Sweet Pill is Gritty In Pink
june 11th - new york city, ny
In 2004, all-girl punk band Shiragirl crashed the Vans Warped Tour in a bright pink RV that converted into a makeshift stage to perform themselves, with hopes of protesting the lack of female musicians included in the festival lineup. The following year, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman invited Shiragirl back with their own stage, nicknamed "Gritty in Pink" by the press, which then allowed at least 300 underground female musicians and bands to play on the tour, including legends like Paramore and Joan Jett. Now, frontwoman of Shiragirl, Shira Yeven, continues to push for change and empowerment of women in creative fields, starting up a Gritty in Pink, a traveling all women musical tour as well as online community, that features non-man fronted bands, musicians, and creatives, striving for equity, inclusion, and visibility. On Wednesday, June 11th, Gritty in Pink took over Gramercy Theatre in New York City, with current emo music powerhouse, Sweet Pill, headlining.
Ahead of their Warped Tour debut, Sweet Pill joined Gritty In Pink for a Warped Tour “Warmup Tour”, performing with the entirely female and femme lineup as a queer and femme fronted band. The first hour and a half of the show consisted of the founders of Gritty In Pink and their guest artists performing songs from past musicians who graced Warped Tour’s stages, from My Chemical Romance to Paramore. Musicians and artists such as JENNCiTY, former bassist of Kittie, and Sindi B, guitarist from the Lunachicks, participated, rocking out on a stage full of powerful and talented women. With bright pink lights, the stage was not only for performance but for community, as Gritty In Pink put on their unique and one-of-a-kind show.
As the pink lights faded to red, Sweet Pill took the stage. From Philadelphia, the band is a continually rising star in the emo scene. A powerful and intoxicating blend of emo-pop, they play bright riffs that complement the distinctive storytelling of their lyrics. They began their set with fan favorites, but then dove into their newer music off of their EP Starchild as well as some brand new pieces. Recently having released an album full of acoustic versions of some of their songs, Sweet Pill is not done yet, as this powerhouse continues to write and create from the heart.
Gritty In Pink offers a place for community and growth within a male-dominated music industry, highlighting talent and resisting inequality and disrespect towards non-men who want to make music, and giving them creative spaces to be themselves. Sweet Pill was a significant addition to this lineup, ending the show with as much excitement as it started. As Warped Tour begins, Gritty In Pink is something to watch out for, as their events don’t disappear after the festival. Keep an eye on them and their mission here.
