The Canadian singer/songwriter made the decision to remove his music from streaming services after he claimed the sound was “the worst quality in the history of broadcasting”. He stated that he’d be willing to allow his music to stream again if the sound quality improved. This isn’t the first time Young has gone off the rails over sound quality, also dissatisfied with the quality of mp3 files he’s worked to produce his high fidelity ‘Pono’ player although it has found little success.
Singer/songwriter superstar Ed Sheeran has become the first artist to headline Wembley Stadium without the aid of a backing band. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing as he has performed 3 sold out shows over the course of the weekend, just him, his guitar and his array of effects pedals (oh, and Elton John making a brief surprise appearance). It adds to Ed’s other recent success in that his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ has become the first song to spend a whole year in the UK top 40.
The Blur frontman was recently carried offstage by his stage manager when his headline set at Denmark’s famous Roskilde Festival exceeded 5 hours in length. Albarn and Africa Express (one of his many side projects) played a lengthy set that included a reimagining of various Gorillaz songs and special guests which included soul singer Laura Mvula. You have to salute both his and the audience’s stamina as they all seemed eager for more. As he was carried away he encouraged the crowd to sing The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’.
The Foo Fighters frontman has performed from his own custom chair for dates on the band’s US tour after he broke his leg during a gig in Sweden. Grohl say’s that he designed the chair – which is based on the Iron Throne from Game Of Thrones – whilst he was ‘high as a kite’ on painkillers. It features numerous guitar necks as well as the band’s logo. He is undoubtedly making the best out of a bad situation and as much as I wish him a speedy recovery, I want to see plenty more of his creation while his leg heals over the upcoming tour.
Eager for my first summer festival experience I decided to start small. To be honest I don’t think I could’ve picked a better place to start. This welcoming little gathering has an astonishing record for discovering new talent and it’s hardly surprising that it has won awards for best independent festival. With a line-up that for me was beaten only by Glastonbury, I set out under the glorious summer sun to see some old favourites and discover some new incredible music. Continue reading
The cult jam band have returned for a celebration of the group’s long illustrious career. The surviving members of the classic line-up have reunited for a series of shows in California for an eager crowd of ‘Deadheads’. It is their first performance together as The Grateful Dead in 20 years. Tickets were in high demand and have been resold at prices as high as $15000. The first of the shows concluded with a rainbow over the stage which has been suggested as being too much of a coincidence and it has been suggested that it was created artificially.
Celebrated bassist Chris Squire has died age 67 from leukaemia. A founding member of the progressive rock band Yes, and the only member to appear on every album, his skilful playing has influenced such other great bassists as Geddy Lee of Rush, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and Les Claypool of Primus.
Few bands can truly be called timeless. Few bands are so beloved by every generation in the way that Fleetwood Mac is. ‘Rumours’ is one of the finest albums ever made and it is a grand jewel in the crown that is their glorious discography. After renowned vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie’s triumphant return to the band after a hiatus of over 15 years, the classic line-up has embarked on a gargantuan world tour to celebrate. I consider myself truly blessed to have been in attendance. Continue reading
It’s been a bumpy ride but the world’s biggest and most important music festival has concluded for another year. Thankfully for those of us who live too far away, those who can’t afford a ticket and those who don’t fancy trying to scale the Great Wall of Glasto; the BBC have provided tireless coverage across the major stages. The next best thing to seeing the greatest show on earth in person is to watch it warm and dry at home with a cup of tea. Here are my highlights of the festival coverage from across the weekend: Continue reading
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