Friday, 30th

GIRL IN A BAND: TALES FROM THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FRONT LINE, BBC4, 10pm

Rock ‘n’ roll has always had a dangerous image - that was its chief appeal when it first arrived in the strait-laced 50s – but we imagine its literal danger being concentrated in the audience: the uncontrollable crowd, the drugged or drunken fans, or perhaps musical rivalries spilling into a fight or a riot, but this documentary shows us rock ‘n’ roll where the violence was aimed at the singers.

The punk girl band, The Slits, said they had to “run for their lives” when out on the streets because so many men found them threatening. They’d be physically attacked and one of them was stabbed. We also hear of girl bands who were raped or assaulted by their managers.

Asking the question “What’s it like to be a girl in a band?” this programme tells us it was often dangerous, violent and difficult. We hear anecdotes of prejudice and insult as well as some good old musical tales.

“History suggests rock bands are not equal opportunity employers,” says presenter, Kate Mossman, showing how women in bands were often patronised, never being talked of as “the singer” but “the rock chick”, or, even worse, “the other one”, and so she tells the story of the various pioneering women who broke away from the established bands to form their own, and we see the likes of Janis Joplin, Elkie Brooks and Patti Smith.