Sweden Makes Statement (Fest) Against High Sexual Assault Reports
Sweden has chosen its response to the staggering amount of reported sexual assault cases from the country’s popular Bråvalla and Putte I Parken festivals earlier this year (so bad, in fact, that Bråvalla 2018 has been cancelled).
Instead, Sweden has shifted focus Statement Fest, a new event that will only be attended by cis-and-trans women as well as non-binary folks. The seed of this festival came from a passing tweet from comedienne Emma Knyckare. That quickly morphed into a full-on Kickstarter campaign, making its 500,000 Swedish Kroner goal (that’s over $60,000 US dollars), and now Statement Fest embarks on the next leg of the journey, securing bands and more investors.
For those wondering if a festival with this sort of exclusion is legal, it 100% is in Sweden if the exclusion is made in “good intention,” and hosting a music festival safe space for all female and non-binary identifiers more than fits the bill.
In a statement from one of Statement Fest’s organizers, “If you, as a man or woman, are upset by the idea of a men-free festival, you may instead be upset about how many women are asked to stay home [by] friends and family when they plan to go festivals or elsewhere. Put your energy on what is actually fair.” Specific dates, headliners, and other specific details have yet to be announced.
Beck’s New Album, Signed By…MC Hammer?
In today’s “but why?” news, Beck’s new album arrives this Friday. It’s his 13th album, and it’s being released on Friday the 13th. Yes, yes. And if you’re like me, you’re not too keen on the aggressively pop sound, but MC Hammer disagrees with both us. He thinks it’s “a great party record.” So much so, that pop culture emporium Newbury Comics is selling copies of Beck’s Colors album signed by MC Hammer. Hammer didn’t offer a reason, just that he and Beck are fans of each other, and Hammer wanted to sign his album, though to be clear he had absolutely nothing to do with its inception or production. You can preorder your copy here.
-Taylor Wallace
