War On Women's third album, Capture the Flag, is all about exposing American injustice in all its shades — racism, sexism, transphobia, class oppression, and the troubling intersections in between. Standout track "Anarcha" offers one of the record's most potent screeds, and rightly so. It's named for Anarcha Wescott, one of three enslaved women who served as experimental subjects for physician Dr. James Marion Sims, the so-called "father of modern gynecology" — sans anesthetics or prior consent.
For the accompanying visual, the band keep it true to frenetic form, delivering a fierce performance while images from Sims' studies (and of the doctor himself, with Xs over his eyes) flash across the screen. In a fascinating twist, its April 17th video shoot coincided with the removal of a J. Marion Sims statue from Central Park. "I wanted to memorialize Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey [Sims' other subjects] in the best way I knew how, through song," frontwoman Shawna Potter remarks.
War On Women are currently on the road for a string of North American dates behind Capture the Flag, including one-offs with punk icons Frank Turner and Propaghandi. Check out a complete itinerary below, and read our recent feature on the band.
War on Women tour dates:
Jun. 29 — Washington, DC — Rock & Roll Hotel
Jun. 30 — Amityville, NY — Amityville Music Hall
Jul. 1 — Boston, MA — Royale *
Jul. 2 — New Haven, CT — Cafe Nine
Sept. 23 — St. Augustine, FL — Sing Out Loud Festival ^
Oct. 25 — Ybor City, FL — Pre-Fest
Oct. 26-27 — Gainesville, FL — The Fest
* w/ Frank Turner
^ w/ Propagandhi
