Post-punk group Dogviolet tells DIVA about why we need to protect queer music scenes
BY ELLA PATENALL, IMAGE BY TOMMY LIN
I wanted to be in a band for as long as I can remember. After being gifted a guitar at age 14 and learning some chords off YouTube, my desire to practise my new skills in a band grew more intensely. My journey took an unexpected turn when a school teacher moved me to sit with a fellow guitarist, who would later become not only my bandmate but also my wife! Fifteen years on, we’re still making music together, and our shared passion for rock music has been a cornerstone of our relationship and sense of community.
Being in a band has given me so much and community is at the heart of it. We’re fortunate in London to have a vibrant, thriving community of grassroots promoters, venues, and collectives that platform emerging bands—many of which uplift and promote women and minoritised genders, people of colour, and LGBTQIA artists.
Examples include Get In Her Ears, LOUD Women, Decolonise Fest and First Timers Fest which give people who have always wanted to learn an instrument and join a band the opportunity to do so, with its free workshops, festival and focus on marginalised people.
The foundations of this thriving scene are grassroots venues, which sadly are shutting down at an alarming rate, collapsing under the weight of large monopolistic corporations. The worst year to date – 2023 – saw 125 grassroots music venues in the UK closed or stopped hosting live music (The Music Venues Trust). Many small DIY spaces that hold events like First Timers, such as DIY Space London shut their doors over Covid and have struggled to reopen since.
When nearly 50% of LGBTQIA people in the UK reported that being part of an LGBTQIA community was very important to their overall wellbeing (2022 report by Stonewall), losing these spaces is devastating to people who don’t feel like they fit in mainstream spaces. A lot of queer culture centres around drinking and nightclubs, so music venues provide a different vibe for those who want to get out, meet people and enjoy live music that speaks to them.
In light of these statistics, the importance of a supportive community becomes even more apparent. More needs to be done to preserve the small venues that form the foundation for creative expression and the collectives that use these spaces to build vibrant communities.
Lauren Allpress, drummer of Dogviolet who joined the band (her first) in 2022 said: “I’d been on a quest to find places I belong my whole life. Being in a queer band with incredible women gives me a sense of peace and belonging that’s hard to describe. It’s one of the few places where I’m not only accepted but loved and respected. It keeps me sane and is crucial to my well-being.”
Mari Lane, Co-Founder of Get In Her Ears said: “Get In Her Ears started as a radio show nine years ago, then expanded to promote live gigs in 2016. Our focus is on supporting women, non-binary, and queer people in the music industry, creating inclusive, safe spaces for marginalised genders. While we appreciate many bands, the industry’s ongoing sexism and lack of representation made us determined to carve out a platform for voices that often go unheard. Seeing the sense of community grow around our gigs over the years has been heartening, and as a queer woman, helping create these pockets of queer joy is everything.”
Come to our queer single launch!
We’d love to invite DIVA readers to our single show for our debut single Violets. It’s a tale of queer awakening and budding young love, drawing on the centuries-long sapphic symbolism of violet flowers inspired by the ancient Greek poet Sappho. Our inclusive and immersive launch party at The Victoria, Dalston on 2 October will see us transform the venue into an indoor garden of purple hues fit for Sappho herself. The night promises to be a celebration of our vibrant community and artistic expression.
Get your ticket: link
Find out more: www.dogviolet.com
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