FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Harry Styles at Thirty: The Ultimate Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Styles

Harry Styles at Thirty: The Ultimate Playlist

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ON 1st February…

PHOTO CREDIT: Amanda Fordyce for Rolling Stone

a global megastar turns thirty. Harry Styles is one of the most recognised and respected artists in the world. His third studio album, 2022’s Harry’s House, is his best yet. Formerly with boyband One Direction, Styles has really blossomed as a solo artist. Not only establishing himself as a phenomenal songwriter; he is also one of the greatest live performers of his generation. I am going to end this feature with a playlist of his best solo tracks to date. Before that, AllMusic provide detailed biography of the amazing Harry Styles:

“Global pop superstar, songwriter, actor, and social advocate Harry Styles transitioned from boy band fame to massive solo success with his anthemic pop-rock hits, iconic fashion sense, and crossover appeal. As a member of the British boy band One Direction, he topped the charts in the early 2010s, toured the world to play for millions of screaming fans, and sold albums by the bucketload. Branching out on his own in 2016, his solo material took a more rock-influenced approach -- reflecting the influence of childhood favorites Queen, Elton John, and the Beatles -- while still delivering the pop sound his faithful fans desired. His debut set, Harry Styles, reached number one across the globe and he soared to greater heights in 2019 with his multi-platinum follow-up, Fine Line, home to the Grammy- and Brit-winning smash "Watermelon Sugar." More accolades followed for Styles with 2022's Harry's House, another Grammy-winning, worldwide chart-topper that was supported by a record-breaking, two-year tour.

Born in Redditch, England, in 1994, Styles was raised in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, and he made his first foray into music with a high school band named White Eskimo. In 2010, he left home and joined the seventh season of The X Factor, where fate (and Simon Cowell) would eventually lead him toward a life-changing opportunity with four other young men. As One Direction, Styles and his bandmates Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne would release five albums from 2011 to 2015, hitting number one across the globe and selling millions of records to an adoring and rabid fan base that drew comparisons to the fervor at the height of Beatlemania. In early 2016, after Malik had already parted ways with 1D, the remaining foursome announced an indefinite hiatus.

Months later, Styles signed a solo deal with Columbia. Reflecting the influence of childhood favorites like Queen, Elton John, and the Beatles, Styles' solo material took a more serious and rock-based approach, while still delivering the pop sound his faithful 1D fans desired. With the help of Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker (who had worked with Kanye West and Bruno Mars), Styles put together a small band and, after rehearsing the songs, headed to Jamaica for two months to record an album. The plaintive "Sign of the Times" was released as its first single in April 2017 and quickly rose to the top of the charts across Europe. The self-titled full-length followed in May and debuted at the top of the charts in Australia, the U.S., and across Europe. Later that summer, he made his movie debut as a soldier in Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning epic Dunkirk, which was the top film in the U.S. the week of its release, making Styles the first British artist to secure a number one debut single, album, and film in the same year. He set off on a lengthy worldwide tour that lasted from September 2017 through July 2018, then began recording his second album with producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, both of whom worked on his debut.

Taking time off from the sessions -- which took place at various studios in California, England, and Nashville -- in 2019, Styles inducted Stevie Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, co-hosted the Met Gala, and modeled for Gucci. The finished album, Fine Line, was released in December and found the singer adding influences as varied as Childish Gambino-styled funk and Bon Iver-esque Baroque folk to his repertoire. While the hit single "Adore You" made a splash around the world, the multi-platinum, international Top Five smash "Watermelon Sugar" was ubiquitous in 2020, taking home a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and winning a Brit Award for British Single of the Year in 2021. He also added additional acting credits to his résumé that year, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Eros in the film Eternals and the casts of Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman.

When his Love on Tour kicked off in late 2021, Styles added a headlining slot at 2022's installment of Coachella to his schedule. He also released the driving synth-forward single "As It Was," which topped charts in over two dozen countries across the globe. That song landed on his third full-length, Harry's House, which arrived in May. Produced yet again by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, the '70s-inspired pop LP featured guests John Mayer, Pino Palladino, Blood Orange, and Ben Harper. It also topped numerous global charts, including in the U.K. and on the Billboard 200, and took home the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. In between tour dates, Styles found the time to star in 2022's Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman. In late July 2023, Love on Tour concluded, becoming the tenth highest-grossing tour of all time”.

To nod to a music colossus turning thirty on 1st February, I am have collated a playlist with some of his amazing tracks. There are some deeper cuts alongside the bigger tracks. I hope that those not familiar with Harry Styles’ music will connect and find something they like. He is a remarkable artist. One is going to enjoy a long solo career. An actor too, I am predicting this year will be pretty busy for him. In terms of his fashion, live sets, music and words, there is nobody in music like him. He is an artist…

WE should treasure.

FEATURE: Groovelines: The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon

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THERE are songs from…

some of music’s queens I will feature in upcoming editions of Groovelines. For this, however, I wanted to dig deep with one of The Kinks’ best-loved songs. Later this year, it will be sixty years since the band released their eponymous album. I was thinking about artists that have this run of golden albums. Where they barely put a note wrong! Who enjoyed the longest golden spell? One could argue Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds perhaps. Maybe Björk. Perhaps not The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. One of their peers, The Kinks, definitely can lay a claim. Even if their 1964 debut was not their best album, they hit their stride on their third studio album, 1965’s The Kink Kontroversy. With only the 1971 soundtrack, Percy, breaking (briefly) that spell, maybe 1973’s Preservation Act 1 was the first creative dip. Count the album up and that is eight albums across eight years where The Kinks were on top huge. The fact that they produced so much material in that time proves why they are among the most influential and respected bands ever. Led by Ray Davies’ wonderful songwriting and his observations on English life and the more eccentric side of things, they were a pleasing alternative to their peers. I think they do not get as much credit as bands like The Beatles – even though one can argue The Kinks were more consistent. Whereas The Kinks’ best albums were not quite as massive as The Beatles’, I feel that Ray Davies’ songwriting and the brilliance of The Kinks in the 1960s should be talked about more. One of the most remarkable periods of creativity and musical genius in history. I wanted to focus on a particularly special song from The Kinks. It would be great to see an animated video for this song at some point.

Appearing on 1966’s Face to Face, this came a year before the Summer of Love. I feel like there are mellow and loving vibes through Sunny Afternoon. A gorgeous and timeless song that was released on 3rd June, 1966, I can only imagine the react people had listening to the song for the first time. Alongside Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory, Ray Davies penned this astonishing song. One that went to the top of the charts in the U.K., the London band released a masterpiece. A song that Ray Davies wrote when he was ill. Before moving onto some features about Sunny Afternoon, this Wikipedia about how the classic came to be:

“Davies explained of the circumstances in which the song was written and recorded:

"Sunny Afternoon" was made very quickly, in the morning, it was one of our most atmospheric sessions. I still like to keep tapes of the few minutes before the final take, things that happen before the session. Maybe it's superstitious, but I believe if I had done things differently—if I had walked around the studio or gone out—it wouldn't have turned out that way. The bass player went off and started playing funny little classical things on the bass, more like a lead guitar: and Nicky Hopkins, who was playing piano on that session, was playing "Liza"—we always used to play that song—little things like that helped us get into the feeling of the song. At the time I wrote "Sunny Afternoon" I couldn't listen to anything. I was only playing the greatest hits of Frank Sinatra and Dylan's "Maggie's Farm"—I just liked its whole presence, I was playing the Bringing It All Back Home LP along with my Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller and Bach—it was a strange time. I thought they all helped one another, they went into the chromatic part that's in the back of the song. I once made a drawing of my voice on "Sunny Afternoon". It was a leaf with a very thick outline—a big blob in the background—the leaf just cutting through it”.

I do marvel at The Kinks in the 1960s and how many superb albums they released. In 2021, Far Out provided the story behind the majestic Sunny Afternoon. A song, at least in part, inspired by Bob Dylan, I think it is one of the defining songs of the 1960s. Something that instantly connects with everyone. Showcasing Ray Davies’ knack of writing something simply and universal that stands the test of time, I wonder how many songwriters today are influenced by The Kinks and brilliant songs like Sunny Afternoon. I feel that there is a real gap for a modern artist to learn from The Kinks’ songbook:

“Sunny Afternoon’ was written by Ray Davies when he was tired, sick and lonely in London. Given the chance to write some music to express himself, there was only one track that would come out. He once said, “I’d bought a white upright piano. I hadn’t written for a time. I’d been ill. I was living in a very 1960s-decorated house. It had orange walls and green furniture. My one-year-old daughter was crawling on the floor and I wrote the opening riff. I remember it vividly. I was wearing a polo-neck sweater.” The Kinks had been gaining huge success and, while they continued to live in Britain and maintain their citizenship, Davies was not happy about his situation.

The song’s lyrics referred to the high levels of progressive taxes that the British Labour Government of Harold Wilson used to levy on high earners — something The Kinks had just become. While the backstory to the track was more political than it led on, with its breezy music and poppy rhythm, it came out of how poorly Davies felt when he was sick. Davies felt screwed by his government, having worked up the ladder to reach unchartered heights only to have his account ransacked. “The only way I could interpret how I felt was through a dusty, fallen aristocrat who had come from old money as opposed to the wealth I had created for myself.”

It’s not just a track about a rich man becoming slightly poorer, the song also mocked the affluent sections of the society and their lifestyle. This is where the brilliance of the song lies. Davies didn’t want his audience to sympathise with the misfortunes of the protagonist of the story he wanted them to be expressed but, having been a working class lad himself, he knew he’d find no empathy in his audience.

So, he portrayed him as “a scoundrel who fought with his girlfriend after a night of drunkenness and cruelty.” Referring to the line in the song, “I got a big fat mama trying to break me”, Davies said, it “alludes to the government, the British Empire, trying to break people. And they’re still doing it. How are we going to get out of this f—ing mess?” On the contrary, the song may also have hinted to the simpler joys of life, like “lazing on a sunny afternoon in the summertime.”

Ray Davies was always a man who worked far beyond his years and it seemingly drifted into his vocal tone too. “I did it in one take and when I heard it back, I said, ‘No, let me do it properly,’ but the session was out of time. So that was the vocal,” he explained. “I heard it again the other day. I was 22 but I sound like someone about 40 who’s been through the mill. I really hang on some of the notes. A joyous song, though, even if it’s suppressed joy. I had real fun writing that.”

He said, “I once made a drawing of my voice on ‘Sunny Afternoon’. It was a leaf with a very thick outline—a big blob in the background—the leaf just cutting through it.” The song may well have some complex originations but it is also one of the most sincere and authentic cuts from the band. Much of that may be down to the song’s spontaneous recording sessions: “‘Sunny Afternoon’ was made very quickly, in the morning, it was one of our most atmospheric sessions. I still like to keep tapes of the few minutes before the final take, things that happen before the session. Maybe it’s superstitious, but I believe if I had done things differently—if I had walked around the studio or gone out—it wouldn’t have turned out that way.” The singer speaks candidly about the circumstances surrounding the studio at the time.

“The bass player went off and started playing funny little classical things on the bass, more like a lead guitar: and Nicky Hopkins,” continued Davies, “Who was playing piano on that session, was playing ‘Liza’—we always used to play that song—little things like that helped us get into the feeling of the song. At the time I wrote ‘Sunny Afternoon’ I couldn’t listen to anything. I was only playing The Greatest Hits of Frank Sinatra and Dylan’s ‘Maggie’s Farm’—I just liked its whole presence, I was playing the Bringing It All Back Home LP along with my Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller and Bach—it was a strange time. I thought they all helped one another, they went into the chromatic part that’s in the back of the song.”

‘Sunny Afternoon’, which was released as a single on June 3rd, 1966, was the third and final number one hit for The Kinks in the UK. More than that, it remains one of the go-to songs for any lazy afternoon, sunny or otherwise”.

Produced by Shel Talmy, Sunny Afternoon has been compared to Taxman by The Beatles. That song appeared on 1966’s Revolver. Maybe a fertile time for songwriters feeling exploited by the taxman – and the high level of progressive tax taken by Labour’s Prime Minister Harold Wilson -, there is that balance of romantic summery breeze and something more stifling and anxiety-ridden. Perhaps not as overtly beautiful and care-free as Waterloo Sunset, I have always thought about Sunny Afternoon as being purely care-free. The more you listen and dig, the more other layers and elements come to life:

“The chorus, with its catchy melody, adds a touch of irony to the song. The line “Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze” portrays a plea for help, but it is followed by the humorous image of a “big fat mama tryna break me.” It highlights the absurdity of the situations we sometimes find ourselves in and the need for escapism.

In the second verse, the song takes a more personal turn as the protagonist’s girlfriend leaves him, taking his car with her. He finds solace in simply “lazin’ on a sunny afternoon,” sipping on his ice-cold beer. It reflects the bittersweet nature of life, where even in the face of hardships, we can find moments of peace and contentment.

What makes “Sunny Afternoon” truly special is its relatability. We have all experienced financial struggles or heartbreak at some point in our lives. The Kinks capture these universal emotions through their clever lyrics and catchy melodies, making the song timeless.

Aside from its lyrical depth, the song also showcases The Kinks’ musical talents. The band’s signature sound, with Ray Davies’ distinct vocals and Dave Davies’ skillful guitar playing, shines through in “Sunny Afternoon.” The addition of piano and harmonium, played by Nicky Hopkins, adds an extra layer of richness to the song.

Being a music teacher, I often use “Sunny Afternoon” as a teaching tool. Not only does it provide a great example of songwriting and arrangement, but it also sparks meaningful discussions about the socio-economic themes addressed in the lyrics. My students always enjoy dissecting the meaning behind the song and analyzing its musical elements.

In conclusion, “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks is more than just a catchy tune; it is a poignant reflection on the complexities of life. Its timeless appeal lies in its relatability and musical craftsmanship. Whether you’re a fan of The Kinks or discovering the song for the first time, “Sunny Afternoon” is sure to leave a lasting impression”.

A departure in terms of style and a move away from the Rock-driven sound of previous work, Billboard were among those to praise the more offbeat musical style and politically relevant lyrics. Through the lens of an aristocrat who loses a lot because of taxation, it is biting as it is calming and singalong. Ray Davies has expressed his surprise that the song is so popular and has been taken to heart through the years. The classic was featured in and was the title song of West End musical Sunny Afternoon. The year after Sunny Afternoon and Face to Face arrived, The Kinks released Something Else by the Kinks. Maybe sitting alongside 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society as their best work, I think that Sunny Afternoon is one of the best things they ever recorded. With a vocal and composition that sounds distinctly '60s in nature, the lyrics and situation of the song can relate to any time period. The brilliance of Ray Davies’ songwriting! Put this magnificent song on and…

SING at the top of your lungs.

FEATURE: Revisiting… YUNGBLUD - YUNGBLUD

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

YUNGBLUD - YUNGBLUD

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EVEN though…

I heard this album when it came out in 2022, it gained new context and insight when I saw the episode of Louis Theroux Interviews with YUNGBLUD. That was such a revealing and interesting episode. We got to know a lot more about Doncaster’s Dominic Harrison. His third studio album might be his best-received yet. Even so, you do not hear it played a whole lot now. It is worth bringing in a couple of reviews for the YUNGBLUD album. I wanted to start out with a snippet of the interview from NPR. They spoke with YUNGBLUD in September 2022 about his eponymous album. The album was released that month. It went to number one in the U.K. and forty-five in the U.S. A big success for an album that clearly connected with a lot of people:

“RASCOE: You know, listening to your album, like, the music is very upbeat. It's very energized.

YUNGBLUD: I wanted to internalize and, like, reflect my personality because I see myself as someone who is confidently insecure. I have a lot of anxiety inside myself. I'm quite bad at communicating, and I'm really insecure. But I'm really loud, and I'm really energetic, and I wanted to kind of reflect that in my music. That's why I self-titled it. I was like, this is Yungblud. This is what it's about.

YUNGBLUD: I needed this defiant yet euphoric sound. I think when you, like, find the sound of what your next album is going to be, it almost has to find you first. You know, I mean, it's like that bit in Harry Potter. It's like, the wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. You know, I mean, it's almost got to fall in your lap.

RASCOE: In this album, you definitely go deep into some very painful things. You have lyrics that deal with thoughts of suicide.

YUNGBLUD: (Singing) Don't leave me alone 'cause I won't survive it.

RASCOE: You've been open in the past about the fact that you've attempted suicide. What do you want people to take from those sorts of lyrics. And are you ever concerned that listeners might misinterpret what you're saying?

YUNGBLUD: People need truth. Music lacks truth at the minute, in my opinion. A lot of people have dark thoughts. And the world tells us to bury them and to not talk about them because, again, it might make you look a bit strange.

YUNGBLUD: (Singing) 'Cause I know I don't want to do what the cruel kids do. I want a better life.

But that's the most dangerous thing in the world. I want to be a vehicle for people's expression, if you are feeling sad or you're feeling dark OR you're having extremely dark thoughts. I spoke about them. I put them in my music. And it suppressed them - allows me to let them go because I let them out.

RASCOE: Let's talk about "I Cry 2." I mean, it's supposed to be, maybe, a critique of mainstream culture as you see it.

YUNGBLUD: What was so beautiful about this song is it started about me looking at my mate. He was finding it really hard to express his emotions, and, like - so there's still a massive stigma in males, you know what I mean? And I sat opposite him. I'm like, listen. It's all right.

YUNGBLUD: (Singing) But I won't tell if you don't want me to. Let's keep it between us, if that's what you want to do. And I know you're hurting, but I know you're getting through. It's all right, mate. I cry, too. It's all right, mate. I cry, too.

And I'm sat there, and I'm like, listen, it's all right. I go through this. I understand where you're coming from. With me, everyone had an opinion on my sexuality and my gender because, again, I tell the truth. Like, I am not going to sit here and dance around or say just about enough that my publicist wants me to. And I found myself get a turning point through this song because I was telling my mate that it's all right to express himself. And I'm like, well, that's me.

RASCOE: When you talk about your truth, I know you've said that you're pansexual. Do you - like, is that part of where you felt like you got pushback?

YUNGBLUD: Yeah. If you go, this is where I'm at, and I'm proud of that, it's like, no, you're not. If someone says that - something and wants to express themselves in a certain way, I think that should be uplifted and celebrated. And that's why I put that lyric in - is that everybody online keeps saying I'm not really gay. Well, I'll start dating men when they go to therapy. You know what I mean? I wanted to take the piss out of it instead of letting it hurt me”.

Named Rolling Stone’s Artist of the Year for 2022, they spent timer with him on the road for an interview. It was a deep and interesting talk with YUNGBLUD. They note how he is the exemplification of a Gen Z Rock artist. A reason why I think that his eponymous album should be played and discussed more:

“To say Yungblud has been a divisive presence in British pop culture over the past five years would be putting it more mildly than anything Harrison has said in his life. For all the hostility, there is the adoration, the fans who run up to him to overshare and worship. “Imagine walking down the street and everyone loves you or thinks you’re a fucking c*nt and hates you,” he says. “There’s hatred for you. You sign up for it and then it happens and you’re like… holy shit.”

To elicit this sort of reaction, you have to be as distinctive and recognisable as the McDonald’s logo. Yungblud looks like Beelzebub cast by Tim Burton, the Joker dressed in Hot Topic or Sid Vicious signed to a modelling agency. He is loud in every way and his messaging is neither subtle nor layered. He always wears pink socks to encourage his fans to do the same and posts black hearts online as a visual sign-off. Where other artists might focus on world-building or Easter eggs for fans, he is direct. If Busted or McFly played Britpop covers, you’d be close to a Yungblud album. As he readily admits, music has not been the most important part of what he does.

Yungblud followed an influencer business model to success. He exemplifies the way in which musicians must increasingly be social media creators before anything else. He had a meeting with Musical.ly before it was TikTok because he thought it was the future of music. “Look how big TikTok became. TikTok is like grunge to me. It’s the same shit as when someone shaved their head for the first time with punk. It’s just expression every time,” he says, adding, “My whole career came from me looking into an iPhone.” He follows TikTok trends online to see if there’s something he can recreate and he does it. For example, he recently saw that the LA Western-themed bar Saddle Ranch was discovered by users of the app, so he went there and did a video on the mechanical bull, screaming at fans to buy tickets to his US tour. He has conversations with people younger than him, like Jxdn Hossler and Travis Barker’s son Landon to understand how to keep growing his audience.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kosmas Pavlos

Not long ago, Harrison would wake up through the night to post on social media. He didn’t trust anyone to care as much about his online engagement as him. “I’m not an industry plant, I’m in Japan, awake at 4am to post this video,” he tells me. “But then I’m vibing — I’m still like: ‘Sick, I’m in Japan. Wow.’” That changed a few months ago because of the global growth in his profile. His team expanded to a 35-strong crew and he has three different managers. His social media is now run in part by Jules, a 19-year-old who created the most followed Yungblud fan account. Finally, he says half-jokingly, someone who would understand the importance of waking up at 4am to post.

The idea of him cancelling a run of shows because he’s exhausted is unthinkable (he sees his diagnosed ADHD as both a disadvantage and a superpower). His day-to-day tour manager explains how, after playing shows in Australia then flying to New York on a 23-hour round trip for pre-album promo, he woke up in the night and threw up from the jetlag. From there, they all went on to LA, then Amsterdam for two days and back to London for 24 hours, before going back to LA for 24 hours and then Japan. Join Harrison’s team and you are told: don’t try to keep up with him — you can’t.

Through sheer force of turning up every day as Yungblud and working in this crazed manner, he proved he can no longer be ignored as a legitimate pop-rock contender. After being initially signed in the US, and feeling snubbed by the UK, Harrison’s luck in his own country recently began to change. The first two albums were criticised for being sonically unremarkable and for clumsy lyrics that covered gender, sexual assault and mental health. But over the past 12 months, he’s achieved ubiquitousness in the British mainstream media and is close to becoming a younger household name like Lewis Capaldi or Rita Ora. In an age where beige homegrown celebrities dominate our attention domestically, Yungblud as an entity is refreshing. That media presence and personality among neutered stars who never say — or embody — much of anything at all (he will take a stab at prejudice against trans people, homelessness, most pertinent issues) is notable.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kosmas Pavlos

His 2022 self-titled third album altered the narrative around him on its own merit — it reached number one in the UK album chart (his second record to reach the top spot) and most reviewers were surprised. The verdict: Yungblud was… all right. He starred in his own episode of Louis Theroux’s new interview-format BBC show (other featured names include British A-listers Stormzy and Judi Dench) and played a primetime slot this year at Glastonbury on the hallowed John Peel stage, which, to him, was evidence of his UK breakthrough.

“No one wanted to admit I was as big as I was and I will admit at times… bruv, it hurt, it got to me,” Harrison says. “Without sounding wanky or self-important, Glasto felt like retribution for me. Two years ago, it felt like exactly the sort of place Yungblud shouldn’t belong, but I so badly wanted to be a part of it.”

Harrison feels extremely Gen Z himself and that’s part of the problem of how he’s perceived by older generations. “When I look at The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys, they’re such a different generation to me,” he says. “When they speak, they’re profound now. I don’t want to be profound yet, I want to be on the fucking tarmac, on the ground. I love Matty [Healy] and I love Alex [Turner] but I don’t relate to them as much as I used to. They’re older and it’s all very serious.” He lurches across the table and back again to demonstrate his comprehension of them. “I’m there and then I’m not. We’re absolutely a generation apart, there’s a big difference between us. Different brains, different way of communicating. Personally, I relate to Mac Miller, Billie Eilish, Lil Peep and Lil Nas X. That’s where my head is at.” 

PHOTO CREDIT: Kosmas Pavlos

Over food, he explains why he’s never proclaimed to be a musical genius. “I wanna be that feeling of throwing paint at the wall and sometimes it’s gonna be a masterpiece and sometimes it’s gonna fucking suck,” he says. “I look at truly great British artists like Amy Winehouse or Arctic Monkeys or Sam Fender, they have their critically acclaimed albums on [album] one or two or three. I am not like them, I will never be like them. My masterpiece is not Back to Black or Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.It’s a 35-year career of making other people feel like they can express themselves. They are about the music; I am about the fucking people.” Harrison’s voice has changed: he is starting to speak in declarations and Yungblud has been switched on.

Can he be brutally honest with me? “I don’t give a fuck what people rate my albums as. It’s not about being critically acclaimed to me, it’s about connecting to people.” To me, a critic, who will not deter him from making more work: “Ultimately, I love you, but I don’t give a fuck. But I like to read [reviews] because it’s fun. I like seeing how people’s minds work.” He goes on to speak about the recent reviews for Yungblud. The long and considered Guardian piece (three stars) he enjoyed but not the snarkier Pitchfork one (four-and-a-half out of a maximum 10). At least the Guardian review interrogated his actual music, he says, and didn’t just feel like a hit piece”.

I shall end with a couple of reviews for YUINGBLUD. Even though they suggest YUNGBLUD is on his way to something great and he will produce his best work down the line, Rolling Stone recognised how there is this singalong quality to the album. Perfect for arena tours. It is also an album that mixes and jumps between genres. A mixture of darker themes and big energy. Something that you do not get from every artist. An ability to deal with some deeper themes and wrap it in something uplifting and energised. Whereas some critics did not feel the lyrics has depth or much clout, others disagreed. Maybe an album that divided people. I feel it is much better than people gave it credit for. One that needs revisiting:

“THE ENGLISH SUPERNOVA Yungblud—real name Dominic Richard Harrison, hailing from South Yorkshire—has been an anti-pop star since his 2018 breakthrough, amassing fans and ink with his insistent hooks, soul-exposing lyrics, and endlessly quotable interviews. His third album is self-titled, which implies a reset—although if anything, Yungblud’s version involves scaling up as much as possible.

Yungblud is a whirlwind listen, fusing together building blocks of various rock subgenres—mostly Britpop’s hip-shaking carnality and emo’s on-the-brink wails—then spit-shining them a bit before adding confessional lyrics. (He’s not baring everything, mind you; the Autotune effect on “I CRY 2,” which gives the titular verb the blurred-face treatment, is a musical signal that keeping his friends’ secrets is just as important as broadcasting his own.) Yungblud has said that he wants to avoid the viral-sensation frenzies that resulted from his earlier singles, which led him to festival stages and collaborations with the likes of Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly. But the brash, guitar-laden hard-candy rockers on Yungblud, which was assembled by the artist alongside producer Chris Greatti (Willow, Poppy) and musician Jordan Gable, are ripe for arena-crowd singalongs and TikTok soundtracks.

The 12-track album opens with “The Funeral,” which channels the gothy flamboyance of My Chemical Romance, Yungblud’s snarl sounding like the British cousin of MCR leader Gerard Way’s wail. “Tissues” plucks the rhythm from The Cure’s bashfully infatuated 1985 cut “Close To Me” and blows it up larger than life, then uses it as a basis for a strenuous, if wary love song: “I’m in love again/ and tomorrow I’ll be sad,” Yungblud howls on the brightly spangled chorus, with extra emphasis on that last word. On “Memories,” a slash-and-burn breakup chronicle that possesses the harried pace of ‘00s electropop sleaze, Willow plays the role of Yungblud’s superego, her spat-out criticisms revealing the wellspring of Yungblud’s overwhelming angst. On Yungblud, the 25-year-old polymath wrestles with sex and death, love and hate, and other seemingly diametrically opposed notions, trying to find salvation in huge riffs and throat-scorching caterwauls. There are lighter moments; “Don’t Feel Like Feelin’ Sad Today” sounds like a road-trip anthem, with sunburst guitars and a galloping bassline, but it’s actually a wish that Yungblud could just stay in bed (and away from the internet) with a close confidant, while “Sweet Heroine” is a gently spectral love song with tender lyrics about how addiction can ruin a relationship. It’s far from the only reflective song on the hyper-stimulated Yungblud, but it’s the one that best shows where he might take his artistry in the years to come”.

I am going to end with a review from NME. Declaring YUNGBLUD to be his most confident and cohesive album yet, the mixture of love, sincerity and vulnerability that goes into the songs will not doubt ruffle feathers with some critics. YUNGBLUD’s response is, as NME say, to kill the critics with kindness:

“Yungblud made a name for himself as a hyperactive punk who doesn’t care about genre. First album ‘21st Century Liability’ pulled from indie and ska as the Doncaster-native raged at a world that wasn’t listening to him or his generation. Brilliant second album ‘Weird!’ was a giddy trip through alt-rock, with Yungblud (aka Dom Harrison) celebrating the like-minded community that had forged him. With breakout collabs with Bring Me The Horizon, Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud was seen as either the saviour of rock or an annoying caricature, copying what had come before.

On social media, he was accused of ‘queer-baiting’, being an ‘industry plant’ and pretending to be working class. Meanwhile, after gigs, Harrison was told countless times how his music had saved lives. His self-titled third album sees him wrestling with that spotlight. Speaking to NME, Harrison said it’s about “reclaiming my name and humanising the caricature”, but rather than fury or cynicism, ‘Yungblud’ is driven by love, sincerity and vulnerability.

It’s a lot more focused than what’s come before; Harrison’s replaced his kid in a candy shop approach to music with a blistering confidence. Perhaps for the first time in his career, he knows exactly what he wants. ‘Yungblud’ is a coming-of-age album but it doesn’t skimp on the excitement either.

‘The Emperor’ is a triumphant explosion of energy that sees Harrison bundle his entire ethos into a joyful three-minutes of carnage. “Not gonna stop someone with no limits,” he sings, before adding “don’t be the same as everyone.” It’s a world away from the brooding emo of opening track ‘The Funeral’, which sees Harrison fearlessly listing all his insecurities in a bid to become “bulletproof”. With the acoustic ‘Die For A Night’, though, he challenges that carefree attitude to his own demise. Clocking in at just 93 seconds, the devastatingly honest, stripped-back track sees Harrison wondering how people would feel if he wasn’t here. “Would anyone mind it / Would everyone like it?” he asks: it’s a gut-punch to the stomach.

There is a lot of bleakness on ‘Yungblud’, with songs about death, depression and toxic masculinity. Sure, tracks such as ‘Die For A Night’ see him wallow in that negativity – but for the most part, all that sorrow just seems to drive Harrison to create positive change. The celebratory ‘Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today’ dismisses all the online criticism as “playground games” and encourages action. “Why are we sitting in silence / Wondering how we can beat all the violence,” starts the thundering track. “The politician ain’t gonna help you,” he sings later.

Elsewhere the funky electro stomp of ‘Sex Not Violence’ touches on trans rights while the glitching beats of ‘I Cry 2’ take influence from Radiohead and The 1975. Lyrically, Harrison offers comfort before poking fun at those queer-baiting rumours: “Everybody online keeps saying I’m not really gay / I’ll start dating men when they go to therapy.”

As you might expect from a self-titled record, there’s a lot of personal stuff on ‘Yungblud’ as well: ‘Tissues’ is a straight up love song. Built around the iconic guitar line from The Cure’s ‘Close To Me’ , it’s a swaying gothic banger that unashamedly wears its heart on its sleeve. In a similar vein, ‘Don’t Go’ is a rumbling percussive track that finds hope on the edge of a breakup, while ‘Sweet Heroine’ is a sparse electro track that lets the poetry of Harrison’s lyrics take the spotlight. Talking about trauma, love and fear, he’s come a long way from his 2019 track ‘Parents’, on which he sang: “I went out to the garden and I fucked my best friend”.

Then there’s the Willow-featuring ‘Memories’, which sees the pair trading in pop-punk revival for gritty alt-rock. Both artists have done their fair share of collaborations in recent years but, full of ambition and wrestling with escapism, this track sees both artists come into their own.

It all leads to ‘Boy In The Black Dress’, a cinematic, goth-infused anthem of self-acceptance, self-discovery and ferocious self-belief. Polished but still with that scrappy edge, it’s perhaps the closest Harrison has come to writing the ultimate Yungblud song. “They hate what he is and they hate what he’s not,” he sings, coming to terms with his divisive position at the forefront of a new generation of guitar heroes. Tying the hate he receives now to the violence he faced as a kid for being different, it explains why Harrison is so determined to keep speaking up for those who resonate with his angsty outsider anthems.

It would have been easy for Yungblud to pull back from the spotlight after getting a battering online. Instead, he’s come back with his most confident, cohesive album, which sees him fighting hate with understanding and love. It’s a battle he knows he can win”.

I think that YUNGBLUD created something decent and important with his third studio album. The 2022 release is one that warrants more acclaim. I do wonder where he heads next and what will come from him. No doubt another album is in his mind and taking shape. A terrific young artist who has a lot of love for his fans and wants to ensure that his music speaks to them, it clear did on YUNGBLUD. Hitting the top spot in the album chart here, it will give him heart that there is a huge amount of support out there for him. Go and spend a bit of time with YUNGBLUD. It is an album that did not quite get…

THE love it deserved.

FEATURE: AC/CD: Given an Unexpected Rise in Compact Disc Sales, How Will the Industry React?

FEATURE:

 

 

AC/CD

  PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio

Given an Unexpected Rise in Compact Disc Sales, How Will the Industry React?

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WHEN we talk about…

PHOTO CREDIT: Wellington Cunha/Pexels

physical sales increasing, it normally relates to vinyl. It is always great to see. Year after year, the format is reaching more and more people. Ensuring that we keep vinyl sales climbing up. There are other physical alternatives that struggle for the same kind of success and appeal. Cassettes are finding ne3w focus and audience, though they are still quite a niche and lesser-bought format. Compact discs have had mixed fortunes through the decades. When streaming came fully into force, they started to decline more notably than years before. In fact, I think since the start of this century, there has been less attention and desire for CDs. As new technologies came in and people began getting musical digitally, the compact discs seemed more obsolete and less necessary. Happily, we have just heard about a rare success story for CD sales. Music Week reports the statistics and news:

“Digital and entertainment retail association ERA has issued its preliminary numbers for the past year, and they make encouraging reading for the physical music sector following years of overall decline (although vinyl sales alone have soared for the past decade and more).

Overall, UK spending on music streaming subscriptions, vinyl, CDs, downloads and cassettes grew by 9.6% based on value in 2023, nearly twice as fast as 2022 (which saw an increase of 5%). As part of that sales performance, there was a rare increase in CD sales last year – the first in two decades.

 The £2.22 billion total for 2023 was the highest since 2001, the historic peak of the CD era, and just 0.08% short of that record. It was more than double the level of 2013 when music sales were being hammered by internet piracy.

Two years ago, ERA reported a rare increase in overall physical sales (vinyl, CD and cassettes combined) during 2021, although that wasn’t repeated the following year as vinyl sales growth softened a little in 2022 (but still outsold CD for the first time in terms of revenue).

But 2023 was a blockbuster year for physical music sales, delivering growth across the board. A strong release schedule included albums by Taylor Swift, whose 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the biggest seller on vinyl last year, as well as Take That, the Rolling Stones, Lewis Capaldi, Lana Del Rey, Blur, Olivia Rodrigo, Pink, Kylie Minogue, Foo Fighters, Metallica and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

ERA said that overall physical sales increased by 10.9% year-on-year to £311 million, a significant improvement on 2022’s 4% decline. It was also ahead of the 7.3% growth for physical sales in 2021, which was then the first such increase since 2001.

Vinyl album sales grew by 17.8% year-on-year in 2023 to reach £177.3m, while CD recorded its first rise in sales value for 20 years – up 2% to reach £126.2m. Take That’s This Life was the biggest seller in the format last year.

 Vinyl pulled ahead of CD in 2022 in value terms (though not in units), and the older format extended its lead last year.

“The strength of physical sales was all the more remarkable given significant distribution problems which affected much of the industry in late summer 2023,” noted ERA in its end-of-year results for retail. The numbers are based on data from the Official Charts Company and the BPI.

Of course, the main driver of growth in 2023 came from streaming services such as Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple, which grew subscription streaming revenues by 9.8% to £1.866 billion, an all-time-high.

The biggest album of the year across all formats was The Highlights by The Weeknd, while Miley Cyrus had the biggest single with Flowers.

The CD sales increase for 2023 tallies with results from HMV, who have just returned to London’s Oxford Street with a flagship store. The chain’s owner Doug Putman recently told Music Week that it had increased CD sales in terms of both units and revenue.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said: “With revenues just a fraction away from music’s all-time-high, this is a red letter day for the music industry and is a testament not just to the creativity of artists, but to the entrepreneurial drive of digital services and retailers. A world without streaming now seems unthinkable. Meanwhile the tenacity of physical retailers has driven not just the vinyl revival, but a surprise increase in the value of CD sales. Given all we’ve been through, it really doesn’t get much better than this”.

I do hope that this increase continues. It will never boom and hold like vinyl sales, yet many thought that the CD was declining and would face being phased out. Maybe huge artists account for this increase. Fans wanting to get their albums on CD, or they are also getting it on that format alongside vinyl. I would be interested to see the breakdown in terms of the types of albums bought - whether new or classic albums are bought on CD. I suspect that there is a new attachment to CDs from younger listeners. Maybe those who would otherwise stream albums, they are keener to have something in their hand. There will be some variation and dip in years to come when it comes to physical music sales. Vinyl is steady and doing well. People have turntables to play them on. A format exclusively for listening when stationery, not much needs to be done regarding making it easy for everyone to listen to vinyl. Other than try and keep prices low so fans are not priced out, that idea of vinyl being an investment holds true. People buying albums and keeping them for years. Cassettes might seem the most fragile and least sustainable physical form. I would love to see them embraced more, though I know a lot of people do not like them and have nothing to play them on. This is something that needs addressing. I do know that there are options on the market. The ones that are highlighted are quite expensive. There do need to be cheaper alternatives or greater exposure of the CD players that are out there already. CDs are proving desirable now. At least more than years past. As you can see from that feature, physical sales went up last year. I do feel like it is a sign of things to come. What about CDs and keeping them alive and playable?

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Tienda92

There are many advantages of a CD. Aside from the fact the packaging is not environmentally friendly – more artists will need to put them out in card covers and packaging rather than plastic -, they are less expensive than vinyl. I know people my age have CDs from our youth that we collect. You can get a CD wallet and carry your collection around. They are sturdier and less breakable than cassettes. Affordable and portable, there is a lot to recommend about the CDs. Not much needs to be done in terms of improving them. One of the worrying things about the rise in compact disc sales is that people are probably not listening to them on the go. I guess some people play CDs in the car still (as do I) or they have a boombox or Hi-Fi where they can play them. It does seem like CDs are being bought and maybe not played that much. I’d like to think that people are getting them and spending time listening. Compared to vinyl, you are going to have cases of people buying compact discs and not playing them. I have this romantic vision of people walking around with an old-skool Sony Discman with a wallet of compact discs in their bag. Why do we not have a modern equivalent?! With a few selections available, I do think many are beyond the budget of most people. What about reviving older models? Maybe the slightly unstable nature of the Discman is an issue. Less stable than a Walkman, CDs would jerk, skip and stop altogether – the Discman not really built for people moving around! I do think that a new model needs to be introduced that is stronger and more reliable (and one that can be bought for about £50 or so; maybe with in-car compatibility)). If more and more are purchasing CDs, are they even able to listen to them on the move?! There is nothing wrong with returning to the past and repurposing and updating older technology.

I hope that the industry reacts positively to the new desire for compact discs. Ensuring people can play them and, in the process, meaning more will buy them and use them. Vinyl survives and grows because there are record players easily available and they are very study and reliable. Cassettes are enjoying minor success. Perhaps even harder to play then CDs, we do need to ignore good news around sales and assume CDs/cassettes are a new fad and will soon fade out – and therefore do not need to be catered to in terms of how you can play them. I don’t think it would be a hugely risky or expensive process manufacturing more affordable compact disc players so that people can play them portably. The industry also needs to highlight CDs as much as vinyl. It is a format that was once a go-to for music fans. There is no reason why it cannot enjoy a resurgence and new period of growth. It is a shame to think people buying CDs and then putting them aside and not playing them. If the consumers are doing their part, how does the industry react to ensure there is sustained growth? I also think that many record stores and high street chains still massively prioritise vinyl over CDs. I know it makes them more profit, though we don’t want to side-line compact discs in their favour. As we have heard about unexpected and gratifying success for the CD, we need to keep it going and encourage people to keep purchasing them. In order to do so, they need to be playable. I guess there are modern equivalents or Sony Discmans, though I have done a quick scan and there are not as many as you’d hope. Investing in the technology that allows people to play CDs is crucial. Let’s hope this happens this year. Not something we were expecting at the start of 2024, we can raise a glass to CDs…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Wellington Cunha/Pexels

ENJOYING richly-deserved success.

FEATURE: Big Tour Dates: Hopes That the Anniversaries of The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn Will Be Properly Celebrated

FEATURE:

 

 

Big Tour Dates

Hopes That the Annivesaries of The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn Will Be Properly Celebrated

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THIS year…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

sees Kate Bush’s two extended live runs celebrate big anniversaries. The Tour of Life started in April 1979. Its forty-fifth anniversary is very soon. On 2nd April, 1979, Kate Bush embarked on the first date of her only tour. I feel that needs marking in some fashion. On 21st March, 2014, Bush announced Before the Dawn. Her only residency, this tenth anniversary is significant. Het two major live commitments have anniversaries very soon. Even though Before the Dawn kicked off in August 2014, the fact that it was announced months early makes me think how that can be marked. Both are magnificent and were distinctly the work of Kate Bush. The former arrived a year before her third studio album, Never for Ever. Bush had recorded two studio albums and they came out in 1978. It was a fantastic year where she was promoting a lot. The Tour of Life was her taking some control. A chance not only to promote her new material on the stage but also to get some time to create something truly in her vision – she felt The Kick Inside and Lionheart were not really her; she did not have enough say in the process -, she threw a lot into it. Creating this distinct and extraordinary live world, critics were bowled over! I am going to come to a feature around The Tour of Life. At the moment, there is not a lot available regarding the tour. No real 4K or HD video of a full set. There are some YouTube videos and attempts, yet nothing official that could be screened at cinemas or shown on T.V. In terms of the live recording, nothing on streaming platforms. There is the On Stage E.P. that contained some songs from the set. No official full album or anything really connected. No book about the tour in terms of its impact, feedback from people there - and its incredible influence. I think it is one of those great overlooked moments in Kate Bush’s career.

This feature was published in 2020. Talking about Bush’s The Tour of Life and the preparation that went into it makes me think that there should be appropriate salute of an event that was like no other. Taking Kate Bush as this studio enigma and fascinating artist into a bona fide live legend, I can only imagine the nerves and excitement she felt forty-five years ago:

“When Kate Bush announced earlier this year that she would be performing 15 dates at London’s Hammersmith Apollo throughout August and September (a figure since bumped up to 22 shows) under the banner Before The Dawn, the reaction was shock and awe. Shock that she was finally following up that original tour, a promise she’d made many times but all but her most optimistic fans had long given up hope on her ever keeping. And awe at the prospect of what a woman who broke so much ground could deliver with 35 years of artistic and technological advancements at her disposal.

But there was also a question of just how she could follow up the original spectacle, retrospectively dubbed The Tour Of Life. 35 years on, that extravaganza has grown to almost mythical status – a strange state of affairs given that it was witnessed by more than 100,000 people at the time.

Footage of an hour or so of the show is freely available to view on YouTube, highlighting a performance that bridged the worlds of music, dance, theatre and art. But there’s even more footage that has never been made public – including that of the magician Simon Drake, who played seven different characters during the show.

But in many other respects, the tour was utterly grounded in reality. The singer spent six months beforehand working herself to the bone as she attempted to forge a brand new model of what a live show could be, then another two months doing the same as she took it around Britain and Europe. And it was hit by tragedy when lighting engineer Bill Duffield was killed in an accident after a warm-up show, his death almost bringing the whole juggernaut to a halt before it had even started.

But all that was in the future when the idea for the tour was conceived. Ironically, Bush herself was the first to admit that there was no need for her to do it. “There’s no pressure,” she said in 1979. “But I do feel that I owe people a chance to see me in the flesh. It’s the only opportunity they have without media obstruction.”

“Kate was never at ease in the public eye,” says Brian Southall, who was Artist Development at Bush’s label, EMI, and had worked with the singer since she was signed. “Whether that was performing on Top Of The Pops or doing interviews. She was very reserved, very wary, I think by nature shy. So this spotlight on her was new.”

The singer was fully aware that anything she did would have to raise the bar on everything that came before. But even then, she was trying to manage expectations – not least her own. “If you look at it, it’s my reputation,” she said 1979. “And yes, I hope that it’ll be something special.”

EMI were unsure what the show would involve, so the costs were reportedly split between the label and Bush herself. In return, they got an artist who threw everything into her biggest endeavour so far.

“She was very determined about how her music was presented and performed – that was pretty obvious from her first album,” says Southall. “So no one saw any reason to step in and stop it. The rock’n’roll story was that you put singles out, you put albums out, you went on Top Of The Pops, you toured. But she wasn’t prepared to do the conventional thing.”

In fact no one realised just how unconventional it would be – with its choreography, dancers, props, multiple costume changes, poetry and in-house magician, there was no precedent with which it could be compared.

Rehearsals began in late 1978. Bush had already trained with experimental dancer/mime artist Lindsay Kemp, one-time mentor of David Bowie. But this tour would entail a new level of aptitude entirely, and the stamina to simultaneously dance and sing for more than two hours every night.

Dance teacher Anthony Van Laast was brought in from the London School Of Contemporary Dance to choreograph the shows and help hone Bush’s abilities. Van Laast brought with him two protégés, dancers Stewart Avon Arnold and Gary Hurst. Van Laast put the singer through the equivalent of boot camp at The Place studio in Euston, working with her for two hours each morning. Bush’s own input was crucial to the developing routines.

“Kate knew what she wanted, she had very specific ideas,” says Stewart Avon Arnold today. “What she wanted was in her head, and she wanted people around her who could help her put it into movement. She had so many hats on at that point – artistic, creative, musical.”

If the mornings were for the dance aspect of the slowly coalescing show, then the afternoons were for the music. As soon as she was done with Van Laast, Bush would make the eight mile journey to Wood Wharf Studio in Greenwich, south London, where she would meet up with a band that included Del Palmer, guitarists Brian Bath and Alan Murphy and her multi-instrumentalist brother, Paddy Bush. Also present was her other brother, John Carder Bush, who would perform poetry (and whose wife would provide vegetarian food for the tour). It was hard work for everyone involved and as the show neared, Bush would work 14 hours a day, six days a week.

“You have to make things more obvious so people can hear them,” she said of the live interpretation of her songs. “Maybe make them faster.”

While Bush was utterly in command, sometimes necessity was the mother of invention. With the singer literally throwing her whole body into her performance, holding a traditional mic would be difficult. So a mic that could be worn around the head was devised.

“I wanted to be able to move around, dance and use my hands,” she said. “The sound engineer came up with the idea of adapting a coat hanger. He opened it out and put it into the shape, so that was the prototype.”

In early spring 1979, the various creative wings finally came together at Shepperton Studios. There was the odd stumbling block. Del Palmer, Bush’s bassist and boyfriend, was less than impressed with some aspects of the choreography when he first saw it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rock Archive

“In those days, dance wasn’t as popular as it is now, and I don’t think Del was clear on what we were doing,” says Stewart Avon Arnold. “There was a bit where we picked Kate up. I remember him going, ‘What they hell are they doing to Kate! They’re holding her between the legs!’”

In late March, a week before the tour was due to start, the whole production moved to the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, for dress rehearsals. Like everything over the past six months, the whole endeavour was undertaken in secrecy.

“It’s like a present that shouldn’t be unwrapped until everyone is there,” reasoned the singer. “It’s like hearing about a film. Everybody tells you it’s amazing – and you could end up disappointed. You shouldn’t get people’s expectations up like that.”

By the time the tour was due to start on April 3 in Liverpool, everyone drilled to within an inch of their existence. If Bush was nervous, she wasn’t letting on.

“There was no suggestion that Kate was scared about going on the road,” says Brian Southall. “I certainly never got a sense that she was nervous about the financial aspect of it. If money was her concern, she’d have been out making albums every year rather than every 10 years. It’s not something that crossed her mind. The creativity was all-important”.

Kate Bush, as a studio artist in 1979, could have felt cautious about going on stage. If critics felt she was a bit kooky or weird, would they take to her live shows?! Sell-out shows and success across the U.K. and Europe meant that fans at least were eager to see her. She need not have worried.! The reviews, bar one or two, were wildly positive! Proclaiming her to be a star and a sensation, it seemed that Bush’s instinct about being in control and directing her own music was on the money. She would take this further when she returned to the studio not long after completing The Tour of Life. Producing Never for Ever with Jon Kelly, The Tour of Life as a pivotal moment when it came to her direction, autonomy and desire to produce. Thirty-five years since The Tour of Life started (well, April!), and you can feel its influence in modern Pop. Think about Madonna and her use of the head microphone. That was first used by Kate Bush in 1979 as a way of being able to sing live and dance. That mix of theatre, mime, and various artistic elements into a traditional live show was quite new. At least for female artists. Bush’s 1979 revolution and revelation needs to be archived in a way it has not been done already. Apart from a documentary around it and some live videos, there is not a great deal. Dive deeper into The Tour of Life and how it came together. Podcasts, books, photo collections – though Max Browne’s book is available - and a new album/full set would be welcomed.

Before the Dawn’s tenth anniversary is also a major thing. There is a live album available on physical formats and Apple Music. There is no visual representation of it. Again, podcasts, books and photo collections are absent. Not too much around. I wonder whether Bush would be tempted to release something around its tenth anniversary. There will be articles written about it. I was not lucky enough to get a ticket for Before the Dawn. For those who were not there, we only have the live album. Maybe something in terms of a documentary where we can get exclusive live video from the residency. As it turns ten, it does warrant some form of proper salute and retrospection. I will end with a review. The Standard gave a five-star review to a magnificent and unforgettable night:

“Much has happened in the 35 years since Kate Bush last played a full concert. The fresh-faced girl with a precocious talent is now a matron of 56. That precocious talent has matured and she is British music’s most significant female artist. No wonder then that when she led her backing singers on stage in a slow motion conga, surfing in on a tidal wave of goodwill to open Before the Dawn, her 22-date Hammersmith residency, the ovation was long and standing. Almost three hours later, after the closing Cloudbusting, the ovation was still standing, but much, much longer.

Such was the level of secrecy and anticipation that almost nobody knew what to expect. Just four hits — Running Up That Hill, King of the Mountain, Hounds of Love, Cloudbusting — might seem a skimpy return after all these years, but much as Bush never did things by halves, she never was a crowd-pleaser. All the same, this extraordinary mix of magical ideas, stunning visuals, attention to detail and remarkable music left this crowd well-pleased.

After an opening quip (“Where’ve YOU been?”) and the glistening opener Lily, her stage fright seemed to evaporate and she appeared to actually be enjoying herself. She moved slowly, as did the cast around her including her son Bertie, credited as “Creative Advisor”, but the years have strengthened her voice and Among Angels (the only time she was alone with her piano) was four minutes of aching beauty.

She settled herself and the giddy crowd during a relatively conventional first half hour, before the stage became a sunken ship for The Ninth Wave suite, Bush turned into a fish and a cast of 20 wrapped themselves around The Morning Fog. A Sky Of Honey, the second half of 2005’s Aerial, formed the second half: Bush rocked, turned into a bird and kissed a wooden puppet.

The audience so desperately wanted Bush to be brilliant that by simply turning up, she had triumphed without trying. That she did try so very, very hard and that she was so obviously, so unambiguously brilliant, made last night something to tell the grandchildren about”.

 I do feel it is only right that Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn are marked this year. Turning thirty-five and ten respectively, it is a good time to organise adequate and deserved love for this titanic and hugely important events. I know, as I said, articles will be written. March 2014 is when Bush announced her stage return. April 1979 was the start of The Tour of Life. Hearing some special release, programme or podcast about these dates would be wonderful. It is highly unlikely Kate Bush will return to the stage in any form. For that reason, we do need to cherish The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn. I think that we are going to perhaps see an end to Kate Bush’s recording career. With the death of her engineer Del Palmer, it seems unlikely we will record again. Maybe nothing new from Kate Bush. It make it more important that we can still connect with her through her music of the past. That she is happy to engage with that too. The Tour of Life on an album and getting some cleaned-up video or a new documentary. Something more about Before the Dawn would also be embraced. Even though her two enormous live shows were thirty-five years apart, prior to going on stage for the first night of both, Kate Bush must have felt nervous. The roar and anticipation from the audience! It would have been quite magical being in attendance. They have big anniversaries this year. It is only right that we mark them…

WITH as much love as possible!

FEATURE: An Overdue Renaissance: Will the Success of Beyoncé’s Tour Create Better Visibility of Black Female Artists?

FEATURE:

 

 

An Overdue Renaissance

 IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé/PHOTO CREDIT: Beyoncé

Will the Success of Beyoncé’s Tour Create Better Visibility of Black Female Artists?

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MAYBE something that has always existed…

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz

in music but needs to change. There is that mainstream and the biggest artists promoted. The ones who are played the most. These that are afforded the most press attention and seen as the leaders of Pop. More often and not, definitely when it comes to women, are white. Not to take anything away from giants like Taylor Swift and her peers. They are tremendous artists who are influencing generations of girls and young women. I still think that the industry and media does not highlight and promote Black women and women of colour as much as they should. Those incredible role models being shone and celebrated. It does raise questions around greater visibility and celebration of Black female artists. Not to say there is a huge shortage. From SZA and Jamila Woods to Mega Thee Stallion and Little Simz, there are amazing queens who are at the top of the game. I still think that the artists who court the most focus and are discussed as much are white. There is a homogenisation still at the very top. When you consider the incredible Black female artists throughout music, I wonder whether they are seen as equal or are seen as ready and natural role models. Is there still a bias happening? Not that the music has a problem with race – though it does in some ways -, although there is something to be said about the fact that there is a bias for sure. It got me thinking about Beyoncé and her recent Renaissance Tour. A global smash and hugely well-received demonstration of her phenomenal live prowess, it will no doubt have connected with so many women around the world. What about fellow Black female artists coming through that will follow behind her? I wonder who her successor will be. This incredibly powerful, important and influential artist who is this immense source of love and wonder. An artist who is touching so many people.

IN THIS PHOTO: Megan Thee Stallion/PHOTO CREDIT: Campbell Addy

We think about Beyoncé and all that she has given. How she has inspired people for years now. Not that she is retiring anytime soon, though who is there being shaped in her image? A young black female artists who is coming through who will have that sort of stature in years to come? No doubt the talent is out there. My worry is that there is not the same opportunities given to and appeal of these artists than a future Taylor Swift or Dua Lipa. Maybe things have changed the last few years but, as you can read in this article, there was a preference for white artists. That dominance that holds back Black women. Think about Normani,. Mega Thee Stallion, Little Simz, Cardi B, SZA and their sisters who are dominating the industry. Whilst recognised and hugely successful, is the industry marketing them as icons and queens? There is a much readier packaging of white artists and their future potential. Not that Beyoncé is the only huge Black female artists at the forefront. She is the name people jump to when asked that question. Compare that to how white artists are marketed and more visible. In 2020, VV Brown wrote for The Guardian about how music’s white infrastructure is holding back Black female artists:

“It was exhausting having to prove to the industry that I wasn’t some sassy, aggressive diva. I was tired of worrying about feeling isolated and ridiculed on photoshoots for having afro hair. I was tired of being stereotyped, I was tired of journalists assuming I was a soul singer and never a producer. I was tired of white so-called feminists playing a huge part in the racism towards black women within my music industry and feeling unable to talk about it.

I would see countless images on social media of “UK women in music” conferences championing the progress on gender within the industry, yet with no black women to be seen. I would notice tight cliquey networks of white women in the industry supporting other white artists but ignoring black artists. It was unconscious, unintentional, packaged politely – and was never done in a way that meant to cause harm. However, it was deeply rooted in the industry.

Black female artists are used, abused, discarded and mistreated. The patterns of disparity are undeniable. Our careers have quicker expiry dates than our white counterparts and we are not promoted or treated with the same intent. There sometimes seems to be a one-in, one-out rule so rampant it can feel like a factory line of disposable blackness.

As I took my headphones off after listening to Laura Mvula’s latest album, Pink Noise, I almost wept because of her brilliance. I was so frustrated that her previous label had treated such a genius with such disrespect and I hope that she will receive the high praise she deserves. I thought about the British black female musicians who have come and gone over the years, and how their talents have never come to light in the same way as their white counterparts.

Artist Raye has spoken out about not being allowed to release her music, and throughout my years in the business there have been countless black artists in exactly the same position. I experienced it myself. For two years I was unable to release music and was completely neglected. I negotiated myself out of my first record deal in a 24-hour web cafe at 1am.

We musicians are trained to be silent about our experiences because there is a heavy stigma that our rebellion will be categorised as aggressive, bitter or ungrateful. We are supposed to accept what we are given because to be black in this industry is thought to be even more of a privilege for us than for white artists.

Why hasn’t the UK music industry produced a black pop star like Rihanna, and why do so many of us instead make our success overseas? I sold more than a million records in the US and had a strong fan base, but my album was derided as music for a children’s party by NME, and it spoke of “sass” as if I was a soul singer who’d just picked up a mic and danced.

Black female artists don’t lack talent, it’s the white infrastructure that stops them from fulfilling their potential. Our careers are in the hands of people who take from our culture and package it for the masses through a white gaze, whereas success stories of black individuals often arise from independent, grassroots, progressive platforms.

The next time you see a white female British artist on television, count the number of black women who stand behind them, supporting the continuation of white female artists singing music from our culture. The next time you see anything to do with championing women in arts, count how many black women are speaking. The next time you see an article in a music magazine, think of how few black women in the industry have the power to make executive creative decisions. The disparity is obvious and it needs to change”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Enujiugha/Pexels

You do sense the industry wants to change. Of course, it doesn’t just apply to Black female artists when we think of bias. All Black artists face this struggle. This 2021 article how Black artists were self-releasing music because there was a bias against them. Struggling to get major label attention. The opening words make for shocking reading:

“Racism in the British music industry is "serious, upfront and personal", says the author of a new report about the experiences of black musicians.

"Prejudice is here," says Roger Wilson of the Black Lives in Music initiative. "There's nothing stealthy about it."

The report finds that six in 10 black music creators have experienced racism, while 86% say they have faced barriers to their career because of their race.

They also earn £299 less per month, on average, than their white colleagues.

The report was compiled from the biggest-ever survey of black musicians and music industry professionals in the UK.

In total, 1,718 people responded, describing a range of discriminatory acts and "sometimes hostile working environments".

One reported "having to repeatedly ask other artists to stop using the N-word", while another faced "jokes about [my] skin colour, Africa [and] persistent questioning about where I really come from".

Their testimonies echo recent revelations from stars like Alexandra Burke, who said she was advised to bleach her skin to "look whiter".

The singer, who won the X Factor in 2008, said she was subsequently told she would "have to work 10 times harder than a white artist, because of the colour of [her] skin”.

The ongoing and glaring lack of Black representation at executive level means that there is always going to be a skew against Black artists. With fewer Black artists signed to major labels and having the same opportunities and focus as their white peers, the industry does need to challenge this. Even a recent report like this shows that there is racism throughout the music industry. With this discrimination and prejudice existing at the lowest level, follow it to the top of the mainstream, and it makes sense that there is this pipeline issue when it comes to those amazing Black queens who are as big as Beyoncé. Someone who has that sort of platform who will then influence girls and young women. Whereas there are plenty of amazing Black women throughout music killing it and dominating, the mainstream and those artist who get the most focus are non-Black artists. For Black women who want an identifiable queen who speaks for them at the highest level, how many options and faces are there?! Think about how Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a global success. One can easily name a slew of other Pop artists similar to her and can succeed her if she ever steps away from music. When we think about young Black artists coming through years from now, is the industry doing enough to provide balance and quality so that they have role models being seen as equal or superior to other major artists?! It is quite worrying. If the industry is starting to become aware of the racism and bias that needs to be smashed, it will take a long time for things to correct. I am not even sure everything is being done to tackle it. Still this imbalance when it comes to festival line-ups and radio playlists. Black women in the minority there. Again, though things have improved this past few years, it is still not enough. Why are amazing Black women not seen as vital and worthy as their white peers?! A complex question, it is heartbreaking to see the industry still favour white artists.

I am going to finish with a review of Beyoncé’s globe-straddling spectacular. The Renaissance Tour was a phenomenon! Esquire had their say about an event that was truly iconic and unforgettable. Reason why we should be moulding and supporting young Black artists who will inspire the next generation:

“It’s 10:00 P.M. at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. We’re nearly two hours into Beyoncé’s marathon-like Renaissance Tour, and she finally pauses to address the crowd. “Thank you for coming,” she says, marveling at the sea of people who, on July 29, trekked to one of the tour's most anticipated stops. “Some of you have been with me for 20 years.”

That's me. I was introduced to Beyoncé at six years old, shortly after the release of her debut album, Dangerously in Love. I still remember holding the CD from my car seat, marveling at a mysterious woman in a glittery top, whose heavenly vocals boomed through our stereo. Twenty years later, Beyoncé is still a mystery to me—maybe even more so, following most recent album, 2022's Renaissance. At 41 years old, Beyoncé has three children and seven albums under her belt, but she can still sing like there’s an angel trapped in her throat. (She hasn’t let go of the sparkly outfits either.)

As Beyoncé finishes her speech, 80,000 fans erupt in a thunderous cheer. The floor shakes. Glitter floats through the air. Looking at the jumbotron, I swear there's tear in her eye. Beyoncé beams back at the audience, and everyone roars again. She doesn’t have to say much else. We get it. Beyoncé is a legend. Now, it's simply time to celebrate Renaissance.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Mazur/Parkwood Entertainment

The Renaissance Tour kicked off on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. From there, Beyoncé and co. traveled across Europe before making it to North America. By the time Beyoncé reached New Jersey, clips from her previous shows leaked online. Even a glimpse at the silver-hued concert hinted that the Renaissance Tour may stand as Beyoncé’s best work yet—and her most popular show ever.

Forbes predicts that the Renaissance Tour could earn around $2.1 billion by the time it wraps in September. If Beyoncé pulls it off, that will make her the highest-grossing female act of all time. That title currently belongs to Madonna, who—in July 2022—had earned $1.4 billion from her shows. Taylor Swift is next in line with a projected $1.9 billion in sales from her currently-running Eras Tour. According to Billboard, Beyoncé is well on her way to nabbing the top spot, earning more than $154 million from her European tour dates alone.

Like everyone else in the crowd, I attended the Renaissance Tour as a fan. But I was a fan on a nearly 20-year-long mission. We all know Beyoncé is Beyoncé (you don’t earn $154 million on a whim), but I wondered what I'd learn from seeing her live—dancing and singing along with her, plus, of course, mingling with the Beyhive.

One of the first people I run into is Zahir, who is proudly donning a sequined top. I simply ask why he loves Beyoncé. He says, “Her Blackness. She’s so in tune with her womanhood and voice.” The next person I talk to is Rickey Mile, a self-proclaimed superfan. He gives a dumbfounded look, as if any questions about Beyoncé's greatness go without asking. “She’s timeless,” he explains. According to Mile, it doesn’t matter when you see Beyoncé, what’s going on in her personal life, or which era of her career she’s in—the woman always puts on a good show.

After seeing the Renaissance Tour, I have to agree. The concert (and the album) is a homage to Beyoncé’s uncle, Johnny—a gay man who introduced her to house music. To say Renaissance would make him proud is an understatement. It’s one giant, queer party, filled with references to drag icons Kevin Aviance and Moi Renee, along with a cameo from viral ballroom dancer Honey Balenciaga. The stadium shook for three straight hours, with fans bouncing and rocking along to each song.

Given Beyoncé’s expansive catalog, there is a smattering of oldies woven throughout the show. But don’t be fooled. This isn't anything like Swift's Eras Tour. Instead of selecting songs chronologically, Beyoncé presents a mix of her favorite hits. The show opens with a powerful rendition of “Dangerously in Love,” which bleeds into the yearning ballad “1+1.” Then, just when you’re ready to profess your love to someone in the crowd, Beyoncé switches gears, performing the self-assured Renaissance track, “I’m That Girl.” The whole thing exudes rich aunt energy. Pure fun. No rules. And the atmosphere? Well, it’s like a reunion. After all, the last time the Beyhive convened was during 2016's Formation Tour.

You know that moment at a family party, when you see someone you don’t recognize, but feel an intrinsic connection to? That’s what attending Renaissance is like. Everyone is a stranger, yet also a cousin. I suppose that makes Beyoncé our matriarch. Just ask the troves of fans yelling “Mother!” during her set.

Perhaps that maternal energy stems from Beyoncé’s dedication to lifting others up. Along with the references to the aforementioned queer icons, Beyoncé uses Renaissance to celebrate Black women. During the show, she sings, “Break My Soul (The Queen's Version), featuring Madonna. The remix praises every Black performer who inspired them: Bessie Smith, Lauryn Hill, and Nina Simone, among many others. Later on, Beyoncé brings her daughter, Blue Ivy, on stage to celebrate their heritage, with the songs “My Power” and “Black Parade.” The Renaissance Tour feels like one giant love letter to Beyoncé's community—and because of that, every moment has a purpose”.

2024 needs to be a year when inequalities and biases are properly recognised. The industry fully committed to ending them. I think about the great female artists of our time and who the media is highlighting. The ones seen as most significant, popular and commercial. The landscape is not as balance and diverse as it should be. I think about Beyoncé and how important she is. Now in her Forties, who is there coming behind that is being seen as the successor to Queen Bey?! I hope the success of the Renaissance Tour will change things. Make the industry more aware that there are amazing Black women like Beyoncé who deserve a platform and more opportunities. Not being held back or limited. Whilst there are great Black women in Rap, R&B and beyond, not many are brought to the same level as artists like Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo or similar phenomenal artists. This needs to change. The music industry is only at its stronger when it fully embraces…

THE importance of diversity.

FEATURE: Spotlight: NXKXTA

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Brissett

NXKXTA

_________

HAVING recently heard her…

PHOTO CREDIT: NXKXTA

played on BBC Radio 6 Music, I was instantly hooked and intrigued by NXKXTA. Someone who definitely stands out and is an artist with a long future, she is entering an Alternative Rock scene that, I think, is still not as supportive as women as they should be. Maybe still male-heavy, NXKXTA is definitely paving the way. Maybe it is unfair to categorise her and be so narrow. Her music is cinematic and astraddle genres. I am going to get to some interviews with her. First, here is a bit of background regarding the wonderful and empowering NXKXTA:

“NXKXTA is an alt-rock artist and visual storyteller creating cinematic songs inspired by art rock, post-punk, and indie pop. Originally from Germany and now sometimes based in London, NXKXTA weaves together haunting vocals, textured guitars, and pulsing rhythms as she explores themes of relationships, mental health, sexuality, and societal issues.

NXKXTA is set to release her highly anticipated debut visual album in 2024. Her latest single "The Likes of You" showcases her talent for immersive musical narratives and avant-garde fusion of sound and visuals.

With artistic vision underscored by her experience in fashion and creative direction, NXKXTA aims to spark important conversations and connect deeply with listeners through boldly vulnerable songwriting and vivid imagery”.

An artist who wants the listener to take away a sense of empowerment and inner strength, I want to start with an interview from SPINDLE. They spoke with the trailblazing NXKXTA last year about her music. The important and powerful messages that she is putting out through her music. Striking and unforgettable, this is someone who brings this amazing sense of the visual, visceral and vital into her songs:

“Having originally forged a path as a creative director, NXKXTA (Nikita) has spent most of her life perfecting and authenticating her artistic expression. Growing up in Germany, she moved to the UK tender age of 15, and ended up falling in love with the country’s alternative music scene. It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that NXKXTA finally embarked on her musical journey, and with new release ’THE LIKES OF YOU’, it sounds as though it was meant to be. Preparing to release her debut visual album, NXKXTA is still vey much enjoying creating captivating visuals, which, similarly to her music, come straight from the human experience, never shying away from difficult topics. NXKXTA is all about creating immersive experiences, with no dramatics spared. We had the opportunity to speak to the multi-talent about her new path as a master in sultry art-rock….

Hey NXKXTA! For anyone new to your music, give us three words to describe it.

Empowering, Seductive, Cinematic.

Congratulations on your new single ‘THE LIKES OF YOU’. The video is stunning. What inspired the song and visuals?

Thank you! The song is based on a Russian saying “suitcase without a handle”, which describes something that is a pain to carry around but a shame to throw away. In this case I use it to narrate a relationship that you know has run its course but feels too hard to let go of. When you still love the person, but you also deep down know it’s over. My concept for the video was to depict a mixture of intimacy and pain between myself and actor Freddie Dadson, who is basically playing the human version of the ‘suitcase without a handle’. Additionally, you see me struggling with an actual broken suitcase while also cradling it and holding on to it for dear life. The video was directed by the wonderful director Kassandra Powell and shot in various locations around London.

You first made a name for yourself as a creative director. What made you want to take a side step into music? Do you feel as though the two go hand-in-hand?

Definitely! I think music combines everything I love to do creatively and offers me so much space for collaboration and exploration.

You’ve also announced that there will be a debut visual album! What can you tell us about it?

The album is titled ‘7’. The number has a special meaning to me, as it’s my Enneagram type and the self-reflection I did around that was a catalyst during the writing process of the album. All of the songs were produced by Steven Graham Ansell (Blood Red Shoes) and one of them was also a collaboration with Will Vaughan (Universal Music). It’s 7 songs and 7 videos that symbiotically come together as a body of work. They are collaborations with different creatives and shot in various countries. I want to take the audience on a visual journey and really dig deep into the cinematic energy of my music.

Who are you most inspired by in terms of musical and creative visionaries?

Every element of my work is inspired by so many artists, so that would be a long list! But to keep it as short as possible: Timber Timbre, Leonard Cohen, Unloved, Nick Cave, Warhaus & The Kills were the music artists that inspired my sound and lyrics the most. Performance wise I’m drawn to artists who put on a show that feels raw, authentic and seductive. The first artist and performer that I looked up to as a kid was Janet Jackson. Other performers whose live shows I have admiration for are Eartha Kitt, The Cramps, Florence + The Machine, Madonna, Aerosmith and FKA twigs. In terms of the visuals, David Lynch was a huge motivating force. I adore his intelligent approach of dark themes and value how he immerses himself into a thoroughgoing idea and vision instead of today’s very popular trend driven approach”.

Men with this behavioral complex desire a sexual partner who has been degraded (the whore) while they cannot desire the respected partner (the Madonna). Being branded as the angel or the temptress plays out in a teenage girl’s life daily, as they are navigating purity culture that’s contrasted by constant public slut shaming.

In movies they see teenage actresses cast as a love interest to adult men. In the media, teenage boys are being explicitly, obscenely and sexually discussed by grown adults. Few people are aware that it’s been scientifically proven that the teenage brain is very mouldable and it inevitably makes them a target. The thing is that now that I know that, I cannot un-see it. I notice it everywhere around me and even recall my own memories through a very different lense.

I remember one night we went to this bar with my fellow classmates and a handsome, but much older guy started chatting to me. He asked my age and upon finding out I had just turned 16 told me that I seemed ‘so mature for my age’ but still had this ‘beautiful Lolita energy’. It was the first but not the last time that a man referenced Novikov’s book to me, fetishising my youth. Fellow millennials will remember how common it was to start frequenting clubs underage, as ID checks were a lot less strict when we were teenagers and how back then a comment like that would have likely not rung any alarm bells for our teenage brains”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Damian Noszkowicz

I want to include quite a large chunk of STRAND and their interview with NXKXTA for the start of this year. As we are heading through 2024, it is clear that this artist is not slowing down when it comes to tackling and speaking about things other might not. Highlighting some ills and dark subjects. Tackling inequality and fighting to make sure women are treated better. An admirable and strong voice in music we need to get behind:

“On the subject of filming, I’m reminded of a previous interview between NXKXTA and Spindle Magazine, where she’d mentioned admiring filmmaker David Lynch for his “thoroughgoing vision” compared to today’s “trend-driven approach” to making art. Given her almost 100-thousand Instagram followers, she’s no doubt an authority on the latter topic herself — so I ask her what she thinks about the current need to churn out social media content as a creative, particularly within the music industry. “For some people social media is an amazing opportunity. For others, it's just an extra level of stress. Right now, artists are just under so much pressure that it's not realistic to handle everything, and there's very little support.

“I honestly think we’ll see real repercussions from it. So far, it's been glamorised too much and regulated too little. Social media as a concept is good, but at the rate it's going right now, it’s a bit like the Wild West. The rules and algorithms could change tomorrow, and we’d just have to deal with that. It’s just not healthy, and it’s not sustainable.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Damian Noszkowicz

The other side of the industry which NXKXTA admirably takes a stand against is its exploitation of young people. A recent piece she penned for Come Play With Me Magazine denounced the “fetishisation of youth” in our society, and how people are quick to take advantage of the vulnerability which comes with it. As the team working on the STRAND X FEMMESTIVAL showcase are all in our early 20s (even if we do feel our bones creaking on the regular), I’m eager to hear her further thoughts on the topic. “Personally, I love working with younger people. It pisses me off that the industry is structured in a way that really doesn't protect people enough. As a young person, you're so dependent on the people you're working for; you often idolise them because you've seen them do great work. The problem is they completely use that.

“They make you work twice as much for as little pay as possible, if any. And then also quite often don't give credit to you, or celebrate you. People need to demand a change, and I think the generation below me actually has the guts to do that, so I'm hoping and praying that things will get better — because they really need to.”

The Come Play With Me piece isn’t the only piece NXKXTA has recently had published, though: readers of the Big Issue will have seen her powerful op-ed on the over-sexualisation of young women. I ask her about the inspiration behind the article, and what she hopes young women and femmes will take from her work, which has no doubt left a big impact on them already.  

PHOTO CREDIT: Damian Noszkowicz

“I think if my message to young women and femmes was to be distilled to one word, it would definitely be empowerment. By that I also mean taking back your power from everything that’s been weighing you down. The biggest lesson for me was that, instead of pretending all the things I went through weren’t affecting me, I’d just lay them all out on the table. I wanted to take my power back and use the darkness, the pain, the frustration, as a way to encourage other people to and to connect with others. My goal is to eliminate the whole idea of competition among women, and instead push the collaborative aspect of things. We need to get together as women and stand up against all the bullshit.

My music is just a constant fight for equality, really. It’s a fight for empowerment and a safe way to be a woman, no matter what that represents. All of us should be able to exist safely in the world.”

The released singles from NXKXTA’s upcoming debut album, ‘7’, all harness these difficult experiences and transform them into a source of empowerment. Gorgeously cinematic visuals and slick instrumentals provide the backdrop for her charged lyrics, packed with Easter eggs, references and multilingual plays-on-words. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NIKITA ANDRIANOVA 🧷 (@nikita_nxkxta)

“I would call the album a taster of what I have to offer as an artist,” she explains. “Every song is a different facet of myself. All of them involve quite intense topics, but they're presented in very different ways. For example, there’s ‘VERBAL VENOM’, which is quite mellow, dark and mysterious; it's very cinematic and has a lot of sound effects. Then there’s ‘EPHEBOPHILE’, which is very raw and intense. It’s about spreading the knowledge you have about what someone’s done to you, so they won't have that power over other people either. And then you've got ‘THE LIKES OF YOU’, which is the sweetest and softest song, and it has an intimacy to it.

As for the last two unreleased songs: one of them is about consent, and the other one is about eating disorders. I saved them for last on purpose, because I wanted to have time to put them out there in the way that they need to be presented. I shot two beautiful music videos for them, with actors involved, which were the biggest productions I've done to date. I’ve been approaching the album like a short, informative film, which can connect with the audience and make them feel less alone. We're usually too embarrassed to actually push these topics out there and talk about them, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”

I’m looking forward to hearing her perform her new material live at our showcase, I tell her. Is there anything else we should expect from a NXKXTA live performance, I add? “With my performances, I always wanted to be the freak show, so that everybody else can just be themselves, and think ‘no matter how freaky I get, Nikita's freaky already, so it’s okay’.” She laughs. “I want my performances to be a safe space, and a liberating experience.”

She elaborates: “I remember when I was younger, I used to always go out and dance with friends. I’ve loved dancing since I was a kid, and even when I was underage I started going into nightclubs. I wasn't even drinking, I just wanted to dance. I always felt, though, that you were so objectified as a woman when you were dancing. You’d be constantly treated like it makes you cheap, and undermines your status. At the same time, it’s acceptable for performances like burlesque: when it’s on a stage and when Dita [Von Teese] is doing it. Meanwhile, people criticise strippers, for example, who are technically doing the same thing, just in a slightly different way.

“I always wondered about where we draw the line of what we consider acceptable or unacceptable, and I think in that area, women, non-binary people and femmes always lose out. We're always put into a box, and have to appeal to the male gaze. So what I wanted to explore with my performances was what it meant to be sexy on my own terms. I asked myself, if I was to envision the most confident, exciting and wild version of myself as a persona, what would she be like? What would she do? How would she act on stage? And that's really what it is. It’s an exploration of being seductive but also cheeky, but also having fun with it. And it’s a bit ‘out there’ in a way that as women we’re constantly forced not to be. The stage offers that sense of liberation for me, and my goal is to create that experience for people watching as well. So they feel they can ‘let their freak out’. I want them to have a good time and feel safe within that framework”.

I am new to the sensational and thoroughly arresting NXKXTA. I am compelled to follow her this year and share her music whenever I can. Someone that should really be played and known to all, I think, when an album arrives, more and more will discover her music. Someone I can also being on the screen and being involved with film. The brilliant and essential NXKXTA is one of the most exciting and important names of this year. A wonderful person we all need to embrace. If you have not discovered NXKXTA, then make sure that you…

CHECK her out now.

_____________

Follow NXKXTA

Official:

https://www.nxkxta.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nxkxta_music/

TikTok:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/54KD2CFa3zNmwpZXCcqtxw?si=rp__mNyTRaa2g10m_XTM5w

Bandcamp:

https://nxkxta.bandcamp.com/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfoRHz9r9OisWSqhMJHG1Q

FEATURE: Spotlight: Scene Queen

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Scene Queen

_________

I am going to spend…

some time with the amazing Scene Queen. Born Hannah Collins, the New York-born artist signed to Hopeless Records. Scene Queen is known for the style ‘Bimbocore’: a subgenre of Metalcore with feminist themes. Scene Queen came to prominence through TikTok, where she has amassed over 626,000 followers. Her amazing debut E.P., Bimbocore, was released in April 2022. Its wonderful follow-up E.P., Bimbocore Vol. 2, was released in November 2022. I think that she is an artist to watch very closely this year. Someone that everyone needs to be tuned into. I am going to come to some interviews from last year. Prior to that, I am heading back to the end of 2022. Scene Queen spoke about her Bimbocore Vol. 2 E.P. Rockin’ Interviews spoke with an amazing rising artist about her captivating music:

“Scene Queen is the emo, glitter-covered heavy metal brainchild of 23-year-old Hannah Collins. After blowing up on TikTok and pioneering a new genre Bimbocore, she released her debut EP early 2022. Following the release, she took Scene Queen to the next level – stages all over the world. Opening for acts such as Palaye Royale and Wargasm in addition to her own headlining shows, Collins has become the epitome of feminism in the heavy music space.

Rockin’ Interviews – How are you?

Scene Queen – I’m back and more Bimbo than ever. (So good)

Rockin’ Interviews – Releasing Bimbocore Vol. 2 only seven months after your debut EP Bimbocore, I was wondering what the writing and recording process was like? Did this follow up EP come together very quickly or was it always the plan to release them so close together? 

Scene Queen – I wanted to write an albums worth of music, but had only put out one song prior to getting signed, so I figured it would be best to get my music out there in segments that way I could grow a fan base and actually have them around by the time all the music was out. So for Vol 1 I wrote 9 songs so I had three ready to go by the time I got around to writing Vol 2.

Rockin’ Interviews – How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since your debut EP? 

Scene Queen – Honestly, I think my confidence in myself has grown almost as quickly as the project itself. Which is something I never thought would happen. I feel so much more sure of the message I’m bringing and my own writing voice. I mean you can even visually see that in the music videos, the way I carry myself in camera like I’ve been holding my head just a little bit higher and more willing to take risks.

Rockin’ Interviews – What was it like working with MOTHICA on The Rapture (But It’s Pink)? 

Scene Queen – I wrote The Rapture to be on Vol 1 but ended up scrapping it because it just didn’t feel like it fit. I ended up posting the song on TikTok as part of a “songs I cut from the EP” series and fans loved it. I still wasn’t going to put it on the EP though because I just felt like something was missing even though I LOVED the message of the song. Fast forward a few weeks and I get a text from MOTHICA saying she wanted to be on it. It had been so long since I wrote it that I forgot I had sent it to her casually because I was proud of it. MOTHICA brought a whole new life to the song and was 100% the part that was missing all along. So, in hindsight I’m really glad I scrapped it because nobody would’ve gotten to hear her on it

Rockin’ Interviews – How and when did the aesthetic of Scene Queen come to be?

Scene Queen – I grew up around emo music, cut my own side bangs with kitchen scissors, wore rubber bracelets etc. but from college onward as a surprise to no one I dressed pretty feminine. Especially around the time I was in a sorority. Before Scene Queen came to be, I dropped an active rock song and was just my blonde girly looking self. The comments I got were filled with men saying I was too “prissy” to make that sort of music and it sparked a rage in me. I was already switching up my sound at this time, but I made a promise to myself that I would make my branding as overtly feminine and pink as humanly possible because I never want another woman to look at my project and have to wonder if it’s a place where they’re accepted. You can visibly see my message. Also I wear pink quite literally every single day so it’s perfect”.

Fem Metal spoke with Scene Queen early last year about her then-new single, 18+. It is a brilliant song but one that conveys quite a dark and disturbing message. Concerning some heavy themes. To Scene Queen, it is important to convey truth and speak about these things. That idea of predatory men in bands. Women feeling unsafe and open to abuse:

“Great! You are about to release your new single “18+”. What was your inspiration behind the song and what is the message you’d like to convey through it?

I’ve been in the alt scene since I was a kid. I’m almost 26 now and working in the scene finally and realized how much of how I have to carry myself in this scene was affected by the subject matter of 18+. The alternative scene is meant to be a safe space but for the longest time, I’ve felt like as a woman I have to always watch my back, never get too comfortable, and guard myself around men. But so much of that is stemmed by things I experienced as a teen. So this song is my first real criticism on the scene I love so much. And talks about all the trauma I’ve faced in my work life and teen life in the industry.

That’s brilliant. I have a bad habit of reading comments, and I noticed some people commenting on posts by musicians who decided to sound their opinion on political or social issues through social media saying things like “stick to music and stay away from politics”. As an artist whose music is directly connected to a social movement, what is your opinion on the notion that “musicians/celebrities should not sound their political or social opinions”?

I think this is the most outrageous opinion you could have about musicians. I don’t talk about politics in a song and my song is too mainstream sounding and I’m an industry plant. I make a song too political and suddenly I’m disrespectful of the scene. The entire joy of making music is writing how you feel. I will never since a song that’s not how I feel. Whether that be political or if I just feel like making jokes that day. My brain is in the DNA of my songs.

We live in an era where social media has become essential for musicians to reach fans and promote their music. In your opinion, what are the cons and pros of social media having all that power in the music industry?

I think social media is great in the sense that it allows artists to reach all corners of music and the internet so for genre-bending artists like me where it would be harder to grow on tours that focus on one style it’s extremely beneficial. On the other hand, social media is ever-changing so even tho I spend most days glued to my phone I’m still worrying about the next thing. So it’s definitely a bittersweet time for musicians.

Many of our readers face sexism on daily basis. What advice would you give young people around the world who face any kind of discrimination?

Nobody’s opinion of you has any reflection of your abilities. As unfair as the world is to certain groups, I think it’s important to remember that the people telling you no have had to deal with half as many no’s so they have half as thick skin. At the end of the day, your strength is so much greater. And if you have the ability to speak up please remember that your voice always matters even if when the people in your immediate space don’t hear it”.

I want to move on to DORK and their chat with Scene Queen from last August. Reacting to some of the reception of 18+, she noted how anything worth doing is going to come with a degree of backlash and controversy. She is someone delivering such important songs. Rather than shy away, her music does deal with some of the more unsettling themes:

“After releasing two editions of her ‘Bimbocore’ EPs back in 2022, Scene Queen (real name Hannah Collins) established herself as a giddy force that wasn’t to be messed with. 2023 single ‘18+’ only underlined that fearsome attitude. A ferocious call-out of the predatory behaviour of men in bands, the track continues to cause waves.

Her label, Hopeless Records, did warn Hannah that the track was going to cause backlash and people were going to get mean. “Anything worth doing is going to come with controversy,” she explains, with the label backing her whole-heartedly.

Inspired by the awful things she witnessed as a teenager in the Midwest scene, ‘18+’ sees Scene Queen carry out her mission to make any show she plays feel like a safe space. Clocking up over 3 million streams, it’s clearly resonating with people. “I left it broad enough that it could apply to any number of bands,” explains Hannah. “The unfortunate fact it’s connecting is proof there’s clearly an epidemic within the scene.”

The track will feature on Scene Queen’s upcoming debut album, which will be released as soon as she’s able to. “I hate waiting to put out music,” she says. It’s not finished, but she has a vision. “’Bimbocore’ is always going to be the vibe musically,” she explains. “I love the contrast between super girls vocals with heavy guitars or screaming over a twinkling track. My whole thing with the hyper-femininity is to show the strength and power within femininity. It’s also a fuck you to misogynists, so I’m keeping that attitude, but not every song will be called ‘Pink something’. It’s more of a concept album,” she promises, with ‘18+’ fitting into the “theme”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Frances Beach

Hannah goes on to explain that humour is everything when it comes to delivering the message of Scene Queen. “The easiest way for me to digest things and process them is to have them delivered in a jokey way.” It’s why songs like ‘18+’ and ‘Pink Rover’ (“a song written to explain the rage I feel towards a society that allows women to be treated the way that they are”) are full of so many smirking one-liners. “If you come into something too seriously, people will back away and miss the message.”

“When I started this project, I never knew it was going to reach the scale that it’s got to, but I always knew I wanted to shift the scene a little bit,” she continues, with her debut featuring a variety of collabs with female artists. “I just try to be as loud and out of the box as possible because somewhere down the line, there’s going to be a girl that does the type of in-the-box metalcore that people think is acceptable, but it’ll be that much easier for her. I’m cool with taking the hate,” she adds with a smirk.

But more than hate, Scene Queen is inspiring a whole lot of love. “The thing I’m most proud of is feeling like I’ve been able to foster this little community within my music,” she beams, already looking forward to a return to the UK for her biggest-ever headline shows in October. “Every time I come here, I have an exceptional time”.

In October, Metal Core spoke with Scene Queen. A pioneer of Bimbocore, she was also touring the U.K. and getting some first-hand love from fans here. She was asked about being pitted against other women, what fans in the U.K. were like, in addition to the missed opportunity of none of her songs being featured on the Barbie soundtrack:

“What’s your weirdest ambition?

“I want to do a Gathering Of The Juggalos [annual Insane Clown Posse festival] set, so badly! They’re gonna either love me, because they’re gonna get the ridiculousness of it, or they’re gonna throw beer cans at me which, like… I deserve it. You know? I need to be painfully humbled or have the greatest experience of my life.”

Could you walk us through the rules of being a Bimbo metalhead?

“Bimbos do not care about math but they do care a lot about human rights and politics – that’s important. Bimbos dress however the hell they want but, ideally, they dress insanely extra. Bimbo rules are quite literally to do and say anything as long as it’s beneficial to your mental health and the greater good of society. I feel like glitter and rhinestones are extremely necessary to my project.

It’s OK to be materialistic. Honestly, we’re all slaves to capitalism anyway, so you’re allowed to like to spend money egregiously if you feel the need to. Get a sugar daddy if you want one – you can be a girl boss and a sugar baby at the same time.”

It feels strange that we aren’t hearing a Scene Queen song on the Barbie movie soundtrack. If you had written something for that release, who would have featured on it?

“Oh, well, I mean it already happened! They have Nicki Minaj on it [with Barbie World]. You have to have Barbz on the Barbie soundtrack, for sure. Her or Ashnikko, I feel like we could make a very chaotic Barbie song, and also in general that’s just like a dream collab of mine. Probably something about expensive cars and stealing money.”

What’s your favourite memory of touring in the UK?

“I still, to this day, think about this one specific girl. This was the first time I played Reading and Leeds festivals, the first time I got to play Pink G-String to a big crowd. I asked people to open up the Twerkle Pit and immediately this girl kicks her leg and just drops into a split. I was like, ‘Thank God for the people in the United Kingdom, God save the Scene Queen.’ It was honestly so incredible”.

I will end with Kerrang! and their interview with Scene Queen from November. It is not about shock value and being explicit: it is about creating safe spaces for women and community. Making sure her music makes people feel heard and seen. There is also that electricity and sexuality that adds layers and depth to her music. A complete artist who is among the most important out there:

“Country is an extremely gatekept genre in general, and so is metal,” Hannah explains over the phone from her boyfriend’s house in Nashville. “I feel like both have these people that are like, ‘You shouldn’t be doing this, you shouldn’t be [in this genre].’ I was like, ‘This would be the perfect storm of irritating the people that I want to irritate.’

“It’s always been the joke of it all, [being] a conservative person’s worst nightmare. In general, metal, for whatever reason, has shown itself to be very conservative – it’s very not what rock is about, so I don’t really understand it. We were like, ‘Let’s be the antithesis of anything those people want to hear.’”

MILF was one of the first ‘fun’ songs Hannah wrote for the aforementioned debut album, titled Hot Singles In Your Area, which is set to land in spring next year.

PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Winstone

“I kind of forgot I was able to do songs that were meant to just be fun, because I was like, ‘I have all this stuff I need to say’, like with Pink Push-Up Bra,” she explains. “I get a little bit political, some of it’s about yelling at men who treated you poorly, a lot of break-up songs. The album has a lot of hot, sexy singles on it. I wrote it at a time where I was single and kind of reclaiming my sexuality, in a way, exploring sexuality, and knowing that initial timeframe in your life is going to be super-awkward and you’re going to have nightmarish stories, but that’s the whole fun of life – going through things you can make fun of yourself for later.”

Hannah jokes that the title was chosen because the album has “the hottest singles on it possible”, but it’s far more than a wink-nudge reference to the adverts on websites that you definitely don’t visit. It represents various dimensions to her Scene Queen identity – paying homage to Y2K culture, to the online world that launched her career, and also references the fact that her music “wouldn’t exist” without sex workers and how the internet afforded a way for sex work to grow exponentially.

“The twerkle-pit and those dance moves very much came from strip club culture, but now, it’s become so mainstream that women are very able to do sex work on their own terms,” Hannah explains. “I think working as a stripper is kind of how I came into my own in my sexuality. It was the first time I realised, ‘Oh, I’m hot, I can own my body and profit off of it.’ A lot of my fanbase are sex workers, too; some send me videos of them pole dancing to my songs. [The title] pays homage to a lot of people that my project could not exist without.”

Previously released singles 18+ and Pink Push-Up Bra are both set to appear on Hot Singles In Your Area, but fans are yet to pick up on the common thread between those titles and MILF, which runs through the entirety of the album.

“They’re very internet-themed porny titles,” smiles Hannah. “I feel like people will laugh when they read [the song titles] from top to bottom. I also wanted it to be kind of a nightmare for people to search my songs, because with those titles, a million things could come up. But also, you’re accidentally going to find my record 5,000 times because of the song titles. Some man somewhere who is not looking to find my record will accidentally stumble upon it. I want it to be an album that makes people feel empowered in some way to be themselves, or to reclaim themselves or whatever, but have so much fun while listening to it along the way.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Winstone

As she grew up, Hannah would drive many hours to Cleveland every weekend to go to gigs, usually on her own. At those shows, she wasn’t just having the time of her life – she was looking at what she wanted her future to be. If she wasn’t going to be onstage, she’d be backstage, working behind the scenes. She went on to study music business at college in LA but hated it and dropped out halfway through, switching her focus to songwriting, but the call of the stage still proved impossible to resist. “I realised I wanted to stop waiting for other people to make me successful,” she says of posting her early music on TikTok, which almost instantly went viral. “It’s just been a massive climb since then and it freaks me out every day.”

It was the experience of escaping to the big city for shows that inspired Hannah to reach out to her own fans find themselves in the same position, attending gigs alone because there’s nobody else in their hometown who knows about the alternative world they’re so immersed in. She even created her own sorority, Bimbo Beta Pi, and inducts a number of people at each show on the condition they pledge to be a friend to anyone in the crowd who needs some company.

“I was like, ‘As an adult, if I’m going to start this fanbase, the most important thing is going to be the sense of community within it,’” Hannah reasons. “I never want people to deal with the same thing I dealt with, which is feeling like you didn’t fit in anywhere. Now, I’m very thankful that I play shows, people come by themselves, and then the next time I come through town, they’ll be in a group of seven friends that they made at that show. Small towns exist everywhere – going to shows in the city is an escape for so many people. Even if it’s three hours out of their whole week, I just want to make sure that it’s a time they feel completely involved and included in something”.

This year is going to be another exciting one for Scene Queen. A simply incredible artist that everyone should hear about, I am looking forward to seeing where she heads. Which festivals and venues she plays. Among those to look out for an add to your playlist, Scene Queen should be right up there! Hannah Collins’ pioneering of Bimbocore means that others will follow. Many women out there in music who are being influenced by her music. There is no doubt that Scene Queen is…

A huge voice in modern music.

_____________

Follow Scene Queen

PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Winstone

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/scenequeenrocks

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/scenequeenrocks

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WandyxeDxlcOTwxtnTKP4

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEtulzpzfq-6__L2H4NdD3w

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/scenequeenrocks/

FEATURE: Dance Queens: With Women Dominating This Genre, Is 2024 a Year When This Spreads to Others?

FEATURE:

 

 

Dance Queens

IN THIS PHOTO: Eliza Rose

With Women Dominating This Genre, Is 2024 a Year When This Spreads to Others?

_________

ONE of the most pleasing…

IN THIS PHOTO: Charlotte Plank

aspects of this year so far is how various genres are starting to become less of a boys’ club. In fact, Pop has very much turned in favour of female artists. Dominating charts and producing the best the genre has to offer. The most exciting and worthy new artists emerging too. A welcomed shift. I think other genres might take longer to turn. There is still inequality when it comes to club bills and booking female D.J.s. As I have written before, polls declaring the best D.J.s still tend to be male-heavy. Fewer opportunities for women it seems. They work much harder to get the same exposure as men. That should change very soon I hope. Looking at a recent article from The Guardian, it seems like Dance music is seeing a bit of a turnaround. Even in recent years, there has been a case of female Dance producers and artists not being played. Maybe as part of a collaboration. Rather than the industry and labels encouraging solo female Dance acts, they are often seen as featured artist or pushed aside. That was the way it was decades ago. I remember growing up listening to Dance music where women were either vocalists or featured artists. It was normally a male act that was using a female vocalist. The sort of power and excellent of those vocals defined the tracks, yet they didn’t get the dues they deserve. I think we do not talk enough about those queens who voiced some of the biggest Dance tracks ever.

Now, with new artists coming through producing their own tracks and not necessarily having to sign to big labels to get noticed, there is this wave of female Dance artists and producers who are turning the tide. It is becoming a more balanced landscape. It made me think about other genres that are traditionally male-heavy and whether that balance can shift in the next year or so. With the past being littered with misogyny, casual sexism and low expectations of women in Dance, things are getting better in that respect – yet women still face discrimination and have obstacles to overcome. It is amazing that platforms like TikTok do allow this forum for Dance’s queens to highlight their music and find an audience:

“Last year, Kenya Grace began documenting her music production on TikTok. Her pairing of pop songwriting with dance instrumentals, performed from her bedroom with a simple mic and Midi-controller setup, soon attracted thousands of followers, and the comment sections were inundated with requests for covers, collaborations and official releases.

But some – generally male – viewers were unconvinced, littering her posts with variously sexist, patronising and mansplaining comments. “I’ve had people ask if someone else made the tracks for me,” she says, sighing. “I’m like: you can see me doing it.” It’s just one in a collection of microaggressions Grace can recall from her relatively new career, from paternalistic peers in early studio sessions to passive aggressive comments at live shows. “There’s a lot of stigma that women can’t produce.”

As well as being named in the BBC’s success-predicting Sound of 2024 poll, the ultimate accolade came in October when the self-taught producer, singer and songwriter spent three weeks at No 1 with her incredibly catchy drum’n’bass song Strangers, which spent a subsequent month in the Top 10. This career-changing moment still feels like a dream, she says. “There’s no way this would have happened 20 years ago.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Kenya Grace/PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Howard for MusicTech

Electronic music has a long history of sidelining women. Credits on dance tracks have been dominated by male producers, while women have too often been confined to providing faceless and nameless vocals. A 2022 report by the Jaguar Foundation found that less than 1% of the dance music played on UK radio was made by a female solo artist or all-female band; Grace is only the second woman to top the UK chart with a track she wrote, produced and performed herself – and the only one making dance music – after Kate Bush’s resurgent Running Up That Hill reached the top in 2022.

But a new vanguard of female producers is beginning to redefine what dance music looks and sounds like. With their snappy, pop-informed takes on drum’n’bass, garage and EDM, Grace, PinkPantheress and Becky Hill are all chart mainstays; Ireland’s Jazzy reached No 3 and spent 31 weeks in the chart with Giving Me, a euphoric but steely house track she co-wrote; Scotland’s Hannah Laing is getting tens of millions of streams for her self-produced, old-school-leaning rave tracks. Pursuing dance music – and crucially, on their own terms – is now a viable career path.

Piri has also faced sexist questions on her understanding of dance music and comments on what she wears, but overall she says her experience in the industry has been positive. “I feel I’m kinda lucky to be in a duo with [Tommy] because having a man there has probably sheltered me from a lot of treatment that women doing it on their own get. It’s lucky for me, but it shouldn’t have to be that way.”

As representation grows on stage and on the airwaves, Piri is also pushing for more diversity behind the scenes, hiring a crew made up exclusively of women, non-binary and LGBTQ+ people, and urging other artists to do the same. “It’s a boys club. The reason more men get these jobs is because a man has the opportunity to hire people and then will just automatically pick their friends. So we’ve gotta push outwards. You are the artist, you [have] the power to choose who’s on your team – make the most of that.”

Aside from visibility, the changing demographics in dance music are down to the wider availability of resources democratising production, from YouTube and TikTok tutorials to cheaper software, and grants such as the PRS Foundation Women Make Music fund. Collectives such as Loud LDN use group chats and events to build support networks for early-career women and gender-nonconforming artists. Among its members are Piri, Venbee and fellow pop-dance rising stars Issey Cross and Charlotte Plank. “It can be intimidating having to go and ask men for help,” says Piri. “It’s nice to know that you as a community of marginalised people can just figure it out together and accomplish your goals.”

Manchester-based producer Anz says the recent shift in mainstream music culture has its roots in the underground. When she started releasing music online in 2015, she kept her identity hidden for fear of not being taken seriously; she had to rely on male friends to vouch for her to play at house parties. But over the past decade, many local underground scenes have developed their own ecosystems to support women and marginalised genders through mentorship and training, such as Bristol’s Saffron Music, or All Hands on Deck in Manchester. “I’d be hard pressed to find a fellow female producer who hasn’t led a workshop or taught in some way,” Anz says. “You hold your hand out to whoever’s coming next. There’s no pulling the ladder up behind you.”

Within these grassroots settings, many producers and vocalists – such as Anz, Sherelle and another UK chart-topper, Eliza Rose – have been encouraged to flourish regardless of their gender. Anz says it is now a case of the major labels finally “picking up on the fact that there has been this wave of female producers, women who are just doing everything and making things happen for themselves”, albeit on a time lag. “It’s really, really delayed compared with how long the underground has been doing it. People have been working overtime to put right wrongs and those at the top are like: ‘Yeah, it’ll get here when it gets here”.

IN THIS PHOTO: PinkPantheress/PHOTO CREDIT: Lia Clay Miller for Billboard

Artists like Charlotte Plant, Venbee, Nia Archives, and piri are striking out and showing that women are adding their voices to Dance. Standing out and really shaking up what was once a scene and genre dominated by male artists. Few women given spotlight or really taken seriously. Seen more as vocalists rather than the artist or producer. Things have not completely changed, yet it is wonderful that there is this shift happening. There are other genres I think are starting to balance but are still skewed in terms of gender. Rock, Alternative and Hip-Hop are still areas of music where men get more opportunities and focus. One cannot ignore the women coming through in these genres that are delivering incredible music. I feel there is still a lot of sexism that exists, that sadly means there is a bias against women. I was reading this article about how feminism was nurtured in Rock music in the 1990s. I look around Rock, Alternative and genres like Rap and, whilst women are clearly vital and pushing against decades-long sexism, maybe the industry needs to do more to ensure that we do not need to keep having these discussions. Attitudes that still pervade about women’s worth in these genres. That said, there are signs of change. The more we seer Pop and Dance being taken over by women and that tide changing, the more that will have a knock-on effect. The lists that are being published about new acts to watch are female-heavy. At least the ones I am seeing. It does mean this weight of female talent will come into the scene and help create balance and greater attention.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay/Pexels

One day it would be nice to feel that every genre and area of the industry is equal and the sexism and misogyny we have had to see for so long is eradicated. Every article and bit of news that shows how women are taking control and kicking through barriers, the more heart and cheer it gives. It is a pity that the industry has taken so long to respond and not done a whole lot to effectively tackle gender inequality! This year is going to be a big one. The more we talk about work that needs doing and issues that still exist, the more pressure that puts on the industry. Highlighting incredible women coming through and making change. All steps towards creating a landscape that is fairer and more representative of the value that women provide. Dance music has modern legends like PinkPantheress and Kenya Grace. Maybe it is social media and various platforms that have helped create this shift. Circumvent radio stations and other channels that should be showcasing these artists. The power and influence of TikTok and other sites should not be underestimated. Though that is not the whole story. Not to slight the guys – as I love the music they put out! -, but I think female artists are genuinely more oriignal and striking at the moment. Music that is hitting harder and resonating with more people. The industry needs to realise that and ensure that it is rewarded in terms of festival spaces, record deals, financial support and platforming their work. Let’s hope that this then builds momentum and we see change and improvement…

YEAR on year.

FEATURE: Playgirl, Playboy: Inside Crystal Hefner’s Only Say Good Things and How It Made Me Reflect on Realities in the Music Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Playgirl, Playboy

PHOTO CREDIT: Ebury Publishing

Inside Crystal Hefner’s Only Say Good Things and How It Made Me Reflect on Realities in the Music Industry

_________

THIS may not…

seem related to music, yet its themes and story is something that applies to the music industry and wider world. I am going to hear Crystal Hefner speak for The Trouble Club on 9th February at the Century Club, Soho. She will talk about her book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself. The San Diego-born model and author writes openly and bravely about her experiences with Playboy and her marriage to the late Hugh Hefner. The misogyny and objectification that she was subjected to. Her words will resonate with women and everyone in fact. The way we still objectify women and impose these impossible beauty standards. Released on 25th January (that is the U.K. date; U.S. sites make it available from 23rd January), I am looking forward to reading the book and hearing Hefner speak. She is really inspiring. I am going to expand more and explain why her book can be applied to music and experiences women face through the industry. First, from her website, is some information about the brilliant Crystal Hefner:

“Crystal Hefner is a world-renowned entrepreneur and multimedia personality. From physical properties in real estate to a commanding presence online, she’s developed a highly respected portfolio of business experience.

Crystal has also curated a respectful presence of influence across her social media networks. She passionately engages her platform of over 10 million followers to bring awareness to key issues surrounding general lifestyle, health and wellness, animal rights, body image and objectification, beauty standards in the media, and more”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Crystal Hefner outside the Playboy Mansion/PHOTO CREDIT: Crystal Hefner

A must-read book this year, it is going to be a hugely powerful, eye-opening and emotional read. One where she will share her experiences and some dark moments with Hugh Fener and her association with Playboy. Maybe envisaging a different life or something that would lead to greater exposure (in a positive way), instead, Crystal Hefner faced a world of poison and objectification. Out of the other side and now moving on, her book not only exposes a relic of the old world and something that seems very archaic. I believe the Playboy Mansion is being renovated and may be restored. Let us hope one thing that is not restored is what happened between its walls. At a moment when there is misogyny and toxicity aimed at women, it seems like the degrading and demeaning nature of Playboy should be laid to rest! I am going to go on. First, you need to pre-order Crystal Hefner’s upcoming book:

“In this shockingly eye-opening memoir, Crystal Hefner reveals the toxicity and misogyny at the heart of Playboy and how she managed to rebuild her identity and sense of self after the devastating years with her late husband.

'I was 21 years old when I found myself on the front stoop of the Playboy Mansion, its ornate front door feeling like a route to success. I want to tell the real story of my time there - the good and the bad, the dark and the light. The story I wish I'd heard as a young woman trying to find my way in the world. Before I showed up at a party, allowed myself to stay, and made the decisions that would shape my life.'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Crystal Harris Hefner (@crystalhefner)

In 2008 the Playboy mansion became Crystal Harris's sanctuary - a shimmering vestige of power and opportunity. Within months she had ascended its hierarchical system to become Hugh Hefner's top girlfriend. But her new home came at a cost. Forced to follow strict rules which governed everything from her appearance to behaviour, she began to lose her identity.

By the time she married Hef in 2012, the mansion had become her prison. Before he passed away in 2017, Hef made Crystal promise to only say good things about the decade she spent in his world. After years of silence, in this gripping and honest memoir Crystal finally exposes the toxic culture at Playboy's core and the devastating effect it had on her health.

In a world where so many still strive to achieve impossible beauty standards formed by the male gaze at the expense of their happiness, her extraordinary story of misogyny and objectification and ultimate journey to self-discovery reveals eye-opening lessons that are relevant to us all”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Brandon Sloter

It seems like Crystal Hefner experienced a lot of coercion and abuse. Being seen as an object. Now, empowered and free to tell her story, I wonder what the next step is. She could have a further career as a novelist or actress. She hasher Beneath the Surface podcast. Someone who could give talks and tell her story in a bigger way. Maybe creating a documentary or speaking with other women who were associated with Playboy or involved with Hugh Hefner. An incredible woman. Whilst she does not want to paint Hefner as a hero or villain, it is clear that his autonomy and dictatorship over women is rather disturbing and seedy. Someone who clearly did not respect women. In this interview, Crystal Hefner talked about her book, in addition to her life with Hefner and with Playboy:

“Hef's not like a hero or a villain you know, he's a very complex person," Crystal, who was married to Hefner for nearly five years when he died in 2017, told The Messenger while discussing her new podcast Beneath the Surface, which focuses on discussing a spectrum of topics with her circle of friends, ranging from relationships and mental health to gender rights.

She referenced her forthcoming book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, where she discusses the "dark side" of life in the mansion, and continued, "I feel in the book, it really comes across how complicated it was, you know, like showing all the love and then feeling controlled, and it's just confusing."

IN THIS PHOTO: Hugh Hefner and Crystal Hefner attend the 2013 Playmate of the Year announcement at The Playboy Mansion on 9th May, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

She continued that it might be hard for most people to understand what that life was like, though she has met people who feel connected to her experience. "I know the situation is very different than other situations," Crystal continued. "But, you know, I've spoken to different women that I know and they can relate to being controlled or being in hard relationships. I hope by talking about it, I can help more people."

Crystal, who remains board president of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation, mentioned that Hugh had her on a curfew and she had to be home by 6 p.m.

"It was kind of disguised as movie nights at 6 or we have to go downstairs and eat and then go to the movie right at 6 so you have to be home by then," she shared with The Messenger. "Monday nights, he was with the men. It was called manly nights. I had a little break until 8:30 or 9. Those were later days. He had cards on Wednesday. Those were sort of like my weekends. Other than that, you had to be on 24/7. It was so interesting."

Crystal also said she was expected to participate in orgies.

She noted that she went into these scenarios "not really knowing who I was. And I feel that when you don't know who you are, it can get dictated to you."

"I just conformed," she said. "I was like the perfect person for Hef because I just went along with whatever he said. And I think that's part of not knowing who you are, yourself. Once you kind of find your own voice, you don't really tolerate a lot of that stuff”.

It is a complex situation. I am looking forward to hearing the Audible version of the book, as she must have a range of emotions about her time married to Hugh Hefner. Not someone who wants to shame him wholly and give a one-dimensional portrait; I think we will see debunked a myth that the Playboy Mansion is a glamorous place. Somewhere that was quite harmless if rather lurid. Behind closed doors, it does appear that the women who spent time there were sort of convinced into thinking it was good. Not brain-washed as such, they were led astray and stripped of a sense of dignity for a chance and glimpse of fame and excess. As a fog has cleared and Crystal Hefner, as a survivor, can discuss the truth about life with Hugh Hefner, it raises questions about the modern world and attitudes that still exist about women. How there are men who are telling young men that women should be controlled and abuse. Less severe in music, I do think that it is not completely embracing of women and their freedom. Still misogynistic and sexist. This feature from September takes us inside Crystal Hefner’s world and her forthcoming book:

"Hef, as she calls him, gave her a sense of belonging after coming from a broken family. “You depend on the kindness of others and you make yourself small to try to fit in. You have no power. Then I met Hef. He lived how the other half lives. You feel, ‘Wow, I could belong here too.’ At first, the Playboy Mansion felt like a sanctuary. It wasn’t. But then you either abide by it or you leave, and I didn’t feel like I had anywhere else to go or that I could make anything of myself.” That’s why she moved there with the twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon, 18, also chosen by Hefner to be a part of his tribe, a choice that was “devastating for us girls, but a game to him,” according to the mogul’s widow, who notes that it was easy to find replacements for the young women and that, being always on guard, it was difficult to cultivate friendships. “I’m learning what female friendship even means — learning what it’s like to have female friends that truly want the best for you that you could actually trust. It was a hard cutthroat environment for so long.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Guests arriving at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in December 2003, where Hugh Hefner was celebrating 50 years of his magazine/PHOTO CREDIT: Ann Johansson/Getty Images

It is common to see Hefner in the final photos of his life with the three young blondes, his wife and the even younger Shannon twins. In a documentary released a year ago, Karissa accused the tycoon of rape and confessed to having an abortion after becoming pregnant at the age of 19. Crystal has explained that, in a search of the house, she found photographs of many naked women, and that she decided to destroy them. It’s what she would have wanted them to do with her own images, she maintains. She also admitted to “arrested development” between the ages of 21 and 31 due to living inside that bubble. She was rewarded for being dependent and for many strange and competitive things. Now she says she is learning what it’s like to be a normal person and to go out on dates. But she realizes the reasons that led her to live that way at that stage of her life. And when the end was approaching, she felt the need to take care of Hefner, although now she sees that theirs was not a healthy relationship.

After Hefner’s death, his widow came to speak of him as “an American hero.” “He changed my life, he saved my life. He made me feel loved every day,” she said after burying him in a grave next to Marilyn Monroe, a niche that the businessman had bought 40 years ago. Today, she does not feel quite the same way. “All I can say is that if you come from a happy, perfect, loving childhood, you don’t usually end up with someone who was already 60 years old by the time you are born,” she said in her interviews. “‘The other day I found a picture of me with him at the very beginning. It’s just so sad. It [she means the image of herself] looks like a baby. I look back and I feel sorry for that girl. There was going to be this Wizard of Oz moment where the fantasy fades, you draw back the curtain and see the reality of it. But he who has the money makes the rules, right?’”

“Looking back, I think I had a kind of Stockholm syndrome,” she says. “There was part of me that always thought if this was real love, there wouldn’t be other women in the bedroom. I reconciled myself to it by trying to believe that Hef loved me as best he knew how.” She explains now that she is living an independent life thanks to the money the magnate left her, but also thanks to an intense activity on social media (she has more than three million followers on Instagram, which gets her paid collaborations) and her work as an ambassador for a digital club and as president of Hefner’s foundation, which defends freedom of expression and whose legacy she manages. But she admits that it is difficult for her to maintain romantic relationships, and that she is always receiving offers to meet older men.

Crystal kept the promise about only saying good things for five years. “After going through a lot of therapy and healing, I realized that I needed to be honest about my time there. The book is about healing from a toxic environment,” she told the NY Post. In her interviews she describes her husband as “a narcissist and a misogynist… he was a very complicated human. But he also did a lot of good. He helped a lot of people and helped stand up for things. At the same time, he also hurt people in ways that he didn’t realize,” she says. Harris, who now lives in Hawaii, has already visited 37 countries, has a podcast about to be released, has gone on dates with different men, has frozen her eggs to be a mother at a future date, and still loves British Cadbury chocolate more than anything in the world”.

As Hugh Hefner died before the #MeToo movement took hold, I wonder whether he would have changed and had an epiphany. Would he have been a dinosaur unwilling to evolve and realise what he was doing and what he is noted for has no place in the world?! I get the feeling that he would have kept his Playboy Mansion and not really done anything. You never know! This thing fuelled by the media that it was quite idyllic and sexy. In fact, there was this corruption and indignity that so many women had to experience. Crystal Hefner’s book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, will lead to conversations. I hope that it gets dramatised and has a wider lifespan. It not only reframes Playboy and Hugh Hefner. It arrives in the world when there is still so much misogyny. #MeToo made a different, though there is still a staggering lack of gender imbalance and sexism. Women across the world still seen as inferior. I think about Crystal Hefner’s recollections and what she had to face. Whilst not ass explicit in the music industry, it is clear that there still exists huge issues. The male gaze exists in music. Women still sexualised and objectified. Whilst not as bad as dark days past, I do feel that the industry has a long way to go. Many women have spoken about experiences of abuse at the hands of men in the industry. Many female artists still sold in terms of their appearance and sexuality rather than talent. A sexism inherent across the industry that has been slow to shake. Lessons Crystal Hefner has written will directly apply to music.

PHOTO CREDIT: Crystal Hefner

All of this makes me quite angry! We have women like Crystal Hefner writing affectingly. Her book will open up a lot of debate points. With so much being controlled by men, is there impetuous and possibility things can change for the better?! It is mostly women speaking about misogyny and abuse. With fewer male allies than there should be, how far can #MeToo go to creating this safe and respectful landscape?! There is no doubt things have moved forward, yet there are far too many occasions of women having to speak about their experiences of misogyny and exploitation. It definitely applies to music. I had this in mind. As I say, I am looking forward to hearing Crystal Hefner speak soon. I may not get to meet her, so I wanted to write here why her book is one I shall read with interest. How amazing she is and what Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself will do for other women. It is going to be such a potent and moving read! A lot of this year will be taken up promoting the book. I am interested considering what Hefner will do going forward. She is a person who is a voice of inspiration and strength for young women. She can make a real change in the world. I have thought about music and some of the things women go through. How they have to fight harder for respect and to be taken seriously. This lure and male gaze that is still evident. When will we see a world where this is no longer the case?! Books like Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself means we will get to that day…

SOONER or later.

FEATURE: The KT Bush Bond: Remembering the Great Del Palmer

FEATURE:

 

 

The KT Bush Bond

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and Del Palmer/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Remembering the Great Del Palmer

_________

WE woke up today (7th January)…

to the news that Del Palmer has died. Announced yesterday, Kate Bush News brought us a heartbreaking announcement that Palmer passed away on Friday (5th January). It is still very numb thinking that he is not here anymore. Without any realisation that he was ill, it is especially winding and shocking that we have to process such gutting news:

“We are heartbroken to tell you that Del Palmer passed away at home, yesterday, Friday January 5th, surrounded by his family. Del had dealt with health issues over the last few years and the announcement came today on social media from his niece, Debbii Louise Palmer on behalf of Del’s family. We don’t need to tell anyone out there the monumental role Del has always played in Kate’s work and music – it’s impossible to quantify. As this news sinks in, we will have more to share with you all about our friend Del, and we will be talking much more about his incredible life and career in the coming days as we remember this remarkable musician and wonderful, irreplaceable man.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Del’s family and loved ones, to Kate, to his many friends, and all the people who knew and worked with Del throughout his brilliant career in music. He’ll be so very missed. Rest in peace, Del. You are so loved – Seán, Peter, Krys and Dave x”.

One of the most upsetting aspects about the loss of Del Palmer is how it will affect Kate Bush. They were in a relationship for many years and Palmer was someone very dear to her. Even when they broke up and Bush was in a relationship with her now-partner Danny McIntosh, Palmer would often accompany Bush to events and was a loyal friend and rock. Someone she felt incredible around, she trusted nobody else to engineer her albums. Bush’s most recent album, 50 Words for Snow, featured Palmer playing. He engineered it (listed as ‘Recorded By’ in the album notes I think).

Having lost him in his early-seventies, it seems a sadly premature end to a life that was extraordinary. On 23rd December, Kate Bush wrote a brilliant Christmas message. It seemed like this year might be one for optimism and new music from her. Given the fact that Bush will not work with another engineer and Del Palmer is the only person she wants recording her music, it does seem like Palmer’s passing now signals the end of Bush’s recording career. Unless an album was already recorded, I don’t think she will follow it up. Also, in 2024, there are three big anniversaries where Del Palmer was very much a part of. The Tour of Life is forty-five. He was a big part of that. A member of her band, I think about him as being essential to Bush’s album recording and live performances from that period (and long after). Even though he was not as involved with 2014’s Before the Dawn, the fact that it is ten makes me think of him. He just comes to mind when I think of it. The Sensual World, her sixth studio album, is thirty-five this year. Palmer played on that album. We have to mark these major things without him being in the world. I will concentrate more on him very soon. My mind casts back to the K.T. Bush Band. The K.T. Bush Band was formed in 1977 with Kate. Bush on vocals and piano, guitarist Brian Bath, drummer Vic King and bassist Del Palmer.

My mind races around time periods. Even before 1977, Del Palmer and Kate Bush were friends. Someone who was with her and in her inner cire before that, he got a first-hand view of the young Kate Bush’s talent taking shape. Working alongside Bush in the K.T. Bush Band, those small gigs around London where she was playing songs that would get worldwide attention soon after must have been fascinating. I don’t think we talk much about Del Palmer in terms of Kate Bush’s work. Not only was Palmer a member of her band and engineer. His friendship and importance in her life inspired Bush’s writing. This creative bond that entwined with the romantic. The strength he gave her. A bedrock and someone who kept her grounded but also pushed her, it will be so draining reading what Kate Bush writes about this loss. No doubt this is the biggest tragedy Kate Bush fans have ever faced. Apart from Bush’s brothers John (Jay) and Paddy, Del Palmer is the most important member and name in her career (discounting her son and partner). They knew each other for decades. That trust and relationship they formed was incredible. The loss of Del Palmer means we are almost at the end of an era. We are processing the news and what all this means. Whether we will see any new work ever from Kate Bush. Rather than making it about her, I wanted to highlight how close the two still are. Del Palmer is the longest-serving member of her team and band.

Someone she had utter faith in. I don’t think we will see Bush want to work in the studio or with anyone again – or at least not for a long while. I want to end capturing some words from Del Palmer. Whereas Kate Bush was the main media attraction, we did get interviews where Palmer spoke. About working with Bush and his role. There are two interviews I want to come to. The first, from Sound of Sound, is from December 1993. It was conducted during the sessions for The Red Shoes. Published shortly after the album was released (November 1993), there are some fascinating insights:

“Del takes up the story: "During early 1990, Kate said `I want to do something, I want to go in the studio and work.' During the early stages I can set up a sound for her, set up some keyboards, show what to do on the console, and leave her to it. She'll work for days until she's got something, then we'll get the musicians in and carry on from there."

As both prducer and artist, Kate Bush is extremely focused and knows exactly what she wants. So when Del comes up with a particular sound, she wastes no time in telling him whether or not it's what she's looking for.

"There have been lots of times when I've had quite heated arguments with her--I'd say something wouldn't work, to which her response has been, `Indulge me...Just do it.' For example, on the Hounds of Love album there's a part that goes `Help me, baby, help me, baby,' which cuts in and out very quickly, which she wanted to do by turning the tape over and cutting in and out with the records switch. I said it would just be a mess, but she said, `Look, just do it, will you?' So I did it and of course it worked, and I had to eat humble pie. I've eaten so much humble pie over the years that I'm putting on weight!"

Kate is apparently not averse to placing her own fingers on the faders, especially in relation to the vocals as well as much of the instrumentation. "I was able to just set her up with a sound, and she'd take care of it herself," explains Palmer. "She'd record all the vocals, then phone me up and say, `Let's put it all together'."

These days, Kate Bush tends to write about 90% of her material as part of the overall recording process in the studio, largely because of the difficulty of trying to recreate the spontaneity and the feel of the demos.

"We just couldn't do it," says Palmer, "so we decided to use the demos as the basis for the albums. We started off by taking the demos, transferring them, then working on top--then it struck us that we should just do away with that whole process, develop the home studio and record absolutely everything right onto the multitracks and keep everything that was done. Now, a lot of the stuff that we start with doesn't make it right through to the end, but at least the flavour of it does.

"There's no fixed method to how Kate works, but generally speaking she will say, `Can you get me a drum pattern that sounds like this?' She'll sing me something and I'll program the Fairlight with a simple eight-bar loop, never any more than that, and then she'll program a sound in the Fairlight and get a tune going. Then she'll say, `I've got something, can I put a vocal down?' Something that may only amount to `la-la-la-ing`, but almost every time there'll be a specific little bit of lyric that will give her an idea, which in turn becomes the basis for the song. So we put it down, and that becomes the basic demo that we're going to work with; an eight-bar drum pattern, a keyboard and a very rough guide vocal. From that she can tell whether it's worth pursuing an idea or not. Some get discarded at this point, while others progress a little bit further before it becomes obvious that they too are not going to work."

Until the Red Shoes project, it was traditional to bring in the musicians one at a time to record their parts. Firstly--and, from Kate Bush's point of view, most importantly--the drummer, followed by the bass player (often Del Palmer himself); this would then allow her to review how each song was progressing and to make any necessary alterations prior to the guitarists and other musicians entering the fray. This time around, however, it was decided from the outset to record quickly and to aim for more of a band feel, so most of the tracks were recorded with a least bass, drums and, in several cases, keyboards being played together.

Palmer, wishing to concentrate on his role as engineer, didn't play the bass guitar; the same bass player and drummer worked over the course of ten separate days to fuel the group atmosphere, though guide guitars weren't deemed necessary. However, `Rubberband Girl' does feature a keyboard pattern performed by Kate with an acoustic guitar sample.

"On the track `Big Stripey Lie', Kate played electric guitar as well," points out Palmer. "She said to the guitarist we were using, `I'm really into the guitar. I'd really like to be able to play it,' and he said, `Oh, here, play this one (a Fender Stratocaster) for a bit.' So, he showed her a few chords, and--this is no kidding--a week later she was in front of this Marshall stack in the studio giving it her all! I've never seen anything like it. She's a natural--she was playing lead guitar and no one would know it wasn't an experienced guitarist."

THAT VOCAL SOUND

The trademark Kate Bush sound that has been developed over the course of the last four albums owes a lot not only to the pulsating, highly atmospheric, slightly discordant noises that seem to emanate from every direction, but also her own unique vocal style, with its breathy delivery and haunting presence.

"I can't take any credit for Kate's vocal sound," admits Palmer, "because it was originally shown to me by an engineer called Paul Arden who taught me so much. He would explain anything that I asked him about. One day he couldn't make a session, so he said, `Why don't you do it?' So I did, and he showed me how to get the sound which they had started using on The Dreaming. Kate loved it, and ever since then we've been using it.

"Basically, it's all down to an overdose of compression, and the fact that she really knows how to work with it. We set her up with a [Neumann] U47 in the live part of the studio--brick floor and stone walls--so it's very, very live--and then there's loads and loads of compression on the mic. The SSL desk's compression is very violent and works very well for this. So, what's happening is that every time she breathes in, you can hear it, so she has to be very specific in the way that she deals with this. She's backing off from the microphone all the time, really working it. We use a small amount of gating so you'll get the sound of the room and then it cuts off--a bit like the Phil Collins drum sound.

"If Kate's singing really loud she backs off from the mike and then she comes right in close for the quiet stuff, but when she breathes in, she does this to the side. I have to say that from a purely technical standpoint, it's really badly done, there's just so much compression on everything. But I'm not interested in being technical, I just want it to sound good, and if it does, then what's the point of changing it?

"When it comes to the mix you don't have to push the vocal up as high as you might imagine, because with that sound you're getting so much high frequency. It's real borderline stuff. Sometimes you can go too far, and it'll break up or distort, or it'll really blow your ears off, but if you get it just right, you're getting so much high frequency that you can just push the voice right down and it will still cut through everything."

On average, Kate performs four or five vocal passes for each part, and while compiling does take place, there is normally a clear contender for the master take. This is invariably deduced by way of Kate's own vocal chart, on which she makes notes while listening to the various takes. "Usually, Kate will record a complete section of her vocal and it'll work, then I'll just have to patch up a few bits."

When dealing with problems, Palmer tends to steer clear of the old cliche, `we'll sort it out in the mix.' For one thing, as Palmer is quick to point out, you have to be very sure that you *can* sort it out in the mix, so and Kate try to get things right as they put them down on tape. When it came to mixing the album, it was simply a matter of pacing, creating space and giving everything its moment. There were, however, a few exceptions.

GUESTS OF DISTINCTION

With the exception of her piano (recorded with two 87s inside the lid and Massenburg Parametric EQ), Fender Rhodes and Yamaha DX7, all of Kate's keyboard sounds were produced using a Fairlight. The other musicians were provided with only limited room for experimentation, as she was characteristically specific in her directives, while also keeping an open mind and ear to any new ideas or sounds that might come her way. For this reason, Palmer has become accustomed to recording absolutely everything that goes on during the sessions.

"Even when the musicians are just setting up I record everything," he confirms. "Because she'll say, `Oh, do you remember that thing you did when you were warming up?', and of course if you haven't got it on tape you've lost it. So, whenever there's anybody in, I always have the half-inch running, then I can spin anything back in later."

All in all, a pretty wise approach; whereas some of the musicians within the `band unit' returned time and again, others simply contributed guest appearances and it would have been altogether more difficult--not to mention embarrassing--to have these people return to redo what they had already done.

Violinist Nigel Kennedy, featured on `Big Stripey Lie' and `Top of the City', was recorded in the deader of the two main live areas, standing on carpet. "The thing with Nigel is that he never stands still," says Palmer. "So, after talking to him, it seemed that the best way to work was to use a pair of 87s. They're so versatile, I use them for everything. One was about eight feet from the ground, pointing down over his (left) shoulder toward the violin, and the other was diagonally to his right and about three feet from the ground, pointing up toward his chest. Out of the two I think I used the overhead one the most, but it was just a juxtapositional thing to see how different the room would sound. Because the room's so small you could put a microphone anywhere and it would pick him up. I used the Massenburg EQ--you have to watch the mid-high frequencies--our rooms are so live and so specific that you can get a tone that'll go right through your ears."

Jeff Beck played his signature Stratocaster for `You're The One' in the control room with a tiny amp positioned underneath the front of the console and miked with a U87 positioned three inches away to the side and pointing in. "I was sitting at the console, Kate was to my right and Jeff was seated about four feet behind," explains Palmer, "so she could talk to him and was able to both operate the deck and stand up to adjust the rack."

In 2018, Del Palmer spoke with Irish Examiner. It was highlighted how Palmer has constantly worked on Bush’s music. Ahead of the interview, Palmer was making a return to Ireland to reprise his bass parts on some of Bush’s classic records as part of the acclaimed Kate Bush Songbook show. He was in Ireland with Bush before when recording for albums like Hounds of Love. Fond memories from his time there and the musicians he worked alongside. Palmer was playing with Mandy Watson and keyboardist and band-leader Michael Mayell:

“It’s a big deal for him to go back on the road as the last time he will have played many of these tracks was on Bush’s first, and only, world tour in 1979, after which she retired from live performance, until her comeback residency at Hammersmith Apollo in 2014.

My philosophy was, ‘I’ve been there — I’ve done the real thing.’ But Michael sold me on the idea — in the end I asked him if I could be involved.

His memories of the 1979 shows are glitteringly bright. The Tour Of Life was truly ground-breaking, incorporating “mime, magic and reading”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush, performing live onstage during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Jorgen Angel/Redferns

It also featured pioneering use by Bush of a wireless headset, so that she could sing and dance simultaneously (she had studied dance with David Bowie’s old mime tutor Lindsay Kemp).

These were innovations that would be copied by everyone from Madonna to Lady Gaga. It ran for just over a month — but changed live music forever.

“Nothing like that had been done before,” Palmer recalls.

“There were projections and costume changes and we played for three hours. It was very revolutionary. I remember the first night the audience going absolutely bananas.”

By that point, he’d been in Bush’s orbit for a little over two years. He was introduced via mutual friends in south London (he had known Bush’s older brother Paddy). The first time he saw her perform, Palmer understood his life had changed. He’d never encountered anyone like her.

“I knew I had to be involved. She was going to be huge — that was obvious to me when she was 17 and still a very raw artist. We had a residency in the Rose of Lee pub in East London.

"The first night there were about 10 people. By the time we finished the residency, there were people out the street who couldn’t get in the door, it was so jammed.

"Even then, she was using dry ice getting and down into the audience. She was remarkable, A little Energiser Bunny.”

By the time of Hounds of Love, Bush had come to a critical juncture. Her previous album, The Dreaming, had not been well reviewed (it was regarded as too experimental).

So a lot was riding on the new LP. Adding to that, both she and Palmer were determined to connect with their Celtic heritage.

“We were recording in Windmill Lane. Dónal Lunny was involved, John Sheahan [The Dubliners], Paddy Glackin [The Bothy Band]. Kate wanted to get back to her roots. On one occasion they had done a piece for Hounds Of Love called ‘The Jig of Life’.

They were all around her and played the piece and she was reduced to jelly. It just blew her away, she got so emotional. Irish music is for her and her family a very intense relationship.

There was also a trip to Waterford to meet Bush’s family.

“We went to look them up and they seemed to come out of the woodwork there were so many. ‘This is cousin Mick, this is cousin Johnny…’ There were thousands of them. They were so friendly”.

I will write more about Del Palmer in the coming days and weeks. I hope the interview and videos here give you some insight into his importance and how big a part he played in Kate Bush’s career. With 2011’s 50 Words for Snow maybe being a full-stop now in terms of their work together, we need to cherish his work. Spend time writing about and remembering this lovely man. It is a very sad time when we have to face the fact Del Palmer is not in the world. In years to come, I hope documentaries are made about Kate Bush where we see and hear Del Palmer on the screen. People talking about what an incredible force he was. Nobody will ever replace him or mean as much. He was more than a friend to Kate Bush. Even for those of us who never met him, it feels like we knew him and were friends. Lots of love to Del Palmer’s family and friends. I was keen to write something in reaction to the sad news. More tributes will be paid in the coming days to…

A truly remarkable human being.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: A Billie Marten Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

A Billie Marten Playlist

_________

THERE are a few reasons…

PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Silvester

why I am dedicating an entire playlist to Billie Marten. Her 2016 debut album, Writing of Blues and Yellows, is back in my mind. One of my favourite albums from the past decade, it is a gorgeous work that is in my head and swims in the heart! Billie Marten turns twenty-five in May. Someone still so young, her fourth studio album, Drop Cherries, was released last year. I think she is one of our greatest songwriters and voices. I am thinking back to 2015. In January of that year, Marten signed to Chess Club Records, a division of Sony Music and their RCA Records recording label. It was a big moment and signal that she was a very special talent. Nine years ago, this teenage artist was had recorded the 2014 Ribbon. Later in 2015, As Long As was released. Her second E.P. came out the year before that magnificent debut. I wanted to celebrate Marten signing to Chess Club Records. Also, with four albums under her belt, she has also toured the world and no doubt will be a festival fixture this summer. A remarkable artist who has this spellbinding voice that transports you somewhere incredible. I hope we get a lot more albums from the one and only Billie Marten. There is no doubt that she is…

ONE of our very best.

FEATURE: Not the Holiday We Were Expecting… Forty Years Since Madonna’s First Appearance on British T.V.

FEATURE:

 

 

Not the Holiday We Were Expecting…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna made her debut British T.V. appearance for The Tube performing at The Haçienda on 27th January, 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins

Forty Years Since Madonna’s First Appearance on British T.V.

_________

MAYBE seen as a forgettable moment…

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna photographed in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Deborah Feingold

and one that Madonna has blanked out, on 27th January, 1984, she made her debut appearance on British T.V. It was a rare appearance out of New York. A chance to get her latest singles to the British public. She got a chance to perform the iconic Holiday on The Tube. Playing at Manchester’s The Haçienda, I think that it is more important than people give it credit for. Not a rousing success or one where the audience were captivated, it did give us this exposure to the greatest Pop artists ever. Madonna would soon go on to conquer the U.K. and the world. Her debut T.V. appearance was definitely curious. At a time when we were not used to artists like Madonna, and The Haçienda was probably used to more Dance and Acid, this was quite a moment. I do think that it was quite as bad as people think. Indeed, Madonna’s performance was great. Full of energy and verve, it was no doubt seen as something that the club-goers would approve of. I want to start by bringing in an article from Electronic Sound about that iconic and much-discussed night forty years ago:

“It would be easy to look back at Madonna’s first live appearance on UK shores and paint it as a pointy-boobed meteorite crashing to earth, rattling dainty teashop china for miles around. Or a dancing sex nun gatecrashing a knitting circle, vicars fainting, monocles falling from startled eyes. However, it was more mundane than that.

The venue for this pivotal moment in music history was the hotbed of moody Mancunian mardiness, The Haçienda. The soon-to-be Queen Of Pop landed on our green and concreted land not with a bang, but with bemusement.

The moment, on 27 January 1984, was shared live on Channel 4’s essential Friday teatime music show, ‘The Tube’.

The previous night, with her slow-rising debut single ‘Holiday’ barely tickling the Top 30, ‘Top Of The Pops’ beamed in an outside broadcast. The producers had clearly ordered attendees to dance, party hats snapped clumsily onto bobbing heads. There was no such crowd fakery the following night when ‘The Tube’, fronted by Jools Holland and Paula Yates, turned up with their cameras and Madonna took to the Haçienda stage.

Headlining that night was Sweet Sensation frontman Marcel King alongside the Factory All Stars, a supergroup which included members of Durutti Column and A Certain Ratio. When Madonna’s turn arrived, the audience mostly stood there, cross-armed as if waiting to collect their Argos order.

Don’t take my word for it. Let’s make this a multimedia extravaganza: search for ‘Madonna Haçienda’ on YouTube. There she is, curly-haired Madge, miming to a backing track while caught in awkward goth aerobics with her brother Christopher and socialite dancer Erika Belle. Look closely and you will see the bread roll and napkin gifted to them by grateful watchers.

Speak to the celebrities who witnessed her appearance and the stories come thick and fast.

Resident Haçienda DJs Mike Pickering and Greg Wilson talk of Madonna’s moodiness in the dressing room, while Fatboy Slim recalls her being quite polite. A Certain Ratio’s Martin Moscrop says he chided her for trying to move his gear. The most famous tale though is of New Order manager Rob Gretton sticking his head round a dressing room door and offering Madonna the chance to play again later that night for £50. “She looked at him,” recalls Peter Hook in his 2009 book ‘How Not To Run A Club’. “‘Fuck off’, she drawled in her whiny Noo Yawk accent before turning away. That was it for the night.”

Speak to regular audience members and the apocryphal stories fade away. Former Portishead videographer Hazel Grian got into the club thanks to a friend’s doctored press pass. “It was like a big fridge inside, clinical and industrial with high ceilings,” she says. “I used to get Smash Hits and felt like the only New Romantic in Bury. I hadn’t really heard of Madonna, but I have a vague memory of people being a bit sniffy about her, but ‘The Tube’ was a cool programme and we were excited. I had to leave early because my dad was picking me up.”

“We didn’t know Madonna and we didn’t know ‘The Tube’ was there,” says Southport furniture salesman Steve Molloy, who’s easily spotted on the YouTube clip. “All of a sudden someone started dancing on stage. There was no pomp and ceremony. It was too poppy for traditional Haçienda music and that’s maybe why no one was dancing.”

Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone, unimpressed with the reaction, says they took the money and ran. Although Hooky, who had been collared for speeding on the way to the gig, says Madonna later got stuck in the porch of Mike Pickering’s place in Chorlton.

“They [Madonna and boyfriend/manager Mark Kamins] turned up, both completely drunk,” he recalls. “They successfully unlocked the [porch] door, stepped into the gap, and then the doors slammed behind them with the key still in the lock. At which point they were stuck. Mike woke up the next morning to hear that his missus had opened the door, causing Mark and Madonna to tumble into the house.”

Years later, the late Factory supremo Tony Wilson reminded Madonna that it was his club that broke her UK performing virginity. Indeed, it was her first appearance outside New York. Even Madonna was underwhelmed with such a mundane moment that, thanks to the Mancunian rumour mill, became the stuff of legend”.

Whether people see it as a weird combination or whether it was any good, there do seem to be contrasting views on how it went and what the audience reaction was. Even if it was not an ideal setting for Madonna’s first U.K. appearance - a somewhat scary step outside of Madonna’s comfort zone -, I think that it should be marked. It was a pivotal moment and one where the U.K. got to know the name of a Pop icon in-the-making. This feature also takes us inside the Manchester club. I find it hard to believe that people who were there in 1984 could forget Madonna. She herself might not rank it highly, yet it was something that The Haçienda had never seen:

“I suppose it depends on what you were there for. Most of the audience will not have been expecting an American lady to get up there and mime to two songs whilst dancing and bopping away with a couple of scantily-clad muscle heads. I highly doubt any of them in attendance thought that they were witnessing a future superstar – and I don’t think they were really that bothered.

Madonna didn’t seem too bothered either because she got her coat on and pissed off almost immediately – I’m surprised she wasn’t halfway out of the door before the track began to fade away.

I’m presuming she went straight back to the airport and to New York, but I’d like to think of her heading off to the Spar on Oxford Road for a couple of tins of Stella and a mucky kebab from Monsoons next door.

The show finished with a rather stilted interview with Morrissey and that was it – Madonna’s first ever performance on British TV and her first ever gig outside of New York”.

On 27th January, 1984, this little-known artist Madonna was making a quick stop in the U.K. Rather than it being a minor footnote, I think that it is historic and vital for many reasons. Perhaps not everyone was engaged and knew what they were seeing, though this was important and relevant live experience for her. Not used to playing clubs in the U.K., she has since played in a few. She did get to promote Holiday and her debut album (1983’s Madonna), and it was a moment where Madonna’s name was better known. I would have been entranced and in awe being there. I know that many people have fond memories. Even so, in January 1984, Madonna was turning into this superstar. You could see her name being discussed alongside the best in music. Her love for the U.K. did find its feet soon enough. It was hard to market Madonna or know which venues would be best. As an artist mixing Dance and Disco, perhaps she was more suited to New York clubs rather than something distinctly British. I hope that people do mention The Haçienda and Madonna passing through its doors. On 27th January, 1984, forty years ago, this unique experience was being witnessed by a crowd in the North of England. Magical for many reasons, it would not be long until Madonna continued on and would conquer the music world. Before too long, her incredible career…

WOULD change forever.

FEATURE: With The Red Shoes Put Away in the Closet… Oddly Busy and Interesting: Kate Bush’s 1994

FEATURE:

 

 

With The Red Shoes Put Away in the Closet…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993 in a promotional photo for The Red Shoes

Oddly Busy and Interesting: Kate Bush’s 1994

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EVEN though Kate Bush gave interviews in 1994…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in London at the 1994 fan convention on 8th May 

in terms of releases and commercial attention, she only released a couple of singles. The Red Shoes then And So Is Love were the final releases from her 1993 album, The Red Shoes. With And So Is Love Out in November, 1994, there was still some promotion and activity from the album. Even so, she was not really recording or working on anything new. Instead, it was a moment Kate Bush was thinking about moving out of the spotlight and taking an overdue break. When you would think that 1994 was a year when Bush was mostly at home and there was very little happening, it is a lot more interesting and packed than that! As it is thirty years ago, I wanted to revisit this period on a big anniversary. In a year when music was at its peak and some all-time great albums were released, Kate Bush was taking the longest break she had ever had to that point. She would not put out another studio album until 2005’s Aerial. Since then of course, an even bigger space has come between albums – 2011’s 50 Words for Snow has not had a follow-up; not new album has been announced. I wanted to highlight things happening in Kate Bush’s career in 1994. Thanks to Kate Bush News for their timeline of Kate Bush’s career. You can see that 1994 is definitely a full one for her:

“1994

A brief summary of the year’s events:

Spring: Kate appears on the new Alan Stivell album “Again” providing keyboards and backing vocals on the track Kimiad. Kate has spoken in the past of her love for this piece, and has worked with Alan on The Sensual World album.

March 23rd: Kate appears at the 12th Brussels International Festival of Fantasy, Thriller & Science Fiction to promote her film which she introduces.

April/May: Eat The Music released on a CD single in a number of territories outside the UK & Ireland.

April: The title track of Kate’s album The Red Shoes is released as a UK single on the 5th April. The video is a segment from the film The Line, The Cross and The Curve. The B-side is a new track You Want Alchemy. A second CD contains a 10 minute remix of the track , entitled Shoedance. The single peaked at no.21.

Maybe a little quite at the start of 1994, things soon spring into action! I know she collaborated with a lot of artists. She would work with Prince for his 1996 album, Emancipation. In 1994, she appeared on a song and album I was not aware existed. Not keen to write her own music, she was still open to collaborations and other projects. Bush travelling to Brussels to promote The Line, the Cross and the Curve was interesting. It got some poor reviews, though I think it is really important and underrated. The film was definitely appreciated by fans, yet it was not that well received further afield. Bush perhaps detached herself from it soon after, though she was committed tin 1994 to making sure it was discussed and seen.

On 5th April, an underrated single came out. Not played much or discussed, The Red Shoes is one of the strongest tracks from the album of the same name. It got to twenty-one in the U.K. Whilst not a big success, it at least showed there was still appetite for Bush’s music. She would put a further single from the album out. It would be the last one she did until 2005’s King of the Mountain. May 1994 was a very interesting time. I love the fact there was a fan convention in which Kate Bush appeared. Someone always appreciative of the fans’ support, it sounds like the 1994 Kate Bush Convention was a hugely enjoyable event for everyone who attended. I was only ten at the time (my eleventh birthday was 9th May, 1994), but I would love to have been older and to have been there:

May 8th: The 1994 Kate Bush Convention is held at The Hippodrome in London on Sunday 8th May. The event was organised by Homeground/KBC. Kate appeared to introduce a screening of The Line, The Cross and The Curve, and her brother Paddy appeared performing with Colin-Lloyd Tucker, his partner in the musical project Bushtucker.

Fans perform their versions of Kate’s songs on stage and hours of rare video are shown. An auction of rare items is hosted by Del Palmer (in aid of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, as was the entire event), and all participating fans (1,000+) had submitted their top ten favourite Kate tracks (with great difficulty!) with the booking form for tickets for a special Top 50 to be compiled and announced at the convention. Here’s the Top Twenty:

1.      Wuthering Heights
2. Moments Of Pleasure
3. Running Up That Hill
4. The Sensual World
5. This Woman’s Work
6. Cloudbusting
7. The Man With The Child In His Eyes
8. Hounds Of Love
9. Under The Ivy
10. The Red Shoes
11. Night Of the Swallow
12. Hello Earth
13. Breathing
14. The Big Sky
15. Never Be Mine
16. Eat The Music
17. Moving
18. Wow
19. Suspended In Gaffa
20. Babooshka

I guess the middle of 1994 was a big time. That screening of The Line, the Cross and the Curve in the U.K. Kate Bush appeared at the premiere and there was anticipation and interest. Even if critics were less than kind, thirty years after that screening, there should be some reissue or retrospection. Get the film to 4K and show it again. Maybe an anniversary Kate Bush convention where the film is played and there are events. It would be amazing. I like the fact that the summer was a time for Kate Bush to finish off promotion – more or less (for The Red Shoes and The Line, the Cross and the Curve) and take on other things. Not really pressured to write anything new, her association with Fruitopia is really fascinating and cool. Not someone who took on commercial requests (apart from appearing in a Japanese Seiko advert in 1978), this was unusual and magnificent:

May/June: Kate’s film is screened at 24 UCI cinemas across the UK.

Summer: Kate supplied a variety of soundtracks for TV commercials for the US launch of the Fruitopia range of drinks by Coca-Cola. This came as a surprise to fans, an unusual project for Kate to embark on. There are 10 different “scores” accompanying “intense kaleidoscope-style manipulations of brightly coloured fruit”. The UK versions of these ads featured Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins on vocals.

Rather than 1994 being an intense year with an album and live performances, Bush was doing this interesting bits away from her own music. I love her version of The Man I Love. Hardly spoken about, it is a wonderful interpretation from Bush. Smoky and gorgeous, it is one of her all-time greatest vocals. After July and that contribution to a wonderful album, Bush then saw a huge live performance released a video and C.D. Such a rich couple of months where we get some retrospection in different forms:

July: Kate’s contribution to the Glory Of Gershwin album, The Man I Love, is released as a UK single on the 18th July. It is accompanied by a video shot in black and white which got aired on ITV’s Chart Show and on MTV. The single enters the UK chart at its peak position of no.22. During an interview on Sky News, Larry Adler, beaming, recalled the making of this video:

“When we made the video together, the one you just showed a bit of, I had gout in my foot and whenever I had to go to my bedroom, Kate would escort me like a nurse, and I just was so charmed by her.”

August: PMI (Picture Music International) release a double-pack of the Live At Hammersmith Odeon (1979) video with a CD of its soundtrack…in effect Kate’s first live album. (an E.P. of 4 tracks, On Stage, was released in September 1979)

I get the feeling that 1994 was a year Bush was free to step away from the album promotion cycle and engage in other ventures. She was definitely look to an extended break. Before then, the autumn of 1994 produced some curious moments. I like the fact that October and November were standout for different reasons. In November, And So Is Love was the final single from The Red Shoes. Reaching twenty-six , it was a modest success in the U.K. but did little business elsewhere. It seemed like a sign to take some time away and refresh. I really like And So Is Love, yet I feel there were other songs on The Red Shoes that could have been a final single (maybe Lily?):

October: Kate contributed a pair of exhibits to the War Child charity’s “Little Pieces From Big Stars” exhibition, entitled Someone Lost At Sea Hoping Someone In A Plane Will Find Them and Someone In A Plane Hoping To Find Someone Lost At Sea. The artworks consisted of two small black frames within which was a black surface containing a small twinkling red light, one in each piece. They were eventually sold for £1,150. Other participants included Paul McCartney and David Bowie.

October: Kate’s film, The Line, The Cross & The Curve is released on video by PMI.

November: The fourth and final UK single from The Red Shoes album, And So Is Love (featuring Eric Clapton on guitar), is released on November 7th. A limited edition 7″ came in a plastic wallet containing a large fly-poster for the single. Also the CD single came with three prints from The Line, The Cross & The Curve. The B-side features a lively dance remix of Rubberband Girl. Kate appeared on Top Of The Pops on the 17th of November. The single entered the UK chart at it’s peak position of No. 26. The video is a segment from the film and got plays on MTV”.

You can see that 1994 has a very eclectic year. Thirty years ago, Bush was at a moment after The Red Shoes was released but before she embarked on further promotion and other projects. I do think there should be anniversary events around the 1994 convention; the release of The Line, the Cross and the Curve, and the War Child charity auction (you can see a video of that here). Not sure what form they would take. I think a lot of people do not realise all the things Bush got up to in 1994. It was a remarkable year with some commercial stuff, charity bits and her working on other people’s albums. After 1994, she would engage now and then. There were the odd appearance and things here and there, however it was not until 2005 when she was fully back in the spotlight. Barely taking a break since 1978, it is only right she would end 1994 thinking that other things needed to become a priority. I love that Bush, during perhaps music’s best year, was not releasing a new album or really engaging with all of that. Instead, she was doing things that seemed more personal fulfilling and less predictable/tiring. 1994 was definitely a crucial year…

FOR Kate Bush.

FEATURE: Groovelines: The Beatles – Hey Bulldog

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

The Beatles – Hey Bulldog

_________

AS The Beatles’…

album, Yellow Submarine, turns fifty-five on 13th January (its U.S. release) - 17th January, 1969 in the U.K.-, I want to use the opportunity to both nod to the album on its anniversary. I also want to highlight its best song, Hey Bulldog. A song that I feel has inspired so many other artists and songs – you can feel the spirit of Hey Bulldog running right through Led Zeppelin’s early work (songs like Four Sticks have a bit of Hey Bulldog) -, it is definitely worth highlighting. There are a few albums from The Beatles celebrating big anniversaries this year. Released in 1964, A Hard Day’s Night and Beatles for Sale turn sixty. Abbey Road was released in 1969 and is fifty-five later in the year. Yellow Submarine is one of the most divisive albums from the band. With an accompanying animated film – the role of The Beatles is not voiced by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison -, Yellow Submarine arrived several months after The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album). The first half of Yellow Submarine is songs from the film. The second is George Matin’s orchestral film score. Featuring a few original songs from The Beatles on the first side – including Only a Northern Song and All Together Now -, it was a gap and change of pace from the intense and quite divisive The Beatles recording. Before getting to Hey Bulldog, I want to bring in some information about Yellow Submarine:

“Four days after its US release, The Beatles’ soundtrack LP for the Yellow Submarine film was issued in the United Kingdom.

The group’s 11th UK album (including 1966’s A Collection Of Beatles Oldies) was their first to contain non-Beatles recordings; it contained seven original orchestral pieces written by George Martin. Furthermore, it featured two songs – ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘All You Need Is Love’ – which had been released some time previously.

The Beatles received some criticism for offering just four new songs on this full-price album – ‘Only A Northern Song’, ‘All Together Now’, ‘Hey Bulldog’ and ‘It’s All Too Much’. In light of this, a five-song mono EP, with the addition of ‘Across The Universe’, was mastered for release, but remained in the EMI vaults.

The Yellow Submarine soundtrack was issued as Apple/Parlophone PMC 7070 (mono) and Apple PCS 7070 (stereo). The mono version, however, was not a separate mix, but a ‘fold-down’ version of the stereo one.

It spent two weeks at number three in the UK charts; at the time the White Album was at number one.

The introductory sleeve notes were written by Apple’s press office Derek Taylor, and were accompanied by an article titled ‘The Beatles’ bull’s-eye’, originally written for The Observer newspaper by Tony Palmer.-2:

My name is Derek but that is what my mother called me so it is no big thing, except that it is my name and I would like to say I was asked to write the notes for Yellow Submarine. Now Derek Taylor used to be the Beatles press agent and then, in America he became the Beatles former press agent (having left them) and now Derek Taylor is the press agent for the Beatles again so when has was asked to write the notes for “Yellow Submarine” he decided that not only had he nothing new to say about the Beatles whom he adores too much to apply any critical reasoning, and by whom he is paid too much to feel completely free, and also he couldn’t be bothered, and also he wanted the people who bought the Yellow Submarine album to buy and enjoy the really wonderful “The Beatles” album out in the month of November ’68 so here and now, unbought, unsolicited, unexpurgated, unattached, pure and immeasurably-favourable is a review of “The Beatles” (the new Apple/EMI album) from the London Observer by Tony Palmer, a journalist and film-maker of some special distinction”.

Before finishing with a feature looking at the brilliance and oddity of Hey Bulldog, Beatles Bible gives us the details about the recording and personnel involved in Hey Bulldog’s creation. Recorded in 1969 when The Beatles were putting together their eponymous album, it appeared on the Yellow Submarine album almost a year later. The Yellow Submarine film arrived in the U.K. on 17th July, 1968:

“Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 11 February 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

John Lennon: vocals, piano, guitar
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass, tambourine
George Harrison: guitar
Ringo Starr: drums

Released on the soundtrack to the Yellow Submarine animation, ‘Hey Bulldog’ was written and recorded while The Beatles were being filmed for a promotional film for ‘Lady Madonna’.

The song started life as ‘Hey Bullfrog’, based on a few ideas sketched out by John Lennon. The line ‘Some kind of solitude is measured out in you’ was originally ‘measured out in news’, but Paul McCartney claimed to have misread Lennon’s handwriting.

Paul said we should do a real song in the studio, to save wasting time. Could I whip one off? I had a few words at home so I brought them in.

John Lennon
The Beatles, Hunter Davies

The title came about after McCartney made a barking sound during the session, as he and Lennon ad-libbed during the finale. The Beatles decided to keep the barking in, and changed the title to ‘Hey Bulldog’ to fit.

Hunter Davies also recounted how Lennon originally tried playing a sitar on the track, strumming it like George Formby’s banjolele and singing in a Lancashire accent. Although an intriguing proposition, The Beatles were unable to work this into the song.

Musically, the song harks back to the early R&B riffs of songs such as ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, and retains a similar blues feel as ‘Lady Madonna’ – the two songs were combined on the Love album.

An animated sequence for ‘Hey Bulldog’ was made for the Yellow Submarine film, although it was originally included only in European prints.

That’s me, ’cause of the Yellow Submarine people, who were gross animals apart from the guy who drew the paintings for the movie. They lifted all the ideas for the movie out of our heads and didn’t give us any credit. We had nothing to do with that movie, and we sort of resented them. It was the third movie that we owed United Artists. Brian had set it up and we had nothing to do with it. But I liked the movie, the artwork. They wanted another song, so I knocked off ‘Hey Bulldog’. It’s a good-sounding record that means nothing.

John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

The recording of ‘Hey Bulldog’, unusually, was captured by a film crew. As The Beatles were preparing to travel to India, a promotional film for ‘Lady Madonna’ was commissioned, to be issued in their absence.

The ‘Hey Bulldog’ animated sequence was restored for the 1999 worldwide re-release of Yellow Submarine. At the same time Apple revisited the original studio footage of The Beatles and synchronised it with the song, to create a new promo clip.

When we were in the studio recording ‘Bulldog’, apparently it was at a time when they needed some footage for something else, some other record, and a film crew came along and filmed us. Then they cut up the footage and used some of the shots for something else. But it was Neil Aspinall who found out that when you watched and listened to what the original thing was, we were recording ‘Bulldog’. This was apparently the only time we were actually filmed recording something, so what Neil did was, he put it all back together again and put the ‘Bulldog’ soundtrack onto it, and there it was.

George Harrison

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney during filming of the Hey Bulldog video

‘Hey Bulldog’ was later cited by The Beatles’ engineer Geoff Emerick as one of their final true group efforts, with equal contributions from all members. Following their Indian jaunt The Beatles’ sense of togetherness began to sour; they tended to work separately, with increasingly frequent disagreements which eventually led to their split.

In the studio

On 11 February The Beatles recorded, completed and mixed ‘Hey Bulldog’ during a 10-hour session. The basic rhythm tracks consisted of piano, drums, tambourine, lead guitar and bass.

By take 10 they had a good version, and so onto this were overdubbed more drums, fuzz bass, a guitar solo, double tracked lead vocals by John Lennon and backing vocals from Paul McCartney.

I remember ‘Hey Bulldog’ as being one of John’s songs and I helped him finish it off in the studio, but it’s mainly his vibe. There’s a little rap at the end between John and I; we went into a crazy little thing at the end.

Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles”.

I am going to end with this feature from 2013. There is this sense that Hey Bulldog is throwaway. A John Lennon song with improvisation and a sense of urgency, he sort of dismissed it as not being serious. It is often now regarded as one of The Beatles’ best tracks. A real gem. I think it is the standout track from the Yellow Submarine album:

“According to Rolling Stone, McCartney had played drums on a Paul Jones track entitled “The Dog Presides” just a few days earlier; apparently with dogs on the brain, he and Lennon mimicked that song’s sound effects by enthusiastically barking and howling. Legend has it that McCartney’s misreading of the lyrics also altered the nature of the song in significant ways. He claimed that he misread the original lyric, “some kind of solitude is measured out in news” as “some kind of solitude is measured out in you”; Lennon preferred the word change, and the group left in the slip.

More importantly, as Lennon and McCartney improvise at the tune’s outro, McCartney accidentally said “bulldog” instead of “bullfrog (perhaps confusing the “bullfrog” and “sheepdog” references); again, Lennon enjoyed the new lyric. As McCartney told biographer Barry Miles: “There’s a little rap at the end between John and I; we went into a little crazy thing at the end.”

The instrumentation also underwent several changes. According to Hunter Davies’ Beatles biography, Lennon originally wanted to play sitar on the track and sing in a Lancashire accent; obviously the group rejected the idea. The final version consisted of Lennon on piano and guitar; McCartney on bass and tambourine; George Harrison on guitar; and Ringo Starr, of course, on drums. They recorded the song in a ten-hour session, with take ten deemed the best.

According to the Beatles Bible, the group then overdubbed more drums, fuzz bass, a guitar solo, Lennon’s double-tracked lead vocals, and additional backing vocals from McCartney.

Two mono mixes were immediately made, with one given to King Features for the Yellow Submarine film. As the Beatles Bible notes, the tape machine ran slightly faster during the mixing, thus raising the pitch and tempo of “Hey Bulldog.” On October 29, Emerick oversaw the stereo mixes; interestingly, “All Together Now,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “Only A Northern Song” also received remixing for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album.

The footage of the Beatles recording “Hey Bulldog” was superimposed over the “Lady Madonna” single; thus viewers assumed the group was performing the latter for the song’s video. But Harrison revealed the truth behind the clip to Billboard Magazine in 1999: “Neil Aspinall who found out that when you watched and listened to what the original thing was, we were recording ‘Bulldog,’” Harrison explained. “This was apparently the only time we were actually filmed recording something, so what Neil did was, he put (the unused footage) all back together again and put the ‘Bulldog’ soundtrack onto it, and there it was!”

The restored video was part of the rerelease of the Yellow Submarine film and soundtrack, or “songtrack,” as it was retitled. Another addition to the rerelease: the restoration of the “Hey Bulldog” sequence in the film, as it was deleted from American prints.

While never released as a single, “Hey Bulldog” remains an underrated rocker in the Beatles’ oeuvre. McCartney’s bass fascinates; the isolated track in the video above reveals the intricate lines that prove crucial to the song’s pounding rhythm. While hotly debated whether Lennon or Harrison played the guitar solo (my guess is Harrison), it still cuts sharply through the background, lending a harder edge.

Indeed, the lyrics conjure silly images — a Lennon trademark — yet the instrumentation rescues the track from becoming a simple novelty. Hearing Lennon and McCartney shouting and laughing toward the end demonstrates that despite their growing differences, they loved recording together and never strayed far from their youthful Liverpool roots”.

On 13th January, it will be fifty-five years since the Yellow Submarine album was released in the U.S. I wanted to mark the fifty-fifth anniversary of the album. I was also keen to spend time spotlighting a remarkable track from it. The riveting and hypnotic Hey Bulldog is a song that still sound magical and insatiable to this day. Maybe recorded at quite a tense time for the band, there is a child-like glee and innocence to it. A swaggering and swinging song from The Beatles, I have a lot of love for it! We are going to be celebrating and digging this song…

FOR decades to come.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential February Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Nadine Shah

Essential February Releases

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NEXT month sees…

IN THIS PHOTO: Jennifer Lopez

quite a few wonderful albums released. I wanted to focus on them. Recommend the ones that you should pre-order. Let’s start with 9th February. The first album to look out for is Chelsea Wolfe’s She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. You need to pre-order this album. It is an amazing release from an artist who I don’t think gets as much credit and attention as she deserves:

“Chelsea Wolfe’s latest album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, is a rebirth in process. It’s about how such a moment connects to our past, our present, and our future. It’s a powerfully cathartic statement about cutting ties, as well as an important reminder that healing is cyclical and circular, and not a simple linear process. As Wolfe explains, “It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance. It’s a story of setting yourself free from situations and patterns that are holding you back, in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity”.

There are a couple of other albums from the week that you need to check out. One of our best songwriters releases What Happened to the Beach?. The wonderful Declan McKenna. He is a a magnificent talent that I first came across a few years ago. His latest album is one that I am definitely going to check out. You might be new to his work, so I would suggest you check back his previous work first. What Happened to the Beach? sounds like it is another superb release from the brilliant Declan McKenna. Go and pre-order this wonderful album:

“Produced by Gianluca Buccellati (Lana Del Rey, Arlo Parks), What Happened To The Beach? marks Mckenna’s third studio album following 2020’s Zeros. The LP is an album that revels in both space and atmosphere and the tracks much looser”.

The last album from 9th February that you need to seek out is Zara Larsson’s Venus. One of the biggest Pop artists in the world, the new album from Larsson is well worth checking out. Maybe it is more for fans and those who already know about her work, though I would say that she is such a strong and interesting artist that it is very much for everyone. I am going to listen to the album, as I have a lot of respect for her work. She is a tremendous artist. You can pre-order Venus here:

“Swedish popstar Zara Larsson has gifted fans a divine gift, her new album Venus. The LP was preceded by two UK Top 40 singles, Can't Tame Her and On My Love with David Guetta”.

There are four great albums out on 16th February that I will recommend. You can check out everything out in February here. I think that IDLES’ new album, TANGK, is one that everyone should get. You can pre-order the album here. There is a slightly new direction and tone to this album. Perhaps more revealing and soulful than previous IDLES album, TANGK sees the band in incredible form. A band that have never dropped a step, this is a fascinating evolution. You will definitely want to get this album:

“TANGK is the righteous and vibrant fifth album from madcap truth-seekers, IDLES. Pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” - an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined their guitars sounding that has since grown into a sigil for living in love - the record is the band’s most ambitious and striking work yet. Where IDLES were once set on taking the world’s piss, squaring off with strong jaws against the perennially entitled, and exercising personal trauma in real time, they have arrived in this new act to offer the fruits of such perseverance: love, joy, and indeed gratitude for the mere opportunity of existence.

A radical sense of defiant empowerment radiates from TANGK, co-produced by Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats, and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen. Despite his reputation as an incendiary post-punk sparkplug, frontman Joe Talbot sings almost all the feelings inside these 10 songs with hard-earned soul, offering each lusty vow or solidarity plea as a bona fide pop song—that is, a thing for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming our grievance.

TANGK is a love album—open to anyone who requires something to shout out loud in order to fend off any encroaching sense of the void, now or forever”.

One of the biggest and most anticipated albums of the year is Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me… Now. At the moment, you can pre-save the digital version. It will be available on physical formats. For now, it is an album you can add to your library. One of the world’s most influential artists, Jennifer Lopez’s forthcoming album is among her most important. You can get updates regarding the album on Jennifer Lopez’s Instagram. It is almost a full circle moment regarding this icon. Pitchfork published an article about This Is Me… Now last year:

“Jennifer Lopez has shared more details about This Is Me…Now, her first new album in a decade, one year after she announced it. It arrives February 16. That same day, Lopez will release the accompanying This Is Me…Now: The Film on Prime Video, which is described as a narrative-driven reflection on her journey to find love. Watch teaser trailers below.

This Is Me…Now is a play on the title of Lopez’s third studio album, This Is Me... Then, which celebrated its 20th anniversary the same day she announced the LP last year. The new 13-track full-length includes a song called “Dear Ben Pt. II”—presumably a sequel to her 2002 song “Dear Ben” about her husband, Ben Affleck. The lead single “Can’t Get Enough” will drop January 10.

Lopez’s last album, A.K.A., came out in 2014. Since then, she’s released standalone singles with Cardi B and Skrillex, collaborated with Maluma and Lin-Manuel Miranda, and performed at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Shakira. She’s also stayed busy as an actor, starring in Hustlers, Marry Me, and Second Act, as well as hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2019.

Revisit “Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was a Dance Party With Purpose” on the Pitch”.

Before moving on to the final album from 16th February, I want to recommend Laura Jane Grace’s Hole in My Head. This is an album that you should pre-order. A wonderful and hugely powerful artist who is an incredible voice that demands to be heard, you need to pre-order this phenomenal album. It will be among the best released from the first couple of months of this year:

“Following the release of her debut album, Stay Alive (2020) and the At War With The Silverfish EP (2021), Emmy-nominated artist, author, musician, activist and Against Me! founder/songwriter, Laura Jane Grace, returns with Hole In My Head - her beautiful new album featuring eleven tracks that showcase her undeniable power as a songwriter and storyteller. The album features her most personal and emotionally gripping songs of her career - stripped down masterpieces like “Dysphoria Hoodie” paired with blistering distorted anthems like “Hole In My Head” and “Birds Talk Too,” tracks that demand the listener’s attention with an immediacy and urgency unlike anything Grace has written before”.

I will come to 23rd February’s albums soon enough. First, there is one more from 16th February. Paloma Faith’s The Glorification of Sadness is a tremendous album that sees Faith producing. One that is obviously very personal and meaningful to her, you will not want to miss out on it. Go and pre-order this stunning work. It sounds like it is going to be a hugely moving and remarkably affecting album. One from an essential and much-loved artist:

“The Glorification of Sadness is more than an album about relationships. The celebration of finding your way back after leaving a long term relationship, being empowered even in your failures and taking responsibility for your own happiness. It is Paloma's most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album. This is the first new music from Paloma since the release of her fifth studio album Infinite Things in November 2020 and is the first time in her career where she has executively produced a record”.

There are a few albums from 23rd February that you need to check out. Allie X’s Girl with No Face is one that you will definitely want to pre-order. An artist that I have known about for a while but maybe not followed as closely as I should, Girl with No Face sounds like it is shaping up to be a wonderful album. One that I would recommend people investigate:

“Girl With No Face: Allie X’s fourth album, Girl With No Face, is a daring excavation of her identity. A maniacal journey into the mind of an artist who just spent three years in isolation, refusing any input as she became the solitary producer, writer and creative voice for the first time in her career. “This record documents an intense struggle for power and control – creatively, professionally, mentally and physically,” X explains. Inspired by the technology and hedonism of the early 80’s new wave scene, the album’s analog-leaning songs are a series of stark contradictions – retro in feel but ultra-modern in subject matter, pointed, unpredictable yet danceable, approachable while delightfully menacing. In short, Girl with No Face is completely orthogonal to the hyper-tuned, automated shapes that dominate today’s alt pop. “Instead of following any trends, I just wanted to indulge myself in all my favourite stuff this time. I wanted limitations. No plug-ins. I chose a bass synth, drum machine, string machine and embraced the shortcomings and grittiness of this old temperamental equipment. The result was something that felt messy, raw, and direct, which was really exciting to me.” Infused with early 80’s British experimentalism, with nods to The Human League and New Order, the album is a strident move away from 2020’s introspective and spare Cape God -- so much faster, more threatening. It’s not difficult to envision an industrial booted and black-eyed 80s subculture mouthing the German verses of “Weird World” and thrashing about to the relentless pulsing bass. Self-deprecation and the driest of wits lighten the aggressive mood of the record, especially in songs like You Slept on Me (a musical manifestation of the age-old tweet ‘Stop sleeping on Allie X!’) and Off With Her Tits (an upbeat satirization of some of Allie X’s more unsettling thoughts). Her signature deranged Disney-princess pop sensibility still manages to weave its way into most songs . “I always need a bit of camp,” says X, “it counterbalances the dark thoughts in a necessary way.” In the end, the multi-platinum songwriter enlisted the help of Justin Meldal Johnsen (Beck, M83, Wolf Alice). “The best comparison I can make is intentionally locking yourself in a room and sitting in front of a mirror staring at yourself. When everything is refracted through your lens you get high on the sense of power and control. But as you get to know yourself intimately, you see your own ugliness, your limitations, your pain. It’s terrifying and enlightening all at once. A total ego fuck.” - Allie X”.

The penultimate album you will want to get is Laetitia Sadier’s Rooting for Love. Go and pre-order the album. It sounds like it is going to be among this year’s most arresting and fascinating albums. I am definitely interesting in seeing what Rooting for Love has to offer. Laetitia Sadier is a truly captivating artist whose music always resonates and makes a massive impression:

“Over the course of her career, spanning three-plus decades, Laetitia Sadier has never shied away from the hard topics, or stopped advocating for the possibility of self determination and emancipation in the face of the powers that be, conscious or unconscious. This is an essential part of the foundation she co-built with Stereolab, showcasing her spiritual, scientific and sociopolitical inquiries. She’s continued this process with Monade and under her own name and as a writer/singer/and musician whose every album acts as a report on her journey of the self through time, space and the collective.

On Rooting For Love, the report is set alight by the heat of a turbulent world, collapsing institutions and Laetitia’s fully engaged process of expression as well as orchestration. The opening number, “Who + What” elucidates the central issue of the album: a call for a collective striving for Gnosis – an inquisitive outlook that will lend clues to the traumatised civilisations of Earth, allowing us to evolve away from millennia of alienation and suffering and towards the achievability of healing. The musical arrangements help to embody the layers of the issue, as with “Who + What”’s combination of organ, synths, guitar, bass, trombone, drum programming, vibraphone and zither, all working along intricate paths of chord and tempo changes. Leading from the inside is the implacable presence of Laetitia Sadier, herself interacting with a vocal assembly of men and women billed as The Choir. The regular reappearance of The Choir throughout Rooting For Love is a reminder of this music being one of a people in critical mass, in addition to an evolution that continues to deepen the rich harmonic fields in which Laetitia plays.

Whether drawing inspiration from Zen Shiastu training, or the lyrics of Véronique Vincent, (lyricist and singer for Aksak Maboul, and once upon a time, lead singer of the Honeymoon Killers), Laetitia faces the truth without flinching. The shadows, whatever stuff they are made of - individual and collective, present and ancestral - need to be recognized and acknowledged, because the more we heal within ourselves, the more undivided we become in the face of looming Neo-fascist/Neoliberal narratives polluting the inner and outer landscapes.

Alongside of her collaboration with Modern Cosmology, last year’s incredible What Will You Grow Now?, as well as her continued tours with a reformed Stereolab, Rooting For Love finds Laetitia back in the world, once again urging all our grounded inner alignment and heart power to make us better equipped for creating what’s to come”.

The final album that you need to pre-order is my favourite from February. Nadine Shah’s Filthy Underneath is one I will definitely be ordering. The first single from the album, Topless Mother, was my favourite song from last year. An artist whose music I hold infinite love for, I am excited to get a copy of Filthy Underneath. I would also urge everyone else to go and pre-order an album that will sit alongside the very best of this year:

“Nadine Shah releases her fifth album - Filthy Underneath on EMI North. The follow up to 2020's critically acclaimed Kitchen Sink and 2017's Mercury Prize nominated Holiday Destination.

Filthy Underneath chronicles a period of unprecedented turbulence in Nadine Shah’s life. And yet, the experience of listening to it is oddly life-affirming – a parade of ghosts spanning the entirety of Nadine’s thirty-seven years, moving with balletic beauty to the music that Nadine and long-time co-writer and producer Ben Hillier have created around them, with renewed emphasis on placing melody and movement front and centre”.

Those are the albums from next month that I think you will want to invest in. Some terrific selections including a big release from Jennifer Lopez, plus essential albums from IDLES and Nadine Shah. A busy and splendid month for music, there is plenty if choice for every music lover! I hope that there is something above that takes your fancy. I am really looking forward to hearing some of February’s very best. There is no doubt that it shaping up to be an…

INCREDIBLE month.

FEATURE: Dogmatic or Not… Will the Hegemony of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love Stunt Future Generations’ View of Her Legacy?

FEATURE:

 

 

Dogmatic or Not…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for the Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) single cover (1985)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Will the Hegemony of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love Stunt Future Generations’ View of Her Legacy?

_________

I have written about this…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Tokyo, Japan in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images

quite a few times recently. I am referring to radio playlists and the dominance of particular songs from Kate Bush. I think the more she is know about and shared, the less adventurous and flexible radio playlists are with her music. The same is true of the media. She is still framed around 1985’s Hounds of Love. I can’t think of any other major artist like her that is defined by one album. She may not mind it herself – as she has reissued Hounds of Love and done some special editions for it -, though it is insulting that an artist of her talent and influence is narrowed down to one album. Nothing against Hounds of Love. It is a rightful and undeniable masterpiece that deserves kudos. There are eight other original studio albums – not counting Director’s Cut in the list – that are either occasionally played or not at all. You do get hits from other albums played though, more often than not, the same three or four songs from Hounds of Love are the lazy go-to. It is a vicious cycle of stations feeling this is the most accessible and commercial music from her. They then keep playing it because they do not get feedback or complaints. There is nobody and nothing pushing against the hegemony and over-reliance on one album. I have actually started listening more to other Kate Bush albums to rebel against this predictably unnuanced media view of Kate Bush! In new stories, she is still seen as the ‘singer’ of songs like Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) and Wuthering Heights. In previous years, if stations played and the media discussed other hits and singles, I found last year was more directed towards Hounds of Love and its tracks. At best, you’d get occasional deep cuts selected by listeners or daring D.J.s going beyond the obvious.

I wonder how to break out of the cycle. I know that vinyl purchases will increase awareness. Magazine articles and books will alert fans to other albums and great tracks. There are a few tracks that have podcast episodes and get covered though, mostly, discovery is made via radio and streaming services. Hounds of Love is not the only go-to for people, though it seems to dominate more than it should. So many tracks that could be played and are being left aside. It gets boring hearing Cloudbusting for the millionth time, even if it is a classic. What about some of the deep cuts from 1978s Lionheart, 1980’s Never for Ever or even 1989’s The Sensual World?! I know that there are some songs that might not connect with listeners. Even so, I feel it might be an issue not just reserved to Kate Bush. Her music is especially ignored in terms of the songs played, though even massive artists like Madonna are still largely associated with their hits. Not to suggest we put Hounds of Love aside. I think that it is an album that gets played and focused on more as it is talked about and heralded as this classic. At the detriment of all her other albums, I have not heard anything from The Dreaming or most of the albums bar the singles – and, in the case of Aerial or Lionheart, it has been so long since I have heard anything at all from them.

I am not slighting Hounds of Love, as I love it a load. It is a majestic album. I feel, in years to come, unless more songs are played and the impression of Kate Bush goes beyond one album, we will still only see her as the artist who made Hounds of Love. Associate her with one or two songs. So many people have not heard a lot of Bush’s music. Not only does it means playlists featuring her music lack variety. Some of Bush’s most important moments and incredible music is getting overlooked. I have posted this before because there is still little movement and expansion in terms of Kate Bush’s catalogue and how she gets represented. Some say maybe it is EMI or someone connected to her that does not want deeper cuts featuring on radio. That there should be more from Hounds of Love from other albums. Maybe Kate Bush herself has had input. I don’t think that this is the case. Bush, as long as Hounds of Love got some airing, would be open to all her albums getting an outing. EMI don’t have much say on her current output and decisions. I think it is more likely that radio stations have got into a rut and are reluctant to get out of it. That is a real shame! It is a new year, so we should be a lot more appreciative of Kate Bush’s full body of work. Go to Spotify and listen to her albums in full. Check out videos on YouTube and also search out podcasts relating to her albums and songs. I am not hopeful there will be quick change, though we definitely need to get out of the mindset that Kate Bush’s most commercial and successful album is the only valid one. Even the best. Many might debate that. Definitely, when you think of all the treats that have either never been played or are relatively unknown, it is angering indeed! I am concerned that it will affect not only fans but artists. Different Kate Bush songs can resonate with different artists. A lack of cover versions of her songs too. There needs to be a dedicated push to highlight how varied Bush’s catalogue is. If we keep defining her so rigidly then that does a huge injustice to her. It may seem daring and new but, the more you dig deep, the more surprises you get. Once done, people will reveal…

A fascinating and bewitching sonic world!

FEATURE: Saluting the Queens: Peggy Gou

FEATURE:

 

 

Saluting the Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Soria for Interview

Peggy Gou

_________

AT a time when women…

are dominating British Dance music, it is perhaps no surprise that Peggy Gou was placed third in the BBC’s Sound of 2024. A superstar D.J. and legend in the game, you can follow her on Instagram. Perhaps better known as a D.J. rather than through her music/wider afield, she is a queen I wanted to salute. Not only is she one of the world’s best D.J.s. Peggy Gou has also released incredible music. I Believe in Love Again was her collaboration with Lenny Kravitz. I think that this year will be one of her best. I shall end with that Sound of 2024 interview with the BBC. I want to come to some other interviews before that. You can see some updated biography here (it would not allow me to copy and paste the text); here is some background to a wonderful, globe-struggling D.J. that is one of the world’s most influential and important:

“Berlin-based Peggy Gou is a South Korean DJ and fashion designer, quickly cementing her mark in the music industry with a unique concoction of house and acid sound as well as an equally unique sense of style with a New Guards Group-backed clothing line, Kirin.

With her first track only dating back to 2016, the musician and Instagram star has enjoyed a rapid rise to fame, gaining the support of established musicians Moodyman, The Black Madonna and DJ Kaze through support slots that have attracted a loyal fanbase that includes Virgil Abloh .

Gou was born in Seoul, moving to London aged 14 to complete her high school education. Growing up, Gou harboured ambitions to become a singer; a classically trained pianist, she composed her first piece aged eight. A few years later, she left her passion behind, opting to pursue a fashion degree at the London College of Fashion instead. While studying, Gou reignited her love for music, pursuing music production after making a start mixing in Korea with her then boyfriend, and performing at London’s Cirque Le Soir nightclub through connections. With the desire to become the youngest and first female Korean DJ playing at the Berghain club in Berlin, Gou threw herself into music full-time, pushing her fashion studies aside.

By the end of 2016, Gou released her first double EP, titled “September War,” and played her first set at the Berghain club after moving to Berlin. She has produced four EPs, including her first American tour and a month-long BBC Radio 1 residency in 2017, and has performed at Coachella. At Dazed’s 2017 Off-White party, Gou met representatives from New Guards Group, which offered Gou her own label. Her line of high-end streetwear, marrying traditional Korean mythological motifs with club culture graphics, made its debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2019 and is yet to be made available in stores

In 2019, Gou also announced the launch of her own record label and was included in Forbes’ 30 under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports list”.

Before coming to some 2023 interviews – and ending with one that is from this year -, I will go back to 2020. 2019 was one of the busiest to that point for Peggy Gou. She spoke with i-D about a hectic 2019 and her resolutions for 2020. The South Korean D.J. and producer is someone who has brought joy to thousands around the world. Even if you are not overtly-familiar with her name, I guarantee that, once you hear her work and D.J. magnificence, you will fall under her spell:

“Peggy Gou had a busy 2019. On top of playing close to a hundred gigs the world over, the South Korean DJ, producer and now fashion designer -- known as much for her popular Instagram account as the sophisticated deep-house sets she never fails to deliver -- recently launched her own record label and streetwear line. “I enjoy it so much that I forget I’m tired,” she says, laughing, as we chat over a New Year’s Day iced coffee in Desa Potato Head, Bali’s new OMA-designed hotel and cultural venue. Dressed in a silky short-sleeve shirt and sporty Mugler shorts, the DJ-turned-designer looks suspiciously fresh for someone who was up until the wee hours playing to a rowdy crowd of 3000. The beach-front gig -- whose promotional posters plastered across the island read ‘Gou Year’s Eve’ -- coincided with the drop of a new capsule collection, made in collaboration with the Indonesian hospitality group.

But 2020 is going to be more low-key for the overachieving music sensation, who plans to cut down on live shows to focus on her first album. “Creative people need to do nothing to be creative,” says Peggy, before telling me about the new home studio she’s having built in her adopted city of Berlin. The LP follows an eclectic score of dance music EPs (she sometimes refers to her music as ‘K-House’) released since 2016, as well as a recent DJ-Kicks mix. The album, however, will be released by XL Recordings, Peggy’s dream label, who she remembers emailing obsessively back in Korea to ask about internship opportunities. “I never once got a reply!” she laughs.

Alongside this, the 29-year-old DJ will continue to grow her own record label, Gudu. So far, the project has acted as a platform to support the work of cult-yet-overlooked electronic producers, from Rephlex Records’ DMX Krew to American remix maverick Maurice Fulton. “Some of my legends,” Peggy says, “who I think deserve more spotlight”. But ultimately, the powerhouse hopes to sign emerging talents, particularly female and Asian musicians. “I went through a lot after I signed my first music,” she says, remembering the lack of support she received from her first label. This early experience encouraged her to change the game: “I want to give artists what they want,” she says.

While Peggy is best known for her music career, now gathering crowds in the thousands at international clubs and festivals alike, her first love was fashion. After spending her teenage years in London -- her parents sent her to learn English because “they thought I had no future in South Korea,” -- she applied to London College of Fashion and started a course in styling. “I realised I wasn’t good at it,” says Peggy, who briefly worked as a correspondent for Harper’s Bazaar Korea. “I only enjoy styling myself,” she laughs.

But this stint in fashion wasn’t all in vain. Last year, following a series of timely encounters with Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Virgil Abloh, Peggy launched her women’s streetwear label Kirin (‘giraffe’ in Korean; her favourite animal) backed by Off-White’s parent organisation, the Italian luxury company New Guards Group which was recently acquired by Farfetch. The brand has since released an eclectic and colourful slew of logo-print shirts, robes and jumpsuits -- all infused with Korean mythological iconography.

These references appear as much in her design aesthetics as in the visual identity of her musical universe. Whether it be the recurring motif of the xiezhi (a mythical lion-shaped creature) across her designs, or the traditional mask interpreted by illustrator Jee-ook Choi for Gudu’s logo, Korean culture remains a strong source of inspiration for Peggy. “I always try not to lose the link between Korea and I,” she says, recounting how she cried during her last gig in Seoul after the audience started to sing along to her Korean-language track “Starry Nights". “Oh my god, I’m getting goosebumps,” she says getting excited, “which apparently, in Bali, is a good sign!”

PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Soria for Interview

A little bit of a detour before getting to some more music-based interviews. The uber-cool queen Peggy Gou chatted with Interview back in October. They fired some questions her way. We get to know a little more at least about a remarkable talent who is someone who is going to make more big strides this year. One of the best producers and D.J.s in the world. Everyone needs to know the name Peggy Gou:

“Who do you tell your secrets to?

Depends on how secret it is, but I don’t think I really have a secret in my life.

Where do you go to hide?

My bed is where I feel comfortable being alone.

What are you wearing right now?

I’m wearing faux Ferragamo fur. And Harley-Davison. Did I pronounce that right? And denim.

What do you collect?

I collect records, I collect sunglasses, I collect shoes, and I collect art.

What’s your bad habit?

I eat too much.

What do you do when you can’t sleep?

I put lavender oil on the pillow. CBD oil, magnesium, and melatonin.

What do you tell yourself when no one else can hear?

I don’t really understand the question.

Do you like answering questions?

It depends on the questions, but I feel like you asked me interesting questions”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Soria for Interview

Speaking with Zane Lowe on her Apple Music podcast series, Peggy Gou spoke about her collaboration with Lenny Kravitz. Whilst unexpected, it is also a perfect and natural pairing when you hear the song. I think that this year is going to be one where she collaborates with other huge names. Maybe there will be an album. Definitely some epic D.J. sets around the world:

“Speaking to Zane Lowe as part of his The Zane Lowe Show Apple Music podcast series, the (It Goes Like) Nanana producer and singer recalls their recent – and unexpected – collaboration. The collab resulted in a new track, I Believe In Love Again, which is out now on XL Recordings.

“It was such an honour to get a chance to work with him,” she tells Lowe. “He’s very perfectionist just like me.”

In the interview, Peggy reveals that the collaboration was not a typical “modern” digital exchange but involved physical studio sessions in the Bahamas and Paris.

She goes on to say how Kravitz wanted to bring a “different DNA” to the track with an unexpected falsetto part, with Lowe and others agreeing they didn’t think it was sung by him at first, but by Peggy instead.

“Would you have guessed that it was Lenny if this was not written, Lenny?” She asks

Zane Lowe says, “Yes, I thought it was you. I thought it was you as well the first time.”

“I was like, ‘Really, Lenny? I don’t know if it’s a good thing, man. Seriously, I want people to know it’s you because it’s like I’m so honoured that my first collaboration song that I have a feature in the album is you.’

“He was like, ‘Pegs, we’re going to do a music video. People will know it’s me. Don’t worry.’ I was like, ‘That’s true, but,’ and he was like, ‘Girl, let me tell you something. I put different DNA to it when I sing this song.’”

Peggy also reflects on the simplicity and catchiness of ’90s music in the interview, highlighting what Lowe calls “sampling with optimism”.

“’90s music is timeless for me. I also love hip-hop and every song from that period.

Lowe says, “What I love about this song is when you come in with the, ‘Ch, ch, ch,’ it’s like no one uses upper register percussive instruments in songs anymore, but they were everywhere in the ’90s.”

“Also, if you think about it, ’90s music was simple. Although it is repetitive, I feel like it’s catchy and you don’t get bored of listening to it.

“It’s very true,” Lowe responds, “It’s almost like the drums were by design a blank canvas to write these songs over and it was like there’s a naivety to the way technology was working back then that people have mastered now. I love that you’ve captured that sense of optimism, sampling with optimism”.

Let’s finish off with the BBC Sound of 2024 interview. Peggy Gou as placed third. Mark Savage caught up with someone who is a crossover star and a hugely important name in music. Actually, doing the interview, it is revealed that a debut album is coming soon from Peggy Gou. Her path into music is a fascinating one. Still unknown to some, 2024 is when she will truly connect with everyone. Such a wonderful talent that now belongs to the world:

“Peggy Gou was born Kim Min-ji in 1991, and raised in South Korea's chief seaport, Incheon.

The first music she loved was K-pop - not the modern, mechanical sounds of Stray Kids or BTS, but the 80s idols like Kim Wan-sun and Uhm Jung-hwa (aka "the Korean Madonna").

"If I listen back to it now, it's still good," she says. "It has a sexy feeling and a happy feeling to it."

But her real musical education began when she turned 14 and her parents sent her to London to study English.

Studying took second place to nightlife. She went out dancing six times a week, at hip-hop nights and underground clubs. In 2011, she discovered deep house and fell in love with its vibey, R&B-infused sound.

By that point, she'd already learned the basics of beat-matching from a friend, and when the DJ pulled out of a Korean society event at her university, Gou offered to step in.

"I messed up a lot of things in that show, but I still made people dance.

"I was like, 'Wow, this is amazing. I love this feeling.'"

Word began to spread. Gou was booked to play at other University events, then scored a weekly residency at east London's Book Club.

Unsurprisingly, she failed her fashion course, but she picked up work at Harper's Bazaar and, in 2016, moved to Germany.

There she had one aim: To be the first Korean woman to play Berghain, Berlin's most exclusive nightclub.

Within a year, she'd achieved it.

The star's debut album is scheduled for release in the first half of 2024

PHOTO CREDIT: Jongha Park

By that point, Gou was dropping original songs into her DJ sets - but only after four years of writing and rejecting her own material.

Her first demos were "70% samples", she says, mixing club beats with traditional Korean instruments, but "every song sounded the same" (for completists, she later released one of those early tracks, Hungboo, on her DJ-Kicks compilation).

In 2016, she released four EPs of supple-but-lethal house tunes. But it was only when she went for a more stripped-back, vocal-led approach that things started to come together.

Her calling card was It Makes You Forget (Itgehane), the sound of sunrise set to music - all swirling synths and gently bubbling acid bass, over a skipping house beat.

An ode to club culture and the restorative power of escapism, it also marked Gou's first attempt at singing.

"That was my brave challenge. I was singing in Korean, which I thought wasn't such a cool thing in the beginning," she says.

"I did try it in English and Spanish, also. But then I was like, 'You know what, I'm Korean. I should sing in Korean!'"

For Westerners used to the staccato, rap-infused cadences of K-Pop, Gou's diaphanous vocals may come as a surprise, but she explains the Korean language has many colours.

"With K-pop, as soon as it's out, it has to hit number one - meaning it's all about how addictive the song is, how catchy it is.

"In my songs the lyrics are very poetic, so I care about how the words sound. Does the line finish with an "ay," an "ah", or an "oh"?

"My vocal trainer always says I have a breathy voice, so the way I sing is not so staccato."

Peggy Who? Peggy Shoe!

It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) became a huge anthem in the summer of 2018; and Gou's schedule grew even busier, with gigs in Brazil, Australia, Italy, Paris, France and Japan.

But it was a set at Glastonbury that really stood out.

"I didn't even know what Glastonbury was, I was so naive," she says.

"But when I started playing, people took their shoes off, held them in the air and started shouting, 'Peggy Who? Peggy Shoe!'"

"I still don't really know why - but in Australia, when people take their shoes off, it means you're playing a banger."

The success was thrilling and welcome, but the demanding lifestyle of an international DJ began to take its toll.

When she travels, Gou takes notes of how she feels as a sort of aide-memoire. But in 2019, after catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror of an airport toilet, she simply wrote: "I look exhausted".

It was only when Covid hit that she had time to pause.

"I had to stop because there were no shows," she says, "and I spent a lot of that time digging out 90s music and 80s music.

"I don't know why but music from that period really encouraged me during that difficult time. Simple, catchy, classy, repetitive but never boring."

Inspired, she spun her exhausted-in-an-airport story into a song, using the uplifting innocence of 90s dance music to give her motivation when life seemed overwhelming.

"'I Go' is such a great phrase because, obviously, it means 'I'll keep moving' in English, but it's also a sound that older people in Korea make whenever they're suffering from pain or they're tired.

"I thought it was perfect. I like to find the word in Korean that makes sense in English, too."

Unsurprisingly, Gou admits to being a perfectionist. She won't release a song until she's 100% happy - which is perhaps why it's taken eight years for her to prepare her debut album.

Scheduled for release this year, it will feature It Goes Like (Nanana) and her current single, I Believe In Love Again - a collaboration with Lenny Kravitz.

The rest of her album, including the title, is currently under wraps, but Gou promises "it's not just dance music".

"You can expect certain things that are different than I've ever done".

And as she takes centre stage, she hints that her in-demand DJ sets might soon be accompanied by more traditional concert performances.

"Why not?" she smiles cryptically. "I think that's everyone's dream”.

A queen that I had to salute, the magnificent and magnetic Peggy Gou is a true modern icon. I cannot wait for a debut album. With a string of great tracks under her belt, the D.J. and producer is now breaking away purely from Dance. A spellbinding woman with this incredible talent, go and check out her work. Expect to see a lot more from her this year. Rightly named among BBC’s Sound of 2024 names to watch, there is no denying how special and important Peggy Gou is. I hold so much love for this…

WONDERFUL human.

FEATURE: Spotlight: As December Falls

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Sanderson for Kerrang!

As December Falls

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LED by the brilliant Bethany Curtis…

As December Falls are a remarkable trio who have been on the scene a while. That said, there are many who might not know about their incredible music. The trio released the album, Join the Club, in July. Formed in 2014 by Bethany Curtis (Vocals), Ande Hunter (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Timmy Francis (Bass Guitar) and Lukas James (Drums), the band have amassed a loving and loyal fanbase. The trio have just been named by Kerrang! as one of their acts who will redefine Alternative music this year. I shall come to that. First, I want to start with an interview from Bring the Noise from last year. We get some insight into this wonderful and must-hear band:

“For people who don’t know the band, can you sum yourself up in five words? I love the panic which goes across people’s faces whenever I say that.

A: You have to count the words too! That’s the problem.

B: Energetic.

A: Energetic alt-rock with bangers. I’m going with that.

B: No, you can’t do that. Energetic alt-rock with bangers doesn’t count!

A: Is alt-rock one or two words? It’s two words. Alternative rock.

We’ll accept that as your five word answer. This is already a really exciting year for you, you’ve got your new album Join The Club coming out in July. Can you tell us a little bit more about it the recording process and why should we look forward to it?

B: I will take this one. To be honest, this is the album that I feel the most proud of and I’m so excited to get it out because I do love our first two albums but this one feels like we’ve sort of consolidated our sound. It feels more us, it feels kind of like we finally sort of know what we’re doing. But yeah, I am so stoked. It’s got a bit of everything on there. We’ve got our serious tracks a little bit slower mellower, but we’ve also got our pop punk anthems and we’ve also got slightly heavier tracks like Mayday and Carousel which is to be honest, probably the route we’re going to continue down because everyone seems to be absolutely loving those two tracks. But yeah, so I’m super excited to get Join The Club out there for the world to finally hear it.

You’ve kind of mentioned some of the tracks already but do you have a favourite track or one which sums up the release?

A: I feel like this album we’ve really tried a lot of different genres and a lot of different styles. I don’t think there’s one song.

Timmy: I think if you go into it thinking it’s going to be one sound, I don’t want to use the word disappointed but it’s not going to be that.  It’s kind of a bit all over the place. We’ve kind of got some modernization of our older stuff and then we’ve got stuff where we’re experimenting a lot more like Carousel and Mayday and all different bits and bobs.

A: I think Carousel is my favourite song though personally.

B: I think Mayday is my favourite.

A: Interesting.

B: I think the reason Mayday is my favourite is because we’ve had a chance to play Mayday live and I love seeing everyone’s reaction. As soon as you play that first riff. You see everyone like YES! and that’s what I want every day of my life.

T: Yeah, I think my Mayday is my favourite.

A: Really? Over Carousel?

T: But the intro to Carousel is my favourite.

B: We’re going to have a full band domestic here.

A: We can’t break up right now.

So essentially, we’re stepping further away from the Home and ballad side of things, into more of the here’s a mosh pit?

B: Yes, absolutely 100%.

A: More riffs, more pits. New band slogan!

Perfect! How have you found it since the release of your album Happier? The fanbase changing? The experience?  Obviously, we had that big massive event, which everyone knows about and we don’t talk about too much. But how has that been for you?

B: I’ve found that without that awful event, I don’t think we could have made our second album any better because we got to spend so much extra time on it which we wouldn’t have had if not for it, because we are all-in full-time jobs. We all have to make it work around holiday time and all of that lovely jazz which comes with working in the corporate world. So, I think it actually kind of helped in regards to being able to write the album that we wanted to create at that time. In regards to how I think it’s affected the fanbase. Well, I’ve always been one for believing we’ve grown up with our fans. So, our target audience is basically us and we know that we write songs that we enjoy and it translates hopefully most of the time. I think it’s nice that we’ve had that growth with them. They’ve seen us from when we were drunk teenagers with no money in bars, all the way up to

A: being drunk adults with no money.

B: Yeah, but we had, you know, we’ve matured with them. It’s nice. I like that.

A: And also, like we came out of COVID and we had the brand new album ready. We did a sixteen date tour, and it sold out pretty quickly and I feel a lot of that growth was because we were coming out of that COVID period. No one had been to a show for eighteen months, everyone was absolutely ready to get back to a show and I think that was actually quite good for us really.

T: Yeah, people kind of felt ready to embrace the album then just run with all the shows and music videos and the support was just there out of the gate for it. That was awesome.

A: When did lockdown hit? Was it like March April, time? I can’t even remember! We were on tour the October, like the year after”.

DORK spoke with As December Falls in August about their success. Feeling like now is a moment that they have finally arrived, 2024 is a year where they can look ahead and take that next step. It is only a matter of time before world domination. A band that needs to be on your radar. They are going to be a fixture at many festivals in the summer:

“As December Falls first started making music together in 2014 and have released two sugary pop-punk albums alongside a handful of EPs and singles in the years since. They’ve remained definitely independent throughout. New album ‘Join The Club’ sees them, if not out to take on the world, then at the very least ready to crash the Official Album Chart. “It feels like we’ve finally arrived,” says vocalist Bethany Curtis.

“We’ve been laying the foundations, we’ve got the bricks and mortar down, and we’re ready to build it up another level now,” she continues, still recovering from a hectic weekend at Download Festival that saw As December Falls make their Donington debut. The band only live twenty minutes away from the heavy metal festival and grew up watching the likes of Slipknot, Biffy Clyro and Deftones. “It was our first time actually performing at Download, but it felt like a welcome home,” grins Bethany. “As soon as we got out onstage and saw people trying to cram themselves into that 10,000-capacity tent, we realised just how insane things have got.”

After slowly building the world of As December Falls, the past 18 months have seen things rapidly accelerate as the band head towards third album, ‘Join The Club’. “We want everyone to be part of this band,” explains Bethany, with the band setting up a Patreon for fans to have their say on every aspect of ADF’s new album, from videos and merch to what songs should be finished first. “It’s been really collaborative; it feels like they’ve been on the journey with us,” she continues, with long-term fans and newcomers given the same power. “Calling the album ‘Join The Club’ just felt right. We wanted to remind people that all of us have made this record together.”

Allowing so many voices to be involved in the creation process is a recipe for middle of the road, but As December Falls are now so confident in their vision of their band, nothing could derail them. “This album has really finalised our sound. It feels a lot more complete, and we’ve finally nailed everything we’ve been trying to do since this band started,” says Bethany. “In a way, it feels like our debut album. It’s definitely a new energy for the band.”

During the recording of the album, there were a couple of times the band worried they had gone “too My Chemical Romance” but as soon as Bethany’s poppy vocals were added, everything shifted, and the band could plough on. Heavy tracks like ‘Mayday’ and ‘Carousel’ sit next to pop-punk ragers like the title track, while ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Home’ are designed to kick listeners in the feels.

Having the fans essentially be As December Falls’ record label did add to the pressure when it came to creating ‘Join The Club’, though. “We wanted them to be as proud of the record as we are,” says Bethany. “Every time we’d show a demo to fans, we were expecting them to say they hated it. We’re still waiting for the day where they say, ‘this one isn’t good’.”

The community spills out into the physical world as well, with As December Falls gigs “a party that everyone is invited to. It’s a very welcoming environment,” adds Bethany, who knows a lot of people have had rubbish experiences in the alternative music scene. “It’s outrageous that kids are made to feel like outsiders in a genre like rock, which is meant to champion outsiders,” starts Bethany. “But whatever, they can come be whoever they want to be with us.” That camaraderie and freedom is why people first connect to As December Falls. “It’s also why they stick around,” Bethany explains. “It’s this massive community; why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?”.

I want to come now to an interview from Official Charts from the summer, as Join the Club gave the band their biggest chart entry to date. As they explain in the interview, there are no labels bank-rolling the band: it is all the fans ensuring they can continue and thrive. The loyalty and dedication from their fans is simply amazing. I think that As December Falls will have their busiest year this one:

“As December Falls' story is one of drive, determination and perseverance.

The Nottingham-formed alt-rock trio, comprising Bethany Hunter, Ande Hunter and Timmy Francis, are currently heading for their first-ever Top 10 album with Join The Club; their third studio record across a career spanning almost a decade.

Proud of the collection, which the group are confident contains their 'best songs,' it looks set to see the group reach news highs as an independent act truly breaking into mainstream consciousness. Today, we catch up with As December Falls to talk turning down labels, their fans' unwavering support and how their 'tough' journey has always been worth it

Your new album is heading for the Top 10 alongside the likes of Blur, Taylor Swift and Elton John. How does it feel to be in the company of such icons?

Bethany: It's absolutely wild. We're a completely independent band with no label and no management, and the fact that we're battling it out with some of the biggest artists on the biggest labels is just nuts.

A Top 10 album would be an undeniable sign your music's connected with the masses, transcending your close fanbase. How does it feel to know your vulnerabilities are relatable on such a scale?

Bethany: Honestly, as a songwriter the most rewarding feeling is when you pour your darkest secrets and insecurities onto a page to then have the lyrics sung back to you by a sold-out crowd. We always made music to connect with people, everything else on top is just a bonus at this point. The past 12 months have been an incredible experience as a band.

This album feels a little heavier, sonically and thematically, than your past work. Was that a conscious progression?

Timmy: We didn't really go into this record with a set plan. We very intentionally just tried to write the best songs we could without worrying if they all fit into a certain 'genre' or 'box' sonically, and I feel that the result was something completely raw and honest. At no point did we think 'oh, we shouldn't use that riff as it's far too heavy for our normal sound.' We just went with the flow and we've written some of the best songs of our careers.

Which tracks on this record were you most excited for fans to hear - and do you get nervous as to the reaction?

Timmy: We really broadened out our song writing on this album. We have some of the heaviest tracks we've ever written, like Carousel and Mayday, alongside some of the softest songs like Home; so it's a real mixed-bag of a record. We honestly didn't know how our fans would react to the new style but they've really embraced it with open arms!

Your journey as a band hasn't necessarily been by the book. What would your advice be to any musicians wanting to make a name for themselves in a world so occupied with overnight success and near-instant gratification?

Ande: We've always been fiercely-independent, having turned down a number of label and management offers. I think our biggest advice to any artist would be to try your absolute hardest to build your artistry on your own for as long as possible before signing over all your music to someone else. It's a tough journey, but it's definitely worth it”.

Kerrang! have predicted big things for As December Falls this year. If you need some insight into Join the Club, then Bethany Curtis certainly provides some in this interview. I will end with Kerrang! and their review of Join the Club. This is an album that I have fallen in love with. I know so many other people have done too:

“Their band name might be lifted from the heart of winter, but As December Falls make music for when the sun is high in the sky. Plumbing into the same kind of springily indomitable pop-punk as early Paramore and We Are In The In Crowd, with a little more modernity, a pinch of extra alt.rock grit, the Nottingham collective intoxicate with simplicity – as this genre’s finest acts tend to do.

Where 2019’s self-titled debut was a DIY stroke of defiance in the face of an apparently disinterested industry, and 2021’s Happier bore the hallmarks of a band still building confidence, third album Join The Club feels like the crest of a wave: attitude, aptitude and belief that their songs will see thousands of fans rocking along coming together in a perfect storm.

The gouging guitars and Bethany Hunter’s joyously angsty vocals on the opening title-track feel like a literal invitation to those legions of fans-to-be. Honey wraps its-sugar-loaded tendrils around your heart and squeezes. Carousel feels like the first showcase for this record’s heavier side, but the crunchy guitars and thumping drums are most effective for throwing the central, surging energy into relief: more evocative of the thrill of amping-up on the edge of the pit than the violence of diving in.

Brilliantly, the juggernaut momentum, breathless emotion and urgent desire to find new ways to express themselves continues for a further eight tracks. It’s there in the jaunty swagger and claustrophobic panic of Mayday, in the aching melodrama of I Can’t Sleep, in the tingling acoustic of Home and in the percussive heartbeat of Alive.

Three albums in, some may think they’ve already seen what these guys have to offer, but by the time the beauty and dynamism of whirlwind closer Tear It Out drops curtain, it’s clear that this is As December Falls’ arrival. And they could be huge.

Verdict: 4/5”

Do not miss out on this band. Despite being together for a decade now, 2024 is a year when they are going to truly break through. They should be among your names to watch. Such an amazing trio that have this incredible sound in their locker. Amazing live, together with that growing fanbase, and one would not bet against them achieving incredible things this year. There is no doubt that As December Falls are a band that…

YOU need in your lives.

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Follow As December Falls

Official:

https://www.asdecemberfalls.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/asdecemberfalls/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/asdecemberfalls

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Atp614yT56v9XrlqZryzX?si=p51vPv1-TlKkipULSv59uQ

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AsDecemberFalls

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/asdecemberfalls/

FEATURE: Elevated Pitch: The LuckChap Entertainment Empire, Margot Robbie: Future Director, and Gender Imbalance in Hollywood

FEATURE:

 

 

Elevated Pitch

IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie/PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Stevens for Variety

The LuckChap Entertainment Empire, Margot Robbie: Future Director, and Gender Imbalance in Hollywood

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AHEAD of the nominations…

IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie alongside Joey McNamara (left) and Tom Ackerley/PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Stevens for Variety

being announced for this year’s Academy Awards on 23rd January, there is a lot of attention around a production company and growing empire that is behind some of the biggest films of last year (before that, one Margot Robbie and Barbie are nominated at the Golden Globes this Monday coming (8th January). LuckyChap Entertainment are based in Los Angeles and was formed in 2014 by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara. Recently, Robbie, Ackerley and McNamara spoke with Variety about the success of Barbie and Saltburn. Two recent and successful films under their belt have built their name and reputation. With award-nominated and box office hits under their belt and some fascinating projects upcoming, LuckyChap Entertainment are one of the most original and successful production houses in film. Aside from Robbie and her co-founders seeking out interesting and fresh films that jump off the page, there is also this desire to support and highlight incredible female filmmakers. Working with Greta Gerwig (director/co-writer) on Barbie, Emerald Fennell (director and writer) on Saltburn and Olivia Wilde on a future film, Naughty, LuckyChap Entertainment are showcasing the work of some of Hollywood’s most talented and remarkable voices. I want to start with a 2022 interview from Grazia Daily, where Margot Robbie spoke about getting Barbie off the ground, and addressing female directors in Hollywood. Until Barbie, she had only been directed by one woman -  Josie Rourke for Mary Queen of Scots -, even though she had worked with a lot of female directors for her T.V. career:

“The BAFTA nominated actress admits that she didn't anticipate the amount of attention she would get. 'It was my first film in America,' she continues. 'Honestly, I know that sounds silly now, knowing how big the movie became, but at the time, I said, "No one's going to notice me in this film, everyone will be focused on Leo [DiCaprio] and I'll just slip under the radar."'

Through her remarkable career, Margot has worked with a breadth of legendary film directors; from Martin Scorsese on Wolf of Wall Street, to Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood. But it was noted that in the nearly 20 feature films she'd starred in - she hadn't been directed by a woman, until Josie Rourke for Mary Queen of Scots.

Margot says, 'When that became a big part of that conversation, I was like," I've worked with tonnes of women oh, it's all in TV. "' She explains, 'Every single director I work with has a totally different personality and different process. Of course, Josie has a particular insight as a woman, but then you do something like Bombshell with a Jay Roach, and he's the most emotionally intuitive person I know. ' She adds, 'So, I wouldn't say that it didn't work better because he was a man. When it comes to dealing with those specific topics - it's really down to the person. '

I like doing things that are scary, and Barbie was definitely scary because there's so much recognition and baggage.

A style icon since the 50s, Barbie has been setting trends with her pink aesthetic for multiple generations. Today, she’s still at the forefront as the 'Barbiecore' trend infiltrates pop culture (with 7 million TikTok views and counting.) And who is responsible for the resurgence of the trend? It's all thanks to Margot after being papped in THAT bright pink aerobics-inspired look, whilst filming the 2023 Barbie live-action film. 'It's insane,' she says. 'I didn't know it would get the hype that it seems to have already.'

She recounts that it wasn't an easy mission trying to persuade people on how much impact the film could have. She explains, 'When we were trying to get the budget that we needed for it. I kept saying to boards "This is the most globally recognised word next to like Coca Cola, everyone knows Barbie. This will hit!"' She jokes,' Give us more money for budget!'

But what drew Margot to this project? She explains, 'Barbie seemed like a huge opportunity. I was coming at it as a producer to begin with so, I didn't really think of it from the acting point of view until I knew that it was a goal.' She adds,' I knew the only way worth doing it was to have the Greta Gerwig version - I didn't really want to make a straightforward version of the film that didn't seem exciting.'

While Margot is grateful the upcoming film has sparked interest already - she just hopes it doesn't fizzle out. 'The producer side of me is like, everyone just put a lid on it - we're releasing this next summer, ' she says. Adding, ''I would really love the hype to still be there in a couple of month's time, just not right now. But it's exciting, it's great that it ignites conversation, debate, and interest.'

And while the rise of streaming is evident, as a self-confessed movie fanatic, Margot doesn't think the world should count out the theatrical experience any time soon. 'Nothing makes me happier than when a movie does well in theatres - that helps all of us.' She throws out a question of her own, 'Think of your favourite song. Imagine if the first time you heard that song was live at a concert, or the first time was on the radio. I mean, wouldn't you rather it be live? You'll never forget that experience and you can never get that first time back”.

I do hope there is more written about LuckChap Entertainment. There is a lot of emphasis on actors and directors, though we do not often get to hear about producers and companies behind successful films. Margot Robbie is one of the most successful and respected producers in Hollywood. The fact Variety spotlighted LuckyChap Entertainment and gave us some behind-the-scenes exposure of a wonderful team and company is fantastic. I am not sure how many Academy Awards Saltburn will be nominated for, though you feel Barbie could easily get seven or eight nominations – including Margot Robbie for Best Actress:

“Sitting on a sunny rooftop patio of her Los Angeles production company, LuckyChap, flanked by co-founders Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, Robbie says, “When we finished the press tour, I was like, ‘I guess I’ll throw all the pink out of my wardrobe now.’” They all laugh. “But the fact that we’re going to the Golden Globes and all that stuff? I truly did not see that coming. I’m not trying to be modest.”

To house its booming production enterprise, LuckyChap is outfitting new digs in L.A. Today, Robbie’s office, one of the only areas that’s fully renovated so far, boasts a plush white carpet and a rendering of a pink high heel that’s reminiscent of the iconic shot of Robbie stepping out of Barbie’s feathered shoes. Her friend also gifted her a piece from a New York street artist that has a 1950s era Barbie sitting on the floor with her stiletto pressed against the face of a crawling Ken doll — a perfect merging of Robbie’s breakout performance in 2013’s “Wolf of Wall Street” and now, Barbie, precisely 10 years later.

PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Stevens for Variety

In that time, the company has grown to 13 employees, with a film division (directed by Bronte Payne) housed in one area of the office and the TV team (led by Dani Gorin) in another, all working on the 20 projects they have in active development.

“The office is a five-minute skateboard ride away from home,” Robbie says enthusiastically, while she and Ackerley give me a tour.

Before “Barbie,” LuckyChap’s three biggest films — 2017’s “I, Tonya” and 2020’s “Birds of Prey” and “Promising Young Woman” — were successful, grossing a combined $275 million worldwide and winning two Oscars out of six nominations. “Barbie” made five times that and recently earned nine Golden Globe nominations and a record-setting 18 Critics Choice nods, on top of special prizes at the Gotham Awards and slots on the National Board of Review and AFI lists of the year’s best films.

PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Stevens for Variety

“God, if every year could be like this one!” Robbie exclaims as we sit down, her Australian accent punctuated with a hint of wistfulness.

Beyond the broken records and the accolades, Robbie, Ackerley and McNamara see 2023 as a shining example of everything they hoped to achieve with the company, which was founded in their London flat in 2014. Robbie and Ackerley, who are married, met on the set of “Suite Française,” an independent feature on which Ackerley and McNamara (both Brits) were working as assistant directors. Robbie was an Aussie soap star with big-screen aspirations. The trio bonded over their desire to tell female-driven stories.

How do you plan to build on the success of “Barbie” and “Saltburn”?

TOM ACKERLEY: What we set out to do in the beginning is working. We’ve built this company around filmmakers, and we want them to take big swings and be really bold and tell original stories. We’re happy to take the big swings and miss; we’d rather that than play it safe.

MARGOT ROBBIE: Originality is definitely the key. But the thing about being original is you can’t do the thing that worked before. As much as we’re trying to celebrate the moment we’re in right now, our minds immediately go to what’s next. You can’t be original again; you have to be original every time. Whether it’s “I, Tonya” — the tone of that was so completely original — or “Barbie,” they’re all very bold. We swing for the fences, and sometimes you hit it out of the park and it’s amazing. But even if you didn’t hit it out of the park, you can’t not keep taking those big swings.

How do you decide what projects to take on?

MCNAMARA: It’s as important to know what to say no to as it is to say yes to. I don’t think we’re interested in pumping out 100 movies as quick as we can. It’s more, “Who are the people we love working with, and let’s build long-term relationships with them and help support their careers.” Repeat business is key.

ROBBIE: We have to be really clear about why we started the company and what our North Star is always going to be. Because any opportunity is exciting. We set out to break barriers with and for female talent, and if it isn’t a project that could potentially do that, then it’s not a project for us.

ACKERLEY: We obviously have people we would die to work with, but we’re as excited about breaking new talent as we are working with the best of the best filmmakers, like the Gretas and the Emeralds of the world. We want to look back in 10 years’ time and be proud that we fostered and broke a generation of filmmakers.

IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Wilde/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

LuckyChap has announced that it will be making Olivia Wilde’s next film, “Naughty,” with Universal. The project is on target to begin shooting early this year. What interested you in it?

ROBBIE: We have a penchant for actress-turned-writer-directors, between Olivia, Greta, Emerald and Megan. It’s our sweet spot.

Margot, you’ve mentioned that you want to direct one day. What’s the timeline on that?

ROBBIE: I don’t know. The tricky thing is, as much as I say I’m strict about saying no as a producer, I also get so excited with all the things that I could produce that it ends up taking up all my time. And as an actor, I get to work with so many brilliant directors and watch them do it — it’s like having a front-row seat to the best master class in the world. So it’s really tempting to keep doing that. But directing is a dear ambition of mine”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird for WSJ. Magazine

I want to go back to November 2022 and an article from The Wall Street Journal. Looking back a year and seeing how LuckyChap Entertainment have grown since. Even in 2022, Margot Robbie was being heralded as a force for change in Hollywood. Someone very much putting female voices first:

“The company’s current slate of projects widely varies in content and tenor. What the company looks for, according to its principals: material that is left of center. Fresh. Experimental. Yet commercial, they are quick to clarify. Of the projects pitched to them, only “1 percent are the ‘f— yeses,’ ” says Robbie. LuckyChap co-founder and co-principal Josey McNamara adds, “I wouldn’t say [the rest] are ‘hell nos’—a lot of times…it’s not right for us.”

Robbie says that the #MeToo movement has brought even more momentum to the company’s longstanding mission: “The knock-on effect of that was that a slipstream was created for female creatives. I can see quite a few of us riding that slipstream, and I would encourage all female creatives to ride in it.”

Among the talent fostered by the LuckyChap team: filmmaker and writer Emerald Fennell, whose 2020 film Promising Young Woman won her an Oscar, a BAFTA award and a WGA Award, all for best original screenplay. Fennell has become something of an in-house director and proof of concept for LuckyChap, which is also producing her second film, Saltburn, currently in post-production. Fennell says that the company has nurtured and defended her work.

PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird for WSJ. Magazine

“They’re not pandering to Hollywood or anyone else,” she says. “They stand behind you and don’t care if it gets them into trouble.” From the beginning of her working relationship with LuckyChap, “They never made me feel like a little girl. They believed in me and helped me,” Fennell says. “I felt safe with them.” And in Hollywood, she says, “it’s no small thing.”

Writer and director Greta Gerwig—who co-wrote and is directing the upcoming LuckyChap project Barbie—also describes Robbie and LuckyChap as champions of the female talent with whom they work. “Once they back a project, they back it all the way,” she says. As both an actor and producer, “Margot has a flash of certainty and then runs at it,” Gerwig says. “She doesn’t have a waffling aspect to her psyche.” 

Robbie and her colleagues are part of a wave of film and TV leaders helping women commandeer top creative roles and tell women’s stories on-screen. Actor and director Eva Longoria founded UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, dedicated to telling scripted and unscripted Latino stories. Writer and director Ava DuVernay founded Array, a collective that produces content that aims to “tell inclusive and entertaining stories that will…[amplify] people of color and women of all kinds across all narrative formats.” Hello Sunshine—a media company created by producer and Oscar-winning actor Reese Witherspoon—“puts women at the center of every story we create, celebrate and discover.” (Witherspoon sold the company in 2021 for a reported $900 million to a new company backed by private equity firm

PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird for WSJ. Magazine

It’s an increasingly crowded playing field. While sometimes LuckyChap must compete for projects with other companies with similar mandates, “it doesn’t feel like unhealthy competition,” says Robbie. “I’d be thrilled for even more female-led and female-driven companies to start. The more the merrier.”

“They’re not pandering to Hollywood or anyone else,” Emerald Fennell says of Robbie and the LuckyChap Entertainment co-founders. “They stand behind you and don’t care if it gets them into trouble.” Jacquemus shirt and tie, $755, Jacquemus.com.

In the earliest years in the film industry, women regularly worked as directors and producers. In the early 20th century, director Alice Guy Blaché ran her own studio, Solax, and produced up to three films a week; Dorothy Arzner directed nearly 20 films between 1927 and 1943. However, once motion pictures showed signs of becoming lucrative as mass entertainment, Wall Street took notice; the studio system emerged and quickly locked down the industry. Female directors and producers were largely exiled.

“Hollywood was an open space at the time and a new industry,” says Stacy Smith, associate professor of communication at the University of Southern California and founder of the school’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. “[But] when money comes in, marginalized communities are pushed out…. That’s a common theme that runs all the way to present day.” 

PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird for WSJ. Magazine

Over the decades, as the industry changed, some determined actresses founded companies or acted as producers in an attempt to assert control over their careers. Actor Mary Pickford founded her own production company in 1916 to create better projects and collaborations for herself and helped found United Artists in 1919 in part to distribute her films. After being designated “box office poison” in 1938, Katharine Hepburn managed to option rights to Philadelphia Story and use it as a vehicle for a comeback on her own terms. The movie earned her a best actress Oscar nomination; Robbie cites it as one of her favorite films. 

“It’s easy to put female names on a list,” Robbie says of getting female-driven films made. “It’s a bigger hurdle to get someone to bankroll [a] project. We still have a long way to go in that regard; that ship is going to take so much longer to course-correct.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird for WSJ. Magazine

While galvanizing, these triumphs and others that followed also belie the historical fight for gender equity in the industry. Only five women have won an Academy Award for an original screenplay since 1956, when the Academy established its current configuration of writing categories; just three women have won best director, out of eight total nominations. (Jane Campion has been nominated twice.) Even with the current proliferation of companies dedicated to nurturing female talent, Smith warns that statistics show that inequality remains tenacious.

Today studios and production companies are considering more female directors and writers, says Robbie. “[But] it’s easy to put female names on a list,” she says. “It’s a bigger hurdle to get someone to bankroll [a] project. We still have a long way to go in that regard; that ship is going to take so much longer to course-correct”.

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I think there is something genuinely wonderful and innovative about LuckyChap Entertainment. Their ethos, passion and drive is inspiring! The projects they take on and how they are supporting incredible women and also bringing these captivating stories to life. The future is hugely busy and exciting for them. I know that Margot Robbie especially, as actor and producer, will have a hectic year ahead – and I hope she gets to appear in a film where she uses her natural Australian accent -; maybe awards will come her way and there will be new honours. Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr have created this modern-day empire that, unlike a more faceless company or studio, seems to have a very personal and down-to-earth touch. From the vibe and stunning new offices to the impressive and successful filmography behind them right now, I think that the next few years will see LuckyChap Entertainment grow even bigger. Bringing through incredible upcoming female directors and working in T.V. and film. I am excited by the idea of Margot Robbie directing soon. I have said before how she seems like a natural director. So many projects you could see her helming. Whether a biopic (I am begging for someone to make a Blondie biopic!), literary adaptation, Indie film or blockbuster, you know she could make any film a massive success. I want to end with Variety. They write that, despite female filmmakers like Greta Gerwig and Celine Song (Past Lives) making some of 2023’s best films, there is still huge gender disparity throughout film:

“Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” wasn’t just the year’s biggest box office winner. It also made history as the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman. Despite the film’s outsized success, major studios gave most of their biggest gigs to male filmmakers.

That’s the conclusion of a new study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.  It found that women comprised just 16% of directors on the 250 top-grossing films, which was down from 18% in 2022. There were modest improvements the higher up the list of money-earners you climb — female filmmakers called the shots on 14% of the 100 top films, which was up from 11% in 2022.

IN THIS PHOTO: Celine Song/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Dunivan

The findings come as female filmmakers like Gerwig, “Salburn’s” Emerald Fennell, “Past Lives’s” Celine Song and “Priscilla’s” Sofia Coppola released some of the year’s buzziest and most acclaimed movies; and pop divas like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift topped the box office with concert films.

All that critical and commercial success hasn’t changed the employment picture. Indeed, things weren’t much brighter when it came to female talent in other key roles. Overall, women accounted for 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on the 250 top-grossing films. That was a decline from 24% in 2022. Moreover, 75% of the top-grossing films employed 10 or more men in key behind-the-scenes roles, while just 4% employed 10 or more women.

In descending order women comprised 26% of producers, 24% of executive producers, 21% of editors, 17% of writers, 14% of composers and 7% of cinematographers. Of these roles, women saw gains as composers on the top 250 films, improving by 6%. The number of women employed as producers, executive producers and writers all declined, while the percentage of female editors and cinematographers was roughly even with 2022.

IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Gerwig/PHOTO CREDIT: Ben Rayner via Festival De Cannes

“It’s the ultimate illusion, Greta Gerwig’s well-deserved triumph belies the inequality that pervades the mainstream film industry,” Dr. Martha Lauzen, the report’s author and the center’s founder and executive director, said in a statement. “The numbers tell the story. Behind-the-scenes gender ratios in Hollywood remain dramatically skewed in favor of men.”

The study found that on movies with at least one woman director, more women were hired for key behind-the-scenes roles than films with exclusively male directors. When women were in the directing chair, 61% of writers, 35% of editors, 10% of cinematographers and 26% of composers were female. On films with male directors, women accounted for 9% of writers, 18% of editors, 7% of cinematographers and 11% of composers”.

I wanted to nod to LuckyChap Entertainment before we see whether Barbie and Saltburn are going to scoop Oscar nominations. It is not about the awards and box office. Even so, for Margot Robbie and everyone at LuckyChap Entertainment, starting on modest ground, accolades and financial success is very important. A sign that their vision is coming to life and connecting with people around the world. Despite the fact LuckyChap Entertainment does not exclusively work with female directors, I think that their collaborators with amazing women in film is one of their best aspects. I think it is the dream of every director/screenwriter (me included) to have their script in the hands of LuckyChap Entertainment. There is that blend of a familial vibe and this very determined and ambitious company that are really adding their stamp on the industry. After a very busy and successful 2023, it already looks like this year is going to magnificent for Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara’s baby. LuckyChap Entertainment has grow into…

A wonderful and inclusive empire.