Live Laugh Love. It’s a phrase you might encounter in a certain type of cursive on the wall of a certain type of home. On the opposite end of the mood board, it’s also a stick-and-poke tattoo on Chastity Belt guitarist/vocalist Julia Shapiro’s left ankle (just below a highly improvised Shrek), and the title of the band’s fifth album. It’s fun, it’s funny, but it’s also sincere, not unlike the band’s history – a joke that became real because it was always real – and the enduring bond that has been their band’s foundation for the past 13 years.
In their decade-plus together, the four-piece – Shapiro, Lydia Lund (guitar, vocals), Gretchen Grimm (drums, vocals), and Annie Truscott (bass, vocals) – have created a resonant body of work. The early days of “Nip Slip” and “Pussy Weed Beer” (hits from their iconic debut full-length “No Regerts”, which recently celebrated 10 years) and the “Cool Slut” era of 2015’s “Time To Go Home” were raucous bonanzas of dry wit and self-evident feminism. A newfound gravity on 2017’s “I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone” shifted the lyrical mood toward introspection as they continued to refine their trademark sound: lush intertwining guitars, meticulous rhythms, a careful balance of melancholy and optimism. Two years later, the dreamy Chastity Belt marked a renewal of vows to their musicianship and friendship, each member coming into their own as artists, convening with a fresh perspective on collaboration.
Artists performing live
Chastity Belt HEADLINE
Show Details
- Venue
- The Portland Arms
- Date
- Thursday, 28 Aug 2025
- Starts
- 7 p.m.
- Ends (approx):
- 11 p.m.
Organisers
About The Portland Arms
Much loved 200-capacity venue in Cambridge, UK.
129 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3BA
01223 357 268 / None