Palmolive (musician)
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Paloma McLardy (''
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Romero, born 26 December 1954), known as Palmolive, is a Spanish drummer and songwriter who was a member of influential early
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 ...
bands. She founded
the Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...
toward the end of 1976. After leaving that group in 1978, she joined
the Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...
and performed on their first album, ''The Raincoats''.


Early life and punk rock career

Palmolive was born in
Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...
, Spain, into a family of nine children, and grew up in
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
with her four sisters. A teenager who chafed against the political repression and conservatism of
Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...
, Palmolive left for London at 17 to "learn about life". She returned to Madrid three months later to attend university, where she participated in anti-fascist activism, sometimes getting in trouble with the police. Before long, she returned to London and lived at a hippie squat at 101 Walterton Road where she met
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, ...
, who had recently changed his name from Woody Mellor. The couple were together for several years. Joe, who played in pub-rock band
the 101ers The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s playing mostly in a rockabilly style, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the ...
just before punk emerged in the city, joined shortly later
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 ...
. Punk's "explosive energy" and sense of radical freedom inspired McLardy. Like many others on the scene, she acquired a punk name, ''Palmolive'', inspired by Paul Simonon's playful mis-pronunciation of "Paloma". Returning to London after a break in Scotland, Palmolive wanted to become a
mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium ...
, but the troupe she contacted needed a drummer instead. She accepted but stayed with them for a brief time. She never played an instrument before and fell in love with the drums. Palmolive soon joined a band called the Flowers of Romance, but after rejecting the advances of
Sid Vicious John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...
who was its leader, he kicked her out of the band the very next practice session. Palmolive was determined to start a band composed only of women, because he"didn't want to be playing music and writing songs and have that be dependent on whether or not I sleep with a guy." Nor did she want to follow the pack blindly by pretending to embrace people and ideas just because everyone else did. She wanted to live by her own idea of punk. Palmolive attended one of
Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''. Called the "punk poe ...
's October 1976 shows at the
Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...
in London. There she saw 14-year-old
Ari Up Ariane Daniele Forster (17 January 1962 – 20 October 2010), known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German vocalist best known as a member of the English punk rock band the Slits. Biography Ari Up was born in Munich, West Germany. Both her pare ...
throwing a tantrum, decided she'd be a great person to front a new band, and asked her to join her band that same night. Ari immediately agreed. Palmolive next asked Kate Korus, whom she knew from the time of the 101'ers, to play guitar in the band; she too agreed. The three were joined by bassist Suzy Gutsy to form the first version of the Slits. On 17 January 1977, the English tabloid ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' published the first article about female punks in London. The Slits were featured, along with the Castrators, another all-female band. Things were not working with Suzy, so Palmolive and Ari asked the Castrator's bassist,
Tessa Pollitt Teresa Mary Clare Pollitt (born 1 January 1959) is an English musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for the punk rock band the Slits between 1976 and 1982. Music career At 16 years old, Pollitt replaced the Slits's original bassi ...
, to join them. The Slits, now including Tessa, performed their first gig at the Harlesden Coliseum in London on 11 March 1977 along with the
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 ...
,
Subway Sect Subway Sect were one of the first British punk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the Postcard Records scene and the indi ...
, and the Clash.
Vivien Goldman Vivien Goldman (born 1952) is a British journalist, writer and musician. Early life and education Goldman was born in London in 1952, the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. She studied English and American literature at th ...
's review of the article in ''Sounds'' proclaimed that the group had "PRESENCE". Ari's "unfettered vocal frenzy" coupled with Palmolive's “fierce percussive pounding” and the overall freedom and wildness of the band's musical and physical performance took the audience by surprise. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (of the Clash) said Kate didn't look cool, and proposed to replace her with
Viv Albertine Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954) is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the punk band the Slits from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio ...
, Mick's girlfriend. Paloma agreed, and Viv joined the band. The Slits gained immediate attention and soon opened for the Clash's 1977 White Riot tour. Palmolive's passionate drumming was key to the overall brashness of the group's performances. The group's audacity – on-stage and in the street – was met by violence from men offended by their refusal of traditionally feminine attitudes and attire. The Slits’ raucous on-stage behaviour belied the democratic way they wrote their songs. Members would bring lyrics, then create the music collaboratively, exchanging ideas, and devising arrangements together. Palmolive wrote the lyrics to several of the Slits’ initial songs, including Number One Enemy, Shoplifting, New Town, FM, and Adventures Close to Home. By the time that these songs were recorded for release on the Slits' first album, ''
Cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...
'', Palmolive was no longer in the band. She was unhappy due to tensions with the rest of the band over management and creative decisions. Disagreements built up and she was kicked out of the band just before they signed a contract with
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
. She later claimed that the disagreements included posing nude on the cover of ''Cut''. but Viv Albertine said Palmolive had been asked to leave the band several months previously. Her drumming, along with some of the songs she wrote while with the band, can be heard on the group's 1977 and 1978
John Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
. In November 1978, Palmolive appeared as drummer with Spizzoil in a gig at the
Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...
, then soon joined her friend
Gina Birch Gina Birch is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band, the Raincoats. Born in Nottingham, Birch attended Nottingham High School for Girls, and later the Hornsey School of Art, where she formed ...
and Ana DaSilva in the Raincoats. Palmolive recruited violinist
Vicky Aspinall Victoria "Vicky" Aspinall is a British musician. She was the violinist in the English post-punk band The Raincoats from 1978 to 1984. In 1992 she and Dave Morgan founded the independent dance label Fresh Records (not the post-punk label of the sam ...
into the group by hanging an ad in
Compendium Books Compendium Books was an independent bookstore in London specialising in experimental literary and theoretical publications, from 1968 until its closure in 2000. ''The Guardians John Williams described it as "Britain's pre-eminent radical book ...
, a “centre for alternative thinkers.” Her drumming is characterized by Raincoats biographer Jenn Pelly as "more like painting, abstract-expressionist, not at all like a metronome." It fitted well with the band's non-linear, non-hierarchical approach to making music. Palmolive played on the Raincoats initial EP and their first album, ''
The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...
'', considered a "feminine response to rock'n'roll hegemony." She drummed for the Raincoats on a UK tour with Rough Trade labelmates Kleenex (later renamed LiliPUT after Kimberly-Clark, the manufacturer of the tissue paper brand, threatened legal action) in 1979.


Post-punk life

Palmolive left the Raincoats after that tour for a pilgrimage to India with her friend Dave McLardy. The couple moved to Spain, then back to England before relocating to the United States, where they have lived in
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
, Massachusetts since 1989. At her arrival she joined a controversial right-wing
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
church named Victory Chapel in Hyannis until leaving a few years later after recognizing the church’s troubling characteristics. Palmolive, no longer involved with organized religion, still embraces Jesus. She considers herself to be a "punk mystic", an identity that influences her outlook on life and her deep concern for social welfare and environmental issues. In a July 2021 interview on the BBC World Service programme “
Outlook Outlook or The Outlook may refer to: Computing * Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft * Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft * Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...
”, she refers to herself as a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
. She has taught Spanish to children in public and private schools on Cape Cod for over 16 years, having earned a BA in
American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...
from
Lesley University Lesley University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. As of 2018-19 Lesley University enrolled 6,593 students (2,707 undergraduate and 3,886 graduate). History ...
along with teacher certification. Palmolive's influence on punk and her role as an inspiration for women in music is chronicled in the documentary film ''Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits'', Jenn Pelly's book ''The Raincoats'', part of the 33 1/3 books series and the ''God Save the Queens: Pioneras del Punk''. Palmolive participates in frequent Q&A sessions at screenings of the film and other events, and was part of a keynote panel about women and music at the 2018 Pop Conference held at the
Museum of Pop Culture The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington. She appeared in the 2019 four-part Epix documentary ''
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 ...
'', and is working on her autobiography.


See also

*
Women in punk rock Women have made significant contributions to punk rock music and its subculture since its inception in the 1970s. In contrast to the rock music and heavy metal scenes of the 1970s, which were dominated by men, the anarchic, counter-cult ...


References


External links


Punk's Palmolive
Palmolive's website, added December 7, 2018.
“Punk, God, and my search for truth” interview on BBC World Service programme “Outlook”, first broadcast July 2021
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmolive 1955 births Living people Spanish musicians People from Melilla Punk rock drummers Women drummers Spanish evangelicals Spanish expatriates in the United States The Slits members The Raincoats members Women in punk