FEATURE: Balance Is Gone: Why the Abuse and Negativity Billy Nomates Faced After Her Glastonbury Set Is Especially Upsetting and Angering

FEATURE:

 

 

Balance Is Gone

  

Why the Abuse and Negativity Billy Nomates Faced After Her Glastonbury Set Is Especially Upsetting and Angering

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IF some on social media…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Tor Maries (Billy Nomates)

have claimed that abuse and cruel comments aimed at Billy Nomates (Tor Maries) does not constitute sexism and misogyny – some men, they say, have been put down similarly… -, you only had to read some of the comments that were left on the BBC Radio 6 Music feed to know this is not true! The station has been posting videos of performances from Glastonbury. In its second day now, we have seen some incredible sets and wonderful new artists how why they will be headliners of the future. If the festival was criticised for not including any female headliners this year – even though Lizzo will support Guns N’ Roses later, many (myself included) felt she should be a headliner -, they are rectifying that next year. It is pretty much odds-on that Taylor Swift (who was busy this year) is one of the two women the organisers have promised as 2024 headliners. I have written enough about how women are dominating music. The best albums of the past have been made by women.They are ruling music, and they are giving us so much…and yet there is still so much abuse and misogyny aimed at them. Specific comments about Billy Nomate’s gender shows that it is very much misogynistic. It is, I should note, not BBC Radio 6 Music’s fault, as they are ardent champions and supporters of Billy Nomates’ music! I would struggle to believe if a male artist performed a set with no band behind them, they would not be subjected to a flood of insulting and insulting comments! Billy Nomates performed without the band. As a tweet from BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne showed, she doesn’t need the band: she IS the band! She is called ‘Billy Nomates’, so anyone expecting a full band behind her has missed the point! She put on a remarkable set and, when she was interviewed by Laverne earlier in the day for BBC Radio 6 Music, she was so pumped, excited and wonderfully uplifting. Such a vibrant, friendly, loving and inspiring artist, that was all soured when she learned of a lot of the reaction to her set.

I must say that, from Billy Bragg to Lauren Laverne to The Anchoress (Catherine Anne Davies) to countless others, there has been love, support and condemnation of those idiots who posted misogynistic comments. Dress it up any way you like, and it is very much an attack on women. There seems to be this standard that men are not held to. This discrimination and sexism that is in no danger of going away. People wonder why there are no female headliners when those primed to be one are discouraged and cancel shows because they are so depressed and disheartened by abuse! So many incredible women are playing amazing sets, but so many too have to read sexist and incredibly nasty and unwarranted comments. Even if – and there WAS NOT – anything wrong, strange or substandard about Billy Nomates’ performance, then why comment on it? This festival has seen far weaker and less spectacular sets than what Billy Nomates gave to us – and yet they have not received vile personal attacks and tin-earned poison. Clearly, as Billy Nomates explained in her post, she is not to everyone’s taste. This is very modest of her: those who do not ‘get’ her are missing out on something very brilliant indeed! She is a perfectly accessible and brilliant artist but, like a lot of artists, there will be those who do not take a shine. It is their loss! What you don’t do is go online to attack a performance or artist because you felt it was not to your standards. I think there is still this assumption Glastonbury should be male-heavy bands playing guitars. If a woman dared to perform without a big band, then that is really not what the festival is about!

There is that narrow-minded and very outdated viewpoint of what a festival is. Music is always evolving, and we have more choice and variety than ever before. I do worry, if women like Tor Maries are put down and insulted because they are providing this very direct, personal and extraordinary performance on their own terms, what does this mean for the future of festivals and music in general?! Sexism, sexual assault, discrimination, gender imbalance on radio stations playlists, and a fewer opportunities are already hurdles women have to face. Throw into the mix the fact that, if they do play a prestigious festival on a day that should count as one of their best, they then have to read abuse and clear misogyny, then they might consider quitting or stop playing! Billy Nomates has said there will be no dates after summer commitments. I hope she reconsiders! One of our very best artists, last year’s CACTI is an album that deserves a Mercury Prize nomination next month. She is one of our best artists and human beings. It is humbling and emotional reading all the love and support there is for her! On an amazing day where those in attendance gave her huge respect and applause, a band of Internet trolls and, let’s face it, mostly male keyboard warriors felt the need to insult her performance and why she was not playing with a band.

Taking aim at her voice and demeanour, it is so upsetting to imagine what Tor Maries was thinking when she had to read that! After such a buzz, this is a massive comedown that nobody deserves! I hope that she does keep on playing. I know she will get sent the comments supporting her and calling out those who took aim at her. In a larger sense, the industry and festivals needs to address the way many of its female artists are judged, received, and seen. I know it is a hard situation where they are trying to create gender balance and yet women are being attacked and abused. At a time when there are few female headliners, this sort of thing is not helping the cause! So many have this notion of a festival. It may be mostly a generational thing. I don’t know. That impression festivals should be male-heavy and guitar-based. That it doesn’t matter if there are fewer women playing. So many incredible female artists are enriching the industry, and yet they have to fight so much harder than men. They get fewer gigs and big platforms, less radio play on bigger stations, and they are open and subjected to misogyny and abuse. It will have a devastating impact on an industry that is golden and brilliant because of them. We need to start respecting women in music. For doing that they want to write and perform in the manner and way that they want! I will discuss that in a separate feature, but I wanted to react, like so many, to the sad news that Billy Nomates is going to stop playing because of what was posted. The brilliant Tor Maries warrants nothing but love! She should be celebrated and adored for…

THE legend and queen that she is!

Sam Liddicott