THE PALMOLIVE PRESS 〰️
THE PALMOLIVE PRESS 〰️
Palmolive’s songwriting and drumming serve as a generational touchstone and milestone in music history. From founding the first ever female punk band, The Slits, to collaborating on one of the most respected Punk albums of all time, “The Raincoats”, Palmolive’s artistry is potent and legendary. She has been featured in The Guardian, BBC, Tom Tom Mag, and more, with her legacy inspiring young women around the globe to be themselves.
DISCOGRAPHY
“In the Beginning”, a recently reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2024, is a compilation of The Slits’ best work. It features live recordings that, according to one critic, “capture the true energy and spontaneity” of the band better than any of the studio records did.
“Cut” is frequently ranked as among the most influential punk/post-punk albums ever recorded. Palmolive wrote the songs “Shoplifting,” “FM,” ”Newtown,” and "Adventures Close to Home." Her drumming appears on the 1977 and 1978 Peel Sessions, as well as the 2009 deluxe reissue.
Palmolive shared her song “Adventures Close to Home” with The Raincoats members and drummed on the entire album. “The Raincoats” is hailed for its seminal influence on post-punk, new wave, and indie/alternative music at large. Rolling Stone names their self-titled work amongst the 500 greatest records of all time. Dave Davies of The Kinks recently called their cover of “Lola” the best version he’s ever heard.
BOOKS
Shop the Scrapbook
FILM & TV
This full-length film was an official selection at both the BFI London Film Festival (2017) and the Rotterdam International Film Festival (2018), and screened in London, Los Angeles, NYC, Boston, Murray University and Cape Cod.
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Alongside legends like Iggy Pop, Johnny Rotten, Marky Ramone, Henry Rollins, and Debbie Harry, Palmolive appears in this four-part documentary TV series produced by Epix (now MGM+) on the history of punk rock.
Airing this year in Belgium, this uplifting TV advertisement for Volkswagen, based on a free-spirited young girl who plays the drums, is soundtracked by The Raincoats’ version of “Lola.”
Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) and Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) namedrop Bikini Kill & The Raincoats in the iconic 1999 rom/com feature-film “10 Things I Hate About You.”
PODCASTS & RADIO
Interview by Allison Wolfe 2018
Italian Interview & Performance 1977
Live footage of The Raincoats recording first single 1979
Palmolive Interview 1977
The Slits — Peel Session 1977
The Slits — Peel Session 1978
Paloma Full Life Interview
ARTICLES
The Guardian ~ Rebellion and Redemption: How the Slits Gave a Voice to Female Prisoners - 2022
The Wire ~ The Slits Publish Old Scrapbook - 2018
Warp Reality ~ Typical Girls + Unruly Women: The Story of the Slits - 2018
BAZAAR ~ 5 Feminist Documentaries to Watch in 2018 - 2018
Provincetown Magazine ~ Punk, Power, and Palmolive in Here to Be Heard - 2018
elmecuriodigital.es ~“Mujeres Hechas de Punk’ - 2018
Cape Cod Times ~ Punk's Palmolive -2018
Cape Cod Times ~ Slit Doc a Cut Above - 2018
VICE ~ The Slits Are Refusing to Be Written Out of Music History - 2017
Brooklyn Vegan ~ Bikini Kill reunited as guests at The Raincoats' show at The Kitchen last night - 2017
SUR ~La Reina Malagueña del Punk - 2017
Featured Works
The acclaimed memoir “Squat City Rocks” is written by the original drummer of the 101’ers, Richard Dudanski, who happens to also be Palmolive’s brother-in-law. This musical memoir traces the author’s life in the corrugated-iron clad ruins of West London’s Squat Land during the two years immediately prior to the Punk Explosion of ’76. The thrills and spills of a crazy, quirky, hand-to-mouth existence gives way to relative disenchantment with the oncoming of the Punk Uprising, which for the author represents, at least partly, a sell-out to the Machiavellian Managers, as much as the vaunted revolution in British popular culture.
Leka Mladenovic, a punk fan and contemporary artist exhibits portraits of The Slits through their vibrant works.
Joe Strummer’s first written work was for Paloma, his then girlfriend. The sweet punk-rock jam became one of the 101’ers most classic hits.
Palmolive’s granddaughter, Tianna Esperanza is an artist on the rise with their acclaimed debut album “Terror” released in 2023. On Track 2, Esperanza pays homage to her grandmother’s bands, although tongue-in-cheek, titling the song “Princess Slit & The Raincoat Prince. “Terror” was listed on NPR’s top 50 albums of the year in 2023. The expansive work masterfully blends genres layered with incredibly compelling true stories. Esperanza croons over assault and loss, saunters to desire, and rasps out unrequited love. Tianna Esperanza is geared to create a movement fueled by honest and authentic music that will stand the test of time.