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The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 167 with Sarah Hanly

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM Show 165 with Sarah Hanly

On this week’s episode of The London Ear, I speak to Sarah Hanly, an Irish actor based in London whose play ‘Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks’ is running as part of the Maiden Speech Feminist Festival in Theatre N16 in Balham.

My chat Sarah deals with some of the issues from ‘Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks’ including eating disorders and mental health issues.

If you need to talk, call these people

Sarah mentioned a couple of organisations during our chat that you can call and chat to if you feel you would like to speak to someone.

B-eat.co.uk is a UK based organisation that helps people beat eating disorders. You can find out more from their website or call them on 0808 801 0677 from the UK.

You can also get in touch with the Samaritans. Their number 116 123 is available to both UK and Ireland residents for free.

If you feel you need to speak to someone, please do call these numbers or chat to a friend. You’re not alone and we want you to be healthy and well.

Find Sarah Hanly online

Thank you so much to Sarah for sharing her story. You can find Sarah on Twitter or on Instagram.
You can find out more about Maiden Speech and TheatreN16 here and tickets for Sarah’s show are available here.

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 166 October 7 2017 // Playlist

1. Ryan Vail: Shadows
2. Normanton Street: It’s Been a While
3. Warshaw Radio: Whispers
4. Arcade Fire: Creature Comfort
5. Tandem Felix: Were You There (When They Crucified the Birthday Boy)?
6. Honeymilk: Havslåten
7. you have to wonder: Littleisms
8. Interview with Sarah Hanly
10. Picturehouse: Somebody Somewhere
11. Felin: 21st Century

On next week’s show I speak to photographer Gregory Nolan about his exhibition This was our Scene.

Listen On Demand to The London Ear

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

Listen to the music on Spotify

You can keep up to date with all the music I play on The London Ear in one handy Spotify playlist. Every track I’ve played in 2017 and that is available on Spotify is in there. You can find it right here.

Listen to The London Ear on Mixcloud

You can keep up to date with me here.

October 7, 2017
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM Show 165 with Otherkin

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM Show 165 with Otherkin

On this week’s episode of The London Ear, I was delighted to be able to catch up with one of the rising stars of Irish music. Otherkin are about to release their debut album, ‘OK’, and I was joined to chat about recording and writing the album by Luke from the band.

You can find out more from their website, Facebook and Twitter.

The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 165 Sep 23 2017 // Playlist

1. Graham Mitchell: Maria Browne
2. Brass Phantoms: indigo
3. Session Motts: Back In the Day
4. Interview with Luke from Otherkin
5. Otherkin: Come on, Hello
6. Interview with Luke from Otherkin Part 2
7. Otherkin: Yeah, I know
8. Interview with Luke from Otherkin Part 2
9. Otherkin: Enabler
10. Nathan O’Reagan – Like Never Before
11. George Michael feat Nile Rodgers: Fantasy
12.Soak: If everyone is someone – no one is everyone

Listen On Demand to The London Ear

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.

Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.

Check out The London Ear on Facebook and Twitter

Listen to the music on Spotify

You can keep up to date with all the music I play on The London Ear in one handy Spotify playlist. Every track I’ve played in 2017 and that is available on Spotify is in there. You can find it right here.

Listen to The London Ear on Mixcloud

You can keep up to date with me here.

Photograph of Otherkin by Gregory Nolan taken from Facebook

September 24, 2017
Tune of the Week // Graham Mitchell – Maria Browne

Tune of the Week // Graham Mitchell – Maria Browne

I first heard about this guy from my friend, Sarah. It was about four or five years ago and there was this young fella called Milky near where she lived and she thought I should check out his music. He was good but needed a little time to perfect everything.

Fast forward to 2017 and Milky has dropped this moniker in favour of his own name and has released a couple of cracking tracks. A few of months ago, Graham Mitchell released ‘Inside I’m Dancing’ and ‘You’ve Disappeared’, a piano/guitar led ballad that highlighted his vocal and musical abilities. But the release of this track ‘Maria Browne’ proves just how far the young Dubliner has come.

‘Maria Browne’ is an old school story about a love lost with a upbeat sixties soul vibe. Clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, the full band sound and production from Jon Dotts, are in perfect for the era. This is a huge jump for Graham Mitchell, showing a glimpse of what is to come.

You can find out more about Graham Mitchell on Facebook or Twitter

Get Maria Browne as a Free Download

You can get Maria Browne as a Name Your Price Download from Bandcamp, that includes for free but why don’t you support your local artist and give him a quid or two.

<a href="http://grahammitchell.bandcamp.com/track/maria-browne">Maria Browne by Graham Mitchell</a>

Spotify Tune of the Week Playlist

I’ve started putting Spotify playlists together, including a Tune of the Week playlist, which includes all the tracks I’ve chose as Tune of the Week here on nessymon.com. You can find the playlist here. Make sure you follow, it will be updated weekly.

Watch the Video for Maria Browne

https://youtu.be/mlCJfaSuogE

September 23, 2017
Tune of the Week // George Michael featuring Nile Rodgers – Fantasy

Tune of the Week // George Michael featuring Nile Rodgers – Fantasy

For at least thirty three years, I have waited eagerly for each new George Michael release. This one was no different. I had my headphones in on my morning commute, listening to Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2, paying homage to George.

This time, though, there was no George to tweet, to ask what we all thought. Even after eight and a bit months, the sense of loss that George isn’t with us, hasn’t subsided. So hearing Nile Rodgers’ remix of Fantasy definitely left me with mixed emotions on first listen.

Nile Rodgers had definitely added the funk, dropping the brass section from George’s versions of the track. But on multiple listens to the track, it becomes apparent that in this remix, Nile Rodgers had turned Fantasy into the ultimate tribute to George Michael.

The introduction to Fantasy is reminiscent in its structure to the intro of Star People 97. As the first line of George’s vocals kick in, the added Nile Rodgers guitar uses the rhythmic guitar strum from ‘Faith’ but with the chord progression from ‘Freedom 90’

George Michael’s Fantasy – The Best Version

Fantasy has always been a difficult song to get behind, it lacks a traditional soaring chorus but Nile Rodgers has turned it into a seriously danceable track, complete with hand claps. The toppy horns from the late 80s / early 90s have been replaced by funky guitar and bass lines making this the best version of this track.

Listen Without Prejudice

Fantasy was originally a B Side on Waiting for That Day in the UK and Freedom 90 in other territories, both singles taken from Listen Without Prejudice. A remixed Fantasy 98 was a B Side on Outside. The 1990 version appears on George’s album Ladies and Gentlemen.

Nile Rodgers was working on the remix of Fantasy for the release of the remastered Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 / MTV Unplugged which will be released in October. George never got to hear the finished remix.

What a fantastic musical and philanthropic legacy he has left us. It’s wonderful that his music lives on, it warms my heart. Then, I remember and it breaks again. My hero.

Spotify Tune of the Week Playlist

I’ve started putting Spotify playlists together, including a Tune of the Week playlist, which includes all the tracks I’ve chose as Tune of the Week here on nessymon.com. You can find the playlist here. Make sure you follow, it will be updated weekly.

Listen to Fantasy

Photo of George from Facebook by Caroline True

September 10, 2017