Sexism in Music Videos: It's Not Just Me!

In a world dominated by mainstream media, wherever you go these days there will be the harsh lights of a television screen, somewhere, blaring out the latest chart hits. This means that you could be sitting in a Takeaway waiting for your food to be cooked, having a few drinks with your friends in a bar or even just flicking through the channels in the comfort of your home. However wherever you are located there seems to be no escape from half-naked women writhing and dry humping the ego of a rapper (who isn't even that good looking, may I point out!) or even a baby faced young girl performing a sex act on a sledgehammer.

You can't tell me that music videos do not have an impact on the young, or even the argument of 'if you don't like it switch it off'. Music videos such as these deemed my early teenage years awkward and uncomfortable. I will never forget the teacher switching on MTV in the school gym and as the unrealistically toned, yet curvy in the right places, female backup dancers started gyrating, my peers turned on me.
'You're a skinny white girl, you could never dance like that.' (I didn't particularly want to anyway)
'Ha! You don't have any boobs like them Nicky' (I was 12 you idiots, what do you expect?)
And so the comments continued against me, given that I was the awkward, skinny white girl who you would least expect to see draped over a motorbike in a hip-hop video. Looking back on it, I am horrified that my peers, who were just children themselves, felt that they had to sexualise themselves in order to mimic what they were seeing on TV in order to gain respect. It was exactly like that scene from Mean Girls where Regina George's baby sister is copying the MTV babes.

I always felt as though I was alone in these thoughts, feeling disgusted and offended every time a fully clothed male had about 20 naked women dancing around him. However hope came to me in the form of http://www.rewindreframe.org/ an organisation and website set up to provide a platform for those who are victimized by the state of today's music industry. Rewind & Reframe encourages us to speak out about the rampant racism and sexism in the charts and provides us with a template to teach the younger generation about it.  Therefore I decided this week to carry out a poll to see how certain figures across society felt on such an issue and asked them to tell me which music video they felt was worst for sexism and why.

Here are the results:

Drew Athans - Author of 'Black Book: The Live History of Blur'  Father, Husband and Musician.
'Much as I love Blur, Country House video is lousy. In both those ways (sexist and seedy) too. 

Hannah Rose Thomson - LSE Graduate and Feminist.
'50 Cents 'Candy Shop' Women used as interchangeable, ego stroking accessories....bleurgh! I haven't watched that video in nearly seven years...that impression has stuck with me. In fact that video made me find Feminism.' 

Annie Heath - Feminist.
'Videophone' Gaga and Beyonce: cos my little boy said 'those ladies are just wearing pants and guns?' (who run the world?) 

Alice Shipton - Teenage Feminist
Eric Prydz 'Call on Me' - 'I don't know what to say about it, I just don't like it'

Becky Ferris - Modern History Graduate. Fashion PR and Blogger.
'I hate that one by Benni Benassi, it's called 'Satisfaction'. Not only is the song awful, it actually makes me feel sick. It's a bunch of greasy 'sexy' (not actually sexy) girls doing 'building' with tools but all they are doing is making out to be sex, that's all it is about is just sex, sex, sex. Which okay, sex isn't bad but the way the women are portrayed in the video is that we all look like that and the only thing we can do is sex and look 'sexy', etc. I use the sexy in inverted commas as those girls are the opposite, they are yucky.' 

Jonny Edwards, writer for PUNK GLOBE magazine and singer/guitarist for DIRTY PSYCHO also had this to say on the issue 'I don't think you need to show everything in a video, the music should be the focus. Sexism is a disease that needs to be stopped.'  

 As you can see, music videos are not just an issue which feminists can get on their high horse about. The reason why I compiled a few thoughts and examples on sexism in music videos is that is has to be stopped, not one day but as soon as possible. How can women ever be taken seriously in the real world when we are being plagued with these images of us as being nothing more than eye candy? Even women artists are portraying their own selves in such a way. (although I have always maintained that Rihanna has little choice but to appear semi-naked as she certainly can't sing- sorry, catty remark right there!) If David Cameron wants to protect children from pornographic images than he needs to turn his attention to one of the most influential industries and push through the censorship laws of music videos by giving movie style age ratings. If you feel as strongly as I do than I suggest you drop an email to your local MP or sign the petition set up by Rewind & Reframe.
Sign Here

BAMBI: 'Reap From The Dying Love' Review

With the name BAMBI, many would visualize a wide-eyed Disney character, frolicking with his woodland creature friends. This is not the BAMBI that has recently exploded onto the London scene. Having only formed as little as 7 months ago, their unique and original sound has caught the attention of Tom Odell, Professor Green and Mark Ronson, all of whom they have supported.

'Reap From The Dying Love', their debut single which will be released on the 17th November, grabbed my attention and held me captive. The melancholic, intricate intro combined with James' haunting vocals crafts a gothic feeling, not dissimilar to the sounds of Echo and The Bunnymen. This couples well with the Victorian romanticism in the imagery of the lyrics (She's the Jekyll to my Hyde) which creates overall an ethereal atmosphere with the harmonizing vocals, but the track is still deemed danceable by Jordan's work on the drums.

Give it a listen here https://soundcloud.com/bambihq/reap-from-the-dying-love

If you like what you here you can pre-order the single here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/reap-from-dying-love-single/id725207921

Still can't get enough? Than make sure that you catch BAMBI at Camden's Barfly on the 13th December.

Pledge Music: A New Path For Musicians?

The concept of Pledge Music  was born in 2009 and in recent years has proved to be an efficient and popular way for musicians to put out an album that is entirely reliant on their fanbase. Pledge Music changes the rules of the game as instead of going down the traditional route of having record companies or the bands themselves place an investment into the production of albums, fans are invited to donate towards the cost and then get sent the album upon completion. 

Pledge Music is an often successful way of artists showing faith in their fanbase and vice versa as they are equally reliant upon one another. I decided that the best band to grill on the subject would be Turrentine Jones not only because their debut album 'Our Days' is being put together via Pledge Music, but 5% of the end result reached will be donated to Mustard Tree, a worthwhile charity that helps to rebuild the lives of the homeless in Manchester. 

1] What made you decide to go down the route of pledge music?

We’ve been building towards something like this for a while but never felt confident we have the fan base to do it. We thought it was a good time now after coming off a successful UK tour this year and playing for BBC at Glastonbury. We also thought it was a good way to connect with our fans.

2] Is it harder work than going down the conventional route of making an album?

I don’t think it’s any different - You still have to work your arse off! The benefit is that you don’t have to produce the ££ upfront which takes off a little of the financial pressure. The process is just the same though – e.g. Bringing in the right people to record it, mix it, master it. You need a team of people to be there from start to end to produce a great album which is what we’re definitely aiming for

3] How would this project benefit your fanbase?

We did it to connect with our fans by offering some pretty great exclusive items like signed vinyl, shirts, drum sticks, even their name in the liner notes of the CD etc. Things fans wouldn’t necessarily get their hands on. And on top of all of that they can say they’ve been a part of the whole project.


4] Would you recommend this route for bands who are starting out?

Hmmmm. It depends what your ultimate goal/target is and how much you’re asking for. You do rely on your fans, I mean, unless you have a large and generous family that can Pledge for you, eventually you rely on your fans to top it off. But it’s one of the best ways to connect with your fans. No label. No politics. No bullshit . It’s you and your fans working towards a common goal. That’s it

5] What can fans expect from 'Our Days' ?

Sex, coffee and rock n roll. Julian’s black book of sultry tales. That’s the feel, that’s the sound. Something you’ll want to play on repeat until you fall asleep. We’ve come a long way and gone through a lot as a band in such short time but we’ve always stuck to our roots. We always will. We like blues, rock n roll and that’s what we’re going to put down. We can’t wait until the album drops!

If you like the sound of 'Our Days' you can make your contribution here and grab yourself some goodies!

Mutineers: A Live Review

As I walked towards the Islington last Friday night I was shaking despite the unseasonably warm weather. This was the first time I had been placed on a guestlist so I could review and than interview the headline act. I don't belong to any publication and I am fairly new to all of this. I was stupid to be so nervous though as everyone I met was the polar opposite of the indie hipster stereotype that I was so scared I would have to deal with.

The Mutineers were originally scheduled to play at the London Rattlesnake but due to complications, they had to be shifted to the The Islington. This than meant that the support acts also underwent a shift and artists that were not scheduled for the event warmed up the crowd. I entered the tiny side room where a handful of people lined the walls watching the first act. Unfortunately I was too late to catch her name but the crowd had fallen into a hushed trance with the beauty of this Cornish songstress' voice. Sat behind a keyboard was a petite blonde solo artist singing soft, melancholic ballads in minor key. As talented as she was however, I couldn't help but think that she had an air of snobbery about her due to the song she closed on. 'America' was a tale of how she wanted to leave her small Cornish town for the open spaces of the United States. Fair enough. However the lyrics suggested that she felt she was too good for the people of her hometown, with a lot of emphasis on teenage pregnancies and at one stage even suggested that the working class were happy with their lot, with her being the only one who wanted more. I don't deny how effortlessly she hit her notes and how beautifully she played the keyboard, but that final song did irk me! The next artist was extremely successful in entertaining the crowd. Nothing gets everyone singing and dancing more than a man with a ginger beard doing folk songs about whiskey (think Johnny Cash becoming a member of The Dubliners). Moment of mass confusion soon arose however when he dropped his guitar pick, let go off his guitar and the music continued! Wasn't this meant to be live music? Although I will give him the benefit of the doubt given that he was given his slot last minute.

The intimate venue was soon buzzing with a friendly, vibrant atmosphere which was a perfect fitting for when the Mutineers arrived on stage. Charles on bass, looked sharp as ever in a turtleneck jumper and jacket combo with Mallins looking effortless in a casual black shirt. Although each track on their debut album 'Friends, Lovers, Rivals' contains hooking riffs and catchy lyrics which means you're still singing along hours later, hearing it all in an energetic live performance deemed it even more infectious which I didn't think could be possible. What makes the Mutineers unique as a band is that although their songs are moody, the bass lines are always funky and the beat always danceable. Each member was in their own element within their respective talents, Mickey engrossed on his guitar riffs gave a kick of rock n roll attitude to each song whereas Mallins', so pure within his vocals, effortlessly conveyed the emotion. If I had to name one element of the performance which did much to impress me was the subtle vocal harmonizing as it demonstrated to me that this band were perfectionists in everything they do.

What makes the Mutineers special as a band is that they contain all the melodic moodiness which is typical of Manc bands but each member is so particular in their given roles that their talents combined results in songs that showcase the fact you don't need record companies to be a success.

After the show, I sat down with the lads for a quick Q&A. Unfortunately technology and me never seem to get along and as result my camcorder refused to work. I'm still working out how to upload the footage onto here but as soon as I can I will do so.

My Music Week in Pictures

The past week has been an accumulation of many music based discoveries that combined have resulted in  angering, educating and even sitting in a chair for an hour and a half staring at an Edgar Allan Poe doll.*


Monday 

For my 21st, a close friend got me 'Punk Rock: An Oral History' by John Robb and this week I haven't put it down. This is a brilliant resource for any cultural historian as it includes quotes and interview snippets from the greatest punk rockers in history. The likes of Mick Jones, Siouxsie Sioux, Glen Matlock plus many more lend their anecdotes and opinions to help us gain a deeper understanding of the rise and fall of punk.









Thursday 

 As much as I love the music that I already have on my iPod, at times it can get a little stale. Therefore I strolled into my local record store (Banquet Records) and asked them to recommend me an album that was full of punk energy. This is what was offered (you won't get that sort of service in HMV!). Although this was the first time I had heard anything by The Wonder Years, it was love at first listen. My favourite track on this album was 'The Devil in My Bloodstream' featuring Laura Stevenson. The song starts off as a beautiful, woeful tale of the ugliness of the industrialization of America which wiped away nature. This is accompanied by a mellow piano line and a harmonizing duet with Stevenson which places the listener at ease. However the song lulls the listener into a false sense of security as without warning, the melody is stripped away as the guitar riffs take over and the vocals become aggressive. What's not to love about a song that takes you by surprise?

Saturday 

For those who know me, they will understand that I was born a feminist and will die a feminist. Therefore when I came across this rather feminine, pastel-coloured album entitled 'Cooking Songs' ("for £15? Fuck that" exclaimed my cousin) in HMV my heart sank. Many may argue that it is aimed at all genders who like cooking, but with songs such as Rihanna's 'Only Girl In The World' Abba's 'Dancing Queen' with the clincher being 'It's Raining Men' I honestly beg to differ. I am currently debating whether to write a letter of complaint to the record company.

The highlight of my week was getting my 3rd tattoo. There is a rather long winded inspiration behind it, which you can read for yourself in my previous post. The design was an alteration of a still taken from Pink Floyd's 'The Trial'. In the original the wall was angled away from the camera with Pink slumped in the distance so to adapt it for my own body, I adjusted the angle of the wall and brought Pink forward to sit next to the graffiti. it looks red, dark and swollen at the moment but once it heals the lining of the wall will be faint, making the graffiti and Pink the dominant aspect of the tattoo. Thank you to the lovely Elisha Collins at Wicked Ink in Sutton for her great work!







*The Edgar Allan Poe doll was property of Elisha as part of her Living Dead Dolls collection. He was stood in his coffin with his wife, I want one!

Mother, Do You Think They'll Drop the Bombs? How Pink Floyd Change My Political Outlook.

Growing up in a working class family with strong European ideals of family, my maternal Grandparents contributed a lot to me and my brother's upbringing and we would often spend months upon months living with them. My Nan was an archivist at the local Wandle Industrial Museum and so she instilled within me a desire to know everything there is to know about our heritage and past.  Therefore my most frequent request was 'Nan, Grandad, tell me all about the war.' I used to sit next to my Grandad on the sofa as he would tell me all about war torn Budapest and what daily life was under the Nazi invaders. I didn't know what Fascism was, but I knew the Nazis believed in it and that Hitler was the most evil man in all of History. My child-like innocence never quite grasped how scary it must have been for my Grandad to walk to school everyday with the streets lined by the Nazi patrol, his family having his house raided on a daily basis for any valuables (which my Nagymama hid in my Uncle's nappies) and the risk that his Mum took when she punched a Nazi soldier in the face when he tried to kidnap my Uncle.  My Grandad, Uncle and their parents managed to flee to England within the very short gap between the Nazi occupation and the Soviet takeover. Unfortunately everyone else in the family got left behind and all communication became difficult as letters would struggle to be sent through the iron curtain.

You may wonder why I'm talking about my heritage and family history, but it is the reason why Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' means so much to me. Not only were my family literally divided by a wall, but the theme of Totalitarianism  had a huge effect upon my family, having witnessed it from both the far left and far right. My Grandad always told me that the far left and the far right are basically meeting points in a circle and so there is not much difference between the two. Walking into the Wembley Arena yesterday to see Roger Waters perform The Wall live, I knew exactly what he had meant. I wasn't sure if the mannequin on stage in a leather trench coat and a Hammer logo armband was a nod to the horrors of Nazism, or Soviet occupied Eastern Europe.  As the stadium lights dimmed, soldiers marched onto stage in full black and red military regalia. Roger Waters was their glorious leader, their dictator and as he declared 'are there any queers in the theater tonight? Get them up against the wall' I had to double check I hadn't just stepped into the pages of Orwell's '1984'. It was terrifying. As the red flares shot up and the soldiers marched on by with the Hammer logo flags, I realized just how all it takes is one charismatic leader to install fear and terror into the people. Following the intro, Roger Waters dedicated the whole performance to every victim of state terrorism from the trenches of WW1 to the controversial Guantanamo Bay. This added not only poignancy, but a horrifying realization of the consequences of modern warfare.

The Wall has always been a musical extravaganza full of grotesque imagery and over the top effects but it seemed that this particular performance went beyond that. The choir of children who stormed the stage for 'Another Brick In The Wall Part 1' were telling a 10ft puppet resembling 'Teacher' to leave them alone as their t shirts read 'Fear Builds Walls'.

'Mother' returned the crowd to state of memory and sadness. Waters spoke to us of the tragedy of Jean Charles De Menezes and how his family would never be able to find justice or the answers that they seek. When I was 16, I was visiting a theater in Stockwell. To get through to the room where the performance was being held, I had to walk through the room where a Press Conference was being held by De Menezes' family. I saw for myself the pain etched on to their faces and I understood that it would never go away for them. Having a thousand strong crowd sing 'Mother am I really dying?' was singly the most emotional experience I've ever had. 'Goodbye Blue Sky' made me realize that Waters was not pinpointing one particular regime, but every form of government as the plane projected onto the wall was dropping bombs in the shape of symbols representing religion, capitalism and communism.

'Young Lust' a bit further down the line did much to change the mood however. Throughout the performance so far, stage hands were adding blocks to the wall and so by this point the orchestra were slowly being hidden away, only being peeked into by a few gaps. 'Young Lust' has always been a favourite of mine due to its aggressive nature and as it was being played, projections of strippers were being cast onto the wall which although a bit cheeky, was perfect imagery for such a track.

The first half ended on a poignant note with Waters disappearing behind the wall on the ending note of 'Goodbye Cruel World'. During the 20 minute intermission (I don't think anyone would have the energy to perform, or even watch, The Wall all the way through!) profiles of those who had suffered and died as a result of corrupt governments were projected onto the now completed wall. What makes this even more poignant is that prior to the tour family members were invited to send in these pictures of their loved ones, which ranged from Sophie Scholl to Salvador Allende.

The second half of the show opened with 'Hey You' but with The Wall fully erect, where was Roger Waters? Where were the musicians? Maybe they chose to do it this way for the line 'hey you, out there beyond the wall' and to emphasize the separation. 'Vera' and 'Bring The Boys Back Home' placed us back upon the emotional rollercoaster while video footage showed children being reunited with their parents as they returned from war. 

I'm not going to lie, I did get my hopes up during the opening verse for 'Comfortably Numb' as I was holding my breath for David Gilmour to appear on top of The Wall for the chorus, but I was left sadly disappointed. Maybe it was bit of a long shot?

'The Trial' is when the full horror became real for me, when the audience became spectators of a totalitarian regime, deemed helpless as we watched The Prisoner be placed on trial for showing feelings, showing feelings of an almost human nature. I was very much impressed that Waters managed to not sing 'The Trial' but act it. His body language against the backdrop of the monstrosity of the injustice of 'The Trial' video being projected onto the wall overwhelmed me. It was powerful and majestic. This was Waters trying to change the world via music. However the rest of the concert saw him take a personality switch where he was still changing the world, but changing the world as a power-hungry dictator, even 'shooting' a gun furiously into the crowd.  The intense energy and the presence of the leather clad army sent rippling fear throughout the stadium.
The fear and energy was so full on that the conclusion of the show was made even more celebratory given the turn in mood. An inflatable, floating hog (Animal Farm anyone?) covered in symbols of capitalist repression bearing the slogan 'TRUST US', which was previously floating above our heads, came rapidly, deflating down but the real crowning glory was that The Wall came tumbling down. Although I'm neither German, nor old enough to have been there, I can only imagine that the cheers resembled those of the German citizens as the Berlin Wall fell, and I felt that this was my moment to cheer for those who were on either side in 1989.

What made this particular performance of 'The Wall' so special was that it was adapted to represent modern warfare, current affairs and the interactions of countries with one another in this very day. The most beautiful piece of projection was as the 'Capitalist Hog' was deflating, a cartoon of a young woman, perhaps Iranian, removed her earphones, thus liberating herself from her own generation, smiled and raised her hands in the air.  The very tip to a most emotional musical spectacular with the strongest message I have ever experienced at any concert.

So go speak to your parents, your grandparents, people from other cultures. Listen to their story because I promise that you will regret it if you don't.

The Mysterious Case of 'The Reflektor'

The talented bunch of Canadians that are Arcade Fire had already succeeded in tantalizing my ear drums with the sorrowful album 'The Suburbs'.'The Reflektor' had already been 'leaked' (that word again!) online
but on Monday when rumours filtered through to me that Banquet Records, my local record store, were reopening their store at 9pm to release 'The Reflektor' I headed straight over. Half hour later I had my hands on hell of a gem of a 12"!

As in true Arcade Fire style, 'The Reflektor' can only be described as a shiny disco apocalypse'with a light sprinkling of the French language.  Regine Chassagne has long been a favourite vocalist of mine and here she provides the single with a light edge by effortlessly singing high notes that contrasts beautifully with the darkness of the song.  Although at 7 minutes 42 seconds long this song is not for the impatient.

Oh and did I mention that David Bowie lends his voice and stars in the video?

Very much looking forward to what Arcade Fire has to offer in the future!