Britain’s most unique all-female, Muslim punk band is back for a second season of musical comedy We Are Lady Parts
The term “punk rock” evokes images of spray-painted brick walls and leather-clad teenagers with mohawk hairdos, perhaps leading to the chorus of Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” or The Clash’s “I Fought the Law” playing on a loop in your head.
What likely hasn’t entered your mind — unless you are already a fan of brash British comedy We Are Lady Parts — is a punk band comprised entirely of young, well-educated Muslim women.
Created by Nida Manzoor (Polite Society) and still boasting a first-season rating of 100-per-cent on Rotten Tomatoes, We Are Lady Parts has thrilled audiences with its sharp wit, cultural and political themes, and exceptional original music.
The series centres on biomedical engineering PhD candidate Amina Hussein (Anjana Vasan), a dedicated student who has just — somewhat unsurely — taken on the role of lead guitarist in a London-based punk band called Lady Parts.
Despite Amina’s clear talent and perfect chemistry with the rest of the band, she is reluctant to accept the job due to a jam-packed school schedule and her time-consuming goal of finding a husband. Afraid to lose Amina, the group’s frontwoman, Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), opts to kill two birds with one stone and tells Amina that she will help her find a husband if she fully commits to the band. Thus began the first season.
Headed into the second, Lady Parts is back “with a new artistic mission after the high of a glorious summer, only to find a rival Gen-Z band, Second Wife, threatens their delicate status quo,” notes the new season’s synopsis. “As the reality of chasing success sets in, Lady Parts embarks on recording their first album, juggling personal ambitions and deciding whether ‘making it big’ is really what they wanted.”
Returning to join Amina (lead guitar) and Saira (lead vocals) are Ayesha (Juliette Motamed) on drums and Bisma (Faith Omole) on bass. Additionally, their manager, Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse), has her work cut out for her as she books gigs, arranges recording spaces and tries to mediate inter-band drama while facing her own problems.
Other cast members expected to return include: Zaqi Ismail, who portrays Aeysha’s brother and Amina’s crush, Ahsan; Shobu Kapoor as Amina’s mom, Seema; and Aiysha Hart as Noor, Amina’s best friend.
While little has been recorded about the return of Saira’s boyfriend, Abdullah (David Avery), or Zarina (Sofia Barclay), the influencer who (mild spoilers!) launched Lady Parts’ career at the end of season one, it seems likely they will each make an appearance, even if only peripherally.
As the creator, writer, director and executive producer behind the three-time BAFTA-winning comedy series, Manzoor most recently solidified her spot, internationally, with the 2023 action-comedy Polite Society. A tale of two sisters, an arranged marriage and the difficulties of balancing family honour with personal freedom, Polite Society has plenty in common with We Are Lady Parts. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn Manzoor often draws from her own life.
“Making the first season . . . I was able to express the different nuances, complexities and weirdness of being from a Muslim background and being South Asian,” Manzoor said of the series’ creation in a recent interview with Deadline.
“The season overall asks the question of success . . . For a punk band — is fame, stadium shows and major record deals the answer? I wanted to explore the uncomfortable tension between art and commerce and ask how much compromise is too much,” she added.
We Are Lady Parts premieres Monday, June 10 on W Network