Shouting Out Loud
Lives of The Raincoats
Published on 31. July 2025
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-3996-2486-2 (ISBN)
Description
'A must-read about these punk trailblazers' KATHLEEN HANNA
Art students Gina Birch and Ana da Silva formed The Raincoats in 1977. Since the release of their seminal early records, the 'godmothers of grunge' have been revered by punk, queer, feminist and indie pop artists alike. The Raincoats reimagined the nature of experimental music and DIY design and went on to inspire Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and an entire generation of Riot Grrrl and queercore musicians.
Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats tells their astonishing story in three extraordinary lives. In The Raincoats' first life, they recorded three full-length albums now regarded as classics and were the first punk band to play behind the Iron Curtain in Warsaw. Nearly a decade later in 1992, the band's second life took off when Kurt Cobain's love of the band catalysed their renaissance.
In 2001, The Raincoats emerged from their five-year hiatus into their third and ongoing iteration marked by performances in art museums such as New York's MoMA, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and London's National Portrait Gallery. The Raincoats have and continue to be a singular phenomenon and influence for so many.
Featuring exclusive interviews and never-before-seen images from The Raincoats' archive, Shouting Out Loud is the ultimate, authorised biography of this pioneering group of women - and the must-have account of a legendary band that holds a vital place in twentieth and twenty-first century sonic history.
Art students Gina Birch and Ana da Silva formed The Raincoats in 1977. Since the release of their seminal early records, the 'godmothers of grunge' have been revered by punk, queer, feminist and indie pop artists alike. The Raincoats reimagined the nature of experimental music and DIY design and went on to inspire Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and an entire generation of Riot Grrrl and queercore musicians.
Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats tells their astonishing story in three extraordinary lives. In The Raincoats' first life, they recorded three full-length albums now regarded as classics and were the first punk band to play behind the Iron Curtain in Warsaw. Nearly a decade later in 1992, the band's second life took off when Kurt Cobain's love of the band catalysed their renaissance.
In 2001, The Raincoats emerged from their five-year hiatus into their third and ongoing iteration marked by performances in art museums such as New York's MoMA, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and London's National Portrait Gallery. The Raincoats have and continue to be a singular phenomenon and influence for so many.
Featuring exclusive interviews and never-before-seen images from The Raincoats' archive, Shouting Out Loud is the ultimate, authorised biography of this pioneering group of women - and the must-have account of a legendary band that holds a vital place in twentieth and twenty-first century sonic history.
Reviews / Votes
The Raincoats have inspired generations of experimental artists. In this fantastic book, Audrey Golden transports us from the band's inception in the late 1970s into the twenty-first century with archival images, fresh interviews and attention to historical detail. A must-read about these punk trailblazers -- KATHLEEN HANNA The Raincoats will always exemplify the essence of punk rock integrity: resistance, raw creativity, intellectual intrigue and blissful bloodymindedness. Audrey Golden has captured the feeling of young artists changing the rules and subsequently the world -- THURSTON MOORE The Raincoats redefined punk, making music that promoted feminism and experimentation. While writing this book, Audrey Golden discovered Ana's extensive archive, turning the project into a collaborative act of preservation. Through personal interviews and cultural history, Shouting Out Loud captures the band's DIY ethos, feminist legacy and lasting influence. With the spirit of openness that has always defined them, The Raincoats supported this experiment - just as they have always embraced the radical potential of the unexpected -- PATTY SCHEMEL Among the personalities that punk rock revealed, none are more striking than the young women who created The Raincoats and their lasting legacy. Awkward, angry, witty and wild, the band combined punk energy, creative originality and fierce social commentary to challenge and change presumptions of what 'girls' and women should do and be. In this exciting book, they describe how and why they did it, what they were up against and how they survived -- Caroline Coon Shouting Out Loud is very clearly a labour of love . . . a testament to how art changes people's lives, and how in turn that changes and inspires the artists themselves. It's easily one of the key music books of the year . . . to read it is to be reminded anew of the sheer power and originality of The Raincoats' music * OUTSIDE LEFT *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
692 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3996-2486-2 (9781399624862)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2025
White Rabbit
€16.99
Available for download
Person
Audrey Golden is a writer whose work focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. She is the author of I Thought I Heard You Speak: Women at Factory Records (2023), and her writing has appeared in Maggot Brain, The Quietus, Guardian, Gusher, American Book Review, Louder Than War, DIVA magazine, and other publications.