Miles Kane is Back!

Hello!

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!

All I can say is bring on the new album!

Em x

Let's have a rant: Ticket Touts

Hello

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/

Em x

REVIEW: George Ezra- Staying at Tamara's

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.

***

Oh NME Magazine...We Will Miss You!

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!

Em x

BRITs Hits!

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?

Em x

What's the Story?...NME awards 2018 glory!

Hello!

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.

Here's to next year's!

Em x

Actors and Actresses who have also done some singing!

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?

I hope you enjoyed reading this. See you soon.

Em x