Category: Music

The Icelandic Punk Museum

There are museums all over the world dedicated to various genres of music, but one of the most unusual is perhaps the Icelandic Punk Museum. The museum, which opened in 2016, is somewhere we at at TA-DAH.TV think should be on every music aficionado’s must-visit-list. It was the original idea of John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten, frontman for The Sex Pistols. It is located in downtown Reykjavik. In keeping with the Punk vibe of giving the middle finger to the establishment, this tiny museum is in a former underground public toilet and offers visitors a look at the rise of the Icelandic punk music scene during the 1980s with video clips, listening stations and photographs covering every possibly square inch available.

The History of Punk

Punk Rock, or Punk, is a music genre that began to emerge in the mid-1970s. With its roots in the garage rock of the 1960s, the songs were often fast paced and short with melodies that were hard edged, and lyrics that were often political and railed against the establishment. Many of the bands under the punk rock genre were self-produced and under independent labels. Accompanying the music was a very distinctive style of dress with offensive slogans, studded and spiked leather jackets, safety pins and S&M clothes. By the 1980s, more aggressive subcultures of punk emerged such as hardcore punk. This in turn led to spin-offs, with bands heading in other directions. In the 1990s, punk rock and pop punk re-emerged in the mainstream.

Famous faces

Björk is perhaps the most famous emerging artist on the scene and has been heavily involved over the years with several bands, like the Sugarcubes, and various genres, of which the most famous one on the punk scene, was Tappi Tikarrass, owing its rather unique sound to the addition of jazz, disco and funk to their punk vibe.

Iceland’s Other Attractions

So, if you’re hot about making a trip to the beautiful country of Iceland, we think you couldn’t go wrong with a city break in stunning Reykjavik. Located on the south west coast of Iceland, the capital, and largest city of Iceland, is a hub of activity with plenty of unusual museums and buildings to visit, including a number dedicated to the Viking history of the area.

And why not give the Perlan building a try, offering a stunning 360º view of the city, or visit the Culture House, or indeed the most hilarious (and maybe eye-opening) museum straight after the Icelandic Punk Museum, which is the infamous Phallological Museum, yes you read correctly, a museum dedicated to the penis – another ‘small’ gem in Reykjavik, literally!

There are plenty of hotels, from budget to boutique level as well. What perhaps attracts most people to this city destination however is its vibrant nightlife, which is as eclectic as its music, with something for absolutely everyone. There are many really cool restaurants and bars, as well as organic joints, serving excellent food. It’s not cheap, but well worth it.

She grew up in Elba, buys her cowboy boots in New York and rocks around the world – meet Grace Solero, the rock singer/songwriter, who has made London her home! Her arrival in rock is a tad unconventional though: she trained as a gymnast first and past dance training, theatre acting, singing jazz and dabbling in opera, found her visceral voice in rock! Once in London, she felt she wanted to forma her own band, and upon responding to an advert by Dan, the guitarist she plays with on Primrose Hill, the two hit it off and have played together ever since.

To catch Grace during her spur of the moment performance on Primrose Hill was emotional: people were distancing, yet desperate for some great live music under the open skies, as the year 2020 will forever be known as the year ‘without a summer’. No festivals meant no release valve that comes with dancing and summer vibes, clubs weren’t open either, and although a few venues started live-gigging inside, it all took place at the cost of zero atmosphere. Everybody seemed to be trying hard to do something, hence it was a genius idea for Grace & Dan to just grab their guitars and play for whoever was there. It felt liberating and undeniable, as music just had to happen to transform our lives for that hour, on that Sunday on top of Primrose Hill.

GRACE SOLERO

Her fate was sealed, when a mate of hers saw her playing live in Rome, and subsequently said that she’s wasting her time there: ‘you need to go to London’, she said! Her past is what makes Grace who she is today: you can definitely sense body consciousness and physical strength (she trained as a gymnast and in dance), she lives every song through her voice (theatre acting), and has a wicked range, that others can only dream of – she actually started singing in jazz, and those lessons from an opera singer deffo paid off.

In meeting the guitarist Dan Beaulaurier, Grace has found a musical soulmate, and once they got together after Dan placed an ad in a London club, they got on straight away – the rest is history. She just loves playing live, creating emotions and letting it rip to wake up the world – it’s no understatement to say that Grace is a (gentle) force of nature.

Chatting to her in person for our exclusive interview here on TA-DAH.TV, she showed us just how a complex, yet utterly free and travelled a character she really is: she loves buying her cowboy boots in New York, is into designers such as Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler and Bluemarine, is into Sunday roasts and steak and ale pies (clearly, Dutch pancakes go down well too) and hangs out at Southbank and Camden Market (check out iconic pubs and places like The Dublin Castle and Made In Brazil).

However, underneath all this, she is completely real and appreciative of what surrounds her and the world she’s in, enabling her to live her dream and just be herself. Yet the first lesson for her to be learned in the music biz was: ‘don’t get excited about all the promises…actions speak louder (than words)’. Years later, she’ll give this advice to any budding artist, who is dreaming of a singer/songwriting career in music: ‘Keep being yourself, have artistic integrity and write the music you believe in – you can’t please everyone’ – Grace Solero has clearly found her groove in an industry that is as hard as nails!

GRACE’S SOUND & STYLE

Grace’s style is hard to pinpoint: her ballads are sensuous, her voice can cross over into folk, but also grunge and a bit of pop-rock on the edges. Critics have likened Grace’s voice to that of Dolores O’Riordan (Cranberries), Alanis Morissette, PJ Harvey and Skin (fronting the band Skunk Anansie). She possesses this enormous range and adaptability, which is why she manages to bring vocals with such emotional intensity. Her frequent comparisons to the female version of the rising rock star that was Jeff Buckley are not at all surprising, as she can ‘bring it’ full tilt or strip it down – always managing to stay true to her own personal style. No wonder then, that London’s city mag Time Out (also available for cities all over Europe, like Lisbon and Paris, etc) described her voice as ‘Bitter sweet, Buckley-esque’ and Slade’s Noddy Holder felt she has a ‘Raw, dreamy, mercurial voice’.

COLLABORATIONS – APPEARANCES – TOUR

Collaborations and appearances throughout her career have resulted in her working with the American vocalist Allan Merrill on his show Across The Pond for NY TV channel Jam Music Network (he’s the guy, who wrote Joan Jett’s meg-hit ‘I Love Rock’n Roll, universally known as one of the biggest rock classics for a female vocal)#RIPAllanMerrill.

Stateside, they played The Bitter End in NYC, The Tusk in Philadelphia, down in Nashville they performed at Douglas Corner and when Hollywood beckoned, they played The Piano Bar! Over in Europe, Berlin saw them perform at White Trash, in Hamburg they played the Monkeys Music Club, over in Amsterdam they hit the stage at CCMuzikcafé, in Oslo they performed at Buckley’s, further South in France, they entertained the crowd at Le Pub Forum in Sedan and Le Kilberry in Reims, whilst in Milan they wowed their fans at TNT Club Rome, Radio Londra, Redrum and Ombre Rosso. Back in the UK, they played Bannerman’s Rock & Whisky Bar in Edinburgh, The O2 Institute in Birmingham and back in good old London Town, they feel quite at home at the Union Chapel, Cargo, Water Rats and Camden’s The Dublin Castle.

Grace has also performed alongside Knox, one of the British punk band The Vibrators founder members, as well as Noddy Holder of Slade. Furthermore, Grace and Dan also have an interesting side project going with the pedal steel playing legend that is BJ Cole (who played with Elton John, Björk, R.E.M and Cat Stevens). Looking at the wide variety amongst the musicians she’s worked with, it goes without saying, to describe her voice as ‘just’ versatile is somewhat of an understatement…

Touring is back on the agenda for Grace Solero & band, since they’ve got a new album coming out in 2021 called ‘Metamorphosis’! Grace describes it as a ‘spiritual journey towards healing and the power of love’, so you can expect lots of emotion and personal experience to hit you over 9 tracks. ‘Awake’, the first single has already dropped and is out now, as we’re going into programme release.

For more information visit:

www.gracesolero.com

Tour dates:

For more information visit:

www.dualipa.com

Tour dates:

For more information visit:

www.thescriptmusic.com

From having not much of an idea about how it all really happens, Jaguar has worked herself up into the ranks of one of the most happening girl DJs around. Part of this next-gen-set of up and coming DJ acts & beat makers, she’s big on pushing fresh talent, talking about how important the platform of her new show on BBC Introducing Dance is for those who have got new tracks in the pipeline, like DJ duos Prospa or cousn.

She raves about her time writing for and presenting at Mixmag, the energy she feels by spinning the decks, her fave London clubs like Dalston Superstore, Printworks and Five Miles, summer festivals like Lost & Found, Glastonbury, the Lost Village Festival, as well as big moments like playing Leeds, where she actually went to uni. And, of course, she mentions the DJ divas who have inspired her, like Annie Mac, The Blessed Madonna and Heidi. Legendary Ibiza hangouts like Pikes, Café Mambo, Pacha and Amnesia are thrown into the mix, whilst she talks frank and honest about her experiences, being bang on the pulse of what’s hot off the beat press.

Watch our exclusive interview with her now to get the low-down of what Jaguar is all about…

For more information visit:

https://www.facebook.com/JaguarWorldwide

Richy Ahmed literally ‘worked his way up’ on the scene from raver to music fan, promoter, DJ and finally to producer. Uniquely, he knows every aspect of the industry, giving him such a clever advantage. Mates with all the boys on the circuit, he literally has EDM running through his veins. He knows how the dance floor ticks or how to get the crowd going at a festival, which has him regularly turn up at the best dance events all over the world. Yet sitting down on the floor with him, sharing a bit of carpet at London’s Eastern Electrics Festival, was not an issue.

He’s completely down to earth and totally honest with it. That afternoon, he was part of a dream-team line-up at the main stage, playing alongside Eats Everything, Hot Since 82, The Martinez Brothers and Seth Troxler. Woaahhhh, what a day that was: hot sunshine, 25 thousand ravers, the DJ booth was ‘on fire’ and a crowd, that never stopped dancing! After his set, Claudia Peifer grabbed him in the Green Room to find out how he ticks, why he loves house and what makes him such a much-loved act. We’re talking fave clubs, like Watergate in Berlin, playing Paradise at DC-10 on Ibiza and other iconic venues, and discover how he actually ended up spinning decks. He regularly features in the line-up of those legendary Elrow parties and plays huge festivals like Space Miami, Glastonbury and Tomorrowland, so hit that start button now to learn more about the boy from South Shields…

Hailing from South Shield in North East England, Richy Ahmed is a British producer and DJ who has made a name for himself in the electronic music scene by dabbling in nearly every aspect of it from raving to eventually making a name for himself as a DJ and a producer.

Taking inspiration from a wide range of genres that includes electro, funk, hip-hop and even disco, Richy has been a driving force behind the ongoing popularity of UK house music. Making sure his home territory was covered first, he soon set his sight on sunnier destinations, racking up appearances and residences at cult Ibiza venues like Paradise and DC-10, and that was just the start! Not content with simply conquering the mecca of electronic music and club culture that is Ibiza, Richy has set his sights on global domination with appearances at famous (and sometimes infamous) venues such as Berlin’s Panorama Bar, Blue Marlin Dubai, Rome’s Room21 and BPM Mexico, amongst countless parties organised by Spain’s biggest party host elrow. Not content with playing legendary venues alone, Richy has also made appearances at world-famous festivals like Tomorrowland, Glastonbury, Burning Man, and Hideout Festival in Croatia.

TA-DAH.TV’s Claudia Peifer grabbed him for a legendary interview during the Eastern Electrics festival staged at Hatfield House, just outside London. Clearing the Green Room for a full half an hour, Richy revealed all from his calling to step into the DJ booth to his favourite clubs to play at.

Having established himself firmly on the DJ map the world over, Richy has added yet another feather to his cap by launching his own label and event imprint, FOUR THIRTY TWO – talk about a man of many talents!

The label has so far served as a way for Richy to continue his musical growth, released UK house music that stays true to the genre’s core. Alongside this, Richy has also ventured into the world of A&R, championing the music and artists he truly believes in.

To get a taste of Richy’s DJ skills, check out his most popular releases and remixes including his breakthrough hit “The Drums” or remixes of legendary artists like London Grammar and New Order.

Can’t wait to experience one of his legendary live sets? Keep your eyes peeled  for upcoming appearances by RICHY AHMED by clicking the link now!