A Chat with Queer Punks Girlfiend

Punk has always been about rebellion, and in a lot of ways, it has also always been about queerness. On the streets of L.A., the Riot Grrrl ethos pioneered by feminist bands like Hole, Bikini Kill, and The Gits is still alive and well, and it’s getting more and more queer by the minute. Girlfiend, made up of Comet, who also does drag, Violet, and Angelica, is all about bringing the experience of LGBTQ life to the stage with raw, unfiltered expression. We chatted with them about their musical project and the queer scene in L.A. 

Tell me about Girlfiend. What is the inspiration behind your name and sound?
The name ‘Girlfiend’ was chosen because we wanted something that represented the sound, something that sounded kind of like soft and melodic but a bit darker and harder. It’s also somewhat of a take on how throughout history, a lot of women have been blamed for things. Violet is a witch and so was her mother, and the idea of witchcraft and people that were inspired by Courtney Love are immediately a scapegoat for something, so it has to do with women being scapegoats throughout history. The sound we kind of get from the 90s Riot Grrrl movement. It’s almost like emo rockish, and it has that 90s grunge sound that influenced early 2000s rock.

Do you have an EP or full-length coming out soon? Any other plans you want to announce?
We are currently recording our full-length album which is going to be titled Nature, Love, and Anger, and then we have two more singles coming out. The next single we have coming out is called “Wheelbarrow,” and the other one is a cover of “Rabid.”

What is the punk scene like in L.A. right now? What’s the queer scene like?
The music scene in L.A.  is very split it seems. Half of it is very electric, like the L.A. party scene, and the other half of it is this sort of like more underground rock scene, but a lot of that is not queer for the most part, at least not overtly queer. There are a lot of queer women but not men in the rock scene in L.A. The noise scene is probably the queerest music scene in L.A.

How did you get into drag, and how does that spill over into your music? Do you perform in drag?Definitely visually it does, because up until now when we’ve been releasing stuff, all of the art we did was visual art, and I did some performance art, but I didn’t have to worry about live singing or instrument playing, so it’s kind of like a good mesh of my visual art and having a strong visual idea and turning it into a sonic creation. And so with this album and the singles we are dropping and stuff, it’s very nature-inspired and there are a lot of  nature analogies that we use of love, anger, frustration, and stuff like that. I feel like a lot of those things go hand in hand, and that’s what kind of forms my image as far as my drag persona. I do a lot of Elvin, fairy stuff and a lot of it’s very dark, too. 

For the most part, I do Riot Grrrl drag unless I’m doing something funny. I like juxtaposition a lot, so I’ll do Riot Grrrl performances dressed really pretty or as a little girl. For a Christmas performance last year, I did “Is that You Santa Clause” in baby doll lingerie, but I will do a lot of Riot Grrrl performances which are surprisingly well received. A lot of the clubs I perform in are Top 40 type of clubs, and so when I come out and do something super crazy a lot of people resonate with it or or are interested enough to watch.

How do you feel that queer people can influence the punk music scene today, and why is this important?
I feel like a lot of queer culture has had a big influence on the art scene as a whole with music and visual art and fashion and everything, and I feel like there are a lot of queer people in punk who aren’t vocal about being queer, or it’s not obvious that they are, because I know there are queer people who aren’t talking about it, so I feel like one way we can make an impact is being vocal about being queer and working that into our music and our art and our visuals and talking about it whenever we can.

How do you think that music can be a vital force in pushing back against oppression and hate?
I think music is really something that moves a lot of people and inspires a lot of people to make moves and think more politically and go out an protest and go out and rally against hate and things like that, and I feel like music is kind of at the forefront of a lot of political movements. I think that just helping inspire the younger generation to be more political and be aware of what’s happening in their country is one big way that music can help fight against hate, because you can say whatever you want, but really it matters if it’s inspiring people to take action against negative forces that are trying to destroy our community.