Talking about the album’s influences and focuses in a press release Anohni said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. That was a really important touchstone in my mind. Some of these songs respond to global and environmental concerns first voiced in popular music over 50 years ago.”

The video for the soulful “It Must Change” was directed by British artists, filmmakers, and frequent collaborators of Nick Cave, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. Starring in the video is British transactivist and model Munroe Bergdorf, who glows in the blue nocturnal light as she lip-syncs to Anohni’s sultry cries of “that’s why this is so sad”. Anohni said on the activist in the press release, “Munroe Bergdorf has done so much service for British society. She always impresses me with her articulate grace. Munroe’s dignity and ethical courage are a guiding light”. Watch the video below:

“Beyond excited and nervous to share this with the world”, Anohni wrote on her Instagram prior to the single’s release. “It’s me giving everything I’ve got, stepping out during these crazy times. I want to be helpful and useful in this moment. We need to work collectively and pool our empathy, find ways forward. I am trying to make music that supports your dreaming, your engagement, your sense of connection, your courage, your activism. It’s a feminine dream for all people. Love ANOHNI”.

ANOHNI and The Johnsons’ sixth album will be available in limited edition yellow vinyl online as well as white vinyl from indie retail. Click here to pre-order.

Though the singer was born in Chichester, ANOHNI and The Johnstons (named in tribute to trailblazing trans activist Marsha P. Johnston) formed in New York in 1997. The changing ensemble has featured renowned producers and musicians Jimmy Hogarth and Leo Abrahams.

In 2005, the band’s melancholic chamber pop second LP, I am a Bird Now, which featured legendary artist such as Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Joan Wasser, Boy George, and Lou Reed, gathered critical and commercial success, earning the band a mercury prize. In 2016, Anohni became the first openly transgender performer nominated for an Academy Award when she was Best Original Song for “Manta Ray” in the film Racing Extinction.

See the tracklist for My Back Was a Bridge For You To Cross below:

01) It Must Change
02) Go Ahead
03) Sliver of Ice
04) Can’t
05) Scapegoat
06) It’s My Fault
07) Rest
08) There Wasn’t Enough
09) Why Am I Alive Now?
10) You Be Free

We come across such an artistic crossing of paths after The Lottery Winners spent a good effort trying to catch his attention. After 55 tweets, the 61 year old icon gave them a chance, and decided to give the song a listen, which led to him vocally contributing to the track.

Rylance, the frontman of the band, held his persistence in trying to work with George after researching how a pop song should be written to be considered a classic. Having listened to many of the pop artist’s songs for inspiration he came to the realisation that his creation of “Let Me Down” had been written to be sung by no other vocalist other than the man himself. Which he heroically achieved.

The single has been released, previously, as part of their upcoming album Anxiety Replacement Therapy due to be dropped on the 28th April this year (2023). They’ve also released two other singles of the album, the opening song “Worry” and “Money” featuring the Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun Ryder.

Rylance describes the song as such: “The song has a light and sunny ‘80s feel, with a lot of the same colours as other Boy George songs.” The album is to be received as the reflection of a year in the writer’s life. A typhoon of his mental health struggles and how he dealt with it. He shares his concern for others in similar situations and wants listeners to use it as a self-help tape.

The single comes hand in hand with a music video, which is supposed to pay homage to to George’s legacy of equality and paving a way for the younger generation of artists.  It showcases a young boy sadly getting home from school who turns on the television and gets inspired by the band and Boy George’s fexpressive freedom.

They have also just announced a UK tour set to start next month. Kicking off o the 4th April in Sheffield they will make their way through the country, with a couple of cheeky gigs out in the Netherlands and Amsterdam, until the 19th August finishing in Cornwall.

Get your tickets here.

UK Tour dates:

04/04/2023 – Leadmill – Sheffield
12/04 – O2 Academy 2 – Liverpool
13/04 – Epic Studios – Norwich
14/04 – Bullingdon – Oxford
15/04 – Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff
16/04 – Corn Exchange – Hertford
18/04 – Mama Roux – Birmingham
19/04 – Room 2 – Glasgow
20/04 – Brudenell – Leeds
21/04 – Empire – Middlesborough
22 /04 – Parr Hall – Warrington
23 /04 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
25/04 – Phoenix – Exeter
26/04 – Thekla -Bristol
27/04 – Patterns – Brighton
28 /04 – Engine Rooms – Southampton
29/04 – Lafayette – London
02/05 – Sugarmill – Stoke
03/05 – Docks Academy – Grimsby
27/05 – The Park Festival – Leeds
28/05 – Neighbourhood Festival – Manchester
15/06 – Isle of Wight Festival – Isle Of White
12/08 – Boardmasters Festival – Cornwall
19/08 – This Feeling By The Sea Festival – Bridlington

Boy George will be auctioning off the rights to a song he has written as an homage to Ukraine having previously visited eight years ago. Speaking on ‘Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky’, the singer described his experience; “I went there about eight years ago, I DJ’d there, and I had the most amazing night and I remember thinking, this is such a beautiful place, I must come back.”

He went on to say; “I suppose the spirit of this song is saying Ukraine is a beautiful country and hopefully it will be a beautiful country again, you know, and I watched this young kid the other day on Instagram saying, ‘Don’t be sad about all of that’. It’s difficult not to be because, you know, we’re just looking at it and were horrified and feeling helpless. And you know, to me, it’s just music is the thing that has always saved me in all my difficult situations.”

“I just remember thinking it was such a beautiful place. You know, it was summer I got picked up by this incredible kid who was like a punk rocker in this big American car like one of The Addams Family for my whole trip from beginning to end was just magical. And I remember thinking, I must go back, you know, and I would love to do that. I’d love to go back and sing this song.”

Other prizes that were up for grabs included a five-course meal with Dame Emma Thompson, Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery, Vanessa Kirby and Sienna Miller. As well as four tickets to experience Coldplay in action at Wembley Stadium and meet the band in person. A chance to go to lunch with such superstars as Colin Firth, Matthew Goode, Hugh Bonneville, Matt Smith and Jack Savoretti was one of the most popular lots, that had bids exceeding the sum of £25,000.

With the circumstances in Ukraine still continuing to get worse for the millions of affected citizens, Chris Evans outlined his hopes for the funds raised by the auction. Saying; “We are not attached to any kind of optimistic outcome, we are just going to do it and send the cheque where it needs to go as soon as possible when the money comes in.”

The money earned from the auctions were donated to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee. Donations to help those in need can be made here at their website.

Backstage at the 02! #Brits pic.twitter.com/n0CFEKTx9B

— Boy George (the truth is in your breath) (@BoyGeorge) May 12, 2021

Asked about the inspiration behind his music, the artist said: “Everything inspires me. In the last 10 years I’ve really learned to get out of my way creatively, because I used to go to those terrible songwriting sessions and sit bumcheeks clenched as I tried to write a song”. He added: “Now I just write what I feel. I write the lyrics before I write any melody. Once you’ve worked out what you want to say then you’ll find a way of saying it”.

Musician continued his opinion about songwriting: “There’s been this loss of respect for the artistry of songwriting. People think that all it takes is a laptop and some leads. It really doesn’t. This year, I’ve been reacquainting myself with the art of songwriting – copying lots of things, allowing myself to be influenced”. 

Speaking about finally getting his own way in the music industry, Boy George said: “It’s really nice to divorce myself from that and make records i want to make” adding: “I’m just going completely kamikaze. Fuck the rules. Don’t tell me what to do anymore”. 

Meanwhile the casting has begun on Boy George’s biopic ‘Karma Chamelon’. Who is going to play the musician in the forthcoming film is still unknown. Boy George commented on his biography: “I don’t have a fixed idea of who that person is anyway, cause I am not that person anymore and I probably wasn’t that person at the time”. Reminiscing his past life he said: “It’s all out there. So really the truth is the most interesting thing. I don’t think there is any need to fabricate”. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Boy George (@boygeorgeofficial)

In a recent announcement on Instagram, the artist said: “We are looking for a brave young actor from anywhere in the globe to take on the role of his life”.

He added in an interview with ITV that the actor who is going to play him in the movie is: “Someone who can see through the stereotypes of a person like me. I’m gay but that’s not the only thing about me. Don’t try and play me like a gay. I’m a lot of things”. 

Weller took to Instagram to announce the news.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paul Weller (@paulwellerhq)

The event will include material from Weller’s early days and tracks from The Jam but will also include new and unheard music and will be Weller’s first live performance in two years. The event’s setlist includes the tracks ‘English Rose’, ‘Wild Wood’ and the 1995 hit, ‘You Do Something to Me’, taken from his third solo album ‘Stanley Road’. The concert’s inclusion of Weller’s more recent material includes his latest album, ‘On Sunset’, the number one album from 2020.

The event is part of a series by the prestigious London arts centre, The Barbican. The string of events sees The Barbican collaborate with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jules Buckley. The series entitled ‘Live From The Barbican’, has provided concerts during the COVID pandemic since October of last year, beginning with a talk and workshop curated by Emmy the Great.

The Head of Music at the Barbican, Huw Humphreys has spoken on his admiration for Weller as well as The Barbican’s dedication to the arts.

“We are delighted to welcome iconic British artist Paul Weller and guests Celeste, Boy George and James Morrison alongside Jules Buckley and our Associate Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, to the summer edition of our new concert series, Live From The Barbican. The series enabled us to continue our commitment to support artists and partner organisations during a difficult year and at a time when concert halls needed to temporarily close their doors. Until we can welcome back our audiences into the hall very shortly, we are hoping that many Paul Weller fans across the globe will be able to join us at the Barbican via Livestream this May.”

Rising Star Brit award winner Celeste also expressed her delight over working with Weller. “I have found Paul Weller to be such inspiration from afar, and also in the little moments I have spent with him. Wild Wood was a song sung at my first ever gig when I was 16, so to be able to sing it with him now 10 years later feels like a career full-circle moment and I’m truly honoured he’s up for doing it!”

Due to COVID restrictions in place, the event will not be able to host a physical audience but will be live-streamed on The Barbican’s website. The event will also enjoy coverage across multiple BBC platforms including TV, Radio, online, BBC I player and BBC Sounds.  On 13th June, the full event will be aired on BBC Radio 2 with highlights broadcasted on Gideon Coe’s show on 17th June. Later on, in June, the event will be broadcasted on television, presented by Edith Bowman on BBC two.

Yungblud played a cover of Bowie’s 1971 song ‘Life On Mars’ in a suave performance. Sharing the video on Twitter, he commented, “It’s rare in this life that you meet someone who shaped your whole existence. I felt like I was on a different planet last night. He was there and I was with him.”

it’s rare in this life that you meet someone who shaped your whole existence. i felt like i was on a different planet last night. he was there and i was with him. it was truly one of the the greatest moments of my fookin life. thankyou for everything starman. @DavidBowieReal pic.twitter.com/GhwePF1dAg

— YUNGBLUD’s on mars (@yungblud) January 10, 2021

Duran Duran covered ‘Five Years’, while Culture Club’s Boy George sand ‘Lady Grinning Soul’. Others including  Adam Lambert, Anna Calvi, Gary Barlow and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan sang their own renditions of songs such as ‘Starman‘ and ‘Space Oddity’.

US bands also participated in memory of the legend; Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails played two covers, firstly, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ and secondly ‘Fashion’. Taylor Momsen from The Pretty Reckless played ‘Quicksand’, while Corey Taylor of Slipknot and so many more shared their love for Bowie, who no doubt inspired their music creation, whether consciously or not. £2 of every ticket sale for the event was donated to Save the Children, an organisation which Bowie is said to have felt strongly about.

The full line-up can be found below.

To mark the anniversary of his death and what would have been his 74th birthday, two of his covers were released on vinyl and on streaming platforms. The first song was Bowie’s cover of ‘Tryin’ To Get To Heaven’ by Bob Dylan, which was followed by John Lennon’s ‘Mother’.

As it is right now, there will be 1000 people allowed in, with all visitors spread in seats in the central part of the arena, socially distanced withint their own bubble. Doors should open at 7pm on Saturday 19 December, with tickets available to order here. Due to the strict restrictions and limited availability, the exclusive show will also be streamed globally online with separate tickets available to purchase here.

UK FANS! We would like to invite you to attend our upcoming show on December 19 at @SSEArena, Wembley LIVE + IN PERSON! (socially-distanced). Please note that capacity is very limited for this special performance.

Tickets are available now at https://t.co/ZhEglz8e9c@BoyGeorge pic.twitter.com/0S0pmjEOnW

— Culture Club (@RealCultureClub) November 20, 2020

The SSE Arena Wembley have put visitor’s safety and enjoyment as absolute priority and have committed to strict following of all government restriction. Regardless of the specific regional variations of the tier, the standard rules of wearing facemasks and limiting the number of people in bubbles will still apply. Wembley Arena operates within the ASM Global network of international venues and are following its environmental hygene protocol VenueShield, “ensuring that facilities are clean and certified at the highest standards for the safety and health of our co-workers, clients and guests”. Additional information and guidelines can be found on the official SSE Arena Wembley website.  

Boy George and Culture Club’s exclusive ‘Rainbow In The Dark: A Global Stream‘ show will be the first and only music event to take place at Wembley Arena following the second lockdown and until the end of the year. A rapid increase in positive cases in December could bring London into Tier 3 forcing the venue to close, but if everything goes according to plan the organisers promise a very special event: “The universally loved iconic band are set to give a spectacular performance, packed with the group’s biggest hits, for fans in person and watching globally via the stream.”

On sale NOW Culture Club – A Rainbow In The Dark – A Global Stream LIMITED AUDIENCE TICKETS AVAILABLE 19 December 2020 Grab your tickets at the link.https://t.co/1fyFZSzchh — The SSE Arena, Wembley (@ssearena) November 20, 2020

Earlier this year, the NME covered Culture Club’s frontman and pop icon Boy George appearance on Louis Theraux’ Grounded podcast for BBC Radio 4 where the singer confirmed he had enough material for 6-7 albums following a productive lockdown period. Boy George went on to say: “I’m not saying every single thing is good, but I signed a deal just before Christmas with a company called ­Primary Wave, whose job it is to go out and place your music in movies. I own copyright with them. It’s a new experience for me to own music.”

Most recently, Boy George shared a preview of his new song ‘Rainbow In The Dark‘ featuring Israeli singer and actor Asaf Goren. A solo release, the track curiously shares its name with the title of Culture Club’s exclusive Wembley show, and is suppose to come out soon in December as official single alongside music video.

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Публикация, споделена от CULTURE CLUB (@cultureclubofficial)