We have several very exciting wormboys shows coming up over the summer, the first two of which have been announced. Both will be in Wharf Chambers, the most excellent venue in the most excellent city of Leeds.
The first of these gigs takes place on Saturday 25th July. I’m actually also co-organising this one, as part of the crowdfunding efforts for Isaac, a Black trans kid whose family are raising money to pay for his healthcare costs.
We’ll be playing alongside three other brilliant West Yorkshire acts. There’s the alt-rock crew Faded Alchemy, who we played alongside for the incredible We Can Kick It football fundraiser at The Attic; Lucas Assagba,a singer-songwriter who pens biting rock tunes which I’m really hyped to hear live; and bughotel, who plays lofi folky indie music which has just got better and better since we last shared a stage a couple of years or so back.
We’re selling tickets on a sliding scale: £10 standard, with alternative rates for people on low income (£5) and those who can afford to give a bit more (£20). We’ll be charging a bit more on the night, but also no-one will be turned away for lack of funds.
The second gig will be on Sunday 6th September. I’m very excited that we have been booked for a Youth Anthems show, as this long-running series of family-friendly gigs really is a Leeds institution. I really admire that the organisers create this regular space for people of all ages to watch live music together, and respect their commitment to the idea that all kinds of music are appropriate and relevant for children to enjoy.
For this matinee show, we will be playing alongside indie-punks Gravel, who also feature wormboys drummer Jake on the skins (he’ll be having a busy night!), plus electro-pop artist No Slugs, for that maximum garden vibe.
It’s a bargainous fiver for adults, and free for under-18s to attend (when accompanied by an adult). The organisers say over half the tickets have sold already though, so get in there quick if you’re hoping to come!
Like I said, there’s a lot more coming up for wormboys, both over this summer and beyond, so keep an eye out!
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I’m currently in the middle of a busy fortnight for work-related travel (more on that soon!) But last night, I managed to make the most of a brief return to Glasgow.
The occasion was There Will Be Blood! a fundraiser at Stereo for the brilliant group Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow. They are helping to provide free laboratory testing for bloods. This is really important for trans people on HRT who are increasingly denied monitoring by GPs. If you couldn’t make it but would still like to donate, you can do so here.
The organisers put together a fantastic lineup and there was a great turnout – especially for a Monday night. It was exciting to see so much talent from within our community, and loads of people come out to support both the cause and a pretty eclectic collection of artists. And exciting for me to be a part of it, performing a DJ set as ROGD.
In which I am going for it. Photo by Onni Gust.
The night kicked off with a luscious set from singer-songwriter and drag artist Sersi. He’s probably the first person I’ve ever seen sport a Britney mic at a DIY gig, which was very cool but sadly couldn’t quite capture the sheer dynamic range of his vocals on the night. At the same time, it enabled him to completely own the stage for a series of ballads that were by turns beautiful and strange. Sersi was ably supported by a pal with a laptop, and Johanna Kirkpatrick (of trad folk bands Chanterelle and Madderam) looking dead dykey on acoustic guitar.
Next to take the stage were Deep Filff. I hadn’t had a chance to look them up before the gig so had zero idea what to expect, although they did arrive with an absolutely enormous inflatable swan. Deep Filff turned out to be a two piece, with Nadia Fiffsky playing bass and belting out epic sun-baked vocals, while Jenny Tingle methodically destroyed the drumkit. As purveyors of some of the dirtiest psychedelic grunge-punk riffs I think I’ve ever heard, they were extremely well-named. It was engrossing, hypnotic stuff. Eventually the swan came out and bounced around the audience, most likely representing a serious hazard to some of the important-looking wires and glitterball hanging from the ceiling.
Local heroes comfortnever fail to disappoint, and this evening they truly tore up the stage as the final live act of the evening. The sibling duo have a truly unique sound, with Natalie’s staccato vocals punctuating a skitterish soundscape of totally artificial electronic sounds, underpinned by Sean’s assertive drumming. It was impossible not to dance. My favourite moments came whenever the band’s weird, abrasive noise would suddenly gave way to a transcendentally beautiful synth melody for a minute or two, before we all dived collectively back into the tumult.
Finally, following a quick raffle, I was up! The gig was due to end at a remarkably civilised 10pm, so I had a tight half hour DJ set.
I’ve thought a lot since returning to DJing that the landscape of queer and feminist music and activism has completely changed. Back in the day, I used to do quite a few “Women’s Voices” DJ sets, especially for feminist events such as Reclaim The Night afterparties, and the woman-only Women’s Aid and NUS Women’s Conference discos. The idea was that every song played (sometimes for sets of up to four or five hours) had a woman on lead vocals, and ideally women also playing instruments. Finn Mackayalways used to refer to me as “feministDJRuthPearce” (all in one breath!) which was never failed to be delightful.
Unfortunately, many of the people who were only too happy to join the dancefloor for those events are now either actively backing trans-exclusionary politics and the grossest forms of transmisogyny, or otherwise failing to speak out again them. (Junior equalities minister Liv Bailey, I’m looking at you – remember when you hoped I’d DJ your wedding one day?!) It’s odd to reflect on just how normal it was for trans women to be involved in woman-only politics spaces in the UK, given the extremity of the post-2017 moral panic.
Anyway, I digress.
Another thing that has happened over the last decade is the enormous influx of excellent trans artists to both underground and mainstream music scenes. We live in an age where I listened to jasmine.4.tfor the first time because my mum told me she’d done a good interview with Craig Charles on BBC 6 Music(!) So, while I’d like to do more Women’s Voices DJ sets in the future, for the first time it felt realistic to put together a Trans Voices set, with a mixture of tunes fronted by trans women and men, and/or non-binary, genderqueer, or genderfluid people, that I could reasonably expect a large number of people in the audience to be familiar with.
So, here’s what I played:
Shopping – The Hype My Chemical Romance – Teenagers 100 gecs – mememe SOPHIE – Immaterial underscores – Locals (Girls Like Us) [with gabby start] Kae Tempest – Move Ada Rook – BURY YOURSELF Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel jasmine.4.t – Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation G.L.O.S.S. – Outlaw Stomp Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel
Obviously I could have kept going a lot longer, but I’ve got to say, it was one heck of a half hour. I have such enormous love for everyone who joined me to dance their arse off on a Monday night. And if you’d like me to DJ your event – I’m officially back behind the decks, so do get in touch!
I’m super hyped to announce I will be doing a DJ set at Stereo on 2nd March 2026 – performing for the first time as ROGD.
This will be at a gig for Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow. They are raising money to provide free blood tests for trans people who have otherwise been denied healthcare by the NHS.
Much like the Glasgow Electrolysis Project (who are now running a successful clinicin the city) the very existence of Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow is both an indictment of the NHS and a credit to our community organisers. It’s depressing that the UK’s state healthcare system has so profoundly failed trans people that many GPs are now refusing to even monitor the safety and efficacy of NHS-prescribed medication. But it is also truly excellent that we are building our own new networks of medical support, which offer an alternative to the cis-led medical systems that have abused and exploited us for decades. Through the work of harm reduction groups such as Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow, we are collectively less reliant on these systems than we have ever been.
Meanwhile, I have a long history as a rock DJ but don’t get behind the decks too often these days. While I’m hoping to perform a bit more often again going forward, there’s no guarantee – so snap up those tickets while you can!
Back in the day, I had another blog where I posted all my DJ set lists. That blog no longer exists outside of the Wayback Machine because it was hosted by the University of Warwick and universities hate to host websites for too long, it seems (see also: Leeds and Sheffield taking down the trans pregnancy project websites once that sweet, sweet UKRI money stopped coming in).
However, I still like archiving things, so for the sake of posterity, here is my headline set from last night’s amazing party for International Women’s Day at the Tin in Coventry, hosted by the awesome women at Boudica Festival.
Blondie – Atomic The Selecter – Missing Words Azealia Banks – 212 underscores feat. gabby start – Locals (Girls Like Us) 100 gecs – mememe Hole – Celebrity Skin The Cardigans – My Favourite Game Indigo Girls – Closer To Fine Dolly Parton – 9 to 5 Beyoncé – Texas Hold ‘Em Le Tigre – TKO The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name Miss Eaves – Thunder Thighs St Vincent – Digital Witness SOPHIE – Immaterial Annie Lennox – Walking on Broken Glass Wet Leg – Wet Dream Mitski – Washing Machine Heart Gloria Jones – Tainted Love Bananarama – Venus Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best Black Dresses – In My Mouth (request) Wargasm – Do It So Good Nova Twins – Antagonist Janelle Monae – Make Me Feel Billie Eilish – bad guy Aretha Franklin – Think Skunk Anansie – Weak Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill Evanescence – Bring Me To Life Nightwish – Over The Hills and Far Away
I believe this was my first DJ set in almost nine years and I will admit I was pretty nervous! Even worse, most of my old equipment is buried in a box somewhere due to multiple moves over the last few years, so I really had to wing it. At the same time, I used to play a lot back in the day. Between that, a usb stick stuffed with days’ worth of music, and some hard work in preparation, it all felt very natural once I was on stage in Boudica’s amazing home-made Iceni chariot booth. I really enjoy figuring out what an audience wants to hear and then taking them on a ridiculous journey with that, and once the adrenaline kicks in it’s one hell of a trip.
I’m hugely grateful to Boudica for inviting me back to Coventry and providing such a supportive environment. It was exciting to dance to brilliant sets from new DJs before stepping up myself, reflecting Boudica’s commitment to supporting women and non-binary people in picking up new instruments and skills. Most of all, I’m thankful to everyone who turned up to party.
I’m excited to announce that I will be headlining Boudica Festival‘s party for International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March!
The event will take place from 8pm to late at at The Tin in Coventry.
Here’s the blurb from Boudica:
Killer Queen returns to the Tin for one night only! Killer Queen aka Ruth Pearce is a Glasgow-based trans feminist DJ, known for genre-bending rock and pop sets that bring together classic tunes and contemporary hits. Ruth has been previously spotted spinning the decks at queer clubs, protest after-parties, and activist conferences across the country, including Reclaim the Night, Women’s Aid, Queer Fest Leeds, Birmingham pride, and Nine Worlds Geekfest. In Coventry she founded and performed at the Killer Queen queer rock club from 2009-2013, and was part of the Revolt! collective which ran riot grrrl nights at the Tin from 2012-2017. These days, Ruth can usually be found found shouting in the rock trio Dispute Settlement Mechanism, playing bass in the noise pop band wormboys, and/or moonlighing as a professional scholar in the field of transgender studies.
This will be my first DJ set in several years(!) However, I’ve been constantly listening to new music, so am very excited to be once again getting behind the decks – especially in my old stomping ground of Coventry.
Dr Ruth Pearce 