If Kathleen Hanna and the Power Puff Girls had triplets they’d be a lot like punktastic girl band Skinny Girl Diet. From their screeching lyrics (their song Nadine Hurley is dedicated to David Lynch’s most iconic, eye-patch wearing heroine) to their alt-femme, empowering aesthetic (the cover for their EP Girl Gang State of Mind, which came out in July, features a girl whose body is a Big Mac and a caption saying bite me), Delilah, Ursula and Amelia have been putting the grrr in riot grrrl, since they first got together. And with a collaboration with Claire Barrow and Matches already under their belts, and more DIY zines than you can count on one hand, something tells us they won’t going away anytime soon. Introducing Skinny Girl Diet.
When did Skinny Girl Diet first come about and what’s the story behind the name?
We were frustrated by the fact that there wasn’t any empowering punk girl bands around at the time and we were just sick and tired of watching only guys play punk music. We decided to call our band Skinny Girl Diet because our lead singer Delilah was scrolling through the internet one day and stumbled across a diet called ‘The Skinny Girl Diet’ promoting women to starve themselves. We thought it would be a good band name because it’s a social commentary and we collectively feel that current beauty standards in society are wrong, idealistic and unachievable.
How would you describe your sound?
Three girls playing scratchy, fuzzy, loud, screamy music.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Clara Rockmore, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Memphis minnie, Mc5, Pussy Galore and The Breeders.
Growing up what posters did you have on your walls?
Jimi Hendrix.
How do you feel about this generation’s revival of the 90s Riot Grrrl spirit?
We feel like some parts of are very vacuous. The 90s Riot Grrrl movement shouldn’t be “revived” just as an aesthetic. It was more than just a fashion statement; it was a political movement and we feel like some people are forgetting that. We also think that it shouldn’t be revived at all because it is a totally different era and there should be something new, because although the current state of politics is slightly similar to back then, it’s also very different and people should focus less on reviving something from the past and focus more on creating a new movement for the future – one which makes history instead of being some gimmicky fad that fades away.
Do you think there’s a danger of it not being sincere? That it’s just a cool, commercially driven trend and no longer about the political activism behind it?
Definitely. The danger gets more and more serious when brands and corporations start to pick up on it and exploit it as a marketing scheme. We also feel it’s starting to lose its meaning and be exaggerated from what it once was.
When did you first discover the Riot Grrrl movement and how did it change your view of feminism?
We all grew up around it and as we grew older, we started to take it less for granted and appreciate it and really understand it. It changed our view on feminism because it was more about empowerment and less about being an intellectual. Riot Grrrl is almost like feminism’s younger, mouthy, smelly sister, and we loved it; that’s the best way we can describe it.
If you could duet with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Beyonce, Prince, Kim Deal, Micachu, Kim Gordon because they are all cool.
What’s next?
Working on music and playing shows and see where it goes.
soundcloud.com/skinnygirldietband
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Dave Rowswell