Rough Trade Celebrates International Women’s Day with Special In-Store Performance in Parntership with CALM

06 March 2024 - Press release

Independent music retailer Rough Trade is hosting a special in-store event in support of with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to celebrate International Women’s Day and draw awareness to suicide prevention in young women.

Due to perform on Friday the 8^th of March at Rough Trade’s East London location are artists Gina Burch, PUSSYLIQUOR, mui zyu, and gglum, with all proceeds from ticket sales being donated to CALM to help the organisation continue offering their life-saving services.

The evening will offer electrifying and empowering performances in celebration of the incredible contributions of women in the music industry.

In the UK, the suicide rate in women aged 10-24 has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, and 79 percent of suicides in women under 25 have previously been assessed as ‘low risk.’

Further research commissioned by CALM also found that stereotypes around women and mental health meant that those in crisis would often hold back from asking for help, with 22 percent fearing they will be seen as attention seeking, 33 percent fearing being labelled dramatic or over-emotional, and 31 percent doubting they will be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, for those who did reach out for support, the response only served to make them feel like their issues were trivialised, with 33 percent asked if they were overthinking things, 27 percent told it could be down to hormones and 20 percent asked if they were on their period or told they were being dramatic.

Donations can be made in any of Rough Trade’s store locations or online at roughtrade.com and tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Emily Waller, UK Head of Brand and Content at Rough Trade, commented:

“Rough Trade is proud to support CALM’s incredible work that promotes better mental health for all.

“Raising awareness for this issue is especially important for musicians, as it was recently revealed in a government report that misogyny in the music industry is “endemic” and that more must be done to tackle discrimination, harassment, and sexual abuse of women industry-wide.

“Not only will fans get the chance to see an incredible line-up at this event, but the proceeds will also be used by the charity to help more women access the support they deserve.”