FEATURE: Pride Month: Songs from Essential Queer Albums

FEATURE:

 

 

Pride Month

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

Songs from Essential Queer Albums

__________

WE are in Pride Month…

PHOTO CREDIT: Ahmed/Pexels

so I am doing some features that celebrate L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ artists, songs and albums. For this feature, I am combining key cuts from essential queer albums. From modern-day examples to some older albums, it is a blend of albums on offer. You might know some of these albums, although there may be others that you are not aware of. I may have time for another Pride feature before the month is out. I am not sure what I will write about, though I think it is important to support and represent L.G..T.Q.I.A.+ music during Pride Month. Here are a selection of tracks from queer albums from throughout the years. I hope that they blend together nicely. Coming together to form…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels

A phenomenal mixtape.

FEATURE: I’m the Greatest: Ringo Starr at Eighty-Five: A Peerless Percussionist

FEATURE:

 

 

I’m the Greatest

PHOTO CREDIT: Popperfoto

Ringo Starr at Eighty-Five: A Peerless Percussionist

__________

BECAUSE the master…

that is Ringo Starr turns eighty-five on 7th July, I am putting together a few features about him. This one is a celebration of someone who I think is a peerless drummer. We can put to rest old myths and criticism. I think, before getting to that, I feel that he was the best actor on A Hard Day’s Night. The Beatles’ debut film, I think Starr was the most natural actor of the four. I also think people repeat the line that Starr was not a great drummer. That he was not the best drummer even in The Beatles (a line that was never said by one of the band; it was said by Jasper Carrott in 1983). In my mind, as a quarter of the most important band ever, one who changed popular culture and created the greatest back catalogue in music history, they would not have gained the success and legacy if it were not in part due to Ringo Starr’s drumming! Of course, George Harrison and primary songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney were as important. However, Starr was the heartbeat and drive of the band. I will end this feature with a few Beatles tracks that demonstrate his phenomenal drumming. Whilst some celebrate percussionists like Keith Moon, John Bonham or Buddy Rich, I don’t think Starr gets mentioned as often. Nor do the likes of Karen Carpenter. I feel Starr is a more rounded and broader drummer than the so-called ‘greatest’. He would not put himself against others. However, there was this long-running assumption that he was overrated or not great. A lot of this old cliché and falsehood might have come from an assumption that a truly great drummer is one who is powerful and does solo. That they are as intense and loud as possible. Ringo Starr is about technique and intelligence. He was backing a band who were not Rock artists or making hugely heavy music. Because of this, he unfairly got seen as someone lacking the chops to join the greats. Even though this 2017 feature from The Guardian comes to his defence (not that it was ever needed!), they do unfairly claim Starr lacked precision. That is flatly untrue! Also, they shoot at Octopus’s Garden. That is a brilliant song. Someone who deserves nothing but unanimous respect and love:

“His beats may not have had the furious technical clarity of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, say, or the phenomenal precision of James Brown’s drummer, Clyde Stubblefield. But what he had was perfect for the Beatles, where Bonham would have been too showy and Stubblefield too tight.

Most drummers recognise this. “Define ‘best drummer in the world’,” Dave Grohl said in a tribute video for Starr’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame presentation. “Is it someone that’s technically proficient? Or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel? Ringo was the king of feel.”

What this means is that many of Ringo’s best performances go unnoticed. These are beats designed to enhance the song rather than show off the drummer’s abilities. Take She Loves You, the song that kicked off Beatlemania. Ringo’s brief introductory tom roll is the shot of adrenaline that gets the heart of the song thumping; it is teen mania in sound, and one of the most important drum rolls in recorded music history.

On Can’t Buy Me Love, Ringo’s drumming is the primal force that drives the song’s hormonal energy, all whipcrack snare and floor-tom bombast, wrapped up in Ringo’s signature sound: a wall-of-sound hi-hat thrash that sounds like five drummers at once. His drumming here is not complicated but – as numerous live versions of the song attest – it is lethally exact with not a note out of place, giving the lie to the notion, repeated by John Lennon in a 1980 Playboy interview, that Ringo was “not technically good” as a drummer.

Another criticism of Ringo is that he wasn’t a creative god like the other Beatles. He didn’t write the songs and he wasn’t a studio genius like producer George Martin, who helped to mould Lennon, McCartney and Harrison’s tunes into something spectacular. Again, this is nonsense. Octopus’s Garden may not put Ringo into the songwriters hall of fame, but his drumming helped to shape countless Beatles classics, bringing personality and life to them.

Consider Tomorrow Never Knows, one of the most influential Beatles songs. How would it sound without Ringo’s beautifully lopsided breakbeat, his unexpected twitching snare pattern emphasising the song’s feel of psychedelic discombobulation? How would Strawberry Fields Forever feel without Ringo’s fantastically weary tom fills, which seems to drag the listener down into Lennon’s nostalgia?

Some people consider Ringo to be a terrible drummer because he doesn’t play solos. But who, apart from other drummers, really enjoys a solo? Ringo knew this and for years resisted all attempts to get him to play them, eventually giving in for the 15-second break on Abbey Road’s The End. It’s not flashy or difficult, but it has an understated funky charm and when it turned up on Beastie Boys’ The Sounds of Science 20 years later, it was hard to resist a smile.

In fact The Sounds of Science, which also borrows Ringo’s strident drum beat from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (Reprise), shows just how funky Ringo’s drums could be when recontextualised. One producer who understood this well was Danger Mouse, whose 2004 release The Grey Album married Jay-Z’s The Black Album to the Beatles’ LP The Beatles to wonderful effect. Ringo’s breakbeats are a key tool in making the album fly, whether chopped up for their unique timbre or used straight for their head-down funk”.

Ringo Starr preaches peace and love. This is about positivity. Given how influential The Beatles are and the past few years have seen so many album reissues, documentaries and activity, there is this new wave of appreciation for Ringo Starr. To me, he is the best drummer ever. Many think of The Beatles and focus on Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Sure, their words and musicianship – alongside that of George Harrison – is key. Though I think Starr’s drumming is the real heart of the songs. Bringing to life the greatest songs ever written, I watch clips of The Beatles playing liver and Starr is so exhilarating and intense. Someone who was so gifted and natural. Moments where he was playing extraordinary and complex parts but made it look effortless. On gentler or less complex Beatles songs, he was still doing something interesting and original. So different to other drummers of the 1960s. When the band created an epic and called for something more complicated, he was very much up to the job. Listen to his work on A Day in the Life or Tomorrow Never Knows. The brilliance of Rain. There needs to be more conversations around how Ringo Starr is the greatest. Sure, I can concede that other people might have their own favourite drummers. It seems insane that there was ever a time in history where Starr was seen as this joke almost. To me, The Beatles could have been a far lesser band if they had another drummer (they did at some points but not for most of their time together). It took a monumental talent to be able to provide the beats on a catalogue as broad and eclectic. I know Paul McCartney occasionally drummed, though it was Starr who helped push the band’s sound and experimentation. He turns eighty-five on 7th July and is still performing live and recording music. To end this final birthday feature, I have selected fifteen tracks from The Beatles where Ringo Starr’s drumming is very much essential in the mix. In terms of thinking about the all-time best drummers, in my opinions, there has been…

NOBODY as good as him!

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Beck at Fifty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Drew Escrivá

Beck at Fifty-Five

__________

ONE of the most…

PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Burbridge for The New Yorker

original and innovative musicians of his day turns fifty-five on 8th July. Beck is someone who I have admired since I was a teenager. His albums among my favourites. Especially true in the case of the 2005 masterpiece, Guero. I forgot to celebrate its twentieth anniversary back in February. It is one of my favourite albums so I am a bit sad I missed the anniversary! I am ending this feature with a mixtape of songs from Beck. To mark his fifty-fifth birthday. Before then, AllMusic provides a detailed biography about this wonderful and hugely consistent artist:

“Californian alternative icon and pop polymath Beck experiments with genres and has an approach to style so fluid that the only thing one could expect from a new record is that it would be different from the last. The ubiquity of his 1994 lo-fi rap/folk slacker anthem "Loser" pointed toward one-hit-wonder status, but those predictions were punctured by the boundary-pushing work that quickly followed. Far from the short-lived novelty act his early success might have suggested, Beck continued down his unique and ever-winding path for decades, taking on new forms with every release. He had a creative breakthrough with 1996's Odelay, a co-production with the Dust Brothers that touched upon his obsessions with crate-dug samples and synthesizing elements of funk, soul, hip-hop, blues, lounge music, and all other manner of found sounds. Odelay served as a cultural keystone for the fading '90s while telegraphing all of Beck's future moves, from the soul prankster of Midnite Vultures to the melancholy troubadour of Sea Change. He moved between the extremes of satire and sincerity throughout the 21st century, sometimes fusing the two emotions, as on 2008's Modern Guilt. Achievements like his 2015 album Morning Phase taking home the Grammy for Album of the Year underscored Beck's presence in the music industry, and he continued pushing creative boundaries in collaborations with everyone from Jenny Lewis to Paul McCartney, and on solo albums like 2019's Pharrell Williams-assisted Hyperspace.

Fittingly, Beck came from a distinctly artistic background, the son of string arranger/conductor David Campbell and Bibbe Hansen, the latter a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory whose father was a pivotal contributor to the Fluxus art movement. Adopting the Hansen surname after his father left, Beck grew up in Los Angeles, dropping out of school in the tenth grade to play as a street busker and attend poetry slams. Bashing out blues and folk, Beck wound up assembling a home tape called The Banjo Story before departing for New York, where he operated on the margins of the anti-folk scene without ever breaking into it.

He returned to Los Angeles, where he continued to play clubs, eventually gaining the attention of Bong Load Records, an independent operated by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. All parties agreed to pair Beck's fledgling folk with hip-hop beats assembled by producer Karl Stephenson, whose kitchen provided the studio for their first efforts, including "Loser." These tapes remained unreleased as Beck recorded an album's worth of material with Calvin Johnson for the latter's K label, but the first release Beck had was the Flipside single "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack" and Sonic Enemy's cassette release of Golden Feelings. However, what really broke the doors open was Bong Load's 12" single of "Loser," which garnered considerable play in L.A., coinciding with increased underground attention. Soon, Beck signed with Geffen, striking a deal that allowed him to release on independent labels. One of these immediately followed -- Fingerpaint released the 10" record A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight in January 1994 -- before the Geffen debut Mellow Gold appeared in March of that year.Naturally, "Loser" was the lead single from Mellow Gold and it turned into an instant smash, boasting a hook that worked as an ironic underground rallying cry and a novelty crossover. Despite many positive reviews, Beck worked overtime to dispel the notion he was a novelty, quickly releasing two indie albums in succession: the noise-skronk Stereopathetic Soul Manure and One Foot in the Grave. Stereopathetic made few waves, but the stripped-back, folky One Foot in the Grave acted as a counterbalance to the gonzo Mellow Gold, illustrating the depths of his talents.

After a furious 1994, Beck laid relatively low in 1995, touring with the fifth Lollapalooza in between working on a new album with the production team the Dust Brothers, who had collaborated with the Beastie Boys on their landmark 1989 Paul's Boutique. The resulting album, Odelay, appeared in June 1996, preceded by the lanky, funky single "Where It's At," which would go on to win the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal. Odelay piled up acclaim and hits -- "Devil's Haircut," "Jack-Ass," and "The New Pollution" all charted around the world -- and the record went double platinum, becoming a touchstone of '90s alternative rock. An outtake from the album, "Deadweight," appeared on the soundtrack to Danny Boyle's 1997 film A Life Less Ordinary, and then Beck set to work on his next album with producer Nigel Godrich, who had just worked with Radiohead on OK Computer. Their collaboration, originally slated for an indie release but moved to Geffen, thereby setting a precedent that no future Beck LP would be released on an indie (something worked out in the courts the following year), traded futuristic rock -- either the joyous collage of Odelay or the dystopia of OK Computer -- for a quiet, pulsating, psychedelic folk-rock album called Mutations. Riding high on Odelay, the record charted well without turning out any major hits, although it did garner a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Beck made another abrupt change in musical direction in 1999 with Midnite Vultures, a garish party record that was part satire and part salute to soul and funk, particularly Prince. Reviews were divided between ecstatic and skeptical, but the album had some real hits with "Sexx Laws" and "Deborah," and in some ways it was the apex of Beck's hipster prankster phase, a persona he shed with his next album, 2002's Sea Change. Recorded in the wake of a romantic breakup, Sea Change was another Godrich production, but it was gentle and mournful, lacking some of the gritty underpinnings of Mutations but retaining the psychedelia -- and that psychedelic edge was brought out in the supporting tour when Beck hired the Flaming Lips as his supporting band. The tour was well-received, but there were some tensions, as reported by Lips leader Wayne Coyne later.

After an extended break -- the longest he had taken between albums to date -- Beck returned in 2005 with Guero, an album that reunited him with the Dust Brothers and consciously evoked Odelay. Guero launched a few hits, including "E-Pro" and "Hell Yes," and was followed within months by Guerolito, a remixed version of the entire album. Beck continued in this direction the following year with The Information, but its Nigel Godrich production kept the album streamlined and emphasized the darker undercurrents in the songs. Some of that darkness could be heard on his eighth LP, Modern Guilt, a 2008 release produced by Danger Mouse, marking the first time in 14 years that Beck worked with a producer who wasn't the Dust Brothers or Godrich. Modern Guilt performed respectably -- it debuted at eight on the U.S. Billboard charts and received strong reviews -- but he spent the next several years relatively quiet.

In 2009, Beck began actively pursuing a career as a producer, collaborating with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her acclaimed IRM album; two years later, he produced Thurston Moore's Demolished Thoughts and Mirror Traffic by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. He also dipped his toe back into solo recording on the soundtrack to the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Still, between 2009 and 2010, much of his studio energy was devoted to his Record Club, where he and a loose collective of friends covered classic albums in their entirety; the albums covered included The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Songs of Leonard Cohen, and INXS' Kick.

Beck returned to original material in 2012 via Song Reader, a collection of sheet music featuring 20 new, unrecorded songs; although he didn't record versions of these songs, he did appear at Song Reader concerts featuring other musicians (and a collection of those live performances was eventually released under his name). In 2014, Beck released Morning Phase, his first new album in nearly six years and first record for Capitol. Described by the singer/songwriter as a "companion piece" to 2002's Sea Change, it appeared in February 2014, preceded by the singles "Blue Moon" and "Waking Light." Critical reception was largely positive, and the set won three Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album and Album of the Year. Beck returned the following year with the lively single "Dreams," and the like-minded "Wow" arrived in 2016. During that year, he continued working with producer Greg Kurstin and also made guest appearances on work by Fun.'s Nate Ruess, the Chemical Brothers, M83, and Flume. Beck finally released Colors, his collaboration with Kurstin, in October 2017. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and topped the modern rock and alternative albums charts. Colors won the 2019 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, along with the trophy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

In 2019, Beck contributed the song "Tarantula" to the soundtrack album Music Inspired by the Film Roma, which accompanied director Alfonso Cuarón's acclaimed work. That November, Beck released Hyperspace, an album largely produced by Pharrell Williams. Initially, Williams invited Beck to contribute to a N.E.R.D album, but the collaboration proved fruitful, resulting in the core of the record that became Hyperspace. In 2019, he also collaborated with Jenny Lewis and tourmates Cage the Elephant. The next few years brought more collaborations, as Beck worked with Gorillaz on their 2020 song "The Valley of the Pagans," singer/songwriter Natalie Bergman on a 2021 cover of Lion's deep cut "You've Got a Woman," and Paul McCartney on "Find My Way," a hit single from the 2021 album McCartney III: Imagined. Beck released a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man" in 2022, and an original titled "Thinking About You" in 2023”.

As Beck turns fifty-five on 8th July, I am marking that with a career-spanning playlist featuring his best-known songs and some awesome cuts. Collaborations and stuff outside of his studio albums too. Even if you are not a fan, I am sure that you will find something to enjoy. It proves that he is one of the most interesting artists ever. Let’s hope he makes music for years to come. It leaves me to wish the wonderful Beck…

A very happy birthday.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential July Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Marten

Essential July Releases

__________

NEXT month…

IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale (left) and Hester Chambers/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Backham for The Guardian

is a busy and exciting one for new albums. I am going to highlight the very best of the month that you should pre-order. As there is a lot to get through, I am going to jump straight in! The first album is simply called . (Period). However you want to write it, it is both mysterious and a bold statement. Out on 4th July, it is the only album from this week that I am going to highlight. I am going to jump to 11th July and a few albums out then. You can pre-order Kesha’s . (Period) here. A hugely established artist, there is a lot of anticipation around her upcoming album:

“Kesha’s new album, . (Yes, it's just a period.) is an unapologetic declaration of artistic freedom and fearless authenticity. With over 3 billion streams, 10 Top 10 hits, four #1 pop radio singles, and two chart-topping albums, this two-time Grammy nominee has consistently redefined the boundaries of pop music.

Now, independently releasing under her own label, Kesha Records, she’s liberated from constraints, taking complete ownership of her voice and vision. On . Kesha transcends pop norms to create a raw, daring, and intensely personal sonic journey with the entire project conceived, co-produced and written by Kesha. It’s more than an album—it's a defiant act of self-expression, refusing to adhere to expectations or play it safe. Unfiltered, audacious, and vibrant, this record finds Kesha at her most powerful, turning her experiences into unapologetic art. Breaking free and fully in control, . isn’t just music— it's Kesha unfiltered, fearless, with a spiked heel at the neck of pop culture”.

The first amazing album from 11th July that you need to pre-order is Gina Birch’s Trouble. You can pre-order it here. I know a little bit about Gina Birch, but I have become more involved in her latest work. It is a fascinating album that I would recommend to everyone. An artist that needs to be on your radar. July is really eclectic in terms of new albums! One you should add to your shelf:

“Trouble is a patchwork of sorts: its 11 songs are not only eclectic in genre, but play like stitched-together vignettes, fly-on-the-wall scenes in which Gina describes meeting a stranger on a train, or a flare up with her teenage daughter, or the nostalgia of driving past a certain part of your neighborhood that’s been unchanged for as long as you can remember. It’s the politics of the everyday, a work that is feminist not because of slogans or placards, but because it’s a candid portrait of a female artist simply existing. “It's a bit out there, a bit off the tracks, and I always like to go there,” says Gina about the album’s diaristic undertones. “I unofficially subtitled the album ‘Trouble I've Caused and Trouble I'm In’, so the songs are based around that feeling—that dangerous place to be.”

As such, the connecting factor that links all the songs on Trouble together isn’t one single ideology or theme or topic, but Gina herself. It’s her vision, informed by her status as a rock icon, her voice as a forward-thinking artist, and her perspective as someone who just thinks life should be a bit of a laugh sometimes. For a musician who has had such an impact on her genre, it’s downright life-affirming to realize that she still has so much to share with her audience—and frankly, Trouble is just cracking the surface. “These songs came to me like a radio tuning, the airwaves going along, and I just plucked them out of the air. Something just clicks in the atmosphere, and I just take it. I'm not writing an opus about one thing. I'm writing an opus about being me”.

Three more albums that I want to include from 11th July that are well worth exploring and pre-ordering. The next is Gwenno’s Utopia. A remarkable artist who I have loved foe a very long time now, I am interested to see what Utopia offers. Go and pre-order the album now. What has been released from the album so far is sensational. Some of Gwenno’s absolute best work. Singing in English for her new album, it takes her once more in a new direction. I wonder if she will return to Cornish or Welsh for her next album:

“Having released three albums in Welsh and Cornish, Utopia is Gwenno Saunders’ first album recorded predominantly in English, and presents a very different side to her life and songwriting.

Forty-three years into her life, Saunders has been many people. The disaffected Cardiff schoolgirl; the teenage Las Vegas dancer; the singer in indie pop group The Pipettes. There was a turn in a Bollywood film, a nightclub tour, a stint cleaning floors in an East London pub. Long before she would become an acclaimed solo songwriter in both Welsh and Cornish, a winner of the Welsh Music Prize, a nominee for the Mercury, a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh, there were the days of Nevada, London, Brighton; of Irish dancing, techno clubs, messiness and chaos.

Utopia, Saunders’ fourth solo album, is an extraordinary exploration of all of these selves. If the singer regards her first three solo records — 2014’s Y Dydd Olaf, 2018’s Le Kov and 2022’s Tresor as “childhood records”, rooted in her upbringing, her parents, her formative identity, then Utopia captures a time of self-determination and experimentation. These are songs of discovery, of the years between being someone’s daughter and becoming someone’s wife and someone’s mother. They range from floor-fillers to piano ballads, via contributions from Cate Le Bon and H. Hawkline, and encompass William Blake, a favourite Edrica Huws poem, and the Number 73 bus. It is her finest work to date”.

Before getting to one of the most anticipated albums of the year, I want to recommend and spotlight Burna Boy’s No Sign of Weakness. Even though I do not really like the album cover at all – there have been some good ones this year, but artists still phoning it in too much in my view! -, the music on No Sign of Weakness will be supreme. There is not a lot of information on it, so I can only include what Rough Trade have written. I would still advise people to pre-order the album, as it is from an artist who is a true legend. Someone who is an innovator and pioneer:

“Grammy Award-winning global icon Burna Boy ushers in his highly anticipated eighth studio album No Sign of Weakness including the singles TaTaTa (feat. Travis Scott), Sweet Love, Update and Bundle By Bundle.

Global superstar Burna Boy stands among the most significant and influential African artists of all time. Known for his genre-blending sound, Burna has redefined Afrofusion through his mix of Afrobeats, pop, reggae, hip-hop, and R&B”.

Although primarily known as a two-piece, Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg perform as a band on the road. Led by Rhian Teasdale and completed by Hester Chambers, this incredible duo have played huge live dates and were nominated for a Mercury Prize for their eponymous debut album in 2022. There is a great recent interview that gives a bit more insight into the album. That album is moisturizer. You can pre-order it here. Even if you are not a Wet Leg fan, this is going to be among 2025’s biggest and best albums. One that you absolutely will need! Go and order your copy:

“moisturizer is the bold, second album from Wet Leg, the Isle of Wight five-piece founded by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Joined by Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, and Joshua Mobaraki, Wet Leg has spent the past few years on the road, evolving into a feral, electrifying live force. This new record captures that energy, delivering a sound that’s tighter, bolder, and more self-assured, yet still brimming with the same quick wit and raw, unrefined energy.

Isolated in a remote house in the countryside, moisturizer was written in a creative frenzy, diving into themes of obsession and all-consuming love. While their 2022 debut earned Grammy wins and chart-topping success, moisturizer brings the bite: brash guitars, heavy beats, and a fearless devotion to feeling everything—all at once”.

There are four albums due on 18th July that I am going to recommend. The first is Laura Jane Grace’s Adventure Club. I liked her 2020 debut album, Stay Alive. I am going to move to some other albums soon, but it is important we discover more about Laura Jane Grace’s forthcoming release. One that you should pre-order:

“Following the release of her debut album, Stay Alive (2020) and its follow-up Hole In My Head (2024), Emmy-nominated artist, author, musician, activist and Against Me! founder/songwriter, Laura Jane Grace, returns with her fourth full-length album, Laura Jane Grace in the Trauma Tropes - Adventure Club - a powerful new statement featuring some of her most intense and thought-provoking work to date. Adventure Club was recorded in Athens, Greece and made possible by a grant through the Onassis Air Program, "an artistic research, residency, and fellowship program that fosters artistic process and experimentation by bringing together creative practitioners from a variety of geographies and practices", which Grace was awarded a fellowship through.

The album features notable performances from outside collaborators known as the Trauma Tropes, including Grace’s wife, Paris Campbell (vocals), as well Athens based musicians Jacopo Fokas (bass) and Orestis Lagadinos (drums). On standout, “Your God (God’s Dick),” Grace and Campbell belt out some of Grace’s most anthemic lyrics ever penned, with an a capella intro channeling the stadium power pop of Queen. On “Wearing Black,” Grace critiques the corporatization of and police presence at Pride events, with her signature punk ethos and raw, unabashed outlook on full display”.

Make sure that you get Jade Bird’s Who Wants to Talk About Love. I could not find any new interviews with Bird when writing this (7th June), so there might be something that has come about by the time you read this. I would advise anyone to pre-order the album, as Jade Bird is one of our very best songwriters. Someone I have been following for years now and am a fan of. I want to bring in an article from The Line of Best Fit from April, that revealed the news of this wonderful upcoming album. I am looking forward to seeing how critics take to Who Wants to Talk About Love:

"Dreams" as Jade Bird explains is a “very dark song. I saw a billboard driving to the studio after a bit of a nasty breakdown. I'd gone to sleep at five am the night before and read 'this is what dreams are made of'. Combined with the LA sun I felt a deep irony. It's about feeling too broken to be with the person you love. Pushing them away because of generational habits and (I don't like the word) trauma.”

“I wrote this album while trying to make sense of the broken relationships in my family- my parents, both sets of grandparents - and the way they echoed into my own life when my engagement ended. It’s as much a question as an answer, wondering if I could break the cycle while finding my own path to forgiveness- not just from my dad, but for myself,” Bird explains.

"Dreams" follows "Who Wants", which marked her first new music since the Burn The Hard Drive EP, a collaboration with Mura Masa, was released last year. Who Wants to Talk About Love sees Bird evolving after the release of her 2019 eponymous debut album, and 2021's Different Kinds of Light”.

Another terrific album due on 18th July is FLETCHER’s Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? With a wonderful album cover and available on Lioncello vinyl, this is another artist that I have been following for a very long time now. You can go and pre-order the album now. I want to source from a recent Rolling Stone interview that is really interesting. If you do not know much about FLETCHER, then she is someone that you need to check out. One of the finest artists out there in my view:

“Fletcher has a few revelations to make. In fact, the singer born Cari Elise Fletcher has 11 of them, manifested as tracks on her third studio album, Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?, out July 18. All 11 songs are secrets spilled in one form or another; some of them might shock even the most fervent of Fletcher fans. Still, they are stories she had to tell.

On the album’s intro, “Party,” Fletcher sings about how she’s not the chaotic, drama-fueled pop star who taunted her ex’s new girlfriend on the viral 2022 hit “Becky’s So Hot.” “I’d love to let you love me/Cause I’m that kind of whore/Who needed the attention/I don’t need anymore/It’s not that kind of party,” she sings.

So what kind of party is it? “Maybe the kind of party where I have a chill, more intimate heart-to-heart with close friends,” Fletcher tells Rolling Stone in a new interview. “And revealing some really vulnerable shit.” In a note to fans announcing her new project, the singer calls Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? “both an open wound and an act of liberation.”

On the single “Boy,” released today, she shares something even more personal: “I kissed a boy,” she sings. “And I know it’s not what you wanted to hear/And it wasn’t on your bingo card this year/Well it wasn’t on mine/I fell in love.”

Fletcher has long emphasized her sexual fluidity, and she has many queer fans; the relationships that she’s sung about have, until now, exclusively been with women. “There will be people that feel disappointed and feel confused and have questions,” Fletcher tells RS. “Girl, I had questions and I was confused too. It shocked me just as much as anybody else.”

Of course, who a person chooses to date and how that person identifies across the gender spectrum doesn’t negate anyone’s queerness. “I am so proud to be queer,” Fletcher continues. “That is not something that has ever wavered or changed. Being queer for me is this lens that I get to view life through.” She knows not everyone will understand what she’s sharing, but she’s seemingly found peace with that in the name of being unabashedly herself.

Fletcher tells Rolling Stone that the flood of emotions that informed her new album happened around late 2024 and early 2025, after her last tour. When asked whether she and the muse behind “Boy” are still together, she doesn’t answer directly, but makes it known that she’s in a great place. “I am getting to experience love again,” she says. “That is the most magical feeling in the entire world. I met a boy who is somehow way more connected to his feelings and his emotions and his heart than even I am.”

Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? is a candid retrospective of the singer’s twenties, navigating love in all its forms, and thinking about fame. On “Hi, Everyone Leave Please,” Fletcher questions why she’s not getting more radio play despite selling out Radio City Music Hall (“Kinda bruises my ego”). She says it’s her favorite song on the new project.

During our conversation, Fletcher takes a few emotional pauses while chatting about identity, her support system, the new album, and feeling like Cari was getting lost in her larger Fletcher persona.

PHOTO CREDIT: Carissa Gallo

Have the assumptions people made up until this point about you bothered you?

I think people have experienced me as what I’ve shared with them, you know? All of my romantic relationships over the last 10 years have been with women. And it’s what I’ve written my music about. Through this larger-than-life character that Fletcher became, I feel like there wasn’t a lot of room for the parts of me that weren’t wild and crazy and aching. There were other parts of me that, as I’ve gone through this healing journey, I’ve felt haven’t been fully brought to life. I’m a queer woman. I’ve always been queer. I will always be queer. My identity is not shifting and it’s not changing. My community is not changing. But I’ve had these new experiences that I wanted to let people in on and give them a chance to know me now.

How gradually did your life change? When we talked early last year, you had already become more measured with certain things. A water between each margarita, that type of thing.

I think it’s been gradual. I had so many different eras throughout my career. In between all of them, there was love, but there was also my toxic “Becky’s So Hot” era. Then there was [In Search of the Antidote] and going on this deeper health journey and learning so much about myself. I feel like it’s been gradual, but…. My last tour was just so hard for me. It was really painful for me. I thought that people didn’t know the most current version of me. I thought that Cari was getting lost in this larger persona.

Is there any part of you that is scared of how people are going to react to a song like “Boy”?

Oh my gosh, yeah. I’m terrified. It’s so scary to share your truth, you know. My career launched with a song called “Wasted Youth” in my early twenties about falling in love with a girl. Here I am, 10 years later at the start of my thirties, with a song about falling in love with a boy. Through this entire time, all I’ve expressed…. My deepest desire for people was for them to boldly and unapologetically be themselves. And I have to walk that walk. If that’s what I’ve been preaching to my fans who I love so much this whole time, then I have to give myself that same grace. Otherwise, what the fuck is the point?

I understand that my love life is not the most important thing in global news in the world, especially within the queer community. Trans people’s existence right now is being threatened, and their rights are being threatened at every angle. There’s a lot more important things to put attention and energy and love to. But at the same time, even through the fear that I have, the commitment to being myself no matter what is where my heart will always lay. It’s my north star that I have to just run towards.

What kind of support system are you leaning on these days?

I have my family and my friends who love me so much, and I have people who love on me through every single season. I know there will be people that feel however they’re going to feel. That’s OK. I’m OK with that. I could have buried this song somewhere in the soundtrack in the larger context of this album. I chose to lead with it first. That’s because I knew that it was something that my fans, and the people who have supported me all these years, would care about. I didn’t want there to be any veil between me and my truth. It’s something that I’m willing to talk about. I have cycled through every emotion through the making of this album. I have cycled through tears, and grief, and guilt, and shame, and fear, and excitement and joy. It is an embodiment of the human experience.

Are there other revelations on this album that you hope fans pay attention to?

My biggest hope is for everybody to be free to be themselves and to love themselves and to express themselves. It’s scary to share new discoveries about yourself. This album, and “Boy,” is really a permission slip for me to be myself. And for me to love and express myself. I just want it to be a permission slip, you know. I’m stepping into this bravery even if I’m scared, in hopes that other people are able to do that in their own lives. Whatever evolution in your life, whatever doesn’t fill your cup anymore — a relationship, or a job, or some version of you that evolved and wants to come through. Fuck it. Life is way too fucking short. Truly. To do anything else. At the end of the day, even if everybody hated me, I’m still myself.

If you knew how everything would play out — who you would meet last year — would you do anything differently?

No. There’s nothing that I would rewrite. There’s nothing that I would change about any of my journey. I love all of the women that I have been and the woman that I am becoming. I would never rewrite history. It all happened exactly the way that it was meant to. I celebrate it all”.

The final album from 18th July that I want to recommend is perhaps the one release from this year I am looking forward to most. Billie Marten’s Dog Eared is an album you very much need to pre-order. Again, I love the album cover and vinyl options. This album cane be purchased in Pearl colour. It is another remarkable album (her fifth) coming from an artist whose 2016 debut, Writing of Blues and Yellows, is my favourite of the previous decade. Having been busy on tour, there has not been a whole lot of time for new interviews. I know there will be a few published before the release of Dog Eared. A title that seems to refer to books and her love of them – where you turn the corners of pages to get this dog-eared effect -, I am really looking forward to an album that will surely rank alongside the best of 2025:

“The prolific British singer-songwriter headed to New York in the summer of 2024 to record with producer Phil Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Laura Veirs) at his Sugar Mountain studio, alongside an all-star cast of musicians. The likes of Catalan singer-songwriter/guitarist Núuria Graham, bassist Josh Crumbly, virtuosic guitarist Mike Haldeman, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, revered indie-rock musician Sam Evian, former Dirty Projectors vocalist/folk musician Maia Friedman, Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, drummer/multi-instrumentalist Vishal Nayak, and acclaimed folk musician Sam Amidon sprinkle their gold dust over Dog Eared. A band packed with talent and cumulative credits across records by Cassandra Jenkins, Kamasi Washington, Moses Sumney, Robert Glasper, Tune-Yards, Empress Of, Nick Hakim, David Byrne, Atoms for Peace, Feist, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and now Billie Marten.

Dog Eared is a warm, rich, and textured record that bristles with confidence and self-belief, with Billie already approaching the prolificacy of a ‘lifer’ with so much life left to live. It’s a left turn from her previous recordings, albeit a subtle one, taken with a deftness of touch. A musician embracing change, while staying true to her core self. There’s a certain strength of conviction here that finds its voice more prominently in the extensive pool of her acclaimed American contemporaries, of which she now surely stands shoulder to shoulder with. With Dog Eared, Billie calmly posits herself at the top of the tree of not just British contemporary folk artists, but with British songwriters at large”.

There are three albums due on 25th July that I am keen to recommend. The first is a treat for Madona fans (me included). Veronica Electronica is a really exciting album that was a project that was going to come to light around 1998 – around the release of Ray of Light – but never materialised. Now, this overdue and much anticipated album will come to light. You can order it from Rough Trade here:

“Veronica Electronica, an eight-track companion to Ray of Light, was originally envisioned by Madonna as a remix album in 1998. The project was ultimately sidelined by the original album’s runaway success and the parade of hit singles that dominated the spotlight for more than a year. Ray of Light went on to sell over 16 million copies worldwide and earned Madonna four Grammy® Awards, including Best Pop Album.

More than 25 years later, that long-rumored concept finally comes to life. The collection features newly edited versions of club remixes by Sasha, BT, and Victor Calderone, along with the original demo of “Gone, Gone, Gone”—a previously unreleased recording produced by Madonna and Rick Nowels.

SIDE A

01 – Drowned World/Substitute For Love (BT & Sasha Bucklodge Ashram New Edit)
02 – Ray Of Light  (Sasha Twilo Mix Edit)
03 – Skin (The Collaboration Remix Edit) 
04 – Nothing Really Matters  (Club 69 Speed Mix Meets The Dub) 

SIDE B

05 – Sky Fits Heaven  (Victor Calderone Future New Edit)
06 – Frozen  (Widescreen Mix and Drums)
07 – The Power Of Good-Bye  (Fabien’s Good God Mix Edit)
08 - Gone, Gone, Gone (Original Demo Version - Previously unreleased)”.

The penultimate album I am highlighting is Patty Griffin’s Crown of Roses. This may be an artist you do not know about. You can pre-order Griffin’s new album here. An established and respected Folk artist whose debut album, Living with Ghosts, came out in 1996, there is a lot of curiosity around the Maine-born artist’s new album:

“Patty Griffin’s new album, Crown of Roses, is a deeply personal and introspective work that explores themes of identity, nature, family, and womanhood. Emerging from a creative drought during the pandemic, Griffin—two-time Grammy winner and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement honoree—found herself reevaluating the stories she’d long told herself. The result is an eight-track collection that is both sparse and emotionally rich, blending folk, Americana, and gospel blues.

Produced by long-time collaborator Craig Ross, the album features contributions from trusted bandmates David Pulkingham and Michael Longoria, and a haunting vocal cameo from Robert Plant. Griffin's vocal approach changed after cancer treatment, leading her to embrace a softer, more intimate style that reflects the vulnerability and strength woven through the songs.

Much of Crown of Roses is shaped by Griffin’s relationship with her late mother, whose love of music and nature left a lasting imprint. The album cover features her mother’s wedding photo, symbolizing their deepened bond in the last years of her life. Songs like 'Born in a Cage' and 'Way Up to the Sky' echo her mother’s observations of a vanishing natural world and Griffin’s own reckoning with mortality and legacy.

Griffin also confronts her past efforts to understand and please men, ultimately shifting her creative focus toward women’s experiences. She calls this her first album primarily concerned with women’s stories, signalling a liberating perspective change. Reflecting on her artistic journey, Griffin shares, “The older you get, you just get sick of yourself staying stuck.”

With Crown of Roses, Griffin offers a record that’s both grounded and transcendent - one that invites listeners to release old narratives, embrace new truths, and stay truly alive while they’re here”.

Paul Weller’s Find El Dorado is out on 25th July. Another album from Weller is a great thing. One that you can pre-order here, there is not a whole lot written about it. However, this Uncut feature gives us a bit of insight and background. This sounds like a really intriguing and interesting project. I am going to look forward to Find El Dorado and what comes from it. I know that Weller’s fans will snap this album up:

“The album is a deeply personal collection of reinterpretations. “These are songs I’ve carried with me for years,” Weller says. “They’ve taken on new shapes over time. And now felt like the moment to share them.”

The album has been produced and arranged by Steve Craddock and features collaborations with the likes of Hannah Peel, Declan O’Rourke, Robert Plant, Seckou Keita, Amelia Coburn and Noel Gallagher.

You can hear two songs from Find Eldorado below.

“Lawdy Rolla” below – originally by an obscure French studio band called The Guerrillas, who featured African jazz star Manu Dibango in their ranks.

And Brian Protheroe’s 1974 hit “Pinball”, which features saxophone from Jacko Peake.

And here’s the Find El Dorado track list – with the artists who originally recorded the songs in brackets…

Handouts in the Rain (Richie Havens)
Small Town Talk (Bobby Charles)
El Dorado (Eamon Friel)
White Line Fever (The Flying Burrito Brothers)
One Last Cold Kiss (Christy Moore)
When you are a King (White Plains)
Pinball (Brian Protheroe)
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire (Willie Griffin)
I Started a Joke (Bee Gees)
Never the Same (Lal and Mike Waterson)
Lawdy Rolla (The Guerrillas)
Nobody’s Fool (The Kinks)
Journey (Duncan Browne)
Daltry Street (Jake Fletcher / PP Arnold)
Clive’s Song (Hamish Imlach)”.

I am going to end it there. I hope that the album above give you plenty of choice regarding terrific albums out next month you will want to pre-order. You can see what other albums are out in July here. From Billie Marten to Paul Weller to Wet Leg, there is plenty of variety. Something for everyone! If you need some options when it comes to albums worth saving up for, I am sure that those mentioned above…

SHOULD provide some inspiration.

FEATURE: Let Me Steal This Moment from You Now: Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

Let Me Steal This Moment from You Now

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush dancing in the Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) video 

Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) at Forty

__________

I am going to write…

a fair few features about perhaps Kate Bush’s greatest musical moment. Hounds of Love will celebrate forty years on 16th September. Its lead single, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), turns forty on 5th August. Kate Bush would release two singles from Hounds of Love in 1986: Hounds of Love and The Big Sky. Cloudbusting was released later in 1985. However, for many people, the first taste of Kate Bush’s fifth studio album was its opening track. I am going to come to some features about the song soon. In another feature, I will take from Leah Kardos’s Hounds of Love 33 1/3 book. Some forensic detail about the song. As this classic turns forty next month, it is worth shining a light on it. I do wonder if there is going to be any particular celebration. I would like to think Bush will release the track von a special vinyl with its B-side, Under the Ivy. Maybe an E.P. that also features a remix. There does need to be big celebration around this song. There will be new features written. Since its release, it has gained a new life. Originally reaching number three in the U.K. in 1985, it made the top of the chart in 2022 when it featured in Stranger Things. It is a shock that this song did not hit number one back in 1985! Before getting to some words from Kate Bush, where she spoke about the story behind Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), there is some other information from Kate Bush Encyclopedia that highlights how many times Bush performed the song live (though she mimed each time) and how critics reacted to her song:

“5 August 1985: Wogan
22 August 1985: Top Of The Pops
30 August 1985: Show Vor Acht (Germany)
5 September 1985: Extratour (Germany)
21 September 1985: Demain C’est Dimanche (France)
September/October 1985: Jeu de la Verité (France)
30 November 1985: Peters Pop Show (Germany)

Critical reception

‘Running Up That Hill’ was greeted with almost universal acclaim.

I found myself seduced by the sheer strangeness.

Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, 10 August 1985

The voice gets deeper as the lyrics get shallower.

William Leith, NME, 10 August 1985

She’s precocious, dated, and dull. This record is dismally uninteresting.

Helen Fitzgerald, Melody Maker, 10 August 1985

One of her atmospheric epics, full of tension and controlled emotion.

Max Bell, No. 1, 10 August 1985

Comfortably reaffirms her position as our very finest female singer, songwriter and performer. I don’t expect to hear many better singles this year.

Mark Putterford, Kerrang!, 22 August 1985”.

Perhaps you know the story behind Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). How it was always meant to be A Deal with God but had to be renamed through fear of alienating and offending radio stations, primarily in the U.S. That fear of blasphemy. Despite Bush’s track behind positive and songs like God Only Knows released years earlier, Bush herself always sees her most famous release as A Deal with God rather than Running Up That Hill/Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God):

“‘Running Up That Hill’ was one of the first songs that I wrote for the album. It was very nice for me that it was the first single released, I’d always hoped that would be the way. It’s very much about a relationship between a man and a woman who are deeply in love and they’re so concerned that things could go wrong – they have great insecurity, great fear of the relationship itself. It’s really saying if there’s a possibility of being able to swap places with each other that they’d understand how the other one felt, that when they were saying things that weren’t meant to hurt, that they weren’t meant sincerely, that they were just misunderstood. In some ways, I suppose the basic difference between men and women, where if we could swap places in a relationship, we’d understand each other better, but this, of course, is all theoretical anyway. (Open Interview, 1985)

It seems that the more you get to know a person, the greater the scope there is for misunderstanding. Sometimes you can hurt somebody purely accidentally or be afraid to tell them something because you think they might be hurt when really they’ll understand. So what that song is about is making a deal with God to let two people swap place so they’ll be able to see things from one another’s perspective. (Mike Nicholls, ‘The Girl Who Reached Wuthering Heights’. The London Times, 27 August 1985)

I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman, can’t understand each other because we are a man and a woman. And if we could actually swap each others roles, if we could actually be in each others place for a while, I think we’d both be very surprised! [Laughs] And I think it would be lead to a greater understanding. And really the only way I could think it could be done was either… you know, I thought a deal with the devil, you know. And I thought, “well, no, why not a deal with God!” You know, because in a way it’s so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you. You see, for me it is still called “A Deal With God”, that was its title. But we weretoldthat if we kept this title that it wouldn’t be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn’t play it, France wouldn’t play it, and Australia wouldn’t play it! Ireland wouldn’t play it, and that generally we might get it blacked purely because it had “God” in the title. Now, I couldn’t believe this, this seemed completely ridiculous to me and the title was such a part of the song’s entity. I just couldn’t understand it. But none the less, although I was very unhappy about it, I felt unless I compromised that I was going to be cutting my own throat, you know, I’d just spent two, three years making an album and we weren’t gonna get this record played on the radio, if I was stubborn. So I felt I had to be grown up about this, so we changed it to ‘Running Up That Hill’. But it’s always something I’ve regretted doing, I must say. And normally I always regret any compromises that I make. (Richard Skinner, ‘Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love. Radio 1 (UK), aired 26 January 1992)”.

I am going to move to a 2022 feature from The Quietus. Although this was a celebrated and much played song when it was released in 1985, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) has connected with a younger audience. It is an atmospheric, epic and sweeping song that does not sound dated. In terms of the production and technology, it remains this fresh song that will never age. The lyrics so relatable and powerful. If you have never heard the track or do not know much about it, then I hope the features I am bringing in are illuminating and informative:

“A steady rhythm took ‘Running Up That Hill’ straight onto the dancefloor. Lofty proposals met it there. A lover yearns to strike a deal with the divine, to swap genders with her partner. Theirs is, for Bush, a love "that’s almost too big for them, with the potential for misunderstanding too great". Surging with optimism as it envisions the impossible, the track strives for that "inaccessible elsewhere", that misty hilltop where differences dissolve and true understanding exists. The gulf between humans had always been Bush’s forte, (the track’s distant balalaika echoing ‘Babooshka”s marital drama), but since ‘Wuthering Heights’, so had the imperious desire to cross it, at all costs. In its own mystical way, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is driven by that very ’80s imperative: Go For It!

The Fairlight is central; that original riff galloping throughout, the reverbed atmospherics bookending the song and those deep chords that tug the heartstrings, while the beat moves the body. Bush’s vocal is combative and sensual. Backing vocals mirror the mixed emotions, yay-yo-ing ecstatically, unleashing battle cries, akin to ‘Kiai!’, the cry made in Japanese martial arts – before Bush learnt dance, she studied karate (Stevie Nicks compared her to a ninja). The imagery is at turns passionate and menacing, thunder in hearts, bullets buried deep. In the orgasmic middle eight, Bush urges her lover to swap and exchange female/male pleasure, moving from traditional sex roles to something approaching the omnisexual (many of the song’s lines could be describing two men flip-fucking). Things intensify in its wake, lightning strikes with real drums, and Murphy’s guitar, all Gilmour-esque ‘feel’ squalls, as if the almighty has responded.

Unease threatens to tilt the radio-friendly axis, voices writhe and wriggle, souls stuck in the purgatory of their lonely skin, begging to break free and merge. The storm calms and a male/female voice sing its last lines, morphed like Bush and dance partner Michael Hervieu in the accompanying video. Kate Bush was going to the disco but it was on her terms, with this maelstrom of a song, conjured from earth and ether; male/female, human/machine, spirit/flesh and light/dark locked in an endless interplay. As with all the best pop music, the immediacy was a Trojan horse carrying an army of subversive ideas.

On its flip-side, she was alone at the piano, singing ‘Under The Ivy’; one of her best-loved B-sides. Seeking refuge, "away from the party", it’s the wallflower to the A-side’s diva, amongst the green and the grey like a gothic heroine. It comes straight from her East Wickham childhood pastorale, candid yet cloaked in secrecy. Here as on the album, the piano’s "rich and resonant", a Grotrian-Steinweg Grand, captured in a live room with an ambient mic, creating an "Erik Satie, alone after the guests have left the ballroom" vibe (Bush’s favourite pianists included Satie, Chopin and Windham Hill’s George Winston).

In September, Hounds Of Love was released to rave reviews, peaking at the summit of the UK albums chart. Bush had managed to have her finger firmly on pop’s pulse while serenely floating above it with this music, its silvery, multi-dimensional sonics tailor-made for the beckoning CD age. While others – Billy Bragg, The Smiths, The Style Council, directly challenged Thatcher/Murdoch’s Britain, Hounds Of Love circumvented it altogether. It was an unabashedly romantic refuge from the awful, materialist ’80s, worming its way into the homes of yuppies and hippies, beloved by everyone from Mel & Kim to John Lydon. Throughout, ‘RUTH’ is easily matched, from title track to ‘Cloudbusting’ to the side-long suite ‘The Ninth Wave’.

One of the many levels to Bush’s genius was a knack of shedding positive light on the darkest of places, turning traditionally negative material inside out. On ‘The Ninth Wave’, the female archetype of the doomed tragic heroine drowning became a survivor. Bush too, had weathered the stormy seas of the music business and was, at 27, art-pop’s eternal grand dame.

It was with ‘RUTH’ that Bush finally broke America. She’d acquired an ever-growing cult following Stateside; The Dreaming received some of its best reviews there, Lionheart and Never For Ever had finally been released, in January 1984; all groundwork for ‘Running Up That Hill”s entry into the top 30. Hounds Of Love did likewise in the album charts. In November 1985, she took a promotional trip to the States, and found lines around the block at Tower Records, on NYC’s 4th and Broadway. ‘Hello Earth”s choral passages even found their way onto Miami Vice the following year, for the Cold War-themed ‘Bushido’ episode.

Bush had been considered too arty and English for American audiences, and resistant to its radio formats. Yet this was also the home of fellow female outliers; Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, and Laurie Anderson. As far back as 1979, Pat Benatar had covered ‘Wuthering Heights’.

Prince was a fan of Hounds Of Love, and future collaborator; in him she even found another male kindred spirit after Peter Gabriel. Like ‘RUTH’, ‘When Doves Cry’ had made pop simultaneously eerie and erotic. Like Bush, Prince also sought an artistic omniscience that eroded gender boundaries, speeding his voice up on ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’, where Bush would pitch hers down and frequently sing from a man’s POV.

‘RUTH’ and Hounds Of Love’s influence travelled right to the heart of American rock. With Stevie Nicks, she may have shared a witchy romanticism, but it was the wide-open ears of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham that took notes. It’s all over 1987’s textured, tech-pop classic, Tango In The Night (bigger in the UK than the US) – ‘Big Love’ virtually sped up ‘RUTH”s man/machine-made rhythms; he even sounds like he’s trying to sing like her on the title track’s demo ("I kept the dream in my pocket" could be a line from ‘Cloudbusting’).

‘Running Up That Hill’ has been covered multiple times, by Blue Pearl, Placebo and, recently, Halsey. As with all Bush songs, the original is unbeatable, because like Bowie, Gabriel and Prince, the performance, composition and production are all so impeccably woven into one ecstatic whole.

In 1986, years before Stranger Things, grown-up kids TV embraced ‘RUTH’ when the BBC’s Running Scared not only used it as a theme tune, but featured a title sequence which re-enacted the video. Now, years later, thanks almost entirely to the fourth season of the popular Netflix show, ‘RUTH’ has climbed higher than ever reaching No.1 in multiple countries, including the UK, and the top 5 in the US. The show oddly mirrors Bush’s universe, especially around Hounds Of Love, her fascination with the terror created by scary films, childhood’s land of lost content and "grotesque beauty" (a favourite painting of hers at the time updated Millais’ Ophelia as a cracked doll floating in a sewer). In the video for 1986’s ‘Experiment IV’, that underrated, final, lone new track for her first ever compilation album The Whole Story, she even became a monster that looked like it could have come straight from the series. If ‘RUTH’ is, in Bush’s words, "a talisman" for the Stranger Things character Max, its creator has long been a life-support for many of us.

This song once more finds itself dropping into a bitterly divided world. But in this world polarised by misunderstanding and division, it’s unsurprising that ‘Running Up That Hill”s searing pursuit of empathy and understanding still cuts so deep, and resonates so powerfully”.

For so many people, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is the only Kate Bush song they know. Maybe that is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, people know this track and it has reached younger generations. However, it also seems to be the focal point. People not going beyond that. Let’s hope that people do more exploring regarding Kate Bush’s catalogue. I am going to end with another 2022 feature. This one is from Rolling Stone UK. How Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was an established Pop hit long before it found this resurgence in 2022:

“Beyond its lyrics, the song’s production has given it a lot more longevity than many other songs of the era. Bush used cutting edge technology to create it – its chugging rhythm was composed on a LinnDrum drum machine, while she used a Fairlight CMI, a synthesiser with sampling capabilities, to craft its waifish strings – but the result sounds a lot grittier than other mid-80s pop music. This sound, combined with the song’s unquantifiable pop euphoria, has made it endure in a way that many other 80s time warps haven’t.

Despite the singular idiosyncrasies of ‘Running Up That Hill’, it has been a cover favourite for other artists, who all take a unique angle on it. Placebo’s 2003 reinterpretation turned the track into a ghoulish downtempo alt-rocker with even more youthful angst than the original. Their take on the track quickly became US TV’s version of choice, largely thanks to Bush’s refusal to sanction her original song’s use in shows like The O.C. and C.S.I. Chromatics also put a suspenseful, cinematic twist on the track in 2007, with Ruth Radelet’s lo-fi vocals emitting a diamond sharpness that turns the song into a nocturnal loner anthem.

More recently, country star Jade Bird performed a piano cover of the song for Radio 1’s Live Lounge, which stripped it back to voice and keys, conjuring loss and longing in her brusker baritone. UK artist Georgia delivered a dance-inflected though otherwise faithful rendition in 2020, while just last week pop singer Kim Petras released a cover for Pride Month, and offered her own thoughts on the classic track: “It means so much and it’s so elusive. You can definitely decide what you want it to mean. For me, it’s about equality. And my timing for this was strangely perfect!”

Kate Bush herself revisited her classic anthem in 2012, recording new vocals for a version that premiered at that year’s London Olympics. While the instrumental backing track remained the same, it was pitched down to accommodate Bush’s new vocal range – her voice was deeper than it was three decades prior. And so, not for the last time, ‘Running Up That Hill’ re-entered the UK top 10 – and it would return to the charts again two years later, when Bush announced her first live performances since 1979. That time, the world didn’t just go crazy for ‘Running Up That Hill’ but the entire Kate Bush catalogue, with eight of her albums shooting up the charts simultaneously, and her website crashing from the demand for tickets. At the residency at the Hammersmith Apollo, ‘Running Up That Hill’ was the only song that had previously been performed live, such is the special place it holds for Bush and her fans.

In an interview with Open in 1985, Kate Bush said that the song was “really saying if there’s a possibility of being able to swap places with each other that they’d understand how the other one felt, that when they were saying things that weren’t meant to hurt, that they weren’t meant sincerely, that they were just misunderstood”. A cry for empathy and for understanding – these are timeless themes. Looking at how Bush views the song herself, no wonder it’s endured for so long”.

On 5th August, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) turns forty. A single that should have reached number one in 1985, it finally got the commercial acclaim it deserved in 2022! I do hope that there are some big things happening to mark this masterpiece’s fortieth. One of the greatest songs ever, I am going to write at least one or two more features about this track. I wanted to show my respect and love for…

A work of genius.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Beth McCarthy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

Beth McCarthy

__________

FOR this Pride Month…

not only am I focusing on terrific L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ albums and songs from today and the past. I am also celebrating modern artists from that community. Someone who I spotlighted back in 2022. I am going to come to some interviews with the incredible Beth McCarthy soon. Her E.P., Hot and Stupid, was released in April. It is among the best E.P.s of this year. An artist I have known about for a very long time, it is great to see her grow and amass this loyal and loving fanbase. McCarthy has some big gigs coming up later in the year. She will also play Glastonbury (and told her parents at a recent gig and got this reaction). Before getting to some interviews, I am starting with some biography:

“York-born Beth McCarthy combines pop melody with a rock edge to tell the stories of a twenty-something trying to understand love, friendship, and the feelings that come with it. Beth has one of the loudest voices and influence in the UK LGBTQ+ community and uses her music and art to get it heard. In that respect she takes influence from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, P!nk and she shares a lot of the same fan audiences as Fletcher & Reneé Rapp in the UK and across the world.

Beth exploded on the internet in 2021 with hit single "She Gets The Flowers", which gained over 30M streams. Two of her recent singles "What Do You Call It" and "She's Pretty" captured the attention of millions on social media, with over 1M followers and over 80M views, both part of her new EP "IDK How To Talk To Girls"

Her most recent release is her EP "IDK How To Talk To Girls", is a 5-track guitar-driven pop EP about a journey of self discovery in relationships and sexuality. The title song has accumulated over 25M views across social media, has been added to over 40k personal playlists, as well as 30+ editorial playlists and has had BBC Radio 1 support. The entire EP has amassed over 100M views already with the title single being her best performing song to date and has the internet and pop-rock music lovers on edge for what’s next!

After a sold out UK tour in June, Beth is touring the UK and EU in her “IDK How To Talk To Girls” tour in May, in a run that is 4x larger than her last tour and that sold out in a matter of days, headlining at Heaven in London. Followed by a summer of festivals including BBC R1’s Big Weekend in Luton, Mighty Hoopla and iconic EU festivals like Pinkpop in the Netherlands and Prides in major European cities.

2024 proves to be an exciting year for Beth, after her 170,000 DSP followers, her 9k broadcast channel and millions of social media followers are eagerly anticipating the year this ´bi-con´ has ahead”.

I interviewed Beth McCarthy back in 2018. Since then, she has really developed her music and is being talked in the highest terms. An artist being tipped as a Pop icon of the future. I can see that happening. I am starting out with an interview from last year. PinkNews spoke with McCarthy at one of her gigs. She talked about bisexual romance, and why she’ll never date a fan:

“PinkNews: What is the best pick-up line you’ve used on someone?

Beth McCarthy: Are you an appendix? Because I don’t know how you work, or what you do, but I really want to take you out.

PN: Describe your type in three words.

BM: Energy, confident, vibes. Which are all the same word, basically.

PN: On your series, What Do You Call It?, who is the best flirter?

BM: Probably Mikayla.

PN: Would you ever date a fan?

BM: No. Actually, you know what, I always say no because there’s a weird power dynamic or something, but, ideally, you get to a point in life where you’re so well-known that everyone’s your fan, right? So, you don’t really have a choice. Maybe, eventually, if I get that famous. A girl can dream.

PN: What’s the wildest thing that’s happened on your tour so far?

BM: A lot of people want me to draw a tattoo, that’s really crazy. There was a girl who wanted me to draw a form of lesbian symbol, one wanted me to draw a frog, tattoos everywhere.

PN: In the sapphic world, friendliness and flirting can be conflated. How do you let the sapphics know you’re flirting with them?

BM: This is my journey of learning. I think it’s all about the conviction of the way you speak. But I don’t know, don’t ask me!

PN: Have you found the best way to talk to girls?

BM: I mean, [being a sapphic legend] has definitely helped. I just have to scream at people and now it kind of works. They’ll just talk to me now. Which is great because I still don’t know”.

Interviewed around the release of IDK How to Talk to Girls last year, Celeb Mix spent some time with Beth McCarthy. She discussed new music, touring, and the importance of nurturing aspiring artists. One of my favourite artists I have been following over the past few years or so, I can see very big things from Beth McCarthy:

“Hey Beth! HIUGE congrats on the recent release of ‘IDK How To Talk To Girls’ – how are you feeling now the project is out there for people to listen to and enjoy?

Honestly it feels great to have this project out in the world! I wrote ‘IDK How To Talk To Girls’ (the song) almost 3 years ago and built the rest of the EP around it so finally having it all finished and out in its full form so people can listen to the entire ‘journey’ from start to finish is amazing.

How have your audience responded to these songs?

I feel like I’ve really found my ‘people’ in releasing this EP. I wrote these tracks to be completely unapologetic in who I am and to represent feelings and experiences that I never had in music while I was figuring it all out, so now having the opportunity to be that for my audience is honestly a dream come true. There’s a real sense of community in the people who are listening to my music and I feel super proud to be a part of that.

Musically who, or what, inspired you most during the creation of this project?

My inspiration comes from a lot of different spaces and this EP definitely doesn’t have a direct influence – more so little bits and pieces from everywhere! ‘What Do You Call It?’ definitely has a lot of 90’s/early 2000’s nostalgia pumped into it with Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch in mind! Then ‘She’s Pretty’ and ‘IDK How To Talk To Girls’ we took a lot of influence from P!nk and Carly Rae Jepson. Basically whatever energy the song felt like it needed directed where we found inspiration which is a bit of a round about way of doing it but worked well for this project!

How do you think your sound has evolved since your early releases?

Honestly my sound has been all over the place since I started but weirdly it seems to have come back round to be closer to the music I wanted to make as a teenager when I was in bands! I needed to go through various different ‘fonts’ of my sound to find something that feels really authentic to me. Now, what I write and the way its produced is hugely influenced by my live shows and what I feel the set needs as touring and performing live is where my love for music really comes to life.

What was your proudest moment whilst making this EP?

My proudest moment was probably when the EP released and I had so many people get in touch from all around the world to say how represented they felt by the songs and how much the music had helped them to feel more confident in who they are. It’s moments like these where you realise there are actually people behind the numbers you see on Spotify and social media and the songs that meant so much for me to write also mean something to other people.

How was touring with Caity Baser, and what can fans expect from your own headline tour?

I had such a BLAST touring with Caity! She is a superstar and being able to open for her, and experience her lovely and welcoming fans was the absolute best! It definitely gave me the bug for touring ahead of my headline tour in May and I’m so excited to get out and perform again! I won’t give too much away of what to expect, but the main thing I want is for people to come to the show and have a really bloody good time! The set will be super high energy with loads of fun and I hope people can come and sing their hearts out and be totally themselves with no judgement!

What’s your favourite thing about life on the road?

My favourite thing is by far being on stage and just sharing the love with everyone in that room which is the CHEESIEST thing i’ve ever said but it’s THE TRUTH. I love people singing my songs with me and feeling all the emotions with me, it just feels like magic!

What advice would you give to any aspiring musicians, of any age, looking to break into the music industry?

I would say… don’t stop trying, the only way to guarantee you won’t make it is if you give up. Don’t give in to the ‘compare and despair’ mindset. There will be times you look at people around you and wonder why they’re doing better or getting opportunities that you’re not, but remember it’s not a competition. We’re all on our own journey at our own pace and it’s easy to get so focused on other peoples that we forget to celebrate and nurture our own! Sometimes stuff just doesn’t happen for a bit, and being comfortable with periods of inactivity is something I’ve found really useful to learn how to do. Just don’t stop during those periods, you can always be doing stuff to move your career forward even if it’s just writing new music, making content for social media, connecting with other creatives etc. Be kind to people and try to support other creatives whenever you can. It’s a tough industry made so much easier by nice people!”.

I am going to end with an interview from Ticketmaster from April. An artist who feels she has never been that clean-cut artist, there is honest and edge to Beth McCarthy’s music. Artists like Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Charli xcx come to mind when I think of McCarthy. Maybe that seems random and not artists she would cite as influences, I can see links between them:

“Regarding your new EP, Hot and Stupid, you wrote that “the era of being unhinged has begun”. Tell me all about it! Did you try to build on the momentum of IDK How to Talk to Girls?

It’s sort of been a transition. The IDK How to Talk to Girls era was quite a funny one to move out of because it was so specifically queer and about my experiences figuring out my sexuality and what that looked like for me. Growing up, I’d not had music that accurately represented my experience. Ιt kind of felt like it was the one end of a spectrum or another. Either I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry or someone like Hayley Kiyoko, who’s just so confidently a lesbian in every way, and is amazing and unapologetic. And I loved that, and I love both of them but the middle bit, where you’re kind of figuring it out and you don’t really know what to call it, or you do know what to call it but you don’t really know how to do it. That hadn’t been represented in music for me and I felt like it was important that I did that –for me and, you know, there’s so many people in that bracket.

So it’s very deliberately queer and oriented around my experiences with women specifically. For five songs I could leave men out of it – just for five songs! Then obviously with it translating so much and being related to so much, it was hard to know how to break out of that. Because, when you become known for singing about girls and only girls, even though it was only for five songs, that’s what’s expected. And you go, well, how do I tell all the other stories, or how do I continue representing the audience and the community that I find so important and that have been amazing for me and I’ve loved being a part of? How do I continue representing them with my music without for evermore singing songs about girls –particularly being bisexual and not only dating girls! How do I do that and not make it feel like I’m leaving that community behind?

I kind of broke out of that with Good Bi and went unapologetically bisexual. Then I just thought, what was the bit around that? Maybe it’s just owning the messy and the chaos. Because that’s really what came with it. Being imperfect and unhinged and making the bad decisions and all of that. That’s relatable regardless of what gender you date –and everyone’s got friends as well. Everyone has a friend group that they’re a bit daft with sometimes and everybody has crushes on people regardless of gender.

And I was like, that feels like the right movement for me, regardless of the gender, regardless of the people it’s about. It feels a lot more encompassing of an energy and a feeling that was had. So I wanted to focus it a lot more on friendship and just being unapologetically a bit messy. Ιt also lent itself better with my sound. I wanna be a rock star wrapped in a little bit of pop packaging! Let’s be unhinged with the sound, with the concept, with everything. Sο Hot and Stupid was born.

Much like Good Bi, the EP looks like a party record, and it sounds like a party record butyou dig deeper, you won’t be put in a box. That’s a strong message.

I think it’s just being a bit more vulnerable as well. IDK How to Talk to Girls was almost like a story of my literal experiences, step by step. Whereas, with this record, I want it all to feel and sound really good and not be too sad. But if you actually dig deeper it has got meaning, it has got some more feelings-y experiences –and hopefully really relatable. There’s a song called Hurting My Own Feelings, which is the lead track of the EP and… I think everybody’s been through it where you know you’re doing something that is gonna hurt you but you do it anyway!

Whether you’re stalking someone a little bit too deeply or you go and text the person that you know is definitely not gonna text. But you’re like, I know this is a bad decision and I know I’m doing it and it’s gonna hurt my own feelings but I’m gonna do it anyway! Because that’s kinda part of life.

On top of going viral with ‘Flowers’ you’re often referred to as a “bi icon”. Have you had any memorable interactions with fans that made you think “my music’s out there, it touches people”?

To be honest I think Good Bi was the one that felt like it hit the hardest. I guess you always look at numbers as an artist, what’s streaming on Spotify and all that rubbish. I think Good Bi didn’t have the immediate pop of the streaming numbers that ‘She Gets the Flowers’ did, which did have such a wide impact but it was at the back end of lockdown when things were starting to get a little bit freer. Which is probably why it did so well, everyone was feeling really vulnerable so it just went hand in hand with a load of sad people.

Whereas Good Bi has made a deeper impact than that in the sense that, if you get it, and if you are bisexual and you’ve been through any of what is in that track it really resonates. And I think there isn’t a song about being bi. There’s songs that maybe can allude to it but they’re kind of a nod to it, or an artist who’s singing about an experience and is not that gendered. As opposed to Good Bi which is very much my experience of being bisexual and a lot of people’s experience and the difficulties that come with, but also celebrating it.

So when it gradually reached the people that it was supposed to reach, that’s the one that feels like it’s made the most difference. And it’s really nice because I think, being bi, you can feel quite like an outsider because the community itself doesn’t always embrace you. And obviously the not-the-community doesn’t embrace you as well and you have people basically saying you don’t belong in either. So you can be stuck in this grey area and I think that is an overall reflection of the music that I make.

I feel like a person who’s in the grey area in always and everything. I feel not the one or the other. Representing those people and those stories just felt really special. If I’m out and about and somebody knows me or they come to shows and I speak to fans, it’s always Good Bi that’s like, “Thank you for writing that because I don’t think I’m allowed to be queer because I have a boyfriend. But you’ve made me feel like I can be”. That’s the stuff that matters for me cause I felt like that and I felt like I couldn’t completely be me. Being able to represent them in a way that makes them feel safer, to be themselves and not shameful whichever side they fall on, or the middle they fall on!…

It’s true that there hasn’t been much representation. And now Chappell Rowan has pushed LGBTQ+ causes right into the mainstream, at a time when politicians are throwing constant threats. Do you feel these are good or bad times for the community, from your point of view?

It’s a really funny time! I think overall it’s a good time, we’ve got some really strong people representing now. Chappell Roan is one who has really moved the needle. She’s amazing because she’s not only moving the needle for being queer or for being a lesbian but is moving the needle for trans rights, for being outwardly spoken politically, which artists don’t do. Not that that’s wrong, because at the end of the day you choose what you want to put out into the world but I think she particularly is making such a a stance which can only be a positive thing.

But it is a funny time because the minute things get brought into the mainstream people get a bit protective of it. This phrase “queerbaiting” has come up and that’s the whole thing now, right? I’m not on board with it as a term… People can’t really queerbait at the end of the day, because they’re people and who is anyone to say what their experiences are or what they’re feeling? You could literally feel like, for one single day, that you were attracted to X-Y-Z people and then you’re not. But then you could write a whole song or a whole album about it and who are you to say that that’s not real?

The word queerbating is quite a dangerous term because it becomes quite gatekeep-y around stuff that you just can’t be gatekeepy around. But I think it can be a difficult time because people are looking at being queer and being like, “Oh well, now that’s profitable and so are they being real about it”? You know, Chappell Roan has made such a huge career now and a big part of that is her being queer and a big part of her audience is the queer community and they are so incredibly loyal and so willing to accept you because they’re like “We need more representation. Please, another one!” But then, that can run into the fact that people go, “But you’re not fitting in this exact thing that we want you to be and therefore that means that you could be taking advantage of the queer community,” which is a dangerous place to be because at the end of the day artists are still people and what they write about is their own experiences. To be like, “Well, you can’t sing about that because this is what I think you should do,” is a dangerous place to be. That’s maybe where being queer and outward about it is the most on-the-surface difficult thing to talk about. Aside from being vulnerable to people and politicians and that side of things that don’t get it, it’s also the community being a little bit scared of it. But we’ll get there!

You’ve got to go completely to one side to then bring it all back again. Unfortunately, for queer people, it’s a bit like women embracing their sexuality. Not in terms of who they date but being sexual and able to talk about that in music. Like Sabrina Carpenter. She’s being so unapologetically feminine, like, “I love sex and I love being a woman”, right? Sex has been used as a way to sell music for as long as any of us can remember. It’s just now artists are actually choosing to do that and it’s not the label’s way of putting it forward. Whereas now artists go, “Oh no, actually I’m gonna write the music about this and put myself forward in this way”.

Someone I was very keen to return to for this Spotlight: Revisited, the next few years are going to be a whirlwind for Beth McCarthy. She is someone I have known for a very long time and have seen her career blossom. An inspiring for so many people out there, everyone needs to follow her. An L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ artist who has this admiring and loyal group of fans behind her, it will not be long until she is…

A major name.

____________

Follow Beth McCarthy

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bethmaymccarthy/

TikTok:

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

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ba5BHaaNzyzG5ZEfKXIF2?si=FRRr3VfqRNWxom1ncbIjLQ

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bethmaymccarthy/

FEATURE: Army of Me: Björk's Post at Thirty

FEATURE:

Army of Me 

IN THIS PHOTO: Björk in 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Jill Furmanovsky

Björk's Post at Thirty

__________

A huge album…

turn thirty on Thursday (12th). Björk's Post was released on 12th June, 1995 in the U.K. and the following day in the U.S. (I did say in a previous feature how Post came out on 13th June, 1995 but it was a day earlier in the U.K.). The second album from the Icelandic icon, for this anniversary feature, I want to bring in a couple of interviews from 1995. It was such an important year for Björk. I will end with a review for one of the greatest albums ever released. Jon Savage spoke with Björk in 1995 for The Quietus. There are some really interesting exchanges. Among them is where Björk is asked about moving from Iceland to London. How the sea and its pull makes its way into her music. And how London does not have sea:

“Björk has been performing since age 11, when she made a record in her native Iceland. Raised by what she calls hippie parents, she rebelled on her teens and formed a punk band called Kukl; they recorded for the label run by the hard-core British anarchists Crass. It was a key moment: "I’m still definely obsessed with the spontaneity of punk. I’m a sucker for energy. Just put all the energy in the world into my ears." Subsequently, Björk’s voice shone through the guitar rock of the Sugarcubes, a group that, like many punk bands, was formed as a joke and ended up an unhappy career. In Iceland, in the early 1990s, with the Sugarcubes disbanded, Björk wrote and recorded much of her Debut album — "songs I had written in the evening when my kid was asleep, almost like a domestic housewife album". It was her two guest appearances with dance maestros 808 State that had opened up a whole new world for the former punk and paved the way for her collaboration with Nellee Hooper, the producer who, with his connections to Bristol trip-hoppers Massive Attack and Tricky, was in at the ground level of this year’s dance-floor boom. He provided the state-of-the-art sheen that made Debut so attractive. The CD was a winning mixture of club savvy and more reflective songs that explored nature’s mysticism.

Björk’s new record, Post, develops this fresh mixture. There are the up-to-the-minute dance beats, fused with sharp lyrics in songs like ‘Army of Me’ and ‘Hyper-Ballad’. There is the cover of a vintage show tune, ‘Blow a Fuse’. And there are spooky tunes that play with perception: the odd scratchings at the end of ‘The Modern Things’, with Björk whispering "no one sees me" in Icelandic, and the psychoactive assault of her collaboration with Tricky in ‘Headphones’. Her audacity is one of the most powerful things about Björk. She embodies the sense that anything is possible — in lyrics, in appearance, in gender, and in the very sound of her voice.

JOHN SAVAGE: When were you born?

BJÖRK: 21 November 1965.

On the cusp of Scorpio and Sagittarius.

My mum is heavily into these things, and apparently I’m as much Scorpio as one can be. To me, whether it means something or not — fuck that, I just love the symbolism of it. It’s pretty, like Greek and Nordic mythologies. I’m supposed to be run by Pluto. It’s like a fairy-tale, it simplifies things.

Is Nordic mythology similar to Greek?

It isn’t a copy, but it’s got the same characters. In mythology wherever you go, you’ve got the strong guy, the wise woman, the winners and the losers, the travellers and the domestic people. I always like the animals in mythology, like the ravens on Odin’s shoulders.

Scorpio is all about life, death and sex.

That doesn’t surprise me. My three fucking obsessions.

Have you ever had your chart done?

My mum did it. I think she took me to all the occult creatures of Iceland, from the age of zero until I was 18, when I became a rebel anti-hippie. I got my fortune told and everything. I think I probably believe most of it, actually. I’ve got Pluto in a very important place, and that’s what I’m about. I have to re-create the universe every morning when I wake up. And kill it in the evening, which is a bit outrageous, but there you go.

Hard work.

Heee! Well, maybe not every morning, but maybe twice a year I have to destroy everything. I’ve also got my moon in the twelfth house, in Scorpio, and my son in Scorpio in the first house, and also Neptune. Then on my other half, my generational picture, I’ve got Pluto and Uranus in Virgo, and my midheaven is in conjunct with those two. Virgo is the sign of the nurse, so this means I was born to nurse my generation. I’m still 50-50 about whether this is true, but I was breast-fed on it.

In your lyrics, you seem obsessed with the sea.

I am, very much. It’s a combination of things — being born on a small island and always having the ocean. It makes your head function completely differently. If I travel, as long as I’m by the ocean, I’m fine. If I’m not, I get claustrophobic.

What do you exactly get from the ocean?

First of all, a sense of well-being, like I’m home. I had a really wild upbringing, which I think is the best upbringing anyone could have. My home was by the sea. If I walked down to the sea and sat down by the shore, I was home. That’s my mother, the ocean. Nothing can go wrong. I love swimming, another hippie thing. My mum says it’s because I’m a water sign. And the sense of space and boats. I’m obsessed with boats. It’s freedom.

Do you feel the lack of sea in London?

Yeah, it really does my head in. I tried to stay by Little Venice, but it’s a canal, so the water doesn’t move. I’m only here for work. It’s just two hours on an airplane; my kid [eight-year-old Sindri] can go back home when he wants to. I’m only here for a period, to get my little mission done, and once it’s finished, it’s finished. But after this little job is over, I’m living by the ocean. It doesn’t matter where it is.

What do you think your mission is?

It took me ages to reason it to myself. I find it very hard to be selfish. I just decided, I’m going to move to London, I’m going to be really selfish, I’m going to get all the instruments I want, all the noises and lyrics I like, and make all the music I can, because everybody’s got to express their vision, and no two people are the same. I could happily go and die if I could say, "I did my best, I made my sacrifice." It’s as basic as that. If I hadn’t done this, I would sit in my rocking chair at 85 with my grandchildren on my lap, and say, "Sorry, I didn’t have the guts." I’ve become selfish now, believe me. I’ll go out to the flower shop and buy flowers just for myself. It’s outrageous, isn’t it?

What do you feel about moving to London from Iceland?

It’s a cosmopolitan city. That’s the reason I’m here. If I want a dulcimer player, I can get one. If there’s a certain photographer I want to work with, more than likely he’s going to come through London. I can appreciate London from above, all the rooftops, maybe because I’m a kid and I like Peter Pan. I’m starting to appreciate aimlessness and eccentricity. I’ve realized that Englishness is about people who have to behave politely all day, and the clothes have to be all proper, but that doesn’t mean they’re not mad. You have to focus on it, but once you find it and focus on that energy, then you can stay sane. Compared to the English, Icelanders are like people from Sicily or somewhere. "I’m upset!!!" Like a volcano, they break things, and two hours later, they’re happy. There’s a volcanic eruption in Iceland once a year, on average.

Do you think that environment influences behaviour?

Very much so. What happens in Iceland is that you get the blizzard in your face, you have to fight the weather all the time, and you stay very alert, you never fall asleep. Your head is always working. People who go there think the Icelanders are really stressed out. They’re not, but their energy is on 10. We’ve got this awkward thing, which is 24-hour darkness in the winter, and 24-hour daylight in the summer. There is snow from October or November until mid-March. It means that in the winter you’re just inside and you write all the books you were going to write and get everything done on your own, and then in the summer you go absolutely mad. Like bears after hibernating.

There’s a great lyric on ‘Big Time Sensuality’: "It takes courage to enjoy it." Do you have that courage?

I’ve got a lot of courage, but I’ve also got a lot of fear. You should allow yourself to be scared. It’s one of the prime emotions. You might almost enjoy it, funny as it sounds, and find that you can get over it and deal with it. If you ignore these things, you miss so much. But when you want to enjoy something, especially when it’s something you’ve just been introduced to, you’ve got to have a lot of courage to do it. I don’t think I’m more courageous than most people. I’m an even mixture of all those prime emotions.

Sex does take courage sometimes.

I think so, because if it lacks that sensation of jumping off a cliff it would just miss so much. Then again, it has to be pleasurable and enjoyable and lush and all of that. But ‘Big Time Sensuality’ was actually about when I first met Nellee Hooper. I think it’s quite rare, when you’re obsessed with your job, as I am, when you meet someone who’s your other half job-wise and enables you to do what you completely want… so it’s not a sexual romance.

Are you currently in a stable partnership?

No. I split with my boyfriend at the beginning of last November, and at that point I’d been with a stable boyfriend since the age of 16, though in different relationships. When we broke up, I thought I might as well enjoy this, which I do and I don’t. It’s scary at times. The best bits is that you’re kind of skinless, you’re more vulnerable and emotional and on the edge. There’s also that silly thing that I had when I was 15 and 16 — looking around and wondering who it will be! So I’m sitting there on the subway thinking, will you have a long nose or a short nose? Will you enjoy this or that film? It’s like a little party game.

There’s something really stupid and romantic, thinking that it’s just going to be one person. Even though both of us might have five partners before we die, we always think of that one. Then there are all these things saying how brilliant it is to be self-sufficient and not needing anything or anybody and getting all these tools so that you can do everything yourself. It’s like you’re a little warrior armed with your Walkman and your video and all this technology. Everything’s geared toward self-sufficiency. Fuck that. For me, the target is to learn how to communicate with other people, which is the hardest thing, after all. What you should be doing is learning how to live with other human beings.

Do you have visual ideas in your mind when you’re writing your songs?

Definitely. It’s natural for me to express thing first musically, then visually, and third, with words. So the words are like a translation of noises and pictures.

‘Army of Me’ is a heavy song. Did you have a picture in your mind when you wrote it?

I’m a polar bear and I’m with 500 polar bears, just tramping over a city. The lyric is about people who feel sorry for themselves all the time and don’t get their shit together. You come to a point with people like that where you’ve done everything you can do for them, and the only thing that’s going to sort them out is themselves. It’s time to get things done. I identify with polar bears. They’re very cuddly and cute and quite calm, but if they meet you they can be very strong. They come to Iceland very rarely, once every 10 years, floating on icebergs.

Can you tell me about ‘Hyper-Ballad’?

That’s a lyric about being in a relationship, and after a while, say three or four years, you repress a lot of energy because you’re being sweet all the time. So I wanted to set it up like a fable, something that happens over and over again. It’s about this couple who live on a cliff in the middle of the ocean, and they live in this house, just the two of them, and she wakes up really early, about five in the morning, before anyone else wakes up, and sneaks to the edge and throws a lot of things off: old rubbish, car parts, bottles and cutlery. And she imagines what it would look like if she herself were to jump off. Then she sneaks back into the house, back into bed, then her lover wakes up and it’s "Hello! Good morning, honey!" And she’s got rid of all the aggressive bollocks. The chorus goes, "I go through all this, before you wake up, so I can feel happier to be safe up here with you."

Do you sing from your stomach or your chest?

My stomach. Most engineers find it quite difficult to deal with me, because most of the singing I did as a kid was when I was walking outside, completely on my own. This is absolutely impossible in London. There is no privacy here. I started singing with the whole of my body, which is both good and bad. The engineers usually end up using the same kind of microphones as they put on a stand-up bass, because it’s got a big body.

You’ve said that you recorded a lot of your vocals on the beach.

It was a very sentimental thing. I wanted to sing outside, because I knew everything would fall into place. Nellee made it happen. Compass Point Studio [in Nassau, the Bahamas] was right by the beach. I’d have a very long lead on the microphone and a long lead on the headphones and I’d just sit there at midnight. All the stars would be out, and I’d be sitting there under a little bush. I’d go running into the water and nobody could see where I went. In the quiet bits, I’d sit and cuddle, and for the outrageous bits, I’d run around. It was the first time I’d done a song like that in about 20 years. I was crying my eyes out with joy, because it was something I so deeply wanted all those years. Almost like you had sex lots of times, and it’s gorgeous, and then you couldn’t have it for 20 years, and then suddenly you have it. It was completely outrageous”.

I am going to move to another classic interview. This one is from Dazed. It is interesting reading the introduction of the interview. Getting some background. Björk touring the U.S. Whilst it was a huge occasion, there were also some issues. She crashed for several days: “There was panic in camp Björk. After a back to back schedule of interviews, gigs and promotional chores she crashed for three days. A specialist was brought on tour. She had to cut her live set a little short, leaving out the encores at some of the less important shows”:

“This year, Post shone new light onto planet Björk, after the clouds begun to settle on the peaks of the mighty but now overfamiliar Debut. Post spans a similar emotional radius, but the musical production breaks with any sense of the fluidity of its predecessor. While Debut appears carved by water and ice, Post seems shaped by fire and volcanic action; the lows are much more precarious, the highs more jagged and steeper to climb. Individually co-produced with Nellee Hooper, Graham Massey, Howie B and Tricky, the songs reflect the personalities of Björk's male counterparts. These are her collaborators in the sexually charged, creative act of making beautiful music. Björk takes liberties with melodies and form is avoided in favour of impression. You can imagine Björk still gasping at her own reflection in water, still seduced by the sound of the echo of her own voice.

Björk is now back on form, after a strict diet, rationed talking and plenty of rest. Last night she broke with convention and went on a binge, end-ing up back at her house with some friends, drinking and talking until five in the morning. Tonight she's in an hotel room in Liverpool, with a four poster bed and a four poster bathtub, “dead princess-like”. She describes the telephone she's talking to me on as being gold with roses painted on it, “Jeff Koons would love it”. It sounds like they knew Björk was coming.

You've become very good at analysing your own psychology, working out what makes you tick. Have you ever been to see a psychiatrist?

Björk: No. I want to be quite self-sufficient like that. I think people should only do that in the case of emergency, but at the end of the day you've got to learn to live with yourself and if you need constant assistance just to do that... also I think you are supposed to be able to solve those things through friends and your relationship, not in an analysed, calculated manner, but in a free-flowing, natural way, so you don't end up stuck with the same problems for ten years.

When was the last time you cried?

Björk Gudmundsdottir: Listen, I cry all the time. I cried this morning. I'm over-emotional.

What was that all about?

Björk: Well after my binge last night, we ended back at my house and I ended up in a one to one talk with one of my oldest friends and we were just crying, not because of sadness, but because (laughs), it sounds so wack now, we were being fragile, we weren't on drugs just fragile, and when you feel too much in a happy way.

Close your eyes for a minute and tell me what you hear inside your head.

Björk: It's some sort of movement similar to cream I think. You know when they squeeze the cream out of the gas thing. Like really pretty when It's got a spike at the top, and it's got a circle. Sort of slow circle movement in the same way whipped cream would move. Very still and very satisfied.

So you're happy at the moment.

Björk: You know this touring thing is definitely one of the most difficult things I've done, like an Indiana Jones thing, and me dealing with my body, like ‘time's out, Björk’.

What were the overriding emotions you felt during this tour?

Björk: Goldie was with us, and all of Goldie's crew and our crew got on and it was the best vibe on tour.

So how come you didn't ask Goldie to coproduce any of the songs on Post?

Björk: I don't know really. It wasn't like I was trying to get the whole world on the album.

Yes it was...

Björk: (laughs) Yeah, I know, it looks a bit like that. I'm very much a person who has intimate musical relationships with people and they are almost like love affairs, you see. But I'm very loyal. So me and Nellee got through half the album and then we just stopped turning each other on. We remained friends, but we would just kind of know each other's taste too much for it to be a surprise. And at that point I met Tricky, so we did those tunes, half of which have come out on my album, the other half is coming out on Durban Poison.

And Graham Massey and Howie B, how did your personal relationship with them affect the music?

Björk: The tunes I wrote with Graham, I actually wrote before Debut, and I saved them for this. I met him in 1990; that was when we were really sparking big time off each other, and for a few years we sent each other tapes, and then when I started doing Debut with Nellee it just became very obvious that it would end up as a very musical affair between me and Nellee. So I talked to Graham and decided to keep the other songs because they were just too different. So I saved ‘Army of Me’ and ‘The Modern Things’ for this album, and then Howie has been one of my closest friends in England for over three years and that just kind of happened one afternoon. That song we wrote in an hour.

It's a very spontaneous-sounding song.

Björk: I'm just going bonkers now, I had a three hour conversation with Nellee yesterday. I fucking wake up in the morning with a far too big heart, I don't know what to do with it really. I love so many people so deeply I could happily die now. It's scary. It's so scary it's outrageous. If it wasn't for my kid I would... emotionally-wise, I think I've achieved as much I think I can achieve

I don't think you have.

Björk: But do you know what mean?

No. But you've probably achieved more than what you think is possible...

Björk: That's true...

But I don't believe that you've given as much as you're ever going to give.

Björk: (sighs) And the band as well; when I went through my monk tip, they developed this amazing way to tell me jokes without making a noise, they worked their way around it.

It's funny because, when you're more serious, your accent is more British, and when you're speaking more emotionally it's more Icelandic.

Björk: It's definitely that. For me Icelandic is my instinct and English is me being clever. Icelandic is unconscious and English is conscious. And when I speak English, especially when I do interviews and stuff, I can very easily see myself from the outside and describe myself. But then again I would have to be pretty stupid not to have developed that thing, because I've done interviews now for 900 years. But it's impossible for me to do interviews in Icelandic. I just listen to myself and I sound so fake and so terribly pretentious and so Little Miss Know-it-all, I just want to strangle myself. The Icelandic media is going bonkers because I do one interview there every five years.

Do you feel like you have multiple personalities you can switch into at any time to suit the mood or occasion? Like when you do interviews, or when you're with friends or when you're performing. Or do you feel a lot more sorted than that?

Björk: I think I'm learning to combine them. And that's kind of what Debut and Post are all about. Like, I would love to do one experimental electronic song with Graham and the next day I would love to be a diva walking down the staircase being a drama queen. The day after, I would love to do a punk song, and that's very much how I've done my music so far, but I can feel very much that I'm starting to become more everything at once. Like I have one friend who I'm very humorous with and another friend whom I'm very sexy with; and another friend that protects me and another friend that I protect; but now I can see it, I'm not planning it or anything, I can just see myself being able to be everything with each person and just being more spontaneous about it, and just let it flow. But I think everyone is a bit like that and that is kind of the target; combine all those things without leaving any of them out. Because it's very tempting, as we grow up, to leave one of them out.

Are you in love at the moment?

Björk: (pause) I am, actually. I haven't eaten or slept for two weeks.

And there's me thinking that's because you've been working really hard, not shagging.

Björk: But it doesn't really bother me. I just look at a plate of food and I just think it's rubbish. It looks like wood to me or coins. It's just impossible to put it inside my system - it's got nothing to do with me.

But you seem to fall in love very easily.

Björk: I think my reputation has gone a bit funny, because I've got a lot of friends, but I get very precious when it comes to love things, you know?

“It's impossible for me to do interviews in Icelandic. I just listen to myself and I sound so fake and so terribly pretentious and so Little Miss know-it-all, I just want to strangle myself” – Björk

What do you think your reputation is?

Björk: I dunno, I guess everyone thinks I fall in love every five minutes, and I have nine boyfriends.

Yeah, they probably do.

Björk: It's not true.

So you've just got one on the go?

Björk: This is definitely the strongest, though for many, many years. I'm on natural E; I don't even want to drink, because that will make the feeling go away. I just have to drink one glass and push me a little bit up, and I'm ecstatic.

What's he like? Does he work in the same industry as you?

Björk: Don't ask me please. Let's put it this way, I don't meet a lot of people other than the people I work with. You know, it's not like I hang out with shoe salesmen. Or gymnasts.

Or psychotherapists.

Björk: Not in my line of work.

With you and Tricky. Why was it so short-lived?

Björk: With me and Tricky I don't think we ever knew if we were going out together or not. I mean, we were going out together and then we weren't. Because, basically, the way our relationship functioned was that we were a support mechanism for each other, and we still have this kind of, like, permission to call each other in the middle of the night, when I'm in fucking Munich and he's in fucking Tokyo. It's a very strange job we've got, and we don't have to explain it: we know. And we know the pressure. So that's more what our relationship is like and still is. And I think it didn't last a long time before we realised that that is why we'd met and sucked like a magnet to each other.

Tell me about one song. Have you got one in your head at the moment? Apart from cream?

Björk: It's very happy, very simple and very poppy. I usually have two at the same time. And they are usually opposite to each other. It's like that mood and that mood, black and white. I've got about five songs that I could go and record tomorrow. Basically, what happens to me is I write the melody first and then, if I work with someone, then the other person adds the other half.

So who's next on your hit list?

Björk: I think I have to start being a bit self-sufficient”.

I am going to finish with a review for Post. Released on 12th June, 1995, it is one of the most important albums ever. Björk is this hugely influential artist who sounds like nobody else. She is so distinct. In 2020, Pitchfork took an in-depth look at a pioneering album. One that was groundbreaking. The world had not seen anything like Björk. Following her 1993 debut album, Debut, Post was this step forward. Another bold step from this legendary artist:

“Of course, Björk’s music is a testament to what is possible when logic and practical sense are not guiding principles. But she hardly withdrew. Björk said she had a total of three days off in 1993 and 1994 combined—she had become a legitimate star. In the face of the chaos of fame, “Army of Me” summons resilience, as if Björk knew exactly what she would be up against in the years to come. (In 1996, a fan tried to mail a bomb to her house.) She said “Army of Me” was written as an ultimatum to her own brother, to regain control of his life, lest he “meet an army of me.” Björk scratches at the depths of her voice, and the industrial backbone of the song, the crashes and shrapnel, fortify the task. “Army of Me” is proof that being the most obvious misfit in the room often requires being the toughest, too.

The double-time techno of “Hyperballad” begins with a glint. But it hones its strength. It’s a work of surrealism, narrating the tale of a woman who wakes up early at the top of a mountain, and throws “car parts, bottles, and cutlery” off its edge. She wonders what it would be like to throw herself off, too, her body slamming against the rocks, her eyes open all along—as a kind of catharsis, an emotional purging, in order to deal with people later: “I go through all this/Before you wake up/So I can feel happier/To be safe up here with you.” Her melody rises and tumbles, a slow spiral; the suspended rapture of the beat catches her in air.

If Debut’s “Human Behavior” was an ultimate outcast anthem—“If you ever get close to a human and human behavior, be ready, be ready to get confused”—then “Hyperballad” feels like a triumphant appeal to exist cooperatively alongside other people. Björk did this not only in her hyper-collaborative albums but in her entire project of making pop music, trying to reach all kinds of people at once. “Everything’s geared toward self-sufficiency. Fuck that,” Björk told punk historian Jon Savage in Interview. “For me, the target is to learn how to communicate with other people, which is the hardest thing, after all. What you should be doing is learning how to live with other human beings.” Car parts, bottles, cutlery, technology, and political superpowers are no match against this outreaching feeling, this ethos of interconnectedness that lives inside “Hyperballad,” inside of Björk in general, and it is an instinct inherent, ever crucially, in the survival of humanity.

“All the modern things/Like cars and such/Have always existed,” Björk sings on “The Modern Things.” “They’ve just been waiting in a mountain/For the right moment.” Not unlike the 23-year-old who dissected a television with love and awe, there’s a fantastic tinge of hope to this idea and to the whole of Post, an invitation into her profound exploration of places not yet traveled, to acknowledge the magic in the fact that there are sounds you might love that you can’t currently fathom. Twenty-five years later, you don’t need to scroll far through Björk’s Instagram feed to find the most audacious young popular artists alive, the likes of Arca and Rosalía, heeding that call, crowning her “queen.”

With Post, Björk set the bionic foundation for one of the most consequential careers in pop history. Here is where Björk became a perennial gateway drug, not to one sound but to the unknown, which is to say the future. She would soon leave London for the south of Spain and then New York, recording her two towering masterpieces—1997’s Homogenic, which Missy Elliott once gleefully likened to “Mozart at a rap show,” and the introverted microbeats of 2001’s Vespertine—crystallizing the totality of her vision. What other artist could successively collaborate with Wu-Tang Clan, interview Estonian minimalist legend Arvo Pärt, and appear on “MTV Unplugged” accompanied by a man playing a table of drinking glasses? In another era, maybe Bowie, which is just right—it was Bowie, after all, who inspired Björk’s immortal swan dress. By the end of the ’90s, the world would know the only answer: Björk”.

The incredible Post turns thirty on 12th June. After all of these years, the album still keeps revealing things. It is such a stunning album! Everyone will have their favourite songs from the album. Perhaps the opener, Army of Me, is the very best. Such an epic and evocative way to kick off the album! Björk delivered a masterpiece in 1995. There are few albums as beguiling and impactful than…

THE majestic Post.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Beyoncé

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

PHOTO CREDIT: Kennedi Carter for British Vogue

Beyoncé

__________

THIS is a series…

where I focus on a very special American artist and collate a twenty-song mixtape/playlist of songs from throughout their career. It is not necessarily the case of it being songs they wrote. I started off with one of the greatest songwriters ever, Paul Simon, and his amazing work. Now, Beyoncé is in the spotlight. Even though she is not as prolific and renowned as a songwriter as Paul Simon, her body of work – from the earliest days of Destiny’s Child to her most recent solo album – is testament to her genius and constant reinvention. COWBOY CARTER was released last year as is one of the best albums of her career. It was hard whittling down all of her albums to a selection of twenty songs! One of the most influential artists ever, Beyoncé has won numerous awards, including thirty-five GRAMMY Awards, making her the most decorated artist in GRAMMY history. I think that we will continue to see her changed music and culture for decades more. To celebrate her enormous contribution to music and a catalogue like no other, this Great American Songbook selection is dedicated to…

THE peerless Beyoncé.

FEATURE: Pride Month 2025: Spotlighting Munroe Bergdorf

FEATURE:

 

 

Pride Month 2025

Spotlighting Munroe Bergdorf

__________

THERE is a bit…

of housekeeping to do before getting to some interviews with the fabulous Munroe Bergdorf. As it is Pride Month, I am spending time highlighting incredible and empowering people from the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. I mainly focus on music but, in a slight break away from that, I am spending time with this incredible British model and activist. Bergdorf has appeared on several catwalks for brands including Gypsy Sport at both London and NYC Fashion Weeks. I am cribbing information from her Wikipedia page. I already knew that Munroe Bergdorf was the first transgender model in the U.K. for L'Oréal. She was dropped within weeks following  a racial row. It was a huge moment that made the news. I remember it well. In February 2018, Bergdorf was appointed as an LGBT adviser to the Labour Party. She resigned the following month. She also appeared in the Channel 4 documentary What Makes a Woman, which aired in May 2018. There is a lot more to say about her. However, I want to finish this section by mentioning that Bergdorf joined UN Women UK as an advocate in 2019, supporting its #DrawALine campaign, seeking to end female genital mutilation (FGM). Such an impressive and varied career. A trans icon who has given strength and voice to so many people, you can follow her on Instagram. It is also timely spotlighting her, as the new film, Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf, is in cinemas 10th and 11th June. Here is some more information about a film that is so urgent and relevant. Especially at a time when discrimination against the trans community is at an all-time high:

“Trans model and activist Munroe Bergdorf is bringing us a close look at her life in a new documentary. It will explore her childhood, how her identity was silenced as she grew up and her mission to overcome the obstacles that society places in her way in order to be a voice for the LGBTQIA+ community. This comes after she presented a documentary in 2018 called What Makes A Woman.

Munroe announced the release of the documentary in a post on Instagram previously, opening up about how it made her step out of her comfort zone and gave her an opportunity to issue a rallying cry against transphobia.

She wrote: "Keeping this a secret has been so hard, but I’m beyond excited to finally be able to share it with you all…

"The past 3 years have been a rollercoaster filled with so many formative moments, in both my public and personal life. But this is more than just a film about me… This documentary is very much a love letter to our global trans community. It is a call for change within a world where transphobia has become the status quo.

“I’m immensely proud of what we’ve created, it’s been a wild, wild ride and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world.”

Munroe has spoken to GLAMOUR before about the importance of visibility and representation for the trans community, in the workplace, politics and everywhere else. “The best thing that we can do is stay together, and we can't expect to have trans rights protection if we are not standing up for abortion rights,” she added. “We can't expect women's rights to be protected if we are not supporting trans women.”

What is Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf about?

According to a synopsis, the documentary "tells the intimate and unflinching story of Munroe Bergdorf – author, model, leading trans activist, global pioneer of LGBTQIA+ equity, and creative force. As an international trailblazer in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, Munroe faces fierce discrimination while living and embracing her truth. This powerful documentary not only tells Munroe’s personal story but also serves as a call to action, sparking a universal conversation of hope and inspiration.

"The documentary offers a raw, personal portrayal of Munroe Bergdorf, showcasing her journey from a formidable public figure to a woman reclaiming control of her life.  While it explores the challenges she has faced — including navigating a homophobia and racism and difficult relationships — it also highlights moments of resilience, self-discovery, and empowerment. Facing public scrutiny and personal obstacles, Munroe transitions from waiting for societal change to embracing her own transformation.

“The film weaves her memories with present-day moments, using stylised sequences and a sensory soundscape to reflect the complexity of her experiences. Through interviews and personal reflections, we learn about Munroe’s resilience, the importance of her chosen family, and witness her healing process as she moves forward to create a joyful future on her own terms”.

I am going to move to an interesting feature written by Munroe Bergdorf. If you are able to order a copy of DIVA, then there is a fascinating interview with her. I would urge people to listen to the latest episode of Happy Place, where Bergdorf spoke with Fearne Cotton. Writing for British Vogue in April of this year, Bergdorf reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision that the legal definition of a woman in the 2010 Equality Act excludes transgender women. It is a compelling response. I am quoting from the first half or so of the piece. I would urge people to read the whole thing, as it is a really compelling and powerful read:

“Having begun my own medical transition 15 years ago, I know first-hand the importance of hormone replacement therapy. I have seen and felt the potential that it has to save, change and sustain a life. Quite honestly, like the vast majority of trans people who medically transition, I would not be alive without it.

While, yes, medically transitioning is a choice, it is often a choice between life or a life of escalating despair; life or a life of self-destruction; life or no longer living at all… Gender affirming care isn’t the controversial, understudied or farfetched luxury it’s painted as by those invested in a relentlessly anti-trans agenda. For those who are waiting to medically transition, it is a lifeline – one that’s in desperate need of protection.

Across the UK, transgender people are being contacted by NHS doctors, notifying them that their access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is to be immediately withdrawn. HRT is a key element of gender affirming care that helps to alleviate feelings of gender dysphoria, to align a person’s gender identity with their physical appearance. Whilst the exact numbers of those who have had their care withdrawn or refused is still unknown due to an absence of official data, increasing numbers of trans people are taking to social media to express their concern, while NHS gender service workers are also reporting that the level of withdrawn care has increased over the last 12 months.

Danielle St James, chief executive and trustee of Not A Phase, a trans-led nationwide charity with a commitment to uplifting the lives of trans+ adults, tells me: “The sudden removal of access to hormones is having a devastating impact on trans+ adults, particularly those who were already facing barriers to healthcare. At Not A Phase, we’re hearing from people who are scared, desperate and struggling to understand how they will continue their transitions. For many, HRT is not just medication. It allows them to live in alignment with who they are, improving their mental health and overall wellbeing. Losing access overnight is not just distressing – it’s dangerous.”

In 2023 it was reported that some transgender people in England had waited up to seven years even for an initial NHS assessment. (After spending 1,023 days waiting for a first appointment, 20-year-old Alice Litman took her own life in May 2022. Following her death, Alice’s family said: “Alice described the years-long wait and the inadequacy of her care as leaving her feeling hopeless and helpless without an end in sight… We all deserve to live in dignity with access to the healthcare we need. We are asking NHS England to prevent further deaths by urgently addressing the crisis in trans healthcare.”)

Meanwhile, apprehension towards assisting medical transitions has undoubtedly been compounded following the highly critiqued Cass Review of April 2024, which resulted in a ban on the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender teens (even though they are still considered safe to use for cisgender teens). Add to this an overwhelmingly hostile anti-trans media bias, which frames gender affirming care as “unsafe” or “experimental”, with a disproportionate fixation on the subject of medical regret and detransition. In reality, gender affirming care is a diligently studied field that has existed since the early 20th century, in which regret rates for medical transition remain inarguably low.

In a 2022 study carried out by The Lancet, it was found that 98 per cent of transgender youth who had access to transgender healthcare continued their treatment into adulthood. These findings were reinforced by a 2023 study carried out by the Transgender Health Program, in which it was found that 99.7 per cent of transgender individuals were satisfied with their surgery, with a regret rate of 0.3 per cent – six patients out of a sample of 1,989. The study concluded that “a care environment that welcomes and normalises authentic expression of gender identity, affirms surgical goals without judgment, and destigmatises the role of mental health in the surgical process are foundational to mitigating the occurrence of any form of regret”.

While we should absolutely have compassion for the small number of those who do detransition, just as we should with anyone who regrets any medical decision, it’s important to acknowledge that a medical regret rate of less than one per cent should not be weaponised in this way. We wouldn’t restrict the ability for people to procreate because eight per cent of British parents regret having children, just as we would not ban knee surgery because six to 30 per cent of people express dissatisfaction with their knee replacements.

Yet we are witnessing our government and National Health Service encouraging and enforcing sweeping medical restrictions on gender affirming care. The politicisation of healthcare should never be accepted by anyone. If – due to an absence of policy – NHS doctors are allowed to refuse specific treatment to a specific minority group based on their personal beliefs or a lack of education, it creates a breeding ground for institutional discrimination and a dangerous, unacceptable precedent. What next? Access to abortion and birth control? Or HIV prevention? A targeted withdrawal of medication should alarm us all.

And so, the UK’s transgender community is now having to contend with yet another government making it harder to exist as a trans person, instead of addressing or fixing the mounting issues trans people face in their day to day lives. Systemic transphobia is being presented as the solution, while transgender people are reduced to the status of a “problematic ideology”. And it doesn’t stop at British healthcare policy – or indeed in Britain. We are living in an era of multinational governments clamping down on the existence of transness within public life itself, with our supposedly closest political ally, America, introducing some of the most shockingly restrictive anti-trans policies in history. A memo issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which could result in all international transgender people being banned from visiting the country, is just the latest in a recent run of epic discrimination”.

Published tomorrow (5th June), Munroe Bergdorf’s book, Talk to Me: How to talk about the things that matter is one that everyone should own. I heard her talking about the book (and the upcoming film) with Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 6 Music on Monday. It was a really good interview. I have known about Munroe Bergdorf and her work for years now but I am learning new things about her. I am interested to see what Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf delivers. Her new book looks incredible. Go and order a copy now:

“Have you ever felt really passionately about something but struggled to put it into words?
Or found yourself in an argument with someone who won't listen?
Or felt regret about the things you didn't say in the moment?

Conversations can be tricky, whether it's with friends, family, people online or a room full of strangers. And someone who knows this all too well is writer, activist and model, Munroe Bergdorf.

Covering topics from beauty standards, cancel culture, gender identity and more, Talk To Me gives you the tools to navigate tough discussions, change people's minds, accept when you're wrong and know when to step away.

We need to start talking now”.

I am going to leave things there. I wanted to put this feature out ahead of the release of Munroe Bergdorf’s book tomorrow. During Pride Month, of course I am spotlighting great L.G.BT.Q.I.A.+ artists. Also, I will look at hugely important figures outside of music who are influencing and inspiring the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. As a fan of Munroe Bergdorf, I am looking forward to reading reviews for Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf and Talk to Me: How to talk about the things that matter. As a member of The Trouble Club, I was wondering whether Bergdorf is in their sights and a possibility. She would be a brilliant guest! Not to sway them too much, though it would be incredible hearing Bergdorf speak to Trouble members about her life, career and new work. I feel so much sympathy for the trans community. A time when they are under attack and marginalised more than they ever have been, we have taken a huge step back regarding trans rights. I know that Munroe Bergdorf gives so much power and strength to other trans people. It has been a real honour shining a light on…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Radio 6 Music (@bbc6music)

AN L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ role model.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Skye Newman

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Skye Newman

__________

AN artist who is rightly…

being talked about as a massive star of the future, I am taking the opportunity spotlight Skye Newman. This is someone who I have known about for a little while now. This year has really seen her blow up. So many people looking in her direction. I am going to come to some interesting information about this exceptional artist. Before then, here is some biography that gives you some insight into one of the U.K.’s most promising artists. Someone who is beyond compare. Such a staggering young talent with decades ahead of her:

“Skye Newman is a raw and unapologetically authentic voice emerging from the UK music scene. Having moved countless times throughout her life, she considers South East London her true home – having shaped her artistry through its diverse cultures, working-class resilience, and the real-life struggles she witnessed firsthand.

Growing up in low-income households, and moving often, Skye references being surrounded by people who came from nothing, and channels these experiences into her music, offering a voice to those often overlooked in mainstream narratives.

Inspired by the storytelling of rap and the emotional depth of soul, Skye’s musical journey began with her aunt, a jazz and blues singer, who introduced her to the magic of songwriting and studio life. Later influences like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Bob Marley, and Eminem further shaped her sound – working closely with her musical friends, Skye found her sound, blending poetic lyricism, raw emotion, and a fearless approach to honesty in her music.

Backed by a fiercely loyal support system of family and lifelong friends, Skye’s artistry is deeply personal, yet universally relatable. Whether she’s pouring her heart into her lyrics, vibing with her girl gang, or finding freedom in creative outlets like ice skating, she brings an energy that is both electric and deeply introspective.

With a voice that carries the weight of real-life experiences and a passion for storytelling, Skye Newman isn’t just making music – she’s creating a movement”.

As she is quite a new artist, I can find no published interviews with her. Only a very small selection of useable photographs too. I hope that this changes very soon.. There is some filmed bits and pieces and some interesting TikTok and Instagram stuff but nothing really in the way of anything else. It is quite rare that I highlight an artist where there is nothing really from them. Rather than rely on personal insight and words from the artist herself, I am instead going to bring in other features and people. I found this article from Music Week, where Columbia Records President Dipesh Parmar has hailed the chart success of Skye Newman. She achieved top twenty lacings for her first two singles. Not many other artists can claim that:

“At a time when UK talent has faced increasing competition on the domestic charts from US superstars, there are now signs of a resurgence for British acts – with Sony Music leading the way so far this year.

Sony Music UK has released half of the new domestic tracks in the Top 200 streaming chart so far this year, including tracks from Myles Smith, Central Cee, Skye Newman, Calvin Harris, Rudimental, Denon Reed, Shallipopi and Jade. 

The Sony streaming results for the year to date cover UK-signed artists benefiting from investment from the major. If you included US-signed chart stars such as British metal band Sleep Token, who have made a Top 10 impact, the Sony market share would be even bigger.

Despite pressure from global hits on the domestic charts, Sony Music has managed to increase their number of domestic entries in the Top 200 streaming chart. The numbers were up in 2024 compared to 2023. So far in 2025, year-to-date domestic entries are in growth for a second consecutive year. 

Crucially, the results represent a growth in market share based on an actual increase in the number of tracks entering the Top 200. In other words, Sony Music is improving its results for new UK music rather than just achieving a gain in share based on a favourable comparison with other majors.

According to Sony Music, 41% of UK representation in the Top 40 is signed to the major (including The Orchard), which puts Sony ahead of both Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK.

South London singer-songwriter Skye Newman has secured a significant breakthrough with a Top 20 double in the latest chart. As well as a new peak for debut hit Hairdresser at No.16 (18,717 units – up 38.6% week-on-week), Newman secured her first Top 10 single with a new entry for Family Matters at No.8 (25,305 units). Family Matters was streamed 3.2 million times in the UK in the past week, according to the Official Charts Company.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Music Introducing (@bbcintroducing)

Skye Newman is the first UK female solo artist to reach the Top 20 with her debut single and follow-up since Ella Henderson in 2014. It’s a rare chart achievement for a new artist to chart in the Top 20 with their first two singles – Jessie J did it in 2011, as did Ruby Murray way back in 1955.

Newman is one of several domestic success stories in the UK chart for Sony Music – the major has four British tracks in the Top 20, three of them signed to Columbia.

Calvin Harris has secured his 31st Top 10 single with Clementine Douglas collaboration Blessings climbing to a new peak of No.7 (28,055, up 14.5% week-on-week ). The track is charting in more than 15 markets worldwide on Spotify. 

Dipesh Parmar, president, Columbia Records, said: “Skye is a truly authentic artist and an incredible songwriter. I can’t remember a time where we’ve seen a British artist have two debut singles chart in the Top 20 at the same time, and this is only the beginning for her. 

“Artist development is the heartbeat of what we do and to see Skye have her first taste of chart success alongside a British superstar like Calvin Harris, who has achieved 31 Top 10 singles, demonstrates the breadth of talent we are working with at Columbia, and proves that great music and exceptional talent can cut through.”

Columbia has also seen the highest entry to date for Wolf Alice with Bloom Baby Bloom – the band’s first single on the Sony label – cracking the Top 75.

Meanwhile, BRITs Rising star winner Myles Smith is at No.13 with his latest Top 10 single, Nice To Meet You (525,191 units to date), while his global hit Stargazing remains in the Top 50 (1,399,028 units to date). He is now chasing a third Top 20 hit with new single Gold.

Having secured the biggest global breakthrough for a UK artist last year, Myles Smith continues to perform well in global markets. Stargazing remains on Spotify’s Top 100 Global chart (No.73) with 12 million streams in the past week (and approaching 800m to date on Spotify alone). 

On the albums chart, Sony Music has achieved four No.1s from UK artists so far this year – Robbie Williams, Central Cee, Sleep Token and Pink Floyd, following the rock legends' move to the major.

Central Cee became the first UK rapper in over a year to have a No.1 album domestically. With the release of Can’t Rush Greatness, he had the biggest streaming day of all time for a UK rapper globally on Spotify.

RCA-signed Jade won her first BRIT award as solo artist and saw a subsequent chart boost for debut single Angel Of My Dreams, which she performed at the ceremony”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Skye Newman alongside her pianist

In May, for NOTION, Skye Newman shared behind-the-scenes photos of her tour with Sienna Spiro. It would be nice to see some interviews with Newman. I am going to end with a review of Family Matters from Neon Music. There will be a lot of people excited about future possible music and a debut album.

“Skye Newman’s Family Matters doesn’t ease you in—it throws you into the middle of her story and dares you to look away.

After making waves with her debut single Hairdresser, a track that cracked the UK Top 30 with its dry wit and understated charm, Newman has followed up with something far more exposed.

Family Matters, released 16 May 2025 via Columbia, marks a shift from biting social commentary to raw autobiography.

Born out of what she’s described as “pure dysfunction,” the song doesn’t try to universalise trauma—it personalises it. It offers no resolution, only recognition.

The opening verse wastes no time on warmup.

“You’ve never worn these shoes / Don’t mean my new balance in blue”

It’s part clever wordplay, part accusation. A warning: this won’t be sugarcoated.

“Raised on pure dysfunction / But sleep I’ll never lose”

This isn’t about overcoming; it’s about learning to function with the mess still in the room.

“Got old wounds and fresh ones / But you won’t see me bleed”

What sounds at first like poetic stoicism lands more like a coping mechanism.

The line reads as someone who’s trained themselves to bleed internally—quietly.

The chorus carries a different kind of heat.

“Bitching ’bout problems / Like they’re stuck on your lips / You’re so dramatic”

It plays like a takedown—but not of a specific person. It’s the kind of resentment that builds when people trivialise your reality with gossip-level empathy.

“I could tell you ’bout me / But you won’t understand”

There’s a jadedness here. Not born from bitterness, but exhaustion. Explaining doesn’t help if the audience doesn’t have the language.

“No caller ID / It’s the police again / No pills to be out / But there’s no kids around”

Newman stacks these lines like flashes of a childhood she never asked for. Police, pills, absence. They don’t tell a full story, but they tell enough.

“Death knocked down my door / Walked in unannounced”

This is the lyric that’s stuck with most listeners. Not because it’s abstract—but because it’s terrifyingly plain. There’s no metaphor here. Just memory.

“A line meant two things / Since I was like five / Starved ’cause his words / But at least I’m alive”

Here, Skye Newman folds in dual meanings with eerie ease—“a line” could be punishment, drugs, expectation. Whatever it is, it’s shaped her since childhood.

“It is what it is / You call it traumatic / But it is what it is / It’s just family matters”

The refrain is devastating not because it’s dramatic, but because it’s numb. This is not catharsis. It’s emotional flatlining. A lived-in resignation many recognise and few articulate this clearly.

The second verse shifts from past to pattern.

“There’s times I can’t keep focused / ’Cause they’re all fucking raging”

The chaos didn’t end with childhood. It just got louder.

“A spliff stops my explosion / Bad habits I’m not facing”

She’s not romanticising the weed. It’s a pressure valve, not a plot twist.

“Then my brother’s drugs got harder / It became substance abuse”

The story expands. This isn’t just personal. It’s systemic. The kind of environment that passes down damage like a family recipe.

“So he’s a stupid bastard”

It’s blunt and bitter—resentment sharpened by helplessness.

By the time we reach the final stretch, the mask is fully off.

“I don’t eat, I feed / That’s who I am”

It’s not a line designed to impress. It’s a line that makes sense when you’ve grown up keeping everyone else afloat.

“You take the piss / Baby I burn / My fire’s hot / Yeah I’m fucked up”

This is where the polish drops. It’s the part of the song that feels less written and more confessed.

“But you haven’t met my family / So you’re in luck”

No fake smiles. Just the truth said with a half-smirk and a full scar.

The production here—by Boo and Luis Navidad—is intentionally threadbare. A fingerpicked guitar sets the tone.

A few background harmonies drift in and out, never overstaying. The effect isn’t lo-fi—it’s near-silent witness. Like being let into someone’s voice memo at 2am.

Newman’s delivery? Flatlined just enough to sound real. There’s no attempt to belt her way out of the pain.

Instead, she walks you through it in a steady, almost detached voice that hits harder for its restraint.

Listeners have said it feels like “listening to someone name the things you were never allowed to say.”

Newman’s writing doesn’t chase relatability. It invites discomfort. And that might just be what makes it essential”.

She has a couple of gigs coming up later in the year. There is a lot of understandable exactment around Skye Newman. She is a very special artist that is one of our very best. I am going to finish things here. Anyone who has not discovered her music yet, I would advise you follow her on social media. It may be early days for Newman, but you can see her ascending to the same heights as the best of the contemporary mainstream. When it comes to this simply incredible artist, it is clear that her…

FUTURE looks so bright.

____________

Follow Skye Newman

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/skyenewman__/

TikTok:

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

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UoEzpWZrFWvlGYOzTEn1M?si=eS2T5qmoQ12oI45xU95axw

FEATURE: Spotlight: SAILORR

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Tray Nguyen

SAILORR

__________

I am using this feature…

PHOTO CREDIT: Tray Nguyen

to discuss the unique and truly brilliant SAILORR. I am new to her music though there are some interesting interviews out there that shed more light on a wonderful artist who is going to go very far. Her debut album, FROM FLORIDA’S FINEST, is one I am digging into at the moment. I will end this feature with a review of that album (or whether she would call it a mixtape). To begin, I want to explore a few interviews with SAILORR from earlier in the year. I am starting out with an interview from FADER. They spoke with SAILORR about her upbringing and the crash-out anthem, Pookie’s Requiem. I want to source the opening of the interview:

“The thing about SAILORR is that she’s Florida through and through. The 26-year-old Vietnamese-American singer from Jacksonville curves her words slightly when she speaks, especially prominent when she peppers in words like “hella” and “vibe.” It shapes the way she croons “To whatever bitch you got in Bushwiiick” on “Pookie’s Requiem,” the November 2024 song that introduced the world to her lovelorn R&B. The single that followed, “Cut Up,” takes its title from slang used widely across Florida and the South (to cut up: to start acting up over something). SAILORR is built different, and her music’s approach to love — finding it, losing it, and crashing out — reflects her distinct structure.

“Growing up [in Jacksonville], I feel like I didn't really adhere to any social norms or whatever boundaries and binaries people tried to put on me,” SAILORR says on a recent March morning. We’re talking over a video call and she’s still in bed, dressed in a slouchy black tee and out of her usual uniform of pink, frills, and bows. “The South, it’s very traditional and almost conservative there. When you find your little pockets in communities that you do resonate with, it's a very beautiful thing.”

She’s speaking to me from her new home in Los Angeles, where she moved in January as her life began to change. In the five months since “Pookie’s Requiem” became ubiquitous on TikTok, SAILORR skyrocketed from being a virtual unknown to an artist covered by Halle Bailey, posted by Justin Bieber, and remixed by Summer Walker. In March, news broke that her label BuVision, run by Akon’s brother Abou Thiam, would be merging with Atlantic Music Group, sending her further into the big leagues. All the attention has brought countless new eyes, and she’s feeling it.

Growing up in a large, traditional Vietnamese family to blue collar immigrant parents, SAILORR found refuge watching music videos on MTV during family functions and stealing her sister’s iPod to put herself on: “André 3000 and Erykah Badu,” she lists. “I have a very deep love for neo soul.” An avid journaler and performer, she took up the musical theater track at a local performing arts high school. But after realizing she didn’t enjoy “telling other people's narratives,” she pivoted to teaching herself how to make her own beats: first on a SP-404 digital sampler, then D.A.Ws like Fruity Loops and Ableton. From there, she integrated herself in a community of music-making friends.

Before she was SAILORR, she released music under the name Sailor Goon, a moniker inspired by the Japanese anime Sailor Moon that nodded to the “soft but also hard” style of her personality. “I have gone through a lot of shit in my life and had to grow up to be a super, hyper-independent person,” she says, declining to go into detail. Her early sample-driven songs showcased her fluid runs and deep, resonant voice (most, if not all, of these songs have since been taken down). But it was in “Pookie’s Requiem,” her first major release under the abbreviated name SAILORR, where she found her pocket”.

The next interview I am sourcing is Teen Vogue. Published in May, SAILORR discussed FROM FLORIDA’S FINEST, cultural appropriation and being a reformed crashout. If you have not heard SAILORR and are fresh to her music then do make sure that you spend some time with her. Someone who is very much carving her own path through the music scene:

“TV: When you're creating music, do you think about how people are going to receive it, or do you just do it for yourself, and then whatever comes next is up to fate?

SAILORR: I don't feel much pressure or constraints to create anything, thankfully, because I know that pressure does build over time for many artists. My music is definitely for me. I feel like maybe three-quarters into writing, I'll think about it and be like, “Is this going to hit with people? Is it going to resonate with anybody?” But if it resonates with me, that's all that really matters. I don't get too heady.

TV: You previously said that music has always been an intimate thing for you, and you didn't expect people to see what you were creating. Has that changed since “Pookie's Requiem”? Has it changed your approach to making music?

SAILORR: No. It is very much an intuition thing. I'm always going to follow my gut and what feels right… Censoring how I feel or what I say just goes against my entire ethos — of course, with limitations to not harming other people and not harming yourself. I think that, in general, you should never put any boundaries on yourself because then that's stifling a lot of solid groundwork that you could be making on getting to know yourself.

This project in itself was a huge learning opportunity for me as a certified people pleaser all my life. I was always told to just be as small as possible and not be true to what I actually want and say. It was a challenge for me to get over that and be like, “This is my music. Nobody else is gonna write this sh*t for me.” I needed to bear how I really feel and think about what the f*ck I want to say and just say it.

TV: When you released “Pookie's Requiem,” you got a lot of attention but a lot of detractors and critics. Speaking to The Fader, you said that you always try to pay homage to the artists that came before you, but also show respect and not piss people off. How do you toe that line? I would love to get your thoughts on how artists as a whole can approach the whole cultural appropriation versus appreciation conversation thoughtfully.

SAILORR: At the end of the day, there's a multitude of ways you can cause harm to people that you may not even be aware of, and that's the root of cultural appropriation. I think that when you make music and art, it needs to be genuine to your authentic self. That's all you really know, and that's all you can really stick to.

The key is to try your best to just continue learning because there is always [so] much to f*cking know — so much history and so much future. I feel like I took a lot of time to just be a student of music in general and just the world and learn where my place [is] in it. Art makes the world go around, and you have to be aware of your place in it before you put it out there.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Figs

TV: When did you realize that art made your world go around?

SAILORR: Probably a couple of years after high school. 2020 was when I really wanted to delve into it. That's when I started learning how to sample and make beats in Ableton. I actually started in Fruity [Loops or FL Studio], but that was a feat within itself. Honestly, the pandemic really set that sh*t off. You're at the crib, you literally have nothing else to do with your time, so it definitely sparked that first catalyst.

TV: I feel like you mention your pen a lot. Did you do any writing before you started playing around with sampling?

SAILORR: I feel like I have a strong basis in writing scripts for the stage and film because I’m just bored. I was helping my friend Liz at the time with her short film, and we just had a lot of aspirations and fun making really low-budget things at home. That was my basis, I suppose, is just making scripts that probably nobody would ever read and I would never ever produce, but it’s for me. It's my practice.

TV: What's your main goal when you're making music?

SAILORR: I go into the studio trying to find the most niche way possible that I can relate to somebody — like “DONE SHAVING 4 U.” It's fun to find very specific situations that most people can relate to — well, really, women. I write songs for ladies. I don't give a f*ck about the boys.

No, that's not true, but this entire project is about ingenuity and femininity and just literally having to make something out of nothing my entire life, and I think that that's what women have to do in general. We fight the good fight. So I'm going to find the most mundane ways to just hit home for people that also really exhibit a certain feeling or a memory.

TV: It's funny that you said you make music for women, because I've read another quote from you where you said everything you do is inspired by women. Who are the most influential women in your life?

SAILORR: Within my inner circle, I would say probably my grandma and my older sister, but generally speaking… [beat] I've never actually been asked this. I'm like, “Damn.” I think Nikki Giovanni, as a person overall, has always inspired me. She's fire. There are so many women out in the world who just do great things, but that's off the top.

TV: Right now, while we're speaking, the album is days away. What's going through your mind at the moment?

SAILORR: I'm like, “Finally! Damn.” The day that we turned in the project, I was like, “This just doesn't feel right. I'm like, what do we do?” I mean, obviously, there's so much more work to be done. But in terms of the actual music itself, I just wasn't ready to let go of it. I could sit here for another three years and think about this. But I had to force myself into the mindset of “I'm ready to put this out.”

It's weird listening back to a lot of the music sometimes, because some of it I don't resonate with anymore. Of course, I love the music and I love all these songs, but I think that in general it was writing from a place that I'm not in anymore, so it's like opening a random page on your diary and being like, “Damn that's what I was doing that day?”

TV: How does it feel to see your thoughts from that time period? Because there are a lot of breakup-inspired songs, and speaking to Apple, you said you're in a happy relationship now…

SAILORR: Thank God. If anybody stresses me out like that again, I'm crashing out. But no, it's cool. I think it's also because healing is so nonlinear. I'll listen back to the songs and I'll be like, “Damn girl, I know what you're talking about.”

Similar to that diary entry, when you read it back, you love that other person still — not my ex. I'm talking about me. The younger version of myself who wrote that entry. I mean, I got love for my ex, too. It is very important to the human experience to reflect back on all of that time because it does force you to see the imperfections and makes you have grace for yourself and for that other person.

Hearing the songs, I wish I could go to my younger self and tell her it was going to be okay, because it's great now! I can still feel those things. They will never go away. But I definitely don't resonate with trying to go fight somebody's mom. I'm definitely not going to do that.

TV: How did you go about selecting the singles? What made them stand out to you to be like, "Yeah, this needs to be out before the album"?

SAILORR: I wish I could say I was more calculated about things, especially when it comes to my rollout, but honestly, I literally was just like, "This feels good. Put it out." Boom. I really like [Martin] Scorsese, you know what I mean? It wasn't super calculated to where I knew what the next five singles were, but it definitely felt like I was tracing a bit of a world, and I knew that I wanted to open up the project with at least the five pillars of what makes the music me.

I wanted people to hear the writing. I wanted people to just feel the production, because I feel in general Zach [Ezzy] and Adam [Krevlin] are so crazy. Two geniuses, bro. I love them so much. We just all crafted such a unique sound, so I really wanted to spend my time with the singles sharing that”.

The final interview I want to highlight is from NME from earlier in the year. There are other interviews I want to direct people towards. This UPROXX interview is well worth a read. You need to go and follow SAILORR now. She is an exceptional talent. I am excited that SAILORR is coming to the U.K. She plays London’s Jazz Club on 2nd July. That is going to be a very special gig. She has a lot of fans here, though I feel she will pick up plenty of new ones that night:

“What inspires you?

“It can be anything: a feeling, a colour, or a scene out of a movie. Honestly, I pull a lot from memes. I’ll find a funny ass one and take a one-liner from it and build around that. That’s pretty much how I’ve been making all of my music for the past year. The only way for you to cut through to people is by balancing honesty and vulnerability with humour and wit.

“[When I was in sixth grade,] I finally got my own means to listen to music and dove into stuff like Lana Del Rey, Modest Mouse, and, of course, Odd Future. Tyler, The Creator made me feel like, ‘Damn, you can be alternative and people will fuck with you.’”

“When I made ‘Pookie’s Requiem’, I was really talking shit in the studio. I was really on one”

You sing a lot about love…

“Being a recovered people-pleaser, I have had to unlearn a lot of shit about love growing up. Without all these relationships and experiences, though, I wouldn’t have a very clear view of what I want and what I stand for. When you have intimate relationships with people, even friendships, it’s a huge teller of what your boundaries are. So, yeah, what can I say – I love love!”

What moment made you realise music was for you?

“I don’t think I ever felt that. I never knew it was going to work. I just did it because it was the only thing that made sense to me.

“That feeling of your music falling on deaf ears is one of the fucking worst feelings ever because this is your art and it’s so personal, so I’ve conditioned myself to [say], ‘Look: you don’t do this for the listeners, you don’t do this for anybody else but you!’ Once I tapped into that, that’s when shit started working.’”

Is it important to bring your Vietnamese heritage into your artistry?

“With everything I do, I want to give proper respect to those who came before me: whether that’s R&B and Black culture in general – like, all music is Black art, let’s be for real – or, of course, my own heritage. Having grown up in an immigrant family, that already bleeds into who I am. So, it’s not a conscious thing for me to be like, ‘Oh, I want to do a fan dance [for From The Block] because it’s going to highlight me as a Vietnamese person. That’s a product of my environment.”

What do you hope your music does for years to come?

“I do music to open myself and those I love up to opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have. In the world of art – we all mesh them together to make the world a better place. With my music, I want to make people feel like, ‘Yeah, I can and I will do what I want’”.

I will finish with another piece from NME. This is a review of FROM FLORIDA’S FINEST. It is one of the best albums of the year. I do hope that SAILORR has more gigs planned for the U.K. I am not sure if I have heard her music played on the radio here. She does deserve for more stations to feature her stuff. It is wonderful and needs to be heard by as wide an audience as possible:

“That ability to cry one moment and crack up the next defines ‘From Florida’s Finest’. Between emotional verses and tender melodies, Sailorr peppers the tape with unhinged skits that feel lifted from her camera roll. There’s the snot-nosed outro on ‘Pookie’s Requiem’, her hyping up a friend’s freestyle on ‘MSG’, and trying to wrangle her delusional “male-centred” friend after she hits the curb on ‘Gimme Dat Lug Nut’. These aren’t throwaway moments – they’re windows into her world, blurring the line between heartbreak and voicemail, pop and parody.

She blurs the lines well. ‘Down Bad’ and ‘Grrl’s Grrl’ are moreish servings of fluttery vocals, trampoline-like 808s and comedic storytelling. But ‘Done Shaving 4 U’ and ‘Itadakimasu’ are the funniest tracks on the mixtape. The former calls out all the “bums” who’ve played with Sailorr’s heart, delivering an earnest track about cutting ties with a man who can’t make an effort, all wrapped in a signature Sailorr-ism: “Couldn’t get me no drink from the corner store / On the bed, no frame, straight on the floor / Boy, you a waste, so I ain’t shaving my legs for you no more.”

Meanwhile, ‘Itadakimasu’ sparkles with twinkling chimes and lush organ chords, evoking a nostalgic 2010s minimalism found in Tumblr-era hits. Lyrically, it’s one of her funniest, commanding a potential suitor to “come bless this (meow) for you” and joking, “I like my men soft-spoken, but real loud with their pockets.” That cheek, paired with her silky tones, places her squarely in the orbit of SZA, Doja Cat, and Summer Walker – and on ‘From Florida’s Finest’, she belongs right alongside them.

However, that comparison doesn’t always work in her favour. ‘Cut Up’ – although a sultry and soulful toxic tale of unrequited love – does feel like a watered-down version of a SZA song. ‘Bitches Brew’ is twinkly and slick while dripping with baddie energy, but its overly glitzy production and sugar-coated chorus veer dangerously close to ‘Planet Her’-era Doja Cat. Although the ethos of letting chaos boil and getting your lick back works well in theory, the song’s syrupy, subdued style weakens her usual bite and stops it from becoming the empowering anthem it could be.

When Sailorr doesn’t compromise her artistry, she strikes gold. Yes, she sometimes slips unknowingly into repetitive pop formulas, but her headstrong flair and inimitable pen game elevate her beyond just another viral sensation. She’s not quite gunning for a spot next to Doja, SZA or Summer Walker, but she’s circling the same orbit, carving out a lane with just as much attitude. ‘From Florida’s Finest’ is more than an introduction – it’s a love-soaked, meme-sprinkled dispatch from the generation of oversharers”.

Do make sure that you seek out SAILORR. This is an artist that I really know is going to enjoy this very long career. Even though I am new to her music, it made an instant impression on me! I am determined to follow her career and see where she goes from here. This is an artist that you…

CAN’T miss out on.

___________

Follow SAILORR

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Figs

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sailorr/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@fromfloridasfinest?lang=en

Twitter:

https://x.com/fromflfinest

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ucHomyCWjxmvbyqAAbSci?si=B8KODsVIQtCNJsN9YHoUbg

YouTube:

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

FEATURE: Snowed In: For Those Who Do Not Rate Kate Bush’s Modern Work As Highly As Her 1980s Albums

FEATURE:

 

Snowed In

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005, around the release of Aerial/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

For Those Who Do Not Rate Kate Bush’s Modern Work As Highly As Her 1980s Albums

__________

I do think that…

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

there is assumption in the Kate Bush fan community that her very best work came in the 1980s. That is hard to argue against. 1980’s Never for Ever was a step forward from her 1978 albums, The Kick Inside and Lionheart – even though the former is my favourite album ever - and there are some all-time best Kate Bush songs on that album (including Babooshka, Army Dreamers and Breathing). 1982’s The Dreaming is experimental and dense. Kate Bush creating something more akin to art rather than music. The Fairlight CMI creating this sonic world. Hounds of Love is ambitious and grand, and has more accessible moments compared to The Dreaming. The classic singles on the first side and the sublime and genius The Ninth Wave on the second side. The brilliant yet underrated The Sensual World in 1989. Bush’s best decade for album releases, when we rank her output, many people will put Hounds of Love first and then The Dreaming will be top three. Maybe Never for Ever will come in the top three or possibly fourth position. However, as hard as it would be to say 2011’s Director’s Cut should rank alongside her very best work, I do think it gets dismissed out of hand without people giving it a chance or truly listening. Understanding the importance of the album and the fact Kate Bush reworked and re-recorded songs from The Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes. However, 2005’s Aerial and 2011’s 50 Words for Snow should be seen as among her best work. Again, when it comes to album rankings, Aerial fares better than 50 Words for Snow. That said, neither album scores as highly as it should. People perhaps unable to get past the 1980s and being stuck in this assumption that nothing can beat those albums. That work that came later is vastly inferior. I confess Hounds of Love especially has this incredible production sound. Bush, as producer, creating so many pages of notes; spending so long with the songs. She created this masterpiece.

Listen to Aerial and the masterful production on that album. I would argue the album is grander and more evocative than Hounds of Love. Bush consciously having another conceptual suite, twenty years after she recorded one for Hounds of Love. Aerial’s second disc is A Sky of Honey. The songwriting is exquisite. The diversity of themes. From celebrating her young son to talking about Pi through to memories of her mother, it is an album that has home and family at the heart. I have talked about this before. Some of its most beautiful moments come on the first side. Underplayed songs like Joanni, How to Be Invisible and A Coral Room are not only unique and extraordinary songs in terms of their lyrics. The production on those songs is phenomenal. The almost cinematic A Sky of Honey one of the best things Kate Bush ever recorded. 50 Words for Snow, again, is defined by its flawless production. Bush able to bring the listener into the songs. Maybe people were less awed of this album because it has longer songs and requires a bit more patience. At seven tracks, it focuses more ion songs unfurling and creating this sonic world. Kate Bush, by 2011, no longer concerned with radio playlists or recording songs that are obvious singles (though Wild Man was released as a single, possibly as it is the shortest track on the album!). There is this division between Bush’s 1980s best and her ‘modern’ albums – those that came in the twenty-first century. I am very much a fan of her later work. Not to say people are ignorant to the brilliance of Kate Bush’s recent albums. I just think there is this sweeping view that her earlier albums, particularly Hounds of Love, are the very best and that the likes of 50 Words for Snow are not in the same league. It bring to mind another interesting point to consider. Look at the reviews for Aerial and 50 Words for Snow and there are more four and five-star reviews than there are for The Dreaming or Never for Ever. Maybe Hounds of Love tops them but, in terms of aggregate reviews, there is not a lot of space between Hounds of Love and Aerial/50 Words for Snow.

Reviewers in 2005 and 2011 dolling out massive praise to albums that they viewed to be among the best of that year. It is strange that, when they rank Kate Bush’s albums, releases that were reviewed more poorly are seen as superior. I would say there does seem to be this instant and understandable rush of love for any new Kate Bush album. However, when it comes to putting some distance between themselves and the albums, critics will perhaps consider them less fondly. Even if 50 Words for Snow got quite a few five-star reviews, that does not mean it will be ranked alongside Hounds of Love. I guess it is a subjective thing. The albums are vastly different. I do hope that those who feel Aerial or 50 Words for Snow are not as interesting or worthy as the albums Kate Bush released in the 1980s to properly investigate these albums. These newer works. I have considered this before. However, today, I wanted people to listen to the production. The arrangement of the songs and the atmospheres that Kate Bush summons. The track sequencing as well. They are sublime and fascinating albums that have so more depth to them. Many people do not recognise this. I am going to wrap up in a minute. However, I was keen to almost come to the defence of Kate Bush’s more contemporary work. Of course, 50 Words for Snow is her most recent album. When she does release a new album, you know it will get ecstatic reviews. In years to come, will this album gain the same sort of affection as Hounds of Love or The Dreaming?!

Here is an example of an album ranking list where 50 Words for Snow was placed tenth (out of ten) and Aerial was fifth; this one a little kinder to 50 Words for Snow. I guess fifth place for Aerial is not too bad. However, the album does not get played as much as others. Not discussed widely. It turns twenty in November, so let’s hope it is given overdue appreciation and spotlight. Perhaps this 2019 NME ranking is the fairest when it comes to the power and potency of Aerial and 50 Words for Snow. I know rankings are subjective. Even so, you can argue that two of Bush’s best albums remain underrated. How do we get past that? Can you ever really turn people’s opinions?! I guess we need to highlight the brilliance of the albums and the incredible production work. People need to listen to Kate Bush interviews from 2005 and 2011. I wonder if a new generation of Kate Bush fans even know about Aerial or 50 Words for Snow. They are albums not really featured much on TikTok or played on the radio. They do not feature on T.V. shows or film and they are albums that demand the listener is immersed and focused. Aerial is a double album and is very long whilst 50 Words for Snow has no typically ‘short’ song. Compared to the tracks on Never for Ever or Hounds and Love and it might be understandable why these are seen as more digestible. I would love to see someone produce short videos and clips online backed by songs from the 2005 and 2011 albums. Interspersed by Kate Bush interview audio. There are not that many features written about Aerial or 50 Words for Snow. This really needs to change. I cannot begrudge people for heralding Kate Bush’s 1980s albums. I love them too. However, we need to give Aerial, 50 Words for Snow and even Director’s Cut more props. Once you truly listen to the albums, you understand Kate Bush is as fine a producer and visionary as…

SHE was in the 1980s.

FEATURE: Pride Month 2025: Modern L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

Pride Month 2025

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Nash/PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Marcovecchio

Modern L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ Tracks

__________

BECAUSE it is…

PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Spiske/Pexels

Pride Month, I am keen to put out a few features. The first one is a playlist of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ tracks. Ones from the past year or two. I have talked recently about Kate Nash’s new pro-trans song, GERM. It is one of the best tracks of the year and also one of the most needed/important. Not only does it take swipe at supposed feminists who are anti-trans – such as JK Rowling -, but it is a song that shows solidarity with the trans community – one that constantly comes under attack. With their rights being stripped and with the Supreme Court stating a woman is defined by sex (and not their gender), it is another attack on the trans community. Glamour reacted to the new Kate Nash single:

“Kate Nash has released a scathing track condemning TERFs (and specifically J.K. Rowling), titled “GERM.”

The singer dropped the song and its accompanying lyric video on Wednesday. It opens with a refrain that explains the meaning behind the acronym: “Girl listen up / You’re not radical / Exclusionary, regressive, misogynist / Germ! Germ / Nah you’re not rad at all.”

The rest of the song consists of Nash speaking over an instrumental, percussion-heavy track. With each verse, she dispels TERF talking points with some cold, hard, surprisingly well-researched facts.

To honor your privacy preferences, this content can only be viewed on the site it originates from.

For example, part of the second verse is, “Women are facing serious dangers / Not during boxing matches or from trans people needing a piss / But from actual violence that is carried out against them every week / According to End Violence Against Women, every 3 days a woman is killed / By a man / More than 100,000 girls are at risk and living with the consequences of FGM, forced marriage and honour-based abuse.”

But as with all good protest songs, Nash includes not just data, but feelings, including the memorable couplet, “It’s just a social construct / It’s all a load of bollocks.”

That research-heavy tone is likely due to the fact that the song originally took the form of an essay, as Nash explained in an interview with Attitude. But when the UK Supreme Court issued its recent ruling, stating that trans men and women cannot legally be considered men and women, the musician “just reacted.”

“I just wanted it to be on record, in music history and in feminist history, for there to be somebody else in culture that is saying that I just don’t believe that’s feminism,” Nash told the magazine.

It was especially meaningful for her as a British public figure “Because at the moment, the loudest cultural voice in the room, who created one of the most successful things ever to come out of the UK, Harry Potter, is transphobic, and is very cruel online and very crass, and it’s just become so nasty.” Nash was referring to J.K. Rowling, who recently founded an organisation that will provide funding for cis women pursuing court cases against trans people.

The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) website reads, “JKRWF offers legal funding support to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces. It provides women with the means and confidence to bring to justice cases that make legal precedents, force policy change, and make positive contributions to women’s lives in the future.”

Nash even went so far as to post a picture of Rowling on her Instagram story (and specifically, the photo that the author posted to X after the ruling was announced). Over the photo, Nash wrote, “A trans exclusionary feminist will always be a GERM. Even if it decided to identify as a feminist for the purposes of this celebration. It would remain objectively provably & demonstratively… a GERM”.

The mixtape at the end not only are songs relating to the L.G.T.Q.I.A.+ community. There are many brilliant songs by artists who are L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ I have not included every artist, though I have featured quite a nice selection. I will do other features to celebrate this Pride Month. It is such an important time to recognise and support the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. Whether that is through sharing posts, spotlighting artists or putting together a playlist, there are many ways to…

PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Mcknight/Pexels

SHOW your solidarity.

FEATURE: Ringo Starr at Eighty-Five: His Best Beatles and Solo Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

Ringo Starr at Eighty-Five

IN THIS PHOTO: Ringo Starr in 1965/PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History/Photograph by Richard Avedon/@amhistorymuseum

His Best Beatles and Solo Tracks

__________

STILL a very busy man…

PHOTO CREDIT: Dina Litovsky

Ringo Starr is currently on tour. In fact, he is between dates at the moment but has had a busy June. His new album, Look Up, was released earlier in the year and is one of his best solo efforts. I am celebrating Starr as he turns eighty-five on 7th July. There are a few big Beatles anniversaries this year. Rubber Soul turns sixty-five later in the year. That is probably the biggest one. I am thinking about Beatles projects and why the next thing will be. Whether we will get a reissue and expanded edition of one of their albums – maybe Rubber Soul or A Hard Day’s Night. In terms of Ringo Starr’s career, he is very active and has a lot on. However, he is always keen to talk about The Beatles and his glorious time with the band. I am going to come to a mixtape featuring Ringo Starr’s Beatles songs – ones he write and also sang lead vocals on – and a selection of his solo tracks. Before I get to that, I want to include some bio from his official website:

“Ultimately what’s most impressive about Ringo Starr isn’t what he’s been, but rather who he is,” wrote Rolling Stone rock critic David Wild. “The man’s great heart and soul, his wit and wisdom.” Indeed, his music has always emanated from his warmth, humor, and exceptional skill, manifesting in songs we know and love: With A Little Help From My Friends, Don’t Pass Me By, Octopus’ Garden, Photograph, It Don’t Come Easy, Back Off Boogaloo, You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine), Don’t Go Where the Road Don’t Go, The No No Song, and Never Without You, to name a few. Since beginning his career with The Beatles in the 1960s, Ringo has been one of the world’s brightest musical luminaries. He has enjoyed a successful, dynamic solo career as a singer, songwriter, drummer, collaborator, and producer – releasing 18 solo studio albums to date. He is also an acclaimed actor appearing in over 15 films. Drawing inspiration from classic blues, soul, country, honky-tonk and rock ‘n’ roll, he continues to play an important recording, touring, and unofficial mentoring role in modern music.

Born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940 “at a very young age” he knew from very early on what he wanted to do. “When I was 13, I only wanted to be a drummer,” remembers Ringo. Four years later, he joined the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band, and in 1959 hooked up with the Raving Texans, who later became Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Just three years after that, Ringo was asked to join The Beatles. Worried that he might cost the Hurricanes a summer-long residency if he left, he delayed his departure until they could find a replacement. On August 18, 1962, Ringo Starr officially joined Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison in what would become one of the most important popular music acts of all time, or as Ringo says, “the biggest band in the land.”

In 1970, EMI released Ringo’s first solo album, Sentimental Journey. It was exactly that: a record of the music he’d grown up with and which remained close to his heart. (He later said, “I did it for my Mum.”) Ringo followed up a year later with Beaucoups Of Blues, a country and western album recorded in Nashville with Pete Drake in just two days. That same year, The Beatles disbanded.

But Ringo’s passion for creating music continued to propel him and those around him forward. In 1971, he began his unprecedented run as the first solo Beatle to score seven consecutive Top 10 singles, starting with “It Don’t Come Easy.” His second hit single, “Back Off Boogaloo” followed in 1972, and was written with and inspired by T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. Ringo released his eponymous smash hit album in 1973. It yielded three Top 10 singles, including the #1 hits “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine). The album Ringo also marked the first time since The Beatles’ break-up that all 4 band members participated in the same project (though not at the same time).

The 1970’s also saw Ringo expand on his film career, which began in the 1960’s with The Beatles films, Hard Days Night in 1964, Help! In1965 followed by Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. In 1968 he starred in Candy and in 1969 he co-starred opposite friend Peter Sellers in the critically acclaimed Magic Christian. In 1970 the documentary Let It Be was released, and in 1971 Ringo starred in Blindman. In 1974 he joined his best friend Harry Nilsson in The Son of Dracula, narrated Harry’s animated film The Point and appeared in Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels. In 1973 he co-starred as a Teddy Boy in That’ll Be The Day, in 1975 in Ken Russell’s Lisztomania and in 1976 joined The Band for their legendary final concert filmed by Martin Scorcese, The Last Waltz.

Between 1974 and 1978, Ringo released such hits as the Top 10 singles “Only You (And You Alone)” and “The No No Song,” and the albums Goodnight Vienna (1974), Blast From Your Past (1975), Rotogravure (1976), Ringo The 4th (1977), and Bad Boy (1978), which was complemented by a television special, Ognir Rats, with Art Carney, Angie Dickinson, Carrie Fisher and Vincent Price. In 1979 he appeared in the documentary on The Who, The Kids Are All Right and in 1981 Ringo starred in Caveman, where he met and soon married his beautiful co-star Barbara Bach. “I fell in love with her the moment I saw her getting on the plane, and I’ve been blessed that she has loved me since.” That same year he recorded Stop and Smell the Roses, his most critically acclaimed record since Ringo, followed two years later by Old Wave, for which he teamed up with producer Joe Walsh of The Eagles. In 1984 he appeared in Paul McCartney’s film Give My Regards To Broadstreet. A hits collection, Starr Struck: The Best Of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, was released in 1989.

In 1989 Ringo assembled his first All Starr Band and he found consistent success as a live act with his revolving All Starrs. “I got asked if I’d be interested in putting a band together,” Ringo would later recount. “I had been thinking the same thing, and so I went through my phone book, rang up a few friends and asked them if they’d like to have fun in the summer.” Those friends included Joe Walsh, E-Streeters Clarence Clemmons and Nils Lofgren, former Band members Rick Danko and Levon Helm, Dr. John, Billy Preston, and Jim Keltner. The tour met with great success, yielding his first live album, Ringo and His All Starr Band, in 1990. “I’ve said this over and over again,” Ringo remarked, “but I love being in a band.”

The 1990s saw some of the best records of Ringo’s career. In 1992, he released Time Takes Time, which The New York Times hailed as “Starr’s best: more consistently pleasing than Ringo, it shows him as an assured performer and songwriter.” Later that year, Ringo put together his second All Starr Band, featuring Zak Starkey (his son), Burton Cummings, Dave Edmunds, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren, Timothy B Schmidt, and Joe Walsh. It marked the first time Ringo had toured Europe since his Beatles days. The band’s second incarnation also yielded a new concert album, Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band – Live From Montreaux. The third All Starr Band toured the U.S. and Japan in 1995, again featuring Zak Starkey, as well as John Entwistle, Felix Cavaliere, Mark Farner, Billy Preston, Mark Rivera and Randy Bachman; Ringo Starr and His Third All Starr Band, Vol. 1 was release in 1997. The fourth band — with Gary Brooker, Jack Bruce, Peter Frampton, Simon Kirke and Mark Rivera — toured the U.S. and Europe, and with them Ringo became the first former Beatle to play in Russia.

1998 brought the release of Vertical Man, recorded with Mark Hudson, and the first collaboration between Ringo and “the Roundheads.” It was one of his strongest records, due largely to his deep involvement as drummer, singer, co-writer, and co-producer. He followed with an appearance at NYC’s Bottom Line and on VH1’s “Storytellers.” 1999 began with the creation of the 5th All Starr Band, consisting of Gary Brooker, Jack Bruce, Timmy Cappello, Simon Kirke and Todd Rundgren. In October that year, Starr released the irrepressibly festive holiday album I Wanna Be Santa Claus, mixing classics like “The Little Drummer Boy” with originals like the title track. The 6th All Starr Band was launched in 2000 and featured Jack Bruce, Eric Carmen, Dave Edmunds, Simon Kirke and Mark Rivera touring the U.S. together. The following spring, Ringo put together the 7th band, including the first female All Starr, Sheila E, as well as Greg Lake, Roger Hodgson, Ian Hunter, Howard Jones and Mark Rivera. He celebrated more than a decade of All Starr tours with the release of Ringo and His All Starr Band: The Anthology, So Far.

In 2003, The Roundheads launched the release of Ringo Rama with another impromptu Bottom Line performance. 2003’s 8th group of All Starrs — Paul Carrack, Sheila E., Colin Hay, Mark Rivera and John Waite — hit the road, their tour resulting in another live album, Ringo Starr and His All Star Band: Tour 2003 and DVD. “If you look at all the bands I’ve put together, it’s an incredible array of musicians, all these different people,” Ringo said of the All Starr experience. “Everyone has hit records, hit songs. The show consists of me up front and then I go back behind the kit and support the others. It’s just good music and I’m having a lot of fun and that’s what it’s all about – great music and fun.”

Genesis Publications printed a limited edition 2004 run of Ringo’s book, Postcards From The Boys, the proceeds of which went to the Lotus Foundation charity. He described it as “a presentation of postcards John, Paul and George have sent me over the years. What’s incredible about them is that some are actual art pieces.” His Choose Love album, full of inspired songs of innocence and experience, was released in 2005. Two years later, Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing released the first-ever career and label-spanning collection of Ringo’s best solo recordings, PHOTOGRAPH: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr, featuring 20 standout tracks released between 1970 and 2005.

Ringo released Liverpool 8, his first new album with Capitol/EMI since 1974’s Goodnight Vienna, in 2008. He co-wrote its 12 original tracks, recording them in the UK and California, and the title track became the first in a series of autobiographical songs. That summer, he toured with his 10th All Starr Band — Gregg Bissonette, Colin Hay, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, Edgar Winter, and Gary Wright, across the U.S. and Canada, winding up at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles with a show recorded and later released as a live DVD by UMe. That summer also launched a tradition of celebrating his birthday, July 7, in and with the public and a global call to action for to say, think or do “Peace & Love” at Noon your local time, the birthday wish being a moment of “Peace & Love” would spread around the world. The first event occurred outside the Hard Rock Café in Chicago.

Y NOT, the first album Ringo himself produced, came out in 2010, showcasing collaborations with old and new friends, Paul McCartney among them. Their duet and the album’s stunning first single, “Walk With You,” served as a moving tribute to the power of friendship. Ben Harper also sang on the album, his band supporting Ringo on a promotional tour for the release. Ringo received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and launched a tour with his 11th All Starr Band: Gregg Bissonette, Rick Derringer, Wally Palmer, Richard Page, Edgar Winter, and Gary Wright. Over the following year, the band would tour the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America. On July 7, 2010 Ringo celebrated another “Peace & Love” birthday with family, friends and thousands gathered outside the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, New York City. The following year, while on tour with All Starrs, Ringo held a “Peace & Love” birthday event outside the Hard Rock Café in Hamburg Germany.

Ringo 2012, again produced by its namesake, featured 9 tracks, including new versions of “Wings,” and “Step Lightly.” In June that year, Ringo assembled His 12th All Starr Band — Gregg Bissonette, Richard Page, Steve Lukather, Mark Rivera, Gregg Rolie and Todd Rundgren — who would, by 2013, tour through the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and South America. The live DVD Ringo at the Ryman was recorded with this band as well, on Ringo’s birthday, July 7, 2012. Earlier they all convened for a moment of “Peace & Love” in front of the Hard Rock Café Nashville.

In June 2013, The GRAMMY Museum opened “Ringo: Peace & Love,” a record-breaking undertaking that drew more than 120,000 visitors and was the first major exhibit to focus on a drummer. In September 2013 Ringo was awarded the prestigious French Medal of Honor, being appointed Commander of Arts & Letters in recognition of his musical and artistic contributions.

December 2013 saw the publication of Photograph, a limited edition collection of never-before-seen material, including Ringo’s photos and exclusive images from his own personal archives, was published that December. It featured over 300 photos and 15,000 words of text.

On January 20, 2014 Ringo Starr’s musical legacy was celebrated when The David Lynch Foundation honored him with the ‘Lifetime of Peace & Love Award’. The event included star-studded tributes to Ringo’s extensive catalog that was broadcast on AXS July 13, 2014.  Participating artists included Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Ben Folds, Brendan Benson, Bettye LaVette, The Head & The Heart and Jesse Elliot and Lindsey McWilliams of Ark Life, with an equally stellar backing band featuring Don Was, Benmont Tench, Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather and Kenny Arnoff.

January 26, 2014 saw Ringo perform his song “Photograph” on the GRAMMYS, followed by him jumping on the kit during his old band mate, Paul McCartney’s performance. Ringo and Paul then performed together again the following evening, this time playing several songs for the Emmy Award-nominated taping of CBS’ “The Beatles, A Grammy Salute; The Night That Changed America,” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their first U.S. visit and appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  It was broadcast on the exact anniversary, February 9, and aired again February 12. It has also been broadcast internationally.

In February 2014, Simon & Shuster published “Octopus’s Garden”, a children’s book based on Ringo’s lyrics. That summer Ringo took the 12th All Starr Band back out on the road, adding another leg in October 2014. “I just love this band and I’m doing anything to keep it together – we keep looking for places we haven’t played yet and we’ll end up playing clubs,” Ringo joked with reporters when the band launched the summer dates in June 2014.

In July 7, 2014 Ringo celebrated his birthday with his traditional Peace & Love event at Capitol Records in LA, this time joined by John Varvatos who revealed Ringo would be the model for his 2014 Fall Fashion Advertising campaign, coupled with a social media initiative, #PeaceRocks that raised funds and awareness for the David Lynch Foundation via The Ringo Starr Peace & Love Fund. “I’ve waited a long time to become a male model,” Ringo said with a laugh, “and what a great way to do it – all for a good cause.

In March 2015 Ringo released “Postcards From Paradise” (UMe) featuring 11 original tracks and his very first single written and recorded with his All Starr Band, “Island In the Sun”. “I have tried for 25 years from the first All-Starr band to get us to write songs and record. It’s just something that I’ve wanted to do,” Ringo explained. “the song started as a jam at a soundcheck. We all wrote it and we all played on it, and it’s the first time ever!”

In April 2015 he was inducted by Paul McCartney into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist for Musical Excellence, performing his songs with Paul, Joe Walsh and Green Day. In July Ringo returned to Capitol Records for his 75th birthday joined by family, friends and gathered fans for a special “Peace & Love” celebration. In September 2015 Ringo’s book Photograph was released worldwide in a mass hardcover edition, and in October 2015 Ringo and the All Starrs went back out on the road performing 21 shows in 31 days throughout North America.

Throughout his career he has received 9 Grammys, has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame first as a Beatle and then as solo artist. Between 1970 and 2015 Ringo has released 18 solo studio records. He has acted in over 15 films, received an Academy Award, and was nominated as an actor for an Emmy. Ringo has published three books; had a stint as a male fashion model and that same year went behind the lens for the Foo Fighters PR shots.

For all his many creative successes, Ringo is and always will be first and foremost a musician, a drummer. Ringo’s candor, wit and soul are the lifeblood of his music. As he sang on the autobiographical Liverpool 8, “I always followed my heart and I never missed a beat.” Peace and love are his life’s rhythm and melody, and he propels this universal message in everything he does: his evocative artwork, his enthused live performances, his legendary songs, all imbued with the joy, reflection, and wisdom of the music icon the world knows and loves simply as ‘Ringo’”.

I am going to end there. A very happy eighty-fifth birthday to Ringo Starr for 7th July! One of the greatest and most important musicians ever, below is a selection of his wonderful work with The Beatles, together with some solo gems. In the same way he signs off his social media posts with these words, I want to offer the great Ringo Starr…

PEACE and love.

FEATURE: I’m a Feminist, But… Trying to Reverse My Male-Heavy Music Listening Habits

FEATURE:

 

 

I’m a Feminist, But…

PHOTO CREDIT: Moose Photos/Pexels

Trying to Reverse My Male-Heavy Music Listening Habits

__________

ON the podcast…

PHOTO CREDIT: John Tekeridis/Pexels

The Guilty Feminist, there is this question asked of guests that starts “I’m a feminist, but…”, where the women interviewed reveal something that means there is this guilt or negative habit that maybe puts a dent in their feminism. For me, that very much applies to music. I am someone who promotes so many women on my blog. Most of my Spotlight features are about female artists. So many other features around women. Even if most of my content relates to women, my listening habits do not necessarily reflect that. Of course, I listen to the female artists that I promise. However, away from that, I tend to listen to mostly older music. A lot of that is from male artists. I was raised mostly on music by men. In the 1990s, a lot of what was promoted and put into music magazine was by male artists. Of course, there were some amazing women from that time that I loved and still listen to today. However, so much of my parents’ music is from men. Also, you get into this habit of falling back on what is comfortable and familiar. I explore new music as much as I can, though I find I have this awful habit of going to artists that I have heard so many times before. Maybe it is an issue with algorithms on streaming sites. The way you are regurgitated what you already listen to and there is not this more expansive and smarter way of discovering music. Spotify and others going beyond the recycled and predictable - and feeding suggestions and interesting musical avenues. I do think I get into this cycle of relying on mixes and playlists suggested to me. This features a lot of male artists. As a feminist who finds it really important to promote and spotlight women, I feel this guilt of listening to more men than women. This is something I am compelled to change in years to come.

I do wish it were easier to have all these incredible new artists in one place. Streaming sites rely heavily on a small number of mainstream artists of today and classic acts. I often find that many of the artists from yesteryear that I love that were female-fronted or women tend to get buried. I would love to be able to have a daily listening schedule that meant there was this balance. However, I do find it harder and harder to. Many might say it is easy to change. Do we often gravitate towards music we grew up on? I am discovering a load of new music, though I tend to find I listen to that less than artist I have known for years. Not that it makes me a bad feminist, thought I do feel this regret. I need to do better and listen to more women. Go discovering incredible women that I have not yet written about. However, as I have said, streaming sites do not help with that. I need to expand my horizons and get out of some bad habits. It is Pride Month, so embracing more L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ women and trans women. Promoting their work and discovering their incredible music. I can’t blame entirely streaming services or habits we all have. I do feel this pang of guilt when I keep listening to male artists. Maybe others have this same regret. It is not necessarily bad that most of the songs I listen to are by men. However, as I am someone talking about gender equality and giving women more airtime and headline slots, it does seem a littler hypocritical that I listen to so many male artists. As much as anything, I am getting slightly bored of the way of I listen to music.

It is nice to have that access to a world of music. The nostalgia I get when listening to artists I grew up on. Whoever, I feel like I am depriving myself of so many incredible artists. These women from decades past and around today whose music I do not listen to enough – or at all. I am not sure what the best way is to engage that way and reverse the trend. However, I have come to a point where I am aware of the male bias when it comes to the music I listen to and the artists I promote and discuss – who are mostly female. As I write this, I am listening to the radio and HAIM are on. They are incredible group that I am well aware of and do not listen to enough. I have been talking about Kate Nash recently and do not listen to her enough. Artists I featured years ago such as GRACEY. Classic artists who I grew up with. The likes of Madonna, for example, I tend to play less than many of the groups I admired when I was a teenager. I do need to make a change but, once you get into this routine of leaning on the same songs, it can be very hard to break out of that. I do need to act. I am depriving myself of so much great music and, as much as anything, it is important to me that I give more time to female artists. Suggestions for classic and new artists would be much welcomed. I will dip into my archives of the artists I have spotlighted and try and listen to as many mixes and playlists where women dominate. Getting out of that headspace of going straight for the same songs and artists. I do genuinely have a lot of guilt. Me being this hypocrite! It does bug me. It asks a bigger question regarding music tastes. Do we tend to listen to less new music when we reach a certain age and tend to listen to the music of our childhood and teenage years? Maybe so. It is not really giving me much satisfaction listening to the same songs over and over. Because of that, I do need to listen more to music made by women. I feel that my listening experience will be…

RICHER for it.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Incredible Motown Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels

Incredible Motown Tracks

__________

I did explore this subject…

IN THIS PHOTO: The Temptations in 1965

for a playlist back in 2020. However, I wanted to revisit Motown songs for this Digital Mixtape. I am going to include a selection of classics from the legendary label. I have been listening to groups like The Temptations. Get Ready, one of their classics, has been in my ear and head for a while. I can see it opening a film. A title sequence song that could lead to something incredible. Even though is problematic celebrating the song’s writer and producer Smokey Robinson at the moment, I wanted to put the focus on the group rather than the song’s creator. Put The Temptations alongside other greats like Mary Wells, The Four Tops, and Martha and the Vandellas. There is a lot to celebrate about Motown and its legacy. However, as this article from earlier in the year, Motown also empowered many female artists. Giving the spotlight to women:

“From the very beginning, Motown, as we know it now, would never have been built successfully without women. Berry Gordy Jr’s mother, Bertha, was a successful business owner alongside her husband, Berry Gordy, Sr. It may not be so vast a leap, then, to assume that she instilled an entrepreneurial spirit in her children – particularly Berry and his four sisters. Through them, a spirit of Motown and female empowerment was fostered, with the company giving chances to women in almost every aspect of its running, from overseeing the finances to shaping the label’s iconic fashion sense, launching the careers of its biggest stars, and penning the songs those stars recorded.

Esther Gordy, the eldest sister, worked as the Senior Vice President of Motown and joined the family business in 1961, remaining there until 1972, when Berry Gordy relocated the label to Los Angeles and Esther chose to remain in Detroit. She would go on to found the Motown Museum – which remains a popular tourist attraction to this day. Loucye Gordy, Berry’s third sister, died suddenly in 1965, but in her short time at the label she proved vital to the Motown structure, overseeing both Motown’s finances and its publishing arm.

But perhaps it is sisters Anna and Gwen Gordy whose impact on Motown can be most readily felt. Anna Records, founded by Gwen and Billy Davis in 1958 and named after Gwen’s sister, issued Barrett Strong’s stone-cold classic, “Money (That’s What I Want)”. Anna was also a songwriter who, along with her husband, Marvin Gaye, co-wrote “Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)” for Marvin’s 1971 album, What’s Going On, and also earned a credit on “Just To Keep You Satisfied,” which closes 1973’s Let’s Get It On. Together, Anna and Marvin also wrote songs for The Originals, including their biggest hit, “The Bells,” which would later be covered by the singer-songwriter Laura Nyro.

Gwen Gordy Fuqua, the youngest Gordy sister, was also an entrepreneur and songwriter, who, along with Berry, wrote hits for Jackie Wilson during the 50s. Gwen was integral to the evolution of Motown’s style, as she hired Maxine Powell to oversee a finishing school to ensure that the label’s roster looked and behaved the part. By teaching its artists to walk, talk, and dance like stars, Motown launched its performers into the mainstream, demanding that audiences take notice of these polished and talented artists – pushing against racial and gender barriers to show that these were incredible talents worthy of radio play and TV appearances and that their skin color or socio-economic backgrounds shouldn’t define them, or hold them back. Arguably it was the Motown girl groups who really got the most out of this experience.

Signed, sealed, delivered: female songwriters

It wasn’t just the female singers who gained successful opportunities during their time at Motown; some of its finest female songwriters were also given a shot. Much like Martha Reeves, Syreeta first worked for Motown as a receptionist. After a brief spell recording for the label in 1968 (under the name Rita Wright) she began dating Stevie Wonder and the pair started writing songs together, including The Spinners’ glorious “It’s A Shame.”

Other female songwriters to collaborate with Stevie Wonder include Yvonne Wright (“Evil,” “You’ve Got It Bad Girl,” “Little Girl Blue”) and Sylvia Moy (“Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” “My Cherie Amour”), the latter of whom who also established herself as a producer. Even Stevie Wonder’s mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, received writing credits on Motown releases – including on one of Wonder’s biggest hits, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”

Gloria Jones, whose “Tainted Love” has become a Northern soul classic, also spent time at Motown and provided material for The Supremes and Gladys Knight & The Pips, writing “If I Were Your Woman” alongside Pam Sawyer – whose own writing career is phenomenally varied and extensive.

Enduring successes: feminist subjects

When it came to recording material, there were plenty of interesting topics for Motown’s female artists to sing about. Alongside the standard fare of romantic numbers or songs about heartbreak, there were occasional songs laced with socio-political concern, such as Martha & The Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street” or even, to an extent, “Nowhere To Run,” with its tale of a stifling and damaging relationship. But on their 1968 album Love Child, Diana Ross & The Supremes addressed more delicate topics, such as pregnancy, illegitimacy, and motherhood”.

I am going to end with a mixtape of some wonderful Motown cuts. Many of them by amazing women who no doubt inspired many artists who followed them. A distinct and extraordinary sound, I do wonder how many artists working today know about the rich history of Motown. There are various documentaries that are worth seeking out. Motown: The Sound of Young America is worth getting and reading. Some might notice the omission of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles but, given the accusations of sexual assault and rape against him, I could not include him for this playlist – even though he helped define Motown. For those familiar with Motown or completely new to it, below are some of the incredible artists that…

HELPED define the legendry label.

FEATURE: Hello, Philadelphia! Live Aid at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

Hello, Philadelphia!

Live Aid at Forty

__________

EVEN if some feel that…

PHOTO CREDIT: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo

Live Aid has a complicated or corrosive legacy, one cannot deny that it was hugely important in raising money and awareness. In terms of it as this global concert, it is one of the most notable and incredible events in music history. As 13th July marks forty years since Live Aid was held, I wanted to look inside the concerts. The shows were held at Wembley Stadium in London and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. Organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Africa, specifically Ethiopia. It is amazing that over one and a half billion people watched the sixteen-hour concert broadcast worldwide. The concert raised over £110 million. A Live Aid musical, Just for One Day, hit the London stage but gained some mixed reviews. I know that the BBC is celebrating and spotlighting Live Aid at forty:

“This July, BBC Two and Radio 2 will mark the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, which took place on Saturday 13th July 1985.

BBC Two and BBC iPlayer broadcasts Live Aid at 40, which reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the 1985 concert that brought the idea of charity to a new generation. Exclusive interviews include iconic figures such as Bob Geldof, Bono and Sting - along with US President George Bush, President Obasanjo of Nigeria and Birhan Woldu, the woman who as a dying child, became the abiding image of the Wembley concert and the famine.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, the landmark 1985 concert that reshaped global aid, Brook Lapping, a Zinc Media label, announces its latest documentary series in association with Ronachan Films. A coproduction between the BBC and CNN Originals, Live Aid at 40 delves deep into the complex, sometimes controversial, stories behind this historic event and its legacy, in Britain, in the US, in Ethiopia and Africa as a whole.

The series weaves the back room stories of two gangs of musicians, from the UK and the US with the political stories that both inspired them and brought them to a worldwide audience. Featuring exclusive interviews with iconic figures such as Bob Geldof, Bono, Sting and Midge Ure, the series chronicles how musical legends from both countries mobilised billions worldwide: first to answer a famine in Ethiopia, and later inspiring global leaders like George Bush and Tony Blair to begin to address the true causes of global poverty. Live Aid forever altered the perception of charity and humanitarian efforts. Starting from small donations, to the donations of thousands of pounds, the story ends in billions of government aid.

Archive of the performances and back stage of the record and the concert feature Paula Yates, Boy George, Status Quo and George Michael whilst interviews with Nile Rodgers, Lenny Henry, Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Patti LaBelle, Roger Taylor and Brian May are set against the memories of the Ethiopian politicians at the heart of the relief effort, Dawit Giorgis and Berhane Deressa. These combine with the stories from political heavyweights including President Obasanjo of Nigeria, Condoleezza Rice, George W Bush and Tony Blair. The series offers a gripping account of Live Aid’s impact on music, politics and global awareness over the twenty years between Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005.

Emma Hindley, BBC Commissioning Editor, says: "The series takes the audience on an irresistible and entertaining ride through the 40 years since the biggest live concert ever was shown on TV. Featuring exclusive behind the scenes interviews with an array of stars of rock & pop, Live Aid at 40 revels in the music, unravels the politics and explores the legacy of Live Aid."

Also coming to BBC Two in July is Live Aid the Concert (w/t). On a dazzling summer’s day in 1985, the UK came to a standstill to watch a concert on the BBC - 16 hours of music, performed by some of the world’s greatest artists, including David Bowie, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Patti LaBelle, Phil Collins, Queen, Spandau Ballet, Sade, Sting, Status Quo, Tina Turner and U2. This concert was Live Aid, which was brought together by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, following the success of the Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Approximately two billion people watched the broadcast in more than 100 countries. Now, for the first time since 1985, BBC Two gives viewers a chance to relive over 6.5 hours of extended highlights of the London and Philadelphia concerts, in addition to backstage footage, including interviews with Bono, Brian May, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Howard Jones, Roger Daltrey, Spandau Ballet, Sting, The Style Council and a transatlantic interview with Phil Collins on Concorde.

Jonathan Rothery, Head of BBC Popular Music TV says: “This summer we’re delighted to be giving viewers a chance to relive one of the biggest concerts in history for the first time on TV since it was originally broadcast on the BBC. By providing over 6.5 hours of footage that was captured on the day Live Aid took place, we want viewers to feel transported back to 1985, and to enjoy all those classic songs that we all still know and love to this day, as they were performed on that stage.”

The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas, which was broadcast on BBC Four in November 2024, is available for viewers to enjoy on BBC iPlayer.

BBC Radio 2 will be marking the anniversary on Sunday 13 July, exactly 40 years since the concert, as the station broadcasts Live Aid – The Fans Story (12am-1am and then available on BBC Sounds).

This special is introduced by Radio 2’s Paul Gambaccini who sets the scene and recalls his involvement on that seminal day back in 1985, broadcasting backstage for the BBC. Midge Ure and Bob Geldof reflect on the event, and we then hear from some of the big-name performers of the day: Francis Rossi of Status Quo, Dee C. Lee of The Style Council, Howard Jones, Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Billy Ocean, Nik Kershaw as well as Iain Parkhouse of the Coldstream Guards.

Plus, Radio 2’s host of Sounds of the 80s Gary Davies, as well as Michelle Visage (who watched from her home in New Jersey) and Michael Ball also share their memories of where they were and how they watched the event. We hear the stories of pop fans Jayne, Laura, Simon and Lucy who travelled from different parts of the UK to be at Wembley on that day, recalling a pre-internet world of holding physical tickets and enjoying the moment, without documenting it for social media.

Packed with fascinating insights from backstage, onstage, in the audience and viewing from home, soundtracked by some of the most iconic performances ever recorded, we are bringing Live Aid back to life 40 years on”.

There articles like this that discuss the problematic side of Live Aid and the messages that it sent. Maybe this idea of white saviours trying to solve famine and poverty, did many of those artists who performed at Live Aid genuinely want to change things? Was it lip service? How genuine was Live Aid in terms of its goals? It raised a lot of money but it is clear that it also changed the nature of fundraising. I want to focus on the more positive side of Live Aid. In 2020, Mark Beaumont wrote for The Independent about Live Aid thirty-five years later. I would advise people to read the whole article as I have sort of mangled it a bit! I know there will be new features around Live Aid closer to its fortieth anniversary on 13th July:  

“With a nebula of stars queueing up to perform at two simultaneous stadium shows in London and Philadelphia, Live Aid wasn’t just the greatest gig on Earth, it was the birth of music as a formidable humanitarian and philanthropic force, a defining peak of the Eighties musical pomp and splendour and the culmination of rock’s decades-long expansion to critical mass. It was also a gigantic leap of faith built from Bob Geldof’s determination to hustle, bully and cajole the greatest show he could imagine into reality.

Following the 3 million-selling success of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” the previous year, which became the fastest selling UK single ever and raised £8m for Ethiopian famine aid, the perception might well have been that Geldof now possessed a golden Filofax and had the biggest names in rock at his beck and call. In fact, when Boy George suggested organising a star-studded concert after Geldof and assorted Band Aid alumni joined Culture Club for an encore of the single at Wembley Arena in December 1984, it took every ounce of Geldof’s single-minded guile and resolve to pull it off.

“He was a charismatic leader,” says Live Aid’s UK production manager Andrew Zweck today. “He was inspiring, he motivated us. The greatest legacy of Live Aid for me personally, is the example of how Bob Geldof’s leadership demonstrated the power of the individual. How the voice and action of just one person could start a movement that could make a difference.”

Then a lesser-known act, U2’s set proved a breakthrough, even though their closing song “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” had to be cut as Bono, sporting one of the Eighties’ lushest mullets, noticed 15-year-old Kal Khalique being suffocated as the crowd surged towards him (at Bono’s beckoning) and the band elongated “Bad” to 14 minutes while he leapt off the stage to help rescue and dance with her; Khalique later claimed Bono saved her life that day.

Bowie also cut the song “Five Years” from his set in order to screen a video of footage from the famine accompanied by The Cars’ “Drive”, a film so moving that phone donations – which had reached £300 per second when a tired and emotional Geldof had visited the BBC booth to demand viewers empty their pockets – rocketed further. Speaking to The Tube backstage after his performance, Bowie was asked about his plans for the rest of the evening. “I’m going to go home,” he said straight down the camera, “and I’m going to have a really good f***.”

It was Queen’s magical 22-minute set, however, which has come to epitomise Live Aid. Introduced by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones dressed as policemen investigating a noise complaint from Belgium, Mercury jogged onstage for a career-defining performance: the piano intro of “Bohemian Rhapsody” gave way to stadium-wide cult clapping for “Radio Gaga”, “We Are The Champions” turned Wembley into a sea of swaying arms and Mercury bestrode the event like a moustachio’d Colossus with a baton-mike sceptre. “I remember a huge rush of adrenaline as I went on stage and a massive roar from the crowd,” Brian May told The Observer, “and then all of us just pitching in. Looking back, I think we were all a bit over-excited, and I remember coming off and thinking it was very scrappy. But there was a lot of very good energy too. Freddie was our secret weapon. He was able to reach out to everybody in that stadium effortlessly, and I think it was really his night.”

As for Geldof, it was a stressful and highly strung experience. His mood ricocheted throughout the day, aggravated by pain from a sprained back that kept him slightly hunched. By the time he was gathering a stage full of stars for the finale of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” he was thoroughly exhausted, carried shoulder-high by Townshend at the show’s end towards a much-needed rest.

In Philadelphia, the party raged on. At 1am in a second-floor suite at the Palace Hotel, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Bob Dylan chatted with Jimmy Page and Stephen Stills about their various onstage mishaps. “Fun?” said Dylan of his three-song set with Richards and Wood. “No, we couldn’t hear anything.”

“Would have been better if we’d gotten paid,” Richards joked to Rolling Stone. Indirectly, though, most of them did. As the CD era was dawning, sales of the acts involved with Live Aid soared. Collins, Madonna, U2 and Queen saw their records catapulted back into the charts, and one of the most immediate legacies of the show was its cementing of a top tier of heritage musicians who would hob-nob with Charles and Diana at similar events over the coming years – a rock’n’roll royalty of their own.

IN THIS PHOTO: Crowds at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features

Financially, the success of the event would come into question. Huey Lewis was right to be concerned about how effectively the money raised was being used to help the victims of famine. In the wake of the Band Aid single, relief food was left to rot in Ethiopian docks as the country’s dictatorial leader Mengistu Haile Mariam – who had helped to bring on the famine by napalming farmland – prioritised the unloading of weapons for his four internal conflicts. The $127m raised by Live Aid helped to break the trucking cartel that was stopping relief getting into the country but, according to investigations by Spin in 1986, much of it was funnelled through Mengistu’s government, who used the money to purchase hi-tech weaponry from the Soviet Union and the food to lure his people into a brutal resettlement programme that killed hundreds of thousands. “I’ll shake hands with the devil on my left and on my right to get to the people we are meant to help,” Geldof said in response to warnings from aid group Medicins Sans Frontiers. But both devils were channelling his charity away from the starving.

The beneficial legacy of Live Aid, however, cannot be underestimated. In its wake governments woke up to the swell of public support for humanitarian global relief and began to place it at the heart of foreign policy decisions. “We took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda,” Geldof told The Guardian, “and, through the lingua franca of the planet – which is not English but rock’n’roll – we were able to address the intellectual absurdity and the moral repulsion of people dying of want in a world of surplus.” The ripple effect of Live Aid, in terms of lives indirectly saved, is incalculable.

“What I’ve seen over the 35 years,” says Zweck today, “is the awakening of the social conscience of the music industry, with artists realising they had a power and they could do good with that power. We saw after that Bono and Sting, Roger Waters, using their voice, their position and their platform to push for causes they believe in. It would change people’s perspective of charity and mobilise public opinion to such an extent that government policies in the developing world and other areas would be altered thereafter. You can look back at Live Aid and see that’s where it started. Governments now listen, and that all started with a pop concert”.

I am going to write another feature about Live Aid at forty. I will end this one with an article that discusses perhaps the standout and most celebrated moment of Live Aid. That is when Queen rocked Wembley! Freddie Mercury getting the crowd united and singing. One of the greatest and most important live moments in music history. Something people still talk about to this day:

“Queen’s Live Aid performance

Queen were immediately preceded at Wembley by the comedians Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith – who were dressed as policemen and joked about receiving a complaint about the noise “from a woman in Belgium.” They introduced “the next combo” as “Her Majesty… Queen.”

A truly charismatic Mercury, who looked full of confidence, jogged out on to a vast stage whose top was adorned with a banner saying “Feed The World.” Mercury, sporting his trademark mustache and wearing white jeans, a white tank top, and with a studded band around his right bicep, began by sitting at the piano and playing a short, inspired version of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

“The note heard around the world”

During “Radio Ga Ga” he got up and strutted around the stage, using the microphone and stand as a prop, and getting the fired-up crowd to join in with the chorus. The next few moments were remarkable, as Mercury led the 72,000 spectators in some spine-tingling vocal improvisation, as they sang along to “ay-oh.” His final, wonderful vocal was dubbed “the note heard around the world.”

The singalong fun was followed by a version of “Hammer To Fall,” a song written by May. Mercury, who had strapped on an electric guitar, then addressed the crowd. “This next song is only dedicated to beautiful people here tonight – which means all of you. Thank you for coming along, you are making this a great occasion,” he said, before launching into an energetic, exuberant performance of his own composition, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

After a short version of “We Will Rock You,” the swaying, delirious crowd were treated to a finale of “We Are The Champions.” Mercury was simply mesmerizing. “I’d never seen anything like that in my life and it wasn’t calculated, either… it was the greatest day of our lives,” said May.

“You bastards, you stole the show”

It wasn’t only Queen who realized they had been sensational. Paul Gambaccini, who was part of the BBC broadcasting team at Live Aid, recalled the awe among other superstar musicians watching backstage. “Everybody realized that Queen was stealing the show,” said Gambaccini. These were the very words Elton John uttered when he rushed into Mercury’s trailer after the set. “You bastards, you stole the show,” joked the charismatic star.

“Queen smoked ’em. They just took everybody. They walked away being the greatest band you’d ever seen in your life, and it was unbelievable,” said Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. “And that’s what made the band so great; that’s why they should be recognized as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, because they could connect with an audience.”

“It was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world”

Two months later Queen began work on the album A Kind Of Magic, which sold six million copies and was promoted with a record-breaking world tour.

The choice of album title was apt. Queen provided magic on that summer day in 1985. Their impact was summed up by Geldof. “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day,” the Live Aid organizer said. “They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full. They understood the idea exactly, that it was a global jukebox. They just went and smashed one hit after another. It was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world”.

On 13th July, Live Aid turns forty. I was only two when it took place, so I can’t remember whether I saw it. It must have been really exciting tuning in and watching the biggest live event ever! A roster of huge artists united for a vital cause. In years since, there have been documentaries about Live Aid, though the BBC’s new one will be fascinating. For those who were there in person on 13th July, 1985 in Philadelphia or London to witness Live Aid were in the presence of…

SOMETHING spectacular!

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s Babooshka at Forty-Five: A Hugely Important and Pivotal Moment in Her Career

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s Babooshka at Forty-Five

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during a performance of Babooshka in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Adrian Boot

A Hugely Important and Pivotal Moment in Her Career

__________

IN my second…

feature around Babooshka and its forty-fifth anniversary, I wanted to concentrate on how important this song was and is. Released on 27th June, 1980, it reached number five in the U.K. The second single from Kate Bush’s third studio album, Never for Ever (1980), it was a bigger commercial success than the lead single, Breathing – which went to number sixteen in the U.K. I am going to bring in some words around the song and also some from Kate Bush regarding its inspiration. Kate Bush fans will know the origins and story. In terms of its subject matter and angle, it was very unusual for an artist. Bush was never one to write conventionally or like her peers. However, this idea of fidelity being tested and a wife disguised herself to test her husband. Where does that come from?! Bush drew a lot from literature and film, though Babooshka seems like it came to her in a different way. Bush did not even know that Babooshka is similar to the word, ‘babushka’ – which is Russian for an old woman or grandmother. Thought I feel uncomfortable highlighting Russia and its influence, for the sake of this song, we have to mention how the country was relevant. I believe that Bush had heard the Russian word somewhere and locked it away subconsciously. However, as I wrote in the previous Babooshka feature, Bush inadvertently helped foster a greater understanding of Russia and its history. People who heard the word and connected it to the Russian word, Babushka. There is a Kate Bush tribute act, Baby Bushka, that obviously are inspired by the Kate Bush song and its relation to the Russian word. I am going to come to my theories and points soon. Before that, I want to revisit some text that I have definitely highlighted before.

A track that has been covered quite a few times and Kate Bush pleasingly got to perform live more than once, it is among her most beloved and respected singles. Before going any further, this article from the Kate Bush Encyclopedia brings in some interview archive where Bush spoke about the inspiration behind the mighty Babooshka. One of her most extraordinary moments:

“‘Babooshka’ is about futile situations. The way in which we often ruin things for ourselves. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980)

Apparently it is grandmother, it’s also a headdress that people wear. But when I wrote the song it was just a name that literally came into my mind, I’ve presumed I’ve got it from a fairy story I’d read when I was a child. And after having written the song a series of incredible coincidences happened where I’d turned on the television and there was Donald Swan singing about Babooshka.

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

So I thought, “Well, there’s got to be someone who’s actually called Babooshka.” So I was looking throughRadio Timesand there, another coincidence, there was an opera called Babooshka. Apparently she was the lady that the three kings went to see because the star stopped over her house and they thought “Jesus is in there”.’ So they went in and he wasn’t. And they wouldn’t let her come with them to find the baby and she spent the rest of her life looking for him and she never found him. And also a friend of mine had a cat called Babooshka. So these really extraordinary things that kept coming up when in fact it was just a name that came into my head at the time purely because it fitted. (Peter Powell interview, Radio 1 (UK), 11 October 1980)”.

I have said in previous anniversary features how you can hear the influence of the Fairlight CMI in the song. It was a new acquisition by Kate Bush so it is not all over Never for Ever the same way as it is the follow-up, 1982’s The Dreaming. However, one cannot deny its impact and how even the addition of the sound of breaking glass you can hear was a sonic step up from the songs you hear on 1978’s The Kick Inside and Lionheart. Technology starting to come more into play and exert bigger influence. The wonderful backing vocals from Paddy Bush and Gary Hurst; brilliant electric bass from John Giblin.

I have said how there was breaking glass heard on Babooshka. It may actually be plates, as I think Bush used some crockery and plates from Abbey Road Studios and broke them to get the effect and then apologised afterwards (I think she sent an apology note or box of chocolates for the staff!). Recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2, this wonderful song was a definite turning point for Bush. I shall discuss that. First, I want to bring in this feature. They talk about the influence of Peter Gabriel and the Fairlight CMI on the song. How it adds something distinct to Babooshka:

“The song ends with the sound of breaking plates, perfectly in key, one of the earliest examples of a sample created with the Fairlight CMI synthesiser, which had only become available in UK during the latter half of 1979. The pioneering synth, used in many 80s hits, came with a piano keyboard, monitor, and computer keyboard. An 8" floppy disc provided sampled orchestral instruments but musicians found it was best to create synthetic sounds and strange effects, such as bottles breaking or running water, which could be incorporated into songs.

Its first adopter in the UK was Peter Gabriel, who soon introduced it to Kate Bush. Her album Never For Ever (released September 1980), which includes Babooshka and Army Dreamers, was the first to use Fairlight samples; they were programmed by Richard Burgess and John Walters of Landscape, famous for the 1981 hit Einstein A Go Go. Although tech-savvy musicians loved it, the Fairlight was not universally appreciated. After the BBC science series Tomorrow's World highlighted the possibility that orchestras might be redundant in the future, the Musicians' Union railed labelled it a "lethal threat" towards its members. The year before the union has also tried to ban Gary Numan and synthesizers from Top Of The Pops for the same reason.

So did the wife ruin the marriage? That's up to the listener to decide. One interpretation is that when the husband fell for Babooska, the wife's fears were realised, and she walks away from the broken marriage. Alternatively, the husband falls in love all over again with his wife, saving their marriage; it just needed a bit of excitement. Your conclusion will depend largely on whether you are a cynic or a romantic. For the record, we believe the breaking plates are a strong hint, but who doesn't like a happy ending?

This track has it all: a wonderful narrative, melodic verses, a dramatic chorus and a memorable title. Not surprisingly, Babooshka became one of Kate Bush's biggest hits, although it never reached No.1 in any country”.

Its B-side is the underrated and extraordinarily odd Ran Tan Waltz. I love the quirky live performances of Babooshka. I think this song is one of the most important moments of Kate Bush’s career. It started with Breathing, though it was a real shift in terms of who Bush was and what her sound was. If the singles from The Kick Inside and Lionheart are more piano-led and people labelled her as this squeaky-voiced and rather demure and weird artist, Babooshka changed things – though only a little. Breathing is this epic and political song that was a smart choice of a leading single. Never for Ever is that bridge between the teenage creations of her first two albums and the more experimental two albums that followed. Babooshka is the first track on Never for Ever. A listener would put the needle down and hear this incredible song. The video too was a definite revelation. Sexy and unusual, those who thought Bush was immature or witch-like would have been taken aback by the video! Bush was only twenty-one when Babooshka was released. Even so, it seemed like the song and video announced her as a woman and grown-up artist, rather than someone much younger. Not that this was deliberate. Critics pigeonholed her on her 1978 albums. Bush did want to be taken more seriously and, as a producer on Never for Ever, she could evolve and push her sound.

The music video sees Bush alongside a double bass (contrabass), used to symbolise her husband as she wore a black bodysuit and a veil. That quick and notable switch where Bush changes into this sparse ‘Russian’ costume as her alter-ego, Babooshka. An illustration by Chris Achilleos was the basis for the costume. So bold and unique, I would argue Babooshka is the most important single release to that point. It did help to change the narrative or at least push some more positivity her way. Even so, there were these critics who still attack Kate Bush and dismissed her. NME, when they reviewed Babooshka, still mentioned this “high-pitched” and “weirdness”. In my view, Babooshka was Bush entering this new phase of her career. A revelation where new technology and lyrical inspiration came into the mix. The production sound and the striking visuals. Babooshka was a bigger commercial success than Breathing, though once cannot call Babooshka commercial or conventional. That is why its success is so wonderful. People connected with the song in 1980. As it turns forty-five on 27th June, I wanted to write about Babooshka. I hope that others share words about this track. If some critics were still beholden to cliches and wrong impressions of Kate Bush, the impact and brilliance of Babooshka…

SILENCED many other critics.

FEATURE: Footnotes: Believing Women, A Rare Pro-Trans Musical Moment and a Disappointing Thom Yorke Statement

FEATURE:

 

 

Footnotes

IN THIS PHOTO: Thom Yorke issued a lengthy statement on 30th May following criticism around a perceived silence on genocide in Gaza, and for previously performing in Israel

Believing Women, A Rare Pro-Trans Musical Moment and a Disappointing Thom Yorke Statement

__________

THIS feature…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Nash

allows me opportunity to do a round-up of music news and talking points from recent weeks. Rather than try and make individual features out of bits of news and happenings, instead, I get the chance to do a sort of news round-up. To start with, and what happens when men in music are accused of sexual assault and abuse, there are people who instantly think that the women who accuse men are lying. That they are standing to profit or exploiting them. There are the same arguments brought up. For one, the women are just in it for the money. The vast majority of women who accuse men of sexual assault are not doing it for the money! They are doing it because they need to find justice and because they have been the victim of something horrible. I am sure there are women who have fabricated stories and are in it for the money but, for the vast majority, they are neither lying or trying to get a pay-out. That is another point. That women are lying. What is the motive for women lying about a sexual assault? People’s assumption to side with men or disbelieve women. People should always believe women. The vast majority of these accusations are based or fact. Why do so many women come together so long after the events and do so together? The insinuation being that they have conspired and made something up. Ganging up on an artist to get money from them! Women often come forward to police so long after they have been assaulted or abused because, at the time, they fear not being believed or being fired. If they work with a musician then there is the worry they will lose their income. Women not being believed is something that means they often do not come forward at all. They will be attacked or doubted if they do speak out. Also, the trauma at the time is not something they want to relive straight away. We need to get over this mindset that women are lying and that they are trying to ruin the reputation of an artist! The idea that they took so long to say anything. Look at the case of Russell Brand and Diddy. Women have come forward a long time after they were abused/raped and they are not lying. They bravely do come forward after so long because they feared repercussions before. That police would not do anything. They want to make sure other women do not experience the same thing. It is not about getting a massive pay-out and doing it for money. It is about justice and not letting men get away with it! The reason I bring this up is because I have seen some backlash against the women who accused Smokey Robinson of sexual assault and rape.

IN THIS PHOTO: Smokey Robinson

In an ironic twist, Smokey Robinson is suing the women who he claims have tried to extort him. Why sue them for a huge amount and extort them if you think they are trying to extort you?! It smacks of someone being found out and revealed and trying to punish women for accusing them. So many people doubting the women and their motives. Smokey Robinson is very old and not the first person you would think of extorting and having millions of dollars spare. What would their motives be? If they wanted to financial ruin him, then why wait so long to do that? Why go to such lengths?! For them, it is not about seeing how much they can get. They want what every woman wants: to be believed and to make sure that the men who abused them are brought to justice. It happens a lot in music where women are often scrutinised more than the men who committed the crimes. Rather than cast aspersions of women and, in a misogynistic way, doubt them and call them liars, we need to believe them. Yes, as I have said, a small minority will be lying and want to get money from someone. Considering how hard it is for them to get police to believe them, for cases to get to court and for abusers to be punished, they would not go through such hardships if it were not true. Also, considering how many recent cases of women accusing men in music of sexual assault and abuse, why do people assume that women are lying?! This is an epidemic that has been going on for many years. Rather than channelling energy questioning the women and doubting their version of events, we need to shine a spotlight on the men who do this and why it happens so often. Whether the industry does enough. Many men (such as Marilyn Manson) still able to work and earn money. If it were a woman who was accused of a sexual assault, then she would be dropped by the label, banned from touring and attacked ands abused constantly. There are these double standards!

Before coming back to another somewhat heavy story and topic, there is a moment of positivity. I have said in previous features how I want to write an album, American Grammar, that tackles big themes and important issues in a Steely Dan style. Because, when it comes to women’s body autonomy, abortion rights, trans rights, the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community, sexual abuse and assault, gender equality and the genocide we are seeing in Palestine, how many artists are writing about this? (On another point, it annoys me how many people write about L.G.B.TG.Q.I.A.+ issues and miss out the ‘I’ and ‘A’. Why do people finds it so hard to get that right?!). It is quite deafening and disappointing to see how few are using their music to talk about this. As I will discuss in the final part of this feature, many artists either not having a say or issuing statements that are obfuscating, vanilla and ‘balanced’. Rather than get angry and call out abuse, genocide and evil, they water down their words and often come out on the wrong side. In a rare case of an artist using their platform to speak up – unsurprisingly it is a female artist! -, Kate Nash’s GERM. It is a feminist and pro-trans song that also takes shots at high-profile TERFs like JK Rowling. Someone (Rowling) who uses their platform to fuel their transphobia and misogyny, as someone considered a strong feminist, she is a disgrace to that word. Kate Nash knows this and calls it out. How many other artists are doing this?! What holds back what should be a massive movement of conscientious songwriting? Marginalised and attacked people given support and voice?

IN THIS PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen

I know artists like Bruce Springsteen speaking out against President Trump can divide fans, but that is the risk they have to take. The artist is in the right, so it doesn’t matter if some do not agree! The same with women’s reproductive rights. It needs to be addressed heavily and powerfully through music. There are artists like Nadine Shah posting about genocide in Palestine. Others who use their social media platforms to speak out. However, when it comes to recent musical output, this is something relatively unexplored. Even women’s rights and equality is not being talked about that much. By women, maybe, but few men add their voice. At a time when there are so many enormously important and divisive subjects being discussed, so much modern musical output is still around the personal and predictable. GERM is a very rare case of an artist somewhat going against the grain and empowering a community often attacked, abused and mocked. I do hope that the music industry does more. I know being ‘right’ is subjective. However, when it comes to things like trans rights and women’s body autonomy, it is not that difficult or complex. There is a definite correct stance and anyone who disagrees is wrong! Why are artists so worried about repercussions or financial loss?! It does seem that they are being held back by something. Whilst in private they voice their disgust, their music does not really reflect that. It is such a shame that we do not have that many people using the stage and studio to bring about change. Irish group Kneecap created anger and condemnation when they called for people to kill their local M.P.s. Whilst it is wrong to say that, they seem to have been the victim of scapegoating. The attacks they have received is not about the danger and insensitivity of asking people to kill M.P.s. They have spoken out against the genocide in Palestine and Gaza and that seems to be the biggest issue. Those who say artists have no right getting involved in politics and that they are not qualified to speak about it (both wrong). I was listening to the podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, and a recent episode argued this: how Kneecap were wrong and should not get involved in politics. If we discourage artists from being political and exorcising freedom of expression then that is censorship. There should be some censorship in music, though the argument around genocide and their disgust is not a political matter. It is a moral one. People who try and shut down Kneecap are those, sadly, who do not want to offend Israel and feel that what the country’s leaders are doing is acceptable.

This takes me to my final point. Musicians are coming out and having their say on the genocide in Gaza. Many across various cultures genres and mediums. In a lot of cases, either that person seems to come almost to the defence of Israel or they words their statement in such a way that it does not take a position. Something like genocide does not need a carefully-worded statement, poetry or something watered down and ‘balanced’. Artists need to call it what it is and call out Israel. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has issued a statement that has rightly gained backlash because it is so disappointing. It also seems to show more sympathy and understanding to Israel. Fellow Radiohead bandmate Johnny Greenwood being accused of sympathy and support towards Israel means the band are going to lose a lot of fans. The Guardian reported on what Thom Yorke wrote:

“In October 2024, he was heckled during a solo concert in Melbourne by a man who asked Yorke: “How could you be silent?” regarding the death toll in the war. A flustered Yorke rebutted him and briefly left the stage.

More broadly, Radiohead have been criticised for performing in Tel Aviv in 2017, with Yorke saying at the time: “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government.” Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has recently been criticised for performing with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, with UK venues cancelling his concerts after protests.

Yorke has now made a statement about the Australian incident and the situation in Gaza, saying the October concert “didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Afterwards, I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.

“That silence, my attempt to show respect for all those who are suffering and those who have died, and to not trivialise it in a few words, has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance. This has had a heavy toll on my mental health.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Palestinians evacuate following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi Mosque in Gaza on 9th October, 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images 

Yorke said he thought it would be “self-evident” from his music “that I could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanisation of others.” He added:

I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease. Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently.

I believe this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden itself behind a terrified & grieving people and used them to deflect any criticism, using that fear and grief to further their ultra-nationalist agenda with terrible consequences, as we see now with the horrific blockade of aid to Gaza …

At the same time the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not all been returned? For what possible reason?

Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.

He then turned his focus to “social media witch-hunts” saying that pressure on “artists and whoever they feel like that week to make statements etc do very little except heighten tension, fear and oversimplification of what are complex problems”.

He concluded his lengthy statement by saying: “I have written this in the simple hope that i can join with the many millions of others praying for this suffering, isolation and death to stop, praying that we can collectively regain our humanity and dignity and our ability to reach understanding ... that one day soon this darkness will have passed”.

There is no denying the fact Hamas should be condemned and release the hostages. That they committed horrendous atrocities in 2023 where they killed hundreds at the Supernova Festival. If it is true that Hamas have been siphoning aid supplies meant for those affected by genocide then that is something that needs to be highlighted and condemned. However, when you think about the daily reality and numbers. Israel constantly pulverising and obliterating Palestine! Turning Gaza into a wasteland. The countless number of fatalities. It must be tens of thousands who have been killed. There is no doubt who the aggressors are and the fact that this is not a war or conflict: it is genocide. Because of that, if you are issuing a statement about Israel and Palestine, then the realities needs to be reflected. Thom York’s wording caused a lot of anger. He seems to be blaming Hamas as much as Israel. Weak platitudes when it comes to those affected by genocide. The same crap that politicians trot out when it comes to tragedies and warfare – thoughts and prayers (the ‘prayers’ part of especially idiotic because, if you believe in God and want to offer prayers that he will stop this, then you might ask why he f*cking started this and let thousands die!). I am going to leave it there. A few news items and events that I wanted to discuss but could not break up and make three individual features about. I might do this in a couple or few weeks. There has been a lot of exciting new music and announcements, so there is plenty to focus on. From women in sexual abuse and rape cases not being believed to artists being passive or silent when it comes to speaking out, through to those who do react but reveal some ugly and horrible things about themselves, it is troubling! Even though there have been cases of artists being in the right and using their platform right and for good, so many do nothing or show their true (and bleak) colours. In spite of some steps forward, there is still…

SUCH a long way to go.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: The Very Best of Jehnny Beth

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Johnny Hostile

The Very Best of Jehnny Beth

__________

RATHER than put together a mixtape…

IN THIS PHOTO: Savages

around an artist’s birthday or on a particular theme, I wanted to focus on the incredible Jehnny Beth. Former lead of Savages, her debut solo album, TO LOVE IS TO LIVE, was released in 2020. A new album is out on 29th August. You Heartbreaker, You will be released through Fiction Records. I would urge people to pre-order the album. New single, Broken Rib, is among Jehnny Beth’s very best. A fascinating insight into her upcoming album. Prior to getting to a mixtape of Jehnny’s Beth’s finest songs, I want to bring in part of a new interview from NME:

“NME: Hello Jehnny Beth. It’s been a while since we last spoke before ‘To Love Is To Live’. How have the last five years been for you?

Jehnny Beth: “They’ve been interesting. I’ve been doing lots of different things. Surprising things happened. ‘To Love Is To Live’ came out around the pandemic so all the plans around it were cancelled. That wasn’t an easy time. I know that for some people, confinement was a great experience for them creatively. But for me it was the time I was supposed to be out there. It dragged everything, even financially, into a difficult spot.

“I was very lucky that I got some offers in films that year. I was asked to star in Jacques Audiard movie [Paris, 13th District] and the next year we went to Cannes. These non-music based things were new, so they were new and I was curious about it. A few other acting jobs came. I knew I wanted to make a new record, but it just had to hit the point where I couldn’t sleep at night over it.”

A record that needed to be made?

“That’s it. I was still making music, but I don’t think it felt as urgent as it felt when I decided to write ‘You Heartbreaker, You’.”

Paris, 13th District got so much attention and then Anatomy Of A Fall had pretty phenomenal critical success. How did it feel to be seen by so many in a different light? Did that confidence and new sense of identity bleed into the new album?

“When I go into the studio to write music with [creative partner and longtime collaborator] Johnny Hostile, the world outside disappears. Although it is within me and the sum of all these experiences add up to be part of who you are. However, I was not thinking about my experiences as an actor when I was writing – but there are links between artforms. Acting is an interpretation. What they have in common is that you have to think of what you want to say in the world, where your places is and what your point of view is.

“Singing or acting – they spring from that place of ‘What do I want to say?’ You’re not thinking about the superficiality of it of ‘Where do I place my hands?’ The need comes from within. What I wanted to do with this record was to reconnect with the urge of my time in Savages – maybe adding something more dangerous to it, perhaps a sense of humour as well.

“I think it was the first time I was not overthinking what I was doing. I was just enjoying the process with an unconditional trust and belief. Maybe that’s me watching too much Ted Lasso…”

Is the album basically saying, ‘Everything’s fucked, but we must move’?

“I like that! They’re your words not mine, but yes. The world is better with a good song in it, and music is a way to bring things back together. Nothing really makes sense in the end, but it’s a way to cope. It’s the same for live music: it’s a great thing that we do as a species that we should be proud of. The times are traumatic, there’s a lot of drama and pain in the world. We still consider love with a very prehistoric approach.”

And that’s what inspired the album title, right?

“The artwork of the record is a reference to all the car tags you see when lovers break up and attack their ex’s car by spraying a massive ‘TWAT’ or something like that. Me and Johnny Hostile came across a few in London. One was, ‘You cheating bastard – I’m pregnant with your child’. It’s very violent and aggressive. My friend tagged my car to make the record sleeve. That’s the echo of the world that I receive.

“Yasiin Bey said in a recent TV interview that if your heart’s not broken then your heart’s not working. If you find yourself displaced in a society that’s sick then it probably means you’re sane. One of the lyrics on the record is: ‘Anyone who does anything with their heart knows one day they’ll have it broken’. That was the starting point of the record”.

I am really looking forward to You Heartbreaker, You. One of the most distinct and remarkable artists of this time, Broken Rib shows what a compelling and brilliant talent Jehnny Beth is. If you have not dug into her music or know her from Savages, then I hope the mixtape below gives you a good impression of who this artist is. I am including some hits from Savages and Jehnny Beth and some deeper cuts. An extraordinary artist, when you look at her body of work and listen to what she is producing now, there are few others…

BETTER than her.