Babyteeth: Transforming Adversity Into Admiration

“It’s all gonna be alright in the end and if it’s not alright, it’s not alright.” The life motto of BABYTEETH drummer Samantha Lubin not only sums up the whole of 2020, but now has very personal connotations. During the video shoot for Cut It, her accidental concussion led rise to the title of the band’s debut EP, Knock Yourself Out.

“It was horrific,” recounts vocalist Camilla Roholm. “She fell and hit her head on the corner of a wall. As the title said, she knocked herself out, and this thing rose out of her forehead that looked like a dolphin nose.”

“She had fluid above her eye and couldn’t work or drive for like two-three months after,” adds guitarist Eilidh McKellar. “We had to go back to finish the music video after, so it was just like when we finally got around to it was like we were all returning to the scene of the crime.”

Video completed, BABYTEETH set about finishing the rest of their EP and, after a bit of a delay because of the inevitable lockdown across the UK, Knock Yourself Out appeared last month, a wicked blend of alt rock and grunge with huge power pop hooks and backings that make everything immediately listenable. Camilla agrees that it’s one of their biggest strengths.

“We don’t shy away from pop, we don’t think it’s a dirty word,” she explains. “We’re really into crafting songs that are accessible and we want to make something that’s really fucking good. Music’s there to be enjoyed by other people, it’s not to be a vanity project for us to look inwards and only enjoy ourselves. I also think people underestimate how hard it is to write a decent chorus or pop song and, whilst it may seem much cooler to make something that sounds cool but isn’t necessarily that well put together, that’s not really what we’re about.”

The band, completed by guitarist Sam Hammond and bassist Rio Hellyer, have built a reputation for their high-octane live shows that saw them open for ADAM ANT at a sold-out Roundhouse towards the end of 2018. No mean feat for any act, BABYTEETH have, inevitably and sadly, had to jump through extra hoops on their journey due to the simple fact that 80% of them are women, thus making them the targets of sexism as they compete in a music scene still very much dominated by men.

“I remember arriving at venues and people would ask who I was dating or if I was selling the merch,” sighs Camilla. “We’d be the only women at soundcheck and there’d be a line of male band members stood with their arms folded thinking ‘go on then’. Then, my favourite thing would happen – Eilidh would plug a guitar in, fucking rinse it and they’d all look embarrassed. We’re aware that we have absolutely no option of being shit because people expect us to be, which is why we work twice as hard. I’ve been told before ‘it’s not very sexy what you do on stage; you’re a bit masculine.’ I’m like ‘am I masculine? Or is it that you associate the behaviour of somebody playing a rock gig with being male-only? Because I have a feeling that might be the reason.’ Sam’s the only dude in the band and is constantly asked ‘what made you want to be in this band?’ ‘what’s it like being a guy in the band?’ and he’s always like ‘because they’re the best musicians!’ It’s not rocket science, you know?!”

The last twelve months have seen a huge shift in the way society views many marginalised areas of life and, although Camilla appreciates how far things have come, she knows there’s a way to go. “We’re extremely lucky that we’ve grown up standing on the shoulders of trailblazing women before us, because we’ve certainly had an easier time, but it’s not a fight that’s over. What’s really nice is that now men are joining in because we all have to join in with these things, whether it’s generations or race issues or sexuality or whatever it is. Everybody has to join in to make a change, we have to know that it these are societal issues, they don’t only relate to that individual for whom it happens every single day, you know, so when all of us do it, it makes all of us happier as a result.”

When the world opens up again, you can be sure that BABYTEETH will be back out on the road in support of Knock Yourself Out and looking to inject a healthy dose of positivity into everyone they play before. Their uphill battle to break through has begun to pay dividends and, as 2021 progresses, they’ll be ready to reap their impending success.

Knock Yourself Out is out now via 7 West Music. 

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