Little Boy, Don't Think You Quite Understand

After her appearance with Sleaford Mods at last year's Glastonbury Festival, Billy Nomates had an hour-long set on The Park Stage at 3.15pm on Friday. On the back of a successful UK tour and a critically acclaimed second album, you'd think it couldn't get much better, right? 

These were Billy's words after her performance:

 

"the level of personal abuse on @bbc6muisc socials for goin to work today is insane. I've asked for all footage to be removed. I know it's not for everyone what I do. I know lots of people don't rate me. But the level of personal abuse on that public page is too much. there will be no more shows after this summer. You wouldn't stay in a workplace that did this to you. Why should I."

It's another fine example of a sad minority of male sad sacks who feel so threatened by a woman writing, creating and performing great music that they are compelled to troll and attack and belittle them. 

I like lots of music, I have very broad tastes and a passion for hearing and supporting new artists. There's plenty of music that I don't like and artists that I don't particularly care for, but I've don't feel the need to spend time online, tracking them down so I can denigrate and diminish them. 

I've not seen Billy Nomates live in concert, but I had seen her several times on TV, firstly with Sleaford Mods on Jools Holland's show, performing Mork n Mindy, then a year later blowing the other guests away with Balance Is Gone from her current album Cacti.

Her first public performance was on 28th September 2019 at Longwell Records in Keynsham (about halfway between Bristol and Bath and a go-to place when I used to bunk off school, but that's another story). It's available on YouTube and it's brilliant.

 

The main issue that the music "fans" seemed to have is that Billy Nomates performed on stage without a live band and to a backing track. Despite the fact that Billy had created pretty much all of the music, written all of the words, was singing live and absolutely owning the stage - I've seen anyone else doing high kicks yet - these "purists" seemed to be griping that somehow the set wasn't authentic. Even if I could play a note of music (I can't) or DJ (I can't) or sing (I most definitely can't), I wouldn't feel justified in seeking out an artist just to tell them how shit they are. What is wrong with people?

It has been encouraging and heart-warming to see the huge outpouring of love and support for Billy Nomates. Sadly, some of the male muso turds have refused to flush away; I read someone mansplaining to The Anchoress why it wasn't really all that bad; there are acceptable levels of misogyny, apparently. Twits.

 

I'm hoping that Billy Nomates aka Tor Maries sees and hears the love and respect that people have for her and can heal from this experience. The least I could do was go and buy her albums, EPs and standalone songs on Bandcamp and write a few words of support.

 

 

This wasn't the post I originally planned for Sunday but this is the one that I needed to post. Today's selection is a hastily compiled three quarters of an hour based on a few songs that I'm pretty familiar with and others that I've heard for the first time in the past 24 hours. They're all brilliant and I hope one day to see Tor performing them on stage.

 

1) No (2020)

2) Vertigo (2023)

3) Supermarket Sweep (ft. Jason Williamson) (2020)

4) 22 Spring (2022)

5) Wild Arena (2020)

6) Heels (2020)

7) Deko: Disableton ft. Rosa Deko & Billy Nomates) (2020)

8) Blackout Signal (2023)

9) FNP (2020)

10) Mork n Mindy (Live @ Glastonbury): Sleaford Mods ft. Billy Nomates (2022)

11) Making Plans 4 Nigel (Not Going To The Beach) (Cover of XTC) (2020)

12) Saboteur Forcefield (2023)

13) Right Behind You (2020)

14) Spite (2023)

2020: Billy Nomates: 1, 3, 5, 9

2020: Bits: 11

2020: Deko (by Disableton): 7

2020: Emergency Telephone EP: 6, 13

2022: 22 Spring: 4

2022: Live At Glastonbury: 10

2023: Cacti: 2, 8, 12, 14

Little Boy, Don't Think You Quite Understand (44:15) (KF) (Mega)