Chosen by Monk
My latest hot off the presses choice sees us returning to our native city, to meet up with this DIY feminist queerpunk quartet who have taken inspiration from a somewhat misguided line of questioning by an equally misguided journalist to pen this love letter of sorts to their (and our) hometown.
The band explained a bit more about the interview in question:
He treated it like a scary, horrible place to be from. He asked us, “Why don’t you just leave?”
We could do nothing but laugh because, really, think about how rude that is to say. We love being a Belfast band and we want to embrace our rich history and educate people and give a message of hope. We’re saying ‘everybody leaves and nothing changes, I’ll stay here and create the spaces’, because we want to stay here and be a part of a better future and not just abandon our home, as the journalist had kindly suggested. It sort of dismissed all the work that’s been done to even get us here.
During the Troubles, Ciara, Beth and Bev would never have met and that makes us so grateful to stand up beside each other now and create music together when such a short time ago, that would’ve been unimaginable. Everywhere has its problems, but this is our home. We’ve seen so many people leave for better opportunities elsewhere, and we can’t blame them, but we want to stay here and work together to create safe, inclusive spaces that work better for everybody. Additionally, Alanah actually moved here and created a home so it mustn’t be that bad. (Well, it’s also home to Über Rock, so it must be pretty cool…)
Musically, the band wanted to pay a small homage to the likes of Stiff Little Fingers and The Undertones. Channelling the raw, punchy tones and themes of the original Northern Irish punks, Problem Patterns want to continue on their legacy, with guitarist Bev even nodding to the ‘Alternative Ulster’ riff in her solo. It’s a small token of the band’s gratitude to those who paved the way for punk in Northern Ireland.
Additionally, each member of the band brought their individual backgrounds and perspectives to the song across multiple verses, penning their own lyrics for each section.
Ciara: I really wanted to capture the complex feelings that come with being from Northern Ireland and having a dual nationality. I have strong ties to Irish culture and wanted a nod to the Irish language in my verse, the phrase “ní neart go cur le chéile” means “there’s no strength without unity”. I wanted to acknowledge my background but also I wanted to acknowledge moving forward, embracing other cultures and how we need to leave issues of the past behind us to truly change the place.
Alanah: My verse is about moving to Belfast. My previous knowledge of here and Northern Ireland in general was very limited, but I’ve been constantly learning since. It’s the first place in my life where I felt like I was genuinely part of a community, somewhere I actually want to plant my roots. I’m very grateful to be able to do that here. The last line alludes to words written by Lyra McKee: “We were the Good Friday agreement generation, destined to never witness the horrors of war but to reap the spoils of peace. The spoils just never seemed to reach us.” It’s about having the hope that they will, you just have to stick around to see it.
Beth: My verse references the many friends I’ve known who have left Belfast behind for greener pastures. Our politicians live in the past, depending on sectarianism and tribalism to keep communities segregated and themselves in a cushy job where they can dissolve our government for years and still receive their salaries. I believe it’s time for the people of Northern Ireland to have politicians who actually want to better this place and not drive it into the ground for their own greed. Time to grab it and change it, that’s what Stiff Little Fingers said 45 years ago and that’s what we’re saying now.
Bev: Despite our politics, I absolutely love the people and places here. I love going for a surf up at the Port and long walks through our parks, forests and mountains. The “postcard” on the single cover is the view from Cavehill looking over Belfast to the Mournes. My verse goes out to the life-long friends I made growing up in Ballymena – bonded together forever because we didn’t fit the mould – and the new friends I’ve made while fighting to make things better here. We’re in it together, come rain or shine, and I have hope that there’ll be many more “sunny” days in our future.
The four piece released their debut album ‘Blouse Club‘ (named after a legendary Belfast bar where men were only admitted if they were accompanied by a woman) in 2023 via Alcopop! Records, going on to be tipped by the likes of Kathleen Hanna (Le Tigre, Bikini Kill) and Black Flag legend Henry Rollins (Black Flag) as one of the most exciting new punk bands on the planet.
- Problem Patterns play a number of festival and headline shows over the coming months:
