Hello lovely readers! We can’t tell you how excited we are about this upcoming week. With the clocks going forward, the scorching weather forecast, the return of the outdoor rule of six, and the stay at home message being relaxed, co-founders Hermione and Pia might actually be able to safely meet in person for the first time this year – wahey! More on this sometime soon …
The biggest piece of music-related news this week comes with an exciting internal announcement: the Apocalypse Music team is delighted to welcome its first ever contributing writer, Will O’Brien! Will’s first piece for us went up on the website earlier this week, and spotlights Sing Inside, a brilliant organisation that has brought singing workshops into prisons across England since 2018. It is a breathtaking read detailing the many positive cognitive and emotional effects of community singing and the ways in which music is a leveller that has the capacity to deconstruct social barriers. Will writes:
“One thing that really struck me when reading about the work of Sing Inside was the fact that they were able to encourage and inspire residents to engage in what I believe to be one of the most personal and vulnerable forms of expression: singing. To my mind, singing can elicit a greater feeling of vulnerability for the participant than instrumental music making or other performative activities. It is you and your voice, with nothing necessarily to hide behind or support you”.
Please go and check it out if you haven’t already!
We don’t know about you but the past couple of weeks have been so intense! Between Hermione’s new job and Pia’s many internal composition commissions at Guildhall, the gang are very much looking forward to some R&R over the Easter weekend. The eagle-eyed readers amongst you might have noticed the absence of last week’s weekly news segment, so here’s a brief round up of all the recent industry stories over the past fortnight that got us talking:
Latitude Festival organisers have confirmed that this year’s event will run at ‘full capacity’, under the proviso that the UK’s roadmap unfolds without a hitch…wonderful news for all the eager festival goers out there!
For those of us able to stay awake after 10pm …. Get the 17-19th September in your diaries! Printworks London recently announced three new shows for their reopening weekend titled Printworks Redacted, with each event celebrating a different element of the dance music spectrum. Time to get practicing your best dance moves!
The wholesome readers among you will know it was International Happiness Day recently, and right on queue the industry’s resident ray of sunshine and our own personal fave, Lizzo, announced a search for fuller figured models and dancers to join her crew for a new unscripted series in development with Amazon Studios. This comes exactly two years after she publicly accused social media app TikTok of body shaming after it deleted multiple videos of her in a bathing suit, and after she decided to delete her Twitter account due to severe bullying from online trolls. A central tenet of Lizzo’s femininity is her relationship with her body, which she explores visually and through music, and her group of back-up dancers, known as the Big Grrrls, consist exclusively of plus-size, black women like herself. Lizzo’s visibility in the public mainstream will only ensure a more equitable and diverse pop landscape that future generations can enjoy and we’re here for that … You go Lizzo!
For another piece of pure joy, go check out our second and third editions of New Music Picks! From the wonderful alt-indie trio In Earnest who pay tribute to their gorgeous doggies in their latest release, to the irresistible toe tapping numbers from the funky eight-piece collective Busty and The Bass, you absolutely will not be disappointed. Check out Hermione’s latest playlist here to get a taste of what’s in store:
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a new podcast episode dropping next week, alongside brand new features and Apocalypse Sessions from some of the industry’s hottest upcoming talent.
As ever, get in touch with us apocalypsemusicsite@gmail.com and follow us on our socials to stay up to date!
Words by Pia Rose Scattergood
Photo © Apocalypse Music
