Laura Marling

With CoVID restrictions beginning to ease and the prospect of live festival music no longer a distant dream there does seem to be a reserved air of optimism beginning to permeate into everyday life. As both Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix expect to host a capacity crowd, and the EURO 2020 final at Wembley is set to host 60,000 football fans, surely it can't be long before the green light is given to music venues, festivals and other events to open their doors and welcome back guests. Many concerts are still being cancelled due to the uncertainty, the latest big one being Dua Lipa who has rescheduled to 2022, however July should bring with it more sunshine, more good news and hopefully the first of a wave of gigs, shows and festivals that are all hoping that they can go ahead. Coupled with the likelihood of live music, Independence Day celebrations, Bastille Day and World Emoji Day!! there are also some great new releases to look forward to. Here's our top five.    

Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever. 

Continue reading: Upcoming Releases: A Spirit Of Independence Is Coursing Through Our Top 5 Favourite New Records For July

Apparently, being shut up indoors all year has had quite the positive effect on the females of the music industry, since every single one of our top 10 favourite albums in 2020 have all been written and recorded by women. It's amazing to live in a time where women are now so highly respected in the music industry, and these records are just a snippet of the female talent that is cultivating the terrain for that reverence.  

1. Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple 

Continue reading: The Year Of The Woman: Our Top 10 Albums Of 2020

Outside Lands organisers have finally unveiled the spectacular 2015 line-up for their eighth year, featuring headliners Elton John and Mumford And Sons. The event is set to bring its usual combination of music and munchies to San Francisco this August.

Joining Elton and Mumford are a range of equally exciting acts, both of the veteran and the up-and-coming variety. Man of the moment Sam Smith - whose already bagged a total of six awards this year, including four Grammys - will bring his pop genius to the stage, alongside The Black Keys who released their first chart-topping album last year, and Kendrick Lamar whose highly anticipated third album 'To Pimp A Butterfly' sailed to number one in both the US and the UK last week.

Continue reading: Sound And Sustenance: Outside Lands 2015 Brings Another Weekend Of Cultural Delights

SXSW 2015 is set to take over Austin, Texas for yet another spectacular event, spanning numerous venues with countless showcases and hundreds of artists. We may be a few weeks away yet, but here's a little taster of some of the best places to be this year.

First up, the Parish is hosting some seminal shows all week, so this should definitely be at the top of your schedule. Wednesday, March 18th sees alt rock Londoners Wolf Alice on the bill, impressing with material from their EP releases; though we are yet to see an album release from these four. Equally, LA newcomers BØRNS are not to be missed, nor are San Diego indie favourites Delta Spirit. Thursday sees The Vaccines promote their upcoming album 'English Graffiti', alongside Palma Violets with 'Danger In The Club', while New York's Lolawolf brings their brand of sensational disco pop to the scene. Friday will be headlined by the Jarman brothers' band The Cribs, and Saturday will see appropriate surf-rock from Florida four-piece Surfer Blood.

Borns will perform at the Parish on Wednesday, March 18th 2015

Continue reading: 5 Venues You'll Want To Visit At SXSW 2015

This year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize could be one of the greatest lists of nominees in the awards history. 2013's nominees shortlist includes talent old and new, rock, pop, and dance with one thing to unite them all: they represent a selection of Britain and Ireland's strongest mainstream albums released during the last 12 months.

Bowie Looking A Favourite To Win.

It would be almost too easy to say that David Bowie will win: the 66 year-old made a triumphant and unexpected return this year with the critically lauded The Next Day which was recorded in secret over two years. He's also the bookies favourite along with Arctic Monkeys at the moment, with odds that are unlikely to change. Last time Bowie was nominated was in 2002 when he suffered defeat to pop star Ms. Dynamite but this time round there's been such a lot of press surrounding Bowie's come-back that he's been hard to ignore.

Continue reading: Mercury Music Prize List Has "More Good Albums...Than For A Very Long Time"

David Bowie came back from his retirement/hiatus completely unannounced this January, when he released the video for the single 'Where Are We Now,' and managed to catch everyone off guard with his birthday announcement of a new release and the subsequent quality of his first album in a decade.

This is Bowie's first Mercury nomination

The Next Day made the critics swoon after Ziggy Stardust once again and now, five months after he released his twenty-fourth album, Bowie is still being fancied by critics as he emerges as the front-runner to win this years Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

Continue reading: David Bowie Leads The Pack In Mercury Prize Nominations

The partially sighted winner of 2013's singing talent show The Voice, Andrea Begley, has voiced her concerns over disabled fans' experience at gigs. "I have had some frustrating experiences at gigs and festivals," confessed Begley, who apparently celebrated her victory by going to a Laura Marling gig. "Sometimes access can be poor because of lots of steps and poor lighting. But often the problem can lie with a lack of knowledge on the part of staff. I think it is essential for venues to train all their staff in disability awareness so as they are able to deal sensitively with disabled customers."

Andrea Begley, Winner Of The Voice 2013.

Hailing from County Tyrone, the singer lost 90% of her vision after a degenerative childhood disease, yet plays guitar and piano and hopes to someday collaborate with the likes of Adele, Newton Faulkner and Ed Sheeran. The 27 year-old from Northern Ireland beat favourite Leah McFall to sign a £100,000 recording contract. McFall was being coached by The Voice judge and former Black Eyed Peas', Will.i.am, who seemed set on knocking the wind out of the ecstatic winner's sails with an odd, unsportsmanly tweet: "You should feel the audiences vibration in the room tonight after the public's vote... its unexplainable... so sad... perplexed." According to Yahoo!'s omg!, Begley was personally congratulated by the American singer and producer after the gig, saying she has "no hard feelings."

Continue reading: The Voice Winner Andrea Begley Lobbies For Disabled Peoples' Experience At Gigs