Jam Today: Misandry As A Musical Concept

Many years ago the great ultra feminist band Jam Today recorded for Stroppy Cow Records from  the late 70s to the very early 80s and released a handful of timeless tracks. It was, of course, a different time than this one where the end of pun was not discovered in New Wave but in post punk, a world where punk grew not backwards into pop but forward into jazz, funk and right out the window experimental bopperino.

And when Tom Robinson Band  shouted down the UK House Of Commons, and Throbbing Gristle played weird homemade (not really DIY –like really made in the home) sound mélanges, and Swell maps and Cabaret Voltaire…

Really, the UK enjoyed a very brief and very golden age –figure three years, 1979 – 1981 and figure only the Fall really remains as a signpost but is it one? For where we never quite reach, New wave really meant Old wave and pop mainlined and mainstreamed out of there.

Around about the same time, both rock against racism and Rock against sexism were major political and musical forces and Jam Today took it to an incredible length: the all female band wouldn’t play in front of men. These were strange times where Andrea Dworkin was claiming that the act of penetration during sex was an act of violence and therefore even consensual sex was a form of rape.

So I remember thinking Jam Today were an interesting concept but not interesting enough to actually pursue seriously but to this day it’s an idea that excites me in its extremity. I mean if you want to deal in misandry, deal in misandry, right?

For all of you who are either:

1. Men

Or

2. Too young to have heard the band… here is Jam Today in all their glory