WHERE ARE THE GIRL BANDS?
Friends and bandmates since secondary school, Ella and Eve are both musicians from Liverpool. Ella works as a freelance artist based in Manchester, and Eve is a languages student at Cambridge. One afternoon in the summer of 2018, we met up to discuss the EP we were writing and how we could land some gigs to promote it. We felt our style hadn’t fit up on any lineups, which seemed to be inundated with the same groups of indie lads- don’t get us wrong, we’re all for it, but we couldn’t name more than a couple of women musicians from Liverpool. We set up Where are the Girlbands primarily out of curiosity, but it’s since grown into a multifaceted project that’s become something of a full-time job for us.
Last Updated 17.05.2021
Women in Music Conference 2021 (hosted by Women in media)
Feature in Reyt Good magazine
Platforms Supporting Women in Music Conference
BITCH Palace
BITCH Palace is a Liverpool based music and art collective that strives to spotlight female musicians and artists by putting on gigs with cool girls by cool girls. BITCH Palace Presents tackle a lot of issues that people have with the inclusivity of the Liverpool music scene through their events due to their:
combining of visual arts and music at their events
the inclusivity of their events whilst also spotlighting female musicians
how they embrace a variety of genres through their themed evenings ie soul sistas for soul artists/space babes for more synthy pop artists.
UK & Scottland
Last updated 17.05.2021
Female Music Focus
Female Music Focus are an Instagram-based blog that publishes new releases from female musicians and composers as well as sharing content and spreading awareness on women’s place in music history. Check them out on Instagram @femalemusicfocus
Powa Scotland
“POWA is a Scottish collective which produces musical collaborations based on collective experiences of sexism & abuse, released on Patreon along with a discussion forum where members explore how to better protect womxn's rights within the arts.” Check them out on Instagram @powascotland
HerEnsemble
The UK’s first women and non-binary string orchestra, Her Ensemble are redressing the gender-gap & gender stereotypes in music. The orchestra is made up of some of the most in-demand orchestral section leaders and chamber musicians in the U.K. and abroad, deriving from the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Since forming in November 2020, the group have already collaborated with artists such as Pixie Lott, released their debut single with award-winning film composer Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, and have been featured on Scala Radio as well as Help Musicians UK for an International Women's Day special.
Bassists with Boobs
Founded in 2020, Bassists with Boobs aims to improve the online representation of bass players and create a positive and empowering community. Check them out on Instagram @bassistswithboobs
Producers Against Misogyny
“Producers Against Misogyny (PAM) was created by Lily Amiclo and Stella Smyth to address inequities caused by misogyny in music. Part of our mission is to offer educational opportunities in production that foreground people who often fall to the margin in this setting. We provide open and closed events for people who want to learn as a collective and create in an environment that includes this conversation.”
Girl Gang
Girl Gang describe themselves as “a fun community supporting women and people of marginalised identity”. They create this community through the variety of events they host for local creatives, such as regular meet-ups, dance parties, speed-mating and markets.Girl Gang originally started in Sheffield (@girlgangsheffield) but they now have communities based in Manchester (@girlgangmcr), Edinburgh (@girlgangedinburgh) and Leeds (@girlgangleeds). They are best described through their wonderful manifesto.
FairPlay Festival
“Fair Play Festival is primed to be a hub of discovery as an eclectic group of artists, spanning across multiple genres.” The festival is committed to showcasing diverse talent on and off the stage.
Check them out on Instagram @fairplayfest
International
Last updated 17.05.2021
Down to Earth
Down to Earth Promotions is a platform for live music and gig promotions emphasising the importance of equality in the NorthWest music scene. Ultimately this is going to be a safe space to promote artists that might not usually get the same amount of exposure as others. Down to Earth are working towards a 50/50 campaign.
Safe Spaces
Last updated 17.06
.2021
Permission to Dance
“At Permission to Dance, we are not only striving for a safer clubbing experience for everyone, but we are also pushing for equality in the music industry. In 2016, it was estimated that female artists only made up 12% of DJ acts at events and festivals. Therefore we pledge to ensure that female acts will contribute to at least 50% of all our current and future line-ups. We aim to provide a platform creating equal opportunities, while producing awesome parties in the process”
Gender Equality
Keychange
“Keychange is a movement that counts the discounted. We take action to empower talented underrepresented genders with training, mentoring, and network support plus conferences and showcasing opportunities at partner festivals.” Keychange are also noted for their work on the 50/50 line-up pledge, where organisations can formally commit to having equal gender line-ups.
Women in Music
“Women in Music is the industry's leading non-profit working to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities, and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment, and recognition. Founded in 1985, WIM is now fueled by 100+ volunteers working daily to serve thousands worldwide, with chapters from LA to India.”
Our Friends
Comics Youth
“Comics Youth was founded in 2015 and is a creative community organisation led by young people, for young people. Our aim is to empower youth across the Liverpool City Region to flourish from the margins of society: Harnessing their own narratives, finding confidence within an inclusive community, and developing the resilience to succeed on their own path.
Comics Youth offer a range of creative services designed to support and amplify the often diminished voices of marginalised young people aged 8 - 25. From zine creation and comic book reading workshops to youth-led publishing hubs and AQA Unit Award Scheme programmes, we believe young people deserve to have their voices discovered, distributed, and elevated.”