Girls to the Front
It’s funny how book ideas come to you. What comes first has changed with each book I’ve written. Sometimes it’s a title, sometimes it’s a hook, sometimes a societal issue and sometimes a character…
With my upcoming thriller, Girls to the Front, it was the title that came first. I was pondering book ideas, wanting to experiment by writing a thriller, but still being so keen to write another book steeped in the alternative music scene.
And then Bikini Kill’s gig policy popped into my head.
In the 90s, Kathleen Hanna invited all girls to the front because she knew many didn’t feel safe at gigs. Indeed, many weren’t safe at gigs. From being physically or sexually assaulted, to simply feeling threatened by the behaviour of the crowd, having a women-only space up front was a way to create more equality - a space where everyone could feel safe and enjoy the show.
This led me to think about women’s safety, misogyny and abuse more broadly within the music industry. I’d read about Courtney Love being attacked and molested when stage diving at her own gig. I’d watched the 2021 documentary Look Away about young girls being groomed and abused by older men in the music industry in the 70s and 80s. And of course, more recently, we’ve heard about the shady so-called White Parties held by P Diddy. And then there was the Marilyn Manson sexual abuse investigation. And, within entertainment more broadly, the investigation into Russell Brand. This is the tip of the ice-berg and, sadly, this issue isn’t going away. It seemed that there could be a story in writing about how blatant abuse can become lost in crowds at gigs (see also Woodstock 99), but how this can be overlooked because of a deeper, systemic misogyny. If the band plays on while a woman is being attacked, how might they behave with female fans behind closed doors? If a venue refuses to put in place safeguarding measures, how might they treat their female staff? It felt like there might be a way to talk about this using fiction and, more specifically, a found footage revenge thriller (the revenge thriller is always a little cathartic to write!)
While Bikini Kill encouraged all girls to the front in the 90s, it’s still an issue today. In fact, when I asked others on social media, I was told that the problems today were just as bad, but the threats were different. I had people telling me how their teenaged daughters were now afraid of needle spiking in crowds - something that hit the news in France recently and something that I never had to consider when I was young and, now, as a 47 year old woman (whose body temperature is highly dis-regulated), I tend to find my own little spaces around the edge to dance. But we should all be able to enjoy being at the centre of a crowd and enjoying the music together safely.
So with the title and hook in my mind, I knew I could write something that explored women’s safety and misogyny, while at the same time enjoying some fictional cathartic vengeance. It’s fiction - so why not.
And of course, this meant that I could write a book that was deeply rooted in music, and in the 90s (it’s a dual timeline story so takes you from the present day and back to 1995).
The story follows Roma, who works in a retro ents store and finds an old VHS tape and a note in a house clearance box. Meanwhile, in 1995, we meet mature student journalist Kat, who witnesses her friend being assaulted while stage diving at a gig and then discovers that there’s more to the band and the venue than what is being played out in public.
The book is now just one month away from publishing and pre-orders are now open! It makes a world of difference for readers to pre order - especially when you’re independently publishing like I am with this one. So if you fancy a read, please do stick a pre-order in. Details below. You’ll also get what I think is a work of art as a cover design - thanks to renowned 4AD designer Chris Bigg who worked with me on this project.
Hope you enjoy it!
AND, if you’re based in the North East, join me, music writer Molly Tie and Opt Indie for our launch event on 16th October at the Bridge Hotel.
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