Little Simz Cancels US Tour Due to Financial Pressures as an Independent Artist
Little Simz has had to cancel her North American tour due to the “huge deficit” it would put her in as an independent artist.
Music
Thomas Rhett: ‘My family are brutally honest about the songs they like – and the ones they don’t’
Thomas Rhett is just about everything you want in a modern-day country star; a Grammy-nominated singer who, despite all his successes, still remains firmly rooted in family, home and his everyday surroundings.
British Composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle Dies at 87
Sir Harrison Birtwistle, one of the most celebrated British composers of the 20th Century, has passed away at the age of 87.
Kendrick Lamar Announces Release of New Album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers
It’s been five years since Kendrick Lamar’s last album, DAMN, and the wait for a follow-up is nearly over, with ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ set for a release on 13th May.
Sting at the Palladium Review: For Fans Who Love Sting (as Much as he Loves Himself)
★★★☆☆
The former Police frontman shows that he’s aged liked a fine wine at the Palladium – though is perhaps slightly drunk on narcissism as a consequence.
whynow New Music Friday - April 15
The sun is shining and we've got a four day weekend. Better still, it's that time of the week again: New Music Friday. Find this week's selection below.
Ride’s Loz Colbert: ‘Shoegaze visually would be the kind of art Rothko might make’
With reissues of their first four EP’s, as well as their first two studio albums, Nowhere (1990) and Going Blank Again (1992), we speak to the drummer of Ride, Laurence “Loz” Colbert.
Blind Melon: ‘The career was five years and then gone in the blink of an eye’
With a new film out now in the UK, which intimately details the heady rise and tragedy that the band Blind Melon experienced, we speak to guitarist and original member Christopher Thorn.
Ed Sheeran court decision will make 'the little guy' think twice before suing
The ruling announced this morning by Mr Justice Zacaroli is one that sets a precedent for the rest of the music industry – and will make smaller artists think twice before suing such stars of Ed Sheeran’s calibre.
'George Harrison is coming to dinner': The Family Who Introduced the Beatles to Indian Music
When George Harrison snapped a sitar string in 1965, a family from Finchley came to the rescue. This is the story of Ayana and Patricia Angadi and the role they played in shaping 60s British popular culture. Mae Losasso speaks to their daughter, Chandrika Casali, about Paul, peanuts, and swimming in George’s pool.
Omar Lye Fook MBE
British soul legend Omar joined us in the studio to look back at a formidable music career which spans three decades, and ahead to a new album on the horizon.
The whynow weekender
whynow weekender is a deep-dive into the clubs that made their mark on the history of nightlife.
We spoke to the key players of Soho’s legendary Wag Club, a melting pot of music and flamboyant partygoers that pioneered London’s hip hop and house scenes.
Series Roundup
Just before lockdown, whynow and the Fifth took over Shoreditch Studios for a series of intimate live music sessions with four of London’s rising acts. With interviews and performances from South London rapper Kimbo, R&B singer Cheryll, West London neo-soul duo, Babeheaven, and folk singer-songwriter Ella Grace. Stay tuned or visit whynow.co.uk for more live music!
Babeheaven
Soulful alt-pop band Babeheaven perform two tracks from their debut album, Home for Now.
Ella Grace
Access to intimate gigs from the UK's most exciting emerging artists. This week, Ella Grace plays three tracks from her debut album Reverence.
Effy, TSHA, Nite Fleit & Helena Star
Four of the most exciting up-and-coming female DJs have hijacked an 800 tonne sand dredger to bring us a night of house and techno.
Effy
Four of the most exciting up-and-coming female DJs have hijacked an 800 tonne sand dredger to bring us a night of house and techno. Effy, widely touted as one of this year’s breakout talents, talks dancefloor bans, getting back behind the decks, and the prospect of positive times ahead for dance music.
Heléna Star
Foundation FM resident and prolific DJ, Heléna Star, talks about the power of radio during dark times, and why now is the time to push for a more inclusive industry for all.
Nite Fleit
With a much lauded debut at Berghain, and festivals appearances across Europe pre-Covid, Nite Fleit tells us how she’s kept busy during the pandemic, producing no less than 700 new tracks.
Ronnie Wood
We spoke to musical legend Ronnie Wood about his adventures in 1960’s Britain; switching bands, swapping records and crashing parties. whynow’s decades series asks established people from the arts to discuss ten years that changed them and their work. Fresh out of art school, Ronnie was flitting between the mods and the rockers, while painting canvasses and jamming with Hendrix.
Sol Bailey-Barker
Sol Bailey-Barker compiles artefacts and remnants to construct immersive installations and environments. The multi-disciplinary artist works with sound, sculpture and performance that call to his nature of being “stuck between reality and dream” as a result of an auto-immune disease he faced as a child. In these tough times for our community and beyond, here is the dreamlike world of Bailey-Barker.
Jez Nelson
Jez Nelson has been a key figure for jazz in the UK, having spent years transmitting it through pirate radio stations before joining the newly licensed Jazz FM in 1989. Along the way he’s spoken to some of the greatest and most eccentric characters in jazz and performance, including Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone and Sun Ra. For 'Decades' he talks us through the years 1982-1992.
Michael Gray
DJ and producer Michael Gray has been spinning tracks from the age of 12. Having learnt and perfected his craft during the rise of house music, Gray has had an illustrious career. His hit ‘The Weekend’ remains beloved by all to this day and we couldn’t wait to have him ‘In The Studio’.
Matt Clifford
Matt Clifford, a session musician and long-time collaborator of The Rolling Stones, delves into his career and discusses the technological changes he’s encountered throughout it. His work includes a revamping of that glorious Champions League anthem.
