Transcript:
0:01: My name is Freja Fox and you’re listening to KXCI Bonus Tracks.
0:05: Ever since the early days of punk, queer and trans folks have found community within the subculture.
0:09: Lots of elder queers and punks I talked to say some of the only places they could fully be themselves were dimly lit crust punk bars and alleyway shows.
music sample: (0:27) Fem In a Black Leather Jacket- Pansy Division – Undressed, 1991 601724 Records DK
0:18: The prevalence of queer people within the subculture led to an entirely new genre, queercore.
music sample: (0:25) I Was a Teenage Anarchist – Against Me! – White Crosses, 2011 Total Treble
0:27: Bands like Pansy Division and Fifth Column define this emerging genre as an ever-evolving sound somewhere between punk and hardcore.
0:38: As time has gone on, the genre has had many different phases, with bands like Against Me and Limp Wrist serving as a revival, mixing in contemporary punk sounds.
music sample: (0:25) I Was a Teenage Anarchist – Against Me! – White Crosses, 2011 Total Treble
0:48: And the band Butch versus Femme introducing Riot Girl to queercore in the early 2000s.
music sample: (0:19) Butch Ass Burden – Butch vs Femme – Eat Yr Heart Out, 2015 Butch vs Femme
1:24: After this brief revival, Queercore would face a couple of years of stagnancy.
1:27: That all changed in the 2010s with two bands, Philly-based HIRS Collective and Olympia-based G.L.O.S.S.
music sample: G.L.O.S.S. (We’re from the Future) – G.L.O.S.S. – Demo 2015, 2016 Sabotage Records
1:46: G.L.O.S.S., fronted by Sadie Switchblade Smith and HI RS Collective, fronted by Jenna JP Pup, both transgender women, will go back to the hardcore roots of queercore.
1:55: HIRS Collective would form in 2011 with one of their core values being to prioritize playing shows in places hostile to trans people.
music sample: (0:09) It’s OK to be Sick – The HIRS Collective – Friends, Lovers, Favorites, 2018 Get Better Records
2:07: HIRS has released 2 albums and a compilation with their 1st 100 songs.
2:12: They still tour with a fluid lineup, but the core members of Jenna and guitarist Scott Essen.
music sample: (0:28) G.L.O.S.S. (We’re from the Future) – G.L.O.S.S. – Demo 2015, 2016 Sabotage Records
2:27: Formed in 2014, G.L.O.S.S. would have one release of demos before releasing their infamous album Tran’s Day of Revenge in 2016.
2:41: They break up later that year.
2:43: Many trans artists, both within queercore and outside of it, speak about the influence that GLOSS has had on them and their music.
2:50: After GLOSS, there was Dog Park Dissidents and The Muslims who bring older school anarcho-punk back into focus.
2:56: DPD’s songwriting speaks about the connection of queer life.
2:59: And identities to punk values and focuses on the kinkier aspects of queer life.
music sample: (0:23) Rainbow Drones – Dog Park Dissidents – Sexual and Violent – 2018 Nerd Cave Recordings
3:18: In the 2020s, the band She/Her/Hers has shifted the genre towards an interesting and intriguing pop punk and punk inspired indie rock sound.
3:25: Emma Girl, the lead singer, speaks about her unique view on life, femininity, and being trans in the modern era.
music sample: (0:26) Kill The Boy Band- She/Her/Hers – Kill The Boy Band- EP, 2019 Don Giovanni Records
3:43: Thank you for listening to KXCI Bonus Tracks.
3:48: My name is Freja Fox.
3:49: To hear more, please go to KXCI.org.
