In Iran the Islamic government restricts women from performing their music alone on stage. For one musician, Farzane Zamen, this drove her out of her home country and eventually forced her to seek asylum in Scotland.
Today she is a working musician in that foreign place. Time will only tell if she will be safe to travel back to Iran but until then she will continue to make her music.
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Our friends over at Loud Women just released the track listing for the upcoming second volume compilation album and it looks like a banger! Check out the bands below, pre-order the album over at Loud Women’s Bandcamp page (it’s only 5 pounds!) and get ready for Loud Women Fest 4 in September.
Loud Women: Volume Two (track listing)
1 The Franklys Not Guilty
2 The Txlips The Lost One
3 I, Doris The Girl From Clapham
4 The Menstrual Cramps No Means No
5 The Cleopatras Forty
6 LIINES Never Wanted This
7 PUSSYLIQUOR My Body My Choice
8 Pleasure Venom Hive
9 ARXX Iron Lung
10 Ms. Mohammed Never Again
11 The Baby Seals It’s Not About the Money, Honey
12 Peach Club Not Your Girl
13 T-Bitch Frighty Nighty
14 Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something Someone Else to Blame
15 Jelly Cleaver Yarl’s Wood
16 Secondhand Underpants The Anthem
17 Gaptooth Post-Patriarchy Disco
18 Vaginas, what else? Loose Tile
19 GGAllan Partridge I Feel Lobe
20 Hurtling Don’t Know Us
21 Personal Best Radio
22 Bridget Hart Poetry Let Loose Lucy
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Defamation cases against women speaking up about sexual violence is a growing trend around the world. The music industry has always had its share of sexism and machismo as other disciplines within the arts.
Nowadays there are many female musicians who use their voices to change these old structures and ways of thinking. The narratives must change and it is our responsibility as the audience to listen to them.
A group of women are currently fighting defamation claims from a male musician who is the ex-boyfriend of one of the women. Claims were filed to her as well as to former partners of the man and to feminist musicians who spoke out about the case.
These women do not agree to being silenced nor should they. But these kind of things are costly and these are independent musicians struggling already making beautiful, powerful and important music for the rest of us.
Below is a playlist on Spotify that supports the women and the bands in question. Also check out the CrowdJustice page and consider chipping in to help with legal costs and visit the group’s Facebook page as well for updates.
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