Louise Distras

Band page created in 2010.

Page Owner

Biography

http://www.louisedistras.co.uk

Young, wild, and armed with an acoustic guitar, Louise Distras sings of desperate situations, dodging bullets, final stands and hostile towns with the coarse emotional vigour of a reckless outlaw.
Louise, from Wakefield, UK, is the sworn enemy of injustice, apathy and X Factor culture - Simon Cowell's plague of commercially-engineered pop stars sucking the life out of auto tuners. Girl groups like The Saturdays "embarrass the music scene," she says.
The Yorkshire-born cousin to Frank Turner, Billy Bragg and Mumford & Sons; Distras is a 21st Century female Joe Strummer who personifies punk rock spirit, free-thinking and the renegade soul.
In 2011, Punknews.org stated, "Louise has been likened to Brody Dalle and Courtney Love, but it won't be long before other solo performers are being compared to her."
Louise Distras began her solo music career in late 2010, releasing two demo EPs independently via her website in 2011, which were received with acclaim by the underground press.
Her second demo EP, Heartstrings On A Handgrenade, was listed at #6 in Punknews.org's Best EPs of 2011, and Distras was also given Band Of The Day status on John Robb's website Louder Than War in January 2012.
Former rock writer turned newspaper columnist Garry Bushell dubbed her "The new face of acoustic punk in the UK."
Last November, Louise toured the UK with New Model Army and then mainland European tour with Mike Scott, before beginning work on her debut album at Perry Vale Studios in London.
The as-yet-untitled debut is being produced by Steve Whale and engineered by Pat Collier (who has worked with New Model Army, X Ray Spex, Maximo Park, Shampoo and Katrina and The Waves). The album features collaborations with UK Subs drummer Jamie Oliver and Style Council songwriter and keyboardist Mick Talbot.
On the 8th March 2012 (International Women's Day), Distras released her debut single and music video, 'The Hand You Hold', as a free MP3 download via her official website.
Described as "a fierce anthem for female empowerment" (God Is In The TV zine ), 'The Hand You Hold' is receiving airplay from Mike Davies on BBC Radio 1 Punk Show who stated, "Louise Distras is destroying it in the UK right now, flying the flag for all female artists. She is what all punk should be about!"
The song has also been picked by Tazy Phyllipz' legendary SKA PARADE radio show in the States, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio in the UK.
In April 2012, Distras was interviewed in depth by The Independent newspaper about sexism in the music industry, along with the likes of Kate Nash and Rose Elinor McDougall (The Pipettes).
She was featured on The Guardian's new music podcast and spirit of punk feature as well as the Blast Section of Big Cheese Magazine, and mentioned in the NME's 'Band Crush' feature by Ryan Jarman of The Cribs.
Louise Distras is currently touring and finishing the recording of her debut album which is expected to be released in late 2012.

For more news, tourdates and more goto www.louisedistras.co.uk