'We're looking for a hit''

Friday 15 November 2024

Good morning to you all, we made it through another week. I'm actually off from now until Monday so we'll breeze through what we've been up to on The Independent's music team.

The Shacklewell gig was a smash: sold-out, and with amazing performances from Queen Cult, Curtisy and our headliners, Brògeal. Thanks to the acts and their teams, to the lively audience, and to The Great Escape Festival for being such excellent co-hosts.

Lately it feels as though it's just been gigs-gigs-gigs. Earlier this week I caught Artemas's show at Kentish Town Forum and felt VERY old surrounded by a lot of excited young fans. Good show, decent band - I can definitely see the appeal, sort of The Weeknd-lite. 

Features: I sat down with Brògeal's Aidan Callaghan and Daniel Harkins ahead of the Shacklewell gig and talked about their youthful exploits growing up in Falkirk, Scotland, and how that's informed their music. Annabel Nugent did an absolutely brilliant chat with UB40. Which one, you ask? Have a read and find out.

I also had a fun chat with Warmduscher's Clams Baker III and Ben Romans Hopcraft - Warmduscher's brilliant new album Too Cold to Hold is out NOW and you can catch them live at Troxy in London at the end of the month. Adam White wrote a fab case for why Gwen Stefani is the queen of heartbreak.

Album reviews: Helen Brown was impressed by Linkin Park. I was much less impressed with the Flo debut, but I did enjoy Warmduscher (as mentioned), while Annabel admired Shawn Mendes's vulnerability on his latest self-titled effort. Read here.

This weekend, look out for our Songs of the Year ranking, plus Mark Beaumont's moving interview with Art Garfunkel and Louis Chilton's equally excellent conversation with Joan Armatrading. Have a good one! x

Written by Roisin O'Connor

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Sir Paul McCartney, Harry Styles, George Michael, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran, Thom Yorke and Phil Collins are among the artists who will feature in a 40th anniversary mix of Band Aid's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

To mark 40 years since the first version of the song, masterminded in 1984 by Bob Geldof, an all-star version will be mixed to include the voices and performances from the original along with the 2004 and 2014 renditions.

Announcing the release, Geldof said the mix "tells the story not just of unbelievably great generational British talent, but still stands as a rebuke to that period in which it was first heard".

"The Eighties proclaimed that 'greed is good'," he said. "This song says it isn't. It says it's stupid."

Full story

Subscribe to the official Now Hear This playlist on Apple Music and stay up to date with all the best new releases

1. "People Watching" - Sam Fender

2. "Elevate" - Nao

3. "We're Looking For a Hit" - Ciaran Lavery

Trump allows people to be vocal in their racism and nationalism. He brings out the worst in people, big time.

Warmduscher frontman Clams Baker III to The Independent, November 2024

They always talk about Oasis and how big they are, but they can't catch a cold outside of England, really.

UB40 to The Independent, October 2024

We're looking for a hit

Ciaran Lavery, November 2024

Spotlight on... Beetlebug

Q. Hello! Tell me about yourself

A. Hello !! My name is Aurelia or Auri for short, known as beetlebug to most. I'm a a 23 year old singer-songwriter hailing from Scarborough, where I enjoy writing slightly, folky, slightly kitschy tunes. I am self taught on instruments so I have much to learn but have been singing for many a moon, and have been writing words and music since I was small. I'm in the process of releasing my debut EP 'all ash is snow' which comes out on November 8th, and explores themes such as the cyclical nature of life and death and the comfort there is to be found in endings and renewal. 

Q. What are your inspirations and influences?

A. My childhood inspirations range from the beach boys to Katie Melua and Jack Johnson, currently I've been enjoying Elizabeth Cotten, Haruomi Hosono, and also the more twee silliness of Lorraine Bowen and John Shuttleworth.

Q. What do you have lined up for 2024 and beyond?

A. I've been writing some new stuff and cooking up some possible plans for shows.

Beetlebug's debut EP 'All Ash is Snow' is out now

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