The Vains

Patriarchy smashing punk rockers, The Vains, push the boundaries with fast-paced tracks that pack a punch. Ahead of their appearance at Notestock, vocalist Rhia Dickson chats about their riot grrrl influence and writing feminist anthems.

The Vains are a ‘femme patriarchy smashing rock band’. Ahead of your set at Notestock, can you tell us more about that?

We’re so excited to be playing Notestock! For anyone who doesn’t know us, we’re a band of four women who play punk rock, hence the ‘patriarchy smashing’. At our core, we’re a band driven by our feminine anger – four girls who want to let our energy out through music.

Your music is reminiscent of the riot grrrl era. Have female-driven punk rock bands influenced your music?

We’ve all been inspired by that era of music. For me, seeing women in the ’90s — making music from an angry and purely punk place, but also in a feminist and feminine way — changed how I imagined myself in music. Growing up, I thought I had to squash my feminine parts to pursue the ‘rock’ and ‘punk’ things I thought were cool. The riot grrrl era made me realise you could be both. Playing punk music through the lens of the female experience is always going to be exciting. Musically, we take as much inspiration from the ’90s riot grrrl era as the ’70s punk era and the Australian pub rock scene.

Tracks like ‘Pussy Power’ are powerful feminist anthems. How did these types of songs come to life?

Those songs probably grew out of our early experiences playing gigs. It’s so easy to judge and dismiss a band before they’ve even started playing. It became pretty exhausting getting praise after a show from people who were shocked we were “actually really good”. It was great to write a song like ‘Pussy Power’, which has so much feminine energy, and watch the older males in the audience squirm about it. Punk rock has always been about pushing boundaries and making people uncomfortable. It’s music that allows people to channel their anger and frustration and release it through music, whether you’re in the band or the audience.

What’s next for The Vains?

We’re hoping to sneak some recordings in before the end of the year! We’re currently working on writing new songs and organising some interstate shows or even a tour if the stars align.

See The Vains play alongside Ricky Albeck, Druid Fluids and STELLAR at Notestock this November 4. Tickets on sale now.