Something unexpected happened when saxophonist Mel Wishart encouraged her women friends to come together for an activist moment of music, fun and protest at HONK! Oz 2017.

Wielding all manner of bold brass, wayward woodwind, impertinent percussion and articulating outrage, we formed a funeral procession, carrying a coffin and dressed to mourn the death of government arts funding… and discovered it was too good to be a one-off. So, The Femme Fatales were born: a femme-focused street-band and activist arts-collective.

Apart from having a lot of fun playing together with a wide range of musical influences, we invite the wider community to join us in one-off activist performances. We offer music and costume workshops and enable community groups to put their message to music.

Our energy and enthusiasm marches on as we speak out about the concerns of the day in a fun-loving and irreverent way…

performing together to get toes tapping,

to spread the joy of shared creativity,

to speak up and speak out,

and welcome all to join the chant.