‘Girls to the Front’ Brings Riot Grrrl Energy to Houston

In the early ‘90s, a group of women in Olympia, Washington, met to discuss how to address sexism in the punk scene. It was here that the Riot Grrrl movement emerged, an underground feminist punk and cultural movement that is associated with bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy. The cultural revolution is still making waves today—in 2019 The New York Times published an essential listening guide for the movement: “Hear 25 songs that fueled a rock revolution.”

During this time, the idea of “girls to the front” gained popularity. Women were often encouraged to stand at the front of concerts to promote safety, prevent harassment, and challenge male dominance in mosh pits.

Kimya Fotovat, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, named her Houston project after this. “I initially came up with ‘Girls to the Front’ as a concert series that could also coincide as a third space for girls in the music or art scene in Houston,” she said. “I used to feel like I held back a lot when I first came into the music scene here because of subconscious limitations I would feel in male dominated spaces, and it resulted in me not fully expressing myself or taking up all the space I really wanted to. I just wanted to make a space to remove all of that discomfort so we can explore the ways we want to be heard.”

‘Girls to the Front’ features an ongoing female-fronted concert series and women-only jam nights, inclusive of nonbinary or any fem-presenting people. This past September, the group partnered with Houston Music Classifieds to host a fem-only jam at Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge.

“I’ve become such a better musician just from participating in jams alone so I’ve always wanted to spread that feeling to people who might not have felt comfortable enough to attend one before,” explained Fotovat.

The event created a space for women to collaborate and improvise with each other on stage through vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and keys—occasionally with a little extra magic on flute. For some participants, this was their first jam, while others have attended jam events throughout the city. 

“It was so cool to see how many people told me they were super nervous to play but went up anyway because I really believe that’s what it’s all about,” said Fotovat. “Everybody was so supportive and nonjudgmental and it was the coolest thing to experience. The energy in the room was so sweet and I left feeling so inspired to do more of these, and also to just keep playing and learning music.”

The next ‘Girls to the Front’ concert will be in December. Fotovat plans to post a form on her page where bands and artists can share that they’re interested in participating in the series.

“There will also be poetry readings before the music starts and vendors,” she added. “The best way to get involved is to reach out about wanting to perform or set up a table. I’d love to branch out to do these events at different venues around town in the future just to keep the energy fresh and moving, so I’m really excited about where things will go from here!”

Follow Girls to the Front on Instagram, @girlstothefronthtx.

Story and Photos by Sarah Hobson