In this episode of Punk Rock Creatives, Marie chats with Lianne Erskine, vocalist of Julie’s Dead, after first discovering the band live at a Dammit Records showcase.
Lianne shares her own musical journey from owning a music venue and the path that eventually led her to fronting Julie’s Dead. They talk about creativity, finding your voice and what happens when you give yourself permission to take up space creatively — particularly at a point in life when society can sometimes suggest that women should be doing precisely the opposite.
That leads into a conversation about being an older woman in punk, and the strange expectations that still exist around how women are supposed to look, dress and present themselves.
Marie and Lianne also discover a shared appreciation for being permanently livid. From the genuinely important things worth getting angry about to the tiny, seemingly insignificant things that can inexplicably vex you, there is plenty of fuel available for creativity.
The conversation turns to Dammit Records and the importance of being part of a label that doesn’t discriminate or decide whether somebody belongs based on age, gender, appearance or whether they fit a particular image. The focus is where it should be: the music. Lianne talks about what a brilliant label Dammit is to be part of, the support they give their artists and just how much they do for the wider DIY punk scene, with their showcases around the country.
There’s also chat about Good Cop Bad Cop, Julie’s Dead (obviously), creativity, community and finding your own place in music without changing yourself to fit somebody else’s idea of what you should be.
An episode about creative journeys, getting older, getting angrier, finding your voice, making music and refusing to dress how anybody thinks you should.
Because perhaps being permanently livid isn’t such a bad thing after all.
