FEATURE:
Rows and Columns
The LOUD WOMEN Fest 2023, and a Sign That Others Need to Balance Their Line-Ups
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I do seem…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Dollheads/PHOTO CREDIT: Tiffany Salerno
to say this every year: women are dominating music. The best albums of 2023 have been made by women. A lot of the finest and most interesting upcoming talent is female. Even though there is this typhoon of wonderful music from women, there are still not enough column inches dedicated to their music. Not enough articles being written that highlight gender inequality across festivals. One can say that radio playlists are to blame, as most stations focus heavily on male artists. I am not sure why this is. There are no rules when it comes to gender and why men need to dominate. Why is it seem as normal that men lead and balancing the line-ups is the best we can hope for?! Why can’t women be the ones leading?! They definitely are worthy of that respect. Through the decades, there has been an absence of focus on music made by women. Not that they want special treatment at all. It is just the fact that more men grace magazine covers and are seen as music’s driving forces. That is how festivals approach things. Look at their rows of names and, for the most part, the largest font names are male! You do get festivals where women headline – Reading and Leeds saw Billie Eilish headline last month -, but most are smaller festivals. Even then, there are many that favour men. The majority of the larger festivals do not have a fifty-fifty gender split. It brings me to a very important LOUD WOMEN Fest. You can follow the festival via the official website, Twitter and Instagram. Some might say that all-female festivals are exclusive by their nature. The fact that you do not get all-male festivals. The counter-argument is that, for decades, the vast majority of festivals around the world have been overrun with male acts!
Even in 2023, in a year where there are literally more options for female headline acts and others who could fit on the bill, we still have to have the same tiring conversations about equality and why progress has not been made! For instance, it baffles me as to why the supreme Lana Del Rey was not a headliner at Glastonbury. Guns N’ Roses were seen as a more suitable and popular choice – in spite of the fact their set received middling reviews and they have not released a new album in years. Blondie – led by Debbie Harry – could have headlined too. Apparently the festival has locked in two female headliners for 2024 – though one can argue it is too little too late. Why does it seem, extraordinary and rare that two women are going to headline?! Why isn’t that seen as normal?! Again, it comes to the fact people assume men lead music and they should be the ones in the spotlight. I will continue on my thought process in a minute. Here are the important details a LOUD WOMEN Fest:
““The antidote to male-heavy festival lineups.”
- NME
“if you’ve ever looked at a festival lineup and wondered where all the women are,
they’re playing LOUD WOMEN Fest.”
- Kerrang!
The 7th LOUD WOMEN Fest will be held on 16 September 2023, at Rich Mix in London and for the first time, they are able to make this an ALL-AGES event. Parents can bring children and teens along to be inspired and entertained by this now world-famous showcase of the very best new female and non-binary talent rising up from the grassroots and alternative music scene.
This will be their most international showcase yet, with performances from Breezy (Germany), Hipersona (Turkey), ShyGodwin (USA), The Dollheads (USA) and Vernon Jane (Ireland). Plus UK rising stars and scene stalwarts including COWZ, FFSYTHO?!, I, Doris, LibraLibra, PUSSYLIQUOR, Samba Sisters, Sassyhiya, Shallow Honey, The Empty Page, The Kut, Where We Sleep and WOLFS. they will also be joined by empowering speakers and guests such as Safe Gigs for Women, Bloody Good Period, Janine Booth, Janey Starling – Level Up and Alliance for Choice (Northern Ireland).
Now in its 7th iteration, the not-for-profit Fest is firmly established as the alternative music women’s “pipeline” between grassroots and bigger festival stages – the same pipeline Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis recently said needed support in order to develop the female headliners of the future. LOUD WOMEN’s founder, musician and lecturer Cassie Fox says, “there’s absolutely no excuse in 2023 for festivals not to be booking at least 50% female musicians. Gender equality makes all areas of life more balanced and harmonious – especially in music!”. The festival is set to showcase the best new female and non-binary talent rising up from the grassroots and alternative music scene.
Previous incarnations of the Fest, which started in 2015, have showcased the most exciting newcomers on the DIY, punk and indie scene, such as Nova Twins, Big Joanie, Grace Petrie, Desperate Journalist, Petrol Girls, Pleasure Venom, ARXX and Lambrini Girls. Building quite a following over the years, LOUD WOMEN received nearly 1,000 applications this year from all over the world from artists wanting to play the forthcoming Fest.
Tickets are available here. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, and will need a (£5) ticket. Ear-defenders are recommended for small ears”.
I think it is wonderful that the likes of LOUD WOMEN Fest exist! It not only highlights women in music that can headline stages and are perfect for other festivals. It is also a safe space for gig-goers to see some incredible rising talent. We are still in a time when not that many feminist male writers exist in the music media. Not that many championing women to the point where they challenge the industry and highlight the imbalance across most festivals. This should help give food for thought as we look towards next year. I think that all festivals need to look around and hear all the terrific music being made by women. There are so many potential headlines that are not being booked. From boygenius to Lana Del Rey and far beyond, there are more than enough choices. I think that it is not a case of pipeline issues or any lack of visible options. It is stubbornness and poor excuses from festival organisers. I hope that the LOUD WOMEN Fest gets a lot of attention! On 16th September, Bethnal Green Road will witness an all-female festival take place. You can book tickets and see for yourself. It will be a terrific celebration of some incredible talent. Let’s hope that the industry recognises the amazing women that are playing and honours that with better representation at festivals. We really need to see a lot more women…
ACROSS all bills!