Page 20 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 16-21 Conquer Divide Interview.qxp_BV109 pg 20 07/12/2023 23:21 Page 5

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touchy topic, which I have never experienced ble, even before we play shows, because there serve it. And, the more you get upset, the more
myself, but I did get a view from watching us are some people who expect so little from a they feed into it and love it, so just tell them,
watch our friend. If you are starting to see the bunch of girls, they just see us as merch girls. ‘You know what, bro? Have fun living your life
people you care about, and the people you sur- "They make us feel completely invisible but that way, I'm gonna go thrive over here’."
round yourself with, starting to point out that no, we are musicians like everyone else. But
person's abuse, I would highly recommend lis- there are some people who don't see that until oing back to the final track on the
tening to them. we play. So, we do experience that a lot, and Grecord, the aforementioned 'gAtE-
"At times, it's hard to see the abuse when feel invisible when people look down on us. I kEePer' includes the powerful lyric, ‘We're in
you are in it. You can think this is just how it's mean, we've all been bullied on the internet the fight of our lives, we came from the bottom.
supposed to be with this person, this is natural, and I've definitely dealt with my share of cyber- There’s no keeping us down. In the fight of our
everyone goes through this. Well, no! If you are bullying, but, at the same time, it's just words lives, we won’t be forgotten’. It's a song they
starting to see your loved ones notice shifts in on a screen. Who cares? It shouldn't bring any have described as a ‘giant FU to all the indus-
your character or notice you are not doing well, of us down. try gatekeepers who minimise women’s partic-
I would highly recommend considering listen- "But yes, we do sometimes feel invisible ipation in rock and metal spaces’.
ing to what they have to say. until we play, and then we're seen. But it sucks Given her own admission of the levels of
"If they are the ones who truly love you and that we just can't be seen, and feel we always anger pouring from their self-titled album com-
they want the best for you, then everything have to prove ourselves." pared to the more mature vibes from 'Slow
they are saying is because they care. Some- Having had experience of this, unlike our Burn', we ask Janel if she feels there have
times it can be hard to do and I understand previous topic, we ask Janel if she can impart been any improvements on this front in the last
that, but just give your loved ones a chance. any words of help to anyone reading this or lis- eight years, and what needs to change and im-
Maybe think about that. Don't think you have tening to their music who feels the same. prove, moving forward.
to fix it right there, but let them plant the seed, "If someone is taking their time and energy "The thing which still needs to change is
so eventually, you have the confidence to over- to make you feel like crap, don't let them," she what we were just discussing, about being in-
come such an experience." replies. “They could have such a fulfilling life, visible. We'd roll up to a venue and the loaders,
with hobbies or working towards their own or whoever it is, look at us like, ‘Who are you?’
ne of the finest lyrics on ‘Slow Burn’ dreams, and instead, they are standing there And they can continue that weird kind of, ‘Urgh,
Ocomes from 'the INVISIBLE' - "Have trying to make you feel like crap instead. Don't these girls, why are they here?’ but they
you ever been left out, been faceless in the let them. Don't let that happen. Don't let some- change their attitudes when they see us play.
crowd? All the beautiful people can’t see who one who is wasting their energy make you feel That thing has been ongoing since we starting
you are", words we are sure almost everyone bad. Just look at them and think, ‘That sucks playing in 2015.
can relate to from some stage of their lives. that you're wasting your time on this earth try- "So, if we could knock that out and have it
Janel says, “I think we have all been made ing to make me feel bad when I'm just trying to accepted that a woman can walk into a music
to feel crap by people, bullied on or made to thrive’. venue and not be automatically seen as a
feel invisible, and I feel like, sometimes, being "So, don't let anyone trying to make you merch girl, that would be sick.
in a female metal band, we tend to feel invisi- sad, make you mad, because they don't de- "Back in the day, we would try and blend

CONQUER DIVIDE