LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with Sing It Pink (22.07.2024)

For the July edition of Get In Her Ears’ Soho Radio show, Tash and Mari were in the studio spinning loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists.

In addition to shout outs to festival highlights from Glastonbury and bands to look out for at Deer Shed festival, Tash spoke to The Pink Singers – Europe’s longest running LGBTQ+ choir – ahead of the release of a brand new podcast about them, Sing It Pink, which is out on Friday 26th April via Aunt Nell Productions. Plus, there’s some major gushing about Shania Twain…

Artists featured on the eclectic playlist included Planningtorock, Happy Accidents, Katy J Pearson, Los Bitchos, Ae Mak, Lex Amor, Sharon Van Etten, ARXX, Breymer, Little Simz, The Go! Team, John Glacier and more!

Listen to the show below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Monday 19th August from 12-2pm
 Make sure you tune in via www.sohoradiolondon.com

 

Tracklist

Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy (Planningtorock Rework)

The Pink Singers – Leaping Lesbians

Jamie XX (feat. Robyn) – Life

Catbear – Rush

Jasmine.4.t – Skin On Skin

Katy J Pearson – Sky

pink suits – Are You Gay Yet?

Los Bitchos – Kiki, You Complete Me

AE Mak – Low Down

Kelly Lee Owens – Love You Got

Tom Rasmussen – Shugs (Live Wire)

Lex Amor – A7X

John Glacier – 2 Hot 4 This

Loose Articles – Are You A Welder?

Sharon Van Etten – Every Time The Sun Comes Up

Roller Derby – Silver Jet

Squirrel Flower – Full Time Job

Billie Eilish – Lunch

Happy Accidents – Infinite Possibilities

Little Simz – Woman

ARXX – Good Boy

The Go! Team – Ladyflash

Nana Benz Du Togo – To Be Free

Breymer – Darkness

Shania Twain – That Don’t Impress Me Much

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LIVE (Photos): Deer Shed Festival, 2023 (Day 1: 28.07.2023)

Having fallen in love with North Yorkshire festival Deer Shed when I attended for the first time last year, I was super glad I got to go again this year. Highlighting a real family focus, whilst hosting an incredible range of exciting new artists, it oozes the warmest of vibes and – being smaller in size than most other festivals – creates a space that feels comfortingly intimate; an inclusive safe haven for artists and fans of all genres and ages. Whilst providing a child-friendly environment (with an array of activities organised specifically for them), this does not take away from the quality and array of performances on offer for everyone to enjoy. Although I’d say I’m in the minority of attendees who does not have children (or isn’t a child themselves!), I in no way feel this to be hindrance – it is still very much an ‘adult’ festival, just one that happens to also be a safe and fun environment for kids to be in too! And, amongst those performing, a fantastic amount of female, non binary and queer performers are represented, which makes for a pretty dreamy time. I was lucky enough to catch lots of these over the weekend – a good balance of artists I already knew and loved, and those who I had not had the chance to see before.

Having settled into our pre-pitched tent (a revelation saving so much time and energy that I will be doing it at every festival going forwards!), our first taste of live music of the weekend comes from Bristol dancehall artist Grove. With an immense, swirling energy, they treat us to a unique fusion of “deep and dark” trip-hop with funk-fuelled UK Garage beats. From songs lusting after MILFs (“true pillars of society“) – a sentiment which goes down well with the child bearing crowd of Deer Shed – to raging anthems berating power-hungry landlords and the monarchy, Grove offers a perfectly riotous joy to kick off the weekend.

Back at the In The Dock stage (though I feel they could well have headlined the main stage), Dream Wife are as dreamy as always. Blasting into action with a blistering rendition of the title track of their latest album, Social Lubrication, they follow this with some older favourites – “Hey, Deer Shed“, front woman Rakel greets us, before spinning into the joyous allure of ‘Hey Heartbreaker’. Although I’ve seen Dream Wife live at least three times before (the most recent time being just a few weeks ago supporting the legendary Le Tigre), this is the first time I’ve seen them perform to an audience filled with children, and it really is quite special. As predominantly young girls fill the first few rows, bopping up and down either on their own accord, or on the shoulders of their parents, the sense of awe and wonder is palpable; Dream Wife exude such a magnetising power and grace, and for these children to have a band of women/non binary/queer folk to look up to, dance along with and potentially aspire to be is something that’s truly inspiring and wonderful. Not that it should be a novelty or unusual, but – as Rakel reflects (prompted by 7 year old Erin whose tooth has just fallen out, just like it did seeing the band two years ago) – “I wish I’d had a band like this when I was growing up“. Attempting to make their set “PG” (with just a couple of endearing and necessary slip-ups!), Dream Wife hail all the “Bad Witches’ in the room, as they sing of wanting to “Freak you out” with an immense, fun-filled charisma, and deliver the poignant message of ‘Somebody’ with even more stirring magnitude than usual. A true force to be reckoned with, unifying and immersing audiences of all ages and genders with their trademark blissful charm and captivating majesty. And then, a fantastic set is made even more memorable as GIHE fave Straight Girl makes a special guest appearance, swirling across the stage and into the crowd with their unique fierce energy.


So, thank you Deer Shed for another gorgeous weekend, I’ll see you again next year (not even holding it against you that I came back with Covid…)! Stay tuned for photos of, and words about, of Days 2 & 3!

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @pauldawesart

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INTERVIEW: Kate Webster of Deer Shed Festival

Last year I attended Deer Shed Festival for the first time, and I promised myself it would the be the first time of many as it was such a glorious weekend! Having not been to a festival for a few years, I was keen to find one that was as lovely as possible, and suited my needs of being perhaps a little older than the average festival-goer without missing out on any of the best new music. I wanted a festival that was inclusive, chilled-out, family friendly, and of course hosting plenty of amazing female and non-binary bands and artists… And Deer Shed more than delivered on all fronts.

Highlighting a real family-friendly focus, whilst hosting an incredible range of exciting new artists, the North Yorkshire based Deer Shed perfectly filled the festival-shaped-void I’d been feeling, and – with highlights from last year including Self Esteem, CMAT, Straight Girl, Nadine Shah and Denise Chaila – I cannot wait to return in a couple of weeks.

We caught up with festival director Kate Webster to talk more about Deer Shed’s roots, its ethos and inclusive line-up, some of the most special Deer Shed moments of years gone by, and more… Have a read below, and have a listen to our special Deer Shed 2023 playlist, featuring some of our personal faves who’ll be playing at the festival this year, at the bottom of this feature!

Hi Kate! 2023 will be Deer Shed’s 13th year – hopefully lucky for some! Can you tell us a bit about what Deer Shed is all about, and how it all started out?
Deer Shed Festival is a boutique music, arts & science festival based in North Yorkshire parkland, aimed at families who don’t want a dumbed down experience just because you have kids in tow.

What strikes me about Deer Shed and makes it stand out against other festivals at the moment is the good gender balance of the line up – was there an intentional and specific decision to do this, or does it just naturally pan out that way?  
I booked the festival up until our 11th year and initially it happened unconsciously just because of the music I like. After a while, we decided it make it a policy of the festival that our gender split should be 50/50 and also at least one of the headlines needs to be female and/or non binary. It’s been great – because of our size we have been able to give some deserving acts the chance of a festival headline. Can you believe that we gave Goldfrapp they’re first festival headline in 2018?! I find that bonkers!

Over the last 12 years, you’ve hosted some amazing bands and artists including Self Esteem, Nadine Shah, CMAT, Kae Tempest, Anna Calvi, Big Joanie, Ezra Furman, The Go Team! and Honeyblood, but has there been a particular set that stands out for you as a personal highlight over the years?
Kae Tempest for sure. It was 2017, they were promoting Let Them Eat Chaos which is a phenomenal album, and it was also their first festival headline. The actual performance was extra special to me and many of the audience that evening.  The skies darkened, the rain poured and in the distance, lightning flashed. It meant, for those who stayed (and a lot did), the whole experience was electrifying and so moving. I still get shivers now when I think about the power of that evening. It was like nature knew what the backdrop should be for that performance.


And this year you’ve got some GIHE faves playing (The Big Moon, Dream Wife, This Is The Kit, English Teacher, Sprints…). Curating such awesome line ups must be a lot of work – how do you normally go about it? Is it all based on bands/artists that have got in touch with you over the year? 
We’ve had a booker for the last couple of years – I think Covid meant the job had got harder and I needed a break. It was also a good time to get some fresh ears to help. However, as festival director, I still want input and I think next year we’ll bring it in house again. We generally start with a wish list and play fantasy festival which is great fun; the whole Deer Shed team are into music, so everyone chips in and has suggestions of who they have seen perform during the year or might have new music coming out. We talk to friends in the industry and agents, so see what’s going on. Practically speaking, we only start making offers in Autumn, so that’s the best time to contact us. We must get the headlines in place before moving down the bill which can take some time.

And for any upcoming bands/artists looking to apply for festivals next year, do you have any tips?
Start building a live following in your local venues. Practice to become a great performer and engage with your audience. A festival crowd is different to your own show – you have one song to win them over! Whilst a lot of artists get an online following and good streaming numbers, it doesn’t always translate to live.

There seems to be a definite focus on making the festival as family-friendly as possible, and when I was there last year it just had the nicest, most relaxed vibes I’ve ever experienced at a festival! What inspired the idea to do this, and stand out from other festivals in this way? 
When Oliver and I decided to give it a go, it wasn’t long after festivals like Latitude & Camp Bestival had started and there was no one doing anything similar in the north. I couldn’t see live music like I had done because of family commitments, and many events near by didn’t offer me the chance to see great music and have the kids entertained. So, Deer Shed was really built for me & my friends initially – music fans who happen to have kids. It turned out there were other people like me!

Do you feel much has changed over the last few years in the music industry’s treatment of new artists, particularly female and non-binary artists? 
I think there is more awareness of mental health and agents/managers are now more mindful over booking artists. I also hope the idea of booking a tokenistic female/non-binary act has come to an end… But I do still worry that some young female artists are led a certain way on how they present and what they wear. There seem to be some genres of music where I’m not convinced that a stylist/photographer/label didn’t have a brief to come back with a certain look.  

Finally, as we’re a new music focused site, are there any particular new bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I’m totally excited that we managed to book Grove this year. I know they’re not that new but their energy, style & music is infectious. So good live! I’ve not seen Pet Snake live yet, but I’m loving the Liverpool based artist – alt folk/indie at its best, just great songwriting.  

Massive thanks to Kate for answering our questions, and for organising such a stellar festival year on year! Deer Shed Festival 2023 is taking place from 28th – 30th July and headliners include The Delgados, The Comet Is Coming, The Big Moon and This Is The Kit – more information here.

Get ready for the festival by listening to our playlist of brilliant bands playing this year here:

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GIHE: Personal Highlights Of 2022

We’ve already shared our Albums & EPs Of 2022 and Tracks Of 2022 features, but now the GIHE team have put together a round up of some of their music related highlights from the past twelve months.

At the risk of jinxing absolutely everything, 2022 has been a positive year for GIHE! From the brilliant lineups Mari organised for our monthly gigs at East London venues The Shacklewell Arms, Sebright Arms & The Victoria, to the monthly Soho Radio shows that Kate & Tash produced and hosted, the GIHE gals were grateful to feel connected – either through the internet or in real life – to our friends and followers, and that’s what our Personal Highlights of 2022 reflect.

Read below for a recap of some of our favourite bits of the year. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported GIHE. We’ll see you in 2023. x

 

Team Highlight: Being interviewed for Clash Magazine

Journalist McKenzie Morgan kindly took the time to speak to us about how we started GIHE, our ethos as a platform and how much we cherish being a part of the underground music community. Her thoughtful write up emphasises the importance of safe spaces at gigs and supporting the artists we love in order to help them to break through into more public spheres.
You can read the full article here.

Featuring on Craig Charles’ 6Music show for Trunk Of Punk

Mari, Tash & I were over the moon when we were invited to represent GIHE on BBC 6Music’s Trunk Of Punk feature at the beginning of December. As a team, we picked some of our favourite punk tunes, including ‘Oh Bondage, Up Yours!’ by X Ray Spex, ‘Day and Age’ by Problem Patterns and ‘Sainted’ by Big Joanie. Speaking to Craig Charles over the phone was a surreal experience, but telling him the punk spirit was “undeniable” and getting the GIHE name out on the airwaves was such a joy. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and who sent nice messages afterwards!
(Kate Crudgington – Co-Founder & Features Editor)

The Women’s Work Showcase at Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast

A community led, human-centered approach to promoting and supporting women & non-binary people in music, the Women’s Work Showcase at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre was stacked with impressive live performances that displayed the fresh talent of the Northern Irish & Irish music scenes.

Mari & I were invited over to DJ, and we were so impressed by the eclectic lineup, featuring CHERYM, Aoife Wolf, Clara Tracey, Winnie Ama and Susi Pagel, as well as GIHE faves Fraulein, the formidable Sprints and rapper Don Chi.

Watching headliners Problem Patterns live for the first time really was a special moment for me too. Their set was full of jokes, joy and raging punk anthems, all directed at the patriarchal forces that attempt to crush minority communities who are asking for the respect they deserve. It was amazing to watch Alanah, Beth, Bev and Ciara tear up the stage together and firmly establish their status as one of the most important and powerful live bands of the moment.

Huge thank you to the staff at the Oh Yeah Centre, the attentive sound engineers and to the amazing Charlene Hegarty who invited us over to share in the joy of Women’s Work. From listening to traditional Irish music whilst having pints of Beamish and shots of Baby Guinness at The Sunflower pub, to the poignant black cab tour of the city with our guide John, our time in Belfast was beautiful. (KC)

Deer Shed Festival 2022

Prior to this year, it had been a while since I’d attended a festival. So, in 2022 I was desperate to find one that was as lovely as possible and suited my needs of being perhaps a little older than the average festival-goer, without missing out on any of the best new music.

Sadly, the last festival I went to in 2018, and my favourite ever festival experience – Indie Tracks – did not survive Covid, and so I was looking for a replacement; something equally as inclusive, chilled-out, family friendly and of course, hosting plenty of amazing female and non-binary bands and artists. And then I came across Deer Shed… Highlighting a real family-friendly focus, whilst hosting an incredible range of exciting new artists, the North Yorkshire based Deer Shed perfectly filled the festival-shaped-void I’d been feeling for the last few years.

Whilst day one saw highlights ranging from the majestic splendour of Nadine Shah and stirring allure of Billy Nomates, to the vibrant electro-punk of Straight Girl, day two treated us to an absolute dream of a line-up; while the exquisitely choreographed set and glistening stage presence of Self Esteem completely blew me away, CMAT and Denise Chaila exuded an immersive, joyous energy. And on day three, the swirling emotion of ME REX and colourful charisma of The Bug Club made for a glorious Sunday.

So, thank you Deer Shed – not only did you offer a fantastically dreamy line-up consisting of favourites old and new, but the warm, family-focused vibes and inclusive sense of unity that persisted throughout the weekend was a particularly heartwarming to experience.
(Mari Lane – Co-Founder & Managing Editor)

The Great Escape Festival

After missing out on festivals due to lockdowns, Covid cancellations and being struck down with illness myself, I was thrilled to return to Brighton for The Great Escape this year. It’s my favourite festival for discovering new music and it’s a running joke among the GIHE team that I always come back and tell everyone how “GREAT” the Great Escape is.

Our photographer Jon Mo & I had a blast running around town catching bands, including favourites Fraulein, ARXX, CMAT and Projector, as well as discovering new talents Brimheim, CIEL, Lido Pimienta and Softcult. You can read my full review of the weekend here. I’ll definitely be back for the 2023 edition. (KC)

Favourite Soho Radio Interviews & Website Features

Running a non-profit music platform alongside a full-time job can be stressful, but I never take for granted the access GIHE gives me to having direct conversations with artists who make my favourite music. It’s such a privilege to be able to discuss someone’s creative processes with them, and I’m humbled every time an artist takes the time to openly share their thoughts with me.

For our Soho Radio show, we had the wonderful Ailbhe Reddy come into the studio to chat about her music and fangirl over Avril Lavigne, and total heroes Big Joanie also spoke to us again about their superb second album, Back Home.

My website interviews with Brimheim, Gazelle Twin, Stefanie from Brutus and GIHE faves Nova Twins are all some of my favourite features to date, and the conversations we had all left a lasting impression on me this year.

GIHE Live: ARXX, Fräulein & Lusa Morena – The Shacklewell Arms

Although all the gigs we host are special to me, and all the amazing bands that play for us completely blow me away, having total faves ARXX return to headline for us in July was quite a stand out. Having hosted them a number of times over the years, and with the duo having had such a fantastic 2022 – with airplay on BBC 6Music and Radio 1, as well as support slots with the likes of The Subways and The Big Moon – it felt really special that they’d want to come and play for little old us again!

Treating us to an eclectic set, offering some of their more poppy recent releases alongside the grungey edge of some of their older songs (plus a surprise ‘Sk8r Boi’ cover with special guest Beth White), they filled The Shacklewell Arms with a euphoric sea of admiring fans – smiling and singing along in blissful unity. A truly memorable night – with not only ARXX, but two more of the most exciting bands around, Fräulein and Lusa Morena – filled with the best of vibes; I even found myself crying silly little tears (of joy and pride) as the epic headline set drew to a close. (ML)

GIHE Live: Charmpit, adults & Bitch Hunt – Sebright Arms

Another stand out gig I hosted this year came in the form of DIY legends Charmpit’s last ever London show, and it was an absolute honour to host this special occasion. With support from the scuzzy punk-pop of Bitch Hunt and indie ‘tweecore’ outfit adults, it was truly a wonderful night – with familiar faces from the community coming together to celebrate a band who have been such an inspiration and joy for so many.

With fond memories of having them play for us at The Finsbury back in 2017, Charmpit delivered a set of career-spanning classic DIY anthems, oozing all the sparkling charisma and vibrant energy we’ve come to know and love. And, despite the sadness at it being the last time we were together in a room dancing to Charmpit, it was a truly joyous occasion – celebrating all there is to love about this inspiring, adorable and innovative group whose uplifting bubblegum pop tunes have healed, helped and motivated so many. (ML)

Live: Slothrust & Calva Louise – Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NYC

Lucky enough to finally travel to New York for my honeymoon, two years later than planned, this April, I wanted to find some live music to see whilst out there. And, on seeing that Manchester based long-time faves Calva Louise were playing on the Friday after we arrived at well-known Brooklyn venue Elsewhere, I thought it would be a nice coincidence to get tickets for that. So, I investigated headliners Slothrust… And soon became a mega super fan.

Having listened to last year’s album Parallel Timeline (plus other singles such as ‘Horsehoe Crab’ and Crockpot’) on repeat for the month leading up to our trip, when the night came to see the two bands, I was extremely excited… and justifiably so. Following the fierce, sparkling energy of Calva Louise, I found myself completely captivated by Slothrust’s scuzzy, raw emotion and the utterly immersive, no-frills charisma of front-person Leah Wellbaum. It was just one of those special nights where you’re left speechless; feeling all the fuzzy, warm joy of having experienced the dreamiest of sets, knowing that you’ve found your new favourite band.

Needless to say, I continue to be a mega, super fan (now proud owner of a the beautiful Parallel Timeline on vinyl), and was lucky enough to catch Slothrust live again in London this summer – this time with other long-term loves, Berries. (ML)

Live: The Cure – Dublin Arena

The Cure played Dublin’s 3 Arena on Dec 1st and all my Christmases had come early! A gentle tone of anticipation was set for the upcoming Songs From a Lost World album with sounds of low thunder and a backdrop of a beautiful starry night. When the band appeared through the atmospherics, I was “happy as a girl”. We waited so long, and now they were here, launching into a new song ‘Alone’, which captivated the audience and carried us with them into an almost three hour set, where they filled with our emotions with songs.

The light show was spectacular, with each song having a stunning visual. A wonderful surprise was the chance to hear five new songs, which had been showcased earlier on the tour, but to hear them in person and see Robert Smith’s emotive delivery was very dear to me; an ultimate Cure experience. The night was finished by two encores (!) filled with all the favourite hits (everyone knows and loves at least one Cure song!) New and old fans left the venue with their hearts full, knowing that in a world where The Cure exists, we will never be lost. (Fi Ni Aicead – Writer) @gotnomoniker

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