FEATURE: Bloomsday: Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2027

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Bloomsday

Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2027

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THIS is the final part of a series…

where I am highlighting albums that have big anniversaries next year. I guess a fifth anniversary is not too big, and these albums won’t get reissues. Though a lot of artists mark fifth anniversaries, so I wanted to here. Also, 2022 was a strange and rough year when the COVID-19 pandemic was still with us. Still living with that. The albums from 2022 were a lifeline to so many  people. Also, so many of them are being listened to and discussed today. It was a fabulous year for music. I wanted to salute that fact at least. The mixtape at the end of this feature collates songs from albums that will turn five next year. The absolute prime of 2022. It was a great year that gifted us with…

SO many gems.

FEATURE: Broken Clocks: Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2027

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Broken Clocks

Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2027

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ONE more feature to go…

in this series that combines songs from albums that have big anniversaries next year. 2022 finishes things off. However, now I am looking at 2017. Albums that are ten next year. Included are ones from SZA, Lorde, St. Vincent, and Kendrick Lamar. It was a pretty decent year for music. I guess quite a few of these albums will get reissues, as a decade is a big anniversary. My favourites from 2017 are SZA’s Ctrl and Lorde’s Melodrama. Both are modern masterpieces. Below is a mixtape that blends songs from the best albums of 2017. There is not a lot to say, other than I hope that the mixtape brings back memories. Or, if you have dim memories of that year, that it gets you interested in these great albums. 2017 was a fantastic year…

AS you can hear below.

FEATURE: New Year: Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2027

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Don’t You Remember

Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2027

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I feel that…

2012 is a little underrated when it comes to music. It was a fantastic year. I guess a fifteenth anniversary is a little unwieldly. Not as satisfying as a twentieth. However, it is a milestone. I am concentrating on the best of 2012. These albums that are fifteen next year. Included in the mix are L.P.s from Adele, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar (I am including mixtapes), Grimes, Fiona Apple, Jack White, Taylor Swift, and Alt-J. Two more parts of this series before I wrap up.. The next concerns albums from 2017. Those that are ten next year. In the meantime, enjoy a mixtape containing pearls…

FROM albums released in 2012.

FEATURE: If You Were There, Beware: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2027

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If You Were There, Beware

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2027

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I am almost done with…

my album anniversary features series. Before concluding with albums from 2012, 2017 and 2022, I am now looking at albums from 2007. A twentieth anniversary is quite important. Many of these albums might get reissues. There will be new features written about them. The mixtape at the end collects together songs from the best of 2007. I cannot quite recall what I was doing that year. It is a whole ago. I can remember the albums. There were some really strong ones. From Radiohead’s In Rainbows to Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare to Kings of Leon and Because of the Times, it was a pretty busy and great year for music. You can refresh your memory by having a listen. Excellent songs from albums that are twenty next year. 2007 providing us with absolute brilliance. It has been great compiling tracks from albums released almost twenty years again. No doubt that 2007 was…

A fabulous year.

FEATURE: Same Old Thing: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five in 2027

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Same Old Thing

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five in 2027

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A couple of years into…

this century, the standard of music had not really dropped. 2002 produced quite a few diamond albums. Those that are turning twenty-five next year, I am shining a light on gems from the likes of The Streets, Coldplay, Beck, Ms Dynamite, and The Libertines. I am ending with a mixtape containing songs from the best albums of that year. I was at university in 2002. Music very important during that time. Although there were stronger years in the ‘00s for music, there are still plenty of superb albums from 2002. If you are not familiar with some of them, I do hope that you are compelled to explore them. I have four more features in this run to go before closing it off. This one is all about the brilliant 2002. Whether you were there at the time or not, it is hard to ignore the quality of…

THESE enduing albums.

FEATURE: No Fillers: Which Artist Has Produced the Best Run of Golden Albums?

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No Fillers

IN THIS PHOTO: The Kinks in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Rand

Which Artist Has Produced the Best Run of Golden Albums?

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IT may be a hard question to answer…

IN THIS PHOTO: Björk in 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Vidar Logi

but there are these artists who have brought out wonderful albums. A whole run without a break. People will have their own opinions. I think maybe David Bowie or Prince could be considered. They had runs where they were definitely in form and there was this huge quality and consistency. The Beatles maybe should be included. Joni Mitchell. In terms of a career were there have been very few flaws or faults in terms of the recording material, who could claim to have the best run? I think that my two choices would be between The Kinks and Björk. The former had this run that started with The Kinks Kontroversy in 1965 and ran until 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies. That was their regency and golden period. A total of eight albums. Not all of the albums perfect, though there was this consistency throughout. Ray Davies’s songwriting not breaking its stride. I am not sure how many other artists can claim to have that sort of run. The best album of The Kinks’ run might be 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. I want to come to a review of the album from AllMusic:

“Ray Davies' sentimental, nostalgic streak emerged on Something Else, but it developed into a manifesto on The Village Green Preservation Society, a concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions. As the opening title song says, the Kinks -- meaning Ray himself, in this case -- were for preserving "draught beer and virginity," and throughout the rest of the album, he creates a series of stories, sketches, and characters about a picturesque England that never really was. It's a lovely, gentle album, evoking a small British country town, and drawing the listener into its lazy rhythms and sensibilities. Although there is an undercurrent of regret running throughout the album, Davies' fondness for the past is warm, making the album feel like a sweet, hazy dream. And considering the subdued performances and the detailed instrumentations, it's not surprising that the record feels more like a Ray Davies solo project than a Kinks album. The bluesy shuffle of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is the closest the album comes to rock & roll, and Dave Davies' cameo on the menacing "Wicked Annabella" comes as surprise, since the album is so calm. But calm doesn't mean tame or bland -- there are endless layers of musical and lyrical innovation on The Village Green Preservation Society, and its defiantly British sensibilities became the foundation of generations of British guitar pop”.

You can claim that The Kinks are hard to beat when it comes to this run. They had periods after 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies where there was this quality and strength. It was patchier. You could argue that the golden runs happen because of momentum or the times the artists were recording in. Do we measure a run by the total number of albums or the quality of the albums in that run? Some might say that if an artist has four or five albums where they are exceptional, then that is more impressive than one who has seven or weight albums but not all are near perfect. I feel that The Kinks could claim to be in the former camp. These albums all different too. You cannot claim that 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is similar to 1967’s Something Else by the Kinks. In terms of breadth and variety, The Kinks were always innovative and fresh. The albums have endured to this day. Which other artists would you say could match them? Arguably there are other artist that could challenge them. Though I have been thinking about the alternatives. I think The Kinks’ 1960s and 1970s albums were released in a time when there were other bands releasing superb albums. That sense of inspiration around them. Though maybe it is Ray Davies and his genius shining bright. At a time when he was in particularly inspired mood. I have seen some say that David Bowie could top The Kinks. Twelve albums released between 1971 and 1980. However, there are a couple of weaker ones that break the run. 1973’s Pin Ups. Led Zeppelin between 1969 and 1975 were brilliant, though that was six albums. Six seems to be the number for a lot of groups. The Beatles’ run from Rubber Soul in 1965 to Abbey Road in 1969. The Kinks had eight albums in their chain, but I feel there are very few that can match that. Anyone in the modern era who has that same run as The Kinks?!

The only other artist that comes to mind that could equal the consistency and sheer wonder of The Kinks is Björk. You could say that her entire career has been wonderful. No album has been weak. She has released ten studio albums. Every one of them has won critical praise. Has she received quite the same adulation as The Kinks? The best of the London band surpasses the Icelandic innovator, though Björk has released ten albums that are all excellent. You could say that 2007’s Volta did not get quite the same reaction as her other albums. That is fair. So she has nine albums that have been incredibly well received, but one not so much. It may be subjective. I am judging my opinions on what critics say. People could say Stevie Wonder or Joni Mitchell or Madonna could be up there. Even the mighty Kate Bush. If we look at things from a critical and commercial standpoint, Björk is a fine challenger. Like The Kinks, all of her albums are very different but they are genius. I know she is recording an album at the moment. Her most recent album is 2022’s Fossora. This is what The Guardian wrote in their review:

“Biophilia may have been the title of her 2011 seventh album, but the Icelandic composer’s penchant for irrepressible life forms has had an ongoing life of its own in her work. Fossora, she says, is a feminisation of the Latin word for “burrower” (badgers are “fossorial” mammals). The life of the soil, nesting and burial are just three themes that grow directly out of this fertile loam. Terroir is another. Conceived during lockdown, when anyone in their right mind would have hastened back to their native island home, Fossora found Björk on Icelandic turf for an extended period, hosting micro-raves in her house. All she wanted to play was gabber – the pounding 90s Dutch variant on techno.

So Fossora has proper beats on it, a kind of holy grail for longtime Björk fans who remember her clubbier past. And you can, just about, dance to some of these songs – although it would probably look more like headbanging. The title track offers up a particularly extreme cocktail of punishing percussion and swirling vocals. The beats throughout come in association with Indonesian gabber merchants Gabber Modus Operandi.

Björk’s intention was to react against the airy themes of her previous album, Utopia (2017). Many wind instruments remain, but these tend to be bass clarinets – often six of them – alongside trombone, oboe and cor anglais, hooting and groaning.

Where Björk occasionally breaks with this lower tone palette on tracks such as Allow, it’s to let an army of flutes unleash a ravey melody to lub-dub beats. Part of this album is devoted to new romantic relationships, fantasias in which love can take root again after 2015’s anguished Vulnicura, which dealt with the breakdown in Björk’s relationship with her daughter’s father. The slight downside is that, like some Walt Disney cartoon bluebirds, these trilling flutes and whimsical clarinets break the mood of majestic ache that makes Fossora one of Björk’s hardest-hitting albums.

Björk’s mother died in 2018 after a long illness; a number of these songs are tributes to Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir. Ancestress is explicitly billed as an epitaph. Forgoing the more rigid Icelandic tradition in which a priest lists facts about the deceased, Björk celebrates her mother’s idiosyncrasies – her dyslexia, her homeopath’s cantankerous disregard for doctors. Details such as the smell of her passing are set to brittle strings and dissonant beats, with Björk’s son, Sindri, on backing vocals. An epic video follows a funeral procession that re-enacts Hildur’s death in fantastical form, a “matrimort” with the earth.

When Björk describes her mother, she is often also describing herself (“She had an idiosyncratic sense of rhythm… she invents words and adds syllables!”). There’s more mother-daughter slippage, too, on the elegiac Her Mother’s House, the closing track. Björk describes her mother’s voice, and likens her house to the chambers of her heart. The guest here is Björk’s own daughter, Ísadóra Bjarkadóttir Barney, whose move away from home at 19 is reflected upon here, another crank along the gearwheel of life.

If it’s possible, Sorrowful Soil is even more emotional. In this eulogy for Hildur, set to a distant bassline, massed choirs follow Björk’s lead as she sings about the quantity of eggs produced by a woman’s body, her “emotional textile”. The way she sings “emotional” recalls the “emotional landscapes” of 1997’s Jóga.

“You did your best, you did well,” insist the voices, digitally persistent: “did, did, did!” It’s pretty much the best thing a child can say to their mother – or vice versa – particularly when the two women didn’t always have an easy relationship.

Less obviously, the exquisite Atopos finds Björk emphasising the importance of persevering with relationships; it also partially addresses her mother. The track captures the wonders of Fossora in miniature – hammering beats, a thicket of tense clarinets, and Björk’s unmistakable vocal in didactic mode, upfront and emphatic”.

I am thinking if there are artists I have left out. Bruce Springsteen had a run of albums between 1973’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and 1987’s Tunnel of Love. Though one or two albums were not that brilliant. Not that it is especially important or meaningful if an artist has this phenomenal run of albums. It is just a subject that popped into my mind. I think I have written about it before, but I can’t recall which artists I mentioned. I have been listening to a lot of legacy artists. So many of them embarked on this run of albums that saw them grow bigger and bigger. All commercial and critical successes. When critics decide on the best music run, they usually cap things are six albums. That is fair enough. Six is a lot of albums. Though I feel we can take it beyond that. The Kinks’ eight albums between 1965 and 1971 is supreme. All of them were acclaimed. You could say that 1971’s Percy broke the run. That is fair enough. That would be seven out of eight albums in that run were magnificent. It then begs the question as to whether any artist ever has released more than six albums consecutively that are of the highest quality. I would go back to Björk, as Volta received better reviews than The Kinks’ Percy. However, others might say that some of the artists that produced six consecutive brilliant albums released ones either side that are pretty decent. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and Prince. Also, we need to consider the impact and legacy of the albums. You can have four, five or six albums in a row that have all been adored and inspired legions of artists, compared to an artist who has had a longer run but the albums are not as brilliant. Also, we need to consider the reputation of the artists. I would name Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. They have released eighteen albums. Not too many that have received anything less than glowing reviews. I do think that Nick Cave’s opinions about the genocide in Gaza does sort of muddy the waters for me. I can admit the band have this brilliant run of albums, though I don’t think they are quite up there with The Kinks or Björk. It is an interesting discussion, and I wonder if anyone else has any other thoughts. It would be good to hear. Which artist has the longest run of…

TRULY brilliant albums?

FEATURE: 5 Years: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty in 2027

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5 Years

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty in 2027

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ONE of the very best years…

for music there has ever been, I am now up to 1997 for this album anniversary series. There are so many albums to choose from when it comes to the mixtape below. I have tried to include as many as possible. Classics from Björk, The Verve, Radiohead, The Prodigy, Missy Elliott, Daft Punk, and Spiritualized. I turned fourteen in 1997. I was in high school and it was a time when music was really affecting and inspiring me. It was so important, so albums from 1997 stay with me today. There are few years that can stand alongside 1997 when it comes to quality. The next feature takes us to 2002. A great year for sure, though not quite in the same league as this! The best of 1997 stands alongside…

THE greatest music ever.

FEATURE: Reminisce: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five in 2027

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Reminisce

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five in 2027

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WE are now in the 1990s…

when it comes to this series. Taking a look at albums that have significant anniversaries next year. It is to 1992 and the very best from that phenomenal year. The sheer number of staggering albums from 1992. Included in the mixtape are albums from Mary J. Blige, PJ Harvey, Rage Against the Machine, k.d. lang, and Aphex Twin. I have tried my best to include songs from all the best albums released in 1992 – though there is likely the odd omission. I was a child in 1992, and I do remember a lot of these albums. Thirty-five years after they were released, these albums still sound good to me. I am not sure if I have a favourite from the year. Perhaps R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People. Hard to choose from such a bounteous year. The absolute greatest albums of 1992 represented below in…

A golden mixtape.

FEATURE: Sign "☮" the Times: Songs from Albums Turning Forty in 2027

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Sign "☮" the Times

Songs from Albums Turning Forty in 2027

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I am getting close…

to the 1990s. That is the decade where I was a child and teen and really bonded with music. So when I feature albums from 1992 and 1997, there will be a lot of personal memories tied to the albums. However, I was alive in 1987 and can appreciate a lot of the albums from that year. I was three/four, so memories are dim. I bonded with a lot of these when I was older. Marking forty years of some truly enduring albums. Included are Prince, U2, Whitney Houston, Guns N’ Roses, Eric B. & Rakim, and many more. Some people reading this would have grown up with these albums. Forty years later, do they sound as essential and memorable as they did back then?! Perhaps so. This mixtape below is overflowing with 1987-released gold. Tremendous songs from a great year. For those who were around in 1987 and heard these albums when they were released, I hope that some warm and wonderful memories come…

FLOODING back.

FEATURE: Goodbye 70's: Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five in 2027

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Goodbye 70's

Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five in 2027

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I want to wrap this series up…

before we get into the middle of December, as I will be looking to spotlight artists to watch next year. Some Christmas features. This is an album anniversary series where I concentrate on a different year each time. This time, we are looking at albums that turn forty-five in 2027. Albums released in 1982. It was a varied year, where some truly exceptional albums were released. Included in the best of the best is Yazoo’s Upstairs at Eric’s, Prince’s 1999, Kate Bush’s The Dreaming and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Also, there were jewels from Donald Fagen, ABC, Bad Brains, and Duran Duran. This was the year before I was born, so there is some significance to the year. I love the breadth and quality of music that came out in 1982. Marking forty-five years of some stunning albums, I end this feature with a mixtape containing the cream of 1982’s music. If you are unfamiliar with some of the albums from that year, it is well worth doing a bit of exploring. Rather than ageing and sounding dates, these albums…

REMAIN absolutely sublime.

FEATURE: Never Going Back Again: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty in 2027

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Never Going Back Again

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty in 2027

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PRESSING on with…

this series that combines songs from albums celebrating big anniversaries next year, we are now at 1977. The big fiftieth. Included in the best of 1977 are Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, and Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. It was a tremendous year. I guess Disco was still a thing. Punk burning bright. New Wave too. It was a really interesting time for music. I do think that a lot of the best and most important music was coming out of the U.K. The Clash and Elvis Costello among those who gave us these incredible albums. I have compiled a mixtape containing songs from the best albums of 1977. Again, you may not have been there the first time around. These songs and albums endure to this day. I wonder how many of these albums will get reissues next year for their fiftieth. Rumours is one of the best-selling albums ever, so I am not sure whether there is anything in the archives that can be added. It is obvious that 1977 is one of the best years for music…

WE have seen.

FEATURE: Core Values: Why the New Apple Music Hall Live Venue Is a Unique Boon for London

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Core Values

Why the New Apple Music Hall Live Venue Is a Unique Boon for London

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ANY new venue that…

opens in London is cause for celebration. So many venues are under threat, it is always sad when we lost one. There are areas of London where there are perhaps too few venues, or we would not usually go there to see live music. I know Battersea has a few great music spaces, but there is this new and exciting venue that has caused a lot of excitement. Apple Music Hall has already hosted a few live events, and I do feel that it is a boon. Something that the city needs. It is this very modern space that is also vintage in a way. A unique style. There are also radio studios alongside it. I am going to come to why this venue is appealing to me. I feel it will attract some fantastic artists and music fans from around the world. Here is some more detail about Apple Music Hall:

“Apple has announced the opening of Apple Music Hall, a brand-new state-of-the-art live music venue in London’s storied Battersea Power Station, designed to connect artists and fans through bespoke, intimate performances unlike anywhere else.

“Apple’s deep love for music dates all the way back to the very beginning, from the launch of the iPod to the long-running iTunes Music Festival to the debut of Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content. “Today, with the opening of Apple Music Hall, we are once again taking an unprecedented step further in our commitment to artists and fans by supporting live music in ways only Apple can do.”

Taking inspiration from the iconic Battersea Power Station, Apple Music Hall incorporates heritage brickwork, fluted arches, and bronze balconies reminiscent of the historic oriel windows.

A Live Music Venue Unlike Any Other

Apple Music Hall will offer artists and music fans alike an exceptional live concert experience alongside the River Thames. Taking inspiration from the iconic Battersea Power Station, the new venue incorporates heritage brickwork, fluted arches, and bronze balconies reminiscent of the historic oriel windows. A giant glass wall further enhances the visual connection with the historic building, offering a panoramic view of the concourse and the river beyond.

The 600-capacity venue is designed intentionally to close the gap between intimacy and production value and allow for an unprecedented level of creative control. Every seat feels close to the performer, yet the infrastructure offers what an artist requires for an arena tour, with a 38-foot-wide stage that can be reconfigured for traditional front-facing sets or more in-the-round experiences. Additionally, the venue is equipped with a 48-speaker spatial sound system positioned all around the audience. When an artist performs in spatial, it will enable fans to hear that performance in an immersive environment.

Behind the stage, Apple Music Hall operates as a full production facility. Two dedicated recording and mix studios are built to professional standards so that every performance can be captured as a multitrack recording and mixed in Spatial Audio, live or after the fact. The venue is also hardwired for 16 or more cameras that feed a purpose-built broadcast control room with infrastructure that supports iPhone video capture running in parallel alongside traditional broadcast cameras.

At Apple Music Hall, artists can perform an intimate live show and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video.

At Apple Music Hall, artists can perform an intimate live show and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video.

In short, an artist can perform an intimate live show for fans at Apple Music Hall and walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video — all from a single show. Performances out of Apple Music Hall will also be livestreamed globally so fans outside of London can tune in to enjoy these one-time-only shows from their favourite artists.

“At Apple Music, we care deeply about music, the artists who make it, and their life stories,” said Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans. What better way to celebrate this relationship than a new music venue where we get to experience amazing music in an amazing space and share it with the world. Great music and memories will be made at Apple Music Hall.”

For more information about Apple Music Hall, including how to access tickets for upcoming shows, fans can visit applemusichall.com or follow @applemusichall on Instagram and TikTok”.

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A post shared by Apple Music Hall (@applemusichall)

In terms of what’s in the diary, you can follow Apple Music Hall using the links above. At the moment, I am thinking of a live event for 2028. It might be expensive going to any venue, but I am attracted to Apple Music Hall. It is easy to get to. A trip down the Norther line, for those outside of London, it is quite accessible. I am not sure what they would charge for hosting an event and whether their schedule is full in January 2028, though I feel it can be more than just a traditional live space. Holding music events where you get live performances, but also this interactive space where you can project videos and use it as an interview space. In the same way Abbey Road Studios hosts live events and recordings, but you get artists like Paul McCartney speaking, and he has done an event there. Apple Music Hall has this blend of intimacy and grandeur. It looks fabulous, though there is also this sense of warmth that you might not get from more impersonal, large arenas. I do like their values and ethos. In terms of why it was built and what they are hoping to achieve. It would be amazing to host an event there. I fear they may be out of my price range. Though, with every new venue that opens in London, it does offer hope. That there is growth in this areas, whereas so many venues were under threat following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see some upcoming shows at the venue. Arlo Parks plays on 22nd October. Charli xcx will play on 2nd December. I do wonder if it is going to be reserved to music solely and larger artists. In terms of someone like me who would like to host an event that is not strictly a gig, I am curious about their policy. In any case, it is great that we have this distinct and impressive space.

It provides hope that other live venues will sprout up. It also impacts the local economy. Battersea will see benefits from those who go to the Power Station for gigs. The radio studios is also curious too. Whether they have fixed shows coming out of their or whether you can host a podcast or broadcast yourself. This new venture is very much designed for longevity. Building year on year and getting more and more people there, it is a major bonus for London. I will get along to Apple Music Hall in the coming days and check it out. In an interview with Music Week, the Vice President of Apple Music and International Content, Oliver Schusser, talked more about this exciting move. It also answers some of my questions about the radio studios and how they will operate:

“Apple's UK headquarters has been in the power station since 2023, but Schusser first queried whether it would have a music venue around the time Apple confirmed its move to Battersea in 2016. The answer was positive, but it wasn’t the right time.

A decade on, the 600-capacity Apple Music Hall has popped up seemingly out of nowhere and is set to open on September 28. Built for intimate shows with arena-level production, the venue lets artists record in Spatial Audio, walk out with a broadcast-ready mix and multicamera video, and have the performance livestreamed globally.

Music Week’s first site visit came during the hard-hat phase, with a second as the project is on the verge of completion. The room takes its cues from the power station itself, with brickwork, fluted arches and bronze balconies that reference its distinctive oriel windows. A giant glass wall opens onto the concourse and the River Thames beyond.

According to Apple, the new venue has been designed “to close the gap between intimacy and production value and allow for an unprecedented level of creative control”. Its 38ft wide stage can be reconfigured for front-facing sets or in-the-round shows, with a 48-speaker Spatial sound system positioned all around the audience. Behind it are two recording and mix studios and a broadcast control room wired for 16 or more cameras.

For Schusser, Apple Music Hall is the physical manifestation of the platform’s ethos since launch. He cites talent such as Miley Cyrus, who sat down last week with Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1, at the company’s Los Angeles studios ahead of the release of her new album Bass Persuades. He also brings up Elton John, whose weekly Rocket Hour show champions new acts and celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.

“It was always our vision for Apple Music to be a service for artists and to be a service for fans,” says Schusser. “If you look at the venue, it really embodies that.”

Apple has long used live music to bring its services into the real world. The company ran its iTunes Festival, later renamed the Apple Music Festival, in London from 2007 to 2016, and now has a multi-year partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation to present the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In March, its 50th anniversary celebrations featured performances from Mumford & Sons and Nia Archives outside Battersea Power Station.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, meanwhile, describes the new venue as “a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a global creative powerhouse”.

“When a company of Apple's scale backs British music and talent, it's a signal of just how strong our creative sectors really are,” says Nandy. “Our industrial strategy is all about making Britain one of the best places in the world to invest, and the creative industries are a key part of that. These sectors are not only a source of immense national pride, but they also deliver real economic value for the country.”

Apple Music Radio's London-based hosts and shows, relocating from Tileyard Studios, will now broadcast live out of Battersea with the opening of new radio studios, essentially making the site a one-stop shop for artists.

“We chose Tileyard because it became an incredible hub for creatives, and part of an up-and-coming part of town,” says Schusser. “And our goal with [Apple Music Hall] was to bring all of our creative teams together in one campus.”

The aim is for an artist to go on air, do an interview, handle social media and marketing, play a show and broadcast it worldwide, all within a few hours.

“It was quite natural for us to say we’re going to move radio to Battersea,” says Schusser, who would also like to see album launches at the venue. “You can't imagine how many ideas we have.”

For his part, Zane Lowe says that Apple Music Hall and Apple Music Studios “embodies everything that Apple Music has to offer for artists and creatives to express themselves”.

“We wanted to give artists a space that they can transform and adapt to match the storytelling of their artistry,” says the DJ. “That can be creating an incredible live show, having an intimate discussion on Apple Music Radio or as a place to engage with fans in real life. We’ve used our 10 years of experience working directly with artists to really think about every granular detail that they might need to showcase their creativity.”

“I can't wait to get started at our new home,” says Dotty, who also serves as lead cultural creator, Black Music. “The studios will allow us to work even more closely with the artists we love and are a dream space for the UK team to help artists tell their story, in their own way.”

Dotty describes the UK as “a leader and hub of music across the globe” and says it is “amazing to see Apple investing in its live music scene and artists, from launching new UK talent, to giving people a chance to see huge global stars in an intimate and incredible setting right in the heart of London.”

Here, with the countdown on to the venue's opening, Schusser speaks to Music Week about why he calls the venue “a love letter from Apple to music”, what the move means for the firm’s live ambitions and – yes – the AI question…

First of all, now the cat is out of the bag, can you reveal how long this project has been in the making?

“In my head, I’m thinking five years. But there were two moments for me: one is the original moment when Apple looked at the power station to become a tenant. That is more than 10 years ago now, and there was nothing there at the time. I remember asking, ‘Will there be a music venue?’ But I don't really count that. The answer at the time, by the way, was, ‘Yes, but we're not ready to talk about it. We need to build the office space first, the mall space, all these other things.’ And I think they did the right thing. This is my favourite Apple office in the world – I think it’s stunning. And then it was about five years ago when we started to figure out exactly how [the venue] would work.”

Why London, and why Battersea Power Station in particular?

“We have a rich history of live events in London. London was where we ran the iTunes Festival for 10 years. We had more than 600 bands over the 10 years, all the world's biggest superstars on stage. And we streamed all the shows worldwide – we were kind of the OGs of streaming music festivals – everyone does it now. I also believe that London is one of the greatest, if not the greatest live music city in the world. There’s such a strong interest in seeing shows, whether it’s a small show or a big stadium show like Harry Styles at Wembley. We're very committed to Battersea and to being in the UK, and there was an opportunity to take a piece of the Power Station and build a music venue that we were happy to jump on a couple of years back. I think we can contribute something to the community but also to the live scene in the UK overall, because a venue of this size is quite rare.”

Can you tell us what the venue means for Apple Music itself?

“I believe that this venue embodies everything that Apple Music stands for. When we launched Apple Music, we were obsessed with this idea of trying to make it more than just 100 million songs where people press play. We wanted to create an experience where artists can participate, so we created studios around the world. It was really artist relations for us. We wanted to make it a space where artists feel incredibly comfortable and happy – small artists and large artists – hence the pretty expansive backstage area. And we wanted it to be a really awesome space for fans: the onboarding, how you walk into the venue. There's no bad seat in the house. It's got great tech, great light, great audio – exactly what Apple Music is about.”

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Which technical features are you most keen for people to know about?

“Apart from the fact that I wanted it to be very flexible, so that we can do small shows, big shows, shows in the round, shows in the corner and all these things, there are two aspects that are important to me that are relatively simple. Number one, we developed this new sound experience of Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, which is a key part of why I think Apple Music is a more premium listening experience than any other service, and we wanted to reflect that in the space. We wanted artists to be able to record things in Spatial audio, but also to perform in Spatial audio. We try to really push the envelope. And then the second technical thing we focus on is that we want it to be possible to shoot as many things in this venue on iPhones. The beauty of iPhones is that they're small and you can put them in all sorts of places. I think that's going to allow us to do really exciting things over time.”

How would you sum up your ambitions for Apple Music Hall, and what would make a successful first year?

“I know it sounds a little fuzzy, but we want artists, in particular, but also fans just to have a great experience and tell us that. The biggest compliment at Apple is that people love the product. We're as proud of this as any of the products we've announced in the last few years, and hopefully people will like it.”

And how will the venue help artists and the wider live industry?

“Music is an incredible part of the economy in the UK, and touring is a big part of that, but smaller venues of roughly this size have been struggling, and that's a problem for artists, because you have artists that need to start to perform in a size like this, but then the venues don't exist and so they can't. So we see this as a really positive boost for the industry.”

What's your take on the live sector now, given the challenges you mentioned? And is Apple planning to get more involved?

“No, we're not in the ‘live business’ – and I'm saying that in air quotes. This is not the beginning of a strategy where we want to be in the venue business. This was an opportunity to do something incredible and wonderful, literally where we built our home in the UK, and it's a continuation of something we've actually done for a long time. But again, we're not really in the live business ourselves, so I'll leave that to the experts to discuss. We're really just here with one little venue.”

What reaction do you expect to your plans from within the industry?

“I think this is going to be a big surprise for a lot of people. I hope they will say it feels very Apple, it's very beautiful and very well done. They'll be like, ‘Wow, didn't see this coming!’ Others are about algorithms and robots and AI and so on. We're here in the music business because we love music and consider this like a love letter from Apple to music and to artists”.

It would be interesting to hear from people who have seen some live music there already and reaction from them. I guess there is stuff on social media. Earlier this week, Troye Sivan delivered a superb show there. Rolling Stone UK awarding his set five stars. I would love to go there. Perhaps Apple do want to keep their venue strictly for live sets and not really have it for other projects such as podcasts or events. In any case, it must be so evocative walking towards the Power Station and going to this venue. I am dreaming about it for a 2028 event but, alas, budget means that it is something I will miss out on. In any case, it is this huge positive for London and live music in general. With big plans for Apple Music Hall and some world-class artists playing there soon, it is going to be interesting how it expands. What gigs are planned for next year and really what people make of this venue. So far, all signs and reactions and positive. Even though Apple Music Hall is brand new, I think everyone can tell that it is going to be a fixture in the London music scene for many years more. So encouraging to see, when it comes to this fabulous venue…

LONG may they continue.

FEATURE: (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!): Celebrating Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

IN THIS PHOTO: Beastie Boys’ Michael Diamond (Mike D), left, and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock)/PHOTO CREDIT: Brad Ogbonna for The New York Times 

Celebrating Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock at Sixty

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ONE of the great music tragedies…

IN THIS PHOTO: ‘Mike D ‘(Michael Diamond), ‘Ad-Rock’ (Adam Horovitz) and ‘MCA ‘(Adam Yauch) in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Freeberg/Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Is that Beastie Boys cannot reform and do another album together. The trio of  Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch (vocals, bass), and Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond (vocals, drums) formed in New York in 1981. We mark forty-five years of Beastie Boys. Their debut album, 1986’s Licensed to Ill, turns forty on 15th November. Before then, on 31st October, Ad-Rock turns sixty. I have published a feature about Licensed to Ill, which will be shared soon. Adam Horovitz died in 2012, which then meant the disbandment of Beastie Boys. It would have bene incredible having the trio together to all share their memories of their debut. However, rather than it being a sombre post, I did want to highlight the brilliance of Adam Horovitz. I shall call him Ad-Rock for the sake of this feature, as I am concentrating on his role in Beastie Boys. This year saw Mike-D release his debut solo album, Thank You. I do wonder whether Ad-Rock will follow suit. I am surprised that has taken this long for a Beastie Boy to go solo as it were. Maybe Ad-Rock does not want to record at the moment. He was in Beastie Boys for so long, and it can be hard stepping out solo. He was obviously hugely important in the trio’s success and legacy. In terms of his songwriting and distinct vocals, I think my favourite performance is on Sabotage. That song appeared on their 1994 album, Ill Communication. Although Beastie Boys were this tight unit and so close, I do feel that Ad-Rock and his incredible vocals brought something extra to the music. Rather than compile a mixtape of key Beastie songs, I did want to drop in some interviews.

It ids heartbreaking that the legendary MCA is no longer with us. An irreplaceable member and brother for Mike D and Ad- Rock, perhaps we might not hear music from him. He is also this incredible actor, and there were some interviews in 2015 with him when he featured in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young. It is worth bringing them, as he does mention Beastie Boys. Let’s start with an interview with The Guardian. Talking about his role in the film, Ad-Rick also states (incorrectly) how cassettes will never be cool. I would strongly disagree on that:

“In the film, the younger, cooler couple reject Netflix for VHS tapes, and choose to work something out rather than Google the answer. Do you understand that nostalgia?

I’m not saying that kids today have everything, but with the internet it’s like: you have it there so use it! I know a bunch of kids who are into cassette tapes now. Cassette tapes suck! Why not use your iPod? The iPod is the shit!

Isn’t that them trying to recapture some magic?

All generations think the present moment is the greatest, but also have this fascination with before their time. I do the same thing. I see old British movies. I’m like: “Man, I would love to be in London at that time.” But then I wouldn’t be able to watch The Walking Dead, I wouldn’t have cable and my pizza options would be limited.

How are you dealing with not being a Beastie Boy?

It’s definitely weird. For over 25 years, that’s all I did. It was who I was. I’m trying to figure out what that is.

Adam “MCA” Yauch died in 2012 (2). Do you think the band would still be going if he was alive?

What I’d hope would happen was that the band would be on the backburner and Adam would make movies (3). That would have made sense to me. This doesn’t make sense.

How are you dealing with it?

I have no idea. I’m not? I’m in denial? I don’t know. How do you deal with it? It’s fucking depressing. He was one of my best friends. We were 14 and we went through everything in life together.

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl once said new generations of fans were coming up to him and didn’t know that he was in Nirvana … Is there something freeing about that? That someone might come up and say they love To the Five Boroughs (4), but have never heard Paul’s Boutique (5)?

That’s never happened before. I would be so happy. But 95% of the time if somebody stops me on the street, they don’t know that we’ve put out records other than Licence To Ill. I’m telling you. They’ll talk about when they had it on tape. People are like: “What have you guys been doing since then?”.

In 2018, Loud and Quiet spoke with Mike D and Ad-Rock. They talked about the music influence of Bad Brains, Madonna, and Run-D.M.C. I am not including all of it, but there were parts that caught my eye. I do wonder whether Ad-Rock and Mike D will unite and collaborate for something soon. Especially as Beastie Boys are forty-five this year and their debut is about to turn forty:

“In their manager’s office in downtown LA, it’s weird to think that Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond are both guys in their early 50s. Talking over each other as they attempt to be the first to crack a joke or get their version of a story across, my conversation with them feels more like talking to two excitable teenagers than a couple of middle-aged men. The pair’s ability to derail any serious music conversation into one about iPhones and lukewarm hotel shrimp is certainly impressive, but it’s also really funny to listen to these two massive stars bickering like real friends do.

It’s kind of fitting that it feels unlikely that these two guys were two-thirds of one of the most iconic acts of the last forty years, because the Beastie Boys have always been one of the unlikeliest success stories in modern music. In between forming in Manhattan in 1981 to founding member Adam Yauch’s untimely death in 2012, the group metamorphosed from a group of obnoxious bratty punks into a real force for musical and social progression. More than just shaping the zeitgeist, for a generation of kids they defined what music could be. From bringing hip-hop to the suburbs to inspiring acts like Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine and N.E.R.D., and the theft of millions of VW radiator medallions, if you got your musical education in the nineties, then it was hard not to think that the Beasties were the coolest band on the planet.

Michael Diamond: “I’m not sure how I can bring any excitement or flair to it, but the story behind us and the Bad Brains starts because, as a kid, I wouldn’t buy lunch. I’d get some lunch money from my parents, but instead of spending it on actual lunch I would just buy a cinnamon toasted bagel with butter and save the rest of the money so I could buy records on the weekend. I can’t remember who turned me on to it, but one of the first things I bought was the ‘Pay 2 Cum’ 7 inch by the Bad Brains.

Adam Horovitz: “I definitely remember you and those cinnamon bagels…”

Mike: “Anyway, I get this record home, put it on and I was like, ‘OK, I’ve gotta see this band.’ Literally about a week later, I’m hanging out at this record store and saw an ad saying that they were playing. I thought they must be like this huge band like the Clash or whatever, but instead they were playing this little bar in Chelsea and there was maybe like twelve people there.”

Adam: “That was the cool thing about New York at the time – you had to go out. You couldn’t just stay home if you wanted to hear new things, you had to head into the city and find it. I remember having to walk around and actually ask people what they were listening to. Things really didn’t come to you.”

Adam: “We’ve never really known Madonna. We didn’t know her then and I still don’t know her. I mean, when she took us on tour back in ’85 we weren’t actually with her that long. It was like just a couple of months, really. It feels like it was this big major thing, but in actuality it was only a summer. We only really hung out a couple of times, but even then she was a big, big deal doing big things.”

Mike: “Yeah, even now that whole tour seems crazy to me. At the time she was like the biggest thing on the planet and we were like these three bums from New York who got to go on stage and piss everyone off. I think we got booed off every night.”

Adam: “Even so, it was significant because it was the first actual tour we ever did. It, like, set the gold standard for touring. We got to watch Madonna every night and be on this big stage with a massive superstar without even a real record out. It was like, this is school, right there.”

Mike: “It was like we got to see what a real professional musician looked like. We never really got to that point, we never got to write anything as good as ‘La Isla Bonita’. It could still happen, but I sort of doubt it at this point.”

Adam: “‘La Isla Bonita’?”

Mike: “Don’t front, Adam, that is a good fucking song. Have you ever heard it come on at a wedding, people go crazy.”

 

Adam: “I’ve always been more partial to ‘Lucky Star’…”

Mike: “‘Las Isla Bonita’ kicks ‘Lucky Star’s ass.”

Adam: “I’m still not sure how it all happened. We were basically these three pimply douchebags who were only concerned about where the nearest White Castle was so we could get burgers and she was thinking about private jets to Greek islands. I mean, I wouldn’t have liked to hang out with us back then. I think the only reason she kept us around is because Madonna was kind of punk…”

Mike: “I don’t know, man. If this was my game show appearance I would say ‘no’. It seems bold, but Madonna was zero punk. There were a couple of photographs where she looked like Siouxsie Sioux but that was about it.”

Adam: “Oh man, I can still remember first hearing Run-DMC’s ‘It’s Like That’ back in ’83. That song was like a massive hit in New York. I mean, it was a real game-changing record in the history of hip-hop, so we were completely in awe when we first met them.”

Mike: “We first met them through Russell Simmons, who is Run’s brother and owned Rush, which was ours and Run-DMC’s management company. We used to hang out in his office or at Rick’s [Rubin] dorm room a lot. You might think, who would even want to hang around an office or a dorm room, but we were psyched. It gave us somewhere that wasn’t just a record store or a street corner to hang out on.”

Adam: “I mean, we were nineteen at the time and we really had nowhere else to be. We had to be somewhere…”

Mike: “Exactly, we were just finishing high school and I used to think it was super exciting to be able to hang around with all these college kids. Like, Rubin’s room had this big PA at one side of it where he’d play all the Def Jam stuff he had coming out and it was super exciting to even be there”.

It might be unlikely that Ad-Rock and Mike D will work together. As we discover from this interview, Mike D wanted to make his own album and wanted it to be solo. He did collaborate with others, though Ad-Rock was very happy for him. Even so, as Ad-Rock is sixty on 31st October, I wanted to write about him. It would be awesome if he released his own album. People will always talk about Beastie Boys. Their music being handed down through the generations. I can appreciate that Ad-Rock does not want to release music yet. Or at all. He has appeared in T.V. and film through the years. I believe he is appearing in a Netflix film, Time Out, alongside Adam Sandler. That film is based on the French thriller, L'Emploi du temps. Of course, when there is a Beastie Boys anniversary, then he is happy to mark that. I spent a lot of my teenage years listening to Beastie Boys. One of my introduction groups to Hip-Hop, there will never be anyone like them again. One major draw was the power and brilliance of Ad-Rock. That amazing voice and what he brought to the group. Such a seminal and life-changing group, many happy returns to Ad-Rock. There might be people who have not heard the music of Beastie Boys. I would advise you to listen. Start with their 1986 debut, Licensed to Ill. Even if some aspects have not aged well – aspects of sexism and homophobia that they have since apologised for -, it is hugely important. The reason Ad-Rock and Mike D were interviewed together in 2018 for Loud and Quiet is that is when the Beastie Boys book came out. You can order it here. Co-authored between Ad-Rock and Mike D, I would advise any fan of Beastie Boys to buy it. I would love to read an Ad-Rock memoir. The period before the group started and those earliest experience. His path into music. Or bringing things up to date slightly (I guess that would make the book an autobiography rather than a memoir?!). Ahead of his sixtieth birthday, I wanted to share my appreciation of…

THE brilliant Ad-Rock.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Blondie

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Zagaris/Shore Fire Media

Blondie

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BECAUSE the incredible…

Blondie have announced that they will release their twelfth studio album, High Noon, on 26th February, 2027, I thought it would be a good moment to recognise them for this The Great American Songbook. I will end with a twenty-song mix from Blondie. Before that, I want to bring in this extensive biography from AllMusic:

“Blondie is perhaps the quintessential new wave band: an art-pop group who made the leap from punk to the Top 40, polishing their spiky curves while simultaneously broadening their musical purview beyond trashy AM pop to encompass disco, reggae, and hip-hop. They brought underground sounds into the mainstream with a sly, knowing wink and the incandescent star power of Debbie Harry, the lead singer who co-led the group with guitarist Chris Stein. Blondie's blend of girl-group pop and garage rock first took hold in the U.K., when "Denis" and "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" reached the Top Ten in 1978, but when the group collaborated with Mike Chapman -- a producer who was a powerhouse in glam -- they crafted Parallel Lines, a sleek, modernist masterpiece anchored by the glitter-ball pulse of "Heart of Glass." Parallel Lines turned Blondie -- and especially Harry -- into superstars and the number one singles came furiously in the next two years. The Giorgio Moroder collaboration "Call Me" reached the top of the charts, followed by the lilting "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture," which was the first record with a rap to reach number one in 1981. Their fall was sudden as their rise: Blondie split after the dispirited 1982 LP The Hunter. After nearly 20 years apart, however, the group reunited in 1999 for No Exit, a record that revived them commercially and creatively. From that point forward, Blondie steadily toured and frequently recorded, releasing such acclaimed latter-day records as 2011's Panic of Girls and 2017's Pollinator.

At the heart of Blondie is the relationship between Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, who first formed a bond while playing in the Stilettoes, a band formed in 1973. Harry previously sang in the Wind and the Willows, a precious folk-rock group that released an eponymous album on Capitol in 1968, but found herself drawn to the arty, edgy rock driving the scene anchored at the Mercer Arts Center. The New York Dolls provided particular inspiration for the fledgling singer, leading her to form the Stilettos with Elda Gentile, stylizing the band as a girl group that revitalized and sent up rock & roll oldies and B-movies. Stein joined the Stilettoes as a bassist and the pair built a friendship that turned romantic. Once the building housing the Mercer Arts Center collapsed on August 3, 1973, the scene gravitated to CBGB's in 1974, with the Stillettoes opening for Television in May of that year. By the end of the summer, Harry and Stein had formed their own group with bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy O'Connor, along with Tish and Snooky Bellomo, playing a couple of shows as Angel and the Snake before settling on the name Blondie.

Playing a combination of oldies and originals, Blondie quickly carved out a niche in the nascent New York punk scene, one that was adjacent to the buzzsaw bubblegum of the Ramones. Their lineup swiftly shifted, too, with Clem Burke replacing O'Connor just prior to Smith and the Bellomos leaving the group. Gary Valentine joined as their bassist and Blondie set out to record a demo in June 1975, adding keyboardist Jimmy Destri to the lineup shortly afterward. In 1976, Blondie caught the ear of producer Richard Gottehrer, a veteran of the Brill Building who played a pivotal role in girl group pop; he co-wrote the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back" and was part of the Strangeloves, co-writing their classic "I Want Candy." Gottehrer produced Blondie's debut single "X-Offender," arranging for the indie Private Stock to release the 45 in June of that year. Convinced that a full-length album would showcase Blondie's range, he brought Private Stock's owner Larry Uttall and Frankie Valli, the label's biggest artist, to CBGB's to see the band. Valli persuaded Uttall to bankroll a full album, leading to the December 1976 release of Blondie.

David Bowie and Iggy Pop were early supporters of Blondie, offering the band the opening slot for Pop's 1977 tour. Valentine left the group before the recording of Plastic Letters, a sophomore set that was helmed by Gottehrer; he was replaced after the recording by Frank Infante. During the album's sessions, Blondie signed with Chrysalis Records, which bought out the band's contract with Private Stock and released Plastic Letters in February 1978. "Denis," a cover of the old Randy and the Rainbows song "Denise," became a number two hit in the U.K., with "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" following it into the Top Ten. When Nigel Harrison joined as a bassist, Infante switched to guitar, turning Blondie into a sextet.

Chrysalis paired Blondie with Mike Chapman, an Australian producer who cut his teeth with such fizzy glam rockers as the Sweet and Suzi Quatro. Chapman helped push Blondie in a pop direction on Parallel Lines, the album that proved to be their mainstream breakthrough. That success didn't happen suddenly. Initially, the album found an audience in Europe and England, with their cover of the Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" making it into the U.K. Top Ten, but it remained a cult attraction in America until "Heart of Glass" turned into a career-making blockbuster. An old song given a sterling disco makeover, "Heart of Glass" topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K., turning Blondie into the first new wave superstars in the process. Subsequent Parallel Lines singles also benefitted from "Heart of Glass: "Sunday Girl" reached number one in the U.K., while "One Way or Another" became their second American hit, peaking at 24 (it would later become a pop perennial).

Blondie and Chapman reunited for Eat to the Beat, an album rushed out in the wake of Parallel Lines. It performed better in the U.K. than it did in the U.S.: "Dreaming" went to number two, while the LP topped out at 27 on Billboard. Blondie returned to number one with "Call Me," a disco collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder. Cut quickly while on tour and showcased on the soundtrack to Paul Schrader's 1980 film American Gigolo, "Call Me" became a smash, spending six weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and reaching number one in the U.K. and Canada as well. "Call Me" helped push "Atomic" to number one in the U.K. (it just barely cracked the Billboard Top 40), by which time Blondie was working with Chapman on their next album, Autoamerican. Released at the end of the year, Autoamerican consolidated Blondie's success, with its first two singles, "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture," topping the Billboard charts. "Rapture" in particular helped forge new ground in how it incorporated rap and hip-hop into its new wave pulse.

Despite all this success, Blondie was plagued with internal problems that began to boil over during the sessions for Autoamerican. The group decided not to support the record with a tour, a break that allowed Harry to record her solo debut KooKoo with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic; in turn, Stein produced Miami, the second album by the Gun Club, and Destri made a solo album, Heart on a Wall. Blondie reconvened with Chapman to make The Hunter, a scattershot album that failed to generate any hits. Within months of its May 1982 release, Blondie broke up.

Over the next decade, Harry pursued a solo career, scoring minor British hits with "French Kissin" in 1986 and "I Want That Man" in 1989. That year, she and Stein ended their romantic partnership; they remained friends. Stein was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease pemphigus vulgaris in 1983. He continued to pursue his interest in photography in the '80s and '90s. During those decades, Burke and Destri were both in-demand session musicians.

The original Blondie lineup of Harry, Stein, Burke, Destri, and Valentine reunited in 1997 to play several shows, but by the time they released No Exit in 1999, Valentine was no longer part of the band. Supported by "Maria," an unexpected number one single in the U.K., No Exit performed well, peaking at three in the U.K. and 18 in the U.S. The Curse of Blondie didn't do as well in 2003 but it did generate the modest U.K. hit "Good Boys." Destri left the band in 2004, the same year Sanctuary released Live by Request. Blondie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

The band toured throughout the 2000s, adding bassist Leigh Foxx, guitarist Paul Carbonara, and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen to the official lineup along the way; Tommy Kessler joined as a guitarist in 2010. This version of Blondie made its debut with Panic of Girls, a 2011 studio album initially released as an attachment to a collectible magazine in the U.K.; it would later be available on its own. A new album, Ghosts of Download, was released as part of Blondie 4(0) Ever, a 2014 set that also featured a disc of re-recordings of the band's greatest hits. Blondie continued to tour regularly in the 2010s, with the group releasing the full-length Pollinator in 2017; "Fun," its lead single, went to number one on Billboard's dance chart. Vivir en la Habana, a documentary of the band's Cuban residency, appeared in 2021, accompanied by a soundtrack EP to the film. Blondie released the mammoth archival project Against the Odds: 1974-1982, a box set containing everything the group recorded for Private Stock and Chrysalis, on Numero Records in 2022. Stein sat out Blondie's tour that year due to problems with his heart, while Foxx couldn't tour either, due to a back injury; they were replaced by Andee Blacksugar and Glen Matlock, respectively. It proved to be the last set of shows for Clem Burke, the only drummer to play on all of Blondie's albums, as died on April 6, 2025”.

It is exciting that we will get a new Blondie album. This is what NME wrote in their recent feature about High Noon: “Set for release on February 26 via BMG, the new record marks the 12th studio album from Debbie Harry and co., and the NYC rock icons’ first collection of new material in nine years. Visit here to pre-order. Set to combine their signature punk-rock sound with new inflections of dance music and Latin rhythms, the record features the final recordings of co-founder and drummer Clem Burke, who died last year following a battle with cancer. Across the 13 songs on ‘High Noon’, Harry and Chris Stein are joined by special guests including Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius”. In anticipation of this new album, I have assembled the twenty songs which I think are Blondie’s very best. Or the songs that define them. With such a packed and wonderful catalogue to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down. It well and truly is…

AN embarrassment of riches.

FEATURE: Reelin’ in the Years: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2027

FEATURE:

 

 

Reelin’ in the Years

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2027

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IN this second part…

of an eleven-part run that spotlights albums that have big anniversaries next year, it takes me to 1972. Great L.P.s that are fifty-five in 2027. Among them are some real classics. Steely Dan’s debut, Can’t buy a Thrill, in addition to albums from David Bowie, Nick Drake, Aretha Franklin, and The Rolling Stones. I am not sure which year I am covering has the most genius albums. I suspect that it might be 1977, but then 1997 has a fair few, as did 1967. 1972 was no slouch either. Some of the best we have ever heard came out that year. I have included as many as I can, trying to get a good spread in terms of genres. Although you might not have been alive in 1972 when these albums came out – I certainly wasn’t -, they have endured and still sounds remarkable to this day. Take a listen to the mix below which assorts golden cuts from…

 

THE best 1972 had to offer.

 

FEATURE: A Day in the Life: Songs from Albums Turning Sixty in 2027

FEATURE:

 

 

A Day in the Life

Songs from Albums Turning Sixty in 2027

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AT this point of the year…

I do a series of features that celebrates albums that have big anniversaries next year. Many terrific albums turns sixty next year. The music of 1967 is right up there with the best of all time. I have compiled songs from the most important albums from 1967. In future features, I will look at albums that turn fifty-five, fifty, forty-five, forty, thirty-five, thirty, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten and five in 2027. Perhaps the most iconic and greatest album of 1967 was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I do wonder how that will be marked. There will not be a remastered and reissued album, as that has already been done. Though it is worth marking a significant anniversary. Sitting alongside this masterpiece are plenty of other albums from 1967 that were either a critical or commercial success. You will recognise many, though there might be a few that are less familiar. Enjoy this mixtape that blends songs from…

THE best albums of 1967.

 

FEATURE: Spotlight: PISS

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Magdalena-Bourne

PISS

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ONE of the most important…

albums of this year is from Canadian band, PISS. I am writing this ahead of the release of their debut, you made me / skin <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOS3pnxlG_s?si=2kA31QQZmsCFw5MK" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>on linen. Even if I am not a fan of their name and the use of all uppercase for their name and all lower case for songs, it is something a lot of artists do. I actually don’t mind that they are called. I just get funny when an artist uses all caps or lowercase. Anyway, there will be review of this album shared soon. I will end with a recent NME interview with this remarkable band. Let’s start with some background on PISS from their label, Sub Pop Records:

“PISS is a noisy, genre-bending four-piece band from Vancouver, B.C. Combining punk, poetry, sound collage, performance art, and visual art, the band creates a multidisciplinary body of work that blurs the line between personal and political.

Powered by thoughtful musicianship, energetic live performances, and a crystal-clear artistic mission, PISS writes punk music that aims to transcend the limitations of a well-established genre. Their work draws inspiration from a range of unexpected influences: literary giants, philosophers, filmmakers, painters, psychoanalysts, activists, children, members of a German anarcho-feminist militant group, and conversations with audience members. These voices represent varying ideological beliefs about gender-based violence and enable PISS to create art that depicts challenging and controversial issues such as sexual violence and enculturated gender norms without reduction, romanticization, polemics, or dogmatism.

Their debut LP, you made me / skin on linen, depicts a childhood shaped by structural, systemic, and intimate violence. Throughout the record, art-making motifs serve as metaphors for the myriad ways we carry the effects of this violence: each experience leaves an impression, gradually creating or deforming the self, much like a piece of clay molded by every mark it receives. The record resists simple conclusions; rather than offering a single perspective, it examines violence as a ubiquitous facet of our culture. It asks questions—how does violence impact our development? Are our wounds inextricable parts of us? And if not, then where do our wounds end and we begin?—and allows the listener to devise their own answers.

The album’s first singles introduce listeners to different corners of that world, each exploring a different facet of the narrative that unfolds across the full record. “time loop at hot slit” is a frenetic noise-punk examination of girlhood in a culture of sexualization, pairing a danceable chorus with witty, poetic lyrics “wailed in anguish and uncanny eroticism”. “blocking a scene you can’t remember” slows everything to a near standstill as the album’s slowcore song, unfolding as a fragmented rehearsal for a confrontation that is repeatedly interrupted by trauma. “Rote Zora. “Resistance is Possible.” Emma, no. 6. June, 1984, pp. 39-41.” transforms a transcript from an archival interview with the German feminist militant group Rote Zora into lyrics for a cacophonous exploration of resistance, agency, and collective action. Finally, the sludgy noise-rock single “i wanted to be a singer” strips away metaphor, foregoing literary devices and narrative techniques, to open the record with a direct address that asks listeners to approach the album not as entertainment, but as lived experience.

While you made me / skin on linen exists as a recorded work, PISS was meant to be experienced live. Every performance presents the album’s narrative, preserving its emotional arc from beginning to end, while allowing the work to exist as an evolving experience. With each show, the band aims to transform venues into spaces where confrontation, catharsis, reflection, and mutual care can coexist.

PISS made their live debut at Vancouver’s DIY venue Red Gate in April 2024 with little expectation beyond performing locally. Instead, the 30-minute performance left the audience transfixed by a set that moved through crushing noise, intimate subtleties, spoken-word samples, and moments of overwhelming emotional release. Taylor Zantingh’s visceral physicality challenges onlookers to move beyond passive media consumption. On the record, she describes how violence from her past affects her present; in a live show, audiences become active participants, witnessing her depict the enduring impacts of trauma in real time. The band’s first show sparked word-of-mouth momentum that has since spread from Vancouver’s local underground scene to audiences, journalists, and musicians around the world. In just two years, PISS has sold out headline shows across eight countries, appeared at leading festivals throughout North America and Europe, and signed to Sub Pop Records—all before a formal release.

PISS is Taylor Zantingh (vocals), Tyler Paterson (guitar), Gavin Moya (bass), and Garreth Roberts (drums). The band recorded their debut album, you made me / skin on linen, in January 2025 with Colin Stewart at Hive Creative Labs. The album is forthcoming on October 30, 2026 via Paper Bag Records (Canada) and Sub Pop Records (worldwide)”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Grignon

Prior to getting to a few interviews, Still Listening Magazine shone a light on their single, blocking a scene you can’t remember. One of the most potent and moving songs of the year. If you are unsure or hesitant about following the band, I can understand that it may be challenging listening at times. But that is the point. This is music that absolutely must be heard:

“Vancouver band PISS have shared ‘blocking a scene you can’t remember’, the latest single from their debut album, you made me / skin on linen. The record arrives on 30 October through Sub Pop, with Paper Bag Records handling its Canadian release.

The new song deals with sexual abuse and its lasting effects. Its lyrics take the form of a girl rehearsing a confrontation with a man from her past, alone in her room. Frontperson Taylor Zantingh co-directed the accompanying video with Nushi Sharma. PISS recorded you made me / skin on linen with Colin Stewart at Hive Creative Labs in January 2025. Across its 15 tracks, the band draw on punk, poetry and sound collage to examine how violence can shape a person’s childhood and sense of self.

PISS, completed by guitarist Tyler Paterson, bassist Gavin Moya and drummer Garreth Roberts, will support Gilla Band on a North American tour in October before returning to Europe in November. Their upcoming dates include Pitchfork Paris on 7 November, Sonic City in Belgium on 8 November and a London show at Moth Club on 14 November”.

Back in March, Post Trash interviewed PISS. They are a band that I am very new to and discovered through their NME interview. I am not sure if they have been played on BBC Radio 6 Music here, but they seem readymade for the station. I know there is a growing fanbase in the U.K. Their forthcoming London show will see many of their fans flock to see PISS on the stage. Ahead of the release of you made me / skin on linen, there is a lot of excitement around the band. I know I have called their music important but, at this current time, what they are writing about seems as important and urgent as anything else:

“Since 2024, the band has experienced a rise that feels distinctly organic and out of step with the contemporary industry. PISS has officially released only three Bandcamp exclusive songs, yet the four-piece is anything but idle. They’ve sold out venues all across Canada, booked international tours (with another one around the corner), and opened for fast-rising contemporary UK punk phenomena Lambrini Girls.

​PISS’ success shouldn’t be a surprise given the undeniable talent of guitarist Tyler Paterson, bassist Gavin Moya, drummer Garreth Roberts, and vocalist Taylor Zantingh. But the seemingly (and most likely intentionally) indefinable artistic character makes it hard to pin down just what PISS is.

​“It started as a very kind of conventional band setting, and it's kind of grown into something where I'm not really sure what it is,” Paterson reflects.

​“[It’s] kind of like an assemblage self-portrait of one person's experience growing up in a culture of widespread normalized violence. And it has since grown into something that's difficult to describe. It's multi-genre, it’s very collaborative, and there are elements of performance art,” Zantingh adds.

​Although completely ineffable, the songs on three demos are brawny, loud, discordant incursions that examine the grief and trauma of sexual assault and a culture that normalizes violence. The highly concept-driven approach to songwriting intricately navigates the challenges of weaving together the brutality of sonics with the significance of the content.

​“I've been writing about the subject matter since I was very young. So I knew that it always seemed to fall short unless I was creating a larger project. At the same time, even just writing alone without the use of instruments and sound collage didn't feel sufficient because the subject is monstrous,” says Zantingh.

​PISS’ music features samples from feminist writers and activists, drawing from various artistic disciplines like film, poetry, and literature, Zantingh says, “what I'm doing comes from a long lineage of women speaking about this stuff. So, I think when we're looking at the songwriting process, it's never ever just like ‘oh let's like write a song.’ It's like ‘what is this broader project we're trying to do, and what’s the next piece of that?’”

Past tours have been hard on the band, balancing the authenticity of highly emotional, physically demanding performances without torturing themselves for weeks on end or turning the show into a caricature of itself.

​But Zantingh says, “it's kind of hard not to feel motivated when we're playing live… I'm still often in a place of awe when I think about how deeply I get to connect with people that I don't even know and will never meet again.”

​PISS and their music have a purpose, and now, Zantingh says they are “living that purpose.” As they take their tour across the world this spring, the charge that started with three demos nearly four years ago doesn’t seem to be fading. If anything, it’s surging into something new”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Grignon

Prior to ending with that NME interview I want to highlight this conversation from September. Rightfully proclaiming how PISS cannot be ignored, I do wonder what the reviews of their album will be like. They will be hugely positive, but in terms of how they approach the songs and what angle to take. As PISS bring samples into their music, I wonder how this is translated to the stage:

“The four friends have grown exponentially in the past three years, and this growth has been mirrored in the band's rise. They went from not expecting anybody outside of Vancouver to pay attention to the project to touring extensively nationally and internationally, and signing with not one but two powerhouse indie labels (Paper Bag Records in Canada and Sub Pop internationally) for the release of their debut album, you made me / skin on linen. It was all on the strength of their intense live show, which begins with a content warning, and their visceral three-song demo.

Their success cannot be looked at without exploring the role the subject matter they deal with has on the band. "Being in this particular project and talking about this specific subject matter carries a really interesting weight when it comes to looking at the reception. On one hand, as an artist it's so fulfilling and rewarding to have so many people approach you after a show and say they resonate with what you've done, but because of what the subject matter is, I'm constantly struck by what it means about our world that so many people are so hungry for this type of music and so many people feel so moved by it," Zantingh says.

"It's a very strange place to be in as an artist because it's my art, which is a product outside of me, but it's directly connected to my body and directly connected to the lived experiences of every single person in the room when we're sharing the songs. At the end of the day, even if you directly have not been assaulted or a been victim of violence yourself, I truly believe that sexual violence is a soul wound that touches everybody in some way. I think that's something that is impossible to ignore when you look at the reception that we've gotten," she continues.

Paterson recalls that seeing the reaction of the crowd after their first show reassured them they were on the right path and describes the growth of the band as "shocking, surprising and fulfilling at the same time."

"It's just been a roller coaster ride that none of us really expected to happen, and things have just accelerated at such a pace that we're trying to all keep our bearings while things keep getting bigger and bigger, which I think we're doing a pretty good job of," he notes.

The band's live show attracted the attention of producer Colin Stewart, who saw one of the first videos they ever posted, a video of them performing "time loop at hot slit" at a friend's house. He got in touch and offered to record their debut album. The quartet accepted and headed to the Hive Creative Labs in Victoria over the 2024–2025 winter holidays to record you made me / skin on linen with Stewart and Max Frazer.

PISS moved quickly, recording the album in about a week, barely leaving the studio save for getting food and ringing in the New Year with a short walk outside, an experience that Roberts says "was like stepping into another world," and one that Moya likens to being "in a spaceship."

Along with the songs that make up the album, the band also incorporate samples, including the sound of children playing, and clips of writers and activists — such as Toni Morrison, Andrea Dworkin, Vikki Reynolds and Manon Garcia — speaking. They also bring a written interview with German militant feminist group Rote Zora to life with bursts of noise and Zantingh's affecting vocal delivery for the penultimate track, titled "Rote Zora. 'Resistance is Possible.' Emma, no. 6, June 1984, pp. 39-41."

These samples reinforce the message of the record and serve to offer different perspectives on gender-based violence in order to meet everyone where they are in their respective journeys.

"I hoped that the samples would sort of function as a reading list, where you could read a really wide range of ideological perspectives on dealing with the issue of gender-based violence, so you could come out of the record with the tools that you need to form an opinion that fulfills whatever it is that you're facing. I'm very aware that there's no singular path out of these things for us as individuals, [or] for us as a whole. Wherever you are, there will be somewhere for you to have a starting point," Zantingh explains.

"I don't think that the record would be successful if it was prescriptive or dogmatic in some way of 'this is the answer' because, ultimately, there isn't an answer that anybody has found that works completely. If there was, we wouldn't be here”.

NME spotlighted PISS recently. Just before they play here in the U.K., there is all this buzz and hype. Whereas some groups get heat because of the joy they bring or they tap into something anthemic and unifying, things are a bit different when it comes to PISS. Something deeper. NME write how “the Canadian four-piece shine a stark spotlight on the trauma of sexual violence: “This record is supposed to continue a conversation that’s been going on for a really long time”:

“The band are sitting with NME a few days before End Of The Road, sipping orange juice at a pub around the corner from their temporary digs in Wanstead. “This record is supposed to continue a conversation that’s been going on for a really long time. It feels like simultaneously the easiest and the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”

Piss have only ever had this specific mission statement in mind. The band began when Zantingh – the only member to come from a hardcore background – met Patterson at a party, and ended up moving from Ontario to Vancouver to live with him and start a group. All the while, the vocalist, who also studied Creative Writing at university, had been crafting “a poetry collection and short fiction, but nothing felt like it was clicking”. When the idea came to turn them into lyrics for a record, though, that changed. Zantingh sketched an outline for the record that same weekend. Soon, Moya and Roberts were invited to join.

“What was empowering was that I felt like I had the skills on one hand to say what I wanted to say in the very precise way that I wanted to say it, [but also] all my life I’ve been getting really comfortable with being a total freak on stage and not caring what people think,” Zantingh explains. Moving from her hometown gave her the distance to write about her past, while her bandmates swiftly proved themselves the right kind of people to facilitate and support such a heavy undertaking. “Everything about this project is hard for me in some way, but the hardest thing for them is doing it for me,” Zantingh readily admits. “A lot of people want art about trauma, and then when trauma symptoms come up, all of a sudden it’s like… ‘Oh’. But you can’t have one without the other.

PHOTO CREDIT: Maya Fuhr for NME

“It’s kind of this elephant in the room that I’m working with three men on this project,” she continues. “But [the other side] is that this record is so connected with experiences of men harming me, but then in order to create it I had this really great group of men come and, without ego, just offer their help and support in order to get us where we are. It’s not just me and my lyrics that got us here; it’s all of our strengths coming together for this common goal.” As if to underline her point, her bandmates sit back for the vast majority of today’s conversation, and just let Zantingh speak.

Piss’ approach is decidedly nuanced, contrary to what a lot of the “heinous” comments on their YouTube videos might suggest, or what certain factions of their burgeoning audience might cast them as (“There were two men at the front in Bristol, and I gave the trigger warning at the start of the set, and they just both went, ‘WOKE’, and then walked out,” Zantingh laughs). There’s an awful lot of thought, research and different vantage points across their debut, and Zantingh is equally considered in conversation. “I think the most important opinion that I have is that we should never be scared of ideas, and I think a lot of people are right now,” she says.

“In a lot of the feminist songwriting that I hear right now, there’s a trend of really simple, buzzword-type stuff. And there’s definitely men out there who need to hear that, but they’re probably not coming to your shows,” she continues. “If you want the men in your life to be held to a higher standard, talk to them like they’re adult humans with working brains and let them disappoint you. I believe in my heart of hearts that sexual violence is a collective soul wound that hurts and touches everybody. And maybe a lot of men who are close to coming to that understanding will be pushed away by having a woman who is their peer looking down on them”.

Let’s end things there. With their debut album out on 30th October, there be new attention and focus on PISS. The Vancouver band are something very special. That is something I have said about a lot of artists, though it seems especially true of PISS. Go and listen to their music and get their debut album when it comes out. See them live. The November London date is sold out, but they are back in the capital in February. I do think that you made me / skin on linen will be rated as one of the…

BEST albums of the year.

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Follow PISS

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Grignon

Official:

https://pisstheband.neocities.org/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/piss_theband

Bandcamp:

https://pisstheband.bandcamp.com/album/you-made-me-skin-on-linen

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1nGBerMI4y0SI6fZk97uYf?si=wLnLk_2BSHu02mb0fxY59Q

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@piss_theband

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jordan Joy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Chad Moore

Jordan Joy

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THIS is an artist that I am new to…

PHOTO CREDIT: Brantley Gutierrez

but I really love her new E.P., LED Moon. Jordan Joy is an Irish-born, London-based artist. She is the eldest daughter of U2’s Bono (Paul Hewson). It is hard to avoid though, when talking about artists with parents who are also artists, there is that temptation to talk only about that. Jordan Joy is an amazing and singular artist who, no doubt, was exposed to so much incredible music growing up. She spent her formative adult years in New York studying poetry, and she is inspired by artists such as New Order, and  LCD Soundsystem. It must have been wonderful and oddly romantic in New York reading poetry from the likes of Frank O’Hara and spending amazing nights immersed in the Brooklyn music scene. She brings so much of her travels, previous life, loves and multiple gifts to her debut E.P. I did want to cover off some interviews, as we get to know more about Jordan Joy. Many interviews naming her as ‘Jordan Joy Hewson’, but as she is ‘Jordan Joy’ for her music, that is the name I am using. On 12th November, she performs as part of The Great Escape’s First Fifty showcase (with Esmeralda Road, Xanadu, and Pack of Animals). You can get tickets here. I will end with a review of LED Moon, but there are four interviews to spotlight before that. The first two take us back to the summer. Let’s start off with NYLON and their conversation from earlier this year. They caught Jordan Joy at a moment when she was experience passport issues. Unable to enter the U.S. Painful, as NYLON point out, as she “wouldn’t even have a music career if she hadn’t left New York City during the pandemic six years ago”. Chatting around the release of the single, Don’t Kill the Vibe, we get a little window and insight into the now-released E.P. It is up there with the best of the year:

“You obviously come from a very musical family, but I'd love to hear more about your relationship to music. Were you taking lessons growing up? Who were you listening to as a child? Who are some of your biggest inspirations?

I have a really eclectic taste in music. As a really young kid, I was listening to The Spice Girls. I was really obsessed with Vanessa May, who was a classical violinist. I loved piano. I did think about going to music college for piano, and ultimately didn't. There was a lot of music going on in our house, a lot of different sounds and things.

The first record my godfather gave me was David Bowie's Hunky Dory, and it was the most amazing music I'd ever heard. Then I got really into Pearl Jam. Yeah, I love guitar music. I'm learning the guitar now.

How have your friends and family reacted to the music so far?

Initially nobody knew I was writing songs, so there was definitely some shock there. But then they were like, "Oh, this makes sense. You actually make more sense as a person now that we see you in this way." That's been really cool. I've felt really supported and encouraged in terms of putting it out there, because it takes a lot to do that. I don't think I could be doing it without my friends backing me.

Has your father offered you any advice or guidance as you navigate the music industry?

He has his own experience, which is so unique. Any [other] artist will never have that experience. But he's good on the reality checks. That has been helpful. But I try to not take any advice, really. They're different experiences and it's coming from a different place. I watched Eli really chart his own course and make his own decisions, and that has worked out for him. The same with my sister [Eve]. I'm doing that for myself now as well. And the industry has changed so much. I don't even know that the industry he was in is the same that it is today. But he comes in with the reality checks, that's for sure. They could be heavy.

What do you hope fans take away from these songs and the EP?

Whether it's this EP or the next one, I really want it to be about breaking free from expectation, doing your own thing, and taking a leap of faith. If people are listening to that on the getaway drive from something they've walked away from or something they're walking towards, that would make me feel really proud of the work. That's the story that I hope to share. I hope that fans might find just a little bit of rebellion maybe in it, too”.

I am moving to Flood Magazine and their incredible interview. I do think next year is going to be one where Jordan Joy is performing at a lot of music festivals. I would not bet against a Glastonbury slot. It is clear that LED Moon has been embraced by a lot of people. An artist who I feel will keep growing in stature and brilliance:

“After founding the social activist company Speakable a decade ago, which landed her on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list shortly after, Jordan Hewson briefly released music as Tenderhooks before adopting the Jordan Joy moniker

A combination of life changes propelled her in this direction. She was living in New York when she started Speakable, which was acquired a year into the pandemic. She did some consulting, but didn’t join the new parent company. Her long-term relationship came to an end, and she moved back to Dublin to be near family during lockdown where she started writing songs. Although classically trained on the piano before abandoning the instrument to study political science at Columbia University, songwriting was new territory. “My life did a 180 in about 18 months,” she says. “I had been intentional about the life path I was on. I worked really hard to get there. To let it all go at once, I had to say goodbye to my life in a very unceremonious way. But it was an amazing moment. It needed to happen. I needed to grow in that way. I don’t love to embrace change and the instability of that, but it freed me up to explore this part of me that maybe I was running from. That rupture helped me open up to music.

Among the hardest parts of launching her music career has been adjusting to today’s norms in which artists are ripping off their skin to show everyone their insides, pouring all their trauma into their songs, leaving themselves open and vulnerable to the world. Not only that, but also reliving those painful experiences with every professional or social interaction they have. “How do you maintain authenticity doing that professionally?” Jordan queries. “I have no idea how that works. I think that’s why I kept music secret for so long when I was developing it. I didn’t know how it would change my instincts to hear my music through other people’s ears. I wanted to protect it as much as I could until I knew I was ready. It takes a lot to put your work out there, to put your emotions out there. It’s not just in front of people that it’s challenging. Even to go there privately is hard. What’s felt amazing so far is sharing it has made me more inspired.”

The shift from releasing music as Tenderhooks to her own name reflects Jordan’s growth as an artist. Musically, moving from strictly electronically produced sounds to acoustic instruments gives her versatility from a stripped-back to a filled-out presentation. She calls Tenderhooks “intimacy with sharp edges, tenderness as armor, something you could wear.” But to be her truest self, she needed to remove that protection. By that same token, she had to sing in her most honest voice. “My favorite singers are the ones where you can hear their irritation,” she says. “We’re losing character in vocals because everyone’s trying to be perfect, and I think it’s a loss for music. It’s so important to be flawed. It’s what makes it real. In many ways, I’m grateful that I didn’t go through a strict training of my voice. Intimacy is my goal as a singer”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Madavo

I am going to take quite a large chunk from an interview with The Irish Times that was published yesterday (11th October). It is clear that, although Jordan Joy is based in London, Ireland is very much in her heart and soul. It is what drives her and where she is from. It runs through her blood. Also, I guess New York has a special place in her heart too:

“At 19, Hewson went to Columbia University in New York to study political science, influenced by her early experiences touring the world. “Growing up with my parents being activists, I was exposed to really serious issues at a very young age. Even in school, we took a trip as a class to Uganda and visited schools over there. I felt inspired by people I’d met. I wanted to figure out if I could be useful.”

There was another draw in her life, however. At Columbia, she was allowed to take classes outside her direct degree. “I took an introduction to poetry class with an insanely good poet called Josh Bell. He became a mentor to me. He was like, ‘What are you doing when you graduate?’ And I was like, ‘Oh I’m going to go and work in communications.’ He was like, ‘Why? We have an MFA programme here and I’d be happy to write you a letter of recommendation.’ I was like, ‘No, it’s cool, I’m going to get a job.’

A year spent working in the non-profit and communications sector changed her mind.

‘I hope that I can put an album together soon. That would be the goal. I’m happiest making music’

“A year in, I was on the phone to him, being like, ‘Can I please get a letter of recommendation? I would love to study this.’ Studying under Tim Donnelly and the late Lucie Brock-Broido, she graduated with a master of fine arts in poetry, publishing work in Boston Review and A Public Space.

It may seem odd to some that Hewson didn’t pick up a pen in those early years to write songs as well as poetry. Did the family business have an inhibiting effect?

“I didn’t think it was possible for me to be an artist,” she says. “The industry looked intimidating. I think you have to really know who you are to be an artist. I was too young ... And it wasn’t a part of myself I was open to.”

Hewson had played piano from a young age, studying with the well-known composer and musician Dawn Kenny. “She was very inspiring to me,” she says. “She taught me a lot by ear and made sure I kept my love of piano going. We still text all the time.”

Hewson also had the virtues that come with a life less ordinary – at a joint birthday celebration for George Clooney at Cafe Habana in Malibu in 2014, Bono and Jordan (father and daughter share a May 10th birthday) sang karaoke, performing the duet Something Stupid. The best-known version had been recorded by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy.

In 2023, with an early, musical project called Tenderhooks, she was trying to find both her sound and her nerve: “With Tenderhooks it was about getting comfortable with the vulnerability of being an artist.”

Her siblings all helped around the recording. “Eve has a lot of experience with putting herself out there. She’s very focused,” she says. “John is very wise and he’ll tell me if something is good or crap. He’s got a great musical sensibility. In the early days, when I was just starting to write songs, Eli [Inhaler’s Elijah] was showing me the ropes. And my cousin Duncan is the person who would help me demo my first songs to send to producers. So there’s a lot of support and interest in the family.”

The gorgeously woozy closing song on the EP came about when Eli accidentally slowed down the title track while attempting to record backing vocals, and Jordan sang over her own pitched-down vocals, with harmonies from her frequent collaborator Jackson Phillips.

Recently, Hewson went back to New York for a photo-shoot. “I had tears in my eyes,” she says. “I realised I was writing about my life in New York, and processing leaving it. But now I live in London and I love it too. A lot of my Irish friends are in London”.

I am really excited about Jordan Joy. Speaking with 1883 Magazine earlier this month, Jordan Joy guides them through her new E.P. I wanted to highlight a few parts of the interview. If you have not connected with her yet then make sure that you do. This is such an interesting artist. In terms of her background, upbringing, connection to the U.S. and where she is now. I can see her winning multiple awards as a solo artist and headlining. It is tantalising to think just what this truly wonderful songwriter can achieve and where she will go. Here, Jordan Joy speaks about an E.P. that everyone needs to hear:

“‘I’m proud of this project because in many ways I never thought I would make it. Music came to me at a time in my life when I wasn’t expecting it. My life had turned upside down and instead of looking for safety, I leaned into the unknown when I started writing music, and I am proud of choosing to do that.

I started writing songs purely as a survival mechanism—a private melodic diary. And I kept it a secret, from family and friends while I was figuring out my voice. So, to see these songs out in the world is an amazing thing.

I was really overthinking my instincts in the beginning, and I am unlearning how to do that. I’m learning how to keep the edges into everything that I make, and how important it is to leave in errors and imperfections – they’re part of the creative. You need mistakes in a piece of art.

‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’

Don’t Kill the Vibe was the last song we wrote on the record. I loved the instrumental the best, but we ran out of time in the studio, and I was going back to London the next evening. Before going to the airport, I went into Jackson’s studio and recorded a temp melody and lyric on the song but then its kind of just stuck and became the thing. It’s a domestic argument between a couple at a party in the kitchen at the end of a relationship— Wanting to go out on a high and a refusal to let the night go to waste. I think how we end relationships is sometimes more important than how we start them. How you remember the last taste someone left in your mouth, matters, and this song is making a case for that. I finished the song in London with producer Catherine Marks.

‘Indigo Girl’

“She leaves the strangest impression, but you’re kinda obsessed.” Indigo girl came out on a day when I had no lyrical inspiration whatsoever just a cool track we made in the studio. It’s not really a song, so much as a scene I imagined taking place. Maybe from the first 10 minutes of a film where a lost protagonist goes out to a bar and meets an unlikely obsession.  A girl in blue shoes, dancing alone without obvious sex appeal, but with self-possession and something so characteristically weird, it’s beguiling. She’s the unexpected heroine of your night, and of your fascination. I wrote this with my friend Jackson with M83 on the radio as we were driving around Los Angeles. There’s a track called Graveyard Girl we were listening to that maybe inspired it”.

I am going to finish off with a review of LED Moon from Off the Record Press. I just adore her voice and her lyrics. In terms of the images she paints and her way with words. It is magnificent. The role of synths and how big and bright they are. So many different colours and emotions come through them. There is this mix of Synth-Pop and Indie-Pop. I am based in London, so I shall try and get down to see her play in Hackney next month. If I can’t make it, then she is certainly someone I would love to interview. You just know that she is going to be this massive artist who soon will command these enormous venues. Or she may want to keep it intimate. Some low-key gigs in the U.S. and a few select venues around the U.K. She can go anywhere and do anything:

“Nostalgia is both a girl’s best friend and her worst enemy, and Irish-born singer-songwriter Jordan Joy knows this all too well. With the release of her debut single “Don’t Kill the Vibe” earlier this year, indie-pop lovers now have another emerging voice to play on repeat.

Joy followed her debut single with the release of two more singles, “Indigo Girl” and “LED Moon,” and finally her very first EP titled LED Moon. With young life in New York as the project’s cultural and emotional landscape, the five tracks come together to create a dreamy narrative exploring themes of love, change, and finding your place.

Immediately within the first few seconds of “LED Moon” you’re transported into an atmosphere similar to that of hazy late night filled with a vaguely familiar nagging in the back of your mind that something isn’t fully right: “No one falls in love tonight / But baby let me see you try / The sky in artificial light.”

The chorus is hypnotic repetition and pulsing synths that pull you in with a disorienting amount of intimacy. It almost seems as though the song is acknowledging something you refuse to: “Under the LED moon / Don’t let your soul get so lost.”

The final song on the EP, “LED Moon (Slower),” is a direct reflection of “LED Moon” that develops a more expansive atmospheric feeling within the song.

“Don’t Kill the Vibe” differs in its approach at remaining ignorant to something that isn’t working. The track resembles a seemingly endless night that you pray drags on just a little longer: “You say I’m to blame / Sulking like a king / Tonight with me / You can’t prove me wrong.”

The verses hold a confident, almost sultry, tone that makes you want to stay just a little longer: “You say you and me / The spark is gone (you can’t prove a thing) / Just hold my glass while I prove you wrong (let me prove you wrong).” Though the confidence does little to distract from the real tension that’s hidden under the pretense of this relationship: “Faking boredom, I can feel it / Pick a fight, and I’ll dismiss it / (Don’t kill the vibe) tell yourself it’s overrated / Look at me pretend you hate it.”

“One on One” finally acknowledges what she used to be so good at hiding from: “The dawn fires warnings / On something I shouldn’t say.” The upbeat soundscape tries to cover the underlying nervousness: “The flood lights adore me / Covering my mistakes.” Ultimately, confrontation comes to a head: “Have we something to hide? / Have we nothing to hide?”

“Indigo Girl” captures the freedom of letting go and embracing the things that make you different: “She leaves the strangest impression / But you’re kinda obsessed / Can’t put your finger on how / She has you possessed.”

The song itself is delivered in a way that’s comparable to spoken word poetry set to music rather than a song that’s sung: “She tangles a sentence of that night in her hair.” Considering Joy studied poetry and literature in New York, this certain style feels more than authentic: “She trips off the beat / But she’s more on than you feel.”

With sonic references to New York, a collaboration with brother and lead singer of Inhaler, Elijah Hewson, and lyrical poetry that hits you in all the right places, LED Moon marks the beginning of an exciting new era for Jordan Joy”.

I have a lot of love for the music of Jordan Joy. Even if I am a recent convert – if that is the right word?! -, she has got into my heart right away! I love LED Moon and can imagine these songs sounding spellbinding and hugely atmospheric on the stage. Next year is going to be a big one for her. I feel she will do so much and play around the world. For now, she will be gearing up for a London gig next month and, whether she is in the U.S. now or back in the U.K., I do hope that she is getting loads of messages about her E.P. and how great it is. This Irish-born artist is someone you simply…

SHOULD not live without .

___________

Follow Jordan Joy

Official:

https://www.jordan-joy.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jordanjoy

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/jordan-joy

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SpTLCaS4bSWUFgN7AapHv?si=0C0j_6uKRZ2h4Izf1lqDnA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrYjOjJEQku5BEMrgUb7UyA

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Paul Simon at Eighty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Paul Simon at Eighty-Five

_________

ONE of the greatest songwriters…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul Simon in 1972/PHOTO CREDIT: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images

in history turns eighty-five on 13th October. Because of that, I felt it was a great opportunity to compile an ultimate Paul Simon mixtape. From his work with Simon & Garfunkel to his brilliant solo material, few have created as many timeless works of genius as him. Before getting to the mixtape, there is updated biography from AllMusic that I feel is important to include:

“Paul Simon is a singer/songwriter who helped define the parameters of folk-rock. Over the course of five albums made with his parter Art Garfunkel, Simon & Garfunkel created some of the most indelible music of the '60s, including such perennials as "The Sounds of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The duo split at the height of their popularity in 1970, leading Simon to launch a solo career with an eponymous debut in 1972, a record that established his increasingly adventurous musicality and lyrical sophistication. Simon's mastery of mature mainstream pop quickly became evident -- he regularly appeared in the Top Ten in the '70s with such hits as "Mother and Child Reunion," "Kodachrome," "Loves Me Like a Rock," and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," the latter taken from his Grammy-winning Album of the Year, 1975's Still Crazy After All These Years -- but by the '80s he became artistically restless. An exploration of African music revitalized him creatively and commercially, resulting in the 1986 landmark Graceland, which became his second Album of the Year Grammy winner. The ensuing decades found Simon attempting a variety of experiments, ranging from a Broadway musical and a 2006 collaboration with Brian Eno to the hushed mini-suite of 2023's Seven Psalms.

Paul Frederic Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 13, 1941. His father, Louis Simon, was an educator who also led a small jazz combo, while his mother, Belle Simon, taught English; when Paul was a few months old, they moved from Newark to Queens, New York. Paul grew up with a passion for baseball and music, particularly jazz and folk, and as he entered his teens, he developed a taste for the doo wop and R&B sounds that were a staple of Alan Freed's radio broadcasts, as well as first-generation rockabillies such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. When Simon was 11 years old, he met Art Garfunkel, and the two became fast friends who discovered they shared an interest in music. Paul and Art formed a harmony duo in the style of their heroes the Everly Brothers and made their stage debut at a junior high talent show. By the time they were enrolled at Forest Hills High School, the two were calling themselves Tom & Jerry (Art was Tom Graph, Paul was Jerry Landis), and they filled their spare time playing teen dances and parties. In 1955, the two wrote a song together, "The Girl for Me," which Simon registered for copyright with the Library of Congress. In 1957, Tom & Jerry were cutting a demo acetate of Simon's song "Hey Schoolgirl" when the president of a small record company (ironically named Big Records) happened by the studio. The label head liked what he heard and "Hey Schoolgirl" b/w "Dancin' Wild" was released in the fall of 1957. The record rose to number 52 on the Billboard pop singles charts, and scored Tom & Jerry an appearance on American Bandstand, but while they would cut a number of follow-up releases, "Hey Schoolgirl" was destined to be Tom & Jerry's only hit.

By March 1958, Simon was already looking toward a solo career, cutting a single, "True or False" b/w "Teen Age Fool," under the name True Taylor. Jerry Landis also landed his own record deal, releasing his debut single, "Anna Belle" b/w "Loneliness," in 1959, while Simon also worked with a studio group called the Cosines, who specialized in cutting demos for songwriters. (Another member of the combo was Carole Klein, who would soon enjoy a successful career of her own as Carole King.) By the end of the decade, Paul and Art were both enrolled in college, and Tom & Jerry took a back seat to academics, though Simon would record occasional sessions and wrote songs for others. In 1961, Simon teamed up with a handful of vocalists to form a group called Tico & the Triumphs; the group cut a single, "Motorcycle" b/w "I Don't Believe Them," which barely broke into the Billboard singles charts, making number 99 for one week, but received extensive airplay in Baltimore and became a local hit in the Charm City. "Motorcycle" was released by Amy Records, which soon turned to Simon to write and produce material for several of their artists, including Ritchie Cordell, the Fashions, Dottie Daniels, and Jay Walker & the Pedestrians. Simon also found time to cut another Jerry Landis single, and "The Lone Teen Ranger" spent three weeks on the Billboard charts in early 1963, peaking at number 97.

In the early '60s, the folk revival swept New York City, and a new breed of singers and songwriters introduced a new approach to the craft of creating tunes. Simon, who had been studying English literature, was influenced and encouraged by the new breed of folkies, and in 1963 he re-teamed with Art Garfunkel, this time using their real names and performing the more topical songs Simon was writing. Simon & Garfunkel started playing Greenwich Village folk clubs, and they scored a deal with Columbia Records, releasing their first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, in the fall of 1964. The album was initially a flop, and Simon headed to England, where he made the rounds of folk clubs, recorded some BBC sessions, and even cut a solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook, which was released only in the U.K. Simon also co-wrote a few pop tunes with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers, one of which, "Red Rubber Ball," would become a big hit for the Cyrkle. In late 1965, Tom Wilson, who produced the Wednesday Morning, 3 AM album, learned that one of the songs from the LP, "The Sound of Silence," was getting scattered radio airplay, and he struck upon the idea of dubbing a rock & roll rhythm section over the acoustic track and issuing it as a single. The strategy worked: the new version of "The Sound of Silence" was a big hit, and Simon & Garfunkel quickly re-formed, cutting the album Sounds of Silence, which was released in 1966 and spawned the singles "I Am a Rock" and "Kathy's Song."

Simon & Garfunkel would enjoy impressive success over the next several years and were one of the few acts from the early-'60s folk revival that would enjoy success with acoustic-based music during the psychedelic era, thanks in large part to Simon's songwriting. But while 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water was a massive commercial and critical success (and a superb reflection of the end-of-the-decade Zeitgeist of the day), long-simmering creative differences between Simon and Garfunkel came to a head while making the album, and a hiatus from collaborating became a proper breakup when Simon released his self-titled solo album in 1972. Paul Simon featured two hit singles, "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," and found Simon experimenting with reggae and Latin music, as well as polished soft rock.

Released in 1973, There Goes Rhymin' Simon was a more ambitious follow-up, sounding largely optimistic and dipping its toes into gospel and New Orleans jazz as well as R&B-based rock and pop. In 1975, Simon released Still Crazy After All These Years, an album informed by his divorce from his first wife, Peggy Harper. Still Crazy included the song "My Little Town," which reunited Simon with Art Garfunkel for the first time since Bridge Over Troubled Water. Simon's next project proved to have a long gestation period; he wrote a screenplay about a musician struggling to save his marriage and his career, and penned a set of songs to accompany it. Simon also starred in the subsequent film, and while One Trick Pony wasn't his first bit of film acting (he played a small but memorable role in Woody Allen's Annie Hall), he didn't fare well alongside a cast of seasoned professionals when the movie debuted in 1980. One Trick Pony's soundtrack album (his first album for Warner Bros. after a long working relationship with Columbia) spawned the hit single "Late in the Evening," but otherwise proved to be a disappointment in terms of sales.

In September 1981, Simon & Garfunkel played a massive reunion concert in New York's Central Park, which led to a brief reunion tour. The Central Park show was released as a live album that was a major commercial success, and the duo made plans to record a new album. But Simon and Garfunkel found themselves at odds in the studio, and Simon's next album, 1983's Hearts and Bones, featured no contributions from Garfunkel. The album sold poorly, and by Simon's own admission he was running short on inspiration when he heard an album of "township jive" by the South African group the Boyoyo Boys. Fascinated by the eclectic blend of creative elements, Simon began creating an album inspired by South African pop, recorded primarily in Johannesburg with a band of South African musicians. The result was 1986's Graceland, which became an unexpected smash hit, spawning several hit singles, introducing an international audience to South African rhythms, and prompting a renewed dialogue about the nation's repressive apartheid regime. (The album also generated a certain amount of controversy, as some believed the recording sessions violated a United Nations-led cultural boycott against South Africa; also, several members of the group Los Lobos, who appeared on the album, claimed Simon lifted their melody for the tune "All Around the World, or the Myth of Fingerprints" without giving them songwriting credit.) Simon turned to Brazilian music for inspiration on his next album, 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints, which also incorporated a number of the South African players who contributed to Graceland. If not as successful as Graceland, The Rhythm of the Saints still fared quite well with fans and critics, and the two albums reestablished Simon as a vital contemporary artist.

After releasing a live album from the tour in support of The Rhythm of the Saints, Simon retreated to work on another unusual project, a Broadway musical called The Capeman, which was based on the true story of Salvador Agron, a Latino gang member and convicted murderer turned poet and activist. Simon wrote the book for The Capeman in collaboration with Derek Walcott and composed a set of new songs for the show. However, the production proved difficult and the play, which opened in 1998, received poor reviews and closed after just 68 performances due to slow ticket sales. (A revised version of the show was staged in 2010, and received significantly better notices.) An album of Simon's interpretations of the show's songs was issued but was only a modest success; the original cast recording received a belated digital release in 2006.

Stung by the disappointing response to The Capeman, Simon returned to the studio in 2000 to record You're the One, an album that suggested a compromise between the African and Latin sounds he'd embraced and the more intimate approach of his early work. Two years later, Simon once again reunited with Art Garfunkel for a concert tour, and a live album, Old Friends: Live on Stage, was released in 2004. Simon returned in 2006 with Surprise, which found him working with an unlikely producer, Brian Eno. Released in 2011, So Beautiful or So What captured Simon returning to a more organic songwriting style than he'd employed since Graceland, though the tenor of the lyrics confirmed he was still keenly aware of the sounds and ideas of the present day. The album was also his first release for Hear Music; the same label released 2012's Live in New York City, taken from a special intimate hometown concert from the tour in support of So Beautiful. Simon returned in the summer of 2016 with Stranger to Stranger, an album co-produced by his longtime collaborator Roy Halee and released on Concord Records. Simon embarked on a farewell tour in 2018, toward the end of which he released In the Blue Light, a collection of reinterpretations of songs he felt were overlooked when he'd written them.

Despite all these looks backward, Simon hadn't retired from songwriting. He returned in May 2023 with Seven Psalms, a suite of songs designed to be listened to as a collective piece. The acoustic-based mini-suite featured appearances by VOCES8 and vocals by Edie Brickell. In the years that followed, Simon experienced significant hearing loss in his left ear, but it improved to the point that he was able to perform an intimate acoustic tour. One of the shows from this tour was captured for release as a live album, The Quiet Celebration Concert, which was released in October 2026”.

On 13th October, the peerless Paul Simon turns eighty-five. I hope that we get more albums from him, as there is a select group of songwriters who have had this extraordinary career spanning six or seven decades. Even if you are younger and are quite unfamiliar with Paul Simon, the collection of songs below gives you a good overview of his distinct magic. The brilliant Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters…

OF all time.

FEATURE: Spotlight: manifest

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Mesut Adlin

manifest

_________

BECAUSE they are in the U.K. at the moment…

and play London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Friday (16th October), I wanted to spotlight the Turkish six-piece group, manifest. They consist of Esin Bahat, Hilal Yelekçi, Lidya Pınar, Mina Solak, Sueda Uluca, and Zeynep Sude Oktay. Their extraordinary debut, manifestival, was released last year. They have also been filmed for an upcoming Netflix documentary, though I am not sure whether it is a documentary about them or Turkish music. However, it is very clear that this incredible group are primed for global domination. I do want to come to some recent interviews with manifest. So we can learn more about them. Ahead of their first-ever U.K. show, this is a perfect time to connect with manifest. Official Charts spoke with a group who count Spice Girls and Little Mix among their influences. Prior to a six-part Netflix documentary, they are building a fanbase around the world. We do not really discuss the music coming out of Turkey. Still a lot of focus on the U.K. and U.S. Here are a group who I feel will play a lot more U.K. shows:

“Say hello to Esin Bahat, Hilal Yelekçi, Lidya Pınar, Mina Solak, Sueda Uluca and Zeynep Sude Oktay, who formed through Türkiye's Big5 talent competition in February 2025. Less than two years later, they're preparing for their first UK headline show at London's OVO Arena Wembley on October 16. Not bad going, eh?

And they're not arriving empty-handed.

Their brand-new single TRALALA marks manifest's first English-language release, mixing glossy pop with elements of traditional Turkish music. The accompanying video sees the girls take over the streets of East London, complete with choreography, Turkish coffee and evil eye charms.

Back home, manifest have already released their debut album Manifestival, launched their very own festival of the same name and built a devoted fanbase affectionately known as Manifam.

Counting the Spice Girls and Little Mix among their biggest inspirations, the six-piece are putting their own stamp on the concept of the girl group, with friendship, individuality and their Turkish roots at the heart of it all.

And with a six-part Netflix documentary in the works, something tells us we'll be hearing plenty more from them.

Why do you think TRALALA is the right song to introduce yourselves to the UK?

Since TRALALA is our first English-language single, the response we’ve received has been incredibly exciting for us. Seeing people connect with the song even before it was officially released has been such a special feeling.

Coming to London, releasing TRALALA and performing at Wembley all feel like the beginning of a new chapter for us.

Next stop, Wembley! What can Manifam expect from your first UK headline show?

Wembley is such a huge moment for us. Coming to London, releasing TRALALA and stepping onto the Wembley stage all feel like the beginning of a new chapter for us. We’re so excited to share this moment with Manifam and bring manifest’s energy to our first global arena show.

How does it feel to take your Turkish roots and culture to audiences around the world?

Of course, it’s a huge source of pride for us. When people watch us at our concerts in Turkey they would sometimes tell us how proud they are of us, we always knew that our international achievements would allow us to share that feeling with them too.

Now, as we share our music with audiences around the world, what matters to us is bringing elements of where we come from and our own culture together with the international pop world. Wherever we go, we want to carry the values and the culture we come from in Turkey with us”.

It would be too easy (and a bit lazy) to compare them to Spice Girls, as manifest are very much their own group and don’t seem as manufactured. However, as they love the British group, it is fair enough to mention them in the same breath. I did not know that they faced huge legal issues last year and might not have been allowed to leave Turkey again. Rolling Stone UK caught up with manifest recently and found them in excitable mood. The forthcoming U.K. show will be a huge event. If you have not heard their music then I can thoroughly recommend them:

“In a way, Manifest are carrying out a sort of belated cultural change with Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty. In October 1997, the Spice Girls played their first-ever live show in Istanbul. Now, some 29 years later, Manifest are preparing for one of their first concerts outside of Turkey at Wembley Arena on October 16. British pop fans may not know Manifest yet, but London’s Turkish population probably do, so booking this 12,500-cap venue is less risky than it seems. Still, as a statement of intent, it’s pretty unimpeachable. Turkey’s biggest pop group are signalling that they want to break the UK next. In fact, they’ve decamped here for the best part of the month while they’re being filmed for an upcoming Netflix documentary. “We want to show the UK what a Turkish girlband can do,” band member Lidya says with calm conviction as Tower Bridge gets smaller behind her.

Their impressive rise was briefly jeopardised in September 2025 when Turkey’s public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the group for alleged “exhibitionism” and “indecent and immoral acts” following a concert in Istanbul. Manifest subsequently cancelled a national tour and the band members were given suspended prison sentences that prevented them from leaving the country, though the travel ban has since been lifted. Manifest aren’t the only female pop act to have been targeted by Turkish authorities – singer-songwriter Gulsen was arrested in 2023 after making a joke about the country’s religious school system – and the tang of moral panic hasn’t halted their long-term momentum. The sextet’s recent single ‘Hileli’, an anthemic collaboration with legendary pop diva Ajda Pekkan, was Turkey’s most-streamed song of the summer on Spotify. Another Manifest banger, the rambunctious robo-R&B gem ‘Toz Pembe’, which was co-written by band members Esin, Lidya, Mina and Zeynep, was the third most-streamed.

A few hours before their jubilant Manifestival gig, we meet the band at their hotel nearby. It’s their first-ever press interview in English – a language not every member speaks confidently – but Manifest’s collective determination outshines any individual nerves. “There are six people in our group – six different women, six different perspectives,” Lydia says. “That is like our [super] power because we are all really different from each other. And it helps us to command any particular moment.” Next question: What makes a track perfect for Manifest, and not one they pass to another artist? “We always want to hear our [individual] voices, and the song has to be really powerful and sassy,” Esin replies. “And it always has to show that real girl power”.

I will end with CLASH and their interview. I am very new to manifest, but you just know they are very special and primed for great things. Even though most of their songs are in Turkish and they are not native English speakers, their music has been adopted and taken to heart around the world. They are rightfully very proud of their heritage and nation. It will help bring attention to the music being made in Turkey:

“Welcome to London, and congratulations on your Netflix documentary! You’ve had such an incredible year, and I imagine it must be a little crazy considering you only debuted as a group last year. How does this moment feel for you?

Esin Bahat: We’ve done so much in only one year and a half, it has been an amazing experience for us.

Lidya Pınar: Everything happened so quickly, we had to adapt to a new routine and fame, and it has been really exciting.

Sueda Uluca: We’re living our manifest age!

You have been in London for a long time and I’m curious to know your impressions of the city. What are your favourite activities and places here?

All of them: Soho!

Esin: We went to some musicals as well, like Moulin Rouge.

Sueda: Also Hamilton and we’re seeing The Phantom of the Opera.

Lidya: We went to Notting Hill too.

Mina Solak: I like the museums, they are so huge, like the British Museum.

Zeynep Oktay: I love the architecture of the city.

You bring so much of your identity and so much of Turkish culture into your music. This is amazing and beautiful to see.

Zeynep: We want to reach a global audience, but we want to do that carrying our culture with us.

Lidya: We’re Turkish and we’re really proud of it.

Zeynep: We want to show the world what Turkish female artists are capable of doing.

And what advice would you give to groups that also dream of going global carrying their identities?

Esin: I think the secret is being yourself and trusting each other. Be proud of yourself!

Lidya: Never forget your roots

Sueda: Enjoy every moment”.

This is a brief love note to manifest. Even though I have merely selected a few interviews published recently, I did want to share their music and name. People may not have heard of them or heard them in passing. TRALALA was released last week and it is an amazing song. I wonder if it will form part of a future album or E.P. It may be reductive to call them a girl group, but I think there is this new wave of female groups that you can connect to girl groups of the past. Though they each have their own sound. Whereas girl groups of the past were based in the U.S. and U.K. largely, now there is this more varied and international sound. From Turkey to South Korea to Japan and the U.K., it is a very prosperous and exciting time. The brilliant manifest are adding something wonderful and unique to the mix. Make sure that you follow…

THIS wonderful six-piece.

___________

Follow manifest

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/m6nifestgirls

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@m6nifestgirls

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2WjzL05RyqIk5n53sZc9nf?si=1lXApMhvQlKhDCwnigSXgw

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@m6nifestgirls