Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: UK News, Glastonbury, Music, BBC, Social Media, Instagram
Tom Wood
Billy Nomates, an artist who played at Glastonbury yesterday, has asked the BBC to remove footage of her set after receiving a load of abuse.
The artist – real name Tor Maries – also claimed that she would be playing no more shows after the ones scheduled this summer, and appears to have deleted an Instagram account dedicated to her act.
The 33-year-old performed on the Park Stage at Worthy Farm on the first afternoon of the festival yesterday (Friday 23 June) but received some horrendous – and frankly unnecessary – abuse after a clip of her set was shared online.
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Look, one of the great things about music is that not everything is for everyone, and we all have different tastes.
If you’re not into something, there’s no need to be a d**k about it, though.
Billy Nomates' style comes out of the leftfield, and has often been described as 'no wave' - an avant-garde style that developed in 1970s New York as a reaction to 'new wave'.
It can incorporate elements of noise music, dissonance, atonality, and sometimes borrows from other challenging genres such as free jazz.
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However - and this is important to reiterate - it's not for everyone, and that's OK.
Just don't abuse people for making something you don't like.
In a statement on social media, the singer wrote: “The level of personal abuse on @bbc6music socials for goin [sic] to work today is insane.
“I’ve asked for all footage to be removed. I know it’s not for everyone what I do.
“I know lots of people don’t rate me. But the level of personal abuse on that public page is too much. There will be no more shows after this summer.
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She concluded: “You wouldn’t stay in a workplace that did this to you. Why should I.”
At the moment, you can still see the set on the BBC iPlayer, and the BBC told us in a statement: “We want 6 Music to be a place where brilliant artists such as Billy Nomates are celebrated and supported, and we have respected Tor’s request to have the clip posted on our social channels removed."
Loads of other artists have been offering their support to Maries, including singer/songwriter Billy Bragg, who wrote: “Solidarity from everyone at Left Field with Billy No Mates who was so badly abused online after her @glastonbury set was posted on @BBC6Music that she asked them to take the clip down,
“She played a set for us last year and was brilliant. You’ll always have place here Tor.”
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Portishead star Geoff Barrow also wrote: “This is what some female artists have to put up with from #6music Dads online.
“F*** ’em
“#BillyNoMates is one of the most talented song writers and performers I’ve ever worked with and had the pleasure to know.”
BBC 6 Music DJ Mary Anne Hobbs also chimed in with her own support, tweeting: “100 per cent love for Billy Nomates.”
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Robin Ince added: “I hope Billy Nomates has seen all the people praising her this morning - to give your all and then see people sneer or dismiss can utterly break you - but it seems there is also a huge amount of love out there for her - deservingly so.”
As mentioned, we’ve reached out to the BBC for a comment, and have also attempted to contact representatives for Billy Nomates.