We speak to influential and ground-breaking organically grown girl gang Pussy Palace on how they are marking their own stamp on the club scene. From their progression of hosting House Parties in Brick Lane to at present their own club nights – with the aim of acceptance and inclusivity club nights free of judgment. We love their go-getter attitude.
For those that don’t know what you do could you, sum it up for us in a few words?
Skye: We are a collective of women who promote events and parties that are based on inclusivity and sexual freedom. Within that we Dj, make videos and serve you the coldest vibes this city has to offer, lol but true haha.
What inspired you to get into this?
Nadine: It wasn’t an inspiration as such but a frustration that we couldn’t get the type of night out we wanted. We started having house parties so we could do what we wanted with our friends. We never imagined it would turn into a club night even though everyone told us we were on to something. After about a year we were invited to take PP out of the house and we went from there. Back then there was nowhere that was queer friendly and centred w.o.c. where we could dress how we wanted with the music we wanted to hear as well as providing a safe space.
Skye: Every night or venue we went to that played the music we wanted to hear we would either get harassed or even sexually assaulted. This is a massive problem still present today and it needs to change.
What are you trying to achieve as an overall aim?
Skye: To create a place where a person knows they can party and feel free. We have zero tolerance for harassment of any kind and through Pussy Palace we want to provide a night out that is care free, sexy and inclusive by being vocal about consent and having a PP policy (a list of dos and don’ts).
Nadine: Hopefully other establishments in the UK can put the extra time and effort into taking measures that ensure their guests are absolutely comfortable. We also want to direct more, create merch and to curate more parties.
What is one, if not the wildest story you can think of from one of your parties?
Skye: Well… we never kiss and tell ahaha! No but seriously, we don’t out anyone. Pussy Palace is a place to let go feel free. So what I’m trying to say is what happens a PP stays at PP.
You’ve been together for just over a year now, firstly congratulations! How was your anniversary celebration with Murder She Wrote and what was your inspiration for this theme?
Kesang: Thank you, it means a lot when people say that to us! It’s been a really exciting journey to get to where we are now – and it’s just the start! We have so many fire individuals who walk through the Pussy Palace doors every month, but this party was definitely a highlight in style, sass and attitude. We had so many queens, but big up Ally who won the killer queen award.The inspiration behind the theme stemmed from a meme that had this fabulous dressing gown saying ‘This is the outfit I would be wearing when the police show up after my rich husband died of mysterious circumstances.’ Having a laugh at the expense of rich white men was cute and we wanted glitz, glamour and blood. All jokes aside, it’s important for us to provide an atmosphere where our guests can wear whatever the f*ck they want, and not feel uncomfortable for doing so. We feel like we achieved that with Murder She Wrote.
You describe yourself as an organically grown girl gang. You have grown as a team from 2–5 girls, how did this come about?
Nadine: Because everyone who’s ever been involved in PP has usually been friends or friends of friends. Pussy Palace itself is organic because we were 4 girls living in a house full of cats/kittens throwing huge parties for our friends, turning our private space into a fairy lit rave every couple of months. It was a natural process that people would come and add their knowledge and talents as well as Skye and myself having a lot of experience in clubs and hospitality. I guess that’s played a part in our success.
Reflecting back from when you first started out, what do you know now which you wish you knew then?
Skye: The only thing that really comes to mind is our policy. If we had that on our first ever night, that would have been the right move, but we didn’t expect much to come from throwing parties under the PP umbrella and we had other aims and focuses. Initially we wanted to make bikinis and use the branding that way, but because of how quickly it caught on, we kept going with it and always addressed any issue that we have ever had from the nights.
How do you avoid creative differences and produce results that the team is satisfied with?
Skye: There are no bad ideas. It’s very open between all of us. Communication is key and we couldn’t live without the PP Whatsapp group.
I’ve seen you wear PP badges, what’s the story on that?
Kesang: The badges were actually a response to the PP community’s feedback of ways in which we can make the best steps to truly ensure every guest who enters our doors can party and get their freak on, in a safe environment. Before, we just had the PP policy, but no one there to ensure that it was properly enforced throughout the club. There’s no such thing as a completely safe space, but with PP we work closely with our community to ensure the best ways to make that possible. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, or you just want company on the dance floor, we’re there for you.
We started off having the core members of PP wear glow in the dark PP badges during our parties, but now we are proud to have a team of beautiful volunteers to help us, and we only see this growing and expanding in the future. We hope other clubs start to enforce this type of safety in their environments, and it’s our vision to hopefully make a lasting change in the club scene.
Being yourself has got you to where you are today. I guess you have faced opposition for being yourselves and for what you do. Can you offer any advice for people going through that themselves?
Munroe: The best advice I can give is that for everything that you may be feeling or experiencing, you are not alone. Oppression unfortunately is a universal experience, but the positive we can take from that is through sharing our experiences and interacting with people who have experienced the same things as ourselves, we can lift each other up.
Whether it’s misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, whatever your experience of oppression – there is so much healing to be found in community.
Apart from each other, is there anyone special that has given you guys support?
Skye: It was actually Nadine’s ex that really persuaded us to take Pussy Palace public. He introduced us to our first venue and he saw potential for club land when we didn’t! Our first party was at capacity and a huge success. Big up Lancy Foux who performed! Also credit can be given to the promo video we made with a group of of amazing girls in and out of PP that helped hype the night!
Underground inspires and is inspired by British subculture, both present and past. Is there a sub-culture that inspires your work? Or subculture you identify with the most?
Nadine: Our inspo comes from so many different scenes like trap, studio 54, ballroom. We also have a lot of nostalgia over the London club scene as a whole. As little as 5 years ago you were able to jump club to club and still find yourself dancing in a underground space at 6 in the morning. There are places here trying to keep the spark alive but I feel like you can only experience an inclusive night like that in Brooklyn. I think London will turn around though. There are a lot of cool nights run by w.o.c on the rise and with Amy Lame as the new Night Czar, I am looking forward to seeing how this will develop.
Finally thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. Keep inspiring guys and girls everywhere.
Instagram @‘s and details:
http://instagram.com/skylermyler
http://instagram.com/kesangball
http://instagram.com/nadineartois
Underground Soundwave presents an ongoing series of reports on emerging and established bands with close-up Q&As, new release reviews and gig reports with a special emphasis on supporting diversity in music, women in music, independent labels and venues and the local music scene.
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