Fiddle-fuelled feminist fire from Bristol’s alt-folk provocateurs
Out now across all platforms, “Mansplain” marks the triumphant return of Dryadic, the Gloucestershire/Bristol-based folk trio known for weaving wit, fury, and fierce harmonies into their sound. This time, they’re taking direct aim at one of life’s most exhausting phenomena — unsolicited advice — and doing it with the kind of humor, grit, and singalong defiance that feels tailor-made for a festival field, a protest march, or your post-gig group chat.
Following the runaway indie success of Rainbow Family — a queer folk-pop gem that earned spins from BBC Introducing West and made its way into Orbit’s curated playlists — “Mansplain” dials everything up. The sarcasm is sharper, the harmonies tighter, the message clearer: we’ve heard enough. With stomping fiddle lines and the kind of chorus that demands to be shouted in solidarity, it’s the anthem femmes, queers, and creatives didn’t know they needed — and one that lands just in time for Pride season.
Lead singer Zora delivers her lines with theatrical flair and razor-edge clarity. “It’s basically the soundtrack to that moment when a sweaty guy corners you after a show and starts lecturing you about your own art, politics, identity, and everything in between — without ever asking you a single question,” she says. Whether it’s beer-fuelled ego or condescension cloaked in compliments, “Mansplain” calls it out with cathartic joy. And yes — the chorus is as direct as it is unforgettable.
Dryadic’s strength has always been their ability to make resistance feel like celebration — a trait that’s landed them on lineups alongside Grace Petrie, O’Hooley & Tidow, and Heather Peace, and earned them slots at Glastonbury, Brighton Pride, and the Hackney Empire. “Mansplain” doesn’t just continue that legacy — it amplifies it.
With an official video now out on YouTube and major Pride events underway, “Mansplain” feels perfectly timed, unapologetically loud, and refreshingly fun. This isn’t just folk music. This is folk that fights back.
