Riot Women soundtrack: Every song featured in Sally Wainwright’s new drama

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While ‘Riot Women’ features a large cast and a compelling narrative, it’s the music that truly brings everything together.

From classic rock anthems to brand new songs written for the show, you’ll definitely feel the urge to jump up and start moshing!

Here’s the complete guide to everything you need to know about the Riot Women soundtrack.

Riot Women soundtrack

Who created the original songs?

The show includes some elements viewers might recognize, but its music is completely new. It was created by ARXX, a rock-alternative duo from Brighton consisting of Hanni Pidduck and Clara Townsend, and they were recommended for the job by rock journalist Amy Raphael.

Show creator Sally Wainwright explained that they shared some initial ideas for a song called ‘Seeing Red’ and asked several artists to develop them. The band ARXX delivered the strongest version by far, truly making the song their own with a catchy and brilliant result. While ARXX wrote the music and lyrics, the show’s team also contributed – notably, their police advisor, Lisa, suggested the opening line, ‘I’m so depressed, I can’t get dressed,’ which ARXX then creatively transformed with their unique energy.

ARXX wrote three original songs for the show: “Seeing Red,” “Sting Pineapples,” and “Just Like Your Mother.” Within the show’s storyline, the songs are performed by the band members Kitty and Beth.

What is the Riot Women theme song?

The show has a short introduction, but the song you’ll hear repeatedly throughout the episodes is a cover of Hole’s song, *Violet*.

Each episode concludes with a song about a woman losing herself in an unhealthy relationship, detailing how she’s lost her emotions and control. The song’s central message is powerfully expressed in its repeating chorus: “Go on, take everything.”

The song “Violet” likely gets its name from the image of a violet-colored sky, which represents finding yourself and starting fresh. Courtney Love wrote it in 1991, and while it was influenced by her relationship with Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan, it also seems to reflect aspects of her relationship with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. It first appeared on the 1994 album *Live Through This*.

Both Courtney Love and Billy Corgan have playfully talked about the song over the years, and they’re now friends. Back in 1995, Love explained to Jools Holland that the song was inspired by someone she supposedly cursed, causing them to lose their hair – a clear reference to Corgan’s frequently changing hairstyles. More recently, in 2024, Corgan participated in a charity raffle to win the handwritten lyrics to the song, jokingly saying on Instagram that it reminded him of someone he knew and that he’d like to display the lyrics as a result.

What songs appear in Riot Women?

Episode 1

  • I’m Only Happy When It Rains — Garbage
  • Weak — Skunk Anansie
  • The Passenger — Iggy Pop

Episode 2

  • Smoke on the Water — Deep Purple
  • Just Like Your Mother — ARXX (Original)
  • Waterloo — ABBA

Episode 3

  • Races — Interplanetary Criminal (feat. Blanco)
  • Dissolved Girl — Massive Attack
  • Nothing Matters — The Last Dinner Party

Episode 4

  • Don’t Bring Me Down — Electric Light Orchestra
  • Sit Down — James
  • Seeing Red — ARXX (Original)

Episode 5

  • Your Maker — Gonjasufi and Anna Wise
  • Nothing’s Wrong — Miss Grit

Episode 6

  • Crying in the Carwash — ARXX
  • F**k and Run — Liz Phair
  • Riot Women — ARXX (Original)

You can watch Riot Women on BBC One this Sunday, October 12th, at 9pm. All episodes will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer starting at 6am that same day.

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2025-10-12 08:09