Ex-Blondie bassist Greta Brinkman said it best when referring to women in the music scene in the 1980’s:”At that time, there was this shining moment in American DIY music when everybody was in their own bands, driving around in the back of a beat-up van and putting on shows in their basement. And every band had at least one woman in, it seemed, it was no big deal. It wasn’t until the late 1980s when everything went testosterone-mad that the scene became hostile towards women, but in the early to mid 1980s there was a time when it was great for women.”
And now is a great time for everyone, too. Swedish band Masshysteri (formerly The Vicious) steals every show they play, no matter the size of the venue. And its not because there are women in this band, its because they are fucking awesome. Bassist Sara Almgren played in International Noise Conspiracy before Masshysteri; and then rest of the band aren’t newcomers in the scene either. Even if you don’t know Swedish, you can certainly get into this catchy-punk band marked by multiple sets of vocals and short, super fast songs.
Don’t believe me? Check out The Vicious in this set in Brooklyn, NY:
[video:http://vimeo.com/3064074 425×344]And Masshysteri in this cute acoustic set, you will be charmed:
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81qMSgzmNtE 425×344]
Its safe to say that the DIY scene is thriving hard in cities across the world. Masshysteri records are put out in the U.S by Feral Ward and available at their website and their store, Vinyl Conflict (co-owned by couple Lauren and Brandon Ferrell).
