Big Joanie announce departure of founding drummer, Chardine Taylor-Stone
Black feminist punk band Big Joanie have announced that after ten years, their founding drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone has decided to leave the band, just days ahead of their EU tour.
Taking to their socials, Big Joanie – which consist of guitarist Stephanie Phillips, bassist Estella Adeyeri, and Taylor-Stone – announced the news.
"If you’ve ever seen us live then you’ll have seen her standing up front and centre, drumming with her unique self-taught style, and speaking powerfully in support of the marginalised. A founding member of the band, it’s been truly magical to watch her grow over the past decade, and such an honour to share a stage together. We will miss her immeasurably, and can’t wait to see what new ventures she turns her talent and creativity to next."
After thanking fans for all of their support over the years, they say that they have "achieved so much more then [they] could have ever imagined." Big Joanie are set to embark on a European headline tour on 10 October, beginning at the Quarterhouse in Folkestone, before heading to Brussels, Berlin, Nantes and Paris, before culminating at Le 6PAR4 in Laval, France.
Big Joanie end their statement by saying, "All shows during our upcoming EU tour will feature an interim drummer, as we transition into a new chapter for the band.'
Taylor-Stone posted her own statement, citing her reason for leaving as being "due to differences between us".
She echoes the band's statement by expressing gratitude for the past decade, as it has taken her to places he had never thought possible, and says: "Coming from a working class background it was always important to me that the platform I was given was used to give a voice to those like myself and my communities who don’t often have the change to be heard. This is the spirit in which I will continue to do anything that I do."
Wishing the rest of the band luck in their future endeavours, Taylor-Stone hopes for a "queer, Black and working class revolution…much love and solidarity."
Big Joanie released two albums together – their 2018 debut, Sistah's, and it's follow-up Back Home, which was released in 2022.
Earlier this year, Big Joanie collaborated on the single, "Today", with Kim Deal.
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