The 1975 2020

[Jamesyp42]

Reading/Leeds seem to often give leg ups to some bands to headline the festival or do the double-headliner thing. So clearly are fine with taking risks when it comes to the big names at the top of the bill. Seems only fair they take the same risks with female bands/artists up there as well.

[chazwwe]

6 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Amyl and the Sniffers is one girl and 3 blokes and their tour is finished before the festival takes place. 

Not going through all them but Sleater Kinney are touring currently, US tour last year, Euro tour now, and are finishing up in a few weeks. They wont be around.

Wolf Alices have no dates around then.

Soccer Mommys tour is over by then. 

Cardi B is not touring. 

Christine and the Queens are not touring.

Sure why not Madonna? Just give her a bell like.

So no female acts ever tour in August? Ever?

Because this is not the first time the line up has been like this, its looked bleak every year for the past 5 years.

Lana Del Ray is playing Glastonbury, no other UK show, Reading has more money.

Stop making excuses. 

[The Nal]

1 minute ago, chazwwe said:

So no female acts ever tour in August? Ever?

Because this is not the first time the line up has been like this, its looked bleak every year for the past 5 years.

Lana Del Ray is playing Glastonbury, no other UK show, Reading has more money.

Stop making excuses. 

I haven't been but isn't R&L more rock/harder music orientated anyway? Not as many female acts producing that sort of music. 

Should be have 50/50 splits at Wacken aswell? 

[Quark]

Just now, The Nal said:

I haven't been but isn't R&L more rock/harder music orientated anyway? Not as many female acts producing that sort of music. 

Should be have 50/50 splits at Wacken aswell? 

Used to be. Definitely not so much anymore.

[The Nal]

5 minutes ago, Quark said:

Used to be. Definitely not so much anymore.

Sure not as much but still quite heavy looking at the lineups. But defo agree theres far better female options out there than Mumfords, 1975, Panic at the Disco etc. 

There are far better pieces of white dog shit out there that are better than that lot tbf.

They seem to have the same 10 headliners rotating every few years. All male.

[eFestivals]

13 minutes ago, The Nal said:

I haven't been but isn't R&L more rock/harder music orientated anyway? Not as many female acts producing that sort of music. 

Should be have 50/50 splits at Wacken aswell? 

it's less rock than it used to be, but still does lean in a direction where there's few female acts. It's definitely easier for Glastonbury to get female acts on the bill as it draws from a bigger and wider pond of musical styles.

[dentalplan]

49 minutes ago, chazwwe said:

Wolf Alice? HAIM? Charli XCX? Sling Halsey on there. Put Haley Williams on there. Sling in acts like Soccor Mommy or Snail Mail on the 2nd stage? Put bands like Sleeter Keeny there, or Bikini Kill, or Yonaka. Bring Christine and The Queens over for a set? Phoebe Bridges? Weyes Blood? Kim Petras? Heck Cardi B if you want to go for the kinda audience Reading seems to be gravitating towards. 

Some would fit but many of those acts have never been anywhere near the festivals and their fans don’t either. You even touch upon it here by outlining Cardi B as one who fits the festival’s current acts.

Obviously it is bad how the lineup has turned out but it’s because they haven’t been building acts within their festival up, rather than not booking Weyes Blood to play to pissed up teenagers.

Edited February 13, 2020 by dentalplan

[chazwwe]

10 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Sure not as much but still quite heavy looking at the lineups. But defo agree theres far better female options out there than Mumfords, 1975, Panic at the Disco etc. 

There are far better pieces of white dog shit out there that are better than that lot tbf.

They seem to have the same 10 headliners rotating every few years. All male.

I guess i'm just sick of seeing the Gerry Cinnamon/Sam Fedder/Courteeners all taking huge slots at every line up this year because 'theres no female musicians touring' While it might still lean more towards rock, they still have The radio 1 beats stage which is a lot of grime/hip hop, a stage dedicated to dance music and you still have artists like Stormzy, MIGOS, D Block Europe all taking big slots. 

I'm sick of the 'females aren't making popular music, I guess they're just not touring? Its about whose popular not about whats between their legs' argument when this is Reading Festival Every.Year. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by chazwwe

[chazwwe]

If this was the first year it looked like this, people wouldn't be so pastionate about it. But people have been leaving only female artists on the poster since 2015.

And yes, this year is already a lot better and the full line up hasn't been released yet, but its honestly awful. 

[Quark]

Interesting view from artist management

 

Particularly this one that popped up further down

 

 

[chazwwe]

Reading & Leeds Festival lineups have been 95 per cent male for the past decade

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/reading-and-leeds-lineup-male-rock-acts-women-melvin-benn-glastonbury-sexism-music-industry-a7802671.html

But I'm sure its because no woman are touring in the UK in August. 

[dentalplan]

5 minutes ago, Quark said:

Interesting view from artist management

 

Particularly this one that popped up further down

 

 

I struggled to keep up with the rumours but apparently, according to the guy who leaked the headliners, the festival had Halsey as a coheadliner but she dropped out.

Edited February 13, 2020 by dentalplan

[Guest]

I've just done a quick check of a bunch of female acts that would suit R&L's demographic and are seemingly available around the time of the festival (don't worry, I've checked so you don't have to). Perhaps a bunch of these will get announced later on, but anyway.

Die Antwoord
Sigrid
Dua Lipa
Little Simz
Koffee
Metronomy
Pale Waves
Charli xcx
Jorja Smith
London Grammar
Peggy Gou

Imo they should be proactively booking acts like these early on to try and be more representative. Completely understand that this is way more of a complex issue than just picking and choosing any act available though and there could be a plethora of reasons as to why none of these are at the festival.

[The Nal]

6 minutes ago, Quark said:

Interesting view from artist management

 

Particularly this one that popped up further down

 

 

100%. "Can we book her to boost the stats?" 

Yeah maybe female acts just don't want to play it?! Interested to see if thats true.

 

[moams]

They were brilliant last night, fingers crossed they do make an appearance this year 

[mttJ]

I’ll be going on Friday, heard really good things about one of the new tracks.

[y0ungtitan]

Fantastic last night, absolutely nailed on as future headliners

[DareToDibble]

I’m going to see them next Sunday, can’t wait. I saw them on their last tour which I’m sure was only early last year and they were amazing.

[zeppelin]

People camped outside the arena for Leeds tonight 😮

[Guest]

Just got sent this from their mailing list 🤔   https://zaphod.vvhp.net/v-v/X3t9YMTI332765-23036745

[Hugh Jass]

5 hours ago, zeppelin said:

People camped outside the arena for Leeds tonight 😮

Hope they'll be taking those tents home with them.

[evannn]

7 minutes ago, Isaac LK said:

Just got sent this from their mailing list 🤔   https://zaphod.vvhp.net/v-v/X3t9YMTI332765-23036745

Weird, there's email links for "Press" and "Bookings" at the bottom of the page - maybe a side project?

[Thunderstruck]

On 2/13/2020 at 4:25 PM, Quark said:

Interesting view from artist management

 

Particularly this one that popped up further down

 

 

It's a good point made. There are plenty of great female acts our there that deserve being booked on merit. This 50/50 gender balance is a load of woke crap. 

Where does it stop? Will each act have to have a gender balanced line up? 

[Quark]

27 minutes ago, Thunderstruck said:

It's a good point made. There are plenty of great female acts our there that deserve being booked on merit. This 50/50 gender balance is a load of woke crap. 

Where does it stop? Will each act have to have a gender balanced line up? 

Well, no it's not really woke crap.  That's just taking what the guy's saying to an extreme point. 

Acts shouldn't be getting booked because they are women any more than acts should be getting booked because they're men or black or gay or whatever. But when you look at the split of the big festivals like Reading or TRNSMT, the massive weighting in favour of male bands doesn't reflect the quality.  There are female / female led / female heavy bands out there that are just as good if not better, but they are under represented.

As in all things, it's about a bit of balance. It's doesn't have to e an extreme of "everything must be 50/50" but to look for something better than the massive sausage fest we largely see at the moment doesn't mean it's "woke crap" either.

I miss nuance.

[Thunderstruck]

5 minutes ago, Quark said:

Well, no it's not really woke crap.  That's just taking what the guy's saying to an extreme point. 

Acts shouldn't be getting booked because they are women any more than acts should be getting booked because they're men or black or gay or whatever. But when you look at the split of the big festivals like Reading or TRNSMT, the massive weighting in favour of male bands doesn't reflect the quality.  There are female / female led / female heavy bands out there that are just as good if not better, but they are under represented.

As in all things, it's about a bit of balance. It's doesn't have to e an extreme of "everything must be 50/50" but to look for something better than the massive sausage fest we largely see at the moment doesn't mean it's "woke crap" either.

I miss nuance.

If it is true that festivals are biased towards male bands it is a shame because I'm sure like most of us here it never enters my mind to listen to one band/act over another based on gender, it's purely based on whether I like them or not. 

To be honest female acts/female fronted acts have been out performing the guys for me in the recent past. Off top of my head London Grammar, Lana, Daughter, XX, Haim, Wolf Alice, Billie Eilish, Christine and the queens would all be on my wish list for a festival. 

If there's something in the way the music industry, background booking processes that is skewing the balance that's what needs solving.