John Earls

England

Journalist at Freelance

Writes about music and football and such. Having a lovely time getting away with it.

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Articles

Gary Kemp - This Destination interview

2 weeks ago | classicpopmag.com | John Earls

Despite a late-career flourish with Saucerful Of Secrets, a smash hit podcast and establishing himself as a solo artist, Gary Kemp wasn’t in a good place when he began his latest album, This Destination. He tells Classic Pop how he arrived at a new destination with help from Richard Hawley – but he also reveals why Spandau Ballet’s unresolved tensions still need addressing. Shortly after finishing his previous album INSOLO in 2021, Gary Kemp had lunch with Pete Townshend.
Surprising comment Amy Winehouse made in our last conversation before she died

2 weeks ago | express.co.uk | John Earls

Amy Winehouse performs at Shepherd's Bush Empire in May 2007 (Image: Redferns)As one of the most gifted singers of her generation, Amy Winehouse sold millions of albums and captivated audiences with a powerful voice that belied her tiny 5ft 3ins frame. Yet Amy’s many troubles included doubting her immense talents. And on the night before she died in 2011, aged just 27, the singer was still questioning the ability that powered huge hits such as Rehab, Valerie and You Know I’m No Good.
Orbital talk new collabs with Tilda Swinton and Confidence Man and revisiting 'The Brown Album'

1 month ago | nme.com | John Earls

Orbital have teamed up with actor Tilda Swinton for new single ‘Deepest’, a reworking of the duo’s 1989 track ‘Deeper’. Check out it below along with our interview on the reissue of the classic ‘Brown Album’. ‘Deepest’ was debuted live last year, when Swinton joined the dance pioneers, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, onstage at Orbital’s Glastonbury performance. She had previously worked with Orbital when playing the mysterious Traveler in the video for 1996 single ‘The Box’.
Sparks tell us about new album 'Mad!', Trump's America, and dreams of working with The Last Dinner Party

1 month ago | nme.com | John Earls

Sparks have shared new single ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears’ and spoken to NME about how it’s becoming impossible not to be influenced by global politics, as well as sharing their hopes of collaborating with The Last Dinner Party.
Invigorating discovery and clinical translation of aging biomarkers - Nature Aging

1 month ago | nature.com | Chiara Herzog |Kejun Ying |Raghav Sehgal |Waylon J. Hastings |Alexander Tyshkovskiy |Sara Hägg | +19 more

On 1–2 November 2024, the annual Biomarkers of Aging conference welcomed academic and industry scientists, and partners from governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, to discuss new insights into measuring and monitoring human aging, with the aim of clinical translation. In this Meeting Report, we summarize the conference and offer potential future directions for the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium and the longevity science community at large.
Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear Interview

2 months ago | classicpopmag.com | John Earls

In the two decades since hoovering up Brits and the Mercury Prize with their debut LP, Franz Ferdinand have remained energetic and excitable, in love with the possibilities of what a band should be. Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy join us in Monterrey to explain pop’s holy grail, trying to emulate Black Sabbath and feeling feline. Just don’t mention snakes…Franz Ferdinand mainstays Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy are so in tune with each other that they even share the same phobia.
Review: Kim Wilde - Closer

2 months ago | classicpopmag.com | John Earls

Review: Kim Wilde – Closer ★★★★The pop legend’s first studio LP in seven years sees her return to a very specific time, to showcase what she’s been up to since…The title and cover of Kim Wilde’s 15th studio album are a neat move. Embracing Close, the sleeve recreates the 1988 album’s arms-across-the-face cover shot. For anyone unaware of its predecessor’s heritage, Closer simply suggests intimacy as a title and the cover is still a great pose for Wilde to strike.
Review: Nick Heyward - North Of A Miracle Reissue

2 months ago | classicpopmag.com | John Earls

Review: Nick Heyward – North Of A Miracle reissue ★★★★The solo catalogue of Haircut One Hundred’s frontman has long been neglected. Now with the band reunited, that’s finally starting to change. There’s long awaited, and then there’s the 43-year gap between Haircut One Hundred’s only LP with Nick Heyward and their forthcoming reunion album that’s about to arrive in early 2025.
Steven Wilson: “I’ve tried to reinvent the classic rock guitar solo”

2 months ago | nme.com | John Earls

Steven Wilson has spoken to NME about how he’s attempted to reinvent guitar solos as part of his new space-themed album ‘The Overview’, which marks the Porcupine Tree musician’s return to prog-rock after more than a decade. Announced last month and set for March release, ‘The Overview’ is named after The Overview Effect – the unsettling phenomenon experienced by astronauts when they view Earth from outer space for the first time. “Astronauts experience a profound epiphany,” Wilson told NME.
Into The Gap - Thompson Twins interview

Dec 31, 2024 | classicpopmag.com | John Earls

In our exclusive Thompson Twins interview, Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway share their story together after nearly 40 years…Pioneers who were a riot of colour and mischief, the group were only ever going to blaze brightly for a brief time. Two of them have left music behind for decades, while Tom Bailey only returned after years away from pop. Here the trio reveal how squats, Grace Jones and fire extinguishers helped create a transatlantic phenomenon.