FEATURE:
Not One of Us
Reading & Leeds and a Continuing Sexism Problem
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ANOTHER festival has announced their line-up…
IN THIS PHOTO: Stormzy has been announced as one of the Reading & Leeds headline acts, alongside Liam Gallagher, and Rage Against the Machine/PHOTO CREDIT: Louie Banks
for this year and, predictably, Reading & Leeds’ poster raises a common question: Where are the female artists?! I am excited Rage Against the Machine are headlining, and it is good to have the band back on a big stage! Even if you have Rage Against the Machine headlining, that leaves two slots that could have been filled by women – even a single female artists would have made the line-up look less sexist! The Guardian report the news of this year’s Reading & Leeds line-up:
“Rage Against the Machine, Stormzy and Liam Gallagher have been announced as the headliners for 2020’s Reading and Leeds festival.
Rage Against the Machine’s sets are part of a newly announced 40-date world tour for the political rap-rockers, who are playing together for the first time since 2011. The tour includes two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and seven dates across Europe. It comes after a short spring tour where they will perform gigs close to the US-Mexico border, as well as the Coachella festival in California.
Stormzy’s Reading and Leeds sets come amid a major world tour, featuring 55 dates across five continents, and will be his first UK festival headline slots since his triumphant appearance at Glastonbury in 2019. Liam Gallagher was originally announced in November for the pair of festivals, which run simultaneously in both cities.
Other rock and indie names include the Courteeners, Gerry Cinnamon, Two Door Cinema Club, Sam Fender and Idles, while rap is represented with Migos, AJ Tracey, D-Block Europe and Run the Jewels.
Typically for the festivals, the top 13 announced artists are all male – Mabel, Mahalia and Beabadoobee are among the female names to have been announced further down the bill.
Reading and Leeds takes place 28-30 August, with tickets going on sale at 9am on 13 February”.
Look down the poster, and the sheer lack of women on the bill is shocking! There are no female headliners, and one has to scan pretty hard to see any women at all! The line-up proves that the tone is not all Rock and Alternative – as Mabel and Joy Crookes are booked -, so why the lack of female representation? It seems uninspired having Liam Gallagher and Stormzy headlining. Stormzy is a great act, but he headlined Glastonbury last year, and I wonder what more he has to add and whether his booking is a reaction to that set last year. It is good to have some Grime and Rap headlining, but it seems like a lazy booking. Liam Gallagher, too, seems like a throwback to older days or someone who is booked because of his Oasis fame. He will put in a good set, but it is hardly original or bold for a festival(s) that lacks the clout and quality it did years ago. Look down the bill this year, and there is not a lot of spark or fascination. There are some boring bands, and a lot of artists who will struggle to raise the temperature. Every time a major festival announces their line-up, you have to wonder why so few women are included.
Reading & Leeds could have booked artists like Nadine Shah, Sharon Van Etten, and Anna Calvi, yet they have been ignored. In fact, as the event does not cater to a single genre, there are so many female artists who could have been included – Self Esteem, The Big Moon, and Grimes spring to mind. What about Dua Lipa or Brittany Howard? Even female-fronted bands like Amyl & the Sniffers or Big Thief could have been included, not to mention PINS or Wolf Alice. I know there are more acts to be included, but look back at Glastonbury’s bill last year and the fact they almost hit a fifty-fifty balance and ensured the bill was full of gold and variation. Look at the incredible line-up for The Great Escape in Brighton this year, and Primavera Sound and their continued gender balance and inclusion. Every year, Reading & Leeds announce their line-up and they get accused of being terrible and boring. Whilst 2020’s line-up has some brilliance and a lot of boredom, I think it is the continued exclusion of women that worries me and so many. Reading & Leeds are not even close to fifty-fifty at a time when so many festival-worthy women deserve exposure. I have only named a few artists, but one could easily have removed a dozen or so weaker male acts on the bill and replaced them with equally popular female artists who are stronger. So many festivals, year after year, lack gender diversity - and they are not doing their bit to ensure there are more women on the bill. Reading & Leeds is one of the very worst offenders and, predictably, I do not think we will see a major change next year! Male artists need to use their platform to rebel and campaign because, if they do not, there will be slow movement. In a world where scores of wonderful women are producing sensational work, festivals like Reading & Leeds are letting them down. I was hoping 2020 was going to be a year when the festival opened their eyes and changed their ways but, lo and behold, it is a case of the…
IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa would have been a great inclusion to the Reading & Leeds bill
SAME old excuses and problems.