This week on Therapy Through A Lense. Oh hello how are you. Well its Friday and we got some gems for you. We have interviews with DRONES, Joanna Connor and IOTUNN. We also have some great album reviews which are released today 26th February 2021.
Cheryl Baker (born Rita Maria Crudgington; 8 March 1954) is a British television presenter and singer. She was a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. The group had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982). Baker left the group in 1993. She had previously represented the UK at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the band Co-Co.
Sian Evans’ family have a long musical history. Her mother was a singer and Sian herself began singing from an early age. Her grandfather was a composer and conducted for male voice choirs and by her teenage years she was following in his footsteps providing vocals for numerous jazz and r&b bands, as well as immersing herself in the music of female singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell. A hip-hop enthusiast from an early age, it was perhaps inevitable that the young Sian would be caught up in the energy of the fledgling dance scene. Sian had her first encounter with drum & bass courtesy of the seminal Roughneck Ting parties. She had left home at 16 and moved to Cardiff to escape, living in squats and friends’ houses while working several jobs at once and travelling to parties and festivals all over the country.
"I always got it. I was never refused entry and I rarely had any money. I was top blagger"
Having moved through the free party scene, Sian found her musical tastes radically altered by a change in her personal life. At the height of the rave scene, in 1991, she gave birth to her son, and was forced to reassess her priorities.
"I had a baby at the height of the rave scene which obviously puts a stop to going crazy. It started me thinking a lot more about songs and the music, and at the time I also got full on into jungle"
With a strong foundation in her mother’s collection of Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell LPs, Sian began applying her combined tastes to a variety of dance music and funk/jazz projects, before retreating up a Welsh mountain to raise her little boy in a teepee.
For the next four years, Sian and her son split their time between environmental protests like Newbury and working at summer festivals. It was all she needed to give her a taste for living outdoors and so in 1996, Sian moved into a tepee on a traveller’s site in the Brechfa Forest for nine months. At night, after her son went to bed, Sian passed the time by writing songs. Despite being brought up writing poetry and listening to Welsh folk music and Joni Mitchell, it was the first time Sian had felt moved to create music. Realising her future lay with these songs – in fact, most of them went on to form the tracks on Kosheen’s debut album, ‘Resist’ – she soon moved back to Bristol to find someone to play them with.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Exploding onto the international music scene in early 2015 with the acclaimed Planet Rock radio singles ‘Live Rock ’n’ Roll, ‘White Trash’ and play listed favourite ‘Seeds of Summer,’ JOANovARC’s status as the new ‘Queens of Rock’ rose even higher with their debut album, Ride Of Your Life released on 9th November 2016. The album was recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios and produced by Grammy winning producer Gil Norton (Foo Fighters). JOANovARC’s self-titled second album brings together a number of the band’s live favourites, including the most recent single ‘Jane’ (which won Classic Rock Magazine’s ‘Track of the Week’) and Spotify hit ‘Say Sayonara’ which achieved over 440,000 streams and featured on the Rock Running album. The band is a global phenomenon with electrifying performances on tour in Europe, Japan, The Middle East, Caribbean and the USA supporting ‘Huntress’ at The Viper Rooms in Hollywood, Los Angeles. JOANovARC were nominated for the ‘Angels of Rock’ Hard Rock Hell Award in 2017 alongside legends Girlschool & Rock Goddess.
The band was initially formed in 2004 with original line up sisters Sam and Shelley Walker, and Deborah Wildish joining later the same year. After five years as a trio, Laura Ozholl completed the line-up in 2009. In 2019 the line-up changed once more with Ellie Daymond on drums and Keira Kenworthy on bass continuing JOANovARC’s reputation for exceptional musicianship, longevity, song writing and unrelenting hard work. The new line up have a fantastic set of festivals booked for 2021 and are starting the year off with the Great British Rock & Blues Festival main stage performance after winning the Introducing Stage back in January 2020. The band are currently recording their 3rd studio album to be released in 2021.
“A great album – highly recommended” Planet Mosh “Really well-crafted songs, this is a really good album” Metal Planet Music “The music is emotive and is almost tactile in the way it surrounds you, and then embraces you. In this digital age with blast beats, samples and screams this is a little island of pureness that still looks forward rather than in the rear view mirror. Joanovarc may just have produced one of the best rock albums of 2019” Devolution Magazine.
MR: Hi Jodie, firstly happy New Year and I hope it was a peaceful and reflective time. What did you get up to?
Thank you happy new year to you too, I just had a very chilled Christmas and New Year, unfortunately I couldn’t DJ anywhere due to COVID which was sad, but I had a few home made cocktails and played lots of music to brighten the mood and brought in the new year watching the fireworks in my garden!
MR: You recently had a makeover with a new colour and style of hair. What was the reasoning behind the huge change?
It was more of an experiment really, I wanted to see how people would react to me with a more “serious hairdo” - a short brown Bob, some people said I looked younger whilst others said I looked like a head teacher! I think in light of the pandemic you have to do what you have to do to get through it and for me that was experimenting with my looks and seeing if the world viewed me any differently
MR: We pretty much starting 2021 the same way we ended 2020, what in yourself has change over the last 10 months?
I think it has been quite difficult and a test of character, it has made me realise that to go through a lot of change and emotional trauma in your life, can actually be a good thing, as I personally adapted to the pandemic a lot better than most because my life has been one huge rollercoaster and I’ve had to adapt to changes and be resilient from a young age!
I think the pandemic has also taught a lot of people the value of saving money for a rainy day and that material things aren’t as important as they were pre 2020, which is probably a good thing for mankind!
MR: You have a new single soon to be released, you must be very excited to share the song with your fans and the music world, please tell us about the new release?
I really want people to enjoy my song “Give a Little Love.” Unfortunately it won’t be in a club or a sunny beach party like I would have preferred, and I won’t be able to play the track anywhere myself other than on my radio show or on my socials but hopefully in the summer I will!
The track is a blend of a deep house beat with some catchy lyrics all about a girl in love! Who doesn’t like a fun upbeat vocal house tune?!
MR: Finally, going forward for the rest of 2021, what plans do you have apart from your DJ’ing? Will we be seeing Jodie on TV anytime soon?
I’m hoping to do some more tv appearances this year for sure, I’ve actually just signed with a new agent! I'd also like to get into television presenting, but its all depending on the pandemic....Hopefully the end is near! I do have a photoshoot planned as soon as lockdown ends for the salon I’m the ambassador of “Muse Of London” to promote spring/summer hair for 2021 and have just recorded the vocals for two new house tracks which will be released in the coming months. They are both collaborations with amazing producers so I’m really excited for everyone to hear!
I really want people to enjoy my song “Give a Little Love.” Unfortunately it won’t be in a club or a sunny beach party like I would have preferred, and I won’t be able to play the track anywhere myself other than on my radio show or on my socials but hopefully in the summer I
The track is a blend of a deep house beat with some catchy lyrics all about a girl in love! Who doesn’t like a fun upbeat vocal house
MR: Finally, going forward for the rest of 2021, what plans do you have apart from your DJ’ing? Will we be seeing Jodie on TV anytime
During lockdown in the UK everyone has had lots of time to reflect on their life, but model and TV star Jodie Weston has taken this a step further and had the time to re-invent herself, during these hard and strange COVID times. With a sexy new hairstyle (see attached), Jodie states that changing your image can really help improve your own self-esteem, give you a confidence boost and actually change the way people see you… During the second lockdown in the UK, Jodie decided to do an experiment to see how people would treat her differently when she had a more serious haircut rather than long blonde hair and noticed a massive shift in how people treated her. Jodie being a natural brunette but having had blonde hair, she almost forgot what it was like. Being blonde for so long has meant that Jodie has always been able to talk her way out of parking tickets, jump in front of people in queues and get complimentary drinks by flirting with the waiters in bars and restaurants, but when she changed her hair colour and cut, she saw a huge difference in how people treated her! Jodie found herself waiting in long queues and no one holding the door open for her anymore. In Jodie’s own words, blonde’s definitely have more fun….and get more freebees!
Model and TV star Jodie Weston wants to share how the pandemic has taught her to be more appreciative of what she’s got and to not be so materialistic. Jodie’s stint on Rich Kids Go Skint, which is now still on air, showcased an exaggerated persona of Jodie; that she loves to spend money without thought, but this is not true. While Jodie still cares about her appearance and wants to look her best as most young girls do, she definitely has a new-found appreciation for what she has. After watching herself back on Rich Kids Go Skint, she realised how other people may view her as a spoilt daddy’s girl so she decided to take this year to really reflect on herself. Jodie has made a real effort over the last year to carve out a career that isn’t funded by anyone else but purely from her own efforts, from downsizing her apartment and saving to kick start her career in the music industry. Jodie learnt how to DJ by paying for a course, all her own equipment and music herself as her family was initially against the idea and she knew she had to prove them wrong.
"Give A Little Love" is a journey into the world of dance. From the very first beat and Jodies Vocals it really took me back to the dance clubs I once visited. You can clearly tell Jodie is top of her DJing career with a tight rhythm and bass to die for. I can definitely see this being one of the top dance tunes around the summer dance floors in Ibiza and all the Party Islands. The mixing is perfect and down right catchy.
9/10
Multi-talented DJ and presenter Jodie Weston is releasing an uplifting deep house track on Blue Monday which falls on Monday January 18th. ‘Give A Little Love’ features singer Ali Mish and showcases Jodie’s epic production talents. With 2020 coming to an end, Jodie wishes to use her new track to bring in the new year on a high note, full of electrifying beats and dancing vibes. With an impressive 100k followers on Instagram, Jodie has been working hard to up her presence in the music world. Having played at London hotspots such as Mahiki, Embargo Republica and Golden Bee, her DJ and radio talents landed her a new show called ‘The Dollhouse’ on Flex FM (101.4FM), playing your best beats in dance, house, tech and electronic music - airing live every Monday 12-2pm. Jodie’s music is all about bringing something fresh to the scene and she aims to bring joy to all those who listen. Jodie said: ‘I love that during these hard times I can bring an aspect of happiness into people’s homes. I want this song to take people to a beach in Ibiza, somewhere they can forget their worries and be content.’ Jodie has previously appeared in TV shows on Channel 5, BBC and MTV. Jodie has also recently announced that she is the celebrity ambassador for a top London hair & beauty salon Muse of London.
Jodie continues by saying: ‘My passion is DJ’ing and being a presenter as I always have something to say and play, the music just brings out my exuberant side and I think everyone should follow their dreams and do what makes them happy. I am fortunate to be able to do this and at the same time make a difference and empower women; I’m not afraid to speak my mind and am proud of my reality TV past, but I now want to show the world my other talents and take it by storm!’ Her new single ‘Give A Little Love’ follows a string of house tracks which Jodie has produced and lent her vocals to, including ‘What’s It Gonna Be’ which can be streamed and downloaded on Spotify. TO LISTEN TO JODIE’S NEW RELEASE ‘GIVE A LITTLE LOVE’, PLEASE CLICK HERE: https://soundcloud.com/jodieweston/give-a-little-love/s-ep3bQSr6gLv
Hi! :) I hope things are going well there!I thought i'd send you this in case you need some happy news.Take care!-S
4th December 2020 SAMI HINKKA'S (ENSIFERUM/METAL DE FACTO) SOLO PROJECT "SSSHHH" RELEASES INDUSTRIAL METAL HOMAGE TO A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC The season is upon us! There is no question that 2020 has been hard for everyone, but there is finally seemingly a light in the end of the tunnel. This was the concept behind this rendition of ”Jingle Bells”: Something heavy that ends on a happy note! Soon enough, it will hopefully be time for concerts & festivals again, but let’s hang in there a little longer in the meantime & celebrate this holiday season using the skills we have all been practising the whole year: gluttony, TV-series binging & of course; headbanging to heavy metal! Stay safe and let those bells jingle! Hail Santa! Stream/download: https://slinky.to/ssSHhhJingleBells
2020 started with a bang for the super-smoky-voiced, hard-working, far-touring chanteuse Elles Bailey when “Little Piece of Heaven” written with storied Memphis and Nashville giant Bobby Wood, & Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) picked up ‘UK Song of the Year’ at the UK Americana Awards. It’s taken from her chart topping sophomore album ‘Road I Call Home’ which was released to rave reviews and awarded ‘Album of the Year’ at the UK Blues Awards. The album charted in both the Official UK Country Charts & Americana charts, has gained over 2.4 million streams since its release and reached No.1 on the Amazon Blues Bestseller chart. Adding to Elles’ string of awards she also picked up the high accolade of ‘Artist of the Year’ at the UK Blues Awards.
As a self-confessed ‘rolling stone’ - Elles continued her wide-ranging headline touring throughout the UK and Europe in 2019 and early 2020 as well as being special guest
support for Grammy Award winner Mike Farris, The Kris Barras Band and King King. She also shared the stage with Beth Hart at Ramblin’ Man, The Temperance Movement at Swing Wespelaar and appeared at Nashville’s Americana Fest as part of the ‘House of Songs’ collaboration. 2021 sees Elles playing many more international stages including taking to the high seas for the Joe Bonamassa ‘Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea’ cruise alongside the man himself, Joe Bonamassa, King King, Walter Trout and many more. Miss Bailey really does call the road home & when she arrives near you, don't think twice, get there. A great evening and a long musical friendship will be waiting. “Absolutely Superb” Bob Harris BBC Radio 2 “An Outstanding Follow Up from this Extremely Talented Artist” Maverick ***** “Home grown favourite nails that difficult second album with aplomb” Country Music Mag **** “Spellbinding - Elles Bailey is on the road to stardom, just make sure you don’t miss her journey” Fireworks “Nothing short of phenomenal” Building Our Own Nashville “Elles Bailey Crushes it - 5 Stars” Music News “This is a wonderful album” RockPoser
Gwar, often stylized in all caps as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc.
Easily identified by their distinctively grotesque costumes, Gwar's core thematic and visual concept revolves around an elaborate science fiction-themed mythology which portrays the band members as barbaric interplanetary warriors, a narrative which serves as the basis for all of the band's albums, videos, live shows and other media. Rife with over-the-top violent, sexual, and scatological humor typically incorporating social and political satire, Gwar has attracted both acclaim and controversy for its music and stage shows, the latter of which notoriously showcase enactments of graphic violence that result in the audience being sprayed with copious amounts of fake blood, urine, and semen. Such stagecraft regularly leads Gwar to be labeled a "shock rock" band by the media.
With Gwar's line-up somewhat solidified, the band would set up to record Scumdogs of the Universe released worldwide on producer Ivan Healy Purvis' label Master Records, a subsidiary of Blue Beat Records. The album met a moderately large mainstream success and would mark the start of a career under the Metal Blade Records record label. The band would tour extensively in support for this album,[5] releasing the Live from Antarctica produced by Ivan Healy Purvis, VHS tape in July 1990, containing, among other things, the music video for the song Sick of You. It was shortly after the video's release when the Slave Pit took in another new, young artist, Matt Maguire, to help out with costume fabrication, as well as illustrations for comics and related material.
On March 23, 2014, Dave Brockie, age 50, was found dead by a roommate in his Richmond, Virginia, apartment.[24] The cause of death was later confirmed to be a heroin overdose.[25][26] Brockie's death left the band without any of its founding members.
Social Live is a new feature where artists bring their live shows straight to your home. With the ever changing music scene and the restrictions applied on music venues, More and More Artists are bringing their live sets straight to you via social media. Socisl Live brings you the reviews of the events.
Hard Rock Hell are proud to be able to reveal 5 more bands to be added to the line-up for Hard Rock Hell XIV in November 2021!
Axe legend Adrian Vandenberg, the rejuvenated Black Spiders, Northern Ireland stars Screaming Eagles plus Piston and Y!kes have all been confirmed today to play next year's showcase event. In more great news, the refurbishment of the Great Yarmouth site over the winter period means we can release 25 more accommodation units plus a small number of regular tickets for the rescheduled event – these will be like gold dust so grab yours now by visiting https://hardrockhell.com/product-category/hrh-xiv-2020/
In the first of the additions to the Hard Rock Hell XIV line-up, we are incredibly proud to bring you Vandenberg. Formed originally back in 1981 before Adrian Vandenberg joined Whitesnake for the legendary 1987 album, the band has been reconvened and now features the uber-talented singer Ronnie Romero – best known for fronting the one and only Rainbow and his own band Lords Of Black, We delighted to keep Vandenberg on board (the guys had to switch from Hard Rock Hell Spring Break) – check out their latest single, Shadows of The Night – it’s a proper belter!
https://youtu.be/CZWNvGX9F3E
We welcome the incredible Black Spiders back into the HRH fold now they’ve taken up their guitars, drumsticks and mic again after a couple of years break. Nobody will forget their appearances at various HRH events, Sonisphere and Download as well as supporting names such as Thin Lizzy, Ozzy Osbourne and Airbourne over the last 10 years or so. We really can’t wait to see what the 2020 reboot has in store – Kiss better keep an eye out – Black Spiders are BACK!
https://youtu.be/N1Lx6SouK6o
Another amazing band looking to 2021 for a chance to reconnect with their loyal fanbase are Northern Ireland’s hard-hitting rock’n’rollers Screaming Eagles. In a rare appearance this side of the Irish Sea, the lads bring their Rock’n’Roll Soul to Hard Rock Hell XIV next November, and with rumours rife of new material this will be the perfect chance to stand up and be counted – and catch them live!
https://youtu.be/SORRIftsmFE
As if those 3 incredible bands weren’t enough, we are stoked to bring two bands from the Midlands of England to play next November. Piston have been building a reputation over the last few years as one of the tightest hard rock bands on the circuit, and with 2019’s self-titled debut under their belt they just want to get out there and perform the music for everyone to hear. In contrast, Y!kes are relative newcomers to the scene, but their unique brand of alt-rock went down a storm last year in Great Yarmouth, so it’s time they took to the main stage in 2021.
‼️ #BOA21 ANNOUNCEMENT ‼️ 10 MORE BANDS confirmed! 🔥 Spanish blackened death metal crew, Noctem join the fun on the Sophie Lancaster stage on Friday. 🔥Also appearing on Friday, are Merseyside headbangers Deified 🔥Welsh blackened metalheads Agrona are added to Friday’s bill. 🔥The epic, melodic doom of Garganjua also join the Friday bill. 🔥Brighton beasts King Goat add their progressive doom to the Sophie mix on Saturday. 🔥We are also delighted to confirm that five more previously announced acts for 2020 - Exhumed, Necrot, Idle Hands, Viscera, and Savage Master - have been re-booked for 2021’s event. #BOA21 standard weekend and day tickets are available NOW from bloodstock.seetickets.com https://youtu.be/UAay8d2UO5Q
MANOWAR will return as headliners of Rock Fest Barcelona on July 1st, 2021. This will be the band’s only show in Spain next year.
MANOWAR will celebrate their 40th anniversary with the Spanish fans by bringing their biggest production ever, including epic set decoration, stunning visuals, Viking reenactors and a powerful set list full of immortal classics!
“We can’t wait to return to Spain!” said Joey DeMaio. “Our Spanish fans have always fought for MANOWAR and true metal. They have never failed us, and we will never fail the greatest fans in Spain” he continued. “Our motto is LOUDER HARDER BIGGER – that says it all!”
Dear Metalheads,
there are nine more reasons to look forward to Wacken Open Air 2021! Some of you have joined us for our announcement stream on Full Metal Gaming yesterday, but of course we want to share these good news with all of you. So, please welcome: Slipknot, In Extremo, Sick Of It All, U.D.O., New Model Army, Fever 333, Death Angel, At The Gates and Black Star Riders!
As you can see, most of these acts had already been announced for Wacken Open Air 2020. Which is why we are all the more excited for these shows, among them the highly anticipated Wacken debut of the masked US giants Slipknot.
Medieval rockers In Extremo will take their acclaimed new record „Kompass zur Sonne“ to the stage, while Sick Of It All will be a highlight for devotees of New York hardcore.
German metal veteran Udo Dirkschneider and his band U.D.O. team up with the music corps of the Bundeswehr for an epic show. Sweden’s At The Gates also have prepared something special and will celebrate their melodic death milestone „Slaughter Of The Soul“ live.
Legendary alternative rockers New Model Army, crossover sensation Fever 333 and Death Angel, masters of thrash, round up the package of returnees. In addition, Black Star Riders, official heirs to Thin Lizzy,are a completely new name in the billing.
Of course, there’s more to come – stay tuned!
Winners of The Therapy Through a Lense Awards
Drummer of the Year: Ronnie Huxford ( Those Damn Crows )
Best Female Fronted Band: HAXAN
Band of the Year: Massive Wagons
Best Rock/Punk Band: The Wildhearts
Guitarist of The Year: Adam Thistlethwaite ( Massive Wagons)
Best Female Singer: Sam Bolderson ( HAXAN )
Frontman of The Year: Baz Mills ( Massive Wagons )
Single of The Year: Bangin in Your Stereo ( Massive Wagons )
Best Independent Festival of The Year: Stonedead Festival
Best New Band: Those Damn Crows
Album of The Year: Full Nelson ( Massive Wagons )
Best Extreme Metal Band: The Black Dahlia Murder
Bassist of The Year: Adam 'Bowz' Bouskill ( Massive Wagons )
Best International Band: Massive
Rockin The Bowl Sheffield have announced their 2021 line up with Doro and Massive Wagons headlining.
Winter’s End prides itself in showcasing some of the finest up-and-coming and established rock and blues acts from every corner of Britain.
Big Day Productions have worked with some of the UKs and global's top artists.Big Day Productions, is an Live Music, Comedy and Entertainments company based in South Wales.
We bring you the best in rock music to South Wales. Past we have bought you the likes of Wayward Sons, Geoff Tate, Edens Curse, Eric Martin (Voice of Mr Big) and many more.
For inquiries into my work, please use the form to contact me. I thank you for your interest, and I will do my best to get back to you soon!
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