The women who made punk
If I recall right, the first woman punk musician I saw on stage was Gaye Advert (Gaye Black), the Adverts’ bass player. It was sometime in 1977 and they were touring with my favourite band, The Damned.
The musical Pins and Needles – La La Land with picket lines
Pins and Needles is without doubt the most radical musical to hit Broadway. It was a musical revue sponsored by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and the cast was drawn from its members.
UPDATED Netherlands election: spotlight on far right racist Geert Wilders and the PVV
Wilders’ PVV failed to take first place in the Dutch election, although its vote has risen. But the most dramatic result is the collapse of the centre left PvdA after years of coalition government with the conservatives. Read our updated analysis.
First Poland, now Ireland: the strikes for abortion rights
Something special is happening in the fight for abortion rights, for a woman’s right to choose – it is a sort-of international strike wave. A sort-of strike wave that is so far made up of just two strikes. But the first – in Poland – has already won a victory.
Folk music and the politics of resistance
The folk music scene has always had a political, radical edge. This is a short, personal survey by Russ Chandler of the level of political engagement in the scene today.
Trump, brass bands, migration and a hijacking: January’s tracks of the month
I was sitting in the library reading Donald Trump’s biography, Trump: The Art of the Deal, the other day. A woman sat down next to me and, out of nowhere, said: “The devil came to earth when Donald Trump won the election.”