Happy International Women’s Day!
Here at Nozstock HQ, we’re celebrating women everywhere on this International Women’s Day – a focal point in recognising gender equality and the vast achievements women have contributed to our world. We’re very proud of the line up we’ve pulled together for you in 2022, featuring some true queens. We caught up with some of the incredibly talented females set to entertain you on the farm, for a quick chat to celebrate them, their music and the women who inspire them…
JOSIE FIELD
Tell us about Josie Field….
A singer songwriter hailing from the city of gold, Johannesburg, South Africa. After 12 years in the South African music scene, 5 albums and 9 South African Music Award nominations under the belt, I decided to take a break from music and went traveling. Just before covid hit, I moved to the UK, bought a narrowboat and decided to start a new life living close to nature.
What can we expect from your Noz performance?
Expect refreshing original material, a soul powered delivery topped with a blues infused voice. This acoustic act is no ordinary singer songwriter.
What’s been your proudest achievement to date?
So many things! I sang at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebration in Johannesburg. I opened for Ziggy Marley at one of the fan parks during the FIFA Soccer world cup 2010. I opened for James Blunt on his tour to South Africa in 2008. I have been lucky enough to keep writing and recording music. I have been nominated for 9 South African Music Awards over the years. I was BBC introducing Artist of the week in 2020. And now I get to start again in a new country.
Do you have a dream venue you’d like to play at in the future?
Dream venue: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, USA
How did lockdowns and restrictions during COVID affect your process?
It slowed things down to a halt. I had huge festival plans for summer 2020 which just never happened. On the flip side, the lockdowns gave me time to breathe and really think about my life and what my priorities are.
What was your best festival experience as a performer?
So many good ones! But there is/was a very well-known festival in South Africa called Oppikoppi which I played multiple times over the years which was always epic. Unfortunately, I have heard that due to covid the festival will no longer be running.
What female artist is killing it right now?
Billie Eilish
What female led books / podcasts / blogs / accounts do you recommend checking out?
@muchelleb – video creator
@malory – singer songwriter producer (also happens to be my beautiful cousin )
@everydayracism_ – Anti racism info
@rupikaur – poet
What’s next for Josie Field?
A new album and loads more festivals. Music festivals are my happy place.
Finally, do you have an International Women’s Day message for our audience?
We have come such a long way, let us not now stop fighting for freedoms because we are too tired.
SARAH BIRCH
Tell us about yourself…
I’m a singer songwriter based in Swansea. I am a member of Swansea band Lost Tuesday Society but also released a solo album in 2019 on Death Monkey Records and am in the process of writing and recording a second album. I mainly perform my solo material with fellow LTS member Kate Ronconi and King Goons Joel Morgan.
What can we expect from your Noz performance?
The kind of music I write has a leaning towards alt – folk; melodic, atmospheric and haunting with some pretty guitar parts and beautiful violin lines. The vibe is very chilled and while melancholy in subject sometimes, is still engaging and up lifting.
What’s your proudest achievement to date?
I have a few honestly. In terms of Lost Tuesday Society we recently played at the new Swansea Arena which was an incredible experience and our new album has just been released which we’re incredibly proud of. Playing at Green Man was a big highlight for us too.
In terms of my solo material my debut album ‘The Ballad of Peter and Jane’ was nominated for The Welsh Music Prize in 2019. Playing then at Focus Wales last year was also a huge moment for me and supporting Scott Matthews here in Swansea last October for Swansea Fringe Festival was incredibly special as I love his music.
Who would be your dream collab?
A dream collob would be with Bjork but honestly I don’t think I’d be able to speak, let alone sing or play, I’d be far too intimidated!!
How did lockdowns and restrictions during COVID affect your process?
I feel very lucky that my life in terms of work/ pay/ circumstances were not massively impacted by the restrictions. In fact in terms of writing I was able to have more time to record at home and get better at doing so. I ended up writing a lot more on the piano as well as guitar and thinking about arranging and producing and learning so much more as I went. I also ended up collaborating with a lot more people as I was able to record at home and send my parts to people to add to theirs. It actually opened things for me that I hadn’t considered doing before. While I did miss gigging, I did a few online gigs ( which were really odd but quite fun) I did enjoy messing about at home on Logic and as a result I have nearly a whole other album ready to go! I am glad that we’re coming out of it though, I do love live music.
What was your best festival experience as a performer?
Green Man was a fabulous experience performing with Lost Tuesday Society on the Shambalah Stage but Nozstock ( if I remember rightly) was our first festival experience playing as a band so I will always have fond memories of that. It was glorious sunshine on the day too and my daughter must have been about 9 at the time and it was her first festival, so had to have been about 10 years ago! A very special time though.
I’m looking forward to performing my solo set there as well as a Lost Tuesday Society set this year.
What female artist is killing it right now?
Honestly I don’t know! I don’t keep up to date with so called mainstream music (although i know this term should probably be redundant now really as we all have access to every type of music we could possibly imagine so everything should be in the main stream now don’t you think?)
I do love Courtney Barnett, Laura Marling, Liane LaHavas, Fiona Apple but what excites me is seeing more and more female musicians forming or joining bands and not just being ‘the singer’.
In a lot of instances I hate the term ‘female musician/artist’ because it should just be ‘musician/artist’ regardless of genre? You don’t say Male fronted band?
Anyway, artists who are killing it at the moment…Adwaith; a Welsh female band which are doing brilliant things at the moment and are getting some brilliant opportunities so check them out!
What female led books / podcasts / blogs / accounts do you recommend checking out?
Not a question for me this one, the last and possibly only podcast I’ve ever listened to was French and Saunders ‘Titting about!’ ( I’m quite old!)
In terms of books about women or female led; Handmaids Tale was the last audio book I listened to. A very hard ‘listen’, I recommend reading it instead of the audio but while it’s a difficult one I would recommend it, very thought provoking.
I tend to read or watch a good series rather than the above; anything Pheobe Waller-Bridge is involved with!
What’s next for Sarah Birch?
I will be finishing off writing and recording my new solo album “Old Money New Money’. There are a few singles released already from the album on band camp/ iTunes etc and videos on You Tube.
I’d like to do some more collaborations and I have a few things in the pipeline at the moment and some select gigs in the spring and summer. Please check out my facebook or instagram for details.
And of Course performing at Nozstock 2022!
Do you have an international women’s day message for our audience?
Yes. Never underestimate us. It’s annoying!
Also please Join me in a pledge. I pledge to check out more female musicians and spread the word. Of all genres, of past and of present.
Because MUSIC WINS!!
BELLA COLLINS
What can we expect from your Noz performance?
An honest and soulful performance of newly penned material. Acoustic representations of the contemporary take on groove based songs rooted in blues.
What’s been your proudest achievement to date?
Playing with a world class band at The Bitter End in New York. A stage that many of my musical heroes have performed on.
Do you have a dream venue you’d like to play at in the future?
A dream venue would be Jones Beach Theatre in New York.
What about a dream collab?
I would love to collaborate with Bonnie Raitt.
How did lockdowns and restrictions during COVID affect your process?
Covid had a massive impact on my live work, being unable to gig gave doubt to remaining in this line of work post covid. Fortunately I was able to stay creative during the lockdowns, busying myself with writing & recording. To still have a creative outlet was imperative for the mental health of many musicians surrounding me too. I feel thankful to PRS, Help Musicians & the Musicians Union for providing immediate and continued support throughout the pandemic, enabling me to come out the other side still as a working musician.
What was your best festival experience as a performer?
My duo ‘Sister Bodhi’, a collaboration with fellow Welsh singer Jodie Marie. Our debut gig was at Tenby Blues Festival, 2018. We threw ourselves in at the deep end as we hadn’t performed live together in front of an audience before, the pressure debuting our brand new project and songs to such a big audience as an unknown act was a risk but a huge adrenaline rush that paid off!
What female artist is killing it right now?
Larkin Poe! Check them out!
What female led books / podcasts / blogs / accounts do you recommend checking out?
Author Lisa Taddeo.
Table Manners – Jessie Ware
Ladies Of Rage, Cardiff
What’s next for Bella Collins?
I have recently put a brand new band together, I feel privileged to be working with these musicians & their level of musicianship. We’re working on new material that will be recorded and released later this year.
Finally, do you have an International Women’s Day message for our audience?
Keep on keeping on sisters. I am proud of the females that I interact with in music. Ladies, you’re bossing it!
HOLLIE-MAY
What can we expect from your Noz set?
Dark, gritty, and some amens for good measure! Frenetic and I just seem to work on a b2b, constantly trying to out dark each other haha!
What’s been your proudest achievement to date?
Getting picked up by Sofa Sound has been great for me! It’s really important for me to be around authentic, like-minded people in the musical world, and they are my people!
Do you have a dream collab?
I feel like I am already living my dreams when it comes to collaborating with people. But one thing I would love to do is do some sort of mental wealth podcast with Krust!
What was your best festival experience as a performer?
Boomtown is always a larrrge one! Hidden woods on a Thursday is a vibe!
Do you find there is a significant lack of women in this line of work, and have you had any difficulties if so?
I think it’s getting more balanced and there are some very talented people out there doing their thing! We have a way to go when it comes to it being normalised and not a big thing anymore. I think a lot of promoters are recognising where they need to balance their line ups, and that is good to see.
I have had difficulties in the sense of being treated slightly differently to other DJ’s on the night, or to do with payments, and on an occasion, I have had the bouncer think I’m blagging it when I am at the front saying ‘I’m Djing soon, can I come in.’
I would say, on the whole, I have been really fortunate to have some good men around, supporting and pushing me and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing without them. However, it shouldn’t have to be a fortune to be treated as an equal when it comes to gender so I look forward to it not being so much of a focal point in the future!
What female artist is killing it right now?
Sooo many! Obviously my gal Frenetic, Ama, Eva Lazarus, Eva B, Nia Archives, Mantra, Flight, Sweetpea, Decibella, Sheba Q, I mean the list could go on and on! There’s no excuse for unbalanced lineups!!
What female led books / podcasts / blogs / accounts do you recommend checking out?
Go and check the list of amazing artists in the previous question, they all have great content!
What’s next for you?
Keep doing my thing! Continue bringing in the mental health aspect into the scene, and playing some sick tunes!
I have also been teaching DJing which has been great and a really good way to refine my skills.
To all Nozstock crew, punters, performers who identify as women, we salute and support you, forever!
Love, Noz HQ x
