ALI BARTER

Not only has Ali Barter’s music made waves, but her op-ed about the importance of acknowledging women throughout music history went viral – being re-tweeted by Yoko Ono and leading to The History Grrrls playlist, celebrating gamechanging female musicians.

I WAS SIX WEEKS INTO A MUSIC HISTORY COURSE when I realised the only role women were playing in my syllabus was the supporting role. I’m a proud female musician and I’ve been supported so far. It’s the narrative that I really have a problem with – it’s not balanced and it’s not true and it’s getting taught in schools everywhere.

MEN GET HELD UP LIKE GODS IN THIS INDUSTRY. I remember having a conversation with Hayley [Mary] from The Jezabels and she was like, where are my groupies? All I get is dudes asking me to marry them... Where’s our offer of sex 24/7? It just doesn’t happen that way.

IF YOU THINK MEN ARE THE ROCK STARS, then as a little girl playing guitar, there’s a part in the back of your mind that kind of feels like that place isn’t for you. That’s why it’s so important to see women playing music, and lots of them playing music, because it normalises it and makes it known that this is our space, too.

CHRISSY AMPHLETT WAS JUST A BADASS. She didn’t give a fuck and it’s those women who break those ideas of being pretty and being docile and being feminine – she was sexy as hell, an incredible performer and musician, and she did rock’n’roll moves just like the boys did, and I love that.

I’M COLLABORATING WITH A MELBOURNE ARTIST CALLED LILY GLORIA ON A TEA TOWEL that we’re selling at my show. The proceeds go to Gift Box, which provides tampons for disadvantaged women. [In Australia, there are an estimated 46,000 homeless women who struggle with access to sanitary care.] Tea towels are a bit of an Australian thing as well as being a symbol for feminism – and we’re making them cool again.