What’s In Your Bag, The Regrettes?

What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring Los Angeles punk rock band The Regrettes.

The Regrettes describe themselves as “perfectly imperfect.” The band, comprised of front woman Lydia Night, drummer Drew Thomsen, and guitarist Genessa Gariano, carries audio hallmarks from the likes Karen O, married with splashes of throwback rock a la Buddy Holly. It all comes wrapped in a pop punk-driven package that’s brash and unapologetic with lyrics like, “You’re talking to me like a child, I got news I’m not a little girl” and “I heard that girl Lydia is such a fucking bitch / Well I heard that she’s a feminist so she must not shave her pits.”

The group released their debut studio album, Feel Your Feelings Fool! in 2017, and since then, have been pegged as a name to watch with standout performances at events like Governors Ball and Lollapalooza. Now with festival season winding down, The Regrettes have come out with a new single called “California Friends” in anticipation of their follow up album expected in 2019. It’s a rowdy bop with shout-along vocals and racing tempo that will make non-Californians forget fall is even on the way.

While passing through New York, The Regrettes let The Verge rummage through their bags (and one jacket) to see what these pop-punk firebrands carry with from day to day. There’s everything from self-care necessities to a kazoo to Beats headphones. (Everyone carries the same model; Apple gifted them to the band after their all belongings were stolen from their tour bus in the UK earlier this year.)

Editor’s Note: In the time since The Verge conducted this interview, bassist Sage has amicably left the group.

Lydia: So I have my headphones, which we were given the other day. They’re amazing I actually have had those for two years now and they were stolen so it was really nice to have them back. And I think this is the newer version of the ones I had. I really, really missed those a lot so and it’s nice to have them. I also like using them before shows to listen to music and get in the mood.

These are my sunnies from Rayban. They’re cute. We were given these in London and that was also super nice because all my sunglasses were stolen!

Wow you guys have had some moments!

Yeah, only a few. Then I have deodorant, which I always need. And I have a kazoo that a fan gave me our show in Liverpool. In my bio on Instagram it said that I play kazoo with no regrets because I think it’s funny, so someone actually brought me a kazoo.

And now it’s true!

And now it’s real! Also, we have my wallet.

It looks new.

It is again something that was stolen, so I had to get a new one in London. Some Vaseline lip gloss — I live by Vaseline. I use it all the time. I have a giant tub I normally travel with that I use on my hands and my lips. I used to put it on my eyelashes because someone told me that it makes them grow, but I don’t know if I believe that or not. These are hair ties. And that is it.

Do you have a phone with you?

I do. I have the iPhone X.

Tell me about all of the things in your bag.

Genessa: I have a little sketchbook in here that has graph paper in it but I sketch on it and it’s really fun. I picked it up in London. And then I have another little sketchbook that has a few drawings in it and some writing. I write in this one more often than anything else. I sketch a lot that’s kind of what I do when I’m chill and to relax before and after shows. It’s the best way for me to calm down. Now I have all of my pens — practically every pen I’ve ever owned. And this is what I sketch with... I have another sketchbook I do more in. I have three!

Do you buy these notebooks for any particular reason?

No I just I picked this one up at a museum — I thought it was cute and I wanted something that would fit my purse because I had a smaller purse before. And I wanted graph paper. Actually I got this one here in New York in a bookshop and I just thought it was nice to have graph paper. It’s in that trendy color. That millennial pink, that’s what they call it. Super fun. And then to go with that I have my glasses.

Tell me about your glasses.

They’re broken and they’re taped up on the sides. I need to get new ones they just didn’t have time to do it before we left. And then I have my Beats headphones in here, which are very new and I’m super excited about them! I’ve always wanted Beats and so I finally got a pair. They’re the Wireless Solo 3s. I’m so happy. I’ve wanted them since I was a kid. Every year for Christmas I would ask them and I finally got some now and it’s really exciting.

That’s awesome!

Yeah. And then of course, guitar picks. And some earplugs. I guess that’s what I had in here from the show last night. And I have a camera that I use to take pictures with. I feel more comfortable taking pictures with a camera than I do sometimes with my phone.

Do you like the pictures you get with it?

Yeah it’s really fun it’s kind of shitty, but in a good way. It is kind of grainy, which is fine. I bring a bunch of SD cards with me and then I don’t upload anything until I get home. And a lot of times I actually take pictures of the screen and then crop it. There’s something about the screen on this camera where it leaves this light white border around it and it looks really cool.

Got some mascara and a makeup compact with powder and a lipstick. And then I had my deodorant. It’s a spray on, again from the show last night.

Wait we have one more thing... a mango bar. Oh, and my cell phone, an iPhone 7. And a portable power thing. It’s a one time power charger that we just got from Tidal. It just pops into your phone. It’s a one use charger.

Yeah it’s like... break for emergencies. I’ve never seen that before.

This metal wallet is cool!

Sage: It was a cigarette case from my mom. She never smoked, but she had it forever and I just took it from her one day because I wanted a credit card holder. She knew I had it and was like, “I don’t care anyway, so cool.” I have a bunch of plastic spoons because I’m kind of weird about silverware when we stay at Airbnbs and I never feel like it’s fully clean. So I like having the plastic spoons and using them when I’m on tour so I can eat peanut butter or whatever snacks and things that I need.

I have a ton of these little pre-stamped Milk Bar cards that will give me a free coffee or drink or whatever.

You have so many stamps.

We were playing a show last night at the Knitting Factory and I had been talking to a fan online about how badly I wanted to go to Milk Bar. She came to the front of the stage while we were playing and slapped them down in front of me. And she was just like, “Here! I’ve been waiting to give these to you.” I’m very happy about it.

Here’s a lipstick. Is that what you’re wearing right now?

That is what I’m wearing right now. It’s Mac Ruby Woo. It’s my favorite red ever in the world.

I have a little velvet bag with a crystal I bought in Manchester because we had our van stolen and I had crystals that I travel with in there so I got myself something to look at and to play with and to vibe with.

Where did you get it?

This store in Manchester we were in Afflecks which is like a warehouse with a bunch of random shops in it. They had a floor with a lot of crystal shops and jewelry makers and things like that. I went into one and was immediately drawn to this and it looks like there’s water inside so I love it.

And then I have my Raybans, which are nice. They’re a fun color and they’re all scuffed up and dirty. I have my custom ear plugs slash picks case from Westone, which I use on stage and whenever we’re performing. I’m always worried they’re going to disappear because they’re easily lost.

And then I have a little pouch with different eye drops because I wear contacts. Chapstick, because I’m addicted to Burt’s Bees, and a little mirror and perfume and like random things. My birth control, and this little bouncy ball Wonder Woman thing that I got for a pound out of a little coin machine.

Is that the iPhone X? Are you happy with it?

It is. I am. I had to get a new phone because at Coachella my phone was stolen. I treated myself because it wasn’t that much more than buying a 7 or what I had already had which was the 6 plus. So I splurged a little bit and I’m very happy with the purchase now. And it has a pop socket so I can lean it up on things and I can hold it in comfortable ways. It’s very convenient.

Are these are the headphones that you usually use?

Yeah that or we just got Beats. And those are very new to me but these are just more convenient when I don’t need to have quality headphones. These are just in case I want to make a phone call or quickly listen to some tunes.

What about your bag?

This is a bag from Fred Perry. It’s convenient because it’s small and compact and it has some great compartments. I can strap it cross body or over the shoulder. It’s not too heavy and it goes with so many different outfits. I’m really picky about my everyday purses. They have to be multi functional and work with all my different outfits and this one seems to do the job.

What phone you have?

Drew: I didn’t have an iPhone for like three years. But I got one just for this tour. And then it got stolen. So this is a new one. It’s an iPhone 7. And like everyone else I have the Beats headphones. They’re the first wireless ones I’ve ever had. It’s incredible.

So since you don’t have a bag, these are just the things that you have in your jacket.

Yup. And then Tics Tacs and my wallet!

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