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Women take centre stage at Athena Festival

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Straight off the back of International Women’s Day – 10 March – the Curtin-hosted Athena Festival celebrated women in music, showcasing some of Australia’s most talented musicians.

Orchestrated by the Curtin Student Guild, Athena featured well-known artists Asta, Abbe May, Tired Lion, Nicole Millar, Bad Ezzy and up-and-coming outfit, Mosquito Coast. DJs from the also supported these headliners on the festival stage and into its after party.

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Abbe May on stage.
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Tired Lion saw in the sunset at the Athena Festival.

“I think [the Athena festival initiative] is fantastic, absolutely fantastic,� says Curtin student, Alicia Drew. “We’d heard of the bands, and thought we’d go down to be part of it all.�

Athena’s headline act, Asta, shared with us how other female artists had influenced her work.

“When I started listening to Adele I starting writing a lot on guitar, and that was really inspiring,� Asta says. “Then I discovered Annie Lennox, Madonna, Whitney Houston – lots of 80s artists really inspired me.�

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Asta at the Athena Festival.
As a young artist still at the beginning of her career, Asta admits that her success over the last few years still seems a bit surreal.

“There are moments where I do pinch myself,� she says. “But I think it’s just a constant pinch. It’s just a constant feeling of ‘is this real?’.�

With the Athena Festival done and dusted, Australia can now add itself to the list of countries, along with the United States, United Kingdom and China, which have hosted female-led festivals.

“It was pretty cool to have an all-female line up, especially after International Women’s Day,� says Athena festivalgoer, Mandy Humphreys.

“It tied with women’s week and was supported by Triple J,� says fellow festival attendee, Steve Myers. “And they’re some great bands, so I thought I’d go along.�

While the Athena festival’s main aim was to provide a platform for some of Australia’s female artists, it also worked to raise money for the , which provides accommodation and counselling for women and children affected by domestic violence.

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