Beaker

Beaker are the original femininomenon, queens of any stage they play on and experienced purveyors of bleeding ears. Sam (vocals), TJ (guitar), Clare (drums), Hayley (bass) and Emma (vocals) mix juicy four-part harmonies with hooky, hefty, ear-shredding guitars and powerful, effervescent drumming. Bound together in unholy matriarchy, they whip an audience up into a happy frenzy, entertaining them with tales of appalling friends, Hammond organ grinders, cakes filled with ears and sleazy conversations with girlfriends.

Beaker formed in the 1990s and flourished in the heady heyday of the Oxford alternative music scene. They featured in Radio 1’s 1997 Sound City and their single ‘Backgarden’ was released on the legendary Shifty Disco label to great acclaim. Their double-A side single, ‘Monster/Plastic’ was released on the equally prestigious Fierce Panda label.

Beaker burst back out of their box in 2024 and have since been writing new material, gigging, rebuilding their following and generally having a blast. Their most recent single, ’50 Men’, a tribute to Gisele Pelicot, was played by Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music and a host of indie radio stations across the world. It has been described as a ‘ferocious anthem to inspire a whole new generation of girls’. As well as this, Beaker have had their fascinating journey documented for BBC Radio 4’s Artworks series (‘Band of Mothers’, originally aired on 7/4/2026). They are superb live, hitting the sweet spot between terrifying and daft, crashing back into the 21st century with renewed vigour and plenty to say.