The Devotchkas
The Devotchkas are a four-piece American street punk band from New York, New York, United States. Their name was derived from the popular film and novel "A Clockwork Orange". "Devotchka" in Nadsat means "girl", which is itself derived from the Russian word (девочка) of the same meaning. An all-girl group, the band was formed by three friends in 1996. The early period saw drummers come and go, including Jon from The Krays. Wanting a permanent drummer, they eventually recruited Gabrielle in 1999 to complete the line-up. In 1998, they were signed to Punk Core Records  for the release of their debut EP, which sold in excess of 5,000 copies, a surprisingly high number for a band's debut EP, especially on vinyl format. In 2000, Punkcore released The Devotchkas second 7" EP and an extended version CD, both named "Annihilation". Following their six-week-long 2001 European tour to support the release of "Annihilation", singer Stephanie exited the band. The role of vocalist was then filled by JJ, who sang on their 2002 album "Live Fast, Die Young". For a very brief period, the band toyed with the idea of changing their name to The  99s, however this was a fleeting idea which they quickly recanted and they continued forward as The Devotchkas. In support of their 2002 release, the Devotchkas went on a successful European tour in the summer of 2002. Shortly thereafter, the band members decided to part ways for a long hiatus. In January 2022, the Devotchkas announced a reunion show that is planned for Los Angeles, California in September 2022, featuring their same line-up from the band's Live Fast Die Young album.