Graham Coxon – A&E

No need to call out the emergency services at all, actually; Coxon returns to the present with album number eight. Unlike 2009′s more traditionally accented acoustic-rock offering, The Spinning Top, the ante has been upped with a bit of scree-y grub and machinic nuance on A&E. The result is ten consistently visceral tracks of glottal electronica, punk and more than a splash of Germanic industrialism all to the tune of Coxon’s signature Blurish ‘who’d care’ vocal. So if you’re expecting the vocal clarity and Drake-y-ness we heard from Coxon three years ago, you’ll be disappointed. Well, you won’t be disappointed at all because it’s really good and stuff, but don’t hold out for spades of that classical-ish guitar gubbins: A&E sounds a bit like what a general anaesthetic feels like.

Richard James – Pictures In The Morning

Yeah, that’s Richard James of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, comin’ atcha with his second solo LP. Although not a drastic sidestep away from what Gorky’s got up to, you can forget any out-and-out experimentalism: Pictures In The Morning is 93% straight up acoustic singer-songwriting, with the odd flurry of strings adding a nod of colour now and then. The remaining 7% features plugged up guitar effects on ‘Magical Day’, but that’s as rude as this very intimate record gets. In fact, admitting to a Joe Meek moment, James says of the record’s deliberate simplicity; “I record everything now in houses, using every area of the building… It makes it hard to do drum tracks live but you can do acoustic ones. The album is meant to be quite low-key and intimate as it’s quite personal.” Who knew?

Cate Le Bon – CYRK

Sticking with the Welsh theme for the moment, how about some Cate Le Bon? Swanning onto the scene in 2008 courtesy of Gruff Rhys when she featured on Neon Neon’s Stainless Style, Le Bon’s second solo album is a surprise affair where romantic bucolic variously fuses with psych, prog and old school garage in a hail of instrumentation and effects. Le Bon’s feminine yet almost deadpan vocal is an easy match for that of old gruffly Gruff who, by the way, has his own cameo appearance on CYRK. Once upon a time, traditional Welsh music involved odd bagpipes and those sincere choral line ups; these days, the valleys are steeped in weirdness. We love it.

Way Yes – Walkability

You know all this a.m.a.z.i.n.g sun the Brits had been enjoying until recently? And you know how when the sun starts hinting at springtime that we get all over our Facebooks and Twitters requesting apposite musical recommendations to accompany the blue skies and sunbeams? Well, it’s a shame Way Yes are making us hang on until June for this record; if the EP’s anything to go by, the album would have been perfect last week. It’s tropical but voicey; worldy too, but not self-indulgent or inaccessible. If you liked the sort of thing El Guincho did on Alegranza!, you’ll like these guys from Columbus, Ohio. Yes, everyone’s surprised they’re from Ohio… Out on Lefse on June 18th.

Weird Dreams – Choreography

Whenever anyone cites ’50s doo wop or ’60s girl groups as a point of reference, I’m all over it. Ergo, East London’s psych-pop four-piece, Weird Dreams, can sit on my lap and have me pet them while I bob them along on my knee any time. Their self-produced debut album is a wry creamy dream of an updated take on a retrospective soundscape. It’s refreshingly upbeat for the most part, nostalgically swing-soaked in other places but delightfully un-pretentious, despite frontman Doran Edwards’s statement about what the band were aiming for with their sound; “The way David Lynch pushes reality to a point where it feels uncomfortable, his obsession with 1950s culture, his stream of consciousness approach to working. Weird Dreams is a bittersweet pop band with twists.” He might not have been referring to the dance expounded by the likes of The Beatles, but I challenge you not to jig your body about in some manner to Choreography.

Laura Marling: an artist in her element

Already a firm favourite among critics, Laura Marling is an artist truly in her element. With graceful poise and flawless vocals, her music offers lyrics with a maturity and wisdom which seem far beyond her tender 21 years. Her signature lulling guitar tones have an organic quality – refreshing in an age dominated by electronic music and studio-produced artists.

Born in 1990 in Hampshire, England, Laura was introduced to the guitar by her music teacher father. And so began her love affair with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, all of whom have shaped Laura’s unique style. At 16 Laura made the leap into the music industry by moving to London to pursue her dreams. She soon became part of a niche movement of artists who combined traditional folk melodies and instruments with some contemporary stylised twists to produce a new genre – nu-folk.

Laura is not one to shy away from painful or intense emotions as her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim, powerfully proves. The haunting sounds of  Night Terror and the passionate lyrics of My Manic and I combine to create an emotionally charged atmosphere which earned her a Mercury prize nomination. However, far from sinking into the sounds of deep despair, Laura’s honeyed vocals and the more uplifting tracks make her debut a compelling and sublime listen.

In 2010, Laura released I Speak Because I Can. The album marked a coming of age in Laura’s career, with a more mature sound of one not afraid to use her voice. Drawing from a range of inspirations from rural landscapes in Goodbye England (Covered in Snow) to classical mythology, which provided the unlikely influence for the album’s title track. I Speak Because I Can is a powerful collection, capturing a depth and range of emotions while remaining true to Laura’s distinctive and unique style. This was a fact recognised by critics as once again, she scored herself another Mercury nomination and scooped a Brit award for Best British Female.

With her third release, A Creature I Don’t Know, Laura sticks with her idiosyncratic storytelling  to create music loaded with poetic lyrics and a chilling, atmospheric touch. Once again, Laura found her unlikely inspiration in the novels of Robertson Davies; she admits that Sophia derives from Davies’ descriptions of the mythological figure thought to represent the female counterpart of God. Perhaps it is her interest in such unusual and original themes that help to make Laura’s music so powerfully charged. Her success with this album has once more been recognised by her Brit award nomination, alongside the likes of Kate Bush and Adele, to fight for the coveted crown of Best British Female 2012.

Laura’s career has been marked by a growth in confidence and a sense of self that continues to flourish. She has fashioned her own distinctive musical style with probing lyrics and ethereal melodies leaving us eagerly awaiting where her guitar and dulcit tones will take us next.

Laura Marling performing Sophia on Live With Jools Holland

Lauren Cutherbertson playing Juliet...

The most famous story of star-crossed lovers was simultaneously shown in 600 locations worldwide on 22nd March, as the Royal Opera House hosted a high definition live streaming of the classic ballet, Romeo and Juliet. The live screenings brought a modern touch to choregrapher Kenneth MacMillan’s heart-breaking production, featuring Lauren Cuthbertson  and Federico Bonelli as two of the company’s most established dancers in one of the Royal Ballet’s signature works. Romeo and Juliet’s love story has stood the test of time, and by showing choreography that was first premiered over 40 years ago in 1965 in  live screenings across the world, ROH fused the old and the new to perfection

With a cinema screening, you can enjoy a front row seat without the prohibitive price tag; group choreography and the finer details of the opulent set can be appreciated without binoculars. Plus, by watching the ballet from your local cinema, you don’t have to travel to the West End to appreciate Prokofiev’s masterful score and MacMillan’s fluid choreography. The clever, quick-paced dancing is both intimate when the two lovers are alone, and grand during complex fencing scenes. With behind-the-scenes access in addition exclusive interviews, everyone gets the VIP experience.

What you don’t get, however, is that palpable buzz of excitement as the curtain goes up, which is so energising in a real theatre environment. Some of the faster dancing movements also do not appear as fluid as they might in real life, which can be disappointing. Likewise, the editing of close-up shots cuts out the surrounding action on stage, forcing you to follow the camera’s gaze rather than your own.

Nonetheless, the playful innocence of Romeo and Juliet’s love affair really comes across in the pas de deux when they first meet in the ballroom and once again in the famous balcony scene. The most tender moment of all, however, is when Romeo dances with Juliet’s lifeless body in the tomb scene as their tragic story draws to a close. It seems fitting, somehow, that a love which surpasses time, family feuds and society should be communicated through dance; perhaps the most transcendental art form of all. With such naturalistic acting and gestures, Cuthbertson and Bonelli communicate as much emotion as Shakespeare’s famous prose in a single piece of pointe work.

So, to paraphrase Juliet’s famous question: what’s in a live performance? That which we call a ballet, by any other medium would be as sweet. It is, it seems, true: Romeo and Juliet’s love story is as enchanting and sad in a live streaming as it is in a live performance.

For more information on future live screenings visit the ROH cinema website. Upcoming productions include Rigoletto and La Fille Mal Gardée.

Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House

Kate Bush's otherworldly, ethereal look

In an age in which reality television whips us up in a whirlwind of X-Factor manufactured bands, musical individuality can seem something of a rare feat. It’s no wonder then that we cherish artists like Kate Bush who, with her haunting blend of lyrical prowess and wistful vocals, sits firmly outside of this mainstream trend.

Born in Kent in 1958, Kate was just 16 when she caught the eye of Pink Floyd maverick David Gilmour and was quickly snapped up by the record label EMI with a £5,000 deal. The label were reluctant to thrust the teen immediately into the limelight, instead insisting that she complete her schooling before embarking on a musical career. As a result, Kate’s first single with its epic literary title Wuthering Heights, was not released until 1978.

The wait certainly paid off, with Kate scoring the top spot in the British music charts and remaining there for a further four weeks. In addition to chart success, there was another triumph for Wuthering Heights; Kate became the first female singer to score a number one hit with a self-penned song. Kate’s haunting take on the iconic Emily Brontë novel, charting the doomed love affair between the beautiful Catherine Earnshaw and the brooding Heathcliff, demonstrates the distinctive melodrama present in her music. It is this aspect of innovative and creative inspiration that has continued to develop throughout Kate’s career, defining her as a truly unique artist. Fast forward to 2011, and her critically-acclaimed album, 50 Words for Snow, proved that she was every bit as unique and talented as when she first started out.

After the phenomenal success of her debut single, Kate went on to release an album, The Kick Inside. Characterised by a tapestry of musical influences, it fuses elements of classical and rock genres along with an array of ethnic sources. Her fearless experimental tone also displays itself in later album, The Dreaming, marked by its innovative use of sampling techniques, which honed Kate’s idiosyncratic and surreal style.

In addition to experiments with musical production, Kate is also noted for her intelligent approach towards lyrical inspiration. Never one to stick to the rules, she draws much of her inspiration from outside of the musical world, finding her niche in the work of literary writers. After being granted rare permission from the James Joyce estate, Kate crafted her take on Molly Bloom’s climactic monologue from Ulysses to create Flower of the Mountain, an enigmatic track of intensely psychological and cathartic appeal. Not only are Kate’s songs marked by a literary intelligence, her sharp and insightful approach to writing perhaps comes from her love of comedy; the work of Monty Python, Woody Allen and Fawlty Towers have all provided inspiration for her work.

Despite her infamous rejection of all things mainstream, Kate’s career is nonetheless crowned with prestigious awards, including two highly coveted Ivor Novello prizes: one in 1979 for Outstanding British Lyric for The Man With the Child in His Eyes; and a second in 2002 for Outstanding Contribution To British Music As A Songwriter. Although she is commercially successful and has a large fan base, Kate prefers to stay out of the public eye; an intensely private person, she chooses not to indulge in the modern celebrity lifestyle and has a strict sense of personal and public duty.

What sets Kate apart from many of today’s artists is her independence and courage to experiment with a unique sound; characteristics that are also the key to her longevity and staying power.

The video for Kate’s first single Wuthering Heights

Oddfellow’s Casino – The Raven’s Empire

Beginning things with a locational bias, a nibble on a little Brighton-based eccentricity is perfect potion to get the coastal blood a-pumping. Described by Les Inrockuptibles as Britain’s answer to Sufjan Stevens, David Bramwell and his company of orchestrally inclined bandmates furnish us with Oddfellow’s fifth and newest album to ensure that 2012 is an Edward Gorey themed year. Expect the Brighton and Hove Concert Band, un-living memories of the West Pier before it became a stack of matchsticks, Victorian freakshows and vignettes, and the ghostly smell of pipe tobacco to assault the mind’s eye and ear.

Karen Dalton – 1966

Karen Dalton came back on the scene posthumously around 2008 after her last release, In My Own Time, in 1971. The latest Dalton-shaped offering comes in the form of never-before heard, recently unearthed tracks, featuring cover versions of songs by the likes of Fred Neil and Tim Hardin. Latterly recognised as one of folk’s most important voices, Dalton, if she were alive today, would stand shoulder to shoulder with the aforementioned heavyweights plus Bob Dylan, who credits her as an inspiration for his own career. Gravelly, raw and oh so folky, if that classic Greenwich Village vibe is your thing, you need 1966 in your life.

Hooded Fang - Tosta Mista

I love – LOVE I tell ye – that garage surf thing, so with all of this classic reverb going on, surf guitar and  ’60s style drum breaks, I think I might have found a new obsession. But behind all the elevating this and that, this record actually has quite a sad concept behind it all: surprisingly it documents the disintegration of the Hooded Fang’s Daniel Lee and April Aliermo’s five-year relationship. Stand out track ‘Den Of Love’ supposedly typifies it all. Whatevs, heartbreak or not, Tosta Mista has been described as “the whole of the Nuggets box set condensed into an album that’s just 23 minutes long.” That’s a win on my watch.

Department of Eagles – The Cold Nose

From The Department of Eagles, The Cold Nose is a re-release seven years after its original outing. What 2012 has that 2005 didn’t is up for speculation, but what this record has that 2005′s version didn’t is six bonus tracks, featuring remixes from Tunng and Deadelus. That’s a whopping 19 tracks to get stuck into! What’s it like? Well, if the kind of thing DJ Shadow does floats your boat, then you might be setting merry sail. Time Out, however, have another specific on it all: “Imagine if Thom Yorke woke up one sunny spring morning and realised that actually, everything was going to be OK after all.” Imagine if he did! 1997 would have sounded very different…

Diagrams – Black Light

One man show, Sam Genders, otherwise known as Diagrams, serves up audio delights with his debut album. Truth be told, I was expecting a well-synthy, wanky LP (I confess; I judged a book by its cover). But pleasantly, where it is a bit synthy now and then, it’s not wanky. It’s actually pretty lyrically rich, and in places, bluesy, funk-peppered and psych (the old and new variety) a-plenty. Diagrams has been likened to Hot Chip and Metronomy, which I think is where I formulated my preconceptions, but quite wonderfully – and strangely – The Guardian had this to say about Mr Genders’ work: “Like Sufjan Stevens and a parliament of owls in a feathery group hug, happily tumbling down an upwards escalator in slow motion.”

The Art of Colour: Georgia O’Keeffe

A year in art, music, cinema and literature features and there have been some fascinating, thought-provoking pieces on everything from banned books to cinema in Berlin. For your reading pleasure, we’ve rounded up the best of best; a look back over Culturelle in 2011…

Brits and the Boards: Women in UK Theatre

Alice Stride edits a go-to guide to the brightest and most brilliant women working in British theatre today: an inspiring must-read for any budding theatre-luvvies out there.

The Enigmatic Artists

Plum Woodard takes a look at five of music’s most enigmatic female artists, from rock and pop, soul to blues – and from ceaselessly out there to near on unknown…

The Art of Colour

In considering the works of celebrated artists, the exploration of the expressive use of colour can unveil ardent sensitivity and insight into some of the great masters in history and how they inspire us, even today. Kaiti Vartholomaios looks at the art of colour.

Ten of the Best… Historical Novels

As a fun and engaging way to learn about the past, historical novels offer more than your average ‘airport’ read. Viola Levy noses through ten of the best.

Street Art Now

Spray cans at the ready; SJP takes a look at the progression of street art, key artists and where you can see the best tags, bombs and burners…

Banned Books: The Novels You Weren’t Supposed to Read

Banned by governments, Brogan Driscoll presents an edit of some of the most famous outlawed titles – and a few that might surprise you.

Brushstrokes and Bitch Fits: Women who Changed Art

It’s certainly not that female artists don’t exist – it’s simply that they’re not given the wall space that their male counterparts are. Sandra Smiley considers ten key female figures from the art world…

Magathèque: Volume 20

It’s your final Magathèque and the best ever yet! To conclude two years of short film exploration,  Pippa Rimmer reminds you of some of the best shorts we’ve profiled…

On Location: Greece

It’s been a long time since Greece was one of the globe’s greatest exporters of culture, but that hasn’t stopped international production companies from turning its landscapes into cinematic starlets…Kaiti Vartholomaios explores the Greek cinematic landscape past and present.

Upper Class Reads

The fictional – and not so fictional – adventures of the rich and fabulous have fascinated readers for centuries, and it is hardly surprising, thinks Katie Byrne.

Running in Heels: Jasmine Cullingford – Artistic Director

Alice Revel  takes a peek behind the curtains and meets the lady who makes the on-stage magic happen at one of the UK’s most inspiring, eclectic arts venues.

Meet Diana Athill 

Speaking to Harri Sutherland-Kay , the legendary, award-winning British writer and editor adresses the important themes of writing, political activism, feminism, education, religion and the afterlife.

The Ex Factor Playlist

SJP presents your essential guide to the best break-up tracks of all time. Grab a bar of chocolate, arm yourself with tissues and press play to listen to the Ex Factor…

Work by artist Yolanda Dominguez

A Space to Write

Monique Rubinslooks at how a woman needs time, a means to live and her own space if she is to find form for the muddled – but wonderful – ideas that for too long have been buried somewhere at the back of her brain.

Blogging in Heels: Katy Evans-Bush – Baroque in Hackney

Alice Revel quizzes fascinating books and culture blogger Katy Evans-Bush about her sharp, witty musings on literature and London.

Bitches of the Big Screen

Audiences love them, actresses love playing them, the only question is why don’t we see more of them?! Victoria Todd give you our best Bitches of the Big Screen.

Meet Yolanda Domínguez

Jem McCarron meets the young Spanish artist, whose ground-breaking work investigates and challenges our gender conceptions through new, innovative art forms.

Cinematic Cities: Berlin

Continuing your cinematic journey of Europe, Francesca Robson takes you to a city which has inspired some of the most dedicated depictions on celluloid: Berlin

Beach Reads: The Guilty Pleasures

Unfold your towel, settle into the sunshine and enjoy the dog-eared pages. Alexia Healy chooses some of the best literary junk food for snacking pleasure!

Meet Rose Balston

Fran Harris talks classical treasures, architectural anecdotes and bringing London’s artistic heritage to life with the young, passionate founder of Art History UK.

Five of our Favourites… Northern Soul

Not so familiar with the genre? Plum Woodard takes a look five of top Northern soul tracks that are bound to get you spinning on your heels in no time…

The Magic of Writing: Patricia Duncker

Literary doyenne and idea aficionado Patricia Duncker speaks to Deirdra Eden Keane about love, suicide cults, literature festivals and everything in between…

One of our five Northern Soul picks, Dobie Gray’s Out On The Floor

There are plenty of female artists in music we know heaps about; if not thanks to the wealth of gossip mags out there, thanks to publicity behemoths blowing gales of wind into their celebrity sails. But, equally, there are several who we know very little about. But it doesn’t just stop with knowing about them or not: they’re actually a tiny bit puzzling as well. Running In Heels takes a look at five of music’s most enigmatic female artists, from ceaselessly out there to near on unknown…

Lady Gaga

While Madonna and Rihanna failed to make the rundown, Lady Gaga gives them both a run for their money: from meat frocks to songs about Jesus’ disciples, what Gaga does next hardly finds itself filed under ‘predictable’. Previously, allusions to gender identity, while controversial in some places, only seemed to propel the world’s intrigue with one of pop’s most dramatic icons but the really fascinating thing about Lady G is that behind all the ‘neo-burlesque’ there’s a prodigy – at 20, she was employed by Sony to write songs for the likes of the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears. Kind of otherworldly in a Bowie kind of way, she’s single-handedly revolutionised popular music… And she’s still only 25.

Amy Winehouse

While rhapsodising the prematurely deceased is easy to do, Winehouse’s name is synonymous with soul – the musical variety and the tortured kind – and her latter performances when they happened had us on pins anticipating the next Amy Winehouse foible. Toward the end, her reputation both on and off stage hovered over the less favourable following arrests for abusing audience members and being too far intoxicated to perform at all. While the coroner’s verdict in October this year did deign alcohol to be the cause of her death at 27 after all, her followers were left short-changed after a brief glimmer of hope that she was finally managing to beat her demons. Fascinating while alive, Winehouse – and what might have been for her – now epitomises the enigma of the one that got away and smash sales of her posthumous album only serves as testament to this.

Patti Smith

One of music’s most androgynous chanteuses, Patti Smith gracefully managed to bring down the wall of stereotyping women in music. Nicknamed The Godmother of Punk, her boyish demeanour challenged conventions during her hey day during the ‘70s NYC punk scene. Her vocal style has since been tacitly tributed by the likes of The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O and her louche approach to her not-entirely-polished image holistically leading for a long register of contemporary female artists in music. Yet despite her forward-looking place amid female musicians, even as she continues to make her stamp in the present, Smith’s hook was that much of her output was largely unintended in terms of groundbreaking, deliberate statements: for a woman who recently described herself as “a bum”, Smith’s allure is that there’s nothing contrived about her career so far, and that’s what compounds her enigma – she’s effortless, something many take years trying to perfect.

Tori Amos

To this day, we still don’t know what a Cornflake Girl is. What we like about this woman is she probably doesn’t either. Flame haired and porcelain faced with exponentially structured cheekbones, Tori Amos properly bubbled up on the mainstream radar in 1996 with the ‘bedroom scent’ dance floor hit, Professional Widow. The track was some sidestep from her lyrically piano soaked norm and despite meriting award-winning acclaim in the early nineties, her album of ’96, Boys For Pele, featured sinister images of her breastfeeding a piglet and languidly nursing a shotgun. Influential and the recipient of a phalanx of awards and credits, Amos stays fastidiously out of the media limelight. What we do know is that she’s a close friend of Neil Gaiman – which speaks volumes over the whisper of mystery this singer-songwriter is shrouded in.

Karen Dalton

Commonly referred to as ‘folk’s answer to Billie Holiday’, Karen Dalton hasn’t been all that widely appreciated until relatively recently. An accompaniment and contemporary to the likes of Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and Fred Neil, it was in 1960s New York where Karen was a stalwart of the Greenwich Village folk scene. Dalton died in 1993 from AIDS but although she’s been posthumously re-released to great acclaim nearly two decades following her death, and 40 years subsequently since her last living release in 1971, Dalton allegedly lived out her final years modestly and unremarkably. Put succinctly by the publicists managing her legacy, “Karen Dalton was a remote, mercurial creature… She instinctively understood that if she wanted to survive the harshness of the world around her, she would have to keep herself hidden.” In terms of one of the greatest folk singers of all time, no one is more enigmatic than one such many have never heard of. 1966, a collection of Dalton’s material freshly dug out, is released in January 2012.

While by no means the exclusive soundtrack to the mod movement, Northern soul began putting its feelers out to sharply clad hipsters before finding its soulful home in dancehalls about a decade down the line. Finding its roots in Mowtown, despite its black American origins, NS was primarily the domain of the British music scene, developing and retaining its popularity and following well into the ‘70s where its grip properly took hold. If you caught 2010’s SoulBoy, you’ll know that the Wigan Casino, deemed the most legendary club in the UK, was the go to place for an all nighter of energetic souling, where the birth of break and disco dancing were debuted. Fast in tempo and upbeat, its uptake was underground, keen and cultish – and hot property of the north of England; nothing to do with the northern states of the US as is commonly assumed. It still holds its own on the sub-scene, and has borne out heavy influence within British pop – the late Amy Winehouse, for instance – over the last 40-plus years.

Not so familiar with the genre? Well, it’s not the easiest to define, with many artists dipping their toes into the soul groove and not much more, coupled with the fact that the circuit actively preferred obscure tracks and not-so-well-known artists where commercial success was uncommon. But for starters, RIH takes a look five of top Northern soul tracks that are bound to get you spinning on your heels in no time…

Tainted Love – Gloria Jones, 1964

No, you didn’t hear it first from Soft Cell. Covered also by Marilyn Manson in 2001, Tainted Love was the genius offering from Gloria Jones, perhaps unjustly better known as Marc Bolan’s girlfriend and mother to his son. So Northern soul held water with glam rock too, eh?… The foot stomper was originally the B-side to her failure single My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home but Tainted Love went on to find a stellar place in NS clubs in the ‘70s. Jones rerecorded the track for the benefit of the souling crowds and although it was rereleased in 1976 on the back of its success on the scene, the song never charted for its original artist.

Tell Mama – Etta James, 1967

By far the most generalist track on this list, plus the most commercially successful (it charted relatively well in America), Etta James’s Tell Mama is broader soul and R&B than just that of the Northern category. However, go to any NS night and you’ll probably hear this gem spun to gigantic crowd-pleasing acclaim. Feisty, euphoric and loud, Tell Mama is one of James’s finest moments and an ongoing staple within the NS, Southern soul and Mowtown scene.

Stop Breaking My Heart – Tom Jones, 1966

What NS rundown would be complete without a bit of Tom? His ’66 release also failed to chart at all (we know; Tom not charting? Outrage!), but thoroughly encapsulates the Northern soul sound: distinct and consistent beat, lots of heartache, strong backing singers… This track wasn’t Tom’s only flirtation with NS; the Welsh soul singer is after all famous for his grind inducing, hip shaking, hand clapping style.

Surrounded By A Ray Of Sunshine – Samantha Jones, 1967

Not to be confused with the SATC cougar, Liverpudlian soultress Samantha Jones found success on the NS scene with her elbow pusher, Surrounded…, about ten years after its original release. Despite becoming a dance floor staple representing the genre during the ‘70s, the track was never a commercial success.

Out On The Floor – Dobie Gray, 1975

Released at the height of the dancehall phenomena that became Northern soul, American Dobie Gray wouldn’t chart at all (surprise surprise) with this stalwart circuit anthem. Pile on to YouTube for footage from the casinos, dancehalls and all nighters, and they’ll probably all be to the tune of Dolbie. Epitomising the NS movement, Gray’s theatrical, orchestral wa-hey-hey is precisely what this whole thing’s about.

The riot grrrl movement was largely influenced by the female rockers who had gone before, such as Patti Smith, Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett. Jett was originally a member of The Runaways, one of the first all-girl rock and roll bands. Despite being marketed as ‘jailbait’, and the fact that singer Cherie Currie donned lingerie on stage, The Runaways marked a turning point for women in music. As Jett said: ‘We knew it was gonna blow people’s minds to see girls play sweaty, hard, serious rock and roll.’The jailbait image may have been a gimmick, but their gender wasn’t. The band endured a volley of criticism based purely on their sex. Even after their success, Jett struggled to get a record deal when the band split. Twenty-three labels listened to her demo and refused to sign her. The same record later reached the top of the charts in the USA, and stayed there for two months.

Rocking Out with Riot Grrrl

The Runaways may have been a minority, but just over ten years later a group of girls in Olympia, Washington sparked what would become an international phenomenon: riot grrrl, a musical and cultural movement often associated with third wave feminism. Bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and The Slits wrote songs for and about women and girls; their songs dealt with their own experiences and frustrations, and focused on female empowerment. The movement quickly spread to the UK and the European riot grrrl scene took on a life of its own. The riot grrrl movement largely rejected the press; instead, riot grrrls communicated through letters, handmade zines and, of course, their music. By doing so, according to writer Julia Downes, ‘these girls created a radical philosophy centred around encouraging girls across the country to subvert the stagnant male dominated underground by creating their own music.’

This rejection of the media only served to intrigue them, and soon the music industry decided to cash in. 1996 saw the advent of The Spice Girls, a group who changed the pop scene forever. If riot grrrl was about being real and sweaty and loud, this new, shiny pre-packaged group was about being pretty and proud. The Spice Girls broke into a market previously dominated by boy bands, and became the best-selling female group of all time. Girls stopped swooning over Ronan Keating and starting screaming ‘Girl Power’ (incidentally, not a phrase coined by The Spice Girls – Welsh indie band Helen Love used the phrase in their 1993 song ‘Formula 1 Racing Girls,’ and punk pop duo Shampoo released an album called Girl Power in 1996). Regardless, it seemed female artists had established a firm position for themselves both in the underground and mainstream music scenes.

Feminism and Music Today

Today, the charts are dominated by women. Lady Gaga, for example, is a strong female figure who promotes self confidence and individuality. Although she frequently appears in next-to-no-clothing, Lady Gaga remains curiously asexual: she couples lace body stockings with oversized wigs, and fishnet tights with that meat dress. Beyoncé, who appeared alongside Gaga in the Thelma and Louise-style ‘Telephone’ video, is another interesting candidate. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar she displayed a rather confusing attitude towards the term ‘feminism’. She said: ‘I need to find a catchy new word for feminism, right? Like Bootylicious.’  Although during the rest of the interview she asserts some feminist values, her attitude seems to imply that feminism is somehow uncool. Songs like ‘Independent Women’ and ‘Girls (Who Rule the World)’ have empowering lyrics, but are often accompanied by videos of the singer gyrating in skimpy outfits. The overt sexuality of music videos today often seems to overtake the songs themselves: girls have gone from choreographing routines to ‘Wannabe’ to learning how to wiggle their hips like Shakira. Music and physicality have never been more closely linked, and it seems that many female artists today are choosing to sing about their sexuality, rather than their sex.

Perhaps the best way to look at music as a vehicle for feminism is to go straight to the anthems, and the response they receive. It is impossible not to feel roused when listening to ‘Sisters are Doin’ it for Themselves’ sung by Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox. It is incredibly difficult not to sing along, even if giggling, to Helen Reddy’s ‘I am Woman.’ No Doubt’s cycnical ‘I’m Just a Girl’ never fails to provoke a reaction. And regardless of whether Béyonce thinks the term ‘feminism’ isn’t bootylicious enough, there are always hands in the air when ‘Independent Women’ is played.

Even if we are not always in agreement with an artist’s take on (or lack of) feminism, music still serves the same purpose today as it did back when Joan Jett first picked up her guitar: it spreads a message. The sound of feminism is something different for everyone. To me, it’s the opening chords of Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation,’ and the gutsy deliverance of Bikini Kill’s ‘Rebel Girl’ .To others, it’s shouting along with Aretha as she sings ‘R. E. S. P. E. C. T.’ For others, it will always be screaming ‘Girl Power’ at The Spice Girls. The reaction when one of these songs is played can be positive or negative. It could be people agreeing with the song’s message or criticizing it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that music and feminism work together to spark debate and keep the issue current. The sound of feminism, whether it’s riot grrrl, pop, or an argument over which one to play next, is alive and well.

27 Club: Brian Jones with Jimi Hendrix...

Last month, the news that Amy Winehouse had been found dead in her Camden home dominated opinion on social networking sites and left the general public in flux between untimely shock and lack of surprise. Although what caused her death has yet to be disclosed, what’s definite is that Amy checked out way ahead of time; she was only 27.

This fact has only served to steep people’s reactions to the loss of one of Britain’s greatest talent exports, as that talent joins the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain who also died aged 27. Other notable members of what’s become known as the ‘Forever 27 Club’, or more simply ‘The 27 Club’, include Rolling Stone Brian Jones, The Doors’s Jim Morrison, soulstress Janis Joplin and, perhaps more nebulously, Richey Edwards of The Manic Street Preachers who vanished in 1995.

The doomed register of the 27 Club has captured many people’s interest for over the years. From moon charts, speculation around the significance of the commonly occurring letter ‘J’, the astrological phenomena of ‘The Return of Saturn’, to what’s become known as ‘The Curse of The White Lighter’ (where allegedly, members of the 27 Club were all found with a white lighter on their person when they died). There have even been rumours that the deaths were murder and some are still cloaked in part mystery. What one might loosely refer to as conspiracy theories, the deaths of some of the world’s most iconic musicians at 27 has curried plenty of inspection from people over time, some of whom have espoused that the likes of Hendrix and Morrison were deliberately ‘eradicated’ for inspiring too much free thought among their audiences, and Joplin for challenging racial – and in part, sexual – boundaries beyond what was acceptable at the time.

For me, the theories are fascinating, particularly given that the age of these figureheads – all of who kicked down walls in their respective niches – appear to spike so drastically at this fateful age. But speculation can never be founded or proven, and in the case of the 27 Club, is open to all manner of projection and interpretation. When reports that Hendrix and Joplin, who both succumbed to drug-related problems within two weeks of each other, had apparently both bought heroin from the same batch, the lure to theorise on motives more morbid than that of their deaths alone takes on a different appearance.

More realistically, aside from their age, what all of the club members have in common is that they were hugely caught up in substance abuse at the peak of their careers, coupled with the wrong side of the fine line that’s psychiatric stability and emotional well-being. Reports of displays of erratic behaviour prior to their deaths are not uncommon, as were fears for their health and personal safety. Perhaps it was the pressure of fame, the steep and sudden incline into stardom? Maybe it was the genius of every one of them, more often than not tortured genius, and the weight of responsibility for leading people into new lines of thought that made them need to escape themselves? Perhaps a total disillusion with life

In Winehouse’s case, time will tell as to what it was precisely that brought her short life to an end. What is surely is that as tragic as her death has been, she has, in her young years, achieved more than most people can even dream of and stands alongside a list of greats of which she is more than equal to in calibre, who also lived fast and died young.

 Amy Winehouse performing Rehab on Jools Holland’s Later Live programme