Girls Twiddling Knobs

Send us a text
What does it mean to keep making, caring and staying human when everything feels like it’s falling apart?
In this final episode of the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast, Isobel Anderson speaks directly and unfiltered to you, the listeners, with honesty, clarity and care.
This is not a neat goodbye or a highlight reel. It is a reckoning. A permission slip. And a series of parting truths offered to women in music, male allies, music organisations and colleagues in higher education.
Isobel reflects on the wider context we are living in: dark times, eroding systems, the devaluing of art and the quiet shame so many creatives carry around money, security and survival. She argues for doing less but doing it with integrity. For making more than we consume. For listening more than we shout. And for staying close to creativity not because it will save the world, but because it keeps us human.
You’ll hear candid advice about:
The real trade-offs between making art and making a living
Why streaming is a dead end for most musicians
When to treat music like a business and when not to
Investing in skills, backing yourself and stopping the wait for permission
Letting other people own their shit
Why organisations must take digital communication seriously if they want real impact
The role men must play as active, imperfect allies
The heartbreak and hope of higher education, and when it might be time to build something else
The episode closes with gratitude, acknowledgements and a reflection on legacy. Girls Twiddling Knobs may be ending, but listening, making, creating and caring do not.
Stay bold. Stay unapologetic. Don’t wait for permission. Stay human.
---------------------------------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.
Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.
We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.
Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us a text
In this deeply honest and reflective conversation, Isobel Anderson is joined by musician, educator and Radical Songwriting founder Rosie Bans to talk openly about the full journey of Girls Twiddling Knobs, from its beginnings as The Female DIY Musician to the decision to close the project after five years.
This episode exists because this story was too complex, emotional and important to unpack alone. Rosie has been part of Girls Twiddling Knobs as a student, collaborator, team member and peer support, making her uniquely placed to hold this conversation with care, insight and challenge.
Together, they explore:
Why Girls Twiddling Knobs was started in the first place
Chronic illness, disability, precarity and survival as a musician
Building a business with no capital, no safety net and no investors
Gender inequality, anger, activism and the limits of individual change
Burnout, parasocial relationships and emotional labour
Why ethical online education is so hard to sustain
The pressure to scale, promise outcomes and commodify creativity
Why Isobel chose to step away rather than compromise her values
What she would do differently if she started again
Reconnecting with artistic practice after years away
What comes next, and what success now means
This is not a takedown or a farewell filled with regret. It is a clear-eyed reflection on care, sustainability, integrity and choosing yourself.
If you’ve ever run a creative business, worked in the music industry, supported women in marginalised spaces, or wondered why so many meaningful projects struggle to survive, this episode will resonate deeply.
---------------------------------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.
Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.
We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.
Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us a text
n this Ask Me Anything episode of the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast, Isobel Anderson answers listener questions spanning music careers, collaboration, production, business sustainability, sound art, and gender equity in the music industry.
Recorded as one of the final episodes before Girls Twiddling Knobs comes to a close, this conversation is candid, thoughtful, and deeply reflective. Isobel shares hard-won insights from five years of running a feminist music tech platform, alongside practical advice for artists, producers, educators and organisers working at the grassroots.
Topics covered include:
How to run a creative business without burning out
Setting boundaries around time, money and energy
When collaborations are no longer serving you and how to walk away professionally
Finding a co-producer when you are not part of established music circles
Making a living as a producer or mixer today
Creating safer, more intentional spaces for women in songwriting and music
Reducing noise in field recording, contact mic and hydrophone work
The thinking behind Isobel’s recent ceramics and voice installation
What cis men can do to actively support gender equity in music
How the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast will be archived for future listeners
Whether you are an emerging artist, an experienced practitioner, or someone thinking about building community in music and sound, this episode offers reassurance, honesty and practical guidance for navigating creative work on your own terms.
---------------------------------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.
Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.
We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.
Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us a text
The room glowed with warm orange light, a full house gathered to celebrate five years of Girls Twiddling Knobs and to witness a bold closing chapter. We brought a live panel to the stage to ask a deceptively simple question: are music technology skills truly crucial for women and gender-diverse artists? What followed was honest, funny, and disarmingly practical—stories about safety in studios, DIY learning, pricing your worth, and the power of choosing collaborators who actually listen.

Karen Sutton (Oram Awards) mapped the tough terrain of funding and why mentoring fills the gaps that DIY routes can’t always bridge. Rooks, aka Jenny Bulcraig (2% Rising), shared how artists are rejecting microaggressions and confusion in sessions in favor of producers who offer clarity, consent, and better results. afromerm, aka Cecilia Morgan, unpacked how growing technical fluency turns doubt into calm agency on stage, even when met with patronising questions. Glade Marie (Saffron) spoke to intuition, community, and using brand gigs to bankroll creative freedom without apology. Together, we explored how tech skills change careers, why safer spaces are non-negotiable, and how to build sustainable models when institutions look away.

We don’t pretend the landscape is fair. Arts funding is shaky. Industry gatekeepers still overlook what doesn’t fit a KPI. But the path forward is clear: learn the tools that center your voice, set boundaries around money and time, and build the rooms where more of us can thrive. As we prepare a short final season—answering why we’re closing and what we’ve learned—we’re archiving the work and passing the torch to the many initiatives pushing this movement forward.

If you’ve ever felt othered in a studio, underpaid for your craft, or unsure how to start charging for your expertise, this conversation is a compass. Listen, share, and tell us the boundary you’re setting next. And if this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and send the episode to a friend who needs it.
---------------------------------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.
Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.
We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.
Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us a text
🎧 Listen on headphones 🎧 Some of this episode is recording in binaural audio.
What does it really take to compose a work for a 12-piece post-minimalist ensemble—using vintage synths, robotic bells, and tape echoes?
In this immersive episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we go behind the scenes of Time Loops, a bold and experimental project for Science Museum Group. 
Follow Isobel as she documents Shiva Feshareki and Sarah Angliss' compositional journey writing new commissions for Icebreaker Ensemble and vintage instruments like the EMS VCS4 synthesiser and Watkins Copicat. 
You'll journey from early rehearsals at Wysing Arts Centre to a spellbinding presentation at London’s Science Museum.
🎧 Expect binaural recordings, tape loops, behind-the-scenes conversations, and honest reflections on what it means to create—and be left out of—musical history.

🔗 Links To Go Deeper
Shiva Feshareki >>
Sarah Angliss >>
Thelma Rose >>
Gavin Bryars >>
Icebreaker Ensemble >>
Science Museum Group >>
Goldsmiths Electronic Music Studio >> 
Hugh Davies’s ShoZyg >>
Digitana Electronics >> 
Asa Bennett >>
Aris Solomon >>
Ed McKeon >>
Cathy Lucas >>
Wysing Arts Centre >>
---------------------------------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.
Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.
We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.
Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.