“I’m not the mother—I’m the drummer”: How Matriarch is at the forefront of inspiring change

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As an all-female, feminist punk band, Matriarch is all too familiar with changing the status quo. In fact, they enjoy it.
Matriarch’s second EP, Medusa, is uncoincidentally being released this Friday the 13th at Transit Bar and will use their powerful grungy sound to confront oppression, racism, gender, and sexual violence— the scars of which continue to be felt by women daily.
Comprised of musicians who are mothers, grandmothers and carers (and wear endless other hats), Matriarch’s origin story is one that borders on the epiphanic. Drummer Leanne describes the urge to start a band as a “fire in her belly”—one that simply refused to be put out. In 2020 she dusted off her instrument and made a rallying cry to action—searching for other women who shared a similar flame. And so, a legend was born.
“It was a risk-taking thing to do to create a band that is just so different to what the music industry standards are,” reflects Leanne. “I think there have been so many cool women bands (all of them have actually inspired me) that are exploring these issues that we lean into, but I don’t know that there are many that, like us, are doing it from an older people’s perspective and starting new.”
“So, I feel like we’re a bit of an experiment, and it’s proven to be a very successful experiment for all of us.”
While Matriarch’s sound is intimately woven within riot grrrl and grunge roots, it’s perhaps their rawness, vulnerability, and poignant lyrics that define their work—echoing the stories and experiences of women in a way that demands to be heard.
Their upcoming EP continues on this theme—reclaiming the narrative of this historical victim with a tender and transformative feminist lens.
“We wanted to do a retelling of the Medusa myths because the common understanding or experience of this story is that this woman has always been cast as a monster. But we wanted to retell this story from a female and feminist point of view.
“So through our lyrics, and also through the composition of the music, we try to convey that this woman was a young, beautiful woman who was assaulted and then was blamed by the people who assaulted her, was outcast, exiled, and then finally was killed, which is obviously relevant now.”
As you journey through Matriarch’s work, female power continues to make its way into the fore. Audiences at Friday night’s launch will hear tracks such as ‘Night Swimming,’ a dark and ominous love note to female energy, as well as the articulations of sexuality through Willem Blakes’s poem ‘Love Garden’, without the limitations of fear or frameworks of repression.
In this amorphous and ever-evolving sound that the Matriarch has anchored themselves (in a mere three years, might I add) firmly into the Canberra music scene. As Leanne explains, the journey has been nothing short of rewarding, reflecting back proudly on their early breaks and ability to challenge patriarchal stereotypes along the way.
“The Canberra music scene is full of really generous, amazing people. There are quite a lot of people that gave us breaks that I’m incredibly grateful for. But you know I won’t lie, I have had a few funny experiences,” she muses.
“This one time, I went into a back door via a venue—that I won’t name—and the guy at the bar said to me, ‘Oh, that’s only for the band.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m with one of the bands’, and he goes, ‘It doesn’t count if you’re a mum’.”
“And I was like ‘Yeah, I’m not the mother—I’m the drummer.”
“So I think we are kind of a bit weird on a few fronts, but I quite like that. I like embracing the punk philosophy, and I quite like challenging those stereotypes and seeing blokes have that lightbulb moment.”
And while Matriach will soon head interstate to plant their trailblazing roots throughout Australia, this Friday marks a powerful moment in Canberra’s music scene, uniting other femme-featured bands, Blissphorus and new G&TRex Band with them on stage in a space where women no longer hesitate to open those male-guarded back doors.
“I think it’s been life-changing for me and for other members of the band. I think one of the things I’ve reflected on over the last couple of years is that if you want to do something, you really can.”
“I know that sounds a bit cheesy, but I think sometimes, as women, we do kind of keep ourselves small—especially for older women. People try and put you back in your box and off to the couch with a cat, but we say: follow your heart.”
“Make noise, take up space, why not? It’s your human right to do that.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Matriarch’s Medusa EP Lauch event
When: Friday 13 January from 7.30 pm
Where: Transit Bar, City
Web: facebook.com/events/s/medusa-matriarchs-new-ep-launch and facebook.com/MatriarchAustralia