When you load up Spotify, a great big chunk of the time you can’t think what to play, right? You default back to your old favourites, those albums and songs you played on repeat when you first discovered you could make them yours.
This isn’t about guilty pleasures; it’s about those songs you’ll still be listening to when you’re old and in your rocking chair. So, enter Teenage Kicks – a playlist series that sees bands running through the music they listened to in their formative years.
Next up, Ren from Petrol Girls.
We directly quote lyrics from this song in our track of the same name! I loved Destiny’s Child growing up – still do. I was so stoked that Beyonce did a little Destiny’s Child medley when I saw her at Glastonbury a few years ago.
‘Complicated’ was the first Avril song I heard when I was about 11, and I remember thinking she was just the coolest. I wanted to be as cool as Avril! We played a house show a couple of years ago that was Avril themed, so we dressed up as Avril and her ex-boyfriends. Liepa actually makes a pretty convincing Avril from her later blonde phase. Zock was the guy from Nickleback (Zock used to love Nickleback when he was a teenager, by the way, don’t tell anyone…), Joe was the guy from Sum 41, and I was Sk8r Boy – my baggy trousers kept falling down during the show.
I think this was on that very first Skints EP? Or on the first record at least. I remember seeing them down the Croft in Bristol for the first time when I was about 16 and just being totally blown away. They’re all such great musicians. Excited for their new record.
I think this is the only song that’s ever made my mum speed while driving! One of her colleagues made me a mix CD of different rock bands, and this song was on it. My whole family ended up getting really into the Foos, and we all went to see them in London for my 15th birthday!
I was big into metal as a teenager – the first band I played in was a metal band. System Of A Down were probably my all time favourite. I love how they’re so theatrical but at the same time so much more political than most metal bands.
This remains my karaoke song of choice, and I am not ashamed.
Anti Flag were one of the first political punk bands I got into. I remember my dad driving a carload of us up to Birmingham to go and see them. I think 14-year-old me would lose her shit to know we’re playing Anti-Fest in a couple of weeks time!
I really vividly remember seeing the video for this round at my cousin’s house when I was about ten! I think it really freaked me out at first, but I got mega into them.
Bizarrely, me and my friend ended up eating breakfast with Mike Shinoda and his crew in the artists’ tent at Leeds Fest last year. I’d run out of money, so I was preoccupied with trying to blag as much food to take away from backstage as possible, and I didn’t recognise him! Then we saw his set later and realised! He did a really touching tribute to Chester – it was super emotional. It’s great that the music industry is starting to take mental health so much more seriously.
Taken from the July issue of Upset. Petrol Girls’ album ‘Cut & Stitch’ is out now.
