Max HeyraudBody Movements co-founder and Dublin-born DJ SAOIRSE this morning posted on her Instagram about the regression of festival lineups, particularly regarding the inclusion of women, people of colour, and queer-identifying artists.
SAOIRSE has long been an advocate for equality on the dancefloor and within club culture overall. She’s been a staunch advocate and influential booker, curator and voice in that regard. Body Movements is an electronic music festival in London where queer and trans art is discovered and applauded, queer exploration is encouraged, and queer expression flourishes.
She said in relation to the topic via her Instagram post: “I don’t know what’s happened, but in the past year, it’s just gone backwards, and I don’t really get it.” She continued, “The more diverse your lineup, the more diverse the dance floor. Nobody wants to be in a club with 1000 blokes just jumping. So, yeah, I think we can do better, and there’s no excuse at this stage.”
Other DJs in the comments echoed SAOIRSE’s message, with SHERRELLE weighing in, saying, “It’s a reflection of society today, I am afraid! But glad people notice it and it will swing back the other way.”
Darwin also commented, saying, “Take a look at who is still at the head of almost every club, festival and agency and this isn’t surprising… guess as soon as the pressure lets up, they return to old habits. Especially the bigger events. No one wants to put in the work to push and develop alternative headliners. They just do what sells the most. Yuck.”
The question now remains: will anything change? There’s no question that festival lineups post-COVID were initially more diversified, but it now seems that diversification may be falling by the wayside. With lineups for 2026 still to be confirmed, we’ll see which way the tides turn.
Photo Credits: Jimi Herrtage & Shot By Aimee
