Catpuke don’t do subtlety, and that’s exactly the point. Out of Quezon City, this feminist hardcore quartet (Jamie, Papat, Grois, and Ten) have spent years turning big, urgent messages into fast, loud, furious songs that never waste a second getting to the point.
Community activism runs through everything Catpuke do. Tracks like “Eat The Rich” go straight after social inequality, and that same energy carried them through a 2023 single called “Firestarter.” Marking six years as a band, the members reflected on everything that stretch of time held: exhaustion, laughter, long studio sessions that involved as much eating together as songwriting, and real growth pulled from each other and their communities. What comes through most is how deliberately they’ve shaped their anger, channeling it through love and passion into music worth standing behind.
Their EP K.T.M. carries a title softened before release. The full phrase spells out “kill the man,” but the band’s lawyer friends warned that using it in full risked unwanted attention, especially with the Philippines’ Anti-Terror Law freshly in effect. The compromise became the title itself.
Catpuke draws real inspiration from fellow Filipino band Tiger Pussy, sharing more than musical DNA; both bands have grown tired of being introduced through gender before anything else. Catpuke has asked not to be billed as an “all-girl” band, pointing out how that framing turns gender into a gimmick rather than simply naming their music. They’ve also called out scene predators who use empty flattery about being “cool” for playing punk as a manipulation tactic. Still, the band holds space for nuance, solidarity among women in the scene matters, and even when their songs aren’t explicitly about gender, that perspective still shapes where the songs come from.
Catpuke stands as one more reminder that punk’s commitment to equality is alive across Asia, even if that commitment stays a work in progress. As long as there’s truth worth screaming about, Catpuke shows no signs of putting the mic down.
Photo courtesy of Catpuke
