Loud & Proud: Vienna experiences the first including metal festival!

Loud & Proud: Vienna experiences the first including metal festival!

A lot is happening in the Viennese music scene, because a very special event is just around the corner: The first "Loud & Proud" festival will open its doors on November 21 and 22nd in the Flucc. With this festival, the organizers want to take a new, inclusive path in the metal genre. "Loud & Proud" has been committed to being a festival for everyone who has never felt seen - regardless of whether they found too little space on the stages or in the audience.

Consciously fights here against the traditionally male-dominated metal scene. According to an examination, only 18 percent of women hear metal, while almost twice as many men burn for this genre. It also often looks mau at festivals: three quarters of the acts are purely male at the famous “Wacken Open Air”. In this context, the "Loud & Proud" festival sets a sign of diversity and diversity.

diversity in focus

The idea of ​​the festival aims to focus on bands with various casts. These include international sizes such as Witch Club Satan from Norway, Tower from the USA or Divide and Dissolve from Australia. Even domestic acts such as Lurch and the parish should not be missing. A colorful line-up that shows the visitor: inside shows that metal is far more than the stereotypical masculine.

But it's not just about the music: In addition to the concerts, visitors can expect an exciting panel discussion about exclusions in the metal scene and new perspectives. Drag performances and open rounds of dungeons & dragons complete the program, while retreats are available for networking and well-being. Organizers emphasize that the festival is deliberately not commercially aligned - it should create space for authentic exchange.

women in metal: a difficult testimony

The discrepancy between men and women in the music industry runs through all areas. In its analysis, the Malisa Foundation shows that over 85% of music is composed by men in the German weekly charts and the proportion of women in festival stages in 2019 was just 16%. There is a little hope, because at smaller festivals the proportion of women could already be up to 29%. But the visible representation of non -binary people and other gender identities remains weak.

One more reason to support the initiative of the "Loud & Proud" festival. In an industry in which the change hesitates, this festival could be the beginning of a revolution in the metal scene. It is not only important to fill a gap, but also to open rooms that have so far often remained closed. The time for changes has come - and Vienna could be the right place for this.

For everyone who is interested in the details of the festival and the still existing challenges in the metal genre, there is a look at the comprehensive reports of Kurier , Tagesspiegel and the Malisa Foundation that impressively show how much potential is in diversity.