You Can't Put This Babe in a Corner: Vancouver's Latest All-Girl Band

Whether it was pure luck or by the grace of the Spotify algorithm, my introduction to Babe Corner settled this appetite I not only had for new music, but also helped alleviate this growing homesickness I was beginning to experience towards the local bands and music venues I used to frequent back in Montreal and Toronto. While I embraced the chance to explore the many iconic music venues throughout London (UK) and saw as many artists as I possibly could during my year abroad, I nonetheless found myself missing this integral pastime that found itself at the epicenter of my friendships  back in Canada of discovering new music, especially local bands. When I stumbled upon Babe Corner’s song “Cigarette” on a playlist called “Vancouver Sweet<3’s” on a night when the physical distance between myself and home was particularly burdensome, I felt as if this musical itch in my brain was finally alleviated and immediately texted my friends back home showing off my latest discovery. Whilst wrapping up my studies in London, I had the chance to chat with Babecorner’s lead guitarist, Lindsay, over Zoom, and later got to chat with her in person at Bush Hall before her show with Haley Blais, who plays bass for Babecorner.

Quite evidently from the Spotify playlist “Vancouver Sweet<3,” Babe Corner has added itself to the list of musical talent emerging from the West Coast. The self-described all-girl alt-rock band with Linsday Sjoberg on vocals and guitar, Allison Deleo on Keys, Haley on bass, Lillian Carr on guitar, and Jess Jones on drums, first formed in 2018 and released their debut LP Crybaby in 2023.

Lindsay’s brainchild, Babecorner’s induction to the Vancouver music scene was very much a way for her and her bandmates to redefine the meaning of the “girl band,” in what can simply be described as an industry that, despite the important strides that have been made, still carries some biases towards female and non-hetero conforming artists. In fact, the name of the band came to Lindsay while she and her friends were watching her now-husband (Christopher Vanderkooy from Peach Pit) skateboard at the park when a stranger loudly asked his friend “Who are those babes over in that corner?” Whether it be physical locations or the metaphysical spaces in which music exists, Babecorner not only wants us to reflect on the various preconceptions that surround how we have come to view and understand girl-bands, but ultimately sees music as an outlet and a tool of self-expression.

Babecorner simultaneously embraces and rejects the idea of being a girl-band. As Lindsay puts it, “there is something empowering about being in an all-girl band, but we just don’t want that label to define us.” The lyrics and the music video for “Cigarette” perfectly encapsulate the essence of the band, and shine a light on what is to come from the four-piece Vancouver band. Both reminiscent of Jane Fonda’s space adventures in Barbarella, and heavily inspired by 1950/60s comic strips, set in the Okanagan desert, “Cigarette” shows in moving pictures the story, or one of many versions of it, of four girls rockin’ it out. 

The rise of female-led bands in Vancouver is slowly becoming the norm, rather than being an outlier phenomenon. Babecorner is for the girls in the bleachers at the skatepark and for those on their boards. Everyone deserves their own babe corner. 

Babecorner completed their most recent North American tour last summer, with their latest performance over the Saint Patrick’s Day weekend in Austin, Texas. Lindsay is currently supporting Haley’s North American tour for the release of her sophomore album Wisecrack. They are set to perform at Montreal’s Bar Le Ritz on April 7th, 2024.