2020S ROARING NEW MUSIC TRADE
A newer wave of entertainment, organically growing by collaboration. So much happening in Britain and Ireland’s interdependent rock n roll world that this decade is already flavoured.
Talking of SOMA, Modern Age Music are one of the interdependent promoters crossbred with various events, peers and, last year especially, Pistonhead Lager, Indie Central Music, Jack Wood (Radio X) and another riser, Louise Schofield!
Couples, Weekend Recovery, Drusila, Galaxy Thief,
Record Street, Cafe Aspen, Aerial Salad and Saint Ivy are among stirling London / Manchester Modern Age Ones To Watch 2020: https://modernagemusic.co.uk/
Situationism has gifted us a seminal, surreal entertainment business. We are living/documenting under an austerity inflicted radar. Interdependent fusions ooze positivity, trading talents and contacts, thus bolstering funding and sponsorship, if there’s any.
It’s no surprise that This Feeling is an artery at the heart of what’s exciting. Annual Big In fest zones are “The Brits of Buzz”.
This Feeling need no hype/cock suck etc. Our annual recommendation is GRAB TICKETS QUICK. Big In 2020 will sell out! Nice one TF, Red Stripe and Pirate Studios.
When TheZineUK began (with punk’n’poetry) sheeple cynics were still bleating “guitar music is dead”. We weren’t having that bollocks, and neither was the nation’s biggest, socially inclusive music lovers zone, This Feeling.
Now we’re all part of a rising thrill with no piss-poor contrived “backstories”. It’s all too real for us.
Some of us gotta break glass ceilings to stay fed and sheltered, let alone afford to live the music lives we’re born to. No rage, no fresh ideas. How the fuck we’re still in this, I dunno. But 2020, bring it ON. We’re stronger (and creating fun)
Over the last few years, especially, more working-class artists got onto festivals and hard-pressed talent proved their vital urgency truly entertains. This Feeling have helped to improve the musical landscape with essential tours/gigs nationwide.
Paths cross in guitar band world. Ivory Wave headlined Modern Age Ones To Watch 2019. After Big In 2020 they became Big Image.
I really dig that Madame So is in the ‘Year of Rage’ video below, then played Kick Out The Jams‘s Camden Mix Up the month after deux furieuses. launched their hugely applauded second album ‘Year Of Rage’, completely appropriate for NOW.
Our Rock story is Future, and also Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Big Mama Thornton inspired. Diverse unity, social cohesion beyond gigs to friendship, much laughter and essential escapism.
Madame So supporting Sick Love at their first London headlined. Another superb Camden Mix Up.
Zeenagers range from teens – like Hive Mentality (who met MOSES travelling to play Kick Out The Jams) – to original punks like Bruno Wizard of The Homosexuals. Enriching our USP in an ageism age.
Generations unite (like TF regulars, The Velvet Hands, The Assist and Arcades, supporting The Bluetones). A couple of years ago, Mark Morriss of the Britpop chart toppers, was down the front for pre-2019-stadium thrilling Bang Bang Romeo when they graced This Feeling’s stage at The Roundhouse for Music Venue Trust Fightback.
Saw Mark again at the end of December. Beard has gone, the voice, fans, charm and style remain!
People over 40. STFU that you have “seen/heard it all before”.
When was the last time we were rocking love and peace in a climate emergency endangered, fascist coup with amoeba-brained puppets trying to start world war 3? Bore off – or get in a gig with us and get a (good) life. Bloody beautiful new sounds twisting Dystopia’s melons, man.
Musical activists from this tapestry wage resistant love; like Big Joanie and The Tuts. December’s For The Many Tour included – The Pagans S.O.H., Couples, Sisteray, The Novus and Bobby Strangebones – joining The Blinders. Better to try and fail, than fail to try. Love them all extra for this. Fuck The Tories, still, though.
STRANGE BONES are something else. Understatement. A 21st century phenomenon
We start 2020 with hundreds of friends finding each other. Unforgettable adventures keep coming.
Nationwide, gig friends recognise faces. Artists, fans, bloggers, independent industry… Audiences are the essential part of what sometimes feels like we’re in a movie. A few even become crew. We document a movement of hanging out MOMENTS.
This counter culture party is warm, welcoming, imperfect but never dull. Great to see Arxx, The Mysterines, Zuzu, Inhaler and Arlo Parks in the NME 100 for 2020. A media name that their parents may have read. Ace, also to see the line ups on this page. The tips exchanged by interdependent writers, photographers, film makers, promoters, bar gigglers and crazy dancers, are equally valid and often ahead.
I rounded off 2019 with the band that kicked off The Camden Mix Up, Smiley & The Underclass. You may have met Smiley on the door at Kick Out The Jams events, nice quiet lad. Gets on stage fronting “the dub Clash”, heroes of the growing Wonderclass, and the place goes wild. I went with A&R (20th/21st century biz shakers, Andy Winters and KOTJ’s Roger Kent of Kent.
You can’t hype scenes now people DIY their own and Mau Mau Bar was packed with 4REAL Vibration. A few days earlier in Cologne…
Kick Out The Jams, itself, kicks arse on 16th January with a mid month shindig and a half to start a year that’s already looking huge, as previously mentioned.
Only £5 advance to be part of the Interdependent Music. This line up buzzes like amped up beehives.
I wouldn’t bother waiting for people who aren’t excited or at gigs to tell you what’s happening next. Follow some Music Tourist Board. Maybe start with the above, plus DecoloniseFest, CroCroLand, Loud Women, Get In Her Ears, End Of The Trail, Northern Exposure and Benumu and make your own minds up.
It’s what TheZineUK is about; an immersive performance theatre of drama and accidental comedy by romantic hearts and poetic souls. It takes years to develop skint careers. In our first five years, exceptional talent helped to seed a new entertainment network of potential. By the end of Pic book 1, Nova Twins hadn’t even formed yet. Rupert’s image from TryLifeTV club scene at Amersham Arms. Believe in and stand by your stars if you feel them twinkle.
The Music People Party is TheZineUK’s closest thing to end/start of year stuff. It felt like punk re-broke and charged our collective batteries. Joy, Sadness, Heroes, Villains, despair but especially HOPE soundtracked.
No offence to the mainstream. Congrats are due to anybody that can make it in Entertainment, but
The Birmingham Music Awards tweets stole my attention 13 minutes into The Brits 2019. Each to their own audience and in this liar liar planet’s on fire era we need ear worm anthems.
Radio support has made a world of difference where no print weekly now exists. Blogs are rising (gwan Elly Bailey and Sahera Walker (Queen of Brick Lane with Werkhaus, too) on selling out limited print runs). Respect to all Indie sites that scout with panache and support with passion.
Music Women HAVING it! Equity for equality also from more of TheZineUK’s contributors; Susan Hansen is recommended by Liam Gallagher. Katie Owen starting 2018 presenting her first filmed interview for us, with The Velvet Hands, at This Feeling Big In 2018. She ended 2019 presenting on BBC Radio 1. A year when the band themselves supported Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher, stormed the festivals and played a sold out This Feeling tour).
Toby Mitchell of The Velvet Hands with The Music People Party DJ, Nineties Mike (This Feeling) belting out bangers.
We are all untypical.
Previously mentioned, Louise Schofield has a wealth of new projects this year. Watch out for interviews she recently made with us. The first live Future Picks happens in London on 29th January. £6 Tickets to be entertained, involved and supportive.
Interdependence. An exciting addition to Mainstream and Indie business. It feels like the Newer Wave is the most fun, escapist and loving community, right now…
Gonna leave you with a key concert. What The Novus did recently makes them one of the Planet’s most needed fresh forces. They built this set from scratch, promoted it like The original Blues Brothers movie and packed a Birmingham’s warehouse, reclaiming a global Rock Capital that burns increasingly brighter each year. #JoinTheNoise – of course they’re a TF Big In 2020 tip.
A myriad of creators, contributors, politics, education and events make resistance a Fertile Environment. Share each other’s news to grow your own story, and be HERE now. Peace wishes, and out.
p.s. Hmm. Nice decade. We’ll all take it to go, thanks.
Words: Caffy St luce