Podcast Summary: Audrey Golden, "Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats"

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Rebecca Buchanan
Guest: Audrey Golden
Date: October 4, 2025
Main Theme:
An illuminating interview with author Audrey Golden about her new book, Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats—a sweeping, multi-layered exploration of the iconic post-punk band The Raincoats, their historical context, lasting influence, and the vibrant, ever-evolving communities that have surrounded and preserved their legacy.

Episode Overview

The episode centers on Audrey Golden’s process in crafting the first comprehensive biography of The Raincoats—a band whose impact resonates far beyond their brief years of public attention. The conversation moves through the band’s formation, their initial dissolution and unexpected renaissance via queer and riot grrrl communities, and their ultimate place as both punk progenitors and living museum pieces influencing generations. Golden discusses her oral history-informed methodology, research access to never-before-seen Raincoats archives, and the web of relationships and influences that connect the Raincoats from 1970s London squats to contemporary queercore and feminist punk bands.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Why Write a Book About the Raincoats?

• Lack of Comprehensive Histories:
  • “I have been shocked for a long time that there's not a really big full book on the Raincoats and all the ways that their music has really made waves…in different parts of the world since they formed in the late 70s.” (Audrey Golden, 01:53)
• Initiating the Project:
  • The Raincoats’ rare openness to interviews was sparked by Golden’s direct proposal, which she wrote before securing a publisher or agent.

Oral History Approach and Research Methodology

• Value of Oral Histories:
  • “For me, oral history research is really important and really interesting because it really reveals how there is no singular definition of history...any history is crafted. It's crafted by the person writing it, but it's also crafted by the voices of the people who are dipping into their memories to tell those stories.” (Audrey Golden, 03:25)
• Process:
  • Gathered stories from band members, collaborators, and those influenced by The Raincoats, combining academic rigor with personal storytelling.

The Three Lives of The Raincoats (Book Structure)

1. The First Life: Formation and Punk London

• Origins at Hornsey College of Art:
  • Anna da Silva (Portugal) and Gina Birch (Nottingham) met as art students.
  • “Anna and Gina from the start are the heart of the band.” (Audrey Golden, 08:36)
• Ever-Changing Lineup:
  • Constant search for a permanent drummer; lineup included members from The Slits and others passing through.
  • Early gigs at iconic venues; even Joe Strummer (The Clash) attended their first show.
• West London Scene & Rough Trade:
  • “Rough Trade records...creates this really interesting egalitarian punk label in West London…there's a sense of family and community and like progressive, I think, fairness and equality.” (Audrey Golden, 12:22)
  • The culture of squatting, collaboration, and artistic experimentation shaped the band’s ethos.

2. The Second Life: Rediscovery by Queercore and Riot Grrrl

• Unexpected Influence in North America:
  • While the band had disbanded, their music lived on through zines and queer punk communities.
  • J.D.'s zine (Toronto) put “Only Loved at Night” on its Top 10, cementing Raincoats’ queer/feminist significance.
  • Olympia, WA scene—Raincoats inspired future riot grrrl pioneers like Bikini Kill, through DJs and record sharing.
• Personal Connections:
  • Riot grrrl musicians tracked down Anna & Shirley in London, leading to pen-pal relationships and ongoing inspiration.
  • “They weren't trying to create the same sound as the Raincoats…but to channel or replicate the idea and to kind of imbibe this idea of feminist power...” (Audrey Golden, 24:29)
• Kurt Cobain’s Role:
  • Cobain’s public fandom led to the reissue of the Raincoats’ catalog via DGC/Geffen, making previously-impossible-to-find records available to a new generation.

3. The Third Life: Legacy and Museums

• Raincoats as Living History:
  • Invited to perform in renowned institutions (MoMA, National Portrait Gallery, BFI Gay Icons).
  • “They start to reveal that, you know, punk music is something that belongs in a museum, but perhaps in a museum in a new kind of way of thinking about it.” (Audrey Golden, 32:50)
• Continuing Individual Projects:
  • Anna focused on electronic music; Gina on solo records and visual projects. Both remain musically active and closely engaged with emerging artists.

The Raincoats Archive and Artifacts

• Extraordinary Private Collection:
  • Anna da Silva’s personal archive: over 4,000 items, including original posters, zines, fan mail, artwork, and more.
  • “It was massive. All original artwork, original posters, masters, fan mail…every single, I think, magazine or newspaper clipping…Essentially just everything you might imagine or hope would be in an archive was there.” (Audrey Golden, 15:17)

The Raincoats’ Enduring Impact

• Influence on Diverse Scenes:
  • “The Black Feminist punk band from London, Big Joanie, sort of formed because of a shared love of the Raincoats, which is really cool... a lesson in how your music can sound nothing like the Raincoats music, but can share an ethos.” (Audrey Golden, 36:04)
• On Remaining Fans:
  • The Raincoats themselves are still fans, attending shows and building bridges with younger musicians.

Notable Quotes

• “Punk is an idea. It’s an ideology. It’s a method. It’s a way of being. It’s about being yourself…using your voice loudly.”
  —Audrey Golden, dissecting what riot grrrl bands inherited from the Raincoats (24:29)

• “Almost everyone you can think of in a punk band who came out of West London was living in a squat at the time…It’s a sense of family and community and like progressive, I think, fairness and equality.”
  —Audrey Golden on the West London punk scene (12:22)

• “They start to reveal that…punk music is something that belongs in a museum, but perhaps in a museum in a new kind of way of thinking about it.”
  —Audrey Golden, on the Raincoats’ third act (32:50)

• “What has always been so interesting to me about their story is that the Second Life sort of came to be without their knowledge.”
  —Audrey Golden on their rediscovery by the next generation (19:09)

• “I think they're still maybe a little surprised.”
  —Audrey Golden, on how the Raincoats feel about their enduring influence (36:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:53] — Genesis of the Raincoats biography
• [03:25] — Oral history methodology explained
• [06:01] — Band formation & founding members
• [08:36] — Ever-changing lineup and importance of drummers
• [12:22] — The West London art/punk scene & Rough Trade
• [15:17] — The Raincoats’ personal archive and its treasures
• [19:09] — The Raincoats' "Second Life" in queer punk & riot grrrl scenes
• [24:29] — Philosophical kinship between riot grrrl and Raincoats
• [29:12] — Kurt Cobain’s intervention and the Raincoats’ reissues
• [32:50] — The Raincoats in museums and art spaces
• [36:04] — Influence on contemporary feminist punk
• [38:56] — Golden’s hope for the book’s impact
• [41:28] — Upcoming projects: queer core and Mark Lanegan biography

Memorable Moments

• Toby Vale and Kathy Wilcox of Bikini Kill meeting Anna da Silva at a London Dunkin Donuts, an event immortalized in documentary footage:
  • “These are the donuts we bought like 30 years ago. So the other thing is like, so they've got this connection, they're doing this…” (28:11)
• Kurt Cobain’s pilgrimage to the Rough Trade Shop, leading to the Raincoats' reissues:
  • “Jude draws Kurt and Courtney a map, they take it with them. They walk to Anna's shop, meet Anna. Anna has no idea who they are…” (29:12)

Final Reflections

Audrey Golden’s Shouting Out Loud positions the Raincoats as a creative epicenter from which waves of influence have travelled outward—shaping feminist punk, queercore, and contemporary art. The book, and this interview, resound with the voices—literal and figurative—of women breaking boundaries, archivists honoring the personal and the ephemeral, and a band whose messy, provisional, and radical legacy still shapes what it means to make music and make meaning.

Further Reading / Listening

• Audrey Golden’s forthcoming books:
  • Queercore (Bloomsbury 33 1/3 genre series, due Spring 2026)
  • Biography of Mark Lanegan (in progress)
• The Raincoats – "Looking in the Shadows" (1996)
• "The Kitchen Tapes" — Rare Raincoats live cassette

Recommended for listeners interested in: punk history, feminist art, oral histories, archival research, cultural studies, and the enduring ripple effects of underdog artists.