Preview: A Silent Disco On Tower Bridge And Other Musical Highlights At London's Emerge Festival

Emerge Festival (Various venues across London, 27-28 September 2019) // Words: Saam Das

One wristband. Entry to multiple venues. Sound familiar? It's a model that's worked well for a whole host of UK music festivals such as The Great Escape and Dot To Dot, and the people behind Emerge Festival have decided to adapt and adopt the model across several of London's cultural attractions. There's still music but plenty more on offer across venues as diverse as The Cinema Museum and UK Parliament. We've collated some of the best musical bits of Emerge 2019 below.

Surfacing: Capulets Are A New Xenomania Pop Outfit Featuring Florrie

Words: Saam Das

You'll know Brian Higgins and his Xenomania production team from their stellar work with Girls Aloud, as well as dalliances with the likes of Sugababes, Annie, and Alesha Dixon, among many others. Safe to say, they know good pop. Therefore it comes with some excitement that their latest affiliated band, Capulets has come to the fore, featuring Xenomania artist Florrie. Listen to their appropriately named 'Act One' EP below.

Watch: How A British Teen On Tik Tok Inspired Blanco Brown's Video For Country Smash 'The Git Up'

Words: Saam Das

Lil Nas X paved the way for a genre-bending country-led smash with his Nine Inch Nails-sampling record-breaking hit, 'Old Town Road', which has dominated US charts in 2019 - topping the Billboard Hot 100 for nineteen weeks. The initial traction that 'Old Town Road' gained was partly due to its prevalence on musical app Tik Tok - a path shared by its country rap contemporary, Blanco Brown's 'The Git Up'. And the artist's new video has leant into its Tik Tok origins, included one of its most famous proponents, British teen Harvey Bass.

Surfacing: Post-Punkers Low Hummer Release Debut Single On Dance To The Radio

Words: Saam Das

Interestingly, Hull quintet Low Hummer took their name from a previous track in their old La Bête Blooms guise. With debut single/synth juggernaut 'Don't You Ever Sleep' coming out this past week, we're excited about their future. Particularly as it's been released on the celebrated Dance To The Radio label.

Review: Catch Design Museum's Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition While You Can

Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition (Design Museum, London) // Words: Saam Das // Photos: Ed Reeve

Twenty years on from his passing, a touring exhibition celebrating visionary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has finally arrived in the UK, his adopted home. Raised in New York, Kubrick moved to Hertfordshire in the 1970s, living there until his death in 1999. The UK would become not just a base for his family but also for his work, and Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition at London’s Design Museum appropriately delves into his particularly close relationship with the city.

Surfacing: Annika Rose Debuts With The Melodramatic Pop Of 'In The End'

Words: Saam Das

Billie Eilish's trail-blazing efforts as seventeen year old will hopefully be inspiring a new generation of talent in years to come. For now, she's followed by a whole class of excellent upcomers, many of whom have initially established themselves on YouTube. Exhibit A: LA teen Annika Rose, and her distinctive debut single, 'In The End'.

Watch: Oh Wonder's One-Shot Won-Derful Video For 'Hallelujah'

Words: Saam Das

'Hallelujah' by name, hallelujah by nature - Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West (whose projects Jose Vanders and We The Wild both saw love from these pages in the past) have returned with a deliriously good new single. The first offering from their Oh Wonder team-up since 2017's 'Ultralife' album, watch the 'La La Land'-esque video for 'Hallelujah' below.

Surfacing: Jack Blonde Debuts With The Freshly Squeezed 'JUICE'

Words: Saam Das

Charitably speaking, we're entering the last throngs of summer, and Jack Blonde's freshly squeezed debut track 'JUICE' captures some of the sun-kissed nature that characterises the season. So fresh, in fact, that when we stumbled upon this new project, we were the very first to 'like' their Facebook page. Perhaps you might be interested in also becoming an early Jack Blonde adopter?

Listen: Bombay Bicycle Club Offer A Refreshing Return With 'Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)'

Words: Saam Das

Following an unexpected hiatus in 2016, London quartet Bombay Bicycle Club announced a return at the start of 2019 - consolidated now, with the unveiling of their return single, 'Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)'. With frontman Jack Steadman and bassist Ed Nash launching solo projects, as Mr Jukes and Toothless respectively, this moment may never have come. But we're super pleased that it has.