Belfast band Enola Gay only have a few officially released singles to their names, but they’ve already shown a dedication to tackling tough topics with outspoken and uncompromising protest songs. Their latest, “Through Men’s Eyes”, is their most scorching yet. They say:
“We felt compelled to call out not only a specific case but the justice system itself and the boastful nature of ‘lad culture’ that normalises first-world rape culture. It was a case which divided Ireland as we witnessed social circles torn and managers in staff rooms silencing the subject. People wanted to brush it under the carpet, perpetuating victims not wanting to come forward when victims should not be silenced.
“We’ve learnt a lot about the plight of victims through listening to women we know and other people in the public eye, it’s something that was never spoken about in the media growing up. As more and more victims feel empowered to come forward with their stories, it destigmatises victimhood and allows people to feel like they are not alone. Through Men’s Eyes is a way for us to show solidarity with women from all walks of life that have left feeling marginalised and silenced by the rulings of a broken and biased court system.”
A black battering ram of visceral post-punk, “Through Men’s Eyes” would make people sit up and listen even if it had no words. But, with the hook “how dare they try to use her underwear” and other confrontational lines like “what’s up with your WhatsApp? / delete your texts to cover tracks”, combined with hair-raising guitar work, there’s simply no ignoring Enola Gay here. They also show off their dynamism, with “Through Men’s Eyes” suddenly evaporating to silence halfway through, only to build up again in an even more torrential, excoriating force as they repeat the titular phrase “through men’s eyes”, forcing you to reconsider how you see the world – and hopefully energising you to stand up to any toxic behaviour that you observe in the future.
Watch the lyric video for “Through Men’s Eyes” below or find the song on streaming platforms.
You can find Enola Gay on Facebook and Instagram. They’ll also be hitting the road next year:
Fri 04 Mar 2022 – Glasgow – Broadcast
Sat 05 Mar 2022 – Edinburgh – Sneaky Pete’s
Sun 06 Mar 2022 – Newcastle – Underground
Mon 07 Mar 2022 – Sunderland – Independent
Tue 08 Mar 2022 – York – Fulford Arms
Thu 10 Mar 2022 – Scunthorpe – Cafe Indie
Fri 11 Mar 2022 – Hull – Adelphi
Sat 12 Mar 2022 – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club
Sun 13 Mar 2022 – Huddersfield -The Parish
Mon 14 Mar 2022 – Blackpool – Bootleg Social
Wed 16 Mar 2022 – Liverpool – Jimmy’s
Thu 17 Mar 2022 – Manchester- YES (basement)
Fri 18 Mar 2022 – Sheffield- Sidney and Matilda
Sat 19 Mar 2022 – Nottingham- Bodega
Sun 20 Mar 2022 – Stoke- The Sugarmill
Sun 20 Mar 2022 – Leicester – The Cookie
Tue 22 Mar 2022 – Birmingham- Sunflower Lounge
Wed 23 Mar 2022 – Norwich- Voodoo Daddys
Thu 24 Mar 2022 – Cambridge- Portland arms
Fri 25 Mar 2022 – Bedford- Esquires (room 2)
Sat 26 Mar 2022 – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
Mon 28 Mar 2022 – Bristol – Rough Trade
Mon 28 Mar 2022 -Bristol – Crofters Rights
Tue 29 Mar 2022 -Oxford-Jericho Tavern
Wed 30 Mar 2022 -Reading -Face Bar
Thu 31 Mar 2022 – Southampton – Heartbreakers
Fri 01 Apr 2022- Brighton -The Prince Albert
Sun 03 Apr 2022 – Tunbridge Wells – Tunbridge Wells Forum
Mon 04 Apr 2022 – Margate – Elsewhere
Tue 05 Apr 2022 – Guildford – The Boileroom
Wed 06 Apr 2022 – London – Windmill Brixton
