Live music: She Drew The Gun + Paige Kennedy

Over three studio albums and nearly a decade, Wirral-born Louisa Roach has built She Drew The Gun into a project that fully lives up to its incendiary name. A place for Roach to explore a visceral musical world informed by influences ranging 80's electronica, hip-hop, political poetry, and cosmic scouse psychedelia epitomised by hometown heroes The Coral (whose lead singer James Skelly took her under his wing during She Drew The Gun’s early days), lyrically it’s found her taking aim at the wild injustices she was persistently seeing in the world at large, decrying corrupt conservative governments and rallying for a more empathetic way of living.
2016 debut ‘Memories of Another Future’ was swiftly followed by a crowning as Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition winner; follow-up ‘Revolution of Mind’ was named one of BBC 6 Music’s Albums of the Year, while 2021’s ‘Behave Myself’ saw Clash praising the record as “some of her most finessed and contoured songwriting to date”. Having firmly carved out her niche of rousing, laser-sharp social commentary, it’s a side to Roach’s songwriting that will never leave her (not in this political climate at least). But sometimes, life sends you to a place where you have to finally turn your eye on yourself, and it’s with this in mind that She Drew The Gun presents fourth album ‘Howl’.

Paige Kennedy is an artist/producer based in London, but originally from Kent. Described by DIY mag as “fragmented, synth-driven, dance-pop”, their sound combines danceable basslines, quirky lyrics and hook-laden songwriting. Their latest EP, ‘Babylotion’ was released in October 2024, and has seen their online following explode. Single ‘Lingerie Model’, which deals with misgendering, has been played over 7 million times across Instagram and TikTok.

On stage Paige and their band are fun and infections. They’ve played sold out headline shows and performed at festivals including Latitude, Swn Festival and Left of the Dial, as well as supporting acts including BC Camplight, Moonchild Sanelly and NIMMO.