But festival sets are another thing. They are not just the music, they are everything else in between. Conjuring up memories of the whole weekend and where it fits into the story of your life - who you were with, the weather, the sets you missed, the people you met, the journey there and the journey home, the comedown.
Read MoreFestivals aren’t always just about the music. Your make-shift campsite, the people you camp with, the people you meet and the things you share are all part of the experience too. However, watching live music and discovering new bands are definitely what makes a festival memorable.
Read MoreI was trying to cook and needed something to listen to but for all the marvels of the modern world, with every song ever written at my fingertips, I could not choose. Did I want something sad, or would that make it worse? Happy, or would that feel false? Could I cope with new music, or would that exhaust me? The answer was simple: radio.
Read MoreMusic allows me a special kind of freedom, it unlocks a deep corner of my imagination and gives me physical symptoms for just how much I love it - I’m talking goosebumps, shivers and smiling ear to ear. The kind of things that if you did them on a public bus people would move very far away. A lot further than two metres I’m telling you. (Not that I know from experience or anything.)
Read MoreWhen I say to think of a drummer, I guarantee you that the image of them will be a white male. Your inner feminist will fight it but you’re not to blame, we can blame the patriarchal society we all live in.
Read MoreTom Cox sums this aspect of guilty pleasures up perfectly in his tweet: ‘What people mean by the term “guilty pleasure” 99.5% of the time is “something genuinely joyous pretentious dickheads told me not to like’’.
Read MoreSo, it seems that the idea that politics has a place in music is pretty undeniable. However, where the debate about the place of politics in music has become particularly controversial and difficult to navigate is with regards to cultural appropriation.
Read MoreSince the 60s, when Beatlemania infected the world with sold-out stadiums and screaming young girls, we have put boybands on a particularly high pedestal – actually more like a poster-painted shrine covered in hand-drawn hearts.
Read MoreThere’s just something about hearing a womxn making strange, boundary-breaking, eerie sounds that made me want to sob deeply and simultaneously screech in excitement without explanation. And it still does.
Read MoreOn a chilly February evening, I went to see Big Thief at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith and had no idea how momentous that night would later become. Gigs have been a consistent source of joy throughout my life, and I never imagined I’d go a whole year without one.
Read MoreOn deeper inspection, Drake’s actions and artistry paint a problematic career. Manipulation and deceit run deep through his history, and in inspecting these factors, it is clear to see Canada’s musical crown jewel must answer for his gross misdemeanours.
Read MoreIt’s about dancing and finding your tribe. I found mine in the 90’s when I moved to Bristol, a mixed bunch of travellers, hippy/punk ravers and techno mad nutters. I spent a fair amount of time at Lakota on the weekends (not sure you’d get away with calling a club that now).
Read MoreIt leaves a question hanging in the air: what do we gain from clubs, as a collective people? The answer will no doubt vary for each individual, and to this individual the possibilities seem more numerous than one can fit into a single article.
Read MoreI mean, why read a lengthy interview with your favourite artist, when you can just watch their live-streamed Q&A?
Read MoreLast year’s Leaving Neverland and his history of sexual misconduct allegations have thrown Jackson’s legacy into question. Nevertheless, some of the most prolific artists of today have cited Jackson as a huge influence on their work.
Read MoreIn a world connected by social media, everyone dancing to the same song has a certain pull, and it’s easy to see how the popular songs have resonated with people and affected the charts.
Read MoreFrom iconic vinyl stores in Cardiff’s markets and arcades, or running through London’s high street charity shop baskets, to picking up neglected classics from Devon’s antique, thrift and vintage barns; there’s something about discovering music in this way that never gets old.
Read MoreThe speed at which they are produced, the focus on entertainment (not actual talent) and the often cruel and merciless backlash that contestants face all being the subject of talent show criticism, which begs the question, are these shows a valid means of finding credible talent?
Read MoreWhen being interviewed about The Search, the girls emphasised that it would take a kinder approach than “others out there.” Translation: it would be nothing like The X Factor, the show on which they found their own fame.
Read MoreWe are psychologically wired to like covers. There’s something about the deep familiarity, the delights of new twists and turns that fascinate me time and time again. Almost always the artist puts their own stamp on a song, and I enjoy comparing the differences between versions.
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