On August 27th, Doll Skin took to the Pence Center Stage at the Signal Peak campus and proceeded to melt everyone’s faces off with the sheer amount of awesomeness that radiated from their speakers. Unstoppable energy, out of this world talent, and a powerful feminist message? What more could you ask for from a punk band that describes themselves as Glitter Punk?

Doll Skin is an all-female band hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, and they are not afraid to crush the Patriarchy under their heavy, fashionable boots. Made up of four young girls ranging from ages 15 to 18, Sydney Dolezal (lead vocals), Alex Snowden (guitar), Nicole Rich (bassist), and Meghan Shea Herring (drummer), met at the School of Rock in Scottsdale two years ago and have been rocking out together ever since.

From the instant we entered the room to hold the interview, we were greeted by a rainbow of hair, bright smiles, and the immediate offer of crackers and juice. They held an air of kindness and silliness as they were asked questions, often joking around with each other and sharing a lot of genuine laughter. It was obvious that these girls got along not just as a band, but as the very best of friends.

Pulling inspiration from bands like Bikini Kill, Led Zeppelin, and pretty much everything that falls into the musical spectrum, they explained to us that the origin of their name came from the want of having something “cute, but creepy.”

When asked what image they wanted to portray to their audiences, not one second passed before they all yelled, “Girl Power!” at the top of their lungs. They continued to tell us excitedly about their plans to have an entire team of girls behind them and would love to work with an all-female road crew in the future. They were very adamant about how important it was to prove the stigma that follows female music artists wrong. The girls insisted that, especially nowadays, female artists need to stick together and support each other instead of tearing each other apart.  

“Lift your fellow girls up! Help each other out!” They urged.

The majority of the members are the first of their families to pursue music as a career and, quite honestly, they’re crushing it. They opened for Social Distortion in March earlier this year and performed at Nerd Con in San Diego a few weeks ago. The band also recently received an endorsement with Schecter Guitars and Pearl Drums.

But Doll Skin’s success doesn’t end there. They also just finished recording a six-song EP that was produced by David Ellefson, the bass player and co-founder of Megadeth. Once the EP was mentioned, all four members sighed dreamily. The excitement was clear in their voices as they gushed about their amazing recording experience and even raved about the studio’s heated toilets with a giddy laugh.

After the interview came their performance, and it was quite clear that this was their element: performing. Sydney, their lead vocalist, danced along the stage and ran around the theater, spurring a chase that involved audience members that sent the whole place in a roar of laughter and applause. All the members performed with an almost electric energy that captivated everyone around them, leaving an everlasting impression.

Ending the show was inevitable but the girls did so with plenty of grins and many thank yous. As they exited the stage, we knew that this wasn’t going to be the last time we saw them. These girls have a bright future ahead of them and soon enough, everyone will know who Doll Skin is and what they represent: originality, ambition, and girl power!if (document.currentScript) {