Maria Vole

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Ready for a glittery explosion of bad-ass women taking over the Roundhouse? As part of the iconic music venue’s Roundhouse Rising – an 11 day music festival extravaganza focusing on new and emerging artists – the venue teamed up with the F Word, a female collective that promotes gender equality in the music industry, to present an evening of all-female artists and bands. The powerful line up of up-and-coming female artists made for an incredible evening of female-fronted pop and electronica.

The evening started off with Roundhouse resident artist Iora treating us to some incredible tunes and excellent dance moves on stage. Her soundscape is a creative blend of slow and haunting vocals, electro beats and folky inspiration with elements of catchy pop and trip-hop. Iora’s vibe on stage is warm and welcoming – and her passion for her music is palpable. This is not an artist who plays by the rules, and her innovative approach to music creation makes her an artist I will follow until the bitter end.

Next up, Eva-Lina took to the stage and it’s fair to say she knocked everyone’s socks off. From the moment she stepped on stage, she was bounding with spirit and attitude. Dressed in a glittery, silver two-piece suit with only a pink bra underneath, this girl exudes BBA – Boss Babe Attitude. The London-based singer, originally from Sweden, got everyone dancing with her high-energy tunes, including catchy summer jams ‘Head in the Clouds’ and and ‘You So Cool’. Eva-Lina’s chill synth pop mixed with an impressive vocal range, tight electronic beats and IDGAF attitude is the ideal soundtrack for both fun and sweaty nights out and bedroom dancing. Her song ‘Dump Your Boyfriend’ accurately sums up what every woman finds herself screaming on the inside when their friend complains about their god-awful boyfriend again, and she premiered her new track, ‘Listen To Your Mother’.

During the band changeover, I was able to pull glitter queen Eva-Lina aside for a catch-up…

You’ve just finished your set here at the Roundhouse – how did you find it? 

It was really fun! It’s just such a good vibe at this event, it’s an all-female line up, everyone’s really supportive, it’s such an amazing venue. The energy was really high!

Can you describe your music for us in a few words? 
Playful, powerful, energetic!

What have you got going on at the moment?

I’m really excited for my single that is coming out, ‘Listen to your Mother’ which was the last song in my set tonight. It’s kind of rocky, throwback Paramore vibes.

It’s time for the main event. The intimate Sackler Space at the back of the Roundhouse is the perfect spot for these kinds of gigs – small, but not too small, and always has a great crowd. Headlining the event, Stealing Sheep descended upon the Roundhouse in matching tight gold glittery bodysuits, shiny silver shoes, sunglasses and gold face glitter. It would have been my ideal outfit when I was 12 – and I mean that as a compliment. Teeming with enthusiasm, the electropop trio burst onto the stage in a blur of gold, glitter and free-spirited dancing.

Stealing Sheep’s set featured synchronised dancing (the girls had all the lights turned off and stripped the music down to isolated vocals as they moved about the stage holding snowflake-shaped spinners that created different patterns and lights) for what felt like quite a long time. They also stopped the music to get the audience involved in what they called their mid-set ritual – where everyone had to move their bodies in specific motions. With their own brand of effervescent, progressive pop featuring buzzing synth riffs, electro beats, and psychedelic vibes, this quirky girl group is a glittery explosion of fun and zest for life. These girls do their own thing and have fun doing it!

Be sure to check out all three artists online – you’ll find these bad-ass babes on Spotify, Apple Music and all the usual places!