Stray Dags

The Stray Dags, a musical group which formed in Sydney in 1979, are variously described as "a lesbian rock band" and "feminist post-punk band with reggae and ska influences". The name is a play on the phrase "stray dogs", with the substituted word, dag being Australian slang deriving from "daglock", often used affectionately as a term describing someone dressed untidily, shabbily, or unfashionably, but also used derogatorily, as a fool. The band had a weekly gig at the Sussex Hotel on Thursday nights, and performed at monthly "rent dances" to support the Women's Warehouse at the Haymarket. They also toured to the capital cities of Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, and Melbourne. On Saturday 9 August 1980 they appeared at Glebe Town Hall in Sydney, along with Wimmins Circus and Hens' Teeth. In January 1982 The Dags performed at "Frock Rock", a women's music event that was part of the Sydney Festival. The event was staged at both Sydney Town Hall and Petersham Town Hall, and included musicians from Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne. 1984 saw their music used in the film On Guard, in which Carnage also co-starred. The Stray Dags disbanded in 1984. ==Description==

Members of the Stray Dags were: • Tina Harris (vocals/guitar) • Chris Burke (drums) (died 2016) • Celeste Howden (bass) • Mystery Carnage (vocals/percussion) • Ludo McFerran (saxophone) A fan described the band's sound as being an "original, quirky blend of blues reggae funk pop and disco... [with a] great sense of self-parody and wry humour"; however, some of their songs, such as "Tension" and "Heterosexual Jungle" are intentionally angry. ==Songs and releases==

The Stray Dags' most well-known track (although not to mainstream audiences) was "Self Attack". with "Confessions" on the B Side. The lyrics of "Self Attack" have been interpreted as "a feminist commentary on how women 'attack' their body surgically via plastic surgery, and also, for those in the know, a somewhat indirect and sly dig toward radical feminists into self-defence".) to assist. Both the single and the album were played by 2JJ (now Triple J) and community radio stations. ==Recognition==

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia describes the Stray Dags as "one of the most successful band of the women's music scene in the early 1980s". A 1980 poster by Leonie Lane of the Lucifoil Poster Collective, created in the Tin Sheds (Sydney University Art Workshop) in 1980, is held by the National Gallery of Australia. In the foreground is a flock of sheep, to one side a building with "Wimmins Warehouse" on it, and across the middle in large letters, "Stray Dags". Several posters relating to the Dags are held at the Jessie Street National Women's Library in Sydney. ==Reunion==

As a fundraiser for film project Rock On With Your Frock On on Saturday 28 November 2009, a one-off reunion of the band, performing as the headline act after a number of other bands, was held at Red Rattler Theatre in Marrickville, Sydney. The film, by Kathy Sport, was planned to be a documentary about Australian women musicians. Members of the audience had travelled from Canberra, Adelaide, and Melbourne. The MC for the event, titled "Dagarama", was Fran Kelly, and their performance was described by an attendee as "an energetic and electric hour-long set". Erica Lewis played drums for the night. The performance was filmed. ==Footnotes==