A Quick Chat with Bloods
Sydney punk outfit Bloods return, pairing the long-awaited digital reissue of their cult 2013 debut EP Golden Fang with the release of their powerful and uplifting new single 'All My Friends'. Written in response to Australia’s ongoing femicide crisis, the track celebrates the everyday brilliance and humanity of the women in their lives. We caught up with the band to talk about revisiting their early work, the message behind the new song, and what this moment means for Bloods more than a decade into their journey.
It’s been over a decade since Golden Fang first came out. What does it feel like revisiting that era of Bloods and seeing the EP finally land on streaming platforms?
It's actually been a really interesting time to revisit. I don't think we fully appreciated it all at the time because we were kind of just in it. We recorded that EP with our friend Liam Judson completely independently and self-funded and we'd only been a band for about six months before that. When we started the band we didn't really know how to play our instruments. We'd made a deliberate decision to pick up new ones when we started the band to make it more fun. The kind of music we were making was all we could make. Being able to see it on streaming services is great. I think the music still holds up.
Your new single “All My Friends” was written in response to the femicide crisis in Australia. How did that idea first take shape and what conversations were happening within the band while writing it?
As women, it's impossible not to be horrified by just how bad things are in Australia when it comes to men's violence against women. Every day there is a new horrendous story on the news. It's as infuriating as it is heartbreaking. This is actually the first song I've written in two years as I've not necessarily felt compelled to write of late. When I showed it to the band and our label and manager it was just after Trump had been reelected and the consensus was "hell yea, we need this!" so we decided to just go in and record it.
In the release you describe the song as celebrating the small details that make the women in your life incredible. Can you talk about how those everyday moments translated into the lyrics?
I remember the first line of the song came to me in the shower. The idea of Penny having a beautiful smile, something women are constantly told to do, but refusing to show it because she doesn't think smiling looks cool was this silent act of defiance that filled my heart. Then I started to think about all the other women I love who do similar things. How Fiona has this enviable beautiful mane of hair but hates washing it so ties it up in a bun on her head most of the week. These are tiny rebellions they may not even realise they're doing. From there it kind of poured out of me as I thought of my friends and the small everyday moments that make me smile or inspire me about them. The warmth and joy that brings to the lives of the people they love. Knowing Maddy had a dream that she's living right now. The way Di and Kir make me laugh more than anyone I know. I wanted to paint a portrait of life and illustrate that these are just humans trying to live in peace. Their lives are theirs and not a performance for anyone else and that they and all women deserve respect and safety.
Pairing the reissue with a brand new single feels like both a reflection and a step forward. Did revisiting Golden Fang influence the way you approached writing “All My Friends”?
It's the first song we've recorded with Sweetie in about five years so it felt fitting that we put it on the reissue. Having both of our voices together was a key part of what Bloods was in those early days so it felt really natural to have it be part of this collection of music that defined our band.
When Golden Fang first dropped in 2013, Bloods stood out as a female-led punk band fronted by two women of colour in a scene that was largely male and white. Looking back now, how do you see that moment in the context of where the music scene is today?
It's true that we were one of a handful of women fronted bands at that time, certainly the only brown ones. I think we definitely felt the strain of that at times. We never really fit in. We had a couple of songs in Spanish and I was also pregnant for that entire EP campaign so there was that. In that scene we were playing with bands like King Gizzard, Dune Rats and Violent Soho locally. We had Hockey Dad open for our Sydney show. It's quite funny and awesome to think how far so many of our peers at the time have come, all from that little DIY punk scene.
I look at punk now and am so endeared by the fact that Australia's biggest punk band, Amyl and the Sniffers, has a woman leading it. Seeing more POC in Aussie punk, Ecca Vandal, Bignoter and REDD for example, is even more exciting. You can't be what you can't see. I still think punk and rock as genres are incredibly white but there is certainly more diversity today than there was thirteen years ago. Perhaps a reflection of how insane these times we're living in. Punk has always been a voice to channel rage, frustration and demand for change.
Bloods have always balanced infectious punk-pop energy with deeper themes. How important is it for you to keep that balance between fun, immediacy and social commentary?
I think the fun and immediacy just come from when we get in a room together. It's just so exciting to play music and we are all such great mates and that comes through in the music I think. The social commentary is all MC. To me she is a master of really getting to the heart of an issue whilst also making you wanna dance.
You’re releasing this through Share It Music and supporting the domestic violence outreach service MOMO. Why was it important to connect this release with a tangible form of support and action?
Share It are actually a not for profit so each of our releases through them have involved us donating profits to a bunch of different causes. This one is extra important as it really does feel like domestic violence is increasing. Victims of this disgusting behaviour need all the help they can get and MOMO do such fantastic work helping women, trans women and non-binary people in need of this support.
Over the years you’ve toured with artists like Sleater-Kinney, Wavves, Veruca Salt and Alex Lahey. Were there any particular moments on the road that really shaped Bloods as a band?
Oh wow, huge question. We've had a ton of amazingly fun experiences on the road. Veruca Salt took us under their collective wing and brought us out on the road twice. I believe they even wrote a song about us. Alex Lahey was a delight, her crowds were most welcoming. Dirk smoked an apple bong with Nathan from Wavves backstage. Sleater-Kinney was all-time. MC in particular has been a huge fan for life so that ticked a seriously huge checkbox on her to do list. The most fun we had though was probably our first USA tour. We got on the road with The Preatures and travelled all over. The memories and photos from that one are so good. We were just reminiscing about it over text in fact.
Your music has quietly built a global presence through syncs in films, TV and ads. How does it feel hearing Bloods pop up in places like TV shows or movies?
It's very cool, especially if it's already content you are a fan of. One that stands out is a Netflix show called Love. I was obsessed and patiently awaiting the final season but before that though a sync request came through and I literally couldn't believe it. Hearing our tune in there was so fun when it came out. Most recently our song Thinking Of You Thinking Of Meplayed over the end credits of Babes with Ilana Glazer from Broad City. MC actually caught that at a cinema in New York.
With Golden Fang getting a new life and “All My Friends” marking a new chapter, what’s next for Bloods? Should fans be expecting more new music or shows on the horizon?
We had such a ball recording All My Friends a few months ago that I suspect it won't be long before we're all back in a room together.