3 minute read
Hiss Take
Hiss Take
CAT F!GHT CLAWS UP THE PATRIARCHY
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By Brynn Winkler
To KU student Ali Madden’s dismay, there were no all-girl bands represented in the Lawrence punk music scene when she was introduced to the community her freshman year—an absence also felt by her friend Chloe Fraiser.
In spring 2022, Madden and Fraiser began plans for their own girl punk rock band that made their own rules, dressed how they wanted, and belted with angst about the patriarchy in lieu of indistinguishable violent screams. To 20-year-old lead singer Madden, the band is counter to the mainstream punk genre—one usually associated with men clad in chains and screaming lyrics laced with thinly veiled misogyny. The primary songwriter’s lyrics condemn pervy men, raise awareness for mental health, critique sexist stereotypes, and even express her distaste of The Boys T.V. series for its treatment of sexual assault.
“Something we focused on when forming our band was cultivating a space in which women and marginalized people just felt like they had a space that wasn’t dominated by men moshing or screaming on stage about stuff we’ve heard a million times,” Madden says. “We wanted to create something that was safe and new.”
Six months after Madden and Fraiser teamed up to find the rest of their foursome, Cat F!ght performed their first show featuring their first original song, “Oh Dog.” The powerhouse anthem takes a bubblegum punk jab at Madden’s Catholic upbringing, tartan plaid skirts and all. Madden exclaims frustrations like toxic Catholic guilt, deep-seated misogyny, and other backwards practices of the church— hence the title of the song, which contains the backwards spelling of “God.”
Other members of the band include 21-year-old Fraiser on the guitar, 19-yearold Lisa Hild on the drums, and 19-yearold Clare Hawkins on the bass.
This is a lineup, Madden says, that their male counterparts on the bill and even audience members often don’t expect when they first meet at a venue for a gig. They aren’t expecting the “explosion,” in Madden’s words—their unabashed powerful presence exuded when performing their ten original songs.
“I definitely feel those side-eye looks or notice weird comments from guys that are talking down to us,” Madden says. “I think their expectation is that people only like us because we’re the only all-girl band—and then there’s that shock factor when we’re actually good.”
This is a double standard she didn’t think would stick around even as the band garnered a fanbase and exploded following their second-ever performance in January. Madden has lost count of gigs since then, hitting the Toilet Bowl, Howdy, and The Bottleneck to name a few.
Though Cat F!ght’s music has not been officially released on a streaming platform, they are in the process of recording themselves with the help of a friend’s recording system and estimate a fall release for these original tunes. In the meantime, they have filmed and released a double feature music video for their song ‘Listen Up!’ and ‘‘Oh Dog,” accessible on their YouTube channel.
“I guess take I it upon myself to write about the stuff I’m hearing about—stuff all these girls, queer people, and people of color in the punk scene are made uncomfortable by or what they’re seeing when men are not around,” Madden says. “And I think the stage is such a good place to do that because you’re kind of untouchable.”
