Gay punk rockers
queer punk history: 1575 – present
“I went through a lot when I was a boy. They called me sissy, punk, freak…”
— Little Richard
The most reductive possible version of the story goes like this: On February 12th, 1976, a quartet of straight alabaster boys called The Sex Pistols took the stage at The Marquee Club in London and with the first wail of feedback, punk rock was born. There’s just one problem. By 1976, the synonyms “punk” had already been in frequent usage for 400 years. Punk rock had even already at that show been declared gone (for the first of at least a billion times) by a tune critic in Ontario following a disappointing Alice Cooper present in 1972. For a literal century before John fucking Lydon gentrified punk rock, the synonyms had denoted a thriving mess of contradictions, derisions, and rebellions. Long before Sid Vicious ever sneered into a microphone as part of an extraordinarily elaborate viral marketing campaign for Vivian Westwood’s clothing line, punk had been loud, Black, and queer.
“Punk” as a word has a long and storied history. First demonstrating up as a reference to a sex worker in a 1575 anthem called “Simon The Old Kinge” (with an appropriatel
If you’re into buttstuff and like deafening, scuzzy, guitar melody, there aren’t very many gay bars out there for you. So, as we were hearing ‘Dancing on my Own’ for the billionth time, we asked if we owned our hold queer space what music would we play? Well, review the list below for some lgbtq+ punk bands that would be on the regular rotation.
Pansy Division
When it comes to queercore, these guys are the daddies so to speak. I don’t mean that in the fetish feeling, more they were one of the first and foremost queer punk bands out there. Though, given their advanced age, I think they technically collapse into the daddy category.
Gossip
Fronted by LGBTQ icon Beth Ditto, these Arkansas punks met at Evergreen State College and were a part of the Eliminate Rock Stars lineup. Their sound is perfect for the more dance-oriented gay clubs. You could theoretically open a pit on the dance floor but best to study the room before trying.
Hunx and his Punx
Frontman Seth Bogart frequently performs in nothing but a leather jacket and a leopard reproduce thong. Hunx takes the late 70s snotty sound of Richard Hell and The Dead Boys and adds more than a feel of John Waters-style camp and ’60s girl
Bands of Queercore
With Pride month wrapping up you acquire no doubt been inundated with pop anthem after pop anthem. While the likes of Lady GaGa, Madonna, Dianna Ross, and a bevy of RuPaul Drag Queens who hold went on to produce music, you may be in need of something a little different. Previously, I talked about Queencore and gave a couple examples of bands. I forget that just because I am familiar with something that there may be many more who are not. So, I felt it might be good to dive a little deeper into the Queercore music scene going from older iterations to more current. After all, it is the punk culture that has given rise to a lot of the activist’s movements out there. I expect this gives you a bit more to attend to than just the standard pop offerings.
I mentioned Pany Division in my last post, but I definitely feel they merit to be in this list since they are the first openly defined gay band to film predominantly gay musicians. They are American made and produced and originally formed in San Francisco, California. They are considered a mixture of Pop Punk and Power Pop and focus heavily on LGBTQ issues, sex, and relationships. I linked one of my favorite songs
Continuing the celebrations LGBTQ+ history month, here are 5 of the best gay, bi, and homosexual punk men to add to your playlists (if you haven’t already).
- Kele Okereke
Better known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of indie rock band, Bloc Party. Kele has been outspoken on the challenges facing anyone not white, straight, and even male in the rock music scene and on what it means to be a black, gay musician. - Gerard Way
Okay, so you obviously have some of this guys’ music on your iPod. It’s well-known by now that Way identifies as a gender-queer and says he identifies a lot with the female gender, although he still uses ‘he’ pronouns. - Billie Joe-Armstrong
Another singer whose music you’ve doubtlessly got on your playlists already, the lead singer of epic punk band Green Day, is openly bisexual. The song ‘Coming clean‘, is about the singer getting to grips with his sexuality. - Brian Molko
Leader singer of the icon 90s alt rock band, Placebo, Brian Molko is famed for his androgyny, often wearing make up and sometimes skirts. Molko is also openly bisexual and has talked at length about his sexuality and penc