There are many fine bands, fronted by fine females, and picking out a few wasn’t easy. However, pick them out I did, and when it comes to delivering killer licks, soaring vocals and style to burn, you can’t go far wrong with these five quality acts. For those of you wondering, I’ll break the disappointment to you now – Vixen didn’t make the cut.
Blondie – Debbie Harry
American and ever-so cool. The band was born a mixture of new wave and punk that had emerged in the mid-70s. It was these prominent elements that saw the band achieve relative success in Australia and the UK, however the band remained very much ‘underground’ in the states.
That was until the release of Parallel Lines in ’78, which saw the band explode in popularity. Up until the bands spilt in 1982 they were noted for their blend of numerous musical elements from disco, pop, reggae and rap. In fact their track Rapture was the first to feature rap as we know it and top the charts.
Hole – Courtney Love
Arguably Courtney Love is better known for being married to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and other less than groovy instances, which create some fairly less than salubrious headlines. This shouldn’t detract from her band Hole though, who were a force in their own right.
Formed initially by Love and Eric Erlandson in 1989 the bands sound was built on alternative rock with heavy punk styling. Their second album released in ’94 was called Live Through This and saw massive critical success. This crossed over to huge commercial success with Celebrity Skin, the bands third album that mixed power pop into their sound.
Elastica – Justine Frischmann
UK based and cool as they come, Elastica only released two albums, the first of which was self-titled and brought them the significant amount of their recognition. The album was released in 1995; singles from the LP had been championed on radio as much as a year before and this undoubtedly contributed to anticipation around the release. When it did arrive it was the fastest selling debut album in UK history.
Co-founder and lead vocalist Justine Frischmann courted attention away from the band too having been involved with Suede frontman Brett Anderson, before leaving him for Blur’s creative force, Damon Albarn. Their eventual split had a profound effect on Albarn and Blur, an issue that is dealt with openly in the documentary No Distance Left To Run, named after the track Damon wrote about the relationship.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Karen O
New York through and through Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a seriously hot three piece outfit that came to prominence early in the last decade after forming in the year 2000. Although they didn’t release their debut album until 2003 the band had already played with The Strokes, The White Stripes, released a self-titled EP, toured the US and UK and become internationally recognisable after appearing at South By Southwest. Good going.
The Runaways – Joan Jett
As far as girl rock bands go this lot changed the playing field. After the release of their debut album, they toured the US supporting acts that included Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Van Halen. Which suggests the credentials they were packing, “Hello world I’m your wild girl // I’m your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb!”
When not trying to recruit a female lead singer for his rock band Angel Sword, Clive Owens can be found paying the bills by seeking out the finest music themed gifts for online retailer Find Me A Gift
