Image from http://faroutmagazine.co.uk
Recently, I was lucky enough to have tickets for two gigs. I was very excited for them both as the tickets were bought at the beginning of the year and finally, finally, it was time to party! The first was in Edinburgh–Wishbone Ash–an old-school band of rockers who have been kicking it since the late 60s! I attended the gig with two male friends, all of us big fans. We stood in the front row and absorbed the psychedelic waves of music written before our time. Yes! However, looking around I was struck by the imbalance of gender. The majority of the crowd were middle aged men, head bobbing to the music of their generation. I wasn’t surprised, but this made me wonder why. Why is it that I can readily accept rock and roll to be a male dominated genre? There are many female rock goddesses who prove otherwise: Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Stevie Nicks, to name but a few of my heroes.
With this thought still resonating in my mind after the first gig, I began to think about the second gig, this one in Glasgow. Death Cab for Cutie , an alternative, all male rock band from Washington State, USA, formed in 1997. I’ve been listening to their music since my early teen years and was excited to hear their new album live for the first time. I arrived early to the gig, with the intention of getting as close to the front row as possible. When we arrived, the band on the stage was halfway through their set. Getting a drink at the bar I heard a couple of songs as my ears and interest piqued. Their melodies were catchy and upbeat and they had definite resonances of Death Cab in their style.
Weaving our way forward in the crowd I looked up and am ashamed to admit my surprise when I saw that there were four girls rocking out on stage. That was swiftly followed by the thought, ‚ÄúOooh yeah! Who are these chicks?‚Äù I asked around and no one seemed to know so I resigned myself to waiting to do some research after the gig. However midway through Death Cab’s set, Ben Gibbard, the frontman, celebrated their performance and called for a cheer; ‚ÄúLet‚Äôs hear it for Chastity Belt! Seattle‚Äôs finest!‚Äù
That was all I needed to hear. Upon arriving home, with my ears still ringing I searched for Chastity Belt online and was not disappointed. Their tunes are reminiscent of the earliest music of all my rock heroines with an edgy, melodramatic, and angsty twist and it was clear to see why Death Cab had chosen to tour with them. I can’t get enough. I feel so lucky to have caught them live. Miraculously appearing on stage before I could have any sort of real crisis of confidence in girls and rock and roll. Thank you, Chastity Belt.
Have a listen to their song, “Seattle Party”, here.
-Molly Gibb
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.