Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

The Ends Festival (Lloyd Park Croydon) is almost here! Island Records has some amazing artists performing over the weekend including Damien Marley, Masego, Donae'o, Sneakbo & Miraa May. The Ends Festival 31st May, 1st and 2nd June. Scroll down for Island Records Artist Bio's.. Island Artists 👀👀👀 Damian Marley Damian Marley . The youngest son of Reggae legend Bob Marley, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley garnered his own place in music history when he became the first ever Reggae artist to win a GRAMMY outside of the Reggae category, taking home an award for Best Urban/Alternative performance for his title single, "Welcome To Jamrock." In addition the acclaimed 2005 breakthrough album, also entitled Welcome To Jamrock, won the GRAMMY for Best Reggae Album. Damian followed Jamrock with the hugely acclaimed album "Distant Relatives", his collaboration with hip hop legend Nas. The album spawned the anthemic single "As We Enter&quo

Hailing from the suburbs of Auckland, 19-year-old artist Bene releases her latest single “Evil Spider”. Off the heels of her breakout alt-pop moment “ Soaked with over 17M global streams, the up and coming singer songwriter is set to come to the UK next month, playing her first London headline show at The Waiting Room on 5 June, and performs at Omeara and Bushstock Festival. Bene today also announces her debut EP is set for release on June 28th.   Bene says of new single, “‘Evil Spider’ is about wanting someone that’s already taken. When writing the song, I didn’t wanna make the lyrics too obviously evil, so I thought I’d turn myself into the spider, making it a lil lighter and making the song revolve around me weaving webs to lure the person, catch ‘em like a spider then reel them in. I remember humming ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ in the studio, which inspired the playful vibe of the song.” Bene has emerged as New Zealand’s artist to watch with her chart-topping hit “ Soaked ,” whi

The Australian singer songwriter is also set to play his biggest UK headline tour this month, adding a second Shepherds Bush Empire headline on 16 April and regional shows due to popular demand. April 15 London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire SOLD OUT April 16 London O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire April 18 Glasgow SWG3 April 19 Manchester O2 RITZ BUY TOUR TICKETS HERE   LISTEN TO ‘A PLACE WE KNEW’ ALBUM HERE WATCH DEAN PERFORM ON JIMMY KIMMEL HERE Dean Lewis catapulted into the UK top 15 with the Platinum selling “Be Alright”, racking up 350M global Spotify streams, before dropping the stunning new single “7 Minutes”. Bittersweet memories of past romance is the thread that runs through the 12-track debut LP, “All the songs were written through relationships I’d been in and houses I used to live in and hotel rooms,” says Lewis. A trip to the UK in 2016 saw Lewis team up with producers Edd Hol

Fresh from performing his new single ‘Stay Awake’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and being named Apple’s global Up Next Artist earlier this week, Dean Lewis today releases his highly anticipated debut album A Place We Knew. The Australian singer songwriter is also set to play his biggest UK headline tour next month, adding a second Shepherds Bush Empire headline on 16 April and regional shows due to popular demand. Dean Lewis catapulted into the UK top 15 with the Platinum selling “Be Alright”, racking up 350M global Spotify streams, before dropping the stunning new single “7 Minutes”. Bittersweet memories of past romance is the thread that runs through the 12-track debut LP, “All the songs were written through relationships I’d been in and houses I used to live in and hotel rooms,” says Lewis. A trip to the UK in 2016 saw Lewis team up with producers Edd Holloway and Nick Atkinson at The Barn studio in North London, a partnership that not only led to ‘Waves’ , 4 x Platinum ARIA singl

Today Sigrid announces her biggest headline tour to date commencing in November 2019, performing at London’s Eventim Apollo and 3Arena in Dublin, alongside huge regional venues. The Norwegian pop star is set to release her highly anticipated debut album Sucker Punch on 8 March, and continues her A-List record success with the defiant single ‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’, which Sigrid performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. Fans can get priority access for tickets on the pre-order link below, and tickets go on general sale on 1 March. The 22-year-old’s epic songs are tales of the unexpected; fearless musical collages and shout-outs to human resilience, starting at the piano in Norway, “There’s a certain grace to heartache”, says Sigrid, “A sort of…epic grace! I like good, heartfelt pop songs,” which is the foundation of Sigrid’s extraordinary debut Sucker Punch. Sigrid’s rebellious pop was catapulted into the public consciousness with the zeitgeist defining ‘Don’t

Today Sigrid announces her highly anticipated debut albumSucker Punch, set for release on 1 March 2019 on Island Records. The Norwegian pop star’s experience over the last year has been the backdrop for her debut record. From writing at the piano of the stunning Ocean Sound Recordings in her hometown of Alesund, to winning the BBC Sound of 2018, Sigrid’s epic songs are tales of the unexpected; fearless musical collages and shout-outs to human resilience. “I figured out early on that it’s gonna be difficult for me to try and be anything other than who I am. I always said if I’m gonna do this it’s easiest to be myself and look like myself, where I can recognise myself,” Says Sigrid. Sigrid’s defiant pop was catapulted into the public consciousness last year with the zeitgeist defining ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’; the certified-Gold ‘Strangers’, A-List record ‘High Five’, critically lauded RAW EP and new single ‘Sucker Punch’. The pop prodigy has also been chosen to perform at the Royal Va

Mumford & Sons’ fourth album ‘Delta’ is out now on Gentlemen of the Road/Island Records. Watch Mumford & Sons performing Guiding Light on the Graham Norton Show HERE STREAM ‘DELTA’ HERE    -   BUY DELTA HERE ----------------------------- Mumford & Sons Live: 16th November - Dublin, 3 Arena 18th November - Belfast, SSE Arena 20th November - Glasgow, SSE Hydro 21st November - Manchester, Manchester Arena 23rd November - Birmingham, Genting Arena 24th November - Sheffield, Fly DSA Arena 25th November - Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena 27th November - Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena 28th November - Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena 29th November - London, O2 Arena 1st December - Leeds, First Direct Arena 2nd December - Liverpool, Echo Arena 7th December - Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center 9th December - Boston, TD Garden 10th December - New York, Madison Square Garden 11th December – New York, Madison Square Garden 14th December - Washington DC, Capital One Arena

It’s simple. Really. JamesDavis is a band of three musician siblings who have now come together after separately deciding they needed a way to express the songs that were constantly forming in their heads. Comprised of fraternal twin sisters Jess and Rey along with their brother Auston, their music blends stripped-down soul with heartfelt rock,taking influence from music greats such as: Leon Ware, Curtis Mayfield, Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon & Fleetwood Mac. What has essentially been a private project, James Davis has started performing live with a bare setup. Rey plays guitar and sings, Auston is on keyboards, and vocals & the pads, while Jess offers her voice. Until now JamesDavis has been very much under the radar, an anomaly in today’s musical landscape. They’ve held tightly to their songs, because they know they’re valuable. Now they’re ready, for you with their new EP “Lamplighter”. “SPEEDBOAT” SINGLE OUT NOW -: https

The Specials, one of the most electrifying, influential and important bands of all time, release “Encore”, their first new music for 37 years via UMC /Island Records on February 1st. 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of The Specials and the legendary Two-Tone label in Coventry in 1979, and also marks 10 years since the band reformed to play some of the most vital and joyous live shows in recent memory. The 10-song “Encore” was produced by Specials founding members Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter alongside Danish musician/producer Torp Larsen and indeed is the first time Hall, Golding & Panter have recorded new material together since the band’s 1981 No.1 single Ghost Town. The Specials will take to the road in the UK and abroad throughout 2019 in support of the new album. HMV customers can pre-order ‘Encore’ on CD or vinyl before 11.59pm on Monday 29th October 2018 for first access to 2019 UK tour tickets. Fans who have pre-ordered the a

Continuing his global domination, history-making multiplatinum Dallas, TX artist Post Malone touches down in Europe next year for a full-scale headline tour. The superstar will take over arenas throughout Europe as he brings his chart-crushing second full-length beerbongs & bentleys [Republic Records & Island Records] across the pond. Tickets go on sale October 12. Get them here. Post Malone stirs a mix of genres into his own sonic sound that’s both intoxicating and invigorating. His RIAA Platinum certified debut album, Stoney, led the genre-bending Dallas, TX artist to his first Top 10 Billboard 200 and first #1 R&B/Hip-Hop Album while being the “#1 Debut Hip-Hop Artist of 2016”. In 2018, his sophomore album, beerbongs & bentleys, debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #1 and achieved one the year’s “biggest streaming weeks ever”. Additionally, Post charted nine songs in the Top 20 of the Hot 100, notching “the most songs in the Top 20 of the Hot 10

Today Spring King share ‘The Hum’, the massive new single from their forthcoming album A Better Life. Taking the bands trademark choruses to the next level, ‘The Hum’ is a raucous chant-along roar of fight-for-your life invincibility. The track was premiered last night by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and can be streamed/purchased now . Of the track, Spring King’s James Green says: “"The Hum’ is a song about returning to old haunts and old memories, and attempting to relive those visceral experiences and emotions, whilst realising that you've allowed yourself to slip into a life that wasn't necessarily what you'd planned. It also came to encompass all the broader themes that the album touches on - self-reflection, overcoming adversity and negativity, and a constant striving for something better.” A Better Life is released August 31 via Island Records. A stunning evolution from their 2016 debut, Tell Me If You Like To, the new album is a primal, joyous

Discover Copenhagen's rising talent, M.I.L.K's new clip. With its summery vibes, 'Slow Emotions' is resolutely more pop while retaining M.I.L.K.'s captivating singularity and unique voice, "Slow Emotions" (+700k Streams) is a taste of what's to come from his inaugural EP. "A memory of a memory of a postcard". Scroll down for video clip Slow Emotions - Watch Here Following his online hype single "If We Want To" (+2.5M streams) and debut EP "Memory of a Postcard" last year (+6M streams), Danish indie-pop artist M.I.L.K. is back with new track 'Slow Emotions'. Listen to 'Slow Emotions' here M.I.L.K. new single « Slow Emotions » out now via Capitol France/Island Records UK --------------- "Some sweet summer vibes and tropical guitars" – NME Follow M.I.L.K. instagram.com/m.i.l.k._/ // facebook.com/m.i.l.k.4eva twitter.com/milk4eva/ // soundcloud.com/m-i-l-k-4eva

"A Boat To An Island On The Wall" is the first new music that Ben and his band have shared since the release of his number 1 charting second album, "I Forget Where We Were", in October 2014. It welcomes in a new full length record, "Noonday Dream". "Noonday Dream" was recorded in numerous studios between South West France and South West England, including Sawmills. It was produced by Ben. "A Boat To An Island On The Wall" is a typically uncompromising, richly textured epic of an introduction to Ben’s next body of work. Tap here to listen to "A Boat To An Island On The Wall" The transformation and development in Ben’s writing from his hugely successful debut LP back in 2011, to the immersive darkness of 2014’s I Forget Where We Were, and now on the cusp of another new sonic phase in Noonday Dream, could and should cement his status as one of the UK’s most gifted and unpredictable of artists. Ben will per

‘I Don’t Want To Know’ is the second in a collection of brand new material from BBC Sound of 2018 winner and the most exceptional breakout star of the year, Sigrid. The beautifully poignant track follows the unadulterated ‘Raw’, which was accompanied by a hybrid live video directed by Ivana Bobic (Strangers), portraying the incredible power of the 21-year-old’s A Capella vocal. ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ now premieres as Zane Lowe’s World Record on Beats, “It’s exciting for me to release I Don’t Want To Know as it shows another side of my music. Jamie Hartman and I wrote this song reflecting on growing up, drawing inspiration from what we believe many young people experience,” says Sigrid. Earlier this week Sigrid sold-out her Somerset House headline on 11 July within minutes, the first to sell out in the Summer Series, which includes Jorja Smith, De La Soul and MGMT. Listen to ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ here: https://Sigrid.lnk.to/IDontWantToKnowPR Watch the hybrid live video for ‘Raw’ he

Never the kind of band to act in uncertain haste when it comes to their music, each song off Flyte's debut album The Loved Ones feels like something to relish, to mull over, with a deeper, unfolding resonance. The same goes for their visual identity, and following the release of their critically lauded debut album, Flyte reveal the 'Faithless' video, a remarkable collaboration with Femke Huurdeman and CANADA (Tame Impala, Beck), the only band to work consecutively with the legendary production company. Flyte have also spent the last month supporting Lemon Twigs on tour, concluding at Kentish Town Forum, and will play at Communions Christmas Party at Notting Hill Arts Club on December 3, as well as supporting Lord Huron on their European tour early next year.   "It felt great to go back and work with Canada for a second time. We knew the 'Holy Mountain' and 'Paris, Texas' references were going to lead to something grandiose, and the director Femke&#

In the past nine months Sigrid has gone from unknown to one of the most exceptional breakout artists of 2017. Sigrid’s rise has been unrivalled; from releasing her acclaimed debut Don’t Kill My Vibe EP, which has amassed over 100M global streams - to playing Hoxton Kitchen, two sold-out Scala’s and announcing a Shepherds Bush Empire headline all in less than a year. Now Sigrid releases the mighty ‘Strangers’, produced by Martin Sjolie, the dream pairing behind ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’. With lyrics of steel, meandering melodies and stark honesty, ‘ Strangers ’ embodies the natural, sincere talent Sigrid has become renowned for. At only 21-years-old, the Norwegian pop sensation also gives her vocals to the epic action adventure Justice League, with a powerful, haunting take on Leonard Cohen’s ‘ Everybody Knows ’, available now. From the tiny town of Ålesund in Norway, which sits at the entrance of a UNESCO-protected fjord surrounded by sea and mountains, Sigrid has been quietly creating

London four-piece Flyte have a colossal summer ahead. Announcing their biggest headline to date at London’s Scala on September 19, the band are going on the road and bringing their renowned harmonies to towns across the UK – busking in City centres, and recalling where it all began on London’s Portobello Road. With regional dates alongside in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, Flyte will perform at festivals including Latitude, The Great Escape and Standon Calling. Last year, vocalist Will Taylor and keys player Sam Berridge uploaded a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ to their Facebook page. This heart-wrenching interpretation kicked off a Flyte-movement. Racking up over 1M streams, fans wanted more sessions, and Flyte began carefully curating covers in London landmarks with towering acoustics, earning a reputation for their trademark vocal arrangements, as well as their bold live sound. Accomplished songwriters Will, Sam, Nick, and Jon have released a flurry of alternativ