Rude Girls: Women in 2-Tone and One Step Beyond by ska music historian Heather Augustyn
The first book on women in ska will be released on March 8, 2023, International Women’s Day. Rude Girls: Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond, published by Sally Brown Publishing, has been written by ska music historian Heather Augustyn and contains well over 50 interviews with women involved in ska bands that began during the 2-Tone era of ska in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
Women vocalists, musicians, composers, and managers are finally recognized as Augustyn weaves their personal stories of empowerment and struggle into a narrative with details of their bands’ performances and recordings.
Many bands played ska exclusively, while others dabbled in ska or toured with and supported ska. Some are well-known, some are more obscure.
“Women’s voices have been largely silent, until now,” said Augustyn. “These women made space for the rest of us. They are incredibly inspiring, funny, and powerful.”
Rude Girls: Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond features interviews with members of the Selecter, the Specials and the Special AKA, the Bodysnatchers, the Beat, the Go-Go’s, the Belle Stars, Bow Wow Wow, Amazulu, Dexys Midnight Runners, Fun Boy Three, the Mo-Dettes, the Deltones, the Swinging Cats, the Potato 5, Maroon Town, Bananarama, Splashdown, the Friday Club, Holly and the Italians, the Forest Hill Billies, the Lemons, the Loafers, and many more.
This is Augustyn’s eighth book on ska music.
Amonghst other titles she has penned Ska: An Oral History, Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation, and Pioneering Women in Jamaican Music.
Augustyn also wrote the award-winning documentary Pick It Up! Ska in the ‘90s from Pop Motion Pictures and has been invited to speak on ska music in Jamaica, Spain, Vietnam, and all over the United States.
Rude Girls: Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond published by Sally Brown Publishing March 28. Watch out for Punktuation’s Review.
Main Photo: Pauline Black at the Loopallu music festival in Ullapool in 2016 Credit: ANDREW MACCOLL
Follow Heather Augustyn on Her Socials
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album review: ‘Needs Must While The Devil Rides’ – Roadkill Drive-Thru
Roadkill Drive-Thru describe themselves “Like a car crash into a moose, a band you just can’t pigeonhole. A musical fusion brought to you by roadkill-eating
Better Than The Book celebrate Ten Years On at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 5th Feb 2026
DIY ska punk/pop punk Better Than The Book is a music project created by Nick Standing back in 2012. He has since released 1 EP
Album Review : Eastfield are back with a bang, as their new self-titled release draws into the station
Hard-working, train-based band Eastfield are certainly no strangers to the DIY punk scene, and it’s great to see them releasing a brand new self-titled album
Album review: Punk Rock Creatives Podcast – compilation record for charity
The creator of Punk Rock Creatives Podcast – Marie Repulsive – teamed up with Dammit Records to release a compilation album made up of tracks
EP review: Thee Soreheads – ‘I’m Not Your Fucking sex Doll’
Hailing from Montréal, Canada, Thee Soreheads are a dynamic feminist punk band drawing inspiration from iconic acts like Dead Kennedys, Bikini Kill and the high-octane
Album Review : Straight Out Of The Highlands! Bratakus treat us to their brand new album
Formed in 2015, Bratakus consists of two sisters (Brèagha Cuinn on guitar and vocals, Onnagh Cuinn on bass and vocals). This will be the band’s
Punktuation Magazine For All Your Daily Punk News, Features, Interviews, Lifestyle and more!
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
