How supportive are other female performers in prog to each other?

SheRocks
(Image credit: Future)

A few months ago some of progressive music's leading singers and other women who work within the genre gathered at London's You Tube Space for a discussion on the changing role women have to play in progressive music – long seen, if somewhat incorrectly these days, as a male-dominated genre.

Pentangle frontwoman Jacqui McShee, Heather Findlay, Cellar Darling's Anna Murphy, iamthemorning singer Marjana Semkina, Magenta's Christina Booth, music PR Sharon Chevin, who works with Steve Hackett, Yes, Ian Anderson and more, and Catherine Jackson, the promoter of the new prog festival Radar discussed their experiences in a frank and open discussion chaired by Prog's own Jo Kendall.

In this excerpt the panel discusses whether acceptance as a female singer in prog gets better as we get older? Do younger acts provide more support? And how supportive are other women in the scene?

Cellar Darling are touring Europe throughout October. Details here.

iamthemorning will release their new album The Bell through Kscope on August 2.

Heather Findlay's new album Wild White Horses was released last Friday.

Radar festival details can be found here.

And Jacqui McShee's touring details can be found here.

The Secret Sari Dress Campaign continues here.

You can watch previous #SheRocks clips here:

Part Six

Part Five 

Part Four 

Part Three

Part Two

Part One 

Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.