Thank you SWIM

I'm never done being frustrated by how our generation of teenagers felt we'd done really well, in my case along with Hilary, Keith, Lynne, Kath, Karen, Roy Terre, Graeme, Francis and the many other contributors, we put out Deadbeat and never thought about it, we just did it.

We never made any conscious diversity decisions we just felt we represented who we bumped into in the local or national music scene. An unconscious choice.

I looked back at the covers in the light of so much setting back of the clock and I hold my hands up, especially towards the end.

We had Siouxsie (3 -6) on the cover twice, Annie Lennox (11),  Tracie Young,(14) strawberry switchblade (16), Kate Garner (22), only 6.

Of the bands we had Aztec Camera,(5) fun boy 3,(12),   (15), twisted nerve (17 &28) passionate friends (20) Cocteau twins (21), pop wallpaper (25) Wild Indians (27) Plastic Surgery (32) and the Alarm (33). Of the 11 bands only 3 contained women.

Paul McLaughlin (2), Kid Creole (4), Edwyn Collins (7), Adam Ant (8) Ian McCulloch (9) Switch Higson aka  (10),  Stuart Adamson (13) Kirk Brandon (19), Malcolm Ross (23), Morrissey (24),  Lloyd Cole (29) and the Crucial Xylophone front man (31) 12 covers in toyal. Or double the women on the covers.

I'm suitably chastised by myself for not being a wee bit more mindful, not least as the Rutkowski sisters sweet singing surely deserved to see Sunset Gun on the cover of 17, our first birthday flexi issue, but Deadbeat history will declare it was twisted nerve, a decision probably made at 2am in La Sorbonne when I'd been bribed by a few drinks.

What really frustrates me now, (almost 40 years later) is to look at the line ups for music festivals in Scotland. I'm absolutely baffled as to why the organisers can have all male lineups. 

It is truly ridiculous and for that I apologise unreservedly for not having done more when we were growing up, doing deadbeat although judging by the last 5 covers probably wise we did stop.

We are victims nowadays of being spoon-fed through the acquisition of our data by Facebook Google etc. As any statistician will tell you this is a race to the very bottom and expectations are suitably set.

Organisations like SWIM seek to redress the current imbalance but their job can't be easy. Diversity is an issue our society has booted into the political correctness bin. We all know what we need to do and celebrating all of the human race isn't a bad start.

This rant was provoked by a list of the performers at a Scottish festival this summer. I'm not saying boycott it but I am grateful radio Scotland were broadcasting today at 3:30pm!