The Music
How was 2024 for you, musically? Were you caught up in Taylor Swift's 'Ersa' tour - so mega that it has its own Wikipedia page? Were you more excited abut the second round of Oasis? (My money is on Liam to win by a knock out between finishing the set and commencing the encores at the first show.)
From my perspective, it was great to see Squeeze at close quarters twice and to see a number of bands that I've liked for a while, for the first time. It was highly encouraging too to find a number of new venues, suggesting that live music is holding on. The growth of venues split between bands and clubs is welcome too - managing to get home by 23:00 is a lot better than 01:00.
As for the songs themselves, I was surprised to find that my tastes had mellowed ssomewhat this year. For the first time it didn't feel radical for me to find as much enjoyment in jazz and ambient music as I did from indie and synth pop. From the exhilarating and accessible electronica of Acid Drones at the start of the year, to the lovely near classical sounds of Penguin Cafe at the end, it's been a year full of lovely music.
If I'm ever asked what were my favourite albums of 2024, I'll reply:
Look To The East, Look To The West : Camera Obscura
Miss Flower : Emiliana Torrini
Ni A Nhw : Carwyn Ellis
Why? Well I'll leave you to listen to them to find out.
For individual songs, you can add Gruff Rhys' 'Bad Friend', 'Brave Are The Waves' by The Leisure Society, 'Evidence' by Lo Moon, 'Gentle Samurai' - Beachwood Sparks, 'Happy Sparrow (In The Rain)' - Marc Jonson and Ramirex Exposure, 'Let's Keep Dancing' - Emiliana Torrini, 'Monaco - Ride, 'Risk To Benefit' - Office For Personal Development, 'Sugar Almond' - Camera Obscura, 'Waves' - Rural Tapes and 'Wings' - BAHE, ShisShi and Aditya Rao.
There's not many household names there, but that's the beauty of digging a little deeper, because each of those songs blew anything by Coldplay, Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran out of the water.
These eleven songs are joined by 89 other gems in Pop In The Real World 2024, which you can access at the top of this section - on Spotify or YouTube.
The Fallen
It's always bitter sweet to remember those who have died during the year. Just some of those included in the Pop In The Real World Obituaries 2024 playlist. (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5oYDqnmLba8mpj3bYvne9i?si=bfd2bea5f7cd4702)
Just some of those featuring this year are : Denny Laine, Annie Nightingale, Billie Currie (Ultravox), Gaps Hendrickson (The Selecter) and Quincy Jones.
The Future
So, what's in store for 2025 then? I've no idea, I'm not a clairvoyant, but what I'd like to see is:
A new album from CATT. She's started to release new singles which hopefully signals that we won't have long to wait now.
Recognition from bands and promoters that not everyone can afford £50 - £60 or (a lot) more to see their favourite band. Perhaps shorter afternoon gigs would be one way of pleasing the masses while maintaining or increasing revenue .
A steady, sustained increase in readers of the blog, and listeners to the Mixcloud show. The blog is rallying after a dodgy summer and the Mixcloud listening figures are low but holding steady. (Massive thanks to anyone who has read the blog or listened to the show this year.) It's all about sharing!
And talking of the blog, there's a couple of small changes on the way there too. I've decided to make the Taster Tracks an annual playlist, growing from January through December, before resetting for the next year. It will be fun to see it grow and remain visible during the year (and it reduces the housekeeping effort too!)
Finally, it's hard to put into words the gratitude for anyone who takes an interest in Pop In The Real World. It's good to know there are people out there who might take something from what they read or hear and share it on.
Wisshing you all the very best for 2025.
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