This Friday, a new show started called Sounds Like Friday Night. Hosted by Greg James and Dotty, two hosts from Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra respectively, the idea was the show would be similar to Top of the Pops. For those not from the UK, Top of the Pops was THE show to watch on a Friday if you wanted to know who was number one that week, whether it be albums or singles. Bad News: It got cancelled in 2006. Good News: it is still shown over Christmas and New Year.
Anyway, back to Sounds Like Friday Night. It was...Ok. I liked the introduction of the celebrity co-host, which, for the first episode, was Jason Derulo, which I think is a nice touch. Furthermore, I thought the main hosts fitted right in. One thing I found was they didn't seem uncomfortable when interviewing the guests. Okay, they are DJs after all, so they do this for a living anyway but sometimes I find that even those in the music profession can look awkward as a music programme host. The other good thing about Greg James and Dotty is that they are current. People will know them (well, people who manly listen to Radio 1 and 1xtra) and they both know their stuff about all types of music: Rock, Grime, Pop, everything. Perfect!
The problem I had was it felt a bit rushed. If anything, I would have preferred an hour rather than half an hour, as I feel they would be able to put more in, such as music and interviews. It would also enable more music videos, singles and albums to be previewed, rather than one music video by a random guest, one song each from the musical guests and two songs from the guest presenter.
So...overall...what did I think of it? Well, for someone who used to watch Top of the Pops, it's a disappointment. However, I think we can all agree that we need a music show that the whole family can sit down and watch together and Sounds Like Friday Night fits the need almost perfectly. Yes, there are a few things that would make it better, but overall, it's good light hearted entertainment...Sounds Like Friday Night to me!
Em x
Sunday 29 October 2017
Saturday 21 October 2017
George Michael: Freedom- Review
Most documentaries tend to just be...well...documentaries. You Know, someone would probably spend hours researching the life of that particular celebrity, collect old footage clips together and then edit this into an hour long film, interspersed with clips of fellow celebrities talking about said celebrity.
Okay...the George Michael documentary was almost like that but there was one important difference. He directed it. He wrote it. It was his own story, in his own words.
It was a very poignant opening, with supermodel Kate Moss reminding us that George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53. It became even more emotional, as the hauntingly beautiful cover of Fastlove that Adele performed at The 2017 Grammys became the soundtrack of the opening credits. In fact, the documentary was almost like a bookshelf; you had the first bookend, which was Adele's tribute, the documentary was the books, telling his story, and the final bookend was the equally beautiful tribute from Coldplay's Chris Martin, singing A Different Corner, featuring George Michael via a big screen.
But what about the documentary itself? Well, it was a perfect balance of the good and bad times in Michael's career and the fact that he was brave enough to reveal everything in the documentary was inspiring to me and no doubt, many other people who would have watched it. Issues within his career included his court battle with Sony regarding his recording contract and his substance abuse. However, the good times were, of course, his hits, both from Wham and his solo career; Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Last Christmas, Everything She Wants, Careless Whisper, Freedom, Outside...the list is endless!
It wasn't only George Michael's words though...it was words from contributors; people who knew him and fans of him. These included; Liam Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers and Ricky Gervais, as well as, mentioned earlier, Kate Moss. We also heard from people who worked with him, such as Mary J. Blige and Elton John, who both performed duets with Michael, As and Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me respectively, and James Corden, who some claimed his first Carpool Karaoke featured Michael, during 2011's Comic Relief UK telethon.
Overall, the documentary was stunning from start to finish. It allowed George to reveal exactly what was going on in his life and I feel that is important for everyone to do, as there is so much speculation about celebrities' personal lives that can be skewed by the press. It also allowed us to be reminded of how much of a creative genius that George Michael was. To be honest, I don't think anyone else would make another song like Careless Whisper, for example...
Em x
You can catch up on, or rewatch, the documentary on All 4.
Okay...the George Michael documentary was almost like that but there was one important difference. He directed it. He wrote it. It was his own story, in his own words.
It was a very poignant opening, with supermodel Kate Moss reminding us that George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53. It became even more emotional, as the hauntingly beautiful cover of Fastlove that Adele performed at The 2017 Grammys became the soundtrack of the opening credits. In fact, the documentary was almost like a bookshelf; you had the first bookend, which was Adele's tribute, the documentary was the books, telling his story, and the final bookend was the equally beautiful tribute from Coldplay's Chris Martin, singing A Different Corner, featuring George Michael via a big screen.
But what about the documentary itself? Well, it was a perfect balance of the good and bad times in Michael's career and the fact that he was brave enough to reveal everything in the documentary was inspiring to me and no doubt, many other people who would have watched it. Issues within his career included his court battle with Sony regarding his recording contract and his substance abuse. However, the good times were, of course, his hits, both from Wham and his solo career; Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Last Christmas, Everything She Wants, Careless Whisper, Freedom, Outside...the list is endless!
It wasn't only George Michael's words though...it was words from contributors; people who knew him and fans of him. These included; Liam Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers and Ricky Gervais, as well as, mentioned earlier, Kate Moss. We also heard from people who worked with him, such as Mary J. Blige and Elton John, who both performed duets with Michael, As and Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me respectively, and James Corden, who some claimed his first Carpool Karaoke featured Michael, during 2011's Comic Relief UK telethon.
Overall, the documentary was stunning from start to finish. It allowed George to reveal exactly what was going on in his life and I feel that is important for everyone to do, as there is so much speculation about celebrities' personal lives that can be skewed by the press. It also allowed us to be reminded of how much of a creative genius that George Michael was. To be honest, I don't think anyone else would make another song like Careless Whisper, for example...
Em x
You can catch up on, or rewatch, the documentary on All 4.
Sunday 15 October 2017
Can People be Too Much of a Fan of Musicians?
Hi Guys!
Today, I'm discussing something that I have been asking myself recently...can people be too much of a fan of musicians? I mean, there are casual fans, who buy the albums, go to live concerts and follow their favourite musicians on social media. Then there are the uber-obsessive fans who not only follow the band members but also probably their families on social media, go to not one, but maybe every single tour date of a tour and buy the single, despite it being on an upcoming album.
I have to admit, when I was younger, I was a massive fan of Steps. I went to their tours, I got t-shirts from the tour that were usually a size too big, I had a lot of other merchandise, including magazines, a teddy bear, a game etc. However, I only went to one date of their tour. I had videos of their concerts that I would watch all the time but I still did my homework and I made sure that I accepted people's views about them. Yes, they were vey popular anyway but I wouldn't be offended if someone didn't like them. We didn't have social media at the time when I liked Steps but I would still only follow the band and the members.
I not going to lie, I do wonder why fans get so involved with the activities of their favourite bands and musicians. Is it necessary? (Apologies if this sounded like a documentary; I did Psychology as a University degree!) As a fan, I do get disappointed when one of my favourite musicians doesn't get nominated or win an award and share my disappointment on social media but I wouldn't harass the awards ceremony. An example is when The BRITs awarded The 1975 Best British Group that Little Mix were also nominated for. Little Mix fans went nuts on Twitter about this, despite them winning Best British Single for Shout Out to my Ex. Why couldn't they be happy that Little Mix won that award? Also, why do they still send tweets saying give Little Mix a nomination?
The other thing is I have heard that some fans insult musicians' girlfriends purely because either they don't like the girlfriend or because the fans believe members are together. I am talking mainly about fans of a certain boyband. Also, sometimes fans can't get over the fact that celeb couples have split. For example, I follow an ex-girlfriend of a member of one of my favourite bands on social media. She posted a photo on Instagram where a picture his band used as their album cover was in the background. All the comments were focused on this, rather than her. Why I wonder? Whether a celebrity couple has split up or not doesn't really concern me. Yes I my be sad for a few seconds and read celeb gossip articles but I wouldn't cry about it and bombard each person within that relationship with comments if they alluded to each other on social media.
What I'm trying to say is when being a fan of musicians, it is always best to be a casual fan than an uber-obsessive fan. Yes there's disappointment if they don't get awarded or don't win an award but think of all the awards they have won already and/or awards might win in the future. As for insulting their girlfriends, friends and families? This might cause you to be blocked from viewing their social media pages, which is something you definitely won't want to happen!
Em x
Today, I'm discussing something that I have been asking myself recently...can people be too much of a fan of musicians? I mean, there are casual fans, who buy the albums, go to live concerts and follow their favourite musicians on social media. Then there are the uber-obsessive fans who not only follow the band members but also probably their families on social media, go to not one, but maybe every single tour date of a tour and buy the single, despite it being on an upcoming album.
I have to admit, when I was younger, I was a massive fan of Steps. I went to their tours, I got t-shirts from the tour that were usually a size too big, I had a lot of other merchandise, including magazines, a teddy bear, a game etc. However, I only went to one date of their tour. I had videos of their concerts that I would watch all the time but I still did my homework and I made sure that I accepted people's views about them. Yes, they were vey popular anyway but I wouldn't be offended if someone didn't like them. We didn't have social media at the time when I liked Steps but I would still only follow the band and the members.
I not going to lie, I do wonder why fans get so involved with the activities of their favourite bands and musicians. Is it necessary? (Apologies if this sounded like a documentary; I did Psychology as a University degree!) As a fan, I do get disappointed when one of my favourite musicians doesn't get nominated or win an award and share my disappointment on social media but I wouldn't harass the awards ceremony. An example is when The BRITs awarded The 1975 Best British Group that Little Mix were also nominated for. Little Mix fans went nuts on Twitter about this, despite them winning Best British Single for Shout Out to my Ex. Why couldn't they be happy that Little Mix won that award? Also, why do they still send tweets saying give Little Mix a nomination?
The other thing is I have heard that some fans insult musicians' girlfriends purely because either they don't like the girlfriend or because the fans believe members are together. I am talking mainly about fans of a certain boyband. Also, sometimes fans can't get over the fact that celeb couples have split. For example, I follow an ex-girlfriend of a member of one of my favourite bands on social media. She posted a photo on Instagram where a picture his band used as their album cover was in the background. All the comments were focused on this, rather than her. Why I wonder? Whether a celebrity couple has split up or not doesn't really concern me. Yes I my be sad for a few seconds and read celeb gossip articles but I wouldn't cry about it and bombard each person within that relationship with comments if they alluded to each other on social media.
What I'm trying to say is when being a fan of musicians, it is always best to be a casual fan than an uber-obsessive fan. Yes there's disappointment if they don't get awarded or don't win an award but think of all the awards they have won already and/or awards might win in the future. As for insulting their girlfriends, friends and families? This might cause you to be blocked from viewing their social media pages, which is something you definitely won't want to happen!
Em x
Wednesday 4 October 2017
Live Lounge Month 2017 is Finished...Who was the Best?
So...another year of Live Lounge Month is over. For those of you not from the UK, Radio 1 host a month of Live Lounge specials every day in September, where each artist does about two songs from their most recent album and then a cover, usually a relatively recent song. This year was a special live lounge month though as it also coincided with the 50th celebrations of Radio 1. Therefore, the covers were classic songs from the last 50 years of Radio 1. These songs would have most likely had their first plays on Radio 1 before any other station.
But...Who did the best Live Lounge during Live Lounge month 2017? Without further ado, here are the results! (please note, these are just 10 of my favourites, they are in no particular order.)
10. Lorde
I have to admit, back in 2013, I wasn't a massive fan of Lorde, in particular her song, Royals, with the main reason being that it was just heard too often. However, I appreciate her more. During her Live Lounge, she performed her latest hit, Green Light, taken from her latest album Melodrama, and she covered In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins: a song that suited her voice to a tee.
9. London Grammar
Okay...So I am a bit biased as London Grammar went to the same University as me. In fact, it is only this year that I have heard a lot of London Grammar and I have been impressed! In the Live Lounge, they performed their newest song, Non Believer, and classic, Hey Now. In terms of their cover, they performed classic: Purple Rain by Prince. The song was perfect for Hannah's voice, creating a very relaxing and peaceful version of the original.
8. Pink
Yep...She's Back! Pink made a much welcomed return to the Live Lounge, with the last time being in 2012, five years (!) ago. She opened up about what life was like being a busy, world famous popstar with two young children, and performed her latest single What About Us. Her cover surprised me as it was quite a recent song, Sam Smith's Stay With Me, but hey, it doesn't matter. what matters is that it was great and was it? It was Pink singing so of course it was good.
7. The Killers
Another music artist that has had quite the comeback is The Killers. In what is their first Live Lounge (apart from Radio 1 presents The Killers at the Royal Albert Hall), they performed their latest song, The Man, from their recent UK number one album, Wonderful Wonderful, as well as their timeless classic, Mr Brightside (let's face it, not many people can hold themselves back from singing this at the top of their voices). "What was their cover?" I hear you ask. Well, you may have noticed that parts of The Man sounds very much like a certain Mr David Bowie's Fame. so you can probably guess which song they decided to cover!
6. Wolf Alice
I wasn't a particular fan of Wolf Alice's debut stuff, as I am not a massive fan of heavy rock records. However, their recent stuff is not too bad, as it is less heavy. Their recent song, Beautifully Unconventional, taken from their latest album, Visions of a Life, sounded great in the Live Lounge and so did their cover, the beautifully melancholic Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day.
5. Jay Z
Okay...honestly, I did not expect this but yes, Jay Z came to do a Live Lounge, 8 years after his debut Live Lounge in 2009. Now, he did do a song of his latest album, 44:44, called Family Feud but I think we can all agree that the track he did that got everyone talking was his cover (or classic track, depending on how you see it) of his and Linkin Park's track Numb/Encore, in tribute to lead singer, Chester Bennington. Jay Z also used the Live Lounge as a way to raise awareness of mental health, which you can watch here.
4. Rag 'n' Bone Man
Rag 'n' Bone Man has had a great career so far, earning two Brit Awards, a UK number one album and earning slots at various festivals but then he gets a coveted Live Lounge Month slot. Live Lounge gives an artist a real chance to show off their vocals and wow...Rag 'n' Bone Man was definitely no exception! He performed his latest single, As You Are, as well as a beautiful version of Skin. His cover? Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, which sounded fantastic.
3. Craig David
Along with The Killers and Pink, Craig David has had an amazing comeback and it seems to be going strength to strength, as he has just announced a new album, The Time is Now, the follow up to Following My Intuition. During the Live Lounge, he performed his new song, Heartline and the ultimate classic, aside from Fill Me In, 7 days. At first, I was slightly disappointed with his cover when he said it was Wild Thoughts. Mainly because I had heard the song too many times. However, he then said that he would mash it up with Music Sounds Better With You. His R 'n' B sound would have sounded great for Wild Thoughts but it was even better for Music Sounds Better With You. And the two songs together? Amazing!
2. George Ezra
It seems the Live Lounge was full of music artists making a comeback, which included George Ezra. Ezra had last released a single in 2015, releasing the relaxing and peaceful Barcelona. Now he is back, with the cheerful Don't Matter Now. He performed this track, along with the song that I actually guessed he would cover, purely because of how well it would suit his voice: Don't Worry (Be Happy). As for a new album, the follow up to the smash hit, Wanted on Voyage? No word yet but I would definitely keep your eyes and ears out for news of it.
1. Sam Smith
Probably one of the biggest acts in the world, Sam Smith is back to see whether he can continue his success of winning award after award, gaining UK number ones in the single charts and, in terms of the purpose of this blog post, performing in the Live Lounge. We last saw Sam in the Live Lounge in 2016, so it was a welcome return. In fact, he got a whole Live Lounge special. During his special, he performed his UK number one single, Too Good at Goodbyes as well as classic songs, such as Lay Me Down, Like I Can and Stay With Me. He also performed a cover of Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart and, poignantly, Father Figure, by the late George Michael.
You can read more of what I thought of Sam's comeback here.
Here's to next year's Live Lounge Month!
Em x
But...Who did the best Live Lounge during Live Lounge month 2017? Without further ado, here are the results! (please note, these are just 10 of my favourites, they are in no particular order.)
10. Lorde
I have to admit, back in 2013, I wasn't a massive fan of Lorde, in particular her song, Royals, with the main reason being that it was just heard too often. However, I appreciate her more. During her Live Lounge, she performed her latest hit, Green Light, taken from her latest album Melodrama, and she covered In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins: a song that suited her voice to a tee.
9. London Grammar
Okay...So I am a bit biased as London Grammar went to the same University as me. In fact, it is only this year that I have heard a lot of London Grammar and I have been impressed! In the Live Lounge, they performed their newest song, Non Believer, and classic, Hey Now. In terms of their cover, they performed classic: Purple Rain by Prince. The song was perfect for Hannah's voice, creating a very relaxing and peaceful version of the original.
8. Pink
Yep...She's Back! Pink made a much welcomed return to the Live Lounge, with the last time being in 2012, five years (!) ago. She opened up about what life was like being a busy, world famous popstar with two young children, and performed her latest single What About Us. Her cover surprised me as it was quite a recent song, Sam Smith's Stay With Me, but hey, it doesn't matter. what matters is that it was great and was it? It was Pink singing so of course it was good.
7. The Killers
Another music artist that has had quite the comeback is The Killers. In what is their first Live Lounge (apart from Radio 1 presents The Killers at the Royal Albert Hall), they performed their latest song, The Man, from their recent UK number one album, Wonderful Wonderful, as well as their timeless classic, Mr Brightside (let's face it, not many people can hold themselves back from singing this at the top of their voices). "What was their cover?" I hear you ask. Well, you may have noticed that parts of The Man sounds very much like a certain Mr David Bowie's Fame. so you can probably guess which song they decided to cover!
6. Wolf Alice
I wasn't a particular fan of Wolf Alice's debut stuff, as I am not a massive fan of heavy rock records. However, their recent stuff is not too bad, as it is less heavy. Their recent song, Beautifully Unconventional, taken from their latest album, Visions of a Life, sounded great in the Live Lounge and so did their cover, the beautifully melancholic Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day.
5. Jay Z
Okay...honestly, I did not expect this but yes, Jay Z came to do a Live Lounge, 8 years after his debut Live Lounge in 2009. Now, he did do a song of his latest album, 44:44, called Family Feud but I think we can all agree that the track he did that got everyone talking was his cover (or classic track, depending on how you see it) of his and Linkin Park's track Numb/Encore, in tribute to lead singer, Chester Bennington. Jay Z also used the Live Lounge as a way to raise awareness of mental health, which you can watch here.
4. Rag 'n' Bone Man
Rag 'n' Bone Man has had a great career so far, earning two Brit Awards, a UK number one album and earning slots at various festivals but then he gets a coveted Live Lounge Month slot. Live Lounge gives an artist a real chance to show off their vocals and wow...Rag 'n' Bone Man was definitely no exception! He performed his latest single, As You Are, as well as a beautiful version of Skin. His cover? Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, which sounded fantastic.
3. Craig David
Along with The Killers and Pink, Craig David has had an amazing comeback and it seems to be going strength to strength, as he has just announced a new album, The Time is Now, the follow up to Following My Intuition. During the Live Lounge, he performed his new song, Heartline and the ultimate classic, aside from Fill Me In, 7 days. At first, I was slightly disappointed with his cover when he said it was Wild Thoughts. Mainly because I had heard the song too many times. However, he then said that he would mash it up with Music Sounds Better With You. His R 'n' B sound would have sounded great for Wild Thoughts but it was even better for Music Sounds Better With You. And the two songs together? Amazing!
2. George Ezra
It seems the Live Lounge was full of music artists making a comeback, which included George Ezra. Ezra had last released a single in 2015, releasing the relaxing and peaceful Barcelona. Now he is back, with the cheerful Don't Matter Now. He performed this track, along with the song that I actually guessed he would cover, purely because of how well it would suit his voice: Don't Worry (Be Happy). As for a new album, the follow up to the smash hit, Wanted on Voyage? No word yet but I would definitely keep your eyes and ears out for news of it.
1. Sam Smith
Probably one of the biggest acts in the world, Sam Smith is back to see whether he can continue his success of winning award after award, gaining UK number ones in the single charts and, in terms of the purpose of this blog post, performing in the Live Lounge. We last saw Sam in the Live Lounge in 2016, so it was a welcome return. In fact, he got a whole Live Lounge special. During his special, he performed his UK number one single, Too Good at Goodbyes as well as classic songs, such as Lay Me Down, Like I Can and Stay With Me. He also performed a cover of Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart and, poignantly, Father Figure, by the late George Michael.
You can read more of what I thought of Sam's comeback here.
Here's to next year's Live Lounge Month!
Em x
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Radio 1's Big Weekend 2022
Hello! so, big news everyone...I went to my first proper big festival and what better festival to go to than one which is hosted by Radio 1:...
