CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 146: BLOODS ON CONFRONTING AUSTRALIA'S ONGOING FEMICIDE CRISIS

Interview by Brooke Gibbs

Bloods return with renewed urgency and purpose, pairing the long-awaited digital reissue of their debut EP Golden Fang with a powerful new single, All My Friends. More than a decade on from the EP’s original release, the band revisits their formative years while stepping firmly into the present, using their platform to confront Australia’s ongoing femicide crisis with both tenderness and defiance.

Lead singer MC reflects on channeling grief and frustration into a song that celebrates the quiet, everyday brilliance of women, revisiting the raw beginnings of Bloods, and embracing punk not just as a sound, but as a stance - one rooted in community, resilience, and the fight for respect and safety.

FMM: All My Friends was written in response to the ongoing femicide crisis in Australia. What conversations or experiences pushed you to turn this topic into a song?

MC: It’s impossible to ignore the horrific statistics around men’s violence against women in this country. It felt like an outlet for me to share my point of view at a time I was feeling quite helpless about it all. My intention was to highlight the joy and value women bring to this world in their everyday moments. Everyone deserves respect and safety.

FMM: You originally released Golden Fang in 2013, and now it's finally arriving on streaming services. What does it feel like revisiting that era of the band more than a decade later?

MC: It’s been really cool reflecting on it all. At the time of recording this EP, we’d been a band for about six months. We’d also just learned how to play our instruments to start the band. The genuine fun we were having at the time rings through these recordings, I think. There have been lots of laughs in remembering.

FMM: When you listen back to Golden Fang now, do you hear the band you were then, or the band you were becoming?

MC: Definitely the band we were becoming. At the start of the band, we were writing super rudimental songs as a result of our skill level. On songs like Language and Back to You, you can hear we were becoming way more confident in our playing and arranging. 

FMM: BLOODS stood out early on as a female-led punk band fronted by two women of colour in a scene that was often overwhelmingly male. How did that shape your experience in the Australian music scene?

MC: We always had a “You can’t be what you can’t see” mentality. I think our perspective came through in our lyricism and the sweet touches like harmonies and ooohs that peppered the music. We were always slightly outside the “scene,” but it didn’t bother us as we lived in our own bubble of friendship that made it all so fun.

FMM: Your music has appeared in shows like Babes, The Last Word, and Grown-ish. What's it like hearing your songs take on a new life in film and television?

MC: Oh, it’s undoubtedly been the most thrilling thing ever! A personal highlight of my entire song writing career was to hear our song, Thinking Of You Thinking Of Me, something I wrote sitting on my bed in my bedroom, close the movie, Babes! I’m a HUGE Broad City fan and I think Ilana Glazer is a genius, so a huge compliment to be associated with anything she’s touched!

FMM: All My Friends carries a strong social message, but still feels very human and intimate. How do you balance activism with storytelling and songwriting?

MC: I write from my perspective. I think the balance in this song I was trying to strike was to paint a portrait of humanity while still making a point that women deserve equal rights. I wanted to write something that turned the rage I was feeling into a cry for respect and dignity by making the topic relatable - we all have women we love who inspire us, make us laugh, have cool interests, etc! 

FMM: Punk has always been a genre that speaks truth to power. What do you think punk's role is in today's music landscape?

MC: Punk’s role has always been to hold a mirror up to society. I think it’s more than a sound - it’s an attitude and standing for something. To me, I see bands like Kneecap or Bad Bunny and hear the punk spirit. 

FMM: After more than a decade since Golden Fang, what feels different about being in BLOODS now compared to when the band first started?

MC: I think we are all in such a different stage of life now, so that would be the main difference! Most of us have had kids, though we still stay close! Sweetie and I went to Puerto Rico together last year - the first time we’ve travelled together and not been on tour! It’s wild how easy it was to get along, but I guess when you spend  weeks straight in a bus, sharing a bed etc over years and years, you’re gonna travel well together! 

FMM: If someone discovers BLOODS through All My Friends, what do you hope they take away from the song?

MC: Hopefully it fires them up and reminds them to tell their friends how much they love them and will continue to fight and advocate for their safety!

FMM: All My Friends celebrates the quiet strength in the women around you; the small human moments that often go unnoticed. If you had to write a verse about the women who shaped you as an artist, what tiny everyday moments would make it into that song? 

MC: Honestly, there are so many women I know and admire who have helped shape me as an artist, but if I had to pick one, I’d pick my mum’s resilience and belief in me. The fact she taught me to follow my dreams and stick up for myself and those I love without fear.

FMM: If someone had never heard your music before and you could only play them one song while driving at night with the windows down, which song would it be and why?

MC: Probably All My Friends because I feel like it says everything about us as a band!