On March 29th, Dear Elise stepped onto stage at The Echo, in an ocean of blue light.. With their upbeat drum beat and heavy, crunchy guitar tone, Dear Elise had no trouble pulling the crowd towards the stage and nodding to the beat as the band opened their set with “See It,” the first track in their latest EP, “The World Wasn’t Big Enough.”
FemFest is USC’s self-described “counter-patriarchal music festival,” historically hosted annually on USC’s McCarthy Quad. The festival had previously featured well-known artists such as Chappell Roan, Caroline Polachek, Raveena and MUNA (who are USC alumni). In a space where all sorts of artists, regardless of fame or renown, share the stage, FemFest cultivates a community that uplifts and amplifies the voices and art of women, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community, carving out a space for minorities in an industry dominated by men.
Out of the lineup of five bands, Dear Elise and WALLIS hail from USC, all of which largely consist of former or current Thornton students. These Trojan bands, along with California-based bands such as 12 Gauge Trixie and The Blushes, were the opening acts for Turning Jane, an all-girl rock group from Los Angeles.
When asked about how they had felt during the performance, Lizzie Marcou, Dear Elise’s lead singer, responded by saying, “We felt amazing. We haven’t played a show in five months, so we’ve all been itching to get back out there and debut our new stuff. It was such a great, fun, positive vibe and everyone brought so much energy!”
Having performed for FemFest in the past, they were no stranger to the ethos of the event.
“My initial reaction to being invited to perform at Femfest was ‘Yes, duh!’ We’ve done another show with them in the past — I love the message and what they stand up for,” Marcou said. “It’s everything we believe in, and we wanted to contribute in any way possible.”
WALLIS took the stage next, bringing up the energy with an upbeat setlist. Background singers Sophia Jane Condon and Hannah Norman stepped onto the stage mid-set, bringing background vocals and harmonies that interwove and complemented each other.
Donning pink nun outfits, The Blushes then took over the stage. Under purple and pink lights, their femme-rock sound resonated within The Echo. The “three little punky princesses” Katie Earl-Hogan, Katy Rose and Lori Dorfman had the crowd moving and dancing to their head-bopping setlist.
A whirlwind of bright scarlet hair painted the stage throughout the next set — 12 Gauge Trixie’s lead singer, Violet Howitt, could not be missed. With her powerful vocals, along with Art Rodriguez (lead guitar), Mia Baenziger (rhythm guitar), Paloma Bareno (bass) and Blake Dutra (drums), the band revitalised the crowd with energetic, gritty rock. Beach balls and balloons were thrown above the crowd midway through their set, keeping the energy high in the middle of the four-hour festival.
Last but not least, Turning Jane brought their powerful, alternative rock to the stage, opening with “Freak Show.” Lead vocalist Taylor Heart’s red microphone stand, adorned with a rose at the top, added a subtle, feminine centrepiece to their stage. With Izzy Jennings on guitar, Jordi Radnoti on drums and Jasmine Dennis on bass, the Los Angeles-based band ended the night with a bang.
In an email interview with Annenberg Media, Riley Patterson, the Executive Director of FemFest, said that before the show, there had been a lot of anxiety and thoughts rushing through her head. Running such a large-scale event, especially without the backing of being on USC ground, certainly added an additional layer of pressure.
“Did we remember everything? Are people actually going to show up? Are people going to have fun? But as the show progressed, I started to just have fun and soak in the fact that all of our hard work paid off. After the show, I was filled with so much gratitude for my team and the community FemFest has created,” she said.
One of the ways that FemFest’s lineup had been decided was not just to draw an audience, but to keep them. With a long lineup, the risk of the crowd disengaging and dwindling in energy is a risk, resulting in a negative experience for not just them, but the performers as well.
“Four hours is a long time to listen to music, so we wanted to bring in artists that would make people want to stay the whole time,” Patterson said.
Their choices also had been an act of community — people in the team were connected to all of the bands in some way or another, and they wanted to showcase the talents and art created by their friends.
“All the artists fall within the rock or alternative genre, but with distinctly different sounds and vibes, so there would be a little bit of something for everyone,” she added.
With each band enthusiastically welcoming the acts following them, any barrier between each band had become nonexistent. No matter the size of their fanbase or how well-known they were within the music scene, they all shared the same stage, celebrating and uplifting each others’ art.
“My advice for anyone getting into music or the live music space is to lean on your community,” Patterson said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice on any situation you find yourself in. FemFest would not have been able to happen this year without my wonderful committee, friends, and professors who were there every step of the way, guiding me.”