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Interview with Charlie Hedges

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I had the upmost pleasure of interviewing the one and only Charlie Hedges of Kiss FM fame recently. Charlie is the youngest female breakfast DJ, presenter and all round brilliant entertainer in the UK. She has a following of over 5 million listeners every week winning her an Arqiva Awards for the best breakfast show!! Impressed then keep reading!

Charlie DJ

From the age of 7 Charlie had a dream. She wanted to be a DJ and she hasn’t stopped ever knowing this is what she wanted to do. When you have passion for something and that passion is so strong it will see you through. She is such an inspiration to millions and she’s not just stopping with music. Charlie is amazing voice for charity work. She’s an ambassador for Prince’s Trust  Mencap, Help for Hero’s, and was there for them last year representing Great Britain by carrying the Olympic torch last summer.Charlie DJ

Can this girl ever want to stop…It looks like she won’t and by golly are we glad. One hell of a presenter. She also has a show on Sunday mornings 2-3am. All the latest top tracks for the decreeing clubbed and music fan. If thats not enough for you she has landed a 3rd show with Kiss Fresh on Friday nights 7-9pm

Her love of dance music and ‘Electro-House with a twist’ she has gigs and festivals across the globe, including Pacha London where she is a resident DJ. Charlie is also known on the UK fashion party scene regularly DJing for fashion brands such as New Look, as well as being the official DJ at the Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy last year. This girl just had to be interviewed by myself as my love of fashion is insane!

Highlights of her time at KISS include interviewing everyone from Daniel Craig and Jennifer Aniston to Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Kanye West and Britney Spears plus her teenage idol, Justin Timberlake.

This summer Charlie has been filming with lucky life TV, interviewing superstar DJs across Ibiza. Last year she presented a Puma and FHM event with Professor Green, was a judge at the final of open mic live at the 02, introduced x factor star Amelia Lily’s new single, and is continually doing voiceovers on MTV.

Does this girl ever sleep? I guess when you do what you love and love what you do its not like work. She’s stunning and so much fun! I tried to get the cheeky side out of her with a few fun questions

Charlie-Hedges-Credit---Ana-Lui-Golebiewska

1. If you could have any artist on your show who would you have and why.

Probably Simon Cowell, I know he’s not an artist but let’s be honest he’s got access to some of the biggest celebs in the world, make friends with him and I think you could then have whoever you wanted

2. What sort of leading questions do you like to ask them to really get them talking

Start with talking about the product they are there to promote and then ask cheeky questions be it about their relationship, earnings, as long as you do it tongue in cheek they normally play along

3. Who is your style icon? Or what’s your favourite look of this season

I LOVE Mollie from the Saturdays, her girly style is my favourite celeb style by far, I think she’s beautiful

4. Presenting kiss FM is an amazing job. If you were not a DJ what else would you love to do?

My honest answer to this was that I never let myself focus on another job/career. I always told myself that is the job of my dream and that’s what I want and I honestly didn’t have any other jobs in mind. I studied journalism at Harlow college so maybe focus on journalism as an option

5. Your such a busy girl with all the charity work you do for the Princess trust it must be hard to get down time. What do you do to unwind on days off.

If I get a day off I’ll go for a run in the morning and spend the whole day catching up with family and friends and still probably take a sneaky peek at emails every now and again, I’m a nightmare!!

6. Working for a radio station must be amazing but does it impact with your personal life.

Personal life as in our whole lives go on air? I don’t mind it it’s fun and you get to share your experiences with millions of other people

7. Who has influenced your career the most.

Mum, dad and brother definitely as they’ve always been supportive from day one. In the industry, bam bam as he gave me my first radio break really, he took me on as a kiss breakfast show assistant where I spent my time making tea…but it was here that I learnt everything. I also think Chris evens is a genius! He is an amazing presenter to look up to.

8. If you could collaborate with another DJ for an evening who would you pick?

Back to back with Calvin Harris then Swedish house mafia and bring them back together

9. Who would you have loved to DJ for ie. like Marilyn Monroe or Sinatra?

Michael Jackson, I loved his music growing up

10. Leading me onto the next…where would be your dream gig? It could be anywhere or imaginary!! For anyone!

I would love to play in Vegas, any club but just bringing London house to Vegas would be my dream

So as you can see this unstoppable young lady had passion and believed in herself. She followed her dream and made it a reality. I for one can’t wait to hear her play live in London soon. She’s a huge inspiration to me and everyone around her. So follow your heart and visualise the amazing future that lies ahead each and every one of you! You can do it too….

Charlie will be playing at the Ibiza Space Opening Party alongside the Chemical Brother on Sunday 25th May. For news on all other gigs and projects go to: http://www.charliehedges.com/dj-charlie-hedges  and Twitter @charliehedges

Charlie presents the Kiss FM breakfast show Mon-Friday (6-9am), the Sunday morning Kiss Mix Show (2-3am) , and on the new Kiss Fresh show on Friday nights (7-9pm – which you can tune in from  Kiss’s freeview channel 712, on the Kiss Kube app, and on the KISS FRESH Player online).

Charlie has her own soundcloud page, each weeks Kiss mix will be uploaded here:  www.soundcloud.com/charlie-hedges

Make sure you follow me on Twitter @sarahbacchus for more exciting Fashion, food, beauty and even more interviews coming up soon. Check out my website www.slbstyle.com too!!

Bobbie Morrone Trio | Music Profile

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Bobbie MorroneArtist: Bobbie Morrone
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Styles:  Pop/Blues, Pop/Jazz, Alternative
Similar to: Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Matt Costa, G. Love
CD: The Best I Can Be EP
Release date: January 10, 2014 (1/10/14)
Members/Instruments: Bobbie Morrone (Vocals/Guitar), Paul Machette (Bass), Alex Machette (Drums)
Production: Jonathan Class

Bio:  The Bobbie Morrone Trio is comprised of three guys that just love music and want to share it with the world. With their extensive musical knowledge and backgrounds, they work together as a musical blender. First you throw in pop, soul, funk, blues, and folk music. You thoroughly blend those ingredients together, pour them into a cup, add whipped cream, then sprinkle some jazz on top. You call that beverage the Bobbie Morrone Trio.

Tracklisting:
1) Make You Scream
2) Long Way Down
3) The Best I Can Be

Websites:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter

The Rolling Stones Set To Rock Abu Dhabi For The First Time

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14 On Fire #StonesOnFire tour to kick off on 21 February 2014 on Yas Island

 Rolling Stones, concert,

Ladies and gentlemen they are back! FLASH Entertainment have announced today that the Rolling Stones will kick off their 14 ON FIRE tour presented by Eastspring Investments (#StonesOnFire) with a very special one-off show at Abu Dhabi’s du Arena (Yas Island) on Friday 21 February (#StonesAbuDhabi).

 

Tickets go on sale to the general public at midday on Thursday 12 December at Ticketmaster UK. Exclusive pre-sale starts from midday Monday 9 December and closes at midday Wednesday 11 December 2013. A limited number of General Admission Early Bird tickets start from £65.

 

Mick Jagger commented: “Can’t wait to be back on stage especially in Abu Dhabi, I am really looking forward to playing all your favourite songs and seeing you all very soon.”

 

Keith Richards added: “The best place in the world for me is out on that stage. Standby everyone…its back to where we belong, Me, Mick, Charlie and Ronnie and some friends all rocking out together. The wheels are in motion and we’re on our way…see you very soon!”

 

The 14 ON FIRE tour produced by AEG Live will see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood head back out on the road after a mammoth run of concerts in the U.S and the U.K in 2013, an exhilarating and critically acclaimed celebration of five decades of the Rolling Stones bringing their iconic music and groundbreaking stage shows to audiences around the globe.

 

Mick Taylor, who was a member of the Rolling Stones from 1969 – 1974, will be a special guest for this tour.

 

The stage design for the outdoor concerts is based on the band’s ubiquitous tongue and lips logo, which extends out into the audience.  The exclusive ‘Tongue Pit’ area inside the stage will give fans in this area an incomparable 360 degree concert experience.  Known for their ground-breaking sets and use of cutting-edge technology, the Stones’ set design will feature video screens and special effects that will enhance the high-octane experience of attending a live Stones’ show.

 

The band will treat their generations of fans to a set packed full of classic Stones hits such as “Gimme Shelter”, “Paint It Black”, “Jumping Jack Flash”, “Tumbling Dice” and “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll”, curated with lesser known gems, plus a couple of unexpected cover versions.

 

The Rolling Stones were recently crowned the ‘Best Live Band” at the NME Awards in London, and over the past 12 months have thrilled fans with the release of a ground-breaking new documentary, ‘Crossfire Hurricane’, a greatest hits collection, ‘GRRR!’, a massive US tour and a ground-breaking, back to back, sold out set of two historic Hyde Park concerts in the UK in front of 120,000, which are chronicled in a new concert film ‘Sweet Summer Sun – Hyde Park Live’.

We’re excited. are you?

Killing Fields of Ontario Release Free Download Prior to Album Drop Monday #Halloween

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Killing Fields of Ontario

 ‘How the World Ends’ out 4th November

Ft Lead the Single, ‘Cloud’ (23rd Sept)

Out on KFoO Records

Killing Fields of Ontario, free download, music, download

With Halloween and the release of folk rockers Killing Fields of Ontario’s second LP ‘How the World Ends’ looming, one of the stand out tracks on the record is being offered out as a timely free download today (Halloween), as the band reassure you there is actually ‘Nothing To Be Frightened Of’.

Killing Fields of Ontario have a gift for turning the unspoken fears and realities of life into a fluid musical product. Combining tender progressions with climactic eruptions of madness, their new album ‘How the World Ends’ is at times elevating in its honesty and beauty, and at others wholly scornful of emotive truths. Wonderfully diverse elements of leftfield pop and contemporary folk are hardened by an immutable grit that spits and attacks, as showcased in its leading single, ‘Cloud’.

‘Cloud’ is a whirlwind of lament delivered with an urgency that will blow you away; its tortured plea reluctantly accepts the energetic orchestration offered by the proficient rhythm section providing the listener with a certain ambiguity. At first offering you its hand, Cloud promptly takes you by the arm on a journey through the warmest of acoustics and the most sensitive of themes.

HTWE, due to be released October 28th is decorated with a shimmering melancholy, reminiscent both in palette and texture; of the orchestral grandeur of Broken Social Scene, while other tracks demonstrate stylistic versatility as well as a more streetwise modern angst like Frightened Rabbit’s ‘Pedestrian Verse’ or the seasoned insight and worldly lyricism of Interpol.

Other influences include hints of We Are Augustines, Arcade Fire and Local Natives. In the arena, the band have shared stages with Sparrow and The Workshop, Broken Records, Chris Mills and Mount Eerie.

This is a band who clearly have a wonderful ability to engage with dark emotions, yet can still format to become radio darlings. Tom Robinson recently hailed them as ‘long-standing 6Music Introducing favourites’ and ‘Tired of Being a Man’, the frontrunner on their last record, was in Amazing Radio’s ‘Top 20’ for a month in summer 2011.

The upcoming record was produced and mixed by the band’s own Tom Loffman – whose album credits as engineer include VV Brown, Idlewild, and Billy Bragg – having cut his teeth working alongside some of the county’s top producers in Phil Brown (Robert Plant) and Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers). With all tracks mastered by Ed Woods (Bloc Party, The Futureheads), this is all sure evidence that ‘How the World Ends’ will be as enthralling a listen as its titled suggests.

 

Track Listing

01 Twisted Little Theatre

02 Nothing To Be Frightened

03 When We Were Born

04 Cloud

05 Weight

06 Left In Shadow

07 Creeper

08 Our Place to Drown

09 How The World Ends

10 God Or Country

 

Ólöf Arnalds – New Single ‘Call It What You Want’ & London Show Announcement.

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Released earlier this year, Sudden Elevation, Ólöf Arnald’s acclaimed third full album – her first sung entirely in English – captures a rare and idiosyncratic songwriting talent in full bloom. Ólöf releases a new single from the album, Call It What You Want on 25th November to coincide with international shows including a UK date at the The Lexington (19th November) and Iceland Airwaves (1st November).

olof arnalds, music, music news,

The full dates are as follows:

 

Oct 13                     Le Poisson Rouge                 New York                                                USA

Oct 18                     Fitzgerald Theater                 St Paul, Minneapolis                             USA

Oct 24                     De Centrale                            Gent                                                        Belgium

Oct 25                     Cultuurcentrum                      Hasselt                                                   Belgium

Oct 27                     Arkaoda                                  Istanbul                                                   Turkey

Nov 01                    Iceland Airwaves                   Reykjavik                                               Iceland

Nov 02                    Around Iceland                      Reykjavik                                               Iceland

Nov 13                    The Slaughtered Lamb        London                                                  UK

 

Ólöf also makes available a free download, The Matador EP comprising 4 Icelandic songs originally included as a cover-mount with Spanish art magazine Matador last year. Three songs (Lát vaxa, Blóm, and Hlið) were composed by Skúli Sverrisson with lyrics by Ólöf, while Af stað was written for Bjork’s Náttúra concert in Reykjavík in June 2008. The lyric of the latter song is based on an old Icelandic nationalist poem. “I twisted all the words around” explains Ólöf, “Making fun of the over-romanticised pride of our country and put the emphasis on how much nature gives us as people; the rest, the piece of mind, the inspiration, the big picture… I sung about how the Icelandic nation was literally getting drunk from individual gain and self-importance. Three months later the country´s economy collapsed…”

 

Produced again by long-time collaborator, Skúli, Sudden Elevation was largely recorded in a late autumn 2011 stint in a seaside cabin in Hvalfjörður (literally ‘Whale-fjord’), in the west of Iceland.

 

Ghost Twins Release Double A-Side Single

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Ghost Twins are back. Born out of the ashes of the critically acclaimed Crushing Blows, GHOST TWINS are a noise and dream pop duo from Derby, UK – Their former incarnation CB, earned support from Huw Stevens, Steve Lamacq, Artrocker, Shell Zenner, Jen Long and Simon Raymonde & more and were regulars on the festival circuit.

 

‘Unknown Animal | Dream On / Dream Off’ is the majestic first offering since the band’s reformation. With electronics and drum machines coming to the forefront, this aesthetic evolution reflects the organic changes the band experienced recording their debut album, due in early 2014.

Crushing Blows Rainblows2

The double A side marries the intricacies of their previous work; looped guitars and uncommon time signatures with a more ethereal and experimental pop element that implores Ghost Twins to explore an unassailable myriad of influences that will certainly appeal to fans of Mirrored era Battles, or the Pink Mist heavyweights of Tubelord, Three Trapped Tigers and Tall Ships.

Reviews starting to emerge are all in agreement that the GT are onto something head-spinning which will be sure to keep their fans and new listeners immersed to their every move. It’s the vast range of sounds and ideas within these tracks that make this band so unique, exciting, and especially hard to box in.

The single is due out on the 7th of October on Snug Recording Co, a new label and recording studio based in Derby. The aim of the label is to break away from traditional industry models by working with artists on a cooperative, collaborative basis to produce small releases without the pressures of money, market ability or contracts, with all releases agreed upon a handshake only. This, the first release on the label, exemplifies their core values with two unsettled, dark, yet intriguing pieces of dreamy, electric pop music.

Unknown Animal | Dream On / Dream off will be available from ghosttwins.bandcamp.com and all major digital download stores on October 7th and will also feature on Ghost Twins debut LP, due for release in early 2014.

Ghost Twins’ are Chris Jones and Andrew Foster.

 

http://ghosttwins.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/weareghosttwins
https://twitter.com/GHOST__TWINS

Fleetwood Mac Still A Hit Over 50 Years On

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Fleetwood_Mac_

Following their triumphant return to the live UK music scene viagogo has recorded a 268 per cent surge in overnight demand for Fleetwood Mac as fans search Everywhere to get their hands on tickets.

With Rumours rife that band member Christine McVie will also join the group on stage for two nights of the UK leg of the tour, it seems die-hard fans are desperate to get hold of last minute tickets to catch a rare glimpse of the full line-up in action.

Katie Melua’s Charting Success

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Katie Melua’s sixth studio album Ketevan has entered the UK album charts at number 6. Katie joins a small group of female artists, which includes Madonna and Kate Bush, who have scored 6 consecutive UK top 10 studio albums.

Katie_Melua releases new album 

Katie signed to independent label Dramatico when she was still studying at the Brit School and released her first album ‘Call Off The Search’ in 2003. The first single, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’, launched the 18 year old to a British audience and the album went to number 1. Her following album ‘Piece By Piece’ entered the UK charts at number 1 and its lead track ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ introduced Katie to a global audience and she became the best-selling British female artist throughout the world. Katie’s subsequent albums, ‘Pictures’, ‘The House’ and 2012’s ‘Secret Symphony’ entered the UK charts at numbers 2, 4 and 8 respectively. Katie is now one of Britain’s most successful recording artists of the millennium selling more than 11 million albums, 1 million concert tickets and receiving 56 platinum awards.

 

Katie will be performing a 10th anniversary concert at London’s Roundhouse on October 2nd.