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

The Melodic are an English afro-folk-pop ensemble , their debut album Effra Parade is the follow up to the band's acclaimed EP On My Way. The Observer described The Melodic as "Incredibly beautiful, with harmonies and rich instrumentation that make you want to dance and cry at the same time," while in the US the band has drawn comparisons to indie darlings Beirut and The Decemberists. The group's members came of age in the South London neighborhood of Brixton amidst bustling streets and open air markets reverberating with a rich assortment of musics from around the world. In the distinctly English tradition of sonic assimilation, they found influence in the sounds they were hearing. As band member Huw Williams explains, “Brixton is a real melting pot of different people so it doesn’t feel inappropriate for us to introduce sounds from around the world into our music, there was South American and African music around us all the time, as well as reggae a

23 year old rising star John Newman follows his massive number 1 single “Love Me Again”, and equally rousing follow-up “Cheating” with the release on October 14th of his hotly anticipated debut album ”Tribute”. The album, co-produced by Newman, confirms his class as a songwriter, peerless power as a vocalist and offers conclusive proof that the UK has a singular new talent in its midst. “Love Me Again” which has achieved Gold Status in the UK for sales in excess of 500,000, has hit the No1 spot on iTunes in a staggering 16 countries across the globe and follows John’s previous anthem and chart-topper “Feel The Love”, which he co-wrote and fronted with Rudimental. October is going to be a very busy month for the young Yorkshireman who releases his new Island Records single ”Cheating” on October 7th , and played a special homecoming show at the Grade 2 listed Victorian Music Hall in Settle, on October 3rd. The Settle gig, which sold out in less than 2 minutes, will be a taster of what’