The Norwegian singer Sigrid has been announced as the winner of BBC Music’s Sound of 2018 Poll. The Don’t Kill My Vibe star beat off stiff competition from the likes of Pale Waves, Sam Fender and IAMDDB to claim this year’s top slot.
The annual poll, which is voted for by 173 music industry insiders, has previously seen Ellie Goulding, Adele and Jack Garratt take the crown. The BBC Music survey asks industry professionals to name their three favourite new acts (whose releases have not yet made it into the UK Top Ten). By anointing Sigridas the Sound of 2018, the cohort of music pros are essentially backing her as ‘the artist most likely to’ rise to the top in 2018.
With her unwavering, impassioned voice and faultless electro-pop production, the singer broke through last year with her critically acclaimed debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe, released in Feburary 2017. While follow-on singles Strangers and Plot Twistwere also hailed as sonic success stories by music critics across the globe, the Norwegian youngster has yet to crack the UK Top 40.
On being told of her win the singer, who is signed to Island Records said: (It’s) “crazy … I’m just really happy and proud of what my team and I have achieved together,” … adding that she was “honoured as there are so many other artists I look up to who have won this before me”.
Following the announcement, the singer hit BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for some live renditions of her singles. (If you missed it, you can still catch it on BBC iPlayer for up to 30 days from 12th January, 2018).
This year’s Runner Up was English artist Alex O’Connell who performs under the Rex Orange County moniker. His blend of quirky R&B and easy-going guitar pop have seen the 19 year old ratchet up guest slots on US Rapper, Tyler the Creator’s album, as well as lives with Skepta and Frank Ocean.
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RTE Choice Music Prize Album of the Year 2017 Shortlist Announced on 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show by judging panel chairperson, Tony Clayton Lea.
The much anticipated shortlist for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize, Irish Album of the Year 2017, was announced earlier today via 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show by judging panel chairperson and renowned music & culture writer, Tony Clayton Lea.
The winning act, which will be announced at the Choice Music award ceremony in March, will receive a €10,000 prize fund (sponsored by IMRO/IRMA). All shortlisted acts will receive a specially commissioned award.
The ten album shortlist is made up as follows:
Come On Live Long –In The Still (self released)
Marlene Enright – Placemats and Second Cuts (self released)
Fangclub – Fangclub (Universal)
Lankum – Beneath the Earth and the Sky (Rough Trade)
James Vincent McMorrow – True Care (Faction Records)
New Jackson – From Night to Night (All City)
Otherkin – OK (Rubyworks)
Fionn Regan – The Meetings of the Waters (Abbey Records)
Ships – Precession (Ships Music)
Talos – Wild Alee (Feel Good Lost)
While all ten albums can be enjoyed in full over at www.choicemusicprize.ieyou can listen to a selection of sounds from all ten nominated artists on our Spotify playlist below!
To celebrate the announcement, RTE 2FM scheduled an All Irish Music All Day, and its presenters have been playing tracks from all ten nominated albums since 6am. They’ll continue to do so until midnight tonight. 2FM presenter Louise McSharry, will this evening host a two-hour show dedicated to the Album of 2017 shortlist. The show, which will run from 8pm to 10pm, will also feature interviews with this year’s nominees as well as some live artist performances.
RTE, in association with IMRO and IRMA, will host the RTE Choice Music Prize live event in Vicar St, Dublin, on Thursday 8th March – see below for ticket details. RTE 2FM radio will facilitate a simultaneous live broadcast in a special extended programme. The Choice Music event will also feature in a special RTE Choice Music Programme to be broadcast by RTE2 television. Broadcast details to be confirmed.
A highlight of the Irish musical calendar, the Choice Music Prize is awarded to both the Irish Album and Irish Song of the Year. Nominees and winners are chosen by a twelve-person panel made up of media professionals and industry experts, captained by Tony Clayton-Lea.
Once again, a body of international music industry professionals, funded by Culture Ireland, will be invited to attend the March live event. In addition, indigenous record chain Golden Discs, will host RTE Choice Music Prize nominee showcase stands during a special in-store promotion.
The shortlist for the RTE Choice Music Prize – Irish Song of the Year 2017, will be announced later this month on 31st January. On the same evening, a special Choice Prize themed event featuring performances by nominees from both award categories will take place in Dublin’s Tramline venue.
Tickets for the Choice Music Prize award ceremony in Vicar St., are currently available from Ticketmaster priced at Euro 28.00 incl booking fee – go to http://www.ticketmaster.ie .
RTÉChoice Music Prize, Irish Album of the Year 2017, in association with IMRO &IRMA. Official partners Golden Discs, RAAP and Culture Ireland.
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Trondheim Calling, Norway’s annual mid-Winter conference and new music showcase festival, will return at the beginning of February with what is probably its most exciting line up yet.
Trondheim Calling, Norway’s large music conference and second largest music showcase festival is getting ready for its 8th mid-Winter outing. The festival, which runs from 1st to 3rd February, hopes to improve on its staggering 2018 statistics. Last year, saw the festival draw an overall audience of 8,000, of which 1,300 attended its conference and, more importantly, on the live-music side, it enabled 100+ music artists to showcase their sounds to a mixed bag of fans, industry pros and media.
In addition to the Clarion Congress, multiple venues across Trondheim will open their doors to festival goers over the three-day period. Each year, as the festival grows in size, more and more of the local bars and music venues involve themselves in the ‘confest’ which has become the pride of Trondheim.
The conference, or business end of TC, takes place across multiple rooms in the local Clarion Congress, whose facilities are second to none, and which, having housed the conference for several years, has become almost a home from home for attending delegates. The laid back atmosphere and smooth clockwork-like running of all things TC related, is a testament to the seamless planning and organisational skills of both hotel management and festival organisers.
This year’s conference programme includes talks on topics such as setting up a PR team, how radio can work for music artists, and music rights and agreements, as well as interactive songwriting and studio engineering/production workshops. The programme will also see the return of last year’s inaugural Norway Calling.
This element of the programme gives five ‘export-ready’ artists the chance to pitch both themselves and their music to a forum that includes media delegates. Constructive feedback is provided by a carefully selected panel of international music professionals including media and management; this year’s panel includes Elspeth Merry from Island Records and Angelina Muth of 4 Music Berlin.
From a musical perspective, with venues set to bursting, and the most diverse line-up yet on offer, the festival should prove to be even more successful than its jam-packed, hyper-energised 2017 predecessor. “Our main purpose is to celebrate new Norwegian music, showcase artists who are on their way to a breakthrough and raise the level of competence in Norwegian music industry,” says festival chief Thomas Ryjord. And, looking at the artist line-up for this year’s festival, the organisers have well and truly excelled in bringing together the most exciting and diverse ‘mixum gatherum’ of homegrown talent to hit TC yet.
2018 will mark the return of fun lovin’ quasi-punkers Slotface, whose debut album Try Not To Freak Outand live performances shredded the 2017 international scene. It also heralds the return of the warrioresque Farao, whose latest album is set to drop this year. Other acts to note, are dark electro-pop band Ponette, shimmering Indie free-spirit Sol Heilo, experimental art-pop band Whales and this Lake, guitar-rockers Killer Kid Mozart and electronic act Atella, whose new EP features the wonder that is Aurora.
Shout outs also to Gundelach, whose recent collaboration with Ary, Games, was absolutely gorgeous, and also to Natalie Sandtorv, Daniele Reyes and Hanne Mjoen. All very different but equally wonderful artists.
Party Animals need look no further than Rick Ashtray. Hugely popular, this off-kilter quasi-grunge cum new wave outfit will leave no cobwebs un-blown. Get there early.
Check out our TC inspired playlist below. If you’re already booked to go to the festival it’ll help get you hyped, if not, well, it might just inspire you to book that ticket and hop on that train or plane. Whatevz, enjoy!
For full details on Trondheim Calling, both conference and festival, and information about how to get tickets/packages, please go to the official festival website, https://trondheimcalling.no/
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Artist Registration still open for TGE18. All musical shapes ‘n sizes eligible to apply. TGE18 in partnership with Liverpool-based music publisher Sentric Music.
Hear ye, hear ye. It’s official. Artist Registration for The Great Escape 2018is officially open. Well, actually it’s been open since mid-Winter; think of this as just a gentle nudge. Back at the end of November, organisers of the annual Brighton bash announced the first 50 acts to be included in the 2018 line-up together with the promise that a further 400 acts would be added to the mix in the New Year.
Well here we are, and 400 prime live lots at TGE18 are going begging! Registration, which will close on 12th February, 2018, is open to all music artists from DJs through singer-songwriters to collectives.
Included in the first tranche of TGE’ers for 2018 were:
Aine Cahill, Dream State, Jerry Williams, KOPS, Lewis Capaldi, M.I.L.K., Pale Waves, Sam Fender, Stereo Honey and Valeras. You can check them out on our TGE18 First Taste Playlist below.
If you’re ‘in music’ and wish to participate in TGE18, apply to play HERE. Applications are free. Submissions will be reviewed by the TGE bookings team and the lucky artists contacted directly after applications close.
This year’s festival which will run from 17th to 19th May, 2018, will be hosted in partnership with independent music publisher, Sentric Music.
For more details on The Great Escape 2018 go to the official festival website – HERE. Check out our Spotify TGE – FirstTaste playlist here.
Creep … the song that just keeps giving … and taking.
First it was Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood striding up the steps of the Courts, now it’s Radiohead.
American music artist Lana del Rey has confirmed via Twitter that British alt-rock band Radiohead are suing for publishing rights to her Lust for Life track Get Free. The band claim del Rey and her co-writers plagiarised their 1992 single Creep.
Radiohead, who were themselves successfully sued for plagiarism by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, writers of the song The Air that I Breathe a cover of which was a hit for The Hollies, are seeking 100% of the publishing rights to Get Free.
The Born to Die star confirmed the law suit on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s true about the lawsuit,” she tweeted. “Although I know my song wasn’t inspired by Creep, Radiohead feel it was and want 100% of the publishing – I offered up to 40 over the last few months but they will only accept 100. Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court.”
Later that evening she spoke directly to fans at her Denver La to the Moon show about the situation;
“I just want to say that I do have a particular song that Radiohead wants 100% of my publishing for it. Actually, the only reason why I mention it is because I know some of you have been brought here by people who really are fans and you’re just sorta here.
I just want to let you know that regardless of what happens in court, the sentiment that I wrote in that particular song, which was my statement song for the record, my personal manifesto, my Lana manifesto, I just want to let you know that regardless if it gets taken down off of everything, that those sentiments that I wrote, I really am going to still strive for them, even if that song isn’t on the future releases of the record. I mention that now because that song in particular … was an important song to me.
I just wanted to let you know that for the kids and not kids and real fans who are here.”
Hammond and Hazlewood successfully sued Radiohead for copyright infringement, claiming the band copied the chord progression and melody of The Hollies 1972 hit The Air that I Breathe. Post-legal wrangling they were credited as co-writers on further releases of Pablo Honey, the album from which the single Creepwas taken. Now it looks like history is once again repeating itself, with Messrs Hammond and Hazlewood set to gain from the Radiohead legal action.
Interestingly, del Rey’s song isn’t the only release in recent years to bear a remarkable resemblance to the Radiohead anthem. The question is, will the ‘Spectre’ of Creep raise its ominous head over the legal parapet once again in the not too future? Who knows? Word is, watch this space!
Listen to all three iterations of the now infamous chord progression and melody here …
THE HOLLIES –
RADIOHEAD –
LANA DEL REY –
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Eclectic radio platform Worldwide FM host annual ‘leftfield’ Worldwide Awards together with 6 Music presenter Gilles Petersen and Brownswood Recordings. Three categories in Worldwide Awards 2018 are open to public vote which will close at 23:59 Monday 8th January.
The countdown has begun to the cut-off for the public vote for this year’s Worldwide Awards. The awards which honour non-mainstream music and jazz artists, are hosted by eclectic arts and culture radio platform Worldwide FM, renowned left-field music advocate and BBC 6 music presenter Gilles Petersen and London based Brownswood Recordings. The vote, which was launched in mid-December, is open to the public in three categories of Worldwide Awards 2018: Track, Album and Jazz Album (released in 2017).
The annual awards which mark outstanding releases in the ‘musica obscura‘ of left-field underground were, according to Petersen, set up to “celebrate a side of the music scene that often gets ignored“.
This year’s Worldwide Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 20th January, 2018, in London’s KOKO venue. Acts already confirmed to light up the night include IAMDDB, who will be fresh from her performance at #ESNS18, as well as off-mainstream Soweto six-piece BCUC, US/UK trio Khruangbin, producer, electronic artist James Holden, and Radio 1Xtra DJ Jamz Supernova.
The contenders for all three awards were drawn from those artists nominated in the multitude of categories the winners of which will also be announced on the night. Some of those nominated in the three categories open to the public vote are:-
TRACK –
Let Go, Connie Constance; Wires, Ossie; Shade, IAMDDB; Face, Brockhampton
ALBUM –
Love what Survives, Mount Kimbie; Lilies, Melanie de Biasio; Migration, Bonobo; DAMN, Kendrick Lamar; Drunk, Thundercat
JAZZ ALBUM –
Juan Pablo: The Philospher, Ezra Collective; Yellow Ochre, Vels Trio; Arise, Zara Mc Farlane; Wildflower, Wildflower
To help you make up your mind, we’ve pulled together a playlist featuring a random selection of just some of the superb artists nominated for this year’s #worldwideawards. For full details of the nominees and to vote for the artists you think should win – CLICK HERE.
ESNS18 or Eurosonic Noorderslag 2018 is set to kick off in the Dutch city of Gronigen in just under two weeks. Bigger than its Norwegian counterpart by:Larm, and fast closing in on the UK’s TGE, we ask just what is this European Music Conference and Showcase Festival all about?
Eurosonic Noorderslagis a Dutch based annual music showcase festival and conference in the mould of by:Larm and The Great Escape, which runs over four days each January. The first three ‘Eurosonic’ days feature a lineup of artists from across the length and breadth of Europe, while the fourth and last ‘Noorderslag’day focusses solely on Dutch acts.
Inaugurated in 1986, the four-day festival is renowned for breaking new music acts onto the international scene. Previous ‘ones to watch’ who played the annual music-fest include Hozier, Royal Blood, Dua Lipa, Aurora, Mø and Vök.
This year’s ESNS will showcase acts from 30+ countries over its four day duration. Just over 120 European acts, from Finland down to Portugal, and from Iceland across to the Ukraine, will display their musical wares in over 15 music venues across the Dutch city of Groningen. The final Nooderslag ‘Dutch day’ is based in De Oosterpoort.
Jade Bird on “Cathedral.”
This year’s lineup includes some of the best of emerging artists from not just the UK and Ireland, but the Nordics, as well as central and eastern Europe. UK&I music fans will be familiar with a lot of the confirmed names including Soule, Broen, Sigrid, Pale Honey, and IDER.
To view the full music festival timetable – CLICK HERE.
A delegate conference runs simultaneously with the music festival. Its four-day programme includes the EPIC(European Production Innovation Conference), Buma Music Meets Techand the European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP), founded by and unique to ESNS.
While EPIC focuses on innovation at festivals and venues, Buma Music meets Tech is an innovation programme that aims to support and promote start-ups; this year the topic of Blockchain is taking centre stage. Elsewhere on the conference programme ETEP will host an Artist Exchange Meeting, A Festival Lounge and Marketing Meeting (*Please note that attendance at ETEP is by invitation only).
GREAT DANES
This year’s Eurosonic festival is celebrating music from Denmark. ESNS18 will showcase performances by Danish artists together with having the Danish music scene front and centre of its delegate conference.
A part of the Nordic music region oft overshadowed by its Norwegian and Swedish neighbours, the last few years have seen Denmark’s new music scene thrive with the emergence of artists such as Blaue Blume, Palace Winter, MØ, and Danish-Irish artist Lukas Graham.
This year’s Danish delegation includes the sublime August Rosenbaum, dreamy electro-popper Soleima and EBBA award-winning Copenhagen trio Off Bloom whose hook filled blend of electro-trip-pop is addictive.
We’ve pulled together a diverse Denmark Blooms playlist featuring sounds from all 22 Danish acts that will perform live in Groningen.
BUGGER BREXIT
This year’s UK contingent is super exciting, not least because it includes several artists supported by BBC Introducing including the utterly captivating Fenne Lily, unique, life-poet Isaac Gracie, country-‘fluenced clear-voiced Jade Bird, turbo-voiced Sound of 2018′er Sam Fender, kickass Mancunian left-fielders Pale Waves, and Bristol-boy Keir, whose electrifying voice and brooding sounds have sent shivers down the spines of many a seasoned music pro. Special mention must go to BBC Introducing Devon‘s sublime Wildwood Kin – a DervSwerve fave!
Festival-goers are in for a real treat, as this year’s Brit line-up is weighed down with some serious talent. UK Tipsters won’t be surprised to see the inclusion of ‘ones to watch’ supergroup, Superorganism, in the ESNS frey!
Denmark aside, the Nordics is fast gaining a solid rep for producing seriously unique, left-field and above all, memorable music artists. We’ve sampled a small selection of the Nordic wow-factor in our ESNS – Nordiculously Good playlist. Long-term fans of the blog will be more than familiar with some of the ‘includees’.
THE IRISH FACTOR
The Irish have a long history, dating back to the 90’s, of playing Eurosonic. To celebrate that fact, renowned Irish 2fm DJ and new music advocate Dan Hegarty, with the help of producer Ian Wilson, pulled together a radio documentary which you can listen to via the Soundcloud link below. The 60-minute radio retrospective features music from legends of the Irish scene like The Frames, The Golden Horde and Jacknife Lee, as well as sounds from current incumbents such as James Vincent Mc Morrow and Soak.
Several Irish acts are set to play ESNS 2018. This year’s green lineup includes emerging acts such as fiery grunge-rockers Bitch Falcon, uber-awesomeDerry electro-popper Roe and enthralling lyrical poet Dermot Kennedy. The 2018 Irish cohort is representative of the diverse pool of superb talent that make up the current emerging music scene in Ireland. Check out our ‘Full-Irish’ playlist below to hear sounds from the entire green team.
Dublin Bowie Festival set to get ‘You Pretty Things’ ‘Dancing in the Street’. Bowie Birthday Bash & Homage will run over 7 days across venues citywide. The British music icon who was born on 8th January, died two years ago on 10th January.
The Dublin Bowie Festival will kick off a week long birthday celebration and homage to the artist fka the Thin White Duke on Thursday 4th January. The festival, featuring a week long programme of Bowie-themed events, will take place across myriad venues citywide, including the Light House Cinema, the Grand Social and NCAD. The festival’s run will take in the legendary music artist’s birthday, as well as marking the second anniversary of his passing.
Highlights of the festival include ‘My Life with Bowie’ – An Evening with Woody Woodmansey, Bowie’s long-standing drummer (The Sugar Club, 4th Jan), the Classic Album Night (Grand Social, 6th Jan), Transformer Master – Gavin Friday in Conversation with Eoin Devereux (DC Music Club, 7th Jan), Bowie’s Birthday Bash : the London Boys w/Special Guests (Grand Social, 8th Jan), and An Audience with Jonathan Barnbrook (Blackstar artwork) (NCAD, 10th Jan).
The festival also includes several Bowie-themed Art Exhibitions (admission free) as well as a family friend Bowie Brunch in the Woollen Mills on 7th with Today FM’s Ed Smith manning the decks. Elsewhwre, a night of glitter and glam is promised with drag queen Veda Beaux Reves over at the George (5th Jan).
However, the main attraction will surely be theBowie Ball, a glitter-spattered night of zowie Bowieness and space boots, set to an endless playlist of Bowie’s greatest hits. The ball will take place in the Sugar Club (10pm to 3am, Sat 6th January). Tickets €13.29.
For full details of the festival events and tickets, CLICK HERE.
Trans-global supergroup Superorganism announces self-titled debut album, details of extensive WW tour including dates in London and Manchester, as well as slots at some of Europe’s biggest music festivals.
Superorganism, an eight-piece band from everywhere and nowhere that have appeared to have sprung onto our radar virtually overnight, has just announced details of their self-titled debut album.
The band, whose members hail from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, has recently become quite ‘a thing’, bagging frequent airplay on radio shows like Lauren Lavern for BBC 6 Music and Annie Mac for BBC Radio 1. Superorganism is also featured in the BBC’s Sound of 2018 – a list of ones to watch, pulled together by BBC presenters, which also includes the hotly tipped Norwegian artist Sigrid. Their debut Superorganism album will release via Domino Records on 2nd March, 2018.
The self-produced album, which was recorded in the band’s East London home cum studio, incorporates influences from Beck and the Avalanches. A record that “beams with a sense of wonky fun”, it includes singles ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D.’ and ‘It’s All Good / Nobody Cares’ as well as latest release ‘Everybody Wants To Be Famous’ the newly dropped video for which you can watch below.
The Superorganism album will be available in various formats and packages; to pre-order, check out the links here:
* Standard LP – Gatefold LP, single vinyl, four page booklet, DL card
* Deluxe LP – Glow in the dark gatefold, single vinyl, four page booklet, DL card
Starting at Eurosonic on 19th January, Superorganism will be gigging across UK&I, Europe and the Americas throughout 2018. Set to play a host of festivals, their live show will be seen by festival-goers at by:Larm (Oslo), Forbidden Fruit (Dublin), Melt Festival(Germany) and again in Oslo at the city’s renowned Øyafestivalen. Full dates including details of their UK&I dates can be found herehttp://www.wearesuperorganism.com/#tour
IMRO has announced it will host a Music for Screen Networking event in its Dublin HQ on Wednesday 24th January. The open invitation is extended to those working in the audio visual related sectors.
IMRO, the Irish Music Rights Organisation has announced that it is to host a networking event for composers, publishers and music professionals working in the audiovisual and media content production sectors such as animation, film and video games. The event which will be held in the organisation’s Dublin offices on Pembroke Row, will take place on the evening of Wednesday 24th January, 2018.
The workshop-style event will afford attendees the opportunity to discuss and debate the findings of the recently published report “An Examination of the Music for Film & TV Sector in Ireland” (Sarah Glennane // IMRO/MCPSI) a link to which you’ll find here https://www.imro.ie/about-imro/research/music-screen-ireland/
The aim of this inclusive event is to provide an opportunity for peer to peer networking and an open forum that will enable industry professionals to share their experiences, both positive and negative, and to table ideas and strategise for the future.
Some of the topics which they hope will be covered on the night include,
Defining and mapping the sector – who, what, how and for whom;
Current status and health of the Irish Music for Screen Sector – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the sector and those working in it;
Screen Composers Guild – Is one needed and how best could it be established? Looking at international experience and across other audiovisual sectors;
Demonstrating the significance of Music for Screen and the value and importance of a strong domestic sector;
International engagement – Establishing and promoting Ireland as a world class supplier of Music for Screen and ancillary services.
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