Women in the Pit – Idles at The Rickshaw. 4th October 2018.

I am angry today.

Generally, I am angry that we live in a world where men still believe that aggression and physical dominance gives them power over other people.

Specifically, I am angry that my personal enjoyment of a much anticipated show by one of my favourite bands was tainted by the enduring shit-show of toxic masculinity that sadly typifies our society.

I am so angry, in fact, that I cannot adequately summarize what happened. Luckily, my totally badass friend Victoria Spooner (who also happens to be a rad bassist, broadcaster and all-round power woman – follow her on Twitter at @urban_sorceress if you’re interested – you should be), succinctly and accurately  summed up our shared experience for me by saying “I went to the show looking to connect with a band who I think see the issues I care about but then I didn’t get to let off steam like I wanted to because there was no space for me to do it. 

And that’s just it. There isn’t space. I don’t mean, of course, that there isn’t space in The Rickshaw (it’s massive). What I mean is that CIS white men are taking up all the space in the pit, with no regard for anyone else. Of course this happens everywhere, but last night was pitiful beyond words – men who have paid to see a band whose lyrics and ideologies are absolutely raging against everything that was happening in that room at that time. Idles’ frontman Joe Talbot said in an interview with KEXP on Wednesday: “I find acts of machismo grotesque. We need to question our behavior as musicians for the greater good – which is not “act like a man,” but act like a good person”. But the men in last night’s audience were either not listening, or had forgotten this message completely whilst shouting lyrics such as “Men are scared women will laugh in their face // Whereas women are scared it’s their lives men will take” and “The mask // Of masculinity // Is a mask //A mask that’s wearing me” whilst pushing women to the floor and elbowing them in the face, without even a hint of irony or self awareness.

No-one is asking to be given special treatment in the pit. We’re all there for the same reason. We are simply asking for space – space to dance or mosh or do whatever the fuck we want. Put simply, if you are part of the majority in that pit (usually a white CIS male) then make space for others. Power taken away from anyone who is a minority in that space should be given back. Just be self aware. Be a decent human to everyone. Not just women. Anyone who is struggling. Anyone who is shorter than you. Anyone who just wants to have a good time without having your sweaty elbows in their face. I grew up in the mosh pit. I can totally handle it. But a good pit is not a hostile parade of bitter masculinity.

Last month, I interviewed Joe Talbot for BeatRoute Magazine. Coincidentally (or perhaps not, since Idles are so vocal about their support of feminism), we discussed this precise phenomenon. Talbot’s stance on this was pretty clear: “It is disturbing how easily a bunch of men encourage each other to act like Neanderthals. we need to openly encourage men to take a back seat or just allow for  equal opportunity – that’s the key. We want venues to be safe places for everyone in the room”. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

I am embarrassed for the white CIS men of Vancouver. I am embarrassed that they would go out to see a band who vehemently protest against this kind of toxic masculinity and then behave in this way anyway. At the end of our interview, Talbot says: “I’ve been trying to think of a way to get women to the front without just doing a Kathleen Hanna, but I might just have to do a Kathleen Hanna”. Sad as it is, sometimes you’ve still just got to do a Kathleen Hanna.

Idles were absolutely fucking top, by the way. (Yes that’s right, my reviewing skills have hit an all-time high).

 

Girls Rock Camp Vancouver: An interview with Ana Rose, organizer and ex-camper.

“Girls Rock Camp is designed to empower female oriented people to become part of the music industry, because it is very male dominated.” Ana Rose Walkey first joined Rock Camp as a thirteen year old camper in 2009, and now she is a key member of their team of organizers. “There’s a week-long camp every summer. The kids can learn to play whatever instrument they want – they don’t have to have experience. They form bands with other campers, and the goal is to write a song with your band and perform it at the Rio theatre.” Since 2009, a dedicated group of volunteer organizers have dedicated vast amounts of their time and energy to create, manage and sustain the incredible project that is Girls Rock Camp Vancouver.

“Girls Rock Camp is about letting these girls have an open space to express themselves. Everywhere else in the world there are taboos and walls that you have to jump over.  We try to include everyone.” Ana Rose tells me. “Anyone who identifies as female can join the camp. I’m super passionate about feminism – it’s so important. Because feminism isn’t just about women – it’s about being inclusive and getting rid of all kinds of oppression.” Ana Rose talks openly about how her views on equality translate into her work with Girls Rock Camp: “We really want to make sure that we incorporate all gender identities and sexual orientations. It’s awesome to have a camp that’s as inclusive as it can be, financially as well – it’s a sliding scale, so if you can’t pay the full cost just give what you can”. Rock Camp takes place each summer at the Urban Native Youth Association on East Hastings, “We have really good community connections and we’re very lucky because they donate that space to us every year.”

Ana Rose plays drums, but she’s not currently playing with a band. “I haven’t had as much experience of performing in Vancouver as I would like to. I find that I can be hesitant to share my ideas, especially in a group of guys. I’ve been in those situations many times where I’m in a band the male members write all the songs and there’s no changing it. That was the rule. They are really talented, so that’s awesome, but I found it weird because part of the creative process is letting other people have an input.” But more recently, there have been some positive experiences of working with other musicians “Luckily I’ve been jamming a bit with a friend of mine now, he’s super supportive and also kind of modest – so he will write a song but ask for my help, and that’s really nice. Finally I’m in a space where I feel perfectly comfortable. And we are able to tag-team and write a song together as opposed to someone saying ‘here’s what I wrote. Here are the chords. Play them.”

Ana Rose also experienced sexism as a female musician in her high school band “We had a rock band class, which was so awesome. But I was the only female drummer of course, and I always found that my teacher would put the guys on the good songs, even though I could play them. We did Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N Roses which has always been one of my favourite songs, I LOVED playing that on the drums. But at the school show, he gave the song to a male drummer – I remember thinking, come on man! I love this song, I wanna play it! It was kinda frustrating, and it got to me.” But her experience at Rock Camp has meant that Ana Rose was determined not to let this stop her from pursuing her passion for music “On the flip-side, there’s Rock Camp and the group of women that I’ve met through that, who are all so talented and helpful. And I’ve found it interesting that when you get immersed in a scene that’s just women, it’s a totally different experience – everyone’s just having a good time. I of course there are cases of jealousy and rivalry, but in general we are more supportive of each other instead of tearing each other down. We all go to each other’s shows. And I know that if and when I do get into a band, they would support me 100% – I already have a fanbase! It’s shown me that it can be just a matter of finding the right people to surround yourself with.”

Ana Rose tells me that she could “blab forever” about Rock Camp and how it helped her as a young musician in a male-dominated industry, and she is clearly very passionate about the project. “Honestly, the reason I became a musician is because of Rock Camp. It’s really cool now, being an organiser and seeing more of the behind the scenes stuff and actually realizing how much work it takes to put this on. It’s this group of women who are literally volunteering hours and hours of their time to put this on. And that in itself is so inspiring. Just to have people who care so much about this. It’s crazy, having being a camper, to see how much goes into this.”

At this point, I play the stereotypical journalist and ask Ana Rose what advice she would give to young women who’d like to explore getting into music. She laughs: “Step one: go to Rock Camp! But on a more serious note – I still struggle with this, but just believe in yourself, trust yourself and try to get your voice out there. Yeah it’s tough, but music wouldn’t be a thing if people didn’t just put their stuff out there. But yeah – go to Rock Camp. That helps a lot. We’ll all support you, we’ll be there for you, we’ll get you on your feet.”

“Volunteering at Rock Camp is so rewarding!  It’s such a magical thing. I always have to prepare myself not to cry when I talk about Rock Camp because it really changed my life. It is the push that brought me back into music. It can be tough as an instructor, because you’re in a room with ten kids and you’ve got the 8 year old who’s never played their instrument before and then you’ve got the 17 year old who can play better than you. But then it’s kind of nice too because you get the older kids helping the younger kids. And they do that on their own terms a lot of the time.” Girls Rock Camp are looking for volunteers to support their camp this year (July 9th-13th): “Get involved! Even if you don’t have a musical background you can volunteer.”

Movements like Girls Rock Camp are redressing the balance at a grassroots level – teaching young women that they can achieve creatively in a world that still seems determined to encourage us to believe that we have to ascribe to patriarchal gender roles. Teaching people of all genders about equality is the only way to generate real change, and Girls Rock Camp is doing an incredible job of perpetuating that message across North America (and further). Find out more or sign up at https://girlsrockcampvancouver.ca.

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