**BRAND NEW TUNE**
Major Lazer - You’re No Good (feat. Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim & Yasmin)
Major Lazer has brought together the golden equation of Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Yasmin and Danielle Haim for this newly leaked track from the upcoming album ‘Free The Universe’ (released on the 16th of April).
And the result? An absolute smash of a tune. Try and only play it once…I dare you.
This has been my little baby of a project for the past week and it’s all in the name of Comic Relief!
Bastille - Falling
Bastille feel like the band of the moment right now after recently gracing Radio 1’s Live Lounge and being championed by the video giant, Vevo as one of their artists of 2013. With a headline tour on the way in March to accompany the release of their debut album, Bad Blood, things couldn’t look sunnier for the quartet. The critical acclaim these guys have been receiving does not go unfounded though, as singles Overjoyed, Flaws & Pompeii have proved, winning people’s hearts slowly but surely over the past year.
It was around this time last year that Bastille first made waves with the release of their mixtape, Other People’s Heartache Pt. 1, and what an introduction it was. Unexpected cover versions of classic tracks from City High, Rose Royce & Corona provided a pretty diverse display of the group’s musical interests and even included teasing hints of their own future releases. Falling is arguably the shining star of Other People’s Heartache Pt. 1. with its haunting mash-up of Bastille’s original tracks ‘Overjoyed’ & ‘Laura Palmer’ and references to The Breakfast Club & Twin Peaks.
Like any new mate, it’s also always nice to find out they’re into the same things as you & Bastille made a cracking first impression with the inspired cover versions, anthology of pop culture references and hints of their own imminent brilliance throughout Other People’s Heartache Pt. 1.
Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton - Freedom
Undoubtedly the standout track from Tarantino’s latest bloody cinema smash, Django Unchained. The big man QT has a knack for perfectly complementing his films with a memorable soundtrack and the Django Unchained OST is unlikely to buck that trend with stellar tunes like this keeping the magic of the movies alive long after the credits roll.
Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing
After teaming up for a chart-topping remix of Flo’s ‘Spectrum’, Calvin and Florence couldn’t resist collaborating again in time for the release of Calvin’s third studio album, 18 Months, and aren’t we glad they did?
‘Sweet Nothing’ is sure to set dance floors alight once again with Florence’s impressive vocals soaring over Calvin’s impeccable beats. The best thing about this pairing is how genuine it sounds as both artists straddle genres without selling themselves out.
And the video? A beautiful piece of film. Just released today the accompanying video for ‘Sweet Nothing’ has the perfect amount of storyline, sleazy men and androgyny from Flo to put it in the running for best video of the year. Reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘When The Sun Goes Down’, the video for ‘Sweet Nothing’ complements the song perfectly and rightly so, as a song as infectious as this deserves a video to match.
Whilst I’m usually keen to review music or discuss radio-related things I feel it is about time I expressed an appreciation for a pint of the black stuff, Guinness. I’m not talking the drink specifically, although when the time arises a pint of Guinness is an appropriate thirst-quencher (usually around March 17th and not during an evening of ‘pub golf’), but I believe the real genius of Guinness lies in it’s advertising.
More often that not, advertising is a nuisance, a plague on precious TV-viewing time and, at worst, can induce deep feelings of rage, ‘Go Compare’ anyone? But since it’s earliest days, the marketing team behind Guinness have managed to strike the perfect balance between intelligent humour, memorable visuals and slogans that won’t have you cringing in pain.
One of the earliest images to be linked to Guinness was the cartoon of a toucan balancing a pint of Guinness on its beak. I understand that the toucan is hardly the most logical animal to represent a drink that hails from the soggy shores of Ireland, a country not famed for it’s exotic birdlife. However, would we really have preferred a traditional Irish advertisement depicting a loveable little man in a green suit riding a pot of gold and dousing himself in Guinness? This is the major success of Guinness advertising as it doesn’t settle for cheap ideas or rely on stereotypes to push its profile. Instead, campaigns like the toucan create an entire idea from scratch and have been so successful it now feels strange not to associate toucans with Guinness.
Since the 30’s the toucan played a pivotal role in the advertising campaign for Guinness and things only got better with the introduction of motion picture advertisements, allowing the guys behind Guinness to push their imagination further than ever before. What comes to mind when you think of televised Guinness adverts? Let’s all be honest it’s the horses isn’t it? An advert that can rightfully be called iconic and often the voted the best advert ever made. The advert in question is ‘Surfer’, launched in 1999; it depicts a group of surfers waiting for the perfect wave and when it arrives the wave crest transforms into a horde of stampeding horses. If you haven’t seen it before, a) what cave are you from?, and b) have a look at it here.
So how does surfing relate to Guinness? Well it’s all about the wait. Relating the wait for an appropriate surfing wave to the time it takes for a pint of Guinness to settle is perfect in its subtle blatancy. The use of such a wanky oxymoron sums up the success of Guinness advertising as it creates an impressive piece of cinematic iconography and effectively follows it with “that’s a bit like Guinness isn’t it?”. Guinness advertising is not about promoting the taste or the price or exploiting its Irish origins, it is about creating powerful imagery and promoting Guinness by association. As drinks go, a stout like Guinness may not seem cool to anyone under the age of 65 but the allure of Guinness is all thanks to the intrigue and excitement of the advertising that doesn’t bend over backwards to tell you how super-dooper the drink is.
‘Surfer’ is not the only unforgettable advert created by Guinness either. In recent years Guinness has created some of the most well known adverts ever made and not one of them relies on how the ‘black stuff’ tastes. The Guinness adverts of the 80’s centred on the slogan ‘Not Everything In Black And White Makes Sense’, which gave way to some of the kookier ideas (such as this), whereas the 90’s focus on the idea of ‘Good Things Come To Those Who Wait’ created iconic adverts like ‘Surfer’ and ‘Anticipation’.
Guinness even excels at creating seasonal advertising, with a Christmas advert that airs annually on Irish television, posing a serious threat to Santa and his Coca Cola van for the ‘Most Sentimental Christmas Advert’ award. The last few years have seen Guinness take on a more international approach by promoting the worldwide appeal of Guinness with masterpieces such as ‘Tipping Point’, and the most recent campaign since 2009 has dedicated a world-recognised day to the man who founded Guinness, known as Arthur’s Day.
With such memorable pieces of film constantly being made, Guinness’ largest battle has surely been to always outdo itself. Yet, it doesn’t look like they will be disappointing TV viewers anytime soon as it continues to produce adverts that tell a story and don’t spoon-feed the audience with the benefits of Guinness. I remember giving a presentation about Guinness for a GCSE English assessment when I was 14. Not the most conventional of topics for a 14-year-old I’ll admit but that proves the strength of the marketing behind Guinness nonetheless as the memorable images and clever storylines feel relevant to people of all ages. Guinness advertising has never been about alcohol or pub culture, it’s always been about celebrating and marking those celebrations with others. 2012 continues that idea with the tagline of ‘Paint The Town Black’, bringing a Mediterranean village together, covered in paint, to celebrate Arthur’s Day. With the imagination of Guinness still going strong, I look forward to seeing what 2013 brings.
It’s been almost a month since I put together this little video documenting the last few weeks living with my best friends at Uni. People always say being at Uni are the best days of your lives and this video will never let me forget that!
The Other Tribe - Skirts
For anyone needing relief from the bleakest British summer in the history of drizzle, this song is the answer. With a dance club beat and an infectious summer-themed chorus, ‘Skirts” provides a perfect soundtrack to the sunshine whether you’re in Ibiza or Ipswich.
Having recently received support from ‘She-Jays’ Annie Mac & Fearne Cotton, The Other Tribe look set to bring the party this summer so check them out at Bestival in September! The group’s Tumblr can also be found here if you fancy getting a bit closer to them.
The Sunday of Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend had a lot to live up to after Saturday night closed on Jay-Z and his guest pals captivating the entire Hackney audience and those on sofas around the country. Having teased the Saturday crowd with a brief appearance at the start of Jay-Z’s set, Sunday looked set to be all about Rihanna. Whilst the Barbadian princess did not disappoint, the entire Sunday line-up proved stronger than Lana Del Rey’s hairspray with some potentially career-defining moments evidenced throughout the day.
The public excitement for Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend had been building ever since it was first announced in May 2011 as the largest music festival ever created by Radio 1 and 1Xtra. This was more than just the average music festival though, as it was preceded by the BBC Hackney Academy, an opportunity for local young people to benefit from careers advice across a range of industries, including journalism, fashion and entrepreneurship. Over three weeks the Hackney Academy shone a light on the determination and talent of so many local residents, culminating in the Hackney Weekend and a chance to celebrate the work of everyone who has helped to put Hackney on the map this summer.
With a stellar line-up the only drawback of the Hackney Weekend was not being able to see everyone on the bill. Luckily, there is the Hackney Weekend website, which can be found here, to catch up on every artists unforgettable performance. In case you don’t know where to start, I have compiled a few highlights of the Sunday line-up to get you started…
Bombay Bicycle Club may have received an unexpectedly large crowd due to the onset of a summer shower, but they definitely converted any non-believers with their set opening the In New Music We Trust stage on an absolute high. Including older favourites such as ‘Always Like This’ and ‘Ivy & Gold’, Bombay Bicycle Club started the day with a boost of positivity that had the whole tent clapping along. The best gigs are the ones where the band are clearly enjoying themselves and when guest vocalist Lucy Rose sat on the shoulders of guitarist Jamie MacColl for the finale of ‘Shuffle’, it was clear that it wasn’t just the audience with smiles on their faces.
After Azealia Banks muscled her way on to the Radio 1 playlist earlier this year, turning the air blue with ‘212’, her Hackney set was always sure to make the BBC Compliance team squirm. Despite being such a new kid on the block, the huge crowd Azealia attracted to the 1Xtra stage emphasised what an exciting artist she is. Flanked by two dancers, the self-confessed “Liquorice Bitch” owned the crowd with her effortless rapping and wide-eyed stares. Completing her set with “the one that started it all”, Azealia Banks whipped the entire tent into a frenzy with the opening bars of ‘212’, justifying her position at the top of NME’s Cool List. For such an early set on the bill, Azealia Banks had the entire crowd on her side and did what every good artist should, left her audience screaming for more.
Right from the start the folks at Radio 1 have supported Lana Del Rey and so it is only right that her appearance at Hackney Weekend would successfully prove why she deserves the BBC’s attention. Arriving on stage to the sound of a melancholic strings section, LDR graced the stage with all the poise and beauty of a 50’s Hollywood star. In contrast to the perkiness of Bombay Bicycle Club, Lana gave the crowd a set they could sway to and sing every word back to her. Delivering a performance that united the entire audience; the unforgettable moment was courtesy of breakout single ‘Video Games’ creating a duet between Lana and the voice of thousands of adoring fans. For anyone in the front row who received a kiss on the cheek from the star, please remember that it is a health hazard to avoid washing your face for weeks.
It certainly felt like a homecoming event for Florence + The Machine as Florence Welch sashayed on to the Main Stage to the plucking of a harp, declaring proudly that she was back in her hometown. With the sun finally beaming, Florence’s set created the ultimate festival atmosphere as the crowd jumped whilst Flo’s impressive vocals soared throughout the field. Florence’s ability to straddle multiple musical genres was evident as she incorporated the Benny Benassi Remix of hit single ‘Shake It Out’ into her set, encouraging the entire audience to dance in the sunshine. The masterstroke from Flo came when she picked out individual members of the audience she noticed dancing, reducing a field in Hackney to an intimate, backroom gig.
With the sun setting over Hackney Marshes, the star of the show took to the stage and Rihanna was sure to make it a performance to remember. Shifting seamlessly between offerings from her latest album, ‘Talk That Talk’, and classic tracks such as ‘Umbrella’, featuring a guest appearance from Jay-Z, Ri-Ri had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Particular highlights include the ballad ‘Love The Way You Lie’, club classic ‘Please Don’t Stop The Music’ and recent smash hit ‘We Found Love’, which finished the night on a euphoric high with the entire crowd bouncing to it.
The success of Rihanna’s headline performance really lies in how effortless she made the whole thing seem and how at ease she was with the crowd. Throughout her set Ri-Ri created a personal rapport with the audience, even halting at one point to ask a member of the front row to fix the battery back in her bra. Despite figures of up to fifty thousand onlookers the singer ensured the performance was relevant to each of them, and that is no easy accomplishment.
So for anyone who may complain about the lack of London-born headliners, Rihanna could not have seemed more at home. The star echoed a sentiment of the entire crowd when she confessed, “I don’t wanna go” because as Rihanna closed Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, no one wanted the party to stop.
Some festivals like to educate goers with a flock of brand new artists while others like to focus on promoting a specialist genre of music but Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend was a true celebration of popular music in all its forms. The short sets given to each artist gave them the chance to showcase their very greatest works; spoiling fans with the tracks they love most. With such a diverse range of artists on the same line-up, the Hackney Weekend was undoubtedly a festival for the entire community and such a unique event has to be commended. With the entire world watching London this summer, Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend has kicked off the celebrations in style, leaving just one question remaining…what’s next Radio 1?
