SHRILL EXPLORING HAIM’S NOSTALGIC NEW ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK SUMMER 2017 / ISSUE 1 SHRILL: (adjective) high-pitched and piercing sound; with great intensity There are a ton of words out there that are only used to describe women, and let’s face it, they’re not great. When was the last time you heard a man be called feisty? What about sassy? Bossy? Shrill? These words represent a society that constantly obsesses over the way strong, empowered women use their voice. Somewhere over the course of twenty-one centuries, words like ‘bubbly’ and ‘pushy’ have become dirty, misogynistic bullets to aim at women: a way to control just how much, or how little, we speak. ‘Shrill’ in particular is often used to insult powerful women. Case in point: Donald Trump used it to describe Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US presidential race. Yet I don’t see it as a negative term. I want to be loud, intense and passionate. And I definitely want to be heard above all the male voices in the room. This is the essence of Shrill, a new quarterly music magazine for females, by females. Growing up, I never saw music as a gendered thing. I listened to The Beatles and The Boss alongside Britney and Beyoncé. But when I’d show up to school in my band t-shirts with an iPod full of my favourite tunes, I still somehow felt excluded from the club. When I’d chat to fellow fans of bands I liked, most of them men, I’d have to face a series of questions to prove my worth. “Which Beatle wrote this song?” “What year did this B-side come out?” “Name 5 of their songs, but not the hits.” It was a never-ending round of trivia that cast doubt on my ability to like music just because I was a woman. And it hasn’t gotten any better: Just 30% of senior executives in the music business are female. Things like sexual assault and harassment are still treated unfairly (or not at all) within the industry. And this year, only 14% of US festival acts are women. Think that’s the end of? There’s a complete lack of representation on newsstands, too. As legendary pop critic Ann Powers pointed out on Twitter: “Music magazines are men’s magazines.” Shrill wants to change that. It’s the 21st century. Music magazines need to start acknowledging their female demographics. So I decided to create a space for music-loving women to celebrate other women in the industry. A place for females of all ages and backgrounds to come together and rock out. This very first issue is packed with loads of material. We chat with Dovetown Record’s Harriet Doveton, WE’RE ONLINE! discover everything you need to know about indie singer-songwriter Allison Weiss, and recall the good- ol’-days of The Supremes and the Spice Girls in a feature about the everlasting power of girl groups. There’s a behind-the-scenes look at women in music, plus a playlist packed with your new go-to summer FOR EXCLUSIVE WEB CONTENT (INCLUDING jams. I promise you’ll find something to love about Shrill. OUR 6 ARTISTS TO WATCH),HEAD OVER TO: Hope you love this first issue as much as I loved creating it. www.shrillmag.blogspot.com BRI WINK founder / ed-in-chief 3 Page 46 CONTENTS EDITOR’S LETTER 3 NEWS 6-9 PROFILE: HARRIET DOVETON 10-13 Q&A WITH ALLISON WEISS 14-15 IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLD 16-19 Page 10 OPINION: TAKE TEEN GIRLS SERIOUSLY Page 28 21 5 GREAT FEMALE FESTIVALS THAT NEED TO COME BACK 22-27 STOP, IN THE NAME OF GIRLPOWER! 28-39 SONG BY SONG: HAIM’S SOMETHING TO TELL YOU 40-45 REVIEW: KESHA’S ‘PRAYING’ 46 THE SHRILL LIST: SUMMER SOUNDS 49 Page 14 5 SHRILL MAG // OPINION But for some fans, an apology NEWS was not enough. NEWS Alisa Apps called the singer “weak & very lazy,” on Twitter, accusing Adele of “playing victim again”. “Looks like her fans have had enough saying selfish girl!” she declared. Meanwhile, some have chastised the singer for not taking proper care of her voice. “If she was singing correctly this wouldn’t keep happening,” notes Maggie Moors in a Facebook comment. “Healthy or not Adele knew about her vocal chords for many years. Why scheduling 4 concerts if you vocally can’t do them all? Gutted,” mentioned a CANCELLED ADELE SHOWS woman called Jess on Twitter. RUIN PLANS FOR LIVE DVD Others are more disappointed in the poor timing of the announcement. dele’s choice to cancel her The 25 singer had originally intended a “What has annoyed me more than AWembley Stadium shows on four-day run at Wembley to close her anything is it has been left this late to July 1 and 2 has supposedly ruined world tour, which lasted 15 months cancel,” exclaimed Sarah Lou Bainbridge, plans for a live concert DVD. across 17 countries. She decided to a fan from Nottingham that had made cancel following medical advice. The “heartbroken” 29-year-old was the trip to London especially for the ‘THANKS ADELE’: forced to call off the two remaining “To say I’m heartbroken would be a show. “We can not cancel our hotel London concerts after damaging complete understatement,” Adele booking nor train tickets which for 4 Fans left reeling after Adele cancels last two Wembley Stadium her vocal cords. said in an emotional post on social people is a lot of money!” media. “You know I would not make this shows with some calling the singer ‘weak and very lazy’ According to a report in The Sun, Adele Adele has promised a full refund on decision lightly.” had also planned on filming her final IMAGES: KRISTOPHER HARRIS / FLICKR tickets if the shows are not able shows for a DVD film titled Adele Live “I’m devastated. I love you, I’m so sorry, to be rescheduled. ans are outraged after Adele A man named Thomas had planned The Grammy-award winner even 2017: The Finale. please forgive me.” has cancelled the final two an entire trip around the concert: admitted to being “so desperate” The heartbreaking news comes just Director Matt Askem and a crew The cancellation follows the news shows at Wembley Stadium “Bought tickets 6 months ago. Saved to finish the last two shows she days after Adele suggested she may of over 100 people and cameras that this tour may be her last. In a due to damaged vocal cords. for months. Planned a whole European considered lipsynching “just to be in never tour again. In a handwritten note F were reportedly hired to film the handwritten letter in the concert vacation around it. And she cancelled.” front of” her millions of fans. However, published inside the concert programs, The ‘Skyfall’ singer announced the Grammy-nominated singer’s closing programs, Adele hinted that the “I’ve never done it and I cannot in the singer called touring a “peculiar cancellation in a social media post The announcement came via a heartfelt performances. Askem has previously Wembley performances could possibly a million years do that to you,” she thing,” claiming that “it doesn’t suit [her] late Friday night. But some fans, who note posted on the singer’s social directed successful concert films be her final live shows ever. explained. “That wouldn’t be the real particularly well.” were set to see the pop star perform media pages. “I don’t even know how for bands including A-Ha, Take That, me up there. I’m sorry.” “I wanted my final shows to be in on July 1 and 2, were not pleased to start this,” she wrote in the “It has been hard but an absolute thrill Fatboy Slim, and Muse. London because I don’t know if I’ll with the news. emotional post. “The last two nights The ‘Hello’ crooner expressed regret at and pleasure to have done,” she wrote. According to a source at the paper, an ever tour again.” at Wembley have been the biggest and the disappointment and inconvenience “I wanted my final shows to be in Many would-be concert-goers estimated “million in global sales” were best shows of my life.” she caused fans. “I’m sorry for the London because I don’t know if I’ll tour “It has been hard but an absolute expressed their anger on social media, expected had the film been released. nights you would have had with your again so I want my last time to be at thrill and pleasure to have done. I will with one calling the 29-year-old artist She continued: “On medical advice I loved one and the memories you would home. I will remember all of this for the The source said: “The DVD was a huge remember this for the rest of my life.” “weak and very lazy”. Others have simply am unable to perform over the have made together. I’m sorry for the rest of my life.” production and all the plans were in criticised her for costing them weekend. To say I’m heartbroken Along with the loss in sales from the time and money you’ve spent organizing place for it to go ahead. That extra hundreds of pounds on tickets, travel, would be a complete understatement. Adele has been touring the world for the alleged DVD, the London-born singer your trips. You know I would not make pressure must have been on her mind and accommodation.