International Women’s Day Events Across The UK, 2020

As you may be aware, at Get In Her Ears we celebrate wonderful female and non-binary artists every single day! So, you may feel that there’s no real need for us to remind you on International Women’s Day to recognise them. But, as much as we try, days like this still seem necessary for society to take a minute and recognise not only the achievements of all the fantastic womxn in the world, but also to draw attention to the ongoing injustices and ingrained sexism that still sadly exists in 2020.

And so it only seems right that there are plenty of incredible events happening across the country this weekend to celebrate this official day of womxn. Here’s just a few that we’d strongly recommend!

The Bechdel Sound Test Weekender – Brixton, 6th – 8th March
South London’s ultimate female fronted music weekender is back to celebrate International Women’s Day.The party kicks off at the Bechdel Sound Test’s spiritual home – the Book and Record Bar right next to West Norwood station, with South London bass and garage DJ Rosie Riot. She will be supported by genre spanning Bechdel DJs ensuring the party goes on in to the early hours. Saturday is live music night at iconic Brixton venue the Windmill, headlined by CHROMA and supported by Jemma Freeman & The Cosmic Something, Foundlings, Rookes and Faultress. Festivities will come to a head on Sunday with an International Women’s Day party upstairs at The Ritzy. Promising an afternoon of chilled acoustic vibes and DJs it’s the perfect way to round off the IWD weekend. There will also be some small pop up stalls with records and feminist gifts supplied by The Book and Record Bar and Brave Girl Gifts. The event is free entry and raising money for Samaritans and Refuge. Sounds like a perfect celebration of all things female! Event info here.

BBC 6Music Festival – The Roundhouse, 8th March
Where you can expect to find me on Sunday, BBC 6Music bring their annual festival to an epic close on International Women’s Day with a line-up of some of the most incredible females in music at The Roundhouse in Camden. Headlining will be total favourite Kate Tempest with her perfectly poignant and stirringly honest offerings, along with the legendary Kim Gordon, the cinematic sounds of Anna Meredith, the seething power of Jehnny Beth and the gritty musicality of Nadine Shah. I cannot wait! More info here.

Southbank Centre – WOW Festival, 6th – 8th March
Southbank Centre’s annual Women Of The World festival is always an incredible and inspiring collection of events, and this year promises to be no different. Over three days, WOW’s line-up of world class speakers, activists and performers including Naomi Wolf, Shazia Mirza, Scarlett Curits, Sandi Toksvig, The Guilty Feminist, Svetlana Alexievich, Mary Robinson and more will be joined by thousands to explore the state of gender equality across the globe and tackle the subjects that matter most to women and girls across the world today. With a range of both free and ticketed events, it’s definitely worth a visit. More info here.

GRL 2020 – Base Camp Boro, Middlesborough, 7th March
Featuring GIHE faves Bugeye, as well as other awesome bands such as Dead Naked Hippies, Bad Bug and Eve Conway, this family-friendly Middlesborough event brings together some of the UK’s best female/female-identifying performers & artists, in addition to live art, street food, a feminist market + more! If you’re in the area, get your tickets now.

BSWA Fundraiser – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, 8th March
Indie Midlands have collaborated with Loud Women to host this Birmingham event. Taking place at The Sunflower Lounge, it aims to raise money for Birmingham & Solihull Womens Aid (BSWA). With music from The Sunset Beach Hut, Glass Ceilings, Fawner, Gray Wave and Shanghai Hostage, it sounds like a great way to celebrate International Women’s Day, and all for a good cause. More info here.

WCDI International Women’s Day Special, Peckham Audio, 8th March
Female promoters We Can Do It celebrate International Women’s Day by hosting Honeyblood’s Stina Tweeddale, who will play a special solo set. With support from The Pearl Hearts and more, it’s going to be awesome! More info here.

Punka International Women’s Day Show, Zed Alley, Bristol, 8th March
If you’re in the South West, you should be aware of promoters Punka by now. Championing womxn and LGBTQ artists of all genres in Bristol, their events always like a lot of fun! For International Women’s Day they’re hosting a special show at Zed Alley with performances from solo artist Emily Breeze, Lucy Reynolds and drag kings such as Isaac Dix. More info here.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY w/ WXMB 2, Colours Hoxton, 8th March
London collective WXMB 2 are celebrating International Women’s Day by hosting an all day event at Colours in Hoxton. With a programme full of great live acts, DJs, workshops such as sound engineering, music production, freelancing and zine culture, panels, a sustainable creatives fair, yoga, a balancing feminine energy course, and much more, it really sounds like an inspiring day for all! Including live music from Elsa Hewitt, Austel, Rory Sky, Evie Balfe and more. Ticket info here.

Get In Her Ears Live @ The Finsbury w/ Ghost Car, 13th March
Ok, so this one’s a bit late, as our Finsbury gig doesn’t quite fall on International Women’s Day this year… but we’ll be celebrating some incredible womxn in music as always at our gig the following Friday! With a headline set from the quirky bubblegum indie of Ghost Car, there’ll be support from The Other Ones, Gaptooth and Minimals. We cannot wait! Get In Her Ears celebrate women every day, we welcome everyone at our gig who supports our ethos, but especially aim to create a safe space for female identifying and LGBTQ+ people. Come and keep the IWD celebrations going with us on the 13th, and all for FREE! More info here.

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INTERVIEW: A.A. Williams

A creator of heavy, beguiling soundscapes; London-based musician A.A. Williams has been compared to the likes of Chelsea Wolfe and Emma Ruth Rundle, but she’s captivating in her own right. Her 2019 self-titled debut EP caught the attention of critics and fans, and now she’s set to return to the prestigious Roadburn Festival in April this year, as well performing a headline show at London’s Southbank Centre in March. We caught up with Williams to ask her about her EP, her collaboration with Japanese instrumental giants MONO, and her anticipations for her London gig…

 

It’s been just over a year since you released your debut EP (Congratulations!) What are you most proud of about this record? And do you have a favourite track?

Thank you! I’m so pleased that the songs resonate with people. Hearing so many positive words from people at shows makes me very proud of what these tracks have become. I don’t have a favourite song. They are each important to me in their own right.

You beautifully cover Dolly Parton’s track ‘Jolene’ on the EP. If you had to pick someone to cover one of your tracks, who would you pick?

I think Johnny Cash would have done a beautiful version of ‘Control’.

The EP also features three “stripped down” live rehearsal recordings. What process do you go through when deciding which songs you’re going to strip back? What elements of a live recording do you enjoy the most?

Generally, each song can be stripped down, because each song begins in that form, as a voice and with either guitar or piano. The hardest thing is to decide how to treat the instrumental sections, sometimes I’ll sing a guitar line or incorporate a few melodies into one piano part, but generally the main focus is to ensure that the arrangement has enough space and doesn’t sound too mechanical. I love all elements of recording, I’d spend every day in a studio if I could. The best thing is to press record when you’re running a song, just in case, even if you don’t feel fully prepared! You never know what magic will happen.

You’ve just released a split EP with MONO. We know you toured with them last year, but talk us through how this collaboration came about, and what the reaction to the record has been like so far.

Taka heard my EP and got in touch to see if working together would be something I’d be interested in. I’d met the band briefly at Roadburn 2019 (I was performing with them during their headline show. They performed ‘Hymn To The Immortal Wind’ with a string quartet, of which I was a part), I couldn’t wait to take on the opportunity! We emailed some ideas between us and gradually found the time to record in July last year. I’ve been so pleased with the reaction. It’s great to see that fans of instrumental music are open to the inclusion of vocals and a slightly different approach.

You’ll be making your Southbank Centre debut when you headline The Purcell Room on March 12th (tickets available here). What are your anticipations for this gig?

I’m so excited for this performance. I’ll be extending the full-band line up to include a string quartet and adding some guest vocalists too. Up to this point, all of my shows have been supports or festivals, so it’ll be a joy to be able to spend more time on stage and create a fuller show.

Do you have plans to release new music this year?

I’m always writing, so fingers crossed!

Who, or what inspires you to create your music?

I find writing a very therapeutic process, so I’ll often begin working on a song because purely because I find it enjoyable. I don’t deliberately write inspired by anything or anyone, though ultimately we are each a sum of everything we’ve ever heard, seen and felt.

You’re returning to Arctangent festival this year in August. Is there anyone on the line-up you’re looking forward to seeing?

I’m really looking forward to seeing Maybeshewill and Amenra, and I’d like to catch Swans and Svalbard too! The weather was so awful last year that I didn’t really get to see many other artists, so hopefully I can remedy that this time around.

As we’re a new music blog, we always ask the artists we interview to name a new band or artist they’ve been listening to. Who would you like to recommend?

Gaupa’s 2018 self-titled EP is so good! It’s as if Björk had formed a psych-stoner band. Also, I know they’re not new, but I was recently introduced to Khemmis. I’ve really been enjoying their album, Absolution.

Thanks to A.A. Williams for answering our questions.
Follow her on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

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Video Premiere: MALMØ – ‘Farewell Roaring Ocean’

Following 2018’s critically acclaimed debut album We Come From The Stars and praise from the likes of BBC 6 Music and BBC London, Danish artist Maria Malmoe, aka MALMØ, is set to release her upcoming EP The Inevitable End, very soon. The EP consists of a prediction in four parts – each one representing a different way of the world collapsing if we don´t change our behaviour.

Now, MALMØ has shared an hypnotic new video for part three of the EP, ‘Farewell Roaring Ocean’. Oozing a swirling ethereal aura alongside Maria’s soaring celestial vocals, it brings to mind the quirky majesty of Björk as it builds with a twinkling emotion to a stirring alt-pop anthem. Addressing the world’s rising water levels, ‘Farewell Roaring Ocean’ captivates with a spellbinding grandeur and immersive musicality. Of the meaning behind the track, Maria explains:

“On a personal level, I’m saying goodbye to the part of me that seeks out turbulent or troubled ‘waters’, and welcoming the still, serene waters of simplicity and non-attachment to the material world… On a wider environmental scale, it’s about bidding farewell to the vast oceans as we know them. Despite water levels and water temperatures rising, we remain consumed by material desires and perceived needs – when we should be looking towards nature while there is still time.”

Watch the serene new video for ‘Farewell Roaring Ocean’ now:

‘Farewell Roaring Ocean’ is out this Friday, 28th February via Integrity Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Introducing Interview: Chloe Foy

Following acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing and BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Manchester-based artist Chloe Foy has just released her enchanting new EP.

An introspective collection of reflective offerings, Callous Copper showcases Foy’s smooth, rich vocals and stirring heartfelt emotion alongside glistening sweeping string arrangements.

We caught up with Chloe to find out more…

Hi Chloe, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a singer-songwriter living in Manchester, originally from Gloucestershire, trying my best to do what I love.

How did you start creating music?
I had always been musical, and started off learning classical music, but then picked up a guitar when I was about 14, learnt a few basic chords and started to write my own songs. A lot was going on in my life then and it was my most instinctive form of expression.

Your new EP Callous Copper is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the album?
There’s not a lyrical theme as such, other than the fact my songs are all inspired by this weird thing we do called life. There’s themes of love and death and mental health too. Really, it was an opportunity for me to realise this idea of doing a record with a string quartet, which I had wanted to do for a while.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Laura Marling and Lucy Rose, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I think they are probably up there with some of the big ones, as well as Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
Manchester is great for live music. There’s usually something going on every day of the week that you can go to. These days I’m busier, so I don’t get to see as much as I’d like but I still try and see a fair amount.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Heartbreak.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
There are some great North West artists who I love – Caoilfhionn Rose, Katie Mac, Hannah Ashcroft, Lindsay Munroe – all amazing female artists making diverse and beautiful music.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
I think it’s tough. There’s an abundance of music out there so it’s hard to be heard above the noise. I think it’s easier than ever to get your music onto platforms like Spotify and start to make a few little waves, but to get further and make a sustainable living I think is tough without a strong team behind you.

Finally, what does the rest of 2020 have in store for Chloe Foy?
A headline tour with my string trio in March, to get out and play songs from my forthcoming EP, and hopefully some trips further afield, as well as some festival slots to be announced!

 

Callous Copper is out now. Catch Chloe Foy live at The Islington on 4th March via AntiFraglie.

 

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