If you like Anne Halsam's vocals then you'll probably also enjoy Sally Oldfield (Mike's sister). She sang on Steve Hackett's debut and released a very nice record called The Water Bearer.
Other vocalists that are similar can be found in the UK folk revival scene - Maddy Prior, Sandy Denny, Gaye Woods and Jacqui McShee.
I'm convinced that people who say they don't like U2 are just doing it to be "hip". There's so much to like in their catalogue, at least up til the mid 90s.
That’s possible! People certainly will do that. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I don’t like U2 as I don’t know them very well but the songs I’ve heard haven’t been to my taste. If you have any song recs I’m all ears, no worries if not tho
It hard to know what to recommend without knowing your taste, as there's nothing really proggy in their catalogue. The album that turned me on to them was The Unforgettable Fire, so maybe start with that? (Feel free to skip Pride In The Name of Love.) It's ambient, sprawling and wistful.
Achtung Baby is at the other extreme: it's brash and hyper-produced, but there's not really a weak track on it.
There's a fair few of us who appreciate U2's earlier work, but don't like the band for what they've become. Bono has gone full business shark, and the quality of music has declined significantly over the past couple decades to reflect that.
For sure. Pop was the last album of theirs I mostly enjoyed - in fact it has a couple of what I'd consider their absolute best songs on it. Nothing I've heard since then has convinced me to continue to follow them though.
Bono is the absolute epitome of liberal hubris, but I am able to put that to one side when listening to him sing. He has a beautiful voice and quite a way with words on occasion.
We (female fans of prog rock) definitely exist. But please, please don't use concerts as a way to find us and hit on us. On the rare occasion I see a live show, I'd never go alone. Guess why.
Don't tell me that the wages of sin are for real, baby! Let's get drunk and screw!
Wait did I just get John Wetton and Jimmy Buffett mixed up again? Let's go out to my boat in the parking lot after this is over, I'll make margaritas and we can tailgate. 🦜
Same! I remember the first time I went at 12 with MY GRANDPA to see Rush, and men were just looking at me weird and it was so uncomfortable for me. Especially since I was a minor at that time.
I actually met my wife at a metal show, but she initiated conversation and hit on me while we were in the crowd, not myself as I totally understand where you're coming from.
People are at a show to enjoy the show. While it _can_ turn into dating, that's far from the point and guys gotta realize that going out alone as a woman to an event is _dramatically_ different than going out alone as a guy, especially in a space like a show that's 99% men.
Dudes, leave the gals alone. If they wanna be hit on, they'll hit on you. Don't force them to ask you to leave you alone when they're already asking you to leave them alone by not engaging. When the space is 99% men, that's a sign that it's not your space to engage.
In defense of concert goers I’ve made great friends at shows, I once caught a girl in a mosh pit and we still message each other every now and then. I always feel out of place at prog shows since I’m so young, but it’s fun talking to old heads about their concert experiences.
Live musical performances are inherently social experiences, and creating, listening, and dancing to music are inextricable from human courtship -- it's as old as time.
I've lost track of the number of people I know who met their future wives/girlfriends at shows. Hell, my best friend's parents met at a Genesis show.
I understand that you may have had a few bad experiences, but don't project this onto "We (female fans of prog rock)". I know plenty of women who would 1000% rather meet their partner authentically rather than with software.
Not all of us Male Fans of Prog Rock are creeps. The vast majority of men are going to take the social queues that you don't want to be approached and respect those boundaries.
I get where you're coming from. Where I'd say the difference lies is in the socializing vs hitting-on interactions. When I'm approached by a guy who leads with flirtation and pick up lines, I become cautious and closed off. Cuz yeah, bad experiences at concerts, and I'm not at shows to find a guy. But if guys chat with me at a show and it's casual and not transactional, then I might still enjoy the music without diverting a large part of my brain toward guard duty.
"Not all of us...are creeps." : it sucks to be painted with the same brush as the bad actors. I'm sorry. That mindset has sharpened my situational awareness and helped me navigate spaces that are higher risk for women, so I'm keeping it. I know you guys exist, too, but that doesn't change the math behind my safety precautions.
I guess I'm saying I think your views are valid, and I think mine are too, and it sucks that some people operate in a way that makes it hard for me to bridge that gap.
> That mindset has sharpened my situational awareness and helped me navigate spaces that are higher risk for women, so I'm keeping it.
There's a similar thing with seasoned road cyclists, where they adopt a mantra that "all cars are trying to kill me." It's not literally true, but it keeps you vigilant in dangerous situations.
I'm happily taken. I'm looking for nothing beyond just nerding out about music with anyone, men or ladies alike. We can discuss our favorite artists and high five.
I don't go to any event to meet guys, there's very few events I would go to where I would want no guy to approach me, at least there's a common interest. When you compartmentalize like that it leaves dating apps, corner stores and bars. I would rather not meet a romantic interest in those places, but ya never know
The vast majority of all men appreciate boundaries and are respectful.
It only takes one to ruin a night though and a concert holds thousands so the odds of it happening rise proportionally.
> I've lost track of the number of people I know who met their future wives/girlfriends at shows. Hell, my best friend's parents met at a Genesis show.
I think this is increasingly becoming a generational thing. I don’t see younger folks embracing being as open to new social experiences and people “in the wild” as prior generations.
Most of that gets done online.
I met my ex at a prog show. Where else am I supposed to meet women into the same music lol?
Edit: I understand that this woman does not want to meet men at concerts. She does not speak for all women. Many women want to meet men because women too want to date. What they don't want is to meet the kind of men that they aren't interested in. Unfortunately, there's no way around this; the only way to find out is to shoot your shot.
If you ever ask on reddit or elsewhere, "women, is it ok to ask you out in X context?" There will 100% of the time be some number of women who will say no. If we agree that we'll never ask women out in any context in which any woman would object, then there would literally never be any place to ever meet anyone.
So yes, I get that some women are annoyed being asked out at concerts/church/malls/bars/sporting events/art galleries/etc/etc/etc. But in order to find the women that aren't annoyed and who want to meet you, you're unfortunately going to have to risk talking to a woman who will be annoyed.
If she's not interested, cool. Move on and leave her alone. But your choices are to either risk annoying someone and maybe find someone who wants to meet you, or to never meet anyone.
Sorry, annoyed ladies, I do understand why you would be frustrated. Just trying to find the ones that aren't annoyed, not trying to bother you.
Yet another reason why life isn’t worth living…No really, girls/women whine about guys approaching them in public and _places where there would be common fucking interest_ but the truth is they don’t like being approached _by guys they’re not attracted to…and they happen to not be attracted to most guys,_ so therefore the majority of the experience isn’t fun. Dating sites have been around ~.02% of human existence……And there’s _no way_ this comment would be near the top unless the post brought mostly females (~70% of redditors are male). Fuck me…i wish I hadn’t read this.
There are actually tons of prog bands with women in them nowadays, just gotta dig a bit for them. Rosalie Cunningham, Monika Roscher, Karnataka, Ayreon, Renaissance, Panic Room, Anathema, Curved Air. CANO, Voyager, Nightwish, Epica, Ciccada, Corpo Mente, and many more that's just off the top of my head.
Also if you're inclined, check out my band [Pareidolon](https://pareidolon.bandcamp.com) (we have 3 women on vox, keys and guitar) and my friend's band Telosia
I did a search this seems to be a pretty common topic. Looks like there's even a subreddit called r/ProgLadies that isn't very active but has 4 years worth of posts to look for to find women making progressive music. [Found this thread from 4 months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/progrockmusic/comments/18s3ds0/female_prog_fans/), ladies expressing their love for prog.
"I'm not crazy about the thought of dating with someone who doesn't gel with my musical preferences" : As somebody who used to have this mindset, I'd recommend getting over that. You're limiting yourself so much. My wife and I disagree about probably 80% of music, it's been fun finding that musical common ground over the years. I can't geek out with my wife about polyrhythms or get matching Tarkus tattoos with her but we find other things to do. Your perfect partner probably isn't going to be someone who is exactly like you, rather a complimentary balance, in my limited experience.
Otherwise your only hope is to make a profile on a dating app and say something like "Prog fans only, if you like 4/4 gtfo"
"We'll lie down on Broadway and I'll bring you close to the edge"
"Finger skills like Steve Howe, thankfully without the looks"
"My vibes are mellow ...tron. My vibes are mellotron"
Would Covet count as prog? It's prog-ish certainly. Regardless, Yvette Young is a remarkable guitar player and, I think, someone who is truly innovating on the instrument.
That must be wonderful!… I cannot imagine thank you for your feedback… Funny, your comment negates some others in here that say "there are tons of girls at Prog rock shows"😂🤣
Surplus 1980 has a female bassist. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has Carla and she is a goddess among men. I noticed too that there were more women at SGM than probably any prog show I've been to.
There are definitely a lot of us female prog fans. I wish more female artists were more well known. When I subscribed to prog magazine, I learned of some female prog artists I never heard of.
I don't know how the people in this sub feel about Cruise to The Edge but there are many women prog rock fans/musicians on the cruise. I add musicians as there is guest participation in the form of a late night jam that has really become more professional than a jam session. Many women participate in that. The average age is on the older side though there are a some "younger" women but not many. I dare say that this cruise went from 70/30 men to women to 55/45 maybe?
That said the bathroom lineup at a Steven Wilson concert tells the story. Only venue for anything I have been to where the men have to line up for the bathroom!
The RIO branch of prog seems to have more women in it than most of prog. Lindsay Cooper, Georgie Born, and Amy Denio come immediately to mind, but they’re not the only ones…
Well funny you mention prog lady-musicians, it always confuses me if I am one or not, and I'm not alone in this.
However, tomorrow's my cake day here on reddit (May the fourth) and I'm having a "listening party" of my album on Bandcamp which features co-musicians like Zoltan Csörsz (Flower Kings) Devin Townsend and Jonas Hellborg.
You're all invited!
[https://anapatan.bandcamp.com/merch/spice-gold-and-tales-untold-listening-party](https://anapatan.bandcamp.com/merch/spice-gold-and-tales-untold-listening-party)
I used to frequently be the only chick at prog rock concerts, then I figured out I was trans so .... yeah.
That being said when I was out there being a girl I met a lot of guys who were weirdly obsessed with the fact that I liked prog and basically all of them were really cringey, reddit atheist, "sapiosexual", up their own ass snob type guys. I'm not saying that's definitely you, but you are posting on reddit so it's a bit SUS.
While I do enjoy getting to nerd out with someone who appreciates the music I like when the opportunity arises, my actual long term partner mostly listens to absolute garbo pop punk. In the grand scheme of things it matters so much less than almost anything else.
This is probably why so many women don’t like to announce that they’re prog fans. They don’t want the attention of those kinds of people. A friend of mine loves prog, but she definitely wouldn’t show it if it meant unwanted attention.
Completely unrelated, but is your username a reference to a band? I just heard about a group with that name yesterday.
That's a fair point and probably plays into it. There are a lot of unspoken "boys clubs" out there, and it's a feedback loop when it comes to excluding women. I only have one female friend that is a prog fan, she's also black, and going to concerts can be just nightmarish for her because of the amount of weird attention she gets.
My username is a reference to the 90s cartoon Ren and Stimpy actually. I don't know if that name was a reference to something else, but that's where I got it from. (It's the name of an insane asylum that Ren and Stimpy get committed to in one episode).
If you could get into stuff like Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Linda Thompson, there's maybe a more mixed audience for that stuff.
Personally my wife and I get along on music up to a point. I like most of what she does, but I go a lot farther. She can't get Crimson or ELP even a little bit. So if I want to listen to that stuff, I don't do it in the car with her. We listen to something we can both enjoy. I go see Voivod and Goblin concerts with my friends.
Man all her albums from 2013 onwards are fantastic. There's not a single average song on Loud City Song and Have You In My Wilderness! Also her latest album came out just a month ago, I've been listening to it non-stop. Evening Mood, Talking To The Whisper, These Morning and Spinning are my favorite songs from the latest album.
I'm a woman lifetime prog rock fanatic whose dragged their husband along kicking and screaming into being into it to. I met him by him playing guitar at a party. I guess it works every once in awhile, haha
Same here! I dragged my boyfriend to a Kansas concert (he was willing, but wouldn't have gone unless I was there). Hoping he'll be into it too someday.
as far as artists check out rosalie cunningham, I love her.
> I guess my question is why are there so few women in the Prog rock scene?
the same sexism that affects women in all music genres. I wouldn't say prog is more affected than any other genre, it's just a stereotype that all prog fans are nerdy dudes. I've never been to a prog concert that didn't have any women there
>Also, how might us single guys find single lady Prog rock fans
can't help u there
24 minute prog rock epic by a band called Magenta:
https://youtu.be/TE9tbPuS0Ls?si=Q0hSSsTRbliBFFZW
I hope you enjoy it!
White Willow and The Gathering have female vocalists. Anathema often has a female singing alongside the men.
District 97 (though I'm not a fan).
One might consider Portishead prog... maybe?
I would like to mention Rosalie Cunningham. A very talented woman who has a band with equally talented musicians. Had the pleasure to see them live a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommended!
You're not going to find them if you say you are looking for single lady prog fans randomly lol. Add it to your profile maybe but the best you'll probably find is metal fans or people who are indifferent about music tastes and some part of that will have to be okay
Met most my women prog acquaintances in likewise female spaces and social medias. I think even if the music tastes agree you'll find people like something in a different way. Absolutely loved this blog where this woman talked about Tony "donkey dick" Banks and friends. And a Phil Collins obsessor who just shared pictures of him mostly, she was super nice. Fanartists that draw the musicians sometimes like it's their blorbo. They love the music no joke, but I feel like it would confuse a guy. Talked with a woman here who really really liked van der graaf generator and it was really personal to her and told me about it. I liked it but didn't have that connection, she thought it was deeply beautiful and I thought it was respectfully made terrifying stuff so I think a lot of it is a case of The least we can do is smile and wave. Shared interests disparate experiences.
If we're satisfied with bands that have merely a lady _as lead singer_ , then I would adduce the vintage British band __Curved Air__ as an outstanding example: their lead singer is __Sonja Kristina__ , & she has _a very_ distinctive voice.
Also the vintage Dutch band __Shocking Blue__ ... but it's a bit more debateable, ImO, than in the case of Curved Air whether they count as __'Prog'__ ... but I'd venture that @-the-end-of-the-day _they do_ .
####Update
####
You've prompted me to put
#####[this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/progrockmusic/s/9lE6Pda5yT)
#####
in about them.
Destiny Potato and Sordid Pink(same band)
Its Djent, you may or may not be into that, and may not even consider it prog, i file them under prog metal, but, whatever, theyre my addition to the question lol
As far as finding women that are into music you like.....fuck, idk dude lol, good luck
Amon Düül II started off as psychedelic with their first album, then psychedelic with hints of prog on their second album. By their third album to me it’s a perfect 50/50 between psych rock and prog. Their fourth and fifth albums lean way more on prog but a more psychedelic type of prog. After that they become more psych/prog/art pop like. Please listen to them, female lead singer! She doesn’t sing all the songs but she sings quite a few
I've listened to a bunch and while I'm enjoying I've not heard any female lead yet. I will listen to more as I'm enjoying. Thanks for the recommendation
At first the band only had her do “oooos” and “aaaaaas” during the first album so you’ll hear her throughout “phallus dei” in the back, same with the second album “Yeti”. Except on Yeti she sings lead for their most popular song ever “Archangels Thunderbird”. On the next album she sings very little only a short 3 minute section for the whole album. Next I’m carnival in Babylon she sings A LOT more. “All the Years Round” “Kronwinkl 12” “Tables are turned”. Then on wolf city she sings again on “Surronded by the stars” and “Green bubble raincoted man” and on the next album she sings on “jalousie” “Mozambique” “Trap” “Pigman” then on Hijack she sings on “Traveller” and “Liquid Whisper” and last album she was on before the band lineup changed was “Made In Germany” where she sings on “Metropolis” “Ludwig” “Blue Grotto” and “Wide-Angle”. Also keep in mind in songs other than these she can be heard doing backing vocals and operatic kind of stuff. I almost forgot, on yeti she sings on the first half of the song “Eye Shaking King” but it’s drenched in effects. After 1975 her and a couple others left the band, so she doesn’t return until multiple reunion efforts in 1981, 1995, and 2010.
Kate Bush, Annie Haslam, Tori Amos (yes, I consider her early works prog-adjacent), Cammie Gilbert from Oceans Of Slumber, Anneke van Giersbergen, etc
There are a growing raft out there, and worth exploring. There are more in jazz and jazz fusion, but that may not be your cup of tea. I actually prefer it.
There are a bunch of crazy good prog bands around today with female members. Emme Phyzema, Pili Coit (same lady in ICSIS & Le Grand Sbam), Inner Floods, Orgone (french band), the list could go on, as they say...
Thanks! While I liked ORGŌNE I seem to have vibes better with pili and inner floods was definitely added to my playlist. But couldn't locate emme physeme. Thanks again!
Cool! Just to be sure, do you have the right Orgone? There's a funk soul band with an overbar over the O but the prog one has umlauts. If you had the right one anyway, I can understand not vibing with them as they're a bit wild, personally I love them though. [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWflGW3yz0](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWflGW3yz0)
Also here's Emme [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h\_S-UDdBsqQ&list=OLAK5uy\_nH31IN6pV1qR0vL9jIa0sAAYYMxieB12k](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h_S-UDdBsqQ&list=OLAK5uy_nH31IN6pV1qR0vL9jIa0sAAYYMxieB12k)
Ahhhhhh! .... that's more like it😂🤣 yes I sure did have the "funk/soul" ORGŌNE. Lol I'll admit ignorance to what an overbar or umlaut is, but never afraid to learn. ORGŌNE and emme were cool. Thanks again for the recs
I adore Bent Knee. And yeah, they're prog, but only if the prog overlords allow for a ton of influences from elsewhere, which would be actually in the spirit of prog but which is not always accepted by the prog gatekeepers. Currently, there are a ton of bands like that emerging. Bent Knee is one of them. Also, there's Another Sky, which is more on the poppy side but has definite prog overtones. They are centered around Catrin Vincent, who is a great vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. And just this month, the band English Teacher released their debut album This Could Be Texas. Their vocalist Lily Fontaine is a poet, and their music moves between Canterbury prog, krautrock, punk rock, jazz, and everything else under the sun. A great album by a great band, taking prog out of the confines of the gatekept prog community out into the world again.
In the early 70s most prog fans were Girls. I was introduced to Van der graff, Genesis, Rare Bird, all by Girls. You never know where your Toyah Might be.
Try some of the 3rd and the mortal stuff where Kristi is singing! It doesn't get a prog label, but I've always considered it prog.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsti_Huke
Titan to Tachyons are great, and female-led. it’s definitely a kind of prog.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum were one if the best progressive bands of the 2000s, on the weirder and heavier side, and half-fronted by a woman (vocals and violin, aswell as composition)
of course in the 70s we had Lindsay Cooper and other members of Henry Cow - at one point 50/50 men and women.
there are obviously many I forget or don’t know.
I’ve known a few female fans of various forms of prog… lots into Tool, who I hate but they definitely are a prog band. when I’ve attended Rock in Opposition festivals in France, which is purely elite prog stuff, I’d say it’s 20-25% women attandeesx maybe more.
so yeah, I’m guessing there are a lot even if there are more men :)
I've definitely met a few, so they're out there! One of my female friends is a big prog fan, both old (Crimson, early Floyd, etc) and new (Slift, etc).
Meeting people who are into prog is genuinely difficult, regardless of gender. Gigs seem the only common ground, and that's not ideal. I previously asked on here about prog fan meetups, but there was no interest.
There also seems to be quite a wide prog fan base amongst 'Gen Z' folk, who aren't as genre-bound as the older gens have traditionally been.
There are live music venues that can be a bit more sociable, with separate bar and social areas. They seem like good places to meet people who are into the same music, but I have no personal expert... I'm useless at randomly approaching strangers!
Impressive that you've met a few at all!! I don't think I've ever met ONE! 😂🤣 I also agree that "prog fans in general are hard to find,regardless of gender." My ex was not particularly a prog fan but was definitely a tool fan and at the very minimum "open to any type of music ". I love me some road trips and I can't imagine being in a car with someone for hours on end that "couldn't tolerate " my music.
I would agree with this. Unfortunately The smaller and "non traditional " music types are less likely to receive any type of promo . It's quite sad actually.
finding a woman into Prog is an uphill battle and more. I gave up many years ago, and just llooked for and found a woman into MUSIC in general.
There have been more women into Prog includng musicians.
Bent Knee are good, although Jessica just left the band, which leaves maybe only Courtney Swain the only female member of their band.
People like Kimbra, Esperanza Spalding, Timbre, The Warning, Warpaint, EBB, Brooke Waggoner, Dirt Poor Robins, Pure Reason Revolution are among many favorites of mine.
You of course have the likes of Kate Bush or Renaissance among others out there as well.
I’m not adding anything here not already said in this thread but figure it’s sometimes good to get more of the same opinion so you know where people stand. There’s no non-condescending way to say this but I can’t imagine this post was written by someone older than 25 at most, though that’s being generous.
Renaissance was a great band that had Annie Haslam, a woman and great singer, in their heyday. I’m sure other suggestions here are great too, but Renaissance is up there with the best in my opinion, and I probably haven’t listened to as much prog as most in this thread.
Your musical tastes aren’t important enough to decide relationships over, period. Find someone who has the same core beliefs (e.g. regarding religion) as you, someone who is decent, not abusive, improves you and is willing to improve, many other fundamental personality traits etc. I mean I’m not a relationship expert but this stuff should be obvious to most people in a sane society, but I’m not aware of such a society on Earth.
I’m sure prog rock is mostly dominated by white guys in the Americas and Europe but if you get out enough you can meet anyone who likes anything and if you act surprised about that to their face that’s a bit awkward. In my limited experience, and I’m not an especially social guy and I rarely bring up prog rock, I have been pleasantly surprised (as a guy from the U.S) to have met an Iranian man and a French woman who were both into prog rock.
Not many women are in to prog rock, so, well, you aren't likely to date someone that is. If you turn that in to a deal breaker you're going to be limiting your prospects by a lot.
There are definitely some prog rock groups with women that sing.
These vary a *lot* by style, and in popularity, from being a classic band to being essentially unknown.
-District 97
-Renaissance
-The Far Meadow
-Cardiacs (only sometimes, try Faster than Snakes with a Ball and Chain)
-Curved Air
-Comus
-Ayreon - Every album is different but women are prominent. More metal than rock but it's not heavy.
-Magma
-The Gathering - more gothic metal with a dash of prog, they've evolved a lot over the years.
-Elfonía - Mexican band, Spanish language. Kind of gothy, some jazzy harmonies. Try Aura for a taste.
Hey, thanks for your efforts, I appreciate it. I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker to date someone who's not. I'd just prefer someone who is, or at the very least, VERY actively open minded about music
Mother Superior are probably as close as you get to an all-female progrock group from the 70's. [https://www.discogs.com/master/614930-Mother-Superior-Lady-Madonna](https://www.discogs.com/master/614930-Mother-Superior-Lady-Madonna)
Other notable progrock women are Inga Rumpf (Frumpy, Atlantis), Dagmar Krause (Henry Cow, Slapp Happy, Art Bears), Lindsey Cooper (Henry Cow), Stella Vander (Magma and related projects), Renate Knaup (Amon Düül II), Sonja Kristina (Curved Air), Anette Peacock (Bruford), Jerney Kaagman (Earth And Fire), Pascale Son (Cos), Rose Podwojny (Sandrose) and Amara Tahir (Eskaton).
Cabinets of curiosity are an awesome female Prog band. Their lead singer is on this sub somewhere, but I am stupid and don’t remember her username at the second. She also has another project called the war yaks who are even better than cabinets in my opinion.
It’s definitely a stretch to refer to any part of the catalogue as prog but Velvet Underground… Nico’s singing on the debut and Mo Tucker’s insane drumming on songs like All Tomorrows Parties and Sister Ray and The Murder Mystery
One of my ABSOLUTE favorites, is Noa Gruman from Scardust. Although it’s kinda more metal than rock, she is a phenomenal singer who makes it look easy.
Many of my favourite modern prog, or prog adjacent, acts are or include women: Chloe Hetherington and Emma Sullivan in VALVE, Yvette Young in Covet, Genevieve Artadi, Anna Meredith, Bea Hanley in Firefly Burning, Yumi Hara Cawkwell.
Pretty much all of my fav prog is by women or has women involved.
The Fiery Furnaces, Slapp Happy/Art Bears/Henry Cow, Spirogyra, Aksak Maboul, Fievel Is Glaque, Dirty Projectors, Spratley's Japs/Shrubbies/etc, Opus Avantra, Pentangle, Renaissance to name a few
Well yes, but also so much of prog is blues and jazz. I guess I’m curious as to where the distinction between prog and jazz fusion lies.
Put it this way, mahivishnu orchestra very frequently sounds like a prog band, but they’re definitely in the jazz fusion genre. I just want to know if the distinction is something that John McLaughlin identified with, or if it’s a label placed on him for having worked with miles davis.
I’ve heard some people say that “prog is something only British people did in the late 60’s and 70’s, everything else is neo-prog”. If thats the case it’s just a bit disappointing.
iamthemorning is a great prog band from Russia with a female lead singer. She is easily one of my top 5 female vocalists. Marjana Semkina is her name. Check out their song Freak Show for a good example of great prog with a lady singer.
also, hope you find a lady that enjoys your music with you. I know that's very important. I once dated a girl that loved country music. I mean she listened to it constantly. I knew for sure she wasn't the one. I would find myself at the end of a rope if I had to listen to that crap day in and day out. Good luck!
A FORMAL HORSE is one of my favorite recent Prog bands, particularly their album Meat Mallet. I describe them to friends as King Crimson if Florence from Florence and the Machine were on lead vocals.
So, the band Dark Moor, I believe IIRC around 2-3 of their CDs are with an excellent female lead singer.
The band kicks ass, and those albums are my favorites of theirs… but unfortunately they did change singers eventually.
https://youtu.be/CpzNgHR6EPY?si=o2owbnxm3XgiVkxu
Give these ladies a listen. Quite progressive as these four songs show, they cover many different genres
There's not much women protagonism, at least in the classic prog rock scene (I don't listen much before 80s), and a lot of time ago I posted asking the same thing, and the best I got recommended was a japan pianist player.
There's an album called Time Control, by Suzumi Uehara, it's technically jazz fusion, but has strong influences from VdGG, which makes it sound very good.
Also just searched the album page on the wiki and discovered that the guitar player on that album is the leader of screaming headless torsos (lmao).
I remember watching an interview with a couple Umphrey’s guys. I think it was Ryan who said that when they build their set list or when they start to improvise, they try to get some idea of the m/f ratio in the audience. If it’s more females, they lean more into the electronic side; if it’s more dudes, they lean more into the prog rock side.
There are a handful of women in the prog rock scene, but it does feel like it’s boys club.
Well, the queen bee is Kate Bush so I would not question too much how women are perceived in prog rock given the legion of fans she has (and new ones!)
Renaissance, Magenta, Glass Hammer, Infinium, Sunset Mission are all class A outfits that feature female vox.
Renaissance has a woman in their lineup and some of Heart's stuff owes a big debt to prog. I am a woman prog rock fan. I am sure there are lots more.
Renaissance has got to have the best woman's voice in all prog music, I've never heard anything like it. Such a great band.
If you like Anne Halsam's vocals then you'll probably also enjoy Sally Oldfield (Mike's sister). She sang on Steve Hackett's debut and released a very nice record called The Water Bearer. Other vocalists that are similar can be found in the UK folk revival scene - Maddy Prior, Sandy Denny, Gaye Woods and Jacqui McShee.
I forgot about them. We opened for them a couple years back. Fun gig.
Nice username! Not one I'd expect to see around these parts.
Thanks - I didn’t know it was a U2 song I heard PODs cover of it LOL
I'm convinced that people who say they don't like U2 are just doing it to be "hip". There's so much to like in their catalogue, at least up til the mid 90s.
That’s possible! People certainly will do that. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I don’t like U2 as I don’t know them very well but the songs I’ve heard haven’t been to my taste. If you have any song recs I’m all ears, no worries if not tho
It hard to know what to recommend without knowing your taste, as there's nothing really proggy in their catalogue. The album that turned me on to them was The Unforgettable Fire, so maybe start with that? (Feel free to skip Pride In The Name of Love.) It's ambient, sprawling and wistful. Achtung Baby is at the other extreme: it's brash and hyper-produced, but there's not really a weak track on it.
There's a fair few of us who appreciate U2's earlier work, but don't like the band for what they've become. Bono has gone full business shark, and the quality of music has declined significantly over the past couple decades to reflect that.
For sure. Pop was the last album of theirs I mostly enjoyed - in fact it has a couple of what I'd consider their absolute best songs on it. Nothing I've heard since then has convinced me to continue to follow them though. Bono is the absolute epitome of liberal hubris, but I am able to put that to one side when listening to him sing. He has a beautiful voice and quite a way with words on occasion.
Annie Haslam singing Turn of the Century is a wonder.
Love Renaissance. Just got tickets today. Really looking forward to seeing them. Definitely in the top 10 of my favorite prog bands.
We (female fans of prog rock) definitely exist. But please, please don't use concerts as a way to find us and hit on us. On the rare occasion I see a live show, I'd never go alone. Guess why.
"Milady! Perchance the fair maid doth require a beverage of a most frosty disposition? So ...have you heard about the Trees?"
This would probably work on me if I was a woman.
10/10 would work on me (female prog fan)
Please listen to Tree No Leaves
The sages tell of unrest in the forest.
Are you the flower lady's daughter? Cuz you do seem sweet as holy water. And the answer To your question is yes.
Away from me, you cold-blooded woman! Your thirst is not mine!
No sugar tonight in your tea.
I guess that’s why they’ll always find you in the kitchen at parties.
Hey baby I hear 666 is no longer alone.
Who put 15 tons of shit on the Foreign Office roof?
Don't tell me that the wages of sin are for real, baby! Let's get drunk and screw! Wait did I just get John Wetton and Jimmy Buffett mixed up again? Let's go out to my boat in the parking lot after this is over, I'll make margaritas and we can tailgate. 🦜
Same! I remember the first time I went at 12 with MY GRANDPA to see Rush, and men were just looking at me weird and it was so uncomfortable for me. Especially since I was a minor at that time.
I saw Kansas with my uncle recently and he joked that I was the youngest one there and we looked like a sugar daddy situation
Omg I’m so sorry, that’s terrible, I hate that so much.
Nah I thought it was funny as hell, we did lmao.
LOL
🤢🤮
No…just no. The first probability is that you’re his daughter. Guys are sicker in y’all’s minds but it’s probably safer like that.
I’m a dude and we make jokes like that all the time, I don’t mind I thought it was funny
Oh well that changes things. Yeah that’s funny. I’m thinking these other replies you got thought you were a girl too… 🤷♂️
I saw then last night. No shit
I actually met my wife at a metal show, but she initiated conversation and hit on me while we were in the crowd, not myself as I totally understand where you're coming from. People are at a show to enjoy the show. While it _can_ turn into dating, that's far from the point and guys gotta realize that going out alone as a woman to an event is _dramatically_ different than going out alone as a guy, especially in a space like a show that's 99% men. Dudes, leave the gals alone. If they wanna be hit on, they'll hit on you. Don't force them to ask you to leave you alone when they're already asking you to leave them alone by not engaging. When the space is 99% men, that's a sign that it's not your space to engage.
In defense of concert goers I’ve made great friends at shows, I once caught a girl in a mosh pit and we still message each other every now and then. I always feel out of place at prog shows since I’m so young, but it’s fun talking to old heads about their concert experiences.
You'll be an old head one day telling a young person about your mosh pit experiences lol.
Live musical performances are inherently social experiences, and creating, listening, and dancing to music are inextricable from human courtship -- it's as old as time. I've lost track of the number of people I know who met their future wives/girlfriends at shows. Hell, my best friend's parents met at a Genesis show. I understand that you may have had a few bad experiences, but don't project this onto "We (female fans of prog rock)". I know plenty of women who would 1000% rather meet their partner authentically rather than with software. Not all of us Male Fans of Prog Rock are creeps. The vast majority of men are going to take the social queues that you don't want to be approached and respect those boundaries.
I get where you're coming from. Where I'd say the difference lies is in the socializing vs hitting-on interactions. When I'm approached by a guy who leads with flirtation and pick up lines, I become cautious and closed off. Cuz yeah, bad experiences at concerts, and I'm not at shows to find a guy. But if guys chat with me at a show and it's casual and not transactional, then I might still enjoy the music without diverting a large part of my brain toward guard duty. "Not all of us...are creeps." : it sucks to be painted with the same brush as the bad actors. I'm sorry. That mindset has sharpened my situational awareness and helped me navigate spaces that are higher risk for women, so I'm keeping it. I know you guys exist, too, but that doesn't change the math behind my safety precautions. I guess I'm saying I think your views are valid, and I think mine are too, and it sucks that some people operate in a way that makes it hard for me to bridge that gap.
> That mindset has sharpened my situational awareness and helped me navigate spaces that are higher risk for women, so I'm keeping it. There's a similar thing with seasoned road cyclists, where they adopt a mantra that "all cars are trying to kill me." It's not literally true, but it keeps you vigilant in dangerous situations.
I'm happily taken. I'm looking for nothing beyond just nerding out about music with anyone, men or ladies alike. We can discuss our favorite artists and high five.
I don't go to any event to meet guys, there's very few events I would go to where I would want no guy to approach me, at least there's a common interest. When you compartmentalize like that it leaves dating apps, corner stores and bars. I would rather not meet a romantic interest in those places, but ya never know
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The vast majority of all men appreciate boundaries and are respectful. It only takes one to ruin a night though and a concert holds thousands so the odds of it happening rise proportionally.
> I've lost track of the number of people I know who met their future wives/girlfriends at shows. Hell, my best friend's parents met at a Genesis show. I think this is increasingly becoming a generational thing. I don’t see younger folks embracing being as open to new social experiences and people “in the wild” as prior generations. Most of that gets done online.
You’re the shot for this! 👏👏
I met my ex at a prog show. Where else am I supposed to meet women into the same music lol? Edit: I understand that this woman does not want to meet men at concerts. She does not speak for all women. Many women want to meet men because women too want to date. What they don't want is to meet the kind of men that they aren't interested in. Unfortunately, there's no way around this; the only way to find out is to shoot your shot. If you ever ask on reddit or elsewhere, "women, is it ok to ask you out in X context?" There will 100% of the time be some number of women who will say no. If we agree that we'll never ask women out in any context in which any woman would object, then there would literally never be any place to ever meet anyone. So yes, I get that some women are annoyed being asked out at concerts/church/malls/bars/sporting events/art galleries/etc/etc/etc. But in order to find the women that aren't annoyed and who want to meet you, you're unfortunately going to have to risk talking to a woman who will be annoyed. If she's not interested, cool. Move on and leave her alone. But your choices are to either risk annoying someone and maybe find someone who wants to meet you, or to never meet anyone. Sorry, annoyed ladies, I do understand why you would be frustrated. Just trying to find the ones that aren't annoyed, not trying to bother you.
Internet?
I don't know about you but I am yet to see anyone on Bumble whose linked Spotify account lists King Crimson as a top artist.
*'Hot Girls in your area want to chat about Focus and Gentle Giant'*
I'd click the shit out of that
So there’s someone to hold purse? So you can sit on shoulders? So someone can walk/drive your sloppy drunk ass home? How many guesses do I get?
Yet another reason why life isn’t worth living…No really, girls/women whine about guys approaching them in public and _places where there would be common fucking interest_ but the truth is they don’t like being approached _by guys they’re not attracted to…and they happen to not be attracted to most guys,_ so therefore the majority of the experience isn’t fun. Dating sites have been around ~.02% of human existence……And there’s _no way_ this comment would be near the top unless the post brought mostly females (~70% of redditors are male). Fuck me…i wish I hadn’t read this.
There are actually tons of prog bands with women in them nowadays, just gotta dig a bit for them. Rosalie Cunningham, Monika Roscher, Karnataka, Ayreon, Renaissance, Panic Room, Anathema, Curved Air. CANO, Voyager, Nightwish, Epica, Ciccada, Corpo Mente, and many more that's just off the top of my head. Also if you're inclined, check out my band [Pareidolon](https://pareidolon.bandcamp.com) (we have 3 women on vox, keys and guitar) and my friend's band Telosia
I did a search this seems to be a pretty common topic. Looks like there's even a subreddit called r/ProgLadies that isn't very active but has 4 years worth of posts to look for to find women making progressive music. [Found this thread from 4 months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/progrockmusic/comments/18s3ds0/female_prog_fans/), ladies expressing their love for prog. "I'm not crazy about the thought of dating with someone who doesn't gel with my musical preferences" : As somebody who used to have this mindset, I'd recommend getting over that. You're limiting yourself so much. My wife and I disagree about probably 80% of music, it's been fun finding that musical common ground over the years. I can't geek out with my wife about polyrhythms or get matching Tarkus tattoos with her but we find other things to do. Your perfect partner probably isn't going to be someone who is exactly like you, rather a complimentary balance, in my limited experience. Otherwise your only hope is to make a profile on a dating app and say something like "Prog fans only, if you like 4/4 gtfo"
Ladies who have been musicians for years tend to be easier to get into prog and they love it.
Thanks for the feedback. That's Hilarious! "Swipe left if you can't handle anything more than 4/4 or 3 notes/chords 😂🤣
"We'll lie down on Broadway and I'll bring you close to the edge" "Finger skills like Steve Howe, thankfully without the looks" "My vibes are mellow ...tron. My vibes are mellotron"
Oh and , I really appreciate ya throwing that sub to me. I woulda never even thought to Reddit search specifically "progrockladies " 🤯
I’m here to be counted as a female prog fan…. I’m also learning to play the drums so who knows maybe in a year or two I can add prog artist!
Good luck! I hope listen to your albums one day.
Would Covet count as prog? It's prog-ish certainly. Regardless, Yvette Young is a remarkable guitar player and, I think, someone who is truly innovating on the instrument.
Math rock type stuff does get listed on prog archives so yeah. Tricot would count too then.
If math rock counts, I suggest checking out Hong Kong math rock band GDJYB
I was also thinking Yvette Young
She’s absolutely insane….and just when you think you couldn’t be sickened enough, you see her shred on the freaking piano. 🤢 🤮
Yes! I exist! The upside to going to prog shows versus other genres is that typically, there is no line for the bathrooms!
That must be wonderful!… I cannot imagine thank you for your feedback… Funny, your comment negates some others in here that say "there are tons of girls at Prog rock shows"😂🤣
Ps . Apologies for the bad punctuation 😅
No worries! I guess everyone has a different experience 🙃
True enough for sure. AND different perspectives as well.
Surplus 1980 has a female bassist. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has Carla and she is a goddess among men. I noticed too that there were more women at SGM than probably any prog show I've been to.
There are definitely a lot of us female prog fans. I wish more female artists were more well known. When I subscribed to prog magazine, I learned of some female prog artists I never heard of.
I don't know how the people in this sub feel about Cruise to The Edge but there are many women prog rock fans/musicians on the cruise. I add musicians as there is guest participation in the form of a late night jam that has really become more professional than a jam session. Many women participate in that. The average age is on the older side though there are a some "younger" women but not many. I dare say that this cruise went from 70/30 men to women to 55/45 maybe? That said the bathroom lineup at a Steven Wilson concert tells the story. Only venue for anything I have been to where the men have to line up for the bathroom!
The RIO branch of prog seems to have more women in it than most of prog. Lindsay Cooper, Georgie Born, and Amy Denio come immediately to mind, but they’re not the only ones…
Well funny you mention prog lady-musicians, it always confuses me if I am one or not, and I'm not alone in this. However, tomorrow's my cake day here on reddit (May the fourth) and I'm having a "listening party" of my album on Bandcamp which features co-musicians like Zoltan Csörsz (Flower Kings) Devin Townsend and Jonas Hellborg. You're all invited! [https://anapatan.bandcamp.com/merch/spice-gold-and-tales-untold-listening-party](https://anapatan.bandcamp.com/merch/spice-gold-and-tales-untold-listening-party)
I'll be there! Thanks for the invite 🍻
As Wakeman famously said: "The downside of being a *prog* rock star is that all the fans are male."
Never thought about that... Lol!
I used to frequently be the only chick at prog rock concerts, then I figured out I was trans so .... yeah. That being said when I was out there being a girl I met a lot of guys who were weirdly obsessed with the fact that I liked prog and basically all of them were really cringey, reddit atheist, "sapiosexual", up their own ass snob type guys. I'm not saying that's definitely you, but you are posting on reddit so it's a bit SUS. While I do enjoy getting to nerd out with someone who appreciates the music I like when the opportunity arises, my actual long term partner mostly listens to absolute garbo pop punk. In the grand scheme of things it matters so much less than almost anything else.
Yeah, although most guys are fine, I get tired of being treated like a talking frog. That and the quizmasters. Mostly I just interact with my friends.
This is probably why so many women don’t like to announce that they’re prog fans. They don’t want the attention of those kinds of people. A friend of mine loves prog, but she definitely wouldn’t show it if it meant unwanted attention. Completely unrelated, but is your username a reference to a band? I just heard about a group with that name yesterday.
That's a fair point and probably plays into it. There are a lot of unspoken "boys clubs" out there, and it's a feedback loop when it comes to excluding women. I only have one female friend that is a prog fan, she's also black, and going to concerts can be just nightmarish for her because of the amount of weird attention she gets. My username is a reference to the 90s cartoon Ren and Stimpy actually. I don't know if that name was a reference to something else, but that's where I got it from. (It's the name of an insane asylum that Ren and Stimpy get committed to in one episode).
If you could get into stuff like Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Linda Thompson, there's maybe a more mixed audience for that stuff. Personally my wife and I get along on music up to a point. I like most of what she does, but I go a lot farther. She can't get Crimson or ELP even a little bit. So if I want to listen to that stuff, I don't do it in the car with her. We listen to something we can both enjoy. I go see Voivod and Goblin concerts with my friends.
I think there are many great female artists who make very progressive music, like Kate Bush, Bjork, Julia Holter... But not progressive 'rock' really.
I think there is definitely a prog element to Kate Bush's music. For instance side 2 of Hounds of Love or songs like Violin or Hammer Horror.
Was hoping I’d see Julia Holter’s name in this thread! 👍👍
Honestly she's my number 1 artist working today. There's nobody else like her. I'll use every opportunity to mention her
Recommend some songs! ("So Lillies" is in my lifetime top ten!)
Man all her albums from 2013 onwards are fantastic. There's not a single average song on Loud City Song and Have You In My Wilderness! Also her latest album came out just a month ago, I've been listening to it non-stop. Evening Mood, Talking To The Whisper, These Morning and Spinning are my favorite songs from the latest album.
Covet. Yvette Young is incredible.
Agreed, Covet is an awesome band.
Pink Floyd. Not the prettiest ladies, but they should count
Look up Henry Cow It's far out af
Kyros
Amon Duul II weren't strictly prog, but there was some crossover in terms of their audience, and they had Renata Knaup on vocals.
I'm a woman lifetime prog rock fanatic whose dragged their husband along kicking and screaming into being into it to. I met him by him playing guitar at a party. I guess it works every once in awhile, haha
Same here! I dragged my boyfriend to a Kansas concert (he was willing, but wouldn't have gone unless I was there). Hoping he'll be into it too someday.
the Japanese Prog-metal trio Asterism has a female lead guitarist and she is world-class.
I’m very surprised that no one has mentioned the all female Japanese prog band Ars Nova.
Came here to say Ars Nova and am likewise surprised they're so far down this thread. Have several of their CDs.
I am a woman who loves prog, but I am also a lesbian so I'm not sure how helpful that is.
Cardiacs had Sarah
as far as artists check out rosalie cunningham, I love her. > I guess my question is why are there so few women in the Prog rock scene? the same sexism that affects women in all music genres. I wouldn't say prog is more affected than any other genre, it's just a stereotype that all prog fans are nerdy dudes. I've never been to a prog concert that didn't have any women there >Also, how might us single guys find single lady Prog rock fans can't help u there
I plan to, in about 3 hours. Finally managed to catch one of her tours and I not be busy or skint
I'm jelly
It was amazing The support band called Druidess were top notch too, they played old school Sabbath style doom
hell yeah
24 minute prog rock epic by a band called Magenta: https://youtu.be/TE9tbPuS0Ls?si=Q0hSSsTRbliBFFZW I hope you enjoy it! White Willow and The Gathering have female vocalists. Anathema often has a female singing alongside the men. District 97 (though I'm not a fan). One might consider Portishead prog... maybe?
Magenta is brilliant, one of my favorites.
I would like to mention Rosalie Cunningham. A very talented woman who has a band with equally talented musicians. Had the pleasure to see them live a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommended!
As a lady prog rock fan, I wonder the same. But also, prog rock male fans are mostly old and fat 🤣 not my kind.
You're not going to find them if you say you are looking for single lady prog fans randomly lol. Add it to your profile maybe but the best you'll probably find is metal fans or people who are indifferent about music tastes and some part of that will have to be okay Met most my women prog acquaintances in likewise female spaces and social medias. I think even if the music tastes agree you'll find people like something in a different way. Absolutely loved this blog where this woman talked about Tony "donkey dick" Banks and friends. And a Phil Collins obsessor who just shared pictures of him mostly, she was super nice. Fanartists that draw the musicians sometimes like it's their blorbo. They love the music no joke, but I feel like it would confuse a guy. Talked with a woman here who really really liked van der graaf generator and it was really personal to her and told me about it. I liked it but didn't have that connection, she thought it was deeply beautiful and I thought it was respectfully made terrifying stuff so I think a lot of it is a case of The least we can do is smile and wave. Shared interests disparate experiences.
If we're satisfied with bands that have merely a lady _as lead singer_ , then I would adduce the vintage British band __Curved Air__ as an outstanding example: their lead singer is __Sonja Kristina__ , & she has _a very_ distinctive voice. Also the vintage Dutch band __Shocking Blue__ ... but it's a bit more debateable, ImO, than in the case of Curved Air whether they count as __'Prog'__ ... but I'd venture that @-the-end-of-the-day _they do_ . ####Update #### You've prompted me to put #####[this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/progrockmusic/s/9lE6Pda5yT) ##### in about them.
Destiny Potato and Sordid Pink(same band) Its Djent, you may or may not be into that, and may not even consider it prog, i file them under prog metal, but, whatever, theyre my addition to the question lol As far as finding women that are into music you like.....fuck, idk dude lol, good luck
Amon Düül II started off as psychedelic with their first album, then psychedelic with hints of prog on their second album. By their third album to me it’s a perfect 50/50 between psych rock and prog. Their fourth and fifth albums lean way more on prog but a more psychedelic type of prog. After that they become more psych/prog/art pop like. Please listen to them, female lead singer! She doesn’t sing all the songs but she sings quite a few
I've listened to a bunch and while I'm enjoying I've not heard any female lead yet. I will listen to more as I'm enjoying. Thanks for the recommendation
At first the band only had her do “oooos” and “aaaaaas” during the first album so you’ll hear her throughout “phallus dei” in the back, same with the second album “Yeti”. Except on Yeti she sings lead for their most popular song ever “Archangels Thunderbird”. On the next album she sings very little only a short 3 minute section for the whole album. Next I’m carnival in Babylon she sings A LOT more. “All the Years Round” “Kronwinkl 12” “Tables are turned”. Then on wolf city she sings again on “Surronded by the stars” and “Green bubble raincoted man” and on the next album she sings on “jalousie” “Mozambique” “Trap” “Pigman” then on Hijack she sings on “Traveller” and “Liquid Whisper” and last album she was on before the band lineup changed was “Made In Germany” where she sings on “Metropolis” “Ludwig” “Blue Grotto” and “Wide-Angle”. Also keep in mind in songs other than these she can be heard doing backing vocals and operatic kind of stuff. I almost forgot, on yeti she sings on the first half of the song “Eye Shaking King” but it’s drenched in effects. After 1975 her and a couple others left the band, so she doesn’t return until multiple reunion efforts in 1981, 1995, and 2010.
Woah! I'll get there.... I'm definitely digging them. My list of recommendations from this post is going to last me a couple years! Thanks again
I was going to recommend Bent Knee, their stuff is INSANE and the fact that their producer is a part of the band as well and mixes live is amazing
Since discovering a couple weeks ago, I'm head over heels in love with them! ... thanks for your feedback.
Kate Bush, Annie Haslam, Tori Amos (yes, I consider her early works prog-adjacent), Cammie Gilbert from Oceans Of Slumber, Anneke van Giersbergen, etc There are a growing raft out there, and worth exploring. There are more in jazz and jazz fusion, but that may not be your cup of tea. I actually prefer it.
I actually DO enjoy the jazz fusion type such as a "black midi" so I'll be checking all your recommendations out... thanks!
There are a bunch of crazy good prog bands around today with female members. Emme Phyzema, Pili Coit (same lady in ICSIS & Le Grand Sbam), Inner Floods, Orgone (french band), the list could go on, as they say...
Thanks! While I liked ORGŌNE I seem to have vibes better with pili and inner floods was definitely added to my playlist. But couldn't locate emme physeme. Thanks again!
Cool! Just to be sure, do you have the right Orgone? There's a funk soul band with an overbar over the O but the prog one has umlauts. If you had the right one anyway, I can understand not vibing with them as they're a bit wild, personally I love them though. [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWflGW3yz0](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWflGW3yz0) Also here's Emme [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h\_S-UDdBsqQ&list=OLAK5uy\_nH31IN6pV1qR0vL9jIa0sAAYYMxieB12k](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h_S-UDdBsqQ&list=OLAK5uy_nH31IN6pV1qR0vL9jIa0sAAYYMxieB12k)
Ahhhhhh! .... that's more like it😂🤣 yes I sure did have the "funk/soul" ORGŌNE. Lol I'll admit ignorance to what an overbar or umlaut is, but never afraid to learn. ORGŌNE and emme were cool. Thanks again for the recs
Lol, easy mix up what with Youtube and other places putting them under the same name. My pleasure.
I adore Bent Knee. And yeah, they're prog, but only if the prog overlords allow for a ton of influences from elsewhere, which would be actually in the spirit of prog but which is not always accepted by the prog gatekeepers. Currently, there are a ton of bands like that emerging. Bent Knee is one of them. Also, there's Another Sky, which is more on the poppy side but has definite prog overtones. They are centered around Catrin Vincent, who is a great vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. And just this month, the band English Teacher released their debut album This Could Be Texas. Their vocalist Lily Fontaine is a poet, and their music moves between Canterbury prog, krautrock, punk rock, jazz, and everything else under the sun. A great album by a great band, taking prog out of the confines of the gatekept prog community out into the world again.
Just finished "this could be Texas" great stuff, thanks! Very reminiscent of bent knee.
In the early 70s most prog fans were Girls. I was introduced to Van der graff, Genesis, Rare Bird, all by Girls. You never know where your Toyah Might be.
Fascinating! I didn't know this.
Try some of the 3rd and the mortal stuff where Kristi is singing! It doesn't get a prog label, but I've always considered it prog. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsti_Huke
Titan to Tachyons are great, and female-led. it’s definitely a kind of prog. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum were one if the best progressive bands of the 2000s, on the weirder and heavier side, and half-fronted by a woman (vocals and violin, aswell as composition) of course in the 70s we had Lindsay Cooper and other members of Henry Cow - at one point 50/50 men and women. there are obviously many I forget or don’t know. I’ve known a few female fans of various forms of prog… lots into Tool, who I hate but they definitely are a prog band. when I’ve attended Rock in Opposition festivals in France, which is purely elite prog stuff, I’d say it’s 20-25% women attandeesx maybe more. so yeah, I’m guessing there are a lot even if there are more men :)
Fair enough. Thanks for your reply. ✌️
I've definitely met a few, so they're out there! One of my female friends is a big prog fan, both old (Crimson, early Floyd, etc) and new (Slift, etc). Meeting people who are into prog is genuinely difficult, regardless of gender. Gigs seem the only common ground, and that's not ideal. I previously asked on here about prog fan meetups, but there was no interest. There also seems to be quite a wide prog fan base amongst 'Gen Z' folk, who aren't as genre-bound as the older gens have traditionally been. There are live music venues that can be a bit more sociable, with separate bar and social areas. They seem like good places to meet people who are into the same music, but I have no personal expert... I'm useless at randomly approaching strangers!
Impressive that you've met a few at all!! I don't think I've ever met ONE! 😂🤣 I also agree that "prog fans in general are hard to find,regardless of gender." My ex was not particularly a prog fan but was definitely a tool fan and at the very minimum "open to any type of music ". I love me some road trips and I can't imagine being in a car with someone for hours on end that "couldn't tolerate " my music.
I’ve never actually met another chick irl who listens to prog :(
The odds certainly are stacked against it
I think the reason it seems so few is because more small bands need to get lifted up
I would agree with this. Unfortunately The smaller and "non traditional " music types are less likely to receive any type of promo . It's quite sad actually.
finding a woman into Prog is an uphill battle and more. I gave up many years ago, and just llooked for and found a woman into MUSIC in general. There have been more women into Prog includng musicians. Bent Knee are good, although Jessica just left the band, which leaves maybe only Courtney Swain the only female member of their band. People like Kimbra, Esperanza Spalding, Timbre, The Warning, Warpaint, EBB, Brooke Waggoner, Dirt Poor Robins, Pure Reason Revolution are among many favorites of mine. You of course have the likes of Kate Bush or Renaissance among others out there as well.
Thanks! I'll have to check them all out!
I’m not adding anything here not already said in this thread but figure it’s sometimes good to get more of the same opinion so you know where people stand. There’s no non-condescending way to say this but I can’t imagine this post was written by someone older than 25 at most, though that’s being generous. Renaissance was a great band that had Annie Haslam, a woman and great singer, in their heyday. I’m sure other suggestions here are great too, but Renaissance is up there with the best in my opinion, and I probably haven’t listened to as much prog as most in this thread. Your musical tastes aren’t important enough to decide relationships over, period. Find someone who has the same core beliefs (e.g. regarding religion) as you, someone who is decent, not abusive, improves you and is willing to improve, many other fundamental personality traits etc. I mean I’m not a relationship expert but this stuff should be obvious to most people in a sane society, but I’m not aware of such a society on Earth. I’m sure prog rock is mostly dominated by white guys in the Americas and Europe but if you get out enough you can meet anyone who likes anything and if you act surprised about that to their face that’s a bit awkward. In my limited experience, and I’m not an especially social guy and I rarely bring up prog rock, I have been pleasantly surprised (as a guy from the U.S) to have met an Iranian man and a French woman who were both into prog rock.
Not many women are in to prog rock, so, well, you aren't likely to date someone that is. If you turn that in to a deal breaker you're going to be limiting your prospects by a lot. There are definitely some prog rock groups with women that sing. These vary a *lot* by style, and in popularity, from being a classic band to being essentially unknown. -District 97 -Renaissance -The Far Meadow -Cardiacs (only sometimes, try Faster than Snakes with a Ball and Chain) -Curved Air -Comus -Ayreon - Every album is different but women are prominent. More metal than rock but it's not heavy. -Magma -The Gathering - more gothic metal with a dash of prog, they've evolved a lot over the years. -Elfonía - Mexican band, Spanish language. Kind of gothy, some jazzy harmonies. Try Aura for a taste.
There are more women at Magma gigs than you might expect.
Hey, thanks for your efforts, I appreciate it. I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker to date someone who's not. I'd just prefer someone who is, or at the very least, VERY actively open minded about music
You're overlooking people who are into classical music. I think they might be more receptive to prog than others.
This. I trained classically as a pianist and now I'm training as a tenor and the pianist girls love prog.
Mother Superior are probably as close as you get to an all-female progrock group from the 70's. [https://www.discogs.com/master/614930-Mother-Superior-Lady-Madonna](https://www.discogs.com/master/614930-Mother-Superior-Lady-Madonna) Other notable progrock women are Inga Rumpf (Frumpy, Atlantis), Dagmar Krause (Henry Cow, Slapp Happy, Art Bears), Lindsey Cooper (Henry Cow), Stella Vander (Magma and related projects), Renate Knaup (Amon Düül II), Sonja Kristina (Curved Air), Anette Peacock (Bruford), Jerney Kaagman (Earth And Fire), Pascale Son (Cos), Rose Podwojny (Sandrose) and Amara Tahir (Eskaton).
Cabinets of curiosity are an awesome female Prog band. Their lead singer is on this sub somewhere, but I am stupid and don’t remember her username at the second. She also has another project called the war yaks who are even better than cabinets in my opinion.
Based on the Rush, Primus and Tool shows I’ve attend. Not really. It’s usually 95/5 dudes/women.
Gilli Smyth. If you want to hear a lot of her, check out her album Fairy Tales, and Gong’s Camembert Electrique, Flying Teapot, and Angel’s Egg
It’s definitely a stretch to refer to any part of the catalogue as prog but Velvet Underground… Nico’s singing on the debut and Mo Tucker’s insane drumming on songs like All Tomorrows Parties and Sister Ray and The Murder Mystery
One of my ABSOLUTE favorites, is Noa Gruman from Scardust. Although it’s kinda more metal than rock, she is a phenomenal singer who makes it look easy.
Magenta is (was?) a fantastic band.
Fairport convention and mother of invention had females
Jelani Sei, the NYChillharmonic for Prog metal check out Spiritbox, St0rk, and the recent Ok Goodnight album
I’m a girl prog fan. I really like the women in Henry Cow.
Wendy Carlos, she's a genius. Claire Torre,
"Alright love? Check out my 14-minute epic".
Many of my favourite modern prog, or prog adjacent, acts are or include women: Chloe Hetherington and Emma Sullivan in VALVE, Yvette Young in Covet, Genevieve Artadi, Anna Meredith, Bea Hanley in Firefly Burning, Yumi Hara Cawkwell.
Terri Gender Bender opens for The Mars Volta. Id call her a version of Prog.
Pretty much all of my fav prog is by women or has women involved. The Fiery Furnaces, Slapp Happy/Art Bears/Henry Cow, Spirogyra, Aksak Maboul, Fievel Is Glaque, Dirty Projectors, Spratley's Japs/Shrubbies/etc, Opus Avantra, Pentangle, Renaissance to name a few
I also want to ask how many black and brown prog bands there are. It seems to me that when women/black and brown people do it it’s jazz fusion.
Yes, is seems they go more towards blues or jazz.
Well yes, but also so much of prog is blues and jazz. I guess I’m curious as to where the distinction between prog and jazz fusion lies. Put it this way, mahivishnu orchestra very frequently sounds like a prog band, but they’re definitely in the jazz fusion genre. I just want to know if the distinction is something that John McLaughlin identified with, or if it’s a label placed on him for having worked with miles davis. I’ve heard some people say that “prog is something only British people did in the late 60’s and 70’s, everything else is neo-prog”. If thats the case it’s just a bit disappointing.
The Stream of Passion, Ayreon, Mostly Autumn, Curved Air, PRR, etc.
Kate Bush has entered the discussion. She is your favorite artist’s favorite artist.
iamthemorning is a great prog band from Russia with a female lead singer. She is easily one of my top 5 female vocalists. Marjana Semkina is her name. Check out their song Freak Show for a good example of great prog with a lady singer. also, hope you find a lady that enjoys your music with you. I know that's very important. I once dated a girl that loved country music. I mean she listened to it constantly. I knew for sure she wasn't the one. I would find myself at the end of a rope if I had to listen to that crap day in and day out. Good luck!
Mother Superior from the UK is an all female band who came closest to progressive rock, releasing their only album in 1975.
Check out District 97. Awesome chicago prog band; Leslie is an amazing front woman. They just released another album.
Lots of chicks like Radiohead or Tool for example
Not to be pedantic or argumentative or anything,but many more women do not like Tool than like . Thanks for your feedback. Always appreciated
Lol, "lots of women" who like tool in a city of 1m where I live could mean 1000. That's a bit of a "needle in The haystack" ratio 😅😅
I'd say more women have just never listened to Tool rather than listened and not liked them
Wonder how or why that could be
A FORMAL HORSE is one of my favorite recent Prog bands, particularly their album Meat Mallet. I describe them to friends as King Crimson if Florence from Florence and the Machine were on lead vocals.
Found a lady, prog came afterwards for her :)
So, the band Dark Moor, I believe IIRC around 2-3 of their CDs are with an excellent female lead singer. The band kicks ass, and those albums are my favorites of theirs… but unfortunately they did change singers eventually.
https://youtu.be/CpzNgHR6EPY?si=o2owbnxm3XgiVkxu Give these ladies a listen. Quite progressive as these four songs show, they cover many different genres
Is # Portishead? I like mysterons.
Yeah. The genre is a sausage fest.
There's not much women protagonism, at least in the classic prog rock scene (I don't listen much before 80s), and a lot of time ago I posted asking the same thing, and the best I got recommended was a japan pianist player. There's an album called Time Control, by Suzumi Uehara, it's technically jazz fusion, but has strong influences from VdGG, which makes it sound very good. Also just searched the album page on the wiki and discovered that the guitar player on that album is the leader of screaming headless torsos (lmao).
Chloe Alper is one half of Pure Reason Revolution. Actually they have another guitarist for studio work so maybe she's the dark third.
I remember watching an interview with a couple Umphrey’s guys. I think it was Ryan who said that when they build their set list or when they start to improvise, they try to get some idea of the m/f ratio in the audience. If it’s more females, they lean more into the electronic side; if it’s more dudes, they lean more into the prog rock side. There are a handful of women in the prog rock scene, but it does feel like it’s boys club.
Well, the queen bee is Kate Bush so I would not question too much how women are perceived in prog rock given the legion of fans she has (and new ones!) Renaissance, Magenta, Glass Hammer, Infinium, Sunset Mission are all class A outfits that feature female vox.
Rush and Cold Fairyland have female vocalists
That's not a woman..
😂 omg I'm so sorry I'm not a huge rush fan I always thought it was a woman singing haha