Venus are a five-piece all girl rock band from Leeds, advocating women in alternative music, and a safer and diverse music scene. They will be one of five LCoM acts performing at this year's Liverpool Sound City festival.
Venus are Grace Stubbings (second-year Music Production), Grace Kelly (second-year Popular), Hannah Barraclough (second-year Foundation Degree in Music Production), Gabrielle Cooke (second-year Popular), and Jessica Ayres (thrid-year Popular).
Venus will be live from the Red Brick Vintage Stage on Saturday 5 May from 15:00
Venus
“VENUS proved to everyone that they can, and probably will, go anywhere they like" – Girls That Gig
“Venus flaunted their contagious attitude and proved their capacity for pure potential. You wouldn’t believe it was their first ever gig.” – Meg Firth
How does it feel to be chosen for Sound City?
We are thrilled and overwhelmed to be added to the lineup, it will a great opportunity for an upcoming band like ourselves. We want to reach our message out to as many people as we can, and this is definitely giving us the platform to do so.
How do you think Sound City will differ from other shows that you have done?
It’ll be a unique experience due to the fact we’ll be playing to a different type of crowd in a city we’ve never played before. As a result we’ll be able to reach different professionals within the industry and hopefully build up our contacts and reach potential fans. Also the fact it’s a festival in general, it feels great to say we’re playing our debut festival slot!
How would you describe your sound, and what can we expect from your live show at Sound City?
We take influence and implement some ideology from the Riot Grrrl movement, which consisted of mostly punk music. However our sound has taken on more of an electronic or spacey characteristic, and we’ve combined these with punk roots. We wanted to bring a new take to the genre, but not directly copy it. We’re very energetic performers and this shows through our hard-hitting riffs, driving sound and unapologetic lyrics.
Any other bands you’re keen to see, and why?
Definitely Black Honey, we adore their dreamy yet direct sound. They’re awesome to see live too, they definitely know how to turn things into an experience rather than just a performance. This is definitely something we can learn from and appreciate.
We’d also love to try and get to the Stealing Sheep Suffragette tribute, they’re performing as part of the Both Sides Now residency, which is really relevant not only because of its message, but because our synth player participated in the same residency just a few weeks ago and spoke very highly of it.
What are you looking forward to most about your performance?
Definitely the buzz of playing in Liverpool, it’ll be interesting to see what people think of us. But more so, we’re excited to be part of changing the gender imbalance that is prominent in the music industry. A lot of sexualisation comes with what we’re doing, and we won’t stand for that. We’re just some musicians with instruments who demand a voice, and expressing this is the most exciting thing about performing.
What do you think an opportunity such as Sound City will mean for your band?
We’ve not been together very long, only around 5-6 months. So having such a huge opportunity so soon, is so exciting for us all, not only as a band but as individuals. We’re looking forward to meeting new people and learning from the experience, and hope we can apply it to our future practice in the industry.
Find out more about Leeds College of Music's showcase at Liverpool Sound City 2018.
Watch our Sound City film from 2017's festival - featuring: SaNTINO, Laminate Pet Animal, Lucy Whittaker, Lauren Rycroft, The Golden Age of TV
