Against Me!

By channelling the rabble-rousing, iconoclastic spirit of late-’70s punk, Against Me! have amassed a loyal base of outsiders in the 21st century. Formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1997 as the solo project of vocalist/guitarist Laura Jane Grace, the band favoured strident folk-punk on their 2002 debut, Reinventing Axl Rose, which featured the acoustic sing-along “Baby, I’m an Anarchist”, and delicate twang on the following year’s “Sink, Florida, Sink”. As Against Me! gained fans, their sound expanded in proportion, culminating in their signing with a major label for 2007’s fully electric New Wave. Though the group scored minor hits with the fist-pumping “Thrash Unreal” and “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”, their mainstream tenure was short-lived. In the years since, Against Me! have gone back to their sonic roots, launching their own indie label and revisiting a more stripped-down, vulnerable approach to music. Most notably, 2014’s introspective Transgender Dysphoria Blues delved into Grace’s gender dysphoria and her coming out as transgender. In the years since, she’s emerged as one of the most outspoken and visible trans activists in music, paving the way for a new generation of punks ready to change the world.