Friday 23 May 2025

I'm back from The Great Escape festival, still somewhat dead thanks to the double whammy of hosting The Independent's stage at The Old Market (brilliant Brighton venue, go see a gig there if you're in town) and then covering the Eurovision grand final over the weekend. Bravo to Austria, by the way, what a fantastic result for JJ and thoroughly well-deserved, best voice in the competition. I was pretty gutted for Remember Monday, who deserved more than the dreaded nul points in the public vote, but they did well. Please can I pick the UK's entry for next year?  

Anyway, Skunk Anansie tore the stage up on Friday night last week, backed by the incredible SpaceAcre who definitely had a horde of new fans by the time their set was over. Thanks a million to the legend Fiona Garden for the photoshoot with Skin and SpaceAcre, and to the guys at Studio by Sea for lending us their space!

I might have mentioned last week that I was also hosting a keynote talk with Skin at the TGE conference - don't be sad if you couldn't make it, because it's now the latest episode of Good Vibrations! Tune in to hear Skin talk about the making of Skunk Anansie's extraordinary new album, The Painful Truth, reflect on their history-making headline performance at Glastonbury in 1999, and offer her thoughts on today's music industry. Out now for your listening pleasure, wherever you get your podcasts. 

Features this week include Hannah's interview with Heidi Montag (yes, really) ahead of her performance at Mighty Hoopla festival next weekend, and Ellie Muir's New Sensations piece with up-and-coming pop singer Bea and her Business. And we have a new Music Box episode starring one of my favourite new singer-songwriters, Annie DiRusso, who performed two tracks from her recent debut album, Super Pedestrian.

More new music: The lovely Kingfishr lads have announced their debut album, Halcyon, and released one of my favourite songs of theirs to date, "Diamonds & Roses". Some gorgeous new albums including the new Sparks record, MAD!, Renee Rapp's punky "Leave Me Alone", the return of Wednesday with "Elderberry Wine", Julia Michaels with "Try Your Luck" and Julia Wolf on "Kill You Off" (crazy artwork). Mark Beaumont was a fan of the new Sports Team album, Boys These Days, and I am very keen on ESKA's phenomenal, blistering record, The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman.

Thanks all and have a marvellous weekend x

Written by Roisin O'Connor

The backlash to Skunk Anansie being announced as Glastonbury headliners in 1999 made the band feel as though they had something to prove, lead singer Skin has said.

The pioneering rock band topped the bill on the Pyramid Stage at the storied festival during the final throes of Britpop, while Skunk Anansie were dismissed as "not real rock music".

Skin reflected on the history-making performance, in which she became the first Black woman to headline the festival, during a keynote conversation at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, recorded for The Independent's Good Vibrations podcast.

"We were never a Britpop band," she explained. "So when Britpop started, all that positive press [we were getting] suddenly turned to s***.

"We were a massive band at this point, big in every European country… and I think Michael Eavis was quite brave to put us [as headliners]. But yeah, we got slated. NME slagged us off, everybody slagged us off. 'It's not a real band, it's not real rock music.' And we had that our whole career, simply because [it was] me fronting it."

FULL STORY.

Don't forget to complete your registration

We've noticed that you still have not completed your registration to The Independent. Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism. It allows us to better understand our readers and tailor your experience.

By registering, you'll also gain access to a range of exclusive benefits, including:

Unlock these benefits by completing your registration today. 

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

1. "Diamonds & Roses" - Kingfishr

2. "Elderberry Wine" - Wednesday

3. "LOOK OUT FOR ME" - Turnstile

Stream over 100 million songs with no ads. Get one month free of Apple Music*
T&Cs*New subscribers only. £10.99/month after trial. Plan automatically renews until cancelled.

ON THE RECORD

The further we got into the studio stash of weed, the more psychedelic we went

Supergrass to The Independent, May 2025

I thought, I've been lucky for so long and now I'm supposed to die

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus to The Independent, May 2025

I was primed for subservience

Moon Unit Zappa to The Independent, May 2025

Spotlight on... òrain

Hello! Tell me about yourselves

We're made up of four Scots and a Cumbrian who all met in London. But are now spread about the country a little. Like the remains of William Wallace.

What are your inspirations and influences?

We're influenced by anything and everything that touches us. Mainly the through line of psychedelic folk music of the late Sixties/early Seventies to any number of indie artists around now like Aldous Harding or Jessica Pratt. We all love bits of spiritual jazz that we try to incorporate a little too. 

What do you have lined up for 2025?

2025 we'd love to just get out there and spread the good word of this EP around a bit with some shows and festival slots. Perhaps a sneaky London headline. And if all goes well I'd even love to have some more music out too.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 delayed and AirPods Max 2 rumoured – here's everything to know

Win a luxury ticket package for two to this year's Wilderness Festival - courtesy of Audi

Before bitterness engulfed them – this was Pink Floyd at their experimental zenith

Supergrass on 'I Should Coco' at 30: 'The further we got into the studio stash of weed, the more psychedelic we went'

The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Join the conversation or follow us

Download the free Independent app

Please do not reply directly to this email

You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Now Hear This newsletter.

To unsubscribe from The Independent's Now Hear This newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.

This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345

Read our privacy notice and cookie policy