FEATURE: Music Sounds Better with You: Ones to Watch 2019: Part I

FEATURE:

 

 

Music Sounds Better with You

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jade Bird/PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando for RollingStone.com  

Ones to Watch 2019: Part I

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IT is the time of year when we look ahead...

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IN THIS PHOTO: EQUALS

and prophesise the artists who will define the following year. It has been a hectic and exciting year for music and I am sure a lot of the artists who made impressions this year will reign in 2019. I have been looking through the rising acts who are making steps and have collated them in this list. There are a few more editions to come and I will cover a lot more musicians but, for now, here is the first collection of promising sounds. Have a look through and I am sure you will find something in the pack...

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IN THIS PHOTO: Grace Carter

THAT spikes your interest!

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists/Getty Images

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Liv Dawson

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Rews

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King Nun

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DIDI

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Emmi

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Lazybones

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Grace Carter

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Tiger Mimic

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Jade Bird

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Malaika

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YONAKA

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The Wild Things

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Beth McCarthy

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Mahalia

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EQUALS

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CHILDCARE

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Emily Magpie

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Chasing Deer

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Mark Harrison

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Kate Kelly

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Anna Pancaldi

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XamVolo

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Fiona Harte

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FloodHounds

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RIDER

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Sam Fender

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RuthAnne

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Duke of Wolves

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Delta Sleep

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INTERVIEW: Jon Pattie

INTERVIEW:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Devon 

Jon Pattie

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THANKS to Jon Pattie...

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for speaking about his single, Won’t Be Young, and details about his new E.P., Reflections, Vol. 1. I ask what music he grew up around and which rising artists we need to watch; a few albums that mean the most to him and what is coming next year.

Pattie talks about the music coming out of Texas and what he wants for Christmas; if he gets time to chill away from music and which artist he’d support given the chance – he ends the interview by selecting a great track.

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Hi, Jon. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey, y’all! I am doing great, thank you for asking! My week has been busy from dawn to dusk. Between a day job, my music and managing my own physical and mental health, there’s always a lot to do in a day. But I love it!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure thing! I am a Texas-bred, Nashville-based Indie-Pop singer-songwriter. I started my career in Austin, TX while attending The University of Texas at Austin but relocated to Nashville in 2018 to begin my newest series of releases, Reflections. My music is all about finding your path in life, developing who you are as a person and achieving your dreams.

Won’t Be Young is your latest single and has garnered a lot of praise. How did it come together and what inspired it?

Won’t Be Young was actually the first song I wrote when I began seriously pursuing a career in music. I wrote it while I was working an internship in Chemical Engineering - the degree I was pursuing in college. I was struggling with the realization that I wasn’t on the path I was meant to be on. I released a demo version of the track in 2015 but decided to bring it back and revamp the song with a new energy with the help of my producer, Josh Hastick. It felt like a fitting song to begin this new chapter of my life as it relates to me now as it did when I first wrote it. The sound of the song was inspired by some of the guitarists and musicians I look up to like Tom Misch and John Mayer.

It is from the E.P., Reflections, Vol. 1. Are there connected and personal stories that inspired the music?

Absolutely! Each song relates to different self-discoveries I made over the course of the last few years. As mentioned earlier, Won’t Be Young is about discovering my true path in life and how long it will take me to get there. Reflections was inspired by some family issues and personal issues I was struggling with and the realization that, if I wanted to keep moving forward, I had to let go of my past and let go of the struggles I was holding onto.

Lastly, State of Mind talks about how we only have one life and one opportunity to pursue our goals and dreams so we should make the most of it. It also talks about my lack of happiness with where I was but I know where my happiness is.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Devon 

What sort of music did you grow up around? Which artists inspired you to get into music?

I grew up listening to a mix of top-40 and Pop-Punk/Metalcore music. My parents listened to the radio a lot so that was very present in my life but the first artist I really connected with was Sum 41. I learned two of their albums, Underclass Hero and Chuck, in their entirety on guitar! I was in a few bands throughout high-school where we played music similar to All Time Low, Fall Out Boy; Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce the Veil and a lot of other bands in that same vein.

I was always very inspired by some of today’s great Metal guitarists like Misha Mansoor, Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson as well. It wasn’t until the last few years that I really got into Singer-Songwriter and Blues-Pop music. I’ve always been songwriting since I first picked up the guitar though!

As a Texas native; how much of the state’s music impacted you? Do you drawn a lot from the music of Texas?

Honestly, not too much. There are a handful of artists from my local town that I listened to - including Forever the Sickest Kids and Polyphia – but, with YouTube, iTunes and Spotify, it was always very easy for me to find artists from all over the world whom I was drawn to.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Devon 

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yup! I’ve got a lot of stuff in the works including more tours, a YouTube cover series and lots of writing! I’m planning to be in the studio in early-2019 to start recording for Reflections: Vol. II.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Honestly, this past tour has been phenomenal. A lot of the shows I played at, I was able to see friends that I hadn’t in a long time and perform my new music for them. It was exhilarating! Specifically, my show at Opening Bell Coffee in Dallas, TX and The Foundation Room - House of Blues in Houston, TX were incredible. I am going to remember the shows for a long time!

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Good question!

Continuum by John Mayer has been really close to me considering how much influence his songwriting and guitar playing has on my style. Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole is another album I’ve always enjoyed. J. Cole is an amazing lyricist! The last album would have to be Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy. I grew up listening to them and that’s just a classic album I could never get tired of.

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

If I had to ask for one present it would absolutely be a subscription to the Headspace app. I’ve been using it for a while now for meditation but haven’t been able to upgrade due to the cost of Pro. I’d love to explore the other capabilities within it!

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If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Right now, I’d love to support Ed Sheeran. His live performance is captivating and I would like to be a part of it! As for my rider, I really don’t need much besides water, peanut butter and a quiet space to meditate!

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PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Devon 

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

I have a writer’s round booked on November 29th at Commodore Bar & Grille but, for the most part, I am prepping for 2019! I will be booking a whole slew of new shows for the next year!

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Stick with it. It’s going to take a while to really start finding your fans and getting into the groove of what the music industry takes nowadays but, if you’re passionate, patient, and willing to learn, you will go far.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Hale

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Absolutely! Sam Hale is an incredible Alt-Rock-pop artist who is also based here in Nashville. I was able to tour with him and his live set is pretty stellar. You can definitely check out Tobe Nwigwe from Houston, TX as well. He’s an upcoming powerhouse!

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IN THIS PHOTO: Tobe Nwigwe

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Not really. Honestly...music is my lifeblood and it’s all I ever want to do with my time. I will take the occasional break here and there in order to keep my sanity, though! That usually includes meditation or watching an episode of a series on Hulu.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Well, thank you very much! Check out Can’t Take It by Sam Hale! It gets stuck in my head constantly, in a good way

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Follow Jon Pattie

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INTERVIEW: The Thin Cherries

INTERVIEW:

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The Thin Cherries

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IT has been good speaking with The Thin Cherries...

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about their new album, On Moose Island, and how it came together. They talk about the recording process and how the band got together; the albums and sounds that inspire them and where they head next.

I was keen to know which rising artists we should watch and whether the band get time away from music to chill; if the guys have favourite memories from their career and the advice they would give to emerging musicians.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Mark Lofgren: Hectic! A quick trip to Detroit to see family; just beat the bad weather on the road.

Steven Delisi: I’m doing well - although it has been a crazy week and I’m tired from raking the Trump national forest all day. 

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Mark: I’ve played in the Psych/Pop band The Luck of Eden Hall for the better part of the last thirty years. We’ve toured and released some well-regarded albums, but have more of a cult following. I do some video editing and motion graphics work to make ends meet.

Steven: I’m the rhythm guitarist and co-writer with The Thin Cherries. I say co-writer, because we intend to pivot to a sitcom after the New Year begins. I will play the chauffeur.

How did The Thin Cherries form? When did you all meet one another?

Mark: Steven Delisi and I formed the Thin Cherries two years ago, when we realized we collaborated well on each other’s tunes. I’d been friends with Steve for many years prior, when I was actually his instructor at a design college...

Steven: Our band started out as a project for two songwriters; Mark Lofgren and I realized we had a lot in common as far as influences and maybe the approach to recording. After Mark put out his solo album back in 2014, I mentioned the idea to do something together. But it took until just a couple years ago for us to start on the project. We initially started at Mark’s apartment studio – recording demos, in which the process was essentially helping each other complete song ideas. Often it would be something simple, like one of us offering a counter melody or a riff to a pretty well developed song. Or, it would be something structural like a bridge idea or changing things around to make the song more unusual.

We had a great time; meeting for coffee on Saturday mornings then getting to work at his place. After a few months, we reached out to Mark’s friend to collaborate further - a guy who plays many instruments - and had access to a rehearsal space with limited recording gear. That’s Darren Shepherd, our lead guitarist, who we brought demos to and eventually we recorded bass, guitars and drums to start the record. Darren actually plays the drums on quite a few tracks that we started on at Mark’s apartment. Later, he added a lot of amazing guitar stuff once we had basic tracks in place. During one tracking session, Darren’s friend Gabe stopped by, liked what we were up to and ended up playing with us on a few tracks. We had such a good time that we kept meeting and recording a few new tracks each weekend. We bonded pretty quickly and soon our goal was to ‘put out a record’ and just see what happens.   

On Moose Island is your latest album. What sort of themes inspired the record?

Mark: Although it’s certainly not a concept album, we wanted to mix and match some retro keyboard sounds and Electronica touches with straight-ahead Pop and sideways psychedelic vibes. To me, the album has a lot of variety but really holds together and has a dense but not heavy sound. Lyrically, there are some darker themes of isolation and anxiety mixed with some happier vibes of old friendships rekindled and road trips (…perhaps even to Moose Island!).

Steven: Initially, we were just preoccupied with capturing a more live sound that represents how we evolved as a full band and not a production of our songs. So, I think a theme for the record emerged as one about being a band. As Mark puts it, we came up with the album title track to reflect this idea of a mythical island somewhere where we all lived together and played music; a weird David Lynch-like town with quirky locals and unusual wildlife and one diner where all the townsfolk congregated in to discuss their daily lives. 

As this stuck, we started making ‘moose’ jokes and thought about ways to present the ideas visually. Near completion of the album, we employed Mark’s friend Jim Laugelli, a great artist, who did the brilliant cover painting of On Moose Island. I’m also working on a music video that is a collage of old 16mm footage that my parents made before I was born.  

Did you change a lot up since your debut? Was there a different approach when you stepped into the studio?

Mark: Steven and I basically wrote and recorded the first album as a duo to start. We brought our friend Darren Shepherd in to play some drums and additional guitar and he recruited his drummer friend Gabe Palomo to play drums live and finish off the album. Now, we have Birdie Soti on board playing keys and Sophie Senard singing some back-up and playing accordion. With On Moose Island, it was a real collaborative affair; recording a lot of the tracks together live in the studio. Steven and I wrote most of the framework for the songs and Darren added an awesome, beautiful track of his own, Steadfast Arranger.

Steven: So, again we were in the middle of changing from what was a recording project for two songwriters (our debut was the end product) to a full band effort in which everyone contributed ideas, direction and even songs. We recorded a few songs by our lead guitarist, Darren. Steadfast Arranger ended up on the album - a departure of sorts that is more personal, haunting and really beautiful! 

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Do you share similar tastes? Who are you inspired by?

Mark: We certainly have common touchstones with some classic and modern British Pop and Psych music mixed with some Folk and Americana. Gabe, our drummer, is also an Electronica fan and a well-known D.J., so I love incorporating some of that on the new album and future releases.

Steven: It was important for us to get our drummer Gabe more involved creatively as he is a producer of Dance and Techno music. Our current single, I Don’t Know You All, is the result a drunken idea Mark came up with after rehearsal in which Gabe quickly ‘threw down’ beats and they went from that point shaping a Dance track. The rest of us added instruments later and we sort of fulfilled our desire for a more organic approach to producing music that starts from a melody idea and not someone’s already written song. We’ll be working this way moving forward, drawing from other influences. I know, on this one, we were inspired by bands we grew up with like New Order and other artists that produced dance music.

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As Christmas is coming; what one present would you each like if you could have anything?

Mark: A vinyl release for the album and some worldwide distribution would be a dream! But I’d settle for some for positivity in the world overall and some good old-fashioned peace, love and understanding for a change.

Steven: I would like a nice vintage Gibson or Epiphany hollow body electric guitar!  I’ve been relying on the one wonderful Fender Stratocaster for years.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Mark: Playing some local and Midwest U.S. shows to support the album. We’ll probably do a couple music videos as well and starting to work on new music this coming summer. We’d love to someday tour Europe. I love it over there and the Luck of Eden Hall has had a blast playing in the UK in the past.

Steven: The plan for 2019 is to get better as a band and write and record more music! Hopefully, we’ll be productive enough to make another album or at least an E.P. That might be the way to go.

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Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Mark: Again, the several U.K. tours I did with my other band were awesome and I’d love to repeat the fun with The Thin Cherries someday. Also, having The Luck of Eden Hall open for the Psychedelic Furs at a festival here in the States a few years back was a blast. I really loved their music  when I was younger and meeting band leader Richard Butler was great.

Steven: My favorite memory so far is the first time we recorded basic tracks at Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago - the amazing studio of our friend and co-producer Mike Hagler. I’ll never forget going up to the mixing loft after tracking bass, guitars, keyboards and drums then hearing Mike’s initial mix just to know what we got. The sound was so big and amazing tonally! I knew we were on to something fun and special.

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Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Mark: Oh man, is that a tough one! I’m going to have to go old school though and say Scary Monsters and Super Creeps by David Bowie. That whole album has a mysterious, powerful feel. Eno’s production is amazing; Bowie was a genius and Ashes to Ashes is one of my favorite all time songs (still gives me chills when I listen to it, just like when I heard it when I was a kid).

Steven: On Moose Island is super-important to me. It feels like we put together a record that reflects not just our tastes and influences but more of our creative expression as a group. We’re not there yet, but it’s a big step forward.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Mark: To play bass for Robyn Hitchcock and my rider would be to hang out with him and listen to his stories! Or tour with The Kinks and hang out backstage!

Steven: I would really like to support Future Islands on a tour. I just really like their music and they seem to be super-nice guys.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Mark: Do it for the love of the music and the art of it all, not chasing money or success or the pressure of making it. Herman Melville died broke and unappreciated and Moby Dick was considered a failure in his lifetime. You never know who or when your music might reach or touch someone. Just follow your heart and write the best music you can and put it out there, even if it seems like you’re working in a vacuum sometimes!

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Mark: We’ll be playing some Midwest U.S. shows after the holidays, so stay tuned!

Steven: We’re not touring extensively at this point. I hope in 2019 we can at least do a Michigan brewery tour that we sometimes talk about. We love beer. For now, we play out at various clubs and venues in Chicago.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Cloud Nothings

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Mark: Cloud Nothings have been around a few years and are raw and amazing Indie/Noise-Rock. I also love Wild Nothing who have a few albums and an '80s vibe. Also, I really like the quirky indie pop of Frankie Cosmos.

Steven: My favorite artist/band for the last two years has been Slaves. They draw cleverly on influential bands from their native England without any obviousness and they really have a cool sound and style that is all their own that supports their absurdly funny and much-needed political message; just two nice guys who care so much about their audience. In an odd way, they remind me of Style Council.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Slaves

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Mark: I play sports on some different teams…basketball and baseball mostly (I suppose across the pond I’d be playing football and cricket!).

Steven: We don’t chill much away from music…too busy working and what not. I play soccer as much as possible for a middle-aged knuckle-head but we have pretty fun times together when we can, during or after rehearsals. Usually, it involves drinking beer.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that)?

Mark: That’s When I Reach for My Revolver by Mission of Burma; one of my favorite influential '80s Punk/Pop tracks and it seems right for the times… 

Steven: My Ever Changing Moods - The Style Council

Thanks!

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Follow The Thin Cherries

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FEATURE: Pressure Point: The Return of The Zutons and the Question as to Whether Reformations Can Rekindle the Flame

FEATURE:

 

 

Pressure Point

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Zutons (who disbanded in 2009 and have rarely played together since)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The Return of The Zutons and the Question as to Whether Reformations Can Rekindle the Flame

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I am always curious why certain bands go away...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

and what motivates them to come back after a long gap! I latched onto The Zutons’ music when their debut, Who Killed...... The Zutons?, came onto the shelves in 2004. I was still at university but had not yet graduated and was sort of wrapping things up. A lot of the music I was hearing up in Cambridge was contemporary mainstream and I discovered The White Stripes a year or two before – and was compelled and obsessed by their back catalogue. Liverpool’s The Zutons offered something eccentric, fresh and exciting. So much of my musical curiosity back then was something gnarlier and less uplifting but, when I heard that album, I was instantly struck. There is not a lot on the Who Killed...... The Zutons? Wikipedia page – apart from the tracklisting… – but there was a lot of interest and fascination when they arrived on the scene. Songs like Pressure Point and You Will You Won’t are instant and burrow in the head. Others – like Nightmare Part II and Dirty Dancehall – take a few spins before all of their layers start to make sense. It is a confident and different album that many compared to the work of The Coral. That is a band I was heavily into and, having started out earlier than The Zutons, it is understandable if a few hints and sounds were incorporated into The Zutons’ locker. The bands are different and I feel The Zutons are more accessible. The debut album, whether critics were totally on-board or not, is a giddy delight and one that still stands up some fourteen years after its release.

Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love? and Valerie were the two big singles from the follow-up album, Tired of Hanging Around, and the latter was famously covered by Amy Winehouse – who put her unique stamp on the song. There was, perhaps, less instant joy and satisfaction on the album: one needed to dig deeper and it was a more mature record that took in new elements. Reviews were better (compared to the debut) and, as AllMusic show, it was unusual to see a band source such disparate and rare influences:

“There was a little bit of everything here, including the powerful sax playing of Abi Harding -- obvious on every track but not dominant -- and Boyan Chowdhury's guitar work, which was original and innovative (and would soon be missed, as he left the band not long afterwards). They unashamedly lifted the intro of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for their song "Valerie," but the song was so good that one could forgive them almost anything; indeed, Amy Winehouse took the same song into the Top Ten for the second time within two years with a very different version. What a pity they released Tired of Hanging Around in the same week as Shayne Ward's album; otherwise, there would have been some real music at the top of the charts”.

I was less struck by the 2008 album, You Can Do Anything, but it got a lot of critical love. To me, the purity and essence of The Zutons is on those horn-parping, eccentric gems from the debut. The songs that has that unusual flair and could get you nodding the head and swinging the body. In any case; it was sad to see the band sort of break away and nothing from them. Ten years after their third album; news has been announced of a tour and, let’s hope, another album. NME reveal the details:

 “Noughties indie icons The Zutons have reformed for their first full tour in nine years.

The Liverpool band are touring next March to play their debut album ‘Who Killed The Zutons’ in full on an eight-date tour, to mark the album’s 15th anniversary. Tour dates are below. Tickets for the tour will be available at this link from 9am on Friday (November 30).

It comes two years after The Zutons reformed for a charity benefit to commemorate the death of their friend Kristian Ealey. Zutons singer Dave McCabe sang with Ealey in his first band Tramp Attack. At the time, the band vowed it would be their “final ever” concert.

But the concert saw the band start to revive their friendship. McCabe said: “We’ve all been off doing our own thing for a little while. It’s only with hindsight and a bit of space that you see how special something really is. It’s easy to take things for granted when you’re younger, but now it’s just amazing to think of those songs still having a place in the world, and for people to come and hear us play them again”...

‘Who Killed The Zutons’ included the singles ‘You Will You Won’t’, ‘Pressure Point’, ‘Confusion’ and ‘Remember Me’. The Zutons’ most famous song ‘Valerie’ featured on their second album, ‘Tired Of Hanging Around’, which was covered by Amy Winehouse. The Zutons released their final album to date ‘You Can Do Anything’ in 2008.

The Zutons tour dates are:
March 26: O2 Institute, Birmingham
March 28: Barrowland, Glasgow
March 29: Albert Hall, Manchester
March 30: Roundhouse, London
April 1: O2 Academy, Bristol
April 2: Rock City, Nottingham
April 4: O2 Academy, Leeds
April 5: Olympia, Liverpool”.

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

It is great to see the band have got back together – there was a bit of tension at one stage and many felt their days were extinct – but there is a real appetite for their music and what they left behind. I wonder whether, like many bands returning after years at sea, this is about nostalgia and recapturing memories. You see the article above and, yes, The Zutons were darlings and icons of the early-2000s. They represented something bold, colourful and appealing and, whilst their music is still relevant, is a tour a chance for us to see the old hits one more time before they go off again?! The band have said material will follow – they are keen to get paid, they cheekily remarked – and I wonder why they have come together again. Maybe they all got into a room and decided enough is enough...it has been a long time and we are all close mates. Perhaps there is that need to mark ten years since their last album and mark a sort of anniversary. The dates, I am sure, will be well-attended and I do wonder what a new Zutons album will involve. As much as I love Who Killed...... The Zutons?; it has been fourteen years and they couldn’t very well repeat the sound of the debut. I love the infectiousness of that record but understand if they take a different stand.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The Zutons’ Abi Harding at V Festival in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: ant217

My worry is that they will do something more ‘mature’ and loss the spark and adventure that opened eyes back in 2004. I always think their secret weapon is saxophonist Abi Harding and her mad skills! Even from the debut album, it was her extraordinary talent and passion that sort of brought the songs to life. I love Dave McCabe and the guys but I hope Harding plays a big role in any new record and the tour. I presume the band’s original/last line-up will be solid and unchanged but it is what they do after the tour that interests me. I know Harding has been busy since The Zutons sort of went on hiatus and I cannot wait to hear her back in the fray. There is that debate regarding nostalgia and a genuine new phase of a band’s life. Many can say The Zutons are simply trying to milk the nostalgia cow but, at a time when so many artists enjoy a brief career, seeing them come back and look to the future is a good thing. The pressure from critics will be huge and many will want to see – if and when another album comes – something akin to their earliest work. The members are all a bit older and wiser and might be looking to take their sound in a new direction. Can The Zutons rekindle that flame and get the same sort of attention they received in the middle of the last decade?!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The Zutons at a hometown (Liverpool) gig/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

There is a lot of political division and tension in this country so they might want to document that. Maybe family life and new loves will play a role or perhaps they will draw together their early excitement with something a little smoother and less boisterous. So long as – no bias or anything – Harding is allowed to strike and open her wings then I feel critics will latch back onto the band much quicker. The Zutons are not the only act who is back in the spotlight after a long time away. Band reunions are not a new thing: many get back for the cash or a nostalgia reunion; others patch up their difference or decide that they have been away from one another for a long time. The Streets (Mike Skinner) is embarking on new tour dates and, under the guise ‘Mike Skinner and The Streets, there is new material out and it seems like things are back on track. Earlier in the year, NME reported on The Streets’ announcement of a ‘greatest hits’ tour:

“Maybe a twinge of nostalgia stirred in Mike Skinner when ‘Original Pirate Material’ turned 15-years-old last year and there was a flurry of pieces looking back on its brilliance. Whatever his motivation, this week The Streets will play their first shows in the UK since signing off (in Skegness, no less) in 2011. The gigs, which sold out in minutes, begin in Skinner’s old stomping ground Birmingham and round-off with three huge nights at O2 Academy London...

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Streets (Mike Skinner) has announced tor dates for next year but not released an album since 2011’s Computers and Blues/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

It’s billed as a “greatest hits tour”, and when Mike Skinner confirmed the news about the comeback, he joked he’d “missed tour buses very much”, adding “it’s been long enough”. Yes, seven long years since he put on his Classics to have a little dance and perform live as The Streets.

Course, there were a few raised eyebrows when the news landed. Skinner sounded adamant when he told The Guardian “The Streets is finished” at the beginning of the decade just before the release of their fifth and final album, going on to say “I have no interest in repeating myself”. He recently said the decision wasn’t based on the pay-day, telling Mr Porter “I don’t need the cash, otherwise I’d have done all the festivals, and the offers we got were insane”.

As reunions go, this is one of the less complicated ones since Mike Skinner is The Streets. No inter-band wrangling, here. For these shows, he’s surrounded himself with a white-hot live band of five members. It includes long-term collaborator Robert Harvey on guitar, formerly of baggy-rockers The Music, and the other half of Skinner’s collaborative project The DOT. The soulful Kevin Mark Trail joins him on vocal duties for large parts of the set, swapping flanks of the stage, but it’s still a show that’s led by Skinner. Who, by the way, is looking in top shape for a guy now into his late-30s”.

The last album from Mike Skinner’s act, Computers and Blues, was out in 2011 and it was felt, once that album was done, things were complete. There were those questions around cashing in on remembrance and nostalgia but Mike Skinner seems to be in inspired mood and is putting out new stuff. Like The Zutons and how they will be remembered; many people will look at the glory days and recapturing that spirit. The Streets’ first two albums, Original Pirate Material (2002) and A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004), and want more of the same. The fact Mike Skinner is not the same man as he was then means we cannot return to those days. In that time, he was this young man whose experiences of council estates and dodgy takeaways was drawn from experience a sense of struggle. Now, having moved on from that life to an extent, he cannot write about the same things with the same clarity and authenticity.

The newest stuff he has put out sounds pretty good but many will note it is not quite as lofty and epic as the stuff being produced back then. Back in 2002, there was this emerging U.K. Garage and Hip-Hop scene and this was pre-YouTube and streaming. The scene was different and I think a lot of people look at artists and expect they will pick off where they left from or they will return to their golden period. Every band and act needs to evolve and it would be unrealistic to expect Mike Skinner to write about dodgy birds down the pub and negotiating the weather as he makes his way home from a late one.

Even though the newish material from The Streets is not as fired and genius as the older work; it is exciting to see things kicking back off. No plans, as far as I know, are out regarding a new album and whether there will be more Streets stuff. The dates are out so, in order to transition from nostalgia to a genuinely new phase of things, Skinner will be thinking, let’s hope, about a new album. The Zutons will have some pressure regarding when an album comes out and how it will sound – don’t expect new stuff from The Streets to instantly go back to 2002. The Zutons were vibing from and capturing a spirit that was looming in 2004 and party of a Mersey/Wirral sound. Things have changed and The Coral have moved on from their more weird and wonderful experimentations of The Coral (2002) and Magic and Medicine (2003). The thing that links The Coral, The Zutons and The Streets is a distinct regency – 2002-2004 – and it has been a long time since then. Even though The Zutons and The Streets are playing their earlier material in new tour dates; that does not mean, when new material comes, they will stick with that sound. It is tricky for any popular band/artist to go away from music, come back after a long time, and convince people they are looking ahead and not simply doing a sort of nostalgia tour. It is great to see The Zutons and The Streets return but we all want new tracks and are curious where they head.

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 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

I return to The Zutons and, as much as I adore their debut and revel in that magnificence and freshness; it is 2018 and we might not get new material until this time next year. Each member has been through a lot and their camp is not the same as it was back in 2004. Look at everyone from Blur to The Stone Roses and what sort of pressure was placed on them when they brought out new material. You cannot recapture the past but it is unfair to judge artists’ motives and assume anything after their heady peak will not resonate. I know The Zutons will smash their tour and whatever they bring out next will be fantastic – the same goes with The Streets. It is always humbling seeing artists reform and acts getting a new lease of creative life. Maybe we will not hear another Pressure Point or Valerie from them but the fact they are back in the world. Many asked Who Killed...... The Zutons? and we were Tired of Hanging Around but, in 2018, it seems, in The Zutons’ mind, We Can Do Anything (sorry!). The band is back, rejuvenated and, let’s cross our fingers, critics and the public...

WILL be right behind them!

 

FEATURE: Starting the Decade in Style: Part V/V: The Finest Albums of 1980

FEATURE:

 

 

Starting the Decade in Style

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PHOTO CREDIT: @artificialphotography/Unsplash 

Part V/V: The Finest Albums of 1980

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THE reason I am putting together this feature…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @_sharon_garcia/Unsplash

is to shine a light on the albums that started a decade with a huge deceleration. I feel it is hard to define what a decade is about and how it evolves but the first and last years are crucial – I have already looked at decade-ending albums. I am bringing to life this feature that celebrates albums that opened a decade with a mighty amount of quality and gave inspiration to those who followed. In this final part, I am focusing on 1980 and the best ten records from the year. We often feel the 1980s is a bit of a weak decade but, regardless of what you think of it as a whole, the first year was a pretty epic one and gave us so many terrific albums. Have a look at the selected ten and see how a maligned (but terrific) decade...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @priscilladupreez/Unsplash

GOT off of the blocks.

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

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Talking Heads – Remain in Light

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Release Date: 8th October, 1980

Label: Sire

Review:

“The album's single, "Once in a Lifetime," flopped upon release, but over the years it became an audience favorite due to a striking video, its inclusion in the band's 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, and its second single release (in the live version) because of its use in the 1986 movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills, when it became a minor chart entry. Byrne sounded typically uncomfortable in the verses ("And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife/And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"), which were undercut by the reassuring chorus ("Letting the days go by"). Even without a single, Remain in Light was a hit, indicating that Talking Heads were connecting with an audience ready to follow their musical evolution, and the album was so inventive and influential, it was no wonder. As it turned out, however, it marked the end of one aspect of the group's development and was their last new music for three years” – AllMusic           

Standout Track: Once in a Lifetime

Dire Straits – Making Movies

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Release Date: 17th October, 1980

Labels: Vertigo/Warner Bros. (U.S.)/Mercury (Canada)  

Review:

“Without second guitarist David Knopfler, Dire Straits began to move away from its roots rock origins into a jazzier variation of country-rock and singer/songwriter folk-rock. Naturally, this means that Mark Knopfler's ambitions as a songwriter are growing, as the storytelling pretensions of Making Movies indicate. Fortunately, his skills are increasing, as the lovely "Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of Love," and "Skateaway" indicate. And Making Movies is helped by a new wave-tinged pop production, which actually helps Knopfler's jazzy inclinations take hold. The record runs out of steam toward the end, closing with the borderline offensive "Les Boys," but the remainder of Making Movies ranks among the band's finest work” – AllMusic   

Standout Track: Romeo and Juliet

David Bowie – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

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Release Date: 12th September, 1980

Label: RCA

Review:

“Elsewhere, however, many of the songs on Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) were as challenging and unconventional as critics and discerning Bowie-philes could have asked for. The opening tune, "It's No Game," married a plodding dirge to Bowie's intentionally strangled vocals and a female narration of the lyrics in Japanese. "Up the Hill Backwards" commented on the singer's recent divorce over a lurching, 7/4 beat, and then the title track arose from a sinister Robert Fripp guitar figure, which was indicative of its subject's descent into madness – all before the aforementioned singles made their entrances.

Bowie's imagination continued to fly unchecked and unafraid on the second side, over the anthemic, "Heroes"-like march of "Teenage Wildlife," the intriguing chord changes that made "Scream Like a Baby" half-new wave, half-hard rock, a lush interpretation of Tom Verlaine's "Kingdom Come" complete with girl-group backing vocals, a densely arranged "Because You're Young" boasting windmill power chords from Pete Townshend and concluding with a "civilized" reprise of "It's No Game" that proved a Dr. Jeckyll to the opener's Mr. Hyde” – Ultimate Classic Rock

Standout Track: Ashes to Ashes                   

         

Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 3: Melt

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Release Date: 23rd May, 1980

Labels: Charisma (U.K.)/Mercury (U.S.)/Geffen (U.S./Canada)

Review:

“Each aspect of the album works, feeding off each other, creating a romantically gloomy, appealingly arty masterpiece. It's the kind of record where you remember the details in the production as much as the hooks or the songs, which isn't to say that it's all surface -- it's just that the surface means as much as the songs, since it articulates the emotions as well as Gabriel's cubist lyrics and impassioned voice. He wound up having albums that sold more, or generated bigger hits, but this third Peter Gabriel album remains his masterpiece” – AllMusic

Standout Track: Games Without Frontiers

U2 – Boy

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Release Date: 20th October, 1980 

Label: 4AD

Review:

“As much as these were songs that Bono sincerely felt, he clearly wished that the world was a good enough place that it wouldn't require them. On gentle album closer "40" he returns to a refrain from "Sunday Bloody Sunday", saying "I will sing, sing a new song/ How long to sing this song," regretting the need to sing about the world's ills. The U2 we've known ever since had arrived on War, and even today it sounds vital. As much as cynical critics and listeners often swipe at U2 for their earnestness, it's still refreshing to hear a band that cares so much, wants to be heard by so many, and isn't afraid to show it. As if to hammer home the point, the reissues each include contact information for half a dozen activist charity organizations” – Pitchfork 

Standout Track: I Will Follow

John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Double Fantasy

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Release Date: 17th November, 1980

Label: Geffen

Review:

“Even as a bared-soul, one-man show on an LP like Plastic Ono Band, Lennon adjusted and perfected himself with clever production techniques. He didn’t view naturalism as attainable through austerity alone; it had to be painstakingly sought through trial, error, and education. And sleek professionalism characterized Double Fantasy to such an extent that the record’s isolated individual pieces never seem anything more than inchoate kernels in need of fleshing out. Double Fantasy Stripped Down tries to husk the album’s craft to expose the rubbed-raw honesty within, but it condemnably forgets that in 1980, beside wife and child, Lennon’s honesty was his craft” – SLANT

Standout Track: (Just Like) Starting Over

Joy Division – Closer

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Release Date: 18th July, 1980

Label: Factory

Review:

“Closer is even more austere, more claustrophobic, more inventive, more beautiful, and more haunting than its predecessor. It's also Joy Division's start-to-finish masterpiece, a flawless encapsulation of everything the group sought to achieve. The hypnotically abrasive "Atrocity Exhibition" leads to the relentless yet somehow still economical "Isolation", the group more capable in its playing and confident in the arrangements. The dirge "Passover" implies that the band is every bit aware of its morbid power, while "Colony" marks a return to the heavy riffage of Unknown Pleasures.

Then, after such an auspicious start, Closer really clicks into gear. "Means to an End" is death disco before the fact, buoyed by a surprisingly rousing (and wordless) chorus. "Heart and Soul" is a remarkable collision of atmosphere and minimalism, the stuttering drum beat, synth and Peter Hook's melodic bass lead linked to one of Curtis' most subdued performances. "Heart and soul," he sings, as the stark instruments intertwine and twist together. "One will burn."

"Twenty Four Hours" briefly tries to pry free from the album's looming inevitability before "The Eternal" and "Decades" draw the music back down and the listener back in to Curtis' world. "The Eternal" is the bleakest thing the band ever recorded, and if "Decades" comes off a relative respite in comparison, the lyrics quickly quash that idea. "We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chamber," moans Curtis. "Pushed to the limit, we dragged ourselves in” – Pitchfork

Standout Track: Isolation

The Pretenders – Pretenders

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Release Date: 7th January, 1980

Labels: Real (U.K.)/Sire (U.S.)

Review:

“Hynde wasn't the Pretenders' only force of nature. Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, a master of tone and time, was her ideal partner. He shunned soloing in favor of an effects-laden, textured approach that locked in with Hynde's feral snarls and tremulous stretched notes. Bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers made sure that, even on the slower numbers, Pretenders has an unstoppable, springy momentum. The band cut only one more LP before Honeyman-Scott fatally overdosed, with Farndon following suit less than a year later. But Pretendersstands as a stunning confluence of hooks, sonics and substance -- it's one of those rare albums on which every move turns out to be the right one”– Rolling Stone  

Standout Track: Brass in Pocket

Bruce Springsteen – The River

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Release Date: 17th October, 1980   

Label: Columbia

Review:

“Like many double albums, The River doesn't always balance well, and while the first half is consistently strong, part two is full of songs that work individually but don't cohere into a satisfying whole (and "Wreck on the Highway" is beautiful but fails to resolve the album's essential themes). But if the sequencing is somewhat flawed, Springsteen rises to his own challenges as a songwriter, penning a set of tunes that are heartfelt and literate but unpretentious while rocking hard, and the E Street Band were never used to better advantage, capturing the taut, swaggering force of their live shows in the studio with superb accuracy (and if the very '80s snare crack dates this album, Neil Dorfsman's engineering makes this one of Springsteen's best-sounding works). The River wasn't Springsteen's first attempt to make a truly adult rock & roll album, but it's certainly a major step forward from Darkness on the Edge of Town, and he rarely made an album as compelling as this, or one that rewards repeat listening as well” – AllMusic       

Standout Track: Hungry Heart

The Jam – Sound Affects

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Release Date: 28th November, 1980

Label: Polydor

Review:

“Weller’s lyrics were also more human and approachable. Several times he makes self-deprecating reference to his 'star' status (Boy About Town) and also the acceptance of the healing power of love (But I'm Different Now). Only on Set The House Ablaze (which sounds like an out take from their previous album, Setting Sons) does he sound like he’s treading water.

Ultimately Sound Affects shows a band that was being pushed by its leader slightly beyond their level of ability. Buckler and Foxton's propulsive acumen was already falling behind Weller’s ambitions. After the full-on soul revival of The Gift he was to abandon the three-piece for pastures new. But on this album you get to hear the Jam at their absolute peak” – BBC

Standout Track: Start!

INTERVIEW: Imperial Daze

INTERVIEW:

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Imperial Daze

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I have been speaking with Imperial Daze...

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about their new single, Man Out of Myself, and what its story is. I learn how the band got together and whether they share the same music tastes; which albums are most important to them and what next year holds.

The guys talk about gigs and artists to watch; how they spend time outside of music and which artist they’d support if they had the chance – they each select a great song to end things with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

On a bit of a caffeine high writing this, listening to Nilla Pizzi; feeling somewhat romantic, a tad hungry. The week has been great. We played a stripped back show at Soho House on Monday. On Tuesday, we met with director extraordinaire Nathan Sam Long to talk about future film work and with Rupert Jarvis (of Maccabees fame) to talk about the next set of recordings we are making in our Electric Eel Studio. Today (Wednesday) we are rehearsing for our show in Margate at Elsewhere this weekend.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We are a four-piece European band made up of Alex, Felix; Facundo and Tom. We like our music to groove; the sounds to be expansive and cinematic and the vocals to croon and be delivered with gusto.

Man Out of Myself is your new track. Is there a story behind the song?

The chorus of the song came out from a (very) late-night jam session with ex-bandmate Blain McGuigan back in 2016. It was a natural singalong for us all. I (Alex) then took the song home to my kitchen and the verses appeared to me whilst messing around on my Technics organ. It’s a picture of a relationship I had at the time and my musings on it.

Might there be more material coming next year?

There will be a lot of singles next year. Maybe an E.P.

I believe Imperial Daze found one another in late-2016 where you set up your own studio. Did you start playing music together before then?

We played in different bands previously and decided to set up a studio together when these bands disbanded. At the time, the idea was to under no condition start a new band! We wanted to release E.P.s of lots of different projects simultaneously but, somehow, things didn’t pan out that way. Having one good idea is hard enough and, unless you’re Damon Albarn, having five seems like black magic.

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Do you share similar tastes? Who are you inspired by?

We absolutely share similar tastes. We don’t agree on everything but these differences can bring really interesting things to the table. Overall, our main influences as a band would be Tame Impala, Grizzly Bear; Damon Albarn, Ed Banger records, old Surf records and modern London Jazz.

Is it true you made a bit of money for writing music for a PlayStation 4 advert?! Was that pretty cool?!

That was the paycheck that enabled us to start the first studio space that birthed the project so, yes, it was incredibly cool! Since then, we’ve written regularly for film and advert. It’s what funds this band. We are incredibly D.I.Y. in that aspect of what we do.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Get our latest releases into the eyes and ears of a greater audience; slay our upcoming shows and record the next batch of singles in our own Electric Eel studio.

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Do you already have plans for 2019?

Sell out our next London show at Sebright Arms on 13th Feb. Keep releasing singles, making films and selling out bigger and bigger venues in London and Paris.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Selling out our first London headline at The Waiting Room at the start of November was really special for us. The response from the crowd really humbled us and made us feel very loved indeed.

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Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Facundo: The Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd

It changed everything for me from the first listen. I met Roger Waters two weeks after that first listen as I was in a children’s choir singing on one of his records. At the time, I had no idea it was the same guy!

Felix: Kid A by Radiohead

It was the only album I had during a long summer as a teenager, stranded with my Discman. It was the first time I realized how production can impact the listening experience.

Alex: Blonde by Frank Ocean

I love how this record doesn’t follow any direct rulebook of genre or style but simply tells the story of a character through pure musical honesty. Everything feels so cinematic and adventurous to me. Ultimately, the life of Frank Ocean feels so relatable to me on this record even though our lives are nothing alike. That’s a mad impressive feat to pull off.

Tom: Black Focus by Yussef Kamaal

It showed me what you can do with spontaneity on a record: keeping the errors in and making the whole thing feel very human and vulnerable. It also opened a world of experimental Jazz to me.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Tame Impala. Cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles, fresh socks and a bottle of Campari.

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What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Try and figure out what you want your project to represent from the get-go. As an artist, you can have many sides to your output - but every project should be honed to precision so its identity is easy to convey.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

06.12.2018: Moles in Bath

13.02.2019: Sebright Arms in London

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Jazzboy

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Ryder The Eagle, Tin Foil Astronaut; Jazzboy, HEZEN; III Maury III, Desert Mountain Tribe; Living Island and The Jesse Doniach Trio.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: HEZEN

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

No need to unwind from music, but we do love our friends and families and sometimes they do want to see us at other times then when we play gigs.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Tom: Street Fighter Mas by Kamasi Washington

Alex: Souk Eye by Gorillaz

Felix: Everything Apart by Foxwarren

Facundo: Tearz (45 Mix) by El Michels Affair and Lee Fields

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Follow Imperial Daze

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INTERVIEW: Kachina

INTERVIEW:

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Kachina

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THE first interview today is with Kachina...

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as they discuss the new single, Eyes of March, and their upcoming E.P. of the same name. They talk about adapting since the loss of their band member Zurcon and what life is like in the group now. The guys talk about their music tastes and what is coming next.

I was keen to know what sort of music inspires them and any rising acts we need to watch; how they unwind away from music and what advice they would offer emerging musicians – they select some great songs to end the interview with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi. Yeah, great. Interesting times. The last week has been hectic. Just got a Universal Audio Apollo 16 and reorganised the studio around it; makes live recording/jamming a lot easier. We've been recording vocals with Lyndsey Murray for a few days, got some quality music in the works right now.

For those new to your music can you introduce yourselves, please?

Hi. We're Kachina, House and Garage pioneers from the Midlands, U.K.

Eyes of March is your new single. Is there a story behind it?

Rob Sparx: Zurcon named the song. It’s a play on words and I can't say exactly what he meant by it but I would say it’s about the divide, the hidden truth; the half of history that’s covered up to hide an inconvenient truth which is just dying to get out. The truths we take for granted which may actually be lies.

It is from the E.P. of the same name. What sort of inspirations and themes influence the music?

This E.P. is about truth, the moon/night; strife, hope and love!

How did Kachina find one another? When did you meet?

Rob Sparx: I first met Zurcon way back in about 2000 at 5HQ record shop (Formation Records now HQ Recordings) in Leicester. He was painting the place for SS, we were in Twisted Individual’s room checking out his latest beats having a smoke and Zurcs was observing the madness cracking us up with his cheeky banter.

I'd see him M.C. and D.J.-ing around town and at Leicester/DMU University student nights for many years. After that, he then got involved in Dub nights working with a mate of mine, Ash, who suggested Zurcs as vocalist for a Dubstep tune I was writing - which became What U Gonna Do, which was a vinyl release on my label, Migration, back in 2009…

We carried on working together at events for years after that and I eventually ended up living on the same street in the West End of Leicester City. Wigz and I met when I was teaching production workshops at The Core in Corby in 2011. He was one of my first students doing regular production and engineering sessions for many years until we formed Kachina.

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Has it been difficult to adapt since the loss of Zurcon? Are you continuing to honour his memory?

Of course, losing any friend is hard as most people know and especially when you've spent many an hour in the studio, on stage and in clubs and have shared many experiences together. Zurcs was such a big character. It’s like the world has gone a bit quieter with him gone. Musically, though, we have continued to grow; we're more determined and focused than ever.

We have made a track in honour of Zurcon titled Zurcon's Prayer which will be out in 2019. Keep an eye on our socials. There will be a celebration for his birthday on 4th Jan in Leicester at both the African Caribbean Centre in Highfields and in the West End at either Music Cafe or Boxed. More info will be available A.S.A.P.

Is there going to be more material next year? How far ahead are you looking?

Yeah. There's plenty in the pipeline; work is nearly finished on many more E.P.s on all our labels - for at least a year into the future - and we have some great remixes from the likes of DJ Q, Osunlade and Miguel Migz out soon. Eyes of March is the last of the music made on our old P.C. to be released: all the new material is made on a faster computer with better sound card hardware, analog synths etc. and you can really tell the difference!

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Do you share similar tastes? Who are you inspired by?

Wigz: We do have similar tastes, especially in D&B, UKG; House and everything in between - which is probably why we work well together. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of MOAD, Dawn Wall and people like that - I love the instrument selection and grooves those two producers can bring

Rob Sparx: I'd be here all day if I start rolling off the many names that influence my music, so I'll just say classic D&B, Jungle and Dub; Tuff Jam-era Garage and '90s-Leftfield Dance music are still huge influences on my production style.

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As Christmas is coming; what one present would you each like if you could have anything?

Wigz: A Christmas number-one hit would do nicely then we would be sorted money-wise for life. Haha. Nah, realistically, the main thing I'm looking forward to is the roast! You can't beat a roast with all the trimmings on Christmas Day.

Rob Sparx: Schimdt, Moog One and Macbeth Minimac D!

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Nexgen: Releasing a four-part vinyl album. There'll be twenty tracks and some of our best unreleased music on there. We've been working on the release for over a year now. It’s pretty special! Also, we're finally getting round to making some videos/animations.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Rob Sparx: Kievbass in Ukraine know how to party, that’s all I'm saying!

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What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Wigz: Keep pumping out them bangers! Learning your craft is the most important, whether that be by playing an instrument or being a producer. To get any good at something, you need to put in some work and also just have fun! There's no point in making all this music if you can't have some fun with it!

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Keep an eye on DeepArtment/RYVM parties in Leicester and Bloop in Leamington. We will be doing some label nights in the Midlands and Washington D.C. next year as well, so keep an eye on our socials.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Unsub

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Neveready; Unsub; Luthor; Mindofadragon and Girls of the Internet.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Luthor

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Wigz: Of course you have to; life is all about balance! But, just the standard stuff really...going out doing stuff with friends etc. I also have an off-road motorbike, so I like to take that for a spin on some circuits or green lanes and go tear it up with a few mates!

Rob Sparx: Not much. I'm on this 24/7. Definitely a bit of a lab-rat, especially since getting hardware last year but my kids keep me grounded. I'm often taking them out around town or visiting family and friends. If I do need to get out the lab for a few hours, I usually go down to my mate’s studios at Lock 42 Frog Island or Thyme Bar in Market Bosworth which does some amazing food!

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Wigz: Cassius - Feeling for you

Rob Sparx: Curtis Mayfield – Pusherman

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Follow Kachina

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FEATURE: The Dirty Dozen: The Most Underwhelming, Average and Just Plain Awful Albums of 2018

FEATURE:

 

 

The Dirty Dozen

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PHOTO CREDIT: @isaiahrustad/Unsplash 

The Most Underwhelming, Average and Just Plain Awful Albums of 2018

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THERE are a lot of lists out at this time of year…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @kevin_1658/Unsplash

that celebrate the best albums and heap praise on moments of brilliance! You get the odd list that does the reverse – by going after sub-par and bad albums – but not too many! I have already listed my favourite records this year so thought I would bookend things by going down the other end of the spectrum. There were albums I had hopes would be good and disappointed (Muse and Animal Collective) and some very plain and insipid ones (from Justin Timberlake and Richard Ashcroft); the awful ones (from Mumford & Sons and Fall Out Boy) to those that need to be burned and erased (Lil Xan and Machine Gun Kelly spring to mind!). Here are a dozen albums that most people will not see on the ‘best albums of 2018’ lists and occupying much headspace next year. Maybe you will disagree with some choices – and feel more ‘deserving’ albums need to be included - but here are twelve records that, I feel, either promised much and failed; left no real impact on the mind or…

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PHOTO CREDIT: @freestock/Unsplash

LEFT a sour taste in the mouth.            

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Richard Ashcroft – Natural Rebel

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Release Date: 19th October, 2018

Labels: BMG/Righteous Photogenic Association

Sample Review:

“The one dimensional pace omnipresent throughout Natural Rebel doesn't help matters, and by the time it does pick up on closing number 'Money Money', a close descendant of 2000's 'Money To Burn' that's heavily inspired by Let It Bleed era Rolling Stones, interest has waned to the point of no return. Which is a crying shame when all's said and done, because despite Natural Rebel's many flaws, Ashcroft's legacy as a distinguished songwriter of some repute remains. Even if his most distinguished works are confined to the past.

Nevertheless, in an era where the likes of Idles and Sleaford Mods (whose frontman is actually a year older than Ashcroft) are kicking up a storm against the political and social injustice that surrounds them, there's never been a less appropriate time to say nothing than the present. Sadly, Natural Rebel oozes magnolia from every pore, and in the current climate that simply won't do” – Drowned in Sound

Saving Grace Track: Born to Be Strangers

Machine Gun Kelly – BINGE

Release Date: 21st September, 2018  

Labels: Bad Boy/Interscope

Sample Review:

“In an interview recently, Eminem said: “Now I’m in this fuckin’ weird thing, because I’m like, ‘I gotta answer this motherfucker’, and every time I do that it makes them bigger by getting into this thing, where I’m like ‘I want to destroy him. But I also don’t want to make him bigger.'”

Sadly, it feels that this is just what has happened with ‘Binge’. Rather acting as an gateway to an important conversation about excess, and becoming MGK’s moment to shine, it has sadly become an EP all about Eminem and, as he raps on ‘Killshot’, a work about “who can out-petty who.” It could have been so much more” – NME

Saving Grace Track: LATELY

Lil Xan – TOTAL XANARCHY

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Release Date: 6th April, 2018   

Label: Columbia

Sample Review:

“Bad lyrics don’t necessarily matter in pop-rap, and his intermittent facility for hooks means that some of the tracks succeed nonetheless – Wake Up will have you mumbling “I wake up, I throw up, I feel like I’m dead” all day – and there is some fine, gothic production from Mike Will Made-It and others. But Xan often struggles to create a unique timbre – Diamonds references XXXTentacion’s flow, while Far is uncannily similar to Post Malone – and he is shown up by his more talented guest stars, such as Rae Sremmurd, who helps make Shine Hard the album’s best track.

Lil Xan serves a purpose. At the risk of sounding like a funky supply teacher earnestly preaching from a flipped-around chair, rap is America’s folk music, constantly taking stock of the nation. Some rappers vocalise its troubles, but others, like Lil Xan and his SoundCloud brethren, reflect them – their violent misogyny, torpor and inarticulacy reveals as much about a rudderless generation as, say, Kendrick Lamar does. But that doesn’t mean it’s good to listen to. Like the much-memed Simpsons quote from Principal Skinner, it’s tempting to say the children are wrong about this” – The Guardian

Saving Grace Track: Betrayed

Fall Out Boy – MANIA

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Release Date: 19th January, 2018   

Labels: Island/DCD2

Sample Review:

“Instead of making Fall Out Boy seem fresh, these electronic inflections wind up hinting at the group's age, as this frenetic music never seems to come as easily as the familiar amped-up blue-eyed soul and heady punk-pop. That transparent sense of labor does indeed make M A N I A seem manic, with Fall Out Boy not so much chasing trends as demonstrating that they know something is happening, they just don't know what it is. All this feverish digital desperation makes the already clamorous M A N I A feel positively cacophonic: it may only be 39 minutes but it's one long ride” – AllMusic

Saving Grace Track: Champion

Vance Joy – Nation of Two

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Release Date: 23rd February, 2018   

Labels: Liberation

Sample Review:

“But a little of that naivety goes a long way, like a supermarket trifle, and the triteness of the metaphors grates. On Crashing Into You alone he offers “I was a bird, you opened my cage”, “You light up my days, my personal sun” and “you made me feel new”. It’s Hallmark greetings-card verse as song lyrics. Still, that’s better than when he tries to get thoughtful, on Lay It on Me: “Some things are simple and hard to ignore, they say, hmmm mmm, the truth is like that.” Which things are those? Who are they? Why is the truth like that? Expect to hear every track, everywhere, all through spring and summer” – The Guardian  

Saving Grace Track: Saturday Sun

Imagine Dragons – Origins

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Release Date: 9th November, 2018

Labels: Kidinakorner/Polydor/Interscope

Sample Review:

“However, love is deemed to be the cure for all of the world’s problems, from apathy to violence, on the listless Love.  “It’s been a long time comin’, feel like we’ve all been runnin’, feel like the Wild West gunnin’, listen to our elders shunnin’, flippin’ on the news be talkin’, all about the problems shockin’, we put on our headphones walkin’,” he sings, calling out our modern-day sins over a rolling beat before rushing into the handwringing chorus of “Where did we all go wrong?” A very valid question.

Misery finds a home on Origins and, while societal problems are laid bare, the solutions – like simply turning off our phones on Real Life if the constant bad news gets you down –  are as lacklustre as the songs.

For a band so concerned with losing their identity among the masses (or the charts), Origins fails to deliver anything distinctive; but, for a band that regularly sells out arenas and stadiums, the nothingness of their lyrics will be drowned out by the rest of their noise” – The Irish Times

Saving Grace Track: Natural

Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods

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Release Date: 2nd February, 2018  

Label: RCA

Sample Review:

“Tunes-wise, Timberlake’s return to his roots is partial, as standout songs like Sauce and Filthy gyrate persuasively around Princely funk and bombastic, lubricious R&B. Midnight Summer Jam is the sort of busy party production that Timberlake has specialised in for years, abetted by the Neptunes (who produce again here).

From here on in an uneasy fusion ensues, however, in which Timberlake “gets his flannel on” (Flannel) and mostly fails to combine the rural with an edgy digital aesthetic – a particularly gnomic duet with country star Chris Stapleton (Say Something) is produced by Timbaland. Sometimes, though, new ground is broken. Wave is , blithe, downright ear-pricking ska just on the “yes” side of “what?” – The Observer

Saving Grace Track: Man of the Woods

Greta Van Fleet – Anthem of the Peaceful Army

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Release Date: 19th October, 2018  

Label: Republic

Sample Review:

“Blame it on GVF's desperate desire to hit their marks precisely. The group is so intent on recapturing the majestic lumber of Zeppelin at their peak, they dare not miss a step, letting the riffs pile up so they suggest epics. Sometimes, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner do work up a head of drama -- no swing, of course, because it's harder to replicate John Bonham's beat than approximate Jimmy Page's guitar army -- but they're undone by Josh Kiszka, a singer who is intent on singing with velocity that he can't muster. Josh may be the weak link, but he merely reveals how the whole band seem to have learned their moves from watching late-night concerts on Palladium while buying pre-worn vintage-styled T's at Urban Outfitters. For the band and audience alike, Greta Van Fleet is nothing more than cosplay of the highest order” – AllMusic

Saving Grace Track: When the Curtail Falls

Sting & Shaggy – 44/876

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Release Date: 20th April, 2018  

Labels: A&M/Interscope/Cherrytree

Sample Review:

“Perhaps the only shocker is that this Tommy Bahama shirt of an album isn’t even fun to laugh at. Sure, Sting drops awkward reference to “my good friend, Shaggy.” “Just One Lifetime” reggae-fies Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus And The Carpenter.” One track is called, with no apparent self-awareness, “Sad Trombone.” (It’s about a sad trombonist.) But mostly, 44/876 is just unremarkable, limply competent reggae lite, designed for Sandals resort lobbies and Sting’s office” – The A.V. Club  

Saving Grace Track: Don’t Make Me Wait

Muse – Simulation Theory

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Release Date: 9th November, 2018

Labels: Warner Bros./Helium-3

Sample Review:

“Take a step back from the ins and outs of the record and ‘Simulation Theory’ stands as a ridiculous, bombastic stab of maximalism from one of the world’s biggest stadium rock bands. The chugging intro of ‘Algorithm’ is perfect for walking out to at a sold-out Wembley Stadium to, and it’s clearly been written with exactly that in mind. Single ‘The Dark Side’ is a suitably groovy aside from the album’s relative lack of danceability, and by the time you’ve stopped laughing at the frankly jaw-dropping robotic intro to ‘Propaganda’, you realise you’re toe-tapping to its ‘80s-indebted verse without even realising.

The highlight is ‘Get Up And Fight’, beginning with hints of tropical house (stay with us) and skipping along with confidence before throwing out the best chorus the band have written in a decade. ‘Something Human’ is almost admirable in its absurdity - the lawsuit from Atomic Kitten’s ‘Whole Again’ is in the post - and if a Muse album isn’t meant to make you laugh, gasp and double-take in its ridiculousness, then we don’t wanna hear it” – DIY

Saving Grace Track: Pressure

Mumford & Sons – Delta

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Release Date: 16th November, 2018

Labels: Gentlemen of the Road/Island/Glassnote

Sample Review:

“Perhaps this had a liberating effect on Mumford & Sons, allowing them to jam and create in ways both familiar and new, but it's hard to hear a kinetic spark on Delta. Rather, it's a measured and subdued affair, proceeding at a deliberate pace and unfurling at a hushed volume; even at its loudest moments, it seems quiet, even muffled. This kind of well-manicured production, when paired with a series of songs focused on internal journeys, ultimately has a lulling effect. There is a pulse, but it's soft and turned electronic. There is emotion, but it's been intentionally encased in a digital cocoon, one that flattens the group's bold accents (such as an embrace of vocoders) and turns Delta into soft, shimmering background music, ideal for any soothing setting you'd like” – AllMusic

Saving Grace Track: Guiding Light

Animal Collective – Tangerine Reef

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Release Date: 17th August, 2018

Label: Domino

Sample Review:

“Tangerine Reef is described as a “visual tone poem”, which goes some way towards explaining the droning gurgled vocals sounding like spoken word being read underwater. Through experimental sound sculptures of disorienting free-flowing tempos, wildly contrasting pitches and timbres, Tangerine Reef gives a musical voice to these alien coral creatures and their aquatic world. If only it were a more mellifluous voice.

Strip away the warped vocals and heavy reverb to reveal occasional glimmers of beauty and unnerving dissonance, and it could be a film soundtrack – part horror, part nature documentary. But the most beautiful thing about this is by far the luminous fluorescence of the swaying coral creatures of the accompanying film” – The Independent

Saving Grace Track: Hair Cutter

FEATURE: Are They Messiahs or Just Very Naughty Boys?! The 1975’s A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and Comparisons to Radiohead’s Epochal OK Computer

FEATURE:

 

 

Are They Messiahs or Just Very Naughty Boys?!

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ALL IMAGES/PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images 

The 1975’s A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and Comparisons to Radiohead’s Epochal OK Computer

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IT is not often you have these seismic albums arrive…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: The 1975 (photoed back in 2016)

that gets critics drooling and writing the sort of words usually reserved for life-changing records and biblical events! The 1975’s latest new album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, is out on Friday and, as the name suggests, seems to suggest an investigation into modern trends; the way we communicate and how we can be too drawn into the machine. The Manchester band is just about to release their third record (another is already planned for next year) and ever since 2013’s The 1975, the band have grown in stature and confidence. 2016’s i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it split critics; not just because of its long-winded and odd title but the material was not as sharp as it could have been – in places, that is. It seems modern life and politics has played a bigger role into A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and that sense of understanding, emotion and revelation has wowed critics! In this interview with NME; lead singer Matt Healy spoke about the Internet and its dangers:

““Understand that the internet is an attention economy,” says Matty. “Become aware that the thing on Twitter where you scroll and it waits to update is a slot machine technique, an addiction-based mechanism. We’re not in 2004, it doesn’t need to do that. It’s there to keep you excited and to keep you off Facebook. And Facebook has an infinite scrolling feed to keep you off Twitter. And YouTube does automated videos at the end to keep you off Netflix. And Netflix lets you skip the intro to so you don’t get bored and then plays another fucking thing. In the real world they’re vying for your money, online they’re vying for your attention”.

 

He noted how technological change has made us more depressed...

“When text messaging first came about, it was still a one-to-one negotiation: I propose an idea or something to you, you exchange back to me,” says Matty. “When you get to 2010/2011, this new model of communication that exists is that you put something out there into the world and then you wait for a reaction. Now, if you look at the depression rates amongst young men, the correlation between these two things is very measurably concise, and amongst young women it’s insane”.

Technology and its changing role in our lives is being noted by many bands and, in a year that has seen observant, observational and hugely inspiring records like Joy as an Act of Resistance (IDLES) arrive; it is understandable bands like The 1975 are incorporating more impressions on modern love, technology and mental-health into their work. What makes their new record so varied and appealing is that blend of traditional love songs and heartbreak together with deeper, modern-day subjects. Healy, if the album is to be viewed as a work of genius, is not sure whether music itself makes us more happy:

“It’s a myth that people make music to be happy,” Matty said back then, in the West London offices of Dirty Hit. “Like, what’s even the point in happiness? It doesn’t serve anything you know? A good analogy is people working in the early days of radioactive material, exposing themselves to lethal levels of radiation in order to achieve a goal. Happiness isn’t involved in it. My creative pursuit doesn’t elicit that much happiness because a lot of the time it’s about the darker side of me. And that’s not a depressing thought, I think a lot of the time that’s the way it should be, if you’re really really challenging yourself. But yeah, it’s fucking torture”.

The album, conducted by Dan Stubbs, delved into the creative process and how the album came together. Healy’s addiction issues clouded the early recording stages and it seemed like A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships could easily have derailed before it even begun. There was therapy and recovery and, whilst he enjoys the odd fag, it seems the lead has cleaned up and is sober. You can hear a man going through these changes and wrestling with himself; trying to find real love and, at the same time, battling against the machine and its role in the world. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is out on Friday but, from the songs we have already heard, we get a good impression of what the record is about:

“If you’ve been following the band’s campaign, you’ll know that the songs they’ve put out so far create a picture of an utterly unknowable album: ‘TooTime…’ is bouncy piano house, ‘Give Yourself A Try’ is fuzzed-up pop and ‘Sincerity Is Scary’, released last week, is glitchy neo-jazz. There seems to be no theme; where ‘TooTime’ is wilful fluff (“I’m at a point in my life where I love anything that just makes me feel good,” says Matty), another pre-release track, ‘Love It If We Made It’ is a towering and ingenious protest song. It casts no opinion on anything, but simply describes images and soundbites of the modern world: “Poison me daddy… A beach of drowning three-year-olds…”

“It’s a bit of a… what’s a good word for curveball? It’s the least kind of on-the-nose, sticky record that I’ve ever done, there’s no theme, there’s no gags. In fact, no, there are shitloads of gags, but it’s not like so self-aware and so ‘am I a rockstar or am I a dickhead or am I an egomaniac?’ this time. It’s just really honest. But it’s not weird, because what would be a weird 1975 record is if we brought out something like that Arctic Monkeys record that was very different for them but has a consistent sound. I don’t know how to do that, that’s a skill I do not have”.

One reason why IDLES’ latest album has won plaudits and towering reviews is its relevance and fearless tones. The band tackle toxic masculinity and depression; they look at Brexit and how the country is changing and, because of that, people have these ersatz leaders who are speaking the truth and understand what we are all going through. It is that important step away from mainstream and cliché subjects – band talking about love and the same old crap – that has captivated people. Even when The 1975 talk about relationships and hearts on A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships they are doing so in a way like very few others have done.

It is clear critics have been caught and dumbstruck by what they have heard on A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. Stereogum provided their take:

“Whether people like it or not, there’s a real chance the 1975 are on track to be one of the defining names of the decade, a real chance they have a true generation-defining classic in them. There is a noble cause in their work so far, a young band not looking back as they careen headlong into all kinds of treacherous territory. That’s what makes the 1975 what they are, what makes them worth paying attention to as they mutate and try and find their way to the next sound. Because somewhere within this band, there is something that is indeed very in tune with our times”.

NME echoed that and provided their thoughts regarding the band’s album:

“‘Mine’ is a breathtaking piece of work, and one of many here that proves that The 1975’s core songwriting team of Matty Healy and George Daniel are not just the most accomplished and creative duo working in pop right now but the closest thing we have to a present-day Lennon and McCartney, a pair whose golden touch makes them near-enough unassailable. Clever and profound, funny and light, serious and heartbreaking, painfully modern and classic-sounding all at the same time, ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ is a game-changing album, one that challenges The 1975’s peers – if, indeed, there are any – to raise their game...

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PHOTO CREDIT: Danny North for NME

So Healy had set out to describe his own experience, but in doing so has produced an artefact that sums up millennial life, a magpie pop masterpiece that could only be made right now and right here. And for every stupid joke you’ve heard about avocados and house prices and safe spaces and jazz hands, this is a piece of art that shows another side to a generation, one of achievement, wit and humanity in the most confusing of times. Clever boys”.

Consequence of Sound gave their viewpoint:

“A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships stretches the definition of what a rock album can be in 2018. Through empathy and a willingness to engage, Healy, a self-described “millennial who baby boomers like,” writes songs for a largely misunderstood generation without playing into the trap of lambasting an entire group of people”.

The Line of Best Fit also commented on the Radiohead similarities:

“The album ends on a self-consciously euphoric note, with the carefully constructed soaring indie of “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes).” It could be read as the natural end point of the album’s commitment to earnestness, or a high-concept song designed for end-of-encore sing-alongs: a final Britpop goodbye in the world’s dying embers, because we all want to go out to the sound of something familiar. That it could be read as either of these things – sincere or meta – is what makes The 1975, and this record, so compelling...

 

Comparisons will be made to Radiohead’s OK Computer, another era-defining third album that examines the internet’s effects on our interpersonal lives. But A Brief Inquiry… actually resembles Kid A’s best two tracks, “How to Disappear Completely” and “Motion Picture Soundtrack” – music that wrenches magnificence from the barest bones of humanity. By interrogating the strategies we employ to keep on living in an impossible world, this astonishing album has become one”.

It is a rather bold claim comparing The 1975’s latest with something as revered and titanic as OK Computer but many critics are going there. Like Radiohead’s epochal and genre-fusing masterpiece; The 1975 are able to mix the simple and traditional with something a little unexpected. Talking with Pitchfork; Matty Healy was asked about the band’s U.K. Garage stab in How to Draw/Petrichor. Radiohead, on OK Computer, has raw rockers like Electioneering; it is seems The 1975 were keen to open their palette when it came to writing a song like this:

“Growing up in the UK, if the radio was on past 7 o’clock, it was dance music. It’s the soundtrack to nighttime, to being up too late, to being a kid. So it’s not so much us trying to pay homage to the records we were into as teenagers as much as it was the sound of being young to me. That’s why “How to Draw” is really easy for us, because that’s our identity. That’s where we come from”.

Love It If We Made It has a political edge and it is a song that seems to be very of-the-moment and represents what many of us are all thinking – with lines including Donald Trump and Kanye West:

“Basically, every day post-I Like It When You Sleep, I got [Dirty Hit Records product manager] Ed [Blow] to pick up the tabloid newspapers on the way into the office so I could eventually, after a year, have every single tabloid headline and write a song about that”.

Not only are the lyrical themes impressive and wide but the compositions are varied and eye-opening. This is not a traditional Pop/Rock album in any sense. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationship, in the same way as Radiohead experimented on OK Computer in 1997 and Kid A in 2000, steps in different directions and uses traditional instruments, effects and genres like Jazz. Sincerity Is Scary features the brilliant Roy Hargrove. That recording experience, evidently, was impactful:

“...So intense. You’d get him in the room and you’d be so scared. He did the trumpets on D’Angelo’s Voodoo, which is the most iconic brass section for us ever. He was the greatest musician I’ve ever been in a room with, by a mile”.

The Man Who Married a Robot/Love Theme is close to one of Radiohead’s OK Computer cuts, Fitter Happier. Although Radiohead’s song features a computer voice programmed used by Professor Stephen Hawking; The 1975 used a more modern and accessible technology: ‘Siri’:

“This is a spoken word track recited by Siri about a lonely man who falls in love with the internet. How much do you identify with that character?

Probably more than I’d like to. It’s just pointing out how fucking weird things are by that removal of the human experience—just hearing a robot saying “cooked animals” on this track is a bad vibe, right? Why is it a bad vibe? This is the question I’m asking. It’s the acknowledgement of an already existing dystopian reality. It sounds like a warning of what a future could be, but you realize it’s exactly what we’re living in”.

There are tales of rehab, recovery and personal pains that weaves its own narrative around an adjacent one concerning modern life, politics and touring. The 1975 tackle touring America and tackle politics; they discuss machines and there are personal scars to be found. Radiohead took a spacey angle on Subterranean Homesick Alien and a near-fatal car accident on Airbag; they were simple on Let Down but created an anthem; Electioneering related to an anonymous but desperate politician whereas No Surprises seemed to encapsulate the exhaustion and malaise of modern life in a haunting and strangely resigned song. Thom Yorke sung about a plane crash on Lucky and Paranoid Android – their multi-part epic – looked at coke-snorting, Gucci-wearing “piggies” and all sorts of f*cking chaos. The 1975 have a comparable song on their album and they tackle the same sort of topics; their compositional variety is as ambitious and realised and, against all expectations, there is a lot of Jazz influence – more fitting of Kid A than OK Computer, one feels. Mine – a standout from the album – has an intense vocal but seems to be the band’s Jazz standard...did they expect to do that?

“Me neither. It came from our love of Coltrane. I always use the magpie analogy: A magpie will collect a diamond or a piece of glass or a piece of foil—it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s shiny and attractive. It’s the same thing with us—as long as it’s beautiful. And I wanted a standard, because imagine writing a new Gershwin song, imagine a new one of those existing. That hasn’t happened since—it’s difficult to say. Was it Mariah Carey’s Christmas song? That’s probably the last one. “Hey There Delilah?” That was big. [laughs]”.

Given the fact A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships looks at the modern age with raw honesty and grace; many would not have expected relief and lightness. Like OK Computer; The 1975 bring Britpop tones (Lucky, I guess, was Radiohead’s uplifting, if bitter, track) to end the album with – I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes), despite its less-than-joyous title, has a lot of pomp and anthemic quality. Matty Healy did not expect to write a Britpop-esque song when he went into the studio:

“Well, it did. But then, in the production, I was actually quite clever, because it sits in the middle. It’s not a “Bittersweet Symphony” or an Oasis song really, because it’s not as dark. But lyrically, vocally, it’s so Manchester. But then I got David [Campbell], who did the strings for “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls, to do the strings for it. I was thinking, “I have the potential for this to be cinematic. Why not do a gritty, English ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’?” It just made a lot of sense. As I was putting the strings on it, I was like, “Is this our big song?”

Not only does one seem some mirroring, conscious or not, regarding themes and emotional balance but, when looking at the reviews OK Computer received and how critics raved; it seems like The 1975 have achieved a lot of the same things and struck a similar tone:

“OK Computer received widespread critical acclaim. Critics in the British and American press generally agreed that the album was a landmark and would have far-reaching impact and importance,[149][150] and that its experimentalism made it a challenging listen. According to Tim Footman, "Not since 1967, with the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, had so many major critics agreed immediately, not only on an album's merits, but on its long-term significance, and its ability to encapsulate a particular point in history"[151]... 

In the English press, the album garnered favourable reviews in NME,[97] Melody Maker,[152] The Guardian,[80] and Q.[93]Nick Kent wrote in Mojo that "Others may end up selling more, but in 20 years time I'm betting OK Computer will be seen as the key record of 1997, the one to take rock forward instead of artfully revamping images and song-structures from an earlier era."[75] John Harris in Select wrote: "Every word sounds achingly sincere, every note spewed from the heart, and yet it roots itself firmly in a world of steel, glass, random-access memory and prickly-skinned paranoia."[153]

The album was well received by critics in North America. Rolling Stone,[147] Spin,[42] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[154] Pitchfork[146] and the Daily Herald[155] published positive reviews. In The New Yorker, Alex Ross praised its progressiveness, and contrasted Radiohead's risk-taking with the musically conservative "dadrock" of their contemporaries Oasis. Ross wrote that "Throughout the album, contrasts of mood and style are extreme ... This band has pulled off one of the great art-pop balancing acts in the history of rock"[156].

I guess there are a few reasons why The 1975’s latest album is being compared to OK Computer. Both seem to represent the times we are in and have that relevance. In 1997, we saw Tony Blair become Prime Minister but there was a lot of uncertainty and dread before then. Radiohead sensed the changes and need for betterment! Now, twenty-one years later, we have a precarious and fraught country where we need to see political evolution and a new order.

Similar to 1997, music was changing and Britpop, I guess, was all but done. The hubris, joy and togetherness of being British was fading and a new, American sound was creeping into a lot of bands’ work – look at Blur’s eponymous album of 1997 and how different it sounds to 1994’s Parklife! Pop and the mainstream is changing and genres like Grime are playing a bigger role. Stormzy has been booked as a Glastonbury headliner and groups like IDLES are producing the most striking and memorable albums right now. Pop still holds relevance but artists who are succeeding are writing something much more deep and interesting than the usual fare. Radiohead moved from the slightly more conventional sounds of The Bends and brought in new elements and genres into OK Computer. The 1975 has progressed their sound and, through fifteen tracks, their lyrics and sounds go in all sorts of directions! A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships can gain comparisons with Radiohead’s 1997 opus because, in many ways, the country is in the same place as it was then! Thom Yorke’s mindset and mentality during the recording of OK Computer was quite fragile and he was not in a great space. Not burdened by addiction like Matty Healy; both leads drew from personal demons and a rather uncertainty time and harnessed that in their lyrics.

A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is very much 2018’s OK Computer in many ways. That classic album has a couple of less-than-genius songs and you cannot see it is faultless! The reasons it resonated back then were because of the leap Radiohead took and how the sounds/tones seemed to reflect a changing political and musical landscape. It was the clash of the past Pop and modern seriousness; the frail government being replaced and the need for something better. Maybe this wave of critical excitement and hyperbole is a reaction to the ambition of The 1975 and how they have made something staggeringly bold, varied and unusual. Whilst I maintain the God-like status being conferred on them is a little rash and premature; A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is an album that seems to speak to every single person. You have tales of addiction and heartache that will strike many; the cross-pollination and musical endeavour is thrilling and themes around the Internet and modern celebrity are fresh and of-the-moment. It is that blend of the contemporary and classical; the deeply personal and widespread-global that seems to make the record such a complete, daring and luminous beast.

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The greatest test will be whether the record can sustain and influence down the line. OK Computer’s influence is clear and extraordinary:

“The release of OK Computer coincided with the decline of Britpop.[note 3] Through OK Computer's influence, the dominant UK guitar pop shifted toward an approximation of "Radiohead's paranoid but confessional, slurry but catchy" approach.[200]Many newer British acts adopted similarly complex, atmospheric arrangements; for example, the post-Britpop band Travis worked with Godrich to create the languid pop texture of The Man Who, which became the fourth best-selling album of 1999 in the UK.[201] Some in the British press accused Travis of appropriating Radiohead's sound.[202] Steven Hyden of AV Clubsaid that by 1998, starting with The Man Who, "what Radiohead had created in OK Computer had already grown much bigger than the band," and that the album went on to influence "a wave of British-rock balladeers that reached its zenith in the '00s".[195]

OK Computer's popularity influenced the next generation of British alternative rock bands,[note 4] and established musicians in a variety of genres have praised it.[note 5] Bloc Party[203] and TV on the Radio[204] said they were formatively influenced by OK Computer; TV on the Radio's debut album was titled OK Calculator as a lighthearted tribute.[205] Radiohead described the pervasiveness of bands that "sound like us" as one reason to break with the style of OK Computer for their next album, Kid A.[206]

Although OK Computer's influence on rock musicians is widely acknowledged, several critics believe that its experimental inclination was not authentically embraced on a wide scale. Footman said the "Radiohead Lite" bands that followed were "missing [OK Computer's] sonic inventiveness, not to mention the lyrical substance."[207] David Cavanagh said that most of OK Computer's purported mainstream influence more likely stemmed from the ballads on The Bends. According to Cavanagh, "The populist albums of the post-OK Computer era—the Verve's Urban Hymns, Travis's Good Feeling, Stereophonics' Word Gets Around, Robbie Williams' Life thru a Lens—effectively closed the door that OK Computer's boffin-esque inventiveness had opened"[9]

When we listen on Friday and have a chance for everything to sink in and play without barriers then that will give a bigger and clearer impression. I think it will take a few years to see whether A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships holds the same sort of importance and legacy as OK Computer – and whether The 1975 can impact the next generation in such a way – and whether it is ranked alongside the best albums of all-time. I do not think we can easily compare the two right away but, in terms of the immediacy and mind-blowing lyrical, compositional and production aspects; it would be quite justified comparing The 1975 with Radiohead. The latter followed that gauntlet with Kid A and Amnesiac in 2000 and took their sound in a more Electronic and Experimental direction.

The 1975 have promised us Notes on a Conditional Form next year and one wonders whether they will repeat A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships – like a two-part tale – or it will go in another direction. I cannot wait to see how their careers progress and where they head next. The band has already been confirmed as headliners for Reading and Leeds 2019 and one suspect they will duke it out with IDLES for a headline spot at Glastonbury. The five-star, hugely vacillating reviews A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships suggests we are witnessing something generation-defining and revolutionary. It will be a long time before we can legitimately and securely compare something like A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships to a heady masterpiece like OK Computer but, given the state of the world and comparisons to 1997 then who is to say?! We have been lucky enough to receive several charged, 2018-defining and political/socio-political records this year – from Chris (Christine and the Queens) and Hunter (Anna Calvi) to Joy as an Act of Resistance (IDLES) – and The 1975 end 2018 with another slice of gold! I am always uneasy comparing modern albums to the iconic examples of the past because I like to think the past is better…and modern music cannot compete! Maybe I need to rotate my dish and accept that, every now and then, records today will be able to rub shoulders against the classics. Maybe A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships will not quite earn the same respect, legacy and future-impact as OK Computer but it is clear that The 1975 are not merely very naughty boys. They might be, in a real and relevant way...

MODERN-DAY messiahs...

INTERVIEW: Hollie Haines

INTERVIEW:

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Hollie Haines

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THANKS to Hollie Haines...

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for talking with me about her new single, Mine, and its story; the inspirations behind her album, Letters to My Last Love, and whether she has a favourite cut from the record – she reveals some of the artists who have motivated her.

I ask whether there are tour dates coming up and if there are a few albums that are especially important; any new/approaching acts we need to get behind and what she has planned going forward – Haines picks an awesome song to end things on.

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Hi, Hollie. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey, Sam. I’m doing really well. My week has been busy - with the album coming out - but I’m happy

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I like to call my stuff ‘music-for-people-who-like-to-cry-to-music’ and that’s not as morbid as it sounds! I just mean I put a lot of feelings into my music and, if you’re into that, hopefully you’ll be into my music. But also Folk. 

Mine is your latest single. What was it about the song that marked it as a single?

I wrote mine about one of my best friends falling in love. It feels like it ties the whole album together and is about such real and pure love.

It is from the album, Letters to My Last Love. Can you explain the concept behind the album and how it started life?

Last year, I went through a big change in my life: I moved to London, I came out of a relationship and graduated university. I felt very lost and wanted to document my journey of getting back on my feet through songs and so that became Letters’ and its a journey of losing love and going through your healing. 

Do you have a personal favourite song from the album?

Yes! I Got Through, Babe is my favourite! I love it so much. It was the first healing song I wrote and it’s so special to me. It’s also really fun to play. 

Can you give me an idea of the artists, older and new, who inspire you and compel your own sound?

Richard Thompson has always informed my music and is the reason I love Folk music so much. Johnny Flynn reminds me that I can seep a bit into Country music and not taking my songs too seriously. Also listing to Father John Misty keeps me looking for new ideas and to keep moving forward with my music.

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Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes! I’m planning a tour for February/March and thinking about my next release. It’s just in the ideas stage but if it works I’ll have something really special out next year. 

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Playing in Graz for Sofar Sounds after a twenty-four-hour journey was incredibly special. The audience really listened to my stories and came up to me after and chatted to me about my songs. It was really moving for me to have people be so open about how my music made them feel.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Richard Thompson - Old Kit Bag; Taylor Swift - Speak Now; Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

All of these albums really inspired the way I tell stories through my lyrics and the chords I use etc. They were big educating albums for me.

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As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be? 

Two Christmas trees in the house! I’ve been asking my parents for years but they haven’t caved yet!

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Taylor Swift without a doubt. What a queen. I’d need a kettle, tea bags and a bowl of Smarties and I’ll be happy.

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Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

No tour until next year but I have two shows left this year. 3rd December in Leeds and 8th December in Southend.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Take your time and stick to your guns. There’s no rush to put things out before you’re ready - and play with as many ideas as you can. 

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IN THIS PHOTO: Ferris & Sylvester/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Alexander Harris

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Ferris & Sylvester. They’re not really new anymore but they were when I started listening to them and they’re amazing.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I’ve been trying really hard recently to honour my time off and give myself time away from my laptop and guitar. I do yoga, go on walks and draw. I stay creative all the time even when I’m not doing music because I can never switch off from that. I’ve got a creative brain. 

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

dodie - If I’m Being Honest. My current favourite 

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Follow Hollie Haines

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INTERVIEW: Matt Perriment

INTERVIEW:

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Matt Perriment

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TODAY’S first outing...

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finds me talking with Matt Perriment about his new single, Oceans, and its background. I wanted to know whether he has any plans for next year and which artists are influential to him – he reveals a few albums that are especially important.

Perriment talks about his progress as a songwriter and which artist he’d support if he could; which rising acts we need to get behind and whether he gets time to unwind outside of music – he picks a cool song to end the interview with.

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Hi, Matt. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey! I’m great, thanks. My week’s been pretty manic. We released the new single the previous week and spent the weekend shooting two live music videos in a beautiful manor house in Norfolk with the team, so it’s been busy…in a very good way!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a British singer-songwriter based in London and lived here for about eight years after moving from down south. I'm completely self taught for all instruments and vocals and started writing music about seven years ago and never stopped. Music has always been an escape for me. From the start until this day I write and play music to deal with the ups and downs in my life; every song is a snapshot of a moment in life - a way of dealing with them in a way. 

Oceans is your new single. Is there a story behind it?

Oceans is about the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship and the longing for someone to come home. Home in this track isn't really physical. It's about being together, whether that's travelling the world or an actual home. In essence, it’s tough but it’s worth it in the end.

Might we see more material next year? What are you working on?

We’ve just started releasing new music for the first time in a year and half. On 16th November, we released Oceans, the first single of the new E.P., Memos. I’m really excited for 2019. We just signed a deal with V2 Records for the next E.P. meaning we’ve got three singles being released (November, January and February) followed by a full, five-track E.P. in March.

What sort of music did you grow up around? Which artists inspired you to get into music?

It’s odd, actually. I didn’t necessarily grow up around music and I never studied it - and I don’t come from a particularly musical family so I’ve grown up discovering music for myself. For that reason, it wasn’t other artists that inspired me to get into music, it was more discovering the way that playing and writing music made me feel which kept me going.

That being said, I'm hugely influenced by singer-songwriters like John Mayer, Matt Corby and Ben Howard but, in truth, I think songwriting and music is about honesty and integrity and any artist of any genre that plays and writes with integrity and honesty is an influence for me.

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How do you think you have evolved as a songwriter and performer since the start of your career?

I’m really lucky to play with an amazing band behind me. I’ve found playing with other musicians and incorporating more instruments into my track has enabled my writing and song structure to breath. I don’t have to fill space in a track with complicated guitar all the time as we can use other instruments for that. My writing has really matured because of that and it’s opened up a completely different avenues.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

There’s some really exciting touring news to come in 2019 and we’re doing our first-ever international headline show in the Netherlands and biggest London headline show to date. Also, our Memos is out in March which I’m excited for!

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Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

This is a tough one. There’s been so many incredible moments. I’m going to give you two…sorry.

My first every headline show in London blew me away. We sold out the Servant Jazz Quarters and it was the first time I truly felt people wanted to listen. I’ll never forget that night; playing to that room of eighty-ninety people beats playing to thousands at a festival or huge support show.

The first time someone got in contact with me to tell me how one of my tracks helped them through their depression and how it had an impact on their life really shocked me. It’s incredible and makes me really proud that my tracks can help someone in some way in their life; the same way my tracks help me. Music is incredible in that way and it’s an amazing to be a part of that.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication

I actually used to drum along almost every day after school to this album and it was the first album I could listen to and be completely lost in the flow of the music.

John Mayer – Continuum

This is probably my favourite ever album. For me, the integrity in the songwriting and guitar playing is inspirational. It showed me that albums and E.P.s need to be versatile. This man is my hero.

Ben Howard – Every Kingdom

This guy really is the pioneer of my generation for acoustic singer-songwriting in my opinion. His use of alternate tunings is incredible and it showed me what an acoustic guitar is capable of. My set now includes six alternate tunings in one hour and I completely blame him.

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As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

Plane ticket to Canada.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Ben Howard – and on my rider some ginger tea to calm me down as I’m fuc*ing supporting Ben Howard.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be patient. You have to grow as a musician and artist for it to be done right. The most important part of everything you do is the music. Write what you want to write and let the industry focus on the superficial stuff. Don’t be scared to release your tracks in the world and be prepared to work really hard. The highs are worth the lows.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

London headline show in March 2019. Netherlands headline show in April 2019.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Phoebe Bridgers/PHOTO CREDIT: Ray Lego (for Under the Radar)

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Phoebe Bridgers is magical. Dermot Kennedy is a lyrical genius. Henry Jamison is a beautiful storyteller.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Henry Jamison

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

In truth, no. I work full-time alongside my music when I’m not touring which is really tough. Playing music is my work; the way I relax and chill and absorbs most of my life. Wouldn’t have it any other way. I also love squash.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Unknown by Tuvaband. I’ll dedicate this one to Beatrix Perks

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Follow Matt Perriment

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FEATURE: From the Typewriters to the Social Media Titans: Are Celebrities More Influential Tastemakers Than Traditional D.J.s/Journalists?

FEATURE:

 

 

From the Typewriters to the Social Media Titans

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash 

Are Celebrities More Influential Tastemakers Than Traditional D.J.s/Journalists?

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I was reading an article today…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker)/PHOTO CREDIT: Lera Pentelute

that posited a rather terrifying future. Mark Beaumont, writing for NME, observed how celebrities and the Instagram elite like Kendall Jenner are pushing a greater number of people towards new music. He observed how, when giving a shout-out to the splendid boygenius;  the female trio increased their fanbase and a lot of Jenner’s followers were checking them out. I am not sure whether Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker are actually called ‘boygenius’ or it is their E.P. title but, in any case, let’s put semantics away and think about what Beaumont observed:

“At the very top of the pile (or thereabouts) sits Kendall Jenner, queen of vacuous celebrity-for-celebrity’s-sake culture and a selfless proponent of the millennial dream of becoming fabulously rich by having the best cheekbones on a shit TV show. Kendall’s the ultimate symbol of the blind devotion that’s now paid to the stunning yet pointless. Social media allows her followers to feel as though they’re somehow involved in her life, despite having the same level of personal, one-on-one relationship with her as I have with Pizza Hut’s monthly discount code generator.
Now we’re facing a future where individual A-list influencers like Jenner become out-of-control ultra-Peels. To be honest, part of me thinks that leaving Insta big-shots like Huda Kattan and Cristiano Ronaldo in charge of pop music can’t be any worse than the current algorithm system, which just gives you more and more of what you like already...

 I’ve been experimenting with clicking endlessly on whatever video is ‘Up Next’ on my YouTube feed and it turns out I’m never more than five clicks away from a Muse video, usually via several screenings of ‘Fever’ by something called Balthazar, who have presumably shelled out the big bucks to clog up my internet feeds for the foreseeable future. It’s all further proof that entertainment technology is tantamount to cultural surveillance. The other day Spotify started playing Tony Orlando’s ‘Bless You’ when I sneezed, and I only had to mention to a work colleague that I was considering listening to the new Mumford & Sons album and suddenly Facebook started showing me adverts for Dignitas”.

I guess, from a purely mathematical and observational standpoint, if any big celebrity plugs an artist or suggests a brand then, soon enough, people will flock that way. There is something obviously very controlling and inescapable about social media. I have never met Stephen Fry but love his work and, if on social media, he recommended eating a pinecone, I’d seriously have to hold myself back from having a nibble! In music terms, yeah, I am quite susceptible and malleable. I look out at music magazines and the traditional tastemakers and put them first but what is a big artist or celebrity tipped a new artist? If I trusted a celebrity and had no reason to doubt their recommendation then I would follow that tip.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Kendall Jenner/PHOTO CREDIT: Gisela Schober/Getty Images

Those with millions and millions of followers can make an artist with a single tweet or Instagram photo. It is scary to think how much power they wield but, as much as anything, it is the unreserved trust that followers hold – this sort of idol-worshipping culture where the likes of Kendall Jenner has countless teenagers idolising her and would do anything she says. I am not suggesting social media is a form of brainwashing but I also feel like, unheard, she could push a lot of people the way of certain artists. One might think that there is no issue. You are not forcing them to listen and people can make their own minds up; if they are good then you have done a great thing. The thing is the power that these big names have. Look at the likes of Jenner, Kim Kardashian and any number of celebrity vloggers, Instagram stars and YouTube icons and they have legions of fans. They can get online and post a comment; they can recommend musicians and have more sway than most of the D.J.s out there. One reason why I was caught by Beaumont’s theory and post was that notion: the fact we are seeing a break from the established tastemakers and a nudge to these Internet personalities. The nature of what a music journalist is right now is changing.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @chrisspiegl/Unsplash

I have written pieces asking whether we still value the opinions of journalists and read critical reviews. Why read an album review by some broadsheet writer when we can go onto Spotify and listen to it ourselves?! Are we going to listen to a range of different tips and artist suggestions when this celebrity gives us the one name – and they have many more followers than all of those journos combined! We are relying more on our own opinions and the Internet as opposed the old guard of music D.J.s. Consider the iconic and peerless John Peel. During his lifetime, his radio show played host to hundreds of artists and his infectious personality and enthusiastic curiosity made us all feel we had this wise elder who knew the game and was giving us a rare insight into artists about to hit the big time. So many, myself included, revered the man and I discovered The White Stripes through him. He would receive records through the post and have a play – putting the ones he liked and felt has legs on his show. It was a ritual listening to him and hearing these artists perform for him. Now that radio is so widespread and music media is vast; do we ever really have the opportunity and time to focus on this all-conquering tastemaker? Do they even exist anymore?!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: John Peel/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/The John Peel Archive

I listen to certain D.J.s and tend to find I am more influenced by stations and publications rather than specific people. My own reviews and interviews attract some response and influence but I wonder how powerful my recommendations are. I think the times of the printed music press guiding our thoughts and stalwarts like Peel guiding our tastes are gone. I still think, mind, artists value the backing and guidance of ‘traditional’ channels – radio and music press – rather than these celebrity endorsements. I have just heard the BBC Radio 6 Music albums of 2018 rundown and their top album is IDLES’ Joy as an Act of Resistance. The band are honoured to receive that accolade and the relationship between radio and artists is pure. I am called a ‘tastemaker’ and there are some who follow my advice. I realise my scope and power is limited and do not have the same muscle and impact as big celebrities. Kendall Jenner is not the only Instagram star that is able to sway opinion and get a music act a swarm of new fans. The murky world of paid sponsorship; the link between brands and celebrities is nothing new. This article, from two years ago, looked at how it can be controversial when celebrities endorse products – and whether they are being paid:

“But the murky rules of the relatively new form of advertising means that many celebs and lesser known fitspo, foodie and fashion 'influencers' do not always make it plain when they've been paid to post… 

FEMAIL caught up with the CEO of social media influencer app, TRIBE, Anthony Svirskis, to find out the dos and don'ts when it comes to making money from being a social influencer.

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PHOTO CREDIT: @bneale87/Unsplash 

According to the popular influencer app, TRIBE, posters are not required by law to disclose a sponsored post in Australia. However, TRIBE writes on their website that: 'We strongly recommend you do'.

The app's founders recommends adding #spon, as is the law in other countries including the US and UK, next to a photograph you have been paid to promote so that your followers can reasonably identify branded contact. 

When it comes to some digital influencers, including the likes of fashion blogger, Chiara Ferragni from the Blonde Salad and celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, their followings are higher than some of the biggest international publications.

The power of click-throughs from their Instagram promotions, from Coke to Calvin Klein, has never been stronger”.

There is the danger that artists, small or big, could find themselves paying big Instagram and social media stars to plug their music and pushing people their way. You get that problem with quality and whether financial profit is the motivator rather than genuine interest. Mark Beaumont, in his article, worried whether the lure of money and personal gain would be a bigger motivator than the music:

“At least influencers might plug something unpredictable or challenging. But since they’re all so buyable, I suspect we’ll see the high priority acts queuing up to pay their way into the latest industry fast-track, another way for the money men to secure the ramparts of success. And what of those with a tighter budget? Will the musical landscape become defined by the level of internet star each act can afford to endorse them? Will rising rock bands start bunging Scarlett Moffatt a couple of grand for an Insta shot in their T-shirt, in the hope it’ll get them enough exposure to land an afternoon slot at Bestival? Will glamorous pop hopefuls shove a monkey Piers Morgan’s way in return for a sexist diatribe about their naked poster campaign, thereby bagging five minutes on Graham Norton’s sofa?”

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 IN THIS PHOTO: John Peel/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/The John Peel Archive 

I do like how the Internet allows for a broader conversation and greater choice but, when it comes to music, it should be kept away from paid hands and bigger stars. We might not have someone as titanic as John Peel helping us decide the good and long-lasting but there are some great radio stations and presenters who place the quality and originality of music above everything else. If you read the great music websites out there and have a solid rotation then you will get consensus and you’ll find people who are on your wavelength. Whilst somebody like Kendall Jenner might tip a great artist once in a while; I think there is that murkiness regarding paid promotion, the influence these huge stars have and how they can take power away from the more established and ‘proper’ critics. Some might argue everyone is entitled to their opinions and there is no real right or wrong but I do worry why certain stars are motivated to promote certain musicians. The fact boygenius might have gained a bigger push towards the mainstream because of Jenner suggests celebrity is more important than the music itself – even through their music is excellent. The biggest problem is how easy it would be for so-so artists to jump the queue and get to the mainstream quickly whereas someone decent who has been working for years does not have that advantage.

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 IMAGE CREDIT: NME/Getty Images

I am not so much worried about my position as a journalist and impact; how others – such as music websites and D.J.s – will be affected and whether they will lose influence. The problem revolves around the mega-stars who can make an artist so easily. You not only get this quick-fix-style career but the quality is questionable. This concern extends to products and businesses. Big musicians, celebrities and actors are using social media to plug who-knows-what and are getting paid to lend their voices to these companies. Music needs to be that safe and unpolluted industry where artists get where they want to head because of talent alone. I can see the temptation of paying an Instagram star for a boost or following the word of these stars but it is a rather unfair and singular opinion. What about the music press and listening to the voice of critics?! Even if you do not feel music critics hold as much relevance as years past, they have passion and work tirelessly to find the best music. Following the views and posts of your favourite star is alright but we can assume the more followers they have the better their music knowledge is. Confusing taste and genuine passion with popularity and celebrity is something that could threaten the role of critics in the future. I do not feel the traditional music journalist will be silenced and have a reduced role but cases where online stars have helped hugely boost an artist so easily makes me fearful...

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @erik_lucatero/Unsplash

HOW we will view music tastemakers of the future.  

 

FEATURE: The Compilation That Seduced a Nation... Now That’s What I Call Music! at Thirty-Five: Twelve Essential Editions You Need to Own

FEATURE:

 

 

The Compilation That Seduced a Nation...

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Now That’s What I Call Music! at Thirty-Five: Twelve Essential Editions You Need to Own

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ONE might feel that this is a bit overkill…

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 IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for the latest Now That’s What I Call Music! (released last Friday)

to make such a fuss over a compilation series – not even including the offshoots from the ‘pure’ strand – but you cannot deny Now That’s What I Call Music! is a glorious thing! It is thirty-five on Wednesday and I am one of those people who grew up with the series. I was actually born the same year as Now That’s What I Call Music! and am a bit too young to remember the first edition the first time around. Looking back; I can only imagine the excitement and thrill of hearing this new album come out, in 1983, that collated all the biggest chart hits of the year and put them into one place. There was no Internet and Spotify back in 1983 so the only way people were listening to music was on vinyl and cassette. The C.D. had only been introduced to the world the year before so there was this preciousness and exclusivity owning the first Now That’s What I Call Music! If you have an original edition in your palms then one imagines it is worth quite a bob or two! The fact there was a second instalment meant the public were reacting to its unique and populist edge – songs from Culture Club and Duran Duran on the first edition meant people wanted more and a nice way of gathering the best hits of the day.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande (one of the artists included in the current Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

The success of the series was instant and there were three further editions in 1984 – people could not get enough and that idea of having more than one Now That’s What I Call Music! in one year. Maybe the charts were more relevant in the 1980s but even now, thirty-five years after its birth; we cannot get enough of the eclectic and brilliant Now That’s What I Call Music! The latest edition, released last Friday, has everyone from George Ezra and Ariana Grande featured and it is amazing to think how far music has come since 1983. The fact we have that zeal and interest in a compilation album – given the fact we can make our own playlists – is amazing. As the Now That’s What I Call Music! series reaches its thirty-fifth birthday; a lot of folk will be looking through their old copies or going online and streaming memories of great days. I feel, like music in general, we all have specific memories ties to Now That’s What I Call Music! I first encountered the series in 1993, on the twenty-fourth edition, and call recall the songs and how it made me feel hearing everything flow. Listening to a favourite edition is not just about the songs but what you were doing at the time and how music made you feel.

Maybe the bosses and boffs behind the compilation will do some reissues on a bigger anniversary but it would be good to see the full series on cassette, C.D. or vinyl. Maybe that would be a big undertaking but, perhaps, having the chance to order one of the series and choosing your format would be great. It is nice being able to access all the songs from all one-hundred-and-one compilations online; nothing beats the thrill of having a double-C.D./cassette and having the insert; a vinyl that you could spin from, say, 1985’s Now That’s What I Call Music! editions and casting your mind back to the music of the day and what we were listening to. As much as anything; the series acts as a documentation of tastes and music that dominated the charts. You can see how genres like Pop have evolved and how our tastes have altered in the ensuing years! Many claim the first Now That’s What I Call Music! is a bit light on quality but I feel it stands up well – the fact it is the very first means its importance cannot be understated. In honour of thirty-five years of Now That’s What I Call Music! excellence; I have selected the twelve finest, must-own editions that really hit the mark! Perhaps you will disagree but I think you’ll agree there is some true quality to be found. Have a look at these twelve select Now That’s What I Call Music! sets and maybe you’ll have your own...

THOUGHTS and arguments.

ALL IMAGES: Getty Images

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Now That’s What I Call Music!: The Big Bang

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Release Date (U.K.): 28th November, 1983

Number of Tracks: 30

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Billy Joel – Uptown Girl

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Culture Club – Colour by Numbers

Download/Stream: Heaven 17 – Temptation; Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home); The Cure – The Lovecats

Classic Track: Culture Club – Karma Chameleon

Now That’s What I Call Music! 8: Proving the 1980s Boasted Some True Quality

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Release Date (U.K.): 24th November, 1986

Number of Tracks: 32

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Housemartins – Caravan of Love

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Various Artists – Hits 5

Download/Stream: Steve Winwood – Higher Love; Janet Jackson – What Have You Done for Me Lately; Peter Gabriel (feat. Kate Bush) – Don’t Give Up

Classic Track: Run–D.M.C. – Walk This Way

Now That’s What I Call Music! 19: Trip-Hop Alongside the Pop

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Release Date (U.K.): 25th March, 1991

Number of Tracks: 34

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Chesney Hawkes – The One and Only

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): R.E.M. – Out of Time

Download/Stream: The KLF feat. The Children of the Revolution – 3 a.m. Eternal; Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy; Free – All Right Now

Classic Track: Seal – Crazy

Now That’s What I Call Music! 24: My Personal Favourite

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Release Date (U.K.): 16th April, 1993

Number of Tracks: 37

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Bluebells – Young at Heart

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Suede - Suede

Download/Stream: Snow – Informer; The Stereo MC’s – Step It Up; Duran Duran – Ordinary World

Classic Track: Take That – Could It Be Magic

Now That’s What I Call Music! 26: Pure Genius (and Julia Roberts Is on There!)

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Release Date (U.K.): 15th November, 1993  

Number of Tracks: Forty

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell

Download/Stream: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Boom! Shake the Room; The Cardigans – My Favourite Game; The Spin Doctors – Two Princes

Classic Track: Radiohead – Creep

Now That’s What I Call Music! 31: The Underrated Giant of the Series

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Release Date (U.K.): 31st July, 1995   

Number of Tracks: 40

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Outhere Brothers – Boom Boom Boom

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Supergrass – I Should Coco

Download/Stream: Pulp – Common People; Supergrass – Alright; Weezer – Buddy Holly

Classic Track: Portishead – Sour Times

Now That’s What I Call Music! 37: A Perfect Cocktail of Genres and Tastes

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Release Date (U.K.): 14th July, 1997 

Number of Tracks: 41

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Puff Daddy (feat. Faith Evans & 112) – I’ll Be Missing You

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land

Download/Stream: The Cardigans – Lovefool; En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love); Blur – On Your Own

Classic Track: Supergrass – Sun Hits the Sky

Now That’s What I Call Music! 41: Another Titanic Year from a Stellar Decade

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Release Date (U.K.): 23rd November, 1998  

Number of Tracks: 42

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Cher – Believe

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael

Download/Stream: Jennifer Paige – Crush; The Cardigans – My Favourite Game; Sheryl Crow – My Favourite Mistake

Classic Track: Stardust – Music Sounds Better with You

Now That’s What I Call Music! 44: It Is the Best-Selling of the Lot for a Reason…

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Release Date (U.K.): 22nd November, 1999   

Number of Tracks: 42

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Robbie Williams – She’s the One/It’s Only Us

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Steps – Steptacular

Download/Stream: Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...); Sixpence None the Richer – Kiss Me; Supergrass – Moving

Classic Track: Britney Spears – ...Baby One More Time

Now That’s What I Call Music! 45: Beginning the New Millennium in Style

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Release Date (U.K.): 17th April, 2000

Number of Tracks: 45

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Fragma – Toca’s Miracle

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Moby – Play

Download/Stream: Honeyz – Won’t Take It Lying Down; Fragma – Toca’s Miracle; Basement Jaxx – Bingo Bango

Classic Track: Moloko – The Time Is Now

Now That’s What I Call Music! 50: One of the Few Genuine Standout Collections from the 2000s

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Release Date (U.K.): 19th November, 2001

Number of Tracks: 44

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Blue – If You Come Back

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Steps – Gold

Download/Stream: Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head; Nelly Furtado – Turn Off the Light; Groove Armada – Superstylin

Classic Track: Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious

Now That’s What I Call Music! 100: The Milestone

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Release Date (U.K.): 20th July, 2018 

Number of Tracks: 44

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Lightning Seeds, David Baddiel & Frank Skinner – Three Lions

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Drake – Scorpion

Download/Stream: Years & Years – If You’re Over Me; Oasis – Wonderwall; Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head

Classic Track: Spice Girls – Wannabe

INTERVIEW: Lisabel

INTERVIEW:

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Lisabel

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THE awesome Lisabel...

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has been telling me about her latest single, Green Jade, and how its story came to mind. Its incredible video is out and I was eager to know whether we might see more material next year; the albums and artists who are important and influential to her – she recommends a rising name to look out for.

I ask Lisabel if she has any time outside of music and what her favourite music memory is; what 2019 holds and which musicians she’d support if she had the tour – she ends the interview by naming a song I was a stranger to.

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Hi, Lisabel. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi Sam. I’m great, thanks. My week has been very nice as well. I’ve spent some time with family. Hope you’re good too!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a contemporary Soul and Jazz songwriter based in London. I’ve been writing original material for the past few years and I’m finally starting to release singles which will be followed by an album, coming out next year.

I tend to write music that’s influenced by many artists and genres; each song has somehow a unique sound and vibe so the album will have a broad variety of music styles and instrumentation.

Green Jade is your new single. What is the story behind it?

I wrote Green Jade a few years ago after I was inspired by a green Jade pendant I received as a gift from Namibia. I started reading about crystals and the beneficial powers they have and I had the idea to write the song.

I understand an album is coming next year. What can you reveal about its themes and stories?

The album is very much centred around my life and personal experiences. I usually write capturing feelings and emotions, often coming from nature and the way it stimulates my imagination.

Did you grow up in a musical household? When did music come into your life?

I would say I did. I was surrounded by music as a child and I always felt a connection to it. I’ve enrolled in dance classes when I was eight-years-old and continued for four years before quitting. I loved dancing more for the music than the ‘move your body’ side of it, which is funny! I always sung but never took it seriously before the age of fourteen - that’s when I started studying music and I’ve continued ever since.

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What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I hope that Green Jade will have touched a few people and that some of those people will be interested in keeping an ear out for more music. I’m still working on a lot of album-related things so I really want to enjoy the journey of creating as much as I can.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Next year will be an exciting one. More music will be coming out and I’ll start gigging too. Let’s see what it will bring!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

I love writing music. My strongest memories are related to that. Recording some songs of the album at Konk Studios with the band was thrilling too and shooting the video for Green Jade is a memory I will cherish forever!

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Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

I go through many phases and I don’t have any all-time favourites but I can tell you the albums that mean the most to me in this very moment...

Needle Paw - Nai Palm. For its storytelling that cleanses the aura; Regina - Becca Stevens. It transports me into an ancient and wise world; Wallflower - Jordan Rakei. I love the cleverness in the writing.

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

I can’t think of anything material I’d ask as it would probably be easily replaced by the ‘next thing’ anyway. I’d probably ask to strengthen the bond of some of my friendships!

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If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Nai Palm and Becca Stevens. I’d love to support musicians like them, it would be an honour. I’d like to have one-hundred stems of a type of flower called ‘eryngium bourgatii’, directly from Morocco. Haha. Just joking! I’d be easy. I’ll bring my green Jade stone and all will be as it’s meant to be (smiles). 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

It’s difficult because there are many things I’d say; most of them I tell myself every day. Be patient and get the knowledge to be self-reliant when it comes to business matters. It’s easy to get lazy and it’s easy to get deceived so it’s best to have a plan and a clear idea about how to share your music with the world.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Not at the moment; next year for sure! I’ll keep people updated through social media!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Gabriel Garzón-Montano

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

He’s not new in the scene but I was recently introduced to a songwriter whose name is Gabriel Garzón-Montano. He makes very interesting music. If you like Alternative-R&B and Soul then you may find something in his music!

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Yes, I do. I would have nothing to write about otherwise (smiles). I like to arrange flowers. I studied floristry for a year or so. Flowers and nature never fail to uplift me.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Could you play Homebody by Nai Palm? Thanks for the interview...until next time (smiles).

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Follow Lisabel

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INTERVIEW: Tony Moore of The Bedford

INTERVIEW:

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IN THIS PHOTO: KT Tunstall playing at The Bedford in 2008 

Tony Moore of The Bedford

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THIS interview takes me in a slightly different direction...

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 IN THIS IMAGE: A shot of the new-look stage/’Globe’ at The Bedford

as I have been speaking with Iron Maiden/Cutting Crew’s Tony Moore (band/artist booker) about the  future of the legendary London venue, The Bedford. December 2018 will mark the re-launch of The Bedford, one of South London’s most important music and entertainment venues. Operated by the award-winning Three Cheers Pub Co; Balham’s legendary performance space has a strong reputation for championing grass-roots music and maintains a lasting legacy for nurturing the stars of the future. In a triumphant riposte to independent music venues ever decreasing; The Bedford will reopen boasting five bars, four private rooms; a restaurant and fifteen boutique hotel rooms, making it an excellent place for music industry events of all types and purposes.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Ed Sheeran at The Bedford in 2011 (one of music’s big acts whose got the chance to cut their teeth at the legendary venue)

The multi-million pound refurbishment has been sensitively managed in order to retain the venue’s unique spirit, while enhancing facilities for both audiences and artists. The new-look Bedford will allow the stars of tomorrow to flourish in a live setting, but will also attract established acts back to where the journey began for them.

Moore talks about his involvement and some of the stars of today who have passed through the doors of The Bedford; why grassroots venues are important for musicians and why the Government need to preserve them; whether Moore still gets time to play and we can see him perform soon; a few upcoming artists we need to look out for and, as band/artist booker, what he looks for in an artist when it comes to The Bedford’s stage.

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Hi, Tony. How are you? How has your week been?

So far, so fabulous…

For those new to you/your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Well. I’ve had quite an eclectic career in music. I started by joining (the then unknown) Iron Maiden playing keyboards/synth when I was in my teens. In the early-’80s, I released an album of songs I wrote and recorded at Abbey Road and had an Xmas hit in Holland. I then went on to be keyboard player in Cutting Crew (I Just Died In Your Arms). In the ’90s, I worked as writer, co-producer and musical director with an artist called Marie-Claire D’Ubaldo whose biggest hit was The Rhythm Is Magic.

In 1996, I started a critically acclaimed underground acoustic club for songwriters called The Kashmir Klub that ran for six years; after which I came to The Bedford in 2003 to take over curating and promoting music.

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 IN THIS IMAGE: The Ballroom - as it will look when The Bedford reopens in December

Tell me how you came to be involved with The Bedford?

The Kashmir Klub had to close in 2003 and the owner at the time had been many times and loved what I was doing and invited me to come to The Bedford and try and to really help raise the profile of what (The Bedford) was doing and to raise the bar on all it could be.

I know it is reopening and will have a launch in December. What was the reason behind the closure?

New owners took over last year and had an amazing vision for The Bedford. Although it has been a legendary destination for many years, it was starting to show its age and was ready for some T.L.C. With significant investment of money, love and passion; they have now transformed the place into something that will really be a jewel in the crown of London venues and bars.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jack Savoretti storming The Bedford back in 2007

If one were to come to the relaunch, what might we expect?

If you had been to The Bedford before, you will still feel all the same warm and welcoming spirit and energy but you will see a building that has been taken to a whole new level. If you are coming for the first time, the ‘wow factor’ is going to be at the top of the scale. The main bar has been tastefully redesigned into an imposing horseshoe (which was actually in the original plans but had been lost for many years). Its sense of drama, music and theatre is evident in the unique, custom-made wallpaper; the brilliant posters and the great live pictures that recognise and celebrate the long history of music and comedy that has been at the heart of The Bedford…

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 IN THIS IMAGE: What one can expect when booking a room at The Bedford

We now have two floors of beautiful, boutique hotel rooms that reflect the very early incarnation of The Bedford, but bring right into the 21st century. The Club Room has been fitted with a state-of-the-art audio/visual system that will allow us to promote a much wider range of live shows, work with some bigger acts and give our weekend club goers an amazing experience.

On top of all that, The Ballroom has been turned into one of the most beautiful and inspirational event spaces that can accommodate everything from the most special wedding to the coolest private party. And that’s just the start! I have been here almost sixteen years and I have to say that what the team have done with The Bedford has surpassed all my expectations. I am SO excited to be part of the next generation of this amazing venue.

Are there big plans for 2019? Are there already events and nights planned?

We have a lot of things in the system but, for now, the most important thing is to be up and running and make our opening month as smooth as possible and get everything ready for a big New Year.

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 IN THIS IMAGE: How The Bedford’s first floor bar will look

Is it true there is a new lightning system? Will the new-look venue provide an even better and more dynamic live experience?

Yes, very much so. It’s a fantastic lighting system that includes a new ceiling truss full of moving heads and extensive P.C.-controlled software allowing us to create a very special environment for any event. 

The Bedford has helped support and propel musicians like Ed Sheeran, KT Tunstall and Paolo Nutini. What has been your fondest memory from your time with the venue?

That is SO hard to answer! Over fifteen years, there have been so many amazing moments. Pete Townshend playing a free show for us one night was an incredible experience, for example. However, the real magical moments are when we see acts that started their early careers with us really take off. Ed is obviously someone we have very fond memories of and because of the shows we did with him - and his own night here - that led to him releasing the album Live at the Bedford. We feel very proud to have played a small role in his journey.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Charlotte Church at The Bedford in 2010

A lot of grassroot venues are closing and a lot are in the capital. Do you think more needs to be done by those in power to preserve small venues?

Yes...absolutely. Small venues are like small airfields. If there is nowhere to learn to fly, we have no pilots for the future. Similarly, if we lose small venues, we close the opportunity for young artists to learn their craft, build an audience and gain experience. We are very lucky to have owners at The Bedford who understand this and have actually invested heavily in our ability to do more and help acts be seen and heard at their very best. The Government needs to continue to be reminded of the value of music and the importance of protecting small independent venues.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Coffeepot Drive at The Bedford earlier this year

How important, in your view, are these venues regarding the next generation of musicians? Can music survive without them?!

There is no doubt that, for performing artists, the ability to play regularly, in places that will welcome you before you are famous and will help you to find fans; try out material and meet other musicians/industry people is vital. The O2 headliners of today can only get to be good enough with experience and that can only come from small venues not only surviving, but thriving.

What advice would you give to venues at the moment regarding sustainability? Do you think The Bedford has a magic formula?

The truth is that being an independent venue is a tough challenge. Between the standing costs of rent, business rates; electricity, insurance etc. and staffing, everyone needs to be creative in how they generate income for the business. Every venue, including The Bedford, has to diversify and be open to different ways of generating financial stability - from club nights to private hires to sponsorship; each venue needs to work out how they can add extra value to their business.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Mercury Prize-nominated artist Jorja Smith on The Bedford stage in 2016

You have an eye for spotting musical talent! What do you look for in a musician when it comes to future promise?!

Having booked over 10,000 acts through the last twenty years as well as being a musician; I think I have developed a certain ear for what I think works for the kind of shows I book. My area is really songwriter-based music (even if it’s a band) - that is where I trust my instinct the most. I don’t know a lot about emerging talent in other areas like Dance, Jazz etc. so I follow my gut feeling about acts that I book.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: ILONA/PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Berger Photography

Which rising artists do you suggest we check out and follow?

ILONA; Houndstooth; Hope and Leoni Jane Kennedy.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Hope

Might we see you taking to the Bedford stage? Do you still perform live?

I will actually play the first set of the soft launch night - and then I will make the odd guest appearance as things go along. I am still very active in music, writing, producing and playing shows.

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

A special one of our ‘alumni’ to confirm a re-appearance at The Bedford for 2019.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Fleurie - Hurricane

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Follow The Bedford

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 IN THIS IMAGE: The Bedford’s reinvented performance stage

Official:

https://thebedford.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thebedfordpub

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thebedfordpub/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ThreeCheersPubs

INTERVIEW: Amelia Carey

INTERVIEW:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Lily Bertrand Webb

Amelia Carey

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MY last piece this weekend...

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is a chat with Amelia Carey about her new single, Over You, and how the story came to life. She explains what it was like putting the video together and what we might expect going forward – Carey recommends a rising artist to watch.

I ask her which three albums are most important to her and whether she gets time to relax outside of music; whether there is going to be more material arriving next year and if she has a favourite memory from her career so far – she ends the interview by selecting a cool song.

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Hi, Amelia. How are you? How has your week been? 

Hi! It’s been a bit of a wild one if I’m honest. I had my phone stolen in Camden after I saw Dusky Grey. I’m a little disheartened by it but these things happen! 

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m Amelia and I’m eighteen-years-old and have recently moved to Brighton and am studying at BIMM!

Over You is your latest single. Is there a story behind it?

Over You is about breakups in general and this song depicts that last stage of finally getting over someone! I wanted this song to communicate to people of all genders also, which is why ‘he’/’she’ pronouns aren’t really used!

 

What was it like putting the video together? Was it a fun shoot?

I had so much fun whilst filming the video, but as it was my first I was afraid of looking a little awkward! We ran into some complications due to the weather but it was still such a brilliant couple of days.

Might there be more material next year?

I’m hoping so! 

Which musicians inspired you to get into the business?

My inspirations come from the likes of Lil Peep, Billie Eilish; Amy Winehouse and Pale Waves!

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Do you already have plans for 2019?

Not currently, but I’m excited for next year and what could happen!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

When I recorded my single, I recorded at RAK in London and, of course, this studio is well known. It was very scary to record somewhere that’s had the likes of Ed Sheeran walk the halls! 

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Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

I absolutely love Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt.1 because of the emotional sentiment in absolutely every single song. The production from Smokeasac is amazing. 

Amy Winehouse - Frank. Her vocals and lyrics just work together in perfect harmony; again with such strong emotion and power, yet vulnerability shown in the tracks!

Pale Waves - My Mind Makes Noises. This album speaks a lot about mental health and how it affects you and those around you! Also, the '80s Glam-Goth aesthetic they have going on is to die for!

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

Probably for my parents to return home from Portugal for the Christmas holidays!

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If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I would simply need to have my friends and girlfriend present with a collection of crisps to munch on!  

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be YOURSELF!

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Not at the moment, sadly!

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Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Have a look into the band joan!

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I like to unwind by watching Doctor Who with my partner and enjoying some good food!

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Pale Waves - Eighteen! 

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Follow Amelia Carey

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FEATURE: Starting the Decade in Style: Part IV/V: The Finest Albums of 2010

FEATURE:

 

 

Starting the Decade in Style

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PHOTO CREDIT: @alexiby/Unsplash 

Part IV/V: The Finest Albums of 2010

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THE reason I am putting together this feature…

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PHOTO CREDIT: @guillaume_t/Unsplash

is to shine a light on the albums that started a decade with a huge deceleration. I feel it is hard to define what a decade is about and how it evolves but the first and last years are crucial – I have already looked at decade-ending albums. I am bringing to life this feature that celebrates albums that opened a decade with a mighty amount of quality and gave inspiration to those who followed. In this fourth part, I am focusing on 2010 and the best ten records from the year. Many assume music sort of peaked before 2010 but, as the list shows, there were some truly wonderful albums coming out. I have chosen a selection of them but, if you need reassurance the 2010s was going to begin with a real explosion, then here is all....

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @mensroom/Unsplash

THE proof you need.

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

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LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

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Release Date: 17th May, 2010

Labels: DFA/Parlophone/Virgin

Review:

“Perhaps the rumor that this is his last LCD album is behind that newfound urgency. If true, it’s a shame, as the band’s Krautrock/Talking Heads-funk fusion has never sounded livelier. (Here, it’s doused in the blaring, off-key synths and jet-engine guitars of Bowie’s Berlin period.) And with the exception of the plodding, “Nightclubbing”-nicking “Someone’s Calling Me,” it never fails to yield satisfying new discoveries. But even if, as Murphy sings, his own “desire for discovery has been used up,” at least he’s given us three great albums to help us keep discovering each other” – The A.V. Club     

Standout Track: Dance Yrself Clean

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

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Release Date: 2nd August, 2010

Labels: Merge/City Slang/Mercury

Review:

“The anxieties of Neon Bible still lurk in some of these songs – the unease of the "Modern Man" is rendered with the deceptive naivety of Talking Heads, and the futile search for "the places we used to play" in "Sprawl 1 (Flatland)" is beautifully evoked by shimmering strings. But part of the band's appeal derives from its ability to balance music and emotions in poised equilibrium while grasping confidently for the future, so the misgivings are forever being swept aside by hope.

Playing the character of a trapped suburbanite with unfulfilled dreams, Regine Chassenet sings in "Sprawl 2 (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" about how "these days my life, I feel it has no purpose; but late at night these feelings swim to the surface". As if to suggest those lurking ambitions, it's sung over cycling synthesisers, in the manner of some self-assertive Euro electro-diva. Despite it all, she will survive” – The Independent  

Standout Track: Ready to Start

John Grant – Queen of Denmark

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Release Date: 19th April, 2010

Label: Bella Union

Review:

“Backed by superfans Midlake, these are songs of impossible love, near-suicide and redemption, with an air of vastness and contemplation recalling Dennis Wilson's masterpiece, Pacific Ocean Blue. With pianos and flutes, songs such as I Wanna Go to Marz and Where Dreams Go to Die combine a surreal, David Lynch, sideways look at capitalist America with choruses most artists could only dream about. The jauntier Silver Platter Club and JC Hates Faggots brutally poke fun at rich jocks and Grant's time as a gay child in a religious household respectively. But the emotionally wringing ballads – the witheringly honest Queen of Denmark and Jeff Buckleyesque Caramel – most suggest a man whose time has come” – The Guardian

Standout Track: Caramel                                

Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

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Release Date: 22nd March, 2010

Label: Virgin

Review:

“The new Marling is darker and more sophisticated. She opens proceedings with a drunken, midnight maypole dance of a song. Devil’s Spoke builds from a shadowy portrait of pastoral loneliness into an increasingly frenzied, banjo-spun romance ending with lovers “eye to eye, nose to nose/ripping off each others clothes in a most peculiar way”. Whereas so much music coming from the “nu-folk” scene sounds like nature recollected in safety, by the glowing fire of some Olde Taverne, Marling’s sounds starkly exposed to the English elements. Her songs are simple yet complex, weird but quotidien like hedgerows – twisted, full of thorns, fruit, life and death. You can hear a thrill at the savagery as well as the sweetness of our landscape in the unflinching alto that sings: “I’ll never love England more than when covered in snow.”

Many of the songs struggle with Marling’s conflicted yearning for both traditional monogamy and unfettered independence. “I tried to be a girl who likes to be used,” she sings on Goodbye England, “I’m too good for that/ There’s a mind under this hat.” Elsewhere she gazes back into Greek mythology for female companionship, addressing the marriage goddess Hera and conjuring the spirit of Odysseus’ patient wife Penelope. I Speak Because I Can is my favourite release of the year so far – and certainly an album worth sailing home for” – The Telegraph

Standout Track: Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)

The National – High Violet

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Release Date: 10th May, 2010 

Label: 4AD

Review:

“Less outwardly aggressive than even the relatively restrained Boxer, and yet big and grand enough to fill the large theaters The National finally occupy after spending a decade slowly building an audience, High Violet is carefully considered without being labored, richly detailed without being fussy. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and “Anyone’s Ghost” satisfy the band’s quota of driving, brooding pop songs, but the breathtaking “England” rises to an unprecedented climax that puts the band squarely in Arcade Fire territory. “Afraid Of Everyone” is another landmark for The National, with Berninger taking on a potentially trite subject—being a new father—and making listeners feel the sledgehammer pounding of a scared (but committed) man’s heart. With High Violet, The National has graduated from being a critic’s band. Now it belongs to everyone” – The A.V. Club

Standout Track: Bloodbuzz Ohio

Robyn – Body Talk

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Release Date: 22nd November, 2010

Label: Konichiwa

Review:

“Sweden has long punched above its weight with music, but Robyn deserves a special spotlight. Swedish House Mafia are mangling early ’90s dance and setting it as the solid cornerstone of today’s UK pop-rap phenomenon; their sound is merely Robyn turned up with added oldskool sentiment. Production hype will come and go; Robyn knows when and how to associate with it, but then she leaves it behind.

She has done cuddly R&B and now she’s grown into a manga pop star. However the sound of today evolves, she’ll do it first and keep rolling. Body Talk shows just how easily she can churn out hits more frequently than labels can process production teams. Robyn deserves her success. As Body Talk (Part Three) ends with the lyrics “You and me together/Stars forever” to a bouncing house beat, it’s impossible to think of a better pop communicator for our time” – musicOMH

Standout Track: Dancing on My Own

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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Release Date: 22nd November, 2010

Labels: Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella

Review:

“The contrast in “Devil in a New Dress,” featuring Rick Ross, is of a different sort; a throwback soul production provided by the Smokey Robinson-sampling Bink, it’s as gorgeous as any of West’s own early work, yet it’s marred by an aimless instrumental stretch, roughly 90 seconds in length, that involves some incongruent electric guitar flame-out. Even less explicable is the last third of the nine-minute “Runaway,” when West blows into a device and comes out sounding something like a muffled, bristly version of Robert Fripp's guitar. The only thing that remains unchanged is West’s lyrical accuracy; for every rhyme that stuns, there’s one deserving of mockery from any given contestant off the The White Rapper Show. As the ego and ambition swells, so does the appeal, the repulsiveness, and -- most importantly -- the ingenuity. Whether loved or loathed, fully enjoyed or merely admired, this album should be regarded as a deeply fascinating accomplishment” – AllMusic    

Standout Track: Dark Fantasy

Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

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Release Date: 28th September, 2010

Label: 4AD

Review:

“The topical ground covered here is inspired, too: "Revival", a sort of Southern gothic folk-rock baptism, embraces religion. "I'm saved, I'm saved!" Cox exalts, "I felt his presence heal me." Recorded to four-track, "Basement Scene" "dream[s] a little dream" that soon turns nightmarish: "I don't wanna get old" quickly becomes "I wanna get old" as Cox weighs the alternative. And first single "Helicopter" is a beautifully watery electro-acoustic farewell that uses a tragic Dennis Cooper story about a Russian prostitute (graciously reprinted in the liner notes) to support its emotional bleakness”– Pitchfork

Standout Track: Fountain Stairs

Vampire Weekend – Contra

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Release Date: 11th January, 2010  

Label: XL

Review:

“The band’s longest-ever song, ‘Diplomat’s Son’, mixes dancehall reggae, Tetris bleeps and MIA’s vocals (hypnotically sampled from ‘Kala’’s ‘Hussel’), all of which beautifully underscores a sprawling narrative of love and double-crossing, played out against the backdrop of the US’ similarly convoluted overtures towards Nicaragua’s Contra rebels back in the early ’80s. ‘I Think UR A Contra’ wraps things up with a hymnal warning about the dangers of needlessly stirring up raw emotions.

It’s fair to say that with so much going on ‘Contra’ is much less immediate than its predecessor, requiring a bit of patience to uncover its true shades, contours and charm. But it’s certainly worth sticking with, because with their second album Vampire Weekend have escaped their collegiate niche without sacrificing their true essence. Two more years, and they can do it all over again. No problem” – NME      

Standout Track: Holiday

Beach House – Teen Dream

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Release Date: 26th January, 2010

Label: Sub Pop

Review:

“The songwriting is also more focused, using Devotion songs such as “You Came to Me” and “Heart of Chambers” as templates for the album's elegant longing. Like Teen Dream's title, these songs are wry and wise enough to know better about idealizing love, and romantic enough to still believe in it. “Zebra” positively swoons, while “Walk in the Park,” with its graceful coda and chorus lament “In a matter of time/it will slip from my mind/In and out of my life/you would slip from my mind,” makes losing sound beautiful, even if it's anything but a walk in the park. Despite the wintry sorrow that dominates Teen Dream and songs like “Used to Be” and “Better Times," in particular, Beach House lets a little hope into the album before it closes with “10 Mile Stereo” and “Real Love.” Though it's not as eclectic and whimsical as their earlier work, Teen Dream is some of their most beautiful music, and reaffirms that they're the among the best purveyors of languidly lovelorn songs since Mazzy Star” – AllMusic

Standout Track: Silver Soul

FEATURE: ‘YES’: John and Yoko’s Early Bloom (1969-1971): A Spirit the World Would Do Good to Take to Heart Today

FEATURE:

 

 

‘YES’

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IN THIS PHOTO: John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their ‘bed-in’ at the Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel, Amsterdam in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 

John and Yoko’s Early Bloom (1969-1971): A Spirit the World Would Do Good to Take to Heart Today

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I was among many who sat down and watched…

the John and Yoko documentary, Above Us Only Sky. The title comes from a line in John Lennon’s famous song, Imagine (which was co-written with Yoko Ono). One of the best revelations from the documentary was how John and Yoko met. The exact date of their meeting is unknown but, as Lennon said in the documentary; he was looking at an exhibit of Yoko’s in the Indica Gallery, London, and saw this tiny ceiling painting. Scaling the ladder placed underneath it, he was curious to see what was written on the painting – the word ‘YES’ was what he saw. He was gripped by the oddity of the scene but the affirmative message compelled him to meet the artist (it would have been around 1966). The fact someone would paint something with a positive word and get people to climb a ladder to look at it, in many ways, set the course for their relationship and how John and Yoko would write. Last night’s documentary seems to have hit a major chord with critics. The Telegraph provided their thoughts:

“This wasn’t so much the untold story of the making of a classic album as a fascinating addendum to an iconic story which had already been told in the companion film released by Lennon, Yoko Ono and director Steve Gebhardt in 1972, and fleshed out even more in Andrew Solt’s tribute Gimme Some Truth...

 

Here director Michael Epstein took the story further. He had access to Lennon and Ono’s personal archive and, for obsessives, unearthed previously unseen film footage of recording sessions, interview material, and early run-throughs of Imagine, Jealous Guy and How? But what this film really did was provide context. Not only in the words and memories of people who contributed musically to the album – drummers Jim Keltner and Alan White, bassist Klaus Voormann among others – but also friends, hangers-on, assistants, photographers and journalists who captured a precise moment in the personal and creative lives of Lennon and Ono.

More than anything, though, this film sought to give Ono the equal credit many (including Lennon in a 1980 interview replayed here) said she should have had for her contribution to Imagine’s title track. As a result, what emerged from what might otherwise have been just a gentle retrospective was a remarkably rounded picture of two emotionally fused and radically engaged talents working together to condense their thoughts on art, politics, love and music into one of the best-known and commercially successful protest songs ever.

In so doing, it also reminded us of how and why Lennon’s – and Ono’s – central message of peace, love and people-power remains so potent to this day”.

It was a compelling story that used footage from various stages of their relationship. A lot of the feature concentrated on the album, Imagine, in 1971 but there were interviews with Lennon and Ono and contemporary viewpoints from people who worked with the couple. One of the biggest realisations from the documentary is how potent and meaningful that message of peace is today; how John Lennon and Yoko Ono wanted people to come together and how much we need to take that to heart today.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Iain Macmillan © Yoko Ono

I was moved by the intimacy between Lennon and Ono and how naturally the former Beatle put these masterful songs together. It was wonderful looking in the studio and that mix of casual and serious. Players (such as George Harrison) and producers were milling and smoking; shooting ideas around by there was always that professional atmosphere. Lennon’s serious tone and commitment to the work was essential – to ensure the very best work was coming forward. There are myths and exaggerations regarding Yoko Ono’s role in breaking up The Beatles. Many assume her close bond with Lennon divided the band and meant his focus was away from the band and he was more committed to her. Yoko Ono, throughout her relationship with John Lennon, was subjected to racist abuse and misconceptions. After The Beatles’ split I 1970, it was only natural the two would start making music together. To be fair; their start was a little ropey. The conceptual trio of albums they put out in the late-1960s was not well-received by critics. Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins featured that famous cover of the two naked – the results, as critics noted, was a disaster. The second edition, Life with the Lions, featured actual silence and all sorts of weirdness and conceptual guff. It was slayed by critics and the third piece, Wedding Album, was simply two tracks/sides – John & Yoko and Amsterdam – that tested even the most ardent John Lennon fan. It was a rather sorry end to the decade for Lennon and one suspects the guidance and influence of Yoko Ono defined the tone and concept of these albums!

The 1970s, the first part of the decade, was when the work of John and Yoko really shone. Their peace-loving attitude and humanity was affecting the work more but, as much as anything, after an unstable and testing time for John Lennon; Yoko Ono was having this stabilising and positive impact. 1970’s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was an album of self-recovery and reflection. Lennon and Ono, before the album, undertook primal therapy and it was a way for both to channel and expunge childhood traumas – as opposed more conventional therapy methods. Although there was a lot of peace and togetherness in the album; there was the odd shot against his old band, The Beatles. God features a dig – “I don’t believe in Beatles” – and Paul McCartney would be the subject of future songs. Reviews for John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band were extremely positive. AllMusic provided their thoughts:

“It was a revolutionary record -- never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audience's expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artist's demands. Which isn't to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennon's songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs. Not much about Plastic Ono Band is hidden. Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles -- "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," "Isolation," "God," "My Mummy's Dead" -- illustrate what each song is about, and chart his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It's an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon's catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band”.

 

Mother, one of Lennon’s most beautiful tracks, addressed both of his parents. He was abandoned as a child and his mother, Julia, was hit and killed in a car accident in 1958. It is an emotional and revealing song that showed a different light to the icon. A lot of the later Beatles songs by Lennon were cynical and not at his usual standard. The first three albums by Yoko Ono were weak and this was the first time John Lennon was able to break away from The Beatles and create something masterful. Working Class Hero is Lennon’s most revolutionary and political song; a look at how working-class people are processed into the machine and overlooked. Isolation is about the disillusion and detachment Lennon felt after The Beatles split; how he turned to drugs and the reaction he and Yoko Ono were receiving. God, one of the album’s most striking songs, looks at false idols and people he doesn’t believe in – including Hitler and Jesus – and how, if there is a God, then we are all in it/him. The impact and legacy of the album, as told here, is undeniable:

“The results put a period on everything that came before, even as they made clear the safety he found in his relationship with Ono. The act of walking away from the Beatles' dizzying celebrity on "God" may have gotten the headlines, but Lennon ends up naming and then discarding all of his earlier talismans – only to follow with a quiet affirmation of his affection for Ono. As with so much of this cathartic, utterly remarkable project, even that came from a deeply honest place...

Still, Plastic Ono Band remains Lennon's most consistent, and most important, solo work. Every part of his convoluted genius – Utopian dreamer, angry brawler, lonesome orphan, naked provocateur – is found here, and it's laid bare inside the most stripped-down, revelatory setting of his solo career”.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

This first bloom of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s partnership was transforming this troubled and isolated songwriter and transforming him back to his very best self. Although the real heart of the Lennon/Ono peace explosion would take place later; the brilliance and chemistry that defined John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was defining Lennon’s next phase. The introspective and open tone of the record, I feel, has Yoko Ono all over it and allowed Lennon to move (John and Yoko were accompanied by The Flux Fiddlers) onto Imagine and start this revolution; a chance of peace and a genuine movement that caught the world’s attention. 1971’s Imagine was a more elaborate and ambitious effort than the previous year’s work and, with new confidence, the songs were among John Lennon’s very best work. The album was written during a bad period where there was tension between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. How Do You Sleep? Is a rather harsh and direct attack against McCartney following his jab against Lennon on the album, Ram. Lennon explained, in subsequent interviews, how the two were still hanging out and it was more creative rivalry than hatred.

Imagine’s title anthem is Lennon’s defining moment and seems to be the distillation and definition of the love he and Yoko Ono shared. Although writing credit has been changed to include Ono – it used to be credited solely to John Lennon – her fingerprints are in there and you can sense this man yearning for equality, unity and harmony throughout the world. The song, alongside the bed-in and protests that followed- pricked governmental ears and Lennon was seen as someone who could lead a hippe revolution against the then-U.S. President Richard Nixon. One reason why last night’s Channel 4 documentary got to me was because of the genuine desire to change things and spread the message of peace. Imagine did feature songs with bitterness and plenty of anger but it was tracks like Imagine and Jealous Guy that showed this tender, inspiring side. Jealous Guy started life of Child of Nature – on The Beatles’ 1968 eponymous album – and is one of the most revealing and stunning songs in Lennon’s cannon. Many cannot connect with a song like Imagine because they feel it is hypocritical. Lennon, as a millionaire, was talking about having no possessions and there being no God. The thing with attacking Lennon on those grounds is the overriding message is one of peace and harmony.

He would have given everything away to see that happen and millions of pounds does not buy peace or give you power. Lennon’s personal wealth has nothing to do with what he was trying to deliver: a paen to a new world and a change in the wind. I see the period of 1969-1971 as being especially memorable and inspiring. One might say the musical height of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, on their two titanic records, did not do much to halt the Vietnam War and bring about unity. What they did in 1969, as this article explains, was revolutionary:

“It was the year 1969, 14 years into the deep morass of the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon had been in the White House for two months, and San Francisco’s “Summer of Love” was all but a fading memory as American troops continued to drop bombs on Vietnam and Cambodia. But despite all this, a fervent push for peace and utopianism was percolating over 5,000 miles away—in a hotel room in Amsterdam.

In late March of that year, the press received word that Beatles star John Lennon was “holding court about something or other” in Room 902 at Amsterdam’s Hilton Hotel, overlooking a wide canal, as a reporter remembered years later. Lennon and his partner Yoko Ono, an artist associated with the Fluxus movement known for making art out of everyday life, had married in secret five days earlier in Gibraltar. Now they were planning to use the inevitable press frenzy that would follow to spread the message of love, “like butter,” as Lennon would later put it to reporters...

 

From March 25th through 31st in Amsterdam—and then from May 26th to June 2nd at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada—Lennon and Ono received visitors between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. They coddled babies, sung with rabbis and Hare Krishnas, played with Ono’s daughter Kyoko, argued down conservative media figures, and dispensed advice on how to resist the establishment, urging onlookers to get their hands dirty for the cause. Sometimes their advice came straight from Beatles song titles and lyrics: “Come together” or “All you need is love!”

They expounded on the importance of unity and the shared bonds of humanity, and broadcast a .it’s an achievement to brush your teeth,” Lennon would say during the couple’s second “Bed-In.”

At the time, the “Bed-Ins” attracted mixed reviews. “Beatle Lennon and his charmer Yoko have now established themselves as the outstanding nutcases of the world,” ran one headline, Kruse notes, while Rolling Stone was considerably more supportive: “A five-hour talk between John Lennon and Richard Nixon would be more significant than any Geneva Summit Conference between the U.S.A. and Russia.”

Years later, Ono would reflect back on her role as one part of Mr. and Mrs. Peace, as Lennon referred to them. “John and I thought after ‘Bed-In,’ ‘The war is going to end,’” she recalled. “How naive we were, you know? But the thing is, things take time. I think it’s going to happen. I mean, that I think we’re going to have a peaceful world. But it’s just taking a little bit more time than we thought then”.

There were some scrappy moments, musically and politically, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono between 1969 and 1971 but they were sensing something needed to change and trying to bring about peace. Aside from the Imagine album and the bed-in; it was a huge part of Lennon career where he transitioning from the break-up on The Beatles and creating some of his very best work. The biggest impression and takeaway from the Lennon/Ono golden years is the message of peace and that need to come together. Lennon’s voice is needed more than ever and we need this musical guidance. Alongside the incredible music and passion between Yoko Ono and John Lennon was this dream of stability in the world. We are so far from what they were preaching in the late-1960s and early-1970s and, at a time when there was the war in Vietnam and a corrupt U.S. government; people wanted things to be better and the violence to end. A lot of parallels remain and I wonder what John Lennon would make of today’s world. The quality and striking nature of the music he was making back then was a reaction to wars. There was this global carnage and division but there was a personal one, too. He was adapting to life outside of a band and undergoing therapy so that he could try and come to terms with harrowing memories and demons. Few expected much musical genius after the ill-conceived and ridiculous trio of albums between John Lennon and Yoko Ono but they managed to combine their powers and create two remarkable albums in John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. It was a wonderful and hopeful time and one we need...

SO desperately today.

INTERVIEW: Andria Piperni

INTERVIEW:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Nat Carson

Andria Piperni

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THE fantastic Andria Piperni...

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has been talking with me about her current single, Say Something, and what its story is. I ask what sort of music inspires her and whether there is a strong music scene in Montréal and which albums are most important to her.

Piperni tells me what is coming up next year and which artist she’d support given the chance; if there are any tour dates approaching and whether there are rising musicians we need to get involved with and support.

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Hi, Andria. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi! I’m great. Busy week!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure! I’m a singer and songwriter based in Montreal and I like to describe my sound as a blend of Neo-Soul and Alternative-R&B. Fresh but familiar. I’ve done a lot of collaborations with local artists and I’m now putting out my first solo work. Finally!

Say Something is your new track. Is there a story behind the song?

Say Something is about a situation where you're really feeling someone and you know they're feeling you too, but neither of you has had the courage to admit it - I think we’ve all been there! It’s hard to put yourself out there when it comes to love, so you hold back in order to protect your ego and your heart. You hope the other person will be brave and make the first move…but sometimes you just have to take control and be the one to step up!

Do you think there will be more music in 2019?

Oh, definitely (smiles).

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PHOTO CREDIT: Nat Carson

What sort of music did you grow up around? Which artists inspired you to get into music?

I listened to all kinds of music growing up. My parents introduced me to a variety of artists, but especially a lot of amazing female artists from Carole King to Bonnie Raitt to Norah Jones. I loved all the great Jazz queens too, like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

As I got older, I always gravitated towards the sounds of R&B and Soul. Alicia Keys, Corinne Bailey Rae; Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill - their voices and words spoke to me (and still do) in ways that I can’t explain. They make you feel things deep in your soul. That’s what I hope to do.   

You are based in Montréal. Is there a strong music scene there right now?

Absolutely. There is so much talent here. And, with the strong French music scene, it’s especially diverse.

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PHOTO CREDIT: James Traf

Do you already have plans for 2019?

You will be hearing more new music, that’s for sure.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

There was a performance I did this summer here in Montréal, for a new single that I was featured on - it was a beautiful summer night; the venue was packed and everyone was singing along! Also, the stage was extremely small so I was very close to the audience and it was so cool to see everyone having so much fun.

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PHOTO CREDIT: James Traf

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

John Mayer’s Continuum album sticks out. I just remember many car rides of listening through the entire album over and over and thinking about how great his writing was. I think it was during that time that I realized I wanted to write lyrics.

Amy Winehouse’s work is definitely up there. I especially fell in love with her debut album, Frank. It’s just so wonderfully soulful and jazzy. Her voice was unparalleled. She remains one of my favourites.

Finally, I have to mention Regina Spektor’s Begin to Hope. I’m not sure how I even fell upon her music at the time - she certainly wasn’t mainstream. But that’s what I loved about it. Her writing and her voice are (so) unique and powerful. That album made me realize that music comes in so many forms; there are no rules.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Nat Carson

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

Hmm…how about a live Christmas house concert by Michael Bublé? Too much to ask?

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Can I choose Michael Bublé again? I just love him.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Nat Carson

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Honestly...I still consider myself to be a new artist. And the number-one thing I try to live by is to just be myself. I don’t think you can find success (or happiness) in this business if you’re not true to who you are. And people are drawn to authenticity, so why not give it to them?

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

No official tour dates for now, but I do have some local shows that you can find out about on my website.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Mac Ayres

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Oh man, so many! Mac Ayres, Raveena; Bruno Major, Eloïse; Jorja Smith, Charlotte Cardin; Sara Diamond…shall I continue?

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jorja Smith

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Hanging out with the people I love is the best way to relax.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Fair-Weather Friend by Bruno Major

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Follow Andria Piperni

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INTERVIEW: Lazybones

INTERVIEW:

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Lazybones

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IT has been cool speaking with Lazybones...

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about the new track, Heart Beat Like a Drum, and filming its awesome video. Candi takes up the questions and tells me how the guys got together and what is coming up – I ask whether there are any tour dates coming along and which albums are important to them all.

I was keen to know which rising artists we need to keep an eye out for; if there is a favoured musical memory and whether Candi has any advice for rising artists of the moment – each member chooses a song to end the interview with.

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Hi. How are you? How has your week been?

Candi: Good, thanks! We’ve been super-busy with the video release and had lots of positive feedback, so it’s been an exciting one.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure. I’m Candi and I sing and play Hammond organ. We then have Joe on bass and Sam on drums.

Heart Beat Like a Drum is out. Is there a story behind the song?

It’s not so much a story as more of a feeling. It’s all about that feeling you get when you really like someone; that excited bubbly feeling all wrapped up in a song.

Musically, we wanted to emulate that and create something people could sing and dance along to; in the car, in your living room - wherever you fancy.

The video is a one-shot filmed using an iPhone. Was that challenging to do?! What was the reason behind that approach?

It was very challenging, yes!

Especially as it was the hottest day in the year and we were all in a lot of denim, but it was totally worth it. The approach was chosen firstly because it would be a lot of fun to do but also because it would be interesting. A lot of videos are exciting for the first twenty seconds but then it kind of stays the same and you get bored. We wanted to create something that is new every second you watch it and is entertaining - and I think we achieved that.

How did Lazybones find one another? When did you meet?

We found each other in the local music scene - we were all in other bands and played gigs with each other at one time or another. We got chatting and realised we wanted to try something a bit different, had a pint and here we are. That was last November, so it’s been a crazy year.

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Is there going to be more material next year? How far ahead are you looking?

We have our new single coming out in early January followed by our E.P., Bang! Bang!, coming out on Killing Moon in early-2019 (which you can pre-order now on our site!). We’re then already planning for the next release following and have spent a lot of time in the writing room in the last few weeks.

Do you all share similar tastes? Who are you inspired by?

We all have slightly different tastes. I’m (Candi) tend to like softer Rock and Pop. I’m inspired by people such as Skin from Skunk Anansie and Laura Jane Grace from Against Me! Joe then likes Black Sabbath and Chas & Dave and Sam’s into more Punk stuff and the D.I.Y. ethos.

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As Christmas is coming; what one present would you each like if you could have anything?

Candi: A Britney mic. I won’t even wear it in public; just around the house for fun.

Joe: Pet chimp.

Sam: World peace.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

2019 is going to be a super-exciting year for us. As I mentioned, we have our E.P., Bang! Bang!, coming out on Killing Moon early-2019 but we are also going on a U.K. tour in February, woo! So far, we’ve announced five dates with more to be announced. We’ve then got a new release planned after, so watch this space...

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Our favourite memory as a band was our recent single launch at Green Door Store. Lots of yellow; lots of bunting and balloons and a great crowd. It really felt like something special.

On a side-note and the worst memory - breaking the van door at 2 A.M. in the rain, fixing it with a crowbar and then locking the keys in the back. That was a long, cold night!

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Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Candi: Stoosh by Skunk Anansie

Skin’s voice is absolute perfection and the variety of songs and themes include every emotion, so it always has you covered, whatever mood you’re in.

Joe: Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

It’s just four skint guys recording an album in a day or two and it still sounds huge today. Great instrument sounds, great songs and such a huge contribution to Rock/Metal and the rest.

Sam: I can’t possibly answer that question but maybe At the Drive In - Relationship of Command, because no matter when I play it it’s still good.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

We’d support someone like Blondie or Black Sabbath…if they ever tour again. If not, maybe Jack White.

The rider has to include Custard Creams, really good pizza and at least eight cans of Stella.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be as creative as you can with what you have and play to your strengths. It’s a really saturated industry but, if you work hard and learn what makes you unique, you can really create something new and exciting.

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Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

We’re playing on 10th December at The Old Blue Last, supporting Fangclub and Big Spring which is going to be awesome. Our tour dates in Feb are then as follows:

15/02/19: Crofters Rights, Bristol

16/02/19: Good Mixer, London

19/02/19: The Horn, St Albans

20/02/19: The Hope, Brighton

21/02/19: Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham

With more T.B.A.!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: DITZ

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Definitely, we would recommend our pals DITZ - they are killer live and just came off tour with The Coathangers. Also, Gender Roles and Orchards  - both Brighton bands and both bring something new and really exciting to the scene.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Orchards

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I’d like to say I do yoga or something productive but, instead, I binge-watch terrible teen dramas and then deny all knowledge of them when questioned. I also read a lot. Joe then watches Forensic Files or Simpsons and Sam just plays more drums. Drums.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Candi: Black Me Out - Against Me!

Joe: The Lord of Lightning - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Sam: The Reason They Hate Me – Daughters

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