For a genre that is all about
sticking it to the man, rock and roll to this day oddly remains a predominantly
male endeavor. If you were to ask multiple people to list their favorite female
rock artists I guarantee you that you would get a lot more repeats than you
would if you asked the same of their male counterparts. Why this is, I have no
idea, but I do know that in music, as well as everywhere else, representation
is key. It is also one of the many themes of We Are Lady Parts, a quirky,
headbangingly good Peacock/Channel 4 original series that made quite a few
other adjectives come to my mind while watching, including…
Hilarious.
We Are Lady Parts is the story of Muslim/Londoner/PhD student Amina Hussein
(played by Anjana Vasan) and her attempts to find a hunky halal husband while
simultaneously trying to make it big with her new band, the all-female titular
Lady Parts. It is British humor at its finest. Sharp, witty, and superbly
acted, there is never a dull moment in the short six episodes, nor do the
laughs ever detract from the character development, story, and themes at the
core of the show. It is pretty darn British, though, and it is about a punk
band, so don’t be surprised when the characters start dropping f-bombs. Might
want to turn on the subtitles too, if you’re as bad as I am with accents.
Heartwarming.
The themes of the show go beyond what you’d expect, tackling religion (it is,
undoubtedly, a very positive representation of Islam, for all those worried),
friendship, self-dependence, and much more. As much as I love other British
comedies like The IT Crowd, Black Adder, and Monty Python, it’s nice to
occasionally get a comedy here and there that actually means something. The
heart of We Are Lady Parts is representation and girl power, and it’s a good
heart to spend some time with.
Creative.
Visual flairs and the occasional musical dream sequence abound, causing the
entire outing to ooze with charm and style. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the
soundtrack is appropriately great for a music-based television show, from
pre-existing tracks to the original songs that the actors actually preformed
without any visual trickery.
Short.
I guess this was to be expected, the show being British and all. The entire
first season comprises a mere six episodes, each one clocking in around
twenty-four minutes each (unless you refuse to pay for yet another streaming
service and are using the free version of Peacock like me, in which case they
end up being your typical TV thirty). Like with other British shows, this means
that there is little to no filler, for better or for worse.
All
in all, We Are Lady Parts is an entertaining little oddity that offers some
admirable representation to a genre that is still thirsty for diversity. Give
it a shot.
We
Are Lady Parts season 1 is now available on Peacock.
This review was first published in The Keizertimes on September 24th, 2021.
Visit at http://keizertimes.com/
