Hashtag Music

Week commencing 18th Nov

Single of the Week: OUT 17th Nov

The idea of reworking two 90s dance sensations sounds like a musical car crash but Bastille has managed to strike gold with Of the Night.  This modern twist of Rhythm of the Night and Rhythm is a Dancer has given these dance favourites a new lease of life.  This is an impressive and fun mash up taken from their 2012 mixtape Other People’s Heartache.

Album of the Week: OUT 17th Nov

It’s been 20 years since Gabrielle Dreams reached No1 in the UK and now she’s back with her compilation album Now and Always: 20 years of Dreaming written by a smorgasbord of producers. Gabrielle shines with her kindhearted ballads as she uses both new and old songs to remind us how impressive her discography of work really is.

Say Goodbye is the lead single from this beautiful comeback and will be released on Nov 25th.

Video of the Week: OUT NOW 

Making a spectacular comeback Lily Allen’s single Hard Out Here is a backlash about sexism in modern culture, particularly the music industry.

Spawned on an operating table about to undertake liposuction Lily hits back honest lyrics that her figure is not the same now she’s had two children.

A sly dig to Robin Thicke’s smash hit Blurred Lines she also used balloons to give reference to her ‘baggy pussy’. Not afraid say it how it is, it’s this feisty attitude what’s got her where she is today and we are delighted she’s back on the scene.

Doug Panton

Doug Panton

The Garage, Highbury & Islington,  12th September 2013

**

Doug Panton surprised everyone when his self-titled EP reached No5 in the Singer, Songwriter charts. His blissful vocals secured him no57 in the official iTunes chart without any management or record label in sight. Last night, Panton showcased his material from this EP along with a range of covers to small group of industry professionals, friends & family at The Garage, in Highbury & Islington.

To open, Doug sang a cover of John Legend’s famous song Ordinary People. Covers are always tricky for any artist to perform, signed or not, as the audience are quick to draw comparisons with the original.  Nevertheless Doug managed pull off a strong rendition. Switching it up, he introduced his next track, All of Nothing from his EP. This song gives a taste of the type of artist he aims to be, placing himself into a similar category to 2012 Brit Award winner Ed Sheeran. You may ask, Do we need another Ed Sheeran? But when he continues into his next song Young the answer is YES. Accompanied on stage by his band, Doug made what could have been a dull run of covers into an interesting and impressive set.

Doug continued to win over the crowd, as he performed a carefully selected choice of indie favourites such as Pumped up Kids, by Foster the People, Goyte’s No1 hit Somebody I used to know and Bastille’s Pompeii. Reverting back to some of his own material in between covers, he performed Scared of Losing which was a sure-fire crowd pleaser and had everyone clapping along.

While brave enough to perform such an accredited artist as Adele, after finishing international hit Rolling in the Deep, one crowd member interrupted the show by yelling out  “I can’t believe you are covering Adele”.  Keeping his professionalism, Panton replied “I don’t have a lot of material and I like Adele”. Swiftly moving on from the outburst, he performed his next cover Hall of Fame by The Script, although you could clearly see the comment had impacted his confidence.

Although performing a stream of covers is never easy, Panton showcased his versatility, and with his soft tones it won’t take long before this prince charming has the ladies drawn in.

Hashtag Music

Week commencing 26th Aug 

Single of the Week: OUT 26TH AUG

Since EMI signed this London Indie group in Dec 2011, Bastille has spiralled higher up the charts with every release.  Things We Lost in the Fire will be the latest single to be released from their No1 debut album Bad Blood. 

 

Staying clear from cliché love songs, this track reminds us that the power of nature can also impact on people’s lives. Frontman Dan Smith’s vocals are so easy on the ear that even the repetitive lyrics are more catchy than annoying. 

 

This track is a stand-out from the album and will certainly ignite their fire.  Bastille will appear at this weekend’s Reading and Leeds festival. Other acts billed are Dan Croll, Sons and Lovers and many more.

Album of the week: OUT 26TH AUG

Currently holding the top spot for a 2nd week, Ellie scored her 1^st ever UK with her lead single from Halcyon Days, Burn.

 

Aside from Burn, this re-packaged album offers a further 9 new tracks, featuring a mesmerizing cover of Alt-J  Tessellate, making it one of the biggest re-releases since the Lady Gaga days of The Fame and The Fame Monster. 

 

Premiering earlier in the month on the finale of Skins, You My Everything and a free Amazon download of Under Control, Ellie really has given Halcyon Days some great avenues for exposure before its release.

 

However, this album is up against some stiff competition as highly anticipated Naughty Boy debuts his album Hotel Cabana.

Video of the week: OUT NOW

Since 2009’s Bad Romance video many fans have failed to understand the crazy antics that Gaga has demonstrated in her videos or should I say movies!

 

Applause hit the airwaves ahead of schedule this week sending her little monsters into a frenzy after months without any limelight following her recent hip operation. This track will feature on her upcoming album Artpop.

 

This video has compressed an array of eye-catching scenes where Gaga not only references Botticelli’s the Birth of Venus, but also appears as many different animals.

 

In true Gaga fashion, she offers a video that breaks boundaries with both art and pop culture at it’s heart, and while sometimes she can be way off the mark, this one, pardon the pun, does deserve a round of Applause.