TRNSMT gender balance

[Two Headed Boy]

Did anyone see this news story?

TRNSMT organiser Geoff Ellis, defended having two women performing over the whole weekend by saying more women need to be "picking up guitars" and "playing in bands".

Personally I think that's bollocks, there were tons of great albums by female artists this year, but I don't know what people were expecting from the predictable lad-rock midden that is TRNSMT?

So, should music festivals strive for a gender balance? Personally I don't see why they cant given the wide variety of music out there these days, but then again I'm definitely not the TRNSMT demographic....

Thoughts?

 

[paigntonhibby]

Dinnae ken what TRNSMT means . If yer good enough get in a band, if yer no' disnae matter what sex ye are , do one. Theres too much trying tae squeeze women or gays or lesbians or whatever intae positions just tae make up the numbers. It should be done on ability no' sexual preferences.

 

[Cabbageman]

If you look at the lineup it's basically all British indie/rock/1 guy with an acoustic guitar. Could have made it more interesting by having a bit of variation, but if that's the kind of crowd they are catering to then there's not exactly a wealth of female artists or bands that can fit into that

 

[tayside hibee]

To be fair, it's on a weekend ,they've got washing , cleaning and the messages to get in for the rest of the week.

 

[vasco de gama]

Did anyone see this news story?

TRNSMT organiser Geoff Ellis, defended having two women performing over the whole weekend by saying more women need to be "picking up guitars" and "playing in bands".

Personally I think that's bollocks, there were tons of great albums by female artists this year, but I don't know what people were expecting from the predictable lad-rock midden that is TRNSMT?

So, should music festivals strive for a gender balance? Personally I don't see why they $%#@ given the wide variety of music out there these days, but then again I'm definitely not the TRNSMT demographic....

Thoughts?

He’s talking shite as there are loads of female dominated guitar playing bands out there. I guess they aren’t the type of bands Geoff likes. The line up for previous years would suggest he has a limited outlook towards music. I enjoyed T in the Park about 30 years ago which I think he was involved with but with the exception of Bjork I think that was actually quite a lad festival as well. On the whole things like this are fairly laddish. Guess that’s why I always preferred clubbing than gigging.

 

[tayside hibee]

He’s talking shite as there are loads of female dominated guitar playing bands out there. I guess they aren’t the type of bands Geoff likes. The line up for previous years would suggest he has a limited outlook towards music. I enjoyed T in the Park about 30 years ago which I think he was involved with but with the exception of Bjork I think that was actually quite a lad festival as well. On the whole things like this are fairly laddish. Guess that’s why I always preferred clubbing than gigging.

I've been to T in park a few times and seen kt tunstall, texas, beyonce, Lily al!en, pink, Amy Winehouse to name just a few off the top of head.

 

[Tkraz]

In 2019 it's not acceptable to run the 'there's just no funny women comedians' line for this.

It's irresponsible and shows a lack of understanding of the problem.

 

[Green juventine]

Dinnae ken what TRNSMT means . If yer good enough get in a band, if yer no' disnae matter what sex ye are , do one. Theres too much trying tae squeeze women or gays or lesbians or whatever intae positions just tae make up the numbers. It should be done on ability no' sexual preferences.

Totally.
Have you noticed that it's all women in the make up counters in these big department stores.
I .mean it's like the new romantics never happened. That's all I've got to say on the matter. Now where did I put my eye liner.. ? Prince Charming oh Prince Charming...?

 

[vasco de gama]

I've been to T in park a few times and seen kt tunstall, texas, beyonce, Lily al!en, pink, Amy Winehouse to name just a few off the top of head.

I’m sure you’ve seen a few female acts over the years but that’s the point of the OP, there’s only a few each year. I was at the first T in the Park in 1994. Of the 19 acts on the main stage 2 were female (Björk and Aimee Mann), 3 others featured females, although in 2 of them it was as backing singers, and the other 14 bands were all blokes. The next year 17 acts and 4 featuring females. The 3rd year 20 acts of which 2 were female although the keyboardist in Pulp is a female and Black Grape feature a women who dances a bit and sometimes sings so you could argue 4 acts. Seems like 20 years on and Geoff Ellis still follows the same kinda ratios when deciding how he sets up his events.

Point is it’s all a bit chicken or the egg - are there few female acts at these things because most the folk that go to them prefer male made music or does the line up tend to only attract the kind of people who like male made music? I only saw about 20 bands this year (I’m old and work shifts so don’t stay up beyond 10 o clock very often) yet 4 were all female guitar based bands (LaLuz, Habibi, Hinds, and LAWitch) and of the other 16 bands only 4 were all blokes (Buzzcocks, Gryff Rhys, Teenage Fanclub, and The Tyde). The gender mix is there in music if promoters, djs, and journalists can be bothered to look for it.

 

[paigntonhibby]

Totally.
Have you noticed that it's all women in the make up counters in these big department stores.
I .mean it's like the new romantics never happened. That's all I've got to say on the matter. Now where did I put my eye liner.. ? Prince Charming oh Prince Charming...?

Tae be honest I dinnae spend enough time loitering in makeup depts tae notice what gender the staff are.

 

[Green juventine]

Tae be honest I dinnae spend enough time loitering in makeup depts tae notice what gender the staff are.

Eh, ah was just shopping with ma wife, honest.

 

[aggie]

Point is it’s all a bit chicken or the egg - are there few female acts at these things because most the folk that go to them prefer male made music or does the line up tend to only attract the kind of people who like male made music?

I find myself wondering: who gives a shit which one it is?

This gender stuff has its limits, imo. And its always - ALWAYS - concentrated on high-ticket creative/lucrative aspects. Anyone bothered about gender balancing warehouses? Are they fuck. It's so disingenuous.

(And I say that as the single dad of a daughter)

 

[Tkraz]

I find myself wondering: who gives a shit which one it is?

This gender stuff has its limits, imo. And its always - ALWAYS - concentrated on high-ticket creative/lucrative aspects. Anyone bothered about gender balancing warehouses? Are they fuck. It's so disingenuous.

(And I say that as the single dad of a daughter)

I don't think that's unusual or unreasonable though? It stands to reason that it's the appealing or the alluring roles/jobs that people start with.

One of the most impactful things, is for young women to see artists & musicians at festivals like this - young people seeing people who look and sound like them on stage has an incredible impact on their aspirations and goals.

When you don't see someone who you identify with, it sends the message that it's not possible to achieve that.

Take the women's World Cup that was recently broadcast - the profound impact that has had will only be in the next 10 years when we see the young women who watched that, picking up the sport.

I imagine for a female warehouse employee there are many other different challenges related to gender inequality - as you say though, they just aren't highlighted as much on message boards like this one or on the BBC website.

 

[Two Headed Boy]

I find myself wondering: who gives a shit which one it is?

This gender stuff has its limits, imo. And its always - ALWAYS - concentrated on high-ticket creative/lucrative aspects. Anyone bothered about gender balancing warehouses? Are they fuck. It's so disingenuous.

(And I say that as the single dad of a daughter)

I doubt women in the creative industries come across sexism on as regular a basis so it's sticks out more when it happens. Also, they'll be surrounded by more people who'll amplify their concerns.

I work in the property industry and I was at a conference/awards do recently where a young female surveyor who works for the same company as me won an award. I work in marketing, so I went up to her at the bar afterwards and said I thought it would be a great story to do some PR around as she is a young woman working in a male dominated industry. Her response... "I'm thinking of chucking it actually." When I asked why, she told me she'd been getting passed over for promotions and the few times she had told her boss about sexual harasment she had suffered at work she'd been told "what do you expect looking like that on a building site". So, that might be why you hear less voices trying to gender balance warehouses.

Booking female musicians should be a piece of piss by comparison there are plenty of good and popular ones.