Doing The Right Thing

The F-List celebrates the work of the following festivals & events for 'Doing The Right Thing' by booking equal or majoratively female line-ups. We are working with all of these organisations in a variety of different ways, from sourcing female musicians and helping to curate line-ups, to collaborating on funded projects, to supporting and celebrating already female friendly line-ups, whilst others have been inspired by us and wish to support our work.

Out and Wild

is the UK’s first Wellness Festival for queer, questioning and curious women and they have chosen to partner with The F-List to help source their musical talent and run a series of workshops for LGBTQ youth in Swansea. Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and stunning views across the Cleddau River, the festival includes wellness, music, comedy, wild swimming, sports, spoken word and workshops. Co-Founder Polly Shute says;

‘Out & Wild Festival is delighted to partner with The F-List. Our focus for Out & Wild has always been to both support and platform queer women, those who are non-binary and allies. At LGBTQIA Events and even Prides, women and NB artists are still under represented. This needs to change, We look forward to working on more events in the future‘.

Hidden Notes Festival

Founded by local independent arts magazine Good On Paper, Hidden Notes Festival focuses on presenting the works of contemporary classical and avant-garde composers rarely seen together on the same stage whilst also providing the artists with a platform to perform new music and collaborations in intimate spaces.

Alex Hobbis, Co-Founder, comments “There Just Haven’t Been As Many Female Composers.” The simple text on a poster by the Her Ensemble, and a phrase we’d caught ourselves saying. Bullshit. This inspired us to challenge this stereotype and bring to the fore the female pioneers of this industry. We have followed The F-List and the vital work they have done in highlighting the issues of equality and diversity that are still rampant in the music industry since they launched and are honoured (as a pair of blokes) to be invited to join their Doing The Right Thing Network. Hidden Notes is a niche festival which focuses on bringing contemporary classical and avantgarde music to audiences outside of major cities.“

Primadonna

are the first literary festival in the UK to give prominence to work by women, writers of all genders, economic status and ethnicities whose voices are not usually heard. They bring together writers, editors, publishers, artists, thinkers, comedians, performers, musicians and foodies. It is a place of hope, inspiration, community and artistry in an intimate setting in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.

Catherine Riley, Director of Primadonna Festival and Prize, writes: “Primadonna festival is proud to partner with The F List, which shares our mission to champion brilliant female talent, platform marginalised voices, and deliver joyful events that showcase the best of arts and culture. We hosted some amazing musicians over the weekend of our festival, including some F List favourites, and were thrilled that Self Esteem provided a banging finale on Sunday afternoon. We’re already planning how to make 2022’s lineup just as magnificent!”

Tracks are a community interest not-for-profit company in Darlington in the Tees Valley. It runs music events and projects throughout the year working with funders such as Arts Council England, Creative Darlington, Community Rail Network Partnership and the National Lottery. This female-led organisation has signed up to the Keychange Pledge, but from day one have pushed for minimum 50/50 throughout all of their activity. Tracks’ flagship festival is Last Train Home Festival which runs on the first weekend of Sept.

Tracks also run the Noisy Daughters project championing women in the music industry by providing credible platforms for live performance, workshop and networking opportunities. They are currently seeking funding to release Noisy Daughters Vol. 2. There is a Noisy Daughters stage at Last Train Home Festival and have also hosted stages at the Stockton Calling Festival. Tracks also deliver commissioned work for Darlington Borough Council, Tees Music Alliance, Darlington Libraries and more.

Tracks founder Sarah Wilson has featured on and hosted panels discussing women in music across the region, hosted the Noisy Daughters radio show on Radio Stockton, and appeared on BBC Introducing North. Tracks are seeking further funding to curate more Noisy Daughters’ opportunities across the Tees Valley and beyond. Sarah says….

“The F-List is a brilliant idea and a super useful resource for promoters like us looking to ensure that everything we programme works towards making a positive change within the music industry”.

In response to the industry’s gender disparities, WIMIN Festival unveils the first wave of a pioneering female lineup. The festival – described as a movement – with an all-female production crew and – is managed by Scrapyard Studios CIC, a Bootle-based non-profit, working with a skilled team of partners across Merseyside and beyond.

LOUD WOMEN

is an intersectional feminist not-for-profit organisation founded by musician, journalist and activist Cassie Fox in 2015, with the mission statement of ‘Putting more women on more stages, and turning up the volume’. Their activities to support women and non-binary musicians in the grassroots music scene include an annual festival in London, showcases in cities across the UK, USA, Australia, Ireland and Spain, a music blog, social media communities, a record label and a weekly radio show.

Cassie says “At LOUD WOMEN, we are proud to partner with The F-List to work towards our shared goal of passing the mic to more women and non-binary artists. There’s absolutely no excuse for any musical lineup – whether it’s at a huge festival, or a grassroots pub gig – not to contain a representative mix of genders. The F-List is a brilliant resource, making it so easy for promoters and bookers improve their events by discovering awesome new artists, and giving female musicians a great opportunity to get themselves heard“.

eavesdropping

is a platform for the sharing of new music and new ways of thinking about music. Excited by experimentalism, they create opportunities for artists and audiences to practise engaged listening and compassionate debate. Their activity includes a festival, a forum, a podcast, and training and development workshops. eavesdropping is a female-led charity whose activity is motivated by intersectional feminism. Their mission is to build community through an ethics of curiosity and care, in the belief that ripples do make waves.

Artistic Director Juliet Fraser says “We are proud to call ourselves a feminist organisation, and proud to be working with The F-List to manifest change in the industry. There is a growing network of like-minded individuals and organisations: let’s march together!”

Up Close and Musical

2022 festival is taking place 24-25 June at Fidelio Café with a fantastic all-female line-up (Clare Hammond, Matilda Lloyd, Trio Klein, Fenella Humphreys and Eusebius Quartet) and featuring >60% repertoire by female composers. All concerts include a candid interview with the artists, giving them a chance to share their personal experiences as women in the music industry, and are timed around meals and drinks at the venue, so people can get to know them up close. Shiry Rashkovsky Artistic Director says:

“Huge kudos to Vick Bain who is doing terrific work amplifying the voices of female artists, something which Up Close and Musical is entirely on the same page about. It’s an honour to be Doing the Right Thing alongside her, and so positive to see the impact of our work in real time.”

Folk by The Oak

is a festival of folk’s finest acts gathered in beautiful leafy parkland for one uplifting summer day of music and has been running since 2008. Founder Caroline Slough says:

“We are a husband and wife team and it just feels very natural to ensure a gender balance informs our programming as it does with our work life. For us, quality is all, and there are some devastatingly brilliant female singers songwriters, instrumentalists and bands out there. Their richness and variety is dazzling as The F-List reveals in their hugely helpful listings. I am so enjoying looking through your remarkable list of artists. There is certainly plenty of inspiration for next year’s line up – I have found several artists that are new to me which is always a treat“.

Tsitsit Festival

is the world’s first Jewish-themed fringe festival, which took place in October 2021. Singer Sara Feldmann Brummer curated the music events for the festival, featuring many female musicians and female-led acts celebrating the rich history of Jewish music from traditional folk to the world of jazz. Women’s voices are at the heart of most of the Sephardic musical tradition, sung in Ladino within the home and the community, telling stories of love, motherhood and heartbreak.

Sara Feldmann Brummer says “The F-List is an invaluable tool for event organisers and female musicians. Their database of musicians connects promotors and great artists together – there’s no excuse now for tokenism within festival line-ups – female artists can enjoy equal billing!”

OneFest

is a UK based, not-for-profit, Community Interest Company designed to support the emergence of new talent. OneFest was born in Wiltshire out of a desire to provide support to the Barge Inn Community Project – a Big Lottery Fund supported rural community enterprise and pub. OneFest was set up to generate a modest financial return to help the local community to sustain and develop their community hub.

Onefest Founder Sandra Bhatia says “The F-List is an excellent tool and resource that OneFest will be utilising for forthcoming events. Vick Bain’s research and findings are critical to help make the necessary changes for women in music in the industry“.

Underneath The Stars

is a festival programmed by Eddie Barcan owner of Splendid Events and is proud their line-ups are always gender balanced. In fact 2022 saw all female headliners for 3 nights in a row!

Eddie built his reputation by leading the internationally renowned Cambridge Folk Festival as Artistic Director, where he managed and programmed 23 consecutive sell-outs, secured national TV and radio coverage and saw the festival gain awards, including the highest possible Greener Festival Awards for sustainability. Eddie has also programmed the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury Festival since 2005, which attracts the best folk and roots acts, pop-stars, Hollywood A-list celebrities and icons. Eddie says;

“Vick Bain and The F-List deserve a round of applause for championing female artists and going the extra mile to support programmers, Underneath The Stars is pleased to be gender balanced“.