FEATURE: Tomorrow Never Knows: Can Festival Line-Ups Display Greater Gender Parity This Year?

FEATURE:

 

Tomorrow Never Knows

 PHOTO CREDIT: @michaelbenz/Unsplash

Can Festival Line-Ups Display Greater Gender Parity This Year?

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IT is not that I am going after one festival…

 IMAGE CREDIT: @ThisIsNCL

above all of the rest but, yesterday, This Is Tomorrow announced their line-up. It is a great festival in the North East but, as you can see from the names announced, there are very few women! Even though it is a festival for new artists, Brighton’s The Great Escape is a demonstration in how you can have a balanced line-up that includes a lot of sensational female artists. I have already talked about The Great Escape, and produced a playlist featuring some of the artists announced. It is an exciting festival that gives you a window into the artists who are going to rise through the ranks. I think bigger festivals who house established artists are in no different situation to a festival like The Great Escape. This Is Tomorrow is not a massive festival, so there is no reason why it had to go male-heavy and ignore the plethora of great women who could easily boss a spot. In terms of the new and bigger acts, there are plenty of women available who would not be too expensive and, actually, afford a festival like This Is Tomorrow greater diversity. One assumes the notoriously male-heavy Reading and Leeds Festivals are going to refer to type, and they will not push any closer to having a fifty-fifty split in terms of gender. Anyone who argues festivals are reacting to commercial demand and there are fewer women to fill slots need to look around them!

IMAGE CREDIT: @Primavera_Sound

Yes, there are fewer women in music than men and fewer women being signed to labels. That is not the same as saying there are not enough women to fill slots. Glastonbury was close to a fifty-fifty balance last year; Primavera Sound know how to throw a party and make sure there is a deserved and pleasing balance of male and female artists across multiple genres. Look at their line-up, and so many women on the bill could have featured on the bill for This Is Tomorrow. We will have to wait to see how some of the major festivals in the U.K. – including Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight Festival – adapt and reveal themselves this year. If a couple of big festivals can strike gender equality (or get very close) there are no excuses for others that have a similarly wide approach when it comes to genres. It seems like the same problems are cropping up time and time again. Parklife 2020 have announced their line-up and, despite it being a small festival, it is close to a fifty-fifty split. Whilst I predict Glastonbury will have a fifty-fifty gender balance, the fact they booked a female headliner (Taylor Swift) when there have been drastically few since its inception (it is the festival’s fiftieth anniversary this year), shows there is a problem right across the board. I thought this year would be a big step up for festivals but, with a few smaller festivals revealing line-ups that are decidedly male-focused, it does worry me.

It seems festivals like The Great Escape are an exception and, whilst I appreciate there are small festivals who have female headliners and a lot more progressive than most other festivals, there are far too many festivals not doing enough. 2019 was a fantastic year for music which saw the release of terrific albums by everyone from FKA twigs, Lana Del Rey and Sharon Van Etten. Angel Olsen and Lizzo can be thrown into the mix and, whilst I’d lose my breath naming all the women who made 2019 so good, it seems odd that this very obvious fact is not translating to better representation at festivals. One can dispel the notion there are few women worthy to headline festivals; that there are not enough to lay down a great show and, most definitely, there are few to put the bill at fifty-fifty. It is not just festivals that are dragging their heels; award shows are just as culpable. The BRIT Awards is, again, short of female nominees when there are some very obvious names that should have been selected. I read a lot of music blogs and websites, and there are so many female artists highlighted. Although radio playlists are still too male-heavy, there are ample female solo artists, duos and bands (or female-led bands) that would give any festival options a-plenty!

IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape

I am not going to literally name every woman who should be booked for any festival but, off the top of my head, I could name around fifty who would be inexpensive, awesome and as popular/strong as any male act – and yet they are not being booked. There are two main reasons why a lack of female inclusion is tragic. At a time when so much of the best music is being made by women, young artists coming through are not seeing that on the big stages; they are missing out and, in years to come, will women avoid getting into the industry because festivals are skewed to the men? I know festivals are not the main benefit of being a musician, but they are important and greater gender quality means variation and a wider palette. I look at festival line-ups and there is very little in the way of surprise or the eclectic. Maybe there is the problem with festivals being run by men who book men. There is a lack of protest from a lot of festival goers which, to be fair, is their choice, but I worry whether many festivals will adopt a fifty-fifty gender balance by 2022 – forty-five festivals pledged to have a fifty-fifty split by 2022 but, as we are two years off, I wonder whether they can realistically achieve that. Just like award line-ups and a lack of female inclusion, artists need to speak up and use their platform to call out those who continue to deny women slots at festivals. A lot of the protest and awareness is coming from women in music and the media: men need to do more and not just let things remain as they are.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ryan Watts

There are articles that claim that, if we ask for gender balance, that means quotas are being filled. There is no denying things are better now than they were in the past regarding gender, but my argument is that quotas are not being filled. There are plenty of female artists who deserve festival shots, and it is not a case of throwing them a treat or making them feel included! Those who warn against quota-filling feel that women would feel patronised or though they are being booked to create equality, rather than reflect their talent. I can never understand this argument, as it implies there are not enough women out there now to make gender parity a reality at festivals. Glastonbury will achieve it this year; Primavera Sound can do it easily, so what do they have to say to that?! I agree there are festivals that deal with particular genres where there are so many more men than women in that field – Electronic and Rap are examples. Whilst it may be harder to get a fifty-fifty balance there quickly, these festivals are still excluding women who are more than worthy, thus exacerbating the problem of inclusion and gender imbalance in these genres. Most festivals do not have a strict remit when it comes to sound/genre, so it is not the case the talent pool is not that deep, seeing as women are visible and strong across multiple genres. This Is Tomorrow have announced their line-up, and several other festivals will do the same before the spring – The Great Escape have laid out their stable, and it looks pretty good! Against all those who claim a fifty-fifty split at festivals represents society being too P.C. and putting gender over quality, they need to listen to music properly and realise there are scores of women who could be added to any festival line-up right now. Many hoped we would see great progress than we have so far but, sadly, festival organisers are just not…

IMAGE CREDIT: @OfficialRandL

DOING enough.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Glossii

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

 Glossii

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ALTHOUGH NME have also highlighted…

a couple of recent artists I have put into my Spotlight feature, I have been aware of Glossii for a little while now. Like all great bands, they are hard to pin down or define. Glossii have been compared with Wolf Alice but, when you listen to their music, they are very much on their own plain. The band put out some music last year and, after being included in NME’s list of the one-hundred artists to watch this year, they must be thrilled! In terms of biography, here is some information from Camden Rocks Festival:

 “Glossii is a four-piece post-punk band created around South London in early 2017 by Charlie Lock and Guitarist Lewis Smith, along with vocalist Sofia Zanghirella and latest joining member, drummer Reuben Rost.

Glossii’s hard-hitting riffs and bursts of aggression create the ubiquitous back-beat for Sofia’s femme-fatale lyrical insight- reminiscent of other bands such as Wolf Alice and Garbage with a detection and a nod to the original allure of Blondie.

2018 has been an impressive debut year for the band, performing at Camden Rocks Festival on the Doc Martens stage, supporting HMLTD in Guildford and releasing their debut single: Headache, which has received significant support from Diva Magazine &  Amazing Radio.

Headache and Runaway Rockaway was produced, engineered and mixed at Eastcote Studios by the renowned George Murphy”.

I wonder what the band have planned for 2020. It is obvious there is momentum behind them and, as you can hear from the songs incorporated into this feature, they create a sound that is hard to forget – and it is original, despite comparisons to other acts.

There is something really down to Earth and relatable about Glossii; a band you could hang down the pub with and chill. There are not a lot of interviews and features out there about them but, when looking online, I did find a feature from NME from August:

 “It’s a drizzly Tuesday night at the Shacklewell Arms and Glossii vocalist Sofia Zanghirella is delivering a menacing history lesson from the stage. “Divorced, beheaded, died!” she chants, making wild chopping motions. “Divorced, beheaded, survived!” Anyone getting hazy flashbacks to sitting on a tiny chair in a dingy classroom and learning about the Tudor period of British history? You’re not alone.

“Learned it in Year 2, and still doing it now,” smiles bassist Charlie Lock ahead of Glossii’s set at NME’s gig night Girls To The Front. He’s attempting to explain how on earth a children’s memory rhyme — which charts the gruesome fates of King Henry VIII’s six wives — found its way into a punk-rock band’s repertoire. “Henry VIII was her first crush,” he says of Sofia, who appears delighted. “Big boy, let me love you!” she declares, quoting a lyric from ‘Cut’. “I love Henry VIII. We like to take the piss out of how people love the monarchy so much. It’s a bit silly. It’s like a soap opera nowadays. Look in any magazine: The Queen does this, the queen does that. Ridiculous.”

It’s an apt introduction to Glossii’s kingdom, which started out not-too-seriously around two-and-a-half years ago — they’ve only been gigging for about 12 months. Charlie and guitarist Lewis Smith originally formed the band as an excuse to get glammed up. “I FaceTimed Lewis and asked him if he wanted to start a band where we would go in drag on stage,” Charlie recalls. Accidentally, their playful project turned into the real deal after a succession of increasingly bigger slots evolved into a kind of unofficial residency at The Boileroom in Guildford. Gradually, they found themselves sharing bills with like-minded bands HMLTD and Sorry. “Bands that we never thought we would be able to do things with,” admits Charlie. “I thought someone had made a mistake!”

A scrappy new band springs up out of south London’s incendiary music scene every week, it seems. Though Glossii are focused on “doing our own thing,” they reckon that for bands south of the river “there’s a community feel [as we] play in most of the same venues,” says Charlie. “We’ve made a lot of friends along the way”.

I think it is harder now to make an impression than ever; artists have to hustle and work all hours. Whilst I have seen many artists who were tipped a couple of years ago fade away, I think Glossii can build a big fanbase and play huge venues. The desire for an album is there as, inevitably, when an artists shows glimmers of promise and brilliance, there is that pressure.

I will wrap things up but, on the subject of features and interviews, I want to source from one more. Glossii spoke with Get in Her Ears last year and, in addition to talking about their formation, they also talked about the industry now and how it is set up for band:

 “Hi Glossii, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band? How did you initially all get together and start creating music?

We all used to play in different bands on a Saturday music club. Our bassist Charlie Face-timed Lewis asking to be in a band where they would go on stage in drag. It developed into the androgynous style we have today.

Your new single ‘Watching Me’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?

‘Watching Me’ is about growing up and going against your parents’ rules.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Wolf Alice and Garbage, but who would you say are your main musical influences?

We each all have different influences, and that is what creates our sound. Between all of us our main influences are Wolf Alice, Slaves, Idles, Marmozets and Haze to name a few.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?

The music industry is hard for new bands to understand and it does take a huge amount of determination and perseverance to get noticed. Your music is not always going to be liked by everyone, even if it’s well produced or written, but your can’t take that to heart. Just move on and do what you like the sound of”.

Things are hotting up in the Glossii camp and, with the year ahead of them, many people are looking their way. It is quite right they are being tipped for success, so make sure you connect with them on social media and check out their music. The South London are primed to…

GO a very long way.

________________

Follow Glossii 

Official:

https://www.glossii.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/glossiiofficial

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/glossiiofficial

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/glossiiofficial/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i44PQmMX9HCzyTC3t342J

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoSDrrJnH-_QZ4XaKIBHmw

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Radiohead – Kid A

FEATURE:

Vinyl Corner

Radiohead – Kid A

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I am not sure whether I have…

covered this album before for Vinyl Corner (I cannot see any repetition) but, if I have, I think this warrants a rare double inclusion! There are a few reasons why I am including Radiohead’s Kid A in Vinyl Corner - I was going to feature Queen Latifah’s All Hail the Queen, but I will include that next week. For one, this masterful album turns twenty on 2nd October. It is hard to believe that Kid A is almost twenty; it still sounds ahead of its time, and I swear I first heard it only a few years ago! Another reason I want to feature Radiohead’s gem is because the band have made the music news recently. It must have taken a biblical effort, but the band have put together all their music and information onto a website. The Radiohead Public Library has been launched. Here is what Pitchfork reported last week:

“Radiohead.com is now home to the Radiohead Public Library. Today (January 20), the band has launched the comprehensive archive of all things Radiohead in a corrective to the disorder of the online space. To commemorate the launch, the band has released a handful of rarities to streaming services: Below, check out their debut EP, 1992’s Drill; the loosie “I Want None of This” from the 2005 charity compilation Help!: A Day in the Life; and the 2011 remix EP TKOL RMX 8.

The archive groups the miscellanea by era, with thumbnails linking to ad-free videos and galleries. After creating their own library card, fans can explore the band’s catalog, visuals, and various artifacts in a “highly curated and organized archive,” a press release notes. That includes detailed artwork, music videos, HD live and TV performances, B-sides and rarities, previously out-of-print merchandise, and the playlists band members shared around their latter-period recording sessions”.

I have not dipped in yet, but I am going to set aside some serious time to investigate this great archive. Yet another reason why I want to put Kid A under the spotlight is, back in 2000, there were some harsh and mediocre reviews aimed the way of this album. It seems baffling now, but maybe critics were reacting to the shift from the more accessible OK Computer of 1997 – such a left-turn and reinvention displeased some who wanted a more conventional Rock album. It is understandable critics were a bit miffed considering, to that point, Radiohead hadn’t dabbled too much with Electronic-influenced songs and been quite as experimental. Of course, things were rectified down the line when critics had time to digest the album and appreciate the fact it was part of an evolution. The band continued to shift and mutate after Kid A, so people have reacted in hindsight with more awareness and positivity. The fourth album from Radiohead, here was a band who were on a fine run!

They released OK Computer in 1997 and, two years after The Bends, so many people were tuning into this remarkable group. Led by the sensational Thom Yorke, I remember hearing Kid A for the first time. It took me a fair while to get my mind around an album that I was not expecting – I was not anticipating drum machines and synthesisers. I gave it a few spins and, before long, its magic and brilliance got into my heart! Recorded with producer Nigel Godrich, I think Kid A is one of the best albums of the past twenty-five years – it kicked off the twenty-first century in style! I am going to bring in a couple of features later in this feature, but it is clear Radiohead had grown tired of the mainstream Rock scene or doing things like they had before. There were no singles from Kid A, and the band did few promotional bits. They were one of the first bands to use the Internet as a promotional tool – I remember how comparatively fresh and primitive the Internet was back in 2000! Thom York especially suffered burn-out after the success of OK Computer; the band toured extensively, and everyone wanted a piece of them. Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway were also feeling the strain; like the band were a bit one trick pony-like and that they needed to do something new. Yorke did not want snappy Rock songs: he want melody and something more immersive and long-lasting.

After 1997, so many bands were following Radiohead, so a repeat of that album would have been unwise and samey. There was a lot of guitar music so, looking to the fringes and acts like Aphex Twin, Radiohead stepped into new territory. Yorke felt Rock was reaching a dead-end and there was not a lot of fresh inspiration out there. Maybe he was on to something: it wasn’t until acts like The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age came about at the end of the 1990s/start of the next decade that there was a glimmer of promise. The likes of Aphex Twin excited a downbeat and exhausted Thom Yorke; a new dimension that he could venture into. On Kid A, Radiohead took inspiration from a number of sources. There is a bit of Can here and there and Jazz artists like Charles Mingus; some Hip-Hop and Björk’s Homogenic in other areas. I think Underworld’s music provided guidance and impetus; the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki was the inspiration behind the strings on How to Disappear Completely – a song that seems to soundtrack Thom Yorke’s emotional state after the whirlwind of OK Computer and its aftermath.

I am not going to quote any of the unfair reviews from 2000 because, nearly twenty years after its release, I think the album sounds stronger than ever! Get it on vinyl if you can, as it sounds incredible when you drop the needle! Kid A is one of several masterpieces from Radiohead, and I am excited to see what the band have planned to mark its twentieth (I understand there will be something released). This is what AllMusic offered when they reviewed Kid A:

“In the wake of OK Computer, it became taken for granted among serious rock fans of all ages that Radiohead not only saved rock from itself, but paved the way toward the future. High praise, but given the static nature of rock in the last half of the '90s, it was easy to see why fans and critics eagerly harnessed their hopes to the one great rock band that wanted to push the limits of its creativity, without grandstanding or pandering. Daunting expectations for anyone, even for a band eager to meet them, so it's little wonder that Kid A was so difficult to complete. Radiohead’s creative breakthrough arrived when the band embraced electronica -- which was nearly a cliché by the end of the '90s, when everyone from U2 to Rickie Lee Jones dabbled in trip-hop or techno.

IN THIS PHOTO: Radiohead around the release of OK Computer in 1997/PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The difference is that the wholehearted conversion on Kid A fits, since OK Computer had already flirted with electronica and its chilly feel. Plus, instead of simply adding club beats or sonic collage techniques, Radiohead strove for the unsettling "intelligent techno" sound of Autechre and Aphex Twin, with skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces. To their immense credit, Radiohead don't sound like carpetbaggers, because they share the same post-post-modern vantage point as their inspirations. As perhaps befitting an album that’s coolly, self-consciously alienating, Kid A takes time to unfold; multiple plays are necessary just to discern the music's form, to get a handle on quiet, drifting, minimally arranged songs with no hooks. This emphasis on texture, this reliance on elliptical songs, means that Kid A is easily the most successful electronica album from a rock band: it doesn't even sound like the work of a rock band, even if it does sound like Radiohead”.

If you have not heard Kid A before, go and grab a copy and experience something monumental. I don’t think you need to know a lot about Radiohead or the artists they are inspired by to understand Kid A. There is so much variety on the album, you cannot fail to find something that peaks your interest! Many refute the claim that Kid A is a work of genius and hugely influential. I know some find Kid A boring and overrated, but I think it is an album that still sounds utterly amazing! In their assessment, Pitchfork provided some keen observations:

“There's no storyline to pick out from Yorke's lyrics, but a unified thread moves through the album nonetheless: Basically, Kid A is scary as hell. It might be the paranoid, nearly subliminal, unbroken undercurrent of haunted drone, courtesy of a Rhodes or a tape loop or Jonny Greenwood's Ondes-Martenot, a instrument for nightmares if there ever was one. Or it might be Yorke's terrifying one-line, Chicken Soup for the Agoraphobic Soul mantras that alternate between honeyed violence ("cut the kids in half") and clichés and hum-drum observations twisted into panic attacks ("where'd you park the car?").

(A brief intermission to talk about the bonus tracks included with this reissue. Capitol's in a tough spot with finding Kid A outtakes, because they already released such a thing-- it's called Amnesiac...rimshot. So instead the bonus-disc padding is all live tracks, culled from British and French radio or TV shows. In keeping with the album's isolation fixation, the empty studio of the four-track BBC session is the most fitting environment for the band's performance, the vocal manipulations of "Everything in Its Right Place" ricocheting off egg-crate walls. Contrast that with the clap-along crowd on an "Idioteque" from France, which neuters the song's sinister undercurrent and turns it into an inappropriate party jam.)

Every great album needs a great resolution, and Kid A has two: the angelic choir and harps of "Motion Picture Soundtrack" which serve as a much-needed (if fragile and a bit suspicious) uplift needed after such unrelenting bleakness, and a brief ambient coda that justifies the hidden-track gimmick. The silence that surrounds that final flash of hazy analog hiss is almost as rich, conferring a eerie feeling of weightlessness upon anyone who's completed the journey with a proper headphones listen”.

If Radiohead had remained on their OK Computer path, I think they would have retreated or retired for a while. Even if that sound is what fans and critics were hoping for, the band could not keep going that way and knew they could take their music to new places.

There have been a lot of positive articles written since 2000 that highlight the legacy and importance of Kid A. I have been sifting through a few articles, but I came across this from Rolling Stone:

“Man, was this music fun to argue about. Whether you loved or hated Kid A, it gave undeniable entertainment value. All through the miserable fall of 2000, the debates raged on. Is it a masterpiece? A hype? A compendium of clichés? Will it stand the test of time? Why aren’t “Knives Out” or “You and What Army” on this album? Where’d you park the car? Is Al Gore blowing it on purpose? Why didn’t the umpires toss Clemens after he threw the bat? Where’s “Pyramid Song”? Who let the dogs out? When is the second half of this album coming out — you know, the half with the actual Radiohead songs? How did they get away with that in Florida? Is this really happening?

The argument is over, obviously; there’s no controversy over Kid A anymore, and something’s been lost there. The original concept of the album requires an antagonist — the whole “dammit, an artist’s gotta do what an artist’s gotta do” narrative, which requires somebody to do the actual hating. But anybody vaguely interested in Radiohead loves this album; it’s much more fun to argue about In Rainbows or Hail to the Thief. Nobody admits now they hated Kid A at the time, the same way folkies never admit they booed Dylan for going electric. Nobody wants to be the clod who didn’t get it.

I love this album so much now, it’s difficult to find any failed moments on it. Not impossible, though. The horn section in “The National Anthem” was a cornier-than-usual art-rock cliché, trying way too hard for a way-too-obvious gimmick. Sorry, but the “bad horn section as symbol of alienation” thing had been done a time or two before. The premise was Pink Floyd’s “Jugband Blues,” but instead it evoked nightmarish flashbacks of Pete Townshend’s huge 1985 hit “Face the Face” — an acclaimed artistic statement at the time, a forgotten novelty a few months later, a fate that seemed easy to imagine for Kid A. (“Face to Face” sounds a bit like “Idioteque,” too.) All over the album, these guys were trying too hard. The synths had the same painfully gauche effect as Conor Oberst’s voice, so forlorn and hammy, straining for sensitivity until it sounded vaguely humiliating. Yet I ended up loving Kid A, and loving Conor Oberst too. Gauche is beautiful, in a world of dime-a-dozen cool”.

I shall wrap things up in a minute but, looking back to that period between 1998 and 2000, it was such a brave move for Radiohead to jettison that traditional Rock vibe and embrace something (at that point) so unexpected and unusual. The final article I want to bring in is from Classic Albums Sundays, who talk about Radiohead’s progression after OK Computer:

“Yorke had become disenchanted with the rock clichés of machismo, indulgent guitar solos and verse chorus, verse chorus, bridge verse chorus structures. As he told The Guardian, ‘I just wasn’t interested in guitar anymore’ and to Rolling Stone he proclaimed, ” I find it difficult to think of the path we’ve chosen as ‘rock music’. Kid A is like getting a massive eraser out and starting again.” He even said he found melody ‘an embarrassment’.

Rather than repeat the musical blueprint that had jettisoned them into international stardom, the band members maneuvered yet another musical turn this time going even deeper. For inspiration, they turned to the Krautrock of Can and Neu, the forward-thinking jazz of Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and Alice Coltrane, the experimental pop of Bjork and the Talking Heads, the pulsating beats of DJ Shadow and DJ Krush, and the edgy electronica of Aphex Twin and Autechre.

They were so inspired with their new way of working that they recorded enough material for two albums. This conundrum resulted in another inter-band argument as to whether the new album should be a double, but it was agreed to release them as two separate albums.

‘Kid A’ was released in October of 2000 and it showed a band that had not only re-defined their own sound but had also re-defined rock music itself. Its new sound divided fans with some yearning for another ‘Bends’ or ‘OK Computer’ and others hailing it as a ‘post-rock’ masterpiece”.

Almost two decades after it came into the world, the sensational and unique Kid A keeps revealing layers and nuances. It is a staggering album, and one that you need to listen to! I shall end things here, but I wonder whether the critics who slated Kid A back in 2000 feel differently now. Retrospective acclaim has definitely put the album in a new light, and it shows those who underestimated Kid A all these years ago just…

HOW wrong they were.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential February Releases

FEATURE:

One for the Record Collection!

Essential February Releases

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IT is always the way…

IN THIS PHOTO: Green Day

albums drop out of nowhere so, the albums I mention below might not be all we receive next month. Regardless, I am looking ahead to the standout releases from February; the ones you will want to put your pennies towards! 7th February is a Friday you will want to block out, as there are a few terrific albums due. Green Day’s much-anticipated Father of All… is arriving and, released through Reprise Records, it is an album I am looking forward to. Although the U.S. band are not as incendiary and thrilling as they were back at their peak, they have not lost all of their spark and innovation.

“In Kerrang!’s new world-exclusive interview with Green Day, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool unpack their new era, and how their mindset coming out of 2016’s Revolution Radio affected the sound of Father Of All…

“Do you want to go back and do the same old thing?” Tré muses. “We don’t want to do what everyone would expect us to do, so it was just kinda mischief and making it fun. That was the bottom line of it.”

“There’s a very fine line threading the needle for us, because we do want to try new things, but we always want to make sure it’s absolute Green Day, you know?” says Billie Joe. “It’s a very fine line – clever and stupid (laughs). But Green Day’s credo is mischief, no matter what. We’re always down for mischief and we want to fuck with people… to the point of it being abusive!” he jokes”.

It will be good to see what Green Day come up with and, as Donald Trump is still President, I am sure they will have a lot to say! Make sure you also investigate La Roux’s Supervision. It has been nearly six years since her second studio album, Trouble in Paradise, and many have been waiting a long time for one of music’s best artists to come back with an album. The album is available on a variety of formats, so make sure you get your copy! It is an album that will definitely be among the most-anticipated of this year:

“Grammy-winning and Brit and Mercury-Prize-nominated artist La Roux re­turns with her first new album since 2014’s Trouble In Paradise. From the cover to the contents, this is unequivocally the album Elly Jackson always wanted to make. A claim that with some artists might ring alarm bells, but in this instance simply means that Supervision sounds precisely, unmistakably, gloriously like La Roux. She has collaborated with the likes of Tyler The Creator, Skream, Kanye West, and Major Lazer”.

IN THIS PHOTO: La Roux

When speaking with The Evening Standard last year, she was asked about her time away. Elly Jackson (La Roux) has been working through some things: 

“Elly Jackson has a lot to say. The musician, who trades as La Roux, talks for half an hour longer than our intended interview slot, then carries on for another 20 minutes after I’ve turned off the dictaphone. When we finally wrap up, she looks out of the window of her publicist’s Brixton office to see that she’s been up here for so long that she’s been given a parking ticket.

Well, she has a lot to get through. It’s been over five years since her last album — the tellingly titled Trouble in Paradise — four years since she last toured, and a full decade since she was the hottest thing in pop, hitting number one with her invincible single Bulletproof and making her self-titled debut album a platinum seller. Now 31, she’s back with a new single — the empowering disco strut International Woman of Leisure — has an even better one, Gullible Fool, coming next week, and her third album will arrive in February. It’s very much a fresh start.

“I was really ready for the last 10 years to just DIE,” she says with huge emphasis. “Please say I had a smile on my face when I said that. It’s not in an angry or bitter way, but that cycle has ended and it was a very welcome ending. I did a lot of things wrong. You have to practise to be good at something, and I don’t just mean being good at going on stage or writing songs. I mean good at being a human being”.

One album I advise you get on 7th February is All or Nothing by Shopping. You can pre-order here, and it is an album you will want. The London band are one of these acts that will rise through the ranks and headline festivals before long. Check out their music on Spotify and, if you need to know a little more about their forthcoming release, they had a chat with Aquarium Drunkard earlier this month:

 “Taut, tense, and exhilarating, Shopping emerged from an East London DIY scene in the early teens, bringing together guitarist Rachel Aggs, bassist Billy Easter and drummer Andrew Milk together in jittery, angular conjunction, not unison. That is to say, their parts careened off one another in pinballing trajectories creating intricate, geometrical patterns of rhythm, riff, and melody. Since forming Shopping, the three have made four albums together, moved to different cities but stayed connected, while all the while juggling a mini-festival’s worth of other bands, Aggs in Trash Kit and Sacred Paws, Easter in Wet Dog, and Milk in Current Affairs.

For their latest, All Or Nothing, they worked with Godmode producer Nick Sylvester to amp up the hedonism and beef up Shopping’s often skeletal songs. In this interview with all three members, we talked about the band’s new sleeker, synth-augmented sound, the balance of individual autonomy and group voice and why nobody in Shopping wants to be compared to your standard “starter-pack” of post-punk bands.  / j kelly

AD: So, you say that song sounds the most like you. Were you trying to do something different with this album? Can you articulate what that was?

Rachel Aggs: We wanted it to sound more poppy, I think. We’re not sure if it sounds poppy or if it’s ever going to sound poppy. We also wanted to make the songs sound good and not be too attached to our own individual parts and the way we wrote it, not being too precious about that. In the past, we were very faithful to the way things were written when we went to the studio. They didn’t change at all from when we wrote them to when we played them live. This time, we were just trying to experiment and be a bit freer with things.

Andrew Milk: I think it helped working with Nick, because he’s such an amazing producer. We had spent some time with him before and felt quite at ease working with him. He helped us feel a bit more free to experiment, just because we had spent some time with him just kind of jamming with him for a different project we were working on together. So, when we came in to work with him, we were totally at ease with his suggestions.

He’s the guy that did the Shamir record that was amazing. I love that record and the sound of it. It’s super pop. So, for us, it’s a really poppy sound. It still sounds like a Shopping record, but it’s got this really nice dance pop layer to it that Nick brought it.

Billy Easter: Because dancing has always been important in terms of our music. It’s really dance-y. And people in the press always describe this as a dance band, and I’m always a little bit confused. I find it too minimal for that. I think we did want to have a more expansive sound, I guess, to enhance that danceability”.

Moving onto Valentine’s Day and, if you want to buy something for the music-loving other in your life, there are some cracking albums around. There are two particular (very different) albums that I urge people to buy on 14th February. One is Cindy Lee’s What's Tonight to Eternity. You can pre-order the album here, and it is, as described on Cindy Lee’s Bandcamp page, as follows:

“For Patrick Flegel, Cindy Lee is more than just a recording music project. It is the culmination of a lifelong exploration of art, the electric guitar, queer identity and gender expression. "Singers like Patsy Cline and The Supremes carried me through the hardest times of my life," explains Flegel, "and also provided the soundtrack to the best times."

Following the dissolution of Canadian experimental indie band Women, Flegel would delve deeper into songwriting that bends further toward high atmospherics and bracing melodies – a unique space where splendor naturally collides with experimentation. Delivering moments of sheer beauty through somber reflections on longing and loneliness, Cindy Lee is something to hold onto in a world of disorder.

What's Tonight To Eternity, Cindy Lee's fifth long-form offering, showcases the project's most entrancing strengths: ethereal snowdrift pop and sly nods toward classic girl-group motifs. Recorded at Flegel's Realistik Studios in Toronto and featuring younger brother Andrew Flegel on drums, the album travels hand in hand with a spectral guide.

Flegel found inspiration for Cindy Lee in the form of Karen Carpenter, drawing on the singer / drummer's early recordings as well as her look and style. "I found a deep interest and comfort in Karen's story, which is a cautionary tale about the monstrosity of show business, stardom at a young age and being a misfit looking for connection. The darkness and victimizing tabloid sensationalism she suffered is easily tempered and overwhelmed by her earnest output, her artistry, her tireless work ethic. Something utterly unique and magical takes shape in the negative space, out of exclusion. What I relate to in her has to do with what is hidden, what is unknown."

What's Tonight To Eternity remains a mix of pop culture indoctrination, pain and suffering, hopes and dreams, fierce confrontations and wide-open confessional blurs. Closing with the song "Heavy Metal" (dedicated to the memory of former Women bandmate Chris Reimer) and adorned by Andrea Lukic's Journal of Smack artwork, the album continues the bold and rewarding path on which Cindy Lee has embarked”.

Another great Valentine’s Day gift is The Slow Rush from Tame Impala. The Australian artist is one of the most amazing and consistent around, and it is the fourth studio album from Kevin Parker. Get your copy set:

“The Slow Rush was recorded between Los Angeles and Parker’s studio in his hometown of Fremantle, Australia. The twelve tracks were recorded, produced and mixed by Parker. The Slow Rush is Parker’s deep dive into the oceans of time, conjuring the feeling of a lifetime in a lightning bolt, of major milestones whizzing by while you’re looking at your phone, it’s a paean to creation and destruction and the unending cycle of life. The album cover was created in collaboration with photographer Neil Krug and features a symbol of humanity all but swallowed whole by the surrounding environment, as though in the blink of an eye”.

Following on from the magnificent Currents in 2015, there are lots of eyes and ears trained the way of Tame Impala. Parker is not one to give too much away about new albums, and there has been a distinct lack of conversation about The Slow Rush; he likes to release albums and let music do the talking. It is a little frustrating not knowing too much about the songs on the record, but we will have to get involved and see what The Slow Rush is all about. Tame Impala always bring the heat, so you just know it will be another remarkable album!

Stepping into 21st February, and there are a few albums worth investigation. Best Coast’s Always Tomorrow is upcoming, so do make sure you pre-order it. It seems like we are in for a treat:

“Always Tomorrow is the culmination of the last ten years of Best Coast front person Bethany Cosentino's life, seeing her stand back from the past decade of the band's existence and taking stock in where she's been and who she has become. It's an album full of intense personal discovery amidst a whirlwind backdrop of global tours, heartbreak, newfound sobriety, dark thoughts, immense joy, giving a f, not giving too many fs, substances, boredom, public personas, and gratitude”.

Again, there aren’t too many recent interviews with Best Coast, and very little to suggest what we will get from Always Tomorrow. Following from 2018’s Best Kids, I am intrigued to see what the Los Angeles duo come up with. The biggest album of February arrives from Grimes: Miss_Anthrop0cene is going to be hugely reviewed and exposed. It is her fifth album and one you can pre-order here. Grimes is sensational, and you just know her latest album will be masterful. In terms of themes and subjects explored, she is leaving some of her cards close to the chest. I want to bring in a piece from Interview Magazine where, interestingly, Lana Del Rey interviewed her about Miss_Anthrop0cene and her process:

“DEL REY: Yes, in the abstract. I was thinking about your new album. I don’t know if I’m saying it right—is it Miss_Anthropocene?

GRIMES: Yeah.

DEL REY: Do you feel like the songs are more personal, or do they have the overculture weighing on them?

GRIMES: A bit of both. I’m really obsessed with polytheism. I love how the ancient Greeks or the ancient Egyptians lived in this weird anime world where there were just tons of gods that could be anything. It’s like every form of suffering had a representation. I wonder if it almost has a positive psychological effect. If your kid dies in a war, you can literally go speak to War and be like, “Why did you do this?” Or, “I hope you did this for a reason.” There’s a weird philosophical justification for all pain, and there’s an anthropomorphization of every form of pain. In our current society, we don’t even know how to talk about things. So my album’s about a modern demonology or a modern pantheon where every song is about a different way to suffer or a different way to die. If you think about it, god-making or god-designing just seems so fun. The idea of making the Goddess of Plastic seems so fun to me.

DEL REY: It’s a very creative infrastructure to work within.

GRIMES: Yeah. Religion is like the best science fiction. I know a lot of people who are atheist or agnostic, and they just hate religion and can’t see anything good in it. Even if you don’t believe in god or anything, this is incredible art. It’s incredible storytelling, incredible character design, incredible visual art. I know we both love reverb. Imagine going into a church in medieval Europe, and you had only ever heard music as someone playing a lute. You enter a cathedral for the first time, and you hear someone singing through a super long reverb. What a mystical experience that would be.

DEL REY: What is mysticism to you, and is it important in your art?

GRIMES: Mysticism is an evolutionary byproduct. I think we’re inherently religious, even if we’re not explicitly religious. We get emotional about things that feel religious. Even the way people feel about you, it’s a form of idol worship. I don’t know what else you would call it. If there’s an artist I love, I see them live and I cry, and I’m like, “Man, I’m acting like some 14th-century farmer right now.” I feel like some pilgrim seeing a holy relic or something”.

The next album you need to get on 21st February is Lanterns on the Lake’s Spook the Herd. The Newcastle five-piece are a terrific band and, if you are searching for a great album in February, I can recommend Spook the Herd. Here is some information from Bella Union:

“Lanterns On The Lake have announced news of their new studio album, Spook The Herd, released 21st February via Bella Union and available to preorder here. Additionally, the band have announced an extensive UK tour including a headline show at London’s EartH, the dates of which are below, and shared a striking b/w video for lead track “Every Atom”. Of the track Lantern’s vocalist Hazel Wilde says: “This is a song about grief and how your subconscious takes a long time to accept when someone is dead and gone forever, even when the rational side of you understands it. I put that idea into a story where the narrator is my subconscious searching for someone in this dream-like fictional world. I go to the extremes to search for even just a trace of them… through all of space and time, splitting every atom, ‘until Andromeda and the Milky Way collide’. I won’t give up. I can’t let go.”

It’s strange – not to mention fundamentally disconcerting – to live through turbulent times. Yet as many feel like the world is slipping out of control, artists are enlivened as they seek to make sense of the shifting sands. Hazel Wilde of Lanterns on the Lake is now a songwriter necessarily emboldened. On Spook the Herd, the band’s fourth record, her voice and preoccupations rise to the fore like never before. In tandem, the band break new ground on a set of songs that are direct and crucial.

Wilde does nothing less than dive headlong into the existential crises of our times. Beginning with the record’s title – a pointed comment at the dangerously manipulative tactics of ideologues – its nine songs turn the microscope to issues including our hopelessly polarized politics, social media, addiction, grief and the climate crisis.

The world is brought into focus, but Wilde’s style is not declarative. She also proves herself a songwriter possessed of a rare talent for finding the personal contours to contemporary issues, fully inhabiting them to make them real. Recorded as live where possible, the band’s natural touchstones of gauzy dream-pop and monumental post rock still float in the air, but listening to Lanterns on the Lake now feels like actually sitting in the corner of the room as they play. As guitarist and producer Paul Gregory says of approaching their fourth album, “There was a sense of release in terms of what kind of music we felt we could make. The idea of what kind of band you’re supposed to be really disappeared. It was great; you felt you could do whatever you like.”

Musically, this is a leaner Lanterns on the Lake – at times unusually stark. Their sound has been beautifully winnowed into something more pared back, urgent and direct – in keeping with Wilde’s messages – on an album loaded with songs marked by an arresting intimacy. “Swimming Lessons”, first teased as an in-progress idea on Instagram, is writhing and supple as Gregory’s arpeggiated guitar dovetails with Ol Ketteringham’s pulsating drumming and Wilde’s keening vocal. “Every Atom” rides on insistent beats which lay a bed for a warped and playfully robotic guitar line, while “Secrets and Medicine” weaves and lopes achingly, weaving its atmosphere from Spartan means: piano, celestial guitars and diminished brass”.

As I say, there might be other albums coming in February that have not been announced – you never know with music! There are three albums from 28th February that I would recommend you check out. Real Estate’s The Main Thing is one of the trio. Released through Domino Recording Company, I think this is another album that will score big love:

“Over the last decade, Real Estate have crafted warm yet meticulous pop-minded music, specialising in soaring melodies that are sentimentally evocative and unmistakably their own. The Main Thing dives even further into the musical dichotomies they’re known for—lilting, bright guitar lines set against emotionally nuanced lyrics, complex arrangements conveyed breezily— and what emerges is a superlative collection of interrogative songs as full of depth, strangeness and contradictions as they are lifting hooks”.

Go and pre-order a copy, because this album is going to be a sizzler! Real Estate are another band who have not done many interviews lately, so one cannot really gauge what their album concerns and what inspired it. Like Tame Impala and other elusive artists, one needs to get the album and decide for themselves!

Soccer Mommy’s Color Theory is an album that I have been looking forward to for a long time, as I am a fan of her work. Here are some more details:

“Entitled color theory, the announcement comes with a video for the lead single circle the drain. Produced by Atiba Jefferson, the four-minute visual was shot in Palm Springs and features pro-skateboarders Sean Malto, Jake Anderson, Curren Caples, and Nicole Hause.

The LP will serve as the follow-up to her 2018 debut Clean. According to the press release, color theory sees Allison confront ongoing mental health and familial challenges she has faced since childhood. The album explores three central, interlinking themes: blue – a representation of sadness and depression; yellow, which symbolises physical and emotional illness; and the colour grey for darkness, depression and loss.

On the album, Allison said, “I wanted the experience of listening to color theory to feel like finding a dusty old cassette tape that has become messed up over time, because that’s what this album is: an expression of all the things that have slowly degraded me personally.”

“The production warps, the guitar solos occasionally glitch, the melodies can be poppy and deceptively cheerful. To me, it sounds like the music of my childhood distressed and, in some instances, decaying”.

I think there is one more album that you need to reserve some money for in February: The Orielles’ Disco Volador. Go pre-order the upcoming album from the Halifax band. It is going to be a smash:

“Defiant in the face of existential dread, The Orielles were always going to approach their second album with nothing but stellar levels of intent. Disco Volador sees the 4-piece push their sonic horizon to its outer limits as astral travellers, hitching a ride on the melodic skyway to evade the space-time continuum through a sharp collection of progressive strato-pop symphonies.

Voyaging through cinematic samba, 70s disco, deep funk boogies, danceable grooves and even tripping on 90s acid house, Disco Volador propels The Orielles spinning into a higher zero-gravity orbit. Written and recorded in just 12 months, it captures the warp-speed momentum of their post-Silver Dollar Moment debut album success; an unforgettable summer touring, playing festivals like Green Man and bluedot, and deepening their bond whilst witnessing the sets of their heroes Stereolab, Mogwai, and Four Tet. Disco Volador’s library catalogue vibes stem from a band lapping up and widening their pool of musical discovery whether nodding to Italian film score maestros Sandro Brugnolini and Piero Umiliani, or the Middle Eastern tones of Khruangbin and Altin Gün.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Orielles

Built from instrumentals around the concept of “boogie to space, space to boogie,” Disco Volador’s energy comes from the melodic fission of tension and release. Recurring motifs explore space, not only of earth’s celestial atmosphere, but also what happens within the gaps and how sound manipulation has the power to carry, or displace, its listener.

At times haunting and unsettling, Disco Volador’s film-like structure flows from fact to fiction. Its tales are culled from waking life as easily as they become a soundtrack for lucid dream sequences. Whilst the future of the world and its current cosmic wasteland might be up in the air, The Orielles’ new album has its feet beating out a much-needed four to the dancefloor. Welcome to Disco Volador; time really does fly when you’re having this much fun”.

It is a busy month ahead, and I have selected the albums I feel are worthy of purchase. You can see which other albums are out. I feel this year is going to be very strong and interesting. As the weather warms up, so too do the albums but, that said, there are some phenomenal albums due next month. All I know is that there is plenty to keep you occupied and amused so, if you need some guidance, I hope my recommendations above have helped. All you need to do now is wait for the albums to arrive and make sure to…

SET some money aside.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Seventeen: Róisín Murphy

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

Part Seventeen: Róisín Murphy

___________

THERE is a fair bit of ground to cover…

and I will be bringing in quite a few interviews and reviews to illustrate and illuminate the extraordinary, fiery and wonderfully-talented Róisín Murphy. When it comes to Murphy, there is an embarrassment of riches! I am not going to cover her work with Moloko because, in this feature, I am investigating Murphy as a solo artist. I love Moloko and bought their albums; they were a wonderful act, but I thought it was best to separate Murphy from her former life – even though I adore Moloko and everything they put out. Murphy is one of these people who speaks the truth and does not beat around the bush! She is full of charm, cheekiness and humour and, when it comes to the Arklow-born songwriter, she is hugely inspiring and refreshing. Not only do we get a unique and eye-catching wardrobe when you see Murphy perform live, her songs are among the most interesting and original around. I will end this feature by talking about her single releases through 2018 and 2019 and, as we are in a new year, there is going to be huge demand for a new album. To me, a new Róisín Murphy album is just what the world needs right now – it is top of my list when it comes to albums that will make 2020 pop! Before I get to all of that, it is worth talking about a new development in the Murphy camp.

PHOTO CREDIT: Fraser Taylor 

I was listening to Murphy on BBC Radio 6 Music yesterday (21st January), as she has been announced as one of the acts for the 6 Music Festival in Camden. Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs co-hosted a show and announced all the names – Murphy was in the studio to give her reaction. Here is some more information about the festival:

“The event will host stages at some of Camden's most popular venues, including Roundhouse (main space and Sackler space), FEST Camden, Dingwalls and Electric Ballroom, between March 6 and 8. Details were revealed on air by Lauren Laverne this morning.

The festival will be split into By Night and By Day offerings. The opening night will feature Black Midi, Brittany Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, Black Country, New Road, Sports Team, Norman Jay MBE, DJ Yoda, Nemone, Kelly Lee Owens, Greentea Peng, GAIKA, Mary Anne Hobbs DJ set, and Mike Skinner DJ set.

Saturday night, meanwhile, has confirmed performances by the Orielles, the Big Moon, the Selecter, Kojey Radical, EOB (Ed O’Brien), Róisín Murphy, Planningtorock, Tom Ravenscroft, Jamz Supernova and ELKKA.

Sunday night will feature an International Women’s Day celebration at the Roundhouse main space with Nadine Shah, Jehnny Beth, Anna Meredith, Kim Gordon and Kate Tempest, as well as sets from Warmduscher, Squid, Bombay Bicycle Club, Melt Yourself Down, and KOKOROKO elsewhere.

The By Day portion of the festival will take place at Dingwalls and Fest on March 7 and 8 between 12pm – 6pm. Jordan Rakei, Sudan Archives, Robert Glasper have been confirmed for the Saturday, and the Staves, Ghostpoet, and Hot 8 Brass Band for the Sunday, with more acts still be announced”.

What makes Róisín Murphy a leader of today? I think she is someone we will consider an idol in years to come, simply because she is consistently brilliant and does things her own way. In a music scene that is producing little joy and foot-stomping classics, Murphy has a knack of smashing out these wonderfully bright and energetic tunes; the sort that can fill dancefloors around the world! I discovered Murphy when she was part of Moloko, and I was pleased that she released solo material after Moloko called time. Ruby Blue arrived in 2005, and it was recorded alongside producer Matthew Herbert. Rather than leap straight from Moloko to solo territory, Murphy released the album’s songs through three E.P.s and then brought them into her first studio album. Maybe Moloko’s best moments occurred between, say, 1998 and 2000, but there was still plenty of inspiration in Murphy’s heart that translated brilliantly to her debut solo outing. As one would expect from a stunning songwriter, the Ruby Blue album contains sounds made by everyday objects – including cosmetics, ornaments and brass mice! Mixing together the Electronic sound of Moloko with new shades of Pop and Jazz, Ruby Blue is not shy of brilliant moments. Songs like Night of the Dancing Flame and Sow into You are among some of Murphy’s best compositions, and the album barely has a weak moment. Rather than Ruby Blue being similar to anything Moloko recorded, this album was about Murphy’s voice and using objects that were around her. I think Ruby Blue is more cohesive and nuanced than any Moloko record, and it is great to hear Murphy step out alone – again, no disrespect to the brilliance of her work with Mark Brydon in Moloko!

Some critics were a little unsure of what to make of the newly-solo Murphy and how her first solo outing would compare with Moloko’s Statues of 2003. Ruby Blue is its own beast; a strong artist not abandoning her previous sound, but embracing new elements and direction, incorporating them together and coming up with something sensational. In their review, AllMusic had this to offer:

“As brilliant as Moloko could be -- on both their most eccentric and most conventionally pop moments -- their albums never quite jelled into something as uniformly great as Roisin Murphy's solo debut, Ruby Blue. By teaming up with producer Matthew Herbert, who remixed Moloko's "Sing It Back" back in the I Am Not a Doctor days, Murphy keeps the alluring sensuality and unpredictable quirks that made Moloko unique, without sounding like she's rehashing where she's already been. Both Murphy and Herbert are artists who are equally at home with the wildest and most accessible sounds (and especially when they bring those extremes together), so their reunion on Ruby Blue feels very natural, and gives the album a smoother, more organic sound than might be expected from a debut. Herbert's concept was to build the album around Murphy -- not just her gorgeous voice, but her life as well, and Ruby Blue reflects this with his skillful, witty use of environmental sounds throughout the album. Coughing, rustling, and other studio noise become a rhythm that in turn unfolds the gorgeously summery keyboards of "Through Time," while the more literal-minded "Dear Diary" surrounds Murphy with everyday noises like ringing telephones, buzzing doorbells, and what sounds like a ball bouncing on pavement.

As quirky as the album might be -- and it doesn't get much quirkier than the spring-loaded, tribal rhythms of "Rama Lama" -- Ruby Blue never feels off-putting, because its flights of fancy are in service of the songs instead of distracting from them. The mix of '20s-style hot jazz and cool synths on the surreally sexy "Night of the Dancing Flame," the title track's elegant mischief, and "Sow Into You"'s crisp layers of vocals and brass are all mini-masterpieces of avant electronic pop. Indeed, the first two-thirds of Ruby Blue are almost too smooth, too perfectly realized to be the work of someone involved with a group as eccentric as Moloko was, so more experimental, unruly tracks like "Off on It" and "Prelude to Love in the Making" almost come as a relief (and act as a palate cleanser before Ruby Blue's striking piano ballad finale, "Closing of Doors"). As Murphy herself sings on "Through Time," "Could there be such a thing as beautifully flawed?" Ruby Blue flirts with perfection and settles for being the perfect start to the next phase of Roisin Murphy's career instead”.

There are artists who come from duos/bands and record a solo album. They struggle to adapt or succeed in their new environment, and it can take a while for them to stand alone and win critics over. In Murphy’s case, she proved herself fully able to flourish as a solo artist. Ruby Blue gained some great critical praise, and that must have given her motivation and confidence to keep recording and push herself.

Indeed, 2007’s Overpowered sort of occurred at a time when she was balancing new material with retrospection. In 2006, whilst she was promoting Moloko’s greatest hits album, Catalogue, it was announced that Murphy was working on fresh solo material. Murphy signed to EMI in 2006, and she wanted to make her music bigger and brighter than it was when recording for Echo Records – a larger budget meant she could bring in more Disco and big Pop into an album that was, perhaps, truer to herself. Recording with different producers and writers in Miami, London and Barcelona, Overpowered is a big step up from her experiences in Moloko and her first solo album. Ruby Blue was Murphy and Matthew Herbert in this tight team, whereas Overpowered sees Murphy working with various writers and producers. I think it was important for Murphy to have things fairly small-scale and personal on her first solo album, so soon after Moloko ended. If she had raced in with loads of writers and producers, I think her first solo album would not have been as successful as Ruby Blue. She had this new impetus and acclaim; maybe she was more trusting of people and wanted to see what others could bring to her music. The gamble (if that is the correct word?) paid off: Overpowered was better-reviewed than Ruby Blue, and I think the songs are stronger. One only need look at the cover of Overpowered – take a look to see what I mean! – to realise this was going to be a strange, beautiful and uniquely Róisín Murphy experience!

The opening (genius) one-two of Overpowered and You Know Me Better is perfect – both songs were released as singles and Murphy ensured this new album got off to the strongest possible start! I love the fact that Murphy sounds completely her own boss, despite the fact there a few names in the pot. I am not sure what other albums were out in 2007, but none could have contained the same colours and components as Overpowered. Reviews were positive, with people keen to praise an artist growing ever stronger. I will bring in another AllMusic review, as they hold a lot of love for Muprhy and can articulate her brilliance like no one else:

“Arty, cerebral, and sometimes downright kooky, Róisín Murphy zigs where other British pop singers zag. She's been one of pop's best-kept secrets since Moloko disbanded, edging her way toward a sound that isn't exactly mainstream but will give her the more widespread acclaim she deserves. For her first solo album, Ruby Blue, she collaborated with producer Matthew Herbert, who streamlined her sound into something creative but not gratingly quirky; even though "Rama Lama" ended up on So You Think You Can Dance, of all places, Ruby Blue wasn't quite a smash success. This time, Murphy teamed with Bugz in the Attic's Seiji, Groove Armada's Andy Cato, All Seeing I's Parrott & Dean, and Jimmy Douglass -- all forward-thinking producers, but with more conventionally pop sounds than Herbert's approach. Of course, by the late 2000s, even the most mainstream singles had at least a few unique production flourishes, so while Overpowered is without a doubt Murphy's most straightforward music yet, she hasn't sacrificed much to make it that way.

With its sleek beats, bubbling synths, and nagging chorus, "Overpowered" closely resembles a state-of-the-art pop single, but the way Murphy sings of science and oxytocin over a heart-fluttering harp is unmistakably her. The rest of Overpowered follows suit, giving familiar sounds clever twists that will please longtime Murphy fans and win new ones. The effortless "You Know Me Better," "Let Me Know," and "Checkin' on Me" are chilly yet soulful, touching on disco, house, and '80s pop; "Movie Star" is Murphy's spin on Goldfrapp's glossy glam pop (and the only time she seems in danger of being overpowered by someone else's sound on the album). Even though these songs are immaculately crafted, there's plenty of life -- and Murphy's personality -- in them. "Primitive"'s synths and strings flit around like mosquitoes in a swamp as she wails "I need to let you out of your cage," while "Dear Miami"'s deadpan delivery and spare beats make it possibly the frostiest song ever written about global warming. Overpowered often feels less intimate than Ruby Blue, but that's a minor quibble, especially when "Scarlet Ribbons" shows off Murphy's tender side and the outstandingly crisp, bouncy, and sassy "Footprints" and "Body Language" rank with her best songs. Aptly enough for such a pop-focused album, nearly every song on Overpowered sounds like a potential smash hit. Even if this album is a bid for the big time, it's done with such flair that it just underscores what a confident and unique artist Murphy really is”.

If you have not checked out Overpowered, have a listen – alongside her other solo albums – as it is packed with sensational moments and easy highlights. By 2007 (quite rightly!), some were viewing Murphy as a national treasure! She is definitely that, and I might be a bit short-sighted when I say she is an idol of the future: she may well be one now! Her sheer consistency and ability to exceed expectation is what makes hearts skip. She is a truly magnificent talent, and one who stands aside from her peers. I wanted to bring in The Guardian’s take on Overpowered before I move on:

 “But Roisin was always far closer in spirit to Bjork than Kylie. After a personal and professional split with Brydon, she chose to work with visionary art-jazz producer Matthew Herbert for her first solo album, 2005's Ruby Blue, on the kind of ambitious avant-pop hybrid that gets Bjork rapturous acclaim, but only got Murphy... well, a deal with EMI, at least, who thankfully recognised a genuine maverick when they heard one.

Inspired by the Eighties proto-house of D Train, Mantronix and Gwen Guthrie, but often sounding a dead-ringer for Yazoo, early Eurythmics and rave-era dance-popsters Electribe 101, Overpowered's bubbling, sensual, and soulful glitterball gems effortlessly tap into the perennial glory of feeling lost and lonely at the disco at the end of the world. If it feels like Murphy is singing about, and to, Mark Brydon on the likes of 'You Know Me Better' and 'Movie Star', then the deep beats, lush synths and subtle horns and strings provided by male producers/co-writers including Jimmy Douglass, Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Richard X work overtime to establish Murphy as sole captain of her own swish and swoony destiny.

PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Woods

As closing ballad 'Scarlet Ribbons' wends its gently reggae-fied way to the sweetest of endings, you realise that you've just been dreamily immersed in the best grown-up dance-pop album since Madonna's Ray of Light. Yep - that good. I hope Ireland doesn't get too offended if Britain comes to its senses and recognises Roisin Murphy as a National Treasure”.

Róisín Murphy has provided more interviews over the past couple of years than she did at the start of her solo career. In fact, I was looking for interviews around the time of Ruby Blue and Overpowered, and there wasn’t a lot to select from. The reason for this (looking for interviews) is to add texture and background to the albums; to get a sense of how Murphy was feeling and what she had coming up. I did find an interview from The Guardian from 2008, where Murphy answered a few questions – maybe providing some revelations many people were not aware of:

“What advice would you give a young singer?

If you really want to do it, you can - especially today. Records are cheaper to make; you can even put out your own.

What work of art would you most like to own?

When I was 16 and on a tour of Europe, I fell in love with Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut chapel in Ronchamp, France. I'd quite like to live in it.

Complete this sentence. At heart I'm just a frustrated ...

Sexual maniac. I'm brave and fearless when I'm performing, but in real life I'm actually quite prudish.

What cultural tip would you give to a tourist about Britain's arts scene?

It's not as good as you think. In eastern Europe, you can feel the politics in the air. People ask me why London is so cool and I say it's not - look at Warsaw.

What's the biggest myth about being a pop star?

I wouldn't know, because I'm not one.

What's the greatest threat to music today?

There isn't one. Music will go on regardless. What people are actually concerned about is the threat to music revenues. But I'm sure they'll figure out how to make more money; they always have in the past”.

Whilst there was only a two-year wait between Murphy’s first and second solo albums, there was eight years before Hairless Toys arrived in 2015. She did release the Mi Senti E.P. in 2014, but I think Murphy needed to recharge after a busy few years. Rather than rush out with another album that was similar to Overpowered, Hairless Toys was more refined. This time around, the music is barer and the compositions, perhaps, not quite as packed as previously – although Murphy said she wanted to take Pop in new directions (with Hairless Toys) and put together live instrumentation and multi-layered sounds. In many ways, Hairless Toys is like nothing Murphy ever produced. It is a reinvention and, again, another step up from her – an artist who seems to get better with every album! There are delicious grooves and snatches of Italian House and Disco that captivate and stun. Consider the panache of Exploitation put next to the more subdued Exile – Murphy going all over the place and sounding exceptional in every guise. Although my favourite Murphy solo album is her most-recent effort, Take Her Up to Monto, Hairless Toys is a joy to behold! Reviews were typically positive and, like me, many people considered Hairless Toys a triumphant work. This is Drowned in Sound’s take:

 “And that darkness is also really highlighted on ‘Exploitation’. A nine-minute-journey through what it feels like to cede control and give power to another. You can apply that to both a relationship or whatever you might do for your career. A sparse but effective beat whispers behind the track and gives the impression that the song is being delivered from a happy place. To achieve all of that within one (admittedly lengthy) track is a tribute to how well Murphy has honed her craft.

If there’s a criticism to be made of the album, and there aren’t many as long as you give it your love and attention, it’s that there isn’t enough deviation from her previous records Ruby Blue and Overpowered. At this stage of her career, with her art so finely honed and creative, does she need to deviate significantly? There’s also a temptation to write that there aren’t enough key moments on the record but this is meant to be understated and subtle. That’s something that has intentionally been done. And no doubt, the longer you spend with an album like this, the clearer those moments become.

And there are times where she strays from her own path on the album. While the vibe and tempo of the record remain mostly consistent, the country-jazz of ‘Exile’ and there is a dip in tempo for both closing tracks in ‘Hairless Toys’ and ‘Unputdownable’. It’s subtle but when you really envelop yourself within the record it’s something that you’re going to pick up on.

So eight years is a long time to wait for a record but Hairless Toys shows Murphy remains expertly consistent in her craft. She has created an album here that is not for the social pre-drinkers but for the listener that wants to absorb alone. A bottle of red wine and a full listen of the album is when you’re really going to uncover the caveats and subtleties of the record. Anything else and you’re just wasting a wonderfully dark and seething record”.

There is a lot to explore in Hairless Toys. The songs hit you when you first hear them, but you keep coming back and detect new details and stuff that evaded the senses before. Indeed, it is an album that I listen to now, and I am still amazed by its quality and ability to surprise. It seems like the gap between Overpowered and Hairless Toys was a wise one! I will move on soon but, just now, I wanted to bring in another review for Hairless Toys. This is what The Guardian wrote:

“Where there’s disco, there’s an intoxicating darkness. Róisín Murphy’s first album in eight years embraces that dichotomy on intimate late-night tales, both personal and in an imagined voice of the 1980s LGBT community of New York’s ball scene. A regal glamour illuminated previous albums Ruby Blue and Overpowered , but the former Moloko star’s third is her most exquisitely produced yet: inside is a hedonistic haven. It’s an album that distracts from the tyranny of the norm – the rent-paying rigmarole and relentlessness of everyday life – with Murphy cooing as if lounging in a giant champagne glass. Never is it gaudy, however. From the glasslike Gone Fishing to its Italo-disco and house mutations and unusual country diversions, it draws from the past but adds a crisp, modern polish; and unlike other revivalists, there’s a depth to Murphy’s vocals, as if she has experienced the freaks and fantasy of Studio 54 firsthand. Hairless Toys is pure, evocative elegance, her performance as flamboyant and fragile as the subculture she celebrates”.

One of the things that seems obvious with Murphy’s music is how she is making it for herself! Rather than create music for others – and to please them -, she is writing songs that feel good to her. I think this comes through in her music and, when you listen to the singles she has put out over the past couple of years, one senses this in spades. I am keen to explore Murphy’s Take Her Up to Monto shortly, but I did find an interview from 2015, where Murphy discussed her music and we learn more about her path prior to Moloko forming:

 “Being 'normal' in Murphy's case means the birth of her two children. Her life up until that point however had been pretty extraordinary by anyone's standards. Born in County Wicklow in Ireland, her family moved to Manchester when she was 12, only to return to Ireland four years later, leaving Murphy behind to fend for herself at her own insistence. It was at a party in Sheffield a few years later that she introduced herself to soon-to-be boyfriend and musical collaborator Mark Brydon with the chat-up line, “Do you like my tight sweater?” A year later, it would become the name of their first album as Moloko.

It was their third album, Things to Make and Do, in 2000 that catapulted the band into the public consciousness thanks to their break out hits 'Sing It Back' and 'The Time is Now'. One more album followed, Statues in 2003, after which Murphy and Brydon ended their musical and romantic relationship. It paved the way for a solo career that has gone from strength to strength, starting with the Matthew Hubert produced Ruby Blue in 2005 and the aforementioned Overpowered in 2007.

Murphy has arguably taken more creative control on Hairless Toys than any of her previous projects, most notably directing her first music video for 'Exploitation'. She attributes this to the confidence she has gained over the years. “Milestones you pass on your career, every time they give you that extra little confidence. Creative confidence. I would still say today I still suffer from not being confident in knowing that I will definitely have a place in the world or that I will be appreciated. I'm much more confident about that than I ever was but its still a thing that drives me.” Nearly 20 years since Moloko's debut, did she ever imagine she would come this far?

“No. Well I did, that's a lie. Certainly once I started to do good shows [I did]. For a long time it was awkward if I'm fair and honest about it. We were a studio act so to try and transcend that and transpose it into a live show was very difficult in the beginning. But once that stopped being awkward, which I suppose was maybe the third album or something, then if anything I expected to be more famous! And more loved! And more revered than I was than anything else (laughs). Before that it was an absolute blag”.

There was to be no big pause between Hairless Toys and Take Her Up to Monto. In fact, Take Her Up to Monto was recorded during the sessions for Hairless Toys. Before the album came out, Mastermind and Ten Miles High were released as single – the latter’s video was directed by Murphy. Every album from Murphy has a new skin and direction. Take Her Up to Monto is about the London in which she lives; it’s about the future and the present. If that all sounds a bit glum and tense, Take Her Up to Monto is designed to make you feel glad to be alive – which I think is the major selling-point of all of her music! I actually reviewed the album when it came out and I awarded it four stars. Murphy herself actually tweeted, sort of wondering why it was not a five-star review – as my words suggested it should be! I was asked by the editor of the website I was writing for to only give five-star reviews to the really, really great albums – giving too many five-star reviews was not a great look. To be fair, I would give the album five stars today, as it is a fantastic album! Although the ace Take Her Up to Monto only has nine tracks, we see longer songs like Mastermind and Nervous Sleep sit alongside shorter cuts such as Whatever. I think Murphy’s great strength is allowing a track to unfurl and grow, rather than being confined to three and four-minute songs – her latest singles definitely prove that point!

Maybe the critical reception was not quite as hot for Take Her Up to Monto as it was for Hairless Toys, but there was still a lot of praise and love. It was clear that Róisín Murphy was no longer dealing with rigid song structures and conventional tones. This was a welcome thing in a musical landscape that, even in 2016, was lacking in real spark and originality. Take Her Up to Monto is an amazing album that CLASH were keen to have an opinion on:

“Structurally, these tracks have given the verse-chorus-verse format a P45. They inhabit an electronic, melodic world that’s as loose, creative and nuanced as their lyrics. Speaking to Clash, Róisín played this down somewhat: “It might be that I just don’t know what I’m doing,” she said (lies, obviously) before confiding that “from the beginning it’s been my collaborators that have had the most input/influence as I react very intensely and even intimately with the music. I go where it takes me.”

In ‘Take Her Up To Monto’, Róisín’s collaboration with Eddie Stevens has taken her into moments that recall the filmic soundscapes of classic-era Trevor Horn, the spontaneous flow of Arthur Russell, or even recent Scott Walker. If 2015’s Mercury prize-nominated ‘Hairless Toys’ was made out of cut glass, ‘Take Her Up…’ is a more sensual affair. It carries itself like curious piece of colourful matter, hovering and changing shape, at times shimmering, or just shifting colour. But the thing is, first you need to commit to buying the ticket”.

It was good to see Murphy back in the swing of recording and releasing albums, following the gap between Overpowered and Hairless Toys. I am not sure why Take Her Up to Monto strikes me as hard as it does, but I remember being transported into the album when I was reviewing, and I returned to the album time and time again. I have always loved Murphy’s voice, but I think it incorporates new emotions and nuances on Take Her Up to Monto. I wanted to source another review from AllMusic and their impressions of Róisín Murphy’s fourth solo album:

“Róisín Murphy kept fans waiting nearly a decade for new music when Hairless Toys arrived in 2015, which made the release of Take Her Up to Monto just over a year later all the more surprising. While many artists might coast for a while after releasing a comeback album, this is the kind of unexpected move that's quintessentially Murphy. Recorded during the same five-week sessions that resulted in Hairless Toys, Take Her Up to Monto often feels like that album's counterpart. "Mastermind," a disco epic that feels as vast as a galaxy, evokes Toys' massive, shape-shifting songs (as well as Murphy's 2012 marathon single "Simulation") in its sheer scope. And while "Whatever" may be the shortest song here, it shares the intimacy that made her previous album so striking. But where Hairless Toys was a seamless journey, this is a wilder ride.  

Murphy takes her listeners in different directions with little warning; "Thoughts Wasted," which morphs from sleek to lush to lamenting, feels like a microcosm of the album. Fortunately, Take Her Up to Monto is always engaging, even as she takes her signature sounds to extremes. The teasing, flamboyant sensuality of "Pretty Gardens" and whimsical electro-bossa nova of "Lip Service" hark back to her playful Moloko and Ruby Blue days, though her more understated vocals strike a different balance with the theatrical music than they did back in the day. She contrasts Monto's brassier moments with the much quieter but just as expressive "Nervous Sleep," a dreamy yet unsettled track that captures middle-of-the-night anxiety perfectly, and "Sitting and Counting," a meditation on love so whispery, it sounds like Murphy is singing it to herself. Even on more dynamic songs like "Ten Miles High," Take Her Up to Monto continues the more personal feel of her post-Mi Senti music (the album title even references the Dubliners hit that her father used to sing to her). As pop has become more eclectic, so has Murphy; even if it takes a little more effort to follow her on Monto, the results are worth it”.

It has been a few years since her last album, but Murphy has been busy over the past couple of years. I wonder whether she will bring an album out this year, as many people would love to see that! I think she is actually in the form of her life right now, so I would be fascinated seeing what she comes up with next! I am going to bring us up to the present day in a second, but I wanted to source from an interview Murphy conducted with London in Stereo from last year:

 “This time last year, Roisin was in the midst of releasing her collection of floor-filling funk and house tracks with Baltimore music polymath Maurice Fulton, having just directed and released the gorgeous video for ‘All My Dreams’. Naturally, we had to start by asking how she felt knowing the project had been completed and was now out in the world. “That was actually a relief. I thought that was going to be easier than it turned out to be,” She laughs, admitting, “I just had to slow the whole thing down a little because it was taking a toll to be honest.”

This artistic freedom and sheer drive that Roisin exudes is something that’s helped her stay on top form throughout the years. “I don’t think there’s a secret to longevity, but I think my secret is just the people I work with, the fact that I can just change everything on every project by changing who I collaborate with.” She says, “The music is always the beginning of everything, while I’m a very visual artist and I make the videos and concept the art, deep, deep, deep, the music remains the very centre of it all. It’s the seed of everything”.

It has been an exciting last year for Murphy, and it has been interesting hearing her singles. Rather than produce shorter songs that can slot onto an album, tracks like Incapable have been longer and developed. It does make me think that, if there is an album, we might see maybe eight or nine longer songs that, say, twelve or thirteen shorter ones. 2020 is wide open, and I am sure Murphy has ideas and plans afoot. She spoke with Another Mag last year when promoting Incapable: 

 “NL: Is there any kind of artistic tension between making new music, which you obviously love, and working on legacy stuff like album reissues?

RM: It’s all just a massive positive to be honest. I’m in probably the most creative time of my life – I’m creative-directing everything I do, I’m directing videos for other people, I’m pumping out new music and working with all sorts of exciting people who want to work with me. And then in between, I can re-release these records that I’m really proud of. The next thing’s going to be re-releasing all the Moloko albums on vinyl, one by one. So there’s no kind of difficult tension there. I mean, I would say that the idea of doing a Moloko reunion tour or anything like that is totally off the table. Because I just don’t need to do that, and I don’t want to become some kind of heritage act all of a sudden. I feel like, even though I’m a woman of a certain age, my work’s relevant and has traction in the modern world. So what more can I ask for, really?

NL: When I interviewed you last summer, you said that in terms of running your career, you’d “really had a wobble”. It’s obvious now that you’re fully energised again – how have you turned things around?

RM: The right people weren’t around me before; it’s really as simple as that. Now a very close friend of mine has come in to manage me, so I feel like the very first point of contact is someone who cares about me. That’s made me feel a lot more sane. And I’m starting to gather other people around me who appreciate what I do and want to help me. And that just makes life so much.

NL: What do you want people to think when they hear the name Róisín Murphy?

RM: Well, sometimes someone at school will have said to my children: “Your mum sang that song Sing It Back.” So they’ll come back home and say, “Mum, are you famous?” And I’ll look them straight in the eye and say: “I swear I’m not famous – you know I’m not famous, because when we’re walking down the road, no one comes up to me screaming and shouting. But I am very well thought of.” And to be able to say that to my children, as the God’s honest truth, that’s really a pleasure for me”.

Slightly newer tracks like Jacuzzi Rollercoaster and Narcissus point at a tantalising future: these great Disco sounds that mix the glory of the 1970s but, as you’d expect from Róisín Murphy, her D.N.A. is all over it! You can check out her official website and get all her social media links. She is an artist worth following, and someone who is among the best artists in the world right now. There are a few dates confirmed for this year, and I am sure there will be more when festivals announce their line-ups. The world of Róisín Murphy is a wonderful place, and one that keeps changing and evolving. I have been mesmerised by her singles over the past couple of years, and it is stunning how she continues to push on and move in new directions. I will try and catch her at the 6 Music Festival in Camden, because I have never seen her live – an experience that, once encountered, is never forgotten. When she played at the Boiler Shop last year, Adam Kennedy provided plenty of praise in his review:

“This evening’s setlist is packed full of back to back bangers. From the top of the show, there is just no slowing Roisin Murphy down as she belts through the likes of “Innocence”, “Plaything” and “Forever More”. Each song brought to life by Murphy and her uber talented and somewhat versatile ensemble, who each, in turn, grapple with a whole raft of instruments throughout.

One thing that sets Róisín Murphy apart from the rest is her theatrical onstage antics and passion for fashion that would even give Lady Gaga a run for her money. Throughout Róisín Murphy’s live performance she brings to life and plays out on stage each of the incredible songs that she has created. This evening’s show is as captivating visually as it is musically.

A huge screen at the rear of the stage is filled with projections that accompany the electronic sounds produced by the band throughout. Furthermore, with almost every song in the set, Murphy undertakes a costume change or draws from her arsenal of accessories including a multitude of hats and sunglasses which are housed centre stage which further adds to the spectacle of the show.

The crowd never knows what is about to come next and subsequently, they can’t take their eyes off Róisín for one minute. Murphy’s relentless energy, limitless creativity and engaging persona spur on the crowd throughout. Tonight the musical and somewhat theatrical fashionista proves that her talent and creativity knows no bounds”.

We are all primed to see where Róisín Murphy heads and what scintillating tracks are coming over 2019. Her music provokes so many interesting and memorable images, one is helpless but to resist her power and abilities. I have been revisiting Jacuzzi Rollercoaster a bit recently and, whilst, on paper, it does not sound like a particularly comfortable or inviting place, it is actually…

JUST the sort of place you’d want to be!

FEATURE: Brighton Rocks: The Great Escape Festival 2020 Playlist (So Far)

FEATURE: 

Brighton Rocks

IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape

The Great Escape Festival 2020 Playlist (So Far)

___________

ALTHOUGH there are going to be more names…

PHOTO CREDIT: @bjhguerin/Unsplash

announced down the line, Brighton’s Great Escape Festival has put out some brilliant names. It runs between 13th and 16th May and, if you are in the market for the best new music around, this is the only festival you’ll need! If you do not know about The Great Escape Festival, here is some information from the official website:

 “The Great Escape is the festival for new music, showcasing 500 emerging artists from all over the world in 30+ walkable venues across the city and a pop-up festival site on Brighton Beach. It’s the first place to discover your new favourite artist and see them in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages.

TGE is also attended by the music industry who are on the hunt for the next big thing. We run a conference alongside the gigs featuring insightful panels, topical debates, keynote speeches and networking opportunities in abundance.

The Alternative Escape, our Spotlight Shows, secret gigs, club nights and spontaneous collaborations all add to the festivities and make this weekend in Brighton one not to miss.

You can grab your tickets and get to see some of the finest and most original new artists do their thing. If anything, Brighton is a haven for exploration and relaxation. It is great heading down there and getting lost, as there is so much to see and discover. The Great Escape Festival is an event that every much lover should get involved with.

IN THIS PHOTO: Phoebe Green is one of the names announced who will play The Great Escape Festival this year/PHOTO CREDIT: @ph0ebegreen

In terms of the press acclaim/coverage, The Great Escape Festival has received its fair share of plaudits and kudos:

“If anyone had any doubts that The Great Escape is the most important UK music festival for new bands, new trends and making new friends then they most certainly got knocked out of the water this year. 10 years in, and TGE went harder than ever before.”

Crack

“Although similar to the new-music mecca SXSW in Texas, in many ways Britain’s equivalent event is better: more manageable, less brand-led and with just as many emerging talents, who play in tiny venues across Brighton.”

The Times

‘The festival sits in a space all of its own. Billing a very international line-up in a very British city, it can rival any of the international competitors and tops the pile in the UK for value and variety alone.’

Virtual Festivals

‘The Great Escape has established itself as the best place in Europe to discover new bands’

The Times

‘The Cannes of the music world’

Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music

“As one the biggest music showcases here in Europe, The Great Escape in Brighton was a fantastic kick off to the UK festival season. Transforming the bustling seaside town into a mecca for music lovers and performing musicians alike … The Great Escape  has proved to be once again a monumental success.”

1883 Magazine

“Increasingly exciting, taste-making festival … [A] wild set in a tiny, sweltering club on Friday night is the kind of “Were you there?” moment that makes the Great Escape, well, Great”

Will Hodgkinson, Chief Pop & Rock Critic, The Times

As so many great names have been announced for this year’s Great Escape Festival, I have compiled them into a handy playlist that shows you just what talent…

IN THIS PHOTO: Lunch Money Life are on The Great Escape Festival’s bill

IS on display.

FEATURE: The Boxer’s Last Stand: Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

The Boxer’s Last Stand

Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water at Fifty

___________

THIS month has already seen a…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in 1968

couple of big albums celebrating anniversaries and, tomorrow, Simon & Garfunkel’s final album together is fifty. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a masterpiece that connected the glory and promise of the 1960s with the new decade. The album draws from a wide range of influences; from Roots Rock and Gospel through to Soul and Jazz, it is a phenomenal swansong. The album indicated two artists moving in different directions; two who would be parted and embark on solo careers. Bridge Over Troubled Water went to the number-one spot and was 1970’s best-selling album. It took home six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Engineered Recording; the title track won Song of the Year, and the album has sold over twenty-five million copies. The song, Bridge Over Troubled Water, has been covered dozens of times and has seen some enormous artists take it on – including Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin. To mark fifty years of one of the greatest albums ever, a new E.P. has arrived. This article explains more:

“January 26 marks the 50th Anniversary of Simon & Garfunkel’s iconic masterpiece, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Legacy Recordings celebrates with Simon & Garfunkel – Live At Carnegie Hall 1969 — an EP of Four Early Live Versions from the Duo’s Then-Upcoming Fifth Studio Album, Available Exclusively for Streaming Now.

Recorded in November 1969 during a sold-out two-night run at New York’s Carnegie Hall, this new four-song EP captures S&G’s live magic at the height of the folk-rock duo’s massive popular success. Simon & Garfunkel – Live At Carnegie Hall 1969 includes previously-unreleased early live versions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright,” “The Boxer” and “Song For The Asking.” The recordings from Carnegie Hall capture early performances of songs that Simon & Garfunkel were introducing in concert to their fans, two months before the release of their fifth and final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water (originally released January 26, 1970)”.

Simon & Garfunkel’s fifth and final album, there is something bittersweet about Bridge Over Troubled Water. Garfunkel took on an acting role in Catch-22 following the duo’s soundtrack of The Graduate; Paul Simon spent time writing songs for the album – everything expect Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's Bye Bye Love. In terms of tones and sounds, Bridge Over Troubled Water is similar to Bookends – an album that is almost as sensational as its follow-up. Although there are similarities between their final two Simon & Garfunkel albums, Bridge Over Troubled Water brings in more Rock, Gospel and World sounds; a broader palette and lyrics that endure for longer and dig deeper. The duo would part after the album (although they performed together on a few occasions afterwards) but, in sheer terms of ambition, Bridge Over Troubled Water is an amazing achievement. Simon & Garfunkel split later in 1970: Garfunkel worked in film whilst Simon released a series of world-class and hugely memorable albums (including 1986’s Graceland).

It is understandable why Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel could not carry on but, when you consider the genius of the album and how important it is, one wonders what could have happened if they kept playing. Some argue both artists were strongest as a duo and never matched the same levels and heights they achieved on their final album. Certain critics, looking back, feel Bridge Over Troubled Water is a little overwrought, overrated and underwritten; most agree that the album is one of the very best the duo created and a very fitting and stunning goodbye. Songs like Cecilia, The Boxer and the title track are classics; So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright, The Only Living Boy in New York and Why Don’t You Write Me are classic Paul Simon numbers. Even though the songwriting duo was heading in different directions, they sound united and harmonious throughout. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a song that perfectly frames Art Garfunkel’s voice, whilst it is impossible to listen to The Boxer without being moved. I want to bring in a couple of retrospective reviews before I move on. Here is how Pitchfork judged the album:

“This diverse album contains the roots of Paul Simon's subsequent incorporation of African and South American rhythms into astute pop songs, especially "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)". The tune is hundreds of years old, but Simon came to it via a contemporary Peruvian group called Los Incas. He wrote new English lyrics about the rural versus the urban, and he and Garfunkel sang them over the original instrumental track. Especially coming after the grandiose gospel of the title track, the song sounds both exotic and humble. Later, "Keep the Customer Satisfied" swells with gargantuan blasts of brass, "Baby Driver" revs up some R&B sax, and "Cecilia" sounds impossibly infectious with its pennywhistle solo and handclap/thighslap percussion. Despite the breadth of sound-- and despite the splintering of their relationship-- Bridge sounds like a unified statement enlivened by styles and rhythms not often heard on pop radio at the juncture of those two decades.

The album cuts on Bridge hold up arguably better than the singles-- or maybe it's just that we've all heard the title track and side-two opener "The Boxer" so many times, while songs like "Keep the Customer Satisfied" and "Baby Driver" still sound less familiar, and therefore full of surprises. Especially on this subtle remastering, Bridge reveals a surfeit of strange, exciting sonic details, as Simon, Garfunkel, and co-producer Roy Halee insert small flourishes of sound, such as the disruptive skiffle beat on "Why Don't You Write Me" or the audience rhythm section on the live version of "Bye Bye Love". The title track derives its outsize drama not only from Garfunkel's intense, measured vocals but also from the resonating percussion, which mimics the echoing crack of sound against a cathedral wall. Thanks to the echo-chambered vocals, disembodied organ, and Joe Osborn's melodically prominent bass, "The Only Living Boy in New York" sounds practically weightless, as if Manhattan were as lonely and desolate as the moon”.

The remarkable Bridge Over Troubled Water sprouted the roots of Paul Simon’s love of African and South American rhythms. Listen to the big brass Keep the Customer Satisfied and one can see new worlds opening up for Simon; elements that would feed into his solo work. In their review of Simon & Garfunkel’s final album, AllMusic had this to say:

 “Bridge Over Troubled Water was one of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and it hasn't fallen too far down on the list in years since. Apart from the gospel-flavored title track, which took some evolution to get to what it finally became, however, much of Bridge Over Troubled Water also constitutes a stepping back from the music that Simon & Garfunkel had made on Bookends -- this was mostly because the creative partnership that had formed the body and the motivation for the duo's four prior albums literally consumed itself in the making of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

The overall effect was perhaps the most delicately textured album to close out the 1960s from any major rock act. Bridge Over Troubled Water, at its most ambitious and bold, on its title track, was a quietly reassuring album; at other times, it was personal yet soothing; and at other times, it was just plain fun. The public in 1970 -- a very unsettled time politically, socially, and culturally -- embraced it; and whatever mood they captured, the songs matched the standard of craftsmanship that had been established on the duo's two prior albums. Between the record's overall quality and its four hits, the album held the number one position for two and a half months and spent years on the charts, racking up sales in excess of five million copies. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album”.

As a standalone, Bridge Over Troubled Water is a sensational album crammed with brilliance. If you figure it into the history and story of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, the album is so much bigger and more important. One can read subtext in certain songs but, to me, this is two musicians providing the world with something timeless and majestic, knowing they would not record another album again. On its fiftieth anniversary tomorrow (26th January), lots of fans will mark an incredible album; musicians have been inspired by it since its release and, even though Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are not together (and not speaking) and their friendship was strained in 1970, it is obvious their final album together will endure and influence…

FOR another fifty years.

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. III)

FEATURE:

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Dana Gavanski/PHOTO CREDIT: Tess Roby

An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. III)

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THIS weekend has started off…

IN THIS PHOTO: Poppy Ajudha

with some cloud and cold…so we all need some music and light to get us lifted and out of the door. There have been so many great tracks released this week but, as you’d expect, a lot of the very best cuts have been from women. From various corners of the sonic map, have a listen to the winter-ready playlist from some of the best women in music right now. The quality is astounding and, as you listen to these tracks, I know you will feel warmer and more energised. Without further ado, here are songs to…

IN THIS PHOTO: L Devine

MAKE your weekend shine.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Poppy Ajudha, Mahalia - Low Ride

Katie Gately – Waltz

April Ivy - Can’t Fight This Feeling

Planet 1999 – Party

Lola Coca – All That She Wants

Sharna Bass - Nobody

Eliza Shaddad – One Last Embrace

L Devine – Boring People

PHOTO CREDIT: Romaine Dixon

Romaine Dixon, D’wante Navire – Vibe

PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Cook

Cuffed Up – French Exit

Kiana Ledé – Mad At Me.

Kelsea Ballerini – la

Violet Skies – Half My Life

Sarah Close – Cool

VUKOVI – Aura

Tate McRae – that way

Dad – Fresher

Mae Muller – Therapist

Eve Belle – Smithereens

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsey Byrnes

Hayley Williams – Simmer

Jessie Reyez - LOVE IN THE DARK

ROSALÍA – Juro Que

Brooke Bentham – Control

PHOTO CREDIT: Vedrana Vukojevic

Dana Gavanski – Good Instead of Bad

Waxahatchee – Fire

La Roux - Automatic Driver

Siv Jakobsen – Fear the Fear

Hilary Woods – Tongues of Wild Boar

IMAGE CREDIT: Malky Currie

Vanessa Forero – Light Your Fires

FEATURE: The January Playlist: Vol. 4: Cops Cars and a Certain Simmer

FEATURE:

 

The January Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Mitski/PHOTO CREDIT: Bao Ngo

Vol. 4: Cops Cars and a Certain Simmer

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THIS is a packed week for music…

IN THIS PHOTO: Pet Shop Boys

and one where a lot of big artists are shining! This week sees new music released from Mitski, Pet Shop Boys and Hayley Williams; Radiohead, Pearl Jam and ROSALÍA gift us with tunes. Look at the playlist below and you will hear so much quality and diversity. It is an exciting week where we have so much gold to choose from. If you need a kick and spark this weekend, these tracks are sure to do the job! I am really looking forward to seeing what else comes this year and, with a week of January left, it is pretty impressive what has been released so far. Have a listen at the best of the week and I know you will find something in here that…

IN THIS PHOTO: Hayley Williams/PHOTO CREDIT: Invision/Rex/Shutterstock

SPIKES your imagination.   

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Mitski – Cop Car

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsey Byrnes

Hayley Williams – Simmer

Radiohead – I Want None of This

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch

Pearl Jam – Dance of the Clairvoyants

Billie Eilish - everything i wanted

IN THIS PHOTO: J Hus

J Hus (ft. Koffee) - Repeat 

ROSALÍA - Juro Que

Pet Shop Boys – i don’t wanna

The Lathums – Fight On

PHOTO CREDIT: Max Knight

Dan Croll – Yesterday

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker Photography

Happyness – Vegetable

La Roux - Automatic Driver

Inhaler – We Have to Move On

IN THIS PHOTO: Brian Eno

Roger Eno & Brian Eno - Celeste

Twin Atlantic – Oh! Euphoria!

Patrick Watson - Look At You

Four Tet – Baby

The Coronas – Haunted

Jessie Reyez – LOVE IN THE DARK

Doja Cat - Boss B*tch (from Birds of Prey: The Album)

Ricky Martin – Tiburones

Chromatics – TOY

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlie Cummings

The Snuts – Fatboy Slim

Kelsea Ballerini – la

PHOTO CREDIT: Melanie Tjoeng

Eliza Shaddad – One Last Embrace

IN THIS PHOTO: Poppy Ajudha

Poppy Ajudha (ft. Mahalia) - Low Ride

Badly Drawn Boy – Is This a Dream?

JP Cooper – In These Arms

Tom Grennan – This Is the Place

Andy Shauf – Neon Skyline

FEATURE: After the Writer’s Block… D’Angelo’s Voodoo at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

After the Writer’s Block…

D’Angelo’s Voodoo at Twenty

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AS we are in a new decade…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Mannion

we are, inevitably, looking back to see how other decades started. I have done some playlists of the best music from 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010. I think 2000 was a phenomenal year for music, and we saw some terrific albums arrive. On 25th January, D’Angelo brought out his second album, Voodoo. Released by Virgin Records, D’Angelo recorded the album during 1998 and 1999 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. D’Angelo produced most of the album himself and worked with musicians of the Soulquarians collective. I will talk more about the album’s legacy later on but, compared with Brown Sugar in 1995, Voodoo is a looser album that is not as conventional as his debut. The album investigates fatherhood and spirituality in addition to love and maturation. Voodoo was a huge success and, following huge promotion, it debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Singles such as Untitled (How Does It Feel) were met with huge praise – although its video did garner some controversy! When you release a debut as successful as Brown Sugar, there is that pressure regarding a follow-up. That album was toured for over two years and, when the dust had settled, D’Angelo found himself unable to conjure new ideas. I am not sure what caused this block, but it is something every songwriter faces in their career. New material was a struggle, so D’Angelo put out some cover versions and remarks; flexing his creative muscles and trying to get the juice flowing.

D’Angelo eventually rediscovered his mojo and began work on his second album. Whilst his debut album is a remarkable thing, Voodoo throws together everything from Jazz, Funk and Hip-Hop. It is the way the contrasts work together that makes Voodoo so arresting. You get vintage sounds and influences stacked alongside fresh sounds and layers. D’Angelo is a lot more improvisational on Voodoo; I think these changes and evolutions make a big different. Whether you feel it is solely a D’Angelo record or more of a Soulquarians production, one cannot refute the genius throughout. A lot of Voodoo was recorded straight in one take, and one can imagine the musicians jamming in the studio and the vibe at the time. I am not sure what compelled this breakthrough and resurrection from D’Angelo, but he took his music to a new plain on Voodoo. There are Jazz elements and that sort of vibe, but one can nod to pioneers like Jimi Hendrix and many of D’Angelo’s heroes. There is a lot to unpack when it comes to D’Angelo’s staggering sophomore release. It could have gone wrong or not happened at all: instead, what we get is an album that is like nothing out there. You would struggle to find a review that is anything less than gushing and mind-blown. In this Pitchfork review, we learn more about a stunning album:

“But Voodoo is more than a fetish object for analog geeks and old-soul collectors. It's peppered with hip-hop inflections largely informed by the singular work of J Dilla, the record's biggest modern influence. D'Angelo probably had Dilla's beats in mind when he wanted ?uestlove to dirty his impeccable timing to drum like he had just "drank some moonshine behind a chuckwagon," as ?uest once put it. In GQ, D cited the Detroit producer's 2006 death as the moment he decided to wake up from his booze-and-cocaine fueled lost years. "I felt like I was going to be next," he said. And when he played this year's Made in America festival in Philadelphia, he stepped out to the strains of obscure Canadian band Motherlode's "When I Die", which Dilla flipped on the finale of his last true album, Donuts.

The song's hook: "When I die, I hope to be a better man than you thought I'd be." Voodoo's element of sampling is crucial and varied as well, whether through flawless interpolations (as on "Send It On", which borrows its horn-laden lilt from Kool and the Gang's "Sea of Tranquility"), or sly cut-ups (like when DJ Premier drops in a line of Fat Joe's materialistic "Success" into the anti-materialism screed "Devil's Pie"), or well-chosen covers (the slowed-down brilliance of "Feel Like Makin' Love", a #1 for Roberta Flack in 1974)”.

Voodoo, like other albums from 2000, does not feel dated or of its time. Because there are so many classic elements to the production and sound, there is something instantly vintage; the modernity and urgency of the music means Voodoo sounds remarkable twenty years down the tracks. It is an album without a conventional structure, and there is so much nuance and depth. In this Entertainment Weekly review, they talk about D’Angelo’s growth between albums:

“On his long-anticipated follow-up, Voodoo, we find D’Angelo growing as an artist, as well as The Artist. His Purple Majesty’s influence looms over Voodoo even more than Gaye’s. (Not Prince the hitmaker but Prince the bandleader of endless late-night funk workouts.) Voodoo is less like an album and more like an intimate jam session, each song bleeding into another. Cut almost entirely live, nearly every track is over five minutes, and all ride the same mid-tempo groove. Piled high with squelchy, sinuous keyboards, syncopated rhythm guitar, horny horns, and harmonies that overlap gloriously like they came from a vintage Parliament-Funkadelic album, D’Angelo creates a (Sly) stoned soul picnic bar none.

Such advances don’t negate the romance stance that made him a star — his falsetto just may serve as women’s answer to Viagra. ”Send It On” is a stately soul ballad like they just don’t make anymore, while his cover of Roberta Flack’s ”Feel Like Makin’ Love” remains a sweet, sticky delight. Only a crudely misogynistic rap from guests Method Man and Redman on ”Left & Right” upsets the organically sensual vibe. Still, what’s most thrilling about Voodoo is that D’Angelo is unafraid to tamper with his successful formula: This is elastic, impressionistic music that doesn’t cater to radio formats. If you’re looking for an antidote to the processed-cheese disease that’s infected today’s pop, a little bit o’ Voodoo is just what the witch doctor ordered”.

There will be some big album anniversaries this year, but I think Voodoo is one that deserves a lot of focus. D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s Black Messiah came out in 2014, and I wonder whether we will get another album from him – the man does take his time but, on all occasions, the results are spellbinding! Maybe we will see a new D’Angelo album this year – there are rumblings -, but it is amazing to listen to Voodoo twenty years after it came into the world. If you have not heard the album, check it out on Spotify, and prepare to have your senses altered.

It still, as I said, sounds brilliant today, and it makes me hungry for another D’Angelo record. I will wrap things up but, before that, I want to bring in a feature from early last year that looked back on a remarkable work:

“Once hailed as the next Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo become the harbinger of hip-hop soul with his first release Brown Sugar in 1995. At the ripe young age of 21, he was  responsible for rethinking an entire genre and had laid the path for Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (‘96), Erykah Badu’s Baduizm (’97), The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (‘98) and the neo-soul movement. But on the dawn of Y2K, contemporary R&B had morphed into a slick, club-friendly state. Voodoo emerged as a response to this, bringing back earthy 70s production powered by experimental, hip-hop-influenced rhythms.

After its release, Voodoo topped the Billboard albums chart just two weeks later, won two Grammy’s, achieved platinum status and produced a hit that would turn D’Angelo into a pin-up for ages. The album made an arresting statement, not just musically but visually. With its cover and provocative video for ‘Untitled (How Does it Feel)’, D’Angelo bared more than his soul. What perhaps meant to be a vulnerable statement looked more like an illicit invitation.

Sampling takes on an important role throughout the album, a practice that had been honed over the past decade, but D’Angelo does so with care, whether it’s Kool & the Gang‘s ‘Sea of Tranquility’ on ‘Send it On’ or the drums from Prince’s ‘I Wonder U’ on ‘Africa’. Every track serves a purpose, there is no filler here. His cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ is turned into a breezy song of seduction, while the Latin jazz infused ‘Spanish Joint’ hints at the heat to come. 

But none of these songs fully prepare you for the ultimate slow-burn ballad that is ‘Untitled (How Does it Feel)’. Co-written by Raphael Saadiq, it shall gown down in the annals of makeout music history and even cuts off in the middle, leaving you wanting more. Whether consciously or subconsciously inspired by the “Purple One’, it was ironic that Prince seemed be inspired as well, after releasing ‘Call My Name’ just a few years later”.

There are other great articles that are worth checking out. Voodoo is an amazing album, and its twentieth anniversary, I would have thought, should have been met with a reissue or special edition – again, I can find now word of that. No matter, as the original is out in the world and it demands your attention. I hope Voodoo gets a lot of coverage today (on its twentieth), as it a classic album that will still be talked about decades from now. Spend some time today so you can…

SPIN this masterpiece.

FEATURE: Rinse and Repeat: Are Radio Playlists the Best Way to Market a New Song?

FEATURE:

Rinse and Repeat

PHOTO CREDIT: Freepik

Are Radio Playlists the Best Way to Market a New Song?

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ALTHOUGH it has been the way to promote songs…

IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik

for decades now, I wonder whether radio playlists are the best way to bring new music to people. Obviously, new cuts need to be featured on the radio, but I listen to stations like BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music and you tend to find the playlists are quite repetitive. I understand that a song needs to get out to as many people as possible but, if you are a loyal listener, you might hear the same songs dozens and dozens of times before the playlist is updated. Unless the song is pure genius – very few are -, it gets to the point where you get so weary and lose that initial spark of interest. Stations have an A, B and C-list where those in the ‘A’ playlist are the more popular and played; ‘C’ is the less-played/popular tracks. Maybe, in a streaming age, the best way to get people to take note of songs is through bombardment, but I am finding myself liking a new song at first and, within a matter of a few days, it has been played to death. Playlists cannot accommodate every new track that week/month, but I do wonder whether playlists focus on a few songs too much and over-play them. I tend to find that, as a regular listener to stations like BBC Radio 6 Music, I get turned off when some new tracks are played endlessly. In many cases, one song is played a lot after it comes off the playlist, so you hear it even more than you did when it was being spotlighted. In some cases, that artist has released an album and you tend to hear few songs from that album but nothing else.

PHOTO CREDIT: @gonarnaizpazos/Unsplash

I appreciate a single needs to get some decent airtime, but it is the relentless spinning of individual tracks that causes boredom and means, more often than not, a song loses its flavour – maybe that is the best tactic to get as many people listening, but there are great new songs that are played seldom or not at all. Not that this is a slight against any artist at all. They are trying their best and releasing great music, but even the biggest fan is not going to listen to the same song several times a day for weeks and weeks – maybe they will, but I find myself far less invested as time goes on. Many big radio stations do not have bespoke playlist of new songs they have featured. That way, people would be able to hear the songs and access them at their leisure, without hearing them multiple times a day when they are listening to the station. So many stations, too, do not have an archive of playlists, and I wonder why. When I was growing up, we did have stations spinning singles a bit, but it was not as intensive as it is now – not with so many different tracks, anyway. Also, in an age of social media and streaming, we all have greater access to songs through various platforms, so I wonder whether stations need to be quite so full-on with singles and their playlists. At a time when people are less interested in albums, maybe stations playing more album tracks (in addition to the single) would be better.

IMAGE CREDIT: BBC

Radio is still the best way to promote music and there are countless examples where I have heard a great new act because of various stations. If I was to miss a gem then I would be annoyed but, as I say, I think a weekly/monthly playlist link would avoid that possibility. Some stations have something fairly similar, but most do not. If you are a committed listener to a station, it can be irksome hearing a song rinsed whereas other tracks are either ignored or only played a couple of times. Even if we were back in the 1980s or 1990s, I would not want to hear the latest singles so regularly. There is also a problem where artists are releasing singles so close together so, not only do radio stations have to promote one track for a long time; they then need to accommodate another track soon after. This is more common in the Pop market. Rolling Stone investigated further in an article from last year:

“But for years, radio was focused on amplifying one single by an artist for weeks on end, extending the life of an album like Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream track by track for more than 18 months. Now program directors are scrambling to support multiple singles simultaneously. “The challenge is not whether to play a record that’s really popular that the listeners want,” explains Mark McCray, the VP of programming and operations for KBFB and KZMJ in Dallas. “The challenge is making sure those records are separated the best they possibly can be so the radio station doesn’t sound like ‘97.9, Cardi B radio.'”

 PHOTO CREDIT: @willfrancis/Unsplash

The urban and rhythmic radio formats — rhythmic encompasses hip-hop, R&B, pop, an occasional dance hit and some Latin music — have already been trying to master this balancing act. “In the 2010s, a few times we’ve had several songs by popular artists all being in rotation at once,” explains McCray. (One of his charges, KBFB, is a rhythmic station.) “This has happened with Rihanna, with Drake several times, with Beyonce.”

But now pop radio, which reaches the most listeners of any format, is being forced to handle similarly fast release schedules. That’s because artists like Drake and Post Malone, who would be considered urban radio fare five years ago, have become so big that pop programmers have to at least try to play them. Not only that, rappers have been so successful with never-ending-waterfall release strategies that pop stars, including Grande, are trying to do the same thing.

“It’s a fairly new problem for us,” Graham acknowledges. “You used to have a single go for three months, then the next one. Now it’s a drop every other Thursday. [Grande]’s revolutionizing that for pop radio.”

What’s the big deal? Well, radio playlists are tighter than they once were — fewer songs are in rotation, so each spot is more heavily contested. And pop programmers center their attention on a tiny handful of songs. “A Top 40 radio station is playing five songs 120 times a week every week,” one longtime radio promotions veteran told Rolling Stone last year. Those spots traditionally go to a Swift or a Grande or an Ed Sheeran”.

It is good that, playlisted artists are not seen as disposable and, as the article explains, an album can have its life extended for months – though I contend featuring just one or two tracks from it is not the best way of getting people invested in that album.

PHOTO CREDIT: @vidarnm/Unsplash

There is that conflict between supporting the bigger artists, or those who have the best songs out and being varied. Pop stations have to prioritise the most popular artists and stations with a wider remit are limited regarding the artists they feature. It is just that sensation of hearing a ‘new’ track being played for the nth time and, ironically, the same artist has brought out another single since then – it all seems like overkill. I am not sure whether a solution can be put in place where songs are given enough oxygen and time without suffocating the listener. With stations having social media accounts and access to Spotify, surely reducing storing songs there and having links on their social media means they could expand playlists; feature the same songs for two weeks and, afterwards file them in a library and then feature a rotation of fresh songs. This would mean artists on the original playlist are still available and visible, but it would be more varied and less overly-familiar for listeners. I am not the only one who gets a bit annoyed when the same tunes are hammered week after week to the point where you can’t stand the sound. Most people would say the solution to that is obvious: turn the radio off or change stations! The point is not my personal irritations and preferences; it is the way singles are marketed at a time when the charts are changing radically, and we can stream these tracks on platforms like Spotify or Tidal. Maybe focusing on a few songs and playing them a lot – rather than more tracks less frequently played – is best for artists, listeners and record labels, but it sort of puts me off as a fan of new music. Even though I like a lot of new songs, it can be a bit much hearing the same track cycled so much. I feel stations could change and artists would not suffer but, maybe, this is just…

IMAGE CREDIT: Andy Hook

THE way things have to be.

FEATURE: Smalltown Heroes: Independent Venue Week 2020

FEATURE: 

Smalltown Heroes

PHOTO CREDIT: @kylewongs/Unsplash

Independent Venue Week 2020

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IF you need an event to make your January…

PHOTO CREDIT: @jmvisuals/Unsplash

warmer and more interesting, look ahead to Independent Venue Week - It runs from 27th January to 2nd February in the U.K. If you are not aware of what the week entails and what it is about, here is some more information:

“Independent Venue Week is a 7-day celebration of music venues around the country and a nod to the people that own, run and work in them, week in, week out.

These venues give artists their first experience of playing live in front of an audience. They give fans somewhere to get up close to artists that one day, may well be playing stadiums and festival main stages. They also provide those wanting a career in music, off the stage, the chance to learn their craft up close in a small venue.

Independent Venue Week is unique in that it is a nationwide initiative with a completely local feel.

By championing these venues, we are able to highlight why they are so much more than just places for live music – they are cultural hubs for learning, creativity, arts and culture more widely in the local community for people from all walks of life.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, Wales and Creative Scotland in the UK as well as the wider music industry and brands globally, Independent Venue Week brings together these venues along with breaking and established artists, promoters, labels, media and tastemakers to create a nationwide series of gigs.

These venues, all local businesses, are the backbone of the live music scene and Independent Venue Week recognises all that they have done to create some of the most memorable nights of the past so they can continue to do the same in the future”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @overdriv3/Unsplash

We are coming up to a week where venues around the country will be celebrated and put under the spotlight. We are living in a time when so many great artists are emerging; music is busier than ever and, because of that, we need our precious venues. So many of the great artists you hear on the radio are where they are and get to your ears because they have played venues, got that attention and found an audience. It is rare for any artist t avoid performing and make a success of things on their own – it does happen, but most recording artists perform live and use that as a platform. Venues are the lifeblood of communities; they are places we can bond and feel the same; we can feel alive and lost at the same time and get to see artists at the very start. There is something exciting watching an artist perform at a smaller venue and, years later, hearing them on the radio – in the knowledge you saw them before they got big. Even at a time when streaming and digital music is dominating, there is still a huge thirst for live music. Every year, we see beloved venues closing for a number of reasons. In some cases, there are noise complaints but, a lot of the time, it is because of lack of funding and high rent costs forcing venues to close their doors.

Anna Calvi, Ambassador for Independent Venue Week this year, is someone who understands the importance of venues – she also knows how under-supported and under-funded they are:

 “Britain’s independent music venues should receive the same reverence and support as the ballet or opera, according to the musician Anna Calvi and the organisers behind a week-long initiative to promote the UK’s smaller concert halls.

Calvi, a three-time Mercury music prize nominee, told the Guardian that venues which predominantly focus on live music – and helped contribute £1.1bn to the UK economy in 2018 – need to be protected at a time when a third of smaller venues report they are struggling.

She said: “Just because it’s music that is played with guitars, why is it any different to a place like the ballet or opera? Other areas of the creative industry might have slowed down, but people are still going to gigs.”

Calvi, who is an ambassador for Independent Venue Week, added that investment in venues should be seen as a long-term project, which allows talent to develop. “There might only be 150 people in the room at the time at those early gigs, but those artists could go anywhere from there,” she said. “Playing smaller venues was instrumental for me to becoming the artist I am now.”

In February 2018, the UK’s first ever music venue census found that a third of Britain’s small venues outside London were struggling, with respondents identifying rampant property development and soaring business rates as main issues. The value of Britain’s live music sector hit a record £1.1bn in the same year, with 11.2 million music tourists – those travelling from overseas or within the UK to get to live events”. 

PHOTO CREDIT: @5tep5/Unsplash

Music venues are not only important to artists. From the venue’s staff to other businesses in a town/city, these spaces are essential. With each passing year, the importance of venues increases as artists look for somewhere to cut their teeth. I agree that more government funding needs to go to venues, as they are as important to our cultural landscape as ballet, theatre and film. I am not sure how much money is injected into the maintenance and survival of venues, but I cannot imagine it is that much at all. Independent venues are not only host to smaller artists. A lot of big artists play these venues, and we need to make sure we protect these incredible buildings. Independent Venue Week is a perfect showcase for live music and how integral venues are to its popularity and importance. From articles outlining how venues are the lifeblood of communities through to artists providing their thoughts, there is a fear that a lot of inspiring venues will close or struggle in years to come. Not only would music be poorer without music venues, so many artists would not even exist or be able to get their music heard. Let’s hope the emergence of so much great talent forces the government into committed funded. When Independent Venue Week is upon us and we can see these venues (and their staff) shine, it will, one hopes, awaken politicians to give venues…

PHOTO CREDIT: @trapnation/Unsplash

THE support they need and deserve.

FEATURE: Never Tear Us Apart: The Iconic Michael Hutchence at Sixty

FEATURE: 

Never Tear Us Apart 

IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Hutchence fencing, in a scene from the documentary, Mystify/PHOTO CREDIT: Ghost Pictures/Madman

The Iconic Michael Hutchence at Sixty

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THERE is something especially sad…

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Plytas

when we mark the birthday of a musician who is no longer with us. A few days back, we marked David Bowie’s birthday and, not only does it give us an excuse to play that artist’s music, it reminds us how much emptier the world is without them. I shall not get too gloomy but, as INXS’ Michael Hutchence would have been sixty tomorrow (22nd January), I felt it only right to celebrate that. I listened to a lot of INXS growing up, and their songs still sound so intoxicating and memorable. I think a lot of that is down to the gravitas of Hutchence and what he brings to every song. Although INXS are still performing without Hutchence, it is not quite the same without the legendary lead – that is not slight on their current lead/leads. Even all these years after his death – Hutchence died in 1997 -, there are new stories emerging that reveal fresh tragedy and complication. It is so sad we do not have Hutchence in the world as he was such a magnetic and inspiring performer. If you have not seen the documentary, Mystify, then make sure you do so. I will end this feature with a Michael Hutchence playlist that draws from his INXS work and takes some solo material into the blend.

In terms of who Hutchence was, I could try and assess him and drill down to his core but, instead, his life and legacy warrants deeper appreciation. From his official website, here is all you need to know:

“Michael Kelland John Hutchence was born on January 22, 1960 at Mater Misericordiae Hospital in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His mother Patricia Kennedy, was a former successful Melbourne model turned makeup artist and mother of eleven-year-old Tina when she married Sydney businessman Kelland Hutchence on January 31, 1959.

Michael was a very happy child with a big smile for everyone. He just seemed so excited to be alive. Soon after he was born the family moved to Brisbane where his brother Rhett was born. The family returned to Sydney when Michael was three years-old and just days before Michael's 5th birthday in January, 1965, the family departed for Hong Kong where Kell had accepted a position with a company which imported beef from Australia and wines and spirits from France.

Michael attended pre-school, Kindergarten and elementary, eventually going on to King George the 5th High in Hong Kong.

During those formative years in Hong Kong, Michael proved to be an excellent athlete at certain sports, namely those, which did not involve a ‘team' or running. He was a superior swimmer and also won several trophies for diving.

The music played in the Hutchence household ranged from his parents' tastes; Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to his teenage sisters' the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He studied classical guitar for a short time and the violin which, the way he played it, was excruciating to the ears. At other times he would sit around with his friends singing folk songs when he wasn't involved in Boy Scouts, fencing, judo, or kick boxing. Although he was interested in music, he dreamed of becoming an airline pilot.

One of his favourite past-times was visiting his mother and sister on movie sets at Shaw Brothers Studio. He started this at a very young age and instinctively knew to sit very quietly while the actors were doing a ‘take'. He watched everyone intently, interested in every aspect of movie making.

At the age of eleven, he made a recording of Christmas carols for a toy manufacturer. The recording was made to a small disc which was encased by a Santa Clause and sold quite well that Holiday Season.

When Michael was 12 the family returned to Sydney and settled into a home in Belrose, New South Wales. Michael used to call it ‘Sausage Hill' because of the weekend barbeques in the neighbourhood. This was a huge culture shock for Michael. His first day at Davidson High was eventful but not very pleasant – as the students did not take kindly to his slightly British accent. It was a blessing in disguise however when he met Andrew Farriss who was to become his lifelong friend and business partner.

Over a 25 year friendship and a writing partnership that spanned 20 years, together they wrote and performed with the other members of INXS some powerful music that is still heard in motion pictures, on commercials, in clubs and on the radio today.

At the age of 15 Michael and his mother left for California. He has said that with the breakup of his parents' marriage he felt that she needed someone and it pained him to think of her alone. He and his mother joined his sister Tina, and her son Brent in a house in Studio City. While his mother continued her work in motion pictures, Michael enrolled into North Hollywood High where he found the student population and instructor/student relationship liberating. He was quite introspective and began to write poetry with a passion. He continued to visit his mother on sets and soaked in the down to earth basics of movie making which possibly helped him later on when it came time to make videos with INXS.

Michael and his mother returned to Australia where he continued his friendship with Andrew who was seriously edging toward a career in the music industry. With Andrews' band ‘Doctor Dolphin' together, there was no place apart from vocals for Michael who did not play an instrument. Gary Beers was playing bass guitar in this first band. Slowly Michael began to expose his poetry to Andrew who was already an accomplished musician.

All three Farriss brothers played an instrument. Eldest brother Tim, a guitar player was already performing in a band with Kirk Pengilly. Youngest brother Jon was learning the drums. They eventually formed the line-up that would endure for more than 20 years. After some rehearsals in the Farriss or Hutchence garage, they debuted their band the ‘Farriss Brothers' on August 16, 1977 – Tim's 20th birthday and the day Elvis Presley passed away.

The day after Michael completed high school, he and Kirk Pengilly drove across the Nullabour Plains to join the Farriss family and Gary Beers in Perth to give their dream of becoming a band a chance.

After a tough ride in and around Perth, playing covers the band made their way back to Sydney.

By this time Michael was getting his stage legs. He had a presence that only a select few performers exhibit; a certain something that was a combination of his natural charisma and instinct. The band was spotted by Garry Morris the manager of Midnight Oil who, was too busy to manage them himself but called another manager who was searching for a band. Not only did they get a manager, they changed their name at the same time. Their stage persona was so excessive it seemed appropriate that they should call themselves ‘INXS'.

IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Hutchence photographed in London in 1990/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Putland/Getty Images

Chris Murphy's managerial savvy combined with the musical talent of INXS members, with Michael as front man took them to international stardom.

Chris, no stranger himself to hard work, had Michael working on his craft constantly. Gig after gig on the road 300 days out of the first year was very humbling. Michael never forgot those days of sharing one order of fish and chips between two people and one hotel room for 6.

That same year 1980, they released their first two singles ‘We Are The Vegetables' and‘Simple Simon' and began work on their first album-music by Andrew and lyrics by Michael.

Every night after performing in and around Sydney pubs, they would drive to the studio and record. It was a gruelling but satisfying time for the band. Michael and Andrew barely felt the pressure of writing and performing and recording and continued on the same routine throughout most of their careers. With every tour they were writing songs for the next album.

Michael's performances began to get noticed by the media and his stage persona was likened to Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison.

Their self-titled debut album included their first hit, ‘Just Keep Walking'. They continued to work hard and just six months later they released a cover of a sixties hit, ‘The Loved One' which truly proved to be the perfect set of tempo and lyrics to showcase Michael's sensual phrasing and erotic stage persona.

The music journalists lavished praise on the band. One journalist, Jenny Hunter Brown described him thus: “He stares quite fearlessly, slightly surlily, out at the milling pub crowd. And for a moment Michael Hutchence echoes the late Jim Morrison. ” She continues; “He's twenty, fit a fine dancer. He swings side to side with the mike stand as access in a mutant, Austral skank. A great mat of damp curls flopping over one angry eye, he shoots out each rounded word like a rocket off a pad.”

In no time at all INXS were on their way to the international scene in a short leap. In 1984 they embarked on their first world tour. This would mark the beginning of years of constant touring, writing and recording for Michael.

In 1985 INXS played to 50,000 fans over three sold out shows in their homeland and dominated the music award shows –something they continued to do for the next 5 years. In the same year Michael and the band performed for Prince Charles and Lady Diana in a charity concert called ‘Rocking with the Royals'.

In March of 1986 Michael made his movie debut in Richard Lowenstein's Dogs In Space. Michael played Sam Sejavka, real life punk rock singer from Melbourne in the late seventies who had struggled unsuccessfully with heroin addiction. Richard had written the movie with Michael in mind, positive that he could carry it off. Michael did not let him down receiving admirable reviews for his performance and entering the top ten with a single titled Rooms For The Memory .

By the mid eighties Michael was no longer residing in Australia, he had moved back to Hong Kong. This began a habit of Andrew and Michael writing on separate continents. Michael had a habit of writing on anything available as he often misplaced his notebook and rarely was it around when the creative thought reared. It was not unusual for Andrew to send Michael 25 pieces of music. 

By late 1986 INXS was breaking out in North America with ‘What You Need' on heavy MTV rotation. Michael was becoming a ‘video' star as he was a natural in front of a camera.

In 1987 INXS recorded ‘Kick' which was to become their most successful album. In September 1988 they swept the MTV Music Awards with ‘Kick'.

In 1989 Michael teamed with Melbourne musician Ollie Olsen to record ‘Max Q'. For the first time

Michael explored life in and out of the studio without INXS. It was a critically acclaimed album and a personal success for Michael.

Michael then accepted a call from Roger Corman to co-star in his movie ‘Frankenstein Unbound' starring John Hurt and Brigit Fonda. It was shot in Lake Como, Italy . It was not a commercial success and the critics hated it, but as Michael said, “You really don't know what the end result is going to be with a movie. You just do your best and trust your director.”

By 1989 Michael's private life was taking a front seat with romantic partners such as Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen. Although he was taking time off from INXS, he continued to write and listen to new music and absorb ‘life'. He didn't understand the pre-occupation the press had with his personal life.

During this time INXS played the big stage at Wembley, arriving by helicopter to a screaming, throbbing audience of approximately 75,000 and a recorded live performance "Live Baby Live".

Although future album sales would never hit the heights of Kick, the bands' live performances were still at a premium. They were always known as an exciting live band and INXS always delivered.

Michael's base was in the South of France but he also spent a lot of time in the U.S. and London. He was known for taking exotic vacations and was often photographed with celebrities though never sought the limelight. He was proud of the fact that he could walk around unrecognized.

That all changed when he became involved with British television personality Paula Yates with whom he had a daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence on the 22th July, 1996. The press would not leave him alone and he was placed in the unenviable position of defending himself when the British press dubbed him the man Paula had left Bob Geldof for. He was swept up in the Yates/Geldof child custody wars –a position he should never have been placed in. After 18 years of a love affair with the media, he was no match for the onslaught of mud slinging and nastiness from the tabloids.

In 1997 he embarked on his last tour with INXS for the very personal album, ‘Elegantly Wasted'; taking a large amount of Prozac to keep on an even keel; he was not being monitored and had only seen a therapist twice. His last shows on the east coast of the U.S. were not his best by far. He had recently signed with a U.S. agent for his acting and his manager had been negotiating with Quentin Tarrantino about a movie beginning in early 1998. But personal problems plagued him. On November 22, 1997, just 4 days prior to beginning the Australian leg of the tour, seemingly despondent over his personal life, Michael took his life in a hotel room in Sydney”.

Whilst it is sad that Hutchence is not here to celebrate his sixtieth birthday, it is clear there is still so much love for him out in the world! Hutchence was a bit of an enigma and did have his troubles but, when you listen to interviews where people have spoken about him, it is clear Hutchence was such a lovely and warm man whose music changed lives - and it still changes lives now. There are articles around that speak of a troubled legacy and someone who did not often get the respect he deserved; there are others that collect tributes to INXS and their stunning lead:

“Still, a younger generation has spoken up about the band’s influence, particularly women artists such as London Grammar’s Hannah Reid, Paloma Faith, Courtney Barnett (who sang the whole “Kick” album) and Bishop Briggs, who said her take on “Never Tear Us Apart” for the “Fifty Shades Freed” soundtrack last year gave her a deep appreciation for Hutchence’s “soulful essence.”

The singer Ben Harper, who performed on INXS’s 2010 album “Original Sin,” believes there’s still time for the band to be discovered. “The music isn’t going anywhere, it will be here as long as humans let it,” he said. “INXS stands out, because not a lot of the bands from the 1980s had those pop sensibilities with a true rock edge.”

Last month, the Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas performed with INXS’s Andrew Farriss in Australia to mark the anniversary of Hutchence’s death. “More people should have been saying the name Michael Hutchence as much as they said Prince, Madonna or any of the other great icons from that era,” Thomas wrote in an email, adding that a resurgence could be right around the corner, “maybe a film or television moment that brings them back into the grand consciousness. They certainly should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”.

As we mark Michael Hutchence’s sixtieth birthday tomorrow, I think it is a perfect time to dig into the brilliant archives of INXS and what Hutchence gave to the world. Although he died in 1997, it is clear his importance and legacy can never fade. He is a true star who…

STILL burns bright.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Pretenders - Pretenders

FEATURE: 

Vinyl Corner 

The Pretenders - Pretenders

___________

IT passed me by until now…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Pretenders in N.Y.C. in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith

but The Pretenders’ debut, Pretenders, turned forty earlier this month! I did not hear much in the news but, looking online, and it was released in early January, 1980. To be fair, there are various dates as to its ACTUAL release that range from 7th - 11th January (in the U.K.). In any case, the album is forty and it is one that people overlook when they talk of classic debuts. The band are an American-English Rock band fronted by the sensational Chrissie Hynde. The band has changed line-up since 1980 but, on the first outing, the group was as follows: Chrissie Hynde – lead vocals, rhythm guitar and backing vocals; Martin Chambers – drums, percussion and backing vocals; Pete Farndon – bass guitar, backing vocals and James Honeyman-Scott – lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. The majority of the songs were penned by Hynde, and Pretenders features hits such as Precious, Private Life and Brass in Pocket (co-written with Honeyman-Scott). The band’s latest studio album, 2016’s Alone, features a new line-up, but the band have not lost their consistency and quality. My favourite album from The Pretenders is their debut, as there is that mix of the big hits and other numbers that grow and reveal themselves over time. Nick Lowe, as it goes, produced the band’s first single, Stop Your Sobbing, but did not work with them after as he felt they did not have legs – Chris Thomas stepped in and took over the production duties from then on.

Pretenders went to the number-one spot in the U.K. on the week of its release, and it stayed there for four weeks. Since its release, it has scored highly in features of the 1980s’ best albums and the album was remastered in 2006 and included some bonus tracks. In terms of song quality, The Pretenders did not really drop a step through their first three albums. It was only by the time they got to Get Close in 1986 that the genius faded a bit. Pretenders stands as a remarkable debut. One should get it on vinyl because, as is obvious, that is the point of this feature! I am not overly-sure whether there was anything similar to Pretenders bubbling in 1980 but, if you look at the year’s best albums – Talking Heads’ Remain in Light and Joy Division’s Closer was released in 1980, as was David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Bruce Springsteen’s The River and The Jam’s Sound Affects -, it was not shy of genius records! I listen to Pretenders now and it sounds so fresh and inspiring. One wonders why more bands of the moment are not following their lead as, whilst we have tough female-led bands, few have the same qualities and depths of The Pretenders.

Forty years after its release, the songs on Pretenders spark and endure. Maybe it is the band chemistry or the stunning leadership of Chrissie Hynde; whatever the reason, she still leads the band and, whilst Alone felt like more of a solo project (hence the title, I guess?), Hynde will be producing music for years to come. I have looked online for a couple of reviews regarding Pretenders. One is hard-pressed to find a negative one because, as AllMusic write, the band wasted no time making an impression!

“Few rock & roll records rock as hard or with as much originality as the Pretenders' eponymous debut album. A sleek, stylish fusion of Stonesy rock & roll, new wave pop, and pure punk aggression, Pretenders is teeming with sharp hooks and a viciously cool attitude. Although Chrissie Hynde establishes herself as a forceful and distinctively feminine songwriter, the record isn't a singer/songwriter's tour de force -- it's a rock & roll album, powered by a unique and aggressive band. Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott never plays conventional riffs or leads, and his phased, treated guitar gives new dimension to the pounding rhythms of "Precious," "Tattooed Love Boys," "Up the Neck," and "The Wait," as well as the more measured pop of "Kid," "Brass in Pocket," and "Mystery Achievement." He provides the perfect backing for Hynde and her tough, sexy swagger. Hynde doesn't fit into any conventional female rock stereotype, and neither do her songs, alternately displaying a steely exterior or a disarming emotional vulnerability. It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive”.

I do think many people overlook the early years of the 1980s when it comes to the all-time greatest albums. Look at a few of the album I mentioned a minute ago and, clearly, there was something in the air in 1980! Whilst The Pretenders never quite matched the brilliance of their debut album, they did go on to release plenty of excellent material. I will bring in another review, because it is interesting to see how various sources assess a masterpiece. Back in 2006, Sputnikmusic had their say:

“Kicking things off with a blast of punk inspired heat, the album get's started with Hynde front and center leading the band through the sexually charged "Precious". No wilting flower, its obvious from the start Hynde is not your average girl playing pretty girl music in a cute little rock band. Much more Patti Smith then Stevie Nicks, Hynde smolders and burns from the very start on this cut and establishes the tone for the entire album before the first verse is even over. Never crass in its innuendos or even in the emphatic cry of "*** Off" near the end of the song, Precious storms along in a way that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. Its propulsive beat addicting, its melody strong, and its punk roots on full display, the listener doesn't have a chance to question what it is, punk or otherwise. Hitting like a freight train, we just know its good. And we're happy to go along for the ride.

After the noisy, pseudo instrumental "The Phone Call", which is basically two and a half minutes of noisy, propulsive jamming with some interesting flourishes, comes the very conventional "Up The Neck". With Hynde's smooth vocals front and center and some nice melodic guitar work, this song of sexual lust and desire is as daring a song as one was likely to find in 1980 or anytime, for that matter. "Lust turns to anger / A kiss to a slug / Something was sticky on your shag rug / Look at the tile / I remember the way he groaned and moved with an animal skill / I rubbed my face in the sweat that ran down his chest / It was all very run of the mill / But I noticed his scent started to change somehow / His face went berserk and the veins bulged on his brow / I said baby, oh sweetheart" Subtle without being vague and obvious without being obnoxious, Hynde treats these bold lyrics as just a matter of fact, and the band plays it the same way. A conventional pop/rock song in new music clothes with lyrics no decent woman would even think, "Up The Neck" sounds exactly like what it is. A dirty love song for a new generation of desperate lovers. Or at least music lovers.

As if what had come previous was just a tepid warm up however, on the next track, the brash and wild to this date "Tattooed Love Boys", Chrissie shows she's not afraid to be a proud rock n roll slut and makes no apologies for it. Behind the chiming guitar work of Honeymoon-Scott and driving force of the pumped up rhythm section of Farndon and Chambers, Hynde asserts herself here like few women in mainstream rock ever had up to this point, and challenges you to knock the rock n roll chip off her shoulder with lyrics such as "I tore my knees up getting to you / Because I needed to find out what that thing was about" and "I shot my mouth off / And you showed me what that hole was for".

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith

Certainly not the territory of the mainstream rock woman of the day, these kinds of statements by a female singer leading an all male band of rough punk style players would certainly not go down easily for the American masses. But this Ohio born songstress and her band would help change the rules and perception of what was mainstream for good with this song and album, as they would show themselves on the rest of the record to be not one trick punk rock ponies, but a well rounded rock n roll band that does not just one thing well, but like the old guard which was passing away right before them, did all things well. The Pretenders didn't come to destroy rock n roll like the punks before them or of the day, but help to restore rock n roll to what it once was. And they would spend the rest of the album completing the job”.

I shall leave things there but, as it has just celebrated an anniversary – with a distinct lack of fanfare! -, I felt it only right to put Pretenders into Vinyl Corner. It is a record you need to own and, as always, go and stream it if you prefer. Last week, I published an article about The Sundays’ debut album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. That was released on 15th January, 1990, and started music’s greatest decade off with a bang! In a similar fashion, ten years previously, The Pretenders’ semi-eponymous debut began the 1980s…

WITH stylish swagger.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Sinead O'Brien

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Zachariah Mahrouche

Sinead O'Brien

___________

YOU’LL forgive the opening lines…

PHOTO CREDIT: @_SineadOBrien_

of this feature but, for so many reasons, I am smitten and blown away by Sinead O’Brien. Her voice has rawness and a passion that makes the heart skip; she is a poet and big fan of poetry and, as I am a big fan of poetry myself, she ticks a lot of boxes. She is based in London (like me), but the fact she was born in Dublin and used to be based in Limerick is another bonus – I adore Irish artists and how various regional accents play into the music. A Thing You Call Joy was one of my favourite songs from last year, and I think the stunning and epically-talented O’Brien is primed for huge things in 2020. I will be sourcing from a few different sites and interviews because, I feel, hearing from O’Brien herself is important. I shall put aside my dreamy-eyed tones and get focused here! This year is a huge one for O’Brien, as she is working off of the momentum of singles and a lot of press interest. She is one of NME’s ‘ones to watch’ for this year, and is an artist who will have a very busy year indeed! I have been getting pretty nostalgic recently because, let’s face it, music has changed a lot since I was young. Not that this is a bad thing necessarily; it is just harder to bond with artists and feel the same sort of excitement as one did years ago. The music industry is bustling, which means one misses so many great artists. In the case of Sinead O’Brien, there is this distinct admiration and connection that lasts beyond expectation and the moment – someone who will continue to impress and mould into a huge star of the future.

2019 was an astonishing year for women in music and, as we are seeing festival line-ups unfurled, one hopes they are given platforms and opportunities not provided in 2019 – although the line-up for this year’s Coachella is a worrying step back (there are no female headliners). Strong and unique women like O’Brien are definitely opening eyes. She is someone I can imagine headlining in years to come and, although she has a few singles out in the world, festivals will certainly be interested – O’Brien is already confirmed for The Great Escape in Brighton in May, and a lot of fans and industry figures will go and see her perform. Go and see her in Brighton if you can but, before I talk about her tour dates and future, I want to bring in an interview from So Young Magazine last year. O’Brien was asked about her home and start in music:

“Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

Originally from Limerick in Ireland, I stopped by Paris for a few months after graduating before finally deciding on moving to London with a gang of close friends. It felt like the right place to be based. It still does. The music I make is a very collaborative process with my band Julian Hanson (Guitar) and Oscar Robertson (drums). The words are central. Melody, tone, pace, mood – all of these elements radiate outwards from the lyrics. I started out by writing observational pieces, noting expressions, environment, the slightest changes in atmosphere and behavior of people. I am completely fascinated by these subtleties.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Matilda Hill-Jenkins for Loud and Quiet

What’s special about where you’re from? Has it inspired your music?

Limerick (home of The Cranberries & Richard Harris) named after a form of poetry which was used by writers and poets including Joyce, Lewis Carrol and Mark Twain.

Growing up, I went to an all girls catholic school. My art teacher was the last remaining nun who was surprisingly focused on helping me get into art school. It was quite picturesque – six hundred girls in floor length skirts, ties done all the way up, marching up and down six flights of stairs in this big beautiful 19th century building. I looked for points of differences amongst the uniformity. The city has influenced me strongly too – it still does. I went to a lot of gigs during those years. When bands from London or Tokyo which no-one had ever heard of would come – it felt like a time of discovery. Laying the foundation for my own musical taste and ideas. The music you listen to – its such a commitment, it almost cut people up into distinctive groups, dividing and coming together. Flocks of young animals just trying to understand. When I come back to Limerick I pick up just there, where I left off. I keep coming back and understanding and discovering. It’s coming back with purpose, reflecting who I am now against the place I grew up. It’s a very sensitive and almost invisible process but something precious.

What led you to start writing and performing songs?

I moved to Paris in 2012 after graduating from Art school in Dublin. A friend saying goodbye casually suggested that I write an online piece and call it ‘freak watching in the city’! I started to write short pieces during my off time from beneath rainy cafe awnings, inside the Pompidou centre, at my home on canal St Martin and every place between.  I love to observe and write my environment and found a kind of humor in it at that time. To me it was almost ridiculous – to be a ‘stranger’ noting down strange things. I found it surreal and really connected with that. It’s quite theatrical to say ‘here I am and this is what I’m seeing’. Like opening a curtain and revealing your world. Impact and drama. I alway find a sense of drama in the everyday. It’s interesting and gritty.

The pieces began to take on the shape of poems and I began working on them to give more symmetry and form. It’s not like you know why or what you’re doing, just a piece or work which needs working on. It wasn’t until I had several notebooks full that I felt a reason to perform.

In terms of musical output, it has been a busy past year or so for Sinead O’Brien. She put out the E.P., A List of Normal Sins (great title!), in 2018 and some singles last year.

I might get the discography a bit muddled, but I wanted to revert back to mention of A Thing You Call Joy. Maybe it is O’Brien’s delivery and wordplay; maybe it is the strength of her voice, but something hits you the first time you listen. It is not a conventional song with the verse-chorus-verse or any such thing. Instead, A Thing You Call Joy is like a poem set to music. It is free and emotional; it is full of character and visual stimuli in addition to being completely intoxicating. I have been spinning the song lately, trying to get to the heart of Sinead O’Brien and how her words come together. I get the vision of a young woman with her notepad nearby; jotting down a line and then pacing the room or looking out into the street before another line forms. One feels something very physical from songs like A Thing You Call Joy. In this feature from CLASH, we learn more about the song:

“The rising voice has a real potency to her work, linking with Chess Club Records for an incoming 10 inch vinyl release.

Set to support Pond and Whenyoung respectively on their upcoming UK shows, Sinead will also play London's Roundhouse Rising on October 26th.

Ahead of all this, Sinead O'Brien shows she is ready to move ahead with the fluid creativity of new release 'A Thing You Call Joy' 

Written alongside her live band while retaining a singular identity, there's a poetic flourish to Sinead's word play.

She offers...

“The track works out its themes by way of moving us continuously through lyrics, rhythm and narrative.”

The opening line, ‘Grip the water flowing and it falls, faster from the palms’ comes from my mother. Imagery of water gives momentum driving the narrative forward while exploring different physical landscapes: “Into the cave I keep going”, “in the hallways of the mind, in the corridors of midnight”.

I recall A Thing You Call Joy getting some airplay but, considering the strength of the song, not as much as it warranted! It (the song) was a sign that we were seeing a very promising artist lay down her mark. If O’Brien was inspired to get into music because of artists such as Nick Cave and Mark E. Smith (The Fall), what we hear on songs like A Thing You Call Joy is very much her own voice and soul – maybe with a touch of her heroes and heroines showing up in the tapestry. I will move on in a second but, just before, I want to stay on A Thing You Call Joy and some words Rough Trade wrote:

“Irish poet and performer Sinead O’Brien releases her new single A Thing You Call Joy on Chess Club Records. Originally from Limerick, O’Brien’s work captures the everyday and the inbetween in a way that transcends any genre label. Writing from her own observations, O’Brien’s influences can be found in the realism of Mark E. Smith of The Fall and the works of literary icons such Frank O’Hara, W.B. Yeats, Joan Didion, Albert Camus. “I am inspired by an honest face on the train, a rhythm, a melody, a feeling, or it can hit me as nothing at all - a vacuum, limbo! Every detail matters,” she explains.

A Thing You Call Joy follows O’Brien’s first music of 2019 Taking On Time - the landmark 30th single release on Dan Carey's Speedy Wunderground label. A mesmerising call-to-arms, Taking On Time is equal parts Mark E and Patti Smith - set against a taut, frenetic bed recalling post-punk underdogs Life Without Buildings and The Slits but with the classic krautrock groove typical of Carey’s production”.

PHOTO CREDIT: DIY

I am not sure even O’Brien herself can believe how fast time has gone and the accolades she is receiving! The inclusion in NME is just the tip of an iceberg. Limbo is another song that made 2019 truly arresting and exciting. I am not sure whether an E.P. is planned this year or whether O’Brien, with an E.P. and a few singles under her belt, will put them together and add some further songs for an album. It would be good to think an album is in the pipeline because, as we look around to see which artists will define the scene this year, one has to put Sinead O’Brien’s name near the top of anyone’s list. Although O’Brien has a definite sound and core, each of her songs has their own skin and story. Another cracking song from 2019 is Limbo. A dizzying and stunning track, it is another gem I hope ends up on an E.P. or album this year. The Line of Best Fit made it their Song of the Day in October:

“Following this summer's Speedy Wunderground-released stunner “Taking On Time”, the second part to Sinead O’Brien's double release details a strong-willed struggle of fighting through a period of static boredom. “Limbo” sees the now London-based artist determined to escape feeling listless (“It's the wish of the weak to stay still / it's the will of the brave to go higher”), and struggle to push through drudgery of routine.

Limerick-born Sinead O’Brien has released the headstrong “Limbo”, the second side of her AA release on Chess Club Records, complementing last month's “A Thing You Call Joy”.

Following this summer's Speedy Wunderground-released stunner “Taking On Time”, the second part to Sinead O’Brien's double release details a strong-willed struggle of fighting through a period of static boredom. “Limbo” sees the now London-based artist determined to escape feeling listless (“It's the wish of the weak to stay still / it's the will of the brave to go higher”), and struggle to push through drudgery of routine.

“Written while living in a shared mansion in Hampstead, the scenery of my everyday routine became the backdrop to this 'Limbo' state. Stuck in static,” explains O'Brien. “Words catch onto branches, flowers illuminate the hill walk home, and the rubbish. On the street - so close to the flowers.”

“'Limbo' is not a resolute piece of work, is it a clue, an idea I have began to chase down and open up. I saw the passing of days unmarked, and moments unnoticed, the in between was brimming to the surface so that I could no longer ignore it!

“There is a need to get on top of my experiences and to reclaim them in my own words and to get above everyday. I am forced to relive and revisit memory to get somewhere outside of the static. I revisit the same landscapes over and over making a ritual of the routine. The 'Limbo' state is a place where subtle signs, gestures and motions begin to gain importance. Between two two pillars lies limbo.

PHOTO CREDIT: Matilda Hill-Jenkins for Loud and Quiet

“The underlying motivation or idea in 'Limbo' is the hook which follows itself to the end of the piece,” O'Brien says of the line “Do days like this hurt the head / Or do days like this help?”. She asks: “How do you make progress and turn the wheel to get out of a static place? There is a heavy presence in the piece of obstacles which create a lot of tension and the lyrics charge directly through, desperate for some light.”

O'Brien thoughtfully wrote and recorded parts of the wording to convey the track's restlessness and anxiety through heavy, breathy sounds. “Performing this piece is almost dizzying,” she explains, “it’s frenzied because I packed all of these heavy ‘h’ sounds so close together in the lyrics. But I like that - to hear breathing, gasping and any struggle involved in the delivery. I wanted to get all of that down on the recording”.

I am going to end the feature soon, but I wanted to quote from a couple more interviews because, whilst the music can reveal so much, I think it is important to hear from the artists themselves. I listen to songs like Limbo and Taking on Time, and I wonder how they started life; I wonder about the author and what she was thinking when she wrote them. I think Sinead O’Brien’s best moments are still ahead, but it is clear she has come a long way. This Patti Smith-cum-Nick Cave-style artist who is as accessible as she is unique, many people will want to know about her and how she has arrived at the point she is now.

In this interview with Loud and Quiet last year, we learn more about O’Brien’s progress and background:

“A couple of years ago Sinead O’Brien found herself comfortable. She was briefly settled – living in a “cosy” flat in Hoxton, east London – and the feeling didn’t sit well. So she made a commitment: a pledge to disrupt her life and surroundings. “I had a year, it was called The Year Of The Yes Girls,” she explains. Encouraging a club of friends to do the same, she spent 12 months “saying yes”. It wasn’t some haphazard scheme to chase thrills; rather, it was about actively inviting opportunity and seeing what stimulation could come out of that. “It was putting myself into situations with absolutely no second guessing. I can very easily do things when I say I’m going to do it. I’ll just commit to it and make it happen afterwards.” The resulting period “took some twists,” she admits.

Some of those experiences were fleeting – spontaneously going dancing on a night out – others more lasting. Like moving home. Or, perhaps most pivotally, when she said yes to an invitation to appear at New Gums, a night of spoken word performances, collaboration and music at south London venue the Brixton Windmill. At that point the writer didn’t even have a band, music or a plan, but still she accepted. “I think it’s a healthy exercise to challenge yourself,” she recalls, “saying yes to almost everything… well, what’s not possible then?”

PHOTO CREDIT: DIY

O’Brien was born in Dublin before the family moved west to Limerick where she lived until she returned to the Irish capital to study in her late teens. Her love of words and music began to develop at an early age, though they wouldn’t marry until much later. Sinead tells the story of how, when she was five or six, she would return from school with her ‘spelling book’ bulging with advanced new entries. Her parents grew suspicious and checked with the next-door neighbour (a primary teacher). “My dad was like, ‘she’s giving herself extra homework so that she can be better!” I was pretty keen on homework in general. I had a school bag before I had a school.”

“Music wasn’t far behind either. “I was sitting in the car with my mum, I was six, and I completely remember. I just had this notion – I want to learn piano.” Initially, lessons were at a chaotic School for Music before she swapped those for the more formal private tutorials administered by a stern old-fashioned antiques dealer. “She took care of my hands,” remembers O’Brien. “Sometimes she would even take my nail varnish off. It was etiquette – you come like this to the class. I absolutely loved it.” She kept taking lessons until she was 18. “I’ve always done best under very tough teaching,” she says.

By her late teens the allure the big(ger) city – “my New York or something” – was growing. She had enlisted at college in Limerick, but after one year transferred onto a course in Fashion Design in Dublin – an intensive group with four teachers and twelve students. The rigorous mentoring style suited her, and towards the end of her studies O’Brien was selected to work at Dior in Paris for five months. 

The Sinead O’Brien live show is developing, too. When on stage she conducts the pace and intensity of the performance alongside bandmates Julian Hanson and Oscar Robertson. This past summer they played at a number of festivals including All Points East and Electric Picnic, and will support Pond and British Sea Power during the autumn. Each show, she says, should never be the same.

“I’m interested in it being different each time. I want it to do with what kind of day you had and what the place is like. I’m not interested in repeating or getting into a frenzied state of it being identical each time. You want to feel like that was the only time that was like that”

I have borrowed a lot of other people’s words but, as I only know about O’Brien’s music and very little about her as a human and songwriter, I think it is important to source and add some media biography. I am going to source from another interview before I bring this feature to a close, as I am really interested in Sinead O’Brien’s connection to poetry and her love of words. I would usually not write as many words as I have for an artist in a Spotlight feature, but O’Brien is someone who really strikes a chord with me. I know where my love of poetry and music came from – English lessons at school -, so I was hunting around for an interview that revealed the same from O’Brien.

PHOTO CREDIT: @hotpress

In this feature from Hot Press, O’Brien talks about how poetry spoke to her at a young age:

“I always had an interest in English, but I had some pretty tough teachers,” she explains. “The way poetry was taught in school didn’t interest me at that point. It was all about learning the poems off by heart. The fact that we were supposed to be analysing the poet’s intention kind of disgusted me, too. To me, it was up to everyone to find their own interpretation.

“When it comes to the word ‘poetry’, people get so uptight,” she laughs. “I’m quite loose with the word – I’m definitely not calling myself an academic. But I don’t think anyone should be afraid to use their words, because there’s no better way to express yourself.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jenn Five for NME

Despite this early discouragement, there was no burying Sinead’s creative streak.

“Me and my best friend Aoife would go around Limerick, exploring and making up these different narratives,” she recalls. “We’d written some funny things about the convent school that we went to – inventing fiction about the priests and nuns. That was the earliest writing I can think of. It was in college that I started writing more, initially in an academic way.”

Her studies in NCAD led to a career in womenswear design, and an opportunity to travel the world. While living in Paris and London, she began exploring poetry.

“I would read out bits of my writing when we were having parties,” she says. “Then a friend was putting on a night in Brixton, and she asked me perform at it. I was going through this phase called ‘Yes Girls’ – a movement I invented where I had to say yes to everything. So I said yes, and obviously the thought was terrifying, but when I was doing it, I wasn’t nervous. After the first one I was hooked. Performing something that’s been private is a nice feeling in itself, but I also found a reason for why I was doing it – the connection I was making with people became a really big thing for me.”

“I’m on this border between spoken word and singing, and people seem to be confused and intrigued by that,” she muses. “Me too! But this is the only way I know how to do it. This is starting point, but it’s definitely not the end point. With me, it’s all about development”.

If you do not know about Sinead O’Brien now then, well…you really should! I have included her social media links so, if you can, give her a follow and check out her music on Spotify. I know she has gigs coming up, and I will do my best to catch her! I hope she has had a rest over Christmas and got chance to head back to Ireland. Now in London, Sinead O’Brien will be looking ahead and plotting her moves for this year. I have heard feedback from O’Brien’s gigs and she is a captivating and memorable live performer. There are a lot of great artists being tipped for success this year but, in my opinion, there are few better…  

PHOTO CREDIT: @nicholasodonnell

THAN the sensational Sinead O’Brien.

___________

Follow Sinead O'Brien

PHOTO CREDIT: @_SineadOBrien_

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https://www.facebook.com/SINEADOBRIENPOETRY/

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FEATURE: Masters of the Stereo and Silver Screen: The Beatles in 2020

FEATURE:

 

Masters of the Stereo and Silver Screen

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles sitting outside studios in North London, January 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: Express Newspapers via AP Images

The Beatles in 2020

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LAST year was a pretty…

busy one for The Beatles. Not only was there a Beatles-themed film, Yesterday, directed by Danny Boyle; one of the band’s biggest albums, Abbey Road, turned fifty. That was a really exciting day – on 26th September -, and it was good to see how much attention was put onto this classic album. BBC Radio had special shows, and there was celebration around the world. It is sad, in a way, that this is the last time we can celebrate one of their studio albums turning fifty because, on 8th May, their final-released album, Let It Be, has its birthday. Its birthday is a day before mine so, I hope, there will be a remastered version of the album like there was last year. I will talk more about the remasters and whether we will see any that take us before Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). We have to wait until 3rd December, but Rubber Soul - The Beatles’ sixth studio album – turns fifty-five. This is an album I would love to see given the makeover treatment and include unheard gems and demos. It may seem like I am taking any excuse to discuss The Beatles – I SORT of am… -, but it goes to show that a band that broke up fifty years ago can still capture our imagination. Although John Lennon privately announced in 1969 that he was leaving The Beatles, Paul McCartney announced on 10th April, 1970 he was also departing – that sort of signalled the end of the world’s great group.

I am not sure whether I am missing any anniversaries but, as Paul McCartney plays Glastonbury later in the year, it will mean a new generation of fans get to hear Beatles classics performed by one of their genius songwriters (John Lennon, of course, being the other; George Harrison and Ringo Starr wrote Beatles songs, I know). It is amazing to think that, over sixty years since the band formed (1957), The Beatles are still courting so much focus. I am not sure whether there are plans to bring our remastered versions of Let It Be like they did last year. Giles Martin – son of the late Beatles producer, Sir George Martin – has laboured to bring fans songs that, until recently, were unheard and in the archives. Let It Be is not as popular as Abbey Road because of the tension within the band in 1969. Let It Be was released after Abbey Road, but it was recorded before. Although there are some classics on the album – including Let It Be, Get Back and The Long and Winding Road -, a lot of people associate the album with the moments of disharmony; the fact Phil Sector was producing and, at various points, it looked like the band were through and would not carry on – articles from last year actually suggested The Beatles wanted t carry on recording after Abbey Road. Sir Peter Jackson is bringing us a Beatles documentary this year, mined from hours of unreleased material of the band during the Let It Be period:

“Sir Peter, meet Sir Paul, and Mother Mary. “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson has come aboard a project that Paul McCartney had previously hinted was in the works: a new Beatles documentary using the 55 hours of in-studio footage that were shot in early 1969 for the 1970 feature film “Let It Be.”

The announcement is being made today — on the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ rooftop concert atop the Apple Records offices in London — by Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd., Jackson’s production company.

No release date or plan has been set, but sources say there’s every reason to suspect that the still-untitled film will come out in 2020 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Let It Be” album and movie.

“The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us ensure this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about,” Jackson said in a statement. “It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”

The original “Let It Be” film was shot in 16mm and not exactly known for its pristine cinematography. So one point of considerable interest with the new film is that Jackson plans to spruce up the footage using some of the same techniques used for his highly acclaimed World War I documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old.” As on that doc, which recently had sold-out single-day engagements in U.S. theaters, Jackson, his producer Clare Olssen and editor Jabez Olssen will be relying on the restorative powers of Park Road Post in New Zealand to make those 50-year-old reels look less dated.

Jackson, in his statement, concurred with McCartney’s assessment that the 1970 film undersold just how much fun the Beatles had in the studio when they were making the album that ended up being titled “Let It Be.”

“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” Jackson said. “After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama, but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating. it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate. … I’m thrilled and honored to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage. Making the movie will be a sheer joy.”

The dozens of hours of outtakes from “Let It Be” have remained a source of fascination for Beatles fans for 50 years — with many of the audio discards, if not the filmic ones, circulating on bootlegs. The album being documented was originally to be titled “Get Back,” with an initial concept that called for the Beatles to pull a back-to-roots move and resurrect some of their favorite oldies on record as well as debuting new tracks in their first live performance in years. That concept fell away, but fans will soon get a chance to officially hear and see the Beatles jamming on cover tunes, not to mention some original compositions that ended up not on the “Let It Be” album but “Abbey Road” or their post-breakup solo records.

As the lack of video bonuses on the “Sgt. Pepper” and White Album packages has made even clearer, the Beatles were rarely filmed at work in the recording studio for even a minute, much less the 55 hours committed to celluloid for this project”.

I do not believe an official release date has been announced but, with Let It Be’s fiftieth anniversary less than four months away, maybe we are looking at a May release. It would be strange were there not an anniversary release of the album. Although there is not as much gold in the vaults as with, say, The Beatles (‘The White Album’, 1968), one has to think there are various takes and demos that would provide a fascinating window into the recording of Let It Be. I know we have a film/documentary coming out, but there is something hugely important about Let It Be. It was the last studio album The Beatles put out and, after 1970, that was it. In a way, marking fifty years since The Beatles split should provoke more activity and re-releases than fifty years of Let It Be. Since Let It Be is the final studio album that will get a fiftieth anniversary nod, I do wonder when we will see the remainder of their studio albums expanded. For Giles Martin and his team, the process of releasing an anniversary edition of a Beatles album is immense work so, as they would possibly be remastering eight studio albums (Let It Be and the seven studio efforts prior to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), they might have to be selective. Many would welcome the more popular albums – such as Rubber Soul and Revolver – remastered, with as many outtakes and song versions as possible.

I am not sure why the fiftieth anniversary celebrations/re-releases happened from 2017, but I guess there is something about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band that led to that decision. I think 2020 is the year to re-examine other Beatles albums and, with Let It Be in focus, I think we will hear other Beatles-related announcements. On 8th May, Let It Be turns fifty, and it is a great opportunity to examine this album in a new light. I know it is seen as one of the lesser albums from The Beatles, but there are some brilliant moments – it will be fascinating to see how Jackson’s documentary turns out and whether it changes our opinions of Let It Be. In any case, this year will see more Beatles activity and an opportunity for long-time fans and those new to band to get their fill and fix. At the very least, we have a much-anticipated documentary, and it would be criminal were Let It Be not marked on its fiftieth anniversary with gold-star treatment from Giles Martin and the team at Abbey Road Studios. Fifty years after the Liverpool band split up, their music is still as popular as ever, here, there and everywhere and right…

ACROSS the universe.

FEATURE: The Start of a Much-Underrated Decade: The Very Best Billboard Hot 100 Hits, Singles and Album Tracks from the Year 1980

FEATURE:

The Start of a Much-Underrated Decade

IN THIS PHOTO: Diana Ross

The Very Best Billboard Hot 100 Hits, Singles and Album Tracks from the Year 1980

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LIKE other editions of this feature…

IN THIS PHOTO: ABBA

I have already written a piece that celebrated albums released at the start of the same decade. This might be my last decade-starting spotlight, but, as it is the opening few weeks of 2020, I have been looking back and seeing which songs kicked off various decades – 1980 is in focus now. I wrote a feature regarding the best albums of 1980, but I wanted to expand it and look at the songs that defined the start of an underrated decade. The 1980s would have better years for music than 1980 itself (1986, for starters), but there are some real gems to be found – not just in terms of singles but the biggest albums of the year. As I say, this might be the last feature in this series – unless the 1970s tempts me -, and it has been interesting comparing various decade and seeing just how strongly they started. I hope you enjoy the playlist below, as there are some seriously great tracks in there. Many people mock the 1980s for being a bit naff and cheesy but, if you know your music and avoid the worst Pop from the decade, there is so much gold to be discovered. Here, in playlist-form, is a representation of the best… 

IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: The Duffy Archive

TRACKS of 1980.

FEATURE: Stirred, Not Shaken: Billie Eilish and the Evolution of the James Bond Theme

FEATURE: 

Stirred, Not Shaken

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish at the 2019 Pukkelpop Music Festival/PHOTO CREDIT: Lars Crommelinck Photography

Billie Eilish and the Evolution of the James Bond Theme

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I have used those three particular words…

IN THIS PHOTO: Daniel Craig as James Bond in a still of the latest film in the franchise, No Time to Die, which is released in cinema on 2nd April

at the top of the article because, not only is it a rewording of James Bond’s martini request, it also sort of represents how the James Bond theme has changed through the years. A lot of people are not into the James Bond films but, in my view, the themes take on a life of their own and outlive the films. I can remember the opening theme to Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies but not the film I watched – the title track/theme becomes its own beast and can stand alone! It was announced earlier in the week that Billie Eilish would be performing the latest Bond theme:

“Billie Eilish will write and sing the theme song to No Time to Die, the 25th film in the James Bond franchise. At 18 years old, she is the youngest musician ever to provide the soundtrack to a Bond film.

Eilish said in a statement: “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way. To be able to score the theme song to a film that is part of such a legendary series is a huge honour. James Bond is the coolest film franchise ever to exist. I’m still in shock.”

As with her debut album, 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Eilish wrote the titular song alongside her older brother and co-producer Finneas. He said that the siblings had always dreamed of writing the theme to a Bond film. “There is no more iconic pairing of music and cinema than the likes of Goldfinger and Live and Let Die. We feel so so lucky to play a small role in such a legendary franchise, long live 007.”

Film producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said that Eilish’s song had been “impeccably crafted to work within the emotional story of the film”. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga described himself as a huge fan of Eilish and her brother: “Their creative integrity and talent are second to none and I cannot wait for audiences to hear what they’ve brought – a fresh new perspective whose vocals will echo for generations to come.”

Eilish is the latest sign of the Bond franchise’s modernisation. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was hired to liven up the script at the request of star Daniel Craig. Industry publication Variety described the hiring of Fukunaga, known for directing the films Sin Nombre and Beasts of No Nation, and TV’s True Detective, as a “stunning and risky move”.

Hans Zimmer was recently drafted in as a last-minute replacement to score No Time to Die. He replaced Dan Romer, who departed due to creative differences with the film’s production company Eon Productions.

No Time to Die is released in the UK on 2 April”.

Even though Writing's on the Wall by Sam Smith won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, I did not like his Spectre theme. I can appreciate he did not go for the bombastic and overblown because, as I will explore, Bond themes have changed in tone. I think Radiohead’s song, Spectre, would have been a more popular choice – Smith’s song divided people -, and it was suitably emotional and tender.

It is the sort of song that stirred the senses rather than shook the bones. American songwriter Eilish is the youngest person to perform the Bond theme – she is eighteen – and her 2019 album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, was one of the best of the year. I think Eilish will have a busy year ahead and will definitely be asked to play Glastonbury again – having produced such a classy and powerful set last year. She is one of the most promising artists around, and I look forward to hearing her Bond effort. I am not sure when it is going to be released, but one suspects it will be close to the film’s release date. There is a consensus that themes like Paul McCartney & Wings’ Live and Let Die, Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better and Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger are the best Bond themes. Articles such as this and this rank the best to the worst. I think a sense of rush and the theatrical is largely favoured when it comes to Bond themes of the past. I guess it is only right. James Bond is a spy who is all about fast cars, women and danger, so critics and fans want something that is daring and grand – that might not be the case anymore. I think, since 1963’s Dr. No with Sean Connery as James Bond, the franchise has evolved. Sure, the foundations and main ingredients have remained the same – Martini, lots of women falling under Bond’s spell and fast cars (although the Aston Martin is not necessarily the only car for Bond!) -, but there have been changes.

I think Daniel Craig’s Bond is a moodier and more serious alternative to that of, say, Roger Moore or even Pierce Brosnan and, with No Time to Die upcoming, I think we need a theme that reflects all that. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been drafted in – on the request of Daniel Craig – to liven up the Bond script, so there might be more humour this time around. I think James Bond has had the reputation as being a bit stale, cliché and old-timey. Look at more modern heroes like Jason Bourne, and Bond’s tuxedos, cheesy line and sports cars seem a little tame. I think the series has improved and has become a lot cooler and edgier over the past few years – whilst retaining the geekiness and keeping the espionage element true. From the orchestral swells, the belted choruses and frantic rush, James Bond themes have sort of gone through a change. Granted, Jack White and Alicia Keys’ Another Way to Die for 2008’s Quantum of Solace was a ragged and energetic song, but many critics and fans were left cold and felt it was far beyond the very best. I feel Bond themes now are synonymous with an emotional undercurrent and a tenderness. I wonder whether Eilish will carry on from where Sam Smith left off or maybe summon the rawness of Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name from Casino Royale. Adele’s title track for Skyfall in 2015, again, had an element of Shirley Bassey but it relied more on sending shivers down the spine rather than getting the blood pumping like themes of old.

This article asks whether a trendy artist like Billie Eilish is too cool to sing a Bond theme:

“What’s especially exciting about this news is that, compared with the last couple of insipid – though admittedly Oscar-winning – efforts, Billie Eilish is refreshing. She’s young. She’s authentic. She has a signature sound that doesn’t automatically align with the overwrought warbling of, say, Sam Smith. The history of the James Bond franchise contains a smattering of fantastic outliers – Live and Let Die, A View to a Kill, We Have All the Time in the World – that have flourished precisely because they haven’t hewed to the ossified blueprint of what constitutes a Bond theme. If this song is as good as the director and producer are promising, then we could really have something special on our hands.

Better yet, a title like No Time to Die is a songwriter’s dream, in that lots of things rhyme with the word “die”. Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure has been littered with some truly abysmal titles that were no use to the musical art whatsoever. No wonder so many of them had their performers squirming around loopholes. Nothing rhymes with “Casino Royale”, so Chris Cornell sang a song called You Know My Name. Sam Smith, knowing that any song entitled Spectre would have had to at some point use the word “hectare”, chickened out and sang Writing’s on the Wall instead. Faced with the abomination that was Quantum of Solace, Jack White just made up his own Bond title with Another Way to Die. Only Adele took on the mantle of writing a song named after the actual film, and even she screwed it up by rhyming “sky fall” with “crumble”. So this is a golden opportunity for Eilish. No Time to Die is an open goal of a title, and she has the chops to really make it work.

However, let’s not get carried away here. This is James Bond we’re talking about, so we should never underestimate the franchise’s tendency to bungle a sitter. Because, yes, Billie Eilish is authentic and unique and unwilling to turn in a traditional theme. But that doesn’t automatically mean it’ll be any good. Remember when they got Madonna in to jazz up the Bond theme as a genre? Remember how horrible that was? Remember how Die Another Day sounded like a bad song being fed through a worse Bluetooth connection? Or remember how bad Another Way to Die was, with White almost rapping his verses and then Alicia Keys using the chorus to make a noise like she’d just found a dead snake in her bed? Remember Sheryl Crow? Of course you don’t”.

There have been a lot of changes since the ‘60s that has modernised Bond and, whilst there is still a whiff of the tired and predictable, I think Bond has changed enough with the times. The theme is not the most important part of the film, but the music does need to evolve and move with Bond. Although I didn’t like Smith’s theme, Adele’s Skyfall hit the right notes and I think Eilish has the potential to produce something unique and memorable. No Time to Die is Daniel Craig’s last outing so, as we will get a new Bond, it is intriguing to think where the theme will go and whether it will shift directions once more. I am excited to hear what Eilish comes up with and whether he matches the very best Bond themes…

WE have ever heard.

FEATURE: Station to Station: Song Seven: Shaun Keaveny (BBC Radio 6 Music)

FEATURE:

Station to Station

IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s Shaun Keaveny/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

Song Seven: Shaun Keaveny (BBC Radio 6 Music)

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I have three music-related ambitions…

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

that I want to fulfill in my lifetime. The first, obviously, is to interview my favourite artist, Kate Bush – one feels that this is unlikely given the fact there is stiff competition and I am not in a position to command an interview of that calibre. The second ambition is to have my own show – a one-off or regular – on BBC Radio 6 Music; where I can play my favourite tracks and fulfill every much lover’s dream! My third, actually, is to appear on Shaun Keaveny’s show as a guest - again, I have to achieve something and develop a talent! I know that sounds strange but, as an avid listener every weekday, his show is one that attracts the ear and eye! Where to start with Shaun Keaveny? Why include him in a feature that focuses on radio icons and inspiring figures? Well, I would give you a potted history, Wikipedia-style but, as I’m not sure how accurate the biography is there, I will have to go with what I know: the fact he is a fabulous broadcaster on BBC Radio 6 Music and someone who has a lot more years in the industry. I will pepper in a few Keaveny links throughout this feature – apologies as it is not going to be linear; I think he would approve of that! The past year or so has been busy for Keaveny. At the start of last year, he moved from the breakfast slot on BBC Radio 6 Music (a relief and chance for a lie-in), and now occupies the 1 – 4 p.m. slot. I was actually in attendance when he delivered his final breakfast broadcast at the legendary Maida Vale Studios on 14th December, 2018 (if you look at the still image on YouTube, I am the tall streak of piss standing up at the back dressed in a black Beastie Boys T-shirt!).

Like the other BBC Radio 6 Music presenters I have included in this feature – Mary Anne Hobbs, Lauren Laverne and Mark Radcliffe -, Keaveny helps make the station truly addictive and essential! Every presenter has their own style and sound, but I especially love Keaveny’s show because of a few things. He jokes – or is at least half-serious – that the wheels will fall off or he is a bit shoddy at times but, like any broadcaster, helming a radio show is like air traffic controlling! He is a masterful impressionist and funny as hell; he has a cartwall (a bank of clips and sounds that can be called upon to add sparks and colour to any link or moment) that he can access and organise ninja-like, and he has to juggle that with the usual duties of a broadcaster: speaking with callers, playing songs and providing links etc. I will move on to his radio show in a bit but, in the past, Keaveny has been at the front of some great podcasts. Look up Shaun Keaveny’s Not So Simple. He also provided Show & Tell but, for some reason, the series is not on Spotify anymore…or it has moved. It is a shame, as Keaveny sat down with a number of well-known peeps – including comedian Bridget Christie -, and it was utterly engaging and fun (not sure whether it has been removed for some reason or Cup & Nuzzle, the production company behind it, have done something with it?!).

I hope Keaveny does return with a new series, as there are options he could take. From speaking with musicians about their musical memories and favourite songs – much like Matt Everitt does on his The First Time with… series on BBC Radio 6 Music (more on Keaveny’s music news cohort later) – to discussing something specific, I think there are avenues he could take – I have a few, but it is sort of me pitching ideas vicariously; stuff I cannot do as, a) I have very little money and, b) I have nowhere decent to record a podcast. Keaveny has recently welcomed a daughter into the world – he already has two sons -, so I imagine family life is taking up any free time he has! There was a period where people tampered with his Wikipedia page; they made up names for his daughter and made outrageous claims. It is back to normal now and, in fact, is a bit out of date – it says Keaveny is a single dad to two sons. I am not sure what his daughter’s name is, but that does not matter – he seems to have, ironically, gained a lot of new energy and happiness from the new arrival! You can follow Shaun Keaveny’s show on Instagram, and make sure you catch Keaveny speaking with Professor Brian Cox and Brian Eno from Christmas, as it is only available for a few days more! I wonder why BBC Radio 6 Music does not have its own Spotify account or retain shows, as there are so many golden episodes and moments that are subject to entropy and archiving – it would be wonderful to be able to access some of Keaveny’s older broadcasts and specials!

What else is there to say about Shaun Keaveny?! He is a mega fan of Led Zeppelin – as veracious and passionate about them as I am about queen Kate Bush –, and he is a pretty nifty guitarist (he has played in bands before). He is originally from Leigh, Lancashire, and currently resides in London (probably nicer than the area of North London I am in!). He is one of BBC Radio 6 Music’s best broadcasters and, now and then, can be heard on BBC Radio 4 doing the odd bit here and there (maybe he could do something called Hear and There about his favourite current and older music – I digress, mind…). You can hear Keaveny share his Inheritance Tracks, or catch him on Saturday Live from 2018. He has been on the Fortunately… with Fi and Jane podcast before (more than once) and, in 2020, I am sure there are various irons in fires. When writing about BBC Radio 6 Music before, I have dissected Shaun Keaveny’s shows and what makes them great. As a presenter, he has this ready wit and incredible humour; a thick skin – some of the listeners can be pretty cheeky/insulting/soul-crushing -, and the music he plays is among the best on the station. Each month, Keaveny has a new music guest to play live for him, and I have discovered some great artists by listening to his show – including Brighton-based Penelope Isles. I often wonder whether, despite them being my favourite station, BBC Radio 6 Music is too cool for school at times; opening their channels up to incorporate different music would lend them a larger demographic.

By that, I mean (BBC Radio 6 Music can play) the sort of older hits BBC Radio 2 might spin; some of the new artists that pass by their radar – Keaveny is someone who accommodates this and plays a pleasing mix of the BBC Radio 6 Music ‘sound’ – artists who are on the cooler side of the spectrum –, and some nice cheese here and there! I was delighted when Keaveny played a Belinda Carlisle track (last year, I think) on his afternoon show; I think a caller had requested it on a Friday slot where Keaveny is the landlord of the fictional Open Arms pub - he chats to members of the public who order a ‘drink’ and select a tune from the jukebox. The fact Carlisle was played struck me – as I am a big fan -, and shows that he can blend the mega-cool and hip with songs that, well…are just a bit better and make you happy and lifted. There are great features on Keaveny’s show. He has the long-running Small Claims Court (listeners reveal their brush with minor celebrity); there is Uncle Funky Frank’s Friday Floor Fillers (that’s some serious alliteration!). There is Circadian Rhythms, where Keaveny announces a topic and the listeners have to choose a song appropriate to it; Keaveny picks his choice and the listeners decider the winner. Keaveny plays lesser-heard tracks from legendary artists – BBC Radio 6 Music often (the majority of the time) plays the same three Kate Bush songs from Hounds of Love (a personal gripe of mine!); Keaveny goes off the grid a bit (which is what you want from a broadcaster!); I have heard him play some lesser-exposed Beatles tracks, too, and you can tell music hits him as hard as anyone out there! Although Shaun Keaveny is not doing stand-up anymore, one feels like he may be back on the stage in some form this year.

IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny alongside actor Maxine Peake at Leigh Library in 2014

Another great component of Keaveny’s afternoon show is the music news. It is presented by the brilliant Matt Everitt – sometimes Georgie Rogers presents; as does Siobhán McAndrew now and then -, and the relationship between them is incredible. They have been on the show together for so many years, and one hears the affection and connection between the two friends. Although they like to tease one another, the brotherly banter and bond always makes me laugh, and it is that humour that means you’d be a fool for overlooking Keaveny’s show. Matt Everitt is someone who, like Shaun Keaveny, is a recent dad (Everitt for the first time (a daughter); Keaveny for the third time), and they both keep pretty busy outside of BBC Radio 6 Music. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to spotlight Keaveny, but I have written about him a few times when dedicating space to BBC Radio 6 Music. That magic spark and to and fro between Matt Everitt (who is someone I can imagine presenting his own show (without guests) very soon) is a pleasure to behold (I have a fondness for this clip). I am going to wrap things – as I do prattle on a bit! -, but I wanted to bring in a couple of Shaun Keaveny interviews/features before I do. Whilst colleagues like Lauren Laverne are featured in the press fairly regularly, there are relatively few articles and interviews concerning Keaveny – which is a shame, as he is an inspiration for so many people getting into radio.

Although his life has changed significantly recently – given his new daughter and move from the breakfast show –, I wanted to bring in an article from The Guardian in 2017, where Keaveny discussed a number of things. The way he speaks about his family and their role struck me in particular:

“My parents did everything for me when I was growing up. I was like one of those Italian sons who don’t have to lift a finger. The hilarious apotheosis of this came when I was studying at college at Leeds. My parents would insist on driving me there and picking me up at the end of each term. One Easter, I went with my mates from Leigh to see Living Colour play in Leeds and we planned to stay at my student house. My mate Leon drove us and on the M62 he said to me, “So, how do we get to your house?”. I didn’t have a clue because I had never had to navigate my way there.

Everyone thinks I’m Dr Fun, always having a laugh, but when it comes to being a single parent to my sons, Arthur, eight, and Wilfy, six, I’m not that guy a lot of the time. I remember stopping at some motorway services during a hellish and torturous journey. I was trying to get the boys’ seat belts on and they kept playing about. In the midst of gales of laughter, Wilfy said, “Oh, Daddy. Why do you never smile?” It completely flattened me. These are things that happen as a parent; your ego is checked at the door every single day.

My dad is the main reason I do the job I do. He is renowned as being a card. He’s always got the mot juste; he has always got the gag ready much quicker than I have. He has always got hilarious jokes in his locker. Occasionally, he will text me a bit of material that I’ll use on my 6 Music breakfast show.

My parents are quintessentially proud parents. My mum will be rushing out to read this interview when it hits the newsstands. My dad sent me a lovely text the other day while I was on the air. It read, “I’m just in heaven here sat in my back garden, the sun’s out, I’m holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee and my boy’s on the radio. It’s fantastic”.

Shaun Keaveny’s breakfast show was the first I heard on BBC Radio 6 Music so, in many ways, he is responsible for me and so many other people being hooked and in love. Keaveny treats his listeners – the loyal, lovely fans and snarky cu*ts alike – with respect and friendship. I think striking up that tone is hard. Many broadcasters are a bit cold or they try too hard with their listeners. Keaveny is matey and warm, but he has a professionalism that means he is not overly-matey – if that makes any sense at all?! He is a compelling and inspiring voice who plays awesome music – he recently played Steely Dan’s Night by Night; a band that are shockingly under-played on BBC Radio 6 Music – and has made Wogan House (on Great Portland Street), London his second home.

"It was important for me to be myself and make space for someone who looks and sounds like me in this industry and not ask for permission."

Here's 6 things we've learned about Brittany Howard (@blkfootwhtfoot) from her conversation with @ShaunwKeaveny. pic.twitter.com/nxtTZkmMcI

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) December 13, 2019

I know the late Sir Terry Wogan is someone Keaveny admires and, nearly four years after the legend’s death (he died on 31st January, 2016), I think Wogan would be proud of him. I am just going to bring in a fairly recent interview – from 4th January, 2019 -, where Keaveny was asked by Prospect about his new show and transitioning from breakfast to the afternoon. He was asked about his path into radio and, like other interviews, parenthood and family:

“Prospect: When did you think this was something you wanted to do?

Keaveny: I remember being at uni—I went to Leeds Trinity All Saints college—and I was utterly rudderless. Completely without direction. I had no idea what I wanted to do. But I did enjoy writing little not-necessarily-very-funny comedy skits. We were allowed free rein in the studio, occasionally. We could attempt radio comedy. I really enjoyed the freedom of that. That was the first time I thought maybe there’s a career in this somehow.

When I came out of college I was basically unemployable. If I could just get a job on the radio doing anything I’d be quite happy. And that led to me getting a job as a radio copy writer for a few years and that was brilliant because it’s sort of the same metier, it’s the same arena, isn’t it? It’s using voices and using comedy, mixing them together.

It’s not always like that. Sometimes you’re selling Ford Fiestas for 4995 including VAT, there’s nothing funny in that. But occasionally you were given free rein to try and come up with something that would make you laugh and that was a really great start point for me. It started me off thinking about how you can just use people’s imagination and a few sound effects and a few funny lines to paint a picture and I think that was quite an influential moment for me.

I first got on air behind a microphone in April 2000 on what was then known as London’s 104.9 Xfm. I used to do this arduous, tortuous six-hour, midnight to six am show Sunday into Monday. It was horrible. You can’t imagine what it’s like to try and talk bullshit for six hours. Three is a stretch. But six. And you’re on your own.

It gets real Colonel Kurtz. You put on a long song, you nip to the toilet and you stare at yourself in the mirror and it’s 4.43 in the morning and you think what am I doing here. Everyone that I loved at that point, all my friends and family, they’re all up north and I’m there in Leicester Square thinking ‘what on earth.’ I’ve got to get back because Heroes by David Bowie is about to finish and I’ve got to come up with some wry comment about the news.

It took about six years from that point to get on the BBC. And it has been a dream come true in many ways because it is still the best broadcasting corporation in the world as far as I’m concerned.

Prospect: Are there things that make you more worried than five or ten years ago?

Keaveny: Yeah. I’m dreadfully worried at the moment. I’ve got two kids who are 10 and eight. When you’re that invested in society and the future of it I think you’d have to be pretty stupid at the moment to not feel concerned about the path that we’re on. I’m not going to get political about it because it’s not my place to do that. But yeah, it keeps me up at night, the sort of things that are happening, internationally, economically.

It seems that we’re losing our way a bit at the moment, things are getting a little darker than they were 10 or 15 years ago. I don’t think we realised how optimistic and how comfortable a place we had societally a few years ago. We were doing alright and it feels like now the wheels of the tea trolley are coming off a little bit”.

I am excited to see where Shaun Keaveny’s year heads and what he has in store for his listeners. As he is in his mid-forties, I can see him being in radio for at least a couple more decades. One feels radio is where he was born to be and it is a sort of calling! In th interview from Prospect, Keaveny was asked about the afternoon show and what he hoped to achieve:

“Prospect: What are you trying to achieve with the new show?

Keaveny: It feels like, more than ever, we humans need safe spaces to just relax and to have fun with each other and not judge each other. I’m imagining the show to be a bit like the holiday I’ve never achieved where I’ve rented a huge villa, somewhere really beautiful and there’s like two swimming pools and there’s 30 rooms and there’s a games room there’s a lovely garden and there’s the beach over there and there’s a huge kitchen. You invite everybody and loads of different people show up and your son’s girlfriend comes along and a couple from around the corner and the only rule is you have a good time, you tell a story, you have a chat around the fire, you play some amazing music, you pass around the Spotify. That’s the kind of vibe we’re trying to create. But it won’t be that different. It’ll be me and the music and the listeners.

For people like me – journalists, music lovers etc. – Keaveny is an inspiration and someone who provides guidance. I think he was right with what he said above – how there is the need for a safe space in these hectic times. It is hard to find a person who makes us feel more together, warmer and safe but, with an afternoon show that keeps getting stronger…

IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny and Matt Everitt/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

THAT is just what Shaun William Keaveny does (and we offer him so much love for that!).

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. II)

FEATURE:

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama

An All-Female, Winter-Ready Playlist (Vol. II)

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AS it is the weekend once more…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ella Eyre

it is time for another female-led playlist. This week, like last, has seen so many great tracks arrive. I have done my best to collate all the finest cuts from some brilliant women in music. Spanning multiple genres, it is fascinating seeing how 2020 is shaping up already. It is pretty cold out there at the moment, so I hope this playlist warms you up and gives you a pick-me-up. I am already looking forward to seeing what comes next week – this year is going to be another extraordinary one for new music. Have a listen to these fabulous tunes, and I’m sure you will find something in the mix that…

IN THIS PHOTO: Chloe Foy/PHOTO CREDIT: @danwiebephotography

TURNS the head.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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PHOTO CREDIT: Jessie Morgan Photo

Orchards – Sincerely Overwhelmed

Wilsen – Feeling Fancy

Ultraísta - Tin King

Rina Sawayama - Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)

The Naked and Famous – Bury Us

Ashley McBryde – Martha Divine

Charlotte Lawrence – Joke’s on You

Ella Eyre – New Me

PHOTO CREDIT: David Boni 

MALKA – Moving Together

Tove Lo – Bikini Porn

TORRES – Dressing America

Matilda Mann – The Fucking Best

Sarah Proctor – I’ve Got You

Orla Gartland – Heavy

Vanessa Carlton – The Only Way to Love

WILDES – Circles

Twinnie – Lie to Me

Gabrielle Aplin – Kintsugi

Keeley Forsyth – It’s Raining

Hedara – Hurts

Gazel – Cloudpatterns

PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rose

HANYA – I’ll Do It Tomorrow

Squirrel Flower – Streelight Blues

Margo Price – Stone Me

Chloe Foy – Callous Copper

PHOTO CREDIT: @cowboycrush

Mamalarky – Fury

Halsey – Without Me

PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Russell

Lauran Hibberd – Bang Bang Bang

POLIÇA – Steady

Soccer Mommy – circle the drain

Mandy Moore – Save a Little for Yourself