FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Some Golden B-Sides

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo By: Kaboompics.com/Pexels

Some Golden B-Sides

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THOUGH I might have…

PHOTO CREDIT: Beyzaa Yurtkuran/Pexels

put out a playlist years back highlighting great B-sides, I wanted to revisit it. The reason is because the B-side is a thing of the past. We are sort of robbed of these kind of tracks. Maybe not deemed album or single-worthy, they would otherwise have been disposed of. Although artists do reissue albums with outtakes and unreleased songs, I do miss the B-side. When you would buy a C.D. single and there was this interesting B-side. On some occasions, the B-side was actually better than the A-side! We can all name some amazing B-sides. Maybe The Beatles’ Rain (the B-side of 1966’s Paperback Writer) is my favourite. There are some classic examples. I do long to see a day when we might get physical singles again and B-sides. For now, in digital form, I have compiled some of the very best B-sides from throughout the year. Many people consider B-sides to be irrelevant or weak tracks that were not good enough to go on albums. I argue that the examples below are…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay/Pexels

STRONGER than that.

FEATURE: Don't Salute Me I'm Only the Piano Player: Kate Bush and the Lack of Piano Idols in Her Formative Years

FEATURE:

 

 

Don't Salute Me I'm Only the Piano Player

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing at the Falkoner Teateret in Copenhagen, Denmark on The Tour of Life (or The Lionheart Tour) in April 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Jorgen Angel

Kate Bush and the Lack of Piano Idols in Her Formative Years

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THIS is a subject…

IN THIS PHOTO: Elton John in 1975/PHOTO CREDIT: Terry O’Neill/Iconic Images

that I have alluded to in previous features. When I wrote about Kate Bush’s music pin-ups when she was a child, I did mention one particular artist who was an inspiration. That drew her to the piano. Think about aspiring artists and their childhood and teen years. These are the times when they are forming opinions about music and being compelled by various different sounds. Look at any legendary artist and you can trace their influences. Depending on the genre, you can usually find musical comfort. What happens when you are not a conventional artist and there are very few idols and those you can identify with? Thinking about Kate Bush, I have mentioned some of her music influences before. Whether that is Donavon, Roxy Music or Captain Beefheart, most of these artists were backed by guitars, bass and drums. Kate Bush’s music, or at least her earliest work, had the piano at the forefront. Apart from Classical music and very niche work, there were not many artists in the mainstream at least that Bush could find strength from. No familiar faces in that sense. It must have been quite isolating. Even though Bush learnt piano from her father and there was that connection, it was not like she could put on the T.V. and find many artists playing piano. Or at least using that as their primary influence. The same with the radio. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, most of the commercial music Bush would have heard was from artists where perhaps guitar was at the forefront. Elton John was a bit of a revelation. An artist who then and now is synonymous with piano, this must have been a revelation and lifeline for Bush. It is concerning how Elton John was almost unique in that sense. Someone very much inspired by the piano, there is no doubt his music was a big source of influence for Kate Bush starting out. Throughout her career.

Granted, Bush’s family first drew her to the piano. For many artists, they pick up an instrument because an artist they admire plays it. I think a lot of the music Bush was exposed to as a child would have been quite varied. There was Folk and Classical music. She would have discovered music through her brothers and some of the more experimental or unorthodox artists. Very few of them were piano-based. Without many out there giving her some sort of guidance, it almost fell to Elton John alone to propel and motivate her. At a point in Bush’s career, the piano was still very much in the mix but she adopted electronic technology and widened her palette. However, you only need to listen to an album like 50 Words for Snow – where Elton John appeared on Snowed in at Wheeler Street – to see this wonderful full circle moment. The final track on the album, Among Angels, is just Bush and the piano. I am trying to think of any other tracks of her where she is alone at the piano and we get such a naked and unadorned performance. I think that is significant. Earlier in her career, Bush was mixing the piano with a band by her side. There would be additional layers. Very few moments where the piano was out front and on its own. Even some of the best piano moments from The Kick Inside (her 1978 debut album), such as Wuthering Heights, James and the Cold Gun and The Kick Inside had other elements in the blend. However, Among Angels is a song where there is this clear and incredible intimacy. Bush and the piano. I often speculate what another album might sound like. I think it will feature piano heavily. Perhaps not quite as layered as Aerial (2005) or her earlier work. It made me think about modern music.

IN THIS PHOTO: Tori Amos in San Francisco for Keyboard magazine in 1992/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Blakesberg

I think Kate Bush helped open the door for other artists. You can look at Tori Amos and similarities. Even though many compare Bush and Amos, they are their own artists. However, it is evident that Bush was influential to Tori Amos. Her first couple of albums – 1992’s Little Earthquakes and 1994’s Under the Pink – very much has piano at its heart. Tori Amos inspiring a whole generation of artists. I look around music today and there are not many artists who are synonymous with the piano. Not that many in the mainstream at least. I know artists such as Nils Frahm that spring to mind. However, think about a child or teen now who is thinking of taking up a career in music. If they love the piano, are there any artists succeeding and popular that they can aspire to be? I wonder what it is about the piano. Maybe people think it is a limited instrument when it comes to scope and impact. This cliché stereotype that it is quite a boring or Classic instrument that cannot be adapted and cross into multiple genres. That is not the case. Maybe Joni Mitchell was another musician that Bush could look up to but there were not many others. Today, I do worry that a potential innovator like Kate Bush might be demotivated or feel alone because of a lack of modern-day piano-based artists.

I know EMI’s Bob Mercer recommended Pink Floyd manager Steve O’Rourke to the family; paid for piano lessons so that she could refine her technique. I do love this recent feature from Prog, who explored and discuss The Kick Inside on its forty-seventh anniversary:

“Outside of the band, Kate had enrolled in dance classes in Covent Garden led by Lindsay Kemp, mime artist Adam Darius and jazz dancer Robin Kovac. Back in her flat, in the company of kittens Zoodle and Pye, she applied herself to improving her vocals and playing her piano.

“I’d get up in the morning, practise scales at my piano, go off dancing, and then in the evening I’d come back and play the piano all night,” she told VH1, recalling the remarkably hot summer of 1976. “I had all the windows open and I used to write until four in the morning. I got a letter of complaint from a neighbour who was basically saying, ‘Shut up!’ They got up at five to do shift work and my voice carried the length of the street”.

Kate Bush obviously has inspired so many artists. She will do for years to come. I think that her piano playing and how important that is when we discuss her music will give voice and strength to those who feel there are very few artists out there promulgating this wonderful instrument. How Bush in the 1970s and even 1980s would not have seen too many other artists whose primary instrument was the piano. I know Bush learned the violin as a child but it is the piano that spoke to her in a way nothing else did. We can thank Elton John, this little light in an ocean of guitars, drums and other instruments, for showing that you could be a major artist and play the piano (even though John’s songs bring in many other instruments). There are many things to admire about Kate Bush. One of them is the fact that she is undoubtably…

A piano icon.

FEATURE: Pretty and Blue: Kate Bush: The Orchestral and Epic

FEATURE:

 

 

Pretty and Blue

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

Kate Bush: The Orchestral and Epic

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I am sort of going to…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 2011’s 50 Words for Snow

briefly nod back to The Man with the Child in His Eyes from 1975. That song was recorded almost fifty years ago now. One of Kate Bush’s earliest professionally recorded songs, I think its beauty is heightened and defined by its strings. Bush recalling how nervous she was having an orchestra behind her. Even though those string parts were recorded at AIR Studios, London, I always associate Bush’s orchestral and epic moments with Abbey Road Studios. It does not need to be strings and an orchestra. Look at songs from Never for Ever (1980) and The Dreaming (1982). I think the history, grandeur and reputation of that studio enforced some of the most ambitious and big moments from those albums. Think about the rush and drama of Babooshka; the scale and epicness of Breathing (from Never for Ever). Hear The Dreaming and songs Sat in Your Lap, Houidini and Get Out of My House. Even though most of the tracks were not recorded out of Abbey Road Studios, I do think that the studios have this sort of pull that compelled Bush to think in a Classical sense. Maybe more akin to film or a production, I have often wondered what it would sound like if Kate Bush ever did another gig and was backed by an orchestra. Hearing some of these iconic songs paired with some wonderful strings. Houidini is another example of strings featuring and not being too overt. If there was a romance and sense of longing when it came to The Man with the Child in His Eyes and the orchestration, there is something darker when it comes to Houdini. With string arrangement by Dave Lawson and Andrew Powell (who produced Bush’s first two albums), there is something sweeping, sombre, haunted and also sensual. Maybe a slightly different palette to The Man with the Child in His Eyes.

If Houdini is exceptional because of Bush’s production and vocal performance, we get this new level with the orchestra. Seemingly more raw and gothic than ever before, this would perhaps inspire Bush to use orchestration in some of the best moments from albums such as Hounds of Love (1985) and Aerial (2005). I don’t think enough people have discussed the orchestration in some of Bush’s songs. I want to separate the orchestral and epic. There are plenty of these huge moments where strings were not involved. Bush was always ambitious but you can notice her songs becoming more cinematic and larger in terms of their scope and sound - especially from 1982 onwards. Before moving through her catalogue, it is worth noting that Cloudbusting, the Paradox Orchestra, and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra have paid tribute to Kate Bush and her music. Back in 2018, the Gothenburg Symphony and guest artists Jennie Abrahamson and Malin Dahlström performed an unmissable concert. I will end with Kate Bush’s most recent studio album, 50 Words for Snow, and its use of orchestration and that Classic sound - in a different way to previous albums. How each album where strings and orchestra are involved is a bit different. In November, Kate Bush tribute act, Cloudbusting, will be performing with the West London Sinfonia. On 19th July, the Paradox Orchestra are presenting a groundbreaking adaptation of Kate Bush’s work for orchestra and live vocalists. There is this appreciation of her music and how there is a transition and translation. Pop and Art Rock songs now fusing with Classical elements. Bringing these epic embers and creating this beautiful fire. I do love how Abbey Road Studios has been used by Bush for years now for recording orchestral parts. You can really feel the studio and its sense of space and gravitas in those recordings.

It is appropriate that Cloudbusting are staging an orchestral tribute to Kate Bush. That song, from Hounds of Love, is a case of tasteful orchestration creating something stirring and romantic. That word (romantic) is one that is common to all songs of Bush’s featuring strings. Dave Lawson and Kate Bush arranged and produced The Medici String Sextet. If strings (whether real or electronic) are perfectly used on songs like Hounds of Love and Under Ice, it is when Bush uses The Medici String Sextet that we get the biggest rush. Her creating something truly cinematic. The best example is Hounds of Love’s penultimate track, Hello Earth. Bush was inspired by Neil Armstrong’s lunar epiphany. How he said that the “tiny pea” (Earth) was “pretty and blue”. This speck viewed from space, you get this sense of the heroine’s ghost looking down at the sea from above. The Ninth Wave is about a woman lost at sea after falling into the water. She needed to create something orchestral for a pivotal moment. On the song’s second verse, Bush is watching a storm break over America. Revelation from Bush as to how she ended up in the ocean. This emotional and big moment on Hounds of Love. Michael Kamen was drafted to arrange. Having worked on film scores, he brought some of that experience to Hello Earth. Moving the strings within and around the story, he approached it very much like scoring a movie scene. Also included were the Richard Hickox Singers. They were directed by Richard Hickox and arranged for voices by Michael Berkeley. The vocal section is inspired by a Georgian folk song called Zinzkaro (By the Spring). Bush commented on two black holes in the master tape arrangement for the song. When the drums drop out, there was this gap. Inspired by the male choir in Werner Herzog’s 1979 film, Nosferatu the Vampyre, and the soundtrack by Popol Vuh, Bush approached Herzog and Vuh’s Florian Fricke. On a couple of moments on Aerial, we hear the London Metropolitan Orchestra. They appear on Prologue. On 50 Words for Snow, there are orchestral arrangements by Jonathan Tunick (he conducted too). The orchestra sessions were recorded at Abbey Road Studios. From her first professional recordings to her most recent studio album, Bush has mixed the orchestral and epic. Whether recorded at Abbey Road Studios or elsewhere, I was intrigued to dissect and explore songs and albums where strings and orchestration play a big role. I maybe have missed some example. It was important to write about this as not many people have. Revelling in the moments where Kate Bush’s music was…

CINEMATIC and widescreen.

FEATURE: The Girl That’s Driving Me Mad: The Beatles' Ticket to Ride at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

The Girl That’s Driving Me Mad

The Beatles' Ticket to Ride at Sixty

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RECORDED on 15th February, 1965…

and released on 9th April, I want to look ahead to the sixtieth anniversary of The Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. The first single from their fifth studio album, Help!, it became The Beatles' seventh consecutive number one in the U.K. and their third consecutive number one hit (and eighth in total) in the U.S. Viewed as psychological deeper than anything the band released to that point. Ticket to Ride was primarily written by John Lennon but credited to Lennon-McCartney. One of The Beatles’ best-loved and acclaimed singles, I am going to come to some background about the song and usual information. I am going to start with some critical reaction to Ticket to Ride:

“In his contemporary review of the single, Derek Johnson of the NME admired the "depth of sound" and "tremendous drive" of the recording. Music critics Richie Unterberger of AllMusic and Ian MacDonald both feel that "Ticket to Ride" is an important milestone in the evolution of the musical style of the Beatles. Unterberger said, "the rhythm parts on 'Ticket to Ride' were harder and heavier than they had been on any previous Beatles outing, particularly in Ringo Starr's stormy stutters and rolls." MacDonald describes it as "psychologically deeper than anything the Beatles had recorded before ... extraordinary for its time – massive with chiming electric guitars, weighty rhythm, and rumbling floor tom-toms", and he views the production as a signal of the band's next major change of musical direction, with "Tomorrow Never Knows" in April 1966. MacDonald also comments that, while the Kinks' "See My Friends" has been identified as the inspiration for the Beatles' use of Indian instrumentation later in 1965, the subtle drone in "Ticket to Ride" could equally have influenced the Kinks when they recorded "See My Friends".

Writing for Mojo in 2002, musician and journalist Bob Stanley said the track was "where moptop Beatlemania ends and [the Beatles]' weightless, ageless legend begins". In his song review for Blender, Johnny Black similarly described it as a "watershed" recording and attributed its relatively poor US sales to the song's "weird soup of hypnotically chiming, droning guitars, stuttering drums and contrasting vocal textures that, in the context of the 1965 charts, was far ahead of its time". Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph sees a darker edge to Lennon's lyric writing during the Help! period and he cites "the drone of riffing, proto-heavy-rock song Ticket to Ride" as an example of the band's more sophisticated sound, and of how the album "contains some of their greatest early songs". Writing for Rough Guides, Chris Ingham similarly views the track as "magnificently brooding" and "the most intense music The Beatles had yet recorded". In his review of Help! for BBC Music, David Quantick includes "Ticket to Ride" among the album's "flashes of brilliance" and describes it as "the song that saw The Beatles take on The Kinks, the Stones and The Who at their own, more rocky game".

Prior to finishing off with a feature from Stereogum, I want to get to this interesting feature from the Beatles Bible. Although it has been disputed whether John Lennon wrote most of the song, it was an even split between him and Paul McCartney or McCartney deserves more credit, it is clear that this was a revelation and revolution from a band who had developed so quickly. One of their most accomplished songs to that point. It remains this masterpiece that hinted at what would follow. The Help! album was released in August 1965:

‘Ticket To Ride’ was the first song to be released from Help!, The Beatles’ fifth album. The band’s performance of the song, filmed on the ski slopes in Austria, was one of the highlights of the Help! film.

The song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, although the precise nature of their contributions has been disputed. In one of his final interviews, Lennon claimed it as mainly his work.

That was one of the earliest heavy-metal records made. Paul’s contribution was the way Ringo played the drums.

John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

In his authorised biography, published in 1994, McCartney claimed ‘Ticket To Ride’ to have been a more collaborative effort.

We wrote the melody together; you can hear on the record, John’s taking the melody and I’m singing harmony with it. We’d often work those out as we wrote them. Because John sang it, you might have to give him 60 per cent of it. It was pretty much a work job that turned out quite well…

John just didn’t take the time to explain that we sat down together and worked on that song for a full three-hour songwriting session, and at the end of it all we had all the words, we had the harmonies, and we had all the little bits.

Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

McCartney also explained how he was particularly proud of the double-time coda in ‘Ticket To Ride’:

I think the interesting thing was a crazy ending: instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, ‘My baby don’t care’, but completely altered the melody. We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out with this song; it was something specially written for the fade-out, which was very effective but it was quite cheeky and we did a fast ending. It was quite radical at the time.

Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

The first Beatles single to be longer than three minutes, ‘Ticket To Ride’ was heralded by the music press upon its release as a departure from the group’s familiar territory. Certainly its unusual drum patterns and downbeat lyrics were a departure from The Beatles’ usual upbeat optimism.

‘Ticket To Ride’ was slightly a new sound at the time. It was pretty f*****g heavy for then, if you go and look in the charts for what other music people were making. You hear it now and it doesn’t sound too bad; but it’d make me cringe. If you give me the A track and I remix it, I’ll show you what it is really, but you can hear it there. It’s a heavy record and the drums are heavy too. That’s why I like it.

John Lennon, 1970
Anthology

The song’s meaning has been subject to a number of interpretations over the years. While ostensibly about a liberated girl choosing her own path in life, a pair of incidents in The Beatles’ past may have inspired the song in part.

McCartney’s cousin Bett and her husband Mike Robbins owned a pub on Union Street in Ryde, on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. In the early 1960s Lennon and McCartney hitch-hiked to stay with them, and several years later the journey inspired a pun on the phrase ‘ticket to Ryde’ in the song.

I remember talking about Ryde but it was John’s thing.

Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

McCartney was more forthcoming about the Ryde connection in his 2021 book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present:

John and I always liked wordplay. So, the phrase ‘She’s got a ticket to ride’ of course referred to riding on a bus or train, but – if you really want to know – it also referred to Ryde on the Isle of Wight, where my cousin Betty and her husband Mike were running a pub. That’s what they did; they ran pubs. He ended up as an entertainment manager at a Butlin’s holiday resort. Betty and Mike were very showbiz. It was great fun to visit them, so John and I hitchhiked down to Ryde, and when we wrote the song we were referring to the memory of this trip. It’s very cute now to think of me and John in a little single bed, top and tail, and Betty and Mike coming to tuck us in.

Paul McCartney
The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present”

I am going to end with Stereogum. As part of their feature series that looks at iconic number one singles (in the U.S.), they shared their opinions on The Beatles’ Ticket to Ride in 2018. Although it only stayed at number one for a week in the U.S., it made a huge impact around the world:

“Of all the Beatles songs that made it to #1 in the US — and there were so, so many of them — “Ticket To Ride” is, for my money, the best. It’s the one where it suddenly became obvious, to anyone paying attention, that being world-dominating pop stars wasn’t enough for this band. It’s the moment it became obvious that they were going to use their position as world-dominating pop stars to bend and twist and pull the sounds on the radio, translating them into something new, something wild. It’s a transitional moment for the Beatles. And it’s the transitional moment where everything that was ever great about them — the melodic fire, the excitement, the wandering-spirit restlessness — came together into something beautiful.

John Lennon wrote most of “Ticket To Ride,” though Paul McCartney has taken credit for a decent chunk of it. And Lennon once called “Ticket To Ride” “one of the earliest heavy metal records made.” He was wrong, and he was wrong for interesting reasons. The real early heavy metal bands — including Vanilla Fudge, who released their cover of “Ticket To Ride” two years after the Beatles’ original came out — turned blues progressions into something leaden and overwhelming. That music was heavy because it dragged you down into its sodden, wrathful headspace. But what makes “Ticket To Ride” sing is its lightness — the way it’s always dancing away from you.

There are sounds on “Ticket To Ride” that had never made it anywhere near the top of the charts before. There’s George Harrison’s glistening Rickenbacher riff — a starry-eyed jangle that helped make the world safe for the Byrds and for the psychedelic folk-rock hordes that would follow. There’s the low-end drone of the bass, which foreshadowed the Beatles’ interest in Indian ragas. There’s Ringo Starr’s awkwardly perfect stop-start drumming, which sends electric shocks pulsing all through the song.

These things should’ve made brains explode when the Beatles suddenly brought them to the radio. Maybe they did; I wasn’t around to tell. But the Beatles didn’t hit #1 just by indulging their most experimental impulses. “Ticket To Ride” resonated the way it did because the band figured out how to plug these impulses into one hell of a pop song.

“Ticket To Ride” is a song about heartbreak. Lennon opens it up by wailing, “I think I’m gonna be sad / I think it’s todaaaaaay.” At the beginning of that line, he’s calm, sober, almost matter-of-fact. But by the time McCartney joins in on harmony, he’s wailing at the heavens. Throughout the song, Lennon tries to reconcile the idea that the girl is leaving, that there’s nothing he can do. And it sounds grown-up and mature, in ways that no previous Beatles song had done. Lennon is not singing about teenage heartbreak. There’s a line — “she said that living with me was bringing her down” — that suggests cohabitation. Lennon is contemplating an uncertain future, and the sounds that he’s bringing are adult, as well.

But they’re not too adult. As the song ends, the band lurches suddenly into a double-time rave-up — as if to prove that they can still supercharge your soul, or to mentally force themselves out of the song’s depression-fog. It sounds like the acid-rock wig-outs that would show up atop the charts soon enough, but it also sounds like a honky-tonk throwdown. (“Ticket To Ride” did, after all, appear on the same album where the Beatles covered Buck Owens.) “Ticket To Ride” was the first Beatles single that broke the three-minute mark — but it only broke it by 10 seconds. It’s a toe-dip, a dabble, in the waters of the infinite. It’s the sound of a band starting to bend pop music, not quite ready to break it yet. They’d break it soon enough. But on the songs where they did break it — at least on the ones that hit #1 — I don’t think they ever sounded quite this great”.

On 9th April, it will be sixty years since the release of Ticket to Ride. It is among my favourite Beatles songs. When ranking The Beatles’ single/songs. Ticket to Ride scores pretty well. I am going to end with a few articles where that is true.

I want to start with this feature from Rolling Stone. In 2020, they ranked The Beatles’ best one-hundred songs. Ticket to Ride came in seventeenth:

“Lennon once claimed that “Ticket to Ride” — the first track the Beatles recorded for the soundtrack to their second feature film, Help!, on February 15th, 1965 — was “one of the earliest heavy-metal records.”

“It was [a] slightly new sound at the time, because it was pretty fuckin’ heavy for then,” Lennon told Rolling Stone in 1970. “If you go and look in the charts for what other music people were making, and you hear it now, it doesn’t sound too bad. It’s all happening, it’s a heavy record. And the drums are heavy, too. That’s why I like it.”

After playing mostly acoustic guitar on A Hard Day’s Night and Beatles for Sale, Lennon had picked up his electric guitar for “Ticket to Ride.” A chiming 12-string riff kicks off the song with a jangly psychedelic flourish, and the guitars strut and crunch through the verses over Starr’s grinding groove. The sound was probably inspired by bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks, who were all exploding out of Great Britain at the time. But the Beatles were still ahead of the competition.

“Ticket to Ride” was the first Beatles recording to break the three-minute mark, and Lennon packed the track with wild mood swings. His singing and lyrics teeter between ambivalence and despair in the verses. The bridge is a powerful double-time burst of indignation (“She oughta think right/She oughta do right/By me”). Another surprise came in the fade, an entirely different melody and rhythm with the repeated line “My baby don’t care,” sung by Lennon at the upper, stressed top of his range. “We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out,” said McCartney, who also played the spiraling lead-guitar part in the coda. “It was quite radical at the time.”

The Beatles now saw making records as a goal in itself — rather than just a document of a song — and were changing their approach to recording as they got more comfortable with the possibilities of the studio. Instead of taping songs as they would play them live, picking the best take and then overdubbing harmonies or solos, the band now usually began with a rhythm track and slowly built an arrangement around it. Considering that, “Ticket to Ride” took almost no time to record: The entire track, including the overdubs, was finished in just over three hours. “It was pretty much a work job that turned out quite well,” said McCartney. “Ticket to Ride” effectively became their new theme song: The title of their final BBC radio special was changed to “The Beatles (Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride).”

Lennon always maintained that McCartney’s role in writing the song was minimal — “Paul’s contribution was the way Ringo played the drums” — while McCartney contended that “we sat down and wrote it together” in a three-hour session at Lennon’s Weybridge home. That might account for the different stories on where the title came from: An obvious explanation is that it refers to a train ticket. (When the Beatles belatedly filmed a promotional clip for the song in November 1965, they lip-synced the song against a backdrop of gigantic transportation passes). But Don Short, a British newspaper journalist who traveled with the Beatles, claimed that it dated back to the band’s days in the red-light district of Hamburg, Germany. “The girls who worked the streets in Hamburg had to have a clean bill of health, and so the medical authorities would give them a card saying that they didn’t have a dose of anything,” he said. “John told me he coined the phrase ‘a ticket to ride’ to describe those cards.” McCartney had a more innocent explanation: He said that it was a play on the name of the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. One other possibility: On the day the Beatles recorded “Ticket to Ride,” Lennon passed his driver’s test”.

In 2023, NME placed Ticket to Ride sixtieth in their ranking. In 2019, The Guardian listed The Beatles’ singles in order of greatness. Ticket to Ride came in fourth. Last year, Time Out wrote how Ticket to Ride was the sixteenth-best song from the band. There is no doubting what a phenomenal and iconic song Ticket to Ride is. I discovered it as a small child and it still has this great power. One of the band’s catchiest choruses, it is a song I will always love. I wonder if Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney will mark its sixtieth anniversary somehow. On 9th April, we mark six decades of…

A work of genius.

FEATURE: American Grammar: Is It Possible to Realise An Album Dream?

FEATURE:

 

 

American Grammar

IN THIS PHOTO: A view of New York/PHOTO CREDIT: Craig Adderley

Is It Possible to Realise An Album Dream?

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I have written about this before…

PHOTO CREDIT: Blaz Erzetic/Pexels

but wanted to return to the subject. Rather than this being a vanity feature or something specifically personal, it is something bigger than that. There are those out there who are not musicians who have songs in them but you wonder whether they will ever realise that. There is technology that can help a bit with composition and realising songs. For me, I am very much about the lyrics. I can hear compositions but not truly realise them. I really do not have a desire to sing the songs at all. I have these tracks in my mind that have titles. The album, American Grammar, is not taken. I have searched for that title to see if another artist has taken it. It does not look like it. I would love to see an album come together at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. That would be a dream. Rather than this being some idle thought or excuse to write a feature, it has been an ambition for a while now. One of the main reasons why I want to see an album realised is because of my love of Steely Dan. The pairing of Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker – and their cast of musicians – are a big influence. There has not really been anyone like them since they stopped recording together. Donald Fagen is still recording music but, as he is in his seventies, he will not put too many more albums out. In terms of their influence, there is not really anything like Steely Dan around. Maybe an attitude or essence though, when you think about the rich musicianship and these phenomenal compositions, nothing like that exists today. The same lyrical perspectives too. These intriguing and often sarcastic and odd characters standing alongside one another.

IN THIS PHOTO: Electric Lady Studios, New York City/.PHOTO CREDIT: Jeremy Liebman

Maybe one reason why a group such as Steely Dan have not been emulated or replicated is the cost of musicians. Fagen and Becker worked tirelessly in search of a perfect take. Musicians being almost drilled to get that sound. That would cost quite a lot in any studio setting, let alone Electric Lady Studios. I don’t think anyone would need to be as precise and excessive. It is possible to strike a balance between carrying on a band’s sound and doing something that will not break the bank. I use Steely Dan as an example because they clearly speak to a lot of people, yet musicians seem hesitant to even attempt to get close to that sound. There is a major gulf that I hope is addressed. The songs I have been writing about very much has Steely Dan in mind when it comes to compositions. Multiple guitar players and drummers. Lush and incredible brass players and this incredible production sound. Maybe not exactly the same kind of lyrics, there would be a mix of Steely Dan in there. When it comes to character-led songs and the worlds they create. For me, an album is also a chance to address themes that not many artists are discussing. Talking about gender inequality in music, discrimination against the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community, sexual assault and women’s rights. In addition to perhaps ‘lighter’ themes. Romance, yearning and dreams combining with these songs that are perhaps a bit more serious.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo By: Kaboompics.com/Pexels

It is a shame when you cannot realise a dream or ambition. For me, I can imagine songs in part. The lyrics at least and some of the melodies. However, it would be a case of collaborating with someone else. Musicians-wise, perhaps American players. I am not sure about vocals and whether it would be one person or multiple. I like the idea of that title, American Grammar, and what it could represent. A title track that is political. Reacting to what is happening in America now and comparing that to the past. Ideals of thew American dream and something classic together with modern-day America. Though the ideas are not concrete, I do think they are more than a passing fancy. There are guides regarding how to make an album. Of course, there is always that fight between ambition and budget. If you have a range of musicians recording out of a big studio, that can run into perhaps tens of thousands of pounds. You then have to factor that against the profitability of an album. Whether physical copies will sell enough to justify its existence. Maybe it would be a one-off project, however, I have been pretty hooked on this idea of an album. Not just to fill a gap that other artists are not taking advantage of. Ideas and themes not being spoke about enough. A chance to combine some legendary session musicians and some young talent on the same album. Maybe it will never happen, though I wonder how easy it will be.

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Semenov/Pexels

Alongside this is the very present threat of A.I. Artists like Elton John speaking out to protect their work from being stolen and used by A.I. Of course, if making a new album, there is always that tantalising treat of using samples. It can be expensive to clear songs, though A.I. makes it easier to do that. To also replicate artists’ sounds. I would never do that, though A.I. can be useful when it comes to helping with compositions. Easier to make demos that are almost studio-quality and realised. It is complex and challenging right now with A.I. possessing this threat. I want to do things naturally and not use A.I. at all. From the album cover shoot through to the recording of the songs, there would be something traditional and classic. That would mean quite an expense, so how realistic is it to make an album that is quite ambitious and full? Also, if you are not a musician and it will take longer to complete songs, is it pie in the sky? I would like to think there is a chance for people like me. Maybe crowdfunding an album and reaching out to composers and musicians. I am not sure whether Donald Fagen is contactable, though it would be great to ask his permission to do something similar to Steely Dan. Thinking about vocal collaborators that could be on the album. Song titles I have already including American Grammar, Hipsterlooza, Can’t Buy a Thrill, For Those in the Back Row, Negative Space, and Southside. The playful and humorous alongside tracks that tackle important themes. A great album cover that mixes mystery and suspense with 1950s America and this dead or long-gone dream. The chance to see music recorded out of Electric Lady Studios. Being in the city and drawing from it for ideas and even sounds. I keep wondering whether it is a dream that…

COULD ever be realised.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Black Francis at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Travis Shinn 

Black Francis at Sixty

_________

WHETHER you refer to him…

as Black Francis or Frank Black, this legendary artist turns sixty on 6th April. You may know him best as the leads of Pixies. To mark his upcoming birthday, I have compiled a playlist of the best Pixies songs and deep cuts, together with Black Francis and Frank Black solo cuts. Before I get to that mixtape, here is some biography about a hugely influential musician:

“Whether performing with Pixies or on his own, as Black Francis or Frank Black, Charles Thompson re-frames rock & roll's past in imaginative ways. On albums such as 1988's Surfer Rosa and 1989's Doolittle, Pixies melded punk and indie guitar rock, classic pop, surf rock, and stadium-sized riffs with fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture, laying the groundwork for the alternative explosion of the early '90s in the process. During his solo years as Frank Black, his music ranged from 1993's eclectic and polished self-titled debut to the back-to-basics garage rock of 1998's Frank Black & the Catholics to the rootsy sounds of 2005's Honeycomb. By the late 2000s, he was back to Black Francis and balancing the raw rock of 2007's Bluefinger with projects like 2010's soundtrack to The Golem and 2011's down-to-earth Paley & Francis. When Pixies resumed recording in the mid-2010s, Francis and company continued the sound of their groundbreaking early work with albums like 2019's Beneath the Eyrie.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Charles Thompson moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was a baby. When he was 12, his mother and stepfather joined an evangelical church, and Thompson attended Bible camp and discovered the music of Christian singer/songwriter Larry Norman, experiences that informed the songs he wrote for Pixies years later. Around this time, he began to play guitar and listen to '60s folk and pop artists along with religious music. His family returned to Massachusetts before his senior year of high school, and Thompson started writing songs in earnest.

Following graduation, Thompson studied anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It was there that he met future Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago, who became his roommate and introduced him to punk rock and the music of David Bowie. Halfway through his studies, Thompson went to Puerto Rico to study Spanish, and after six months he decided to move back to the U.S. to form a band. He dropped out of school and moved to Boston, persuading Santiago to join him. They formed Pixies in January 1986 and recruited Kim Deal after advertising in a music paper for a bassist who liked "Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary." On the advice of Deal, the group brought in drummer David Lovering. Thompson picked the stage name Black Francis and the group named itself Pixies after Santiago randomly flipped through the dictionary.

Pixies signed to 4AD records soon after recording a demo dubbed The Purple Tape in March 1987, and released their debut mini-album Come on Pilgrim on the label that September. It reached number five on the U.K. Indie Albums chart, heralding the acclaim the band would earn for their first full-length, March 1988's Surfer Rosa. Produced by Steve Albini, it became a college radio hit in America (and was ultimately certified gold by the RIAA in 2005) and earned enthusiastic reviews from the weekly music press in the U.K. Pixies' major-label debut, April 1989's Doolittle, propelled them to greater success: "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man" became Top Ten modern rock hits, clearing the way for Doolittle to peak at number 98 on the U.S. charts; meanwhile, it hit number eight on the U.K. Album Chart. Following the tour in support of the album, Pixies took a break, during which Francis went on a brief solo tour.

Pixies' status continued to grow with the release of August 1990's surf-tinged Bossanova, and the band reconvened in early 1991 to make their fourth album, that October's Trompe le Monde, with producer Gil Norton. During the sessions, Francis discussed making a solo album with Norton. The project was originally intended to be a set of covers, but by the time Francis, Norton, and Pere Ubu's Eric Drew Feldman (who also worked on Trompe le Monde) were able to return to the studio in 1992, Francis had enough ideas to record an album of mostly original songs. As he was preparing to release the album in January 1993, he gave an interview on BBC's Radio 5, announcing that Pixies were disbanding. Inverting his stage name to Frank Black, he released his eponymous debut that March. An adventurous sketchbook of pop styles spanning surf rock, heavy metal, Beatlesque pop and new wave, Frank Black spawned the singles "Hang On to Your Ego" and "Los Angeles" and reached number nine on the U.K. Albums chart.

In 1994, Black appeared on former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke's debut album, Pawnshop Guitars, and returned with his second album, Teenager of the Year, that May. Named for an actual award he received, it was a sprawling and diverse album that amplified all the best points of Frank Black. Hitting number 21 on the U.K. Albums chart and number two on the Heatseekers chart in the U.S., it received favorable reviews and had an alternative radio hit with "Headache." Despite this, Black parted ways with Elektra and 4AD in early 1995, signing a new record contract with American in the U.S. and Sony in Europe. That year, he performed on Mike Watt's solo album Ball-Hog or Tugboat? and issued the single "Men in Black," which became a Top 40 hit in the U.K. The song appeared on his first album for American and Sony, January 1996's The Cult of Ray. Named for sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, it was Black's first self-produced album and boasted a stripped-down, hard-rocking sound. That year, he also contributed the song "Man of Steel" to the compilation Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files.

When American closed briefly in early 1997 to straighten out its financial problems, Black was lost in the shuffle. He continued to record with the band that backed him on Cult of Ray (guitarist Lyle Workman, bassist David McCaffrey, and drummer Scott Boutier), dubbing them Frank Black and the Catholics. After signing with Play It Again Sam in England, the label issued May 1998's self-titled debut album, which consisted of garage-y songs recorded live to two-track (SpinART released the album in the U.S. later that year). Also in 1998, Black appeared on the James Brown tribute album James Brown Super Bad @ 65: A James Brown Tribute. Frank Black and the Catholics continued their gritty, minimalist approach with March 1999's Pistolero, which was released by What Are Records? Oddballs, a collection of B-sides from the Teenager of the Year and Cult of Ray era, arrived in 2000, while Black wrote the song "Pray for the Girls" for Heroes & Villains: Music Inspired by The Powerpuff Girls as well as music for the soundtrack to the film Crime & Punishment in Suburbia. For January 2001's Dog in the Sand, Santiago and Feldman joined Frank Black and the Catholics on a more eclectic set of songs that added a rootsy touch to the band's sound. In August 2002, Black issued a pair of albums, the ambitious Black Letter Days and The Devil's Workshop, a more laid-back effort. Show Me Your Tears, which was inspired by Black's therapy sessions, followed a year later. That year, he also contributed to Wig in a Box, a benefit album for the Hetrick-Martin Institute that featured covers of the songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

In 2004, Black returned to prominence when Pixies reunited for U.S. tours, an appearance at that year's Coachella Festival, and gigs in Europe and the U.K., including performances at the T in the Park, Roskilde, Pinkpop, and V Festivals. The band also released two songs, "Bam Thwok" and a cover of Warren Zevon's "Ain't That Pretty at All." Frank Black Francis, a double-disc set of early Pixies demos and reinterpretations of Pixies songs by Black and the Two Pale Boys, arrived that October. As Pixies' reunion tour continued into 2005, in July Black released Honeycomb, a collection of songs recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring performances by session greats such as Spooner Oldham, Reggie Young, Anton Fig, and Steve Cropper that reached number 11 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. He reunited with this crew and added a host of other guest stars for June 2006's sprawling double-album Fast Man Raider Man, which he supported with a string of dates opening for Foo Fighters. Black rounded out the year with a cover of "Road Movie to Berlin" for Hello Radio: The Songs of They Might Be Giants and that December's Christmass, a collection of unreleased studio tracks and live performances.

With the ferocious rock of September 2007's Bluefinger, a concept album about the life and death of Dutch painter/punk rocker Herman Brood, Black returned to the Black Francis name. The following year, he returned with The Seus EP and the mini-album SVN FNGRS, a set of songs inspired by the Irish legend of Cúchulainn. Also in 2008, Francis produced Art Brut's album Art Brut vs. Satan and formed the project Grand Duchy with his wife Violet Clark. The duo's debut album, Petit Fours, arrived in April 2009. The following March, Francis issued the sexually charged NonStopErotik; that year also saw the release of a five-disc, limited-edition version of his music for the 1920 silent horror movie The Golem, directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener. A single-disc version of The Golem followed in March 2011, the same month that the B-sides collection Abbabubba appeared. Paley & Francis, a collaboration with longtime friend Reid Paley with contributions from Muscle Shoals aces Oldham and David Hood, arrived in October. Last but not least, Francis performed the Kinks' "This Is Where I Belong" on Ray Davies' 2011 collaborative album See My Friends. A pair of live albums, Live at the Melkweg and Live in Nijmegen, were released by Bureau B Records in 2012.

In 2013, Francis brought his solo career to an end when Pixies returned to the studio with longtime producer Gil Norton. Though Deal left the band during the sessions (former Fall bassist Simon Archer, aka Dingo, replaced her in the studio; Kim Shattuck and later Paz Lenchantin took over live duties), April 2014's Indie Cindy became the band's highest-charting album in the U.S. to date. For the rest of the decade, Francis balanced touring and recording with Pixies and archival releases from his solo career. In 2015, Frank Black and the Catholics: The Complete Recordings arrived, while Pixies' sixth album, Head Carrier -- the first to feature Lenchantin as a full-fledged member -- came out in September 2016. Its single "Classic Masher" debuted on the Adult Alternative Songs chart at number 30, marking the band's first appearance on a Billboard airplay chart since 1992. After the release of June 2019's Beneath the Eyrie and its deluxe edition in 2020, Francis' solo career retrospective, 07-11, was released in November 2021; it collected remastered versions of his releases from the late 2000s and early 2010s”.

On 6th April, the incredible and influential Black Francis turns sixty. I know there will be a lot of celebration around that birthday. Still going strong with Pixies, I think that we will get music from him for many years to come. I have been a fan since I discovered Pixies as a teenager. This mixtape salutes a…

MUSIC great.

FEATURE: A Pseudonym to Fool Him: Recognising the Growing Number of Kate Bush Tributes

FEATURE:

 

 

A Pseudonym to Fool Him

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush on 3rd December, 1980 Kate in a promotional photo, wearing the headdress seen in the Babooshka music video/PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Lichfield

Recognising the Growing Number of Kate Bush Tributes

_________

IN a feature published yesterday…

IN THIS PHOTO: Baby Bushka

I asked whether we might get some new Kate Bush conventions or fan clubs. I long to see the day when we have fanzines or new publications about Bush. Given the fact there is a huge number of new fans discovering her music, it is a valid argument to make. How there needs to be something more collective and united. A chance for all the fans to congregate. Maybe something yearly held. It is not only Kate Bush herself and her incredible music that is fuelling this new fandom and interest. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of new tribute acts coming up. A range of events and tributes that not only pay tribute to a wonderful artist. It is a chance to see Kate Bush’s music seen in a whole new light. You might know about established and acclaimed tributes such as An Evening Without Kate Bush. Starring Sarah-Louise Young and made by Young and Russell Lucas, there are a range of international dates. Including a run of shows across Australia. It is amazing that this hugely popular show has international appreciation! I have also mentioned before the incredible Baby Bushka. I love the different iterations and incarnations. How there are these wonderful women bringing Kate Bush’s music to life. Before updating a feature I wrote a while ago about Kate Bush tribute acts, I want to quote from this interview with Baby Bushka from last year:

“When Marie started writing her own songs, many musicians friends suggested she dive into the Kate Bush catalog, and she became a fan. “My boyfriend [also a major Kate Bush fan] and I even managed to go see her perform live at her Before the Dawn residency in London in 2014. I still can’t believe we were able to be there. It was amazing in every way.”

Leah notes that the work “highlights but also transcends our admiration and respect for Kate Bush. Music exists in an intergeneration, intercultural continuum of expression, exploration, mentorship, and learning. Every day I feel grateful, humbled, and excited to have a voice in this realm.” Although she wasn’t a superfan of Kate Bush before she joined, she realizes that “a central aspect of her legacy is her influence on other musicians. There are so many great covers of her music. I actually prefer to call them creative adaptations, because making it your own is key. Her music is characterized by its originality and innovation, so direct imitations would not feel appropriate or interesting to us.”

Lexi thinks many audience members are already Kate Bush fans “who understand the depth of the symbolism and greatness of the grooves and melodies and are there to experience something rich. Our interpretations of the music demonstrate that we have reverence for Kate Bush and her meanings that she dives into, and we hope to create a world of that and to highlight her stories. I like to imagine people are also passionate about our jumpsuits”.

Later in the year, there is a Classical Kate Bush tribute. Cloudbusting are the longest-running Kate Bush tribute act. I have never seen them live myself, though they are wonderful and acclaimed. Mandy Watson leads the band and does great justice to Kate Bush’s music. Never trying to mimic her exactly, Watson lends her own dynamics to the songs.  I would urge any Kate Bush fan to grab their ticket:

“This November, world renowned tribute band Cloudbusting - The Music Of Kate Bush will be joined by over 40 members of West London Sinfonia for three very special concerts.

With a programme spanning material from across Kate's hugely successful catalogue of albums, these select performances will fully realise original arrangements by such luminaries as Michael Kamen, Michael Nyman & Andrew Powell, and breathe new life into other material by employing further sumptuous voices ‘out of the realms of the orchestra’.

Don't miss the chance to experience what will undoubtedly be the ultimate orchestral celebration of 'This Woman's Work”.

On 30th January, Something Good Is Gonna Happen: A Kate Bush Celebration took place for Cabaret vs Cancer. This is how this wonderful event was billed. Raising money for such an incredible cause, it was another case of Kate Bush’s music and brilliance being adopted by other people. Also helping to raise money for charity. I do wonder how Kate Bush herself feels about these events and tribute acts:

“HomeGround and KateBushNews.com are thrilled to be back at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Thursday 30th January for another Kate Bush themed celebration, raising money for Cabaret vs Cancer.

The night will be packed with amazing cabaret and drag performers, each giving us their versions of their favourite Kate songs. Heading the bill is the sensational Sooz Kempner, the hilarious stand up comedian, with the most gorgeous voice fresh from her UK tour and hit run at Edinburgh Fringe. We also thrilled to welcome back, the brilliant lipsync star, Ripley, fantastic singer Jenny Scoones, drag legend Rose Garden with Phil Lawrence and, Michael Mayell, ex Cloudbusting. Plus we are thrilled to welcome three amazing acts making their debut at one of our events, the stunning Dosa Cat, the extraordinary Fat Black Duchess and the lovely Ebony Rose Dark, all brining cabaret interpretations of Kate songs, and the whole event is hosted by the cabaret drag sensation that is Michael Twaits… and watch RVT socials for more acts to be announced”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Aitchison

An event that involves fans and is a unique tribute in its own right, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever will be a highlight later in the year. This is going to be something that goes down ten days before Kate Bush’s sixty-seventh birthday. It is another tribute that has a long-running passion. Something that seems to grow bigger by the year. Showing how relevant Kate Bush is today:

“Returning for its fifth year, and fast becoming one of the most recognisable sights in Kent, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever (@mostwutheringheightsdayfolke), will return to Folkestone Harbour Arm on Sunday 20th of July for 2025.

Participants, many in wigs and red playsuits, headed down to the town’s waterfront last year for an experience like no other. Dancers of all abilities paid tribute to Kent-born (Bexleyheath) Kate Bush, with a mass choreographed dance to the 1978 smash hit ‘Wuthering Heights’.

Some history… Started in 2013 by Brighton-based performance group Shambush, The Ultimate Kate Bush Experience was an attempt to set a world record of having the most people dressed as legendary musician Kate Bush in one location.

More than a decade on and the event has stretched across the world, with Kate Bush-themed events popping up in July across cities from Austin in Texas to Sydney in Australia, with many more (Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin and Tel Aviv, to name but a few) between.

But one of the most successful has been one right here in Kent, down in Folkestone, who took to the Harbour Arm for the first time in 2018 with some trepidation. But with hundreds turning up to honour the star, a marker was set down and the attendance was doubled when it was recreated in 2019.

Having had a Covid hiatus, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever returned on July 30th 2023 due to popular demand, and has continued to grow ever since”.

One cannot say that Kate Bush’s influence is minor or dwindling. Even if she has not released new music since 2011, Bush is still active. Engaging with fans and putting work into the world. Her Little Shrew (Snowflake) video from last year. Her charity work and the fact that her music trends on social media. New artists citing her as an influence and exiting mainstream artists definitely channelling Kate Bush. There have been Kate Bush tribute acts for many years now. However, there are more events and tributes emerging. Hardly a shock when you consider the continuing ripples from the Stranger Things effect from 2022.

I am going to wrap up soon. I wanted to salute greats like Cloudbusting, Baby Bushka, An Evening Without Kate Bush and any event, gathering or charity event where Kate Bush is very much at the heart. I think we will see even more new tributes and representations of her work. People showing their affection and love of Kate Bush. I am interested to see how this expands and diversifies through this year. Even though these tribute acts are not like seeing Kate Bush live, it is an accessible way of getting to experience her music live. We might never get another chance to see Kate Bush’s music staged by her. Wonderful tribute acts performing in her style and her songs. A Classical representation later this year. Bush’s music backed by an orchestra. Something I have always longed to see. The grandeur and beauty that can elevate the already brilliant music of Kate Bush. I must confess I have never seen a Kate Bush tribute live. I need to rectify that. Go to the next Cabaret vs Cancer and performers like Sooz Kempner perform. I would love to get involved with The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever next year. I have interviewed Sarah-Louise Young but I have not seen her live. The adulation and applause these incredible acts  Even though the original is very much with us, there are these stunning tributes taking Bush’s legacy and brilliance around the world. It not only gives fans exposure to her music and wonder. We think more deeply about Kate Bush. More than just her music too. More than streaming can do. I would love to see Kate Bush put a post on her official website about some of the tribute acts and events. In spite of the fact there are already quite a few exceptional Kate Bush tributes and tribute acts, I think we will see this taken up a whole new level…

BY the end of the year.

FEATURE: A Supergroup United: USA for Africa’s We Are the World at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

A Supergroup United

USA for Africa’s We Are the World at Forty

_________

THE years 1984…

PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features 

and 1985 saw huge charity fundraising across the world. Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? was released in late-1984 and raised huge amounts to tackle famine across Africa, especially Ethiopia (and the horrible scenes protected from there). A year later, in July 1985, Live Aid was staged in the U.K. and U.S. A monumental live extravaganza that was viewed by millions, there was another charity endeavour in the U.S. Similar to the U.K.’s Band Aid, the U.S. counterpart, USA for Africa, launched a single in March 1985. In fact, on 7th March, 1985 – four months before Live Aid -, We Are the World was released. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, it was produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album, We Are the World. The single was a smash and sold in excess of twenty million physical copies. It was the eighth-best-selling single of all time. Like Band Aid, the single was designed to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was the success and togetherness of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? that inspired Harry Belafonte to act. A host of high-profile musicians were recruited for the project. It was quite a quick and maybe rushed process, with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie finishing the writing of the single the night before the first recording session. In terms of those involved, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Tina Turner were among the invitees. Like Band Aid, there were some notable omissions (Madonna and Prince for example). A number one single around the world in 1985, this, together with Band Aid’s single sucess, has a huge legacy. In years since, there have been a number of charity singles recorded to raised money for important causes and affected people around the world. As We Are the World turns forty on 7th March, I wanted to discuss its legacy and recording.

I know it is controversial and problematic discussing Michael Jackson today in any positive light. However, as it is for a bigger cause and it is not strictly about him, I can proceed (with some caution). I want to start with a future from The Independent that looked inside the making of the biggest-selling charity single ever. It was clearly this wonderful and strange experience for all involved:

“Diana Ross jumped in Bob Dylan’s lap. Billy Joel fawned over Ray Charles. Lindsey Buckingham disturbed Michael Jackson hiding in the bathroom, and Waylon Jennings stormed out when the row got too heated. When you put together, for one night only, the greatest supergroup ever constructed, even with a sign saying “check your egos at the door” at the entrance, sparks are going to fly.

Such were the scenes at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles on 28 January 1985, when the biggest musical stars in America – minus Madonna and Prince, plus Dan Aykroyd – convened to record “We Are the World”, the USA’s answer to Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. USA for Africa, as the band would be known, was not short of spotlight hoggers – among its ranks could be found Jackson, Dylan, Charles, Joel, Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner. The likes of Fleetwood Mac’s Buckingham, The Jackson Five, Bette Midler and the table-thumping godfather of rock’s mid-Eighties famine relief efforts Bob Geldof were reduced to mere faces in a chorus line of 46 stars.

The song would become America’s greatest moment of musical magnanimity – selling 20 million copies, the single raised more than $63m for aid in the US and Africa, where famine in Ethiopia would claim 1.2 million lives between 1983 and 1985. In the earliest days of the collaborative charity single, “We Are the World” set an unmatchable bar – no greater collection of superstar artists have ever congregated in the same studio since. If many subsequent charity single line-ups were glittering, this one could blind.

“I think it’s pretty timeless,” says Kim Carnes, of “Bette Davis Eyes” fame, one of the 21 soloists on the song. “Wherever I go fans will inevitably say ‘you were a part of “We Are the World”, what was that like?’ People really want to know the details because the song made a huge impact.”

Initially, USA for Africa was the brainchild of songwriter and activist Harry Belafonte. Shocked by the footage of starving children beamed onto NBC, he began recruiting fellow stars in December 1984 for what he envisaged as a benefit concert for the famine relief effort. One of his first calls was to Ken Kragen, manager of around half of the highest-charting US artists in the early Eighties.

“When Belafonte called me, it was just two days before Christmas, at about one or two in the afternoon,” Kragen recalls today. As they spoke, the project morphed into a charity song in the mould of Band Aid instead. “I said, ‘Harry, Geldof showed us the way. We’ve got artists who are bigger worldwide here and I represent a couple of the biggest… let me see if we can put that together’.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

By the time he’d reached his client Lionel Richie’s house that same day Kragen had already recruited Kenny Rogers, and before he’d finished a meeting with producer Dick Clark to discuss Richie’s job hosting the 1985 American Music Awards on 28 January he’d struck on the idea of recording the song after the awards, since the event would be bringing most of America’s biggest music stars to LA. All they needed to do was convince them to swing by a studio rather than an aftershow. Little did they realise they were about to form the biggest and best supergroup of all time.

Kragen envisaged Richie writing the song with Stevie Wonder, and Richie set about trying to track Wonder down. “Lionel kept trying to get in touch with Stevie all night,” Kragen says. “The next morning, [Richie’s] wife Brenda is in a jewellery store, the day before Christmas now, and who walks in looking for gifts? It’s Stevie Wonder. He asked Brenda to help him pick out gifts and Brenda said, ‘Not unless you call my husband back.’” At the same time, Kragen caught producer Quincy Jones as he was about to board a plane to Hawaii for Christmas. “I ask him if he would produce it and he immediately says yes. I said to him, ‘Would you get Michael [Jackson] to perform on the song?’ In 30 minutes or so, Quincy calls me back and says, ‘Michael not only wants to do the song, he wants to write it with Stevie and Lionel.’”

IN THIS PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features

Jackson was riding high on the success of Thriller, the album that would seal his place as the biggest artist in the world, so Kragen knew he’d pulled off one of the greatest coups in pop history. “The day after Christmas, or two days after, I get a call from Belafonte. He said, ‘So Ken, have you been thinking about what we talked about?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’ve got a song written by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones is producing, and Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and Lindsey Buckingham have all agreed to be on it.’” Happy Christmas, Harry.

With only a month to go until the AMAs, Kragen and his team of 50 set about piecing the line-up together at a furious pace. “I took the Billboard charts and decided I would not go to sleep each night until I had confirmed two artists from the chart,” he says. “I would work my way down the charts. I had the number one artist, Michael Jackson. We thought we would get Prince because Sheila E was a good friend of Lionel’s, Lionel was number three, Kenny was in the top 10, we already had a big hunk of the top 10.”

The key moment was when Bruce Springsteen came on board. “John Landau was managing Bruce Springsteen and I knew John,” says Kragen. “I called John and said, ‘Can we get Bruce?’ and he said, ‘Oh my god, Bruce is finishing up two years on the road, touring constantly.’ I said, ‘John, you personally are going to be able to take credit for saving millions of lives if you get your client to do this.’ The next thing I know, on 15 January, Jon Landau called me and said, ‘Bruce Springsteen is in,’ and from that day I never made another outgoing call. All I did was answer the phone. The floodgates opened and mostly I had to turn people down. I wanted about 20 people, we ended up with 45.”

Kragen remembers Eddie Murphy’s manager rejecting the request and can’t recall Madonna’s excuse, but cites only John Denver and Joan Baez as artists he didn’t book but wished he had. “We really should have had Baez,” he says. “Jeff Bridges and I were driving out to Live Aid together on one of the rehearsal days. Jeff turns to me and says, ‘You know, Ken, I feel like the seeds that were planted by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and others in the Sixties and lay fallow in the ‘Me’ generation of the Seventies have now, in the Eighties, broken through the ground, blossomed, and are bearing fruit.’”

Meanwhile, according to Kragen, Wonder “disappeared” to Philadelphia, so Richie co-wrote the song over a week in Jackson’s bedroom at his family home in Encino. In his autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson claimed he already had the root of the song. “I used to ask my sister Janet to follow me into a room with interesting acoustics like a closet or the bathroom,” he wrote. “I’d sing to her, just a note, a rhythm of a note ... I’d just hum from the bottom of my throat. I’d say, ‘Janet, what do you see when you hear this sound?’ And this time she said, ‘Dying children in Africa.’ ‘You’re right. That’s what I was dictating from my soul.’”

Richie told Billboard that the pair would listen to national anthems to get a feel for the enormity of the song – when they weren’t being interrupted by unexpected intruders. “I’m on the floor in Michael’s bedroom,” he said. “I don’t think he had a bed – he just slept on the floor. There’s a bunch of albums around the wall ... and I hear over my shoulder, hhhhhhhhhhhh. There was a goddamn f***ing python. A boa constrictor, a python, who cares what the hell it was. It was a big-ass, ugly-ass snake ... I was screaming. And Michael’s saying: ‘There he is, Lionel, we found him. He was hiding behind the albums.’ I said: ‘You’re out of your freaking mind.’ It took me about two hours to calm my ass back down.”

With Jackson enthusiastically rushing out a demo, the song was finished on 21 January, the day before the initial recording session at Kenny Rogers’ Lion Share Recording Studio. Here, Jones, Jackson, Richie, Wonder (“Stevie walked in and he said, ‘OK, I’m here, let’s write the song,’” says Kragen) and a band including Toto’s David Paich laid down a guide take of the song without trying to perfect it. Quincy Jones mailed numbered cassette copies to all of the participants along with a note: “My fellow artists... In the years to come, when your children ask, ‘What did mommy and daddy do for the war against world famine?’, you can say proudly, this was your contribution.”

Meanwhile, every detail of the session was plotted in advance. “Quincy said, ‘we can’t leave anything to chance.’” Kragen remembers. “’You can’t let superstars walk into that room with the slightest uncertainty of what they’re going to do. They will fight over what parts they think are the best, where they’re going to stand. So we’re going to put on the music who sings what when.’”

IN THIS PHOTO: Lionel Richie and Cyndi Lauper (with Tina Turner in the background)/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features 

In a bungalow off Sunset Boulevard, Kragen and his production team decided on a location for the session amid the utmost secrecy. “The single most damaging piece of information is where we’re doing this,” he said. “If that shows up anywhere, we’ve got a chaotic situation that could totally destroy the project. The moment a Prince, a Michael Jackson, a Bob Dylan drives up and sees a mob around that studio, he will never come in.“

In fact, it was the age-old battle between pop and rock which almost destroyed the project at the very last minute. “The night before, at the rehearsal for the American Music Awards, I was approached by the manager of one of the rock artists,” Kragen says. “He said, ‘The rockers don’t like the song and they don’t want to stand next to the non-rockers on the stage so we’re leaving.’ He didn’t tell me who, he acted like all the rockers were going to leave. I said to him, ‘Look, we’re recording tomorrow, you’re there or you’re not.’ They went to Bruce and Bruce said, ‘I came out here to save lives and feed people, I’m not going anywhere.’ If The Boss was there, you had to remain. He really saved the day.”

In the event only Prince shunned the session, with Huey Lewis taking his allotted line. Instead, he sent Sheila E as his representative while he partied the night away on Sunset. In Alan Light’s book Let’s Go Crazy, Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin would claim he didn’t show “because he thinks he’s a badass and he wanted to look cool, and he felt like the song for ‘We Are the World’ was horrible and he didn’t want to be around ‘all those muthaf***as’.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Tina Turner and Billy Joel/PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Emerson/Polaris

“Prince’s name is actually printed on the music,” Kragen says, “because Quincy had the idea of having the two rivals, Michael and Prince, at the same microphone. It didn’t happen. Sheila E tried her best to get him there. He did call while we were recording, he reached Quincy and said, ‘Can I come over and lay down a [guitar] track?’ and Quincy said, ‘No, we’ve already done the basic tracks.’ One of the reasons Prince didn’t come was he’s used to going into a recording studio and playing all the parts. Not just him and another star, him and nobody else. So the idea of walking into a room full of superstars, plenty of the people that were there were intimidated. He went to a nightclub instead and when he came out his bodyguards beat up some paparazzi, and that made a box in the big article in the LA Times about what we did. So he was really embarrassed by that [Prince later penned B-side “Hello”, claiming paparazzi intrusion had stopped him attending]. When we decided that we were going to put out an album, Prince submitted a song right away for that.”

The rest of the superstar class of ’85 took their AMA limos full of bodyguards straight to A&M studios – except Springsteen. “A crowd had formed around the gates because they saw the limos arriving one after the other,” Kragen laughs. “I’m standing out there greeting the artists as they’re coming out of their cars. All of a sudden, a guy pushes his way through the crowd. He’s in cut-off gloves and a leather jacket. I recognise him immediately, it’s Bruce. He says, ‘Hey man, I got a great parking space across LaBrea...’”

Inside, the mother of all A-list bonding sessions was under way. When Ray Charles arrived, Billy Joel exclaimed, “That’s like the Statue of Liberty walking in,” and was visibly shaking when Quincy Jones introduced him to Charles: “Ray, this is the guy who wrote ‘New York State of Mind’.” When Joel explained the song was a homage to Charles, the pianists struck up a lasting friendship, recording a duet “Baby Grand” within a year. Charles also spent much of the night drinking with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, a knees-up that would eventually result in Farm Aid”.

I want to bring in some detail from an in-depth feature Esquire published in 2020. They chart the chronology of the recording of We Are the World. Forty-five artists combining in these marathon recording sessions. They write about the recording from 30th January (1985) through the following morning. It was this incredible process. I am picking it up from 5 a.m. on 31st January (the first recording session was 28th January, 1985):

“It can be like half singing, half talking.”

Jones was talking to Dylan. The producer was reassuring him that he could do his solo. The unusual nasal sound of Dylan’s voice was what made him Dylan, but in that room of recognizable voices, he appeared nervous and unsure. Even as Jones talked him through his solo, encouraging him, James Ingram, the supersmooth soul voice who was presently wearing a really cool tracksuit, strolled behind them. Warwick, whose vocal cords were made of honey, sat on the risers nearby.

Dylan crinkled his eyes at Jones.

“Did somebody else sing it already, on the track?”

“Huh?”

“So I can hear it?”

Trbovich was filming all of this. And yeah, he says, Dylan was nervous. “But can I tell you something? I swear: Most. People. Do. Get nervous in front of a camera. I don’t care who they are. I remember, the first Academy Awards I did, I was a stage manager. And I remember Katharine Hepburn digging her nails into my hand before she walked out there to this live audience.”

“Tell you what, Bob,” Jones said. “Stevie!”

He and Dylan met Wonder over at a piano, and Wonder played the chords of the song. All three of them tried to sing like Dylan, in unison. Even Wonder was doing his best Dylan impression, right there, to Dylan, to show Dylan how to sing this part like Dylan.

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“There’s a choice wehr makin’, wehr see-vin ah own lives. Iss choo we make a brightah dee, jes yooo and meee.”

Dylan was rocking back and forth by now, singing along with himself. Starting to feel it. Behind this little work session, the other players milled around. Ingram, Jarreau, Joel, Springsteen, Richie. But when it came time for Dylan to record his part, Jones gave a little nod, and the room pretty much cleared. Only Wonder remained, at the piano, as a kind of comfort. And Trbovich, camera ever on his shoulder.

Dylan stood, black leather jacket zipped up, one thumb hooked in a belt loop, holding the sheet music up to his face, and sang it three or four times.

“Is that sorta it? Sorta like that?” Dylan asked, barely looking up.

Jones walked out and embraced him, and for the first time that night Dylan’s face spread into a smile.

He took a deep breath and walked back over to where the risers were. Springsteen stepped forward.

Headphones on, Springsteen moved his hips in a workingman’s dance, hearing the track as he waited to come in with his part. Jones later said Springsteen was “one of the hardest-working cats I’ve ever met before in my life. I kept waiting for him to get tired and sit down and rest. He kept saying, ‘Want me to do it again?’ ”

He sang the words as if a child were dying in his arms right then and there, his sandpaper rasp trailing into something like grief at the end of each line. When he’d finished, he opened his eyes and shuffled away from the mic. His peers broke into applause, especially Diana Ross, sitting cross-legged on the piano bench behind him. Springsteen, a ham, flapped his hands, as if telling the crowd, “More! More!” Then, “Thank you, thank you!”

Jones said, “Well, that takes care of that.”

8:20 AM

“It’s only twenty after eight,” Paul Simon said, laughing, to Jones, who had arranged the strings on his 1973 song “Something So Right.”

People began filing out, reuniting with what few of their family and friends remained. Carnes cracked the door open to catch a ride with a friend of hers who had been there all night. “I just remember being shocked that it was so light outside, that the sun was up,” she says.

Jackson, meanwhile, stood clear across the studio, against the back wall.

He asked Kragen if he could review the video footage before the first bits of it were edited and released to the press in the coming days as a one-minute clip. Sternberg turned to Jackson and said of course, and that she would send it to his home.

“What’s your address?” Sternberg asked.

He looked at her for a second, then said, “I just know how to get there through the back streets.”

In March of this year, Richie was being interviewed about the death of his friend and collaborator Kenny Rogers (who was also managed by Kragen) when he mused briefly about re-creating “We Are the World” to raise money to fight COVID-19. “I must admit,” he said, “every once in a while, God has to do something to get us back on track.”

But he knew organizing something like that was unlikely. Certainly not in the sudden, haphazard, Sure, let’s-do-it, call-Quincy-and-Bruce way they’d done it in 1985. No, it’s a different world.

IN THIS PHOTO: Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Paul Simon/PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Emerson/Polaris

“We came in like little kids on their first day of kindergarten,” Richie says, “and we were all kind of looking at each other, but we didn’t quite—‘Oh my God, there’s that kid over there, and there’s that other kid over there.’ Everyone was kind of freaked out standing next to each other for a brief moment, and then all of a sudden we realized: It’s not about us! We’re actually using our voice and our celebrity to save some people, and it’s about us giving everything we have to save their lives. So I think the brilliance of that evening was, we started out as forty-five artists looking at each other and going, ‘Yeah, I’m famous, and you’re famous . . . .’ We left as a family.”

Sternberg that night had one last concern: phone calls to the press. She had reporters lined up at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. From among the few people left in Studio A, she asked for volunteers. Richie could barely keep his eyes open. Ross declined.

Steve Perry, who had been the first one to arrive the night before, said, “Okay!” And he and Sternberg rode over to the offices of Kragen and Company in West Hollywood.

Kragen looked around at the empty studio. Cords snaked across the floor. Empty Budweisers and Styrofoam cups and crumpled papers littered tables. He adjusted his big glasses and put on his sport coat over his white usa for africa sweatshirt.
He walked out into the chilly light. It felt almost strange to be outside again, after being in the studio for so many eventful hours. He unlocked the door of his Jaguar and the alarm system began blaring into the otherwise quiet air—and he had no idea how to turn it off.

He got in the car and tried everything—the key, the alarm button, nothing worked. And the engine wouldn’t start unless he left the door open. He lived just a few miles away, in the Holmby Hills neighborhood, way down Sunset. Screw it. He started the engine, put it in gear, and drove the whole way with his door open, the car’s lights flashing, and the alarm blaring”.

Articles like this argue that We Are the World masked the problems it was trying to highlight. That it was a bunch of famous artists getting together who made no real-world impact. Politics and music mixing in a bad way. Even though I am simply sourcing from Wikipedia, they collate some good information about the legacy of We Are the World. Divisive though the song might be, USA for Africa did make a difference:

“In contrast, Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the phrase "There's a choice we're making, We're saving our own lives". He wrote that the line assumed "an extra emotional dimension when sung by people with superstar mystiques". Holden wrote that the song was "an artistic triumph that transcends its official nature". He noted that unlike Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas", the vocals on "We Are the World" were "artfully interwoven" and emphasized the individuality of each singer. Holden concluded that "We Are the World" was "a simple, eloquent ballad" and a "fully-realized pop statement that would sound outstanding even if it weren't recorded by stars".

The song proved popular with both young and old listeners. People in Columbia, Missouri, reported they bought more than one copy of the single, some buying up to five copies of the record at one time.

According to the music critic and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh, "We Are the World" was not widely accepted within the rock music community. Marsh said it was dismissed as it was not "a rock record, a critique of the political policies that created the famine, a way of finding out how and why famines occur, an all-inclusive representation of the entire worldwide spectrum of post-Presley popular music". Though Marsh agreed with some of the criticisms, he felt that, despite its sentimentality, "We Are the World" was a large-scale pop event with serious political overtones

"We Are the World" has been recognized as a politically important song, which "affected an international focus on Africa that was simply unprecedented". It has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the world felt inclined to follow. According to The New York Times' Stephen Holden, since the release of "We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made within popular music to create songs that address humanitarian concerns. "We Are the World" was also influential in subverting the way music and meaning were produced, showing that musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively and creatively. Ebony described the January 28 recording session, in which Quincy Jones brought together a multi-racial group, as being "a major moment in world music that showed we can change the world" “We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid, demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but a political and social movement. Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get results.

Since the release of "We Are the World", and the Band Aid single that influenced it, numerous songs have been recorded in a similar fashion, with the intent to aid disaster victims throughout the world. One such example involved a supergroup of Latin musicians billed as "Hermanos del Tercer Mundo", or "Brothers of the Third World". Among the supergroup of 62 recording artists were Julio Iglesias, José Feliciano, and Sérgio Mendes. Their famine relief song was recorded in the same studio as "We Are the World". Half of the profits raised from the charity single was pledged to USA for Africa. The rest of the money was to be used for impoverished Latin American countries. Other notable examples include the 1989 cover of the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water" by a supergroup of hard rock, prog rock, and heavy metal musicians collaborating as Rock Aid Armenia to raise money for victims of the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake, the 1986 all-star OPM single "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo", which talked about the optimism the Filipinos needed after the People Power Revolution, the 1997 Star Records all-star recording "Sa Araw ng Pasko", the 2003 all-star OPM recording "Biyahe Tayo" which promoted Philippine tourism and its subsequent 2011 remake "Pilipinas, Tara Na!"and the 2009 all-star OPM recordings "Star ng Pasko" and "Kaya Natin Ito!" as a means to provide hope to the survivors of Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy). Several GMA Network personalities also recorded another inspirational ballad, "Bangon Kaibigan" in 2013 to provide hope to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda)”.

As 7th March marks the fortieth anniversary of We Are the World – the first single from the album of the same name -, I wanted to write about it here. There are those who dismiss the single and supergroup. That it was cashing in or exploring famine. It was just a song designed to raise money without really engaging with those affected. Even if it has a complex legacy, forty years later, it is clear that its intentions were good. Making people aware at least of the famine and suffering in Africa. A whole raft of charity singles released since can be traced to We Are the World. For that reason alone, USA for Africa’s 1985 single made…

A big impact.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Cardinals

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Cardinals

_________

A very special band…

PHOTO CREDIT: Kalisha Quinlan

who are already tipped as future legends, I wanted to spend some time with Cardinals. Ireland are producing some incredible artists at the moment. Maybe not a new trend, we are seeing more Irish acts spotlighted and written about. I am going to include a few interviews and features around Cardinals. First, going back to last year, DIY got to know a wonderful band who I feel are going to be festival headliners in years to come:

“Cardinals are, by all accounts, firmly on course to become Ireland’s next great success story. Having been co-signed by the nation’s premiere alt-rock flag-bearer Grian Chatten, the months since their arresting debut single ‘Roseland’ have seen them flourish in earnest; evoking melancholic nostalgia and tentative hope in equal measure, their ambitious sound - set to be crystallised in this summer’s self-titled debut project - draws as much from The Cure and trad folk sensibilities as it does from contemporary shoegaze textures.

A distinct product of their Cork stomping ground, Cardinals are markedly skilled at creating both widescreen drama and understated, poignant emotion - both of which, unsurprisingly, hit hardest when experienced live. To mark the recent announcement of their six-track EP (and its accompanying UK and Ireland tour), we caught up with the band to learn more about the Cork scene, their musical light-bulb moments, and a particularly, er, interesting dinner proposition.

What were the first song(s) you developed an obsession for?

Euan [Manning, guitar and vocals]: ‘Ring Of Fire’ by Johnny Cash; Mum and Dad would put it on in the car. ‘Love is a burning thing’ - what a line.

Aaron [Hurley, bass]: ‘2.45am’, by Elliot Smith. When I discovered that album in the summer of 2021 I was in complete awe. I used to listen to it front to back and back again when I was working in a canteen, it was constantly down my ears. I woke up really early one morning, got the first bus to Cork City and bought my first acoustic guitar. I tried learning ‘2.45am’ with no prior experience and now whenever I hear that opening progression it brings me back to 18 year old me butchering it in my old bedroom.

Finn [Manning, accordion]: The poignancy of the walk-down bass line from Leonard Cohen’s guitar in ‘The Partisan’ is always something that has grabbed me, even from the first time I heard the song. The trill of the higher end notes on the guitar are gallant, and support the sad, yet heroic lyrics regarding the story of a French rebel in Vichy France. What I love about Cohen is his timelessness; stories of resistance to oppression are as important today as ever.

Darragh [Manning, drums]: ‘Archangel’, by Burial. I remember being in a coffee shop with my mam when I was 10 or 11. It’s a coffee shop that we visited frequently that had a vinyl shop over it - they always played good music. I can’t remember what I loved about the track back then since it was over ten years ago, I probably just thought it was catchy. But today I can appreciate how crunchy the drums sound and how gloomy the overall track is. I remember immediately downloading it to my iPod at the time.

Oskar [Gudinovic, guitar]: ‘This Is The Day’, by The The. It provided a feeling of comfort for me during a time of great change. I found it, listened to it excessively, and never got sick of it. It still follows and haunts me, even after my obsession has passed. I generally believe the best pop songs pull equally from euphoria and sorrow, and this song was the first time I realised that.

You hail from Cork - can you tell us a bit more about the music scene there at the moment? Where do Cardinals fit in with the area’s other emerging artists?

Cork’s ethos when it comes to music is very DIY, people put on shows wherever they can. It’s very exciting, some of our favourite artists are here in Cork. We take what we can from the city and are constantly looking for people that are doing new and exciting things. Cork’s small but it has lots of character, and that’s definitely reflected in the scene and its people. I like to think everyone’s hitting off each other and taking inspiration - the idea that people are making great music makes you want to get up and do something yourself: write a song, put on a gig, join a band.

‘Cardinals’, your debut EP, is set to arrive in June. In what ways does it capture or reflect you as a band? And what aspect of the project are you most proud of?

I think the EP captures our feeling as individuals living in Cork city; of course our artistic and musical influences permeate through the record, but it very much comes from our own experiences. It’s a confession really, like getting something off our chests. We’re proud of doing something that’s inherently us - I reckon that’s all you can be proud of when it comes to the songs.
Your sound incorporates ‘80s indie-pop, elements of trad folk, shoegaze and more. As a five-piece, how do you go about negotiating these different influences and creative perspectives?

It comes very naturally now - we spend so much time together that sharing ideas and thoughts is easy and free. We don’t deliberately try to incorporate different influences when writing, we just go for what feels right, constantly pushing each other to try new ideas and go further. The process is invigorating and reaffirming; it helps that we’re so close.

You’ve just announced your debut tour of the UK and Ireland. What’s on your rider, and what three things can people expect from a Cardinals show?

Bottle of Paddy on the rider. I reckon people can expect to dance, to have fun, and to maybe meet the person they love as well (hopefully)”.

I am going to move to a feature from January. CLASH looked back on a breakthrough year for the band. If you do not know about Cardinals then you need to check them out as soon as possible. It is interesting reading CLASH’s words and charting some of the key events from 2024. A band who are very much on the radar now:

“Irish band Cardinals supported New York’s Been Stellar on their UK and Irish tour a few weeks back, and before their Glasgow gig at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut we took the opportunity to talk Aaron Hurley (bass) and brothers Euan Manning (guitar, vocals) and Finn Manning (accordion) about their eventful year.

Catching them in reflective mode as 2024 drew its final breaths, Cardinals looked back on a year that saw them release their self-titled debut EP in June 2024 on So Young Recordings. A myriad of highlights saw the band end their breakout year with two show sin New York. Completed by Darragh Manning (drums) and Oskar Gudinovic (guitar), the Irish group blend indie rock heft with folk-hewn introspection, their poetic songwriting earning comparisons to R.E.M. in the process.

Julia Mason traces their story.

I first saw you at Left of the Dial, Rotterdam in October 2023, and you released the single ‘Roseland’ your first on So Young Recordings the following month. How did working with the label come about?

Aaron: We started talking to So Young in February of 2023 so there was quite a long period between us starting talking to them and then releasing something with them. We recorded the EP in August 2023 and that was just before we went to Left of the Dial. The campaign started then with ‘Roseland’ the month after.

Can you tell me a little about your experience at Left of the Dial, because it’s such an important festival. They managed to capture bands just at the right time.

Aaron: It was great for us, it was the first time going and playing in Europe, so not the UK or Ireland. We had so much fun at it, we got to stay in a hostel together, and we were having great fun. First show was at Perron Small and then every show we played, I suppose a bit of word would get around and we would get more people. We did three shows and the last show was pretty busy, people knew the words from being at the show the day before. Such a cool experience.

Euan: They are so good there. They just take care of everyone so well. We had a nice place to stay and you got good food, and they were just super friendly in. You always get that in Holland, I always love playing in Holland.

So getting onboard with So Young was quite early for you.

Euan: We weren’t necessarily shopping around for labels, it just happened.

Finn: We were kind of gigging for fun, just doing the scene in the city, and I had only joined the band a couple of months before. Did not expect it!  Euan sent me a text one day when I was at work to say we’ve got news to tell you when you get home about labels and managers. We decided to get serious, very exciting. And they’re great, So Young.

With the release of the EP, and this is a compliment, you don’t have necessarily a distinct sound because the songs are quite varied.  Is that fair and is that something that you wanted to embrace and showcase with your debut EP?

Aaron: I think with that EP we were trying to showcase range and the broader aspects of Cardinals, but I do think that we have a sound now that is quite a distinctive sound, and something that we’re pursuing is a specific set of themes and things like that, musically. But I do think that the EP was a broad range.

Euan: I think the EP came about as we were playing mostly in Cork, and we’ve written songs mostly in Cork, and it was just like, these are the songs we have. And that’s a reflection of band in the moment. This is us right now. As we move forward, we’re looking at making more of a statement, maybe something that’s a bit more together thematically and sonically. But at the time that was just us and we were quite happy to put ourselves out there as a group that had come together as friends.

And it’s very natural that you would evolve. Look at the year that you’ve had, that’s going to have an influence I suspect on your music and your view going forward. I know you’ve talked in previous interviews about Cork and how important it is to you, but now you’ve experienced so much more in the last 12 months.  I’m guessing that’s going to seep into your songwriting.

Finn:  We’re writing a lot of new stuff at the moment, and Cork is still clearly very important to what we’re doing. And you can see that pop up in lyrics and how we play. So maybe not moving away from that but taking on the experiences we’ve had because we’ve had a very busy year this year.

You had your first headline UK and Ireland tour in 2024. How was that? Nerve wracking or exciting?

Aaron: A bit of both. The first show was kind of nerve wracking. We played our first show in Birmingham, and that was like, “Okay, this is a headline tour” but we found a groove pretty quickly. I remember playing in Glasgow and feeling totally at home on tour and thinking “This is great, I’m enjoying this a lot.” It went well, and I think the nerves went away pretty quickly.

Euan: And London really finished it off (at the Windmill Brixton). There were a few familiar faces and a big crowd in a full room”.

I am going to finish with this feature from DORK. Taking in (and conquering) New York to writing their own rulebook, it seems that this band have the ammunition, belief and talent to go so far in the industry. A stunning live band who have a legion of fans around the world, there will be questions as to whether we will get a debut album later this year. It is something that we cannot rule out at the moment:

“Fever-dream esque meetings with heads of state aside, it’s been a busy year for the Cork natives, with their self-titled EP being released in June, and new song ‘Get It’ following in early October. Throw in support slots with Kings of Leon, festival appearances, and their first ever headline tour, and it’s a hell of a schedule for a band right out the gate.

“We’re so busy we don’t have time to think about it,” says Euan. “There’s no time off, but in a nice way. It’s a good build.”

“We’ve no time to dwell on it, so it doesn’t feel momentous in the moment.” agrees bassist Aaron Hurley. “It definitely doesn’t feel like we’re established as a band yet. I don’t know if a band is truly established until they release their debut album – maybe not even then. There’s always something else to achieve, so it’s hard to pick a point and say: ‘we’ve made it’.

A philosophy of taking it moment by moment and constantly reaching the next milestone isn’t unique to the band, but the ease with which they’ve hit new levels one after the other just might be. Since releasing their first single ‘Amsterdam’ just a couple of years ago, they’ve ploughed their own furrow with a sound which sometimes settles near Echo & The Bunnymen, sometimes REM, and sometimes somewhere completely different. Latest single ‘Get It’ is yet another shift, half love-song and half melancholic reflection on peoples’ changing natures, it’s also maybe the poppiest track they’ve released to date. “The reaction’s been class,” says Oskar. “It’s even reached America pretty well.”

“We’re breaking America!” laughs Euan, to grins from his bandmates. “We just wanted to write a pop song, so we did. I think we succeeded in that, or I hope so, anyway.”

This restlessness, coupled with a healthy dose of self-confidence, is at the core of a band who aren’t content to find a sound and stick safely within its boundaries, but instead seem keen to constantly try new things from song to song. Despite this wide range of influences, Euan’s unique vocals and the looming presence of key touchpoints like Cork, the city they’re from, ensure they’ll never be mistaken for another band, no matter how adventurous their next single. “We’re writing the album at the moment, and there is a feeling of making it more thematically and sonically consistent,” acknowledges Euan. “It’s coming together very strongly, and I feel like it’s in a good place. An album is a statement, so it’ll be quite different to the EP in that regard.”

“We look at the EP as a collection of songs,” adds Aaron. “Thematically it isn’t continuous – there’s a lot of experimentation there and we wrote them quite a while ago, so there’s a difference from the album. Those songs from the EP are still evolving though, we make new connections with them every time we play them live.”

Making those connections without slipping into autopilot is what makes Cardinals’ shows such a draw, with every venue we’ve seen them at being packed to the rafters with dedicated fans – something which is even more impressive considered how new they still are. Most gigs abroad are in countries they’re playing for the first time, but fans seem to be waiting expectantly everywhere they go. When we speak to them, they’re gearing up for their first ever transatlantic gigs, playing two shows in The Big Apple before the year is out. “We’ve not played New York before – I don’t think any of us have even been there before!” says Euan. “We’re looking forward to taking in the Christmas feeling, going to Macy’s or skating on an ice rink or something. I dunno, whatever it is they do over there.” He says with a laugh.

Part of the joy for any band is the opportunity to fly thousands of miles away and experience a new country while technically claiming it’s all for work and you’re definitely not only doing it so you can see the Statue of Liberty and take photos of yellow taxicabs (No, just us? – Ed). But distance can also reduce a band down to a few broad strokes in the eyes of wherever they’re going, with a band like Cardinals running the risk of being labelled one-dimensionally as an ‘Irish band’, with none of the nuance that entails. “You can definitely feel the fetishisation of Irish culture, both in the UK and the US, and further afield.” says Euan. “But that doesn’t mean we’re going to throw away or neglect our heritage. We’re quite proud Irish men, and proud Cork men as well. We just take it in our stride. There is a lot to take from our cultural identity, and there’s no point putting that on the backburner just because we’re afraid of people fetishising it.”

This pride in where they’re from can be felt in lyrical references to Cork, sprinkled through Cardinals’ songs, and the inspiration taken from the city’s literary heritage. “We all still live in the city, and we’re reading writers or artists like Kevin Barry and Frank O’Connor, we’re listening to The Frank and Walters, or the Sultans of Ping – Cork is still a huge part of who we are.” Euan says. “But that’s not to say we aren’t pulling from all over the place as well. Nowadays it’s so easy to get your hands on different media, different books, so of course that has an impact on our songs and will do on the album, too”.

I am going to leave things there. I am fairly recent to Cardinals but it is obvious that they are a very special band. After a debut album comes out, no doubt they will be headlining stages and embarking on a world tour. So soon into their career and they have already achieved so much. Ireland is giving us some of the most important talent of the past decade or so. When it comes to this force of nature…

MAKE sure you don’t miss out.

______________

Follow Cardinals

PHOTO CREDIT: Jules van Eijs 

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cardinalsband_

Twitter:

https://x.com/bandcardinals

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxsR6jzSoYDH7jGq_BTdKog

Bandcamp:

https://cardinalsie.bandcamp.com/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0qmHQLCyJrgGFtqLDSRHJ4?si=A_6aOIksTdmhoNbYMw6UZw

FEATURE: Spotlight: Bibi Lucille

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Bibi Lucille

_________

THIS is a feature…

where I will spotlight an artist who I think genuinely has a long future in the music industry. Even though she has not put out too many singles yet, I have been blown away by her sound! Her latest single, To Be Damned, followed 2024’s Addicted. I was lucky enough to interview Bibi Lucille in 2023 about her play, Meat Cute. This is a phenomenal actor, and a creative and fashion activist. Someone who, as an artist, has this distinct voice and sonic world. One I am fascinated in. I want to pull together some interviews with Bibi Lucille. As a relatively new artist, a lot of the content regarded her acting work and fashion activist brand, B.LUCILLE. I am always in awe of everything she does. A hilarious writer who is an exceptional and hugely versatile actor. Somebody that has, in part, influenced me to write comedy, she can portray so many emotions and inhabit so many different characters flawlessly. As an artist, no doubt many of the disciplines and experiences from her acting and writing C.V. feed into her music. I am definitely excited to see where she heads next and how her career blossoms. I would love to see her perform live and I can picture a stunning E.P. that includes Addicted, To Be Damned and a couple of other tracks. I do hope there is a video planned for To Be Damned because, as I listened to the song recently, I was stunned and instantly inhabited the song. So struck by its immediate brilliance, I speculated as to what a video would entail and look like. She is an artist that draws you into songs and gets into the heart and head. In such a competitive scene where it is hard to stand out, Bibi Lucille definitely has a passion, talent and vision that will see her endure for years and stand her aside from many of her peers. As mentioned, I do want to get to some interviews. Recent ones where we get to learn more about this incredible and inspiring (a word I will keep using but is very much accurate when discussing her) human.

To start, I want to source from a 2024 interview published by Voyage LA Magazine. I am going to end up by bringing it back to music. However, it is important that we get some background. The disciplines of acting and music close bedfellows. Discovering more about Bibi Lucille and her craft as an actor also ties into her career as an artist. Someone, as I mentioned, who has a long future ahead. I can see her releasing a series of albums and performing on some big stages around London:

“Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

It feels as though there was no official start date as to when I started acting. It was a thing that, for as long as I can remember, wanted. My parents enrolled me in acting classes at a young age, and at ten years old, my primary school cast me as the ‘Fairy Godmother’ in Cinderella. I was always a shy kid, but the second I climbed into that sparkly pink dress and faced the assembly hall, I transformed. My blanket of social awkwardness fell off and I was able to be outrageous, loud, bolshy – and make people laugh. I think that’s the thing that got me hooked. My career formally began when I left school at nineteen and bagged a lead role in the west end with Noel Coward’s ‘This Was a Man’ at Leicester Square Theatre. I went on to focus on theatre for years (between shifts at the call centre, of course). I bounced from playing Lady Anne at Baron’s Court to a nutty Jane Watson in a ‘Hound of the Baskervilles tour (which ended up on the mayor’s top picks in 2018, alongside Hamilton, no less). Theatre was always home to me, and still is now. But, unfortunately, even with some success, it’s an unsustainable career long term. So, after a few years, I turned to screen. I started with a plethora of short films before gaining some TV roles (‘Trust,’ Amazon Prime, and ‘Purgatory’ on Popstar!TV). But the most joy I found was in the web-series ‘I am Sophie’ that played as an ARG series where audiences on YouTube could get involved with the plot and speculate over the hidden clues and meanings within this complex horror narrative.

When covid hit, work dried up – as it did for most people in the arts. Thanks to my cousin (Anastasia Bunce, founder of Patch Plays Theatre), I started writing. The writing was something I never had any confidence in, but I loved writing short stories, poems, etc., as a hobby and then tucking them away into a folder on my computer labeled ‘PRIVATE.’ Anastasia encouraged me to write a short stand-up piece, which was well-received and was then turned into a full-blown, one-hour play called ‘Meat Cute’. It toured fringe venues and festivals around London in 2021 before being transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. The playtext was published by Aurora Metro publishers, and from there, I have continued to write and found great joy in creating my own projects.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Venturing down a creative path is never smooth, nor is it linear. I have had many sleepless nights where I’ve found myself digging a hole of doubt and fear as to whether I can sustain this career – if it will go anywhere or if I’ll hit middle age with little money and no concrete plan. Despite this, I love the industry more than I fear it. In recent years, I’ve come to understand that the pure volatility of it all is what makes it so exciting. We love stories that are full of ups and downs, joys and disappointments – if my own life wasn’t brimming with uncertainty, then I would find myself incurably bored. So, embracing the bumpy road and still driving at full speed is what keeps my excitement and passion for life alive, which is so important for every creative.

In my earlier years, I certainly struggled with naivety. You’d think the old adage of male directors telling young actresses that they’ll ‘make them a star’ has long passed, but it unfortunately still manifests itself in many different forms and in many different people. I was privy to several predatory behaviors, which instilled in me a real fear of the industry for a while. When I was about twenty-two, a particular incident of a man pretending to be an agent kicked all my motivation out of me for over half a year. I was terrified I’d keep being taken advantage of and that my spirit would be beaten to a pulp by the time I was in my mid-twenties. Fortunately, with a supportive family and community around me, I was able to pick myself back up and go at it full force, but without the bright eyes and bushy tails this time. As I’ve aged, I’ve found my voice and ensured that any untoward behavior is halted before it’s even started. It’s imperative that any woman entering the industry isn’t afraid to call out inappropriate behavior, as simply ‘dealing with it’ will destroy a love for the arts.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

As of the past few years, I’ve become a writer/performer. I love creating work and projects and opening up interesting roles for women to play that don’t revolve around being ‘the girlfriend’ or ‘the mother.’ I’m particularly drawn to dark comedy at the moment and finding humor in the absurd. I would say I’m best known for playing Lara in ‘I am Sophie’ and for my one-woman show ‘Meat Cute.’ I think a niche that I’ve found is really playing into my passion for animal rights and presenting more activism-based works. I think the elements that really make a story stand out is when it has a message that goes beyond entertainment and a good plot. If there is something to learn or understand, it adds another layer of purpose to the story, which I find really exciting”.

I have to talk about Bibi Lucille’s fashion brand, B.LUCILLE. It is a brand that empowers people to make a positive impact on society. In everything she is involved with and champions, she is empowering and inspiring. This is someone who you need to know about! Before getting to a couple of further interviews, I want to include Rolling Stone UK’s 2024 discussion with Bibi Lucille. I am excited about this expanding and diverse portfolio (and legacy). Make sure you follow Bibi Lucille on social media:

“The “B. Lucille” couture collection pays homage to the timeless beauty of impressionist art, translating iconic masterpieces like Renoir’s “The Swing” and Vermeer’s “The Astronomer” into wearable works of art. Each dress is a careful study in colour, texture, and movement, meticulously crafted to capture the essence of the original paintings. Underscoring our dedication to environmental responsibility and animal welfare, every fabric used in this collection is vegan and sustainably sourced. From the delicate chiffons that billow like clouds to the richly hued velvet accents, each material is carefully selected to minimise our ecological footprint.

“My whole life, I have been an actor. More recently, I have ventured into writing. But I could never have guessed that 2024 will be the year I start my own couture clothing brand. Fashion was something that I took an interest in at an early age but left the hobby dormant in childhood; my last brush with fashion being in textiles at high school, before being whisked away by Literature, French and, of course, Drama for GCSE. I was a painfully shy kid, and in my hazy memories of school can recall burrowing myself in the art block, where I would fumble with sewing machines and shoddily tie dye bits of loose fabric. One of our first assignments was to create an apron (which lived in the back of my wardrobe for many years before I finally found the strength to throw it away). I worked on this apron for many hours and through countless lunch breaks, creating a pink tie dye aesthetic with the word BIBI in bold on the front pocket. When it was finally completed, the teacher proudly mounted it on a mannequin, telling me that I was the first Year 7 to have my work displayed amongst the GCSE students’ fashion projects. As that apron stood proudly on the porcelain, headless doll overlooking the entire classroom, I felt an overwhelmed wash of pride. I was good at something.” Stated Bibi

With B.LUCILLE, Bibi Lucille has created a brand that not only celebrates individuality and style but also empowers individuals to make a positive impact on society. Through her fashion activist brand, she aims to raise awareness about important social issues such as animal cruelty, and inspire others to join the movement. So, when you wear a B.LUCILLE dress, you are not just making a fashion statement, but you are also becoming a part of a larger community that strives for positive impact.

<

Scriptwriting and Activism Via Film

Starring in the upcoming short film named ‘The Silver Lining’, through the medium of film, “The Silver Lining” provides a platform to explore these concerns and spark important conversations about the impact of EMFs on our lives. By weaving the issue into a compelling narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, the film engages audiences in a way that traditional educational campaigns cannot. Bibi will also be releasing the film ‘Meat Cute’ which is an adaptation of the critically acclaimed play. ‘Meat Cute’ follows the story of the impassioned vegan activist, Lena, who attempts to turn all her dates vegan as a form of activism. This farcical comedy details the life of a woman desperately seeking to implement change and influence in an indifferent society.

“Acting was the only thing I could remember ever wanting. Even as a kid, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t glued to some old film on one of those 90s box TVs, watching a VCR and wishing I was Marilyn Monroe. Acting was the only thing that brought me out of my introverted shell and created a space where I could play and forget the world. Ironically, acting is the thing that let me be wholly myself. Veganism was also something I was always intensely passionate about, so fusing acting and activism together felt like some form of paradise. It was great to finally realise that I could do what I loved and make a meaningful change in the process.” Said Bibi

Bibi Lucille’s B.LUCILLE brand is a true testament to her creativity, passion, and commitment to making a difference. By combining exquisite craftsmanship, EMF protective fabrics, and exotic vegan materials, she has created a brand that is not only fashion-forward but also socially conscious. So, if you’re looking for a dress that not only makes you look stunning but also allows you to contribute to a better world, look no further than B.LUCILLE”.

Canvas Rebel met Bibi Lucille last year. There are a couple of questions that caught my eye and I wanted to share them here. The more I know about her, the more impressed and awed I am! I am especially invested in her as a rising artist, though I love everything that has come before. Someone who can balance writing, acting, her fashion brand with a music career:

“We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

For any creative, resilience is key. It’s the thing that’s going to get you through the greatest set-backs and is going to help you push through the inevitable self-doubt.

A moment of resilience that really sticks in my mind was when I was auditioning for a role in a film that I really, REALLY wanted. There were four stages in the audition process; I cancelled everything I had on that week, hired an acting coach and threw everything I had into those auditions. I got to the fourth round and really thought I had the role in the bag. A few weeks like, I was on set and received an email from the producer – my heart was racing as I opened it up to an email that said, ‘unfortunately, we have decided to go in a different direction this time.’ My heart broke. I had to hold back tears for the rest of the job and when I finally left the building, I burst into tears. After feeling sorry for myself for a couple of minutes, I told myself that I would allow myself to grieve the loss of this job for five minutes. Five whole minutes, and then I’m done. So I fully let myself feel the rejection and disappointment. Then by the time I had walked to the tube station, I decided that that was it – I was going to just let it go and carry on.

In any creative career, the rejection is going to be the worst part. You’re going to wonder if you even have any talent or anything to offer the industry. Having the gift of resilience is the key to any kind of success – and it’s the thing that’s going to keep digging you out of those pits of disappointment. Run headfirst into rejection – even seek rejection – because the more exposure you have to it, the stronger that resilience will grow.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Something that really drives me is my inner angry feminist and my passion for animal rights and the environment. I know I sound like a real martyr with that trio but it is what it is. My first play, ‘Meat Cute’ is a comedy that follows the story of a woman who attempts to turn all her dates vegan as a form of activism. (Of course, a lot of the time, it goes horribly wrong).

The story was so important to me because it really highlights the horrors of being an activist – of caring deeply for something in an apathetic society. The pursuit of changing the world is an exhausting one, and one that feels incredibly unrewarding. I wanted to give a voice to those people who are desperate to do good in the world and fight for a cause, letting them know that they are seen, heard and important. Because if we don’t have the martyrs of the world, what state will we be left in?

I think feminism is my roman empire. I think for a lot of women, it is, whether it’s conscious or not. So much of our thoughts are consumed with the very act of being a woman; societal pressures, dating, whether we want to be a mother or not, weight, dealing with being a woman in business… it’s a curse that follows us everywhere. I truly feel that the more we talk about it and create rich, interesting characters for women in film and on stage, the closer we can get to just being human rather than focusing on the art of navigating the world as a woman”.

We have heard about Bibi Lucille as an activist, writer and actor. However, how does this link with her career in music? Last week, Nerd Alert spent some time with Bibi Lucille. She talks about the new single, To Be Damned, and what is coming next. The rest of this year are going to be very busy and exciting for her:

“TiShea Wilson: Hi Bibi! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. Let’s jump right in! You have quite an impressive resume with writing, acting, and even producing. Please tell us a little bit about your journey and what led you to broaden your horizons into music.

Bibi Lucille: Since I could remember, I always wanted to be an actor. From an early age, I had tunnel vision, and made the decision to throw my all into it. During school, I would attend auditions and the second I was let free into the world, dove straight into any acting work I could get. Of course, it was easier said than done, so I paid my dues by working in a call center for two years before being able to go full time. My music career began at a very early age – the second I could walk, I’m pretty sure my dad handed me a guitar. Bob Salmons aka Robert Hokum was a blues pariah in Ealing where we grew up – he founded the Ealing Blues Festival and became a local celebrity. He would take me to gigs, get me to busk at events and got me a small slot at Barnet Festival when I was 14. When I hit my late teens, I decided to give music a break for a while to focus on acting.

For years, I knew I wanted to return to it, but it never felt like I had the time (or the money). In autumn ‘23, my dad was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. We weren’t sure how long he had left, and so the urgency to pick music back up again took ahold of me. It was always our thing and it was something I didn’t feel I could do without him. I was very fortunate to meet my friend and colleague, Devansh, who massively helped me with the resources and contacts to create an album. I had just about created two songs (that my dad was very proud of) before he passed in October ‘24. I want to keep creating music in honor of him and to carry on the blues legacy, even if I only possess about half his talent.

TW: Your song ‘Addicted’ has a bluesy-pop vibe to it, and it’s quickly become part of my daily playlist. What is the meaning behind the lyrics and what was your inspiration for writing it?

BL: Blues music historically explores the perils of life to an upbeat tune; most blues songs are about losing everything, being lost, being in debt. I wanted to go down that same path with ‘Addicted’ – the lyrics talking about something or someone the listener is addicted to. It could be a person, alcohol, cigarettes… anything that takes the form of the devil when you have too much of it.

The visuals of the song describe a liar turning up to your door (the liar being the thing you’re addicted to, the thing roping you in) and offering you a drink. In a moment of weakness, you take it and accept that you’ve made the decision to break bread with the devil, so to speak. Blues music often talks about selling your soul to the devil, so I wanted to add that with the twist of the devil being the very thing you’re addicted to. In the second verse, the lyrics describe looking in the mirror the next morning and recognizing the fear of what you’ve done – of how you let yourself give in. We’re all only human, and we’ve all given in to something we know isn’t good for us.

TW: What was the process of creating and releasing ‘Addicted’ like for you?

BL: The process felt so smooth and very exciting. I work with Andrew O’Halloran who produces and mixes the songs – I recorded a raw, acoustic version of ‘Addicted’ on my phone and then sent it off to him where he added his own bluesy flair and melodies to make the song full and alive. It’s great to work with someone who so completely understands the style you’re going for and is able to add things to the song I would never have thought of.

TW: What can you tell us about your upcoming song, ‘To Be Damned’?

BL: ‘To Be Damned’ runs with the blues theme again of being damned, and wondering if there’s a way back from your mistakes. I wanted to explore the idea of guilt and damnation, when you wonder if you’ve made a wrong turn in life and if you’re damned to the path you’ve chosen for yourself. I think we can all relate to that – the curiosity of “what if?”. What if I had chosen to take another path ten years ago, where would I be now? Would it be better or would it be worse? It’s the question we will never know the answer to.

The first lyric of ‘climbing into your mind’ is that idea of something completely consuming you. Whether it be a person or a thought – in this case, I wanted to address the yearning for intimacy we (or someone else) has for a person – that they could crave it to the point of wanting to climb into someone’s mind. It could also be interpreted in a way that someone you love could be distracted by someone else and that thing they’re distracted by has climbed into their mind and pushed you away. The lyric ‘a filthy mouth and a soul to match’ touches on those feelings of guilt – addressing that instant regret of saying something we don’t mean and looking inwards at yourself, wondering if you’re a terrible person. If your soul matches your mouth. What I love about the lyrics is that it can all be interpreted. I like to keep everything a little bit vague so people can attach their own feelings and situations to the lyrics so that they can get what they want or need out of the song.

TW: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences and why?

BL: My first, biggest music influence is Hozier. He perfectly married blues and pop together and I will forever be in awe of that. And on top of the perfect music, his lyrics are so poetic – the way he talks about Greek mythology, God, death… All these topics on deity that make his songs feel otherworldly. Also I love the classics – Otis Redding, BB King. Another favourite is a street band in New Orleans called The Dirty Rotten Vipers who are just the epitome of raw talent.

TW: Can you give us a little insight into what the future holds for you? Are there any upcoming projects, musically or otherwise, you can tell us about?

BL: I’m firing a lot of arrows at a lot of targets this year! Some projects that are up and running are: a new dark comedy play called ‘Narcissists’ which will be performing in LA, London and the Edinburgh Fringe this year. I’ll be completing the album this year with about seven tracks overall. I’ve also got a couture dress brand coming out in Spring called ‘B.LUCILLE’ which I’m very excited to share with the world”.

I hope that as many people as possible pick up and hear the music of Bibi Lucille. More than that, there are so many different sides to discover. Someone who should definitely be on your radar. Since I interviewed her in 2023, she has achieved a huge amount. Every year sees something new, exciting and, yes, inspiring from her! Even though we are only in February, I think that this will…

BE her year.

______________

Follow Bibi Lucille

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bibi_lucille

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3OENkWphFRbdPyyM3D9dmX?si=T_FUWWjQRWmRhKMbCq47bw

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNWhOWIY9SL2rzFnNKZLNEg

Twitter:

https://x.com/bibi_lucille

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/bibi-lucille

PHOTO CREDITS:

Emily Holloway/Felicity McCabe/Kevin Sweeney/Andy Brown/Mystic Enigma/Roj Whitlock/James Blake

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: A Black History Month 2025 Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: Doechii/PHOTO CREDIT: El Hardwick

A Black History Month 2025 Playlist

_________

AS it is…

Black History Month, I wanted to put out a special Digital Mixtape. A selection of songs from incredible and inspiring Black artists. The 2025 theme is "African Americans and Labor" with a focus on the various and profound ways that work of all kinds intersects with the collective experiences of Black people. I don’t think enough of the media shine a spotlight on Black History Month. I am a little lax when it comes to writing about it myself. However, as I run a music blog, the least I can do is combine some truly incredible tracks from Black artists through the decade. To modern-day kings and queens to legends of the past, this is a Black History Month 2025 celebration. I would urge other people to make their own playlists. Honouring and celebrating some truly amazing artists. Because we are nearing the end of February, I felt it was important to compile a playlist featuring a small selection of phenomenal Black artists who combine in…

IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé in 2013/ PHOTO CREDIT: Alasdair McLellan

AN incredible mix.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Tour of Life: The Sweetest Thank You Note

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Tour of Life

  

The Sweetest Thank You Note

_________

THIS will be quite a short feature…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with Tom Jones, after he presented with a South Bank Sky Arts Award for 50 Words for Snow in 2012

but a bit of a diversion. One that is very niche. In a previous feature, I wrote about Kate Bush’s kindness as a producer and artist. How she often gave gifts to those who she worked with. Men who were given a sweet note and a box of chocolates. Not sure what to make of it. Maybe misconstruing it as a romantic gesture, in fact it was Kate Bush displaying her legendary and natural kindness. Her thoughtfulness extended beyond that. She has never been someone who takes others for granted. Whether part of a crew for her 1979 tour or someone who is playing on one of her albums, Bush has this warmth and loyalty. She wants to know everyone’s name and does not look down on another person. There are occasions and what-ifs that I have not written about largely. One was Tony Visconti was almost considered as a potential producer for 1982’s The Dreaming, Maybe a co-producer. It would have been intriguing to hear that combination! I think the David Bowie connection fascinated Bush and she and Visconti would have hit it off. However, Bush had to kindly turn him down because she wanted to producer herself. Any time she had to turn someone down, she did so in the kindest and most polite way. Always  putting the effort in to make sure they feel good. I am not sure exactly how far Bush’s generosity extends when it comes to gifts. I do know that she often gifted her musicians after albums were completed. This naturally kind artist who appreciated those around her, it is one of my favourite things about Kate Bush. How she had so much affection and appreciation for those who worked alongside her. As mentioned, if she couldn’t work with someone or had to reject an offer, she always did it in the nicest possible way! I guess it connects with her charity work and how she had donated so much of her time to  incredible causes. This has continued to this day.

One reason I wanted to write this feature is because I am thinking about Bush engaging with fans and those who pay tribute to her. I may do a separate feature on this. The tribute acts and those emulating Kate Bush. There are a range of acts that pay tribute to Bush in their own way. You know how important that is to her. How her music is making an impact today. She would never have believed this. One of my dreams would be getting a letter from Kate Bush. I wonder if anyone has researched this. Whether it is a reply to fan mail or a letter of thanks Kate Bush has written, I would love all of these to be collected together. In a digital age, it is rare that an artist would reach out and write a thank you note. That is what happened in 2022. At a time when we were still in the grip of the pandemic, I know that Kate Bush’s music would have given strength and hope to so many people. Even though this was an electronic thank you, Kate Bush reached out to the Brisbane Pub Choir after they performed Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). This report from The Guardian tells the story of how Bush connected with the Brisbane Pub Choir:

“Brisbane’s Pub Choir founder and director Astrid Jorgensen is used to getting fan mail about the mass amateur choir’s covers of hit songs – but when she was told on Thursday that Kate Bush had emailed about their rendition of Running Up That Hill, she had to call her morning run short and head straight home.

“My manager called me and said, you’ve got to get home, Kate Bush has emailed. I ran straight back – I was literally running up that hill,” she laughs.

“Dear Brisbane Pub Choir,” the message began. “I’ve been so busy that I’ve only just had the chance to watch you all singing RUTH. It’s utterly, utterly wonderful! I love it so much! Thank you everyone. You sing it really beautifully. I’m incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces. Thank you!”

It was signed: “With lots of love, Kate.”

“It is so wild,” says Jorgensen. “She is the biggest artist in the world right now, so to have her say she was moved by our performance, yeah, that is a peak.”

Pub Choir, a communal amateur choir which operates on the ethos that everyone can sing (especially after a pint or two), performed Running Up That Hill two weeks ago in Brisbane. Some 1,600 people gathered to sing the No 1 hit, which is back in music charts around the world thanks to its appearance in the latest season of Stranger Things”.

PHOTO CREDIT: TfL

It may seem like a minor thing. In the modern age, you do get artists thanking those for covering their music or doing something like that. They will often take to Instagram or another social media platform and send a video. However, it was really thoughtful and unexpected that Kate Bush connected with an Australian choir. How their performance made its way to her. The fact that she loved it and took the time to contact them. In a career where Bush has sent thankful letters and notes and shown such kindness and generosity, that thank you note – or email, technically – was one of the sweetest. Since then, so many people around the world have covered Kate Bush’s music. Whether it is an artist covering her song live or a tribute act or cabaret focusing on her sensational music, there is this wealth of love out there for her. In all corners of the world. Although it is impossible for Bush to see it all and reply to everyone, you know that everything means so much to her. The resurgence and new popularity for Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) in 2022 definitely opened up Kate Bush’s music to new audiences. Although a bit naïve, this reply to a fan letter from 1978 was a big deal. I guess the choice of photo to sign was a little misadvised, though Bush’s words and the time she took to reply to a fan showed she had this sense of appreciation from the start. Through the years, Bush has accepted honours and accolades and always given thanks. In 2012, when 50 Words for Snow was awarded at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, she posted a message to her official website. The following year, when Bush was awarded a CBE, she thanked her fans again. Last year, when fans wished her a happy birthday and TFL honoured her, Bush sent her thanks. Again, taking the time to show her appreciation and gratitude! It is always amazing seeing this. A major artist who doesn’t need to do that, Kate Bush always takes time to show her thanks to people. That incredible thank you she sent to the Brisbane Pub Choir. Times when she sent actual thank you notes and bought people gifts. In a future feature, I will explore more those paying tribute to Kate Bush in their own way. Whether it is a The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever or someone covering her songs. For now, I wanted to be a bit more specific. One (of many) occasion where Kate Bush took time out to…

SHOW her thanks and gratitude.

FEATURE: On the Road Again: Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

On the Road Again

Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home at Sixty

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ON 22nd March…

PHOTO CREDIT: Fiona Adams/Redferns

it will be sixty years since Bob Dylan’s fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home, was released. It was the first of a trio of album that shifted the perception of Dylan as a Folk artist. One of the most important releases of his career. It is my favourite of all of his albums. I wanted to explore Bringing It All Back Home ahead of its sixtieth anniversary. Last year, MOJO revisited Bringing It All Back Home. An artist very much in the spotlight now – because of the film, A Complete Unknown -, we look back sixty years to the release of a seminal release from one of the all-time great songwriters:

“SO hallowed in the pantheon is the first of what turned out to be Dylan’s mid-’60s holy trinity of ‘electric’ albums that hindsight confers upon it a sense of awesome inevitability. At the time, of course, not so.

Though Dylan’s two 1964 albums had not sold quite as well as 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, that year he was spinning in a vortex of fame whipped even faster by his association with the British Invasion. In August, he’d turned The Beatles onto weed in a New York hotel room – while The Animals, whose House Of The Rising Sun was a US Number 1 in September, both nodded to Dylan’s 1962 debut album version and rocked it up a few notches. This mutual admiration further inflamed the controversy surrounding Dylan as a folk-protest apostate, forsaking civil rights and peace for creative self-exploration and supercool celebrity. No American musician was more divisive.

His folk-protest movement detractors were not wrong. No roundhead, Dylan was a footloose 23-year-old surrounded by acolytes and juggling girlfriends – publicly folk-protest queen Joan Baez and behind the scenes Sara Lownds, whom he’d marry in November 1965. Plus, there was a flirty friendship with his manager Albert Grossman’s wife Sally, to be pictured chic and mysterious on Bringing It All Back Home’s cover. Dylan was also hanging out with Allen Ginsberg and his fellow Beats [pictured above with Robbie Robertson and Michael McClure], his own poetic ambition further fired when John Lennon’s book of verse, In His Own Write, became an instant bestseller.

On January 13, 1965, Dylan returned to New York’s Columbia Studios with 18 songs written from within the whirlwind, energised by media overload and lubricated by red wine, weed, speed and acid, then still legal. What would become perhaps his most famous and beloved song, Mr Tambourine Man, had been awaiting its moment for 10 months. That moment was, for Dylan, the decision to change gears and light out for new territory. Here and throughout the album, images of movement (“swirling”, “wandering”, “dancing”, “spinning”, “swinging”, “skipping”, “waving”) contrast favourably with images of stasis (“weariness”, “fences”, “frozen”, “haunted”).

That personal moment exactly harmonised with a socio-cultural moment, a radical new mood being born where a critical mass of young Americans – now facing the draft to fight in Vietnam, while at home Southern reactionaries fought on to deny Black Americans equal rights – began to challenge the status quo of their parents’ flag-waving conservativism and materialism. As Dylan sang on Subterranean Homesick Blues, the album’s hilariously paranoid single and opening number inspired by Chuck Berry’s Too Much Monkey Business and foreshadowing rap, “You don’t need a weatherman/To know which way the wind blows.”

Rock’n’roll, as radically rebooted by the British Invasion and soul explosion, soundtracked this generational change in appearance, lifestyle and attitude. Though the just-murdered Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come and Martha And The Vandellas’ Dancing In The Street came close, no record had quite yet crystallised this moment as a clarion call; it just needed someone to hit the nail head-on.

For months his shrewd and savvy producer Tom Wilson had been coaxing Dylan to rock – with “some background,” he told Grossman, “you might have a white Ray Charles with a message” – and that summer of ’64 the bard had rented an electric guitar, as if still not quite yet decided to relive his teenage ambition to rock’n’roll. His friend John Hammond Jr’s album of Chicago electric blues covers So Many Roads nudged him further, and the leap finally came, after a day recording solo in Columbia’s New York Studios in January 1965, when Wilson recruits including guitarist Bruce Langhorne, pianist Paul Griffin and drummer Bobby Gregg – possessing, in Wilson’s words, “the skill of session musicians and the outlook of young rock’n’rollers” – set up and plugged in.

“Bob would launch into a song. No warning, no explanation, no nothing. We’d just leap in and try to keep up,” Langhorne remembered. “He didn’t try to arrange people’s performances. It was spontaneous, almost telepathic. We had to catch the moment.”

It worked, the moment often caught on the first take, and even the solo acoustic songs bunched on Side 2 ring with fierce conviction, particularly It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), machine-gunning us with a critique of societal phoniness of such epigrammatic invention and intensity that its writer counts it among his supreme tours de force.

Elsewhere the songs are comic, romantic and, in the last song It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, anti-romantic, its prettily bittersweet melody and manifest influence of such French Symbolist poets as Rimbaud and Verlaine perfuming a conclusive dumping.

Side 1 hosts the romances – She Belongs To Me, Love Minus Zero/No Limit (a cryptic conceit in the form of a mathematical equation where ‘no limit’ is ∞) – and, in addition to Subterranean Homesick Blues, the comedies Maggie’s Farm, Outlaw Blues, On The Road Again and Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream, picaresques that tumble our jester-minstrel through the preposterous grotesqueries of exploitative dead-end jobs, in-laws and, finally, mythic America itself.

In even the least quotable song, Outlaw Blues – the beautiful I’ll Keep It With Mine was one of several better songs he decided to hold back “for next time”, as Dylan told photographer Daniel Kramer, worrying, “How do I know I can do it again?” – there are ringing lines, and the whole album boasts zingers still funny after six decades and verse upon verse of poetic resonance and beauty; there can be few more gem-encrusted artefacts in the English language since Shakespeare. Plus, it rocks. Finding its moment, Bringing It All Back Home was not just a must-hear hit but an utter game-changer”.

I want to move to a 2020 feature from Albumism. They marked fifty-five years of a classic. Many consider Bringing It Back Home to be Bob Dylan’s greatest album. Whilst there is stiff competition, there is so much to admire on the album. I do hope there are sixtieth anniversry celebrations for Bob Dylan’s majestic fifth studio album:

“Dylan opens Bringing It All Back Home moving hard, fast, and uncompromising with “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” The song was not only unlike anything that Dylan or anyone else had released before, it’s also lyrically as densely packed as any rock song released before or since, as Dylan says more in two-and-a-half minutes than most artists say in songs triple the length.

Dylan’s staccato delivery sticks out on “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” sounding very much like a proto-rap song even 55 years later, though apparently it was influenced by Chuck Berry’s “No More Monkey Business.” He uses it to provide nuggets of pure wisdom, like “Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift” and “Don’t follow leaders and watch your parking meters.” Other lines from the song inspired political movements and revolutionaries (“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows).

Dylan continues to incorporate a few love songs into his repertoire, with “She Belongs To Me” and “Love Minus Zero/No Limit.” The former is a song of reverence, with Dylan describing how he has placed himself under the thrall of his true love. During the latter, he envisions what he seeks in an ideal partner, putting together a portrait of a woman with freedom of spirit and a deep well of wisdom and understanding.

“On the Road Again” is one of Dylan’s patented absurdist entries, at home on albums like The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) and Another Side of Bob Dylan. Dylan finds himself in the midst of violently disgruntled monkeys, derby-wearing milkmen, and thieving uncles, pondering why he bothers hanging around. The song was apparently a commentary on the often too cute by half Greenwich Village neighborhood of which he was a frequent visitor and resident.

Dylan veers into the even more absurd with “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream.” The song is a warped, satirical take on Chris Columbus’ “discovery” of America, but with Dylan playing first mate Kidd to “Captain Arab” and his crew. Here, the America he “discovers” looks a lot like contemporary society, with over-zealous police officers and Guernsey cows. I still think that funny Dylan is underrated, and this song has some flashes of brilliance. There’s some painfully labored puns (involving both Crêpes Suzette and the Beatles), but there’s also some of Dylan’s wry wit and solid observational humor.

The album’s second side shifts focus and approach. For one, it’s largely acoustic, giving longtime Dylan fans some semblance of familiarity, at least in terms of sound. It begins with “Mr. Tambourine Man,” one of the Dylan’s most iconic songs. “Mr. Tambourine Man” was originally intended to appear of Another Side of Bob Dylan. Dylan had recorded a version of the song and subsequently scrapped it (the take apparently wasn’t very good). He revisited the composition during the Bringing It All Back Home sessions months later, emerging with a piece of transformative music.

Like many of Dylan’s greatest songs, the “meaning” of “Mr. Tambourine Man” continues to be a source of debate. Because it was the mid 1960s, many interpreted it as Dylan’s dedication to the power of LSD.  For what it’s worth, Dylan has always maintained that it’s just about Bruce Langhorne, one of his longtime collaborators, and an impossibly large tambourine that he used during one studio session. “It was like, really big,” Dylan said in the liner notes of his Biograph boxset. “It was as big as a wagon-wheel. He was playing, and this vision of him playing this tambourine just stuck in my mind.”

“Gates of Eden” seems to defy this analysis. Dylan fills the song with surreal religious allusions, which makes the epic extremely difficult to decipher. Occasionally “Gates of Eden” seems to evoke the mood behind something like “A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall,” as Dylan, with great gravity and seriousness, expounds upon grey flannel dwarves and Aladdin on his lamp. It’s one of the first instances where what Dylan is singing about isn’t as important as it makes the listener feel.

“It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” is one of Dylan’s most perfect compositions, and, in my personal opinion, likely the best song that he ever recorded. Though much has been said about what some consider Dylan’s move away from protest music, “It’s Alright, Ma” is as politically charged and angry as anything that Dylan recorded during the ’60s. Armed with just his acoustic guitar, Dylan rages against the machine, fiercely admonishing consumer culture and meaningless glorification of wealth.

Dylan utilizes his unique, internal rhyme scheme that underscores the potency of his lyrics. He relentlessly sends verses crashing forth, washing over the listener in continuous waves. He mocks a society that hocks “flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark” while proclaiming “money doesn’t talk, it swears.” In the midst of this, he slips in one of his most perfect poetic phrases in “he not busy being born is busy dying.”

Another Side of Bob Dylan may have signaled the beginnings of Dylan’s transition to becoming what he’s known as today, but Bringing It All Back Home is him finally unlocking his full potential. The album is as complex and contradictory as all great works of art, while possessing a clarity of vision that is staggeringly impressive.

Though Bringing It All Back Home may be Dylan’s high water mark (at least in my opinion), it did signal the end of his innovation as an artist. Mere months later, he released Highway 61 Revisited, which would again change how songs were written and what could be considered a pop hit. It’s a similarly great album, and one that’s completely electric. The artistic and critical success of Bringing It All Back Home reinforced his commitment to keep on pushing boundaries. Rarely has so much been accomplished in so little time”.

One reason why Bringing It All Back Home is so revolutionary is because it was Dylan moving into Rock and electric realms. An artist who many pigeonholed as an acoustic Folk act was getting a lot of heat for seemingly betraying his roots. The electric Judas was moving in a new direction and expanding his palette. I think that Bringing It All Back Home is this bold and brilliant album that has this incredible legacy. Often cited as one of the best albums ever release. I want to end with a 2016 feature from Ultimate Classic Rock:

“Bringing It All Back Home was an entirely different shift, one that would culminate four months later on July 25, 1965, when Dylan and his band plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival and played a brief set fueled by distorted electric instruments. According to legend, the folk audience was shocked and appalled, and probably just a bit miffed at the short set and the atrocious sound coming from the stage, which was equipped for acoustic music, not electric. Whatever the reason, Dylan was booed.

Anyone who had heard Bringing It All Back Home, which was released in March 1965, knew this was coming. From the opening "Subterranean Homesick Blues" to the side-one closer "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream," the first half of Dylan's fifth LP is mostly contempt, rage and rock 'n' roll fury. There's absolutely nothing Newport Folk Festival about it.

Turn it over, and things are closer to more familiar territory for fans who thought they had been betrayed by Dylan. "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" bookended the album's four-song second side with sprawling acoustic numbers filled with the clever wordplay and engaging melodies that the young singer-songwriter was expanding with each LP. But this time they were bigger and grander, and had way more in view than Dylan's core folk audience.

Together, Bringing It All Back Home's 11 songs represent Dylan's first true artistic statement (though the same can be argued for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, to a point), an album partly made for fans, partly made for Dylan himself. Electric achievements like "She Belongs to Me" and "Maggie's Farm" cut with the other two acoustic songs sandwiched on side two ("Gates of Eden" and "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)") strike a balanced and conciliatory tone that Dylan wouldn't revisit for decades. From this stage onward, Dylan's compromises would be his own.

But more than all of this, Bringing It All Back Home kicked off one of music's greatest triple plays. Within the next 15 months, Dylan would release two more classic albums -- Highway 61 Revisited, which followed in August, and Blonde on Blonde from mid-1966 -- that pretty much sealed his legend. Few artists in rock history have matched that scale and influence in such a short period. In a way, all these years later, Dylan is still trying to live it down”.

One of the most important albums in music history, Bringing It All Back Home still sounds thrilling after all of these years. From the rush and brilliance of Subterranean Homesick Blues to the epic closer, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, it is a faultless album that pushed Dylan sound forward. Whilst many objected, there was so much respect and admiration from large sections of the press. This increased as years passed. It is a stunning work from…

A music genius.

FEATURE: Why We Should Love You: The Independent Nature of Kate Bush’s Music

FEATURE:

 

 

Why We Should Love You

The Independent Nature of Kate Bush’s Music

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THERE may be a slight…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Makowitz

disclaimer or exception to start off this feature. The Georgian traditional choral in Hello Earth (from 1985’s Hounds of Love) was not written by Kate Bush, though the rest of the song was. During In Search of Peter Pan, Bush which appears on Lionheart, Bush sings an excerpt of When You Wish Upon a Star, written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington (for the 1940 Disney film, Pinocchio). Flower of the Mountain, a reworking of The Sensual World’s title track from 1989, was included on 2011’s Director’s Cut and does include words from James Joyce’s Ulysses. I know too that some string arrangements were written by other people. Maybe band members having a big say in what their part sounded like. However, when you look at Bush’s ten studio albums – even though Wikipedia says Director’s Cut is a remix album, it is not, as it was recorded in a studio and the songs are not ‘remixes’ -, she is the sole credited writer. If I throw in the fact that Night of the Swallow had strings arranged by Bill Whelan, and strings arrangements on Houdini are by Dave Lawson and Andrew Powell, then everything else was written by Kate Bush. She was the first female artist in Pop history to have a million-selling debut album with 1978’s The Kick Inside. An album where she was the sole writer. I look at all her albums and marvel at the sheer variety you get in terms of the sounds. This is not an artist who repeats things and has albums that sound alike. All ten of her albums are very different. One might say it is no big deal that she wrote all of her songs. Consider the fact that she solo-produced seven of her albums, co-produced another and assisted with production on another. Only one album that does not have Bush in the mix as a producer.

The production on her albums is one of the most notable standouts. I think about the modern scene and solo artists who are majorly successful today. When you look through their albums, there are co-writes. Think about modern Pop queens and whether they have the same independence and music autonomy as Kate Bush. From Sabrina Carpenter to Taylor Swift to Beyoncé through to Charli XCX, they have other writers and producers in the mix. You can look at other genres and areas of music and see artists who have released a lot of album where all the songs were written by them. Even one of our very best singer-songwriter, Laura Marling, has co-writing credits on some of her songs. Kate Bush heroes like Elton John, David Bowie, The Beatles and Steely Dan have not strictly written all of their songs (Steely Dan has to give a co-writing credit to Keith Jarrett for Gaucho’s title track; The Fez (from The Royal Scam) had another writer beside Donald Fagen and Walter Becker). Whether you consider Kate Bush’s songwriting record to be purely individual or largely so, one cannot get around the fact that she was very much the heart of her songs. Her words and music. It seems quite rare in today’s music scene where you will have a band or artist where one person writes everything. That there is no outside help as it were. In terms of production too. Not many artists producing most of their studio albums. Even so, there is no doubt that so many modern Pop artist take inspiration from Kate Bush. She definitely opened doors in terms of musicians, especially women, being able to write their own songs and direct their career.

I have written about this in some capacity before. I will approach it from a new angle today. It is not only impressive that Kate Bush has written (nearly) all of her tracks. Consider how unconventional they are. If she had written ten commercial Pop albums and penned all the songs herself – again, not something many artists alive can claim – then that would be impressive enough. She has written a body of work not only uniquely brilliant and eclectic. It is one that has inspired a whole range of artists across multiple genres and time periods. I want to take from this New Yorker feature from 2018:

“Female pop geniuses who exercise their gifts in rampant, restless fashion over decades, writing, performing, and producing their own work, are as rare as black opals. Shape-shifting brilliance and an airy indifference to what’s expected of you are not the music industry’s favorite assets in any performer, but they are probably easier to accept in a man than in a woman. And such a musician, even today, is subject to the same pressures that have always hindered women’s artistic expression. Like the thwarted writers whom Virginia Woolf described in “A Room of One’s Own,” the female pop original is “strained and her vitality lowered by the need of opposing this, of disproving that”—by the refusal to please and accommodate that only a deep belief in one’s own gift can counteract. “What genius, what integrity it must have required in the face of all that criticism, in the midst of that purely patriarchal society,” Woolf writes, “to hold fast to the thing as they saw it without shrinking.”

One secret of Bush’s artistry is that she has never feared the ludicrous—she tries things that other musicians would be too careful or cool to go near. That was apparent from the very first lines of “Wuthering Heights”—“Out on the wiley, windy moors / we’d roll and fall in green / You had a temper like my jealousy / too hot, too greedy.” When she wrote that song, she hadn’t yet read the Emily Brontë novel; she’d only caught the end of a TV adaptation. But of course she got the essence of the book, sucked it in, and transmogrified it in her teen-aged soul, and she knew how to keen those lyrics like a ghost ceaselessly yearning.

Not long ago, I was reading another Virginia Woolf essay, about the Brontës, when I came across some lines about Emily that made me think of Bush. It wasn’t only because Bush summoned Emily’s shade in “Wuthering Heights” or, this year, wrote a short poem for her that will be inscribed in stone at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, on the Yorkshire moors. It was because Bush’s identification with Emily Brontë seemed like a key to her own music. Emily, as Bush once described her, was “this young girl in an era when the female role was so inferior and she was coming out with this passionate, heavy stuff.” Bush, like Emily Brontë, rendered femininity as passionate and heavy but also incandescent, allied to the natural world, an irresistible force. “Hers then is the rarest of all powers,” Woolf wrote. “She could free life from its dependence on facts, with a few touches indicate the spirit of a face so that it needs no body; by speaking of the moor make the wind blow and the thunder roar”.

Not only is Kate Bush an artist who has written all of her songs. She is someone who has done so at times when the industry was hugely male-dominated and sexist. From the start of her career, she was determined that what she was singing came from her mind. Sure, there have been string arrangements where she got assistance. Some odd bits here and there. However, as a composer, Bush’s albums have been composed by her. Consider the sheer scope and diversity of her compositions, that is another hugely impressive layer. Once more, I look around music today and wonder how many artists can rival that. It is clear that Kate Bush’s music has influenced various artists in different ways. In 2022, The Guardian ran a feature where a range of artists wrote what Kate Bush means to them:

“Brian Molko, Placebo

Kate created her own emotional universe. I’m nostalgic for that period in music because I think we’re given too much information today, so there’s less capacity for us to create those personal universes through somebody else’s work. There needs to be enough ambiguity there for it to become very personal to each listener. Kate’s music meant I could leave the drudgery of my everyday life and my family situation and escape into my imagination – that’s still what I look for today in music.

Rae Morris

Her music is all about combining small details with spiritual, otherworldly, wider cinemascape stuff: a really grand, imaginative to-the-moon-and-back scale, but also the sound of the blood running through your veins. As a teenager I felt like her voice was my inner voice.

Jenny Hval

Working so intensely with her music made me gain enormous respect for her work. I feel as if she is completely unique in her ability to research other people’s stories and retell them. So many of her songs are directly about a book, a film, or an image. And instead of the familiar “if I could turn back time” nostalgic pop music storyteller, the emotional density of those stories is always completely intact, through her voice, production twists and magnificent melodic themes. It’s as if she is a reporter, reporting from the war zone of human experience”.

I am going to wrap up in a minute. Before I do, I want to drop in part of a feature from The Independent that was published in 2014. To coincide with her return to the stage for Before the Dawn, they asked whether Bush was a “Musical pioneer? Reclusive genius? 21st-century witch?”. I think the first is more appropriate as Bush has never been a recluse, and it seems insulting to label her as a witch:

“Without really meaning to, Kate Bush has stood for many things. She has stood for English pop as a discrete idiom, sheared free of its American roots. She has stood firmly for artistic independence in the face of corporate will, by standing up to record-company bosses and by forming her own management and publishing companies at an age most of us are prepared to swallow whatever trickles down. She has stood for privacy in the face of presumption by the media. She has stood, fiercely, against the sexual objectification of women as an industrial norm. She has maintained the conviction that one's first duty is to one's own artistic muse, and she has done it as if it were all in a day's work and not a continuation of her work by other, self-dramatising, means”.

It makes it all the more impressive that Bush wrote her songs considering the depth and originality! Some might argue that other solo artists have a longer run of albums where they have written all of the songs, though it is a rarity. Kate Bush is that rare thing: an artist who had a degree of independence right from the start. Writing every song on her debut album was a major reason it was so popular. Never wanting to cover songs or collaborate with writers. This has continued throughout her career. None of her studio albums feature cover versions. She has always wanted to keep things original. That is to be applauded. We look ahead to the next phase of Kate Bush’s career. If she does grace us with another album, you can be sure it will sound like nothing else. The media often labels Bush with these unkind and inaccurate tags. However, I think we can all agree that the one tag that cannot be argued is the fact Kate Bush is…

A music pioneer.

FEATURE: Escapology: No Time for Dreaming: Kate Bush and the Promotion of 1982

FEATURE:

 

 

Escapology

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Abbey Road's Studio 2, London, on 10th May, 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport/Getty Images

No Time for Dreaming: Kate Bush and the Promotion of 1982

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I have mentioned this before…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush signing copies of The Dreaming in September 1982

when speaking about Kate Bush in 1982. Around the time she released The Dreaming (13th September), there was this blitz of promotion. She was taken all over the place and it was pretty exhausting. Considering she had thrown herself into the creation and recording of the first album where she produced solo, she needed time to decompress and rest after the release of her fourth studio album. However, it was a period where she was not given much time to rest. In fact, I have been reading through Tom Doyle’s Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, where he write about the promotion following The Dreaming. Before getting to the promotional duties and dates around that, it is worth looking up to the lead-up of The Dreaming’s release. Exactly what Bush was doing in 1982. It is amazing looking at the timeline and how much she fitted into that year:

“January 1982

Kate goes into Advision Studios with Paul Hardiman as engineer to complete the final overdubs on the album. The session is to last for three months.

Kate turns down an offer to play a leading role in the West End production of The Pirates of Penzance.

March 1982

Kate finishes the overdubs and goes into the final mixing of the album. This session lasts two months.

April 1982

Kate's projected book Leaving My Tracks is shelved until early 1983.

The album's release date is put back to September for marketing reasons.

May 1982

The Dreaming album is completed, after a combined work period of more than sixteen months. Kate goes off to Jamaica for a holiday.

June 1982

Kate does some session work for Zaine Griff, who with her had attended Lindsay Kemp's mime classes back in 1976. She does backing vocals on a track dedicated to Kemp, called Flowers.

The release of the single The Dreaming is delayed.

The first issue of Homeground is prepared. 25 copies are run off on an office photocopier.

July 21, 1982

At 48 hours' notice Kate is asked to take David Bowie's place in a Royal Rock Gala before HRH The Prince of Wales in aid of The Prince's Trust. She performs Wedding List live, backed by Pete Townsend and Midge Ure on guitars, Mick Karn on bass, Gary Brooker on keyboards and Phil Collins on drums.

"The best moment by far was Kate Bush's number, a storming success..." (Sunie, Record Mirror)

July 27, 1982

The single The Dreaming is finally released, to excellent music press reviews saluting Kate's creative courage. The single is stifled, however, by the radio producers and presenters, particularly on BBC Radio 1, who will not play it. The plans for a twelve-inch version are aborted.

August 1982

Despite no daytime airplay on Radio 1, The Dreaming enters the singles chart, but peaks at number 48.

September 10, 1982

Kate appears live at a special Radio 1 Roadshow from Covent Garden Piazza to be interviewed briefly about her new album”.

In his chapter entitled The Hardest Sell, that must have been what it seemed like. Whereas the more commercial or accessible Never for Ever (1980) went to number in the U.K. and was perhaps closer to what Kate Bush produced a couple of years prior, The Dreaming was a big leap in the same space of time. An album that was very much unlike her past work. A whole new sound for fans to get their head around. Despite the fact The Dreaming reached number three in the U.K., its sales were seen as relatively poor. Consider her debut album, 1978’s The Kick Inside sold more than a million copies, The Dreaming sold far fewer. Regardless, Bush promoted The Dreaming widely and heavily. The sort of questions and interviews Bush had to face. Interviewers pointing out her dwindling fortunes in the singles charts. On 10th September (1982), Bush attended the Radio 1 Roadshow at Covent Garden, where she was interviewed by Dave Lee Travis, a.k.a. ‘The Hairy Cornflake’. Travis pointed out that Bush was wearing a T-shirt reading ‘I’m a Prima Donna’. This was a promotional item for Steve Harley’s 1976 album, Love’s a Prima Donna. Bush would also wear that T-shirt when signing copies of The Dreaming mere days later. Travis felt that The Dreaming was Bush “acting out”. Maybe not appreciating her new sound, this was a typical tone. Bush would face cynical and often sexist interviews. She was asked whether she would tour. Bush explained how desperate she was to get out there but said it would not be the next year. As it was, Bush never toured again (the only time was in 1979). On the day of The Dreaming’s release - 13th September, 1982 -, Bush was at Capital Radio, where she spoke with D.J. Roger Scott. He noted (rather redundant) that it must be a relief the album is out. He also said Bush must had second thoughts, in the sense that she must have done the album wrong. Self-doubt. Bush said that she had but they were “last-minute paranoias”.

14th September was a busy day. Bush was signing copies of the album at Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street. A huge line of fans ready to meet her and get their copies signed! Right after, Bush travelled up to Manchester to speak on The Old Grey Whistle Test with David Hepworth and Mark Ellen. They heard a rumour that Bush had hired a guard’s van on the train up so that she and her dancers could rehearse a routine. She confirmed that it was true. However, at a hundred mile an hour, she also admitted that it was quite hard too! On 21st September, Bush was on Razzamatazz, Newcastle. In a patronising voiceover from Alistair Pirrie who announced “Here’s little Kate Bush”, she and her dancers performed There Goes a Tenner. The similarities with Madness’ Baggy Trousers (1980) are perhaps not a coincidence as Bush loved that song. On 2nd October, Bush is a guess on Saturday Superstore. The successor to Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, D.J. Mike Read is the latest in a line of rather ill-informed, patronising, clueless and sometimes offensive interviewers Bush would have to deal with on this promotional trail. Bush was asked about the cover and whether that was her with a ring in her mouth. She corrected Read and said it was a key. Unable to think of anything to talk about regarding the album, Read asked if Bush had a local store she visited and whether she bought the same thing. It was a bit of an inane interview that did not really delve into The Dreaming. However, this was Saturday T.V. and the audience were likely to be mainly children! On 6th October, Bush was treated to a more respectful and astute interview. Up in Glasgow, Radio Clyde’s Billy Sloan chatted with her. Noting that Bush’s calibre and excellence meant she might be alienating herself from the charts, did she worry about that. “The top twenty albums this week, there are very few people that you could run parallel with”. It is clear that Bush was not being seen at the time as a commercial artist. Someone who was ahead of everyone around her. Sloan asked about There Goes a Tenner and whether it was glamourising a bank robbery. Bush said that it was almost the opposite. How the robbers planned this heist but it goes wrong and they panic. Oddly, Sloan asked if Bush would secretly love to carry out a robbery, to which she (rightly) that it doesn’t appeal to her!

The train rumbled on. It was down to Birmingham on 8th October for a personal signing/appearance. Bush was on Pebble Mill at One, where she spoke with Paul Gambaccini. He observed how there were longer gaps between singles and whether she worried about this. Bush was scared that she would be forgotten and might seem like she was out of the public eye. Noting how The Dreaming found Bush take more control of the music, they then showed the video for There Goes a Tenner (the only U.K. airing of it). Gambaccini thought it would be a hit. Bush was not sure it would be (it only reached ninety-three). Bush travelled to Paris for an interview on 28th October. Perhaps tired at this point, her patience was tested by a rather lurid and irrelevant interview where she was asked about being a sex symbol. This was for the France Inter public radio station. Bush was polite and said that she thought it was flattering but she worried about not being taken seriously it if was about the physical. Due to translation issues and the rather obnoxious line of questions, there was a weariness coming from Kate Bush. It was the end of a very busy and far-reaching promotional jaunt for The Dreaming. It was clear Bush was very tired at this point. The album went to number three and was a success but EMI and many people around her did not feel she should produce an album again. As it was, Bush would produce every one of her studio albums going forward. The next, Hounds of Love, was released in 1985 and went to number one. Bush was right to persevere but, after a gruelling 1982 and a sense of disappointment regarding the reviews and sales for The Dreaming, there was some uncertainty.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Pierre Terrasson

Apart from a brief trip to Jamaica, most of 1982 was taken up with completing recording and promoting her album. Bush was offered an acting role, paused her memoir (which was indefinitely shelved not long after) and promoted The Dreaming around the U.K. Ending up with a fraught interview in France, Bush must have got to the end of 1982 and wondered what happened. Such a bizarre and tiring year. Not really given much headspace or pause after recording the album, the interviews she did ranged from respectful to the downright idiotic and sexist! Things would be different going forward. Bush spent 1983 with family and friends. Planting the seeds for Hounds of Love, it was a year when she had chance to recharge and regroup. It is easy to see The Dreaming as this dark album at a very turbulent and busy time. One where Bush threw so much of herself into the work that there was not a lot left afterwards. It is still divisive today, though I think it gets more respect than it did in 1982. It was a hard album to sell. Not instantly accessible, interviewers really showed their ignorance at times. However, in years since, The Dreaming is seen as one of Bush’s best albums. Phenomenal production and songwriting, it has inspired so many artists. I look at 1982 and how hectic it was for her! With no rest or chance of escape, Bush was professional and generous throughout the promotional process. If in 1982 there were some wary of The Dreaming and whether Kate Bush had made a commercial misstep, wise and knowledgeable minds clearly identify it as…

A remarkable album.

FEATURE: As the People Here Grow Colder: Kate Bush’s Deeper Understanding at Fourteen

FEATURE:

 

 

As the People Here Grow Colder

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Kate Bush’s Deeper Understanding at Fourteen

_________

THIS is a song from Kate Bush…

that is a little divisive. I will write more about the album closer to its fourteenth anniversary in May. The only single released from the album was Deeper Understanding. Director’s Cut is an intriguing album. If some consider it to be one of Bush’s less remarkable works – it is placed low alongside 1993’s The Red Shoes when it comes to ranking her albums -, it was unique. In the sense that this was Kate Bush revisiting past material. Something she had not done too often previously. This was a selection of songs from 1989’s The Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes reworked. Rather than this being an album where Bush lazily revisited older tracks as a sort of greatest hits thing, Director’s Cut was very much a new album. The songs sounding very different to how they did originally. It was divisive because it was not seen as a properly new album, in the sense the songs were fresh and unheard. However, I love Director’s Cut because we got to hear these known songs in a new light. Whilst some of the inclusions might have puzzled people – And So Is Love perhaps could have been replaced by something else; Flower of the Mountain (originally The Sensual World) not as impactful as it was in 1989 -, there were tracks on the album that gained new strength and meaning. Included are The Song of Solomon and Never Be Mine. There are two songs on Director’s Cut that very much take on a whole new meaning on the 2011 album. This Woman’s Work was from The Sensual World but originally appeared in the 1988 film, She’s Having a Baby. Bush singing the song as a woman in her fifties. There was this whole new dimension and layer revealed.

Perhaps it was always a bit of a gamble reworking a song that was impactful first time around because of its prescience. In 1989, this idea of someone losing themselves in technology and having this sort of obsession seemed far-fetched. I always wonder why this was not released as a single from The Sensual World. In 2011, with technology and the Internet very much gripping people and it being everywhere, one can understand why Kate Bush wanted to revisit the song. Release it as the single from Director’s Cut. Released on 5th April, 2011, the new Deeper Understanding features a newly recorded main vocal by Bush, and the voice of her son Bertie (Albert) on the chorus. The single was released as a digital download. It charted in the U.K. at number eighty-seven. The music video was directed by Kate Bush. I am going to move to interview snippets where Bush discussed the track. Before getting there, it is worth sourcing reviews for the 2011 version of Deeper Understand:

“Michael Cragg wrote in the Guardian (UK) in 2011: “The 2011 retwizzle is two minutes longer, seems to have a new vocal and, naturally for the music climate of today, a lot of vocal processing and vocoder. The chorus is much more explicitly meant to be a conversation between human and computer: “I bring you love and deeper understanding” croons the machine like a malfunctioning ZX Spectrum. It’s not a disaster, in fact once you get used to the vocals it’s still a great Kate Bush track, but if revisiting songs is going to mean adding an extra minute and a half of harmonica solos to each one then we may have problems.” The New Yorker added: “Where the original chattered and cracked, this version susurrates and warps, a bit more like life online”.

I will move to 2011 and some words around Deeper Understanding. Interesting why Kate Bush reapproached the track and whether the song was more or less relevant in 2011 than it was in 1989. Before then, there are interviews where Bush spoke about Deeper Understanding. Back in 1989 and 1990. It is interesting what she says:

“Yes, it is emotional disconnection, but then it’s very much connection, but in a way that you would never expect. And that kind of emotion should really come from the human instinctive force, and in this particular case it’s coming from a computer. I really liked the idea of playing with the whole imagery of computers being so cold, so unfeeling. Actually what is happening in the song is that this person conjures up this program that is almost like a visitation of angels. They are suddenly given so much love by this computer – it’s like, you know, just love. There was no other choice. Who else could embody the visitation of angels but the Trio Bulgarka? [laughs]

John Diliberto, ‘Kate Bush’s Theater Of The Senses’. Musician, February 1990

I suppose it’s looking at society where more and more people are being shut away in their homes with televisions and computers, and in a way being encouraged not to come out. You know, there’s so many people who live in London in high-rise flats – they don’t know their neighbors, they don’t know anyone else in the building. People are getting very isolated. It was the idea of this person who had less and less human contact, and more and more contact with their computer, where they were working on it all day and all night. They see an advert in a magazine for a program for people who are lonely and lost, so they write off for it. When they get it back in the mail and put it into the computer, it’s the idea – a bit like an old sci-fi film, really – where it would just come to life and suddenly there’s this kind of incredible being there, like a great spiritual visitation. This computer is offering this person love, and the idea that they’ve had such little human warmth, they’re getting this tremendous affection and deep love from their computer. But it’s so intense it’s too much for them to take, and they actually have to be rescued from just being killed with love, I suppose.

WFNX Boston radio, Fall 1989”.

It is amazing that so little has been written about Deeper Understanding. The original has got a bit of attention,  though the new version has virtually nothing. Reviews have been mixed around it. Some prefer the production on the Director’s Cut version and feel it works really well. Some object to the vocal processing. This sort of Autotune sound that is less naturally than the 1989 version. On an album that is seen as a lesser Kate Bush work, Deeper Understanding has got fewer press inches than many other songs on the album. The only single from Director’s Cut, it was quite a bold choice. Some might have liked Flower of the Mountain, This Woman’s Work, or even Moments of Pleasure. I have seen some criticism for the video. Graeme Thomson, in his biography of Kate Bush, calls it the nadir of her work. In the sense that it is a mess. I don’t think it is that bad. However, I do really like the track. I can appreciate why Bush wanted to reapproach the song in the 2010s. She was ahead of the game in 1989. Comparing the original song and the 2011 version. Deeper Understanding was also a chance for Bush to feature her son, Bertie. He would feature more prominently and less obscured on the follow-up album, 50 Words for Snow (you can hear him on the track, Snowflake). It is interesting seeing how Deeper Understanding (2011) fits into Bush’s cannon. Look at that run of singles. In 2005, King of the Mountain came out. The only single from Aerial, it reached four in the U.K. In 2007, Lyra was released and reached 187 in the U.K. Deeper Understanding came out in 2011 and reached eighty-seven. Wild Man was the single from 50 Words for Snow and reached seventy-three. Lower chart positions and perhaps less mainstream engagement. Maybe the songs are less radio-friendly or commercial. One could argue Bush’s albums more essential than singles. Is Bush a singles artist anymore? If Bush does release a new album soon and a single come, will it have the same appeal as King of the Mountain or will it chart low? Given the fact she has not released an album for over thirteen years, I would expect a high chart position.

Deeper Understanding was important, as it arrived six years after King of the Mountain and was this new chapter. Many did not know when we would get another Kate Bush album after 2005. Nobody could predict two Kate Bush albums would arrive in 2011! One cannot really compare Deeper Understanding with Wild Man. Two very different-sounding songs from two very different albums. It is unfair that Director’s Cut gets overlooked or dismissed. It was tough to revisit Deeper Understanding, as it was so futuristic. I love the original. In 2011, when technology was advancing and social media was coming through in a big way, it was important for Bush to address this. Remodelling a song for that period. She was always someone who was ahead of her time. Technology such a big part of her work. On 5th April, it will be fourteen years since Kate Bush released the amazing Deeper Understanding. I love the interview from that time. Bush speaking with Ken Bruce for BBC Radio 2 and the subject of this song came up. A chance to bring her young son into her work. An important update on a song that was positively far-fetched in 1989. The idea of someone being enslaved by technology or seeing it as a substitute for friendship. Something not many people have spoken about, Deeper Understanding does warrant more spotlight and focus. Fourteen years after its release, technology and its obsessive nature has increased. A.I. has also come in. I know Bush fears the advance of A.I. and is wary of its dangers. I will write about Director’s Cut closer to its anniversary in May. Its one and only single is fourteen very soon. The first glimpse inside an album where Bush revisit and re-recorded songs from The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, the reaction to it was mixed. In my view, it is a song that should be…

TALKED about more.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jacob Alon

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Jacob Alon

_________

I am quite new to their music…

though I have been struck by the brilliance of Jacob Alon. Drawing comparisons to artists such as Jeff Buckley, they have released brilliant singles like Fairy in a Bottle and Liquid Gold 25. Even if it early days for Alon, they are proving themselves to be a formidable talent. I want to bring in a few fair recent interviews, where we can find out more. Rather than me do most of the talking, I want to let others do that. First, The Independent spoke with Jacob Alon. They discussed loneliness in the queer community, an ill-fated venture into medicine and what comes next:

“Raised in Fife, with its yawning coastal paths and clusters of fishing villages, Alon was a self-described radge (Scottish slang for a tearaway) before they found music. Aged nine, they asked their mother to teach them a song on the piano. That song was “Right Here Waiting”, the forlorn Eighties ballad by American singer Richard Marx; Alon’s performance of it earned them second place in a school talent show. “That moment felt really special – performing was a really electric thing,” Alon says. From there, they went on to form bands with names like The Pleaser Tweezers and Tramadol Nation – playing silly songs to make their friends laugh – but harboured no real ambitions of a career as an artist.

“I think it’s quite a Scottish mentality, but especially in Fife, there’s a low ceiling on what you can dream for,” Alon says. “I always felt that being a musician wasn’t possible for someone like me, and that I should be realistic.” Certain family members discouraged them, too, and so Alon opted to study medicine in Edinburgh instead.

“I really struggled to fit in, even though I loved so many parts of it,” they say. “The university environment is f***ed up. But I think what made me most miserable, and I didn’t know it at the time, was living someone else’s dream. I had music in me – a voice, an honesty – that hadn’t bloomed yet.” They smile, a little. “I’m still blooming.”

It was that incident with the “c*** of a cardiologist” that put Alon off medicine for good. “I think he wanted to make an example of me, to make me feel small,” they recall. “He succeeded. I felt awful, and I didn’t fight back. I wish I’d slapped his face!” They returned to class after his outburst, thinking this would be their life from now on. “It forced me to take a step back and realise I didn’t want to be in this environment.”

Alon stuck it out for the rest of the year before switching to theoretical physics. Then Covid hit, and with it another round of existential second-guessing. “It was the same thing, where I realised I was miserable. Like, ‘What the f*** am I doing?’ I’m meant to love this, but I hate it”.

So, they quit and, for the past few years, have found the songs pouring out of them. One such being “Confession”, an extraordinary track of delicately plucked guitars and Alon’s gossamer voice. “We were only fourteen/ Wild, wide eyes/ Pledging our virtues between holy crimes,” they croon. “We’d drink ourselves naked/ Swallowing the shame/ Stirring in the silence/ Tangling our brains.”

They became a regular on Edinburgh’s folk scene, singing with grizzled sea dogs and young pups in the Captain’s Bar while scraping a living in a local cafe. Alon signed with a manager and then to Island Records, who paired them with producer Dan Carey – which might seem an odd choice to those who know the Speedy Wunderground co-founder for his work with scowling rockers like Fontaines DC and Black Midi. But it’s a stroke of genius to those familiar with Carey’s earlier work, on songs such as Sia’s 2004 piano hymnal “Breathe Me” or Emiliana Torrini’s 2005 album, Fisherman’s Woman.

Alon crashed with Carey while working on new music, of which an overarching theme will be limerence: the state of intense romantic longing for someone who often does not reciprocate. Those who have experienced limerence will know it can lead to obsessive thoughts – an infatuation that overlooks any flaws or, indeed, turns those flaws into an attractive trait. “It’s nice meeting people who are in the know, because it feels like an inner circle of self-awareness,” Alon says with a laugh. We should all get tattoos, I suggest.

“Therapy is helping but also making art – it’s like getting something out of you,” they say. An exorcism, then. I mention a feeling of being haunted by the idea of someone, as though they’re lurking around every corner of your mind, just out of reach. “Yes, and the glimmer hits and you see them suddenly, then project this fantasy onto them,” Alon says. “Ultimately you have to accept that this person is dead… because they never existed. It really feels like you created and then killed this thing.” It’s a precious gift that Alon has, bottling these indefinable feelings, then releasing them with the sweetness of a sigh. It’s a kind of magic, even”.

I am going to move to an interview from Rolling Stone. It is clear that Jacob Alon is such a distinct talent. Someone who very much stands out. That may seem isolating, though I know Alon is giving plenty of inspiration to others. I can see a lot of good things in their future. A debut album cannot be too far away. It will be fascinating to see what that sounds like:

“It’s an otherworldly presentation and one at sharp odds with the song they’re playing. The stunning ‘Fairy in a Bottle’ is a soul-baring ode to broken spirits and ones that got away. “It’s not your fault, it’s my disease and I must learn to set you free,” they gently coo.

There’s subtle shades of Nick Drake in there, but Alon’s journey is entirely their own too – forging a musical career in the folk clubs of Fife after dropping out of medical school. Now, they’re on the way to becoming a distinctive and powerful voice within that world.

You emerged recently with debut single ‘Fairy in a Bottle’. How’s the reaction been and what’s the next step for you?

It’s been great. Yesterday was the last day in the studio and I’ve been working on quite a bit of stuff with Dan Carey but it was all done in quite a short period of time. The creative juices were flowing very quickly. There’s this one song that was eluding me for a long time and I finally managed to finish it yesterday at half five in the morning and I brought it into the studio and we did it and it just feels like this big accomplishment. I’m so excited about it and I can’t wait to share it at some point. It’s my favourite one now and I’m just so glad it’s done.

For the first time in my life it feels like I’m not looking backwards and I’m not looking forwards with a fear or dread. It’s just hope, and it’s a really valuable thing to feel and that feels like a privilege because there’s so much shit going on in the world, so it would be the natural reaction not to feel very hopeful.

It is a big privilege to have something to hold on to for now. I’m trying to practice gratitude because I know this moment won’t be forever and there will be patches of doubt very quickly, I’m sure. But for now I just feel so certain that this is where I’m meant to be.

What were those periods of self-doubt like, and did they feed into your artistry at all?

We’ve all experienced some form of it, but I’ve lived in that flux of belief and doubt and it probably kept me from pursuing music for so long as I didn’t really have faith in myself. External praise can be a fragile thing, but it has been really nice to have had nice reactions and people telling me my music has meant something to them.

I hope I don’t lose a sense of self-doubt entirely because it can be valuable, but I hope that I get better at trusting myself too, and I hope that I can let people know that it’s OK to feel that. It’s incredibly reassuring speaking to other musicians and knowing they feel that too. It’s a very human thing.

This interview is for our Play Next series where we introduce people to artists that we love and give them a chance to introduce themselves. How would you describe yourself and your music, Jacob?

I sometimes vary my answers but I would say right now I’m making music that explores the fantasies of imagined love and putting your heart in a world of dreams and the fallout that can come from always striving for something you can never have.

I think there’s a lot of queer threads embedded into my work and that’s something I’m exploring too. I’m also just figuring it out as I go along. The two singles you’ve heard (‘Fairy in a Bottle’ and ‘Confession’) are the more stripped back ones on the record, the most raw and direct. The ones that are coming are a bit more experimental and fun and I’m really excited for those.

You mentioned the idea of queer artistry. How important to you is it to have that in your music and tell those stories?

It’s essential to who I am and it’s such a liberation to be able to find a voice in it. When growing up I felt somewhat caged, [so] I think it brings connection to my community and the people I surround myself with through music. To have music without queerness wouldn’t make sense in my art.

I think that music in itself and its nature is quite queer, especially a lot of the music that pushes boundaries, whether it directly originates from a queer subculture or it just has the attitude of something that wants to be entirely at odds with what’s going on elsewhere”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emma Swann

I am going to end with a feature from DIY. Even if there is very little out there from Jacob Alon, what has been released has made a giant impact. Such powerful and moving music. They are an artist, as DIY write, that writes “emotionally-flooring, community-fostering gems that cult heroes are made of”:

“Riddled with a lack of self-belief and in pursuit of the approval of their family, Jacob set about studying for a career in medicine. Clearly an ill fit, the way they speak of that period of self-supression is heartbreaking. “When it comes to love, it’s very conditional in my family. I think part of me just really wanted to be loved and to be seen, and I thought the only way I could feel that is if I was exceptional or the best or if I saved the world. But I just don’t think anyone should carry that on their shoulders,” they say, softly. “I became really depressed and I just didn’t have the words to say: ‘I’m here. I’ve worked hard to be here. Why am I not happy?’ And I think it was just part of my soul that knew I was living my life for someone else.”

Eventually, during lockdown, they finally made the decision to quit and, bolstered by the support of their new chosen musical family, give their art a real go. “I just felt like I was wasting away and it was there the whole time: music had always been the companion,” they say. “For my whole life, I’ve looked back and reminisced and worried about the future, but for the first time I’m just certain that this is where I should be. And it feels like I’m making an impact through this; I don’t know why I never thought that could be a thing…”

Delicate and raw, filled with the pain of lived experience but drenched in the beauty of someone who still wholeheartedly believes in hope, from debut single ‘Fairy In A Bottle’ - a finger-picked well of Jeff Buckley-like emotion - Jacob’s music has immediately been resonating in all the ways they used to think impossible. Last month, they joined a rare cohort of musicians to have been invited to perform on Later… with Jools Holland with only one song to their name. The experience, they say, was “magic”, but writing the song itself was an even bigger release.

“In some ways it was the scariest one to start with, which is maybe why it was right. To me, it encapsulates the essence of this project - it highlights very directly a feeling I’ve been discovering and working through,” they explain. “I have this affinity to the world of dreams and the world of fantasy - sometimes to my detriment - and I think through trying to protect myself from pain, I chase the things I know I can’t have. My whole life, I’ve thought of love the wrong way and I think a lot of people can relate to that.”

They’ve described hushed and tender follow-up ‘Confessions’ as “a soft hand tracing the stretch marks left behind by a once messy, awkward, painful, and frightening realisation of my queerness”, and it’s to this community that Jacob hopes to provide a particular solace. There is, they say, a constant friction that comes from living as a queer person in the world. “Sometimes it feels like no matter how much we come to terms with things, the world doesn’t feel like we fit into it. We confront those feelings every day in small moments, and sometimes that’s internal but a lot of the time it’s the world that tells you in its subtleties,” they say. “And that might not just be a dirty look or someone beating the fuck out of you, sometimes it can just be in not seeing someone like you represented anywhere.”

For Jacob, seeing flashes of an alternative way to be was monumental. “Bowie was really instrumental in influencing me,” they nod. “I remember seeing him when I was 13 and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s allowed?’ It just unlocked something.” With a third single - a new flavour with “a lot of stomp and sass to it” - due in January, their first UK tour the same month and an album on the way, their hope is that, having helped find a light within themself, their music will do the same for others needing a hand in the darkness.

“Seeing people like Chappell Roan today, and these amazing queer figures that are so mainstream versus when I was growing up and it was all Top Of The Pops and X Factor where there was a certain type of celebrity that was designed to feed the most masses, it’s amazing,” they say. “It’s amazing when you stand with your community and you can see these [things trickling down]. Particularly people of colour in the trans and drag world who’ve just fought so much and made so much change - it’s great because now the world’s better! It works! I’ve got hope, and even now when it’s really hard in the world, I believe in love, I really, really do”.

I don’t think you need to be a fan of a particular style of music to appreciate Jacob Alon. Their music is very much everyone, though there is something particularly striking and meaningful perhaps for those on the outside. Those who feel unheard, alone or isolated. This Scottish sensation is rightly turning head and dropping jaws. They are well and truly…

A national treasure.

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Follow Jacob Alon

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jacobal0n/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PrF5d6sWkC0AaEaSYzSKQ

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wef18QJfuh9f0C4v3TEVH

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jacobal0n/

FEATURE: White Math: Do Fans Expect Too Much from a Modern-Day Gig?

FEATURE:

 

 

White Math

IN THIS PHOTO: Jack White

Do Fans Expect Too Much from a Modern-Day Gig?

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IT is an interesting…

PHOTO CREDIT: Thibault Trillet/Pexels

question to pose when it comes to gigs. One of the big debates and conversations is the price of tickets. Smaller artists don’t necessarily charge that much, though major artists can sell tickets for a lot more. It depends on the artist and venue, though it is not a surprise to see a single ticket sell for over £100. In some cases, fans can pay a lot more than this! With that sort of price being asked of fans, there is an expectation that the set is going to be epic. Artists such as Taylor Swift putting together these sets that last three-and-a-half-hours. It is a very long time for an artist to be on the stage. When each show lasts this long, it can really take a lot from them. Stringing together so many dates with sets that length, there is this debate between the price of the ticket and the value of the set. I bring it up because Jack White took to Instagram to call out fans who are entitled. Those who expect long sets. This NME feature gives us some more details:

“Jack White has taken aim at “entitled” fans who expect “extra long” shows, arguing that his performances are rock gigs, not “a Marvel movie or a Vegas residency”.

The former White Stripes frontman released his sixth solo album ‘No Name’ last August and is currently in the middle of a North American tour to support the record, with the guitarist set to play the first of two Brooklyn shows on Tuesday (February 11).

On Saturday (February 8), he took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the current state of fan expectations when it comes to setlist length and production values. “Been hearing a lot of chatter throughout the year of this glorious electric touring about how long our sets are “supposed to be” on stage,” he wrote. “As if the length of a show determines how “good” it is.”

“I know that we’re living in a current era where people like to say “so and so played for 3 hours last night!”, and brag about it the next day hahaha, I’ll let our fans know now that my mind has no intention of “impressing” y’all in that context. The Beatles and Ramones played 30 minute (ish) sets, and If I could, I would do the same at this moment in my performing life. That’s actually the kind of show I’d like to put on right now.”

He went on to discuss some fans feeling “entitled” to long shows due to high ticket prices. “I think you’re talking about an arena laser light show with pyro, huge screens with premade videos, singers flying over the crowd, t shirt cannons, etc, that’s not the kind of shows we’re performing.”

“There’s no setlist, and it’s not a marvel movie, or a Vegas residency, it’s rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism,” he concluded. “See you in the hall tonight friends, love you all so much and thank you for coming to these shows, standing in line and paying your hard earned money to help this train keep rolling. And the crew and the boys in the band are loving y’all as much as me, we are grateful, thank you.”

White’s recent setlists have tended to run between 20 and 25 songs in length, incorporating songs from across his career, including The White Stripes and The Raconteurs.

NME caught his show at London’s Assembly Hall last September, which saw him touch on similar themes. “This is the kind of rock’n’roll you’re not gonna get at Wembley Stadium for £400!” he exclaimed at one stage”.

I guess it is strange that many artists are almost required to do sets that last for hours. However, it comes back to prices. If you are being charged so much, then why would you not want a gig that last a while? It might be wrong for a major artist selling tickets for so much to do a thirty-minute set. For Jack White, whose sets are sharp and spontaneous, he could not play for hours. Maybe it depends on the genre. Also, if White does want to keep his sets to a tidy half-hour, then this has to be factored into the ticket price. As an example, he is playing at London’s Troxy on 28th February. A ticket for that gig is going for £66.41. His recent sets have spanned between twenty and twenty-five songs. That is pretty good value when you think about how long that gig would be. Is White reacting to demand and what is expected of artists today? Think back to gigs years ago and how it was unusual if they lasted for hours. Now, it is almost standard. Can we simply go to a show for half an hour and be satisfied? This desire for everything to be so long. You can see where fans are coming from. They want to see as much as they can from that artist. Jack White has a point when he mentions something like a Marvel film. Fans should be happy with a shorter gig. His ticket prices are not that expensive, so it is a bit much to expect fans to expect White to play for so long. This feature from 2008 argued why gigs should never be over forty-five minutes. The fact that artists would work through every song they ever recorded and you’d get into this test of endurance. This idea of a gig being cinematic in its length and scope. It is not new, however, more and more artists are expected to play for that long. The impact on their physical and mental health could be quite serious. How much it takes out of them.

IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Is there a perfect balance or gig length? If a three-hour set seems insane and something fans and artists should never be expected to endure, would fans revolt if they got a forty-five minute set and were charged a lot for a ticket? This article from The Independent talks about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and whether overlong gigs are a bit too much:

“But how long is too long, when it comes to live music? Twenty-two-year-old pop prodigy Billie Eilish recently described the prospect of a three-hour gig as “literally psychotic”, telling followers on social media: “Nobody wants that. You guys don’t want that. I don’t want that. I don’t even want that as a fan.” Of course, that’s easy enough for Eilish to say. If you listened to her entire three-album, two-EP discography back to back, it would still fall short of Swift’s marathon set times. But, while the “bad guy” singer-songwriter didn’t call out The Eras Tour by name, it certainly resonates with Swift’s current maximalist streak.

Let’s face it: overlong gigs can be a slog. There’s no escaping the whiff of indulgence when an artist simply decides to claim squatter’s rights on a stage. It’s also a curatorial failure, of sorts. Only the most ardent of Swifties would argue that there’s no fat to trim, no filler padding out the bangers. A three-hour gig presents logistical problems, too, when it comes to getting home at the end of the night, plus biological ones – the perennial Toilet Break Question. Let’s not forget the economic ramifications, either: a three-hour gig is necessarily more expensive to stage, a cost that inevitably falls on the concertgoers to make up. And that’s before you account for the greater spending on drinks over a three-hour period – not insignificant, especially at big stadium venues where a single pint often requires a small loan.

Of course, it’s not as simple as a gig being “too long”. There’s no denying the formidable physical feat of a three-hour gig; if you feel fatigued as an audience member, imagine being up there on stage. In some cases, the extra hour might elevate a gig from a fun night out to one of the best nights of your life. Bruce Springsteen, perhaps the foremost “long gigger” in popular music, has made it part of his very brand. And it works: his two curfew-straining sets at London’s Hyde Park last year were maybe the standout live music event of the year. But Springsteen has the catalogue to back it up – a full half-century of recorded material, enough great songs to fill a days-long residency with no repeats. (Tunnel of Love didn’t even feature at all!).

Assessing the relative merits of Swift’s catalogue may largely be a matter of taste, but the context for the gigs is entirely different: Swift is 34 years old, and yet still manages to subdivide her career into 10 distinct “eras”, most requiring a total costume change. If Springsteen were to attempt the same concept, he’d end up with two dozen eras, 18 outfit changes, and a performance that probably wouldn’t finish until morning. On some level, the very premise of the Eras Tour speaks to the way music is treated in the modern streaming era: we must have all of it, right there, all of the time. The specificity of a setlist is one of the delicate joys of live music. You go in hoping to hear certain songs; you leave pleased, or disappointed, or surprised, but that’s part of the experience. The Eras Tour promises to give you everything, a definitive show – but that’s antithetical to live music’s unique appeal: immediacy.

The alternative, though, is surely worse: there are few things more disappointing than a gig that feels too short. I personally keep a grudging mental checklist of gigs I’ve seen that were brilliant, but ended frustratingly after 50 minutes or less (mostly American rappers, many of whom understandably don’t really see what the big deal is about playing to a crowd of mostly white Englishmen in, say, Shepherd’s Bush). The ever-rising price of gig tickets leaves you feeling shortchanged if it’s all over in under an hour – even if the performance is flawless.

The whining seems more egregious when we’re talking about movies, when meaty, substantive works of art such as Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon or Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer are slagged off for being indulgently long. Often, there are artistic and narrative reasons for the length: it is necessary to tell the story in the way that the artist demands. But then again, this could be said of The Eras Tour, conceived by Swift – a wannabe filmmaker, by her own admission – as something more structured and narrative-driven than simply your average grab bag of hits. In this regard, maybe there’s justification for the indulgence. Or maybe Swift has simply spent too much time watching her boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the NFL, and shouts of “Go long!” have borne fruit somewhere deep in her subconscious. I guess we’ll never know”.

I can see where Jack White is coming from. That sense of spectacle and overlong that you get now. He is not suggesting fans should be happy with a short gig and count their blessings. However, it is this thing of gigs lasting for hours. Does it rob some of the spontaneity and quality? Keeping things relatively brief without having to dip into the back catalogue too deep. It might depend on the genre and artist you are seeing, though fans demanding too much of a touring artist is a bit entitled. Not considering the impact that sort of set has on their health. This Cosmopolitan article asks why gigs are so expensive now. Things such as streaming services, Brexit, COVID-19 and stan culture are contributing factors. This BBC feature also asks about rising ticket prices. They state that longevity and artists feeling like they could be forgotten is a reason why they charge so much. There are a lot of sides to consider. However, it is clear that long gigs are becoming more normalised and, with it, ticket prices are getting out of hand. Whilst a three-hour set is too much and a short gig might not seem value for money, I guess it is all about finding…

A sweet spot.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Alemeda

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Alemeda

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HEADING back to last year…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kaio Cesar

I want to highlight a few interviews with Alemeda. An artist that I am really excited about, if you have not heard her music, you will do very soon. Someone whose sound and brilliance is really capturing attention and getting plenty of love. I only discovered her a few weeks ago, but I am committed to following where she heads next. I am going to start out with an interview from Galore:

“Sudanese-Ethiopian rock & pop star Alemeda is not only the future of these genres but there is no doubting that she is destined for greatness. Stepping outside of cultural norms, Alemeda always knew she had to follow her heart and live her life for no one other than herself. We chatted with her about her upbringing, music and all things beauty – keep reading below for the inside scoop!

“What are some of your favorite things about your Ethiopian and Sudanese cultures?

My favorite parts of Ethiopian and Sudani culture are definitely the food and the music.

What was it like being raised in Ethiopia and Arizona?

They were very different in many ways but the biggest distinction would probably be the communities and their values. Ethiopian culture is incredibly community-oriented and inclusive whereas Arizona felt very isolating and secluded.

Growing up, what type of music did you listen to?

A lot of radio pop and rock.

When did you get your first introduction into the music industry?

I remember posting covers on Instagram. One day, my now manager reached out and flew me out to Los Angeles for my first real introduction to the music industry.

You’ve spoken about not having much support from your family as an aspiring artist, do you still struggle with that, or have they become more accepting now? How did you persevere with your career knowing the people closest to you didn’t agree with it?

I was the rebellious child in my family so I didn’t really care about going against them. They still aren’t supportive of it and they’ve never heard my music, but I actually appreciate the separation. It was never an expectation of them so it never disappointed me.

What advice do you have for anyone who may be going through the same thing?

My biggest advice that I’ve learned is that it’s your life and no one else’s opinion matters but yours.

Early this year you went back home to Ethiopia for the first time in a decade. Talk to us about what that experience was like and your favorite memory from it.

It was very surreal. I really enjoyed seeing my family and spending time with them. It reminded me of how truly incredible it is to have community and the importance of connection.

What interested you about the rock and pop music genres?

Growing up I wasn’t allowed to listen to music for religious reasons, the only exposure I had to music was from the radio. I would sneak my family’s clock radio into my room when they were asleep so I could listen, and that’s how I discovered artists like Coldplay and whatever was on the top hits in the early 2000s. That time period really shaped my taste today.

In 2021 you released your debut single “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” which has over 12 million streams to date. Talk to us about the inspiration for this song and how you felt when it blew up.

The song was inspired by a previous relationship I was in and how I felt about that person trying to rekindle things. I was honestly shocked it blew up. Out of all my songs that was the last one I thought people would like.

The following year you released “Post Nut Clarity” which was well received by your supporters. What was the post nut clarity that inspired this song?

“Post Nut Clarity” was a song I wrote about an issue I feel all women face with men and I felt it needed to be vocalized!

Your latest song “Guys Girl” has an accompanying visual that was released back in May. Talk to us about the concept of this song and the process creating this video.

The song’s video has a storyline of a friendship that begins to suffer due to one of them being boy crazy. It was one of my first storyline videos so it was super fun and different to film and I really love how it turned out.

Are you a guy’s girl or a girl’s girl? What’s the difference between the two?

I would say I’m definitely a girls girl. I never really sought validation from men – if anything that’s the last place I’d look for it!

When can we expect a full project from you?

My EP “FK IT” is out everywhere now!

What rock star would you love to work with one day and why?

Everyone in Coldplay – I can’t choose! I think the whole band makes such amazing music and so many of their songs I would consider my life tracks.

What’s your current makeup routine?

Recently I have been really into black eyeliner and red lipstick. I specifically use Maybelline lipstick and Kajal, which is an Arabic eyeliner.

What are two items in your closet can you not live without?

Cowboy boots and ALL of my denim.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Anything from Ethiopia!

You recently announced that you’ve now signed with Top Dawg ENT and Warner Records. What made you choose to sign with these labels and what are you most looking forward to now?

I’m honored to be the third woman ever to join the lineup of groundbreaking talent at TDE. My manager Moosa, who is also TDE’s President, discovered me four years ago and has been instrumental in helping me develop my sound and grow as an artist at my own pace, and for that I am truly grateful.

Being a part of TDE means being a vital contributor to black art and culture, which is something I deeply value. Warner recognizes my vision as an artist, and their long history of success within my genre fills me with excitement about what lies ahead. I believe I chose the right teams to nurture my growth, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve together.

What’s next for Alemeda besides new music?

I would love to branch out and spread my creativity around more industries so we will see!”.

I think more people in the U.K. are discovering Alemeda. It is a competitive music scene, though it is clear that there is so much that stands her out from her peers. It is amazing she has such an incredible and fully-formed sound considering that Alemeda did not grow up around music. Quite unusual for any artist. In NME’s interview from last year, we get to what it was like when she discovered music and what it provided her:

“The 24-year-old has really had to fight for her spot. Her mother is a devout Muslim who banned all forms of music from being played at home – even TV theme songs. Despite this, Alemeda would secretly get her musical fix by tuning into pop radio stations on an AM/FM clock radio and watching culture-defining Disney Channel originals like High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Camp Rock. Alemeda’s dreams of pop stardom frightened her mother, who told her daughter she’d “go to hell” if she continued to pursue it. In the end, Alemeda was 17 when she was kicked out and her mum moved to Africa, forcing her to figure out her music career alone.

After two years of hustling, she found some unlikely saviours: Top Dawg Entertainment. She signed to the superstar-churning label back in 2020, loving the way that they championed dark-skinned people, especially Black women like signees SZA and Doechii. But even this milestone was a struggle for Alemeda as her style wasn’t an instant match with the hip-hop and R&B musical intel TDE had on hand.

Already proving her virality on TikTok with ‘Don’t Call Me’ and ‘Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows’ – tracks which showcase her vivid tales of heartbreak – Alemeda is intent on blazing a path for Black Muslim women in pop-rock music, no matter how long it takes.

How is it like being a Black Muslim woman navigating pop-rock?

“I’m Ethiopian and my dad is Sudanese. There are no Ethiopian women who are in any way mainstream. There are no Sudanese women who are mainstream. It’s crazy that I get a lot of text messages or DMs from people who are Ethiopian or Sudanese and they’re like, ‘Oh my god. You’re gonna be our pop star!’

“There’s a lot of Black women like Rachel Chinouriri and Hemlocke Springs who are killing it. Before, pop-rock was such a white-dominated space. It looked like a club you cannot get into because they are so quick to put Black people in the R&B space, even if you make alternative [music].”

“Music is a therapeutic thing: I get to say my feelings, let it out, and then move past it”

You said you grew up listening to no music at all…

“A lot of Muslim parents don’t like to play music, period, and my mom was definitely more on the extreme side. Even Ethiopian music was awesome, but the only time I would hear it was at a wedding or some sort of celebration.”

What was it like when you discovered music?

“I was addicted. I discovered music at six or seven on the home clock radio where you could switch stations between AM and FM. I knew what radio stations played good music because my stepdad would play it in the car and when nobody was home I’d listen.

“When I started going to high school, kids had iPods and [would ask], ‘Have you heard this song by this person?’ and play it on the computer. That was the only way I could because, if my mom was home, you couldn’t even play a theme song from a show. You had to mute the TV.”

Was music a form of escape or rebellion for you?

“Now, music is more of a therapeutic thing. I get to say my feelings, let it out, and then move past it. When I used to put out covers, my mum would have interventions with me and say, ‘Please don’t do it. You’re going to hell.’ Bro, that was so dramatic. There was a point where I lost respect for her back when I was 17, 18 and had to live my own life. I didn’t think it was going to go well, but there was definitely spite.”

What is it like navigating the music world whilst being a Muslim?

“It’s very contradicting. My personal life is more aligned with my religion. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink – I’m not a rock star in real life. I’m really a boring grandma. I just have my two cats [Cinnamon and Truffles]. I feel like if you grow up in a religious house, you have that guilt. I’m trying to balance it out.”

You finally released your label debut, ‘Fk It’ – what do you think about the response?

“The reception I got has been amazing. I was very anxious at first because TDE fans always expect some quality production, quality lyrics, real storytelling. I had a fear they might think my music was too pop. I definitely had imposter syndrome like crazy and it’s slightly going away [because] I’m starting to feel like an artist. Before, it felt like a game.”

You have a raw emotive way of putting things…

“I’m very dramatic, feel things very deeply and very impulsive so I write how I speak. Most of my lyrics are just straight from my diary. A lot of people try to dumb down their emotions and pretend issues don’t affect them, but shit be affecting people and it be affecting me like crazy.”

Your debut single ‘Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows’ and ‘Post Nut Clarity’ are drum ’n’ bass songs and not your usual pop-rock songs…

“When I was 12, I really locked into the UK’s whole music scene like Ella Eyre: she has a lot of drum ’n’ bass in her music even though it doesn’t sound like it.

“But [when I made ‘Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows’] I had just discovered PinkPantheress. She truly is one of a kind and [her music] in 2020 and 2021 was amazing. I didn’t want to be too late to hop on this cool-ass sound. Drum ’n’ bass is almost like a variation of pop or rock if you think about it, but it wasn’t my sound. I don’t see myself making any more”.

I am going to end with this interview from Grunge Cake. Reading about how difficult it was for Alemeda when she first discovered music and embarked on this path. Consider how far she has come and where she is heading. A truly inspiring story that will motivate other artists and give them strength:

“In a recent in-depth conversation with Alemeda, Richardine Bartee delved into the artist’s journey from her early days in music to the breakthroughs and challenges that have shaped her unique sound. Alemeda opens up about the struggles she faced when starting out, including overcoming self-doubt and a steep learning curve, from being relatively new to studio work to navigating industry expectations. She reflects on the impact of her cultural background, growing up in a conservative Ethiopian-Muslim household where music was limited, and how this shaped her understanding of and connection to various genres and artists over time. Through determination and self-discovery, Alemeda has developed a distinctive voice in the Alt-Pop genre, challenging stereotypes and redefining norms. Her story exemplifies resilience and highlights the complexities of representation and genre classification in today’s music landscape. For those young in spirit or mind, who appreciate exploring diverse musical styles and discovering inspiring journeys to success, you’re in for something special. Don’t miss Richardine’s interview with Alemeda below.

Introduction of Alemeda

Richardine: I would like to start with your beginning. If you could, talk to me about what it was like making music early on. Then, take us through the journey from then till now.

Alemeda: Okay, well, in the very beginning, it was extremely hard for me. Like, I honestly wanted to quit, like, all the time. Like, this is not for me, you know? And I was… I didn’t feel like I was good at it, because when TDE found me, I was so new. Like, when I tell you I had only been in the studio maybe five times… I was so inexperienced. When I first came [to America] I didn’t know who Lauryn Hill was. Now I’m like, one of the biggest Lauryn Hill fans… I didn’t know who Erykah Badu was. I didn’t know all these people.

I know every session I would go through it, and we wouldn’t even make a song. Like, they were like, “Okay, we gotta make you a playlist!” Like, you gotta get tapped in. The first two years… was education. It was almost like college — like the Introduction to Music! It’s been four years now. Yeah, so the second two years is when I really found my sound and actually started to make music.

Richardine: Why didn’t you know about Lauryn and Erykah? Is it because of how you grew up?

Alemeda: Yeah, so, like, the way my mom… she just didn’t like music, even though she’s Ethiopian. We didn’t like any music because in our religion, music necessarily, isn’t forbidden, but it’s just like guitars… stringed instruments. So, she was kind of like, you know, just no music. Like, even, [if] it’s a theme song played on a show on TV. If she’s walking to the room, I have to mute it, because she’d be like, “Hold on, what’s going on here? Y’all trying to start a club in my living room?”

She used to get really angsty about that. But all the music that I knew as a child was just whatever was on the radio in the 2000s which was a lot of Rock, a lot of Pop, Beyoncé, you know what I mean? Like, everything that was just Pop during that time was just straight club music and that’s what I knew. Like, or, you know, Bruno Mars… all these big Pop artists from the early 2000s and late 2000s.

Richardine: Okay, [it] makes sense. And I think it makes sense for it to just be string instruments because if it’s based on religion, there’s really no interruption. It’s like a pure form of music.

Alemeda: Yeah.

Richardine: It’s just you and that instrument. It’s not like all of these other energies. So, I think I understand that.

Alemeda: Yeah.

Challenges and Influences in Music Career

Richardine: Okay, and then, so coming up as an Alt-Pop artist, and a Black one at that, what have the challenges been?

Alemeda: I think the biggest goal for me is like, just establishing myself as it. I’ve made it a huge thing with Warner and TDE to like, just kind of like, make sure that we establish that in the beginning. Because if, if I then go in the future and make a different [genre]… Like, the moment you start making R&B music, or you start rapping, it’s so hard for you to branch out. And, like, one of the biggest things for was kind of The Weeknd. He’s, like, one of the biggest Ethiopian artists out there. I watched him do R&B and then make it one of the poppiest albums of all time. He just… they, just weren’t. You know what I mean?

Richardine: Yes!

Alemeda: It’s like, if you were White, they would like, you know, go in and out of any genre and actually give you the award for that genre. Or, like, call you… call your project that genre at least.

Richardine: Like Post Alone.

Alemeda: Like Ariana Grande. She can do multiple genres. They’ll call her Pop song a Pop song and her R&B song and an R&B song. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I do know for Black people, it’s so much harder for you to be diverse.

Richardine: Yes.

Alemeda: Alternative music is like, the most comfortable music I love making. I actually can listen to the songs and not get annoyed by my voice. So…

Richardine: Yeah, I’m just surprised to hear you even say that you could be annoyed by your voice because we love it.

Alemeda: Listen, oh, man. I used to walk out of studios when people started playing my songs. I was like, “Oh no!”

Alemeda: I’ll tell you. My confidence level built as I… the past four years, in the beginning… I just like, you know, you don’t know what you’re doing. Just have imposter syndrome and just feel like nothing’s good.

Richardine: How are you now? Like, how are you feeling about it all now?

Alemeda: I feel great now. Honestly. I feel so comfortable. I feel great performing my music. I feel great listening to it. It’s so easy to make it. I’m not spending six hours in the studio, just like, stressing about whether or not this studio time money is going to be worth it. You know what I mean? Like, I just go in there and actually create. And it’s like… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like, making wonderful projects. And like, I don’t know…

Richardine: Okay, but how do you feel as one of the artists that is finally going to be seen as Alt-Pop and not R&B… Because I feel like there have been artists that have tried, but in recent memory, I think that you are the one that is being fronted and presented as such, from early on. And so there, it leaves no room for anyone to be like, “This person is R&B, or this person is Hip-Hop”, or what have you. Like, have you digested that yet?

Alemeda: Yes, because, like, I’ve heard so many stories of other artists and what they’ve gone through. And I see it like, you know? I mean, it’s right there, you’ll see somebody call somebody Alternative R&B. And I’m like, “Bro, that’s literally an indie song!” But whatever, right? Like, I’m so early into everything, and I hope that what we’re doing everything — like, how Warner and TDE are, like, just correctly, doing it — I hope that actually gets put forward. And then [make] other people [a] little open-minded”.

I will leave things there. Without doubt one of the most promising, extraordinary and strong artists coming through, the rest of this year will see Alemeda building her platform and bringing her music to new fans. With a growing fanbase in the U.K., I am sure we will see her soon. I am intrigued and arrested already. Someone with a very big career in her hands, this is an artist that you…

NEED to know.

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Follow Alemeda

PHOTO CREDIT: Maria Juliana Rojas

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/alemeda

TikTok:

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FEATURE: Spotlight: Travy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Travy

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OVER the next month or so…

I am going to increase the number of Spotlight features I publish. That is because I have been a bit lax over the past month or two. For this feature, I am focusing on someone who is pushing Irish Rap forward. One of the country’s most exciting talents. Travy is someone you should know about. Before getting to some more in-depth interviews, I want to take from a January interview from THE FACE:

“I like peace. London’s just hectic full stop”, says Travy, reclining on a couch in an oversized hoodie.

The rapper is enduring a trip to the English capital to do a bunch of interviews, but feels much more at home in Ireland. Born in Nigeria, at the age of six Travy moved to Tallaght, an outer suburb of Dublin, where he was sent to boarding school by his mum: ​“I remember bringing J‑rice [jollof] to school. That was my first introduction to putting Irish people on to African culture,” he says. ​“They would try it and I’d just see them running up and down like what is this? This is so crazy! That was one of the first times I thought, maybe I should show my culture more, who knows? They might really fuck with it.”

After dropping out of college in Dublin, Travy pursued acting, modelling and music. Teaming up with his best friend and fellow rapper Elzz in 2022, the pair founded Gliders, a Dublin-based clothing brand, event series and cultural collective. Travy and Elzz have since dropped two hard-hitting collaborative albums, Full Circle (2023) and Doghouse (2024), which reached No.2 and No.1 in the Irish charts respectively. But when Travy went to collect his plaque from the record label’s office, he was underwhelmed: ​“They’re not having meetings to [expand] new areas,” he says. ​“There’s like one person in these offices. Seeing that made me realise that I have to build my own industry”.

Travy attributes his confidence to his mum, a chef and business owner who was the first to introduce African cuisine to the shelves of Irish supermarket SuperValu in the form of ready meals and snacks. ​“My mum’s kind of like the way I am with music – she’s full of belief and nothing can stop her. I’ve seen where it takes her and it’s rubbed off.”

Most recently, Travy’s been working on his upcoming solo mixtape Spooky, a more personal record exploring his experiences as an immigrant in Ireland. ​“People were hearing the music in places like New York and seeing that [though I spoke English] I was coming from a completely different perspective.” The tape is dropping on the 10th January. Don’t sleep on it”.

I am moving onto a deep interview from CLASH. Without doubt one of the breakthrough artists of this year, I am excited to see where he heads next. If this is an artist new to you then make sure you explore his work. I predict the next few years are going to see him grown and conquer the world. It is fascinating reading what Trav had to say about Ireland and how that shaped his career. What the challenges were for him living in Ireland coming onto the scene:

“There’s a dark force sweeping through Dublin. It’s scary. It’s ominous. It’s breakthrough Irish rapper Travy, who jumps feet first into 2025 with his debut solo project, ‘SPOOKY’. Irish rap has undergone a seismic evolution over the years, carving its own singular regional identity. What was once a fledgling scene, often battling misconceptions and a niche audience, has matured into a genre-bending movement. At the forefront of this charge, is man of the people, Travy, backed by his collective, Gliders.

I first became aware of Travy when I ventured to Brighton on a solo trip. I perched up in the nearest fish & chips scrolling through my phone, when a video for Travy and Elzzz’s 2024 hit ‘Blockbuster’ arrived in my DMs. Lifted from their collaborative project, the slick edit correlated with Travy’s charged, staccato verse; the song was bold and punchy, the video striking.

‘SPOOKY’ affirms Travy’s status as one of the most exciting musicians to come out of Ireland in recent years. Having previewed his tape ahead of release, CLASH caught up with the buzzy rapper to talk Dublin rap, the familial inspiration behind his alias and fostering community with his multi-purpose collective.

Who is Travy?

A Nigerian artist raised in Ireland. A very ambitious kid trying to take over the world, using my voice to inspire the ones that don’t really have a voice. That’s me in a nutshell.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did growing up in Ireland shape your artistic journey?

My friends and the people around me inspired me. Back in the COVID period, we used to freestyle because we obviously didn’t have much to do, so we’d be freestyling every day, rapping over beats. Every time I’d rap, they’d look at me and be like “Yo you actually have a voice for this, there’s something there.” What really pushed me over the edge was my videographer. He got his camera and said, “I want you to rap and I’m going to record you.” Then we recorded my first song. Looking back, the song wasn’t that crazy but the vibe was there. We posted it and actually got a decent amount of engagement. Since then, I haven’t looked back.

I started paying attention to you after watching the video to ‘Blockbuster’, and what was refreshing to see, is that you proactively engage with your audience, rather than react, which is how we got talking all that time ago.

You’re a person first, right? Someone texted me the other day saying, “the stuff that you’re putting out is so insane and yet you’re still so reachable. You’re replying to DMs, you’re actually engaging with the people.” This is how I started. I never took it seriously.

Your music blends UK drill, US rap and Nigerian highlife. How do you balance these genres and cultural signifiers in your sound?

In Ireland, we have a lot of influences from England and beyond. I grew up listening to Skepta and other UK stuff, like what the English people would grow up listening to. I also listened to a lot of American music, as we grew up watching American TV. Ireland is the only English-speaking country now in the EU since Brexit. When I started doing all this stuff, I blended all the influences together. Things would just happen. It was like “Let me add this sound from this American thing but then put it on to a drill beat, or grab this because I like the way he’s rapping on this.” I listened to a lot of music growing up. I listened to loads of 50 Cent.

Tell us about your new project ‘SPOOKY’. How would you describe it?

‘SPOOKY’ is “feel something” music. You’ve heard the sonics and it’s heavy hitting, whilst the bars are punching. It’s something people would want to listen to. It’s my first solo project, so it’s based on all the experiences that I’ve lived. Being from Dublin, it’s a good place to live and it’s a good place to raise kids. It’s very family-oriented but it’s also quite dark. There’s a lot of bad stuff happening. There’s a lot of oppression. Every time I meet people from London, the first thing they say to me is “I swear Ireland’s mad racist!”

I’ve had to go through so many different things that my peers in the UK just wouldn’t have had to face in England because there’s more integration, and Ireland is still predominantly white. We’re pushing and building culture whilst we’re creating it. Making ‘SPOOKY’ was like a therapy session – a massive therapy session. All the experiences, bad or good, I just wanted to cram it all into one project. If you want to feel something, feel alive, just put on ‘SPOOKY’.

Why did you call collective Gliders?

We used to say we’re going on a glide, if we were to go to a party or going to go do something. People would be like “Yo, those are the Gliders.” People gave us the name.

As a co-founder of Gliders, what role does collaboration play in your music and vision?

One voice can’t be the only voice. I feel like in Ireland, when people aren’t collaborating, things don’t really move as fast. When you collaborate, the scene forms. I think people are starting to see that. I’ve made songs with so many different people but at a time where collaboration just wasn’t a thing. People didn’t really clap, they just did their own thing.

I started to collaborate with people because I was trying to bring that out and that’s how Gliders was made. Everything happened organically. Me and Elzzz decided one day to make hats and put the word Gliders on them. They sold out in a day and we carried on the momentum. We found Sam Fallover (artwork and visuals) and brought him on board, and then one of our friends, TJ, but he’s moved on now. That whole period we were creating a brand. Again, collaboration is massive.

You’ve generated a lot of success with your collaborative work with Elzzz and Gliders. What are your plans to grow the movement?

We have ideas for the brand and one of those is that we’re doing a collaboration with Pellador, which is another Irish brand, on the clothes side of things. We’re trying to organise a Gliders fest where we’ll bring other artists on. Hopefully we can get that done within the year. In Ireland, they have funding initiatives to help run all those things. I’m working with some people within the council that are going to try and help.

With Gliders, we have a few things coming and then with me and Elzzz, we’re aiming to do another project – we have one in the pipeline. Once I’m done with ‘SPOOKY’, I’ll be looking to figure out what the next stage is, whether it’s another solo project or another collaborative one. It’s all about picking out which one to focus on.

You touched on it before. What are the main challenges emerging artists are facing in Ireland? And how do they overcome these challenges?

It’s very hard to take music seriously in Ireland because there’s literally no support. I get my support from the people around me. For new artists in Ireland, I give them any piece of knowledge that I have. Find someone that believes in you. That might be your close friend who does videos or does graphics, or does something creative with a camera or makes beats. Anyone can add to the musical journey. For instance, like Liam and Sam, we all came together very organically. Dublin rents are also peak; the housing crisis is a different situation altogether and it makes it very hard to sustain a music career. I don’t even know how I’ve done it. It’s only by God’s grace that I’m even here.

Do you hope your music impacts conversations about identity and more cultural integration in Ireland?

For sure. I posted a TikTok one time, and it started doing the rounds but then I saw it on Twitter. Someone screen grabbed it and they were cussing it out like “look what Ireland has turned into, a load of people from Africa doing dances in front of a memorial.” I didn’t even know whose memorial that was. I was just dancing and rapping my songs. The majority of Ireland is still in its early stages of culture, and we’re the ones bringing culture to it, if that makes sense? It’s still very difficult because they don’t necessarily want to take it in yet. I found out recently that Gliders was blacklisted. I was wondering why we weren’t getting any shows and some guy told us we ask for too much because we roll with an entourage. This is rap culture. I’m living in a place where they don’t understand it yet.

There’s no one that’s like me in these high places to tell them that this is how it is. My mum said to me the other day “You must keep going, you must keep shining. Kill them with success and that’s the only way.” My mum was the first Nigerian lady to bring Nigerian dishes into Irish supermarkets. She basically went through the same thing I had to go through. She just recently opened a restaurant, and will be interviewed by the BBC soon.

Growing up in Ireland, there was a lot of black people that had an identity crisis because they’re told you’re not from here. I’m Irish, though? I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve done the exact same thing you guys have. I’m on the same corner you guys are, so what’s the difference? Ireland has a mad suicide rate because a lot of people don’t know where they stand. They don’t know where their community is and it’s quite sad. The bigger we grow, the more of us there’ll be. How many generations of black people have been in the UK for time? They’ve grown up with grandparents that were born in the UK and in Ireland we are the first generation.

With that said, how do you feel about leading the charge for the next generation of Irish artists?

I like these questions because they get me thinking. My dad was a General in Nigeria and my mum is an ambitious woman. I get my ambition from them but I’ve always wanted to inspire people. For example, there’s this kid named Baby July from Galway. He popped up on my TikTok one time. I liked his beat selections and the fact that he was doing it himself. I share his stuff every so often. I didn’t have that, so I want to be there for the ones that are coming up in the space”.

I am going to end with an interview from NME that was published earlier this month. Last year’s DOGHOUSE was an album that should have got Travy award-nominated and better represented. Perhaps not completely embraced and accepted in Ireland at the moment, I do hope that the culture changes pretty soon. In spite of the fact there are barriers put up, Travy has achieved so much and is inspiring so many people:

“The 26-year-old is at the forefront of a generation of Black Irish artists forging a new path within the country’s music scene, alongside the likes of Sello, Monjola, and long-time collaborator Elzzz. His first two projects, ‘Full Circle’ (2023) and ‘Doghouse’ (2024), both made with Elzzz, secured the Number Two and Number One spots on the Irish Album Charts respectively, and ‘Spooky’ (produced by Galway-born beatmaker Liam Harris) has further boosted that momentum.

‘Spooky’ was crafted over a two-month period spent renting a flat in Paris, striving for nonstop creativity and endeavour. “Me and Liam had this place in the second district in Paris, and sometimes we didn’t even have a penny bro, I was just chowing on these pasta boxes every day just to keep going!” Travy laughs. “But I knew what I was gonna get from the project, so it was just them graveyard shifts, really being in that creative flow… it was nice having that time and space to record at any given moment. I was thinking, ‘If I record in Paris, will the music sound different?’ But I still have the same vim, so it’s not just the cold weather that’s making me rap like this!”

Travy’s fresh, distinctly Irish rap sound stems from a wide array of sources. He tends to lean on dark, swelling instrumentals that blend the edginess of mid-2010s south London drill with a more upbeat, bouncing UK grime energy, his vocal cadences and calmly-delivered bars akin to Homerton’s Unknown T. A swish braggadocious quality nodding to booming New York drill runs through the project, too. Anchoring it all in his home city are little touches of Dublin slang like ‘FSSH’ (an expression harnessed on the mixtape’s eponymous lead single) and ominous choral samples that transport you to midnight mass in a cold, cavernous Catholic church (‘Meet Spooky’).

But creating this sense of identity hasn’t been easy; Travy has repeatedly spoken up about the lack of music infrastructure he’s had access to in Ireland, and the lack of successful role models to learn from. “What I’m facing, it’s completely different,” says Travy. “That’s why the music might have a bit more vim, because I’m up against more. Trying to push culture in a country that doesn’t care, it’s infuriating!

PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Bolam

“There’s this festival in Dublin called Longitude which we performed at one time, but never again,” he continues. “This festival was once the Mecca of culture for everyone growing up, but now they’ve got 50 Cent and David Guetta headlining, and it’s so out of touch it’s ridiculous. It was so inspiring seeing people from Dublin tearing up that main stage, but I think the people running the entertainment business in Ireland don’t care enough to look within their own area. If they booked us for these tings, people would be pulling up.”

As a result, Travy has often looked to the UK for inspiration – and recently met legend Skepta at Paris Fashion Week. “He said to me, ‘The only reason I’m still here is because I kept going’. Everything he did in England is basically what we’re doing in Ireland now.”

Travy has often been compared to the Tottenham rapper thanks to the strides taken by his collective, Gliders: “Back home, people would compare Gliders to Boy Better Know or A$AP Mob.” Initially a spontaneous nickname for the group of friends Travy rolled around with in Dublin, Gliders eventually morphed into a collective throwing house parties in the capital. Over time, the group have blended musical releases with a hugely successful clothing line, growing a community of like-minded artists, videographers and illustrators.

The chief musicians are Travy, Elzzz, Harris, while Sam Fallover handles art and visuals for Gliders. Fallover played a key role in the conceptual development of ‘Spooky’, designing the album artwork and helping shape the devilish alter ego Travy embodies on the project.

“Spooky was a nickname my friends gave me growing up, ’cause I was kinda a mischievous kid,” Travy explains. “I knew I wanted to make this project explore who I am as a person, the Nigerian and Irish perspective… I want people to be like ‘This guy’s an alien!’ It’s getting to the stage where I’m starting to believe I’m an alien!”

Sadly, alienation is something Travy has consistently experienced in the Irish music scene. He was absent from the Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) Albums of the Year list, despite ‘Doghouse’ making history last year by becoming the first Irish rap project to reach Number One, a snub that understandably angered fans. “I posted about it because the younger generation needs to know what kinda forces we’re working against,” Travy says”.

An artist who should be in your sights, I would urge everyone to check out Travy. Even if you are not a fan of Rap or are not familiar with his sound, I would still encourage you to take a listen. A huge artist who is going to be a major name very soon, all eyes should be trained his way. He is one of the most important voices…

<

IN modern music.

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Follow Travy

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/travystop/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Jlb9WCVsroYGv8TKOGLly

TikTok:

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