Real Sounds Feature
PUSHY PUSHY PUSHY - Video Interview
By Real Sounds
We had a wonderful time with Ania and Flo from PUShY PUShY PUShY ! PUShY PUShY PUShY is a London-based band pioneering Postpartum Punk - a new music genre and movement. With two fresh mothers upfront and 3 sound candies on guitar, bass and drums, the band has been wowing audiences with powerful anthems and refreshing hooks. Their sound sits at the wild frontier where punk and cabaret meet, spiced up by interactive rituals, ASMR props, and unrefined stand-up between songs. Ready to push...
We had a wonderful time with Ania and Flo from PUShY PUShY PUShY !
PUShY PUShY PUShY is a London-based band pioneering Postpartum Punk - a new music genre and movement. With two fresh mothers upfront and 3 sound candies on guitar, bass and drums, the band has been wowing audiences with powerful anthems and refreshing hooks. Their sound sits at the wild frontier where punk and cabaret meet, spiced up by interactive rituals, ASMR props, and unrefined stand-up between songs. Ready to push audiences into a new era of punk with gems such as 'Feed The Ticks', 'Filthy Old Man' and ‘True Love, Always Wins.’
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Transcript
Hello, my name is Flo. And my name is Ania. And we are PUShY PUShY PUShY. Welcome to Real.
Thank you so much to both of you for being here today and coming to Real for this interview. My first question, where does the name PUShY PUShY PUShY come from and how was the band created? Why did you create the band?
They need to be answered in reverse order.
Oh, okay.
Yes. That's correct. We've been through quite a few different names and also there were names before I joined so I feel like you should start with how the band started. The truth is, we were doing music, but like on GarageBand here and there and then we gave birth and this is where the proper inspiration came from. And suddenly there was interest, there were gigs, there were interviews, things started happening for us. Yeah, but I guess when we first met, we met in a bar, me and Ania, and Ania was already making music with Andrew, who's the lead guitarist. And George, who's the bass guitarist. And yeah, Ania said, I'm kind of in a joke band, like I'm in a, we have a joke band. They said, I'm a joke flautist. And so we felt it was a match made in heaven. And then we started making music. But as Ania says, it was kind of after giving birth that we started to we felt there was nothing else that we could possibly do to kind of escape the nursery. We must become punk stars. And so the band really took a serious form in our lives. To save ourselves, our mental health, but also to like share with the world. When I met, when I met you and Andrew and George, you were called Ania and the Amateurs, which is also why I resonated with it. And with the band in general. And then we were making new music together. So we were like, we have to find a new name as this incarnation of the band. And we went through, we, we, it was a, it was a journey. It was a journey. We went through a lot of different names. Can we share some of the names?
Yeah, please do so.
Yes. We were called at some point Two Pussies Deep. But while it really represented our feminine and feminist values, we were getting the wrong type of audience. One live stream had people, I think they came for sexual reasons, pornographic. So we did not want to have that type of vibe. Our emails that we were sending out were going straight into junk.
I see.
Exactly. So we were like, we need to change this name. So we were thinking about the word Pussy, but also motherhood, pushing, and also, by nature, we're both very pushy. It gives us license to be pushy. So pushy, pushy, pushy was born. We played with the idea of it being pushy, pushy, but like in magic, when you make incantations, you say things three times. So in the spirit of Hermes, we are pushy, pushy, pushy. And also as our guitarist says, it sounds cute.
Cool.
Like you say pushy, pushy, pushy, it's not hard to say. It's like, oh, well done, I've said something nice, smiling. You force yourself to smile and actually you're happy.
Oh, that's really cool.
So just seeing our name written or saying it makes people happy.
What's a major red flag for both of you, if you want to, Anya, go first and then.
Red flag? Yeah, red flag. It can be with like relationship, it can be with even motherhood. Red flag like, is it an answer or is it between us? As in, as in, no, as in a red flag, as in, if you see something that's a major, like no situation or no, like in a relationship, like, or if somebody is too something, I don't know. I don't know because it's good to have like everything in life? Yeah. We're incorporating like, like motherhoods, like, like, like the washing machine of bad and good things? I don't know if there's any red flags. I actually agree with that answer. When, when you ask that question, it's like in our bands, I mean, there's all sorts of characters and all sorts of different types of ways of operating, from the selfless to I think we all move from being selfless to highly ego, ego driven in one second of the day. So, I mean, I think everyone's allowed to be everything. Mm. Yeah I've actually, I love that. We need to work on our boundaries. Maybe, maybe, maybe. We need to work on our boundaries. But boundaries are not red flags. I guess that's the red flag is way before you assert the boundary. It's the sign. But pushing the boundary, we're about pushing the boundaries and kind of We're waving the flags. We're waving those flags. Actually, red, the next album name could be red flag. I like it. Maybe. Oh. Also, think about the period, the red flag. And the white flag, but red. Yeah, the red flag. Oh, did I, did we just come up with our album name? We just recorded our album, an album. Yeah. That's actually our debut album. And we, we had a working title for a long time. But, but it might change. To red flag. To red flag. Oh, why? That's great. Because we in our performances, we like it to be interactive and visual, visual. So, imagine the audience just waving the red flags. That would be great. That's great. In like the Japanese culture, they have, they wave like those glow sticks for you could be the red flags that they're waving. Yeah. And you've got the kind of communist. Yeah. Regime that, that Anya was born into. It works. It's a part of our cultural history. It's pushy, pushy, pushy. Yeah. And we all into reversing things. So like we kind of, usually people, when they become parents, they stop their musical careers. We started it. And we're promoting the feline feminine energies we're placing angry men on coke and vodka and music industry. So we'll be welcoming the red flags? Red flags actually could be a symbol of something positive. Yeah.
That is a great answer. Thank you so much.
We're reclaiming the red flag. Yes.
So going on that line, what do you want to convey through your music? What do you want them to take from your music and your story?
I think the best thing anyone's ever said who's been at a gig, to me, was, I felt free and if you can do it, I can do it. So I think for me, it's like, or I think it's giving people permission to release their inner child and just go for it and know very little shame, let go of the shame, release the shame and just be your imperfect self. Yeah. So people say they feel like children again, they feel like a child again. So we kind of midwife the audience into the freedom.
Cool. Yeah, that's great. And how do you think motherhood helped you in doing that? Like how, how did that empower you?
Makes you desperate. So you stop thinking about how you might come across, you just do things and just kind of see what sticks. And before you just think maybe this, maybe that. And then if you have nappies, nursing and so on, you just think like, okay, let's do this and we'll see. You care a bit less, but then you have more of a connection with everything: universe, planets, people. You have less time, you just have to jump in. You're covered in food, you haven't slept, and it doesn't matter. So it's in the spirit of just jumping in. And actually I do think that since we became mothers, we have more of a message to share because I feel more primal. Before I was more cerebral and now we're channeling this primal knowledge and giving people a connection to something. I think also for me, because a lot of the messaging and culture is that when you become a mum, your creative life is over and you don't have any time for that, fighting against that motivates you. You get more fire in the belly to push against any kind of denial of your creative spirit. Exactly.
So hopefully you will be inspiration for other parents to be creative and to get out there.
Yeah, share their talents.
That's great. How would you describe your music? Is it like, what genre does it fit in? Does it fit a genre or do you have your own genre?
We have our own genre.
How would you describe it?
Postpartum punk. Yeah. That sums it up. That's the genre. Yeah. The sound is like, someone said, if, if, if, if the Who and Kate Bush had a love child. So that makes sense to me. Yeah. It's kind of, there's a, there's like, in terms of the vibes we bring, like, Anya is bringing a very, I guess, like, that your lyrics are amazing, the storytelling, and there's a kind of, I know you said you've got into the primal energy, but I feel a cerebral energy there. And then I kind of bring a bit more of an ethereal kind of, and then the band, like the rest of the bandmates are incredible. Mm. So. In the description. It's playful and hopefully also moving. Playful, psychedelic, punk, leather pop. Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah
If you could gain a new skill or ability instantly, what would it be and why?
Just forcing people to listen to our music. That is, Because it's good, everyone. Maybe just China. Yeah So I was just literally about to say, we, we sync up. I was about to say, like, speaking Mandarin. So. Yeah.
Really?
Yeah.
Why, why Mandarin?
China's, China's the next stop for us. We know that.
Wow.
And we want to, of course, we represent the motherhood, feminine, primal, but we want to be on trend with everything that's happening. And obviously, China has got a lot to say. So we would like to collaborate with them and help them maybe change their, mindset a little bit? No, but no, we said not to bring in a thing colonial and we're not here to change anyone. Maybe we can reclaim colonialism. Maybe we can do some kind of pushy chakra colonialism. Where everybody has to connect their pelvis to the universe. This type of thing. Just like, I don't know, colonialism. I'm wearing, I'm waving a red flag. No, skip that. Skip that. No colonialism. Yeah. We're not, they wouldn't have to change anyone's mind. Well, we're pushy. So there's a fine, there's a fine line there. There's a fine line there, I know. But yeah, no colonialism, no. Like, just kind of gentle push. Pushy. Yeah, we're like, consensually pushy. Pushy. Pushy-ism. Pushy-ism. Pushy-ism. Push certain kind of vibrations and mindsets onto people. Slowly. Baby push, being a push. Yes, yes. So we just like this inconspicuous mothers with the pronouns, but actually, we're getting into people's minds. Yeah. And people will be humming their songs, our songs, before they know.
What's the best piece of advice you took from like your experience or that you think could help another musician or other musicians out there?
Oh. You never know what's going to happen. Because like, we met at a bar and we were just like, we're both like joke musicians. But somehow I had taken my joke flute seriously enough to record myself making some crazy performances. So I had some stuff to send Ania. So if you, whatever it is, just, there's that fine, like you don't know where it's going to take you. So honor each step of the way. For some reason, the advice comes to mind is advice about motherhood, not advice about music. And it's the, the mother, the advice is a happy mother is a happy baby. So basically, like, this is a motivation for us too. For me at least. That's why music keeps me sane and I'm a good mother. I think coincidence happened to us, but I wouldn't advise anyone to have children. I mean, it's a good experience, but like, there are so many happy people without children, especially women, like, the children really put you in a difficult position. And us being, making music, like for me at least, is a bit of like, coming from like,…