Janelle Monáe UK gigs, political and diva under one quiff

The list of illustrious admirers is long and diverse – of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, Prince, P Diddy – and her performances have gather comparisons with the likes of Bowie and Grace Jones. But Janelle Monáe seems so comfortable in her skin that none of the big names appear to worry or intimidate her. The daughter of a janitor mother and a truck driver, herself having worked as a maid and at Blockbuster, she looks sophisticated and sexy in her gravity defying black power quiff and black and white clothes that seem to belong to Fred Astaire. Monáe is as much about music as she is about image, both being very similar creatures in the arty world she inhabits, the world of elaborated personas, theatrical performances and sheer originality.

Monáe is a diva, and, as such, she’s been defying pop music standards with concept albums that allure to a sci-fi world in which Cindi Mayweather, her alter-ego, becomes a messiah to the android community of Metropolis, a place divided between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, just like that other place we all know about. Not surprisingly, minorities are constantly in her radar screen, be them immigrants, homosexuals or blacks. The Kansas City-born draws inspiration from a wide range of musical and cinematic sources, Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis being the main inspiration in her latest album, the terrific The ArchAndroid. Prone to describe her urban-soul-hip-hop songs using words as transformative and liberating, Monáe clearly believes in the power of art. Listen closely to her and you will soon believe in it, too.

Janelle Monáe UK tour dates: London Alexandra Palace supporting Vampire Weekend (Dec 02, 03), London Shepherds Bush Empire (Dec 05), Manchester Academy 2 (Dec 06).

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Mark Ronson and Business Intl. UK tour dates

On a recent promotional video Mark Ronson literally destroyed a harmless trumpet, explaining he didn’t want any brass sections, which became his trademark, in the new album Record Collection. For his third studio work he also decided to avoid recording covers, parting ways with his successful 2007 album Version, that featured songs from Radiohead to The Smiths with notorious vocals collaborations (Amy Winehouse and Lilly Allen to name a few), achieving three top ten charts and wining a Brit Award for Best Male artist in 2008.

Since launching himself in a solo career with the 2003 album Here Comes The Fuzz, Ronson has been under the challenge of proving his talents as an artist of his own right along his already successful work as a music producer and co-founder of Allido Records, receiving Grammy Awards and working with mainstream acts such as Kasabian and Robin Williams.

Record Collection has only original songs and features guest vocalists Boy George and Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon, among others, bringing instead of horns infinite layers of synthesizers and big beats. The new album will be released under the name Mark Ronson and The Business Intl. and the single Bang Bang Bang is already out and riding high in the charts.

Mark Ronson and The Business Intl. will play the following dates: Bristol Academy (Sept 27), Birmingham HMV Institute (Sept 28), London Hackney Empire (Sept 29), Glasgow ABC (Oct 01), Manchester Academy (Oct 02), Leeds Academy (Oct 03).

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Morcheeba to play one-off London gig. The Skye is the limit

Sacking a manager is often traumatic for bands, as it’s sacking a drummer or a guitarist. But sacking a singer has nearly always proven fatal. Morcheeba’s identity has been always intimately linked to Skye Edwards whisky-and-honey vocals and when she was given the red card, in 2002, a good bite of the band’s charm evaporated overnight.

It was such a bad decision that, contrary to the old say, this time the mistakes of the fool were known not only to the world but also to himself and earlier this year the brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey reunited with Skye. The seventh and latest album, Blood Like Lemonade, is Morcheeba as we know and love it: chill-out and sexy, delicate and eclectic, sexy and soulful. The only downturn is that we know it too well, it’s like listening to the albums Big Calm or Fragments of Freedom.

But if their most recent work fails to innovate, it could still be worse. Listening to Morcheeba and not recognizing them as it happened in the album The Antidote, for example, was traumatic for fans, and so was the total lack of unity in the follow-up, Dive Deep. The trip-Hop legends long awaited reunion seems to be good enough news for now and leaves the promise of many great songs to come, management permitting and no further cuts to personnel added.

Morcheeba will play at Roundhouse on Oct 23.

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Erykah Badu shows her rich mix of influences in one-off London gig

It’s not easy to get to grips with Erykah Badu. Her voice is at times so dramatic and at others comes out like a whisper. Her figure is colorful and inviting but at the same time she seems out of reach. The artwork of her albums mix futuristic references with what could easily be in a new age book cover. Some songs tend to hip hop, some to jazz, and others to 70s R&B, weaving disparate influences together to create a patchwork of sounds. The lyrics have highly personal and political content, and at times both inhabited the same song. And it’s precisely amid this chaos and oddity that resides the wonder of Erykah Badu’s music and her individuality.

Her fifth studio album, the sophisticated New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) is a follow up to New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) and, as such, didn’t bring much surprises or disappointments to those following her career. Possibly in an attempt to stir things up a bit, Erykah Badu shoot a controversial guerilla-style music video for the song Window Seat. In it, she takes her clothes off while walking at the site in Dallas where President Kennedy was assassinated. Badu said the video was a protest against “group think”. She was charged with disorderly conduct and punished by a fine. The promo video circulated everywhere and yes, got people talking and things were a bit more exciting after its release last March. Just like in Old America.

Erykah Badu will play a one-off London gig on July 24.

Bestival Tickets The Year of the Fantastic is fantastic indeed

If when you think music festivals the image that comes to mind is that of flooding loos, corporate banners, dodgy burgers, hot beers and elbow exercising, think again. Bestival and other so-called boutique festivals are on a mission to change the face of festival culture. Organized by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob that Bank and his wife Josie, Bestival is held in the beautiful Robin Hill country park in the Isle of Wight since 2004, when it was attended by 10,000 people – a figure which has since increased to around 40,000.

Besides being more intimate and to its non-corporate feel, Bestival is also known for piloting odd and innovative ideas, such as offering yoga, massage and therapies, sumptuous cocktails bar with chandelier set all, burlesque-themed afternoon tea, a Pamper Lounge offering hair styling, manicures and make up, organic breakfasts and handmade piesto mention only a few indulgences.

The line-up is even more amusing than the chandeliers: Dizzee Rascal, the amazing Flaming Lips, Prodigy, Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco, Roxy Music, Mumford & Sons, Jonsi (Sigur Ros frontman), The XX and Cornershop, to mention only a few.
You don’t need any more convincing, do you?

When: 9 -12th September 2010
Where: Robin Hill Countryside Adventure park, Isle of Wight
2010 fancy dress theme: Fantasy

Check also its baby sister Camp Bestival

When: July 30, 31st & August 1stWhere: Lulworth Castle, Dorset

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Hip hop sensation Drake to play debut album, Thank me Later, in London gigs

In the 60s and 70s, the legendary Motown Records was synonymous with talent and its founder, Berry Gordy, claimed to be making history. Indeed, never before the music of Black America was sold to vast audiences regardless of race. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Jackson 5 were among the many hits that were proof of Gordy`s point.
Universal Motown, the contemporary incarnation of Motown Records, still represents some important names in the industry but its relevance has diminished somewhat, with artists such as Lindsey Lohan in their catalogue. Nevertheless, it was the label chosen by hip hop sensation Drake after a dispute that apparently involved courting from other two major labels and a libel threat from a certain Universal big name, but that’s another story.

The Canadian Aubrey Drake Graham, originally known for playing a character on the popular television series Degrassi, is releasing his first studio album, Thank Me Later, on June 15. It seems very early days, but in fact Lil Wayne`s protégé is a rare case of Internet phenomenon gone viral – Drake`s MySpace page registers over 30 million profile views and his third independent mix tape, So Far Gone, found its way to radio stations and earned him a few awards nominations. Motown behind Drake`s already meteoric career is like a wedding between tradition and digital marketing. The child of such a union is awaiting to be heard.

Drake is supporting Jay-Z in Manchester on June 07 and Birmingham on June 09. He is also headlining London Shepherd’s Bush Empire on July 12 and 13.

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Black Eyed Peas the E.N.D. world tour comes to the UK

Black Eyed Peas have been around for quite some time now, but its only
fair to recognize that Stacy ‘Fergie’ Ferguson brought some fresh air and dusted off what was colourless and dull. Black Eyed Peas was suddenly interesting again. Their third album, Elephunk, was the group’s first to feature the vocals of Fergie and also the group`s first big hit.
Since then the LA group have been constantly surprising with their mix
of techno and RnB, turning the band leader Will.I.Am into one of the hottest names in the music industry. He has since performed with Prince, worked with (and courted) Cheryl Cole and produced the successful Fergie solo album.
Black Eyed Peas last record, The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), is full of bubble gum songs, computerised voices and electro beats, reassuring their commitment to a good party. Its interesting how they fit into hip hop culture as much as they do into a trendy DJ’s set list, appealing to a vast audience and promoting light-hearted fun. If you are among those trying to ignore Black Eyed Peas ascent and still don’t know how to sing along I Gotta Feeling, well, “you are so 2000 and late”.

The E.N.D. World Tour 2010 comes to the UK in May. Black Eyed Peas play in Dublin, London, Manchester and Birmingham. Tickets are on sale now.
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Gil Scott-Heron’s one-off London gig is a treat

More than relevant, he is a truly original. Yes, we are talking genius here, we are talking Gil Scott-Heron, American poet, rap pioneer, revolutionary writer, visionary, political activist and godfather of hip hop among many other titles and adjectives. He is part of that select group of people that are never part of a scene, they are the scene itself, or those few artists that don’t influence this or that person, but everything and everyone that comes after them.

After 16 long years of silence thanks to drug addiction and spells in prison, 2010 was the lucky year that saw him return with an incredibly good album. Expectations for the long awaited new work were not only met, they were squashed à la Scott-Heron style. I’m New Here sounds the opposite of its title: as if Scott-Heron has always been connected to the present world and knows what to do artistically and how to conquer our hearts. Gil’s spirit came out intact, inspired and reflective from his dark and unsteady personal journey and this comeback is one of those moments in time that will not only became history but also produce precious and unforgettable anecdotes for those fortunate enough to be around.

Gil Scott-Heron will play at O2 Brixton Academy on Nov 14.

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There comes M.I.A., with a bang and UK tour dates

Every time we hear from M.I.A., a loud bang is to follow. This year proved to be typical: first there was the banned music video depicting a genocide against red heads, where a handsome young boy is shot on the head. “Graphic violence”, “viral”, and “banned”; the most loved words in the music industry all in one act, how very effective. Then there was a 8-page special report in the New York Times, not bad at all for a London girl of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, no matter the ironies along the text, and there were plenty. After all, media space is good no matter what. Or maybe not?

In M.I.A.’s world, better than a NYT’s magazine cover is a personal fight with the writer responsible for it, Lynn  Hirschberg. So in a tweet came the silly act of ranting about the text and publishing the reporter’s mobile number. What followed was many other 8-page about it everywhere. Unethical for some, M.I.A.’s response was just another great idea in the pop planet, where ethics is a very relative concept.

So we watched the video, we heard the bang, we talked about the row, and then, strategically, we were offered a new album and now a Fall tour. Business as usual. Sometimes noise preceding a new release is only a distraction for bad songs – the louder, the poorer. It’s not the case here, however. Regardless politics, MAYA, the album and the tour, show her doing what artists usually do: art. It’s good to see the British rapper showing off her talents as a singer-songwriter instead of marketing genius. Hip hop dressed in gala and spiced with pop won’t change the world just yet, but expect it to get brighter.

M.I.A.’s UK tour dates: O2 Academy Brixton London (Nov 10), The Academy Oxford (Nov 11), Warehouse Project Manchester (Nov 13), Academy 2 Liverpool (Nov 19), Leeds Academy (Nov 20).

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