NEWS
EVENTS
A Militant Month for Women in Music
Indie | Thursday 20th June 2013 | James
As the country gaped in horror on Tuesday morning at the published pictures of art collector, Charles Saatchi, grabbing TV chef, Nigella Lawson, by the neck printed in various tabloids, a temperamental see-saw of events within the realm of popular culture led to the argument of feminism rearing its head once more.
On Monday evening, Rihanna appeared in Birmingham as part of her never-ending, controversy-attracting Diamonds tour where she appeared to strike a fan who grabbed her arm. In a music climate where every performer from 30 Seconds To Mars to Blue are charging fans up to £600 for a meet-and-greet, it's good of Rihanna to show us she has no intention whatsoever of fleecing her fans. Quite naturally and expectedly, Rihanna was attacked by women's rights groups from across the globe, but Ri-Ri embodied her latest album title Unapologetic and claimed that she had in fact struck the fan on purpose.
Just three days previously, the music world grieved with the announcement Kim Deal was to leave Pixies after a mammoth twenty-five years. Her breathing backing vocals are what made Pixies so special with her unique ability on bass guitar making the band one of the most exciting in the 1980s – a time when rock'n'roll in America was being lambasted as pre-historic, misogynistic and backward (typified by the era's pin-up Axl Rose). Deal and Pixies inverted that notion and she became one of the most necessary female figures in music. Her departure will effect Pixies and they may never recuperate from it, in truth.
Two girls who seem to have embodied (or certainly inspired by) Deal's musical ability are Julie Edwards and Lindsey Troy – or Deap Vally to you and me. The American all-female rock duo are set to unleash debut record Sistrionix (one of the best album titles of the calendar year) next week and it has already bagged positive reviews from publications such as NME and The Quietus. Their brand of fiery empowering rock has led them to grab the attention of listeners on both sides of the pond – both male and female – and their frenetic live performance on Later...With Jools Holland a few weeks ago cemented their position as one of the most exciting rock outfits around. Their music is littered with feminist ideology (sample lyric: “Daddy, don't you understand? I'm gunna make my own money and buy my own land!”) and the pair have been utterly supportive of fellow rising female stars Savages and Haim, the latter being crowned winners of BBC's Sound of 2013 poll. Savages, meanwhile, have assaulted America in the past few weeks after gaining the attention of pretty much every muso in the country with their riot grrl aesthetic and modern day Siouxsie sound.
In 2012, Grimes' blog post labelling the music industry as inherently sexist shocked many, but fellow acts have come out in support of her. It's no surprise that the music industry essentially centres around you 20-something females impressing middle-aged professional men, but the militancy of female acts is catching people off guard and appears to be resonating. Beyoncé recently threatened to have a male escorted out of her show in Copenhagen for slapping her on the arse last week, prompting the aforementioned Haim to label the guerilla bum-toucher “an asshole”.
This has all taken place as some members Pussy Riot continue their bid for freedom in Russia, speaking out against Putin's regime and becoming the figureheads of the 21st century punk movement. Two members this week appeared at London's Meltdown Festival, wearing balaclavas and pleading for fellow members of the collective to be released from Eastern detention camps. Yoko Ono, herself probably one of the most high-profile and well-respected females in the industry, supported the collective and declared them as “so important”. “The revolution is worldwide now” Ono told the BBC, before labelling them as “daring and courageous”.
It's easy to be critical of Rihanna, but in her defence, she has never sought to be a role model. Many may argue that reaching a certain level of fame leads you to having certain responsibilities and personality traits to adhere to – Rihanna may argue that that notion is anti-female in itself. This year has shown a growth in the importance of females in the music industry as many continue to become the fore-bearers of change and neoteric. “We want to be the positive role models that we once had” says Lindsey Troy of Deap Vally. That, I think, is something everybody can appreciate.
By James Rodger @jamesdrodger
