The Raincoats were a band of women who revolutionised the British rock scene in the 70s. And it was Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain who offered the band an prospect of a lifetime after they inspired him
Table of Contents
- The Raincoats were a band of women who revolutionised the British rock scene in the 70s. And it was Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain who offered the band an prospect of a lifetime after they inspired him
- The Raincoats: A Pioneering Post-Punk Story
- The Raincoats: How a Chance Encounter with Kurt Cobain Revived a Pioneering band
- Kurt Cobain’s Unexpected Impact on Post-Punk Band The Raincoats
An unlikely quintet of menopausal women form a punk band in Sally Wainwright’s new Sunday night BBC One drama Riot Women.
The Raincoats – Gina Birch, Ana da Silva, Palmolive (aka Palmolive Shüt), and later Ingrid Munday – weren’t your typical 1970s rock stars. They didn’t chase chart success, didn’t conform too industry expectations, and didn’t particularly care about being “marketable.” What they did do was create a sound that was utterly unique, fiercely self-reliant, and profoundly influential.
Formed in 1977,at the height of punk,The Raincoats took the energy and DIY ethos of the movement but steered it in a fully different direction. Eschewing traditional song structures and guitar heroics, they embraced experimentation, dissonance, and a distinctly feminist perspective. Their music was angular, raw, and frequently enough unsettling, incorporating elements of post-punk, art rock, and even free jazz.
Their debut album, The Raincoats (1979), is now considered a seminal work of post-punk. It’s a challenging but rewarding listen, full of unconventional arrangements, spoken-word passages, and a refusal to compromise. While it didn’t set the charts alight at the time, it gained a cult following and went on to inspire generations of musicians.
But it was decades later that The Raincoats received perhaps their most significant endorsement – from Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. cobain was a huge fan of the band, and he frequently cited them as a major influence on his own music. In fact, he was so impressed by their work that he offered to re-release their back catalogue on his label, DGC Records, in the early 1990s.
“Kurt was a huge fan,” Gina Birch recalled in an interview with The Guardian. “He said our music was like a breath of fresh air, and he wanted to help us get it out to a wider audience.”
Cobain’s support gave The Raincoats a new lease of life. Their albums were re-released to critical acclaim, and they began to play to larger audiences. It was a remarkable turn of events for a band that had spent years toiling in obscurity.
Sadly, Cobain’s untimely death in 1994 cut short his plans to work with The Raincoats further. But his legacy of championing their music continues to this day. The Raincoats remain a vital and influential force in British rock, and their story is a testament to the power of artistic integrity and the enduring appeal of truly original music.
“We’d go to the local cafe and Ana would order a black coffee and a piece of toast, and then spend the next hour meticulously scraping the marmalade off,” Gina Birch recalls with a laugh. “She hated marmalade. Absolutely loathed it. It was a ritual.”
Birch is talking about Ana da Silva, her bandmate in The Raincoats, the fiercely independent post-punk group who formed in London in 1977 and became hugely influential despite – or perhaps because of – their refusal to conform.
They’re discussing their early days, when both were art students. Birch studied at Goldsmiths,while da Silva went to the Royal College of Art. Both had a shared disdain for the prevailing macho posturing of the punk scene.
“It was all very shouty and aggressive,” says Birch. “We wanted something different. Something more… nuanced.We were interested in texture and space and exploring emotions in a more subtle way.”
The Raincoats’ music was unlike anything else at the time.It was angular and experimental, incorporating elements of jazz, folk, and even classical music. their lyrics were poetic and introspective, dealing with themes of love, loss, and alienation.
They were also fiercely DIY, releasing their own records and organising their own gigs. “We didn’t really fit into any particular scene,” says da Silva. “We just did our own thing. We were very stubborn in that regard.”
That stubbornness paid off. The Raincoats went on to influence a generation of musicians, including Kurt cobain, Bikini Kill, and Sleater-Kinney. They’ve continued to make music and perform live, and their legacy as pioneers of independent music remains secure.
Birch remembers those early days fondly. “We were young and naive and full of energy,” she says. “We had no idea what we were doing, but we were having a lot of fun. We did A levels and hung out with the crazies in Nottingham.”
The Raincoats: A Pioneering Post-Punk Story
Two years after their creation, they released their debut album The Raincoats on the rough Trade label and their first single Fairytale in the supermarket. “There were three moments for me that were miraculous,” says Ana. “One was finishing the song in the rehearsal space. One was when the single came out, as it meant that we were a real band and the third one was when the album came out. I remember going from my house to Rough Trade to look at it and I was crying on the way there. Those three moments were magical.”
Another career highlight for Ana was their fourth gig – performed in Poland, which was then behind the Iron Curtain. She recalls: “The audience was so starving for something new that having a punk band was magical for them. We may as well have come from Mars. It was amazing.”
In 1981 they released a second album,Odyshape,but creative tensions were starting to emerge. Ana – who says they broke up after every record – explains:
The Raincoats: How a Chance Encounter with Kurt Cobain Revived a Pioneering band
A quiet afternoon at an antiques shop in London became a pivotal moment for post-punk band The Raincoats, thanks to an unexpected visit from Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love.Ana, who worked at the shop, recalls the day the grunge icon walked into her life.
“I was talking to a client and these two young people came in,” she remembers. “I didn’t know who Kurt cobain was or Courtney Love. I found out later. She was pregnant at the time. He introduced himself.Kurt said, ‘When I listen to your music I fall on the floor.’ His body just sort of goes out of sync or something. They had been to the Rough Trade shop and tried to get a copy of the first album.”
Unable to find a copy at other stores, Cobain was directed to Ana’s workplace, where he asked if she could sell him one. She agreed to search for him. “I liked the way they dressed. It made a difference,” Ana noted.
After locating a copy of their album, Ana had the band sign it, added some photos inside, and sent it to Cobain. In return,he immortalized the encounter in the liner notes of his album Incesticide,writing: “When I listen to the Raincoats I feel as if I am a stowaway in an attic. rather than listening to them I feel like I am listening in on them. We are together in the same old house and I have to be completely still or they will hear me spying from above. and if I get caught everything will be ruined, as it’s their thing.”
Cobain’s endorsement sparked a significant revival of interest in The Raincoats.Their label reissued their albums, and Kurt even released them on his label in the US. “It made a lot of young women think they could do this as well,” Ana says, adding that the renewed attention led The Raincoats to start playing together again.
Kurt Cobain’s Unexpected Impact on Post-Punk Band The Raincoats
The Raincoats, a pioneering British post-punk band, experienced a remarkable resurgence in visibility thanks to the late Kurt cobain, who championed their work and invited them to open for Nirvana on their 1991 American tour. The tragic news of Cobain’s death during that tour profoundly impacted the band, solidifying a unique connection and ultimately contributing to their lasting legacy.
A Champion in Kurt Cobain
Formed in 1977, The Raincoats – initially comprised of Ana da Silva, Gina Birch, and Palmolive (later replaced by Ingrid Munday) – carved a niche with their experimental, deconstructed approach to punk. Despite critical acclaim, the band struggled for mainstream recognition. That changed when Kurt Cobain discovered their 1979 debut album, The Raincoats.
Cobain became a fervent admirer, repeatedly citing the band as a major influence. In 1991, he invited them to support Nirvana on a significant American tour, a move that introduced The Raincoats to a much wider audience. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/19/the-raincoats-kurt-cobain-nirvana-audrey-golden-book
The Day the Music Died
The tour was cut short by the devastating news of Kurt Cobain’s death on April 5, 1994. Ana da Silva recalls the moment they learned of his passing during a soundcheck. “We were doing a soundcheck and Ray Farrel from DGC said ‘I have bad news. Kurt Cobain has died,'” she stated in an interview with the BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct6wy0 The atmosphere immediately shifted, and the band felt a deep sense of loss. Gina Birch added, “We felt really strongly that we wanted to dedicate this set to him.” The tour was subsequently cancelled.
A Guardian Angel and lasting Legacy
The Raincoats processed their grief and Cobain’s impact through their music. Two years after his death, they released their fourth album, Looking in the Shadows. Da Silva described Cobain as having become “a bit of a guardian angel to us,” crediting him with giving the band “a new lease of life.”
Birch echoed this sentiment, stating that Cobain’s support helped The Raincoats achieve “a much more visible place” in music history. while the band is no longer actively performing, their influence continues to resonate. Their story, recently detailed in Audrey golden’s Shouting Out Loud, highlights the powerful connection between artists and the enduring legacy of Kurt Cobain’s musical taste. https://www.whiterabbitbooks.com/books/shouting-out-loud
The Raincoats: A Continued Influence
The Raincoats’ unique sound and artistic vision, coupled with Kurt cobain’s unwavering support, have cemented their place as significant figures in post-punk history. Their story serves as a testament to the power of artistic connection and the lasting impact one artist can have on another. their influence can be heard in contemporary artists who embrace experimentation and challenge conventional musical structures, ensuring their legacy continues for generations to come.