Earlier this month, we were treated to the brazen ferocity of Pint of VB, the sophomore single from Australian punk band, Lady Lazarus.
A noisy and teeth-bearing reflection on the cost of living crisis, job scarcity, and mental health, the quintessential punk track kickstarts what’s sure to be a breakout moment for Lady Lazarus, whose debut single Hannah Banana arrived in October.
Eager to catch them ahead of their ascent, we sat down with Lady Lazarus to chat about all things Pint of VB, collaboration, and the role of punk music “in addressing social issues and wealth disparities.”
HAPPY: What’s the music scene like in your neck of the woods?
LADY LAZARUS: The Sydney music scene is incredibly diverse. If you took a little stroll down King St on a Saturday night you’d hear everything from rock to jazz to folk and indie music.
We’ll admit though that the punk scene isn’t quite as strong as it is in Melbourne. Part of what we’re trying to do is make Sydney’s punk scene a little more prominent and really highlight all the female and femme fronted bands that are making cool shit.
HAPPY: How did the members of Lady Lazarus come together to form the band, and what inspired the choice of the band’s name?
LADY LAZARUS: We all met on a Facebook group for musicians in Sydney after Caroline posted about wanting to form a femme punk band.
She had lived in London and LA before coming to Sydney and found punk collectives to be less accessible in Sydney than in punk scenes in previous cities that she lived in and posted on Facebook as a hail mary shot of putting something together.
We met at the Duke a week later and the rest is history. The band is named after a Sylvia Plath poem with the same title. Caroline was heavily influenced by Plath’s work throughout her early 20s and pitched the name to the group.
The poem is about undergoing multiple self-inflicted resurrections and concerns the psychological torment of its female speaker. Izzy is also a big fan of Slyvia Plath’s work and the band felt it was a fitting name for an all-femme band.
HAPPY: Can you describe the creative process within Lady Lazarus when it comes to writing and composing music? How do you collaborate on songs?
LADY LAZARUS: Caroline writes the lyrics. Oftentimes she rocks up to rehearsal with three or four new songs written to run through.
Then Izzy collaborates with her to find guitar and bass riffs that work with what she hears playing in her head. Other times Eva comes up with guitar parts for Caroline to put lyrics to.
Jules is the master of putting together sick drum beats and making the instrumental more complex once the bones are all there. We always joke after running a new song that it’s “our favourite one”.
We love the process of taking an idea and seeing it come together with everyone’s ideas in mind.
HAPPY: What are some of the key musical influences that have shaped the sound of Lady Lazarus, both individually and as a collective?
LADY LAZARUS: Caroline went to college in LA and joined a collective of DIY art and music punks while living there.
She felt inspired afterwards to head to London and further her studies, getting her Masters and doing her thesis on the decline of protest music in the western industry. At the same time she was working at Casbah Records, a shop in Greenwich.
For her first Christmas there her boss gifted her a compilation CD aptly named “Punk: Vol 1 & 2)” which was filled with British legends like Buzzcocks, the Barracudas, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and the Stranglers.
It’s been punk for her ever since, and she’s been heavily influenced by her time studying it in England.
Jules grew up in Germany and as a music lover she went to a lot of music festivals, quickly getting involved in the German punk scene.
Her own musical journey started out by playing the marching drum and marimbaphone in the local marching band from a young age.
Later she moved on to learning how to play the drum kit in her parents basement, playing along to YouTube videos of Rock and Punk bands.
Izzy studied Music Education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music so she’s one of our more classically trained band mates.
She’s a high school music teacher by day but has been obsessed with all things rock since the day her 90’s goth rock aunty sat her down and said “you can’t have shit music taste” and left her with a STACK of CDs, everything from Nine Inch Nails to Suzi Quatro to Babes in Toyland.
She’s also hugely inspired by the many generations of kick ass female bassists like Kim Deal, Tina Weymouth and Kim Gordon.
Eva is the newest addition to our band who brings her incredible guitar skills from years of playing funk music like Cory Wong and George Benson to her ripper guitar solo in “Pint of VB”.
As a collective, the band is inspired by the dominating femme band scene in Australia. We admire that some of the greatest Aussie bands today are femme-fronted and we’re stoked to be a part of it.
HAPPY: How do you see the role of punk music in today’s cultural and social landscape, and what do you hope Lady Lazarus contributes to the genre?
LADY LAZARUS: We honestly believe punk music is more necessary than ever in addressing social issues and wealth disparities, we’re all so broke while the rich get richer and mad pissed off about it, we just hope people can listen to our stuff, blow off some steam and find something they connect with.
HAPPY: Hosting a packed single release party at The Duke and headlining a full-capacity Melbourne gig are impressive accomplishments. What’s the most memorable or defining moment for Lady Lazarus so far in your journey?
LADY LAZARUS: Honestly we’re doing this shit for the love of the game.
The most memorable moment has been meeting each other and growing so close; we can’t imagine life now without each other. We met up hoping to become bandmates and each gained three sisters.
HAPPY: How does Lady Lazarus approach the process of incorporating social and economic commentary into your music, and what message do you hope listeners take away from this particular single?
LADY LAZARUS: We don’t think there’s a conscious effort to incorporate this kind of commentary, it’s just the kind of shit that’s always on our minds. You write what you feel. We just hope everyone who resonates with the message is making it alright.
HAPPY: The themes in “Pint of VB” touch on societal challenges. How does Lady Lazarus see the role of punk music in addressing and raising awareness about social and economic issues?
LADY LAZARUS: Punk is an ethos not a genre and if you aren’t addressing social and economic disparities you’re a poser, simple as that.
It’s important to use your platform to raise awareness (and we encourage every punk band in Australia to make use of their platform just the same). If you’re a punk it’s not hard to do, it should be ingrained in who you are and the values you uphold.
HAPPY: How does Lady Lazarus view the intersection between personal struggles and the coping mechanisms explored in your music?
LADY LAZARUS: You leave a piece of yourself in every song you write, let’s just leave it at that.
HAPPY: Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or events that Lady Lazarus is particularly excited about sharing with your audience?
LADY LAZARUS: We have our fingers in a fair few pies, but for now we’d like to invite everyone to our fundraising event for Gaza aid on February 9th at the Red Rattler.
100% of ticket sales will be donated and we hope to continue to use our platform to raise awareness and make a difference. Tickets can be found through the link on our socials @ladylazarus.au
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
LADY LAZARUS: A fuckin’ durry and a pint of VB.
