An audacious and daredevil band: the Surfrajettes reviewed

For most people – once Brian Wilson had turned his back on the sea and started off down the lonely road to genius – surf music means either (or both) of two things: the Surfaris’ ‘Wipeout’ or Dick Dale’s ‘Misirlou’. Punchy, propulsive tunes, in other words, that make you feel like you’re on your way to the toughest party in town, or at least very much on your way to something – always driving forward, fast. The Surfrajettes are like that; their version of the Spice Girls’ ‘Spice Up Your Life’ is a revelation, turning an inoffensive (if admittedly banging) global dancefloor-filler into something that could plausibly soundtrack a rumble in a pool hall. 

It was a cover that first brought them to public notice in 2018, when their winningly slinky take on Britney Spears’s ‘Toxic’ went viral (as of this writing, 7.2m YouTube views). But most of what they do is original material, even if it sounds like it isn’t.