The world’s already fallen for Asha Banks. Whether it was her magnetic turn in Prime Video’s global hit My Fault: London or Netflix’s addictive series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, she’s been quietly building serious momentum on screen. But long before the cameras, music had her heart.
Asha wrote her first song at just six years old and never really let go of the idea of becoming an artist. Growing up, her playlists were shaped by everyone from Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones to Jack Johnson, Johnny Cash and even AC/DC. Eclectic? Absolutely. But it makes sense when you hear the honesty running through her own sound.
Live, she’s stepping into her moment too. She recently played her biggest headline show to date at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and earlier this summer supported Noah Kahan at BST Hyde Park. Not a bad way to spend the season.
The industry has been paying attention. Asha recently landed the cover of Rollacoaster’s Autumn/Winter 2025 issue and graced a special digital cover of NOTION, who praised her for opening herself up fully, from acting to releasing her debut EP. She also teamed up with BRIT Award-winning and Ivor Novello Award-nominated Holly Humberstone on fan favourite “Dive”, which soundtracked the credits of My Fault: London. The track picked up love from the likes of DORK and The Line of Best Fit, and the pair delivered a stunning live performance at Queen Caroline’s Temple in Hyde Park that definitely turned heads.
Actress. Singer. Songwriter. Asha Banks isn’t dipping her toe in, she’s diving in properly.
Cyprus has officially entered the Eurovision 2026 chat. Antigoni’s song “JALLA” premiered on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel after first airing during CyBC’s main evening news bulletin on Sunday 8 February, and it is very much one to turn all the way up.
“JALLA”, meaning “MORE” in the Cypriot dialect, is an up-tempo, high-energy track that fuses traditional Cypriot sounds with big, modern beats. It is bold, rhythmic and completely unapologetic. Antigoni sings about dancing on tables and, honestly, Europe might be right there with her come May. Obligatory “don’t try this at home” warning duly noted.
The official music video, directed by Bodega Visuals and filmed across various villages in Cyprus, leans into the song’s artistic identity. It blends contemporary visuals with a strong sense of rhythm and movement throughout, while pairing the island’s natural landscapes with a sleek, modern aesthetic. The video also features Antigoni’s grandmother and grandfather, alongside model Sofia Chatzipanteli, adding a personal and cultural touch to the Cypriot entry.
Antigoni was revealed as Cyprus’ Eurovision 2026 representative back in November, and now, a few months later, her entry is finally out in the wild. With its infectious hook and celebratory energy, “JALLA” feels designed to get arenas moving and viewers at home reaching for the volume button.
Cyprus will perform “JALLA” in the Second Half of the Second Semi-Final at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, taking place on Thursday 14 May 2026 in Vienna.
More rhythm. More energy. More Cyprus.
Yeah, JALLA feels like the right word.
When news broke of a new Morrissey single and album last week (both titled Make-Up is a Lie), one thing was assured: it was going to get people talking.
Perhaps the most “Marmite” artist of all time, it’s hard to find an artist who divides opinion as much as Morrissey. To some, he is so beloved that going to one of his concerts is a religious experience. To others, he is so detestable there are social media groups with names like “the Morrissey Hate Club”, with detractors dismayed by how his recent political positions on immigration and nationalism are so at odds with the socialist values his early work appeared to advocate.
Morrissey has consistently argued that his views are focused on British identity and freedom of speech, not racism, and has denied that his contemporary nationalist stance conflicts with the anti-establishment and socialist values of his early work with The Smiths. In a 2018 blog post, he wrote: “I despise racism. I despise fascism.”
Morrissey’s relationship with the media has been similarly complex. In 2007, for example, he wrote a piece on the Guardian’s music blog about how the NME had “deliberately tried to characterise” him as a racist. Then, in 2019, he was quoted in the NME for saying the Guardian was running a “hate campaign” against him for running an article that accused him of supporting far-right ideologies.
Love or hate him, people remain fascinated with Morrissey. And this means that most of the music media covered the news of his new album, even if, like Spin magazine, they did so through gritted teeth.
A 2019 Guardian article observed that it “can be difficult – painful, even – to untangle the things you love about Morrissey from those you despise”. But when it comes to the actual new music, does the good outweigh the bad?
What we can take from this limited information is that Morrissey continues to come up with intriguing, unique and often bizarre song titles. Joining the likes of Don’t Make Fun of Daddy’s Voice (2004), Kick the Bride Down the Aisle (2014) and Jim Jim Falls (2020) from his back catalogue are new titles The Monsters of Pig Alley, Zoom Zoom the Little Boy and Many Icebergs Ago. Interesting, yes. But, as songs like Julie in the Weeds (2014) and Never Again Will I Be a Twin (2017) testify, compelling titles don’t necessarily lead to compelling songs.
Addressing what he saw as a media attempt to delete him “from being the central essence of The Smiths”, in 2024 Morrissey asserted that he “invented the group name, the song titles, the album titles, the artwork, the vocal melodies and all of the lyrical sentiments”.
From this list, it’s Morrissey’s authorship of vocal melodies that is most often overlooked, and it’s rare to find any reference to his songwriting contributions that goes beyond the lyrics.
Yet, for all the skill of his talented co-writers over the years, be that Jonny Marr, Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer, Jesse Tobias, or, in the case of Make-Up is a Lie, Camila Grey, those lead lines are Morrissey’s. And, when thousands of fans are singing them, like the performance (below) of There is a Light That Never Goes Out at Move Festival in Manchester, even his staunchest critics cannot deny his talent for writing catchy melodies.
Make-Up is a Lie may never be an anthemic sing-along in the same way as There is a Light, but the chorus, with its melodic leaps and repetition, does at least contain two of the components that scientists believe make up the “earworm effect”, which will make it hard to forget (whether we like it or not).
Morrissey performing There is a Light That Never Goes Out.
Rhyme time
At his best, Morrissey employed a range of different rhyme types to allow himself a wider range of words to draw from, resulting in lyrics which simultaneously felt startlingly fresh and comfortingly familiar.
When he used “perfect” rhymes (rhymes where both the vowel sounds and any consonant sounds after them are the same), he was often innovative, for example rhyming “northern” with “worse and” (1992’s We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful).
In recent years, though, Morrissey seems keen to write lyrics containing more obvious perfect end rhymes. There’s been “place/face” (Earth is the Loneliest Planet, 2014) ; “babies/rabies/scabies” (Neal Cassady Drops Dead, 2014); “bus/fuss” and “train/strain” (Spent the Day in Bed, 2017); “Room/ gloom” (The Secret Of Music, 2020); and “sleuth/ truth” (The Truth About Ruth, 2020). And, of course, the “kegs/legs” rhyme in 2006’s Dear God, Please Help Me, where the line “there are explosive kegs between my legs” is a prime candidate for his worst ever.
Pleasingly, Morrissey is more expansive and imaginative with his rhyme types in Make-Up is a Lie (“reclusion/explosion” and “Paris/granite”) with only “outburst and cloudburst” seeming like a slight regression.
Whether or not 2026 will prove another difficult year for Morrissey fans won’t just rest on the music he releases, of course. There will be interviews to nervously watch and press to nervously read, and it’s inevitable that the words “cancellation” and “controversy” will never be far away. But a strong album would certainly be a boost for those who fall on the love side of the Marmite divide.
Maisie Peters is back, and she’s trading heartbreak for high-stakes protection.
Pop’s favourite storyteller has officially announced her highly anticipated new album, Florescence, set for release on May 15. To celebrate, Maisie has unleashed her latest single ‘My Regards’, a track that feels like a bold evolution for the Brit singer-songwriter.
Following the breadcrumbs left by previous tracks ‘You You You’, ‘Audrey Hepburn’ and ‘Say My Name In Your Sleep’, ‘My Regards’ finds Maisie at her most confident. The song radiates the assured glow of being truly loved, written from the intimate perspective of her boyfriend’s bedroom — but with a fierce, protective edge.
“My Regards feels powerful, tongue-in-cheek, sexy and funny,” Maisie explains. “I was inspired by a lot of the country greats and their ‘stand by your man’ songs — however, in this song I get to play the role of fierce protector instead of simpering love interest.”
The Video: Maisie x Amelia Dimoldenberg
In a brilliant pop-culture crossover, Maisie teamed up with Chicken Shop Date legend Amelia Dimoldenberg for the music video. Making her directorial debut, Amelia leans into the lyric “call me Kevin Costner the way I’m guarding his body,” casting Maisie as a literal security detail for a movie star played by Benito Skinner (Benny Drama).
What We Know About Florescence
Produced alongside two-time Grammy winner Ian Fitchuck, the album promises to be a meditation on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. Fans can also expect high-profile collaborations with Julia Michaels and Marcus Mumford.
FLORESCENCE – Track Listing:
Mary Janes
Audrey Hepburn
Say My Name In Your Sleep
Old Fashioned
Houses
Kingmaker (with Julia Michaels)
Vampire Time
My Regards
You You You
If You Let Me (with Marcus Mumford)
Flat Earther
Questions
Girl’s Just Flying
You Then Me Now
Nothing Like Being In Love
Catch Maisie on the ‘Before The Bloom’ Tour
Maisie isn’t just dropping an album — she’s taking it around the world. The ‘Before The Bloom’ theatre tour kicks off on March 1 in Sydney before hitting Europe, the UK and North America.
She’s also partnered with PLUS1, ensuring £1.20 from every ticket goes toward organisations fighting for equity and dignity.
Set in the heart of one of Europe’s most exciting capitals, Sziget 2026 continues to build momentum with a major second wave of artists. Newly announced names include Bring Me The Horizon, Zara Larsson, Parcels, Loyle Carner and Nia Archives, joining an expansive line-up spanning electronic, alternative, pop and underground scenes.
Welcoming hundreds of thousands of fans from over 100 countries, the festival returns for five sun-soaked days from 11–15 August 2026.
More than just a music festival, Sziget is a temporary city built on creativity, freedom and discovery. World-class live shows unfold alongside circus, theatre, art installations and late-night surprises, creating a festival-holiday atmosphere unlike anywhere else. The Island of Freedom blends global culture, community and escapism into one unforgettable summer experience.
2026 LINE UP SO FAR (A-Z)
Bring Me The Horizon
Florence + the Machine
Lewis Capaldi
SOMBR
Twenty One Pilots Zara Larsson
¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U
ALT BLK ERA Analog Balaton
Anetha
ANNA Annisokay
Antony Szmierek Argy
Ashnikko AVRALIZE
Baby Lasagna
Bad Nerves
bbno$ Beton.Hofi
Biffy Clyro
BIIA Boys Noize
Brooke Combe
Cassia
Charlotte Cardin Chet Faker Coco & Breezy
DE’WAYNE
Dijon Dimension Dixon
Dom Dolla
Elefánt Funk Tribu
Giant Rooks Golden Hours Health
Indira Paganotto Ivan And The Parazol
Jazzy John Coffey
Joris Voorn
Karen Dió
Kim Dracula Kolibri
Lambrini Girls LEAP Loyle Carner
Makrohang Mehringer
Naïka
Nation of Language
Nia Archives
Olympe
Oskar Med K
Pan-Pot Parcels
Paris Paloma Perturbator
Richie Hawtin
Rose Gray
Sara Landry
Sef
Sim0ne
Sisi
Ski Aggu Sub Focus
Swimming Paul
Sylvie Kreusch
SYREETA
Tash Sultana
TOMORA Tripolism
Trym
Underworld Vintage Culture
WhoMadeWho (Hybrid)
Wolf Alice
Zimmer 90
ZAYN performs the first night of his residency at Dolby Live At Park MGM on January 20, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Live Nation Las Vegas)
Multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter, producer and philanthropist ZAYN releases his brand new single, ‘Die For Me’, the lead track from his highly anticipated fifth studio album, KONNAKOL, due out 17 April via Mercury Records / Island Records UK.
‘Die For Me’ marks the return of ZAYN’s pop and R&B roots and is accompanied by a music video conceptualised by ZAYN and directed by Frank Borin and Ivanna Borin. The video follows ZAYN through a series of visually distinct environments that complement the mood and themes of the song.
Earlier this week, ZAYN announced his fifth studio album, KONNAKOL, set for release on 17 April 2026 and available for pre-order now. The project is his most culturally inspired to date, expanding on the pop-forward sound first introduced on his record-breaking debut album, Mind of Mine.
The album artwork features a snow leopard — a profound symbol in South Asia — reflecting how deeply ZAYN’s heritage has shaped the record. Fans first spotted the imagery at the end of each Las Vegas concert, with the artwork now bringing the Easter egg full circle.
The single release also marks an exciting week of announcements, as ZAYN revealed his largest tour to date: The KONNAKOL Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the 31-date run kicks off on 12 May 2026 at Manchester’s AO Arena, before stops in Glasgow and Birmingham, and concludes his only European dates of the year with a highly anticipated show at London’s The O2 on Saturday 23 May, ahead of the UK Spring Bank Holiday.
The tour will continue across Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo and more, before concluding on Friday 20 November in Miami, Florida at Kaseya Center. The announcement builds on momentum from ZAYN’s first-ever Las Vegas residency, where he debuted and teased unreleased material from KONNAKOL.
Tickets
Tickets for The KONNAKOL Tour will be available first via the ZAYN VIP KEY Presale on Tuesday 10 February at 12pm local time in all markets. Existing VIP KEY holders will automatically receive a unique passcode via the VIP Key app.
Fans can join the ZAYN VIP KEY community until Sunday 8 February at 11:59pm EST to receive presale access. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday 13 February. Onsale times vary by market — check local listings for details.
VIP Packages
A range of VIP packages will be available, offering premium tickets, exclusive access to a pre-show VIP lounge, an autographed tour poster, specially designed VIP merchandise and more. Package contents vary by offer. For full details, visit vipnation.com.
The news follows 2024’s critically acclaimed Room Under the Stairs and ZAYN’s first solo tour across the US, UK and Mexico. He recently collaborated with BLACKPINK’s Jisoo on “Eyes Closed”, earning a 2026 iHeartRadio Music Award nomination and debuting at #10 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
The KONNAKOL Tour – UK Dates
Tuesday 12 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Saturday 16 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tuesday 19 May – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham
four-time Grammy Award-winning writer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and all around multi-hyphenate icon, Lenny Kravitz has announced a huge open-air show, taking place at London’s Gunnersbury Park on Saturday 15 August 2026. Joined by special guests Leon Thomas, Joss Stone, Brooke Combe and De’Wayne, the new date is part of a powerhouse live run with his Lenny Kravitz Live 2026 tour, bringing Kravitz’s celebrated live show to fans around the world.
Following his acclaimed Blue Electric Light Tour 2025, which saw sold-out performances across Europe, South America, Australia, and a Las Vegas residency, Kravitz continues what Billboard has called the “Lennaissance” — a period of worldwide success and creative resurgence. Kravitz released his critically acclaimed 12th studio album Blue Electric Light in May 2025. The Associated Press hailed the record as “glorious… the rocker’s best stuff in years,” while NPR praised it as a “kaleidoscope of soaring rock, psychedelic funk, gentle soul and more.” Kravitz was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025, the Music Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, the Best Rock Award at the 2024 Video Music Awards and the CFDA’s Fashion Icon Award.
Regarded as one of the preeminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race, and class over the course of a three decade-plus musical career. Revelling in the soul, rock, and funk influences of the sixties and seventies, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has won four GRAMMY® Awards.
Joining Lenny Kravitz will be Grammy-winning Brooklyn native Leon Thomas, who seamlessly bridges the worlds of music, acting, and production. His tracks ‘Breaking Point’ and ‘Crash & Burn’ have garnered over 151 million global streams, cementing his place as a rising star in contemporary R&B. Thomas’s sophomore album, MUTT, was named Billboard’s No. 1 R&B Album of 2024 and held the No. 1 spot on Apple Music’s R&B/Soul chart for multiple weeks, garnering over 1.2 billion streams globally.
Also performing on the day are vintage soul singer-songwriter Joss Stone, captivating rising soul star Brooke Combe and American alt-rock musician De’Wayne.
West London’s Gunnersbury Park has become established as one of the capital’s favourite outdoor venues and will once again host a series of day shows offering an eclectic mix of music genres in August 2026, including a recently announced Jimmy Eat World show celebrating 25 years of Bleed American. In 2025 the park saw 5-star performances from The Smashing Pumpkins, Khruangbin, The Libertines, PAWSA and Martin Garrix.
Norwich was electric last night! Immediately after they stepped off stage, we headed behind the curtain for an Exclusive Interview: Backstage With – Afterdrive.
Lydia Cass joins Afterdrive with all things behind the scenes to get the raw, post-show reactions and the latest updates from the camp. In this deep dive, we discussed new music, fashion, and much more, giving you the ultimate access to one of the most exciting bands on the scene right now.
Award-winning music festival LIDO Festival powered by SumUp is back to electrify Victoria Park in 2026. Today, LIDO Festival is thrilled to announce its latest headliner: legendary North London indie band Bombay Bicycle Club, who will be taking over one of their city’s great parks on Sunday 14 June, with support from special guests Metronomy, plus AlicePhoebe Lou, Billie Marten and Lucy Rose, with more artists to be announced. General sale tickets will be available on Friday 30 January 2026, 10am.
Bombay Bicycle Club celebrate two glorious decades together with a very special one-off headline performance of their beloved debut album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose in full, preceded in the early afternoon by a live performance of its follow up LP, Flaws. Two sets, two albums, one emotional hometown night.
Originally released in 2009, I Had The Blue But I Shook Them Loose has since become an iconic, touchstone record for a generation. Released when the band were barely out of school, it was a frenetic, urgent introduction to this exciting young London band, and a record that has long stood the test of time. If I Had The Blues…soundtracked big Saturday nights, its follow-up, the more reflective and acoustic orientated Flaws, was best made for lazy Sunday mornings with its playful folksy-ness and gentle tones and rhythms. Both records share the breadth of Bombay Bicycle Club’s earliest powers and helped set the tone for what came next.
From number one records to Mercury Prize nominees, Bombay’s career owes much to their experimental nature. It’s also a career that has long found them opening their studio door for collaborations, welcoming unlikely legends like Damon Albarn and Chaka Khan onto their records. They’ve also influenced a new breed too. The likes of Jay Som, Holly Humberstone, and Nilüfer Yanya have all proclaimed the band as an inspiration during their fledgling careers and have also since lent their voices to some of Bombay’s more recent records, bringing their extended family full circle.
The early to mid-noughties introduced us to a fine collection of British indie guitar bands, but few have been quite so unpredictable, nor so beloved and enduring as Bombay Bicycle Club. This one-off celebratory performance at LIDO marks a big moment in the band’s ongoing story, and a must-see event in London’s stacked 2026 Summer schedule.
“We had such a great time last summer playing in Victoria Park that when we were asked to come back to headline LIDO, we jumped at the chance,” Bombay Bicycle Club say. “We wanted to do something different as it’s 20 years since we started the band, so we’re going to play our first two albums in full – Flaws in the afternoon and then I Had The Blues in the evening,”
“These are such important albums to us and the place they both hold in our fans’ hearts has always meant a lot to us. To have the opportunity to revisit some songs we haven’t played in a long time and perform the whole of both albums is something we can’t wait to share with you.”
Bringing indie euphoria in full force to East London, the Crouch End collective will be joined by very special guests, English electro band Metronomy will be playing their first UK show in three years, bringing a vivacious era of alternative live music to LIDO. As their only live show in 2026, the indie stalwarts will also be gearing up to transform Victoria Park into a buzzing dancefloor. Debuting in the late noughties, Metronomy arrived as new wave artists who connected with DJs and club nights. In 2011, a Mercury Prize nomination quickly followed for their polished, stylistic third studio album, The English Riviera. Known for their eclectic cross-genre styles, Metronomy emerged as masters of fine-tuned indie rock and springy electronica — widely recognised for producing glossy, sculpted songs that soundtrack incredible live shows across the globe. Now, the band have released their first ever Greatest Hits album featuring standout tracks from their acclaimed seven studio albums and previously unreleased BBC live recordings from between 2009 and 2019, across BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, in a special collection. This summer, LIDO Festival is THE place to experience the breadth and magnetic energy of Metronomy’s catalogue live.
Alice Phoebe Lou (by Jason Matthew)
Alice Phoebe Lou grew up on a mountainside in South Africa, attending a local Waldorf school that cultivated her innate love of music and the arts. She made her first life-changing visit to Europe at 16. Since then, armed with just her guitar, a small amp, a passel of distinctive original songs, and an utterly intoxicating voice and charm, she quickly developed a fan following around the world. From self-releasing her debut EP, MOMENTUM, in 2014 to earning a 90th Oscar Original Song nomination for her song ‘She’ alongside songs by such artists as Sufjan Stevens, Mary J. Blige, Common, and Diane Warren, Lou’s career has been non-stop. Now, her mesmerising new album, PAPER CASTLES, is out now. An intimate culmination of romance and struggle, solitude and adventure, told through a free-spirited blend of electronic soul and psychedelic folk that highlights her honeyed vocals whilst revealing a limitless approach to musicality and craft. A truly global artist who simply can’t stay put, physically or creatively, Lou is now eager to return to the road, ready to introduce fans old and new to the songs of PAPER CASTLES.
Billie Marten
Billie Marten got her early start in music thanks to parents who surrounded her with the music of Nick Drake, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush and northern folk artist Chris Wood. Living in the cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire, Marten grew up in and around the Dales. Marten was then signed to Chess Club Records, an imprint of Sony. Not long afterwards, she was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2016. Her critically acclaimed debut album, Writing of Blues and Yellows, was a diarist, open-hearted collection of quietly beautiful songs released in 2016, when she was still just 17. The following year, she moved to London, where she worked on her 2019 follow-up, Feeding Seahorses By Hand, which The Line of Best Fit declared a “gentle and reserved masterpiece”.
Towards the end of 2019, Marten underwent a total overhaul, leaving Sony and choosing a new management team. She signed to Fiction Records, a division of Universal, in lockdown via Zoom. She then went back into the studio and reunited with producer Rich Cooper. Marten felt empowered to experiment and rediscover herself. Since then, she has toured frequently throughout the UK and US, returning home to record her fourth record, Drop Cherries. Her writing themes explore social commentary, the struggle with modernity vs tradition, nature, mental health, relationships, and a general voyeurism on the world as she sees it.
When English singer/songwriter Lucy Rose began performing publicly as a young adult in the late 2000s, her fragile, emotive acoustic songs soon drew comparisons to Laura Marling, with whom she shares influences such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. After changing up her sound from the gentle folk-rock of her 2012 debut, Like I Used To, to adult pop with conspicuous electronics on 2015’s Work It Out, she settled into a more intimate sound with textured acoustic arrangements well-suited to her soft, breathy voice on albums such as 2019’s No Words Left.
A native of Warwickshire, England, Rose originally played drums in her school orchestra. When that didn’t satisfy her creative ambition, she started playing and writing songs on the piano in her parents’ house. She later bought a guitar and began to write pastoral, folk-inspired pop music. It wasn’t until she left home when she was 18, after deferring a place at University College of London, that she shared her material with anyone. From then, the singer has been on an unstoppable rise, curating intimate shows with her fans, such as fan-booked tours in Latin America. Many will also know Lucy from her unforgettable backing vocals for headliners Bombay Bicycle Club across their acclaimed album Flaws, and touring alongside the band. Now, Rose is making her LIDO Festival debut, going full circle, supporting the brilliant Bombay Bicycle Club at Victoria Park.
Launched in summer 2025, LIDO Festival puts artists first, collaborating with them for a festival entirely programmed by the headliners. They bring their favourite artists, collaborators, newly tipped artists and their own style to each day. From the acts to the artwork and stage design–every aspect is personal to them. Named after Victoria Park’s Lido Field, the event offers hand-picked music line-ups with a strong focus on sustainability, as well as community events during the week. The festival’s second iteration includes outstanding headliners Maribou State, who top the bill on Saturday 13 June and one of last year’s most celebrated debut artists, Irish singer-songwriter CMAT who will be headlining on Friday12 June.
“Yeah!!!! Yeah!!!! Yeah!!!!” screamed a very well known Scouse band back in 1963. It is an exclamation that has gone on to shape a whole city’s musical history. And now, sixty odd years later, it just so happens to be the name of fellow Liverpool band Cast’s eighth album. It is their first release on Manchester-based label Scruff Of The Neck, who are currently leading the way for some of the most exciting indie acts at the moment, with bands like Shambolics, Pentire and The Lilacs on their roster, as well as recently signing fellow 90s baggy-jean wearing band Inspiral Carpets.
And whilst it could be argued the band, along with the Carpets, are now technically a heritage act, with their Britpop heydays being 30 years ago now (a certain age group are currently retching with nostalgia as they read), the tracks on Triple Y do not sound dated at all. In fact, they have done something completely different. There has been a bit of a soul revival moving about Merseyside in recent years, with Liverpool being at the forefront as bands and artists like Casino and Brooke Combe now call the place home.
The North of England, of course, is the spiritual home of UK soul, having adopted the genre from the Americans in the 1970s as thousands of working class youths lived for the weekend and flocked to nightclubs for all-nighters as part of the Northern Soul scene. And whilst it is not entirely a soul album, the sound is very much there, mainly thanks to a collaboration with legend of the scene, P.P. Arnold, who has worked with pretty much everyone from Tina Turner and Small Faces to The Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger producing tracks for her first solo record back in 1967.
Her powerful vocals are a focal point of tracks like “Poison Vine”, the opener and the first single to be released from the record. It is very much the song to set the tone for the rest of the album, with all the elements there. For the OGs, it has that classic Cast groove to it, coming 30 years after the release of All Change.
The 90s are very much back in a big way too. It is as if you cannot mention Cast anymore without mentioning their role opening up for Oasis’ long awaited reunion tour last year, where millions flocked to stadiums across the world, donning bucket hats and belting out Britpop anthems with their pals. It is clear to see the album has influenced this, with “Weight Of The World” swaggering its way through the crowd after the folky number “Devil & The Deep”. A sort of Bob Dylan and Tenacious D-Before-They-Played-The-Best-Song-In-The-World hybrid ballad. From this there are mellower moments too. From the title alone you can tell “Teardrops” is going to be an emotive, sentimental type and, spoiler alert, it is.
Then there is the togetherness of it all. It is an uplifting record. Tracks like “Don’t Look Away” and single “Calling Out Your Name” are gospel-tinged, without sounding like something straight out of Sister Act, though “Free Love” does go a bit churchy in places, like if John and Yoko had written a Christian hymn.
For those who do not fancy being forgiven for their sins and want something a bit more RNR, they will soon be satisfied when it gets to the bluesy spaghetti-westernesque “Say Something New” and “Way It’s Got To Be”. Bit Riverboat Song, bit Stone Roses, with a banging bassline and a rough n ready hook. It is definitely a highlight, perhaps second to none with the last track, the soft and psychedelic, “Birds Heading South”. It sounds a bit like a more warbly, less stringy version of “Whatever” by those aforementioned, Adidas wearing Manc rockers and goes a bit “Day In The Life” towards the end. That will impress the blokes who think good music stopped when the 90s died.
