It has been announced that the American rapper will be the Saturday headliner at the Pyramid Stage this summer, joining fellow headliners Foo Fighters. This adds to Kanye’s recent string of media appearances following his embarrassing outburst at the Grammy awards, his guest lecture at Oxford University and his controversial performance at the BRIT awards. There is still much speculation surrounding the third and final headliner and the rest of the line-up will be announced sometime in April.
No matter what claims people may make, you can’t predict the future. It’s often difficult to tell what songs will top the charts on a given week, nevermind what music will be remembered for generations to come. There are some acts you would expect to last forever, I’m adamant that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will one day be played on the surface of Mars. There are also plenty of acts that have defied all expectations and done exceedingly well – I bet Rick Astley’s bank account is looking pretty full right now! But what about modern music, what does the future hold? Personally I think the best way for an act to ensure that they’re remembered is to follow one of three paths: Continue reading
Source: lonelythebrave instagram
There are two kinds of concerts. There are those you dream of, those you save up for and bubble over with excitement. You wait with bated breath to finally catch a glimpse of your musical idol. The ticket will be on your wall and the photos will be plastered as the background on your phone for years to come. Then there’s the second kind, concerts of convenience. Some band that you may only be vaguely aware of are playing nearby and tickets are cheap, or a friend has invited you along, or you are just in need of a night out. This was the latter, I went in as a blank slate. Continue reading
The New Zealand born radio DJ Zane Lowe has finished his final show on Radio 1. He has hosted his evening slot since 2003 but will now go on to work in an undisclosed role at Apple and be replaced by Annie Mac. Zane was a champion of new, upcoming bands and artists and has played a pivotal part in many acts making it big. The hashtag #thankszane trended on Twitter and included comments from Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, The National, Biffy Clyro and Jamie T.
This cult band have recently emerged from the woodwork and into the spotlight. Their latest release ‘Lost in a Dream’ was the most critically acclaimed album of 2014 and has been chosen as album of the year by numerous publications. The more you listen to it the more the music grows on you. Their brand of ethereal Americana tugs at your heart and it has led to comparisons with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. I made my way to their gig in Nottingham, braving illness and torrential rain, to witness the magic first hand. Continue reading
Don McLean – American Pie
I’m fairly sure most people in the civilised world know the chorus to McLean’s opus ‘American Pie’ and would quite happily sing it at the top of their voice. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, if complex, song about a dark day in music history. The other highlight of the album is ‘Vincent’, his ode to Van Gogh. A picture is worth a thousand words but in just a few minutes McLean sums up the beauty of both one the most incredible paintings in the world and the wonderful man who created it.
Carole King – Tapestry
Carole King had been writing hit songs for years before she decided to try singing them for herself instead of writing for others. The album includes ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow?’ which were made famous by Aretha Franklin and The Shirelles respectively. Here they are sung in the stripped back manner in which they were created, as well as ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ which would later go on to be a #1 hit for James Taylor.
Nick Drake – Bryter Layter
Whilst his first and last albums were simple an somber, here on his second album Nick Drake creates a soundscape that is wistful and uplifting. The music and lyrics fill your mind with enchanting scenery of your own design. One moment you feel as though you are strolling by the river in Paris and the next you are drifting through the ‘Northern Sky’. Honestly some of the most innocent and beautiful music ever created.
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Simple poetry and melancholy. It’s a very personal album, listening to is like hearing Joni confess all her troubles, unload all the hurt and the sorrow. She has the voice of an angel and as a whole ‘Blue’ sums up the appeal of so called Singer-Songwriters (a term I usually abstain from using), a deep sense of intimacy and honesty.
James Taylor – Sweet Baby James
James Taylor is certainly one of the first people to enter my thoughts when someone says singer-songwriter. ‘Sweet Baby James’ features contains his finest song, ‘Fire and Rain’. It’s all his troubles summed up in a single song; the loss of a friend, his battle with drugs and depression and his struggle to come to terms with fame.
This is the first of what I hope to be another regular feature. A playlist every couple of months or so to summarise the highlights of music that has been reviewed, both live and album reviews. (note: I’ll try and get it formatted a bit nicer for my next playlist post) Continue reading
The biggest music awards in Britain (the clue is in the name) have delivered a memorable evening of thrills and spills. The big winner of the night was Ed Sheeran picking up best album and best male. Sam Smith, who cleaned up at the Grammys, walked away with the award for best breakthrough act. Paloma Faith won best female, Royal Blood won best group and Mark Ronson won the award for best single for ‘Uptown Funk’. The international categories for best male, female and group were won by Pharrell Williams, Taylor Swift and Foo Fighters respectively. Many of the night’s winners also performed as well as George Ezra and Take That. One of the big talking points of the evening though was Madonna’s big fall after she was blown offstage by a wind machine thanks to her large cape.
What are your thoughts on the awards? Personally I think the results were hardly surprising, that generally the right people won and the ceremony featured some good performances.
The tandem festivals of Reading and Leeds have been widely criticized for having a sexist line-up. Out of the nearly 100 acts thus far announced only nine of them feature at least a single female member. While a male-centric festival line up isn’t anything new, the above image certainly emphasizes just how big the difference is. I certainly don’t see it as a deliberate exclusion of women, more of a matter of genre. Less and less women are getting into rock music and making it big. The line-up just shows how big the gap in the musical market is and how far both the industry and society have to go to even things out.
Belwood Music 