How present are female musicians in the line-up at the Camden Crawl 2013? (2 Viewers)

[snakybus]

Chicks have smaller hands right, less likely to be jamming on guitars and basses than, for example, microkorgs and violins. They can be better drummers though.

Also, a distorted guitar is an ugly thing. I'm not sure if guys 'do' ugly better. But teenage boys certainly 'are' uglier. And the guitar is the centre of rock and roll. That's right, drummers!

 

[Jill Hives]

I always sigh when I see topics like this because often there is no follow through and just sensationalism. I'm a female music fan. I don't play in bands because I'm painfully shy and never want to be on stage AND have no talent. I can't hold a tune nor have I any rhythm. Nothing stopped me from trying growing up, I played the clarinet for about two weeks before tossing it in. I wanted to try violin but the rental fees where too high for my parents. Truth be told, I probably would have tossed that aside too, if given the chance. I'm just not a musician despite my love of music. I did do other things that were considered more male than female oriented growing up, like being obsessed with BMX. I had to race the 'power puff' girl division instead of with the boys. That said, unofficially I always beat the boys in my age group because I rocked. I always hated that I couldn't race them officially though.

I find people, once told they are 'different' then act differently. Some are empowered by it but just as many (if not more) are defeated by it, especially when young. If statistics are constnatly put in people's faces as a barrier you might knock more down than promote them to 'overcome' it. People generally do what makes them feel good and if seen as a consent struggle, will probably do it less. Taking one festival, which is not a good section of Ireland musically, is probably hurting the cause more than encouraging it. If I was in a band that played the Crawl and you insinuated I was a token there, I'd be pretty offended.

If you are a musician who has felt slighted by the music scene because you're female, that sucks. That said, I think getting involved with the future of the scene and encouraging those who have an interest in music purely because they have an interest in music (not because they are female) would help your cause more than pie charts. Less numbers and less female specific groups and more just teaching and working with youths who love music. Separating the two is just making the divide bigger. If there is no division when younger, you'd see it change. How do you work together if you're always set apart? Honestly, I think it has more to do with the type of music most young girls like these days. It's all Glee and American Idol. I'd say that a female dominated rock group would probably get more chances than an all male line up most places. Lets face it, it's about look/age more than talent these days and women sell over men. It's one of the few times it actually works in your favor. I'll probably be slated for that last bit but it's the way I see it.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

hmmm; i'd reiterate some of the points
- as with any activity, early participation is the key. if you can quadruple the number of teenage girls in shit teenage bands, you'll have more of them on the scene when their in their 20s/30s. Theres probably a number of ways of doing this, but I'd imagine engaging in circular internet arguments with a bunch of 30 something musos probably isnt going to be much help.
- Ive been in three (well two and a half) bands involving girls - all of the girls involved went on to greater success than me(everything being relative in fairness - and needless to say fair fucks to them). the ever-so-slight novelty of a band with girl members maybe is an advantage? an interesting statistic might be how the percentage of girls playing at this festival compares with the percantage of girls in the general music playing population.
-also in relation to the above, musical ability and personal compatibility always was the deciding factor in us playing together.
- given that your average indie betwetter is probably pretty politically liberal in their approach to most issues id be supprised if there is much active discrimination at play.
- it would be nice to get the opinions of an active female musician on this thread cpr ??
- its only music at the end of the day

 

[Theseus Mock]

Isn't a lot of it down to what the dominant taste in music that teenagers now have? There's no shortage of girls giving it their all for those The Voice/Got Talent shows, they're all obsessed with Rhianna/Justin Bieber/One Direction. Kids these days have shite role models, and that isn't down to not enough girl bands in the camden crawl, it's down to pop culture in general. Music television has gone to shite, when was the last time you saw anything remotely alternative on any channel? Back in the day you had the Beatbox/Jo Maxi/TOTP/No Disco that had real bands. Now it's all getting dressed up and doing some shaky guttural vocal like Christina Aguilera.

Chicks just don't dig the rock anymore.

 

[Jill Hives]

Isn't a lot of it down to what the dominant taste in music that teenagers now have? There's no shortage of girls giving it their all for those The Voice/Got Talent shows, they're all obsessed with Rhianna/Justin Bieber/One Direction.

Agreed.

 

[GO]

Now we're hearing some facts.

My niece for instance..is 100% into the music game.
She's as much interest in getting on stage with a guitar as the pope.

Its all backing tracks and crooning and trendy fashions..like tattoos and all

 

[washingcattle]

Didn't we have this discussion before on the other thread and have it basically turn into some lady telling us that pop music was a form of relegation ?

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Back in the day you had the Beatbox/Jo Maxi/TOTP/No Disco that had real bands. Now it's all getting dressed up and doing some shaky guttural vocal like Christina Aguilera.

Chicks just don't dig the rock anymore.

Unfortunately I think this a tragedy that affects young males as well as females - unfortunate in the sense that half of our youth is not unaffected by it. Young men are also queueing up to appear on these awful shows. Who is that lad from Dublin who is a judge on voice of Britain? He should be telling these people to cop on and go put on a gig somewhere.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

I had the misfortune of sitting through a few minutes of that "The Voice" programme the other day. So horrific.

 

[washingcattle]

I think we all have to face up to the fact that Rock music and particularly "alternative" rock had it's day in the sun and is now in decline.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

That's what I think too. It can still be deadly but, like jazz and bluegrass, it's just another niche now.

 

[washingcattle]

That's what I think too. It can still be deadly but, like jazz and bluegrass, it's just another niche now.

For me it's become closer and closer to trad. The DIY "scene" is like going to a really good session. This is going to sound cheesy (especially since I'm currently exiled in London and miss the shit out of Y'all) but in Dublin it feels far more like a small town/extended family vibe rather than the vibrant big city scene that the blogoshpere wants to have the world believe in and really there is no "industry" to speak of in Dublin anymore.

Remember when there was a semblance of an "industry" in Dublin and you had to endure Relish or JJ72 before every act at the Olympia ? That fucking sucked. Good riddance.

I guess that's one of the many reasons I just don't believe the sabre rattling antagonism which started this thread.

 

[ann post]

I think we all have to face up to the fact that Rock music and particularly "alternative" rock had it's day in the sun and is now in decline.

not really. just you've grown up and what you consider alternative has changed.

The world where there is a pile of shit pop and muse/foo fighters and any bands they associate are considered as an alternative still exists.
The internet is a great place to go if you want to go tunnel vision on anything, but most peoples relationship with music doesn't go much further than that.

 

[washingcattle]

not really. just you've grown up and what you consider alternative has changed.

The world where there is a pile of shit pop and muse/foo fighters and any bands they associate are considered as an alternative still exists.
The internet is a great place to go if you want to go tunnel vision on anything, but most peoples relationship with music doesn't go much further than that.

Not really, Muse and the Foo Fighters were selling out huge venues 15 years ago and their still the only ones selling out those same venues now.

Look at it this way bands that played in the point or RDS or that sized venue 15 years ago.

Blur
Oasis
Green Day
Pearl Jam
Radiohead
Neil Young
Bob Dylan
REM
Garbage
David Grey
The Verve
Manic Street Preachers

Bands that play there now
Madonna
Britney Spears
Whoever wins X Factor.
And
Neil Young and Bob Dylan.
Reformed bands from the 80s


Alternative rock doesn't sell the way it used to, it's just not mainstream anymore.

 

[Space]

Alt rock is now a niche, Skrillex and all the commercial dubstep/dance muisc is what equates to 90s alt rock now.

 

[ann post]

it'd probably be worth your while to check out just how many of the acts you listed have played in a similar capacity venue in dublin or ireland the in the last two years.

 

[ann post]

Alt rock is now a niche, Skrillex and all the commercial dubstep/dance muisc is what equates to 90s alt rock now.

I agree, to a point. Someone must be listening to artic monkeys though, unless they just fell into the electric picnic spot.

 

[ann post]

Alt rock is now a niche, Skrillex and all the commercial dubstep/dance muisc is what equates to 90s alt rock now.

I agree, to a point. Someone must be listening to artic monkeys though, unless they just fell into the electric picnic spot.

 

[washingcattle]

It was a product, it reached it's commercial peak and then it started to slide. It's nothing to do with the quality of the bands really it's just fashion, There was Grunge, Britpop, a few bad auld years of Nu Metal while Radiohead went all weird, then "The" bands and then the arse fell out of the market because college kids stopped actually paying for records.

It's done it's over. There are 2 "alternative" acts which have formed in the past 5-10 years playing at the O2 between now and the end of the year, The XX and The National. It's just not got the commercial pulling power it once had. Simple.

 

[ann post]

your posts can actually argue with each other.