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“This is what I’m talking about, by being bold in your music” Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1)
“2023 belongs to VENUS GRRRLS” Nels Hylton (BBC Radio 1)
“A band who really sound like they want to make things happen; to affect some kind of change” Steve Lamacq (BBC 6 Music)
Born from Riot Grrrl, VENUS GRRRLS are an alternative rock band from Leeds. From twinkling synth motifs to raspy guitar lines, the girls present the dark yet empowering discourse surrounding their own synergistic experiences.
VENUS GRRRLS return from hiatus after lead singer GK’s recovery from Leukaemia, presenting a brand new single ‘Lidocaine’. Gritty, unfaltering, and elegant, the band make for a powerful rebirth in a new era of a chilling and unrestrained demeanour.
Speaking on Lidocaine, lead singer GK says:
‘Lidocaine, a local anaesthetic, is used as a numbing agent during bone marrow biopsies to check for bone marrow diseases and cancers such as Leukaemia. Now in remission, I reflect on the lasting damage of cancer and begin to process the gritty and complex repercussions; including the small, seemingly insignificant factors that helped me along the way. ‘Lidocaine’ is a metaphor for this, as not only was it used as an attempt to numb my pain during a gruelling procedure, but it symbolises all attempts of this in a mental and spiritual manner, too. Getting through the day is a win in itself, even if it meant I stayed in bed all day, that was the Lidocaine I needed to get me through it.’
The band are also actively encouraging people to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register following on from GK’s experience. They further comment:
“Due to GK’s journey, we’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to join the stem cell register. Some people who get diagnosed with Leukaemia need a stem cell transplant to prevent disease from returning, and you could be that person and save a life. It’s quick and easy to sign up, visit www.anthonynolan.org for all the details.”
2022 saw VENUS GRRRLS undergo their radio breakthrough year, with their two releases ‘Violet State of Mind’ & ‘Aries’ receiving a total of 8 BBC Radio 1 plays from the likes Jack Saunders, Nels Hylton, Alyx Holcombe and Gemma Bradley, multiple plays from Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music and John Kennedy on Radio X, Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio, Rodney Bingenheimer on Sirius XM, as well as making Spotify’s “All New Rock”, “Fresh Finds: Rock” and “Hot New Bands” editorial playlists. In 2023, they re-released “Sudocream Queen”, re-mastered by Romesh Dodangoda, with the intention of it being a filler between GK finishing her treatment and being able to get into studio again. The re-release was awarded Nels Hylton’s Future Flavour (TOTW) on BBC Radio 1, was played by Gemma Bradley on the national BBC Introducing show on BBC Radio 1, John Kennedy on Radio X, and was featured on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds: Rock” & “All New Rock”, Apple Music’s “New In Punk” and Amazon Music’s “Breakthrough Rock” editorial playlists.
With singer/rhythm guitarist Grace Kelly (GK) fronting the band, she is joined with Hannah Barraclough (Bass), Eliza Lee (Lead Guitar), Grace Stubbings (Synth) and Gabby Cooke (Drums). A live profile supporting Dream Wife, Black Honey, and Crawlers, and as heard on the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X, Sirius XM, and BBC Introducing, VENUS GRRRLS seek to bring their gothic and ethereal aesthetics to an international audience.
Photo credit – Misha Warren
VENUS GRRRLS online
