About

First there was Ruth Miller and the Unglamorous movement in Leicester, which began when Ruth started the all-female band The Verinos. Ruth, a skilled guitarist and songwriter who was in two punk bands during her teens and early twenties, decided she wanted to recapture the joy of being in a band and so looked to form a band with other middle-aged women. But Ruth realised because of the many barriers women face a lot of her women friends couldn’t play an instrument. So she had the brainwave to teach them…

and so The Verinos were formed – an inspiring garage punk band of women with an average age of 55. The reaction to The Verinos was so positive Ruth realised there was a demand, and so created the Unglamorous Music project to give women with no experience of music the chance to try out instruments and to also experience the joy of being in a band.

‘With self-belief and a few basic skills new musicians can create amazing original songs. A community of women musicians is a powerful thing’- Ruth Miller

The first Unglamorous Music Project workshop took place in January 2022 at local rehearsal rooms Stayfree Music, with the aim to get women on stage in 66 days. As a result, five brand new, punk-inspired all-women bands made their debut on stage. Inspired by these women and their music, women came forward in their numbers wanting to join Unglamorous workshops and take to the stage. To date 27 all-woman bands have fledged under the banner of Unglamorous Music, making Leicester the all-women music band capital of the world.

Very sadly in 2023 Ruth lost her fight with cancer and left us. While Unglamorous Music has now ended, Ruth’s vision lives on through various national and global projects, with bands forming across the UK and Australia, Finland, America. A new organisation, Riotous Collective, has been set up by Unglamorous band members to ensure Ruth’s vision and legacy continues to thrive.

What is Riotous Collective?

Riotous Collective (RC) is a member-led community organisation that provides the opportunity and encouragement for women to join bands and perform regardless of prior experience and also provides on-going support so women and the RC Bands they form are able to reach their full potential.

Why is this Riotous Collective’s doing this?

RC recognises the many barriers that women experience through life in exploring and developing their creative potential and why, because of these barriers, they may have never have considered the possibility of being a musician and/or singer nor of joining or forming a band and performing in public. Also why, because of these barriers and discrimination, women who may have had previously experience did not continue with their musical journey (See https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8816/misogyny-in-music-follow-up/. )

Barriers include:

lack of individual role model – “there are no womem like me in a band”
lack of encouragement to play an instrument – “no-one assumed because I was a girl that I may want to play drums or electric guitar so I didn’t either”
access to instruments – “how do I afford a guitar, drums, keyboard..”
lack of band role model – “so many bands are men, there are no all-women bands”
lack of safe spaces –“ It’s not a place I would go as a women

HOW WILL RIOTOUS COLLECTIVE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

RC provides the opportunity for women to learn a musical instrument and/or sing in a band by:

RC, in collaboration with Stayfree Music, will organise a number of open events each year for women to learn to play a musical instrument, write songs and form a band. Currently these events are in the form of “taster” workshops and “66-days to Stage” workshops. However, in working with and consulting with women, including existing RC members and potential members, the offer may develop over time.
RC will support women within the collective not currently in a band but looking to join a RC band by providing Band Match.

RC will also provide on-going support to RC Bands in the form of the following:

RC will organise events for RC Bands to perform in the city and beyond. This will include RC dedicated gigs and festivals, as well as collaborating with other promoters and venues so RC Bands have greatest opportunity to play live and for audiences to hear their music.
Promoting RC Band events on the RC Website and other RC social media. Providing access to technical support and mentoring so new bands can be performance-ready, and can develop over time in terms of technical know-how, such as instrument set-up, PA system, Amps, Pedals, recording, troubleshooting and more.
Providing support and mentoring so new bands can be performance-ready and can develop over time. This includes developing and supporting a number of RC sub-groups for Drummers, Bassists, Guitarists, Key Board players, singing, song-writing and stage-craft support and mentoring, so new bands can be performance-ready and can continue to develop.
Providing networking for RC Bands with music venues and promoters within the city and beyond.

RC will work with the music sector to create safe spaces for womxm musicians and audiences by:

Working with music venues in the city to promote a welcoming and safe environment including employing, where possible, women sound engineers, women bar and security staff at RC events. Ensuring any discriminatory imagery and/or graffiti is removed quickly, and that any musician or band imagery within the venue also includes women artist too.
Working with venues and promoters to have fairer representation of women artists performing, so Leicester becomes a recognised city that welcomes and celebrates women artists.

Who can join Riotous Collective?

- Riotous Collective is open to women who define themselves as women.
- Any women who is in a RC Band is a full member of Riotous Collective.
- Any women who has attended a RC workshop and/or is a member of a Riotous Collective sub-group is an Associate Member of Riotous Collective – RC recognises that completing the 66D workshop and committing to forming a band may be initially a step too far, or because of other commitments, it may not be possible at this time. RC does not want any women to miss out and wants to be able to continue to encourage and support them in one day joining an RC Band by staying in touch with the RC community and through Band Match events.