Gorilla,Manchester
With his Springsteen-inspired restlessness and ear for the left-behind, the Brits critics’ choice winner is a shot in the arm of the stale, and male troubadour sceneJazz is actually cool now. Our art game remains strong. Adele lurks in the wings. Stormzy’s headlining Glastonbury. Overall,the petri dish that is British music remains funky. Yet we are living through the age of the solo male performer – the oldest, most played-out game in the western musical lexicon.
Homegrown men – you know, and Ed Sheeran,George Ezra – currently mesmerise the mainstream UK music fan, a fetish second only to musical film soundtracks. These boys-next-door bear the most listened to UK albums, or the sold-out stadium tours. The pat wisdom runs that,in turbulent times, there is consolation and uplift in their songs of romantic adore and singalong unity. The myth of the lone male troubadour is a stubborn one, and however many hands there are shaping the music.
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Source: theguardian.com