LOUD WOMEN at 11: a sold-out celebration of collective amplification

On Saturday 10 October, we celebrated LOUD WOMEN’s 11th birthday with a glorious, sold-out party at the Hope & Anchor in Islington, surrounded by brilliant bands, wonderful friends and the community we’ve spent eleven years building.

As I proudly announced from the stage, with absolutely no hint of irony, just look how far we’ve come. We started in a small venue in Finsbury Park in 2015, and eleven years later, here we are in an even smaller venue down the road from there in Islington.

Of course, in between we’ve done a hell of a lot all over the world, putting on hundreds of events in venues large and small, working with hundreds of brilliant bands and championing countless more through our website, radio shows, reviews and interviews. And we’ve got no intention of slowing down.

But our roots are in the grassroots, and that’s where we thrive. And Saturday was a wonderful reminder of why those little rooms will always matter just as much as our biggest festivals.

Five bands, one very sweaty basement

Pisces kicked off proceedings with a short and sweet visit to the Hope & Anchor, delivering some tight musicianship.

Next up was Gemma Rogers, an artist we’ve been dying to see live for absolutely ages, and what a treat she was! Her songs are pure genius, she radiates positivity, and she’s an absolute joy to be around.

We loved every minute of her set, and getting to hang out with her afterwards was just as lovely. More Gemma Rogers in our lives, please!

Then came I, Doris, who absolutely love playing LOUD WOMEN gigs, especially when they’re this much fun.

Our ever-changing lineup featured Tee on drums once again. Could we be getting dangerously close to calling Tee our permanent drummer? Who would dare?!

In other news, two Dorises turned up wearing completely identical outfits entirely by accident, a mysterious phenomenon we’re now calling the Doris Effect. We had a lovely time. Thank you very much!

Alexandra Leaving was up next, and OH MY GOD. We’d already fallen completely in love with her when she came to play on our radio show, but this was something else entirely. A stadium-level performance somehow squeezed into the Hope & Anchor’s sweaty, packed basement.

Extraordinary songs, an incredible voice and the kind of stage presence that deserves to be seen by absolutely everyone. This woman needs to be shouted about from every rooftop, played on every radio station and booked on every stage. And she’s an absolute sweetheart, too. She turned up early and even helped put up the birthday cat bunting. Honestly, we love her to bits.

And then there was Lola Pony.

Thank goodness we’d programmed Lola last, because frankly, we’re not sure there’s an act on earth that could have followed that performance. Some of the people in the front row are probably still undergoing shock treatment.

It was a brilliant, joyful, rageful, chicken nugget-full collective experience, and we loved every gloriously bonkers minute. Lola and her brilliant bandmate Ponytronica even treated us to some synchronised dance moves to finish things off. And let’s not forget Lola Pony’s grandmother’s homemade salsa, available from the merch stand. Is there anything this family can’t do? We absolutely adore Lola Pony.

When we make noise together, everyone gets louder

And perhaps more importantly, the night was a celebration of what happens when people work together.

At the heart of everything LOUD WOMEN does is one simple belief: when we all pull together to make noise, everyone gets louder.

It’s why our events thrive, why we regularly fill rooms and sell out shows, and why our community keeps growing. Not because we’re sitting on a fortune, but because we’ve spent eleven years building relationships, sharing opportunities, championing other people’s work and putting in the graft.

At a time when grassroots music is facing enormous challenges, we’re seeing promoters fold and others resort to questionable tactics or dubious fundraising appeals to keep going. It’s a reminder of how important it is to build a sustainable scene through collaboration, mutual support and a shared commitment to putting in the work for the communities we’re all part of.

The same goes for bands. Turning up to play is only part of being involved in a scene. Sharing the gig, championing your fellow artists, supporting other events and helping bring audiences together matters. We’re regularly asked to recommend bands to other promoters, festivals and A&Rs, and naturally, the artists who are a pleasure to work with, who put in the effort and genuinely support the scene around them, are always the first names that spring to mind.

Collaboration isn’t just a lovely idea. It’s how grassroots music survives, grows and thrives.

None of what we’ve achieved would be possible without our extraordinary team of volunteers, whose dedication, generosity and sheer hard graft are the real foundations of LOUD WOMEN. Or without the artists, audiences, venues, promoters and partners who share our belief that lifting each other up is infinitely more powerful than going it alone.

Huge love to our wonderful photographers Keira Anee and Dani Tagen for coming along and capturing it all so beautifully, and to Anastasiia Starkova and Kirsten Rowland for rolling up their sleeves and taking care of all those essential, often unglamorous jobs that make everything run smoothly. Massive thanks to the Hope & Anchor for having us, and to Richie on sound for making everyone sound absolutely brilliant. It was also particularly lovely to have several of our Patreon members celebrating with us! We regularly offer guestlist places to our Patreon supporters, and it’s always fantastic to meet the people whose generosity helps us keep championing grassroots music. And, of course, enormous love to every band who played and everyone who bought a ticket, showed up and made the night so special. This is what community looks like, and we couldn’t do any of it without you.

Eleven years in, we’re still growing, still filling rooms, still championing new music and still finding new ways to work together. We’ve got some hugely exciting plans ahead, and we’ll keep putting on international festivals alongside little gigs in North London basements.

Because grassroots isn’t something we’re trying to graduate from. It’s where we belong.

When we make noise together, everyone gets louder. And that’s what LOUD WOMEN has always been about.