Jonathan Hatchman (@JonHatchman) picks out the sounds and stories that have been making headlines over the last seven days… and presents them all as a handy playlist
Recent news surrounding Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk is, perhaps, the week’s biggest story. Having secured his first ever UK Number One with the single, the song is now on course to achieve this year’s Christmas number one spot, battling in direct competition with X Factor winner Ben Haenow’s winning single. Inspired by the New York Hip-Hop scene of the 1990s, the video for Ronson’s recent collaboration with Bruno Mars can be watched below, for those who’ve evidently been off of the grid, not having heard the song as of yet.
Alongside becoming recognised as one of the most successful upcoming alternative bands of the year, The 1975 have also been named as the most hardworking band of 2014. A recent poll showed that the Manchester band have played 195 shows, spanning across 29 countries, averaging at 1.8 shows per day since the turn of the year, following the released of their highly acclaimed debut album released last September.
In the lead up to next month’s return to the UK, in the form of an intimate show at London’s Islington Assembly Hall, pop-punk titans Fall Out Boy have unveiled the first offering from their new album American Beauty/American Psycho. The Kids Aren’t Alright is the first available glimpse into the new record, and it’s more mature and polished than the band’s previous material. Have a listen below.
Having wooed/ annoyed the whole country with his cover of John Lennon’s Real Love – featuring on this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert – Tom Odell has announced plans to embark upon a UK tour in the New Year. However, rather than playing to the nation’s ample sized arenas that he could easily fill at least twice, Odell will play a string of outdoor shows through the Summer as part of the Forest Live Series. Yes, the Brit Awards Critics’ choice winner will bring his live show to a handful of woodland areas around Britain, featuring shows in more remote areas such as Tetbury, Pickering, Cheshire and Tunbridge Wells, to name a few.
In other rather unusual news, a recent study by Cardiff University has compiled a list of songs that should, and should not, be listened to by surgeons before performing operations. The study’s recommended playlist includes the likes of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb, Coldplay’s Fix You, and Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – for some strange reason. Meanwhile, tracks such as Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust and Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door are a definite no-no. We can understand the appeal of the finale to Floyd’s conceptual masterpiece – The Wall, just as long as they set the scalpel down before playing the air guitar throughout Dave Gilmour’s solo at the end.
