Problem Patterns: Blouse Club
Words & Photography: Eerie Rose
If you find yourself in Belfast, and decide to pop for a drink in The Deer’s Head, you would find it is home to a ‘Blouse Snug.’ This is a women’s only section, paying homage to the unofficial speakeasies called ‘Blouse Clubs’ that were created post WW2, when women were not allowed to drink in bars alongside men. Taking inspiration from this history, and also possibly also a fair amount of reference to the Bell’s Brewery beer of the same name, Problem Patterns released their debut album Blouse Club in October 2023 via Alcopop! records, after amassing a serious cult fanbase both in Ireland and elsewhere. Championed by the likes of Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna and Black Flag’s former frontman Henry Rollins, the hype around the band is palpable. The title, in my opinion, is also reminiscent of the sexist term of a ‘mother’s meeting,’ often used to demean any group of women by implying nothing they are discussing could ever be more than petty gossip. With this record, Problem Patterns truly show the fallacy of these sentiments: from the “girly weekends” they spent together as friends, they’ve created an album so lyrically clever, musically sharp and politically important, that truly shows that queer women and gender non-conforming people don’t just deserve to drink at the (metaphorical music industry) bar with everyone else - they deserve to run the whole fucking pub.
Blouse Club is a record that must be listened to from start to finish in order - each song is a standout on its own, but it’s not often that an album is so perfect in its entirety. There’s variety between incredibly serious rage and protest at issues that are really life or death, vs more upbeat, dancey social commentary, or the fun retelling of a Sleater-Kinney gig. It’s almost impossible to select highlights, as each song feels so complete and impactful, however some of my personal favourites include the opener, Y.A.W (an initialism for Yes All Women) which is an appropriate start for the record, capturing some of the anger over the public response to violence against women that originally brought the band together. This fades into Big Shouty, a punchy track encapsulating Problem Pattern’s refusal to be put down or tamed. Lesbo 3000 is another important song for me; an unstoppable, guttural reclamation in the face of homophobia: Beth’s triumphant “Call me a dyke, it’s a badge of honour, call me a dyke, I’ll wear it with pride” swells in my chest and I can’t tell whether the lump in my throat is from frustration that so many have had to experience such hatred, or from joy at the defiance against it, and the fact we are still here despite it. That’s what is so beautiful about the messages in Problem Patterns’ work: everything comes from deep, personal experience or genuine care - this is not a group of performative allies queer-baiting an audience, but rather people who are active parts of these communities, experiencing in real time the issues they make music so passionately about. The feelings captured on Blouse Club have such impact because they come from the gut, they’re visceral and carry the weight of experience and a real lust for change.
The response to the record so far has been huge, with the band winning a Northern Ireland Music Prize for Video of the Year, and playing a sold out headline show at The Sebright Arms in London put on by Get In Her Ears, with support from Dogviolet and Fightmilk. The band really are a must-see: with no one person acting as lead singer, they swap roles repeatedly throughout the set, with every member playing different instruments as well as taking turns with vocals. It brings a completely new energy to a show…it’s hard enough to be that slick at one instrument, but they make it look effortless. It’s also really enjoyable to experience the way each member performs as front person - everyone has a slightly different energy and way of interacting with the crowd, and it really keeps you on your toes (and in my case, grinning like a fool from ear to ear). The impact the band is having is evident; everyone in the room was moving, amplifying the spirit of collective rebellion that Problem Patterns put out so effectively with Blouse Club.
During their performance at the Northern Ireland Music Prize awards show, the audience were told to remain seated - however, they instead got up and danced, running around away from security guards who in the end had to give up as there was simply no stopping the number of bodies crowding themselves in front of the stage. As often said in anarchist circles, ‘they can’t stop us all’ and this moment captured that energy precisely. As the band raised both the Transgender pride flag and the Palestine flag (again, most likely after being told not to) - the spirit of collective rage and defiance from the audience really mirrored the sentiment onstage: this isn’t a group of poverty tourists or pretend punks, but instead artists who are unafraid to take action and stand up for who and what they believe in without asking for permission. And if you do have a problem? “
“You can’t fire me, I’m leaving!”
Stay in touch with Problem Patterns via Instagram, Twitter or their website. Blouse Club is available now both digitally and physically on Spotify and Bandcamp.