'Wonderland by the Waves' at Manchester Central Library

On Friday evening I visited the Manchester Central Library for the opening of 'Wonderland by the Waves' an exhibition curated by students (my friends!) from the University of Manchester. Working in tandem with Arts Management students, a team of MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students created 'Wonderland by the Waves', an exhibition exploring local history and the traditional Mancunian summer holiday to Blackpool. 

In response to 'Wonderland by the Waves' the Arts Management students created a lovely opening night entitled 'Manchester Wakes: Workers at Play'. The evening was deemed a success with great attendance on the opening evening. I would say that there did not seem to be enough emphasis that the evening was to open an exhibition. It felt as if the team involved in the event portion of the project may have run away with themselves slightly as there was little to no advertisement of the actual exhibition on the night. 

However, the evening was very enjoyable, with appearances from award-winning performance poet JB Barrington and monologues from Jennifer Reid and John Bartley. The Oldham Youth Wind ensemble welcomed people into the library with seaside themed tunes before Levy Uke Up ushered in a seaside singalong with accompanying ukeleles! 

The exhibition itself may be a little tucked away but includes some gems from Blackpool's holiday heyday including treasured photographs and original tram tickets, swimming caps and brochures. The free sticks of Blackpool rock ushered in memories of British seaside holidays as you browsed the classic British 'staycation'.

Salford-born performance poet, JB Barrington, gave a lively and humorous performance of his original poetry, some of which had been created specifically for the event. Some pieces were performed with the accompaniment of students from the RNCM, giving a classical touch to a very modern poet. 

The evening was broken up by performances from The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester as well as the Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir (below). The Kadenza/Bolton Choir gave a rousing performance of songs from Manchester's industrial past including 'July Wakes' and 'Bolton Mill Lad'. The Cosmo singers made a particular impression with their stunning performance of Deep River by Micheal Tippett followed by an unexpected but humorous depiction of 'The Drunken Sailor'.

The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester

The Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir

WITTERQUICK, Mara Tancu and Amy Monzon Top This Week's BEAT100 World Music Video Chart!

WITTERQUICK finish in the top spot of this week's World Music Video Chart with their hit original track 'TheOtherside'! The English band, based in Exeter, only formed 18 months ago but have already made a splash with their debut single gaining over 10,000 views since December. This popularity has also extended to theBEAT100 community; 'The Otherside' shot into the top 5 within its first week of chart entry, quickly rising to1st place just one week later! The upbeat rock track has racked up over 1300 views on BEAT100 alone as well as gaining three Gold Awards from the BEAT100 A&R team. All of the WITTERQUICK members have been part of various bands over the years, honing and developing their talents before finally combining their individual musical tastes 18 months ago. The group have since written over 20 original songs but only the best of the bunch make the final cut. They tell BEAT100 'We pick out the songs we love, the songs that have that energy in them that is so lacking in music for the last decade or so. With the response we’re getting, after only being active for a short while, it’s clear that we’re not alone. We have something that other bands don’t.' Influenced by rock sounds from the 70s and 80s, WITTERQUICK gain their inspiration from bands such as Guns and Roses and Pink Floyd, along with more modern bands who carry this classic rock sound into the 21st century, such as Biffy Clyro and Brand New. The fledgling musicians have made a great start to their musical careers and have gained a great response for their debut track 'The Otherside' which will officially be released on March 10th. Currently, WITTERQUICK are preparing for various support slots over the next few months and, most excitingly, are gearing up to record their debut EP in just three weeks time! Talking to BEAT100 about their upcoming busy schedule, WITTERQUICK say, 'We couldn’t be more excited to get these songs out, and because we’re unsigned we can release what we want, when we want.'

Second place in this week's chart was won by Romanian songstress Mara Tancu! Mara has won over theBEAT100 community with the sweet and strong vocals that she provides on a variety of cover songs. Her winning track this week is a passionate cover of 'Going Nowhere' originally by British girl band, Little Mix. The track has won her three Silver awards and currently has over 1300 views on BEAT100 alone. The young singer gains inspiration from her idol Christina Aguilera as well as other influential young female artists such as Pixie Lott and Little Mix. Mara says that she admires her idols and looks to them when recording her impressive cover tracks, however, she strives to develop her own style and add her own personal twist to her music. Mara tells BEAT100 'Music is my happiness. I feel a great pleasure just listening to it and I am so grateful that God gave me the necessary qualities to be able to sing. Although it's a cliché, MUSIC IS MY LIFE!'. Despite her young years, Mara has taken part in various national and international singing contests, proving her talent and finishing in the Top three in every single one! Mara has also gone so far to claim national TV fame after appearing on the international Next Star Romania contest which aired on one of the country's most popular channels. For now, Mara is working on honing her talent and challenging herself as much as she can in order to perfect her performance and develop her musical style. She aims to one day share the stage with her idols and we are sure that she is not very far away from achieving her goal!

Californian pop star Amy Monzon finished in third place this week with her debut original single 'Love Song'. Amy, from San Diego, California only released 'Love Song' at the beginning of the year but is already gaining amazing recognition, including three Gold awards from the BEAT100 A&R team! As a child Amy would often sing her favourite song, Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On', to her imaginary legions of fans and now it seems that Amy is well on her way to achieving her childhood dream. Amy's love for music continued throughout college after she joined a girl band in her freshman year. After leaving the band to focus on her studies, the budding singer decided to pursue a solo career after her graduation. Despite only beginning to post songs on YouTube one year ago, Amy has already performed at some legendary venues, including House of Blues, Whiskey a Go-Go and Gibson Amphitheater. She also enjoys regularly performing at a variety of venues in her local area and is steadily growing a solid fan base who love her upbeat pop style. Amy's winning track this week, 'Love Song' may have only been released a few weeks ago but the powerful pop production and catchy lyrics make it seem as if the young singer is a seasoned professional. We can see Amy progressing far in her music career and can't wait to see her in the charts again!

Written for www.BEAT100.com

BEAT100's Artists to Watch in 2015

2015 is set to be a brilliant year for music. BEAT100 chooses our favourite artists to look out for over the coming months.

Ryn Weaver

An artist that has appeared on many artists to watch lists over the last months, Ryn Weaver parachuted onto everyone’s screens last summer when her debut track ‘OctaHate’ went viral. With a fresh, poppy sound‘OctaHate’ made the previously unknown singer an overnight sensation after it was released on Soundcloud. It is no wonder that the track gained such amazing attention, co-written by Charli XCX and produced by the dream team of Benny Blanco, Passion Pit and Cashmere Cat, Ryn Weaver has some impressive names backing her as her fledging career takes off. Garnering over 30,000 plays in the first week, ‘OctaHate’ landed her at the top of Billboard’s ‘Emerging Artists’ charts. Born in San Diego, Ryn studied at NYU before dropping out after two years to pursue a musical career. This move has obviously paid off as the young artist recently signed to Indie label Friends Keep Secrets.

Raury

Raury is an eighteen-year old musical talent that is set to bring a completely new sound to our ears in 2015. Born in Atlanta, the young musician began rapping at just eight years old and taught himself to play guitar aged just eleven. The budding superstar has since written a song for the latest Hunger Games movie, made fans of rap idols Outkast and gained fourth place in the BBC’s Sound of 2015. His EP ‘The Indigo Child’ was released last year and assaults the ears with an amazing mix of RnB, Hip-hop, Funk and Soul. Brand new single ‘Gods Whisper’ (available below) delivers a beautiful and addictive tune, reminiscent of Kanyewithout all the annoying Kanye-ness. ‘Gods Whisper’ precedes Raury’s debut album, expected to be released later this year.

Intuition

LA based rapper Intuition has been on the scene for the past few years but hasn’t quite broken into the big time. Will 2015 be his year? With a soothing voice and captivating lyrics, the Alaskan born musician pulls in even the most rap hating listener with his mellow tunes. After releasing his first solo album ‘Stories About Me’ in 2007, the talented lyricist teamed up with producer Equilibrium for his second album ‘Girls Like Me’. Receiving rave reviews for their collaboration, the pair teamed up to create their own signature hip-hop infused rap. Their self-titled collaborative album was released in April last year and received rave reviews for their minimalistic approach and vibrant sound. The duo’s project together covers everything from girl-problems and bad habits to Intuition’s own father’s battle with Alzheimers.

Bea Miller

Bea Miller, an American child actress from New Jersey, is set to take the world by storm this year with her strong and sweet voice. At just 15 years old, Bea tackles Pop tracks like a seasoned professional. The talented young star came to the public’s attention after appearing on the second season of the X Factor USA under her full name, Beatrice Miller. Reformed as Bea Miller, she has now moved on to carve her own career and is currently signed under Hollywood Records and Syco Music. Her debut EP Young Blood was released in April last year with the lead single ‘Young Blood’ peaking at number two on the iTunes pop chart. Receiving amazing reviews for such a young performer, Bea has been breaking in her performance boots by opening for Demi Lovato on her recent Demi World Tour.

Jon Bellion

Jon Bellion delivers a unique blend of singing and rap style verses in his powerfully addictive tracks. Producing all of his own music, Jon creates a unique infusion of stripped back instrumentals with captivating electronic beats. The American songwriter, producer and rapper is currently signed with Visionary Music Group and has already started to build a successful career behind the scenes, writing the chorus toEminem’s hit track ‘The Monster’ and also co-writing and producing ‘Trumpets’ by Jason Derulo in 2012. 2015 may well be the year that Jon Bellion steps forward to take the limelight for himself, having recently released his third successful mixtape ‘The Definition’ which reached our ears in September last year and is now available for free download. Each song that Jon produces has its own unique sound meaning that there is something for almost every listener.  Newest song ‘Carry Your Throne’ couples powerful production with a cinematic music video to create a track that really packs a punch with the listener.

James Bay

With a voice that manages to be both beautifully soft and wonderfully gravelly at the same time, it is no wonder that James Bay has made it onto everyone’s ‘one to watch’ list over the last year. Apparently discovered after a fan uploaded a video of him performing in a Kentish Town pub, James Bay wowed Radio 1 listeners when he stepped in to perform a Live Lounge set after Lana Del Rey pulled out at the last minute. The BBC Introducing Artist has also performed on the Burberry runway and toured with superstarHozier in early 2014 and can next be seen performing in Camden’s historic nightspot KOKO in February. After releasing his second EP ‘Let it Go’ in May last year, the young artist shot to the Top 10 of the iTunes album chart. His latest single ‘Hold Back the River’ was released in November last year and has already gained massive recognition for his fearless vocals and obvious natural talent.

Written for www.BEAT100.com