With several artists being forced to speak out in recent times in response to sexual assaults at their gigs, it’s clear that Australia still has a problem with sexual assault, both inside the music scene and more broadly.
One group trying to tackle this issue is the team behind Chatterbox, an event that hopes to not only throw one damn good day party, but also provide a lighthearted but vital platform to open up the conversation around sexual assault in Australia and its music scene.
In an effort to open up the discussion, they’ve gathered up a range of likeminded local talent to pile into the Gasometer Hotel tomorrow, including Harvey Sutherland (DJ), Prequel, DJ JNETT & Rambl, Brooke Powers, DANNY HOTEP, Jennifer Loveless, Huw Orleans and Kasun – with all proceeds going directly to the Womens Liberation Halfway House Domestic Violence Service.
Keen to join in on the discussion, we’ve spoken with organisers Helen Slattery and Alex Gleeson about why they felt compelled to put this show on, the underlying threat of “bro culture” in Australia and its music scene, and the change they hope to see come from more and more people speaking up.
Courtney Barnett and a bunch of other Aussie musos spoke out recently against sexual assault at gigs
What prompted you to start this sort of event?
Alex: For me, it was an opportunity to put on an event to bring light to an important issue. A culmination of events, on a personal basis and otherwise, really made me take note of ‘bro’ and rape culture. Australian music is definitely one of the most progressive fields when it comes to stamping out such mentalities, but our community is not immune to it and its effects, and it’s something we need to be talking about more often.
Helen: I started speaking out on my personal social media about issues surrounding the stigma attracted to sexual assault, and soon I realised how sickeningly common it is. I received an overwhelming amount of messages from beautiful women and men whom shared their stories with me and have never fully felt safe to speak out as there is still a lot of doubt and judgement in society of sexual assault victims.
Although there are many support lines in place, it’s still something really tough to speak out about. Not only this but a few of my male friends came out openly and spoke to me about how they have sexually assaulted women and they have never really known what to do after this point, or have never realised the depth of their actions and how much it effected the victims. There are no excuses for such horrific actions, but there is still no platform for help for them to speak because unless men speak out about this also there will never be a change in society.
It is very easy to dehumanise someone for these actions, but there still needs to be support in place to reform them. I was talking about this to one of my dearest friends Alex, and we decided that more needs to be done, and he pitched the idea of throwing a party to attempt to remove some of the stigma and get people talking more.
Some clubs have introduced ‘Safety Officers’ to help patrol dancefloors and ensure that everyone can feel safe in a crowded room. Do you think it’s time for wider implantation of this sort of thing?
Alex: I think clubs are taking more notice of safety and conscious of ensuring a safer and more enjoyable time out. The concept of ‘safety officers’ was not developed with me in mind (straight, white cis-male) but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge the positive impact it has on the clubbing community.
Cool Room does it best I think, their safety coordinators aren’t there to be overlords, or iron fisted, they just seem to be their for a chat, to help maintain a universal level of comfort. I’m not sure whether this sort of role can be implemented within other areas or fields. I think rather, the mentality and openness for discussion needs a wider implantation.
Helen: It’s up to the promoters, artists and the venue managers if they feel the space is not safe, then definitely do what it takes. I have been working as a door girl for years now at a range of different venues. And one of the main issues I find with sexual assault in the club is victims not feeling comfortable to speak out.
At the end of the day if someone gropes you in a club it is no different to being groped on public transport. It’s still someone touching you forcefully without consent.
Should the music industry be looking outward to try and solve the greater systemic issue of male privilege, and be working in partnership with the Victorian State Government’s latest school program addressing the issue?
Helen: Yes absolutely, it really sucks that it’s such an awkward conversation to have but if there is a manner to do it that removes this stigma and also allows men to be aware of their privilege than that’s definitely worth doing.
Are there educational components to the event? How do you plan on engaging the audience on a serious topic like this, while also keeping the party rolling?
Alex: I think the event is there to operate not in an educational sense so much, more so operating as an attempt to remove this so called ‘taboo’ that surrounds these topics of conversation. I think revolving an event around the very idea of this discussion, is enough open the door to further education.
When people see the likes of Harvey Sutherland, Prequel, JNett & Rambl, Danny, Brooke, Jen, and the Good Manners crew getting behind this idea, I think it sends a pretty strong message. Enough’s enough, we want to see a change. To me, it’s a party for discussion. A party that acknowledges we can do better as a community, and a party that demands that we do better as a community.
Helen: There is so much stigma attached to rape and bro culture that I don’t want to put too much pressure on having the conversation yet, I want people to organically speak about their experiences and educate each other in a calm and open way. But when the conversation gets tough, get up and dance it all off. Because it’s one of the most natural things anyone can do.
What’s the most effective way to break down the hyper-masculinity that leads to bro/rape culture, and how can the music industry assist this?
Helen: I guess it all comes down to education and open conversations. As far as I’m aware Australia’s ‘Bro’ culture originates with the basis that our country was invaded by convicts, who came in raping and murdering the Aboriginal people. It’s brutal, but it’s our ancestry and we can’t change that – but we can work on future generations to make a change.
What’s the most effective platform to hold the conversation about sexual assault, and specifically at live music shows?
Alex: I think for those looking to see change in these fields, it is important to make conversation surrounding the topic, the norm. It needs to be as frequent as possible, in all genres and in all environments. When enough people start voicing their disgust and disappointment, that’s when things begin to change. That’s when people start questioning their actions, their motivations. So I definitely think that it will take us all banding together, promoters and artists alike, to see this change.
It would mean the world to me, to see the more mainstream clubs of King Street, or Chapel Street, or Hawthorn, openly stating their desires for a ‘creep free’ space, in the way that Cool Room, Daydreams, Boney, and so many others do. It’s not just about tapping into the nightlife that myself and Helen involve ourselves in. It’s about tapping into all nightlife, coming together to stamp out this stain on our musical community
Helen: Any platform given is a great way to open the conversation, just knowing artists whom you idolise support sexual assault victims sharing it on socials or getting on the microphone and shouting out. It means more to survivors than the artists may know.
