MUSIC NEWS: Heavy Group Launches The Heavy Network & Debuts ‘On Wednesdays We Wear Black’ Podcast

Heavy Group have launched their new creative house, The Heavy Network, a home for content creators across the alternative space.

The network is launching an eclectic range of shows through 2021, including regular podcasts and streams focused around rock, metal and alternative culture and is committed to elevating under represented voices. 

The first show to launch is weekly podcast On Wednesdays We Wear Black. Hosted by Kerrang! Radio’s Sophie K (she/her), radio presenter and musician Alyx Holcombe (she/her) and journalist and TikTok extraordinaire Yasmine Summan (they/them), …We Wear Black is an uninhibited look at sex, racism, music and alternative lifestyle – the chats alternative women and non-binary people have behind closed doors. Led by a cross-generational crew of people of colour from different heritage, the show aims to diversify the space and provide an entertaining platform not only to tackle unspoken issues, but for candid and often hilarious discussions that they are often excluded from.

You can check out the first episode of On Wednesdays We Wear Black on Spotify HERE and Apple Podcasts HERE. 

“I noticed that the variety of podcasts I listen to had certain similarities,” says Sophie K. “I want to hear diverse voices, I want things to sometimes be challenging but also hilarious and crude. I also want to feel that I’m hanging out with my mates at the pub rather than listening to some elite backstage conversation. However I couldn’t find that in the alternative space. I feel that for too long certain voices have been left out of rock conversations.

“Every year when pride or black history month comes along we get wheeled out to talk about how we exist in this space. Now I want to create a space where the outcasts can feel represented, whether someone is queer, melanin-blessed, female or non-binary, this is a space we can all hang out and talk about everything from tampons to rock to fan fiction without getting censored by some guy who finds it offensive.

“Alyx and Yasmine are two of the most exciting people in the industry right now, and they continue to amaze me with their wit and knowledge. The rock industry has never ever heard anything like this before and I know it will shock a lot of people, but that’s ok because we are the new voice of the alternative scene.”

Three more new shows are set to launch on The Heavy Network in February and March 2021.

“Every day working in music we encounter incredible talent from all walks of life, and after building up the Heavy Music Awards we wanted to extend our scope to offer even more creators a chance to shine and tell their own stories,” adds Heavy Group‘s Dave Bradley (he/him). “Above all, we’re not building anything to simply throw it at an audience – these are a celebration of the collaborative nature of the rock scene, and fan interaction will play a huge part in how each show evolves.”