Upcoming events.
Preston DJ Social: International Women’s Day Open Deck
Preston DJ Social: International Women’s Day Open Deck
Sunday March 8th
3–7PM
The Ferret, Preston
Preston DJ Social are teaming up to host a DJ Hangout & Open Deck celebrating women in the industry! They’re inviting women DJs from across Lancashire to come hang out, have a cup of tea, make new friends, and play what you love in a safe & supportive space.
Slots are between 10-30 minutes depending on attendance. Sign up on the day - opening DJs TBA.
Everyone is welcome to attend but the open deck is for women only. All abilities welcome. We are a woman-identifying & trans inclusive open deck.
The event is supported by AlphaTheta and will feature 3000Xs and a DJM-A9 set up. Please make sure your USB is synced with Rekordbox 6.8.2 or higher to ensure compatibility.
IWD All-Dayer ft GRIPPERS + Two Tonne Machete + Dead Sheep + Amber + Playmate + MORE!
Madrid street punks GRIPPERS are joined by Two Tonne Machete, Dead Sheep, Amber, Playmate, Cock Batteth & Catlow (Death Trails) for a female-led all-dayer.
IWD All-Dayer
ft GRIPPERS + Two Tonne Machete + Dead Sheep + Amber + Playmate + Cock Batteth + Catlow (Death Trails)
Saturday 7th March ‘26
The Ferret, Preston
Doors 3PM - til late!
Tickets £10 adv // more on the door (Tickets raising funds for women's charities Young Women's Trust & Lancashire Women)
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
GRIPPERS >>>
Madrid’s Grippers have been tearing up stages since 2014 with their in-your-face blend of street punk, hardcore and snarling rock ’n’ roll. Female-fronted and fiercely DIY, they channel the punch of Drug Church, the bite of Bikini Kill and the swagger of Amyl and the Sniffers into a high-energy assault that tackles social grit and personal fire head-on. In 2026 they’re hitting harder than ever with their new album Disobedient Mental Attitude, featuring a special guest spot from Aimee of The Interrupters on the anthemic “Never Say Goodbye.” Loud, defiant and built for the pit, Grippers mean business.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
TWO TONNE MACHETE >>>
Two Tonne Machete are a feminist alt punk band who make authentic, high energy, feel good punk anthems based in North West England and North Wales. Fronted by Emily’s powerful vocals and guitars, their sound is bass-driven, melodic and unrelenting—landing somewhere between Mannequin Pussy, IDLES, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Distillers. Fiercely political and unapologetic, their songs tackle misogyny, control, toxic masculinity, sexuality and dissent with full-throttle energy and depth, keeping punk ethos front and centre.
Proudly DIY yet fast gaining momentum, TTM have been featured on BBC Introducing and Radio X, won Radio Wigwam’s Best Band Award 2026, and won Best Band and Best Song at the Punk AF Awards 2025. With standout festival appearances at Focus Wales, Manchester Punk Festival and Rebellion Festival, they’re building serious buzz. Their latest single “PIGS, PIGS” dropped November 2025, with more new music and a debut EP landing summer 2026—expect power, melody and a band very much on the rise.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
DEAD SHEEP >>>
Blackpool’s Dead Sheep are a rising four-piece alt-rock outfit with great energy. Formed after meeting through sessions at More Music in Morecambe, they’ve quickly carved out a name across the Blackpool and Lancashire scene with powerful vocals and a tight, original sound that swings between grit and melody. They’re building momentum into 2026 with more live dates and the punchy single “Mansplaining” streaming now.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AMBER >>>
Amber are a female-fronted alt-rock band from Blackpool bringing fierce vocals, crunchy guitars and big, hook-laden choruses. Mixing gritty alternative rock attitude with melodic edge, their sound nods to ‘90s alt and modern indie-rock alike.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
PLAYMATE >>>
Liverpool’s PLAYMATE are a five-piece alt-rock outfit crashing onto the scene with big choruses, energy & attitude. Formed in late 2024 and fronted by the magnetic Jess Forrest, they fuse Indie cool with Post-Punk urgency — think the snap of Elastica, the brooding drive of Fontaines D.C. and the fearless punch of Alanis Morissette. Already making noise on home turf with shows at The Jacaranda, PLAYMATE are fast becoming one of Liverpool’s most exciting new alternative prospects.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
COCK BATTETH >>>
Blackpool’s Cock-Batteth are a three-piece riot of “Glitz & Glam weird ass Rock ’n’ Roll,” they smash dirty, raw riffs into disco-punk grooves with a sassy strut and zero apologies. Equal parts punk snarl and sleazy dancefloor stomp... like chewing orange gum under a flickering mirrorball.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
CATLOW (DEATH TRAILS) >>>
Blackpool's Death Trails formed around 2019 in the Blackpool/Preston underground, fusing punk, grunge, ska and hardcore into a chaotic & heartfelt live assault. Lead-singer Catlow joins us for a solo acoustic set, fresh from tearing up stages at Rebellion Festival, and armed with singles like "Cage By The Sea," "Ska Dad," and 2025's "You Lose, Good Day".
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Tickets raising money for women's charities:
YOUNG WOMEN'S TRUST + LANCASHIRE WOMEN
Young Women's Trust is a feminist organisation working to achieve economic justice for young women. Young Women’s Trust champions young women aged 18 to 30 on low or no pay. YWT are here to create a more equal world of work and raise young women’s incomes... tackling sexism and misogyny, with and for anyone who has experienced this.
www.youngwomenstrust.org
Lancashire Women are a leading charity, supporting an average of 5000 people each year in Lancashire to improve their lives and push through the barriers they face. Offering support with employment support, mental health and wellbeing support, money advice and energy advice. Also working with women in the justice system or women who might face homelessness or domestic abuse.
Lancashire Women have four venues in Accrington, Blackpool, Burnley and Blackburn, and also offer virtual 1 to 1 support, group support and outreach support at venues including Preston, Chorley, Lancaster and Skelmersdale.
lancashirewomen.org
-
International Women's Day is March 8.
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #InspireInclusion.
www.internationalwomensday.com
🗣️ Here at The Ferret, we'd also like to acknowledge that women are still very much in the minority when it comes to performers on our stage & in many roles across the music industry. We're continuing our own work towards changing that, by bringing the very best female talent to Preston. Highlights over the last 12 months include: HotWax, The Orielles, Stealing Sheep, The Bellrays, The Meffs, Face Up, Marisa & The Moths, Currls, Chinese Daughter, Charlotte OC, Oslo Twins, We Hate You Please Die, Yumi & The Weather, Gen & The Degenerates, Bonnie Trash, Vanity Fairy, SNM, The Cords, Sky Valley Mistress, Pageant Mum, The Hellflowers, Dlina Volny, Your Personal Vendetta, 25th Hour, She The Throne, Orange Skies, Absinthe Green, Bazooms, The Arsenics, N0trixx, Ugly Club, Bad Skin, Battery Acid, Pure Chlorine, Lady Lazarus, The Bitter Lemons, The Puncturists, Georgian, Jo Harrop, Lauren Hope, Betty Kendrick, Imogen Evans & many more!
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The Ferret presents International Women's Day ALL-DAYER
ft GRIPPERS (Madrid) // Two Tonne Machete // Dead Sheep // Amber // Playmate // Cock Batteth // Catlow (Death Trails)
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sat 7th March // 3pm - late
The Ferret, Preston
£10 adv // more on the door
Ages 14+ (under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult).
Accessible ground-floor venue & facilities.
Dog-friendly venue.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY at The Ferret ft. VANITY FAIRY, Georgian, Leah Eccles & Tilda Gebhardt
The Ferret presents:
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
FT. VANITY FAIRY, Georgian, Leah Eccles & Tilda Gebhardt
The Ferret, Preston
Monday 17th Feb 2025
Doors 7pm
£5 advance // £6 on the door
Tickets on sale now: https://skiddle.com/e/40668337
To buy tickets for this event please visit our events page: International Women's Day at The Ferret w/ Vanity Fairy & more! tickets from Skiddle .
VANITY FAIRY - Vanity Fairy opened for The Last Dinner Party at their biggest headline show to date in late 2024, as well as touring with Electric Six across the country, and has been championed by BBC 6, DIY, CLASH, NME, Apple Music and CHANEL. You may not know her name yet, but Vanity Fairy seems destined to transcend her underground cult status.
Between her shimmering vocal falsetto (which has been compared to everyone from Barry Gibb to Kate Bush) and onstage theatrics, the iconic disco darling is earning a reputation as one of the most mesmerising live performers around.
Following support slots for Warmduscher, Katy J Pearson, Audiobooks, Lime Garden, Insecure Men, Girl Ray, Pip Blom and more, Fairy dropped her sophomore EP ‘Top of the Pops’ on Moshi Moshi records April 2024. The EP spins a nostalgia-laden world that plays with kitsch-pop tropes and revels in the hedonistic indulgences of classic disco. But there’s also something strange at work here. Far from content to ape her be-dazzled Studio 54 idols, Fairy adds something new to the mix. It’s a bittersweet, playful, wistful sensibility that works itself out in a sound that both reveres and toys with the music she loves with all her heart.
Though she sparkles on record, Vanity Fairy is undeniably best experienced live.
‘A spectacle in the truest sense of the word, her show spans high camp theatrics, 80’s indebted synth-pop and sultry disco bangers… unavoidably infectious and utterly joy inducing’ - DIY.
Links:
youtu.be/O15dpmswQZw
instagram.com/vanityfairydust
open.spotify.com/artist/43QAxlV4mFWtxP0QrAfNqG
facebook.com/vanityfairydust
xxx
GEORGIAN - Georgian has received support on Daytime BBC 6Music from Craig Charles, Guy Garvey, and Radcliffe & Maconie with her debut on the Heist or Hit label, Soleil. Writing out of Manchester and recording in Amsterdam, Georgian’s output is a soft bloom of sullen 60s psychedelia and folk horror, peppered with Southern Gothic inclinations. Her music exudes a dusky melancholia of nylon-string intimacy, flickering with ripples of Hammond organ and Leslie cabinets.
Her songs are rich with atmosphere, as her voice trickles like warm milk laced with poison; comforting but spiked with an intoxicating forlorn. Mournful and troubled, her sound evokes a xanaxed Beth Gibbons with a spaghetti western kink. Georgian’s tracks create vivid landscapes: beards of Spanish moss, stubble-grass, and houseflies circling a ceiling fan, all contributing to a pervasive dustbowl despair. These elements enhance the pensive narcosis of her vocal, making her music uniquely evocative.
Links:
georgianbackstage.com
open.spotify.com/track/2xObuoZEE5JutLwwqRmb9r?si=6adce3cacfe84791
youtu.be/sFapHXVBSwE?feature=shared
xxx
LEAH ECCLES - 'Dreamy, Thoughtful, and wonderfully listenable...' were used by the co-founder of Joy Division & New Order, Peter Hook; to describe the work of Leah Eccles - an independent pop, LoFi, and easy listening singer/songwriter & music producer, from Blackburn, Lancs.
Leah's self-written and produced debut album, "Complete Wisteria", is an extension of her debut EP, 'Wisteria' released in 2023, retaining the overarching theme of love, whether it is love for yourself, for a partner, for friends, for a lost loved one, absence of love or longing. There truly is something for every listener to relate to, encased in Leah’s signature LoFi pop and easy-listening sound.
Including four new and exclusive tracks, alongside fan favourites’ from her previous releases: 'a t m', '2:38', 'Lilac Skies', and 'Dashboard Dialogue'; "Complete Wisteria" is available on all music streaming/buying services now. Make sure you give Leah's work a listen & keep a close eye on Leah's socials for more news on the album and upcoming releases; performances, events and projects coming soon!
Links:
linktr.ee/leccles1904
xxx
TILDA GEBHARDT - Tilda Gebhardt is a 19 year old pianist and singer based in Lancaster and South London. Her creative practice has developed via many avenues, genres, and inspirations, yet, at the heart of my practice is a focus on storytelling and narrative. Tilda has always loved writing and creating stories, and in the past few years this has extended to her musical practice and composition, in which she focuses on forming narratives through the musical techniques she has developed when experimenting with various genres such as jazz, classical, contemporary and Impressionism.
Ultimately, Tilda’s aim is to transport the listener (and herself) through worlds, times and places both similar to this world, but also very different, therefore allowing one to reflect, but also to daydream. She has played at multiple festivals across the country, as well as many venues around South London. Tilda’s most recent performance was in The Print Room, Lancaster, with a video down below of her original piece, Paper Mache Moon…
Links:
Paper Mache Moon (live at The Printroom): https://youtu.be/M-kFJib0K6s
instagram.com/tilda.gebhardtt
soundcloud.com/tilda-804760792
xxx
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY at The Ferret FT.
VANITY FAIRY
Georgian
Leah Eccles
Tilda Gebhardt
Sat 8th March 2025
7pm - late
£5 advance // £6 on the door
All ages welcome (under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult).
Accessible ground floor venue & facilities.
Dog-friendly venue.
International Women’s Day: with live music from Bards, Cadaver Beach, Slipping Upstream, Sally Pepper + DJ Connie Von D
Celebrating International Women's Day at The Ferret...
With fantastic live music from:
BARDS (Post Grunge from Manchester)
linktr.ee/bardsband
CADAVER BEACH (Alternative-Rock from Preston)
www.cadaverbeach.com
SLIPPING UPSTREAM (Preston Pop-Rock)
sptfy.com/slippingupstream
SALLY PEPPER (Acoustic Pop-Punk from Blackpool)
linktr.ee/sallypepper
+ bangers all night from DJ Connie Von D (Elder Emo UK)
To buy tickets for this event please visit our events page: International Women's Day with Bards, Cadaver Beach & more tickets from Skiddle .
Advance tickets £5 or pay what you feel on the door!
Tickets raising money for women's charities:
YOUNG WOMEN'S TRUST + LANCASHIRE WOMEN
Young Women's Trust is a feminist organisation working to achieve economic justice for young women. Young Women’s Trust champions young women aged 18 to 30 on low or no pay. YWT are here to create a more equal world of work and raise young women’s incomes... tackling sexism and misogyny, with and for anyone who has experienced this.
Lancashire Women are a leading charity, supporting an average of 5000 people each year in Lancashire to improve their lives and push through the barriers they face. Offering support with employment support, mental health and wellbeing support, money advice and energy advice. Also working with women in the justice system or women who might face homelessness or domestic abuse.
Lancashire Women have four venues in Accrington, Blackpool, Burnley and Blackburn, and also offer virtual 1 to 1 support, group support and outreach support at venues including Preston, Chorley, Lancaster and Skelmersdale.
-
International Women's Day is March 8.
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #InspireInclusion.
www.internationalwomensday.com
🗣️ Here at The Ferret, we'd also like to acknowledge that women are still very much in the minority when it comes to performers on our stage & in many roles across the music industry. That needs to change and we want to continue our own work towards bringing the very best female talent to Preston.
——
