Described as ‘the 21st Century Joe Strummer who personifies punk rock spirit, free-thinking and the renegade soul’, Louise Distras 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.
Nirvana inspired Louise to pick up a guitar at the tender age of thirteen. Twelve years on, she uses it as a weapon to push a politicised brand of hard-hitting contemporary folk.
Her first single ‘The Hand You Hold’, released earlier this year on International Womens Day, set out to “empower young women.” It was angry, and pointed, asking the media: ‘Who are you to say/we should look this way?’
“I’m sick of the way women and young girls are reduced to stereotypes and exploited,” says Louise, 25, who is proud to be putting the purpose back into pop.
Obvious comparisons with Brody Dalle and Courtney Love aside her passion and outlook have garnered her much praise from The Guardian, NME, The Independent, Amazing Radio, and BBC Radio 1 who said “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!”, aswell as musical contemporaries Ryan Jarman (The Cribs),
TV Smith (The Adverts), Justin Sullivan (New Model Army) and award winning journalist John Robb. Shows with New Model Army, The Mahones, Tim Barry, UK Subs, TV Smith, Vice Squad, Zounds, Subhumans, Sonic Boom Six, The Vibrators, The Shondes and countless other punk rock legends have only cemented the praise further.
Currently working on her debut album ‘Dreams From The Factory Floor’ with Steve Whale (ex of The Business), Mick Talbot (Style Council, Dexys), Jamie Oliver (UK SUBS drummer) and engineer Pat Collier at Perry Vale Studios, London, you can bet your last fiver you’ll be seeing a lot more of this talented songsmith in the not too distant future.
Most likely hitchhiking, guitar slung over her shoulder on the way to a town near you!

“The only new generation punk artist to catch the eye of the mainstream UK press since the Sex Pistols!”
REVOLUTION ROCK

“Putting punk and protest back into the mainstream!”
THE GUARDIAN

“ROCKS LIKE:
Against Me! – White Crosses
The Distillers – Coral Fang
Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones “
BIG CHEESE MAGAZINE

“Girls got lungs! 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!”
BBC RADIO 1 PUNK SHOW

“…With the depth and social outrage of Billy Bragg, she’s got more buzz than an apiary and it’s easy to see why. Her live shows are high-energy solo face-rippers, and such a contrast to the current punk and pop scene that she stands out like a meteor. With, passion, authenticity and youth - Distras is poised to single handedly reinvigorate the punk scene in 2013! ”
365 BANDS IN 365 DAYS

” The new face of acoustic punk in the UK “
STREET SOUNDS MAGAZINE

“The female 21st century Joe Strummer!”
SHATTERED GLASS MEDIA

“Louise Distras is like that first vicious punch to the nose; you may feel it, it may hurt, it may be aggressive. But it’s the first time you’ve experienced anything like it, and secretly, you rather enjoyed the thrill.”
JOHN ROBB, LOUDER THAN WAR

“Louise Distras demanded our attention, whether it was from her confrontational lyrics – railing against social injustice as much as small-town boredom – or simply her throat-shredding delivery. She’s been compared a lot to Billy Bragg, which isn’t completely lazy, but also isn’t completely right. Bragg was never this angry or vocal, and Ms Distras has good reason to be. “
DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE

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