Olivia Deane releases 'Cynic Queen' (Single Review)

Blonde haired beauty Olivia Deane from Manchester releases new pop single ‘Cynic Queen’ on April 24th. The track tells a story of falling for the same men that lie, mansplain, and make you think you’re crazy, which results in a loss of faith in love, due to the repetitive nonsense faced prior with previous encounters. This loss of faith forces you to doubt love and romance and become cynical, faithless, and untrusting.  As a result of this she focus’ on self-love and self-discovery, “So now don’t go come my way, i’m going on a love vacation, my heart is begging me for one”

However, for a song titled ‘Cynic Queen’ written by a strong northern woman I expected more of an oomph. Give me more power! More emotion! You’re a strong independent woman who has come to realise their self worth, and who has noted their faults when it comes to picking men, your experiences give you a right to be cynical sometimes. The country twang in the vocals shone through and I’d like to hear more of that. Deane’s impressive vocal range is evident throughout the track, but I think it could’ve been explored more had that emotion and power been behind it. Nonetheless, it is a good pop tune - but why give Beyoncé when you can give Sasha Fierce?

Pre-save the single here:  

Follow Olivia Deane on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ Website

Is Isolation Your Dream or Nightmare? Young Decades Release 'Islands'

Moving forward from COLOUR and guided the way with a helping hand from both Ian Burden, who played keys and bass with The Human League between 1981 and 1987, and Pete Maher (U2/ The Killers) - the UK’s No1 independent mastering engineer - newly emerging British rock-synth band Young Decades from Manchester, have pulled together - despite it all, with everything going on - to release their debut single ‘Islands’.‘Islands’ is out on April 24th. Since forming formally as Young Decades in 2020 the band name refers to the first two decades of the century. Having had assistance from Ian Burden, it has helped move the band in the right direction and allowed them to experiment and master the synth sounding side of things, when it comes to the release of their new debut track ‘Islands’.

The sound created by Young Decades within this track is a homage to 80s synth and modern indie/alternative rock. The track expresses a desire to isolate with a loved one, and get away as far as possible from reality. The track is incredibly fitting for the present time and the reality everybody is currently living, where some dream of isolation, but it’s a nightmare for others. However, there does seem something enticing about vanishing and running off to an empty island to live completely deserted in your own world with no external pressures.

“Oh my love, time is come, to build something from the sea. Build an island, where we can be. I need the dry land, just to be … all ours it’ll be all ours.”

On that note… #StayAtHome !

Follow Young Decades here: Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram

Telemarkk Bring Back Summer Trance with 'Stay Up (Wide Awake)'

Telemarkk are an alternative electronic duo from Southampton, consisting of childhood friends, Max Berg and Asad Siddiqui. The duo have moved forward from their first four releases, ‘Lucid Dreams’, ‘Glaciers’, ‘No Beginnings’, and ‘Never Know’ as they bring out ‘Stay Up (Wide Awake)’ - set to be released TOMORROW on April 3rd.

The use of synths and electronics created a new dimension for the world of music. Over time, the use of synthesisers became more apparent within pop culture and opened more avenues for musicians to explore, when it comes to facilitating their own experimental genres. Electronic music has the ability to be combined with almost every style of music, creating new genres as time goes by.

Having had more time to honor their craft since the initial beginnings, Telemarkk have created a more stable sound with new release ‘Stay Up (Wide Awake)’.‘Stay Up (Wide Awake)’ is an indie electro summer trance tune with hints of 80s synth pop, as well as modern influences such as Jamie XX and JUNGLE which are also apparent within the track.

This song makes me want to be standing up in a 50s Cadillac cruising through the summer breeze in LA,  with the track blaring out of the speakers on full blast. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the official release tomorrow. Here’s a taster.. 

You can catch up with Telemarkk's antics via their social media profiles here: Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ Spotify

A True Pop Visionary: Dua Lipa Releases New Album - Future Nostalgia

If you didn’t have motivation to work out in quarantine, you should do once you’ve listened to Dua Lipa’s new album. At a time where everyone around the world is trapped inside their house with nothing other to do than to exercise, watch the TV, or make dance Tik-Tok's what a perfect time to release an ironically named album called Future Nostalgia.

The future may seem on hold at the moment, but this album will create a memory where we reminisce on that time the human race was nearly wiped out and to prevent it - we all locked ourselves in our houses and danced the stress of our everyday lives away from the realities we were living before. Future Nostalgia is the mood lifter we all need right now at this uncertain and confusing time.

Single teasers released prior to the album include, ‘Don’t Start Now’, a Robyn-esque break up dance-pop anthem and nostalgic 80s pop tune ‘Physical’ which gives a nod to Olivia Newton-John.

Dua Lipa made a tearful announcement during an Instagram Live on Monday March 23rd 2020, in which she revealed that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that she will release her new album Future Nostalgia a week earlier than planned. Her second album was supposed to have been released next Friday on April 3rd, but instead it was brought out yesterday, on March 27th.

Debut album New Rules included the self-titled track which ultimately made her career, as well as her feature with Calvin Harris - ‘One Kiss’ - breaking the young artist into the mainstream pop market. The strong independent woman attitude has created a sort of trademark for both Dua Lipa and her music - radiating a strong essence of female empowerment within her songs. Everyone wants to unleash their inner attitude and strong independent woman sass sometimes, and Dua Lipa really resonates that throughout both of her albums. 

Her new 11 track album has been crafted perfectly to create a plethora of pop tunes that represent pop in all of its prime eras. Capitalising off a love for 80s and 90s pop music, Dua Lipa brings to you a homage of dance-pop within Future Nostalgia.

One of the album standouts is ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ which voices experience’s men don’t (necessarily) have to worry about, like the fear of walking home alone at night with your keys in hand, the frustration of being talked over and patronised with the fear of things going south if you don’t just smile it off, and the burden of having to hide these discomforts. Girls and women are held accountable for their own actions and the actions of others, whereas men's/ boys actions are often merely excused.

“Boys will be boys, but girls will be women.”

‘Break My Heart’, uses the funky guitar sample from 80s pop legends INXS’ track ‘Need You Tonight’ creating the perfect beat to outline the track. An emotionally unavailable Dua Lipa reveals how when she falls, she falls hard. ‘Break My Heart’ is a catchy repetitive funk dance tune. Resonating 00’s Lily Allen feels is ‘Good in Bed’ and some other songs too, due to her British accent which is presented on several of the tracks on the album.

Another album standout is self-titled track, ‘Future Nostalgia’ which brings out the female empowerment aspect that Dua Lipa delivers so well. Using her British accent to open the song it comes off as a bit of a hip-hop track initially, but it soon drops into an absolute pop bop.

“No matter what you do, I’m gonna get it without ya. I know you ain’t used to a female Alpha.”

The closest you get to seeing her vulnerable side is on tracks, ‘Pretty Please’ and ironically, ‘Cool’ - which Dua Lipa usually always is - with regards to her emotional availability. In ‘Cool’ she goes on to reveal her needier side, and her wall breaking down, ultimately making her lose her cool.

“When it’s only me and you, you got me, you got me losing all my cool.”

Soon to be standing up there alongside dance pop titans Kylie Minogue and Madonna, Dua Lipa has truly outdone herself with this album. The future for Dua Lipa is her en route to becoming our modern day Madonna. A true pop visionary.

HALF A DECADE OF MUSICBLOG89: My Favourite Gigs of All Time

Having ventured all over the UK for 100s of gigs in my lifetime, these are the ten best live performances - I personally have witnessed. Grassroots venues and stadium tours have played a part in my experience of these fantastic gigs, to both signed and unsigned artists. There’s so much incredible un-found talent happening in the least expected places, and some of the more intimate, smaller gigs you go to, you get a better performance than you would from a more renowned artist in a wallet-burning stadium tour. This is a half a decade of musicblog89, here are my favourite gigs of all time.

(In no particular order)

1. Silverchild @ The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent *2015*

Now this gig will stick with me forever. Why? Because I sort of went in… blind. I didn’t do my research. The band asked if I would review them live, in exchange for some tickets. I love going to gigs and I love writing reviews, so of course I said yes! I presumed they were some sort of rock band, but I didn’t really know what to expect… Nonetheless the venue was packed - especially in comparison to a lot of the other intimate gigs I had been to at The Sugarmill previously.

The crowd was 95% hardcore rockers, and the community didn’t make me feel out of place at all. The performance was electric, lead singer Alex Hiley put on a show I will never forget. To read my review click here, but bare in mind this was written in 2015 (so it isn’t the best)! You can stream Silverchild on all major platforms and follow their social media platforms here: Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram / Website

2. The Stone Roses @ Etihad Stadium, Manchester *2016*

The Stone Roses are my favourite band of all time, hence the 1989/89 on the end of my socials - the release date of their self-titled debut album. I was seventeen at the time of the gig, and had a lot of older friends, so my dad started letting my travel outside of my hometown - Stoke-on-Trent - for gigs, meaning I could finally see The Stone Roses live.

When they announced the four night Etihad stadium tour, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some tickets. I had the money. Eagerly, I sat there half an hour before the ticket release - but I didn’t manage to get any tickets. I was absolutely gutted. But being the determined woman I am, I bagged myself tickets for the Friday and Saturday event. Then to top it off, when I already had both tickets, I won a ticket for the Saturday gig off a twitter prize draw! It was meant to be.

Moving forward from the prequel! There’s just something about northern crowds… Even though there were people from all across the globe attending the event, because it was a hometown set of gigs, it just made it that bit better. I managed to get to the front on the Friday - consequently losing all of my friends - but I didn’t care. How could I? The best band in the world were stood right in front of me singing some of my favourite songs of all time. Everyone in the crowd was ecstatic to be there and the atmosphere was just euphoric - indescribable. And to anyone that says Ian Brown can’t sing… f*ck you!

3. Kasabian @ Columbiahalle, Berlin *2017*

Ok, so this was a cool gig. I saw Kasabian, in Berlin, on frickin HALLOWEEN. Even better, it was at a rather intimate venue, Columbiahalle. The venue has a capacity of 3,500 which is quite small for a band like Kasabian, but an impressive audience nonetheless. Slaves supported, which I wasn’t too fussed about, as I didn’t rate their debut album (read review here) but surprisingly, I actually enjoyed them live. However, Kasabian did completely steal the show and rightfully reclaimed their stage, so much so, I actually forgot Slaves even supported.

A little bit spooky, a little bit mental and absolutely electric, was the performance Kasabian presented. Energy, energy, energy! This gig was on the For Crying Out Loud tour, so Kasabian's (then) new classics were played as well as their old tunes, such as ‘Days Are Forgotten’/ ‘Vlad the Impaler’ and ‘Comeback Kid’ to mention a few. With it being Halloween, of course they would play my favourite track, ‘Treat’, and they did. "Trick or Treat?!" Tom Meighan shouts before he breaks into the song. To read my review of the gig click here.

4. The Who @ SSE Hydro, Glasgow *2017*

My dad might have started to let me commute out of Stoke for gigs, but not out of England. However, I always wanted to go to Scotland, and likewise I had always wanted to see The Who. The gigs were scheduled for the next year, so I would be eighteen, and I thought that I would have plenty of money to be able to pay for the hotel I had reserved, my funds up to Scotland and back, and spending money for the weekend.

Anyway, the gig came closer and closer... I had no money and no one to go with. All hail the heavens above, because The Who had to postpone their tour for another eight months. However, this meant that I was now at university in Southampton on the other side of the UK. But my persistent self made it happen!

One of my best friends accompanied me for the gig, and what a sensational performance it was. There was rather emotional, shocking imagery shown from 1965-2017, the time period The Who had been making music. The imagery/ videos contained the Vietnam War, Maggie’s Reign, The Falklands War and every tragic event that happened throughout that time. It was quite an emotional moment to see what their music has ultimately lived through, despite it all.

Over 50 years on and the boys have still got it. Their discography is huge, but this tour was focused on the Tommy album, one of the best in my opinion. Even though the show was seated, you bet everyone was moving, especially when they played ‘My Generation’. Hands down one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to.

Plus, I needed to see the OG rockers before they pass away!

"The WHO first played here in 1966, on the 17th November. 

The Locarno Ballroom, also called Tiffany's, on the site of

the former Charing Cross Cinema."

5. Jamie T @ O2 Academy, Portsmouth *2016*

I used to get my brother’s old phones passed down to me when I was younger (I didn’t know how to download music) so I always just listened to the music he already had on the phone. Jamie T's debut Panic Prevention and second album, Kings and Queens were amongst his collection. I had always listened to Jamie T from that point, but I never really heard much about him touring or releasing new music.

When at university I saw he was playing a gig in Portsmouth - so what better excuse to go and check out one of the local cities around my new hometown of Southampton?

This tour was for his fourth album, Trick (2016), I was gutted I missed the tour for the previous album Carry On the Grudge (2014) as he had gone into the shadows for five years prior. Another artist to tick off the bucket list! The set list was phenomenal. For just Jamie and his drummer, Victoria Smith - boy did they put on a performance!

6. Easy Life @ The Joiners, Southampton *2019*

Easy Life are one of those bands I heard and thought “I like these”… and then I proceeded to go home and binge listen to them for about four weeks. So when I heard they were playing a sold-out gig in Southampton, I had to go. The band had just signed to Universal Records, and the Joiners is only a 200 capacity venue - making this one of the staple gigs within their music career. The Joiners is notoriously known for its grassroots history of hosting now world-renowned artists such as, Muse, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and many more back in the day.

The venue filled up within a blink of an eye. The band walked in from the back, walking through the crowd, and then onto the stage. The energy skyrocketed from the high it was already at, when the lads entered the stage - and completely owned it. Click here to read my review of the gig.

Southampton stripped Easy Life of every song to play, chanting for more, the band played their first ever encore and repeated ‘Pockets’. It was rather humbling to be a part of the first time Easy Life were ever asked to play an encore - and they did. They are definitely a band you should be looking out for (if you don’t know them already). They’re available to stream on every major music platform, and you can follow them on Facebook/ Twitter / Instagram / YouTube/ Website.

7. The Blue Collars @ The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent *2017*

One of Stoke’s greatest music pleasures - The Blue Collars - are no longer together, but what a band they were. The Blue Collars absolutely nailed indie/alt music and pretty much every gig they announced was sold out. The band were destined for great things but unfortunately they grew older and life just got in the way I guess. They’re all now pursuing their careers, relationships and lives outside of music - but no doubt it still plays a big part of it

There was a reason The Blue Collars gigs sold out almost every time, because they were f*cking good. They absolutely dominated any venue they performed in and always gave it 110%, not to mention their absolute bangers. ‘This Old Town’, ‘Happy Pills’ and ‘Agree to Disagree’ to mention a few. Maybe they will return for a reunion gig? (We hope they do!) Read my interview back in 2017 with the band here.

8. Florence + the Machine @ Genting Arena, Birmingham *2015*

Florence Welch is without a doubt, one of the best female vocalists of my generation and I think she’s still massively underrated. Every album is a masterpiece.

Live, she’s even better - everything you’d expect from her and more. She proposed we take off an item of clothing and hold whoever’s next to us - creating a unified sense of community as she breaks into ‘You’ve Got the Love’. The venue was the only thing that let this gig down. It was in the middle of nowhere, no pubs, no restaurants, no clubs, no shops etc… And I just generally wasn't a fan of it. However, next time I see Florence (because I will definitely see her again) it will be in a different venue. She gave me an unforgettable performance, regardless of where it was.

9. Captains Stingray Groove Machine @ The Sugarmill. Stoke-on-Trent *2016*

Now Captain Stingray’s Groove Machine gig was unreal. To top it off, they were one of the support acts! Every single support act absolutely smashed it and they were all so different to one another. There was a beat box act/ a rock band/ and the groove fueled hippies which supported the soulful headliner, Black Water Trading Co. I must mention, the headline act was also great too!

Music aside, the atmosphere was just great, energy was high and everybody was just having the best time. I actually enjoyed the gig and the band so much, that I bought their CD. (even though I don’t have a CD player) support your local bands! They’re available to stream on every major music platform, and you can follow them on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ YouTube/ Website.

10. Kula Shaker @ O2 Academy, Bournemouth *2016*

I’ve seen Kula Shaker twice, and both times they've been faultless. Bournemouth was a bit better than the Manchester gig as I can remember it a bit more… Plus I bumped into one of my best friends and her parents there - what are the chances?

Kula Shaker are a post-Britpop bhangra influenced rock band, using Sanskrit language and Indian instruments throughout their music to create a modern wave of British psychedelic rock. Kula Shaker were a part of the Asian wave movement around the time of Britpop so they have been around for a while. This tour was also the anniversary of their debut album K, so you bet all the bangers were played! Their most recent album K 2.0 was the tour I saw in Manchester, it was still great but nothing beats an anniversary tour in my opinion!

There you have it. The ten best gigs I’ve ever been to. What are yours?!

Thank you for reading my content over the past five years, what a journey it has been! Here's to another five years, and another five after that and another five...

Lots of love, Lucy xx

**OUT TOMORROW** Denmark's Al Jacobi Releases New Track 'R U UP?'

Al Jacobi is a hip-hop artist from Denmark, inspired by the likes of Kanye West, Jacobi produces music that is akin to mainstream American hip-hop with flickers of punk influence. ‘ R U UP?’ is set to be released tomorrow, February 25th along with its music video.

Al Jacobi featured on RnB artist, Simone Tang’s track ‘Smiling’ back in March last year, and has since released, ‘All My Bitches’ and ‘iLove’. ‘R U UP?’ is his newest release, about a booty call you can’t get off your mind. With its deep distorted beats, memorable chorus, and alternative bassline, you can definitely hear the current US Hip-hop influence within the track. However, the track does have a slight punk edge to it, making it that little bit more alternative in comparison to the mainstream hip-hop and rap music.

“Because I can’t stop fucking with you, so are you up? Because I can’t stop fucking with you, now are you up? Can’t stop fucking with you, so are you up? Because we can’t stop fucking, c-c-can’t stop fucking.”

I state 'current US hip-hop influence', because the song refers to love in the modern age. Casual sex resulting in yearning for more than just a touch, but suppressing your feelings in spite of them being unrequited. 'R U UP?' is the second song in a series of five, each of which occupy the theme of love in the current digital age. A new song from the project is set to be released every three weeks. 

'R U UP?' will be available to stream on all major streaming platforms tomorrow, February 25th 2020. For further releases or information, keep up to date with Al Jacobi’s social media’s - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube

Dave. Wow. Brit Awards 2020 - What a Treat!

This year in 2020, The Brit Awards celebrate its 40th anniversary with comedian Jack Whitehall presenting, and various exclusive guests hosting and performing. Whitehall says a touching tribute towards friend and former Love Island host, Caroline Flack who recently passed away, and that was about the only thing he didn’t joke about.

Kicking off the night was Mabel’s performance of ‘Don’t Call Me Up’, a song that’s sold over one million copies. Shortly followed by rising star Lewis Capaldi singing ‘Someone You Loved’ and even though I’ve involuntarily listened to this song over a thousand times, (like the rest of the UK), this performance made the goosebumps appear.

Lewis Capaldi is the evening’s biggest winner, taking home two Brit Awards. Rappers, Dave, Stormzy, Tyler the Creator, indie band Foals, American singer Billie Eilish and Celeste also won one award each. 30 years to the day her mother Neneh Cherry won two of her very own Brit Awards, Mabel wins Best Female Solo Artist too.

Having been speechless after winning his first award for New Artist of the Year - when Capaldi comes back on stage a second time, to collect his second award for Best Album - he comes on with a bottle of Buckfast in hand, and actually talks - but probably wishes now that he didn’t. He clarifies the song isn’t about his Love Island star ex and is in fact about his late Grandma.  He goes on to say, “I hope ITV don’t contact her to be on a reality TV show... Thanks to Mum and Dad for... making love? And thanks to my Grandma for… dying?”

Best International Female Solo Artist is a tough category because there is so much talent within the nominees, such as Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Lana Del Ray and Camilla Cabello who have all had extremely successful albums, but despite the odds, Billy pulled it out of the bag. A very well deserved first Brit Award for the young star. It was warming to see how humble Billy is as she thanks the other nominees for inspiring her, crediting them for her success. It is sad to see that at only eighteen, and being so successful, Billy feels hated, however it is great to know that performing at The Brits boosted her confidence and restored her faith in herself as a human being and as a performer. How did they decide on the winner for this category?!

As far as the performances go… boy are we in for a TREAT. Billie Eilish, performs bond theme ‘No Time to Die’ for the first time ever live, accompanied by her brother Finneas, Johnny Marr and Hans Zimmer. It was as haunting as you would expect. Harry Styles sings ‘Falling’ and then Lizzo steals the show with a mash up of ‘Cuz I Love You’/Truth Hurts’/ ‘Good as Hell’ and ‘Juice’, thank God she did it before she decided to down a wine glass full of neat tequila! 

Not to mention Stormzy and Dave’s powerful performances too. An even bigger treat than Lizzo’s performance was Stormzy’s incredible six song mash up featuring Burna Boy. The performance features, ‘Don't Forget to Breathe’/‘Do Better’ / ‘Wiley Flow’ / ‘Fortune Teller’ (J Hus)/ ‘Own It’/ ‘Anybody’ (Burna Boy) and closed off with ‘Rainfall’. Stormzy is assisted by an entire gospel choir, and quite literally three stages worth full of dancers, and performers. Who hired an entire film cast? But it worked! The amount of performers on stage really helped to emphasize a sense of empowerment and unity. A real special performance. When everybody is stood singing and dancing in the rain to Mary Mary ‘Shackles’ at the end, I wanted to get the shackles off my feet and dance with them too!

Politics appears to be a big talking point this year, with both Dave and Stormzy expressing their political views within their performances. Dave – who won the Album of the Year for his record Psychodrama – adds a verse to his song ‘Black’, where he calls Boris Johnson a “real racist”. Dave also criticises how the British media treats Meghan Markle in comparison to how they treat Kate Middleton.

He raps, “And if somebody hasn’t said it, equality is a right, it doesn’t deserve credit. If you don’t wanna get it, then you’re never gonna get it. How the news treats Kate versus how they’re treating Meghan.”

Dave also pays tribute to Jack Merritt, a young lad who died in the London Bridge terror attack in 2019, and those still affected by Glenfell. A real simple, yet powerful performance. Dave. Wow.

Closing off the Brit Awards in the right British way, the best dressed man in the room, Rod Stewart is joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to sing ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About It’ and then finishes, reuniting with Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones to play as The Faces, to end the show performing, ‘Stay With Me’. A true British old school rock send off, the way it should be at The Brits.

This Brit Awards will go down in history for its performances, with Lizzo’s energetic mash up. Dave’s powerful words, and Stormzy being joined by what seemed like a film cast worth of performers on stage. It definitely won’t be forgotten about.

This year’s nominations were criticised for being dominated by men, but to the contrary I believe that the Brit Awards was very diverse, and the male categories were incredibly strong because there’s a lot of amazing male artists out there at the moment, doing great things - Stormzy and Dave proved that. The show had a variety of different artists, male and female who all showed empowering performances and won their well deserved awards.