"I don't care much about the money or record sales, so long as the music is good. I think Babes got paid, like, once. Granted it was a big payment but when we signed a deal, thankfully it was never about the money. I'm not so good at accepting that I'm in any way influential.but I guess it is a supercool compliment when people say that to me. I'm just happy that guitar rock is around again, something soulful to cling to."***Kat Bjelland is a modern icon. A reluctant one, yes - she'll argue otherwise - but an icon all the same.Ever since she saw Girlschool ripping it up with Motorhead at the age of sixteen Bjelland has been cranking it up and turning down for no-one. After first playing guitar in a surf band called The Neurotix as a teenager, then inspired by the likes of The Cramps, The Ramones and The Wipers, Kat fronted Babes In Toyland, one of the most significant rock bands to come out of the American underground in the past two decades. Along with the likes of Nirvana, Mudhoney and The Pixies, Babes In Toyland made groundbreaking, empowering music on their terms. Indeed, one of Kat's brief pre-Babes bands Sugar Babylon featured Courtney Love and Jennifer Finch, later of Hole and L7 respectively.Having formed in Minneapolis in 1987, Babes In Toyland debuted for Sub Pop, their music resolutely pro-female from the get-go, yet without ever resorting to clichéd feminist dogma. True female voices were struggling to be heard amongst the hairy, hoary rock pigs littering the arse-end of the 80's but Babes In Toyland changed all that.Debut release 'Spanking Machine' locked down the Bjelland sound: all venomous vocals, serrated guitars and bilious punk fury. This in a time when Paula Abdul was about as challenging as it got. Stylistically, Kat contributed more than most too: her unique 'kinderwhore' look of thrift-store baby doll dresses and garish smeared lipstick a huge influence on what was soon to be termed grunge.With the further releases of 'To Mother' (1990), 'Fonatelle' (1992), 'Painkillers' (1993) and 'Nemesisters' (1995), Babes established themselves as leaders and not followers, played some memorable headline appearances on the Lollapalooza tour, built an almost disturbingly loyal fanbase and notched up one million record sales. More importantly, Bjelland had started fires. Leading exponents of the burgeoning Riot Grrl scene like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Sleater-Kinney all name checked her as a major inspiration. Rather than sticking to a winning formula though, Kat Bjelland eschewed the easy corporate rock option and let her punk rock roots grow through. Her work here was done. "At the very least we blew the door open for other people."
Katastrophy Wife debuted in 2002 with the critically acclaimed 'Amusia' which also saw a welcome return for Bjelland to the Reading Festival. An early line up change saw Brits bassist Andrew Parker, drummer Darren Donovan, formerly of doom merchants Sally and grindcore mob Mistress (Bjelland had previously worked with both on noise project Lash Frenzy) and Vanessa White, former guitarist of Twist, all join up."I should point out that my new band fucking rule," says Bjelland. "We have an amazing chemistry so when we get together it's really fucking awesome."The result of this new union is second Katastrophy Wife album 'All Kneel', recorded fast and raw - just what the songs demand. This is fuzzed-up, highly-strung rock that careers like a juggernaut, make no mistake, each lyric barbed and venom-tipped. In Kat's own words "the first half is full of the rocking singles-type songs, the second half for the weirdo stoner rock people". The album also includes 'Layne to Rest', Kat's tribute to late Alice In Chains frontman and former Lollapalooza "party partner" Layne Staley and lead single 'Liberty Belle' that's already clocked up a KKKK review from Kerrang! and heavy play on Radio 1, MTV2, etc.It was to Kat Bjelland that old friend Courtney Love recently turned when she announced her new, short-lived punk band, Bastard. "It seemed too conceptualised, like she'd spent too much time thinking about how a band should be," says Kat. "Courtney and I make great music together, there's a good spark there, but let's say our personalities would not have been a great mix at that time."Citing the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeah's, White Stripes ("Most of these hyped bands are really great!") and her old blues records as her current preferred listening, clearly Katastrophy Wife is a band born out of artistic necessity, a love of volume and a desire to fuck things shit up! Bjelland may now be a mother but settling down to total normality after twenty years of playing just isn't an option. ***
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