Category: Opinion

Why do some Lana Del Rey fans hate Nikki Lane?

Last week Lana Del Rey announced American tour dates, with ‘the famed Nikki Lane’ joining her as support. On the surface this seems like a fantastic choice – who better to have on tour with you than such a close friend and recent musical collaborator? What some people might not realise is that Nikki has faced some hate from Lana’s fans on social media, even before this announcement.

Lana and Nikki’s friendship and musical connection was born many years back through them both working with producer Dan Auerbach. They have since sung together live many times and recorded the stunning ‘Breaking Up Slowly’ for Lana’s album Chemtrails over the Country Club. Lana has said that Nikki is ‘one of my very, very, very best friends and one of the most talented singers, arguably in the world.’

So why are some Lana fans so unhappy? What exactly has Nikki Lane done to deserve this level of toxicity?

Continue reading “Why do some Lana Del Rey fans hate Nikki Lane?” →
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Dream Setlist for a Miranda Lambert ‘Eras’ Tour

On her recent appropriately titled ‘Eras’ tour, Taylor Swift has been blazing a trail for how to curate a setlist that appeals to your hardcore fan base while also appeasing those who may just have been dragged along and only know the hits.

Taylor has split her setlist into ‘eras’, playing a selection of tracks from every album (except her debut) in sections, totalling 44 songs from her ten albums. To keep things interesting she includes two random song choices near the end of her set. The running time of the show is about three hours fifteen minutes, rivalling even Springsteen for stamina.

What’s great about this idea is that unlike a Greatest Hits show or a show that focuses on a new or old album, Taylor is clearly trying to celebrate her back catalogue by honouring the fans who have been with her since the beginning and those who have invested time in her discography. She knows she can’t make everyone happy (that would involve her performing every song, from every album on a loop for the rest of her life only stopping to break up with a new boyfriend and write new songs) but she’s doing her best in the way only Taylor can.

And so I got to thinking about some other artists who I’d love to see do an eras-style setlist. Miranda Lambert is the obvious choice to me since she’s my favourite but also because she has enough albums to make it interesting.

Continue reading “Dream Setlist for a Miranda Lambert ‘Eras’ Tour” →
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Songs of the Year 2022

Yes it’s that time of year again when we all look back across a year in music to think about what songs we played to death, what songs stood out from the many heard and what songs really defined the moments of your life.

Find mine below. I have not had as much time to write this year so I have included some tracks which come from albums I have not had the chance to review. Let me know your favourites!

Continue reading “Songs of the Year 2022” →
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How to Solve The Ticketmaster Problem

News broke this week that some Taylor Swift fans are actually suing Ticketmaster after their recent ticket buying trauma.

Some of the problems which occurred on that day have been brewing for a long time: buying tickets now involves navigating a confusing and complex system of presale codes and ticket sale opportunities, all of which allow bots to buy tickets and resell them for inflated prices. It’s wrong and it has to be stopped.

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The Trouble With Twitter

Recently when contemplating some issues around social media, and Twitter in particular, I was reminded of an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the episode ‘Earshot’, Buffy is infected by a demon and wakes up with the ability to hear the thoughts of everyone she meets. At first her new power is exhilarating and exciting, a way to gain knowledge and insight. Soon, however, the gift becomes a curse. She can’t block out the constant noise of everyone’s internal chatter and eventually the horror, suffering, pain and violence inside other people’s heads overwhelms her. She ends up bedridden, unable to function, hovering on the edge of insanity.

Continue reading “The Trouble With Twitter” →
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Albums of the Year 2021

In 2021 I have reviewed nearly forty albums and which have all connected with me on some personal level. Overall I have found this year tough as I have struggled to really love a lot of the albums released this year, compared with the last few years.

So for this end of year list I have tried to single out the fifteen albums which really stood out among the gloom, ones which have helped me in some way.

For the top spot I have gone with the criteria which I have used since I started this blog: most listened to solo female artist with the majority of songs on the album solo written. This choice has helped me single out the talent from a sea of quality offerings.

Please note that this list only includes albums I have reviewed so obviously I don’t include any male artists.

This list includes links to my original album reviews, rather than risk repeating myself. Happy new year and thanks for reading!

Continue reading “Albums of the Year 2021” →

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Songs of the Year 2021

Well this has been the strangest year of my blogging life. The triple whammy of a pandemic, lack of live music and mid-life apathy has caused me to struggle to connect with new music. The less I blogged, the more I felt out of touch, the more writing became harder and social media became terrifying, until you wonder why you ever started in the first place.

In the end what brings me back here are the songs. There are so many amazing female artists whose music inspires me to write, helps me, entertains me, moves me and that will never change even if the world does.

If you’re reading this then thank you for bearing with my sporadic blogging schedule this year. Here are a list of songs that got me through, that kept me believing in something, anything, everything. I hope you find a kindred spirit & song in this post. Continue reading “Songs of the Year 2021” →

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