Women’s Work Festival has launched its fresh, new programme which is now into its fourth successful year. The festival, with Oh Yeah Music Centre at the helm, is a celebration of women in music, spanning five days and nights and includes a range of activities that are open to all genders and include showcases, gigs, special events, panels, talks, and workshops.
Highlights for 2019 include the Belfast debut of The Guilty Feminist, the award winning Podcast presented by Deborah Frances-White. This event will be recorded live at the Limelight 1 on Saturday 8th June.
Also featuring in the programme will be Alana Henderson at the Strand, a Start Together party with Queen Zee at the Limelight 2, and Hannah Peel will be taking part in the Oh Yeah Getting To Know series. Derry author Geraldine Quigley of ‘Music Love Drugs War’ will be talking to Women Aloud.
With hope for a sunny day, Brigid O’Neill is this years’ intimate rooftop artist at Oh Yeah, and Bird & Bramble is paying tribute to the icon Blondie. There’s a screening of Bad Reputation, which documents the story of Joan Jett, and there’s a ‘Women of Irish Hip-Hop’ night presented by Elixer.
The annual Women’s Work Showcase will showcase the freshest new sounds from the likes of Gemma Bradley, Wynona Bleach, Molly Sterling, DENA, Gender Chores and many more.
Amongst the workshops, talks and advice sessions will be meet ups with fantastic groups leading the way such as Girls Rock School NI, Female DIY Tribe, GIRL and Musicians’ Union. Escuelas de Paz & Beyond Skin will also host a conversation with special guest Genesis, a Columbian Beauty Queen, activist and musician, which is sure to be a fascinating discussion.
Underpinning four of the events this year is ‘Women In Music’, a funding initiative through Help Musicians NI. One of these is FairPlé, a campaign to achieve gender balance in Traditional Music and Folk. They will present a series of talks and discussions at the Duncairn Arts Centre.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Deirdre Hargey said: “Belfast boasts a vibrant and diverse music scene that everyone can be proud of. Our reputation for developing world- class talent continues to grow from strength to strength and the contribution women make to that success cannot be underestimated. “The Women’s Work Festival programme is packed full of fantastic events, celebrating the positive impact of women in the local music scene. I am delighted to be part of the launch today and I would encourage as many people as possible to get involved and enjoy what the festival has to offer.”
Women’s Work is supported by Help Musicians NI and Keith Millar regional manager said, “Everyone at Help Musicians NI is really pleased to be continuing our collaboration, as official charity partner to the fantastic Women’s Work Festival, into a third year. The goals of the charity and Women’s Work are very much in tandem as we push to build, support and nurture diversity in the music industry. In that spirit, in addition to our own activity, we are very pleased to have four of the recipients of our Women In Music (WiM) NI Fund showcasing at this year’s festival. The WiM NI Fund is a bespoke fund specific to NI launched at Women’s Work in 2018, which is designed to support organisations and established collectives working to promote gender equality and the role of women in music. At Help Musicians NI we’re proud and excited to see the fruits of some of our beneficiaries’ labours displayed at the festival one year on.”
Charlotte Dryden of Oh Yeah said “It’s shaping up to be another brilliant year. We’re absolutely delighted that the Guilty Feminist is making its Belfast debut as part of the festival. As for the rest of the programme, the level of collaborative working, shared ideas and ethos is humbling and it makes us proud to be able to facilitate, host and showcase so many initiatives. Thanks to Help Musicians NI for getting behind the festival, their support has been solid and we are proud to partner with them again for 2019.”
The Women’s Work Festival runs 5th – 9th June. For full details go to www.womensworkni.co.uk
