
The Monoc ...
and
Bis.
Their debut album, ''Badass Lady Power Picnic'', produced by
Charley Stone
Charley Stone is an English multi-instrumentalist musician based in London, UK. She has been a notable part of the London indie music scene since the early 1990s.
History
Charley Stone first came to notice in short-lived riot grrrl band Frant ...
, was self-released in October 2015. It was rated 4/5 by
R2, who described it as "just wonderfully, tunefully, angrily unprofessional". The
Morning Star described it as a "brilliant debut". Tracks from the album, including lead single "Mansplaining", have been played by
Steve Lamacq
Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music.
Early life
He attended The Ramsey Academy ...
on
BBC Radio 6
BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
.
In 2016 the band released the new song "Nando's" as a single, with accompanying video.
In 2017, the group split, with Fox continuing with new band Guttfull, and Reardon continuing with Foxcunt. Denitto and van der Geugten later joined Argonaut. Denitto, Reardon and WI 'fifth member' Charley Stone also play in The Fallen Women.
Discography
*"Mansplaining", DL single (2015)
*"
Let It Go
"Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...
On Another Planet", DL single (2015)
*''Badass Lady Power Picnic'', CD album (2015)
*"Nando's", DL single (2016)
References
External links
The Wimmins' Institute Facebook pageThe Wimmins' Institute blogThe Wimmins' Institute YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimmin's Institute, The
All-female punk bands
British indie rock groups
Riot grrrl bands
2015 establishments in England
Feminist musicians
Musical groups from London
Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom