Flying Lesbians
| Company type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Germany |
Area served | Europe |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
The Flying Lesbians were a seven-member all-female German band active between 1974 and 1977. They released a self-titled album in 1975, which sold roughly 17,000 copies. This group was among the pioneers of women’s rock bands in Europe.
History
Functioning as a co-operative, the Flying Lesbians independently wrote their lyrics in both German and English and composed all their music themselves. They took full responsibility for transporting and setting up their own gear, embodying their aim to "free themselves from male dependency." For copyright purposes, they collectively adopted the pseudonym "Emily Pankhurst." Their emblem incorporated a labrys, an ancient European symbol representing female empowerment.
According to keyboardist Cillie Rentmeister, the band came together "overnight," rehearsing only twice before making their debut in front of 2,000 people at the inaugural German women’s festival held in Berlin in 1974. This appearance came as a last-minute replacement for a British band that had canceled and was met with positive feedback. After releasing their LP, the Flying Lesbians toured throughout West Germany and other parts of Europe. Among their notable tracks are Bisexuality and We’re the homosexual women.
During the summer of 1974, their performances were exclusively for women, including an appearance at the well-known women's camp on the Danish island of Femø. Their work inspired numerous other female ensembles such as Lysistrara, UnterRock, and Les-Be-Ton.
The 1974 events at Femø camp and the nearby Copenhagen women's festival played a crucial role in advancing the European women’s movement. Remarkably, just three months after forming, the Flying Lesbians performed before an audience of 30,000.
At the 1976 International Tribunal on Crimes against Women held in Brussels, they appeared twice on stage. Diana E.H. Russell emphasized how their music promoted unity across cultural divides during social gatherings at the tribunal:
Despite limited space, hundreds of women danced energetically to The Flying Lesbians’ songs, demonstrating how music can overcome language differences and build strong communal ties.
Between 1974 and 1977, the Flying Lesbians earned recognition as a significant musical voice within the women’s movement.
In 1977, Miriam Frank characterized them in "off our backs" as follows:
Flying Lesbians delivers exceptional German music created by women… Each track embodies important themes or discussions prevalent in West Germany’s women’s movement. Their album merges activism with rock music… Their openly lesbian-themed songs stand apart from recent American lesbian music by being notably bold and provocative. Highlights include I’m a Lesbian, How About You—an upbeat boogie woogie—and Frauen kommt her ("Women, come on, let’s get it together"), a rallying anthem frequently chanted at demonstrations and gatherings.
Legacy
According to Cillie Rentmeister, the Flying Lesbians and the women's festivals served as a crucial "Rite of passage" and a form of "coming out party" for the feminist movement. Bassist Monella Savier highlighted that the majority of the group members were lesbians, creating a nurturing atmosphere for their audience, while also welcoming heterosexual women. The band came together again for a live performance in the fall of 2007.
The Flying Lesbians were showcased in exhibitions including "Homosexualitaet_en" (Homosexualities) held at Berlin’s Gay Museum and the German Historical Museum in 2015. This significant exhibit spanned 150 years of German homosexual history, politics, and culture, featuring an audio station dedicated to their music.
Members
The ensemble consisted of seven musicians:[1]
- Danielle de Baat: guitar, bass guitar, vocals
- Monika Jaeckel: vocals, percussion († 2009)
- Gigi (Christa) Lansch: drums from 1975 († 2002)
- Monika Mengel: vocals, percussion
- Cillie Rentmeister: piano, vocals, harmonica, synthesizer
- M.S.: bass guitar, drums since 1975
- Christel Wachowski: guitar, percussion
Official site: The seven Musicians
Album
Their self-titled album from 1975 was re-released on CD in 2007.[1] The complete lyrics and audio recordings are accessible on the band’s official website.[2]
Further reading
- English section of official website Contains Cillie Rentmeister’s 1985 lecture "The Sounds of the Women’s Movement - Women’s Rock Bands in Germany (1974–1985)," which explores the band’s background
External links
- Includes biographies of members under "die band"