Hear Thunderpussy roar
The Seattle quartet packs rock ’n’ roll with a bite
Seattle’s irreverent and punk-fueled Thunderpussy wears its name with fearless pride. Featuring guitar player Whitney Petty, singer Molly Sides, bass player Leah Julius, and drummer Ruby Dunphy, the foursome kicks off this summer’s tour on May 11 at Vinyl.
Thunderpussy’s latest EP, Greatest Tits, released earlier this year by Stardog Records/Republic Records, compiles several singles pulled from the group’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, due out May 25.
Petty — a Marietta, GA expat who played guitar with Deerhunter in 2008 for the Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. tour — has been known to break out a bullwhip during shows to crack onstage. On Greatest Tits, songs such as “Gentle Frame” and “Speed Queen” blend classic rock, blues, and jazz inflections. “Torpedo Love” shows off a more tender side of the group’s fiery and feminist punk attitude.
To Petty, having a word that is often viewed as degrading as part of their name displays a bold and fun-loving persona, one that refuses to take life too seriously. “It’s meant to be empowering,” Petty says. “Taking something that has traditionally been thought of as a derogatory word, and turning it into a power thing. We own our sexuality.”
The rock goddesses bring this same musical prowess to the stage. Petty says she may dust off the bullwhip, which, music aside, would be a spectacle to behold.