Piss Factory

New York’s Piss Factory drew its moniker from Patti Smith’s first single and delivered a straightforward strain of gritty, female-fronted alternative rock. Frontwoman and bassist Lizzie Avondet combined a riot-grrrl edge with poised swagger in her vocals, prompting comparisons both to Hole and L7 and, in Avondet’s own case, to Siouxsie Sioux and Johnette Napolitano. Finnish-born guitarist Harri Kupiainen shared six-string duties with Paul Eng while Andy Markham handled drums. Relativity Records issued the band’s self-titled debut in 1993; the EP I Melt appeared the following year. After Piss Factory dissolved, Avondet and Kupiainen both entered Emma Peel, whose sole album, Play Emma for Me, surfaced in 1995. Avondet later collaborated with her husband, former Leaving Trains guitarist Bobby Belltower.