KATE THEMEN - Kicking Against Tradition

This week on Oh! Brother, we were delighted to welcome drummer and academic Kate Themen to the show. Kate talks us through being recruited by Julia Nagle to play three shows with The Fall in April 1998, rehearsing the material at short notice, and joining Mark E. Smith and Julia on stage at Dingwalls and Reading — where the unpredictable performances included a brief appearance from dancer Michael Clark and objects being thrown from the audience. We also hear about Kate’s band Polythene, her later musical projects, and her memories of appearing as an extra alongside Karen Leatham in the independent film Glow Boys. Plus, Kate discusses her academic work on women’s football, the continuing struggle for equality within the game, football clubs’ responsibilities to their communities, and her hopes of returning to drumming after recovering from injury.