Date Signed: July 2024
Label: Golden Robot Records
Band Members: Lily Chellingsworth, vocals, guitar; Riley Doherty, drums, backing vocals; Kailee Butcher, bass, flute
Type of Music: Punk Rock
Publicity: Sarah Facciolo - Facci PR, sarah@faccipr.com
A&R: Sarah Facciolo and Kay Macauley
The impact that Australia has had on modern, shit-kicking, rebellious music is immeasurable, and rock ‘n’ roll continues to flourish down under. Take ViperSnatch, a no-bull riot grrl trio from Central Queensland’s Darumbal Land that have been releasing a wonderfully punky, grungy noise since 2018.
After dropping their most recent single, lead vocalist and guitarist Lily Chellingsworth figured she’d send it off to various labels. An internet search brought her to Golden Robot Records, which names Faster Pussycat, Judas Priestess, Devo, and Johnny Thunders as part of its fearless roster. Fortuitously, Golden Robot was actively taking submissions.
Though ViperSnatch approached other labels, Golden Robot was the one that returned the most enthusiastic response. Kay Macauley, the label’s manager, delivered the assessment. Macauley lives a short four hours away, so they went to meet her and the label’s founder/president, Mark Alexander-Erber. A deal was soon falling into place.
Regarding the quest for an entertainment attorney to review the proposed contract, drummer Riley Doherty attests they “reached out to a few.” Ultimately, the players wound up chatting with a friend who’s knowledgeable about the legal aspects of the music industry. They returned the document with numerous changes. Happily, the label was agreeable. Says Doherty, “Once we were comfortable with everything, we were like, fuck it, why not?”
Since getting signed, the ladies have been able to spend time in a proper studio, where they’ve been busy crafting their new EP. “It allowed us to experiment and add more layers,” Chellingsworth says. Up until then, all their recordings were done in their friend’s garage.
Most important to ViperSnatch is the artistic freedom that Golden Robot provides. “The biggest thing for us is staying true to ourselves,” says bassist Kailee Butcher. “We’ve got a message that we’re passionate about and strongly want to push.”
