Tomorrow, LOUD WOMEN Fest Newport kicks off a slightly ridiculous round-the-world adventure that will take our little DIY feminist punk organisation through ten stops, four continents and a truly unreasonable amount of luggage before we finally finish in Meanjin/Brisbane on 29 November.
LOUD WOMEN started in 2015 as one London gig with a very simple aim: put more women on more stages. Eleven years later, we’re about to travel from Newport to London, Canterbury, Halifax, Toronto, Boulder, Tokyo, Gadigal/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne and Meanjin/Brisbane, putting on gigs and festivals, meeting brilliant people and finding new bands to shout about everywhere we go.
DIY punk organisations don’t usually get to do this kind of thing. There’s no giant touring machine behind it. Each stop exists because musicians, promoters, volunteers, independent venues and brilliant local people have joined forces with us to make something happen in their own scene. And that’s the whole point.
We’re not interested in parachuting the same festival into different cities. We want to connect scenes. We want bands from opposite sides of the world to meet each other, swap contacts, share stages and hopefully end up doing things together that none of us have thought of yet. We want audiences to walk into a room to see one band they know and leave obsessed with three they didn’t.
Come around the world with us
3 October – Newport, Wales
Our first LOUD WOMEN Fest Newport takes over Le Pub, with two stages and an international lineup. And Newport has already gone and SOLD IT OUT.
Newport details, set times + ticket waitlist
10 October – London
Back home for the LOUD WOMEN 11th Birthday Party in the basement of the Hope & Anchor, with Alexandra Leaving + Lola Pony + I, Doris + Gemma Rogers + Pisces.
Birthday party details + tickets
11 October – Canterbury
Straight back out again for a free LOUD WOMEN show at The Lady Luck with Bugeye + Ode To Sleep + Angered Kenneth + Lori.
Canterbury event details
24 October – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Back to The Seahorse Tavern for our second LOUD WOMEN Fest Halifax, after last year’s first Halifax Fest sold out and stole a substantial piece of our hearts.
Halifax tickets
6 November – Toronto
Our first LOUD WOMEN Fest Toronto, taking over Baby G and bringing together artists from across Canada, the US and the UK.
Toronto lineup + tickets
7 November – Boulder, Colorado
The very next day, LOUD WOMEN Fest Colorado lands at the Fox Theatre, connecting some of our favourite Colorado bands with artists travelling in from across the US, Mexico and the UK.
Colorado details + tickets
14 November – Tokyo
Then comes a huge first: LOUD WOMEN Fest Tokyo at Shinjuku MARZ, our first ever Fest in Asia, made with our pals at Too Hot to Be Cool and connecting artists from Japan, South Korea, the US and the UK.
Tokyo lineup + tickets
21 November – Gadigal/Sydney
Back to Gadigal Country for LOUD WOMEN Fest Gadigal/Sydney at Waywards Ballroom.
Gadigal/Sydney tickets
22 November – Naarm/Melbourne
A day later we’re back in Naarm, where last year’s Fest sold out, for LOUD WOMEN Fest Naarm/Melbourne at Bergy Bandroom.
Naarm/Melbourne tickets
29 November – Meanjin/Brisbane
And finally, LOUD WOMEN Fest Meanjin/Brisbane at The Brightside, bringing LOUD WOMEN Fest to Meanjin for the first time and completing our 58-day trip around the world.
Meanjin/Brisbane tickets
Uncharted territory
We genuinely don’t know where all of this leads, and that is part of what makes it exciting.
Over the next 58 days we’ll be sharing the journey, introducing you to the people making these shows happen, and shouting very loudly about the bands we discover along the way. Hopefully some of those artists will find new audiences, new friends, new collaborators and new places to play because of the connections made here. That feels much more important than simply planting a LOUD WOMEN flag in another city.
No lions in top hats this time. Just a bunch of feminist punks, powered by DIY merch and coffee, and 58 days to see how much noise we can make.
This is herstory in the making.
Come around the world with LOUD WOMEN. 💋