‘Girlz B Like’ Marcia Carr, on Empowerment and Challenge in the Modern Era
As part of Grow’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, we caught up with Marcia Carr, the driving force behind ‘Girlz B Like’, a trailblazing premier all-female, vinyl-only DJ collective and event series hosted at Grow since March 2022. We delve into the depths of her journey, exploring the origins of ‘Girlz B Like’, the challenges she's overcome, and the inspiring vision that propels her forward.
Can you tell us about your background, your night and its ethos?
I had a growing interest in record collecting and a love for dancing in my formative years at clubs such as the Wag, 100 club, Guillivers, Crackers. I ended up at many, many house parties going to allayers such the one’s hosted by DJ Greg Edwards at the Lyceum Ballroom and played records at family functions, and at my college get togethers. Bluebird records was located on Edgware Rd in London, it was one of the first shops that I ventured into outside of my manor. My bedroom slowly began changing shape as my small haul of records accumulated from various shops grew, even from the collections of family. Once I started at the University of North London the Student Union found out that I DJ’ed and asked me to play at the women-only nights - I ended up also regularly driving home the female students with the uni mini-bus.
On my journey, there were difficulties; bad experiences, gatekeepers, being told on a number of occasions that I “was not allowed”, that “I can’t” or that I have “no business” to be a part of things. Despite the darkness and negativity and frustration, those obstacles have turned into something positive. A lightbulb moment came, I needed to take action - it was and is the way forward - this is how Girlz B Like, the brand was born. Delivered in October of 2015 in the basement of a venue in Shoreditch, the ethos has naturally become a safe space within the DJ booth for the “girlz”. Where I am now, I stand out.
Do you feel there is a need to create more space for female djs/platforms/female-focused events? Why?
We would not have arrived at this point, having to deliberately create events or platforms which are solely female-focused, had there been an existence of balance within various spaces in dance music culture and the entertainment industry. What is important is to have balance right across the board throughout the whole industry, in all areas and at all levels because women are just as capable as our male peers. For far too long we have been conditioned to merely know our place and just accept the status quo having been navigated, directed and controlled by what other people think, where women are positioned to look pretty, hosting the door, or just being dancers. Changing up or reversing the roles is not about the exclusion of men, but we need these adjustments to seeing more women running things too, until it becomes standard or commonplace. Women-led events won’t put everything right in an already messed-up world, but a bit of healthy competition might shake things up nicely!
What challenges do you commonly face in your role, and how do you navigate them?
Over the years I have had plenty of challenges, but not as many conflicts with Girlz B Like because I think from the start people grasped the idea of what they thought the parties were trying to convey. Funds generated from the day job to cover expenses have all been testing at the best of times. Every now and then a few of my male DJ peers have whinged or made sarcastic comments about the event being “sexist” and seeing it as an act of discrimination. I quickly put those negative remarks to bed, not because I feel like I have to justify the existence of Girlz B Like, but to let any naysayers or haters know that because of being excluded from doing things in the past we simply built our own pathway going forward ourselves - as Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin said “sisters are doing it for ourselves”. The guys can either join us at the parties, or not. Regardless of financial constraints, we are doing what we need to keep the vision growing and building while we are gaining support nicely and steadily.
Could you share a memorable performance or event you were involved in at Grow and what made it stand out for you?
There have been so many memorable nights of our bi-monthly party at GROW. A recent night to remember was when my dear Mum on holiday from Jamaica came along to the party held in August 2023 - it was the month of my birthday. We shared a moment on the dance floor dipping our hips and rocking’ to the classic house song by Masters At Work feat. India - To Be In Love (Original MAW Mix) that our guest DJ Kinky D played. Also, at GROW 9th anniversary party when I played the end of the night set. Receiving a round of applause when the lights came up was really a humbling moment and shows just how much the punters do pay attention, they are engaged throughout.
Do you believe it is more challenging to sustain a grassroots network in today's urban environments compared to a decade ago? If so, what factors contribute to this increased difficulty?
We are certainly living through some unpredictable and unprecedented times. Uncertainty in the midst of day to day living can and is affecting us, the people, in many ways. We have to be proactive in the best possible ways we can to help businesses survive. When the live jazz bands come together, or the Spoken Word crews, or the DJs band together or the allotment carers and other creatives at GROW stand together there is strength in numbers. GROW is a hub central to the East London communities, and that space should not ever be removed. We should focus on what we can do to keep things moving forward in the here and now with whatever finance we can raise.
How do you see the future of grassroots music venues and the broader independent music scene evolving, and what role do you hope to play in that evolution?
Just as the dew is new every morning and never exactly the same, who knows how things will be in the future for grassroots music venues. Ideally, I hope and pray for the many grassroots venues to have a shared success that benefits all surrounding communities first and foremost, but to also have the engagement of anybody coming into these spaces to enjoy all that these places offer.
Before any organisation or body can have a sense of popularity it has to feed its underground base; the roots so to speak, have to be grounded and built up in a way to thrive continuously before it can be spread out. With solid foundations we can join forces with other associations because there is strength in numbers.
Ultimately, we have to be charitable toward one another in order to grow. That display of support and love to ourselves first, then rubs off onto others who will see that as a standard of how to operate, and I trust that other people will want to experience that kind of good energy.
What do you believe sets apart a successful event or performance at a grassroots music venue?
The character and sincerity of the promoter or organiser behind the project(s) can have a major impact on the success or failure of an event. If you’re just in this to make an insane amount of money overnight and don’t care about community then grassroots venues are the spaces to be involved in. Finding ways to engage with the crowds. Great content to present on all the social media platforms to boost one’s presence.
Being in the Creative Director role has meant I have been hands on with everything pertaining to Girlz B Like, and the support of the management, staff, the sound engineer, plus the polite and helpful security who assist with the behind the scenes are all necessary to each other and to me - I appreciate the roles of what everybody has to do - teamwork makes the dream work.
With Girlz B Like I believe that through the music sharing as DJs, bringing in new talent along with celebrating women artists who have been overlooked by the industry they will and do shine at our parties. The spotlight is on them which we want to share with interested patrons who are looking to discover talented individuals and involve themselves in what we are offering. I always keep an eye out for women out there on various music scenes or who are on radio that standout to me in some way who I feel will add something special to our events. Our male peers have had the comfort of doing what they do for decades. We are merely waking them up to the fact that their ’sisters’ in music have so much to offer and give, therefore exclusion is no longer an option but should be received with open arms, rejoiced in and celebrated non stop. We have always been here.
As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, what significance do you attribute to this milestone, and how do you reflect on the journey and memories shared with our venue over the years?
It is wonderful that GROW has come through to reach this milestone to make a big noise and have a fanfare to celebrate 10 glorious years in serving the dwellers of Hackney and beyond with a space that lends itself well to a potential of so many opportunities. I pray that this will be maintained, it’s an ethos to keep going for another 10, 20, 30 plus years and more. Happy 10th anniversary to this platform.
Thank you to all the management for the great job you are doing and for welcoming Girlz B Like into your space when you did. You gave us a chance to prove that having a night in your calendar dedicated to women vinyl selectors to let us nurture and develop our brand to a level where it is at the moment has been a huge benefit and inspiration. It is lovely to feel that we are an asset to the GROW business, and I think the loyal GROW patrons appreciate us too.
Our collaborative efforts have been literally given the time to organically build up for more than two years already, and I cannot wait to see how this expands into the future. Girlz B Like has much more ideas to get to the next phase that we will share in good time. For now though upholding our unique underground party vibe is the mission - to bring joy, love and happiness to everybody who comes through the doors of GROW. We can say we’ve been part of generating that good feeling.