Bending Hectic

GAMES OF POWER

New Face Of Death

Super Snõõper

Fitness

Good Living Is Coming For You

Good Living Is Coming for You

Nails

Council Rust

BÉTON ARMÉ - SECOND SOUFFLE EP

L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE

Licking Orchids

Muzzle

Dragging the Needlework for The Kids at Uphole

Palangana

Vol. II

The Minotaur

Immaturity

Comfortable

Morreadoras y ya está

Ojos negros

Last Days On Earth

Goldie

Grockle Vision

Salaryman

Australia Stops

Faceless

In The Wilderness

Gimme Little More

Disig

Man Against the Tide

Blooming

GOOD LUCK

WHAT A MAN

Quaranta

Dark Sword Angel

Fiesta en el vacío

A3. 엄마 (avec Ji Min Park)

XYZoop

Flux

EP 1.0

Take You Home (On Time)

FALLOPIAN TUBE AMPLIFIER (LP)

THE TIN FOIL HAT BRIGADE

SAVED!

THE POOR WAYFARING STRANGER

Blind Taste Test

I'm So Bored With You

Here's to the artists who scored my 2023! As ever, the round-ups are never a 'best of', nor an exclusive collection of all that's been on heavy rotation at HEADHQ but more a lovingly curated mixtape or compilation, a curated playlist crafted for coherence and journey in mind. Many thanks to tall the artists included, and to all that listen to the 2023 round-up, I hope you discover great music! Best, Tom (a fan)

HeadsonSticks

Heads on Sticks 2023

Rough Dimension

Live (In a Dream)

Endure

LA Blues

Transient Communications

Distant UFO Signals

ARKHON

The Fall

Baby Shack

Baby

Ahora Aquí, Todavía No

The Isle of Barra

W.A.R. In The Digital Realm

Cybernetic Super Soldier

Skrting On The Surface

Rebirth/Return

Sucker

A Force To Be Rockin' With

Pucker Up

Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life

Take That

Downtown

Kelan - The Rag

Back Home

Sainted

Secret Agent Headcheese - Headcheese Gets Abducted

Leather Jackets Fast Bikes

Lovers and Addicts

Apathy Fix

Aren't You Gonna Introduce Me To Your Friend?

Who Wants to Fuck Me

PROCESS

AM I OKAY?

ETT - 098 - Mini Skirt // C​.​O​.​F​.​F​.​I​.​N - Split EP

C.O.F.F.I.N - Under Your Wing

PAINLESS

stabilise

VIOLENTS EP

ANDROGYNISTA

Vampire Club

Jenny Destroys Records

Reckless Randy

Gone Stealin

Curtição Suprema Vol.2

Raposas Viciadas em Líquido de Freio de Carro

Feed My Desire

Extreme

Avoid Heaven

Collating the end-of-year round-ups has become an annual fixture as seasonally traditional as dodgy eggnog and unprepared NY plans, a festive marker that truly signals the arrival of Yule Tidings an' all that. It's a welcome and joyous occasion each year when the time comes to recall the volume of new music that's made its way into my heart, and I'm repeatedly astonished as to how vital and enthused the global music community remains year after year. The vibrancy of new music is particularly remarkable when considering the political forces it's up against. I was fortunate enough to attend an Enough Is Enough rally in October and catch an impassioned speech by Equity boss Paul W. Fleming, rejecting the romantic trope of the 'struggling artist' and championing access to the arts and dignified careers within a routinely exploitative industry. While mainly representing members in the performing arts, his stirring invective against the disparity of class that plagues the creative industries was a sobering reminder of the state assistance that's ebbed away in the neoliberal wasteland, where our musical heritage is seemingly celebrated while the social provisions that helped it flourish (the dole, housing benefit, art schools, adequate Arts funding) are scorned. Along with streaming royalty rates and touring obstructions beset by Brexit, my hope for next year is that the Musician plays every bit of a role as the postal worker, the rail staff, the nurse and every other force within the great industrial action confronting corporate Britain and all its inequities. As always, the annual Heads on Sticks round-ups are never a perfunctory 'best of' but simply the soundtrack to my 2022 in all its ebbs and flows. Scoring my life in the way the artists featured have across the giddy highs and tumultuous lows of the year means any one of these 25 tracks will serve as a future portal to this time when the wist of nostalgia takes me. Merry Christmas, have a better 2023, and thanks for the music! Tom (A Fan)

Heads on Sticks 2022

Fox Meets Rabbit

KKKavanaugh

DEBUTANTE

Termite Queen

By The Water

A Story of a Global Disease

Can I Be Your Geisha?

100% Polyester

Sue Me

Maraudé (Detriti)

Remembrance

Mental Floss

Encerrados

ANNA MARIA

I WANNA TOUCH YOU

Like a Dog

Pluperfect Mind

Phlebotomy

Small Pond Presents: Emerging Part 2

Big Dick Energy

Let's All Love

Shrink

4 SONGS EP

Hors de moi

The Fool

Dirty Little Lie

Waif

Between the Sacred Silence and Sleep

Brood X

SHE SHED

CHUCKLE

SUM1

Cupid Operations

Shadows of Ophelia

PANIC GRASS!!!

pray 4 love

Another year, another wave of incredible new women artists absolutely killin' it! As ever, this is just the tip of the iceberg, merely a smorgasbord of the female acts that's been on heavy rotation at HEADHQ&nbsp;﻿(whatever my opinion's worth). 

Whilst it's easy to be dazzled by the exciting new music showing the lads how it's done, there's still a depressing amount of work required, in the music industry and at events as well as society in general. I'm delighted to feature some words by musician, socialist, and punk professor <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/PunkSkollah">Grace Healy</a> with a proactive and passionate polemic on the stubbornly entrenched obstacles that still pervade the music community, and the lack of excuses for the woeful inequity that dogs line-ups and shows. International Women’s Day is a day of action. It is part of the broader collective fight against social, cultural, political and economic discrimination against women across the world. Globally, women continue to battle for the right to work and vote; for protection under the law, access to healthcare and education, equal pay and bodily autonomy. IWD is another day in the relentless, exhausting fight against misogyny in the workplace, the media, on the streets and, for many, at home; another day in the battle for the freedom to walk alone at night, exist in a larger body, to be believed, trusted and respected, for “no” to mean “no”. IWD looks towards a world in which women are safe and have the potential to thrive both personally and professionally. In the spirit of IWD, this short piece is a call to action for those who wish to challenge the culture of misogyny and sexual harassment in the music industry. 

Unsurprisingly, gender inequality and sexual harassment against women is rife in the music industry. There have been some high profile cases in recent years, such as R Kelly’s sex trafficking conviction in 2021, and female artists such as Lady Gaga and Lily Allen have bravely spoken publicly about traumatic assaults by a music producer and record industry executive respectively. There are hundreds more (a quick Google search of “sexual abuse in the music industry” generates a worrying number of articles on the subject), and whilst #MeToo has given many women a voice, there are still many survivors who are understandably afraid to speak out. A survey conducted by YouGov in 2018 revealed that 60% of women working in the music industry have experienced sexual harassment at work and 40% of women have been sexually harassed at live music events. In 2019, the Musicians’ Union conducted a similar survey, revealing that almost half its female members (48%) have experienced sexual harassment at work, 61% of women feel at risk because they are freelance and 85% of victims did not report the harassment because of industry culture: the consequences of speaking out would be devastating for their career. Many women even reported leaving the industry altogether to avoid being sexually harassed. In 2019, Vick Bain - former British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) CEO and Director of the board of Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) - published a report entitled ‘Counting the Music Industry: The Gender Gap’. Bain’s eye-opening research revealed that in an analysis of more than 100 music publishers and 200 record labels, just 14.18% of the 12,040 writers represented by UK publishers are women, and female artists make up a mere 19.69% of the rosters of acts signed to labels: this means that fewer than 1 in 5 artists currently signed to record labels in the UK are women. Interestingly, students in music colleges are overwhelmingly female (55%) but women progressing from college to a career in the music industry seem to drop off at a certain age. Of those working in the industry who are in their 20s, the ratio of male to female is around 1:1, however, when you look at those who are 45+ the proportion of women drops to 30%. Results of the research conducted by the MU suggests that one of the primary factors in this fall in percentage could be the sexual harassment women are experiencing/are frightened of being exposed to in the industry. Whilst the solution lies mostly in shifting broader social attitudes to women, some actions can be taken within the industry: 

● Employers: (1) employers are encouraged by the MU to have a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/legal-money/workplace-rights-and-legislation/the-equality-act-and-guidance/sexual-harassment-at-work/developing-a-sexual-harassment-policy">sexual harassment policy</a> in place: “having a policy in place is a proactive step you can take to tackle sexual harassment and encourage a culture where people speak up. The MU recommends having a stand-alone sexual harassment policy that sits within your wider Equality, Diversity &amp; Inclusion (EDI) policies. Having a policy in place means that people know that if they report any instances they will be heard, supported and that the situation will be dealt with effectively” 

● Employers: (2) employers are encouraged to consult Fawcett’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/tackling-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-employer-toolkit">T</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/tackling-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-employer-toolkit">ackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Toolkit</a>: “our Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Toolkit is a free resource. It will help employers create workplaces where women are safe to report incidents of sexual harassment and support employers to respond appropriately - creating environments where sexual harassment does not happen in the first place” 

● Employers: (3) employers are also encouraged to consult PiPA’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://pipacampaign.org/pipa-best-practice-charter">Best Practice Charter</a>, as women are more likely to exit the industry due to not only sexual harassment, but parenthood: “the PiPA Best Practice Charter is a set of guiding principles for all professional performing arts organisations to enable the development of supportive working practices which are inclusive and accessible for those with caring responsibilities” 

● Academics: academics and researchers are encouraged to examine the career pathways from graduates into industry, as closer attention to this may help reveal more ways in which we can help women feel safer in the industry 

● Promoters: BOOK MORE FEMALE AND NON-BINARY BANDS. There are so many reasons why this needs to happen, but ensuring that a higher percentage of women populate these spaces creates solidarity and safety in numbers. Vick Bain has curated ‘<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://thef-listmusic.uk/">The F-List</a>’, a directory of female+ musicians in the UK, in response to the myth that killer female+ bands don’t exist. Promoters, you have no excuses!

 For those interested in continuing the conversation, feel free to email me at healygrace43@gmail.com, and if you have experienced sexual assault in the industry and feel you have no one to talk to, you can access the MU’s Safe Space Scheme, an anonymous reporting tool.

#TransWomenAreWomen

20 women and women fronted artists that's been thrilling HEADHQ the last year!

International Women's Day 2022

$0 EP

Southport Sharpest Weapons

Picking Up Ruby

AMUSIA

Ya Bad News

WASTELAND: What Ails Our People Is Clear

Imposter

Consensual Hits

Cum Quick Then Die

Curing

Drip

On All Fours

A-Men

Midnight Train

The Wolves Of The Orangery

Nerva Sky

Cybergang

Cong!

Leather Whip

Mortal

COMMUNION

Don't Get It Twisted

Side Part

badtime vol. 2

demonic boy

The Turning Wheel

The Future

Astro Tough

LaLaLa It's The Good Life

1984

ALBUM

Ton Cuir Noir De Merde / La flingue cover

REALITY!

HAYWIRE

Emergency Telephone

Right Behind You

RAWWR

Badeinsel

1-2-3-4!!

2083 A.D.

Rabbit Wench

Executioner

Flag

Gold

Florence and Selena

Electric Drug Fuck Up

Green Fuckers

Are we really at the dawn of 2022 already!? Reflecting on the past 12 months of new music and where I was when collating last year's round-up brings home the enormous leap forward I've had in my wellbeing and enthused anticipation for new ventures ahead. While the artists that scored my 2020 served more like urgent lifebuoys as I thrashed in a swamp of anguish and uncertainty (apologies to those who were at times on the receiving end), the heroes of 2021 soundtrack a personal rejuvenation and excitement for life once again. Hoisting myself out of the 'funk' also meant switching Heads on Sticks to a 'reduced service', but with a new site and graphics revamp, I think it was worth it! I'm excited to go back to the heartbeat of the 'ead, which is the weekly write-ups I've had to intermittently forgo throughout the year due to moving from Bristol to London, as well as other personal needs for respite. The spare time also afforded me space to unleash the '﻿<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://headsonstickschats.podbean.com/">Heads on Sticks Chats</a>' podcast, which I frankly love doing and endeavour to deliver many more! As ever, my round-ups are arranged by cohesion and journey, so please listen in order. Neither are they necessarily the 'best of', but simply the result of a painful whittling away to the mere 25 tracks I've set as my yearly number. Not only do I hope that you discover fantastic new music, but let it serve as a conduit to new love, revitalisation, the discarding of toxicity, and pastures new! I hope you enjoy it, I'm sure you will! Tom (a fan)

The official Heads on Sticks 2021 round-up!

Heads on Sticks 2021

Growth

White Saviour

Luxury

Darkside

A Late Anthology of Early Music Vol. 1: Ancient to Renaissance

Edelweiss

GOD MIGHT BE GAY

THAT'S HOT!

RAVE MOON/BLADES OF STEEL

Demonologia

Μέρες Οργής | Days of Wrath

Ψυχαναγκασμός

It's incredibly easy to coast through life arrogantly convinced of your own progressive principals without real, rigorous scrutiny of a system that affords us men easy mobility while spouting feminist rhetoric. How many of us have passively floated to the top of the music industry, or any sector of work for that matter, while being selective with when we offer unequivocal, vocal challenge to the litany of obstructions and attitudes that hamper emerging talent outside of the white and male? The devastating revelations about Burger Records, a behemoth in supposed indie-cool, and many of their signed artists exposing the rampant culture of toxic masculinity and sexual misconduct not only highlighted the liberal hypocrisy that's alive in our counterculture, but begged a deeper, personal question: when the chips are down, how much of an ally are we? I can personally attest to straying unthinking into problematic attitudes, boorish behaviour that leaps out from behind socialist principles of ostensibly deeply held emancipatory values and resulting in friends telling me to be better.The stubborn, stagnant gatekeepers of thousands of male-dominated music scenes all over the world and its idle enablers should have been buried a long time ago. I'm absolutely delighted to present a written piece by Melbourne artist and punk rocker Brook Storti detailing the perennial battle female musicians have to endure pushing their art through the slop of big egos and unwarranted stature. Fronting the gloriously scuzzy <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://sandydish.bandcamp.com/">Sandy Dish</a>, Storti's lyrical spits against the patriarchy are hilarious in their savagery but also joyous in their hopeful affirmation of solidarity underneath garage rock swagger, summed up beautifully with a line from 'That's Hot!': "Loving people with all your heart, that's hot!".This&nbsp;dog-eat-dog&nbsp;music industry bullshit needs to stop ASAP. As a female in the music industry, I see more ego driven and sexist comments from boy bands that write songs about feminism than you could believe. Because being in a band is cool, like way cool, like so cool that every white male forgets their fucking manners.But there are so many perks of being the front woman to a punk band, right? Too many to choose actually. Like, when sound guys tell me that I’m too loud, and I should sing into the microphone quieter. Like, when I try to bond with other lead singers and they explain to me that it's different because I don't sing, I just yell, yeah? Another&nbsp;freakin’ perk, is when a radio host tells me that I have one good asset in my band, and it's my lead MALE guitarist of course. And lastly, the biggest perk, is that no one ever messages you pre-gig to organise gear, because the FEMALE LEAD SINGER (or ‘yeller’) wouldn't know how many mics will be needed for their set.Males dominate the music industry, they always have. They dominate festival line ups, they dominate financially, they dominate at labels and on the airwaves and in PR, because males are dominant yeah? The Melbourne music scene is crazy good. With over 500 live music venues in the city and so much competition the shit bands are epic and the newly formed, rusty bands are&nbsp;freakin’ brilliant. It’s a good thing. Competition is healthy, and useful.&nbsp;So&nbsp;we need to change the way we think, drop the ego and support each other.I never had singing lessons or a music teacher, I had two males that believed in me. They studied and practiced and performed for years before I even considered starting a band. When I asked them to be part of my&nbsp;band&nbsp;I said it was going to be fem punk, poetry, fuck men, eat-me-out-on-my-period&nbsp;kinda&nbsp;vibes, and they put their hands straight up. I can't play an instrument, I used to always come in late on my songs and I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;know what “bump in” meant. But this is what I wanted to do, so they were patient and taught me.My band takes the full front of my ‘amatuness’, but still believes in me. They are my support, my hype, and you can be that for someone else. Dudes in boy bands criticising others because they’re not real musicians isn't helpful at all. Instead, be their support, their hype. If you try, practice and want it as much as the next person, then it's all valuable. If your band is good enough you will make it. But it’s more likely people will come to your shows, and venues and bands will ask you back again if you are kind, nice and make good impressions.If you're in the music industry, be polite, wait for your turn, play first, complement other bands. If you're not a musician but love going to gigs, then I’ll share with you a great secret that my mother told me. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. If a woman is on stage topless, sweaty and LOUD. She probably knows it. You don't need to tell her. And if you see a female artist perform, when she gets off the stage&nbsp;please&nbsp;I am begging you, DO NOT compliment her outfit or hair or how hot she looked on stage. Just comment on the music.If you’re a girl, you can't just be a lead singer, you have to be a female lead singer. And if your band is good, it must be because you're a FEMALE lead singer and baby sex sells.&nbsp;SO&nbsp;FUCKING OWN IT. This might seem negative and silly but this is the truth. Change your behaviour, empower musicians for giving it a go and cancel the fucking band&nbsp;hierarchy. WOMEN RULE AND YOUR DUMB COMMENTS&nbsp;WON'T&nbsp;STOP US.Due to certain artists featured not having a Bandcamp, I've compiled a Spotify alternative&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05cpNwVKuCnaNJBZcQbYk1?si=d3e2c5f5a8ec4976">here</a>,&nbsp;but encourage you to prioritise Buy Music Club and thus directly supporting the music you love!

25 tracks from women/women fronted bands which have thrilled Heads on Sticks across the last year!

International Women's Day 2021