What is punk? It’s a question that’s been debated for decades by music scholars, musicians, and pretty much everyone who’s seen Iggy Pop in his leather pants and formed an opinion on the matter. Wherever you land on the topic, one aspect that feels like a universal truth is that being punk means to rebel. Which makes the new Peacock comedyWe Are Lady Partsone of the most delightfully punk series I’ve ever seen.
A British import which originated on Channel 4 there,We Are Lady Partsis the story of a band in search of its lead guitarist, but beyond that it’s the story of five young Muslim women seeking to form their own identities outside of all the cultural expectations heaped upon them. While the show features a stellar ensemble, the central characters are definitely Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), the rebellious leader of the band whose entire life is dedicated to making a mark with her music, and Amina (Anjana Vasan), the mild-mannered Ph.D. student who has suppressed her passion for the guitar so that she can focus on finding the perfect husband. They’re perfect opposites, but as it turns out they both need each other more than they realize: Saira needs Amina’s guitar talents to complete the band’s sound, while Amina needs Saira’s help getting over her extreme stage fright and, eventually, find her own voice.
Lady Parts, the band, hits some extreme highs and lows over the course of the first season, as Saira pushes herself and her fellow bandmates towards success; key to their journey is Zarina (Sofia Barclay), an influencer/journalist who promises them new levels of exposure in ways that you know immediately spell trouble for the band. But even characters like Zaria feel real and thoughtfully developed; there’s a deep humanity to writer/directorNida Manzoor’s approach that ensures that each member of the ensemble has a deep well of self. Most notable is the show’s emphasis on how within the label of Muslim there’s still a wide range of diversity when it comes to the backgrounds of these women and their approaches to their faith, families, and friends.
Really, the show is a perfect example of how powerful and universal a story can be when it really lives with the specifics, as each detail of these characters' daily lives helps to create a new level of relatability. I cannot say I’ve ever lived the experience of being a young Muslim woman playing in a London punk band, but I do know how it feels, that need to sometimes scream out loud. Everyone does, really. The girls of We Are Lady Parts just happen to do it into a microphone, accompanied by some sick guitar licks.
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You can actually listen to the music of We Are Lady Parts now on Spotify and elsewhere, a mix of covers like “9 to 5” and “We Are the Champions” along with original tracks like “Voldemort in My Headscarf” and “Ain’t No One Going to Honour Kill My Sister But Me.” Quite honestly, if those song titles don’t make you want to watch this show, I don’t know what to say to you — but beyond the music performed by the band, there are moments of fantasy accompanied by additional covers which bring delightful spark and surprise to the show, while also drawing us deeper inside Amina’s head.
Of the cast, Vasan does a brilliant job of letting the character’s quirky innocence evolve as she discovers the power of punk within herself, while Impey finds both the sharp edges and vulnerable sides of Saira.Juliette Motamed, as drummer Ayesha, is all fire and rhythm and yet sweetness when it comes to a potential love interest, whileFaith Omole, as Bisma, offers a calm rationality to the mix and Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse) serves as a figure of mystery who also has some of the show’s funniest moments. (If one image definesWe Are Lady Partsas a series, it might be Momtaz vaping through her niqab.)
The biggest flaw of the show can be found in its structure, as the pacing of the story across the first six episodes plays a bit like someone learning to drive stick, with abrupt surges forward alternating with stalls. However, part of that is the fact that you can feel the plot straining at the confines of just six episodes, and an easy solution would be for someone to please, for the love of little green apples, greenlight a second season.
Because whatWe Are Lady Partsdoes well, it doesextremelywell, and its infectious spirit and charming characters deserve a chance to play on. Punk might be Iggy Pop, but it might also mean owning your love of Don McLean. Punk means listening to your own voice. Punk means having something to say and not being afraid to shout it. Which makes this show punk as hell.
We Are Lady Partsis streaming now on Peacock.
KEEP READING:‘We Are Lady Parts’ Teaser Introduces the Female-Fronted Punk Band of Peacock’s Musical Comedy Series
