The Menstrual Cramps Highlight Homelessness & Pandemic Keyworkers On New Single ‘Antagonistic’ Released 23rd May 2024 via Alcopop! Records
The Menstrual Cramps Highlight Homelessness & Pandemic Keyworkers On New Single ‘Antagonistic’
Released 23rd May 2024 via Alcopop! Records
Stream and share: https://bfan.link/antagonistic
Bristol Punks Appearing At 2000 Trees, TRUCK Festival, Bearded Theory + More
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/themenstrualcramps
Bristol-based punk band The Menstrual Cramps have revealed a new single titled ‘Antagonistic’ and set for release on 23rd May 2024 via Alcopop! Records.
Commenting on the new track, which charts vocalist Emilia Elfrida’s experiences of working in a homeless hostel during the pandemic, the singer says: “It’s about how I felt about everyone else who could work from home or be on furlough—learning a new skill, baking banana bread, writing a new album, drinking red wine. I resented everyone who wasn’t a key worker.”
“Working in the homelessness sector is a difficult job at the best of times, with the lack of support from the government, the lack of housing options for homeless people, the cost of living crisis, and the consistent underfunding across the sector. But during COVID each difficulty was vastly intensified. I didn’t know if the people I supported were going to die. I didn’t know if me and my colleagues were going to die.”
“I remember clearly, during a work meeting, a senior staff member talking about a lovely evening drinking red wine on their balcony whilst in a discussion with us frontline workers about a young mother, living in temporary accommodation, whose boiler had broken. This senior staff member didn’t class having any hot water or heating as an emergency, whilst there was an ongoing pandemic where cleanliness and washing your hands were key messages to stopping infection.”
“To me, this interaction summed up the stark contrast of people’s lives during COVID, the value of work, the virtue signalling of clapping for key workers and the dark depths of capitalism within the backdrop of a pandemic. This song is me trying to process and come to terms with the anger and trauma I experienced working through COVID and how this has shaped me as a person and as a support worker.”
Never ones to shy away from shining a spotlight on political issues through their music, The Menstrual Cramps proved that they also take their real-world activism deadly seriously when they made headlines earlier this month with their Bands Boycott Barclays campaign, targeting the Barclaycard sponsorship of The Great Escape Festival over ties to arms companies supplying Israel.
Over 150 artists pulled out of the festival in solidarity, with international press coverage from the BBC, The Guardian, Rolling Stone UK, NME, Mixmag, The Face, Huck Magazine, DIY, DAZED, STEREOGUM and many more, alongside public solidarity from notable names including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, and Jeremy Corbyn.
Already appearing at Manchester Punk Festival 2024 and Outer Town Festival 2024 earlier this year, the band are now barreling towards a busy summer festival season with appearances confirmed at 2000 Trees, TRUCK, Bearded Theory Festival, Glastonwick, Bristol Pride, Hand Fest and more to come (see below for full listings).
The Menstrual Cramps Live Dates:
25th May - Bearded Theory Festival - Convoy Cabaret Stage
1st June - Glastonwick Festival
11th July - 2000 Trees Festival, Neu Stage
13th July - Bristol Pride - Uplift Stage
26th July - TRUCK Festival, The Nest Stage
25th August - Hand Fest Leeds - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
31st August - Nam Fest - Consti Club, Chippenham
13th September - Naughty Corner Festival - Fernhill Farm, Mendip Hills
26th September - Wotsit Called Fest Warm-up - Hastings
Tickets on sale now: https://linktr.ee/themenstrualcramps
The Menstrual Cramps are:
Emilia Elfrida (they/she) - Vocals
AJ Murdoch (she/they) - Drums
Abi Gallichan (she/her) - Bass
Zam Windsor (he/him) - Guitar
The Menstrual Cramps online:
www.themenstrualcramps.com
www.instagram.com/themenstrualcramps
www.facebook.com/TheMenstrualCramps
www.twitter.com/M_cramps
http://themenstrualcramps.bandcamp.com
Listen to previous single ‘Body Politics’ here:
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNiOFxw42JY
Stream and share: https://bfan.link/body-politics
Listen to ‘Class War’ here:
Stream and share: https://bfan.link/class-war
More info:
Formed in a broken bedroom in Bristol on the verge of homelessness, and rife with anger, The Menstrual Cramps were born with politics on the brain and surrounded by injustice. Jumping ship to a dive in London to record their 2017 debut album We’re Not Ovaryacting on distorted acoustic guitars, they called on the world to ‘Save the Badgers’ and ‘Cull the Tories’.
Their debut music video for ‘My Bush Ain’t Ur Business’ was subsequently removed from YouTube after some trolls who didn’t want people to reclaim their own breasts or bodies reared their ugly heads, and they won the 2017 LOUD WOMEN Hercury Prize alternative to the Mercury Prize.
By the summer of 2019 they were back with a new album, Free Bleedin’, which featured revolution-demanding song ‘The Smash’, the powerful ‘No Means No’ highlighting problematic rape culture, ‘Idols’ which approaches the art world’s problem with abusers, and 'I Like That Top'—a catchy and comedic take on hipsters and gentrification taking over Bristol, which was also featured in the BIFA Award-winning film Sweetheart (2021). The record was named in Louder Than War’s Albums of The Year 2018 and also the LOUD WOMEN People’s Vote Readers’ Choice Award 2018.
The Menstrual Cramps closed out 2023 on a high with a run of dates supporting fast-rising Isle of Wight punk trio Grade 2 (Hellcat Records) alongside appearances at Femrock 10th Anniversary, Nice As Pie Festival 2023, Rock Against Violence 2023, and more.
New single ‘Antagonistic’ follows on from 2023’s storming return ‘Body Politics’ and 2024 follow ups ‘Abortion’ and ‘Class War’, which saw the band pick up support from Punk News, The Punk Site, Loud Women, Get In Her Ears, idobi Radio, and The Bad Copy, with key radio spins from Amy Lamé at BBC 6music and John Kennedy at Radio X, and the track landing on Spotify’s All New Punk playlist.
For their last single ‘Class War’, the band partnered up with Manchester-based, DIY, vegan friendly, nano-brewery Courier Brewing Company for the release of their own beer, with 50p per pint for every keg sold being donated to LGBTQ+ charity akt.
Now, staring down the barrel of a crucial 2024 summer for the band, The Menstrual Cramps are back to reveal more new material, and they still aren’t here to take your sh*t.
