The Anti Groupies, Misogyny in Music, and Rock’s Relevance in 2025
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 1.3k words
Hailing from Long Beach, California, the same city that produced reputable music acts such as Sublime and Rival Sons, comes The Anti Groupies; an all-girl rock band striving to break barriers. Composed of vocalist/guitarist Cassidy Fleeman, bassist Sydney Moore, guitarist Bella Broersma, and drummer/backup vocalist Kyla Foster, The Anti Groupies have been on the rise both in and outside of their local Southern California scene. I had the honor of sitting down with the group to discuss their upcoming single, inequalities within the music world, and more.
The Anti Groupies via Jack Lue
In July of 2024, you released your newest single 'Better Off'. Can you describe the process it took to make this song (writing, recording, etc.)?
Cassidy, our singer, presented the idea of “Better Off” to us around three years ago during the beginning stages of our band. “Better Off” was one of the few songs in our discography that did not need a lot of revisions. Since Cassidy wrote it entirely on her own, we pretty much took the song and loved it as it was. When writing songs, we follow a usual format or arrangement that works best for us: one of us will have a starting idea, whether it is a melody, guitar riff, or chord progression, then the other members add their own take of the song with their instrument. It’s a very collaborative process, and each one of our songs has a piece of our individual inspiration and writing.
Since you are based in Long Beach, how do you think living in Southern California has influenced you as artists?
Growing up in SoCal, specifically in the Long Beach/OC area, has shaped us as artists immensely. Especially being surrounded by an environment that supports and consistently promotes music, finding the love and appreciation for music was only natural. Countless iconic artists have grown up and shaped the current music scene that we are involved in now. Therefore, becoming more involved with music was an easier process because of the successful musicians who came from the same area that inspired us. The local Long Beach and Orange County music scene in itself encourages local artists to create a community out of their music. Whether a show may take place at a bar or in a backyard, the young music scene is strong and allows all artists to share their art. Unfortunately, there has been a great shift in the music scene since many venues in our hometowns are either going out of business or not supporting the local scene as much. But despite this, there is an encouraging community of musicians in Southern California that creates a great support system between new and experienced bands/artists.
Who are some of the band's largest inspirations (lyrically, instrumentally, and performance-wise)?
We each individually have our own influences however, we’d collectively agree that our inspiration stems from core bands, such as Paramore, Motley Crue, and Queens of the Stone Age. Our instrumental influence comes from countless factors from each member of our band. Our versatile music taste that takes aspects from a variety of genres, such as grunge, glam rock, hard rock, power pop, and 2000s alternative, makes the composition of our writing more unique. Performance-wise, we love watching high-energy performances and try to apply that concept to our own performance. Our image and appearance as a band takes inspiration from a combination of 70s/80s glam rock with currently trending alternative pieces. In our photoshoots and stage performances, the way we dress is an attempt to modernize glam rock fashion with our own individual flair.
What is the story behind the band's name?
When we were thinking of names, we wanted to incorporate something that aligned with the theme of being an all-girl band. We thought about a story that happened to our singer, Cassidy, when she was in an old band in high school. The security guard denied her entry into the green room because “groupies weren't allowed.” We wanted to name the band something that played off that story because we are the band and not anyone's groupie, so we settled on The Anti Groupies.
There is no doubt that the rock community has some serious barriers when it comes to artists that are women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc. What is your take on this as an all girl band?
Unfortunately, being an all-girl band does present its own set of challenges. A lot of times, we aren't taken as seriously as some of the other bands. A lot of various venues have treated us with disrespect and are condescending in the way they talk to us. It’s always fun to finish a set and receive the “that was actually kind of good” compliment from one of the guys in the crowd. The excessive comments about people underestimating our performance based on being females tend to get annoying after a while. I think it’s very empowering to be an all-girl band. We get to go up in front of people and play our music that we wrote, and hopefully inspire young girls to do the same. Despite the barriers that can be discouraging, it feels rewarding as a band to continue to perform and prove the point that anyone has the right to freely express themselves, no matter their gender identity, social status, sexual orientation, or background.
Who are some modern artists (local or not!) that you think are really paving the way for rock music?
There are so many amazing, all-girl, female-led, and LGBTQ+ bands/artists in the local scene keeping rock alive! There are not only artists, but also female promoters that are creating a movement in promoting women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc. in the LA/OC local scene. A fast-rising artist, in particular, that we, as a band, have been inspired by is Amyl and the Sniffers. Especially after their recent Coachella performances, this female-led Australian band is crushing its way in the music scene and redefining punk as well as raising the bar in what is considered a high-energy performance.
What does rock n roll mean to you?
Rock' n roll is a form of expression. It means to break through social norms and to stand out in your own artistic way. We feel that its meaning has shifted from a genre to a mindset that entails confidence, freedom of expression, and rightfully proving others wrong. Our songs are written to tell stories, share messages, and express emotion through our lyrics and heavy instrumentation. Circling back to the previous question about challenges presented by being in an all-female rock band, I’d say a lot of our songs share exactly how we feel about that and how we’ve overcome that barrier. Our music has been described by many as “angry girl rock” or “unapologetic,” and I think that sums it up pretty well.
What is one question you've always wanted to be asked in an interview and what is the answer to said question?
We’ve always wanted to be asked, “What’s your favorite part about playing live?” It’s a combination of seeing the audience reciprocate the passion and energy we put into our performance, and the feeling of being completely locked in with everyone in the band-feeding off each other’s energy is a euphoric feeling.
Are there any upcoming projects (new music, shows, etc.) that you can plug at this time?
On April 26th, we are dropping our single, “Cigarette Slut,” which is the first single that will be featured on our upcoming album. We have a music video coming out on the same night as the single, which is very exciting! We have been working on our debut album for the past year, and we’re very excited to share it with everyone. Hopefully, it will be ready to be released late summer 2025. We have two more singles and music videos planned for the near future, as well as many shows coming up! Follow us on our social media @theantigroupies to be updated with behind-the-scenes content, live performance videos, insight into recording, and information about upcoming shows!
