With Pride month wrapping up you have no doubt been inundated with pop anthem after pop anthem. While the likes of Lady GaGa, Madonna, Dianna Ross, and a bevy of RuPaul Drag Queens who have went on to make music, you may be in need of something a little different. Previously, I talked about Queencore  and gave a couple examples of bands. I forget that just because I am familiar with something that there may be many more who are not. So, I felt it might be good to dive a little deeper into the Queercore music scene going from older iterations to more current. After all, it is the punk culture that has given rise to a lot of the activist’s movements out there. I hope this gives you a bit more to listen to than just the standard pop offerings.

 

I mentioned Pany Division in my last post, but I definitely feel they deserve to be in this list since they are the first openly defined gay band to feature predominantly gay musicians. They are American made and produced and originally formed in San Francisco, California. They are considered a mixture of Pop Punk and Power Pop and focus  heavily on LGBTQ issues, sex, and relationships. I linked one of my favorite songs last time “Femme in a Black Leather Jacket.” This time I thought I would share another one with you. I give you “Cocksucker Club” by Pansy Division

 

Keeping with the 90s scene, here is Team Dresch. They are from Portland, Oregon but originally formed in Olympia, Washington. They were influential in the Queercore scene from 1993 to 1998. They are an all lesbian band who wrote music that was impassioned by the LGBTQ and punk cultures. “Personal Best” was considered to be their punk masterpiece. For your enjoyment, I submit to you “Fagetarian and Dyke.”

 

Next, I give you Limp Wrist. Another American punk band that formed in 1998. They are best known for short fast paced hard-core tracks. They songs cover gay themes and have been quoted as the band that put the “core” back in “Queercore. Enjoy this tasty track called “I Love Hardcore Boys/ I Love Boys Hardcore.”

 

The Butchies are an all-female  band from Durham, North Carolina, they were big between 1998 and 2005. Their first album “Are We Not Femme?” was released and 1998 and gave them the theme of being queer crusaders. Their songs rotate around lesbian and queer themes. For your dining pleasure, have a taste of “The Galaxy is Gay.”

 

Lesbians on Ecstasy is a Canadian electronic band and most notably know for touring with Le Tigre. Their first album was release on 2004. Here is their song “Sedition.”

 

For your next course, here is PWR BTTM (power bottom). An American Queer Punk band that formed in 2013. The members of the group took the name from the definition of power bottom, that while someone is “bottoming”, they maintain the dominant power in a sexual interaction.  They felt that is accurately captured the dynamic of the group. Take a big vitamin enriched drink of their song “Dairy Queen.”

 

The Spook School is named after the Glasgow School and is a four-piece indie pop band from Scotland. “The band’s lyrics explore“gender, sexuality and queer issues with themes such as “fluidity and the lack of a binary in gender” They formed in 2012 while attending the University of Edinburgh. Here is a palate cleanser for you titled “Binary.”

 

Partner is a Canadian rock band and if you can’t take sarcasm well, you should probably pass them up. After all, what self-respecting LGBTQ person  likes sarcasm… Their songs take an interesting look on day to day lives we all experience. Started in 2010 and still active to this day. The two vocalists are both lesbians who met in university. Pop in a fresh set of batteries and enjoy their offering “Sex Object.”

 

GRLWood is a band that prefers to only be labeled as “kick ass rockers.” They have even went so far as to create their own style of music, which they label as “scream-pop.” It is a mixture of garage, pop, punk, and of course screaming. This track is sure to get your juices flowing, check out “Bisexual.”

To finish you off, I give you the Worries is an American melodic punk band from Brooklyn, New York. They are a four-piece band that have no issues about pronouns, gender neutrality, and the state of the punk scene. Their intense lyrics and melodic music give this group the stage they need to voice their opinions on the state of LGBTQ issues at present. Grab yourself a towel, lay back and just enjoy the waves of “They, Them, Theirs.”

 

I hope these delectable tid-bits satisfied your need for something other than Queer Pop. There is a host of music out there to satisfy each and every desire that we, as a diverse group of LGBTQ people, may want. This is only a small taste and please, check out more of what each offers. Thanks for sharing with me.