Past Workshops
Riotous Collective Women’s Music Workshops
History
In January 2022 Ruth Miller began to put into action her dream of bringing more women into playing music, when she started her weekly music workshops at Stayfree Music. The principle was simple:
book 4/5 rehearsal rooms, and equip each one with a full drum kit, electric guitar + amp, bass guitar + amp, keyboard and vocal microphones.
Then invite women in, regardless of musical ability or experience, all they needed was the wish to try playing music.
The workshops began with a collective start altogether, where they learnt simple rhythms, simple notes and chords on the instruments, and the start of simple songs. After time spent playing different instruments, singing and getting to know each other, women were sent off to different rooms to have a go at playing as a small group.
Each week, they chopped and changed, playing different instruments with different people, as they began to form musical bonds. After a few weeks they had gelled into separate groups and began writing and developing their songs. All this time, they were encouraged and coached by Ruth, and some of her Verino bandmates.
66 days after starting this first workshop, 5 new all-female bands played their debut gig at Duffy’s Bar, on March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD). Ruth had planned for each group to perform one song at their debut, in the event, they all played 3 or 4. None of these women had played in a band before, several had been completely new to their chosen instrument, and most had never written a song before. All they needed was an opportunity to have a go.
Encouraged by her success with the first cohort, Ruth repeated the workshops in January 2023, using the same format as before. The first cohort bands had been gigging locally and spreading the word, so there was a good response when the new workshops were advertised. The second cohort comprised of (5/6?) bands, and as well as being encouraged and coached by Ruth, members of the first cohort bands came along to help Ruth and to mentor the emerging bands. Again, the new groups debuted on IWD, this time at the Firebug Bar.
Ruth lost no time in launching workshops for the third cohort. Starting on April 16th 2023, another (5/6?) all-female bands made their debut on 22nd June, at Duffy’s Bar.
After Ruth’s death in October 2023, Unglamorous evolved into Riotous Collective, who were keen to continue with Ruth’s mandate to encourage women into playing instruments, forming bands and expressing themselves through their own songs. So in January 2025, RC ran their first women’s music workshops, using the same template of Ruth’s workshops, which had proved to be so effective.
