MUSICIAN Carla Easton and filmmaker Blair Young are making a documentary charting the history of female music makers in Scotland, from the 1960s to the present day. On August 24, as part of Light On The Shore, the Edinburgh International Festival’s series of gigs held at Leith Theatre, they present a live event celebrating the music of those bands. As well as sets by Sacred Paws, Bossy Love and The Van T’s, expect guest appearances from some of those who feature in the film, and a supergroup featuring some of the best musicians in Scotland today.
How did the project start?
Carla Easton: I met Blair at a charity gig and since then we have been working together to make videos for my band TeenCanteen. We began discussing the representation of girl-groups and bands in music videos and began swapping examples of records and videos we loved.
Blair Young: I was actively looking for a documentary project with social worth. Being a music fan in Scotland there is no lack of subject matter.
Do you have aspirations for the documentary? What do you hope it achieves?
Carla: I’m in the all-girl band TeenCanteen and founded the band in 2012. The drummer Debs is my best friend and we grew up together. We loved music but when we were teenagers and – into our twenties – it never occurred to us to be in a band together. It wasn’t until our late twenties.
I want to work out why that is. Is it confidence? I wonder whether if a documentary, like the one I am making with Blair, had existed when I was 15, if I would have begun making music with my best friend at an earlier age.
Why do you think we often don’t hear about women forming bands?
Blair: I think this is one of the main interesting points about the subject of the documentary. You’d have thought The Runaways, The Go-Gos or The Bangles would have really opened things up, but if you look at chart lists, probably not.
It’s social conditioning, we’re just so used to bands being a guy thing. In Scotland, there’s a pretty good history of bands with men and women, and the women not just being a token backing singer: The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, Cocteau Twins, Belle And Sebastian, The Delgados, The Rezillos – the list goes on.
Can you tell us about the night itself?
Carla: The Van T’s and Sacred Paws will both be playing their own set. There will be a “house band” made up of musicians I know – Vicki Cole (Randolph’s Leap), Lesley McLaren (The Hedrons), Kate Lazda (Kid Canaveral), Stacey Sievwright (The Moth & The Mirror) and myself – we are learning a “greatest hits” set of music from Strawberry Switchblade, Ettes, The McKinleys, Sunset Gun, His Latest Flame, Sophisticated Boom Boom, Lung Leg and The Twinset.
We will be joined on stage by some of the original singers/musicians from most of the bands to perform them. Bossy Love are a celebratory end to the night.
Blair: I think it’s important to note that it’s not a showcase of female bands. It’s just some of the best bands around.
August 24, Leith Theatre, 7pm, £20, £10 to £14 concs. Tickets: bit.ly/SinceYesterday #LightOnTheShore www.carlajennifereaston.com www.forestofblack.co.uk
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