The first protest song that inspired Bratmobile’s Allison Wolfe
The riot grrrl scene was a revolutionary development of the punk genre, which emerged in Washington during the early 1990s. Inspired by the anti-establishment ethos of classic punk, a group of passionate feminists decided to put their own feminine spin on a historically male genre and use it as a platform to discuss women’s rights.
Zines were an intrinsic part of the subculture, with many riot grrrls sharing advice for other women, advertising gigs and spreading their feminist message through them. These zines were hand-drawn and often distributed by hand and at gigs, creating a welcoming space for women to find a sense of community and understanding.
While riot grrrl spread across states and even countries, such as in England with bands like Huggy Bear and Skinned Teen, the scene was most prominent in Washington. Here, bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile became leaders of the movement and remain some of the most popular groups from the riot grrrl era.
Bratmobile was formed after friends Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman were encouraged by their friend Calvin Johnson from Beat Happening to create a band. Soon, the band expanded, and they started playing regularly, typically on all-female gig lineups. In 1993, they released their debut album, Pottymouth, before breaking up and later reforming in 1999.
Ladies, Women and Girls came out in 2000, and Girls Get Busy in 2002, demonstrating that ten years on, their feminist messaging was just as important. Bratmobile’s songs highlight male oppression, the pressures placed on women and other feminist issues, often using satirical lyrics.
Using these songs as a form of protest, Bratmobile became a vital voice in the scene, and their music has connected with generations of women ever since. In an interview with Pitchfork, Wolfe picked out one of her favourite protest songs, which no doubt inspired her own approach to writing such pieces of music.
Her choice might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of protest songs, but Bow Wow Wow’s ‘Do You Wanna Hold Me’ was hugely inspirational to Wolfe as a teenager. The song is “about the illusion of the American Dream,” with the band singing “Children, I wanna warn ya/’Cause I’ve been to California/Where Mickey Mouse is such a demon.”
Wolfe explained, “We were definitely taping a lot off of these new wave radio stations. I listened to Duran Duran and Adam and the Ants, then I really got into Bow Wow Wow, who were a huge influence. You’ve got this young woman, Annabella Lwin, who’s really sassy and cool, jumping around, wearing these crazy outfits, with an amazing voice.”
She called ‘Do You Wanna Hold Me?’ “really politicised,” despite its accessible, pop sensibility. However, Wolfe continued, “That was the first time I got exposed to music that was really fun yet also had a message — hearing women in music that would eventually lead me to thinking I might be able to do this myself.”
The song was released in 1983, seven years before Wolfe would find the courage to form her own band and use music as a political tool.
