DIY Means Diversity

Focused on increasing the presence of people of color, transgender, queer, and female-identified people in punk and DIY in Philadelphia, First Time’s the Charm was a 16 band gig held in early November. Each group was playing their very first show, which made for a very exciting and interesting night of underground music.

Outside of having diverse makeups, which is an enormous change from the usual straight, white male-dominated indie scene, the bands also had to have members who were playing an unfamiliar instrument, or who were completely new to performing in front of an audience.

According to the event Webpage it was, “… an attempt to break down barriers to participation in the DIY community.” According to this member of the audience, it most certainly was.

The concert was a resounding success. The bands played two to three songs each to an extremely receptive and, not surprisingly considering the ethos of the event, equally diverse audience. Next week, Souciant will feature an in-depth conversation with the organizers of First Time’s the Charm, and some of the participants as well.

Photographs courtesy of the author.