When Arctic Monkeys announced their Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino album, fans, of course, waited with baited breath as to whether Sheffield's finest will shortly announce a tour. Well, a couple of weeks later, that wish came true, with the Arctics announcing a string of dates, including dates in the UK. If you were lucky enough to be at the concert, you would have seen that the tickets had sold out.
As soon as the Arctic Monkeys entered on stage, it was clear that they had not lost the Rock and Roll credibility that they had managed to develop over the years. Also, it was clear they knew what the fans wanted: a load of classics, with a sprinkling of Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino songs in between. The best thing? They managed to squeeze tracks from all 5 of their other albums; Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not (e.g. I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor and From the Ritz to the Rubble), Favourite Worst Nightmare (e.g. Brianstorm and 505), Humbug (e.g Crying Lightning and Pretty Visitors), Suck it and See, (Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair) and AM (e.g. Arabella, Knee Socks, and Do I Wanna Know?).
Of course, this tour was also a chance to showcase Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino songs live and for those who were worried that the album was too slow to sound good live, no need to be worried. In fact, the live version of songs such as Star Treatment, American Sports and Four Out of Five gave them a whole new lease of life.
The other great thing about this tour, apart from managing to find space for songs from all their albums, is that it allows the band to prove that they haven't forgotten their roots, with people often accusing Alex Turner of going all American and losing his Sheffield accent. How? By bringing The View From the Afternoon and From the Ritz to the Rubble back into the setlist, with them hardly being brought out during their AM tour, which was met with sheer joy by the sold out arena.
Overall, whether you're a fan of rock music or not, Arctic Monkeys are definitely a band that you should try and go and see live and if we have to wait a long time like we had to between this tour and the last, then so be it. Why? Because the wait will definitely be worth it!
Setlist (Please note they have slightly changed the setlist of this tour for different dates. This is for this Birmingham date):
Star Treatment Brianstorm Snap Out of It Crying Lightning The View From the Afternoon 505 Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino From the Ritz to the Rubble Cornerstone Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High One Point Perspective American Sports Do Me a Favour Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair Knee Socks Do I Wanna Know? Pretty Visitors Four Out of Five Encore
Arabella I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor R U Mine? ****
The last time we saw Miles Kane bring out any music was in 2016, when he brought back The Last Shadow Puppets with Alex Turner. Now, he has ventured back out on his own, bringing out his third solo album, Coup De Grace.
The follow up to 2013's Don't Forget Who You Are, Coup De Grace has been what Miles Kane fans have been waiting for. Okay, they did have The Last Shadow Puppets to keep them going but it had been a long wait to hear any new solo material. Well now...that wait is over.
Coup De Grace, french for the final Blow, is actually named, according to Kane, after a move made famous by WWE's Finn Balor. Kane himself is known to be a fan of wrestling, showing his love for the sport by once dressing up as Ric Flair for Halloween. Not only this, he also managed to get Finn Balor to star in the music video for his latest single, Cry On My Guitar.
However, it is not only WWE that has had influence on this album: it is also clear that musical influences have been involved. For example, Cry On My Guitar has a slight Muse influence, which makes sense considering Kane was part of a Beatles tribute band called Dr Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band, where Matt Bellamy played on bass. Additionally, you can tell the album was co-written with Jamie T, from listening to songs like Too Little Too Late, Sliverscreen and Wrong Side of Life, which have the familiar Jamie T sound. You could also argue that The Fall have played a part in providing inspiration for this album: The Last Shadow Puppets had previously covered The Fall's Totally Wired for their Dream Synopsis EP.
The other thing worth noting about this album is this is obviously a break up album. From the lyrics in Loaded, co-written by Lana Del Rey, "My baby's always threatening to leave" to those in Wrong Side of Life: "Oh I'm a wreck/ I'm sitting all alone, I feel like I'm fighting for you." Of course, there is also the obligatory ballad, in the form of Killing the Joke, along with fellow slow-ish song Shavambacu. In fact, Kane joked in an interview with the BBC that this was going to be his Adele record.
Overall, this album is a lot more guitar filled then his last two, Colour of the Trap (2011) and Don't Forget Who You Are? (2013), but Coup De Grace has allowed Kane to evolve further. Indeed, he is often seen by people as Alex Turner's hanger on but this album has proved that this is definitely not the case!
Can anyone else actually believe it? The music compilation series, NOW That's What I Call Music! has reached it's 100th edition. I bet in 1983, when Richard Branson and co. decided to make a compilation on their Virgin Record label, they never imagined how successful it would be, or the fact that we would get to the 100th edition 35 years later.
To celebrate, I thought that I would give you an insight into what the NOW series means to me and everyone else, as well as some facts about the most popular music compilation series in the UK ever.
I can't believe that I am typing these words...my first NOW album that I received was NOW 47, which was released in November 2000...meaning I was 7, making me feel old! From then on, I always loved receiving a NOW for either Christmas or my birthday, as they usually are released just before these important dates.
To put into perspective how old it is making me feel thinking about my first NOW, let's have a look at the track list. NOW albums consist of two CDs. Usually, CD 1 is classed as "the good CD," as it generally contains good songs, and CD 2 is classed at "the not great CD," meaning that whilst there are some good songs on there, the rest are usually obscure songs that no one has heard of or just not great.
On NOW 47, we have songs that are guaranteed to take you right back in terms of memories, whether you were having your cheesy pop phase, listening to Steps' Stomp, Spice Girls' Holler (minus Geri Haliwell who had left by then) and S Club 7's Natural, rocking out to Bon Jovi's It's My Life andU2's Beautiful Day, or getting all your friends together for a club night and dancing to songs such as Darude's Feel the Beat and Storm's Time to Burn. Going back to the cheesy pop phase, it is interesting to note that NOW 47 also includes 3 Spice Girls tracks from their solo careers: Mel C with I Turn to You, Mel B with Tell Me and Victoria Beckham (featuring Dane Bowers) with Out Of Your Mind. The other thing worth noting is aside from these three technically appearing twice on this album, with also get a a double dosage of the most featured artist on NOW album ever, Robbie Williams (31 on his own and 5 with Take That) and the Princess of Pop, Kylie Minogue, thanks to their duet Kids, and their solo songs, Rock DJ and On a Night Like This respectively.
Since NOW 47, I have added other NOW albums to my collection. These are (apologies in advance for the long list!): NOW 49, NOW 52, NOW 55, NOW 59, NOW 61, NOW 62, NOW 64,NOW 65, NOW 66, NOW 67, NOW 68, NOW 74, NOW 76, NOW 79 (nearly at the end!), NOW 81, NOW 82 and NOW 86. I downloaded NOW 86 from iTunes but I have the others on CD.
To give you guys an idea at how popular the NOW compilation is, it has got to number one on the UK albums chart multiple times and it has spawned special editions, such as NOW That's what I call Christmas, NOW That's what I call Running and NOW That's What I Call Footie Anthems, due to the 2018 World Cup. NOW That's What I Call Dad Rock and NOW That's What I Call Mum have also been released, in line with Father's Day and Mother's Day in the UK. Not only has the compilation got to number one multiple times and spawned special editions, NOW 44 is biggest selling NOW album to date and the best selling compilation album ever. Not bad going considering it all started with Richard Branson buying a Danish Bacon poster from his future wife, depicting a pig watching a chicken clucking, along with the words Now, That's What I Call Music.
In order to celebrate the success of the compilation, and the fact it has reached its 100th edition, NOW 100 has taken a different approach when it came to its track list. Whilst CD 1 focuses on the most recent hits, such as Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa's One Kiss, George Ezra's Shotgun and Anne Marie's 2002, CD 2 focuses on NOW's greatest hits, such as UB40"s Red Red Wine, which featured on the first NOW, Spice Girls' Wannabe, which featured on NOW 34, and most recently, Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk, featured on NOW 90. Yes, some people were hoping for more considering it was the 100th edition, but NOW That's What I Call NOW is due to be released in November 2018, consisting of 5 CDs filled with 100 best songs featured on a NOW CD.
So...what's next for the NOW compilations? Will it reach to NOW 200? Well...my honest answer is yes. Despite the easy access to many songs and albums, using streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify, I reckon that the NOW compilation albums will stand the test of time. Whether it will remain on CD is another story considering how advanced technology is becoming (10 years ago, we were only just getting an iPhone...how scary!) but I know that this won't prevent people from buying this beloved compilation. I mean, it's managed to get to the 100th edition so it must be doing something right!
As for me? Writing about the NOW albums and seeing images on Twitter of people with all, or most, of them has made me want try and see whether I could get as many NOW albums as I can. It'll be a challenge and I'll probably only get the ones from mid nineties onwards but we'll see!
For the last couple of weeks, everyone was caught up in Football Fever. However, for the last two weekends, those who were in Scotland were in festival fever...yep, in TRNSMT festival fever to be precise.
The first TRNSMT happened in 2017, as replacement for T in the Park, who were having problems at its new site. However, since then, it looks like that TRNSMT has now replaced T in the Park altogether.
There was a change this year to TRNSMT. Compared to last year, where the festival was only held on one weekend, this year's festival took place over two weekends. Without further ado, here is a rundown of what happened at TRNSMT 2018.
The Headliners
For the first weekend, on Friday and Saturday, we had two 90s-early noughties icons and a UK exclusive. For the Friday, we had Stereophonics, who brought their latest album Scream Above the Sounds to Glasgow Green, where the festival was being held. They went through a great set of songs, from recent songs, such as I Wanna Get Lost With You, C'est Le Vie and Indian Summer, to bonafide classics, such as Just looking, Have a Nice Day, Dakota and Mr Writer.
On Saturday, another 90's-early noughties icon played, in the form of Liam Gallagher. He released his first solo album, As You Were, in October 2017 and TRNSMT was the first time he had headlined a festival in Scotland since 2002, when he headlined T in the Park as part of Oasis. In addition, he had also played T in the Park twice, as part of Beady Eye, in 2011 and 2013.
In terms of his set, he delivered a set that only Liam Gallagher could...a set that consisted of new Liam hits, such as For What It's Worth, Wall Of Glass and Greedy Soul, and old Oasis hits, including Rock n Roll Star, Wonderwall, Supersonic and Slide Away, which I think is what everyone wanted right?
However, the biggest highlight was Sunday's headliner, which was a UK exclusive...Arctic Monkeys. Yep, the Arctics played their first and, as far as we know, only UK festival date (unless they do a secret set at Reading and/or Leeds...). This is also notable as it was almost 4 years since they last played a festival in Scotland; they headlined T in the Park in 2014. During their set, they played songs from all six of their albums, including The View From Afternoon and From the Ritz to the Rubble, which they have started bringing back into their setlist, and Teddy Picker, which made its Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino tour debut, showing the audience exactly why they had been missed for 4 years or, in Alex's case, 2 years, as he last played in Scotland as part of The Last Shadow Puppets at T in the Park 2016. Saying that, there was a Last Shadow Puppets reunion, as Miles Kane joined the Arctic Monkeys on stage to play guitar on 505, as per tradition.
During the next weekend that TRNSMT was held, the headliners were Adam Lambert and Queen and The Killers. Delivered a great set, Adam Lambert and Queen brought out hits such as Killer Queen, Who Wants To Live Forever?, The Show Must Go On, Radio GaGa and, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody, among others, putting on a show that would have made Freddie Mercury proud.
In terms of The Killers, they brought Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll (see what I did there?) to Glasgow Green. However, they didn't actually play this song during their set. Instead, they made sure they got the classics in there, including All These Things I've Done, Smile Like You Mean It, When You Were Young,Somebody Told Me and, of course, Mr Brightside. They also covered Side, by Travis and The Whole of the Moon, by The Waterboys and invited a fan to drum with them on For Reasons Unknown. They later came back to Scotland to play the King Tut's Wah Wah Hut the next day.
The rest of the show.
Whilst the headliners were all rock acts, the rest of the acts across both weekends were more varied. Yes we still had rock acts, such as Blossoms, Wolf Alice, The Courteeners and Miles Kane, who performed a cover of Donna Summer's Hot Stuff, which suited the hot weather that we have had throughout the whole of July, as well as playing some new songs from his upcoming album Coup de Grace, like his new single, Cry On My Guitar.
In addition, there were some pop acts, such as Jessie J, who hasn't played a festival in ages and The Script, who rounded off their Freedom Child Tour with a stint at Glasgow Green, playing a selection of their biggest hits, such as Superheroes, For the First Time, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Rain and Hall of Fame (minus Will.I.Am unfortunately).
We also had some newbies on the line up, with some being higher up the lineup (on the main stage) than what I thought they would be, such as Tom Grennan, who had a massive hit with his debut song Sober, and Lewis Capaldi. However, many of the newbies were on the King Tut's Stage as well, such as Sigrid, winner of the BBC sound of 2018 prize and known for her very popular song Strangers, Tom Walker and Pale Waves. However, we also had well established acts, again on both stages, like Nina Nesbitt, Jessie Ware, Franz Ferdinand and Chvrches. Finally, we had classic bands such as Shed Seven, Interpol, The Darkness (Yep, they're still going), Embrace and Texas.
Overall, TRNSMT was the perfect mix of pop and Rock and young and old and I for one thought it was the perfect balance. Yes, it could be said that the headliners were not very diverse, in terms of genre, but hey, they still brought the crowds so TRNSMT must be doing something right!
A couple of weekends ago, I had, what can only be described as, a big musical weekend and it all took place in London! London is probably one of my favourite places in the UK because there is so much to see and do. However, because we were only going to be there Saturday and Sunday, arriving saturday and leaving Monday, plus seeing two shows ( I'll get on to those in a bit), we didn't really have time to do much sightseeing. Anyway, here is my run down of what I did with my family (including 2 reviews...yay!)
Saturday:
Saturday was quite a busy day as we had to be in London at a good time, due to going to the theatre. However, all was good as we arrived at the hotel at about 1:30 pm. We stayed at the Landmark, which was in a convenient place, considering what we were doing on Sunday. Anyway, once we were settled in, we got a taxi and headed straight to the Prince Edward Theatre for our first musical day; we saw Aladdin: the musical...
REVIEW: Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre - 16/06/2018
For those who have seen Aladdin, you will know the story and the songs but for those who haven't seen the disney film (seriously...where have you been?!), Aladdin is the story of a poor street boy who falls in love with the Princess, whilst coping with the fact that she can only marry a prince and that the Sultan, who is the Princess's father, has an advisor, who is plotting to be Sultan himself...
As soon as the curtain opens, you are immediately transported to the city of Agrabah, and you meet the genie, played by Trevor Dion Nicholls, who introduces himself to everyone, accompanied by the familiar sounding Arabian Nights.
From then on, it is lights, camera action, as we meet Aladdin and all the other characters, including Iago, in the form of a man rather than a parrot. However, this worked as it gave Iago a personality and more of a character. Okay, Iago the parrot has a bit of a character but I just take human villains more seriously sometimes.
Oh and of course, there was Jasmine. Played by Jade Ewan (girlband fans of the early to late noughties, you will recognise her name from the Sugababes), she showed that not only was she good at singing, she was also good at acting, taking us through the emotions that Jasmine went through, as she tried to prove to her father that she was going to be an independent woman and marry who she wanted, even it was a street boy from the market place.
For those expecting the story and songs to be exactly the same, you may be surprised to learn that there are some slight differences between this and the film. For starters, we learn about Aladdin's background, in the form of the melancholic song about his mother who died, Proud of Your Boy. Aladdin also has some friends to help him along his adventure (minus the genie of course), called Babkak, Omar and Kassim, played by Leon Craig, Julian Capolei and Daniel de Bourg respectively, adding a bit of comedy to the show. There is a well known saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but this definitely did not apply to the show.
It wasn't just the characters who made the show, it was the set and the costumes that were great, as it really felt like you were in Agrabah. Also, the transitions between the sets worked, e.g. the market place morphed into Aladdin's roof top home, the interior of the cave of wonders swiftly became the interior of the palace etc, meaning the show flowed, rather than be really clunky. However, the best part of the whole set was when it all went dark bar twinkling lights, with Aladdin and Jasmine floating on the magic carpet, as they sang A Whole New World, which will make you want to cry.
Overall, for fans, new and old, of Disney and looking for something to do, Aladdin - The Musical is perfect for the whole family. So, grab your magic carpet and fly off to a whole new world.
*****
Sunday
After a bit of a busy day on Saturday, it was a chance for us all to chill a bit on Sunday. It was also Father's Day. The whole family basically spent the morning and early afternoon watching Doctor Who (much to my Mum's annoyance!) and I gave my Dad his card and present, which was The Darkest Hour on DVD (We still haven't watched it yet and Father's day for the UK was a few weeks ago...).
After, we decided that we had a bit of time before the big finale to our weekend (more on that in a bit...) so we decided to have wonder around London, near where we were staying. We walked a bit through Regent's park, found the Sony studios and the 20th Century Fox London studios and...Sherlock's House (no...Benedict Cumberbatch was not there...sorry!).
Anyway, after we had seen that house, we set off back to our hotel and got ourselves ready for the big finale of the weekend...Ed Sheeran at Wembley!
REVIEW: Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium - 17/06/2018
Ed Sheeran, the biggest pop act on the planet right now, last played Wembley Stadium back in 2015, in support of his mega popular album Multiply (X). Well, since then, his success has since...erm...multiplied, earning him another stint at Wembley Stadium.
It's always a concern when you see someone attempt to perform in a massive stadium on their own, as there is a worry that there wouldn't be much atmosphere. However, Ed proved that it was simply a walk in the park for him, getting the audience going with feel good hits, like Bloodstream, made them want to dance an Irish jig, with songs Nancy Mulligan and Galway Girl, and made the audience cry, with gentle tearjerkers, Perfect and Thinking Out Loud. He also sang a cover of Nina Simone's Feeling Good, which suited his voice so well, and I See Fire, a song from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
The other concern about seeing someone on their own, particularly in a venue the size of Wembley Stadium, is whether they would be able to build a relationship with the audience and yet Ed managed it. He connected with the "super dads" (Dads who got dragged to see Ed by their children on Father's Day!) and those that think they can't dance, telling them to dance anyway...and dance they did.
However, whilst Ed was good a creating an atmosphere among the audience, as well as interacting with them but in all honesty, there is a danger for someone like Ed to become a bit repetitive and becoming a bit of "what you see is what you get." In other words, there is a question about whether you would see Ed again once you have seen him. Saying that, judging by the number of people who turned up to the show (Bearing in mind that Wembley holds up to 90,000 people), it seems that his popularity will not diminish any time soon.
Overall, Ed proved that he is worthy of the success of his albums, along with his many awards that he has won, including the Global Success Brit Award in 2018. Ok, he is a bit like marmite but when it comes to performing, he really does put on a good show and proves why he deserves the popularity and success that he has.
Setlist:
Castle On the Hill
Eraser
The A Team
Don't/New Man
Dive
Bloodstream
Happier
Lego House
Galway Girl
Feeling Good/I See Fire
Thinking Out Loud
One/Photograph
Perfect
Nancy Mulligan
Sing
Encore:
Shape Of You
You Need Me, I Don't Need You
***
So there you have it...a little run down of what I got up to in London including reviews of both events I went to. Hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed going to, and writing about, these events.
This bank holiday just gone a (kind of) new festival happened. Following the success of the Big Weekend that Radio 1 puts on, BBC Music announced the Biggest Weekend, to fill the Glastonbury sized hole in people's heart (Glastonbury is not on this year, due to it being a fallow year for Worthy Farm).
The Biggest Weekend consisted of festivals hosted by the big BBC radio stations, Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 6. Radio 3 also hosted a few acts at some of the festivals, which I will get to in a minute.
The festivals were held in 4 different cities; one for each country of the United Kingdom: Coventry and Perth, hosted by Radio 2, Swansea, hosted by Radio 1, and Belfast, hosted by Radio 6.
Belfast
Belfast was among one of the first sites to welcome musicians to their Biggest Festival, hosted by Radio 6. On the Friday, Belfast was host to big acts including Manic Street Preachers, who sang their biggest hits, such as Motorcycle Emptiness, You Stole The Sun From My Heart and A Design For Life, as well as the title track from their latest album, International Blue. Also playing on the Friday were acts including Beck, Courtney Barnett, Orbital and Public Service Broadcasting.
On the Saturday, it was mainly about the rock acts, in the form of Franz Ferdinand, Underworld and Ash (what a throwback!). However, there was also a selection of non-rock acts, including First Aid Kit, Nenah Cherry and Goldie.
Perth
Perth also started on Friday and, compared to Belfast, Friday's acts were more classical based and these acts were hosted by Radio 3. Violinist Nigel Kennedy, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. However, we also had singers, in the form of jazz musician Jamie Cullum, Evelyn Glenn and Danielle De Niesse.
Saturday was in the same league as the Saturday at Belfast, as in it was mainly pop and rock acts, and this was hosted by Radio 2. We had the likes of modern acts, in the form of Emeli Sande, Amy Macdonald, The Shires and Julie Fowlis, and retro acts, in the form of Squeeze and Simple Minds. In terms of the headliner, it was Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds who had the coveted slot, performing songs from the new album, Who Built the Moon? as well as classic Flying Birds hits (I couldn't be bothered to right the whole band name again), such as AKA...What a Life. Of course, it wouldn't be a Noel Gallagher show without Oasis songs, so he performed Little By Little, The Importance of Being Idle, Half the World Away, Wonderwall, Go Let It Out and Don't Look Back In Anger. Also, funny that Noel headlined this considering who was headlining at Coventry....
Speaking of which...
Coventry
Some of Coventry's acts were the same as Perth's. However, unlike Perth, the music started on the Saturday, featuring the likes of Snow Patrol, who have just released their new album, into the Wilderness, Paloma Faith, Stereophonics, Billy Idol, UB40 and Tears For Fears. Also, like Perth, Coventry had Jamie Cullum and a Gallagher brother...in the form of Liam Gallagher (hence why I said it was funny that Noel was headlining Perth considering who was the headliner in Coventry). During his set, he performed songs from his latest solo album, As You Were, and, of course, some Oasis songs. He had a different selection to Noel, choosing to sing the more rockier songs, such as Some Might Say, Supersonic and Live Forever, which had some sort of poignancy, considering it was 1 year after the Manchester attack earlier that week.
On Monday, the Biggest Weekend closed with some more classical acts, with the host radio station being Radio 3. Performers included Strictly Come Dancing with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Milos, who performed a beautiful version of The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun, Eliza Carthy and the Hayward Band, Angelique Kiojo and Good Penguin. Like Perth, the headliner was Nigel Kennedy.
Swansea
I saved the best until last, in my opinion, purely because the acts are those that I would choose to listen to. Okay, to be honest, I like any kind of music (except classical...I have been to listen to some pieces of music but I wouldn't think "hey I fancy putting on some classical music on") but the Swansea festival had so much variety and the acts were more my era!
Swansea had THE biggest artists ever across the weekend...Sam Smith anyone? What about Ed Sheeran? Oh...and the princess of pop at the moment...Taylor Swift. In addition, we also had the likes of *takes deep breath* Camilla Cabello, Craig David, Shawn Mendes, George Ezra, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and the headliners in the form of Sam Smith and Florence and the Machine...and this was just the main stage! On the Other Stage (yes, that really is its name) there was Bastille, James Bay, Christine and the Queens, Wolf Alice, Churches, Sigrid, Stefflon Don and Panic at the Disco.
There were notable highlights in Swansea. One particular highlight was the fact that Ed Sheeran and Anne Marie had both travelled from Manchester to perform and then had to travel back to Manchester, due to Ed Sheeran's World Tour ( Anne Marie is the support act). However, it was totally worth it for them to come over and perform because they were amazing (slightly biased as I'm going to see them in June!)
Another highlight, filled with poignancy was Rita Ora's tribute to Avicii, who sadly died recently. His last single, Lonely Together, just happened to include vocals from Rita. Yep, she did stumble on her words but it shouldn't matter because it was a perfect tribute to the late DJ.
Two highlights for the price of one come in the form of Bastille. Firstly, Dan Smith, the frontman, joined Craig David to perform I Know You. Secondly, Bastille did their first live performance of their new single, Quarter Past Midnight.
Finally, we had the live returns, in the UK of Florence and the Machine, who are due to release their new album, High as Hope, and have just announced and released tickets for an arena tour to support the album, and Taylor Swift, who had a massive comeback in the form of her album Reputation.
All in all, whilst I think everyone is going to miss Glastonbury this year, the Biggest Weekend was a perfect substitute. However, considering it was a substitute for Glastonbury, the only thing that I didn't like was the fact that it wasn't on the last weekend of June a.k.a Glastonbury weekend. Maybe I'm just being picky? Yep...I am.
Anyway, bring on next year's Radio 1's Big Weekend and, most importantly, Glastonbury 2019!
"Anticipation has the habit to set you up" sang Alex Turner, 12 years ago on the album that started it all: Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not. That was back in 2006 and now, in 2018, the Arctics are still going strong and they have now released their 6th record, Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino.
Turner and co truly lived up to that first line from their first album when they were teasing their return. It started when they announced festival dates in late January, which were gradually followed by European headline shows and North American shows, leading fans to speculate that an album announcement was heading our way.
Sure enough, on the 5th April, the news that fans had all been waiting for...the album was going to be released on May 11th, along with the reveal of some...erm...questionable...song titles (The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip anyone?) Now, after one very long wait (it seems), the album is finally here!
In many interviews, it has been clear that Alex was keen to drift away from the sound that people were comfortable with when listening to an Arctic Monkeys record, notably saying that he "was suspicious of where it was gonna go" and that his imagination was more prevalent when he sat by a piano. Gone was the gritty guitar sounds that you have heard previously on songs such as Arabella, I bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor etc, replaced by something that David Bowie would probably be proud of.
In fact, the best way to explain this album is this is the result of a mashup between the sound of David Bowie and The Last Shadow Puppets. Indeed, the latest Last Shadow Puppets album was inspired by Bowie (they added Moonage Daydream to the setlist in the middle of their 2016 tour). Now, it seems that the inspiration has carried on further with this album, with the music of the lead single, Four Out of Five, sounding very much like the music of Lazarus, Bowie's last single before he died. You could also argue that the sound of The Last Shadow Puppets has sneaked in as well, in the form of She Looks Fun, eerily sounding like a mash up of Calm Like You and In My Room.
However, for those who were expecting "old" Arctic Monkeys, there is some slight guitar sounds but not as much as you would expect. In fact, the sound is not the only unexpected thing with this album...you've also got the random song titles and the fact that The Ultracheese...is a ballad (to be honest, a song title like this would cause you to have no idea what the song will be like). On the other hand, you have still got something that, throughout the Arctic Monkeys' career, has not changed...Alex Turner's impeccable lyrics.
The most interesting thing about this album though, is the dystopian and sci-fi feel that we get throughout the album, including the album artwork, mentions of the film Blade Runner, the video for Four out of Five looking like Stanley Kubrick directed it, and songs called Science Fiction and Batphone. In addition, the album title, Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, seems to have had inspiration from the Tranquility Base, the place on the moon where Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon's surface. In fact, Alex commented on taking inspiration from science fiction, stating in an interview from Pitchfork: "Science Fiction creates...other worlds within which we can explore our own...I wanted to write something about that idea".
Overall, whilst the Arctic Monkeys have distanced themselves from their usual sound and created the most divisive album of their career (yep, even more divisive than AM), and yet it was a risk that paid off. Yes, the new sound takes a bit of getting used to, but once you have heard the album, you will want to book a room at the Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. I hear the reviews are Four out of Five...
So, this Friday (27th April), Blossoms released their second album, Cool Like You, a follow up to their eponymous debut, Blossoms, which was released in 2016.
There is something we have to talk about before we get into the nitty gritty of the review...the odd promotion/teaser campaign, which saw the drummer, Joe Donovan get interviewed and insult his bandmate, lead singer, Tom Ogden. This was followed by a spoof "Where are they now?" video, which saw Joe set up a ice cream van business, called Cone Rose, after Blown Rose, Charlie become a Stockport County FC mascot, Josh create a food and drink documentary and Myles creating a (fake) rap record. This all caused rumours of a split, complete with a hotline number for distressed fans. This was later revealed to be a voice message with a possible taster of new music in the background.
Thankfully, this was all a ruse, in preparation for the band announcing new single, I Can't Stand It, on the 1st March, followed by an announcement of Cool Like You the very next day, on the 2nd of March. The other give away that this "rift" was fake was that they soon announced a string of festival dates in the run up of these two announcements, including TRNSMT festival in Scotland and Neighbourhood Weekender in Liverpool.
From the very first listen, it is clear that Blossoms want to stick to their 80s electronic sound and it is often good when music artists stick to their sound that everyone knows and loves. OK...it may be a little bit boring to some who may have wanted a change but at the same time, often, when bands do release songs that sound different to something they had done before, fans turn against them and ask why they didn't stick to their sound they are known for. This is why I think it was good that Blossoms stuck to what they know.
Their opening track, There Is a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) wouldn't sound out of place in a 70's/80's disco, with some fans on Twitter comparing it to ABBA's sound. In fact, fellow track, Giving Up the Ghost has a guitar sound in the background of Ogden's vocals that definitely sounds familiar...I'm thinking Voulez-Vous? Oh...and that stomping beat to Lying Again...I'm getting a Gimme Gimme Gimme vibe.
It's not just ABBA that Blossoms seem to be getting inspiration from...it seems they have used their previous album as a reference in order to build up that already epic electronic sound that they've got going on within their music...is it me or there is a hint of Blown Rose in the title track, Cool Like You? Unfaithful...yep it is clear they used At Most a Kiss as a starting point when coming up with the instrumentals to this song. Considering that this album had a been a two year project, this source of inspiration is highly likely. In fact, Blossoms' frontman, Tom Ogden, even went as far as saying There's a Reason Why was a sequel to one of the previous album's songs, Getaway, during a Radio 1 interview.
Overall, Blossoms have proved that sticking to your sound, along with taking inspiration from 70s/80s bands, works wonders when it comes to producing an album and proves that everyone should have a bit of Blossoms in their lives! Put it this way...it's not going to be, nor was it ever going to be a difficult second album...
So, the USA equivalent of Glastonbury happened recently...yep I'm talking about Coachella.
Coachella is considered the first big festival and I consider it as the unofficial opener of festival season. This year's festival saw loads of artists come to Los Angeles to play the famous desert festival site: Haim, Jamiroquai, Alt-J, Cardi B and more. We also had two headliners. One was The Weeknd, who got people talking after he got emotional during a performance of his latest song, which is thought to be about his relationship with Selena Gomez, and the other was Eminem.
However, none of these acts drew more attention than the third headliner of the weekend...in fact LAST YEAR was when she began to draw attention to her anticipated headline set...yep, I'm talking about queen Bey herself: Beyonce.
Originally, she was meant to be headlining Coachella 2017 but she then announced that she was pregnant with twins, causing her to cancel. Of course the worst kept secret was eventually confirmed: she was headlining Coachella 2018.
Some of you are probably thinking, "Why is everyone making a big deal about Beyonce headlining Coachella?" Well not only is she...erm...Beyonce but she also broke...oh...just a couple of records:
She was the first black woman to headline Coachella. This is a big deal in a world where, unfortunately there is still some racial tension.
She was the most tweeted about performance.
Destiny's Child are technically the first girl band to headline Coachella
Also, not only did she reach these milestones, she also, because she is Beyonce, managed to inadvertently create a hashtag dedicated to her performance: #Beychella.
Of course, there were a few surprises up Beyonce's sleeve. One of them happened on the first weekend of Coachella, even though people predicted it anyway, and this was the reunion of Destiny's Child. Yep, Michelle and Kelly Rowland joined their former band mate to perform a classic hits medley, consisting of Lose My Breath, Say My Name and Soldier.
The other surprises was how subtle she was being during her performance, particularly with her main outfit at the start of her headline set on the first weekend: Black shorts with a yellow hoodie. Not only is this the colours of a bee (Bey...get it?), this is also the colour that represented the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which was the first black inter-college fraternity, when it was established at Cornell University in 1906.
Overall, Beyonce is probably the only headline who grabbed attention before, during and after the performance. Now, the question is, will any other artist have as much focus on them when they headline Coachella? In fact, will they even have a hashtag dedicated to their Coachella performance, in the way that Beyonce had #Beychella? Answer: probably not.
I can already hear quite a few people thinking "He has been back since late 2015!" Yeah...erm...that was The Last Shadow Puppets guys. I'm saying he is back regarding his solo career, with his last album, Don't Forget Who You Are being released in 2013. Well, recently. he unveiled a new song, Loaded, which was Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac's Hottest Record on Monday (16th April).
I have to admit something: I had only really been a fan of Kane within The Last Shadow Puppets and before that, I had only heard of one song, which was Don't Forget Who You Are (thanks New Look!). However, seeing as I like The Last Shadow Puppets, I thought I would listen to Annie Mac's show to hear Loaded and see what I think...and I thought it was quite good.
During his interview with Annie Mac, he gave an insight in the making of the single and his upcoming album Coup de Grace (named after a wrestling move), revealing that he had recorded with Jamie T and Lana Del Rey. In fact from what I have heard from Jamie T, it is clear that he has had some influence when listening to Loaded and do I detect a bit of Last Shadow Puppets sound as well? Yep...I do.
Of course, the inevitable question came: is Alex Turner involved with Miles' new album? Well, surprisingly, Turner is not present on the album but he has been busy with something else... However, this will allow Miles to show that he is not just Alex Turner's best friend; he is a musician in his own right.
Overall, judging by Loaded, we can expect good things from Coup de Grace, and with Kane being announced to play various festivals and announcing a limited number of free 7" vinyl copies of the Coup de Grace single being available in various record stores across the UK, to celebrate Record Store Day, anticipation for the new album has already begun!
So, I thought that I would use my next blog post to have a bit of a rant. In all honesty, I feel it's always good to have a rant, whether it's verbally to a friend or family member, or via a written piece, such as blog posts. Anyway, the thing that is most annoying is...ticket touts.
Ticket touts, for those who may not have heard the term, are those people who buy tickets and then sell them on at ridiculous prices, often nearing the £1,000 barrier. How is that fair to true fans who actually want tickets?
I have to admit, as a disabled music fan, I am lucky when it comes to buying tickets, as all I have to do is phone a dedicated ticket line and someone usually picks up between 45 minutes- 1 hour later. However, what about those who are not disabled? The problem starts here.
I'll give you an example. I was trying to get Muse tickets for my Mum and Dad (my Dad is a big fan) and I went to this ticket site to get tickets. Despite me getting on the website exactly on 9am when the tickets went on sale, and refreshing the page multiple times, I kept getting a message come up saying no tickets available and yet tickets were appearing on secondary ticketing sites within seconds of being released, selling at some ridiculous prices. Finally, after 3 hours and multiple dates being added, and me phoning up the O2 arena directly, I got some tickets but I was still annoyed that tickets that could have been given to real fans.
Thankfully, artists and their management are putting things in place to (try and) stop ticket touting. Recently, acts such as Ed Sheeran and Arctic Monkeys have ensured that the ticketing process is fair by putting strict instructions on what to do on their websites:
the lead booker's surname will be printed on the ticket.
the lead booker must arrive at the venue and present a photo ID.
Ed and his management also stated on his website to bring confirmation of the booking and teamed up with a website, Twickets, along with other artists such as, Little Mix, Adele, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and Lana Del Rey, where purchasers of tickets can sell them appropriately, so people can buy these tickets from this website at face value.
Despite this, and countless features on TV regarding problems with people ending up with dodgy tickets, ticket touting is still happening, meaning we are still a long way off from tackling the touts. However, with these special measures in place, hopefully we will less ticket touting in the future.
If you need/would like to sell your tickets, or buy some sold tickets at face value, visit https://www.twickets.live/
It's time to celebrate! Why? George Ezra has finally released his long awaited second album, Staying At Tamara's. The follow up to the Number One album (in the UK anyway), Wanted on Voyage, Staying at Tamara's is the fun-filled pop record that we all need in our lives.
The title itself has an interesting story. After the success of Wanted On Voyage, Ezra wanted to...erm...take a voyage and one of the places he went was Barcelona. Instead of booking a hotel, he rented a room in a flat. The name of the flat owner that he rented the room from? Tamara!
We first heard a snippet of what Ezra's second album will sound like, when the first single off the album, Don't Matter Now, which was in a similar league of Ezra's previous hit, Listen to the Man, telling listeners not to worry about their troubles. This was followed by the second single, Paradise (no...not a cover of Coldplay). Paradise is typical Ezra, jam packed with guitar sound and a catchy chorus that can stay in your head for days. Well...I had it in my head for days anyway...
Since the release of Paradise, Ezra released other songs over time, in the run up to the release of Staying At Tamara's: Pretty Shining People, which, along with Paradise, is a song that you can't help but sing along to, Hold My Girl, Saviour, a collaboration with Swedish folk group First Aid Kit, and, released the night before the album got released, Shotgun, which was Annie Mac's Hottest Record of that night on Radio 1.
The thing that's great about this album is that the songs are so varied. The songs range from being upbeat, like those mentioned, to slow relaxing songs, such as All My Love, Only a Human and The Beautiful Dream and I feel that albums should be like this, otherwise they could be seen as a bit boring and lackadaisical.
There are a few downsides with this album but these are little things. Firstly, having revisited Ezra's first album, some may argue that this album seems too much like Wanted On Voyage. However, whilst that could seem negative, there is a well known saying...if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Secondly, the album seems to finish too quickly!
All in all, Staying at Tamara's is an album that can, on the one hand, provide songs that you can dance to and, on the other hand, provide songs that you can just chill out and relax to. Either way, this album is perfect to allow you to not let any worries get you down.
After 66 years and many issues featuring iconic musicians, the news broke recently that the NME was to cease releasing its print edition. Among many other music fans I'm sure, I felt a mix of shock and sadness. With that in mind, I thought I would delve into why.
I have to be honest, I didn't always read the NME...yes I liked music but I didn't used to like the type of bands that NME would have put on the cover...I was more into bands like Steps, Spice Girls and Take That (OK...I still like Take That). Having said that, I did used to sing along to the albums of Oasis and Manic Street Preachers when I was four, due to my Dad having them in his car but that was the closest I was going to get being interested in bands the NME would have had on the cover. Also, due to being four, it's safe to say I was probably too young to read the NME!
It was only when I went to University that I became more interested in bands that were/would be on the cover of the NME, such as Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Blossoms and The Last Shadow Puppets. It started out by reading articles on the website and me liking the NME facebook page so I can keep up with the latest music news. It then ended up with me finally bringing the magazine home.
For many people, whose comments I have seen in various articles and on Twitter, it was the sheer joy of going every week with their pocket money and buying the NME to catch up on the goings on regarding their favourite musicians and oh there were so many cover stars! Cover stars included stars from yesteryear, including The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard, 80s legends, such as David Bowie and Prince, Britpop icons, including Oasis, Blur and Radiohead, notably for running a cover story dedicated to Oasis vs Blur regarding the UK singles chart, and finally more recent stars, such as Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Coldplay and Muse. Of course, other times, the NME would make their issues tribute issues when someone had sadly died, including Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and most recently, David Bowie and Prince. This showed that music truly mattered to the NME and that, quite rightly so, these musicians will never be forgotten.
Unfortunately, to many people (not me), it seemed to them that the end was nigh for the NME when it started to release free publications. Not only that, it also emerged that the editor, Mike Williams was to leave, shortly after the 2018 NME awards. Oh...and not to mention that these days, everyone can reach news with the tap of a button, thanks to technology.
Despite this, #RIPNME still became the trending hashtag on Twitter on the day that the news broke about the end of the print edition. However, we have been told that this is the start of a new and exciting time for NME, and the actual product, news about musicians, has not ended itself. Therefore, I am excited for the future of the NME and I can't wait to see what happens. However, that's not to say that I am not upset about the publication ending.
Oh NME magazine...we will miss you! Thank you Mike Williams and your team for creating a fab magazine!
A couple of weeks ago, on Wednesday 21st February 2018, some of the best loved music acts came together to celebrate the biggest singles, albums and overall acts of the last year. Hosted by Jack Whitehall, it was a night of celebration, playful insults and, as ever, slight controversy! So...what were the big moments of the night?
Little Fix?
I thought I would get the slightly controversial moment out the way. Every year, the award for Best British Video would allow the public to vote on Twitter for their winner. The award starts with 10 nominaitons, which are announced on nomination night. Each week, until the Friday or the Monday before the BRITs (depending on what day the votes close; last year it was the Monday, this year it was the Friday), an act gets eliminated until we are left with 5 nominees ready to battle it out on the actual BRIT Awards night.
Here is where it gets controversial...every week Little Mix were number one on the votes leaderboard and to through each week. When the votes were opened on the night, Little Mix were, again, consistently on the top of the leaderboard, with Harry Styles being second. However, when it came to the announcement of the winner...Harry Styles won.
Cue mass hysteria amongst Little Mix fans on Twitter accusing the BRITs of being rigged. Now...not to cause any controversy myself but is it really a big deal they lost? I know how big a fan you can be of a music act (believe me, I've been there done that...I had lots of Steps memorabilia and cried when they split up) but surely you should be happy that Little Mix at least got nominated. Have they split up? No. Have their sales fallen since they lost? No. Have they won awards before and after they lost? Yes. As long as they continue to make music, fans will still have Little Mix.
Anyway...the BRITs released a statement saying that the last leaderboard wasn't a valid representation of the outcome, considering the votes needed to be counted and verified. However...it seems that the whole thing was too little too late for Little Mix fans...
Jack Whitehall was less controversial...but still made a few playful digs!
I felt that the 2018 BRIT Awards host, Jack Whitehall was a breath of fresh air. Sure...the likes of Dermot O'Leary, Emma Willis and Ant and Dec are the hosts with the mosts but I couldn't imagine them saying any of the insults that Jack Whitehall came out with.
Whitehall came out with many insults about topics such as Paul from S Club 7's attempt to sell his BRIT Award on Ebay (There ain't no auction like an S Club Auction!), calling Sam Smith a less upbeat version of Adele, and making Liam Payne and Cheryl say hello to their little one (Hello Niall). Oh...and the awkward moment when he reminded Jesy Nelson from Little Mix about THAT attempt of doing a Jamaican accent...
Performances
2018 was probably the most varied show since 2014, in terms of performances (I'm sorry BRITs that's just my opinion!). It started off with a performance from Justin Timberlake, which unfortunately I found a bit lacklustre. However, I have to admit, I only started watching the BRITs halfway through, so I can't really comment having only watched the end of the performance!
Elsewhere, Ed Sheeran provided a typically tear-jerking performance of his new single, Supermarket Flowers, which I think could be considered an "Adele moment." Everyone went silent and you could hear a pin drop as Ed performed. Ed's fellow chart topper Sam Smith also performed. However, I know Too Good at Goodbyes is one of his biggest songs but do we really need to hear it again? I would have preferred to hear One Last Song.
Meanwhile, two of the biggest rock acts came to perform completely contrasting performances. On one side the Foo Fighters decided they would perform The Sky Is a Neighbourhood on the roof of a specially built cabin, which thankfully didn't collapse! On the other hand, Liam Gallagher came to perform a special performance of Live Forever, in tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack. This was preceded by a speech from Gary Barlow, which paid tribute to those who died. The BRITs itself was dedicated to those who lost their lives.
Awards
The big winners of the night were Dua Lipa and Stormzy, who both walked away with two awards each; Dua won Best British Female and Best British Breakthrough, and Stormzy for Best British Male and British Album of the Year (yes...I thought Ed Sheeran was going to win both awards as well).
Elsewhere, Foo Fighters won the best International Group Prize, and Rag n Bone Man won the Best Single award. Furthermore, Lorde won Best International Female and Kendrick Lamar won Best International Male, despite his disastrous performance, which involved technical difficulties, as well as most of his performance being muted on TV, due to his not-so-family friendly lyrics (this moment hilariously made my Dad think there was problems with our TV!).
Finally, the most ironic thing to ever happen on the BRIT Awards (as far as I know) was when the Gorrillaz won the Best British Group. "Why?! What's ironic about that?" I hear everyone reading this post shouting at their screens. Well...cast your minds back to 2012 when Adele won the Best British Album Award and James Cordon had to cut Adele's speech off in order to allow Blur to perform, due to the BRITs time constraints. Gorillaz happen to have Damon Albarn as a sort-of frontman (Damon Albarn is the voice of the Gorillaz lead singer), who is also the frontman of Blur. Gorillaz were cut off after Damon decided to launch into a drunken rant about politics and swore in the middle of his speech. Cue Jack whitehall to make the situation even worse/ more hilarious: "I don't want this to be another Adele moment!"
We'll...there you go...the highlights and the low lights of the BRITs...I wonder what next year will bring?
On Valentine's Day, very much in love couples went out for dinner and did cute coupley stuff. However, if you are like me, a music fan, you probably were watching the NME Awards, either live or, again like me, at home.
It was a typical night that I would expect nothing less from the NME awards; a load of rockstars coming to celebrate their success as well as celebrations of the success of newer artists. Anyway, let's have a look at the highlights.
The Performances:
We saw a bit of a varied setlist when it came to the performances. We had Alt J, who performed Cold Blood, off their 2017 Mercury nominated album, Relaxer as well as a collaboration of Stefflon Don and Skepta. We also had newcomers, Pale Waves, who performed their debut single, There's a Honey, taken from their EP All The Things I Never Said.
Finally, we had the man himself Liam Gallagher who performed a collection of songs, from Oasis hits, such as Rock and Roll Star and What's the Story (Morning Glory). He also performed songs from his album As You Were, such as Wall Of Glass.
The ceremony itself.
There was a reason why Liam Gallagher had the honour of performing a collection of hits: he was awarded the prestigious Godlike Genius award. (I would just like to thank the NME for doing this because it meant I could give this blog post a good title!). When receiving the award, he thanked his mum, fans and...erm...no..not Noel, surprise surprise! Oh and just to prove that he well and truly hates his brother, he said Noel was as bad as...err...Donald Trump...
Someone else who has had a long running career is Shirley Manson, the lead singer of Garbage (who I learnt on NME awards night were Scottish...I thought they were American!). She won the Icon Award and used her award to speak up about women not being afraid of using their platform to speak up about issues that are important to them.
Elsewhere, regarding others that performed, Alt-J won best British Band, beating the likes of Kasabian, Wolf Alice, The XX and Bastille. Meanwhile, Pale Waves and Stefflon Don won awards dedicated to those who had recently, or are just, breaking into the music industry, winning the NME Under the Radar and Best New Artist awards respectively. Furthermore, Boy Better Know won the innovation award.
Kasabian may have lost out to Alt-J in the Best British Band but they did manage to win best live band and I'm not surprised. I'm not a massive fan of them but I have seen them perform at festivals (on television) and they do put on a good show so I do believe they were worthy winners.
Speaking of festivals, the winners of best festival headliners were Muse, for their 2017 Reading and Leeds set. The speech included obligatory thank yous along with Dom Howard stating that Skepta, Stormzy, Haim or Charli XCX should be festival headliners in the future. Also, fans of Muse may want to prepare themselves...in an interview backstage, they have started talking about possible ideas for a tour as well as the possibility of a new album in the not so distant future... In terms of best festival, there was only one winner...of course it was Glastonbury.
In terms of songs, Charli XCX won Best Track for Boys and Bastille and Craig David won Best Collaboration for I Know You, which if you know me, I was very happy about. Additionally, newish band, The Big Moon, won the best music video for Sucker. Bouff Daddy hitmaker, J Hus, won best album for Common Sense, which was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize and is a nominee for the Best British Album at the 2018 Brit Awards.
However, the thing that I am most happy about is the winner of the Music Moment of 2017 and there was only one correct winner in my eyes...and it won. The event? One Love Manchester of course. The massive concert, which Ariana Grande organised, brought people together and provided comfort to everyone after the horrific event at Manchester Arena. Oh and the hero of the year? Ariana Grande of course.
Finally, during the show, there was a heartfelt tribute to Mark E. Smith, the lead singer of The Fall, who died just a few weeks before the awards, aged 60. It featured classic quotes from Smith, as well as a speech from his wife, Brix Smith Start.
Well...there you have it...my run-down and thoughts on the most rock and roll night of the year.
Recently, The Greatest Showman, a musical starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Michelle Williams among others was released. Nominated for three golden globes (winning one for Best original song) and getting a Academy Award (Oscars) nomination for the same category. That song in question was This is Me by Settle.
The film and particularly the soundtrack was a success (the soundtrack is currently enjoying a 5th week at number 1 on the UK albums chart) and featured singing from a generally non-singing cast and this got me thinking...which other actors and actresses have also tried their hand at singing?
1. Meryl Streep
Meryl had previously done a bit of singing in the classic (but weird film), Death Becomes Her. However, it was in the film adaptation of hit musical Mamma Mia that she had the chance to really show off her vocals.
She landed the coveted role of Donna and sang many Abba hits, including Mamma Mia and Money, Money, Money and surprised me (and probably a lot of people) with her very good vocals.
Since Mamma Mia, she also starred in Into the Woods, which was also a musical but she didn't have a massive singing part compared to her previous role. However, it is interesting to note that she became a recent meme, where a picture at an awards show of her shouting about something was accompanied with song lyrics in capitals, as if it was her belting them out. Was this the internet's way of saying Ms Streep needs more singing roles? I think so!
2. Arielle Vandenberg
She's known for being on Vine, being an actress, with small roles in things including The Ugly Truth, How I Met Your Mother and Nerve, and for being OBSESSED with Justin Bieber (she has dressed up as him twice for Halloween) but did you know that Arielle Vandenberg is also a good singer?
In December 2017, she decided that she would wish her 1.1 million Instagram followers a Merry Christmas by singing some Christmas classics, such as All I Want For Christmas is You, Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire and Santa Baby and she was good! Now, where do I start a petition to get Arielle to sing more on her Instagram?.
3. James Corden
For me and my fellow Brits, he will always be known as Smithy from Gavin and Stacey but nowadays he is a fully fledged TV host in America. But what you probably didn't know about James Corden is that he is also an occasional singer.
One notable project that allows Corden to show of his vocals is his popular segment during his show, Carpool Karaoke, where he invites some of the world's biggest stars to sing with him and talk about their careers. Celebrities have included Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, One Direction and Sam Smith. Furthermore, he has also accompanied Gary Barlow on stage to duet on Take That's hit single Pray and duetted with Kylie Minogue on her Christmas album, covering Only You.
In addition to this, like Meryl Streep, he also starred in Into the Woods, giving the chance for him to show what a good vocalist he is.
4. Anne Hathaway
Ok, she played Mia Thermopolis in the film adaptation of The Princess Diaries but what do you think her other well known role was? Apart from Andrea from The Devil Wears Prada? Well, I'm sure if you ask a lot of people, they'll say this is her role as Fantine in Les Miserables. As part of her role, she got to sing, probably, the most famous song in the musical, I Dreamed a Dream, her vocals really showing the true emotion that was needed during this scene. You may be interested to know that to prepare for her role, she cut her hair for real. For the role, she won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best supporting actress.
Les Miserables is not the only film that allowed Ms Hathaway to showcase her vocals. In Ella Enchanted, she starred as the lead role and performed covers of Somebody to Love, by Queen, and Don't Go Breaking My Heart, by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
However, I think we can all agree that I Dreamed a Dream was her best performance.
5. Ryan Gosling In the smash hit, La La Land, Gosling was cast as the lead, Sebastian along with Emma Roberts who was picked to play his love interest, Mia. Despite his early start into stardom, when he was part of the Mickey Mouse Club, this is his first all singing and all dancing role.
Within the film, Gosling sang two songs: A Lovely Night and City of Stars, with the latter being later repeated in the form of a duet with Emma Stone. His singing must have been good as City Of Stars was nominated for, and won Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the Oscars. The film itself also kind of won Best Film...the less said about that the better...
Anyway, further success was that the album hit number 2 on the Billboard US albums chart and number 1 on the UK album chart. Hmmm...it seems that Ryan Gosling may want to be in another role that involves singing...
6. Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane is known for three main things; Family Guy, American Dad and Ted but if you're a regular Family Guy viewer, you will know that there are some songs featured in the show, mainly sung by Brian and Stewie, who just so happen to be voiced by MacFarlane himself.
However, Family Guy isn't the only thing he has done, which involves singing. He has also recorded his own albums, including a Frank Sinatra tribute album and a Family Guy album. Along with Christmas Time is Killing Us, a song recorded for a Christmas episode of Family Guy, his albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards multiple times. He also received an Oscar Nomination for Everybody Needs a Best Friend from hit comedy, Ted.
It seems that Seth should continue his singing, whether it's as part of his roles or as himself, judging by those award nominations!
7. Anna Kendrick
The first glimpse we got of Anna Kendrick's acting career was way back in 2008, when she played Bella's friend, Jessica, in Twilight. "Seriously?! Twilight came out 10 years ago?!" I hear you yell. Yep, I know shocking right! Anyway, Ms Kendrick soon got the chance to bag a lead role herself, in the form of Becca in comedy, Pitch Perfect. As part of her role, she performed a number of covers, including Simple Minds' Don't You Forget About Me, and the cup song, which involved her singing When I'm Gone, from The Carter Family, whilst doing the beat using a sequence of movements with cups intertwined with claps.
It seemed her songs within the film were popular, with Cups being released as a single and entering at number 71 in the UK singles chart. As for Anna Kendrick? Well, she has since starred in Into the Woods (there seems to be a pattern within this blog post!) and two other Pitch Perfect films. I wonder whether she will get asked to perform in more singing roles?
8. Kate Winslet
I bet everyone has started thinking "Did she once sing My Heart Will Go On, and we didn't know about it?" Erm...unfortunately, that's not quite where I'm going with this. However, she has done some singing.
Way back in 2001, A Christmas Carol- The Movie (yes...another version of the Christmas classic) was released in cinemas and Winslet voiced Scrooge's first love, Belle. However, she had an additional role in the movie...she provided the film's song as well! Called What If?, it was a surprise hit, giving Winslet her first (as far as I know) top 10 hit in the UK, entering at number in the UK singles chart.
Now, considering it's 20 years since THAT movie came out, I think we need a cover of My Heart Will Go On...
9. Cameron Diaz
I feel like Cameron Diaz has been in everything...What To Expect When You're Expecting, The Holiday, Charlie's Angels and What Happens in Vegas among others. Some of her films have required her to go out of her comfort zone: singing.
In the latest adaptation of Annie, Diaz had the chance to add another string to her bow, playing the awful Miss Hannigan. Singing classic Annie songs, Little Girls and Easy Street, Diaz proved that singing is her forte.
So...considering she's had the chance to show off her singing skills...will she have the chance to do any more singing in future roles?
10. Jack Black
I couldn't really have an "Actors and Actresses who have also done some singing" list without Jack Black. Yes, nowadays he is probably known, particularly among kids, as voicing a panda called Po in Kung Fu Panda but for those who love movies from early noughties, he is known for his role as an eccentric guy who just wants to educate everyone around him about good music...yep I'm talking about his lead role as Dewey Finn in the School of Rock.
During the film, Jack Black sang and played small bits of guitar. However, this isn't the only time that he has tried his hand at music...he's in an actual band! Yep...along with Kyle Glass, Black is in a band called Tenacious D and has released 3 albums, with the most recent being last released in 2012.
Of course, Jack Black now focuses mainly on acting these days but who knows...maybe we'll get another Tenacious D album in the future?
It's time for my annual Review of the Year. I have to admit, 2017 was so much better than 2016 from the word go...there were less celebrity deaths for a start!
I had a good sit down and think about how to make this review of the year different to last year's and, in turn, make it more interesting. Then, I had a lightbulb moment...
So...I introduce to you...the A-Z of 2017!
A is for...Auditions
"Auditions? What do you mean auditions?" I hear you yell at me. Hear me out...
If there is one thing that the UK loves, it is reality TV. Among the many Reality shows that the UK has, we have two that aim to find the next big star...The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.
Britain's Got Talent aims to find someone that would be good enough to perform at The Royal Variety Performance, a yearly occasion where the best of British come together to put on a show, which is attended by members of the Royal Family. In terms of auditions, there were many that didn't live up to the standard but, among others that would have been good enough, in stepped Tokio Meyers.
Tokio came on and blew the judges away with his performance of Debussy's Clair de Lune, mashed up with Ed Sheeran's Bloodstream. This earned him a place in the live semi-finals. He eventually made the final, where he performed a classical version of Human by Rag n Bone Man and won it. Since then, he's performed at The Royal Variety Performance, released his own album, Our Generation, reaching number 4 in the UK album charts and performed in and co-produced A Bridge Over Troubled Water, a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, raising money for victims of the Grenfell Fire.
Meanwhile, on The X Factor, a four piece boyband, by the name of Rak-Su injected some much needed originality when they, among many others, auditioned with an original song, I'm Feeling You. They got yeses from all 4 judges, putting them through to bootcamp. After this, they managed to get through all the next rounds, including the dreaded six chair challenge and got through to the live shows, where they eventually won. They released their new single Dimelo, featuring Naught Boy and Wyclef Jean, and it reached number 2 in the UK singles Chart. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it was Ed Sheeran that beat them to the number one spot.
B is for BRITs.
Every year, the BRIT Awards is a chance for some of the best British and International talent come together and 2017 was no exception. The 2017 ceremony saw the first performance of the Stormzy version of Shape of You, when he joined Ed Sheeran to perform the track. It also saw a poignant tribute to George Michael, who sadly died on Christmas Day 2016. The tribute featured Chris Martin, from Coldplay, "duetting" with George Michael who was shown on a massive TV screen, on the beautiful track A Different Corner. This duet was later featured in the documentary about George's life, Freedom.
In terms of who won what, Little Mix had a reason to celebrate as they won their first Brit Award; Best British Single for Shout Out to My Ex, which was hilariously up against Zayn's Pillowtalk. Of course, fans will know that Zayn Malik just happens to be Perrie Edwards' ex! Elsewhere, David Bowie won the Best British Male and the Best British album award, for Blackstar posthumously.
C is for...Coachella
Ok...we have Glastonbury but let's touch upon the other massive moment in the festival calendar: Coachella.
Whilst Glastonbury is known for wellies and rain, Coachella is known for Boho festival chic, sun and the hottest celebs around attending, such as the Jenner sisters, the Hadid sisters and other high profile models, actors and actresses and singers.
Anyway...what about the singers on stage? Coachella 2017 had a strong start, with Radiohead, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar. There was also additional performers in the form of Father John Misty, Lorde, Bon Ivor, The Avalanches and The XX.
However, it soon emerged that Beyonce was pregnant with twins so she had to drop out. There were lots of rumours swirling around about who would replace her. But who actually got the coveted headline slot? Step forward the brilliantly bonkers Lady Gaga! She had had a great 2017 so far: She headlined the Super Bowl, which has been viewed about 38 million times (one of those views was my own because of the UK and USA time difference) on YouTube so I think it was only right that she'd be chosen to headline Coachella.
Unfortunately, due to the time difference between the UK and the USA, I couldn't watch the show, and from what I read in many a music publication, I seriously missed out!
D is for...Dua Lipa
One of the rising stars of 2017 was Dua Lipa. She started the year with being nominated for a critics choice award at the BRITs. Despite being pipped to the post by Rag n Bone Man for this award, Dua still had success, with her single, New Rules being at number 1 in the UK singles chart for 2 weeks, in the early summer of 2017. Furthermore, her new self-titled debut album, Due Lipa hit the top 10 at number 5 on the UK chart. Dua rounded off a successful 2017 by becoming the most streamed female artist in the UK on Spotify and was named as a performer at the BRITs 2018!
E is for... Ed Sheeran
2017 was the year of Ed Sheeran. Having taken a year out from social media and from his career in general, he teased his return in late 2016/early 2017 when he posted a video on his social media that new music was coming. He then released his new album, Divide and we never heard from him again...
Erm...this is Ed Sheeran we're talking about! The album went straight to number 1 in the UK album charts and it was there for 19 non-consecutive weeks. giving Ed his 3rd number one album, meaning all his studio LPs reached number 1. Every single track of the album entered the UK top 20 and Shape of You became the most streamed track on Spotify, stayed at number 1 for a whopping 14(!) weeks on the UK singles chart. Furthermore, he bagged the coveted headline slot at Glastonbury, collaborated with Eminem on his most recent single River, and managed to gain cameos in Game Of Thrones and The Simpsons, with the latter being aired in early 2018. He is also due to go on a massive stadium world tour in 2018, which, unfortunately, is sold out.
F is for...Foo Fighters
Music fans who descended onto the Glastonbury Festival site in 2015 were very disappointed when they learned that Dave Grohl had broken his leg, causing the Foo Fighters to cancel their headline slot. Now...okay Florence and the Machine did a great job as a replacement but fans rejoiced when the Foos announced they would be headliners in 2017. They performed a fantastic set, including their latest song Run, and a cover of Queen's Under Pressure, which featured Grohl on the drums, proving that it was worth the wait.
G is for... Grammys
Due to how many categories the Grammys have, I don't do predictions or a full review. However, seeing as the Grammys are one of the biggest music events in America, it was only right that I included them in this A-Z.
Beyonce was the person with the most nominations (9!) but the biggest winner of the night? Adele of course. She won a total of five awards, including Record of the Year for Hello and Album of the Year for smash hit album 25. Whilst being awarded for these prizes, Adele thanked Beyonce and said that Beyonce should have won a Grammy for her visual album, Lemonade. She also performed Fastlove in tribute to George Michael. Meanwhile, David Bowie won 4 posthumous awards, including Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for Blackstar.
H is for...Humanz
2017 was the year of comebacks and none of the comebacks were as long awaited as the Gorillaz. The Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett cartoon band last released their album The Fall in 2010. As early as 2015, there were hints the band were back after cartoon storyboards based on the Gorillaz were posted on the band's Twitter page. unfortunately, fans had to wait until January 2017, where the first track off the album, Hallelujah Money, a collaboration with Benjamin Clementine dropped on Uproxx's Youtube Channel.
The album was a success but it just missed the top spot thanks to a certain Mr. Ed Sheeran. However, they did get the number 2 spot, making Humanz their fourth top 10 hit. In addition, they had a sold out tour, so it wasn't too bad for Albarn and co.
I is for...It's time to announce the winner!
Every year, a group of judges from the music world, such as Clara Amfo (Radio 1 DJ), Jamie Cullum, Ella Eyre and Mista Jam (Radio 1 DJ) come together to determine which critically acclaimed albums should be nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Artists who received nominations include Blossoms, Ed Sheeran (it's 2017 so obviously!), The XX, The Big Moon and Stormzy. Ultimately, it Sampha who won with his album, Process. He won a winners trophy (all nominees win a nomination trophy) and £25,000. Now, Sampha fans are just waiting with bated breath for a new album. Let's hope it is as good as the debut.
You can read a more detailed review of the Mercury Music Prize here.
J is for...Just want to introduce you to the newbies!
Every year we see brand new artists emerging into the spotlight and 2017 was no different. We had the likes of Stefflon Don, who released her hit Hurtin', Mabel, who's song Finders Keepers got almost 20 million views on YouTube and Jorja Smith, who had featured on Drake's song More Life. These artists were all nominated for the Critic's Choice Award for the 2018 Brit Awards, with Jorja Smith being announced as the eventual winner. We expect that we'll hear big things from her in 2018.
Elsewhere, Cardi B stepped into the limelight with her smash hit (but explicit!) song Bodak Yellow. It entered at number 24 in the UK singles chart. Meanwhile, across the pond in her home country, Cardi B broke the record for being the first female rapper to top the Billboard chart since Lauryn Hill in 1996. Furthermore, she also had the longest run at being number one on the Billboard chart, with Bodak Yellow, which was 5 weeks. Taylor Swift also managed that milestone with Look What You Made Me Do.
K is for...The Killers
The Killers returned to welcome arms by fans when they released their album Wonderful Wonderful. Their last album was released back in 2012 so I think a new album was well overdue don't you? Anyway, Wonderful Wonderful entered the UK album charts at number 1 and their comeback single, The Man was a new entry at number 63. I would have liked to have seen it further up the chart because it's a good song.
Despite this, The Killers proved to be still popular when their Wonderful Wonderful UK tour sold out. Also, when they were announced as the secret act performing in the King Tut's tent at Glastonbury, it got so full that the organisers had to stop people from entering the tent!
L is for...Lorde
Lorde is another musician who was a long awaited comeback. However, 2017 was the time for Lorde to do it. The last time Lorde had released an album was 2013, with Pure Heroine.
In early 2017, Lorde showcased a website called imwaitingforit.com, which coincidentally includes a lyric of Green Light ("I'm waiting for it, that Green Light I want it"). It was then that Green Light was released in early March 2017. In the UK singles chart, it hit the number 20 spot.
When it came to the album, the tittle of the album, Melodrama was announced on the 2nd of March. Regarding the Charts, Melodrama became a top 10 hit in the UK, debuting at number 5. In the USA, the album hit number one on the Billboard top 100, whilst also being announced as nomination for album of the Year at the 2018 Grammys.
M is for...Manchester
Let's be honest...as soon as I got to M, I immediately thought of Manchester. On May 22nd, everyone was shocked by the news that a bomb had gone off just after Ariana Grande had finished her concert at the Manchester Arena. 22 people died during this horrific event. In addition, there were many people with serious injuries.
Following the event, Ariana Grande announced that a benefit concert was to be organised and it occurred on 4th June, known as One Love Manchester. During the event, which Ariana put together, there was a list packed with well known and loved artists, such as Take That, Little Mix, Coldplay, Justin Bieber and lots more, including, of course, Ariana Grande herself. There was even a special guest, in the form of Liam Gallagher. One of the highlights was Coldplay and Ariana Grande performing what has become Manchester's anthem since the disaster: Don't Look Back In Anger.
A massive 13 million viewers watched this live and I'm sure that number would be higher if we included the live views on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. In addition, £2.35 million was raised for the Manchester Benefit fund during the event, giving proof that music is a wonderful tool for bringing people together.
N is for...Nile Rogers
I know you're probably thinking that Nile Rogers hasn't really done much regarding music but I still think we should mention him. During the summer, Nile, along with the band Chic were one of the acts at Glastonbury that was seen as one of the highlights. Playing all of Chic's greatest hits, including Le Freak and Good Times. The band and Nile also performed songs that Nile had helped to write including Let's Dance, by David Bowie, Upside Down, by Diana Ross and the summer smash hit of 2013, Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrel, which Rogers also played the guitar on. The set was so popular that the BBC asked them to return to headline the New Year's Eve celebrations before we entered 2018.
O is for...One Direction
Before you get excited, One Direction did not re-unite. However, 2017 was the year that the other 4 boys emerged with solo careers (Zayn had already done this in 2016). Harry Styles released Sign of the Times and his debut album called erm...Harry Styles, which was met with critical claim, with many critics noticing how much more mature his solo sound his compared to 1D. Both single and album reached number 1 in the UK charts.
Niall Horan was also another 1D member who did a jump from being a member of a boyband to being a solo star. He had already previously released a song called This Town in 2016 but in 2017, his career really set off. He released his second song, Slow Hands in May 2017 and his third, Too Much to Ask in September 2017 and these songs entered the UK singles charts at number 7 and number 24 respectively. He also released his album Flicker, which reached number 3 in the UK album charts.
Louis Tomlinson, like Niall and Zayn, had already had a song out in 2016, a collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki, called Just Hold On, which he bravely performed on The X Factor days after his mum passed away. Fast forward to August 2017, Louis released Back to You, a collaboration with Bebe Rhexa and Digital farm, which became Louis' second top 10 solo hit entering at number 8 in the UK singles chart. He also released two other songs that didn't do quite so well in the charts, Just Like You and Miss You (He likes the word 'You' in his song titles doesn't he?) and they entered at number 99 and number 39 in the UK singles charts respectively.
Liam Payne was the last of the 1D boys to release a solo single, purely because he had additional activity in his life...he welcomed a baby with Cheryl Cole (yes...I'm still calling her this as everyone knows her by this name and no...I did not see the romance or the baby coming). Anyway, he released Strip that Down in June and Bedroom Floor in November and seems that they were both popular, with Strip That Down entering at number 3 and Bedroom Floor at number 21 in the UK Singles charts.
In terms of albums, it could be possible that Louis and Liam release their albums in 2018 so I would keep your eyes peeled.
P is for...Pink
Pink last released a song in 2016, Just Like Fire, for the Alice in Wonderland: Through the LookingGlass film but she last released a complete album in 2012, The Truth About Love. Therefore, fans rejoiced when Pink announced her comeback.
What About Us was released in mid August and it seemed that Pink was as popular as ever as it enters the UK singles chart at number 3, giving Pink her 19th (!) top 10 hit. She also released the title track of her album Beautiful Trauma and Revenge, a collaboration with Eminem. In the meantime, her album, Beautiful Trauma entered the UK albums chart at number 1. It seems that Pink has had a welcome return!
Q is for...Queen Bey
Of course, Beyonce had to be in this purely because she decided to drop a surprise on us (or should I say surprises!) when she firstly announced that she would be headlining Coachella. However, shortly after announcing this, she revealed she had "been blessed two times over" (Translations: she's pregnant with twins.) so she had to cancel Coachella. She revealed in July that she had given birth to Sir and Rumi in June.
Despite having twins, she still had time to record some songs for release. She featured on Eminem''s comeback single, Walk on Water, which reached number 7 in the UK singles chart. She also released Die With You and DJ Khalid released Shining, which she featured on with her husband, Jay-Z and these reached number 62 and number 71 in the UK singles chart respectively.
R is for...Rag n Bone Man
One of the stand out stars from 2017 HAS to be Rag N Bone Man. He started the year winning the Critic'a Choice award at the BRITS, which had previously been won by Sam Smith, Adele, Ellie Goulding and Florence and the Machine, meaning he was destined for success from the word go.
At the actual 2017 BRIT awards ceremony (the winner of the Critic's Choice award is announced before the ceremony), he won the Best British Breakthrough award and later in the same week, he released his debut album Human. Human debuted at number one on the UK album chart, the same number his debut single of the same name entered on the UK singles chart in 2016. In addition, he had further success with the single Skin, which entered the UK singles chart at number 13 in 2017.
In addition to his chart success, he also had slots at Glastonbury and Radio 1's Big Weekend and his debut tour sold out pretty quickly. Oh...and he had a baby as well. I think we can all agree that 2017 was a great year for Rag n Bone Man!
S is for...Sam Smith
Sam Smith hadn't released an album since 2014, which the smash hit In the Lonely Hour and since then, the only sign that Sam was back in the studio was when he revealed that he was the singer that got the job every singer wanted to have...the owner of a James Bond song. However, there was still no sign of a new album...until June 2017 when he posted a picture on his social media of him in a recording studio. On the 8th September, Smith released Too Good at Goodbyes, followed by the album, The Thrill Of It All. Both album and single went to number one, and Too Good at Goodbyes also made it to number one in Australia, proving that despite taking a break, Sam is still as popular as ever. You can read more about the return of Sam here.
T is for...Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift had a not so great 2016, mainly because of all the problems she had with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian (Long story: essentially Kanye and Kim claimed that Taylor was lying when she said she didn't approve a Kanye lyric within his song Famous). Therefore, she decided that she would take a break from music. However, fast forward to the summer of 2017: Swift deleted her instagram photos and started posting clips of snakes, causing mass hysteria among Swifities. Finally, on 25th August, she announced that her new single, later revealed to be called Look What You Made Me Do, was to be released on the 26th August. The video for this song courted controversy, purely because there were references to Kim Kardashian's robbery in Paris, Katy Perry, which she had a very public falling out with and her exes, Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston. The attention the video got helped the songstress to get her first number one in the UK. Her album, Reputation, also became her third number one album in the UK. You can read more about her comeback here.
U is for...Underdog
We had a lot of comebacks and one of the comebacks was the band that brought you the song Underdog...yep I'm talking about Kasabian. Speculation that the band were possibly releasing an album very soon was when the band posted an image on their social media showing a notebook with album tracks crossed out (presumably to keep the element of surprise for fans), along with the message "album's done, SP x" in February 2017. Sure enough, the title was soon revealed as For Crying Out Loud along with the reveal of a new single, You're in Love With a Psycho. For Crying Out Loud was released in May and headed straight to number 1 in the UK albums chart. Meanwhile, the Leicester lads were announced to be headlining Reading and Leeds as well as the TRNSMT festival in Glasgow. Their song, King Ray II was also the theme song for Russell Howard's new show, The Russell Howard Hour. (Russell Howard is a British comedian).
V is for...Very annoying!
Every year, we seem to get that one song where the more you hear it, the more you want to never hear it again. A few examples: 2012 had Psy's Gangnam Style. 2016 had Drake's One Dance. 2017's annoying song? Despacito by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber. The problem with all these songs is that they are seriously catchy so every time you hear it, despite it being annoying, you can't help but sing along to (well...try and sing along to if you can't speak Spanish like me!) Despite debuting at number 4 in the UK singles charts, it later became number 1 for 11 weeks! It also became the first video on YouTube to reach 4 billion views...to put it into perspective that is more than Gangnam Style! No wonder it got so annoying for me.
W is for...Wonderland
There was a big hint that Take That were returning when they announced an album would be released, along with tour dates, in late 2016. In February 2017, they gave us a snippet of what their new album will sound like, in the form of Giants, which got to number 13 on the UK singles chart. The album, Wonderland, was released shortly after, in March 2017, just in time for their Wonderland tour, which I was lucky to go to (see review here). By the way, if you've never seen a Take That show, I highly recommend that you get a ticket when they next go on tour as they are probably one of the best live bands around. However, good luck getting a ticket as they are very popular.
X is for... X Factor Alumni
2017 saw singles and albums by various X Factor alumni being released. Not only did we see the return of One Direction (Kind of...see O is for...One Direction above), we also saw releases from James Arthur, in the form of his collaboration with Rudimental on Sun Comes Up, which entered at number 6 on the UK singles chart, and Naked, which was released in December. Naked just missed the top 10, debuting at number 11 on the UK singles chart.
James Arthur and the 1D boys aren't the only ones who released songs in 2017...Olly Murs and Louisa Johnson both collaborated on a version of Olly's track, Unpredictable. Louisa even joined Olly on his summer tour as a support act. Olly himself went on a Spring tour, playing all the major cities in the UK. I was lucky enough to go and see him on this tour with my sister and two very good friends of mine. He was fantastic and you can read more about this show here.
Finally, Little Mix continued their domination in the Girl Band market. They released three singles in 2017: No More Sad Songs, Power, which had guest vocals from Stormzy and Reggaento Lento, which also had vocals from CNCO. The latter may have been influenced by Despacito, as it was of a similar style. No More Sad Songs entered the UK singles chart at number 15 whereas the other 2 singles entered the UK singles chart at number 6 and number 5 respectively.
Y is for...Young people aren't the only people going to Glastonbury!
When you think of UK festivals, what image springs to mind? For me, particularly when it comes to Glastonbury, I imagine lots of (mainly) young people descending upon the famed Somerset site to watch their favourite bands, spend time with their friends, to celebrate the end of exams and have a well deserved break before they start University, College or whatever they want to do after GCSEs or A Levels. This, along with celebrities, such as Alexa Chung, Nick Grimshaw and Caroline Flack attending is what image springs to mind when I think of Glastonbury.
This is why I was pleasantly surprised when my parents told me they were going to Glastonbury. Yep..my Mum and Dad, along with some of their friends attended the festival and they loved it. However, some of that may be to do with the fact they were glamping. I was quite jealous that they got to see Blossoms and Ed Sheeran live (in terms of Ed...they saw him very briefly!) but I still got to watch them both back home on the live stream. (Hey...let's be honest...it's is better to see musicians live properly though isn't it?) My Dad's highlight was seeing one of his favourite bands live, the Foo Fighters, and among my parents' other highlights were Rag n Bone Man, Chic and Barry Gibb. Oh and in case you're wondering...they would go back!
Z is for...Z list
Love Island was a UK summer hit reality TV show. Basically, if you don't know what it is, it is a show where single people live on an island, whilst also being encouraged to couple up and strike up a romance. However, one pair of contestants struck up a bromance...meet Chris and Kem.
They developed a such a strong bromance and huge popularity that when Stormzy got involved and even starred on the show to say hi to the contestants, he mentioned that he could see himself collaborating with Chris and Kem on a rap record. It was rumoured that after the show, Chris and Kem would have their own spin-off. Of course it happened and the point of this show? To see if they could get a record deal and release their own rap record.
Unfortunately, the song was not just a synopsis for the show...it actually got released in real life! Yep the song, titled Little Bit Leave It, taken from a popular phrase from Love Island, was released. However, whilst I still can't believe it actually got released, Little Bit Leave It was a little bit catchy! It also managed to get to number 15 on the UK singles charts. To be honest, I've heard worse songs...
Click the video if you want to hear how awful/catchy the song is!
So there you have it...the A-Z of 2017! I wonder what 2018 will bring?
When Arctic Monkeys announced their Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino album, fans, of course, waited with baited breath as to whether Sheffield's finest will shortly announce a tour. Well, a couple of weeks later, that wish came true, with the Arctics announcing a string of dates, including dates in the UK. If you were lucky enough to be at the concert, you would have seen that the tickets had sold out.
