Latest news with #OliviaRodrigo
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
In April, Lorde launched her fourth album with a brief guerrilla gig in New York. A message telling fans to meet her at Washington Square Park – ostensibly for a video shoot – caused chaos, happily of the variety that gets filmed on multiple cameraphones and goes viral on social media. Thousands turned up and the police shut the event down, but those that evaded them were eventually rewarded by Lorde performing to new single What Was That with impressive gusto given that she was standing on a small wooden table at the time. It was surprising. Lorde's last release, 2021's Solar Power, wasn't the only album of that period on which a female artist who had become famous in her teens strongly suggested that doing so was a living nightmare – Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever and Olivia Rodrigo's Guts did, too – but it was the only one that sounded like a resignation letter, sent from a beach in Ella Yelich-O'Connor's native New Zealand: 'Won't take a call if it's the label or the radio,' she sang at one point. At another: 'If you're looking for a saviour, well that's not me.' But Solar Power turned out to be merely an out-of-office message. Four years on and Lorde isn't just back, but apparently back in the sharp-eyed party girl mode of 2017's Melodrama. What Was That compares falling in love to the sensation of smoking while on MDMA. 'It's a beautiful life, so why play truant?' she shrugs on opener Hammer. 'I jerk tears and they pay me to do it.' The album features electronics that chatter, throb and regularly burst into fat, rave-y hands-in-the-air riffs, a high proportion of bangers to ballads and a profusion of big choruses. The ballads tend to the epic rather than introspective, with even Broken Glass, the track about the singer's battle with an eating disorder, packing a hook you can imagine a stadium audience singing along to. In that sense, Virgin might seem like an act of consolidation – far closer to Melodrama, since hailed as a modern classic, than the understated and polarising Solar Power. But it seems infinitely more likely that Lorde has reappeared because she's got something fresh to say rather than to reassert her commercial pop bona fides. Despite the talk of pills, dancing and promiscuity, Virgin's overall tone is markedly different. Melodrama was an album concerned with events that happen in your late teens, from experiments with drugs to first major heartbreak. Eight years on, Virgin is haunted by a late-20s kind of angst, born of the sense that you're now incontrovertibly an adult, regardless of whether you feel like one, or whether you're still, as GRWM puts it, 'jumping from stone to stone in the riverbed … looking for a grown woman'. On Shapeshifter, a one-night stand brings ennui and an irrational fear that such behaviour is compulsive: 'If I'm fine without it, why can't I stop?' There's more heartbreak, but this time it's sharpened by the sense that the sundered relationship was meant to be the relationship: the album ends with Lorde repeating the phrase 'am I ever gonna love again?', a sentiment that also lurks around Man of the Year, Current Affairs and What Was That. It's worth noting that the fraught subject matter is invariably leavened with self-awareness and bursts of sharp wit. On Current Affairs, a romantic depiction of love blossoming under a lunar eclipse suddenly turns earthy: 'You tasted my underwear / I knew we were fucked.' Similarly, despite the choruses and the euphoric riffs, the sound of Virgin is noticeably unsettled and rough. The synths are distorted in a way that makes the resultant sound feel corroded; the more ambient textures tend to gust through the songs like drafts of icy air. The melody lines are regularly disrupted by bursts of incomprehensible, mangled vocals that suddenly appear then vanish. The biggest ballad, Man of the Year, builds to a climax that's less uplifting than panic-inducing: the weirdly clipped-sounding drums feel too loud, punching through everything else in irregular staccato bursts; the aforementioned distortion soaks everything, including the vocals; the electronics take on a punishing, industrial cast. Throughout, Lorde seems less like an artist cravenly rehashing former glories than one who began her career speaking directly to her fellow teens about stuff that mattered to them – and paving the way for Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo et al in the process – continuing to grow up alongside her fans. That's always a tough job, but one Lorde seems more than capable of thanks to writing that remains as skilful and incisive as it did when she was precociously skewering pop's obsession with unattainable lifestyles from an Auckland suburb in 2013. Powerful, moving, personal but universal – and packed with bangers – Virgin is the proof. Westside Cowboy – Alright Alright Alright A brief, frantic, bracing burst of chaotic, Pavement-ish alt-rock: feedback, guitar riffs that unravel into chaos, all over and done in just over 90 seconds.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
How well do you know this year's Glastonbury lineup?
Published [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Nearly 4,000 artists are slated to perform at the Glastonbury music festival in the U.K. this week — and while there are a lot of familiar names on the bill, including Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Olivia Rodrigo and Charli xcx, there are thousands of lesser known artists performing across the festival's 120 stages. Can you tell the real from the fake? Take the AP quiz and see if you know your Beans on Toast from your Coronary Campaign. True or false, are the following artists performing at Glastonbury this year?
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Olivia Rodrigo fans gobsmacked as the singer welcomes huge pop star to BST gig
Olivia Rodrigo fans were in for a special treat as she welcomed a surprise guest to the sage for her concert at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, London Olivia Rodrigo's fans were left stunned by the songstress' surprise guest at her BST gig in Hyde Park. The show came before her hugely anticipated Glastonbury Festival appearance, where she will close this year's epic event. And while her fans were left in awe with a brilliant performance of some of her biggest hits and catchy tunes, it was her special guest that got fans feeling gobsmacked. On a sunny day in London, the Drivers License singer welcomed Ed Sheeran to the stage. The 22-year-old American was wearing a black sequinned leotard for the show and brought ginger-haired Ed to the stage for a rendition of his early hit, The A Team. He had been watching Olivia wow the crowd from the side of the stage. But as he waited patiently, Olivia then surprised those at the show when she introduced him as "one of the best songwriters of all time". It's far from the first time the Azizam singer has rocked up at someone else's show. He has previously surprised fans at concerts of Limp Bizkit, Stormzy and Taylor Swift to name a few. And taking to Instagram following his latest surprise, he said: "Been a fan of Olivia's since Drivers License blew my mind back at the start of 2021. Both albums are no skips for me. I'm a proper fan." He went on: Was gonna go watch the show anyway but she hit me and asked to sing The A Team with her, which was such a buzz. That song turns 15 this year, and I remember playing it to rooms withno one in it in 2010, so to still be playing it to new fans with one of the brightest stars of the next generation is an honour and a privilege." He signed off: "Rock Glasto headline Sunday @oliviaarodrigo, UK loves you x" Olivia's Glastonbury appearance is rumoured to have come from organisers' hopes to appeal to younger audiences. It's said to be hoped that Olivia and the 1975 - fronted by Matty Healy - will appeal to a younger audience. A source told the Daily Mail prior to the announcement: "Everyone is pretty pleased with this year's line-up now." The source continued: "At one stage, with Neil Young and Rod Stewart's names already out there, some people were concerned that this year's festival was going to be defined as the year of the wrinkly rockers." They added: "Both The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo are massive names who appeal to a much younger audience, so the hope is that Glastonbury will appeal to the youngsters this year as well as those who might want to see Neil or Rod." While The 1975 headlined Friday's show, it was Lewis Capaldi's surprise return that stole the day.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alanis Morissette at Glastonbury review – spectacular sundown set by a unique feminist artist
Alanis Morissette has landed the coveted pre-headliner 'sundowner slot' on the Pyramid stage on Friday, and without any significant clashes, setting her up for a healthy crowd. Just in case you're not familiar with who she is, her set opens with a helpful explanatory video emphasising her cultural impact with testimonials from Kelly Clarkson, Halsey and (actual Glastonbury headliner) Olivia Rodrigo, as well as clips from interviews giving a brief overview on her views (anti-war; 'naturearchy' over patriarchy). This brazen American narration letting you know that you're about to see a seven-time Grammy award-winner and a Very Influential Artist strikes a slightly odd note (or maybe just an un-English one). The spirit of Glastonbury, after all, is one where even the biggest star in the world must profess earnest and heartfelt gratitude for having been permitted to so much as cross the threshold of this holy ground; Morissette's video intro, emphasising her importance – under-acknowledged as it may be – risks setting expectations unattainably high. However, when Morissette takes the stage, she is very quick to show that she deserves them. After a little trill on her harmonica, she introduces One Hand in My Pocket, one of her best-known songs. It's a smart move, not only inviting the audience to join in with its built-in choreography (one hand making a peace sign, one hand holding a cigarette – good luck hailing that taxi cab!) but also signalling that she's setting out to play a crowd-pleasing set, and not planning to hold back on the hits. For anyone who has cared to see beyond her reputation as the Canadian singer of Ironic and/or an angry man-hating feminist – as she was persistently dismissed, even at her career peak – Morissette has always been defined by her voice. It's both incredibly powerful, capable of the octave-jumping acrobatics that define pop's most lauded singers, but also – more unusually – idiosyncratic: you don't have to be very familiar with her back catalogue to be able to do a quickly guessable impression. Thirty years on from her album Jagged Little Pill, no one would fault Morissette if she wasn't able to summon the raw power that made that album so enduring. It's defined of course by You Oughta Know, a song that makes every other song subsequently described as having been 'inspired by female rage' (and there have been many!) sound as if they were written by ChatGPT. But if there were any doubts about her voice among the crowd, Morissette dispels them instantly, really putting some welly into her trademark warble, even for One Hand in My Pocket – one of her lower-intensity hit songs. 'Got some pipes on her, eh,' my sister messages me from elsewhere in the field and I can only agree. The focus of this set is on Morissette as a singer, as much as a songwriter, and it's refreshing – after a decade now of whisperpop, and even the angriest young feminists in pop seemingly struggling to actually raise their voices – to hear what a well-trained diaphragm is capable of. Perhaps relatedly, Morissette keeps the chat between songs to a minimum, thanking the crowd with an ear-to-ear smile then launching into Right Through You. On the screen behind her, a series of stats scroll through highlighting the multi-faceted grim reality for women today, still – from higher rates of depression and anxiety than men, to a tiny share of the world's total wealth, to dismal stats of partner violence. It makes explicit the sexism and disrespect that has dogged Morissette through her career and brings it into the anniversary set, concluding the song with the question: 'Why are we afraid of the divine feminine?' Morissette lets the question hang, or lets her songs speak for her. She introduces her band one member at the time, saving the crowd from the typically long list of names, but otherwise keeps focused on the set. When she launches into Hands Clean, another belter, you may be starting to realise she's got more great songs than you remember. The sheer proliferation of hits, many from Jagged Little Pill alone, keeps the set pacy. Head Over Feet, featuring a harmonica solo, lifts the energy after the earlier sobering messaging. Her charm as a songwriter lies in this duality of perspective, with Morissette being equally capable of razor-sharp clarity and also the feminine right to set it every aside once in a while. A rhythm emerges to the set where, along with the member-by-member introduction to her band, Morissette showcases her vocal skills before launching into the song itself. The life-affirming energy of You Learn is lost to Smiling, a dirge-y ballad most reminiscent of Evanescence, which only Morissette seems to enjoy, twirling around on the stage as though entirely alone. But Ironic is triumphant, a big singalong that gets everyone up and on their feet, even at the very crest of the hill – and You Oughta Know is ironclad, as powerful and shockingly direct as on your-ever listen. When Morissette concludes her set with Thank You – after of course thanking us, the audience, for the 'bucket list' show – she seems to mean it and the feeling is mutual.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Glastonbury backstage photographer ready for Raye and Rodrigo
As stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Raye and Rod Stewart head onto the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this year, one photographer will have the perfect place to capture that Jackson from Bridgend has a small studio set up right next to the a photographer who loves music, it's his dream job."I'm photographing people I had posters of on my wall. It's a massive privilege," he said. Tom is never sure if the stars will agree to have their picture taken. They are told about his studio and asked to have a photo for the Glastonbury archive. Tom says the process is quite "organic", with some stars agreeing, others not, and some changing their minds at the last minute. So he has to be ready, set to take the shot at a moment's notice if the opportunity comes. "It's an electric place, it's nuts, everyone is on high tempo, the management, the artists."They come out of the VIP area, walk to me, have their picture taken, and the stairs are next to me going up to the stage."He remembered seizing the chance to capture one of his music heroes, when Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters came in. "They came off stage quite suddenly so there was no management waiting, and I said 'Dave do you want to do it now?' "And he said 'boys, do you want to have a sweaty band picture' and they went 'Yeah'." "Dave Grohl was the drummer of Nirvana, one of my favourite bands, I've got their album on the wall there. It's mental."Raye was also "cool" although she had Louis Theroux and a documentary team in tow, which Tom said was a bit out of his comfort zone."They filmed the whole thing, then Raye came over and she was chatting to me, so the cameras came in again. "She was lovely, loved her pictures and posted them straight away. "The thing about Glasto is that it's such a big thing for the artists too, so to enjoy that moment with them is quite nice." So how do you bag a dream job? Tom's break came when he was photographing Emily Eavis at Glastonbury, the daughter of Michael Eavis who started the festival, for The Times Magazine. After the shoot, Tom decided to take a chance and send an email."I was quite frank and said, 'If you ever need anyone to do portraits on the Pyramid Stage, I'd just love to help'."In about half an hour, I got an email back saying 'We'd love you to'. "Then the first year it was crazy. "I photographed Kylie Minogue, The Killers, The Cure, Miley Cyrus, Lauren Hill, in three days."But then, he was no stranger to photographing celebrities. His work at The Times magazine led to him capturing all kinds of well known personalities, from a Spice Girl to Sir David Attenborough. Tom remembered out of everyone he's photographed, it was Sir David, who made him feel the most star-struck. "When you're looking through a lens and you see that man... it's mad. He has to be one of my favourites."Tom had 40 minutes to get that shot in Sir David's home. That's a luxury compared to some of the other stars he's said his time with England and Arsenal footballer Bukayo Saka was cut heavily, and he ended up doing the entire shoot in just seven of Tom's favourite photos he's taken is of Lenny Kravitz. The shoot took place in a Paris hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tour, and the rock star was up for playing the part."He had this huge leather case and I thought it's a guitar. He said 'look at this, man' and he opened it up and it was full of god knows how many vintage sunglasses. But he was game. I said do you mind sitting in the bath and he said 'Yeah, get me some champagne'."Tom has done the press photography in recent years for the Christmas special of Gavin and Stacey and also the Finale. He captured actors James Corden and Matthew Horne, Smithy and Gavin. "I was photographing them as characters but then they just started having a laugh and fooling around and I just got a nice picture of them both."His shot of Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of Pulp, was taken in the rehearsal room for the bands' current tour."He helped edit them and it was cool." "I was stood in a Camden studio watching them rehearse and it was like a live private gig with Pulp."Key to a good shoot for Tom is to be prepared, to be set up and ready to go, play some music to help relax people and ensure that everyone feels comfortable. That way Tom feels he'll get the best portrait."I like faces, character in faces. I want to capture 'them', the person."And now that most of us carry good quality cameras in our pockets, built into our phones, what's Tom's top tip for taking a good picture?"Use the flash. Every time."
