Reading and Leeds announced a new run of names for their yearly weekender this morning including new headliner Kasabian.
Music blog Crack in the Road quickly noted that the number of men on the lineup added up to 57 while there was just one female performer, vocalist of American pop rock band Against the Current, Chrissy Constanza.
To illustrate the imbalance, the blog removed all male acts from the announcement to show how sparse it would look without men.
The Reading & Leeds line-up currently features 57 men, and 1 woman. pic.twitter.com/hRFzxEkVze
— Crack In The Road (@crackintheroad) January 26, 2017
It was Crack In The Road that spotted the disparity in the bill back in 2015. Chief promoter Melvin Benn, in an interview with the Guardian in 2015 justified their booking policy by turning his attention on to the audience. “We put on bands that people want to buy tickets to watch – so it’s the public that makes the decision about what bands play at festivals,” he told the newspaper. “We’re not the tastemakers. Putting a festival on is a monstrous financial risk. The only way I balance the books is selling tickets. Why do you think we book the same male acts again and again?”
We have reached out to festival organisers for comment.