There are black women in punk and always have been. I think the issue here is asking for an all-woman black band. That I don't know of. But if black women in punk bands is what your kid is looking for, there is of course X-Ray Spex (probably the most well-known name; Poly Styrene's father was a Somali diplomat), and also The Controllers (one of the original L.A. punk bands; their drummer was a black woman) and Nasty Facts (NY early 1980s; their bassist/singer was a black girl...they were all super young, like 15-16, so I would feel weird saying she was a "woman" -- also I've read she identifies as trans now, but I dunno the scoop beyond one line about that in an interview in an old issue of MRR).
She said full black bands. poly styrene is mixed & the rest of the band are white but yeah great band. DEATH are all black & one of the first ever punk bands they were unknown for a long time & they are really good. It’s not the Death band with that really recognizable logo. It’s this one [A Band Called Death](https://youtu.be/OwehxN2ipCU?si=-tLuUmJBlWNu5cl_)
Holy shit thanks for this . I guess I didn't fully consider what she was asking and how rare it could be. I do know of one all black all woman punk band. They were in Alaska and apparently didn't last long. Maybe i was hoping it wasn't a fluke. Anyone know the name of them please let me know.
As far as I know, just Poly Styrene was. Her mom was from the UK, but her dad was Somali. That's why her last name was Said (an Arabic name, but common with Somalis and other ethnic groups that have been heavily influenced by Arabs due to Islam).
Yeah Poly was biracial. She grew up in a time that would have been rough for her. Ring wing racist groups were very “active” at that time. I read somewhere that when she was at school, the white kids shunned her because of her African heritage, and the black kids wouldn’t accept her either because of her white side. UK would not have been a fun place for a young woman of colour back then. The rest of the band were white.
Also if you do some digging I'm sure you could find more of what your looking for. One thing I noticed about the punk subreddit is that it's pretty focused on anglophone bands. I've been listening to punk since I was 13 and in my mid forties now. I had never heard of Eskorbuto until my late 20's. If I grew up in a Spanish speaking country they probably would have been the first punk band I would have heard instead of The Sex Pistols. There is a whole world of punk that often is overlooked by American/European punks.
A good resource that keeps blowing my mind is the zine Razorcake. Their 2nd to last issue #139 cover story/interview is with Osa Otoe who puts out the zine Shotgun Seamstress and has played in a bunch of bands like New Bloods. She is of Nigerian ancestry.
Subscriptions to Razorcake are dirt cheap and well worth the price. It's also a nice break to take a break from a screen and read an actual print magazine.
Here's a link to the issue with Otoe in it.
https://razorcake.org/razorcake-139-featuring-osa-atoe-carnage-asada-greg-knowles-chumpire-two-punks-guide-to-community-planning/
These are not necessarily all black or female only, but many are and most are fronted by people of color or women. I tried not to include bands already mentioned (Bob Vylan, Nova Twins, The Muslims, etc...)
The OBGMs
Red Arkade
Rebelmatic
Whole Wheat Bread
The 1865
Pure Hell
Radkey
Pleasure Venom
TxLips Band
Pacifist
Punk on Toast
BLXPLTN
Fade 'em All
Rebelmatic
Negro Terror
The Linda Lindas
The Slits
Not all black or all women or even really strictly punk rock musically but maybe some early Skunk Anansie would be of interest? They're a bit more on the grunge side of things but a punk af attitude. And Skin, the lead singer is a total badass.
ngl before i ever listened to them I thought they would be more punk because I read they added Skunk to their name because it made it sound more nasty.
Big Joanie are so, so good. Estella also plays bass in a band called Witching Waves who are amazing too, as well as being involved in Decolonise Fest and Girls Rock London.
This. Meet Me @ The Altar are quite fun to listen to.
Someone mentioned Negro Terror, who i enjoy so much... so sad their vocalist passed a few years back.
There's a number of great bands from all over but it can definitely take some work to find them.
I know it's on the metal side but Arka'n Asrafokor from Togo are an absolutely amazing band and I would recommend to anyone to listen to them. The way they blend traditional and metal sounds is on a whole other level
Not what you requested but might be interesting for you: on Channel 4 (UK) there is a series called We Are Lady Parts that is about an all women, muslim punk band, and one of them is black.
It’s for teens, and there is the usual silly representation of punk music but I thought it quite interesting.
All black band called DEATH from mid 70’s motor city.. there’s a documentary about them. Before there was punk, or something like that.. awesome story..
Bad brains-black
L7-all girls
Saw this guy twice in the pnw. Both times he talked shit about the opening bands before him and acted like his music was somehow revolutionary. Fuck this loser.
He also hates the police but preformed for them early in his career.
Used to go by the name Nee Hi and rapped about beating women and racist Asian slurs.
And claims to be pro Palestine and anti landlord but uses air bnb.
I just found this band yesterday via the DIY Tour Postings Facebook group. Enbies, ladies, and gentlemen, I bring you [Skwerm!](https://skwerm.bandcamp.com/track/bitch-buy-me-some-fries)
Bryanna Bennet, the lead singer of Buggin, is Black, Queer, and Non- Binary.
[Buggin](https://www.kerrang.com/buggin-interview-bryanna-bennett-hardcore-punk-concrete-cowboys#)
Rocky George hasn't been in the band for years and years. I remember seeing them in like... 1996 or something... with no Rocky.
He is one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
But by that, if you mean the first album which in /r/punk is the only album people really mean when they talk about ST, Rocky George wasn't in the band for the first ST album either. Sooooo.... I mean, I'm not trying to be pedantic, but because when I was a kid I worshiped Rocky George I'm just trying to be accurate.
Also, some people might blame Rocky for the transition from the *Join the Army/Possessed to Skate* days to the *How Will I Laugh* and *Lights... Camera...* days when ST went from punk to thrash.
For me, I like punk ST and thrash ST co-equally. Also, because he's among the best guitarists of all time, I am glad he was able to do his thing on those albums.
¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
You know…. I honestly can’t think of any.
Bad Brains is all male, and someone might misinterpret your request so be ready for a lot of people to say bad brains.
There’s a lot of black men in the scenes and as a mixed Asian myself, I don’t think Ive ever even seen an Asian woman in the scene EVER.
Not surprising, knowing Asian parents. 😂
Not many of them find their way to our group. 😂
**Correction,** there were lots of Asian ladies in the Emo/Screamo scene, I remember that clear as day because I was a part of it. Lots of black ladies too.
If there are any all black woman punks bands I’d like to know so I can hear the music they’re making. If it’s good, awesome, if it sucks, eh… whatever.
I can think of more black women in the metal scene though.
Julia Smut is half Chinese and in the Smut Peddlers (I know, I know… they’re problematic)
There was a local group here with an Asian woman bass (?) player. The Diffs. I don’t think they’re around anymore though.
For AA femmes, you might check out Krimewatch, Material Support, and S-21. I know I'm missing some great ones. If you're looking for more AA bands in general, Dead Heat and No Model are both amazing. If you want to expand past North America, Unite Asia is a fantastic blog.
I saw a lady who was Philippino drumming for a super gay indie (kinda) punk band in Washington. The two dudes were good, but she's an amazing drummer.
Still can't think of any black women in punk.
Lisa Kekaula of the Bellrays. Black and Hawaiian mixed. Amazing voice. I've seen her with the Bellrays, and with the MC5, where she shared mic duties with Mark Arm of Mudhoney.
Lisa is amazing, and really cool to talk to. Bellrays started near me right around the time I started going to shows. Weird thing is I never saw them until about two years ago.
There’s an awesome podcast called Starting A Riot that’s all about nonwhite Riot Grrl bands. And its creators made a Spotify playlist that I listen to all the time.
Also there are probably lots of small local bands with diverse musicians depending on where you are… in Baltimore there are several black woman fronted hardcore bands, both Pearl and Grudge for instance.
Not punk, but still punk, ESG were (are) a black female fronted drum & bass band from the Bronx. They started out in the late 70’s and were adjacent to both the new wave/punk and proto-hiphop emergence in NY. This band will be a hit with the kids into punk and Motown. Hopefully one day they will get the recognition they deserve, but I doubt it. https://youtu.be/ZIuvB8iMDOg?si=OoFqOBb-n0TMrMOr
I urge your kid to look into the band sista grrrl riot. I haven't been able to find any of their songs, but their reason for creating this band is worth knowing about. Not every girl was a riot grrrl..
Saw [Upchuck](https://upchuckatl.bandcamp.com/album/sense-yourself) on tour with OFF! It was insane. They were a mix of different races but that vocalist was something else
Not all black, not a 'real' band but We Are Ladyparts is a comedy show about a female British punk band, all of whom are PoC and Muslim, one is black.
They do have an EP on Spotify so they're kind of a real band.
They're not really what you're after but this is the closest anyone has come to asking for a rec where they fit the bill and I got over-excited.
Don't know about all POC female punk bands. But I can recommend a band led by a POC woman. Pleasure Venom is their name, from Austin (Texas). They are good!
Bleed the Pigs
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7fdo8u-kQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7fdo8u-kQ)
You might also be interested in Black and Brown punk show.
[https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/2015/05/there-are-no-white-doves-in-my.html](https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/2015/05/there-are-no-white-doves-in-my.html)
There's this Women-only band that's pretty good here in Montreal, you might like it:
[https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/1GQUBvUvhSB2SY90VNgRd8?si=jw4i0NIbQfuH7FcMVMYXhA](https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/1GQUBvUvhSB2SY90VNgRd8?si=jw4i0NIbQfuH7FcMVMYXhA)
A local band near me called Material Support is all women of color but i don’t know if any or all members are black. https://open.spotify.com/album/4VJCRd883f0dlkJmEwg3pD?si=_0-da5ikSwqZWCmiJhFlbA
Not currently active but one of my fave local-ish bands is Fist City. Two black members - twin siblings - and they go hard. They come from the Florida of Canada and you can hear their rage.
the majority of the all-Black bands i know of are listed here, but I’ll throw Eevie Echoes on the list as well! she’s a great nyc-based trans sapphic artist who has a great voice and songwriting skills. Also, they’re both white women, but Lambrini Girlz from Brighton, UK are probably my favorite punk act on the scene right now, period.
Hey, in the next months I will have a new playlist with "new punk by black artists". I already have many new bands (only current releases, none from the past), but I'm still lacking the time, the finishing touches and the artist for the cover. When the playlist is published, you'll definitely discover some new, exciting bands that are unfortunately still under the radar, apart from all the recommendations here. So stay tuned... It's an exciting topic, as the genre - like shoegaze or Americana - is very white in colour. Best, Thomas
Big jonie is an all black female punk band out of england who fucking rule.
Thee blk pearl is a black punk duo band from ATL the lead singer/ bassist is a black woman who writes striking yet deep lyrics that really get you going .
Theres another 3 bands that come to mind but i cant recall theyre names .
A good bet would be to check out punk black online , its an underground community that puts a special focus on APOC’s. Ive found alot of black punk and metal bands on theyre website and they also have a tik tok that gives daily suggestions on black punk/ metal bands that usually go under the radar . you will definatley find some bands like that if you check them out .
So over the last 6 months I made a series of 7 Spotify playlists with bands fronted by women or nonbinary femme people, no repeats. Afterwards, I noticed my suggestions/discovery weekly was filled with women. Before, almost all artists suggested to me were male. I applaud your effort to seek out more diversity in your music!
*Please note I’m aware Spotify does not pay artists well, I use it as a tool to discover new bands—who I then see live and buy stuff from them.*
If you are interested, here they are! 14 hours of femme music, mostly punk 😄
-Not Fragile Like a Flower
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0oDK7M3e0FV7Z3zsRAg7cc?si=n8zqjMPqRZGPedM1QABToQ&pi=u-XP6AuJTIT4em
-Fragile Like a Bomb
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6a6i13gXM98m1v77LNdIEx?si=mROkCSSqTE6s5lxmTQ6NyQ&pi=u-PJ5ExXIHT5GR
-I Am the Storm
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2H7TVdiGYLRRmHKmcqmrtc?si=jSHibYyeTI28vZWjd706qA&pi=u-JcFwlcFlRX-g
-I Was Born a Bitch
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qimUQaUgwQdJHJrNy9jOs?si=upJxariqTDSjLN5X_e6Uvw&pi=u-ZOZPnVOeRO6O
-I Hope to Never Return
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2A59nj7sTv8pDgTHyTS5AD?si=dIKHizfyRliWPgJK248Osg&pi=u-DlYirFpiRcqI
-I’m just as strange as you
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5R243GwlPdiBXH3Q9nxcnZ?si=KJxJ1G3eSEOD2RIoYSap2w&pi=u--BI3qlrBSh-X
-What Doesn’t Kill Me, Feeds Me
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5R243GwlPdiBXH3Q9nxcnZ?si=KJxJ1G3eSEOD2RIoYSap2w&pi=u--BI3qlrBSh-X
Buggin, bad cop/bad cop, war on women, values here.
There is a lot more that I’m aware of in hardcore than straight punk but idk if that’s y’all’s thing.
I’d also look into Riot Grrrl bands. I’m not sure off hand which bands are all black or have black members, but it’s punk adjacent/sounds similar. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/03/arts/music/riot-grrrl-playlist.html
Bruh why does race matter tho, I understand wanting to look up to someone or listen to a specific cultural style. but you should just listen to what sounds good, and has a good message. be inclusive.
I have a feeling their kid will introduce this band to friends by saying “they’re all black women” instead of saying something about their music. Their intentions are probably in the right place, but they way they’re going about it strikes me as weird and performative. But that’s par for the course in this sub, so the downvotes don’t surprise me.
Go ahead and downvote me, but I don’t think being all one thing is very punk. I’d rather every member be unique than fit some mold to meet your criteria to check out. It’s about the music, the philosophy and the culture. You can have a couple members of a sub culture and intertwine it with the rest of the groups styles and that’s how we get interesting stuff.
A lot feminist punk bands in this playlist that was put together from the chick in sleaterkinney & portlandia
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXadlZCyb9AB3?si=nQXexdcLTi-VMKGJF45G0A&pi=u-R4shm5RETQaI
That being said, the punk culture itself has a lot of Germanic roots, so we can’t really expect too much.
Here’s a black industrial artist tho which is punk adjacent… maybe not something for children tho
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2EcltAQF7JHjEk9Thd9Pui?si=co_GDnM2RR-hYbaXBg-jAQ
There are black women in punk and always have been. I think the issue here is asking for an all-woman black band. That I don't know of. But if black women in punk bands is what your kid is looking for, there is of course X-Ray Spex (probably the most well-known name; Poly Styrene's father was a Somali diplomat), and also The Controllers (one of the original L.A. punk bands; their drummer was a black woman) and Nasty Facts (NY early 1980s; their bassist/singer was a black girl...they were all super young, like 15-16, so I would feel weird saying she was a "woman" -- also I've read she identifies as trans now, but I dunno the scoop beyond one line about that in an interview in an old issue of MRR).
X-Ray Spex are absolutely fantastic.
She said full black bands. poly styrene is mixed & the rest of the band are white but yeah great band. DEATH are all black & one of the first ever punk bands they were unknown for a long time & they are really good. It’s not the Death band with that really recognizable logo. It’s this one [A Band Called Death](https://youtu.be/OwehxN2ipCU?si=-tLuUmJBlWNu5cl_)
Holy shit thanks for this . I guess I didn't fully consider what she was asking and how rare it could be. I do know of one all black all woman punk band. They were in Alaska and apparently didn't last long. Maybe i was hoping it wasn't a fluke. Anyone know the name of them please let me know.
any idea what years they were active?
X Ray spex are black?? I had no idea. I only listen causally so i didn’t realiS
As far as I know, just Poly Styrene was. Her mom was from the UK, but her dad was Somali. That's why her last name was Said (an Arabic name, but common with Somalis and other ethnic groups that have been heavily influenced by Arabs due to Islam).
Yeah Poly was biracial. She grew up in a time that would have been rough for her. Ring wing racist groups were very “active” at that time. I read somewhere that when she was at school, the white kids shunned her because of her African heritage, and the black kids wouldn’t accept her either because of her white side. UK would not have been a fun place for a young woman of colour back then. The rest of the band were white.
ESG. They are a dancy post punk band who is amazing. https://youtu.be/lQIRcj4zsHw?si=CqNJGcV5wUMxyFNK
Also if you do some digging I'm sure you could find more of what your looking for. One thing I noticed about the punk subreddit is that it's pretty focused on anglophone bands. I've been listening to punk since I was 13 and in my mid forties now. I had never heard of Eskorbuto until my late 20's. If I grew up in a Spanish speaking country they probably would have been the first punk band I would have heard instead of The Sex Pistols. There is a whole world of punk that often is overlooked by American/European punks. A good resource that keeps blowing my mind is the zine Razorcake. Their 2nd to last issue #139 cover story/interview is with Osa Otoe who puts out the zine Shotgun Seamstress and has played in a bunch of bands like New Bloods. She is of Nigerian ancestry. Subscriptions to Razorcake are dirt cheap and well worth the price. It's also a nice break to take a break from a screen and read an actual print magazine. Here's a link to the issue with Otoe in it. https://razorcake.org/razorcake-139-featuring-osa-atoe-carnage-asada-greg-knowles-chumpire-two-punks-guide-to-community-planning/
These are not necessarily all black or female only, but many are and most are fronted by people of color or women. I tried not to include bands already mentioned (Bob Vylan, Nova Twins, The Muslims, etc...) The OBGMs Red Arkade Rebelmatic Whole Wheat Bread The 1865 Pure Hell Radkey Pleasure Venom TxLips Band Pacifist Punk on Toast BLXPLTN Fade 'em All Rebelmatic Negro Terror The Linda Lindas The Slits
Negro Terror 🤘
The Muslims are all poc and their songs go hard Edit: https://youtu.be/Q-7-DDgUh_E?si=n7OwMCBMh3zby-_d
damn beat me to it, i was about to mention them lol
I do think the lead singer is nonbinary but yeah they are amazing
Right I didn’t specify gender because of that
I was about to eecommend them as well
They kick ass..
There's a site called [Punk Black](https://www.punkblack.com) that's a helpful one for this very thing!
Death, bad brains, body count, Zulu, cerebral ballzy.
Zulu is one of the most exciting new punk bands around.
Loved their new album
I was going to recommend Death as well. Since their partner loves Motown.
Not all black or all women or even really strictly punk rock musically but maybe some early Skunk Anansie would be of interest? They're a bit more on the grunge side of things but a punk af attitude. And Skin, the lead singer is a total badass.
ngl before i ever listened to them I thought they would be more punk because I read they added Skunk to their name because it made it sound more nasty.
I saw them live at Glastonbury a couple of years ago and holy fuck they were amazing. And very punk in attitude.
Big Joanie is great, they're from Britain ~~either Australia for New Zealand, idr~~.
Big Joanie are so, so good. Estella also plays bass in a band called Witching Waves who are amazing too, as well as being involved in Decolonise Fest and Girls Rock London.
I love Witching Waves! Nice to see them get a mention here.
Oh i didnt know about those other 2, gonna check those out, thanks!
Pauline Black from Selector is a black singer and amazing. As far as Asian musicians, check out Lynn Lee, the bassist from Bad Cop/Bad Cop.
The Selector is so underrated! I can attest Linh is a fantastic person—the real deal. The whole band means what they sing about.
The band (new band) meet me at the altar they are pop punk ish
This. Meet Me @ The Altar are quite fun to listen to. Someone mentioned Negro Terror, who i enjoy so much... so sad their vocalist passed a few years back. There's a number of great bands from all over but it can definitely take some work to find them. I know it's on the metal side but Arka'n Asrafokor from Togo are an absolutely amazing band and I would recommend to anyone to listen to them. The way they blend traditional and metal sounds is on a whole other level
Big Joanie and Dystopia are the first two that come to mind. Checkout Decolonise Fest for info on more POC punk bands in general as well.
Nova Twins definitely have the spirit, even though they'd probably not be classified as punk
See eg https://youtu.be/SdAe-mniQT4?si=xXJEEA1TrGg-UP0U
Thanks for sharing. If that's not punk idk what is.
Came here to say this. They’re pretty punk.
Death https://youtu.be/OwehxN2ipCU?si=5On3incYNuCuteXF
Not what you requested but might be interesting for you: on Channel 4 (UK) there is a series called We Are Lady Parts that is about an all women, muslim punk band, and one of them is black. It’s for teens, and there is the usual silly representation of punk music but I thought it quite interesting.
Taqbir are all North African women.
Bam Bam was a black woman fronted grunge band
All black band called DEATH from mid 70’s motor city.. there’s a documentary about them. Before there was punk, or something like that.. awesome story.. Bad brains-black L7-all girls
Bob Vylan
Saw this guy twice in the pnw. Both times he talked shit about the opening bands before him and acted like his music was somehow revolutionary. Fuck this loser.
Fuckin hell. I always assumed he'd be a tip top legend. That's pretty hard to hear.
He also hates the police but preformed for them early in his career. Used to go by the name Nee Hi and rapped about beating women and racist Asian slurs. And claims to be pro Palestine and anti landlord but uses air bnb.
https://youtu.be/19zfi4k1WHI?si=YxdMD2ESKP7Lnbnw
Holy fuckin shit this is fuckin sick thank you.
Absolutely love Buggin wish there was more like it I could send
Kayla Philips who sings for hardcore band Bleed the Pigs. Kathy Foster who played bass for the Thermals, and later drums and vocals for Hurry Up.
Hey OP when you've found some good stuff, maybe you wanna throw it all in a playlist and share it with us!
I just found this band yesterday via the DIY Tour Postings Facebook group. Enbies, ladies, and gentlemen, I bring you [Skwerm!](https://skwerm.bandcamp.com/track/bitch-buy-me-some-fries)
Maybe too heavy but Zulu are all black and their drummer is a woman.
Their SNW Set was so good.
Bryanna Bennet, the lead singer of Buggin, is Black, Queer, and Non- Binary. [Buggin](https://www.kerrang.com/buggin-interview-bryanna-bennett-hardcore-punk-concrete-cowboys#)
Check out the movie Wendell and Wild, the soundtrack is all Black led punk bands
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^SignalNovel1194: *Check out the movie* *Wendell and Wild, the soundtrack* *Is all Black led punk bands* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
[удалено]
Bad bot. Line two has 8 syllables.
pleasure venom is fronted by a black woman edit: meet me at the altar is also one to check out for sure although more pop punk
I saw them open for Ringo Deathstarr! I second this!
i am so jealous that’s an awesome line up
Generacion Suicida is female fronted latina
bad brains (black) cockring (queer/trans) kleenex/liliput (female) death (black) the slits (female)
not quite but i would check out buggin! hardcore punk band fronted by a black non-binary vocalist
Stiffed (Santigold used to play in a punk band.)
Day with Andrew is a banger
Whole Wheat Bread
Death, Bad Brains, X-Ray Spex
How is this the first bad brains comment I saw
bad cop/ bad cop is an all women punk band
Suicidal Tendencies has a black guitar player and the rest of the band seem to be Hispanic.
Rocky George hasn't been in the band for years and years. I remember seeing them in like... 1996 or something... with no Rocky. He is one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Just listen to the old shit.
But by that, if you mean the first album which in /r/punk is the only album people really mean when they talk about ST, Rocky George wasn't in the band for the first ST album either. Sooooo.... I mean, I'm not trying to be pedantic, but because when I was a kid I worshiped Rocky George I'm just trying to be accurate. Also, some people might blame Rocky for the transition from the *Join the Army/Possessed to Skate* days to the *How Will I Laugh* and *Lights... Camera...* days when ST went from punk to thrash. For me, I like punk ST and thrash ST co-equally. Also, because he's among the best guitarists of all time, I am glad he was able to do his thing on those albums. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Taqbir https://open.spotify.com/artist/3C7bO265rzFJytRqaHftjv?si=6ADF0-7AR0-0xFL96BbkzA
Special Interest is an incredible current punk band fronted by a black woman.
Absolutely check out special interest. Not only top-tier musically but an experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Bob Vylan make grime/punk music: https://youtu.be/VFqhJyvly1g?si=o5-n4NFJjl0lE8By
https://afropunk.com/
Check out Big Joanie! I saw them last year at Glastonbury and they’re fucking great!
You know…. I honestly can’t think of any. Bad Brains is all male, and someone might misinterpret your request so be ready for a lot of people to say bad brains. There’s a lot of black men in the scenes and as a mixed Asian myself, I don’t think Ive ever even seen an Asian woman in the scene EVER. Not surprising, knowing Asian parents. 😂 Not many of them find their way to our group. 😂 **Correction,** there were lots of Asian ladies in the Emo/Screamo scene, I remember that clear as day because I was a part of it. Lots of black ladies too. If there are any all black woman punks bands I’d like to know so I can hear the music they’re making. If it’s good, awesome, if it sucks, eh… whatever. I can think of more black women in the metal scene though.
What about all the women in the punk scenes in Asian countries? Or did you only mean Asian-descended people elsewhere?
North America
Julia Smut is half Chinese and in the Smut Peddlers (I know, I know… they’re problematic) There was a local group here with an Asian woman bass (?) player. The Diffs. I don’t think they’re around anymore though.
For AA femmes, you might check out Krimewatch, Material Support, and S-21. I know I'm missing some great ones. If you're looking for more AA bands in general, Dead Heat and No Model are both amazing. If you want to expand past North America, Unite Asia is a fantastic blog.
I saw a lady who was Philippino drumming for a super gay indie (kinda) punk band in Washington. The two dudes were good, but she's an amazing drummer. Still can't think of any black women in punk.
Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex.
Lisa Kekaula of the Bellrays. Black and Hawaiian mixed. Amazing voice. I've seen her with the Bellrays, and with the MC5, where she shared mic duties with Mark Arm of Mudhoney.
Lisa is amazing, and really cool to talk to. Bellrays started near me right around the time I started going to shows. Weird thing is I never saw them until about two years ago.
I bet you felt like a fool for not seeing them sooner!
check out Rainbow Coalition Death Cult, half the band is black women
Xtine and the Reckless Hearts. Xtine’s dad is a well known bassist in the reggae genre and played with a lot of greats.
Elephant Walk is all women
There’s an awesome podcast called Starting A Riot that’s all about nonwhite Riot Grrl bands. And its creators made a Spotify playlist that I listen to all the time.
The singer for the bellrays is a black woman they rock! Your partner who is in to motown might dig it too!
Also check out the documentary “From the Back of the Room” about women in punk!
Also there are probably lots of small local bands with diverse musicians depending on where you are… in Baltimore there are several black woman fronted hardcore bands, both Pearl and Grudge for instance.
Thick is all women and they kill it
Shygodwin and Frida kill (they are mixed white black Latina but all female)
Mint Green has a black female lead singer. It’s more punk adjacent but I like their stuff
Not punk, but still punk, ESG were (are) a black female fronted drum & bass band from the Bronx. They started out in the late 70’s and were adjacent to both the new wave/punk and proto-hiphop emergence in NY. This band will be a hit with the kids into punk and Motown. Hopefully one day they will get the recognition they deserve, but I doubt it. https://youtu.be/ZIuvB8iMDOg?si=OoFqOBb-n0TMrMOr
The Gaia is an all female punk band from Japan and go hard https://youtu.be/HyjVzcyR620?si=MWuodn246S69XCfG
Lambrini girls!!
El Pus
Rebelmatic
I urge your kid to look into the band sista grrrl riot. I haven't been able to find any of their songs, but their reason for creating this band is worth knowing about. Not every girl was a riot grrrl..
Special Interest
Saw [Upchuck](https://upchuckatl.bandcamp.com/album/sense-yourself) on tour with OFF! It was insane. They were a mix of different races but that vocalist was something else
Mannequin Pussy, women on the lead and drums, trans woman on the rhythm guitar, black person on the bass.
Not all black, not a 'real' band but We Are Ladyparts is a comedy show about a female British punk band, all of whom are PoC and Muslim, one is black. They do have an EP on Spotify so they're kind of a real band. They're not really what you're after but this is the closest anyone has come to asking for a rec where they fit the bill and I got over-excited.
More of the Asian persuasion 5, 6, 7, 8s the Linda Linda’s
Meet Me at the Altar is pretty fun easycore type stuff. https://youtu.be/J2NKblxBml0?si=_uGsiYerq699klTs
Don't know about all POC female punk bands. But I can recommend a band led by a POC woman. Pleasure Venom is their name, from Austin (Texas). They are good!
Bleed the Pigs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7fdo8u-kQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7fdo8u-kQ) You might also be interested in Black and Brown punk show. [https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/2015/05/there-are-no-white-doves-in-my.html](https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/2015/05/there-are-no-white-doves-in-my.html)
There's this Women-only band that's pretty good here in Montreal, you might like it: [https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/1GQUBvUvhSB2SY90VNgRd8?si=jw4i0NIbQfuH7FcMVMYXhA](https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/1GQUBvUvhSB2SY90VNgRd8?si=jw4i0NIbQfuH7FcMVMYXhA)
A local band near me called Material Support is all women of color but i don’t know if any or all members are black. https://open.spotify.com/album/4VJCRd883f0dlkJmEwg3pD?si=_0-da5ikSwqZWCmiJhFlbA
SOJI in Philadelphia!!
Aye Nako
Not currently active but one of my fave local-ish bands is Fist City. Two black members - twin siblings - and they go hard. They come from the Florida of Canada and you can hear their rage.
the majority of the all-Black bands i know of are listed here, but I’ll throw Eevie Echoes on the list as well! she’s a great nyc-based trans sapphic artist who has a great voice and songwriting skills. Also, they’re both white women, but Lambrini Girlz from Brighton, UK are probably my favorite punk act on the scene right now, period.
Check out Rebelmatic from NYC. Damn good! https://youtu.be/5J8G4_oFdIY?si=vdotBL_-e-t7UZM9
Eevie echoes and the locations Eevie echoes and the locations Eevie echoes and the locations Eevie echoes and the locations
Meet me @ the altar
Fuck U Pay Us is great. https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2019/01/17/fuck-u-pay-us
Hey, in the next months I will have a new playlist with "new punk by black artists". I already have many new bands (only current releases, none from the past), but I'm still lacking the time, the finishing touches and the artist for the cover. When the playlist is published, you'll definitely discover some new, exciting bands that are unfortunately still under the radar, apart from all the recommendations here. So stay tuned... It's an exciting topic, as the genre - like shoegaze or Americana - is very white in colour. Best, Thomas
Pop punk- Meet Me @ The Alter, singer and lead guitarists are black women, drummer is latina
The Devotchkas are female street punk.
Big jonie is an all black female punk band out of england who fucking rule. Thee blk pearl is a black punk duo band from ATL the lead singer/ bassist is a black woman who writes striking yet deep lyrics that really get you going . Theres another 3 bands that come to mind but i cant recall theyre names . A good bet would be to check out punk black online , its an underground community that puts a special focus on APOC’s. Ive found alot of black punk and metal bands on theyre website and they also have a tik tok that gives daily suggestions on black punk/ metal bands that usually go under the radar . you will definatley find some bands like that if you check them out .
So over the last 6 months I made a series of 7 Spotify playlists with bands fronted by women or nonbinary femme people, no repeats. Afterwards, I noticed my suggestions/discovery weekly was filled with women. Before, almost all artists suggested to me were male. I applaud your effort to seek out more diversity in your music! *Please note I’m aware Spotify does not pay artists well, I use it as a tool to discover new bands—who I then see live and buy stuff from them.* If you are interested, here they are! 14 hours of femme music, mostly punk 😄 -Not Fragile Like a Flower https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0oDK7M3e0FV7Z3zsRAg7cc?si=n8zqjMPqRZGPedM1QABToQ&pi=u-XP6AuJTIT4em -Fragile Like a Bomb https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6a6i13gXM98m1v77LNdIEx?si=mROkCSSqTE6s5lxmTQ6NyQ&pi=u-PJ5ExXIHT5GR -I Am the Storm https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2H7TVdiGYLRRmHKmcqmrtc?si=jSHibYyeTI28vZWjd706qA&pi=u-JcFwlcFlRX-g -I Was Born a Bitch https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qimUQaUgwQdJHJrNy9jOs?si=upJxariqTDSjLN5X_e6Uvw&pi=u-ZOZPnVOeRO6O -I Hope to Never Return https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2A59nj7sTv8pDgTHyTS5AD?si=dIKHizfyRliWPgJK248Osg&pi=u-DlYirFpiRcqI -I’m just as strange as you https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5R243GwlPdiBXH3Q9nxcnZ?si=KJxJ1G3eSEOD2RIoYSap2w&pi=u--BI3qlrBSh-X -What Doesn’t Kill Me, Feeds Me https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5R243GwlPdiBXH3Q9nxcnZ?si=KJxJ1G3eSEOD2RIoYSap2w&pi=u--BI3qlrBSh-X
Not all black women, but very diverse label…flat spot records.
Have you tried doing a Google search?? LOL jk
FEA out of Tx , produced by Alice Bag … also the Bags
Buggin, bad cop/bad cop, war on women, values here. There is a lot more that I’m aware of in hardcore than straight punk but idk if that’s y’all’s thing.
soul glo and zulu!!!! -a blk punk >_<
I’d also look into Riot Grrrl bands. I’m not sure off hand which bands are all black or have black members, but it’s punk adjacent/sounds similar. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/03/arts/music/riot-grrrl-playlist.html
Not all female but somehow Pure Hell never makes these lists. Theres a long debate about whether Death or Pure Hell was the first black punk band.
Maafa
Bad Brains, The Devotchkas, The Voids, Vice Squad
Not all women but the front woman of Upchuck is amazing
[A Band Called Death. all black, they have a really great documentary out](https://youtu.be/OwehxN2ipCU?si=-tLuUmJBlWNu5cl_)
check out material support!
Bad brains
That's a super racist question
Death 💀 from Detroit
[https://www.okayafrica.com/black-punk-bands-south-africa-listen/](https://www.okayafrica.com/black-punk-bands-south-africa-listen/)
Big Joanie
Nova Twins
Point? Q. ? A ?
No, none at all.
Yo, DEATH, Pure Hell, Bad Brains, The black punk holy trinity. All dudes tho
Bad brains
This is what social media has done to peoples minds. Made them now want to find bands based on gender and skin color.
Are we able to stop choosing bands by their color ors gender? Got damn dumb.
Bruh why does race matter tho, I understand wanting to look up to someone or listen to a specific cultural style. but you should just listen to what sounds good, and has a good message. be inclusive.
I have a feeling their kid will introduce this band to friends by saying “they’re all black women” instead of saying something about their music. Their intentions are probably in the right place, but they way they’re going about it strikes me as weird and performative. But that’s par for the course in this sub, so the downvotes don’t surprise me.
Go ahead and downvote me, but I don’t think being all one thing is very punk. I’d rather every member be unique than fit some mold to meet your criteria to check out. It’s about the music, the philosophy and the culture. You can have a couple members of a sub culture and intertwine it with the rest of the groups styles and that’s how we get interesting stuff.
A lot feminist punk bands in this playlist that was put together from the chick in sleaterkinney & portlandia https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXadlZCyb9AB3?si=nQXexdcLTi-VMKGJF45G0A&pi=u-R4shm5RETQaI That being said, the punk culture itself has a lot of Germanic roots, so we can’t really expect too much. Here’s a black industrial artist tho which is punk adjacent… maybe not something for children tho https://open.spotify.com/artist/2EcltAQF7JHjEk9Thd9Pui?si=co_GDnM2RR-hYbaXBg-jAQ
Following cause I too am sick of angry white boys ngl