We are Lady Parts features the story of an all-female, English rock band trying to make it big.
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 24 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 30 minutes). 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.