Sean Adams

London

Founder @drownedinsound podcast + newsletter + record label | strategic comms @mvtfwd | artist manager Charlotte Church, The Anchoress & more | He/Him

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Articles

58 Must See Live Acts: Meet The Class of 2025 Longlist

Jan 8, 2025 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

Over the past three weeks, 800 grassroots venue owners were asked by Music Venue Trust to nominate the live acts that they believe every music fan should see in 2025. Drowned in Sound have tallied up the votes from the members of theMusic Venues Alliance and independent promoters across the UK to compile this longlist of must see live acts.
The Cure: Go into the twilit woods, alone

Nov 6, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

I’m not going to tell you to touch grass, but if I were a doctor, I’d prescribe heading outside, sticking on your headphones, and marinating in music. Seriously, turn off the news (it's only finger pointing and political pundits so lost in the data they have dehumanised the people), and let a serpentine melody slink itself around your brain as an antidote to the gloomiest of days.
Lily Allen's Feet Pics & The Broken Music Biz

Oct 29, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

My internet feed is full of misinformation. Not about the US Election but in reaction to Lily Allen’s recent tweet about her feet. For those of you who have left Musk's Twitter, here's what Lily said:In response, there‘s been a slew of whataboutery posts, as well as articles that misunderstand how record deals and streaming works (even from places like Variety), making proclamations about the broken state of the music business.
How To Be Hopeful

Oct 20, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

There are not a lot of Drowned in Sound traditions but publishing their album commentary whenever johnny foreigner release a new record is one of them. If you're not familiar with their noise-pop that sways from a big Los Campesinos grin to the distorted joys of Weezer and Ash, then it's time to welcome this band from Birmingham into your scruffy heart.
Does Live Music Need An Upgrade?

Oct 10, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

From silent disco headphones at gigs to videos airdropped from the photo pit, I’ve made a lot of predictions about live music over the years but little has changed. This week's newsletter is a bit of a 'confession of a future-gazer' edition. Unlike things I foresaw in media and the record industry, flicking through old social posts and Sunday Times columns about the future of festivals and concerts, very few of my predictions about innovations on the horizon came to fruition.
And the winner is...

Sep 20, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

The votes from our community have been counted and the winner of the 2024 Neptune Music Prize is… This year’s alternative Mercury prize winner was released by the Leaf label, a brilliant independent record label who have released DiS-favourites like Efterklang, Julia Kent, Melt Yourself Down, Keeley Forsyth, volcano!, The Comet is Coming, and last year's Neptune Prize nominees, Craven Faults.
20 Exceptional Albums from the UK & Ireland

Sep 9, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

Introducing the The Neptune Album Prize 2024 shortlistWith the sensational Leeds-based artrockers English Teacher announced as the winners of this year’s Mercury Prize, it’s time for Drowned in Sound’s annual alternative album prize. This began as a response to the established music prize but has become a great way to survey the state of music on these shores and surface album recommendations from our passionate and incredibly knowledgeable community to a wider audience.
We've Shed Our Twitter Feathers - Now What?

Aug 15, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

As another internet era comes to an end, there's a feeling of collective grief for musicians and music lovers alike. Media orgs, meme-makers, and millions of terminally online internet users are experiencing the feeling musicians and DJs feel most nights - that moment when the lights go on and the room that mere minutes ago was a bouncing sea of limbs has quite suddenly emptied. You filled a room/arena/field and now they've all shuffled off home.
How It Feels To Release "Art" In A Time of Corporate Robots

May 20, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

Or why "marketing" "content" in the modern age can leave you feeling estranged and like quitting if the algorithm doesn't kick in. This newsletter is a confession of sorts.
How musicians are reacting to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza

May 14, 2024 | drownedinsound.org | Sean Adams

From SXSW and The Great Escape to Eurovision and the Oscars, a Browsers' Digest of the music world's response to the conflict in Gaza, in reaction to the Hamas terror attack on October 7th... Conflict? War? Or "genocide" (Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur, March 2024)? Or man-made humanitarian crisis? Whatever words we choose to use, they all feel small compared to the lived realities of civilians impacted by what's happening in Gaza.