'Like Riot Women, I write songs about the menopause'

Jo Dale decided to channel her experience of the menopause into music

Hot flushes, mood swings and a declining egg count aren't usually found in the lyrics of punk songs, but one band is tackling the topic of the menopause head on.

Just like the characters in Sally Wainwright's hit BBC One show Riot Women, Jo Dale wants society to know "we're still here".

"Half of the population are going through this at some point in their lives, people need to know about it," she said.

Lead vocalist and bassist of York trio Knitting Circle, Jo penned the song Eggs about the symptoms she experienced during band practice, calling it "cathartic".

"I kept having hot flushes while practising, and I'd get halfway through a song and my brain would just go," she said.

The group formed in 2023, and members include Jo, her husband Peter, on vocals and guitar, and long-time friend Marc Walker on percussion.

They describe their genre of music as "socially-conscious and urgent post-punk".

Once she'd decided to put pen to paper, inspiration came quickly, Jo explained.

"I don't even remember writing it, it's like one minute it wasn't there and the next it was there because that's how I was feeling, straight down on paper," she said.

Alongside brain fog and hot sweats, Jo - who describes herself as "quite a confident, happy person" - also experienced anxiety and invasive thoughts.

"You think you know yourself, you've brought your children up, you've got your career and then suddenly it's like 'who is this person? I can't function'."

For her, Eggs is a way to raise awareness and start important conversations about the menopause through a new medium.

"I do feel like you become less visible, so it's about putting your line in the sand again," she said.

"We're still here, and we're going to say this, we're going to support each other and you're going to know about it."

Every time the band performs the song she says she can guarantee women will come up after they have finished and want to talk about it.

"For women to be seen going through this, because we're expected to carry on, society needs to be more supportive of women and menopause.

"I thought this song can help with that, because I've got a platform - I can talk about it."

Amelia Bullmore, Rosalie Craig and Tamsin Greig in star in Sally Wainwright's Riot Women

She said shows like Riot Women as well as public figures openly talking about the topic were also an important part of raising awareness.

Now on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which Jo describes as making "a world of difference", she is encouraging other women to express themselves creatively.

Knitting Circle is hosting a number of upcoming gigs, with the caveat that there can only be one all-male line-up per show, when possible.

Jo's advice to women is to "get on that stage, you can do it, you're as good as anybody else".

"I want to get more women on stage, so form that band - I'd love to be in an all-female band," she added.

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