Pussy Galore

Pussy Galore may not have originated noise rock, yet the group fundamentally altered how numerous musicians conceived of channeling raw sonic disorder into structured sound. Whereas earlier acts drawn to noise typically operated from an intellectual framework, a conceptual agenda, or both, this band instead pursued sheer sonic abrasion purely for its own sake, constructing deliberately crude and loosely executed material rooted in 1960s garage punk, raw blues forms, and successive waves of defiant rock performers—above all the Rolling Stones—unified by an uncomplicated yet forceful intent to irritate every listener within range, including sympathetic ones.

The band came together in Washington, D.C., during 1985 when vocalist-guitarist Jon Spencer, vocalist-guitarist Julia Cafritz, and drummer John Hammill joined forces; additional percussionists often contributed by striking metal objects. To heighten the auditory assault, the trio dispensed with a bassist altogether, and within months of their formation they entered a modest studio to lay down their first 7", the Feel Good About Your Body EP, issued on their own Shove Records imprint in January 1986. Several months afterward they returned with the 12" Groovy Hate Fuck EP, which brought third guitarist Neil Hagerty into the fold. The cover image for that release was taken by emerging photographer Cristina Martinez, whose work caught Spencer’s attention and soon led her to join on guitar and organ even though she lacked prior musical training—hardly an unusual circumstance among the group’s members.

Song titles such as “Teen Pussy Power,” “You Look Like a Jew,” and “Fuck You, Ian MacKaye,” combined with the group’s frantic, abrasive style, quickly drew attention; after sharply dividing the D.C. scene, the band decamped to New York City in pursuit of wider reach. Drummer Hammill chose to remain behind, so ex-Sonic Youth timekeeper Bob Bert stepped in. Upon hearing rumors—later disproven—that Sonic Youth planned to record a track-by-track version of the Beatles’ White Album, Pussy Galore preemptively produced their own rough, lo-fi take on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., released as a limited cassette edition of just 550 copies that nonetheless generated substantial press coverage.

New York independent label Buy Our Records next partnered with the band on the early-1987 EP Pussy Gold 5000. Shortly thereafter the group traveled to Chicago to track their debut full-length album under the supervision of fellow provocateur Steve Albini, resulting in Pussy Galore, Right Now!, which Caroline Records released in September 1987. Neil Hagerty and Cristina Martinez both sat out the 1988 Sugarshit Sharp EP sessions, yet Hagerty returned—now alongside second guitarist Kurt Wolf—for 1989’s Dial ’M’ for Motherfucker. Momentum was waning, however: Julia Cafritz departed before the recording of 1990’s Historia de la Musica Rock, and the band dissolved not long after that album appeared.

Despite the group’s turbulent run, most members later enjoyed notable success. Jon Spencer would front the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and, with Cristina Martinez—who became his wife—form Boss Hog. Julia Cafritz subsequently played with Guv’ner and Action Swingers while also participating in Kim Gordon’s Free Kitten project. Neil Hagerty, sometimes credited as Neil Michael Hagerty, recorded with Royal Trux, Weird War, and Howling Hex and issued several solo albums.