Dishrags

Websites:  https://punkgirldiaries.com/the-dishrags/, http://www.sfu.ca/~neelands/bands/dishrags/index.html, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/40-years-the-dishrags-opened-the-clash-1.5001567
Origin: Victoria, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Formed in Victoria, British Columbia in 1977 by three teenage girls barely out of high school, The Dishrags hold a historic place as one of Canada’s first female punk bands — and among the earliest all-female punk groups anywhere in North America. With Jade Blade (guitar, vocals), Dale Powers (bass, vocals), and Scout (drums, vocals), the group exploded onto the nascent Vancouver punk scene with a fierce, primitive energy that placed them alongside bands like D.O.A., the Furies, the Pointed Sticks, and the Subhumans. Yet unlike most of their peers, the Dishrags would remain an all-women unit through their career, challenging the era’s entrenched misogyny by sheer force of will, talent, and determination.

Still in their mid-teens when they began playing out, the Dishrags were quickly swept into Vancouver’s growing punk subculture. After missing the Ramones’ 1977 Vancouver debut due to underage restrictions, the Dishrags made their own local debut supporting The Furies — a slot they likely secured through familial connection, as Jade Blade was cousin to the Furies’ guitarist. At that first show, Dee Dee and the Dishrags (as they were briefly known) cranked out a set of Lou Reed, Clash, and Ramones covers, bolstered by a few rough originals. Despite the band’s youth and inexperience, their passion and authenticity were evident — and from that point on, they never stopped performing. From warehouse gigs to battle-of-the-bands slots, they gradually developed a reputation for tight, high-energy sets and sharp songwriting.

The band’s defining moment came in June 1978 during a battle of the bands at Vancouver’s Body Shop nightclub. Though inexplicably disqualified from official competition status (likely due to perceptions of them as a "novelty act"), they floored the audience with their set, validating their place in the scene. That same year, they contributed the song “I Don’t Love You” to the landmark Vancouver Complication compilation — widely considered the first definitive document of the city’s punk movement. Co-written by Blade and Avengers guitarist Brad Kent, the song is a 103-second blast of guitar stabs, breakneck ride cymbals, and snarled defiance. It became a fan favourite and was later covered by Japanese punk revivalists Supersnazz. A second track from the same session, “Past Is Past,” was also recorded but remained unreleased for decades.

A turning point came in 1979 when the Dishrags were personally invited by The Clash to open their first North American concert at the Commodore Ballroom. The Dishrags rose to the occasion and even closed their set with a raucous cover of “London’s Burning,” earning praise from the headliners — and, legend has it, a shout-out from Bo Diddley, who invited them to record at his place in Miami (an invitation they never followed up). This moment, shared with idols and peers, affirmed the Dishrags’ legitimacy on an international stage.

Later that year, the Dishrags recorded their first studio EP, Past Is Past, in Seattle at Triangle Studios (where Nirvana would later cut their debut). The title track, featuring the lyric “Time is catching up to me,” was a lean, emotionally sharp punk-pop song that received alternative radio play and became one of the band’s signature numbers. The EP also included “Love Is Shit,” a darker, moody track that showed the band expanding its sonic palette, and the bristling “Tormented,” which became a live staple. Despite its limited release, Past Is Past solidified the Dishrags’ growing following and led to gigs with the Avengers, more shows with the Clash, and headlining slots in Seattle.

But as often happens, momentum came with internal strain. After the release of Past Is Past, Dale Powers left the group, and the original trio dissolved. At the same time, two members of another Vancouver all-female band, the Devices — guitarist Sue MacGillivray and bassist Kim Henriksen — became available. The Dishrags merged with the Devices, forming what fans later called “Dishrags Mark II.” With four capable singers and a more complex two-guitar attack, the new lineup moved toward a sound reminiscent of the Buzzcocks, with tighter song structures and increased melodic sophistication.

It was this lineup that recorded the band’s final release: the Death in the Family EP. Cut in 1980 at Ocean Sound in North Vancouver and released via RCA England, the EP was somewhat mysterious in its origin, having only been issued as an import in North America. But it raised the band’s profile significantly, convincing critics and audiences alike to take them seriously. Tracks like the swinging, bittersweet “Death in the Family,” the rumbling “Beware of Dog,” and the TELEVISION-inspired “All the Pain” showed a band reaching its creative peak — even as its internal tensions were reaching a breaking point. The final sessions also included a now-lost cover of the Animals’ “It’s My Life,” which was never mixed and is believed erased.

Shortly after the Death in the Family recording, the band quietly imploded. Personal dynamics had frayed, and the pressures of constant gigging, limited industry support, and the marginalization of female rock musicians had taken their toll. The members moved on — some to new projects like Corsage — and for years, the Dishrags remained a cult footnote in Canadian punk history.

That changed in the 1990s with the release of Love/Hate, a comprehensive retrospective compiled and remastered by Peter J. Moore. It gathered every studio and live recording — including unreleased demos, compilation tracks, and live sets from Vancouver and Seattle — and reignited interest in the band’s raw power and melodic instincts. Later interviews and documentaries like Bloodied But Unbowed and Madame Dishrags cemented their legacy further.

In retrospect, The Dishrags were not just a "girl group novelty" — they were a formative force in Canadian punk. They played with grit and charisma, wrote sharp songs, and carved out a space for women in a genre and era that often excluded them. Whether pounding out stripped-down covers in 1977 or layering intricate dual guitar lines in 1980, the Dishrags made an undeniable mark. As Jill Bain (a.k.a. Jade Blade) put it decades later: “It was something that worked really well when we were young and excited.” And it still works.
-Robert Williston

Dishrags (1977–1979):
Jade Blade: vocals, guitar
Scout: vocals, drums
Dale Powers: vocals, bass

Dishrags (1979–1980):
Jade Blade: vocals, guitar
Scout: vocals, drums
Sue MacGillivray: vocals, guitar
Kim Henriksen: vocals, bass