Katie Bevan

Following the success of his ‘comeback’ album ‘Following My Intuition’ (2016), David has just released his seventh studio album ‘The Time Is Now’ and I had the privilege of listening to the album a few days early during Sony’s listening party (spoiler: it’s full to the brim with HUGE hits). 

Opening with the undeniably catchy ‘Magic’, a song that had toes tapping throughout the room in Insanity Records’ headquarters on Wednesday, and one that saw smiles intensify across the faces of those who had been eagerly anticipating this album, the record incorporates a mix of Craig’s ‘old’ and ‘new’. ‘Somebody Like Me’ sees a collaboration with grime MC AJ Tracey, a genre inspired by the garage scene which saw David as a torchbearer, meanwhile ‘For The Gram’ allows the star to play with autotune, an experiment that he knows will be divisive. This fusion of styles means that there’s something for everyone, and with a fanbase spanning generations due to his career’s longevity, it’s certainly a wise move. 

Anyhow, ‘Talk To Me Pt. II’ (featuring Ella Mai) proves that David has not strayed far from his R&B roots - ‘you know I love a slow jam at the best of times... jheeeeeze!’ was the short-but-sweet statement about the track provided by the 36-year-old as he talked through the album with us at Sony, and it says it all. It’s Craig David at his finest.

Sitting comfortably amongst the new tracks are ‘Heartline’ and ‘I Know You’, two highly successful singles, with the latter presenting an unexpected but highly popular collaboration with Bastille, reaching the UK Top 10 and bagging a spot on BBC’s ‘Sounds Like Friday Night’. It’s clear however that David is far from defining his success by chart statistics; whilst being incredibly grateful for those numbers sat alongside his records, he explained how both the #1 record and #30 record will receive the same reception in the club (and it’s fair to say that we should trust him given his TS5 expertise). On that note, 'Focus’ is the album’s real dance track, guaranteed to be lining summer playlists from London to Ibiza in 2018. 

The track list in itself could be an appetising teaser for a festival lineup, enjoying further collaborations with Chase & Status, JP Cooper, and American rapper GoldLink. It’s evident that the music still does the talking, especially in era of streaming and the easily accessible pre-created playlists, David’s extensive collection of collaborations and continued success can be equally attributed to the fact that he’s been correctly branded as ‘one of the nicest guys in the business’. His ‘rise and fall’ has notably spurred a irremovable thankfulness; his continuous gratitude and transparent humility is endearing; his position in the music industry is well-deserved.

Just as it was yesterday, just as it was in 2000, and just as it will be for a long time to come, Craig David’s time is now.

Something a bit different to start off 2018! 

I was asked by my university’s student paper, The Print at Queen Mary University of London, to write an article after some of my footage from the Teen Awards was used without consent. You can read the article here - I’d love to know what you think!

The Jazz Cafe, London - 14th December 2017.

Help Refugees is the leading UK NGO in a new movement of humanitarian aid, with the mission of responding to the genuine needs of refugees. Since being founded in 2015, their work has expanded to the funding of over 70 projects across Europe and the Middle East, giving refugees the vital support they need at a time of devastation for many. From saving lives in a conflict-filled Syria, to helping children back into education in Lebanon, to helping refugees closer to home within the UK, their work is invaluable. You can find out more about what they do and how you can help here.

On December 14th, Tom Odell took over the intimate ‘Jazz Cafe’ with the help of many friends, including comedian Shappi Khorsandi, straight from the airport after her time in the celebrity jungle. Odell performed hits from both of his albums, as well as previewing new music from his (completed!) third album with the help of Birdy, all to raise money for Help Refugees. 

Another beautiful example in 2017 of how music can bring people together.

Following the release of his debut EP 'The Night Before', Insanity Records' Cameron Bloomfield took to The Waiting Room stage on Monday to perform his increasingly talked about material. Having had a recent push from BBC Introducing Essex, he's now no stranger to the radio!

Having previously presented Cameron as one of my ‘ones to watch’ (you can read all about my take on his EP here), I had the privilege of chatting to Cameron before his show. We spoke about everything from the EP collecting impressive stats on Spotify to the best Christmas present he ever bought, and the potential for his family to be the Essex von Trapps! You can listen to the interview here.

Aged 22 and hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Tash Sultana is well deserving of her ‘one-woman band’ title. Having got into music from an extremely young age, starting playing guitar aged three, she now plays over twenty instruments; a statistic that becomes even more impressive upon learning that they’re all self-taught. 

Despite this prodigious musicianship, Sultana’s talent doesn’t stop there as her music boasts smoky vocals, loop pedals and impressive beat-boxing. She found spotlight posting videos on YouTube, as many artists have in recent years, with her live bedroom recording of ‘Jungle’ having surpassed 8 million views. Her EP ‘Notion’ was released through an independent record label, gaining recognition at the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Awards and her debut album is expected in 2018, with similar critical acclaim expected to follow (no pressure Tash).

Sultana has found a gap in the market and rightfully claimed it; there truly is nobody like her, she’s a powerhouse of talent and is ready to dominate.

You can catch Tash at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on September 20th 2018 - tickets available here.

Bad Sounds have just been named as a nominee for MTV's Brand New list for 2018, as well as having support from BBC's Annie Mac under their belt. If the Bath-born band aren't already a group that you're familiar with then that's most likely about to change!

I got to chat to Callum and Ewan, the brothers that front the band, behind the scenes before their biggest headline show to date, and final night of their PHRESSSH tour, at Scala (London). We spoke about everything from the potential for a Bad Sounds advent calendar to the release of their latest single 'Are You High?' - have a listen to the interview here!

Scala, London - 23rd November 2017.

Before taking to the stage, the ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ classic that is ‘September’ filled Scala’s speakers and saw a sprightly crowd of millennials singing along - the perfect introductory track for what will be remembered as 90 minutes of sheer joy from Bad Sounds.

In all honesty, the band’s set and outfits deserve a blog post of their own (I’m sure somebody will get writing that very soon, if they haven’t already); balloons, confetti, a light-up stage, boiler suits and karate outfits; a list that only begins to capture the beautiful madness of their show. Ewan and Callum, the two brothers that front the Bath-based band, performed in front of large mock-ups of their faces, and best of all, it was for no particular reason. ‘Do you like our big heads? Who the f*ck do we think we are?’ is one of many humourous lines from the duo, illustrating that they’re far from egotistical (or if they are, they’re willing to mock themselves for it).

Whilst the self-proclaimed ‘boogie section of the evening’ is filled with hit tracks such as ‘Zacharia’ and ‘Living Alone’, both evident fan favourites, the band also took the opportunity to try out a new track. ‘We’re gonna try a new one ... don’t cheer yet, it might be sh*t’ was its introduction, a stark but welcome contrast from the usual approach whereby artists outline the ‘story’ of the song; Bad Sounds just want everyone to have a ‘boogie’ and worry about the lyrics later. It worked.

With a packed out crowd, their latest single ‘Are You High?’ went down a treat, and despite having only been released just over a week prior to the gig, their fans did not falter with the lyrics. Meanwhile ‘Wages’ is fast approaching one million streams and acted as the perfect show closer, joined on stage by an incredible horn quartet and an impressive ‘thank you’ sign right at the end (I told you that the set was wonderfully extravagant).

Already having been championed by BBC’s Annie Mac and now MTV, you better be ready to embrace their craziness in 2018.

MTV’s European Music Awards (EMAs) @ SSE Wembley Arena

Oh Wonder @ O2 Academy Brixton, London.

Eventim Apollo - 30th October 2017.

No stranger to being the name in lights (or headlines), Harry Styles is embarking on his first tour as a solo artist - a long-awaited string of shows since One Direction announced their ‘hiatus’ in 2015. Returning to the Eventim Apollo nearly seven years after his band performed on their debut tour, at the then-called Hammersmith Apollo, Styles is armed with hits from a best-selling album and a ‘rock god’ stage presence that oozes cool.

With plenty of experience with screaming crowds, Styles knows exactly what to say to please the audience - ‘it’s as simple as I don’t do this unless you come [and it] would be pretty self-esteem shattering if you didn’t, so thank you, I love you all’ - and yet there is no question about his sincerity and humility. Despite touring the biggest stadiums in the world, he is clearly still touched every time people flock (or in this case, camp five days) to see him perform.

The set works its way through the album tracks from his debut, bringing each song to life live for the first time in the UK. His latest single ‘Kiwi’ gets the biggest response, with fans chanting for the song from the start and even throwing the fruit on stage - leading Styles to slip on the stage on what he later declared to be ‘green mush’ - and he provides a reprise of the track towards the end of the show, much to their delight.

Not only has Styles matured as an artist with his solo sound, evident with his rock rendition of One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, but so has his crowd. When asking whether many in the Eventim Apollo had seem him perform their previously with his ‘four best friends’, I was one of few to have cheered - the crowd is not solely teenage girls as the demographic trend is no longer obvious. However, the diversity of the crowd is also helped by the large number of European flags being manically waved in the hope of gaining Styles’ attention, as fans have evidently travelled to see the star at one of his only ‘home’ theatre shows. 

Nonetheless, there is absolutely no shame in packing venues with young girls, as Styles proudly discussed in his interview for the ‘Rolling Stone’:

‘Who's to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That's not up to you to say. Music is something that's always changing. There's no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they're not serious? How can you say young girls don't get it? They're our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don't lie. If they like you, they're there. They don't act 'too cool.' They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick."’

With little information online apart from the occasional interview, outlining the fact that resides in Essex and has worked on his EP for almost five years, and a YouTube channel with just the one upload, stumbling upon Cameron Bloomfield’s debut release ‘The Night Before’ was a very fortunate coincidence.

Described by Bloomfield himself in a tweet as ‘the struggle with identify, relationships, freedom and truth’ (it’s a very funky presentation of these struggles though, promise), the five-track debut boasts musicality and a unique combining of multiple genres, from bluesy piano in ‘Change’ to R&B rhythms in ‘Talk’, and from a soulful ‘Bones’ to a closing track, ‘K.’, which features an EDM inspired backing. The latter track effortlessly possesses similarities with BRITs Critics’ Choice Award Jack Garratt, with Bloomfield’s powerful voice perfectly complimenting a synthesised instrumental. 

The EP’s stand-out song is arguably ‘Get In Get Out’, an energetic and compelling merging of a funk sound with his soulful vocals - a song which is bound to have increasing success over the coming months, having already sneaked its way into the Spotify UK Viral Top 50 a few weeks back. 

Having not been drawn to a debut release like this in a while, here’s hoping the EP in its entirety bags itself the attention and praise it deserves online too.

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - 20th October 2017.

Having caught my attention from being in the same musical circle as the likes of Loyle Carner and Tom Misch - specifically following his collaboration with the latter on the track ‘Midnight Mischief’ - as well as catching part of his sit-in show on BBC Radio 1Xtra, I was particularly anticipating seeing Jordan Rakei live. The twenty-five year old, born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, has taken to the stage to tour his second album ‘Wallflower’.

Taking a seat in the venue’s first tier (one of three) welcomed a view of an already full floor, well before Rakei was due to take to the stage, enjoying a support act of exuberant session musicians who were joyfully entertaining a highly appreciative audience. The tone for the evening was set; a night of encapsulating, transporting and soul-filled music.

Rakei’s appreciation for live music stretches beyond his choice of support act as his performance is complimented throughout by a five-strong band, playing from elevated platforms and sharing the frontman’s spotlight - far from the supposedly ever frequent ‘background’ role of musicians. It’s a show that is instrumentally driven, evidently different from the hip-hop electronic show which his debut album ‘Cloak’ arguably lent itself to.

Perhaps this band camaraderie is important to Rakei when touring not only in a musical sense, but also for a sense of comfort as he has frequently spoken both in interviews and within his music about his struggles with social anxiety. He describes the record ‘Wallflower’ as having been written whilst he battled his inner demons, and as a result is a significantly more ethereal and moody album than his debut. 

The tall and slim figure that graces the stage appears to exude confidence, joking about that he has played in the capital seven times and so ‘[people] should know the words by now’ and frequently suggesting that the audience ‘cop the vinyl’ if they hadn’t already, and yet this self-assurance is contradicted by Rakei’s lyrics. 

A personal favourite, ‘Nerve’ has the prominent line ‘how can I find a reason to love you, when I don’t love myself?’, one of many lyrics vocalising his ongoing struggle with self-acceptance. Meanwhile, ‘Sorceress’ provokes a singalong amongst the crowd at the end of the gig, despite Rakei singing of ‘darkness growing over [him] silently’. 

The multi-talented singer-songwriter has achieved something rather special - a collection of highly personal songs which, whilst being extremely relatable for those who have experienced or continue to struggle with anxiety, avoid isolating those who cannot empathise. Jordan Rakei’s innovative musicality within his creation ‘Wallflower’, irrespective of whether the lyrics speak for the listener, deserves a packed-out crowd in itself.