SCOTLAND'S biggest music festival has been heavily criticised for failing to include any female headliners for its seventh successive year.
Oasis star Liam Gallagher, Scots singer Gerry Cinnamon and DJ Calvin Harris are the three main acts lined up for TRNSMT festival at Glasgow Green next July, with big names such as Rick Astley and Tom Grennan also on the bill.
But organisers have been slated once again for the lack of female acts announced so far, with many pointing out this has been a problem in every single year of its existence.
While sharing a picture of the line-up, Scottish singer Iona Fyfe sarcastically said: “I can count the women on one hand. Oh wait.”
Journalist Sophie Adams – who has complained in previous years about the issue – also took to Twitter to highlight the glaring lack of diversity at the festival, which is due to run from July 12 to 14, 2024.
She said: “The seventh year of this festival; the seventh year of all-male headliners.
“Not even one in seven acts announced so far are women. Depressing.
“If Wireless brought in big names last year – e.g. SZA, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion – surely TRNSMT could too?”
Adams tweeted prior to this year’s festival – which was headlined by Pulp, Sam Fender and The 1975 – that it was “mostly men” on the TRNSMT main stage, with only one woman included in the top nine headliners across the weekend.
She said then: “It's a shame when many of the best and most popular sets came from women relegated to the smaller stages in recent years.”
Other people have been keen to point out that all three headliners are white men.
Karie Westermann said on Twitter/X: “White men? Playing TRNSMT? Groundbreaking.”
Josephine Sillars detailed the knock-on effect the dearth of female acts has on the independent music scene.
She tweeted: “I feel like when big festivals announce these line ups with no thought on inclusion, they don't realise the ripple effect it has on the independent scene and independent artists.”
“So when we're on *checks notes* year SEVEN of having all male headliners at TRNSMT and majority white – when do big companies and promoters start taking responsibility for the lack of infrastructure for marginalised artists from the start?”
TRNSMT organisers have been approached for comment.
