FAC Insights: It’s not all doom & gloom-the future of music could be accessible by Ruth Lyon
FAC Insights is a forum for us to showcase and share long form pieces looking at various parts of the music industry and the society that shapes it. This week we are thrilled to share this article by the incredible artist and disability activist, alt-pop troubadour Ruth Lyon, who is also an Artist Ambassador of the FAC.
Ruth backstage sat with her band all smiling after their show in her yellow festival buggy wearing a yellow track suit in front of the BBC Introducing large blue deckchairs at Latitude. There are trees in the background.
I’ve been a disability activist for the last five years, a touring musician for the last 10 and have never been more excited about my place in the music industry as a disabled woman.
I speak a lot about the barriers we face in our community and how much work is still to be done regarding inclusion, diversity, and access – both in a physical sense but also in shifting the stigma and attitudes that many people working in the music industry still have. However, as important as it is to shout about how we must improve, it is vital to highlight the progressive organisations and movements within the industry that are moving the conversation, putting access at the forefront of their development and actively promoting disabled talent. So, I am going to use this feature to talk about a couple of positive experiences that have left me hopeful for an accessible future.
Having launched my solo career over lockdown, I was invited to play the BBC Introducing Stage at Latitude Festival 2021; it would be my first live show under my own name. It also turned out to be the beginning of a formative and exciting year of work, and one that has caused me to reflect on how much access and attitude has improved.
Nick Roberts, of BBC Introducing in the North-East and a brilliant advocate for new and diverse talent in the area, interviewed me under the pretext of in introducing some new music for the show but little did I know this was a ruse to get me on a call so he could surprise me with the news that I would be playing at Latitude! Obviously, I was absolutely over the moon, but at the same time there are so many emotions and nagging self doubt that comes with being a disabled musician: Am I a tick box on a spreadsheet somewhere at the BBC? Do I deserve this opportunity? Am I going to be well enough to do the show – and all the pressure that comes with that? Are my band going to be able to carry me around if the stage isn’t accessible?
These questions are going through the minds of disabled artists all over the world – worries and fears which don’t ever enter the heads of most artists. But I'm learning to check myself and not be put off by these barriers and internalised ableism – otherwise nothing will change.
Ruth sits in her bright yellow festival buggy wearing a yellow jumpsuit and long curly brown hair down over her shoulders. She has yellow sunglasses, earrings and a big colourful sign reading Latitude is in the background.
Trying to ignore my worries, I quickly turned my head to rehearsing and managed to get a set together with a wonderful new band, as I hadn’t really thought about performing live at this point. And thankfully, I’d like to highlight the experience of playing at Latitude as one of the easiest and most inclusive spaces I’ve ever worked in. It started with the advancing. I felt nervous submitting my accessibility rider but the artist liaison and production team were so accepting of all of my requests - it seemed as though nothing was a big deal.
It probably didn’t seem like much to them, but reassuring me that my requests would be met and asking further questions where needed, without being patronising, meant so much. A study by Attitude Is Everything discovered that 70 per cent of musicians admitted to keeping their disability hidden out of fear of losing work or damaging relationships with industry. This shows that it is all about attitude to access, and how important it is to get it right from the beginning.
When I arrived, we were granted permission to park right next to the stage. This might sound like a small request but it’s one that is quite often refused. Having this extra provision means that it’s so much easier for someone like me, who regularly dislocates joints, to safely get to the stage in my wheelchair without hurting myself in rough terrain, as well as the many other benefits like keeping meds cool in the van, accessing mobility devices etc. No problem at all at Latitude Festival!
When I got out of the van, transferring into my festival off-road mobility scooter, I was delighted (and relieved) to see a large purpose-built access ramp, meaning I could get onto the stage autonomously! I often get carried on and off stages and as much as I am used to this and my team is prepared for it, it’s so much more empowering to be able to move independently, and that’s just what I needed for a show like this.
My main take away from the experience was just how little effort the crew made it look and their attention to detail. I’m sure it was a hassle building that ramp, making sure there was an accessible porter-loo backstage, clearing amps to give level access to the front of the stage, the list goes on. But I never felt like any of these things were held against me. In fact, when I thanked the stage manager for the ramp she said “it’s been a huge help to all of us having it and the team keep commenting on how they’d like one for every stage as it’s saved them carrying heavy equipment up and down stairs” - good access doesn’t just mean inclusion for disabled folk but it also tends to make everyone’s lives easier! The show couldn’t have gone better, and you can check out our live performance here.
Black and white film photo of Ruth and her band sitting after shopping, she sits in her wheelchair wearing large patterned trousers, sunglasses, long brown curly hair over one shoulder. Some of the band are wearing caps and on the far left Conrad wears a cowboy hat sat next to a cactus. Photo credit Fran Knowles
2021 continued to be a busy year. I released my first EP “Nothing’s Perfect” which was played on BBC6 music and Radio 1 as well as being picked by the Spotify editorial team and featured on some mega playlists - all very exciting! However, nothing quite prepared me for the highlight at the end of the year, when I was invited to perform and speak at SXSW Festival in Austin Texas – first time to the US of A baby!
I could write a whole book about how amazing that was, but I won’t bore anyone with that right now. I would just like to give one last insight and another very different but equally brilliant example of an experience where I felt included, where barriers were removed and how powerful it is when our community comes together and celebrates one another.
Supported by the wonderful PRS Foundation and Department of International Trade, I was able to take my whole band plus a personal assistant. We arrived jetlagged, full of excitement and anticipation; completely bowled over by the sheer size of everything!
Austin is a wonderful hub of culture and music, and it was amazing to play at the British Music Embassy (BME) alongside Wet Leg, Self Esteem and Yard Act. It also happened to be my birthday on the day I performed. I was serenaded by a lovely Texan man in a poncho who whipped the crowd into singing me happy birthday, as I drank my weight in Margaritas. Cedar Street Courtyard (the venue for BME) will be a place I always hold dear and hope to get back there one day.
Ruth is sat in her wheelchair on stage wearing an oversized pink suit, a mop of curly hair and silver jewellery as she sings into her microphone. The lighting is moody blues and purples and her keyboard player Calum sits in the background playing a red Nord. Photo credit: Thomas Jackson.
But, birthday celebrations aside, it was the work I did alongside disabled artists and activists Eliza Hull (Australia) and Lachi (USA) that really blew my mind. We spoke on a panel together in the conference centre and performed at “Access All Areas” showcase. I was totally inspired by their talent and raw passion. I realised that we not only all had disability in common, often framed by hospital visits, medication and access barriers, but also a powerful and rebellious cultural identity – shared experience that feeds into our art and self-expression.
We listened to each other’s stories, we laughed at some of the stupid ableist stuff we have to deal with, we listened to one another, felt each others music and shared an experience we all agreed none of us would ever forget. Watching their performances, I cried more than I have cried in a very long time. It was so powerful to be in a space for the first time where we were dictating the terms, we were running the show and where we all just knew. As I said I could go on about this experience for days but my point is that the industry might seem in tatters and sometimes it feels like equality took a back seat during the lockdowns, but there are good things happening.
In Austin convention centre in front of a large yellow SXSW sign Ruth sits in her wheelchair smiling wearing a metallic jacket, white shirt and green heels. Eliza is on the right standing, she is a white woman wearing a red jacket, jeans and a black top, hair up. On the left Lachi stands with her cane, she is a black woman with cornrows wearing a white shirt over a brightly coloured, patterned dress and white heels.
I am forever changed by the past year and am more determined than ever to fight for our right to contribute to cultural conversation. Disabled people bring such a lot to all art forms, to the industry, to society, and if we can’t make it all the way just because of access and attitude barriers, everyone is losing out. My recent experiences fill me with hope for the future - of true equality and respect for all musicians and I am incredibly humbled and proud to be flying this flag.