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Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats
The first biography of legendary and influential British punk band The Raincoats, who were instrumental in the origins and longevity of Rough Trade Records, were invited to tour with Nirvana and others, and have long been revered by those in the international punk scene.
The Raincoats were formed in London in 1977 as an experimental punk band synonymous with their indie label, Rough Trade; in fact, Geoff Travis even said that “the whole genome of Rough Trade wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good without them.” The Raincoats went on to create what Vivien Goldman called “a new legacy of punk” and arguably became the most pioneering and challenging female band of the post-punk era while inspiring a new wave of DIY and queercore artists.
Introduced by Kurt Cobain to a new generation in the 1990s, The Raincoats were invited to tour with Nirvana, and were known as the “godmothers of grunge” and "godmothers of Riot Grrrl" before eventually becoming label mates with Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Hole, Bikini Kill, and Elastica. In the new millennium, they went on to play openings for feminist art exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Tate Britain, as well as major festivals, and experimented with emerging DIY music technology. In the 21st-century, The Raincoats singularly inspired Bikini Kill to reform after a 20-year hiatus.
Featuring exclusive interviews and brand new photos from the Raincoats' archives, as well as reproduced ephemera (handbills, flyers, contracts, ticket stubs, artworks, etc.), SHOUTING OUT LOUD is the first ever biography of this groundbreaking band and shows how this pioneering group of women paved the way for those that followed in their footsteps. Additionally, the book features original interviews with members of Sonic Youth, Hole, Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Big Joanie, Liz Phair, and many more.
Meticulously researched and sweeping in scope, SHOUTING OUT LOUD is the must-have account of a band that became the linchpin of feminist music in the 20th century.
The Raincoats were formed in London in 1977 as an experimental punk band synonymous with their indie label, Rough Trade; in fact, Geoff Travis even said that “the whole genome of Rough Trade wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good without them.” The Raincoats went on to create what Vivien Goldman called “a new legacy of punk” and arguably became the most pioneering and challenging female band of the post-punk era while inspiring a new wave of DIY and queercore artists.
Introduced by Kurt Cobain to a new generation in the 1990s, The Raincoats were invited to tour with Nirvana, and were known as the “godmothers of grunge” and "godmothers of Riot Grrrl" before eventually becoming label mates with Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Hole, Bikini Kill, and Elastica. In the new millennium, they went on to play openings for feminist art exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Tate Britain, as well as major festivals, and experimented with emerging DIY music technology. In the 21st-century, The Raincoats singularly inspired Bikini Kill to reform after a 20-year hiatus.
Featuring exclusive interviews and brand new photos from the Raincoats' archives, as well as reproduced ephemera (handbills, flyers, contracts, ticket stubs, artworks, etc.), SHOUTING OUT LOUD is the first ever biography of this groundbreaking band and shows how this pioneering group of women paved the way for those that followed in their footsteps. Additionally, the book features original interviews with members of Sonic Youth, Hole, Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Big Joanie, Liz Phair, and many more.
Meticulously researched and sweeping in scope, SHOUTING OUT LOUD is the must-have account of a band that became the linchpin of feminist music in the 20th century.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2025
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131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 15, 2025
Happy publication day 🎉🥳🎧
Well, for anyone who knows me. I’m nothing if I’m not predictable I loved Kurt Cobain, he in turn loved The Raincoats, therefore of course I’m interested. Even if it did provide a reminder of Kurt’s death, especially as the band were due to support Nirvana right here in Glasgow. A gig that never happened for obvious reasons.
The first biography written and it didn’t disappoint, it speaks or rather Shouts out loud the story of the 3 lives of the band, but also of punk, anarchy, anti establishment, anti patriarchy, feminist and queer belonging. The band have achieved so much in the art world throughout the years.
An inspiration to everyone who wants to be themselves.
Written and narrated by Audrey Golden who has definitely put the work in, in regard to research.
Huge thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
3.75 🌟
Well, for anyone who knows me. I’m nothing if I’m not predictable I loved Kurt Cobain, he in turn loved The Raincoats, therefore of course I’m interested. Even if it did provide a reminder of Kurt’s death, especially as the band were due to support Nirvana right here in Glasgow. A gig that never happened for obvious reasons.
The first biography written and it didn’t disappoint, it speaks or rather Shouts out loud the story of the 3 lives of the band, but also of punk, anarchy, anti establishment, anti patriarchy, feminist and queer belonging. The band have achieved so much in the art world throughout the years.
An inspiration to everyone who wants to be themselves.
Written and narrated by Audrey Golden who has definitely put the work in, in regard to research.
Huge thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
3.75 🌟
August 10, 2025
A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining look at the legendary raincoats!
July 18, 2025
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Da Capo, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Audrey Golden’s comprehensive and insightful Shouting Out Loud: The Lives of the Raincoats. This was a fascinating book about a band that I’ve heard of, but never really listened to. I’m glad that Golden’s interviews and archival work with the members of the band have prompted me to seek out The Raincoats’ work and learn more about their influence on many bands in the 90s and beyond. Like The Raincoats, Shouting Out Loud is hard to categorize as a specific genre of music writing. Golden has a great introduction in which she lays out her methodology for gathering the artifacts and interviews and organizing and analyzing them. Furthermore, members of the band, particularly Ana da Silva, had a rich archive of material from the band’s formation and initial run of shows and recordings from the late 70s and early 80s. Da Silva’s artifacts, along with those of other members and fans, provide excellent visual documentation that Golden also includes in her book. Golden explains that this synthesis of oral history and archival work allows for a rich layering that blends the various perspectives that memory brings with the artifacts that remain from that time-period. I also loved that Golden references Bakhtin in the book’s introduction to identify that The Raincoats’ music is part of its own unique chronotope, that is both shaped by the specific time and space of its time and has gone on to further influence other artists, particularly Kurt Cobain, Tobi Vail, and Kathleen Hanna among others. This is a really fascinating way to approach music scholarship, to show both how music is influenced by and further influences others.
The book is organized into 3 sections that examine different stages of the lives of The Raincoats. The first section examines how Gina and Ana met in the late 70s in London. Golden provides considerable context to different factors that led Ana and Gina to meet. I grew to appreciate some of these deep dives that provide a fuller context. For example, Golden details some of the history of Hornsey College of Art and how it was the center of leftist protest in the 60s and 70s. She also dives into squat life in 70s London, and how houses abandoned after WWII led to a creative scene in art and music that helped lead to British punk’s birth. This was cool to see as The Raincoats early years intertwined with not just the more well-known bands like The Clash (and the 101ers, Joe Strummer’s pre-Clash band), but also bands like The Slits, who seemed to influence Gina and Ana to form The Raincoats, X-Ray Specs, and This Heat. Not only does Golden’s research and archival work provide a richer context, but it helped to show how some of these other bands were more influential on the sound and spirit of The Raincoats and other bands of the time. Sometimes British punk’s origins are simplified and distilled to explain how The Ramones played England in the mid-70s, and that led to bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols forming in order to play faster and louder than The Ramones. However, Golden’s analysis shows that British punk was not only tied to music, but also visual and performance arts, and was much more nuanced and expressive, providing voices to female artists who have often been pushed to the back of these short-sighted histories of British punk.
In addition to documenting The Raincoats’ formation, the first life of the band also examines their travels to other countries, in particular being the first punk band to play in Communist Poland, where music and expression were limited and regulated by the government. Again, Golden’s deep dive into the context of this time period provides an important layer to the story of The Raincoats to explore not only the kind of values they had exploring free expression and art, but also the kinds of artistic risks they took. This section of the book also examines their relationship with Rough Trade, the record store/label that recorded and put out their records, and their efforts to work with a drummer, which seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the book. Throughout this section, I also learned much about the process of recording songs and developing the art for their records. Although Rough Trade was an artist friendly organization that ultimately split profits with their bands, the band was still challenged with recording their work and maintaining their distinct sound and vision when working with engineers and producers who didn’t always share the same vision and values. Again, Golden’s contextualization of the music scene and industry in the late 70s and early 80s helps to show how both the need for a kind of commercial audience and the kinds of patriarchal influences in the engineering and production aspects of the music industry presented unique challenges to The Raincoats.
The middle section focuses on the 2nd life of The Raincoats, and not only examines what the members were up to after they disbanded around 1984, but also how their albums and music eventually made its way to the US and ended up in Olympia, WA, home of Evergreen State, whose students included Bruce Pavitt, Slim Moon, Kathleen Hanna, Corin Tucker, and Carrie Brownstein, among others. It was at Evergreen where Pavitt eventually discovered The Raincoats and began playing them on his radio show. It was so interesting to see how a band’s influence spread over analog methods pre-internet, and how a band could have such an influence on others. Eventually, Kurt Cobain came to discover The Raincoats, and his story documenting his meeting Ana da Silva in London was included in the liner notes for Incesticide. This 2nd life of The Raincoats was also fascinating since Kurt’s proclamations about the band helped to renew interest and eventually led to new distribution deals and tour plans with Nirvana, that sadly never materialized after Cobain’s death. Furthermore, it was interesting to learn more about the record industry as DGC signed The Raincoats, but the band again were challenged by the commercial aims of a major label like DGC who were looking for the next Nirvana. In addition to the influence on Nirvana, Golden also examines how The Raincoats influenced other bands from the 80s and 90s, including Sonic Youth and bands from Kill Rock Stars. While sonically there may be differences, it was more the ethos and spirit of The Raincoats, making music and art in their own distinct voices and challenging the dominant systems of the music industry, that appealed to so many artists and fans in the 90s. Although their initial plans for touring ended after Cobain’s death, The reformed Raincoats were able to tour later in the 90s and create new music while also re-releasing their original albums with new distribution deals. I also found it interesting to learn how democratic they remained in decision making for their original albums, keeping in contact with other musicians who contributed to their earliest albums.
The last section focuses on the 3rd life of The Raincoats, which seems to take place within the last 25 years or so. This section also focuses on the band’s legacy, but also how the current members have continued to keep active in the art world and continue to produce and record art and music. It also examines their influence on more recent musicians, and how much of their work has become collaborative with other bands and artists, especially as they seem to continually be in search of drummers. There’s a fascinating story about their quest for a producer for a new album, that eventually leads them to John Cale. Given the similarities with some of the earlier Velvet Underground work and Cale’s unique artistic vision, I was a little surprised to hear about his production requirements. Yet, I think it also showed how The Raincoats continually faced challenges from producers and engineers to try to record their unique sound. Furthermore, it seemed like this anecdote reinforced the strength and intuition of the band to maintain their vision and voice. Furthermore, it’s interesting to see the band’s inclusion in art retrospectives in galleries and museums that capture not only the birth of punk, but also clearly emphasize women’s unique roles in this art and cultural movement. Golden emphasizes here that these elements are not separate strands, but rather intertwined threads within punk, clearly demonstrating how The Raincoats strengthened those bonds between art, culture, and music. I loved learning more about how Gina and Ana continued to make music on their own, frequently learning new instruments and using new technology. There’s a quote from one of Gina’s daughters towards the end of the book where she summarizes her mom’s ethos as “there’s never been a question of, ‘Could I do it?’ The mantra is always, ‘You’re trying to do something you’ve never done before? Well, why not!’…Because of my mum and dad, my brain has been wired not to question whether I could do something, but to try to figure out how to do it. And that’s super punk.” I loved this quote since it provides a great way to think not only the spirit of punk rock, but more importantly the influence of The Raincoats that helped to shape much of the music from the 90s and beyond. To paraphrase Q-Tip, it’s like this book is about your favorite band’s favorite band. I highly recommend this look at the influence of The Raincoats, and I’m so grateful to Golden for her layered and detailed look at not just the band but the various influences both on and from the band.
The book is organized into 3 sections that examine different stages of the lives of The Raincoats. The first section examines how Gina and Ana met in the late 70s in London. Golden provides considerable context to different factors that led Ana and Gina to meet. I grew to appreciate some of these deep dives that provide a fuller context. For example, Golden details some of the history of Hornsey College of Art and how it was the center of leftist protest in the 60s and 70s. She also dives into squat life in 70s London, and how houses abandoned after WWII led to a creative scene in art and music that helped lead to British punk’s birth. This was cool to see as The Raincoats early years intertwined with not just the more well-known bands like The Clash (and the 101ers, Joe Strummer’s pre-Clash band), but also bands like The Slits, who seemed to influence Gina and Ana to form The Raincoats, X-Ray Specs, and This Heat. Not only does Golden’s research and archival work provide a richer context, but it helped to show how some of these other bands were more influential on the sound and spirit of The Raincoats and other bands of the time. Sometimes British punk’s origins are simplified and distilled to explain how The Ramones played England in the mid-70s, and that led to bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols forming in order to play faster and louder than The Ramones. However, Golden’s analysis shows that British punk was not only tied to music, but also visual and performance arts, and was much more nuanced and expressive, providing voices to female artists who have often been pushed to the back of these short-sighted histories of British punk.
In addition to documenting The Raincoats’ formation, the first life of the band also examines their travels to other countries, in particular being the first punk band to play in Communist Poland, where music and expression were limited and regulated by the government. Again, Golden’s deep dive into the context of this time period provides an important layer to the story of The Raincoats to explore not only the kind of values they had exploring free expression and art, but also the kinds of artistic risks they took. This section of the book also examines their relationship with Rough Trade, the record store/label that recorded and put out their records, and their efforts to work with a drummer, which seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the book. Throughout this section, I also learned much about the process of recording songs and developing the art for their records. Although Rough Trade was an artist friendly organization that ultimately split profits with their bands, the band was still challenged with recording their work and maintaining their distinct sound and vision when working with engineers and producers who didn’t always share the same vision and values. Again, Golden’s contextualization of the music scene and industry in the late 70s and early 80s helps to show how both the need for a kind of commercial audience and the kinds of patriarchal influences in the engineering and production aspects of the music industry presented unique challenges to The Raincoats.
The middle section focuses on the 2nd life of The Raincoats, and not only examines what the members were up to after they disbanded around 1984, but also how their albums and music eventually made its way to the US and ended up in Olympia, WA, home of Evergreen State, whose students included Bruce Pavitt, Slim Moon, Kathleen Hanna, Corin Tucker, and Carrie Brownstein, among others. It was at Evergreen where Pavitt eventually discovered The Raincoats and began playing them on his radio show. It was so interesting to see how a band’s influence spread over analog methods pre-internet, and how a band could have such an influence on others. Eventually, Kurt Cobain came to discover The Raincoats, and his story documenting his meeting Ana da Silva in London was included in the liner notes for Incesticide. This 2nd life of The Raincoats was also fascinating since Kurt’s proclamations about the band helped to renew interest and eventually led to new distribution deals and tour plans with Nirvana, that sadly never materialized after Cobain’s death. Furthermore, it was interesting to learn more about the record industry as DGC signed The Raincoats, but the band again were challenged by the commercial aims of a major label like DGC who were looking for the next Nirvana. In addition to the influence on Nirvana, Golden also examines how The Raincoats influenced other bands from the 80s and 90s, including Sonic Youth and bands from Kill Rock Stars. While sonically there may be differences, it was more the ethos and spirit of The Raincoats, making music and art in their own distinct voices and challenging the dominant systems of the music industry, that appealed to so many artists and fans in the 90s. Although their initial plans for touring ended after Cobain’s death, The reformed Raincoats were able to tour later in the 90s and create new music while also re-releasing their original albums with new distribution deals. I also found it interesting to learn how democratic they remained in decision making for their original albums, keeping in contact with other musicians who contributed to their earliest albums.
The last section focuses on the 3rd life of The Raincoats, which seems to take place within the last 25 years or so. This section also focuses on the band’s legacy, but also how the current members have continued to keep active in the art world and continue to produce and record art and music. It also examines their influence on more recent musicians, and how much of their work has become collaborative with other bands and artists, especially as they seem to continually be in search of drummers. There’s a fascinating story about their quest for a producer for a new album, that eventually leads them to John Cale. Given the similarities with some of the earlier Velvet Underground work and Cale’s unique artistic vision, I was a little surprised to hear about his production requirements. Yet, I think it also showed how The Raincoats continually faced challenges from producers and engineers to try to record their unique sound. Furthermore, it seemed like this anecdote reinforced the strength and intuition of the band to maintain their vision and voice. Furthermore, it’s interesting to see the band’s inclusion in art retrospectives in galleries and museums that capture not only the birth of punk, but also clearly emphasize women’s unique roles in this art and cultural movement. Golden emphasizes here that these elements are not separate strands, but rather intertwined threads within punk, clearly demonstrating how The Raincoats strengthened those bonds between art, culture, and music. I loved learning more about how Gina and Ana continued to make music on their own, frequently learning new instruments and using new technology. There’s a quote from one of Gina’s daughters towards the end of the book where she summarizes her mom’s ethos as “there’s never been a question of, ‘Could I do it?’ The mantra is always, ‘You’re trying to do something you’ve never done before? Well, why not!’…Because of my mum and dad, my brain has been wired not to question whether I could do something, but to try to figure out how to do it. And that’s super punk.” I loved this quote since it provides a great way to think not only the spirit of punk rock, but more importantly the influence of The Raincoats that helped to shape much of the music from the 90s and beyond. To paraphrase Q-Tip, it’s like this book is about your favorite band’s favorite band. I highly recommend this look at the influence of The Raincoats, and I’m so grateful to Golden for her layered and detailed look at not just the band but the various influences both on and from the band.
July 20, 2025
Everything a fan could want. This is the type of obsessive biography that a fan would've created dozens of zines about in the early 1990s. You get details like what Pantone color was used on album artwork, for instance. But that's not mentioned frivolously — it's mentioned in a short section explaining how the band developed their music as a holistic piece of art with images, fonts, color schemes, music and words that was nothing like the hit-making corporate rock their brief major-label overlords tried to pigeon-hole them as.
Few who are not already fans are going to read this book but here's the brief summary of celebrity endorsements about The Raincoats that give them some cred and might inspire folks to give 'em a try. Johnny Rotten said their debut album should be preserved as the greatest representation of punk. Kurt Cobain tracked them down, got all their albums reissued and got them to re-form for the opening slot on the band's 1994 tour. The riot grrrl bands all seem to say that The Raincoats are why they started. Thurston Moore says they were the reason he ended his first band and started Sonic Youth. Bikini Kill says that in addition to inspiring them to form, The Raincoats were the entire reason they reformed and are touring now.
As Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill says in the book: They taught so many women that there are other ways to play music or be in a band without having to perform any version of gender. They weren’t trying to be feminine or not feminine, and it didn’t feel like they were trying to occupy any kind of particular gendered identity—they were being themselves and showing you that you were also free to be yourself.
The band headlined a festival in 1980 they got no end of crap for called Rock Against Sexism. The author talks to Lucy Whitman, aka Lucy Toothpaste, who created the double-sided handbill for the event. This excerpt mentions Lucy and Gina Birch, The Raincoats' bass player:
Compared to other women-centered bands at that time, Lucy describes The Raincoats’ music as “much harder hitting.” Although many songs were markedly playful, they were “really tackling the darker side of sexism and feminism,” she says. As Gina emphasizes, “Men have thought for so long that they have a right to sexual assault, and that if women don’t respond in a particular way, they can do what they want. This attitude was pervasive, and I think it is still. There was a need to address it, and there’s still quite a bit of that same need now.”
The author tracks down great sources to talk to, from the Polish promoter who booked The Raincoats as the first punk band to perform in Poland behind the Iron Curtain in 1978, to the many drummers who played for them using the band's weirdo time signatures, to tons of people who were influenced by them or crossed paths with them in signficant ways like Tobi Vail, Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill); Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth; Shelley drummed for The Raincoats on a 1994 tour); Liz Phair; Angel Olsen; Viv Albertine and Palmolive (The Slits); Patty Schemel (Hole); Molly Neumann (Bratmobile); Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney); Jean Smith (Mecca Normal); and many more.
She got access to hundreds of rare images and artifacts like old show posters and set lists.
I listened to the audiobook (very well) read by the author via Netgalley and loved it so much that I got the Kindle on release day so I could view all the photos and highlight all the bands and people I learned about that I want to check out — like Big Joanie!
Very few polished live clips of The Raincoats are out there. Here's a handheld audience recording of them at a 30th anniversary show that I like.
And their hit.
Few who are not already fans are going to read this book but here's the brief summary of celebrity endorsements about The Raincoats that give them some cred and might inspire folks to give 'em a try. Johnny Rotten said their debut album should be preserved as the greatest representation of punk. Kurt Cobain tracked them down, got all their albums reissued and got them to re-form for the opening slot on the band's 1994 tour. The riot grrrl bands all seem to say that The Raincoats are why they started. Thurston Moore says they were the reason he ended his first band and started Sonic Youth. Bikini Kill says that in addition to inspiring them to form, The Raincoats were the entire reason they reformed and are touring now.
As Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill says in the book: They taught so many women that there are other ways to play music or be in a band without having to perform any version of gender. They weren’t trying to be feminine or not feminine, and it didn’t feel like they were trying to occupy any kind of particular gendered identity—they were being themselves and showing you that you were also free to be yourself.
The band headlined a festival in 1980 they got no end of crap for called Rock Against Sexism. The author talks to Lucy Whitman, aka Lucy Toothpaste, who created the double-sided handbill for the event. This excerpt mentions Lucy and Gina Birch, The Raincoats' bass player:
Compared to other women-centered bands at that time, Lucy describes The Raincoats’ music as “much harder hitting.” Although many songs were markedly playful, they were “really tackling the darker side of sexism and feminism,” she says. As Gina emphasizes, “Men have thought for so long that they have a right to sexual assault, and that if women don’t respond in a particular way, they can do what they want. This attitude was pervasive, and I think it is still. There was a need to address it, and there’s still quite a bit of that same need now.”
The author tracks down great sources to talk to, from the Polish promoter who booked The Raincoats as the first punk band to perform in Poland behind the Iron Curtain in 1978, to the many drummers who played for them using the band's weirdo time signatures, to tons of people who were influenced by them or crossed paths with them in signficant ways like Tobi Vail, Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill); Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth; Shelley drummed for The Raincoats on a 1994 tour); Liz Phair; Angel Olsen; Viv Albertine and Palmolive (The Slits); Patty Schemel (Hole); Molly Neumann (Bratmobile); Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney); Jean Smith (Mecca Normal); and many more.
She got access to hundreds of rare images and artifacts like old show posters and set lists.
I listened to the audiobook (very well) read by the author via Netgalley and loved it so much that I got the Kindle on release day so I could view all the photos and highlight all the bands and people I learned about that I want to check out — like Big Joanie!
Very few polished live clips of The Raincoats are out there. Here's a handheld audience recording of them at a 30th anniversary show that I like.
And their hit.
May 20, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of this new look at a revolutionary band that has spawned not only imitators, but were inspirations for many who entered music, as well as a comfort, a source of pride, and a reason to keep living and keeping causing good trouble for legions of fans.
Punk was never a music form I was into. The music was sloppy, the bands ugly, the people who liked it weird, and frankly I am not a fan of short songs. Working at a music store when I was older my mind was changed for many reasons. I grew up. Punk was political, punk was about living life, and living life the way you wanted to. Growing up in the suburbs of Connecticut, what did I understand about life. To me it was good. Not great, but good. As I got older, read more, and meet different people, I found that wasn't true for a lot of my fellow humans. In punk there was well not trust, but people who were angry with no way to channel it, mad, but unfocused. The music gave them community. Hope even. Especially for women. I knew a lot of female punk lovers, two of them, maybe three in bands. Were they good, not really. Did they have fun, yes really a lot. My co-worker Katrina was a punk rocker, From her I first read England Dreaming by Jon Savage, and first heard both The Slits and The Raincoats, and how cool they both were. And in the Raincoats continue to be. Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats by Audrey Golden is a history, an examination, and tour of the archives of this band, focusing not only on the members, the music and the scene, but on their impact, and all those the Raincoats influenced.
The book begins with the author discussing the ideas behind doing band biographies, and the problems that come from doing oral histories. People have a habit of misremembering. Not out of malice, sometimes, not out of stealing praise, sometimes, but just because people forget. Golden than discusses the fact that their is an archive for the band, kept in a few rooms, one that turned out to be a treasure trove of information, shows, pictures, tapes, and more. Both an archivist's dream and nightmare. What follows is a history of the band starting with the key members. Ana da Silva was born in Madeira, an Portuguese Island. Gina Birch, was born in Nottingham England. Fate brought them together in that both attended the Hornsey College of Art in London, at a time, the mid 70's that England was coming apart. Unemployment was rampant, people were squatting in houses, which was a pressure cooker for change, and for music. Watching The Slits, a female punk band, made both want to form a band, even if instruments were a new things. Members, especially drummers came and left for a variety of reasons. Albums were made, mistakes also. By 1984 the band had broken up, and that would have been that, except that an up-and-coming musician wanted to meet the band, shared his love for them. Kurt Cobain's interest soon made the Raincoats interesting again, sparking a reunion of sorts that continues today.
A really well-written and well-researched book, with lots of photos, and lots information that doesn't only count on fading memories, but real items from the archives that Ana da Silva kept. Golden is really good at setting the scene, why punk, why reunite, why continue, without falling back on clichés. Women in music also seem to get short shrifted by biographers, even the one that profess to enjoy the band. This book does not. Golden writes honestly, not a hagiography, looking at mistakes, attitudes and reasons why problems came about, and what could have been done differently. Golden also looks at the music, and the albums, explaining parts about songs, and why certain songs sound like they do, and how labels interfered, in many ways.
A great book for music historians. Also an instructional book for woman who want to enter the music business. Not much has changed, sadly. A fun reading experience, with a great soundtrack.
Punk was never a music form I was into. The music was sloppy, the bands ugly, the people who liked it weird, and frankly I am not a fan of short songs. Working at a music store when I was older my mind was changed for many reasons. I grew up. Punk was political, punk was about living life, and living life the way you wanted to. Growing up in the suburbs of Connecticut, what did I understand about life. To me it was good. Not great, but good. As I got older, read more, and meet different people, I found that wasn't true for a lot of my fellow humans. In punk there was well not trust, but people who were angry with no way to channel it, mad, but unfocused. The music gave them community. Hope even. Especially for women. I knew a lot of female punk lovers, two of them, maybe three in bands. Were they good, not really. Did they have fun, yes really a lot. My co-worker Katrina was a punk rocker, From her I first read England Dreaming by Jon Savage, and first heard both The Slits and The Raincoats, and how cool they both were. And in the Raincoats continue to be. Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats by Audrey Golden is a history, an examination, and tour of the archives of this band, focusing not only on the members, the music and the scene, but on their impact, and all those the Raincoats influenced.
The book begins with the author discussing the ideas behind doing band biographies, and the problems that come from doing oral histories. People have a habit of misremembering. Not out of malice, sometimes, not out of stealing praise, sometimes, but just because people forget. Golden than discusses the fact that their is an archive for the band, kept in a few rooms, one that turned out to be a treasure trove of information, shows, pictures, tapes, and more. Both an archivist's dream and nightmare. What follows is a history of the band starting with the key members. Ana da Silva was born in Madeira, an Portuguese Island. Gina Birch, was born in Nottingham England. Fate brought them together in that both attended the Hornsey College of Art in London, at a time, the mid 70's that England was coming apart. Unemployment was rampant, people were squatting in houses, which was a pressure cooker for change, and for music. Watching The Slits, a female punk band, made both want to form a band, even if instruments were a new things. Members, especially drummers came and left for a variety of reasons. Albums were made, mistakes also. By 1984 the band had broken up, and that would have been that, except that an up-and-coming musician wanted to meet the band, shared his love for them. Kurt Cobain's interest soon made the Raincoats interesting again, sparking a reunion of sorts that continues today.
A really well-written and well-researched book, with lots of photos, and lots information that doesn't only count on fading memories, but real items from the archives that Ana da Silva kept. Golden is really good at setting the scene, why punk, why reunite, why continue, without falling back on clichés. Women in music also seem to get short shrifted by biographers, even the one that profess to enjoy the band. This book does not. Golden writes honestly, not a hagiography, looking at mistakes, attitudes and reasons why problems came about, and what could have been done differently. Golden also looks at the music, and the albums, explaining parts about songs, and why certain songs sound like they do, and how labels interfered, in many ways.
A great book for music historians. Also an instructional book for woman who want to enter the music business. Not much has changed, sadly. A fun reading experience, with a great soundtrack.
September 1, 2025
I love reading books about bands I love, and I certainly love the Raincoats more than most. I completely appreciate the information and the story being told. It’s important to acknowledge their importance. I will also say I walked away with a sizable list of music I need to listen to, including Ana da Silva’s solo albums and Gina Birch’s other band, the Hangovers. On the downside, as is often the case when I read rock ‘n’ roll stories, I don’t think I have much of a sense of who da Silva or Birch were as people. There was tension in the band, but what was causing it? They were strong woman, but what made them strong? I would have appreciated a little more personal information to make them come alive. Maybe this isn’t in the scope of the book, but I also would have appreciated a little more thorough analysis of their music and lyrics. I got a sense of the band’s place in punk rock and social history, but not much deeper than that. One other peeve: the separating of the band into three lives made my perspective feel a little left out. I discovered the Raincoats in the mid 80s,after they broke up but before the whole Riot Grrrl thing. I was not alone. I first heard them on a mixed tape someone from Chicago gave me. I moved to Atlanta where I bought Moving on vinyl. People knew about them there. I guess what I’m saying is that jumping from London and New York during punk and new wave times and picking up in the 90s in the Pacific Northwest leaves out perspectives. And speaking of Moving, I don’t think it was given its full due. It was a great album and is what turned me into a fan. Richard Dudanski’s contributions were super important and Avidoso, I’m sorry, is a great song that shouldn’t have just been cut from the reissue. I think there’s more to the story there than the book lets on. My other issues are more technical. I really don’t like how only first names were used to tell about various people. It was very hard to look them up and remember out who they were. An index would have helped. I don’t want to be a negative reviewer though. It’s an achievement, and it’s important to tell about these influential bands that most people know nothing about, especially bands run by women.
October 28, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.
Audrey Golden’s Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats is a fiercely intelligent, emotionally resonant tribute to a band that defied convention—and her narration makes it feel like a personal conversation with punk history itself.
This audiobook isn’t just a biography—it’s a reclamation. Golden traces the evolution of The Raincoats, the radical British post-punk band formed in 1977, through three distinct “lives”: their early anarchic rise, their mid-career reawakening, and their enduring legacy in feminist and queer music circles. What emerges is a portrait not just of a band, but of a movement—one that challenged gender norms, musical expectations, and the very structure of the industry.
Golden’s writing is meticulously researched yet emotionally intuitive. She doesn’t just recount events; she interprets them, weaving in cultural context, personal anecdotes, and reflections on art, resistance, and identity. The Raincoats’ story is told through the lens of their music, their friendships, and their defiance of commercial polish. It’s a celebration of imperfection as power.
As narrator, Golden brings a quiet authority to the text. Her voice is clear, warm, and deliberate—never performative, always sincere. There’s a subtle intimacy in her delivery, as if she’s guiding the listener through a gallery of sonic rebellion. She knows when to linger on a phrase, when to let silence speak, and when to let emotion rise. This dual role—author and narrator—creates a rare cohesion between voice and vision.
What makes this audiobook especially compelling is its refusal to flatten The Raincoats into a single narrative. Instead, Golden embraces their contradictions: art school punks who didn’t know how to play, feminist icons who resisted labels, DIY pioneers who inspired Nirvana and Sonic Youth. The book pulses with the energy of their music—raw, unpredictable, and deeply human.
For listeners drawn to music history, feminist art, or stories of creative resistance, Shouting Out Loud is essential.
Audrey Golden’s Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats is a fiercely intelligent, emotionally resonant tribute to a band that defied convention—and her narration makes it feel like a personal conversation with punk history itself.
This audiobook isn’t just a biography—it’s a reclamation. Golden traces the evolution of The Raincoats, the radical British post-punk band formed in 1977, through three distinct “lives”: their early anarchic rise, their mid-career reawakening, and their enduring legacy in feminist and queer music circles. What emerges is a portrait not just of a band, but of a movement—one that challenged gender norms, musical expectations, and the very structure of the industry.
Golden’s writing is meticulously researched yet emotionally intuitive. She doesn’t just recount events; she interprets them, weaving in cultural context, personal anecdotes, and reflections on art, resistance, and identity. The Raincoats’ story is told through the lens of their music, their friendships, and their defiance of commercial polish. It’s a celebration of imperfection as power.
As narrator, Golden brings a quiet authority to the text. Her voice is clear, warm, and deliberate—never performative, always sincere. There’s a subtle intimacy in her delivery, as if she’s guiding the listener through a gallery of sonic rebellion. She knows when to linger on a phrase, when to let silence speak, and when to let emotion rise. This dual role—author and narrator—creates a rare cohesion between voice and vision.
What makes this audiobook especially compelling is its refusal to flatten The Raincoats into a single narrative. Instead, Golden embraces their contradictions: art school punks who didn’t know how to play, feminist icons who resisted labels, DIY pioneers who inspired Nirvana and Sonic Youth. The book pulses with the energy of their music—raw, unpredictable, and deeply human.
For listeners drawn to music history, feminist art, or stories of creative resistance, Shouting Out Loud is essential.
July 17, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced listening copy of Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats by Audrey Golden. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts about this book.
This was an eye opener into a cornerstone of punk music that I was wholly unfamiliar. I have always associated punk music with loud and usually angry music, shouted through dented microphones at rowdy crowds (not a criticism, I love punk!). It still is that but hearing of the experimental side of coin was a wholly new way to think about Punk, not just as a genre, but as a continual subversion of expectations through art. This book was a love letter to The Raincoats, assembled with personally held archival items of the band members, spoken word recollections, and other media along the way. The author went to great lengths to assemble a tapestry of stories and moments that shined a light on the impact of The Raincoats.
It is stated as fact that this band was (and is) responsible for influencing hundreds (if not thousands) of people who went on to peruse notable careers in music. As I had never heard of this band, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. At multiple points during this listen, I stopped to turn on one of the albums / tracks referenced to engage with the material. I'll admit, I struggled to connect with the music through the lens of how I have understood 'Punk'. Yes, it is 'rough around the edges' and politically charged and subversive and challenges societal norms (and even the notion of how music can be played). But I have yet to connect with in the way the book lays out as its foundational importance to this era music. As such, I felt like the 'higher version' of this specific art is 'not for me' even if it is the direct influencer of art that is. I do plan to sit down with the lyrics and listen with intent, now that I know more of their story to see if I can crack into what resonated with so many great artists. For now, I am looking through a window at a show in progress.
This was an eye opener into a cornerstone of punk music that I was wholly unfamiliar. I have always associated punk music with loud and usually angry music, shouted through dented microphones at rowdy crowds (not a criticism, I love punk!). It still is that but hearing of the experimental side of coin was a wholly new way to think about Punk, not just as a genre, but as a continual subversion of expectations through art. This book was a love letter to The Raincoats, assembled with personally held archival items of the band members, spoken word recollections, and other media along the way. The author went to great lengths to assemble a tapestry of stories and moments that shined a light on the impact of The Raincoats.
It is stated as fact that this band was (and is) responsible for influencing hundreds (if not thousands) of people who went on to peruse notable careers in music. As I had never heard of this band, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. At multiple points during this listen, I stopped to turn on one of the albums / tracks referenced to engage with the material. I'll admit, I struggled to connect with the music through the lens of how I have understood 'Punk'. Yes, it is 'rough around the edges' and politically charged and subversive and challenges societal norms (and even the notion of how music can be played). But I have yet to connect with in the way the book lays out as its foundational importance to this era music. As such, I felt like the 'higher version' of this specific art is 'not for me' even if it is the direct influencer of art that is. I do plan to sit down with the lyrics and listen with intent, now that I know more of their story to see if I can crack into what resonated with so many great artists. For now, I am looking through a window at a show in progress.
December 16, 2025
Shouting Out Loud is much more than just a biography - it's a whole honor of what British "punk" (quotes because they are so much more than punk) band The Raincoats meant to not just music as a whole, but also visual art and queercore and a whole SLEW of things that I frankly just wasn't aware of! If it seems long... it's worth it. There's a ton of information here - interviews, cultural tie-ins from music to pamphlets to involvement in museums - and it all felt so very integral to the story of The Raincoats that I didn't feel any section really dragged or I could have skimmed over/done without. Audrey Golden really did FANTASTIC work gathering up this rich history and putting it together in a way that's truly accessible for old fans and total newbies (me) alike-- seriously.
While I listened to the book, I want to go check out a copy to see any photographic or other visual reproductions that you can't get in audio as The Raincoats aren't a sound-only sort of band. It was fascinating to hear just how deep their influence went for a band that wasn't really around all that long and had such a limited number of original recordings. But! The narration (by the author herself!) was fantastic and relatable and I found myself looking forward to getting back to listening to it... even though audiobooks aren't even my favorite medium generally, and while I love self-read memoirs... books that are written AND read by the author generally don't go as well as this one, so many kudos!
There's so much to further research after reading this book just for my own fun, and the strength and ingenuity of these women (some queer, some not) that made up the different incarnations of The Raincoats over the years is so inspiring - as we know, women in music (especially rock) and arts need to work so much harder!!
This book is definitely one of those, "I was unfamiliar with you before I started reading this and now I love you??"
Thank you to Hatchette Audio/Da Capo and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review!
While I listened to the book, I want to go check out a copy to see any photographic or other visual reproductions that you can't get in audio as The Raincoats aren't a sound-only sort of band. It was fascinating to hear just how deep their influence went for a band that wasn't really around all that long and had such a limited number of original recordings. But! The narration (by the author herself!) was fantastic and relatable and I found myself looking forward to getting back to listening to it... even though audiobooks aren't even my favorite medium generally, and while I love self-read memoirs... books that are written AND read by the author generally don't go as well as this one, so many kudos!
There's so much to further research after reading this book just for my own fun, and the strength and ingenuity of these women (some queer, some not) that made up the different incarnations of The Raincoats over the years is so inspiring - as we know, women in music (especially rock) and arts need to work so much harder!!
This book is definitely one of those, "I was unfamiliar with you before I started reading this and now I love you??"
Thank you to Hatchette Audio/Da Capo and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review!
July 16, 2025
With a foreword from Greil Marcus, we know we're in for a serious read. Meticulously researched, Golden lays out the history of The Raincoats in three distinct sections, paralleling three separate arcs the band took. From their art school days, squatting in London flats, seeing the first shows of The Sex Pistols and hanging out with the big names of punk, Ana da Silva and Gina Birch were pioneers themselves. With their "we can do that" ethos they made it happen. They learned along the way, had members come and go, were in the right (squat) place at the right time, recorded an EP and then an album, sounding like nobody else. I listened to a lot of their music when reading this and every song made me smile.
Golden puts them in the context of the scene. It's not only a history of The Raincoats, but of the punk scene itself. Then in their second arc, when an independent radio station started playing their music in Olympia, Washington, and the rest is more history. That wave includes Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, and of course Kurt Cubain and Courtney Love - Nirvana and Hole. "Riot Grrrl" Fairy Godmothers.
With their artistic backgrounds, Ana and Gina were involved in their album designs, posters, clothes, and eventually video. Those strengths play out in the third arc.
To call The Raincoats influential is an understatement. To call Shouting Out Loud a band biography is an understatement. This is a history made possible by the depth of material collected and preserved, a genuine archive project that cements these women's places in music history.
The generous number of photos included enhance the trip down memory lane. And it was funny. I think there are around 42 headings that read the same thing: "The Raincoats Need A Drummer". That happened a lot.
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing | Da Capo for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 7/15/2025)
Golden puts them in the context of the scene. It's not only a history of The Raincoats, but of the punk scene itself. Then in their second arc, when an independent radio station started playing their music in Olympia, Washington, and the rest is more history. That wave includes Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, and of course Kurt Cubain and Courtney Love - Nirvana and Hole. "Riot Grrrl" Fairy Godmothers.
With their artistic backgrounds, Ana and Gina were involved in their album designs, posters, clothes, and eventually video. Those strengths play out in the third arc.
To call The Raincoats influential is an understatement. To call Shouting Out Loud a band biography is an understatement. This is a history made possible by the depth of material collected and preserved, a genuine archive project that cements these women's places in music history.
The generous number of photos included enhance the trip down memory lane. And it was funny. I think there are around 42 headings that read the same thing: "The Raincoats Need A Drummer". That happened a lot.
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing | Da Capo for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 7/15/2025)
July 23, 2025
This was my introduction to the Raincoats. I just wasn't cool enough, or in the know enough to know. Now I do. It is funny how books arrive all at once. This paired nicely with Yoko's biography as well. I would highly recommend them both. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
July 25, 2025
An interesting approach in which the book centers on the band, but also widens that focus to include those bands and artists they inspired.
November 6, 2025
extremely well researched but awfully rah rah for a biography and burdened with extraneous detail, background and ephemera.
August 4, 2025
What a fantastic tribute to the relationships and artifacts that defined a specific corner of punk history. As a person who loves the Punk Rock Museum, this was perfection. It felt like the guided tours that (literally) cost at least 5 times the cost of this hardcover. This is a reminder of how important it is to keep an organized archive and to keep in touch with your friends.
There were some times in the audio that the transition from background discussion to interview portions were a bit unclear, but overall the narration here sounded so giddily engaged that it was a pleasure to listen to.
The Raincoats may be my new favorite band, tbh.
Audio ARC provided by NetGalley.
There were some times in the audio that the transition from background discussion to interview portions were a bit unclear, but overall the narration here sounded so giddily engaged that it was a pleasure to listen to.
The Raincoats may be my new favorite band, tbh.
Audio ARC provided by NetGalley.
July 12, 2025
Thanks NetGalley for this audiobook. It was a very interesting insight into the working lives of The Raincoats, how they became the band they did, and how they’ve continued through to today. Lots of information about who was involved in their band life.
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