Gender trouble in music land: Could an arena that uses women musicians as only organising category contribute to their exoticisation?

"Boobacue - My tits are on fire! My tits are on fire! - It's a titcrovawe!" sung Kevin Blectum and Blevin Blechdom of the West Coast laptop-dance duo Blectum from Blechdom from the sober stage of London's Purcell Room. Their unhinged exuberance and complete lack of self-consciousness came as a fresh surprise at the London Musicians' Collective's Tenth Annual Festival Of Experimental Music - normally a very Serious affair. With lyrics like "There is bad music all around" the Bechtal influence on the audience was obvious. People laughed and shouted, although some of the hardcore jazz audience had to leave in disgust.

The LMC festival this year featured performances from women only. Packed with concerts by artists such as People Like Us, Ikue Mori, Eliane Radigue, Diane Labrosse, Caroline Kraabel and many more, the festival did not openly take issue with gender politics. Advertised as the LMC annual festival and not as a women-only event, the LMC dodged gender issues and made a muted statement instead. Does creating an arena that uses women as only organising category inherently contribute to the problem of women musicians being exotified and marginalised because of their gender?

Female musicians rightfully want attention because of their music not their gender, but can the music scene's severe male domination change with more female-only events and organisations?

London Musicians Collective

Anne Hilde Neset <anne@thewire.co.uk>