Whether you want to add some niche 1970s bands and artists to your era-specific playlist or want to impress a certain female audiophile in your life, the following three musical acts are essential listening. Let’s take a look!
Videos by American Songwriter
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Siouxsie And The Banshees might not be “niche” to some. But for mainstream pop listeners who rarely strayed into gothic rock territory, they could certainly be seen as niche. Formed in 1976 by Siouxsie Sioux, this post-punk new wave outfit delivered a few hits in their native UK in the late 1970s, such as “Hong Kong Garden”. The band had a bit of a renaissance in the 80s, with hits that made it to the Top 40 in the UK and the US alike. I’d recommend listening to the 1978 album The Scream to start, though most of the band’s work is essential listening.
Lavender Jane
This one’s pretty niche, I have to say. The folk band Lavender Jane was formed by Alix Dobkin and Kay Gardner in the early 1970. And the group was one of the very first openly lesbian outfits of the era. In fact, their album Lavender Jane Loves Women is considered by music historians to be one of the first albums produced entirely by LGBTQ+ women. Their audience was small yet devoted, and their music was quite innovative for the time. While the late Dobkin has since been the subject of controversy, one can’t deny that Lavender Jane was an important band in LGBTQ+ and women’s music history.
Judee Sill
Judee Sill’s career was tragically short. Still, her work in folk and baroque pop lives on in the hearts of fans of 1970s folk music. Sill did not enjoy much popularity while she was alive, but she certainly deserved more love.
Sill makes it to our list of niche 1970s bands and musicians that women love because of her emotional lyricism, her complex explorations of spirituality, and her massively underrated works. Heart Food is essential listening, but her self-titled debut from 1971 is also a real treat. If you want to learn more about her, I recommend checking out the 2024 documentary film, Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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