Promoting and Supporting Women in Music
Kate was in the studio this week having belated Riot Grrrl Day (April 9th) celebrations!
She played tracks from Riot Grrrls past and present, including Bikini Kill, Dream Nails & Petrol Girls – as well as new tunes from Mint Field, Basic Bitches, Ameli & Kate Stapley
Listen back to the show here:
London-based promoter Dance Like I’ve Got Diamonds, who’s built up a reputation for promoting exciting live female-dominated music nights in London (including headline sets from the likes of GIHE favourites The Franklys, Dream Nails and The Tuts), are now back with a new initiative to get more women involved behind the scenes in the industry.
A series of three music industry-focused events taking place at London’s Omeara, the new project is called Diamonds X Sessions and will consist of talks, panels and workshops open to anyone identifying as a woman or non-binary. The thought behind the initiative is to create a safe space that allows for women to meet and learn more about the industry whilst getting inspired by each other. Of the event, co-founder and project manager Lisa Lindfors explains:
“I believe that representation is crucial… We need to show young women that although the music industry might seem like one big boys club, there is definitely a future for women and non-binary people within it. With these events we want to show women that there are loads of opportunities out there and hopefully give them the confidence to pursue them”
(Dance Like I’ve Got Diamonds founders Lisa and Isabelle)
Including names such as Ayelle (Artist/Songwriter), Carly Rockett (Communion Music), Luna Cohen-Solal (Warner Bros. Records), Joanie Eaton, Sarah Joy (Babelogue) and our very own Mari Lane and Kate Crudgington (!), the three events will be held at London venue Omeara on Sunday the 15th, 22nd and 29th April, and look set to be super inspirational and informative.
Us Get In Her Ears gals will be speaking at the event on Sunday 29th April. We’ll be talking all things GIHE; explaining how and why we got started, what we do, and answering any questions you may have. Look forward to seeing you there!
Where: In the Mezzanine Bar at Omeara, 6 O’Meara Street, London Bridge SE1 1TE
When: Sunday 15th, 22nd and 29th April between 15:30-19:30.
Tickets: £10/per event or £25 for all three events. These events are not for profit and any additional income, beyond the finances needed to cover the costs of the events, will be donated to the Malala Fund to further girls’ education around the world. Tickets are available here.
Tentative, pensive and poetic, Fenne Lily has the ability to bruise and heal her listeners all within the space of a single track. Raised in Dorset and now based in Bristol, her debut album On Hold is a beautiful collection of soft, yet seething guitar ballads that strike the heartstrings in a brutal, yet beautiful fashion.
Wary of being “pigeon-holed” after her over-night Spotify success with self-released single ‘Top To Toe’ a few years ago, it’s clear from opening track ‘Car Park’ that Fenne is self-aware when it comes to her songwriting style. “I’ll be the first to admit that my songs are far from uplifting,” she explains, “but while ‘Car Park’ chronicles yet another period of false hope and turmoil, it was written following the realisation that damaging patterns are enabled and suffered by the passive. I cannot and will not blame my heartache on anyone but myself, so this isn’t a song about pain, it’s a song about power.”
It’s this quiet “power” that permeates her record, so even in moments of genuine sadness there’s a sense of relief accompanying many of her tracks. ‘Three Oh Nine’ may ache with desperation, but her brave revelations about fearing abandonment make it a therapeutic listen – “it’s a first for me, it’s a pain I need.”
The urgent and quietly consuming ‘What’s Good’ extends a somber but beautiful invitation for connection, and it flows wonderfully into the heavy grace of ‘The Hand You Deal’. The gentle nod to learned experience from others on ‘More Than You Know’ is pure and compassionate and this is mirrored in her simple acoustic guitar sounds.
Title-track ‘On Hold’ is a grateful ode to small acts of kindness, whilst ‘Top To Toe’ documents the seemingly inevitable changes you start to make when mixed feelings start to appear – “So I’m changing all my days to make your nights / it’s just not right.” The light, refreshing honesty of ‘Bud’ follows, with the charming ‘Brother’ behind it, before the penultimate ‘For A While’ opens more tender romantic wounds. ‘Car Park Overflow’ bookends this melancholy but hopeful record.
With the aid of producers Tamu Massif, James Thorpe, PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish, and the mixing skills of Ali Chant, Fenne Lily’s debut album is set of delicate but passionate laments about the pain and the clarity that comes with falling in and out of love with others, and trying to be kind to yourself. Don’t put it On Hold, invest in her music immediately.
On Hold is available online and in stores now. Order your copy here.
Catch Fenne Lily live at London’s Moth Club on April 10th (tickets here).
Follow Fenne Lily on Facebook for more updates.
Photo Credit: Hollie Fernando
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut
This week, Tash & Kate were in the studio playing some of their favourite new music, including tunes from Alyss, Harlequiin, Sit Down, Black Gold Buffalo, LIINES & Bugeye.
The lovely TRILLS came in the studio to perform live and talk about their music too.
Listen back to the show here:
Get In Her Ears 