With scorching temperatures on the horizon, it can only mean that festival season is in full swing. But would you do it alone?
A concert enthusiast, who has attended 12 live shows alone in six months, has encouraged other women to feel “empowered” by doing the same.
Nicole Elizabeth, 38, from south-east London, says attending concerts alone has made her confidence soar and, to motivate others, she is now sharing her top safety tips.
Nicole’s decision to fly solo was down to some eccentric friends who she says couldn’t accompany her to see Royal Dragon at the Royal Albert Hall in November last year.
After taking the “scary” leap and attending the concert alone, she compared the feeling to an “overwhelming emotion.”
Nicole Elizabeth, 38, from south-east London, has revealed she attends concerts alone.
Nicole says attending concerts alone has made her confidence skyrocket
She recalls: “Attending concerts alone was a challenge for me at first. I was tired of waiting for people to come out!
‘The experience has given me a feeling of empowerment and helped me overcome the anxiety of being alone at a social event.
“Being able to strike up a conversation with a stranger and be alone in a new environment is a form of social freedom.”
Nicole admitted that at first she felt anxious about being alone at a concert. However, she said she overcame this by striking up conversations with strangers.
‘It’s also nice to be alone in my own thoughts. At first I was afraid to go out alone. “It was a very stressful experience and I felt a little alone, but I also had an overwhelming sense of excitement.”
“I overcame my anxiety by smiling at others and being friendly to strangers,” Nicole said. “What I’ve learned is that you can share experiences with people you meet at concerts.”
The solo attendee admitted to watching 12 live shows alone in six months.
While most people wouldn’t dare attend a concert alone, Nicole finds her love of performing alone “empowering.”
If she’s feeling particularly nervous, Nicole has several “techniques” for calming down, such as asking a friend to be “on call” if she needs to talk while she’s out and about.
As a woman, you know that safety is paramount and can often be a big obstacle for other women who want to go to events alone.
She said: ‘I would recommend apps like Strut Safe (a volunteer phoneline) so you can talk to someone if you’re walking home alone at night.
‘And download your favorite music playlist offline so it can put your mind at ease during transit. I think many women would be afraid to go to concerts alone for safety reasons.
‘I feel safe when I have attended these places (which I have been to so far), especially with measures in place such as Ask Angela (a code phrase that women can say to staff when they feel unsafe).
Nicole understands why some women would avoid going to concerts alone from a safety perspective.
She recommends that women who are interested in trying solo performance use apps like Strut Safe (a volunteer phone line) so they can talk to someone when they walk home at night.
‘There is still a lot of social pressure where people can think they can be judged for going out alone. But I think it’s becoming less and less taboo to go to concerts or other social events alone.”
In an unexpected benefit, she says having “me time” to do what she loves has helped her relationship, as her partner, Carlton Senior, 45, doesn’t share her musical tastes.
Nicole added: ‘Going to concerts alone is an enriching experience! It’s a vulnerable space at first, but after getting through it I feel like I’m tapping into an independence I never knew I had.
‘The experience forces me to be present, absorb the environment and truly enjoy’
Nicole also shared her favorite set: the iconic British band Spice Girls at Wembley Stadium.
Aware of how difficult it can be to find the courage to go it alone, she has also launched her own women-only music events.
A concert ticketing company has also launched “solo socials” to help fans: one study shows that one in five women feel “anxious” about going to a concert alone.
The research, published by viagogo, also reveals that 73 percent of women have never gone to a concert alone.
2,000 Britons were asked about their attitude towards attending music concerts on their own. The data reveals that almost a quarter of fans said they lacked confidence in their own company (24%), would not feel safe (24%) or felt “too anxious” (22%) to go alone.
One in five (17%) confessed to feeling uncomfortable traveling alone to a show, while one in seven (13%) said they would feel “judged” by others for enjoying an act alone.
The gender divide has shocking results: Half of men have attended a live show alone, compared to just over a quarter of women (27%)
In response to the statistics, the digital ticketing company is introducing its first-ever ‘Solo Socials’ event, specially designed to boost confidence and bring together solo artists.
The event comes ahead of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in London.