Glitoris
Glitoris. Four fearless female musicians who’ve gained a national reputation for their unforgettable punk rock shows release their long-awaited debut album: THE POLICY. Equal parts anthemic, ferocious, political yet absurd, the Canberra four-piece have delivered a modern-day punk classic. THE POLICY traverses the band’s broad musicianship from soaring orchestral rock (The Policy) through driving metal power riffs (Spit Hood, Slut Power), classic punk spats (Sex Video), stunning four-part-harmony-laden classic rock bangers (Licks & Politics, Cock Rock, Dippin My Wick) and theatrical cabaret (Theme From Glitoris).
Lyrically, THE POLICY leaves no political stones unturned; the band express their unapologetic feminist rage (Warriors, What A C***) against a backdrop of ludicrous scenarios (My Fucking Car) all the while critiquing Western political apathy (The Executioner, Place For Me). Defiant, comedic, visceral and, ultimately, empowering: THIS IS THE GLITORIS POLICY. The band answer a few questions for Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles.
How exciting has the build up been to the release of your debut album?
Extremely! We had a ball writing and recording it! Very proud of our debut album and hoping it’s the first of many more to come, writing songs as a band has been a fun and rewarding process. It’s great to have a place to not only release our collective rage but, also to have fun and not take ourselves to seriously.
Did the album really challenge the band in the studio?
Yes! We pushed ourselves and we pushed the songs as far as we could. We’d been writing and rehearsing the songs for about a year before we brought them to the studio, so most of the arrangements and lyrics and parts were already nailed down. It took a long time because we recorded about twenty songs of which thirteen made it onto the album.
Psychology is a big part of recording and most of the time we felt great and everything we recorded sounded awesome. But yea there were a couple of days that were really, really challenging, where nothing seemed to go right, you start second guessing decisions and it can feel demoralising, but we got there. Jay Whalley was brilliant to work with because he’s been there and seen it and done it – he was really good once we got to the vocals and percussion, just getting us over the line really.
The mixing and mastering stage was also awesome because that was when we could really get creative with what we’d done. Clem Bennett is a genius – what he did with the Cock Rock mix was just incredible. And Mandy Parnell is another genius who pulled the track listing into shape and glossed the whole the whole record with her mastering stardust.
How would you describe The Policy?
A slow burning anthem about being the best you can be. It has all the tension, a sweet string section and quite a few rhyming words.
If you had to say there’s one song that defines what Glitoris is about which one would that be?
Definitely The Policy – it says it all. It’s our anthem and it’s our manifesto and our sound and everything in one song.
Even though the album is done is there still plenty of rage burning away?
Oh yes. We’ve already starting writing the next record…
How did Glitoris get together?
Drummer Tony had the idea that we should play naked punk covered in glitter. Obviously Keven 007 was an immediate choice due to her guitar swilling tendency to get naked inappropriately. Andrew couldn’t stop herself from joining the band as lead guitarist, and when Malcolm Turnbull was elected so was our bass player (also Malcolm).
What inspired the name?
The merging of the words Glitter and Clitoris.
Are you inspired by other female rock/punk bands?
We’re inspired by good bands irrespectively of the gender of the band members. The music just needs to be good. But yes there are some cracking good female rock/punk bands out there that have been a source of inspiration along the way. We’ve all got diverse musical tastes. We are equally as inspired by Crass as we are Dolly Parton – that’s part of what makes us unique.
How was it touring with Regurgitator?
Touring with The Gurge was a heap of fun. They are incredible guys with a great crew and we all got along really well and came out of it life long friends. We watched their show night after night and learned a huge amount – how to balance older material with new, the dynamics of a set over an hour and a half, how to pace yourself, how to interact with a crowd – there’s a reason why they are one of Australia’s most successful bands and so we absorbed their way of doing things. We couldn’t have asked to tour with a better band really – it was perfect. Like The Gurge, our songs are a mixed bag of humour/silliness but have a hard political side too. So it was great exposure for us, their fans easily embraced us, got our music and loved our show.
No Adelaide on this tour? Really?
We couldn’t fit everything in before the end of this year, so we’re carrying on touring into 2019. The next leg will take in Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Launceston and we’re also keen to go back to Albury and regional NSW/VIC. So look out for the dates!
What’s next for Glitoris?
We have just finished building a cock rocket and planning on finding out once and for all what’s on the dark side of the moon. International touring, festivals and another record…
Interview by Rob Lyon
Catch Glitoris on the following dates…
