“...That’s why it was so joyful to hear Pleasure Venom play every night on our recent US tour because they sound so fresh. It was wild, careering and chaotic and Audrey [Campbell, singer] is just amazing. She’s so unique. In this climate, everyone is so homogenised. Female artists particularly sound like one another, then you get this wild firebrand and that’s exciting.”
Shirley Manson NME
“We’re glad to be on the road with Pleasure Venom, thank you for coming here early to watch them open,” Manson said. “We invite people we think have got a voice and have a unique way of looking at the world and have got something to say and who want to push against the pricks. So here we have this fantastic band who are absolutely breaking conventions in every single way. I am in awe, and we’re so grateful to have them here tonight.”
Shirley Manson
Back in 2018, Kathleen Hanna shouted out local Pleasure Venom’s “These Days” on Twitter with an emphatic “Austin Punks!!!” By the merch table after a scorching performance, PV leader Audrey Campbell called playing with Bikini Kill a full-circle moment. Opening up the delightfully young, women-majority mosh pit of next-gen fans, Campbell commanded with retro punk melodrama, decked out in fingerless gloves and once brandishing a paper fan. The prettier vocal parts of latest single “Severed Ties” only emphasized the quartet’s scream-packed heavy breakdown.
Rachel Roscoe Austin Chronicle
...Pleasure Venom boast a multifaceted post-punk sound that’s reminiscent of the early 2000s. Putting a unique, hardcore-leaning twist on the genre, the band deliver aggressive energy that’s simultaneously melodic and emotive.
Mala Mortensa Alternative Press
Opening the night was Austin’s Pleasure Venom, a five-piece noise-punk outfit fronted by vocalist Audrey Campbell. The band tore into a 40-minute set that got the crowd moving to its dissonant guitar licks and heavy grooves. The sound was reminiscent of the off-kilter riffage of bands like noise rockers the Chinese Stars mixed with the femme-forward power of bands like Bikini Kill.
Chris Conde San Antonio Current
Pleasure Venom hail from Austin, Texas, with social and sonic attitude to burn. Fronted by vocalist Audrey Campbell, the quartet have created a fascinating amalgam of hard-rock riffing and jagged treble attacks. Those sharp edges are capable of puncturing anybody’s jaded sensibilities or preconceived notions of what constitutes “heavy.”
Jason Pettigrew Alternative Press
Pleasure Venom are a contemporary Austin post-punk band led by charismatic singer Audrey Campbell and the muscular motorik drumming of Thomas Valles, with an ever-shifting support cast. Raging non-standard rockers such as “Hive,” “I Can’t Find My Black Lipstick” and new single “Fascist” weave off-center, counterpoint guitars and solid bass work around Campbell’s furious, deceptively complex critiques of racism, bigotry and homophobia, among other societal ills. Several of Pleasure Venom’s tunes have been illustrated with imaginative videos directed by Campbell. ’90s alt superstars Garbage even noted the band’s power enough to hand-pick them to open a number of shows on their last U.S. tour.
Tim Stegall Alternative Press
The 5-piece Austin-based punk band Pleasure Venom is led by singer Audrey Campbell. The unapologetically black band is not afraid of being political with singles like “Seize” and “Deth,” inspired by the death of Tamir Rice. Their lyrics tackles multiple subjects, including racism, sexism that black people and POC face in their everyday lives. But their music is not just about serious issues: they don’t shy away from also celebrating life and for everyone who doesn’t fit in to find joy wherever they can.
Aude Konan Okay Africa
Experimental punk outfit Pleasure Venom of Austin, TX, explores topics of love, sex, resentment, racial injustice, and the general “absurdity of it all,” blasting audiences with a firehose deluge of fierce femme-punk rock. In July 2018, Afropunk named Pleasure Venom one of the Top 8 New Punk Bands on the Planet, and they showcased at SXSW Music Festival in spring 2019. Momentum building, the band caught the attention of Scottish powerhouse Shirley Manson of Garbage, and they joined Garbage’s US tour in early Summer 2019. With several critically acclaimed EPs and video releases under their belt, Pleasure Venom set their sights across the pond and toured the UK, playing Loud Women Fest in London that fall. They opened a sold out show for Against Me! in Austin, TX, in late December 2019. After taking time to regroup in 2020, the band entered 2021 with a bang, releasing “Fascist,” and "We Get What You Deserve," and playing Austin's LEVITATION. 2022 saw Pleasure Venom opening for the Spits at Hotel Vegas and playing the Linda Perry EqualizeHER and Punk Black official showcases during SXSW Festival, releasing new single and videos “Severed Ties” and “Behind Their Eyes,” opening a sold-out show for Bikini Kill, and featuring on the Peacock Network’s “Queer as Folk” reboot. They performed at the 2022 Austin City Limits Festival in October, and opened a sold-show for L7 during LEVITATION. They released their debut EP, Rebirth/Return, in December, to rave reviews. 2023 has seen them headline another SXSW Festival and embark on a 3-week North American tour with shoegaze darlings Ringo Deathstarr, with upcoming festival appearances at Purple City Festival, Edmonton, and Ghost Canyon Festival in Denver. Their music and videos have been featured in NME, Kerrang!, Alt-Press, Afropunk, Okayafrica, and in numerous indie and local publications. Lead Vocalist Audrey Campbell was accepted into the Recording Academy in 2022.

FESTIVALS PLAYED

Austin City Limits Festival

SXSW (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)

Norman Music Fest

Ghost Canyon Fest

Purple City Music Festival

Austin Pride

LEVITATION

Hot Summer Nights Music Festival

Pecan Street Festival

Riot Girl Fest

Boss Babes Music Fest

Loud Women Festival in London, UK

NOTABLE ARTISTS PLAYED WITH

Garbage, Bikini Kill, Against Me!, L7, MSPAINT, The Spits, Osees, Ringo Deathstarr, A Giant Dog, Fea, Fuck Money, Metz, Tunic, Sweet Spirit, ...and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, BLXPLTN, Mama Duke, Borzoi, Vampyre, Zeale, Teenage Cavegirl, Dregs, Black Mercy, Mamis

SOCIALS

Recent Videos

Pleasure Venom’s latest single off of “Rebirth/Return”

Directed by:

Thomas Valles (Drummer)

Filmed and Edited by:

Thomas Valles

Pleasure Venom’s appearance in the 2022 reboot for Queer As Folk on the Peacock network. Actors played the drummer and one guitar player while Audrey and Jordan played their usual roles. With Thomas playing guitar in place of Chase while he was indisposed.

Pleasure Venom’s second single off of “Rebirth/Return”

Directed By:

Audrey Campbell (vocals)

Filmed and Edited by:

Ismael Quintanilla III and Don Ray Hermes

Pleasure Venom’s first single off “Rebirth/Return”

Directed by:

Audrey Campbell (vocals)

Filmed and Edited by:

Ismael Quintanilla III and Don Ray Hermes

Press Photos

Shot by Ismael Quintanilla III

Live Shots

Norman Music Fest Norman OK.

Shot by C. Coffey

 

Hotel Vegas Austin, TX.

Shot by Ismael Quintanilla III

 

Three Links Dallas TX.

Shot by Vera “Vicious Velma” Hernandez.

 

Hotel Vegas Austin TX.

Shot By Vera “Vicious Velma” Hernandez

 

Garbage Tour 2019

 

U.K. Tour 2019