The Raincoats are a British experimental

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band.

Ana da Silva Ana da Silva is a musician, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Career Born in Madeira island of Portugal, she grew up without television and little access to popular culture. She had exposure to music throug ...

(

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

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 string ...

) and

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 form ...

(vocals,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label

Rough Trade Rough Trade may refer to: * Rough Trade Records, a record label *Rough Trade (shops) Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops in the United Kingdom and the United States with headquarters in London. The first Rough Trade shop was o ...

, the band released three albums in their early incarnation: '' The Raincoats'' (1979), '' Odyshape'' (1981), and '' Moving'' (1984). They reformed in 1993 and released the album '' Looking in the Shadows'' in 1996.

History

1977–1993

Da Silva and Birch were inspired to make a band after they saw

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 ...

perform live earlier that year. Birch stated in an interview with ''She Shreds'' magazine, "It was as if suddenly I was given permission. It never occurred to me that I could be in a band. Girls didn’t do that. But when I saw The Slits doing it, I thought, ‘This is me. This is mine.’” For the band's first concert on 9 November 1977 at

The Tabernacle The Tabernacle is a mid-size concert hall located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Opening in 1911 as a church, the building was converted into a music venue in 1996. It is owned and managed by concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment and has a ...

, the line-up included Birch, da Silva, Ross Crighton (guitar) and Nick Turner (drums). Guitarist Kate Korus (from The Slits and later the Mo-dettes) joined briefly but was replaced by Jeremie Frank. Nick Turner left to form the Barracudas, and Richard Dudanski (ex- The 101ers and later

Public Image Ltd. Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

) sat in on drums, while filmmaker Patrick Keiller replaced Frank on guitar. Late in 1978, the Raincoats became an all female band as they were joined by the Slits' ex-drummer Palmolive and the classically trained 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 ...

, with this line-up making their live debut at Acklam Hall in London on 4 January 1979. Managed by Shirley O'Loughlin, the band went on their first UK tour with

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

female band

Kleenex Kleenex is a brand name for a variety of paper-based products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, tampons, and diapers. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue in the United States and Canada, the ...

, in May 1979 after

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pu ...

released their first single, "Fairytale in the Supermarket". Johnny Rotten was an early admirer of the band, and later stated: "The Raincoats offered a completely different way of doing things, as did X-Ray Spex and all the books about punk have failed to realise that these women were involved for no other reason than that they were good and original". The Raincoats' distinctly uncommercial sound did not appeal to everyone; after witnessing an early performance by the band, Danny Baker remarked that "they are so bad that every time a waiter drops a tray we'd all get up and dance". On 21 November 1979, Rough Trade released the band's self-titled debut album, which received considerable acclaim from the press. Palmolive had left the band in September, shortly before '' The Raincoats'' came out, and teenager Ingrid Weiss joined the band on drums. The Raincoats' second album, '' Odyshape'', was released in 1981 and featured Weiss as well as drumming contributions from Dudanski,

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming pa ...

(

The Soft Machine ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

) and Charles Hayward (

This Heat This Heat were an English experimental rock band, formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen (guitar, clarinet, viola, vocals, tapes), Charles Hayward (drums, keyboards, vocals, tapes) and Gareth Wil ...

). The Raincoats employed a diverse selection of cheap second-hand instruments such as the

balophone The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé, Senoufo and Gur peoples of West Africa, particularly the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group, but is now ...

, kalimba and gamelan on ''Odyshape'', and the album incorporated

British folk Throughout the history of the British Isles, the United Kingdom has been a major music producer, drawing inspiration from Church Music. Traditional folk music, using instruments of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Each of the ...

, dub basslines, polyrhythmic percussion and elements of

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

among other world music influences. Its eclectic mix of musical genres has been described as one of the "great lost moments of women-in-rock".

"The basic theme in rock'n'roll is what goes on between men and women...Rock'n'roll is based on black music. And it's based ''in'' the exclusion of women and the ghettoization of blacks. Which is why we want to put a bit of distance between what we do and the rock'n'roll tradition." — The Raincoats interviewed by Greil Marcus

In December 1982, the Raincoats recorded a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

at The Kitchen arts space in New York. '' The Kitchen Tapes'' was released on cassette by ROIR in 1983. The Raincoats recorded '' Moving'' in 1984. Tired of constant touring and "pulling in different musical directions", the band members began work on solo projects shortly after the album's release. Birch and Aspinall formed Dorothy, while da Silva worked with choreographer Gaby Agis on a series of dance projects and formed Roseland with Hayward. In 1992,

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

went into the

Rough Trade Shop Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops in the United Kingdom and the United States with headquarters in London. The first Rough Trade shop was opened in 1976 by Geoff Travis in the Ladbroke Grove district of West London. Travis ...

in Talbot Road, London in search of a new copy of ''The Raincoats'', and Jude Crighton sent him around the corner to see da Silva at her cousin's antique shop. Cobain wrote passionately about this meeting in the liner notes of Nirvana's ''

Incesticide is a compilation album by the American rock band Nirvana. It consists of their 1990 non-album single "Sliver", B-sides, demos, outtakes, cover versions, and radio broadcast recordings, and as such is not the official follow-up to the band's ...

'' album. In late 1993, Rough Trade and DGC Records reissued the band's three studio albums, with liner notes by Cobain and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of t ...

's Kim Gordon.

"I don't really know anything about the Raincoats except that they recorded some music that has affected me so much that, whenever I hear it I'm reminded of a particular time in my life when I was (shall we say) extremely unhappy, lonely, and bored. If it weren't for the luxury of putting that scratchy copy of the Raincoats' first record, I would have had very few moments of peace. I suppose I could have researched a bit of history about the band but I feel it's more important to delineate the way I feel and how they sound. When I listen to the Raincoats I feel as if I'm a stowaway in an attic, violating and in the dark. Rather than listening to them I feel like I'm listening in on them. We're together in the same old house and I have to be completely still or they will hear me spying from above and, if I get caught – everything will be ruined because it's their thing." — Cobain's liner notes for ''The Raincoats''

"I loved The Slits because of their boldness and that they actually had commercial songs, but it was the Raincoats I related to most. They seemed like ordinary people playing extraordinary music. They had enough confidence to be vulnerable and to be themselves without having to take on the mantle of male rock/punk rock aggression...or the typical female as sex symbol avec irony or sensationalism." — Gordon's liner notes for ''Odyshape''

Later, Cobain listed the Raincoats debut album at No. 20 in his 50 favorite albums.

1994–present

O'Loughlin persuaded Birch and da Silva to play a show at The Garage in London in March 1994 with

Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...

(Sonic Youth) on drums and Anne Wood on

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

to celebrate the album re-releases. They recorded a session for

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 Peel 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 ...

, which was released as ''Extended Play'' on Paul Smith's

Blast First Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal ''Blast'', published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914 ...

and Shelley's label

Smells Like Records Smells Like Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey, formed by Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley in 1993. Groups that have recorded under the label include Blonde Redhead, Cat Power, The Raincoats, and The Rondelles. ...

. Cobain invited them to play on Nirvana's planned UK tour in April, but he died a week before the tour began. The Raincoats released '' Looking in the Shadows'' on Rough Trade/ Geffen in 1996, produced by Britpop producer Ed Buller (who had previously worked with Suede and Pulp). Musicians included Wood (violin, bass), Heather Dunn (drums) and Pete Shelley (

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 indepen ...

). In 1995, the

Tim/Kerr Tim/Kerr (also known as T/K) was an American independent record label in Portland, Oregon, United States, run by Thor Lindsay and Thomas "Tim" Kerr IV from 1985 until 1999. Between 1978 and 1984 Lindsay and Kerr were also co-owners of an independe ...

label released a Raincoats compilation, ''Fairytales''. Since 1996, the Raincoats have played some special events such as Wyatt's

Meltdown Meltdown may refer to: Science and technology * Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident * Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors * Mutational meltdown, in population genetics Arts and entertainment Music * ...

in 2001, and

Chicks on Speed Chicks on Speed is a feminist music and fine art ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, after members Australian Alex Murray-Leslie and American Melissa Logan met at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. Though Chicks on Speed reached cult status th ...

's ''99 Cents'' album release party in Berlin in December 2003. Birch and da Silva recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of "Monk Chant" for a tribute album of

Monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

songs called '' Silver Monk Time'', and performed the song live with the Monks at Berlin's Volksbühne in October 2006. They played at Ladyfest in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

in April 2007, and the Nuits Sonores Festival in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

on 18 May 2007. On 28 March 2009, ''The Raincoats-Fairytales-A Work in Progress'', directed by Birch and produced by the Raincoats, was screened at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

in London. On 25 April, the band performed at

Donaufestival The Donaufestival is an annual festival of music and performance that takes place each April in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. In the early years of the festival, two towns were used as locations - Krems and Korneuburg Korneuburg () is ...

in Austria. On 9 November 2009, the Raincoats' debut album was reissued on vinyl on We ThRee (the band's own label) in the UK and on the

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 kn ...

label in the U.S. The band performed at Matt Groening's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2010 at

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

. The following week, the Raincoats played their debut album live for an ATP Don't Look Back concert at London's Scala, supported by the Raincoats-influenced band Trash Kit. On 21 November 2010, the Raincoats performed a concert as part of the PopRally series at

MoMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...

in New York City. The band were invited by

Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. M ...

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

to perform their debut album live at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in March 2012. In December 2011, it was announced that The Raincoats would also appear at the 35 Denton music festival in Texas the same month. The Raincoats invited

Angel Olsen Angel Olsen (born Angelina Maria Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: ''Half Way Home'' (2012), ...

to collaborate for the 40th anniversary of Rough Trade at London's Islington Assembly Hall on 3 November 2016. On 5 October 2017, Jenn Pelly's

33⅓ (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, RPM. History Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Barker i ...

book ''The Raincoats'', about the band's first album, was published by

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...

.Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980 – 1989'', Cherry Red Books,

Studio albums

*'' The Raincoats'' (1979,

) No. 5 *'' Odyshape'' (1981, Rough Trade) No. 5 *'' Moving'' (1984, Rough Trade) No. 5 *'' Looking in the Shadows'' (1996, Rough Trade/ Geffen)

Singles and EPs

*"Fairytale in the Supermarket" 7" single (1979, Rough Trade) *"Running Away" 7" single (1982, Rough Trade) No. 47 *"Animal Rhapsody" 12" single (1983, Rough Trade) *''Extended Play'' EP (1994,

/ Smells Like) *"Don't Be Mean" 7"/CD single (1995, Rough Trade)

Live albums

*'' The Kitchen Tapes'' (1983, ROIR)

Compilation albums

*''Fairytales'' (1995,

)

Compilation appearances

*"In Love" on '' Wanna Buy a Bridge?'' (1980, Rough Trade) *"Shouting Out Loud" on '' C81'' (1981, Rough Trade/

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

) *"No One's Little Girl" on ''(Thanks to Rough Trade For) A Constant Source of Interruption'' (1990, Rough Trade) *"In Love" on ''Lipstick Traces'' (1993, Rough Trade) *"Off Duty Trip" on ''Totally Wired'' (1995,

Razor and Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles a ...

) *"In Love" on ''Upsalapalooza'' (1995, WFMU) *"Shouting Out Loud" on ''Seething-ID, a Blast First Complication'' (1995, Blast First) * "No One's Little Girl" on ''Postpunk Chronicles: Left of the Dial'' (1999, Rhino) *"Fairytale in the Supermarket" on ''Rough Trade Shops – 25 Years '' (2001,

Mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

) *"Lola"

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

cover on ''Rough Trade Shops Post Punk 01'' (2003, Mute) *"Animal Rhapsody (Version)" on '' DJ-Kicks: Chicken Lips'' (2003, !K7) *"Fairytale in the Supermarket" on '' Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground'' (2004, Rhino) *"Only Loved at Night" on '' Rip It Up and Start Again – Postpunk 1978–1984'' (2006, V2) *"Monk Chant" The Monks cover on '' Silver Monk Time – A Tribute to the Monks'' (2006, Play Loud! Productions) *"Shouting Out Loud" on ''Girl Monster'' (2006, Chicks on Speed) *"Honey Mad Woman" on ''ROIR Post Punk Compilation'' (2012, ROIR) *"Shouting Out Loud" on ''Death Disco (Mojo Presents a Compendium of Post-Punk Grooves)'' (2014,

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

) *"Shouting Out Loud" on ''Recorded at the Automat: The Best of Rough Trade Records'' (2015, Rough Trade) *"Lola" The Kinks cover on ''Rough Trade Shops – Covers Vol. 1'' (2016, Rough Trade) *"Fairytale in the Supermarket" on '' 20th Century Women (Music from the Motion Picture)'' (2017, Rhino)

Notes

Guardian Online review of book relating to female punk musicians/groups including Gina Birch and Ana da Silva

External links

The Raincoats official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raincoats, The All-female punk bands English punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups from London English experimental rock groups English post-punk music groups English new wave musical groups Female-fronted musical groups Rough Trade Records artists ROIR artists DGC Records artists Blast First artists 1977 establishments in England Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Proto-riot grrrl bands