We’ll Live and Die in These Towns: How a song encapsulates a culture
In 2007, a relatively new indie band from the West Midlands city of Coventry, England, found themselves at the start of a promising career as they released a debut album that took them to the top of the UK charts in no time, writes Music News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner.
The band was called The Enemy, and We’ll Live and Die in These Towns was the album.
It soon made its way to infamy, with music magazines praising them and bringing them to the public eye and the band being further promoted in their support of countless UK music juggernauts, including Oasis, Kasabian and Stereophonics.
The Piece Hall: West Yorkshire venue announces new gigs
There’s Manchester’s Co-Op Arena, Wembley, Leeds’ First Direct and the Manchester Arena itself. But there’s one venue hidden up north that doesn’t seem to get its flowers like all the others.
Halifax, a town in the North of England, sat between Bradford and Huddersfield, finds itself home to the Piece Hall, a historic building full of shops that on nights can be found to play host to some of England’s biggest artists.
This year was one with a busy schedule for the building, playing host to performances from groups/artists like James, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Tom Odell and more.
But what is the building, what’s it like for gigs, and who can be expected to visit next year? This article by Music News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner holds all the info.
Beyond the boys’ club: Girl Group’s glitter-fuelled rebellion
With gender politics an ever-pervasive layer of contemporary discourse, the role of men and women is under scrutiny in every walk of life.
Still a leading cultural force, the music industry continues to both shape and reflect the ways we perform and perceive gendered roles, writes Music News Blitz’s Katie Slater.
With women now representing 53.8% of the UK’s music industry workforce, female voices are an ever-growing presence in a previously male-dominated space.
While this new figure is undeniably promising, deeper research reveals that it may not be all sunshine and daisies yet.
Research from the 2024 Musicians’ Census found that 51% of women had experienced gendered discrimination during their careers - showing the industry to be more than a little hostile to its newcomers.
HAUNT-O-HOLIXXX THE MIXTAPE: Semetary’s first solo album of 2025
Friday, October 31, saw the release of Semetary’s new album, HAUNT-O-HOLIXXX THE MIXTAPE. Originally teased a whole year prior, the album was highly anticipated by fans.
With 28 original songs featuring his fellow Haunted Mound members Ghost Mountain and Hackle, as well as emo rap legend Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, the album was well received by those who had been waiting patiently.
Narrowing it down to just five favourites was a challenge, but these were Music News Blitz’s Nisha Cullen’s standouts on the mixtape.
Pub music - The importance of supporting small gigs and artists
Picture this one: it’s Friday night, you’re out having a catch-up with friends.
Later on into the night, some bloke turns up with a rented amp and sets up in the back of the room.
Next thing you know, you’re standing arm-in-arm with your mates, belting Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Bon Jovi or whoever else - and you’re surrounded by plenty others doing the same.
Everyone’s been out and seen live music before, small artists or large.
This Music News Blitz article by Charlie Gardner contains a little appreciation for those small artists you see down at the local, and explores why live music is just as important now as ever before.
Against the algorithm: Could the Last Dinner Party mark the return of human artistry?
With the slow starvation of independent venues and the decline in funds for emerging artists, the music industry appears to be in crisis.
Whether the villain is streaming platforms or the latest AI tools, the commodification of music is moulding artists and cheapening art.
Amidst this landscape, The Last Dinner Party burst onto the scene early last year, standing far above the capitalised homogeneity.
With their sophomore album, From the Pyre, released on October 17, they have produced one of the most captivating albums in recent years.
Challenging the dominating commercialisation that defines success for developing artists, select bands like The Last Dinner Party remind the world what music made by people rather than products can really sound like, writes Music News Blitz’s Katie Slater.
Onesies, profanity and innuendo: Who were Bloodhound Gang?
Before a world of edgy streamers and hidden-camera pranksters, there was a band that went viral for their crude jokes, catchy hooks and nothing but pure disregard for class or dignity.
In this article, Music News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner discusses the infamy of Bloodhound Gang, answering questions of what made them so iconic and how their success defined an era.
The TikTokification of modern pop: Could our dying attention spans be affecting the songwriting process?
Shooting into a realm of mind-blowing popularity in the 2020 pandemic, the short-form video app TikTok has had a phenomenal impact on the music industry from the ground up.
Popularising bite-sized content, trending audios of around 15-20 seconds have become an inseparable companion to visual media.
Creating a need for speed with its promise of fresh content just one swipe below, these songs must grab the attention of avid scrollers in approximately two seconds, or risk being swiped away into oblivion.
Music News Blitz writer Katie Slater explores...
MTV shutdown: What happens when music channels die?
As MTV and other music networks fade, streaming and social media are shaping how South Africans discover and experience music.
In this article, Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo explores...
MTV Music bows out: The end of an era for music television
As MTV’s global music channels prepare to shut down by the end of 2025, Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo reflects on the network that once defined what it meant to watch and feel music.
How celebrity casting is reshaping modern theatre: Trisha Paytas joins ‘Beetlejuice’
On Friday, October 10, influencer Trisha Paytas was announced as part of the West End cast of Beetlejuice - timelines filled with shock, laughter, outrage, and curiosity.
Some fans saw the choice as a chaotic but fitting match between cult musical and viral personality. Others saw it as another sign of theatre bending to spectacle rather than skill.
Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz expands on celebrity casting decisions in theatre.
Skinty Fia: A look back on Fontaines D.C.’s big break - Irish identity and moody reflection
In 2025, Fontaines D.C. is a band known to anyone remotely interested in the music scene, writes Music News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner.
By 2020, they had broken through, releasing two albums each with songs that pushed the band into popularity.
Dogrel (2019) pushed the band into the public eye, before A Hero’s Death (2020) cemented their place, while still uniquely experimenting with their sound.
Annatoria and the Gospel debate: Fans weigh in on her love for secular music
Fans are divided as gospel singer Annatoria faces criticism for enjoying secular music, sparking a wider conversation about faith, freedom, and the evolving identity of modern gospel artists, writes Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo.
Travis Scott brings Utopia to South Africa: A night of chaos, energy, and unforgettable sound
Houston rapper Travis Scott’s explosive Johannesburg performance marked his long-awaited South African debut with a night of high-octane visuals, mosh pits, and pure musical chaos that left fans in awe, writes Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo.
Fans divided as Taylor Swift’s new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ sparks mixed reactions online
On Friday, October 3, Taylor Swift released her long-anticipated album The Life of a Showgirl, and as expected, the world stopped to listen.
Following a whirlwind weekend of talk show appearances, a movie release, and nonstop online chatter, the internet quickly erupted with conversation.
But this time, fans aren’t all in agreement. The reactions to Swift’s latest release have been distinctly divided.
Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz explores the online debates currently taking over social media, where praise, disappointment and memes collide in true Swift fashion.
Women who move the world: How female artists are redefining power in global music
From Tyla to Taylor Swift, women are not just topping charts, they are reshaping how the music world works, writes Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo.
In an industry long dominated by male gatekeepers and narrow expectations, 2025 feels like a turning point.
Across continents and genres, women in music are no longer content with breaking ceilings. They are rewriting the architecture entirely.
Whether it is South Africa’s Tyla redefining pop identity through amapiano rhythms, Billie Eilish expanding the boundaries of vulnerability, or Karol G commanding Latin stages once ruled by men, female artists are transforming what power sounds, looks, and feels like.
Rocking the Daisies 2025: Two decades of sound, soul, and South African sunshine
Inside the 20th anniversary of Africa’s most beloved music festival, Rocking the Daisies is a weekend where global beats meet local roots, writes Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo.
For three days in early October, the quiet vineyards of Cloof Wine Estate in Darling, a small town just outside Cape Town, were transformed into a technicolour landscape of music, art and energy.
The annual Rocking the Daisies festival, affectionately known as RTD, returned from October 3 to 5 for its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of uniting people through rhythm, creativity and community.
Everything Swifties need to know about Taylor Swift’s new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ - a release week guide
Taylor Swift is about to light up the stage once again, this time with her brand-new album The Life of a Showgirl, arriving this Friday, October 3.
Swifties have been counting down the days, and now the glittery time card dropped on her social media sites has given us the ultimate schedule of everything to expect during release week.
In essence, it’s not your usual album release - it’s a full-blown event you will not want to miss.
Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz breaks down everything you need to know before the release.
AI-Generated hits: Are we listening to real artists?
From deepfake vocals to algorithmic beats, Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how we experience music.
The music industry has always evolved with technology. Synthesisers in the 1980s, auto-tune in the 2000s, streaming algorithms in the 2010s, and each innovation reshaped the way we listen and the way artists create.
Now, a new force is emerging. AI-generated music, where entire songs, lyrics, melodies, beats and even vocals are created by machines.
As AI-generated tracks populate streaming platforms, social media, and ads, fans and artists alike are asking; Are we still listening to real artists.
Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo explores...
Global Citizen: Where music meets activism
From protest anthems to stadium-sized festivals, Global Citizen is turning music into a megaphone for change.
Music has never just been about melody. It has always carried the pulse of social movements, from Nina Simone’s politically charged soul to Fela Kuti’s fiery Afrobeat critiques of power.
In our time, the Global Citizen movement is redefining what it means for music and activism to share a stage, literally.
Here, Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo dives into all things Global Citizen.