The rock legends have had to reschedule the final 10 dates of their Rock or Bust Tour due to medical reasons. Frontman Brian Johnson has been told by doctors that carrying on would risk total hearing loss. The rescheduled concerts later in the year will most likely involve a guest vocalist, but given this latest development in a long list of misfortunes the future of the band has been called into question.
Soul music has started making a long overdue comeback. In it’s heyday it was some of the most powerful and emotional music ever recorded, so it’s no surprise that a new generation of talented people are trying to relive the glory days. One such rising star is this Detroit born singer/songwriter. She started out just writing simple arrangements, with percussion on laundry baskets and singing the parts of other instruments, working towards the day when she had a real band behind her. Her spellbinding voice on songs like ‘Honey’ and ‘Slipping’ and her compelling lyrics on ‘Have Mercy’ and ‘How Many Times’ make her one of the most enchanting new singers around. She was even personally chosen by Prince to provide vocals on his protest song ‘Baltimore’, and there are few recommendations better than that!
Any fans of Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone should definitely check out Eryn’s two Aviary EPs.
Following growing rumours about an imminent breakup, the rock titans faced up to them in their trademark tongue-in-cheek style. The band released a spoof announcement video that features frontman Dave Grohl going solo and electronic and the rest of the band brainstorming ideas for a new lead singer, eventually settling on American pop singer Nick Lachey. The band have made it clear that they are in no danger of breaking up, however they will be taking an indefinite hiatus.
The team behind the world famous Coachella festival have announced the first ever Panorama festival in New York. Brought about as a rival to the Governor’s Ball festival that is held at the same venue, it’s first ever headliners are Arcade Fire, Kendrick Lamar and LCD Soundsystem. As far as festivals go, the more the merrier, and with a strong debut line-up it looks like Panorama is here to stay.
Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro and American pop punk band Fall Out Boy have been announced as the final co-headliners for the twin festivals. They will be joining the ranks of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals and Disclosure. While one can appreciate the organisers trying to pack in as much content as possible, it is unclear quite how they will work out the logistics of having two lots of co-headline acts.
Boston – Boston
The brainchild of musical maestro Tom Scholz, recorded almost entirely in his basement. The record label didn’t like this unprofessional approach, so Scholz had the rest of the band act as a decoy in the studio so he could carry on creating the album at home at his own pace. It had a revolutionary guitar sound that was the product of effects designed by Scholz himself. It helped influence a generation of rock bands and cost a tiny fraction of the cost to produce a regular album.
Eagles – Hotel California
The greatest achievement by one of America’s quintessential rock bands. It is a concept album that looks at the dark side of the American dream, as well as the prominent hedonism and excess in the music industry at the time. It contains some of their most famous songs, most notably the title track and ‘Life in the Fast Lane’, and has since become one of the best selling albums of all time.
Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
With their first two albums Bon Jovi had found little success either critically or commercially, but clearly it was third time’s the charm as they soon became a household name across the globe. They have since become one of the most successful bands in history but this is where they really kicked off, and it includes their biggest hits: ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’, ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’.
Journey – Escape
The band had been shuffling round a fair bit since their prog debut with former members of Santana. Now on their seven studio album, Jonathan Cain joined as keyboardist and as one of the key songwriters. With the band’s classic line-up all together for the first time they produced hit after hit. On Escape they could do no wrong and with Steve Perry’s incredible vocals they became one of the best selling bands of the time.
Rock power trio Muse have been announced as the Friday headliners for this year’s Glastonbury festival. They have now become the first band to headline each night of the festival, having played the Saturday and Sunday top slots in 2010 and 2004 respectively. They are sure to put on a show as their latest world tour has featured drones and impressive light displays in what the band has described as a “360-degree audio/visual sensory experience”. Although they are considered one of the best live acts around, the festival has been criticized for not selecting someone either new or exclusive to Glastonbury.
The Brit Awards, or any awards ceremony for that matter, rarely stray too far from controversy. Following in the footsteps of the Oscars the Brits have been accused of being “blind to black British talent”, as well as being too safe and commercialised. A number of celebrities have criticised the lack of prominent Grime artists such as Skepta and Stormzy and have even gone so far as boycotting the ceremony. How big is the issue here and how much do the Brits need to change? Continue reading
Wintersleep – The Great Detachment
Belwood Music 