Hear a conversation with members of Software, a feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in 1980s Indianapolis.
In the early ’80s, Software occupied a unique space in the city’s music scene. Blending jagged guitar, intricate percussion, and forward-thinking synthesizers, the group created a sound unlike anything else happening in Indianapolis at the time.
Software performed at iconic venues including The Vogue and The Hummingbird. The band also played at Labyris, a feminist bar in downtown Indianapolis that served as a safe space for the city’s lesbian community.
A new anthology of Software’s music, Haven’t You Had Enough, will be released on Record Store Day. The project was partly inspired by Cultural Manifesto producer Kyle Long’s 2021 interview with band member Lē Weaver.
“Unless someone asks the right questions, much of the art created by people in culturally marginalized groups is certain to be lost,” Weaver told Long. “That’s exactly why Software is so grateful to WFYI — they asked the right questions, and 40 years later, our music is no longer lost to history.”