New material is afoot.
The Specials are a British institution.
The legendary 2-Tone band struck a chord with the nation s youth as the Thatcher era choked the country, with two seismic studio albums seeming to set the pulse of the UK.
Lynval Golding led the way, a key member of the group before easing into the world of Fun Boy Three.
Re-joining The Specials for their 21st century re-union, he helped drive them to the top spot with their terrific album Encore .
Anna Stephens spoke to Lynval Golding about facing up to fresh challenges, and his hopes for new Specials material as soon as possible.
Samad Khan collaboration Weakness Of The Flesh .
The composer s new EP Maps has its roots in a collaboration with The Jacob Jonas dance company, crafting a track for a special project.
The track was then scored to a video sequence starring dancer Emma Rosenzweig-Bock, with film maker Kevin McGloughlin directing the clip.
The full EP features the song, alongside two further re-workings, with Max Cooper now sharing Weakness Of The Flesh in full. I was struck by the raw, textural aspect to this dance project, with the vast concrete space, the dirt on Emma s face, the writhing intensity and the stuttering clones, Max Cooper says. It seemed to me to be peaceful and smooth as well as violent and rough at the same time.
AIF has issued a red alert following fears over this summer s calendar.
Music fans had hoped for something approaching normality in 2021, with a number of high profile events attempting to stage summer shows.
However the issue of insurance remains - and many fear UK government advisors are simply not doing enough to help organisations on the ground.
With talks hitting a brick wall the AIF - Association Of Independent Festivals - has issued a red alert believing that up to 75% of events in July and August could cancel.
In recent weeks, the likes of Boomtown Fair and Deer Shed have been forced to pull the plug on their 2021 events, after months of work.
Features / / 03 · 05 · 2021
For UK club culture, itâs been a long 12 months. The coronavirus pandemic almost immediately shuttered live venues, shattering the communities that coalesce around them. From door staff to bar vendors, to the people who work in the cloak room, 2020 was an extraordinary year, one filled with doubt and no small degree of fear.
The weekend just gone saw the first real, true step forward weâve taken since the club world paused last March. A government sponsored trial rave
took place at Liverpool venue Circus, with 6000 ticket holders descending for two days of electronic music. It was intended as a carnival, a safe space â entry required a negative COVID test â and a means to try and kick-start the live sector in some way.
Adrianne Lenker performed an impromptu live set on IG Live over the weekend.
The ever-industrious Big Thief songwriter released two solo albums in 2020, using lockdown to pursue artistic aims.
The creativity hasn t halted yet, with Adrianne performing a 20 minute solo set on social media.
Using IG Live to communicate with fans, Adrianne picked a handful of songs favourites that mean a lot to her.
Armed only with her guitar, she performed ânot a lot, just foreverâ, âforwards beckon reboundâ, âhalf returnâ and âanythingâ.
Check it out below.