Photo: Aaron Nadal
There's a bunch of great punk bands coming out of Montreal recently, and WHOREDROBE is definitely one of them. Lining up shows around town since spring, they finally released a single in July, "Get In My Van". The song is brash, loud, simple yet viciously satisfying, and oozes of 90's riot grrrl punk madness. We were immediately captivated of course, so it was just logical that we reached out to the band, to find out what's their story. Let's hear it!
Whoredrobe is such a great name. How did it come up and what were the runners- up?
You mostly know of bands figuring out their name after they’ve been formed. Sometimes the quest for the perfect name can go on for ages. In this case, “Whoredrobe” was a product of spitballing names for a different band that Toosh and Julia are in (we went with “Hips of Lilith” for that one).
Can you introduce us to each member, and what's their super power?Tara picked up a guitar at 14, immediately became obsessed, and couldn’t put it down. She was previously in a band called Nervous Nancy. Undeniably influenced by metal, her superpower is crunching out the gnarliest riffs while being a chill grounding force at the same time.
Julia (bass) has a lot of drive and energy, she’s very social and extroverted. Her superpower is being a totally batshit bandmate and, at the same time, a thorough, badass business lady/band manager holding it all down. She’s our “crazy glue.”
Toosh (vox) hussles between the worlds of coaching people through their breakups and the restaurant industry when she isn’t at band practice. She’s been accused of having band mom energy, and of being a conceptual queen. Her superpower is convincing you in record time why you and your SO should part ways.
Magali (drums) is our South Shore queen and master tattoo artist whose work you should definitely check out (@magalimdemers)! Her superpower is pretty much having a never-ending supply of good vibes, as well as advancing her drum skills from 0 to baller in only a year by practicing like a maniac.
You've been together for under a year now, what's your origin story?
The full story: Toosh thought of the name, and though it was rejected for Hips of Lilith, Julia freaked out about it and swore she would breathe life into “Whoredrobe.” It was going to be a Riot Grrl band from the beginning, because, obviously... Julia was roommates with Tara’s girlfriend, and so had been graced by Tara’s playing through jamming and Nervous Nancy. Magali was added to the band on drums after one fateful night at Turbo Haus. Voilà.
Who inspired you to get on a stage?
The full story: Toosh thought of the name, and though it was rejected for Hips of Lilith, Julia freaked out about it and swore she would breathe life into “Whoredrobe.” It was going to be a Riot Grrl band from the beginning, because, obviously... Julia was roommates with Tara’s girlfriend, and so had been graced by Tara’s playing through jamming and Nervous Nancy. Magali was added to the band on drums after one fateful night at Turbo Haus. Voilà.
Toosh - Bowie.
Magali - Dad’s collection of live shows of Peter Gabriel and Genesis.
Julia - Her older cousin, Brennan, who plays guitar in Hips of Lilith.
Tara - Brody Dalle.
Describe the band's sound using a movie title.
Deathgasm
What does riot grrrl mean to you?
Riot grrrl is such a broad and beautiful space for us as a band. It feels like a place for people to do whatever the fuck they want in the scene and just be authentic. We feel it takes a stand against any oppression that interferes with the creative process. It’s also a safe place for healthy rage, a way to channel your inner angry teen that wasn’t validated.
Who are some of your favorite artists outside of the punk genre?
Magali - Dad’s collection of live shows of Peter Gabriel and Genesis.
Julia - Her older cousin, Brennan, who plays guitar in Hips of Lilith.
Tara - Brody Dalle.
Describe the band's sound using a movie title.
Deathgasm
What does riot grrrl mean to you?
Riot grrrl is such a broad and beautiful space for us as a band. It feels like a place for people to do whatever the fuck they want in the scene and just be authentic. We feel it takes a stand against any oppression that interferes with the creative process. It’s also a safe place for healthy rage, a way to channel your inner angry teen that wasn’t validated.
Who are some of your favorite artists outside of the punk genre?
Tara - Lana Del Rey
Magali - Björk
Julia - Cindy Lee
Toosh - Clown Core
What's great about the Montreal punk scene, and what could be better?
There are a lot of great things about the Montreal punk/post-punk scene currently. It’s very inclusive & welcoming, and we love to see it’s still so vibrant post-pandemic. Something about the scene here feels secure, like it’s not going anywhere. Probably to do with the fact that punk musicians will literally practice anywhere they can!
What could be better is if magically some affordable and non-hazardous jam spaces popped up in convenient locations, and reasonable landlords who actually liked musicians owned such spaces…
Magali - Björk
Julia - Cindy Lee
Toosh - Clown Core
What's great about the Montreal punk scene, and what could be better?
There are a lot of great things about the Montreal punk/post-punk scene currently. It’s very inclusive & welcoming, and we love to see it’s still so vibrant post-pandemic. Something about the scene here feels secure, like it’s not going anywhere. Probably to do with the fact that punk musicians will literally practice anywhere they can!
What could be better is if magically some affordable and non-hazardous jam spaces popped up in convenient locations, and reasonable landlords who actually liked musicians owned such spaces…
What are some local bands that we should check out?
Piss For Pumpkin, Ratpiss, George and the Handsomes, Scarlet Wives, Splitlayer, Glowing Orb, Boring Girls, Vagina Witch, Total Nada, Pnoom, Fresh Wax, Hips of Lilith, CPU Rave…. To name a few!
You are putting together your own fest. Who are the 3 headliners, what's the name of the 3 stages and what's on the menu?
Headliners;
L7, Otoboke Beaver, The Chicks, Courtney Love (We couldn’t pick three, sorry)
Stages:
Pussy Ceviche Stage, Burning Bush Theater, The Kegel Dome
Food:
Clams. Lots and lots of clams. Oh, and Margaritas.
"Get In My Van" is such a badass song. How did it come together?
The song came together very quickly. One day while jamming Magali started slamming her sticks into the drum kit extremely hard and screamed “GET IN MY VAN.” Julia looked over at her and just decided “That’s gonna be a song!” They proceeded to work out the structure. In the process, Magali channeled some wicked mojo that she claims was a breakthrough for future songwriting.
We saw some images that looked like a video is in the works, is that something we can expect soon?
Not soon… Julia is in art school and tried to make a vfx video for an assignment, using the song as the music. We thought it might be feasible to make a full-length video, but now realizing how much work it is, we may need to scale back or try it again differently. (If anyone wants to watch the 20-second video that we did manage to make, they can DM Whoredrobe on IG for the privated link)
What do you wanna be remembered for?
“Lyrics that don’t follow typical tropes and that focus on empowerment rather than being stuck in something.” - Toosh
“A good songwriter. Also a buff, jacked, fucking cheesehead” - Julia
“Writing cool, creative riffs that are fun to play.” - Tara
“For doing whatever I wanted to do. Being that chick who started playing drums when she was ‘old’ and she was still good” - Magali
Best way to support the band?
To support us, come to our shows, mosh, vibe, and buy merch. Come say hello! If you’re a graffiti artist, tag the name. We are playing on September 10th in Hudson QC at Hudson Porchfest, an outdoor festival, as well as September 24th at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto. More info on those: @whoredrobeband
Piss For Pumpkin, Ratpiss, George and the Handsomes, Scarlet Wives, Splitlayer, Glowing Orb, Boring Girls, Vagina Witch, Total Nada, Pnoom, Fresh Wax, Hips of Lilith, CPU Rave…. To name a few!
You are putting together your own fest. Who are the 3 headliners, what's the name of the 3 stages and what's on the menu?
Headliners;
L7, Otoboke Beaver, The Chicks, Courtney Love (We couldn’t pick three, sorry)
Stages:
Pussy Ceviche Stage, Burning Bush Theater, The Kegel Dome
Food:
Clams. Lots and lots of clams. Oh, and Margaritas.
"Get In My Van" is such a badass song. How did it come together?
The song came together very quickly. One day while jamming Magali started slamming her sticks into the drum kit extremely hard and screamed “GET IN MY VAN.” Julia looked over at her and just decided “That’s gonna be a song!” They proceeded to work out the structure. In the process, Magali channeled some wicked mojo that she claims was a breakthrough for future songwriting.
We saw some images that looked like a video is in the works, is that something we can expect soon?
Not soon… Julia is in art school and tried to make a vfx video for an assignment, using the song as the music. We thought it might be feasible to make a full-length video, but now realizing how much work it is, we may need to scale back or try it again differently. (If anyone wants to watch the 20-second video that we did manage to make, they can DM Whoredrobe on IG for the privated link)
What do you wanna be remembered for?
“Lyrics that don’t follow typical tropes and that focus on empowerment rather than being stuck in something.” - Toosh
“A good songwriter. Also a buff, jacked, fucking cheesehead” - Julia
“Writing cool, creative riffs that are fun to play.” - Tara
“For doing whatever I wanted to do. Being that chick who started playing drums when she was ‘old’ and she was still good” - Magali
Best way to support the band?
To support us, come to our shows, mosh, vibe, and buy merch. Come say hello! If you’re a graffiti artist, tag the name. We are playing on September 10th in Hudson QC at Hudson Porchfest, an outdoor festival, as well as September 24th at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto. More info on those: @whoredrobeband
All photos were taken by Aaron Nadal
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aaronnoodlesoup
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