One Liners: S Club, Mercury Prize, Romy, more

APPOINTMENTSManagement firm Various Artists has appointed Emily Thorpe-Jones as Head Of Brands & Corporate. She previously worked in the magazines business, most recently at Hearst UK, as well as presenting music shows for Hoxton FM and London Live.

DEALSSony Music labels Since 93 and RCA US have together signed Mette, with the deal formally announced alongside the release of new single ‘Van Gogh’. Says Glyn Aikins, co-President of Since 93 and RCA UK: “We are delighted to welcome Mette to the Since 93 family alongside RCA US.

When it comes to live entertainment, few places in the UK deliver like Manchester. From arts and culture, to music and good vibes, the city region has it all.

APPOINTMENTSKobalt has promoted Kenny McGoff to UK Head Of Creative. He was previously Head Of A&R in the UK. “Kenny’s dynamic spirit and passion for music is infectious”, says Kobalt COO Jeannette Perez.

Jessie Ware, Confidence Man and Romy are among the acts lined up for the autumn edition of Homobloc in Manchester.The queer block party is set to return to Depot Mayfield on November 4 and, per a press release, is set to welcome “artists, performers, spectators and clubbers to come together and present one of the greatest dancefloor coalitions of the LGBTQ+ community”.Alongside Ware and Confidence Man, Peaches is also set to headline, with further headline DJ sets coming from The Blessed Madonna, David Morales, Avalon Emerson, Horse Meat Disco, LSDXOXO, salute, Sherelle and I. Jordan.The event is set to take over the full expanse of Depot Mayfield, across three main stages in the venue itself, plus additional stages along the street and in the Star & Garter pub located next door.Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, Homobloc is expanding to the venue’s roof space, which will host an array of programming, including cinema screenings, in-session podcasts and talks, acoustic performances, pop-up shops and more.“It’s with great pleasure we unveil the most adventurous Homobloc line-up to date,” promoter Rod Connolly said in a press release.

RELEASESJames Blunt will release new album ‘Who We Used To Be’ on 27 Oct. Out now is new single ‘Beside You’. “It’s a bit of a celebration”, he says of the song.

S Club have responded to the “nonsense” claims that Hannah Spearritt was shut out from the upcoming reunion tour.Earlier this year, the pop group revealed they would be reforming and releasing new music for the first time in 20 years. All seven original members – consisting of Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Spearritt and Rachel Stevens – were set to embark on a 25th anniversary UK and Ireland arena tour in October.However, following the death of Cattermole in April, it was announced that Spearitt would not be a part of the newly renamed ‘Good Times Tour’.“You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be part of S Club 7 she won’t be joining us on this tour,” Lee said in an Instagram video.A post shared by S Club (@sclub)The remaining five members – now named S Club – are set to continue with the the sold-out tour, with Lee sharing that Spearritt was “always welcome” to rejoin them.According to The Sun, an anonymous source shared that Spearritt told her close friends that she was “blindsided” by the video announcement that was posted to the S Club social media accounts.In an interview on Monday (July 31) with ITV’s daytime show This Morning, S Club addressed the reports from the anonymous source.“Whenever an article starts with ‘a source said’, you can kind of take it with a pinch of salt,” Lee said.

APPOINTMENTSDeezer has appointed Florence Lao as its General Counsel. “Deezer is leading the way for the future of the music industry and I’m looking forward to contributing to continued success, together with the talented teams in France and across the globe”, she says. “The music landscape is changing quickly, with Deezer playing a key role for its partners, the industry, and fans alike.

Lankum have spoken to NME about the loss of Sinéad O’Connor – as well as trying to capture the “broader spectrum of the human experience” on their Mercury-shortlisted album. Watch our interview above.The Dublin folk band – with Cormac MacDiarmada with Daragh and Ian Lynch from the quartet in attendance – were speaking at the launch of the Mercury Prize 2023, where their highly-acclaimed fourth album ‘False Lankum’ latest was shortlisted alongside albums by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, J Hus, RAYE, Jockstrap, Young Fathers, Shygirl, Fred Again..

This Morning viewers were left taken aback as S Club were faced having to address the 'elephant in the room' after being put on the spot during their latest TV appearance. The pop group appeared on the ITV daytime show on Monday (July 31) to chat to hosts Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson.

RELEASESCalvin Harris and Sam Smith have teamed up for new track ‘Desire’.Jessie Ware has released a new version of her song ‘Freak Me Now’, featuring Roisin Murphy. “It is a huge honour to have the queen of disco, Róisín Murphy, on ‘Freak Me Now’”, says Ware. “I messaged her hoping she may be interested in featuring on the song and before I knew it she was in the studio.

Thania Garcia Arctic Monkeys, Fred Again, Raye and numerous other British and Irish acts are behind some of the top albums shortlisted for the U.K.’s esteemed Mercury Prize. The annual ceremony is set to take place on Sept. 7 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London and will feature live performances from many of the highlighted artists.

Mercury Prize nominations were announced this morning (July 27), fans online have been having their say.On the shortlist for this year were the likes of Arctic Monkeys, J Hus and RAYE alongside Loyle Carner, Jockstrap, Young Fathers (‘Heavy Heavy’), Fred again.. and more.With the nominations now out there, fans, bands and more have been sharing their reactions and wishes for the September 7 ceremony.Many have shared their hopes for the winner of the ceremony, with others highlighting albums they wish had been nominated.See a range of reactions to the shortlist – which is completed by Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Ezra Collective and Lankum – below.Jockstrap absolutely must win the Mercury prize— Phil Jones (@PhilRDJones) July 27, 2023It's going to be really dull when Fred again..

This year’s Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced, with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Jessie Ware and Raye vying for the £25,000 prize for the best British and Irish album of the last year.As ever, twelve albums make up the shortlist, with one overall winner set to be announced during a ceremony at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 7 Sep.The 2023 judging panel was revealed yesterday.

DEALSCTM Outlander has acquired a stack of music rights from producer/songwriter Fraser T Smith, including his interest in songs he worked on with the likes Tiësto, Rita Ora, Stormzy, Dave, Craig David and Raye. Says CTM Outlander CEO André de Raaff: “Fraser is a once in a generation songwriter and we look forward to shining a light on these compositions for years to come”.

Mercury Prize have been revealed, with Arctic Monkeys, J Hus and RAYE among the list.The winner of the prize will be announced at a live ceremony at London’s Eventim Apollo on September 7, and were judged by a panel including Anna Calvi, Jamie Cullum, Mistajam and more.Others on the list of nominees include Loyle Carner (for his ‘Hugo’ album), Jockstrap (for debut LP ‘I Love You Jennifer B’), Young Fathers (‘Heavy Heavy’), Fred again.. (‘Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022’) and Jessie Ware (‘That! Feels Good!’).The list is completed by Olivia Dean‘s debut album ‘Messy’, Shygirl‘s ‘Nymph’, Ezra Collective‘s ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ and Irish folk band Lankum’s fourth LP ‘False Lankum’.See the full list of nominees below.Arctic Monkeys – ‘The Car’Ezra Collective – ‘Where I’m Meant to Be’Fred again.. – ‘Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)’J Hus – ‘Beautiful And Brutal Yard’Jessie Ware – ‘That! Feels Good!’Jockstrap – ‘I Love You Jennifer B’Lankum – ‘False Lankum’Loyle Carner – ‘hugo’ Olivia Dean – ‘Messy’RAYE – ‘My 21st Century Blues’Shygirl – ‘Nymph’Young Fathers – ‘Heavy Heavy’In 2022, Little Simz won the Mercury Prize for her album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’.

S Club fans have been left in tears as the group released their first new song in 20 years. Jon Lee, Jo O'Meara, Bradley McIntosh, Tina Barrett and Rachel Stevens have released 'These Are the Days' in tribute to their late bandmate Paul Cattermole.

APPOINTMENTSSony Music UK has announced the promotion of Negla Abdela to the role of Managing Director at its Ministry Of Sound label. She first joined the label in 2015 as Social Media Manager, becoming Head Of Digital in 2018 and General Manager in 2021.

S Club 7 will be releasing their fist single in 20 years as a tribute to their late band member. According reports the "emotional" song and video will be in memory of Paul Cattermole who passed away in April.

Naman Ramachandran S Club, the British pop group formerly known as S Club 7, are releasing a new single, “These Are The Days,” their first new music in 20 years. Performed by existing band members Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens, the song is by the songwriting team of Cathy Dennis, Simon Ellis, Johanne Ellis and producer John Nathaniel. The track pays tribute to S Club member Paul Cattermole, who died earlier this year. Formed by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998, the single marks the group’s 25th anniversary and precedes a sold out 15-date U.K. arena tour planned for the fall, which has been renamed “S Club: The Good Times Tour” as a tribute to Cattermole by taking the name of an S Club song and a fan favorite on which he sang lead vocals.