Dream Nails: On And Off Track with the London Punk Witches

After five years in the making and one pandemic related delay, the full-length debut from feminist punk witches Dream Nails is finally with us – and goodness me was it worth the wait. A record of inclusivity, joy, rage and celebration, the self-titled record is the full encapsulation of the Dream Nails ethos and experience. In an age where the more wider punk gene pool has become stagnant, it’s a showcase that the genre still has plenty to offer when offered by the right hands, with the record also showcasing the fantastic talent that’s within the DIY UK punk scene. Whilst broken capitalism and oppressive culture hang overhead, it’s a record that offers empowerment and joyous freedom. With the record out now via Alcopop! Records, Janey Starling (Vocals), Mimi Jasson (Bass, vocals), Anya Pearson (Guitar, vocals) and Lucy Katz (Drums, vocals) got in touch to inform us of the band’s favourite artists and the cultural influences that inspired the creation of the record. Related: Dream Nails – Dream Nails | Album Review Amyl & the Sniffers Mimi: “They were a big influence for how we wanted the record to be sonically. Where everything sat in the mix and their tones. We saw them at Glastonbury 2019, they were great.” Spoon Anya: “Austin based Britt Daniel and his band have always been experts and doing more with less, a central tenet of punk songwriting, and are a big influence on me. They’re an amazing, hardworking outfit that will always be totally underrated, but for me their songs are beautiful, heartbreaking and also just rock really quite a lot.” ESG Lucy: “The Scroggins sisters invented a new kind of music in early-80’s New York. They made funky, joyful, silly punk (“Erase you! Flush you like my toilet!”) and started writing their own songs so that no one could tell that they were messing up their covers. One of the freshest all-female bands of the era.” The Pixies Mimi: “One of the best bands in the world. I love their songs, their riffs, how heavy they can be and their ability to do so much with different tones. I’m definitely influenced by Kim’s bass tone, and their songs influence my songwriting as well.” Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings Janey: “Rest in peace queen Sharon. Her voice, her dance moves and her story has always inspired me and their live show was the tightest I’ve ever seen. I draw a lot of inspiration from soul singers, much more than punk to be honest, and Sharon tops the list.” The Slits Janey: “The first punk band I truly loved and the one that will undoubtedly be my longest and most committed band relationship. The Slits showed me what being a punk could be in a burgeoning 70’s punk scene that was strangely limiting, forgiving and oppressive – especially for female musicians. These women did not give a fuck and gifted the world with a timeless, classic album that has never been remembered in the way that it should have been.” Anger Mimi: “Our songs are a response to what’s happening to us and around us. We were so angry when the NEWS, report came out last year of two lesbians who were beaten up on a bus, and we’re still so angry that domestic violence cases are never taken seriously or lead to a charge. So we wrote songs about it, so we can collectively rage together.” Genie Espinosa Anya: “We started working with this Barcelona based artist in the summer for some cover art and she’s become the visual identity of the band. Her distorted bodies, crazy typography and endlessly playful representations of badass women is a big influence for us – this is what feminist empowerment looks like!” Jillian Michaels Mimi: “Jillian Michaels is a fitness instructor, she used to be on the show “the biggest loser” and she has a workout DVD called ‘The 30 Day Shred’ which Janey and I both discovered we used to workout to religiously. The first song on our album is a love song to her.” Kate Moross Lucy: “Kate is the super prolific art director, graphic designer and illustrator at the helm of Studio Moross. They’re world is clearly a technicolour one and their work so delightfully irreverent and lacking in self-consciousness and pretension (as well as having clearly radically and principled ideas) – it’s not hard to see why a punk like me would be so drawn to them.” Collective Joy Janey: “Collective joy is healing and transformative for so many of us, and our stage shows are built around being able to facilitate joy for all of our fans and audiences. Being in a public space where you can feel safe, sing, dance, mosh and be part of something bigger than yourself is so important, and is a collective experience that I draw from personally and would love to help recreate in the world.” Dream Nails is out now via Alcopop! Records. Purchase the record here.