Sisters of Hysteria Are Unapologetically Queer
Image credit: Elliana Maria Martell
Sapphic riot grrrls Sisters of Hysteria aren't looking for permission. The brand-new London-based band released their courageous single 'Girl Like Me' last month, stating their manifesto for their upcoming EP, A Serious Proposal To The Ladies: "We wanted to let fans and listeners know that this is who we are, this is what we are and what we believe in, and you can trust us to not go back on that word."
Made up of vocalist Lily Crook, drummer Ella Breeze, guitarist Hannah Serw, and Jess Ingram on bass, the quartet have been gigging since 2025, supporting the likes of Lost Alice and Bridget. Cementing themselves firmly as outspoken feminist musicians, their work has the golden thumbs-up from renowned producer Rob Ellis, a longtime collaborator of legendary rocker PJ Harvey. When you hear the Sisters' confident artistry and unapologetically queer lyrics, it's easy to understand why: "A girl like me so innocent / Her long legs spread on my bed / A girl like me could never lie / How good and how divine..."
Their ballsy lyrics aren't surface level. Speaking to girlblog!, the quartet made it clear that they believe artists have a duty to be political, quoting a recent red-carpet interview with CMAT: "art is politics because you don’t get to make art in a fascist state." They say themselves that they don't make art to make people like them -- "We're making art to make art. We're making art because we care."
Image credit: John Catto
In a world where nihilism feels inevitable as far-right rhetoric embeds itself into mainstream thought, to still care and speak out is more radical than giving up and succumbing to the void. Even if this action starts small -- as it did for Sisters of Hysteria -- it can transform into something bigger. The band began life as a trio, playing covers of L7 and Bikini Kill whilst studying together at university, then discovering a more solid identity and bringing in their fourth member, Breeze, a year after. Two months later they recorded their debut single, 'Girl Like Me,' and found their sound. Combining their musical influences of Amyl and The Sniffers, The Pretty Reckless, and PJ Harvey, the four felt drawn towards a raw, heavy sound, seeking a "collision between melody and menace." Like their rock star role models, they have no interest in being timid and polite; they want their art to be confrontational and liberating, with no holding back on their beliefs.
Taking their name from the oppressive diagnosis of female hysteria, a historical way to pathologise women deemed to be unladylike and sexually promiscuous, 'Girl Like Me' spits in the face of the sexual assaults used to treat this false illness. Using lyrical parallels to detail their song's narrative -- "speaking softly and tied my hair" in the first verse to the kink-positive "she likes to have her hands tied" in the subversive second verse -- the brief-but-bold storytelling whets the appetite for listeners awaiting the Sisters' next release. Alongside the spine-tingling chord progressions in the bridge that speak in harmony with a release of gendered expectations and androgynous expression ("my baby shaved her head"), it's clear that this band is constructed of skilled craftswomen with strong backbones. As they say themselves:
Artists have always been and always will be the figureheads of culture and on the frontlines of cultural movements, so for any artist of any capacity to turn a blind eye to this rise of fascism that we are seeing everywhere is such an ignorant betrayal of everyone that came before them, their peers and the people that come after them.
Image credit: Elliana Maria Martell
Sisters of Hysteria are riding the wave of their current track through a series of gigs across the UK. Most recently they've played at The Blue Posts in Soho, community-owned pub The Ivy House in Nunhead as part of Poetry for Palestine, opened for Bridget at Hot Box in Chelmsford, and at the legendary alternative venue The Shacklewell Arms. They've taken their talents outside of their usual haunts, too, and toured to the North of England in Leeds and Manchester. Whilst they're keeping some of their upcoming shows under wraps, they can confirm that they'll be playing Paper Dress Vintage on 15th May, opening for French Toast (a gig they describe as a "dream-venue-dream-headliner"), joining LOUD WOMEN at Bread and Roses in Clapham on the 16th July, as well as opening for WitchHook at The Cavendish Arms on the 11th September. The Sisters are also seeking more queer venues to share their sound at.
