Hull’s angriest export since the seagulls at Bridlington, WENCH! return with Be Tame, the opening track from their exquisitely misleadingly titled EP, Relaxing Rain Sounds For Baby Sleep. Spoiler: there is no rain, no sleep, and definitely no relaxing — unless you’re soothed by fierce, full-throttle punk rage and the sound of patriarchy being drop-kicked through a plate glass window.
Be Tame is a sonic Molotov cocktail, hurled directly at every pearl-clutching demand for “ladylike” behaviour. It’s a raucous middle finger to expectations of silence, softness, and social niceties. The guitars snarl like a cornered animal, the drums punch holes in the wall of politeness, and the vocals — oh the vocals — channel enough fury to power Hull’s streetlamps for a week.
Produced by Adam Pattrick and released via youth-powered Warren Records, Be Tame is protest in pogo form. This isn’t your dad’s punk. This is queer, feminist, and gloriously unfiltered — like Bikini Kill got locked in a Hull garage with a crate of Monster Energy and something to prove.
WENCH! aren’t here to win Miss Congeniality. They’re here to shred expectations, snarl at the status quo, and shout truth through a distortion pedal. And if that means being ‘difficult’, then bring it on.
Warning: may cause sudden urges to dye your hair, question everything, and start your own revolution. 10/10 for righteous fury.
Review by Thomas Imposter