Instagram story viewer> @steffimusics> Posts

Stephanie Phillips

@steffimusics

3.6K

followers

1002

following

Author/Journalist
Musician in Black feminist punk band @bigjoanieband
Member of @decolonisefest collective
Relationship manager at @aceagrams

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I’m excited to announce I’ll be going on a book tour for We Were Here UK release 📖

Looking forward to coming to a city near you.

Tickets and information about the events is in the link in bio.

Will update the link with more information about later dates as they come in. by @steffimusics

464

12

a month ago

Happy to announce that US readers can pre order We Were Here now via @dacapopublishing

Published in hardback on 17 November.

Cover artwork by Aaron Marin.

Link in bio by @steffimusics

734

22

2 months ago

Coming this summer from musician, journalist and die-hard alternative music superfan Stephanie Phillips, We Were Here is a reclamation of rock’n’roll for the Black artists who tore up and re-wrote its rules.

Ripping up our received history of rock ‘n’ roll and alternative music and repopulating it with the extraordinary Black artists and influential figures who truly steered its course from the 1930s to the present day, We Were Here features vital figures – from Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix to Tina Turner, Betty Davis to Poly Styrene and Bad Brains and beyond.

It’s published in hardback on 27 August – you can pre-order your copy now. Cover artwork by @designbyfaber @jodihuntt ⚡️ by @steffimusics

3k

76

4 months ago

We had a wicked time at @roughtradeeast for @steffimusics’ night discussing her new book We Were Here: Black People & Alternative Music with @m_kambasha and @gdogg27 🔥 if you missed it there’s another chance to catch her discussing it THIS THURSDAY at @mothersruine17 at @rocknrollbookclube17, ticket link in stories! by @steffimusics

300

15

15 days ago

Decolonise Fest is back again for another weekend. Get your discounted tickets using the code DECOLWKND30 or DECOLDAY30. It’s gonna be a packed weekend of bands, workshops, panels and more. Find the link to buy tickets in my bio. by @steffimusics

115

4

17 days ago

No. 80 Festival is back! The first release of tickets have gone live!
Friday 6th November - Sunday 8th November 2026 at The Nest, 33-35 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX1 2HU

We aim to reclaim the word ‘other’ for those who are marginalised within the arts. At this festival, we bring the community together and set a level of collective care unknown to our city, to witness one another in our otherness. To see and be seen. The name No. 80 comes from a previous tick box in the UK population census. It designated other races/ethnicities that did not make the main list. We are taking up space in a colonially-led city to make a stand against the stigmatisation of those of us who have felt powerless in our society.

To find the full line up, please visit the ticket link in bio. This is not to be missed!!!

Poster by @pressed.for taken in The Nest by @steffimusics

107

6

18 days ago

Thank you Stephanie for this book tracing and reclaiming the history of Black people in Alternative and Punk music —taking us all the way back to the 1930s. There is also an entire chapter devoted to the rise and fall of AFROPUNK with a balanced perspective and a lot of details. This one comes out Nov 17th!

Second slide: quote from The Observer

@steffimusics by @steffimusics

356

6

19 days ago

Excited to announce I’ll be part of a panel discussion exploring the legacy of Poly Styrene.

I’ll be chatting with @celestabella, Numbi Arts founder @kinsilleh, and poet @hyfreelance.

🗓️ Saturday 12th September
📍Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre, V&A South Kensington (@vamuseum)

Tickets details in link in bio or at vam.ac.uk/events by @steffimusics

111

1

21 days ago

„Blackness is inherently punk“, says Stephanie Phillips, journalist and member of the Black feminist punk band Big Joanie since 2013. Her book, „We Were Here: A History of Black People & Alternative Music“, compiles years of research, interviews and music uncovering the Black roots of genres, which have been white-washed by the mainstream music industry. We spoke to Phillips about the erasure of Black people from alternative music and how its past, present and future can be reclaimed.

Read the full conversation linked in our bio.

Interview by Ilo Toerkell
Photos by Anna-Rose McChesney and Jeanie Jean

#stephaniephillips #bigjoanie #blackalternative #alternativemusic #musichistory taken in London, United Kingdom by @steffimusics

3

2

a month ago

To celebrate the release of We Were Here in the UK I’ve made a 75 track playlist featuring artists and bands mentioned in the book.

Listen along to We Were Here and you can download the audiobook now on Spotify and other platforms.

Link in bio by @steffimusics

343

9

a month ago

Tonight at @roughtradeeast! Join @steffimusics in conversation with Gary Powell (@gdogg27) of @thelibertines and @m_kambasha, discussing her newly published book ‘We Were Here: A History of Black People and Alternative Music’ 💥🎵 tickets include a signed copy of the book, still a few up on @dicefm! Doors at 7pm, see you there! 🩷
#joaniesnightout taken in Rough Trade East by @steffimusics

235

3

a month ago

@daisychainfields was simply out of this world 💫

we’re hugely grateful to the iconic @santigold for taking the time to chat with us, she’s such a big influence so getting to see her live together was really special ❤️

we were so stoked to see trailblazers @theebikinikill, @garbage & @thebreeders on the bill, bands who in our childhood taught us how to be ourselves and how to have a positive impact on our communities through music, then in our adulthood were kind enough to take us on tour 💛

we saw generational talents @mitskileaks, @doechii and @chappellroan, and of course orchestrator @oliviarodrigo’s phenomenal set with special guests @officialsarahmclachlan, @alanis and the one and only @stevienicks ❤️‍🔥

it was really moving to see such a multigenerational event both on and off stage, with care taken to educate attendees about the organisations the funds raised at the festival - $20 mil in total!! - will support. i don’t wanna paraphrase incorrectly but @mskathleenhanna & shirley manson spoke from the heart on stage, and stevie’s dedication to olivia for all her work on DCF was beautiful. the fest’s vibes were honestly immaculate, the audience was lovely, and the looks were extremely cute 💖

it sounds like DCF will return next year and we hope it continues each year after that 🙏🏿 congrats to olivia and everyone who played a part in bringing this first, unforgettable edition to life 🌼✨

(swipe to the end for fit checks while waiting for the festival shuttle lol 🚌) taken in Great Park of Irvine by @steffimusics

859

18

a month ago