In a year that's brought everyone so many upsetting stories and events, it feels right to try to end it on a little bit of a high. What better way than to honour Sir Terry with his iconic song at the top of the charts for Christmas? Fans of the much-missed presenter and all round lovely human Terry Wogan, who died in January, have launched the campaign for his rendition of 'The Floral Dance' to reach the Number One spot on this year's Christmas charts. There is a Facebook page for the campaign, 'Terry Wogan's Floral Dance For Christmas No.1', which has so far received nearly 27,000 likes. There is also a Twitter account complete with the hashtag #Terry4No1 which has nearly 1300 followers. The campaign is asking people to download Sir Terry's version of the song during the week of December 16-22, which will be the week of the Christmas charts. All details are in this Star Wars-style promo video created for the campaign:
At the moment, the bookmakers odds have the X Factor's winner's single as the favourite for the Number One spot. Other likely contenders are James Corden with his song used on the Sainsbury's Christmas advert, as well as David Bowie, Cliff Richard and the Spice Girls. This might seem a little off-putting for the campaign, but don't forget that a similar one was launched in 2009 which saw Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' beat that year's X Factor winner Joe McElderry to Christmas Number One. It is very possible that 'The Floral Dance' could do the same this year. Photo: BBC All figures correct at time of publishing.
This year seems to be the year that music-loving YouTubers release EP's, and how incredible they've all been. This is the same for Dodie Clark's debut EP, Intertwined, which was released in the UK on Friday (November 18). This six-track masterpiece really highlights Dodie's talent as a musician and how much she really cares about her music. Opening the EP is the title track which is is nothing short of beautiful. The almost isolated vocals are borderline chilling and really show off Dodie's great talent. It is a love song, but there's something a little eerie about it's production which gives it a different dimension. Beneath the surface it tackles the subject of mental illness, which is something that Dodie unfortunately suffers from; through this song, she makes apparent her thoughts and how they scare her, which could ultimately raise awareness of mental illnesses. The simple guitar chords in the background work perfectly to spotlight the vocals without taking anything away and make this song emotional but a wonderful way of starting the EP. Take a listen to 'Intertwined' below. Next up is a short little tune with a not-so-short name, 'I Have A Hole In My Tooth (And My Dentist Is Shut). It really lightens the mood and is very catchy, and was also the song used in the background of Dodie's video announcing the EP. All 40 seconds of it are bouncy and fun and the song would be great to play live. The fifth song is 'Sick Of Losing Soulmates', which was the first single from the EP. It's a song that deals with the issue of staying friends after a relationship break-up and also touches on Dodie's own relationship experiences. She posted a video on her second YouTube channel after she'd originally uploaded the song last year explaining the meaning behind her lyrics- a summary is that she was in an abusive relationship which someone got her out of, she then dated that person, they broke up and were trying to stay friends afterwards. You can watch this explanation video here. This song is also really catchy and is definitely a favourite. Have a listen: This is a brilliant EP featuring some amazing songs. Although this is Dodie's first EP, her main YouTube channel is full of her original songs as well as some great covers and collaborations with other musicians/YouTubers, so if you like this EP then you should definitely check her other work out. You can listen to Intertwined for free via Spotify, or you can purchase it from iTunes and Amazon.
David Bowie fans across the globe have begun fundraising for a tribute statue to honour the late music icon. The Kickstarter campaign is raising funds for the statue to be placed in the town of Aylesbury, north of London. This location was used to debut many of Bowie's hits in 1971 at an experimental gig in the local Friars club, including Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust. There is also reference to the town's Market Square in the opening lines of song Five Years. So far, the campaign has raised nearly £30,000 with over 260 backers. The target is £100,000, which needs to be met by December 6 for the statue to go ahead. The bronze statue has already been designed by sculptor Andrew Sinclair. It is planned to include a working sound system which would play a Bowie song every hour throughout the day and into the evening. To raise awareness of the campaign, band Holy Holy, featuring Bowie's producer Tony Visconti, Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey and Heaven 17's Glenn Gregory, are to play at the Friars club in Aylesbury in April next year. They will play a set of Bowie covers. David Bowie passed away in January, aged 69. Following his death, it was also proposed to rename a street in Brixton, London, to honour Bowie, who was born there. Listen to Bowie's great Ziggy Stardust below.
