A sexual assault in a mosh pit at a gig in Hobart this month has prompted renewed discussion about women's safety at live music venues, and ways to change attitudes to prevent future incidents.
Brisbane band Beddy Rays had finished playing a show when they were informed that a woman had been sexually assaulted.
She had approached bar staff, and event organisers provided a quiet room for her.
The band drove her and a friend home afterwards, and the perpetrator was kicked out of the venue and banned for life.
Band member Lewis McKenna said while it was the first time he had heard of such an incident at one of their shows, it was not uncommon at live music events.
"Three of my female friends have actually experienced it before," he said.
"It wouldn't happen at every show, but it's actually much more common than we think."
Bands who play gigs where mosh pits are common will often remind the crowd to look after each other, or point out problematic behaviour to venue staff.
Beddy Rays posted on social media the next day, highlighting the issue more broadly. This prompted other women to share stories of similar incidents at live music.
McKenna said it was an issue the industry needed to have a discussion about.
"We just want to try and nurture a bit of a culture around our shows that ... this is a safe space for anyone, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from," he said.
"Between your mates, even little comments that people might make ... like a misogynistic comment or something like that. I think it's important to call that stuff out before it [becomes] something worse, someone actually acting out what they're saying."
Sexual assault at gigs still vastly under-reported
The issue of sexual assault at music events received widespread attention following a series of incidents at Falls Festival in 2017, and it has remained an ongoing issue.
A review of the Australian music industry last year found harmful behaviours were still too commonly normalised.
It found that over the past five years, the most common form of sexual harassment came from audience members.
University of Tasmania PhD candidate Ash Barnes has been researching how people in Australia's punk and hardcore scenes understand aggression, including attitudes to sexual assault.
They said it remained significantly under-reported due to several factors.
"One of the problems is that people aren't recognising what happened to them is wrong," they said.
"The body knows when it's been violated, but we use certain language which makes us think, 'well, actually it's totally fine and OK'.
"We use terms like groping when it's actually sexual assault. Or we'll say that person was rude to me, but when we think, that's actually sexual harassment.
"One of the things we can do is having conversations with your friends. And say, 'well, what does sexual assault look like to you at a gig? I'll tell you what it's like to me'."
They said that Australian binge drinking and nightclub culture still reinforced problematic attitudes towards women.
Their research also pointed to the impact of gentrification in Australian inner suburbs; that the loss of smaller venues had pushed gigs to larger venues, taking away the sense of community.
"Quite often they shut down, and our wholesome community gigs get pushed out, so we rely on larger-capacity venues," they said.
"That can change the whole dynamic of how you relate to the venue, the people around you, and unfortunately things like sexual assault becomes more difficult to communicate as a community and how we can manage it."
First response to incidents is vital
University of New South Wales senior lecturer in criminology Phillip Wadds carried out the first broad study into sexual violence at music events in Australia, but the COVID shutdown meant recent data had been difficult to come by.
He hoped this hiatus had prompted reflection from the industry into how to ensure safety at gigs.
Dr Wadds praised the immediate response to the Hobart incident, but said this did not always occur.
"There can be a lot of victim-blaming involved," he said.
"We had some horrible interviews with victim-survivors who were not being believed, or being blamed, and not having appropriate follow-through.
"There were instances, particularly when a victim-survivor was intoxicated, that could be used against them. Questions are asked like, 'is that really what happened?'"
Dr Wadds said it was encouraging to see bands willing to post about it on social media, but more needed to be done.
"Change can be lead from the bands, but there's opportunities for audiences to be a part of it, particularly men going to gigs," he said.
"It can't just be on performing artists to make change. It certainly can't just be on women."
Bands using their platforms to call out violence
In the aftermath of the Falls sexual assaults, organisers put in place measures to attempt to make events safer, and to ensure support was immediately available.
In Tasmania, Dark Mofo ensures the Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) has a presence at events.
SASS chief executive officer Jill Maxwell said it was important to make sure venue staff had training in recognising harmful behaviour, and how to respond to sexual assault disclosures.
"First of all, letting them know that they are believed, and giving them choice in terms of what they want. Do they want somebody with them? Do they want to call the police? Do they want to call a support service?" she said.
Ms Maxwell said problematic attitudes towards women persisted, and remained a precursor to violence.
But having people use their platforms to call out this behaviour was a start.
"The more people stand up and say, 'this is not OK', the better," she said.
"But it has to be underpinned by: what is acceptable behaviour? And how do you go about that?"
