Melbourne/Naarm-based Folk Bitch Trio deliver a point of view as undeniable as their songs and voices. Here is a fresh, young band pulling from traditional forms: in their vocals, in their themes, in their songs’ compositional structures. The so-called “trad” isn’t hidden; the harmonies are rich and timeless. But what makes Folk Bitch Trio exciting is they’re unafraid to get a little scuffed up, to be funny, to take risks, to subvert the genre’s expectations and pull it into the present. The result is lively, layered and beautiful; thoughtful and playful in the right places; serious, but never humorless.
Folk Bitch Trio formed five years ago, and its members – Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her) and Heide Peverelle (they/them) – have been largely inseparable since. “We have three individual voices,” they say, “but the story we tell is unified because our hearts are very melded.” Their music comes from the deep connection and collaboration that evolves between the three of them, encapsulating the growing pains they felt as people and a band in their early adult lives, touching on, as Heide says, “loss, fear, sex, rage, elation but most importantly love and laughs.”
The band showcase this during returning single “The Actor”, their first release for new label Jagjaguwar (Angel Olsen, Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten). It’s a song about “falling hard and fast and breaking down quick too”, they explain, through lyrics that “flow down from affectionate details you notice about someone when falling in love, fighting and fucking, and ultimately the demise of a relationship at your partner’s solo theatre play”. There’s honest, confessional storytelling delivered via their signature resplendent three-part vocals, laced with barbs, humour and in-jokes of shared experiences.
After a 2024 which saw the release of breakthrough single “God’s a Different Sword” and worldwide shows from SXSW festival to support slots for the likes of Alex G, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Julia Jacklin and Courtney Barnett, the band are currently readying their debut album, due later this year via Jagjaguwar.
