Musicians share anger at rejection of Brexit “visa-free” touring deal


Musicians have shared their anger online after news that the UK government has reportedly rejected a “visa-free” touring deal as part of Brexit negotiations.

Yesterday (January 9), it was reported that the UK have turned down a deal from the EU that would allow musicians to enter countries that belong to the union without a visa.

Boris Johnson‘s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU saw workers from some professions allowed to travel on business without the need to apply for a visa. However, musicians were not covered in the deal, adding huge costs to tours of the continent.

  • READ MORE: “It’s going to be devastating” – here’s how Brexit will screw over British touring artists

A new report from the Independent states that the proposal, which would exempt performers from needing a visa to enter countries in the EU for trips under 90 days, was turned down by the government.

The UK are reported to have turned down the offer because they do not want to give the same freedoms to EU artists visiting the UK.

Reacting to the news on social media, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke called the government “spineless fucks” over the decision, while Portishead‘s Geoff Barrow launched the hashtag “BorisKilledMusic”.

“Unbelievable,” Lily Allen added of the news on Twitter. “Actually, completely believable!” Shame added: “TODAY IN: THE LEAST SURPRISING NEWS EVER”.

“I think we are owed an explanation,” Tim Burgess added, tagging the accounts for the Prime Minister, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden.

The Musician’s Union also voiced their frustration at the news today (January 10), posting a statement on Twitter. “We are angry and alarmed at reports that our own elected representatives chose to turn down an EU offer of visa-free touring by British musicians, after reassurances that our £101.5bn #CreativeArts and £5.8bn #MusicIndustry were a priority,” the tweet was captioned.

An official statement from MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge read: “With the British music business having been devastated by Covid-19 and with no end in sight to the black hole of cancelled concerts, tours, festivals and regular gigs that is the very bedrock of our world-class industry, the news, if true, that our own elected representatives chose to turn down such an offer is nigh-on unbelievable.”

In further tweets, the Union called on the Culture Minister to “urgently confirm one way or another whether it was the UK Government that blocked the deal,” stating that they are currently “briefing MPs to ask the Government about #WorkingInTheEU, and for genuine support for musicians who are still falling through gaps in #Covid19 financial assistance.”

The MU added: “Government must support the #MusiciansPassport, and #InvestInMusicians.”

See more reactions to the news below.

A petition was launched after details of the deal and what it meant for musicians emerged last year. It called on the government to “negotiate a free cultural work permit that gives us visa-free travel throughout the 27 EU states for music touring professionals, bands, musicians, artists, TV and sports celebrities that tour the EU to perform shows and events and carnet exception for touring equipment”.

A government spokesperson previously told NME that it was Brussels that had rejected the idea of allowing artists to tour the EU on a visa-free basis. “The UK pushed for a more ambitious agreement with the EU on the temporary movement of business travellers, which would have covered musicians and others, but our proposals were rejected by the EU,” they said.

In other Brexit news, Labour Party leader Kier Starmer has backtracked on his party’s plan to return free movement to the EU, calling the proposition “unrealistic”.





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Alok’s “Rapture” Flip Captures the Nostalgia of iiO’s Original With a Slap House Twist

In 2001, American recording duo iiO released the electronic song “Rapture,” which became an instant club hit. The tune was a commercial success and even managed to chart inside the top 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Most importantly, “Rapture” became a rave classic. 





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WizKid and Burna Boy share stylish new ‘Ginger’ video


WizKid and Burna Boy have released a music video for their collaborative track ‘Ginger’.

Directed by Meji Alabi, who previously shot videos for Burna Boy’s ‘Pull Up’ and ‘On the Low,’ the visual showcases the two artists dancing in a sparsely furnished warehouse, interspersed with clips of models and cars.

Watch the full ‘Ginger’ video below.

The song features on WizKid’s 2020 album ‘Made In Lagos’. In a three-star review of the record, NME wrote: “The production on the album is mainly centred around Yoruba, Afro-Latin and Afrobeats percussion, which creates a sense of homecoming. Yet this latest project meanders for a few tracks too many; ‘Mighty Wine’ and ‘Essence’, for example, are expendable.

“While each of WizKid’s previous projects excited and shook listeners with energy, ‘Made In Lagos’ sadly lacks a certain panache, despite its author’s vitality.”

Burna Boy also released his fifth studio album ‘Twice As Tall’ last year, while both artists were vocal in condemning police brutality in Nigeria, perpetrated by the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

In his Big Read cover interview with NME last summer, Burna Boy spoke about ‘Monsters You Made’ and how he wrote it to fight against systems of oppression.

“There are so many situations where a fight needs to be had. A revolution is needed, and I want to inspire it,” he said. “I’m painting a picture of what we already see every day, but maybe no one has painted the picture in an honest form before. I tried to do that with ‘Monsters.’”





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Synthwave Pioneer Miami Nights 1984 Releases Soundtrack for “FLINCH” Ahead of Film’s Release

Miami Nights 1984 is helping to bring FLINCH to the big screen, producing a full soundtrack for the upcoming thriller film.





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Watch the Mountain Goats play ‘Get Famous’ on ‘Colbert’


The Mountain Goats were the latest musical guests on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with the band delivering a remote, in-studio performance of ‘Get Famous’ from latest album ‘Getting Into Knives’.

“One thing we might have done in an alternate-timeline 2020 was perform some “Getting Into Knives” tunes as they were tracked: with 8 people crammed in a room playing together,” the band wrote on Instagram when sharing the clip.

“Nice to get the chance to do one for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Watch Darnielle and co. perform below:

With their performance of ‘Get Famous’, the Mountain Goats are return guests to Colbert. Back in 2019, the band appeared on the show to perform ‘Sicilian Crest’ from their previous studio album, ‘In League with Dragons’.

They also played their 2005 ‘The Sunset Tree’ hit ‘This Year’, with Colbert himself joining on guest vocals.

‘Getting Into Knives’, the indie-folk outfit’s 19th studio album, arrived back in October of last year.

Recorded in Memphis with producer Matt Ross-Spang, it was one of two albums the band released in 2020, alongside the surprise lo-fi record ‘Songs for Pierre Chuvin’ in April.

The latter album was recorded at Darnielle’s home in Durham, North Carolina, on his old Panasonic RX-FT500 tape deck – the lo-fi method used to record classic early Mountain Goats records such as ‘Full Force Galesburg’.





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Music from Lady Gaga, Marshmello, SAINt JHN Tops MRC Data’s Dance/Electronic Songs of the Year

The annual MRC Data year-end report, which highlights the trends in music that shaped 2020, has arrived. Despite a year that saw most of the population confined to the premises of their own homes, music provided a valuable escape for many.





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Jon Schaffer’s Iced Earth bandmates say they don’t condone Capitol riots


The bandmates of Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer have released a statement following the news the musician is wanted by US authorities for his involvement at the Capitol riots on January 6.

Schaffer is wanted by Metropolitan Police in D.C. after he was pictured among the crowd of Trump supporters who breached the central US government building on January 6, while Congress were in the process of certifying Joe Biden’s election victory.

Releasing a statement via bassist Luke Appleton’s Instagram page today (January 10), the other members of the Florida heavy metal outfit – Appleton, Stu Block, Jake Dreyer and Brent Smedley – began by saying they understood the concerns their silence had caused some people, explaining they needed time to properly process events before making a statement.

“We absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots,” the band said, “or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building.

“We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions.”

Read the full statement below:

Schaffer was photographed among the rioters who breached security at the Capitol and, in one image captured by AFP’s Roberto Schmidt, appeared to be wildly gesticulating in the middle of the chaotic scenes.

He has since appeared as part of a PowerPoint presentation from D.C. police which documents people sought after for “unrest-related offences” and the unlawful entry of Capitol grounds.

Jon Schaffer in the Metropolitan Police of Washington D.C.’s presentation of persons of interest CREDIT: Metropolitan Police of Washington D.C.

Musicians John Maus and Ariel Pink have also come under fire for their attendance of the rally in Washington, with Pink being dropped by his record label, Mexican Summer, earlier this week.





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David Guetta Releases Stunning 2021 Remix of “Memories” ft. Kid Cudi [LISTEN]


David Guetta is coming into 2021 guns blazing with a remix of his iconic track, “Memories” featuring Kid Cudi.

It was ten years ago when Guetta dropped the smash hit and today it remains a go-to banger. The 2011 song recently regained popularity on TikTok, with over 1.6 billion views combined — because a decade later, the lyrics still resonate.

All the crazy shit I did tonight
Those will be the best memories
I just wanna let it go for the night
That would be the best therapy for me

The new production is clean and vibrant as ever, with a future house twist in both standard and extended versions. “Memories” [2021 Remix] already been well received, as Guetta teased it during his United At Home NYE livestream performance at the Louvre in Paris.

Coming off one of his biggest years yet as DJ Mag’s reigning top DJ, we can’t wait to hear what David Guetta does next. In the meantime, this nostalgia is all we need.

David Guetta – Memories feat. Kid Cudi [2021 Remix]

Listen/DL: https://DavidGuetta.lnk.to/MemoriesRmx

 

Photo via Rukes.com



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Cheat Codes Teams Up With TikTok Sensation Lil Xxel for New Single “No Chill”

LA based trio Cheat Codes recently joined forces with TikTok hip-hop star Lil Xxel for “No Chill,” the fifth single off the trio’s forthcoming Hellraisers Pt. 1 album. Having built momentum throughout 2020 with a steady stream of singles featuring the likes of Bryce Vine, CXLOE, and Marc E. Bassy, the group is braced for their biggest year yet with the impending release of their debut three-part album. Hellraisers is set to release in three chapters, each personifying an individual member of the trio.





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Grimes says she has “finally” caught coronavirus


Grimes has “finally” caught coronavirus, she told her fans on social media earlier today (January 9).

The star lives in Los Angeles, where a huge surge in COVID-19 cases is currently happening.

“Finally got COVID but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream,” Grimes wrote on her Instagram Story.

In the same post, she also shared SZA’s latest track ‘Good Days’, saying of it: “This song is soooo [emojis of a planet, white heart, sparkle, dragon, and moons].” See a screenshot below.

CREDIT: Grimes

While some online criticised her for the use of the word “finally”, others pointed out she has previously been in close proximity to the virus. Her partner Elon Musk contracted the virus late last year.

Musk faced criticism at the time for questioning the effectiveness of coronavirus testing technology. “Something extremely bogus is going on,” he tweeted, saying he had taken four antigen tests and received two positives and two negatives

He later told his followers that he “most likely” had a moderate case. “My symptoms are that of a minor cold, which is no surprise, since a coronavirus is a type of cold,” he added, drawing more backlash against him.

Meanwhile, Grimes released a new remix version of her latest album ‘Miss Anthropocene’ on January 1. The ‘Rave Edition’ features reworkings of the record from the likes of BloodPop, Channel Tres, Julien Bracht, Richie Hawtin, Modeselektor and more.

It followed the musician updating the artwork for the original version of the record in December. She first shared the image that now appears as the cover on streaming services through her Instagram in April, saying: “I polled a bunch of ppl and everyone said not to use it (??) but I wish I trusted my gut. I fucking LOVE this painting.”

‘Miss Anthropocene’ was named one of NME’s 50 best albums of 2020. “Such is her refusal to be pigeonholed, after the blissful art-pop of 2015’s ‘Art Angels’, Grimes’ only option was to take a sharp left turn,” the entry read.

“Her fifth album was a much denser, more claustrophobic effort that gleamed like dark chrome, reflecting the looming climate crisis and turmoil in her personal life as her relationship with Tesla CEO, Elon Musk put her firmly under the celeb spotlight. This was Grimes trying to make sense of her changing world.”





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