Black Feminist Punk: Big Joanie at Southbank Centre

Big Joanie: Chardine Taylor-Stone (left), Stephanie Phillips (centre), Estella Adeyeri (right)

On a hot and sunny June day, the South Bank is where many flock to in London. This is where I find myself reading a book with a crisp cider in hand before the Big Joanie gig at the Southbank Centre last week, where they played as part of Grace Jones’ Meltdown.

Meltdown at the Southbank Centre is the UK’s longest-running artist-curated music festival. This year, the 27th edition of Meltdown has been curated by the international music, fashion and film icon Grace Jones, and the line-up has been stunning. With acts like Peaches, Skunk Anansie, and Honey Dijon – it’s rare to see so many exciting names on the same bill. 

Big Joanie are a London-based Black feminist punk band, formed in 2013. They played their first set at the inaugural First Timers Festival, and they’ve since taken the punk scene by storm, having toured with acts like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and Gossip. They describe themselves as “The Ronettes filtered through 80s DIY and 90s riot grrrl, with a sprinkling of dashikis”, which might be the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.

As I enter the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, I’m feeling curious about a seated punk show in a prestigious venue. I’ll admit, I’m more of a heat-of-the-crowd kind of person, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When the band takes to the stage, they seem to be feeling the same way: “Are you sitting down? Stand the fuck up! …if you’re allowed”, Chardine jokes. “It looks like we’re playing to an empty room from here, so you’re gonna have to make noise”.

Throughout the gig, their staunch political standpoints form the core of everything they do. Chardine is a force of nature, playing the drums standing up, and powering through the setlist with a strong, satisfying beat which reverberates in my chest throughout each song. The audience is encouraged to buy merch and support the band – “it’s expensive doing this – especially now we can’t travel because of Brexit and all of this fucking bullshit” – a statement which is received with huge applause. “It’s not just about us”, Chardine continues, “it’s about all of you guys and everyone coming after us – that’s the intention”. 

They cover ‘No Scrubs’ by TLC, introducing it as a song about street harassment, and encouraging the audience to participate in a defiant chant. Another song, introduced by Steph, is about “trying to find a vertical where everything is crooked” – she tells us it’s about getting by in a racist, sexist, heteronormative world, and “recognising that things are monumentally fucked up, recognising that people shouldn’t be shipped to Rwanda”. Always using struggle to push for a better future, though, she encourages us to create spaces of our own where we can all be free and happy and live peacefully: “this is why we formed this band, and we hope we can bring it to all of you tonight”.

Throughout the show, Chardine emphasises the need for solidarity: “if you're in solidarity with us, we’re in solidarity with you. It's important to start building upon commonality instead of difference. When we get together, we can march across the bridge and burn that place down, and start again”. 

“Even for the white cis straight men out there. The world’s gonna be better for them, once it's run by us”, she adds with a smile.

They earn a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of their set, and an encore to boot. A seated punk show was nice as a one-off novelty, and I loved that the audience was so varied – it’s a beautiful experience to be surrounded by people of all ages with a shared appreciation, rooted in community, solidarity, and punk. But I’m looking forward to seeing Big Joanie again in a rowdier crowd. It’s nice to have a dance while you’re plotting the revolution, after all.

The Southbank Centre is the kind of venue that sets conventions – I mean, the building that held the gig is named after the Queen – so to play here is unconventional for a punk band, a Black feminist one, no less. But Big Joanie won’t be held back by conventions: I expect they’ll only continue to grow from strength to strength, driven by their fierce commitment to solidarity and justice.