Is Your Love Big Enough? Lianne La Havas Northumbria University 7/5/12

There are 3 female solo artists listed in the BBC Sound of 2012, all are under the age of 23, 2 of them are British- Ren Harvieu, 21 born in Salford, 20 year old American, Azealia Banks, and 22 year old, Lianne La Havas, who in the not too distant past, was a backing singer for Paloma Faith.

It seems the music industry’s love for young female solo artists is ever growing, and long may it continue. You can come across them in numerous genres, Laura Marling and Lucy Rose representing the Folk corner, Lianne La Havas, Ren Harvieu and the of course prime example of this ‘boom’ in the industry, Adele, representing Soul/Pop.

Since appearing on Later with Jools Holland in October 2011, Lianne’s career has taken her to new heights, and has toured with Bon Iver, Bombay Bicycle Club, and is currently on a mini European tour, leading nicely into the Festival season of 2012.

Opening with ‘Liar’ sets the bar for the rest of the evening, stunning the young geordie crowd with her voice. When Lianne is joined by her sickeningly good looking denim shirted band, the pace of the evening is risen, with percussion introduced  it’s hard not to hip wiggle to the brushing of the snare. The track sounds as though it should be played in a quaint Parisian cafe during breakfast time, yet in a Student’s Union in Newcastle, it still feels right.

After each track Lianne grins a huge smile of genuine appreciation as she says her thanks to the audience, bashful and coy, it’s clear she’s still not used to the ‘all eyes on her’ of touring, much like the manner of Adele touring her first album, ’19’.

‘Forget‘ is about an ex-boyfriend, for which she explains prior to every performance of it, when she then reveals the name of the track, the crowd cheers, possibly one of the best ways of getting revenge. All the while Lianne is still blushing, yet you know the pleasure she gets out of it is huge. ‘Waste all your time writing love songs/ but you don’t love me‘ it begins, the chorus ‘Forget- all the words that let you break my heart‘ Lianne clearly hasn’t forgotten, but this form of therapy seems to be working.

For ‘Empty‘ Lianne puts down the guitar, so we can ‘see her outfit’ she says with a giggle, and so she should, it seems collared shirts may be her trademark apparel, a diamante brooch  and bright coral skirt reflect the bubbliness of her character.

After a clap and foot stomp the band return for the encore, ‘Gone’ is accompanied by piano only, showing her Nina Simone influence. The song incidentally is about the same ex boyfriend as in ‘Forget’, although more of a ballad, shows her true anger, ‘You used to be my life and soul keeping everything in tune/ what the heck man last time I checked man we had it all.’

The finale of the night ‘Is Your Love Big Enough‘ could not have been played anywhere else other than the end, with a dash of audience participation singing back the chorus, being in the audience almost felt as though you were in a gospel choir. Showing that it’s the happiness that Lianne wants the audience to remember her for, though she clearly has a lot of anger inside.

A silhouette on a curtain  of Lianne’s infamous side bun and the neck of her guitar was a prominent image throughout the night. The love she has for performing, and the warmth in the audience she creates, is one that can only lead you to want more and what promises her big things, in the very near future.

Setlist: 

Liar

No Room For Doubt

Au Cinema

Age

Forget

Don’t Wake Me Up

Empty

Final Form

Tease Me 

Lost & Found

Encore:

Gone

Is Your Love Big Enough?

Campaign set up to stop child smoking in Salford

By Gabriella Smith

4 out of 5 children in the North West have tried smoking before they turn 14

A new campaign has been launched in Salford fighting against ‘glitzy’ cigarette packaging, in order to prevent children from smoking in the area.

The plan, named, ‘Plain packs protect’ comes following the launch of a national public consultation to standardise the design of cigarette packets, so people are not drawn to packaging when buying them.

The campaign which is supported by Tobacco Free Futures, a programme funded by NHS primary care trusts in the North West, aims to target parents, and urge them to back the government with it’s plan, and take action against the tobacco industry.

The idea would result in cigarettes being packed in a dark olive green colour, with no branding, following a national survey showing this was the colour people find least attractive.

In the North West, 4 out of 5 children have tried smoking before the age of 14, nationally, smoking accounts for 100,00 deaths each year.

 More than one in ten said they’d choose a brand because it was considered ‘cool’.

Changing the packaging of the product, making them less attractive, would therefore be a way of targeting young smokers and the new generation, resulting fewer children taking up the habit. So far, bans which have been brought in include smoking in public places, and increasing the age of buying cigarettes, this new change would specifically target children.

The proposal comes after a recent British Heart Foundation survey of 12-25 year olds, 86% of 341 young people who responded from the North West thought plain packs were less attractive than branded packs, while more than one in ten said they’d choose a brand because it was considered ‘cool’.

The proposal is to remove all branding from cigarette packaging.

Andrea Crossfield, from Tobacco Free Futures said, “Children should be protected from the marketing of a highly addictive and seriously harmful product. Plain packaging is needed because it will contribute to this protection.”

Smoking costs the NHS £400m a year in the North West, however the regions is showing improvement, as public health investment in tobacco control has delivered some

of the highest quit rates in Britain, with the number of smokers having fallen from 28% of the adult population in 2004 to 23% in 2010.

“Collaborative work by Tobacco Free Futures and its partners is beginning to break an

intergenerational cycle of tobacco harm in our poorest communities by turning off the tap of new

young smokers.”

“I urge everyone to tell the government that they support this measure to help to turn off the tap of new smokers, through responding to the consultation athttp://www.tobaccofreefutures.org/ Tobacco Free Futures and help make smoking history for children.”

‘Minerals association’ proposed for new Potash mines to be opened

Potash minerals are only mined in the North Yorkshire Moors in the UK

By Gabriella Smith

Plans to set up a new consultation group are being made after talks about the opening of a potash mine in North Yorkshire.

A new ‘Yorkshire Coast Minerals Association’ is said to be needed, after plans were discussed in meetings held by an independent steering group, regarding the opening of a new mine in between Whitby and Scarborough in the North Yorkshire Moors.

The plans come, following the discovery of large amounts of mineral deposits 12 months ago in the area. The area is the only known place in theUKthe minerals can be found.

Since the discovery of the minerals, group meetings have been held by developers each week, regarding financial issues and ownership of mineral rights, where the proposed digging will start.

The opening of a new mine is still very much in the planning stages, however the current proposal by the independent group, made up of local land owner business workers, is to set up a new Association in order to protect owners of mineral rights. This new Association, would allow rights owners to unite in future discussions with York Potash, the operators of the development, and to create a closer relationship with them, in order to set up a new mine.

Local businessman, Robert Smith, who has been attending the weekly meetings as part of the independent group said, “We recognise that there is a need for this association to be set up so as to speak as a voice for all effected mineral right holders, large or small.”

“It will represent their needs in such matters as planning, tax advice, and wealth management issues.”

What is Potash?

The mineral named Potash is a form of mine salt which contains Potassium, and is incredibly valuable for the use of making fertilizers.  It is currently mined just 15 miles from the new proposed site, at Boulby mine, inCleveland, this is the only place it can be found in theUK. The current mine was set up in 1969, workers have been mining the Potash, 1,200m below the ground. In it’s height of production, up to 800,000 tonnes of potash would be mined each year.

Boulby Mine is currently where the Potash is mined, in Cleveland.

However the discovery of this form of minerals and the opening of a new mine is crucial, due to the decreasing amount of potash being dug at Boulby mine.

Although the new mine is still in the planning stages, and is not said to be opened until around 2018 due to planning applications and the actual building of the mine itself, it is expected to boost the area’s economy greatly.

An estimated 5000 jobs will be created, 1000 of them requiring mining skills, and a further 4000 in other aspects.

“The local economy will benefit massively in years to come.” Robert Smith said.

Current Managing Director of Cleveland Potash, who operate Boulby mine, Graham Clarke, is set to join York Potash this month, and become part of Sirius Minerals, (operators of York Potash).

There has been dispute between land owners in the area and members of the public, regarding the location of the site, and the effect it will have on the scenic landscape.

“It will not massively impact on the landscape, as it will not be seen from above the ground.”

The announcement of the exact location of the mine is set to be announced by York Potash in June this year.

The Beatles break up anniversary- 32 years on, how have attitudes to ‘pop’ changed?

On this day, 10th April 1970, Sir Paul McCartney left The Beatles

On this day, in 1970, Sir Paul McCartney announced the split of The Beatles, due to ‘musical differences’ causing a reported conflict between members.

The break up came 7 years and 12 records since the formation of the band, and 13 years after Paul McCartney was approached by a young John Lennon after a Quarrymen gig in Liverpool (John Lennon’s band prior to The Beatles). Paul was playing his guitar backstage, as soon as John heard his playing, John was ‘impressed by his talent’ and asked him to join the Quarrymen. This, marked the birth of one of the biggest, and most influential pop groups in musical history to date.

32 years on, the ex Jam front man, musical genious, Paul Weller becomes the latest to share his opinion on Saturday night ‘Talent shows’, telling the Radio Times he would be ’embarrassed to take part’.

With yet another addition to the line up of such shows, ‘The Voice’ began on BBC1 two weeks ago, going head to head with the ITV equivalent ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, on a Saturday night.

I wonder if Sir Paul envisaged this mentality, of simply entering a talent competition, would become the norm in the pop industry. I wonder if he ever thought the success he and his band had, would be attempted to be made, through manufacturing.

8.9million people watched the last episode of ‘The Voice’,  the aftermath of each episode is plastered over the newspapers. This form of talent show has become an easy reel for broadcasters BBC and ITV.

It could be said that comparing the fame of The Beatles with that of contestants on such talent shows is unfair, that the fame that The Beatles had is superficial to anything these contestants can achieve. But The Beatles always were a ‘pop group’ in the same way that One  Direction, or Little Mix are today.

But with the popularity of these talent shows growing, and with the music industry opening it’s arms wider and wider with acceptance, is the beauty of a group being formed through true friendship, and bonding, bouncing off eachother’s musical talents and ideas, being lost?

There is of course exceptions to this criticism, The Monkees, possibly the best example of this, a band proving such success is possible, after being manufactured.

Backing up Paul Weller’s criticism of these talent shows is Jools Holland, a man who, perhaps on the other end of the scale, thrives on discovering new talent, the un-manufactured type. I think Jools sums up what i’m trying to prove, in the most fitting words, ‘Music’s not like a competition. It’s an art form. I wouldn’t knock the competition shows if that’s what people want to do. But there’s a difference between having it like a game show and having it as something that connects with your spirit and moves you … that’s what music’s supposed to be about.”

In my opinion, the public seem to still prefer to hear the classic story of ‘working your way to the top’. As people we like to know that there are still the odd celebrity that was one day, the same as us. Lived in a bungalow, had a 9-5 job and who’s favourite food is our Mother’s spag bowl. Take Adele for example, daughter of a furniture maker and growing up in Tottenham. At the age of 21, she now has 6 Grammy awards under her belt, her album 21 is the best selling digital album of all time. Would Adele have achieved this level of success if she competed on X-factor? I beg to differ.

I hope true rags to riches stories such as this continue to reign, the type that brought The Beatles and Adele to reach their level of fame, rather than the ‘cutting corners’ method, of talent shows.

Image courtesy of Google Images: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=nsv_uThe_ZmltM:&imgrefurl=http://www.gonedigging.co.uk/newspaper-gifts/historical-newspaper-books/beatles-edition-newspaper-book/&docid=CMHjjg3qkWp2zM&imgurl=http://www.gonedigging.co.uk/images/products/beatles-5.jpg&w=494&h=314&ei=0iqZT6-lHoWfOrPz1dMG&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=853&vpy=158&dur=1128&hovh=179&hovw=282&tx=126&ty=114&sig=117848818628641157243&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=186&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:75

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