Death of The Maiden is comprised of four inspiring women who are working together to challenge sexism and discrimination when they see it and shatter the stereotype of what women can be and do. The baroque-pop band was created and is fronted by powerful vocalist Tamara Parsons-Baker, formerly of Tamara and the Martyrs. Making up the rest of this Oxford, England supergroup is three accomplished and talented women in their own right, Emma Coombs (drums) of the Balkan Wanderers, Jenny Oliver (bass) of Leaving Lucy, and solo artist Hannah Bruce (guitar).
Inspired by a bad experience with a local band and by wanting to see more done in regards to safety, sexism, and inclusivity at shows, the band created their own monthly gigs called Zero Tolerance which have a “no asshat policy”. These gigs, performed at Oxford’s The Jericho Tavern, showcase LBGT+ and female acts from the UK and Oxford, providing a safe space for their audiences who may find other gigs intimidating. As a result, Zero Tolerance gigs have attracted diverse audiences that make them feel not only safe but welcome.
Successfully funded by a Kickstarter campaign, Death of The Maiden released their debut album, The Girl with the Secret Fire in March this year. The band likes to write songs that are stories told from a woman’s point of view that draws the listener in and connects with them emotionally. Parsons-Baker cites that water is one of the main themes of the album as there is “a lot of mystery and ancient folklore within the sea, and you can exploit that in interesting ways through songwriting.” As for the secret fire, she says that speaks of intense emotion such as anger or passion, that every woman has just waiting to be released.
Currently, Death of The Maiden is finishing off their next album, playing some festivals over the summer, and are planning a possible tour of Ireland towards the end of the year.
I recently interviewed Death of The Maiden in-depth via email about their new album, production, songwriting process, “no ass-hat policy” at their monthly gigs, dealing with venues and promoters, Tamara’s parties, and so much more.
Can you guess what superpowers Death of The Maiden has? Check out their video after the interview to find out.
Congratulations on the recent release of your debut album, “The Girl with the Secret Fire”. What is the theme or concept of the album?
One of the main themes is water. There’s a lot of mystery and ancient folklore within the sea, and you can exploit that in interesting ways through songwriting. The dynamics and textures of the band are also very driven by natural sounds. Listen out for the watery, slidey guitars. It’s very elemental. The secret fire is something that all women have, that’s ready to be unleashed. It might be anger, or passion, or just something a bit fiery.
What do you want listeners to take away from this album?
Ultimately, we like to tell stories from a woman’s point of view. As a band, we like to create a lot of drama and atmosphere, which helps us to explore how far a story can go emotionally. That draws the audience in. Essentially everyone experiences these types of emotions, and we want to give space to that in a way that connects with people.
Explain your production process.
Tamara went into the studio 4 years ago with 20 demos. She worked with co-producer, Richard Neuberg, to pick the songs that formed a strong link and narrative. The 10 that were chosen had shared themes of nature, loss, abandonment, hope, and empowerment. It was then a case of building the band, adding other instrumentation and developing the songs.
Death of The Maiden is described as a baroque-pop, post-punk band. Can you expound on that?
Rachel Poulton, a writer who penned our press release, summed this up perfectly describing the album as ‘the soundtrack to a frantic, nineteenth-century carriage ride along a precarious cliff edge; a stormy night and black sea threatening our four heroines on board.’ We describe our sound as ‘baroque pop’ as it’s quite difficult to fit ourselves into a particular genre, so we decided to make one up. But really, it’s best described as angry, emotionally volatile feel-good music. It’s cathartic; you might cry but you will also, hopefully, feel empowered and ready to deal with the general patriarchal bullshit of the day/week/infinity.
We also write with a lot of humour. We like a strong narrative with a few expletives or something the audience can get their teeth into and will make them laugh. We have a lot of fun at band practice and we let that come out in our songs/performance.
How did Death of The Maiden form and why did you choose that name?
We chose the name to smash open the stereotype of what women can be and do. Tamara met Emma and, after playing through some songs with her, asked her to join the band immediately.
Tamara: As soon as I started working with Emma (drums) I knew she was right for the band. We gelled instantly, and she just totally got the songs and their dynamics. She has a great ear and intuition for music and is such a dynamic player herself. She is never just one thing as a drummer, and that is where her power really comes in to play.
Emma and I then approached Hannah who I had seen perform numerous times as a solo artist. She is one of the best guitarists in our local scene and, although she had never seen herself as a lead guitarist, it made perfect sense to me. I think because she is a songwriter she listens to things in such a rounded way. Again, there is a sensitivity and dynamic there that has been described as ‘creating subtle lines and melodies’ underneath my vocals and ‘leading the charge’.
Finally, we asked Jenny to join the band. We had seen her play in her own band, Lucy Leave, and we were in awe of her. She brings ‘considerable muscle’ to the band with her amazing bass playing and as soon as we started working with her we were impressed with how quickly she learnt the songs, whilst adding her own style. She is a mesmerizing player and really elevates the suspense of the music we write.
Working with Emma, Hannah and Jenny, for me, has been the most supportive and collaborative environments than any other band I’ve worked in. We have so much in common such as our values and political outlook, and when we experience sexism or discrimination we challenge it as a team rather than see it as the other person’s problem.
We have also become great friends, which is the best part really.
Prior to Death of The Maiden, you were in Tamara and the Martyrs five years ago, and you released a debut solo EP ‘Lover’ in 2012. Why did you not pursue a solo career? What happened with the band?
I have always played solo since I played my first gig in Tokyo at the age of 20. When I was 25 I had an interview with a major record label and their A&R guy took me to lunch and listened to my EP. They were interested in what I was producing but were also very honest about the industry. It had taken me a long time to get to a place in music where I could do what I wanted, performing and writing my own songs. I wanted to carry on doing this unencumbered by the pressure of the industry and its role in creating a product out of an artist. I still think this is one of the best creative decisions I made, and I’m so grateful for how honest that conversation was. Given the options, the choice seemed very simple to me.
(Tamara) In a recent interview, you said being in Tokyo, Japan and knowing no one gave you the freedom to experiment to be the musician/singer you always wanted to be. Explain how you accomplished that and what it was you wanted to achieve?
At school, I was always singing in other people’s bands. When I was 19 I picked up a guitar and started to try and teach myself chords and learn simple songs. I’d always been writing poetry and singing; I didn’t know if I’d actually be able to write songs, but I wanted to try. Being anonymous in Japan helped me to become the musician I’d always wanted to be. No one knew me or had any knowledge of my past. Being unknown was the greatest freedom I could have had at the time as an artist. I started writing and performing, and actually earning a living as a musician. It gave me access to a whole different world. I didn’t feel like I was on the outside anymore. I’d felt so shut out of this world at school for not having ‘an instrument’ or the right grades, but in Japan, I was part of it and suddenly, I had an audience.
All Tamara’s Parties is a monthly music night showcasing female and non-binary talent (music and poetry) with the proceeds being split equally between the performing acts. Tell us how you came up with the idea and what the response has been.
Tamara: I started All Tamara’s Parties 7 years ago when I got sick of playing gigs where I was often the only female artist on the bill. With ATP I want to redress the balance by creating a more diverse bill; it is a platform to showcase more female and non-binary talent and an example to the rest of the scene which states “see, it’s not hard”.
If only people put a little bit more thought behind their events: Is the bill diverse? Who is my audience? Will the audience feel safe? ATP has steadily grown and I now put on a monthly noise night at the Jericho Tavern called Zero Tolerance. I also put on more acoustic occasions around the city and am busy planning a day-long festival on 8th June. I like to play the events myself too as it’s hard not to want to play the best event in your own city.
What is your songwriting process individually and as a band?
We started off with Tamara’s catalogue of songs, but more recently we have started writing together. For example, we recently worked on one of our newest songs ‘creepy guy’. Tamara had attended a gig where the audience was seated on the floor, on chairs or perched on tables all closely knotted together. A man kept winding back and forth through the crowd, and, as he did, groped the knees of most of the women he passed. This was presented as an awkward balancing act, he played the role of a wonky old man who was trying to steady himself via a bit of knee touching. But why did he only touch the women’s knees and not the men’s? When he passed my friend and did it to her, it was so clear how inappropriate it was. He really groped her leg and I thought she might vomit.
The next day I started to write some guitar lines and then took the song to the band. We all started adding our own verses about the many creepy guy experiences we had all had. I joke that we could have written an album with the content we recalled, but it isn’t really a joke. This was our shared experience of being women in the world and we used all of that anger and strength of feeling to create something powerful and emotive together.
This is a great first song for us to produce collaboratively, and it’s only the beginning in terms of our songwriting as a band.
Describe your collaboration process.
Emma: Listening and experimenting.
Jenny: Get out of your head, trust in the group dynamic.
Hannah: Listening and noodling. Being careful to give the songs space and retain meaning.
Tamara: Here are 3 chords, here are some lyrics, please make this sound good thnx.
Describe how the band has grown more cohesive over time.
Mainly through friendship. We all knew of each other but were not particularly close friends (apart from Hannah and Emma). Now we speak every day on our group WhatsApp, hang out, attend gigs together, support each other if we’re going through a difficult time and it just so happens we love playing music together too. Drinking a bag of cans with the lads every week is what enables us to trust each other, be vulnerable and create together in rehearsal and on stage.
What do you want your audience to experience from your music at your gigs?
It’s important for them to listen so they can feel the music. We want to take them on a journey. We want them to laugh and feel part of what we are trying to create. We want them to lose themselves. Arousal?
(Jenny) Tell us more about the Young Women’s Music Project and the bass masterclass you ran.
Jenny: It was important for me to be open about how I came to play the bass. I didn’t take myself seriously as a musician for a long time, even though I had the skills. I didn’t see myself as a musician but then one day that changed, and I did. I just got on with it and it was great. It’s just about attitude. I jammed with the YWMP and we played around with different beats and optics. I held a few 1-1s too and we ate lots of hummus. It was great fun.
Why do you think being an all-woman band in Oxford is a rarity? How can that be changed?
Being all-woman in most things is a rarity. We’d like to see more women getting up there and making music, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean that everyone should be forming all-women bands! (The band Savages have had some interesting stuff to say in interviews about how the main problem of being women in music is constantly being asked about it – not that we mind talking to women about it, and encouraging them to go for it!) We also want to see a diversity of genders, beyond the binary, and better access and representation in terms of race, class, disability… We see ourselves, both as a band and through the events we put on, as part of a broader movement trying to do better.
Death of The Maiden has been characterized as a “local supergroup” in Oxford with each member having originated from other successful groups. How do you feel about that characterization?
We feel pretty good about it. We are like a superfood, so good for you and help you to shit. Full of fibre.
In a recent interview, you mention that promoters could be doing a lot more in regards to safety, sexism, and inclusivity at shows. What do you think they should do and why aren’t they? What about venues? Are they not doing enough?
It is still a very white, male saturated business and often feels like a big boys club. Luckily lots of cool diverse and inclusive promoters are popping up around the country and there is a supportive scene that is much needed. There are simple questions everyone in the music scene could start asking themselves: Is the bill diverse? Who is my audience? Is it accessible? Will the audience feel safe?
Tell us about your monthly Zero Tolerance gigs which have a “no asshat policy”.
We’d all had horrible experiences in the past, on stage and off. Zero Tolerance was inspired by a particularly bad situation when we were booked for a gig with a local band. We got removed from a bill for calling out the sexist imagery that was being used to promote the event. The artwork belonged to the headlining band and when we tried to discuss it with them in a mature and adult way, they basically told us we had no sense of humour and needed to be less serious about life. The classic excuses really: just why didn’t we find sexism as funny as they did?
When we called out the imagery the venue immediately removed it and apologised to us. They handled it so well and made us feel safe and valued. Sadly, the band insisted that the promoter remove us from the bill and the promoter complied. We got silenced twice for calling out sexism in our local scene. We received hurtful and immature emails from this band and it took up so much emotional energy to deal with their behaviour. Luckily other local bands and music people on the scene were supportive of us and ultimately we don’t see why we should compromise on making sure that gigs are safe spaces for us and our audience.
Zero Tolerance has been amazing, we’ve had incredible punk shows that have shaken the Jericho Tavern punters to their core, and we’ve also noticed the makeup of the audiences is brilliantly diverse – people have told us they feel safe, welcome, and invited, coming to those gigs, whereas they might find some other gigs intimidating. That’s the best possible combination, great music, and a happy, asshat-free crowd!
(For Hannah) Citing a recent interview, what have you learned and how have you developed as both a musician and a songwriter since joining the band?
I was never a lead guitarist before joining the Maidens, but we got talking and this is how it all worked out. Tamara saw me play solo stuff at one of her ATP shows, and decided to just make me do it! It was an amazing opportunity to play with other women, it’s a big commitment to be in a band, but I felt very emotionally connected to the music. I have learnt a lot about dynamics and the weird and wonderful structures Tamara creates in her songwriting. Sometimes less is more, and it is interesting coming at songs from a lead guitarist frame of mind compared to as a songwriter.
As a songwriter myself, I was thinking about how to elevate the songs, rather than add something on top of them. DOTM has given me a space to learn and develop a lot. But it doesn’t put an end to the solo stuff – music gives me a way of processing things, and I’ve always enjoyed the performance aspect of it. I’ve got lots of unreleased material developing, and I’m looking forward to playing more gigs and getting back out there this year – the two projects are mutually enriching.
(For Emma) You are also the drummer for the Balkan Wanderers, a Balkan/gypsy/indie/ska/punk band that creates original East European-meets-West songs drawing on inspiration from the aforementioned genres. What are the similarities of these genres that work well together in both playing and songwriting?
There are no similarities! The Balkans is fast and hard and the Maidens are about dynamics and letting the songs breathe. It’s funny because people often think that playing hard and fast is the most impressive but playing soft and dynamically can be much more challenging, and much more interesting too.
(For Jennifer) You are also a third of Lucy Leave, a jazz-grunge band. What is that experience like to play and write songs with such different styles of music?
I definitely noticed a difference at the start, but mainly the change was that I hardly knew the other musicians in this new band, whereas I know Mike and Pete very closely. I’d met Tamara and Hannah once or twice when they asked me to join, and then I had to rock up and try and form a rhythm section with Emma, who was a complete stranger. Luckily it was incredibly easy and enjoyable playing with them all, and now I don’t even think about it. Playing with DOTM has pushed me to use my bass in different, probably more lyrical ways than the choppy atonal stuff I tend to come out with for LL and to embrace that side of musicality.
How do you think women artists in indie music can be better supported?
If you are in an all-white all-male band, then don’t play on an all-white all male bill. There are simple questions everyone in the music scene could start asking themselves: When we are asked to play on a bill we always ask who the other bands are, and if it isn’t diverse we ask the promoter to do something about it.
What advice would you give to women thinking about or actively pursuing a music career?
Do it! Do not let men tell you, you have to be sexy (or even what ‘sexy’ is), less angry or what to wear. Seek out the people who get what you’re about and are nourishing to be around.
What other projects are you planning for 2019?
We are busy finishing off the next album and then will begin recording it. Tamara is putting on All Tamara’s Parties festival at the Jericho Tavern on 8 June and the band will play that. We are looking forward to playing some festivals over the summer, getting the opportunity to play on more cool and diverse bills.
What are your tour plans for 2019?
We are hoping to play some festivals over the summer and planning a possible Ireland tour towards the end of the year. Watch this space!
Thank you for the opportunity to interview you.
Bonus question: What is your superpower and how do you use it in music?
Buy/Download The Girl with the Secret Fire on Bandcamp
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