Just last month, BFF's DJ ShortyRock from WTFIFL (Whatever The Fuck I Feel Like) hosted two members from the Oakland queer punk band, The Furious Tits to plug their favorite local bands, discuss punk ethos, and their take on the rise of fascism in the country.

Tune into the episode and others like it here to listen for yourself!

As a queer punk band in the Bay Area, The Furious Tits are well known as an outspoken, politically active voice for feminism and fighting fascist ideals. The band’s inception began early into the pandemic, when Zoe Young found herself writing punk songs in the shower. Shortly after, Miju Han, a new parent at the time, “came out” to Zoe as a bassist after ten years of putting down the instrument and feeling the need to return to the expressive outlet. Since then, the band has carved their spot in the local scene with angst and a sense of urgency for political engagement. The two joined DJ ShortyRock on the BFF radio show WTFIFL and shared pieces of local queer history that situate the queer punk scene within the Bay Area's extensive queer history.

In the episode, Miju and Zoe share details about the upcoming show at the notorious 924 Gilman Street venue in Berkeley—a venue known for its nonhierarchical structure and home to a myriad of young punks, zine makers, and DIYers for decades. Shortly after the episode, they played Gilman with the drag-fronted band out of Chicago, Bev Rage and the Drinks, and with the well-known Bay Area queer legends the Homobiles. Homobiles, fronted by Lynn Breedlove, is another great example of the longstanding presence of queer angst in the Bay Area. The following are some lyrics from a Homobiles song, hand selected for the episode.

"It’s come around again, the fascists on the rise

It’s time for all good queers to truly organize

Our people are in cages and sleepin’ on the street

And some are puttin’ handcuffs on ones

with no’n to eat"

-Which Side Are You On by Homobiles

Throughout the discussion, it becomes evident that the playlist selected by Zoe and Miju is an intentional spotlight on queer voices throughout time. Through expressive rage, queer punk bands for the last several decades have used their platforms to express the complexity of queerness in a landscape that increasingly feels uncertain, threatening and conformist. In the episode, Zoe Young states:

“This is what art is - it’s a way to express what is happening and our response to what is happening to us.”

The episode playlist features rage songs that range between the 1970s to modern punk bands. A few standouts include the Homobiles, whose lyrics strike a particularly relevant chord today (as seen above), The Rubinoos, Iggy and the Stooges, Bikini Kill, Bev Rage and the Drinks, and several of the Furious Tits songs throughout. Track #3 in the lineup was Desperate Pleasure by the Furious Tits, which stood out as a track to add to my own regular rotation. Bev Rage, a 7-foot tall drag performer, brings a great garage punk energy to the collection presented in the episode. Take a listen for yourself.

As the episode comes to a close, Zoe and Miju talk about their love for the country and the heart behind their lyrically expressed concerns with the current political climate.

“This moment has rebranded me as a patriot. Because the love of country over the love of self means fighting for what you love. And the ideals that this country is based on - they’re really lovely. And they’re made to protect all of us. That’s what we’re kind of fighting for right now. The ideals…The ethos that they [originally] talked about is what I believe in. I realize with all that is happening lately...it’s because I want the country to live up to the ideals that I see...let’s really do what lives up to the myth of America.

...talking shit about your country -- that’s patriotic.”

The Furious Tits are local to the Bay Area music scene. Check out their website here, follow them in Instagram here, and check out their most recent performance video on Youtube below: