Louise Distras
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Louise Distras is an English singer, songwriter and musician from
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
.


Early life

Louise Distras was born in
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
, a city in the North of England, in 1987. She taught herself to play the violin at an early age and later learned to play guitar by "bunking off school and smoking cigarettes" and listening to
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
's debut album ''
Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...
''. Distras ran away from home in her teens. In a 2019 interview with '' The Chronicle'' she said "being able to escape into songwriting and guitar-playing is what got me through."


Career


2012–2015: Early career and ''Dreams from the Factory Floor''

Distras started performing live in 2012 holding her first shows in pubs and open mic nights. At one of her early gigs she met Anne Scargill (a prominent figure of the
Women Against Pit Closures Women Against Pit Closures was a political movement supporting miners and their families in the UK miners' strike of 1984–1985. The movement is credited with bringing feminist ideas into practice in an industrial dispute and empowering women to ...
movement that supported miners and their families in the UK miners strike of 1984–1985) who sang "Women of the Working Class" to her. "She told me to write a song that's just for women, so that's what I did," said Louise on X (formerly Twitter). Distras uploaded her first single "The Hand You Hold" to YouTube on International Women's Day, picking up media attention from ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', and
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
. She was invited by
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...
to perform on the Leftfield Stage at
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
and he tweeted "Maybe we'd have done better at
Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
if Louise Distras had been our entry?" In 2015, she released her debut full-length album ''Dreams from the Factory Floor'' and performed across America, Canada, Scandinavia and Europe, opening for The Damned,
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
,
Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...
and
Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
. Music journalist John Robb called her "the most important protest singer we have" in a review on the
Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
website.


2016 – 2019: Rising profile and "Street Revolution" EP

In 2016 Distras premiered her new single "Aileen" via ''
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- ...
'', marking a change in musical direction. ''Kerrang!'' named Louise Distras a "Star of 2017" saying "Louise Distras is the most exciting voice in UK punk right now!" "Aileen" received radio support from
Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...
(
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
), John Kennedy ( Radio X) and
Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also ma ...
(
KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The stat ...
). It also featured on the Hugs for Chelsea benefit album which premiered on
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 ...
. She embarked on a UK and European Tour with
The King Blues The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of th ...
and performed on the main stage at Punk Rock Bowling Festival in Las Vegas. Distras headlined the Nick Alexander stage of
Frank Turner Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981), is an English Punk rock, punk and Folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primar ...
's Lost Evenings Festival at
The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, ...
in London, and performed at
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
for a second time under the invitation of Billy Bragg. In 2018 Distras announced she was working on her second album and premiered the music video "Land of Dope and Glory" by
MTV VMA The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
-nominated director Lewis Cater. "It's inspired by
Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...
and looks like
Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...
joined forces with
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...
to create a dystopian TV channel" said Louise in an interview with ''Loudersound''. In 2019 she released the "Street Revolution" EP and received more praise from ''Kerrang!'' who said, "Louise Distras has the kind of voice that could charm the paint from a car". The title track "Street Revolution" was made John Kennedy's 'X-posure Hot One' on Radio X and named as one of DJ
Gary Crowley Gary Crowley (born 8 October 1961), is an English broadcaster, TV presenter and DJ.Burrell, Ian (2009), ''The Independent'', 9 November 2009, retrieved 2 November 2010 While still at school (Rutherford School, Marylebone, London) in the late 1970s ...
's top tracks of 2019 who described "Street Revolution" "as a song for our times. It leaps out of the radio". She also performed in Germany, supporting
The Subways The Subways is an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar), Charlotte Cooper (bass guitar, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding-drummer Josh ...
,
The Interrupters ''The Interrupters'' is a 2011 documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, that tells the story of three violence interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. It examines a year in which Chi ...
,
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...
,
Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
and appeared as a special guest on the new
King Blues The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of t ...
album ''38 Minutes''.


2020–2022: Covid 19 and creative pause

In a post on social media, Distras stated her new album release had been pushed back due to the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
pandemic's impact on the music industry and being subjected to online abuse. On 4 November 2022, Distras released a new single "Black Skies", with a spoken-word introduction from
Steve Ignorant Steve Ignorant (born Steven Williams in 1957) is a singer and artist. Career Steve Ignorant was born in Stoke-on-Trent but grew up in Dagenham, East London. He later lived at Dial House, which since 1967 has been a self-sustaining anarchist- ...
of
Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...
. In an interview with Backseat Mafia, Distras revealed she had to crowdfund her upcoming new album as she had never been paid for the sales of her debut album ''Dreams from the Factory Floor''.


2023: New album ''Beauty After Bruises''

On 27 January Distras released "Girl in the Mirror" and announced her second album ''Beauty After Bruises'' would be out on 28 April via Ministry Of Love Records, saying "I don't want to make music that's a space for the best, glossy version of myself so ''Beauty After Bruises'' is about the ugly truth. This album is messy just like me and it's about honouring the parts of myself that I looked away from." ''Beauty After Bruises'' was recorded at 25th Street Studios in Oakland, California with American Grammy nominated producer Ross Peterson (
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
,
Elle King Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Her musical style was influenced by Country music, country, Rock music, rock and blues. In 2012, King released her d ...
) and mixed by the English music producer
Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album ''Viva Hate'' following the spl ...
(best known for his work with
the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...
,
the Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...
and Blur). Guest musicians include
Mick Talbot Michael Talbot (born 11 September 1958) is an English keyboardist. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Talbot is probably best known as co-founder of the Style Council. He has been a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Merton Parkas and ...
(
The Style Council The Style Council were a British musical ensemble, band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/New wave music, new wave/mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previousl ...
/
Dexys Midnight Runners Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
) on keys, and
Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be hi ...
drummer Gunnar Olsen on drums. ''Louderthanwar'' said "Punk is about attitude and Louise has enough for the whole of Yorkshire. Her voice was always emotional but now it's more introspective, more mature and distinctive. With less shouting, she has become a voice to be heard." ''Clash'' magazine said "Wakefield's underground heroine Louise Distras is at her best on new album ''Beauty After Bruises''" and "''Beauty After Bruises'' is a hugely endearing return from a massive talent." A&R Factory said, "''Beauty After Bruises'' is a triumph of candour-instilled innovation". In an interview with Vocal Media, Distras criticised Ireland's new hate speech laws, saying "We should all be able to speak without being policed and told what we can and can't say about our own lives." Alongside five other women, Distras featured in a ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' article about the experiences of ordinary women being ostracised from their jobs for questioning gender ideology. In an interview with writer
Julie Bindel Julie Bindel (born 20 July 1962) is an English radical feminist writer. She is also co-founder of the law reform group Justice for Women, which has aimed to help women who have been prosecuted for assaulting or killing violent male partners. A ...
for
UnHerd ''UnHerd'' is a British news and opinion website founded in July 2017. Content ''UnHerd'' was founded in 2017 by conservative British political activist Tim Montgomerie, who also acted as editor. Following Montgomerie's departure in September ...
about misogyny in the music industry, Distras said that "the music industry used to be about freedom of expression and freedom of speech", and there was "an urgent need to build a new one with a proper counterculture, where women have actually got a proper say".


Artistry and style

Distras's biggest influences include
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
: she cites their 1989 debut album ''Bleach'' as her favourite album. Some of her earlier influences include
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
,
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
,
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
,
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
,
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
and
Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
. She has incorporated elements of the classic 1977 punk rock aesthetic into her work, notably in the music videos "The Hand You Hold" and "Shades of Hate". She is also known for retaining her thick Yorkshire accent during interviews and makes no attempt to sing in an American accent. Onstage she sometimes wears
Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
trainers,
Dr. Martens Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs, is a German-founded British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, Dr ...
,
Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
shirts and punk inspired jewellery, such as earrings designed by
Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...
.


Activism

Distras describes herself as "a soft working class feminist rooted in a Northern working class upbringing" and has written for fanzines citing Ariel Levy's ''
Female Chauvinist Pigs ''Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture'' is a 2005 book by Ariel Levy (journalist), Ariel Levy that critiques the highly sexualized culture of the United States, American culture in which women are sexual objectification, ...
'' as one of her early influences. In 2012 she supported the Russian feminist band
Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...
in an interview with ''
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 ...
''. In 2013 she appeared on the
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
documentary "Make Some Noise" and
John Pienaar John Adrian Pienaar (born 2 October 1956) is a British journalist who currently works for Times Radio, previously rising to prominence as deputy political editor for BBC News. Early life Pienaar was born in Middlesex. His parents, Eric and Joh ...
's BBC Radio 5 show ''Pienaar's Politics'' to discuss the role of protest songs in modern music. In 2015 Distras auctioned vinyl test pressings of ''Dreams from the Factory Floor'' on
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
and donated the funds to California non-profit human rights organisation Justice Now. Justice Now co-ordinated an art project based around ''Dreams from the Factory Floor'' lyrics, where people in the
Central California Women's Facility Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is a female-only California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the largest female cor ...
(the world's biggest women's prison) illustrated copies of her songs "The Hand You Hold" and "Love Me The Way I Am". The finished art pieces were displayed at various events throughout the year. Later that year she performed alongside Mick Jones (
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
) and
Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only alb ...
(
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
) at London's Coronet Theatre to raise funds for the London Fire Brigade in
Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...
's memory, and appeared live on Channel 4 news to discuss the closure of
Kellingley Colliery Kellingley Colliery was a deep coal mine in North Yorkshire, England, east of Ferrybridge power station. It was owned and operated by UK Coal. The colliery closed on 18 December 2015, marking the end of deep-pit coal mining in Britain. The s ...
. In 2019 Distras became an ambassador for Musicians Against Homelessness and joined Jon Sparkes (Chief Executive of
Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
),
Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, r ...
,
Shaun Ryder Shaun William George Ryder (born 23 August 1962) is an English singer/songwriter and poet. As lead singer of Happy Mondays, he was a leading figure in the Madchester cultural scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1993, he formed Bla ...
and
Neville Staple Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the 2 Tone ska band the Specials, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also per ...
of
The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
at the
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
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 ...
to campaign against homelessness. Distras has criticised perceived censorship of working-class artists, describing "
cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...
" as "just mind games for the middle classes".


Discography


Albums

* ''Dreams from the Factory Floor'', Street Revolution Records, CD/DD, 2013, Pirates Press Records, LP, 2015 * ''Beauty After Bruises'', DD, CD, LP, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2023


Singles/EPs

* "The Hand You Hold", DD 2012 * "Shades of Hate", DD 2012 * "Stand Strong Together", DD 2013 * "Love Me the Way I Am"/"Bullets", 7", DD 2014 * "Bullets", DD 2015 * "Aileen", CD, DD 2016 * "Outside of You", DD 2017 * "Land of Dope and Glory", DD 2018 * "Street Revolution" EP, CD, DD 2019 * "Black Skies", DD, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2022 * "Girl in the Mirror", DD, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2023 * "Factory Girl", DD, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2023 * "Truth in Your Lies", DD, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2023 * "Love & Money", DD, Ministry Of Love Records Department 2023


Compilation appearances

* "Aileen" on Hugs for Chelsea, DD, 2016


Collaborations

* ''Paradise'' by The King Blues, 38 Minutes CD, DD, 2019 * ''Boomer and the Severed Goats Head'' by The King Blues, 38 Minutes CD, DD, 2019 * ''Black Skies'' by Louise Distras featuring Steve Ignorant, DD, 2022


References

{{authority control 1987 births Living people Alternative rock singers English women singer-songwriters Punk rock Women in punk