THE REAL RIOT WOMEN

A new television series out this autumn is sure to inspire us all. Find out what it's really like to be in a band during midlife

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BC1's six-part drama Riot Women is sure to have us all glued to our screens - not least because it's written by Happy Valley's Sally Wainwright. Actors Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne and Amelia Bullmore play five older women who form a punk band in a moving story of friendship, resilience and midlife. But what's it really like to be in a band after 50? We met a five-piece, all-female group called The Ukadelix to find out.

While the band was conceived in 2015, its roots were planted five years earlier when harmonica and ukulele player Gill Abela met Heather Gilmore, an accordion and fellow ukulele player, in a pub and was invited to play in a band she was part of. When that fell apart, Gill suggested that they start their own group. Next to join was Gill's friend Kirsty McNeil, who plays ukulele and drums. Kirsty knew Gill's ex-partner and at Gill's 35th birthday party, they met for the first time. The final two members were Heather's neighbour, Michele Petit-Jean, who also plays the ukulele, and her flatmate, bass guitarist Angie Bain.

Just like the Riot Women, The Ukadelix spend their evenings playing live to crowded venues around London, their home turf, where they've built up quite a following. Some fans come to almost every gig and the hardcore ones call themselves the Groupadelix. In 2020, the band also released a self-titled CD.

For all five members, music is a way of life and they aren't showing signs of slowing down any time soon.

'I STARTED THE BAND WHEN I WAS 55'

Gill Abela, 65, plays harmonica and ukulele, and is a music specialist who teaches adults with learning difficulties. She has a son, Oscar, 30, who is a sound engineer.