London and New York City

After a week full of music, we thought we could wind down a bit. But no: we received a surprise invitation to a Midge Ure show in Midtown Manhattan. Midge may not be a household name, but he should be. As the lead singer of the British 80s synth-pop band Ultravox, he wrote several worldwide hits. But even more importantly, he co-founded Live Aid, a legendary global charity concert in 1985 for the benefit of people affected by a famine in Ethiopia.

We saw Midge for the first time in 2018 on the Queen Mary 2, a cruise ship not readily associated with rock ’n’ roll. He played two back-to-back shows there, and it was a mind-boggling experience for us to hear some of our favorite songs from our youth in that unlikely and unexpected way.

Midge is 71, but he plays his songs with joy and energy. So, hearing favorites like “Vienna” or "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes” again live was as delightful as it was seven years ago.

The opening act was Blancmange, also an 80s favorite of mine, whose existence I had just been reminded of by a poster in Brighton a few days ago. The former duo is now comprised only of the singer, Neil Arthur, but he was accompanied by Tara Busch, who goes by I Speak Machine. Tara used a modern rig of electronics to play Blancmange’s music, which transports their still-fresh sound out of the 80s.

Fun fact: I learned about Tara years ago through a collaboration with Gazelle Twin and John Foxx, who was the singer of Ultravox before Midge Ure.

After the Great Escape in Brighton, we spent two nights in London. On Sunday afternoon, we met Yodashe, who turned out to be not only an electronic music maven but also very knowledgeable about London and its architecture.

We walked along the South Bank from the Tate Modern to the Oxo Building, then over to the National Theatre, where we had drinks in a garden on top of the Queen Elizabeth. And all in perfect sunny weather.

As New Yorkers for more than 20 years, we cannot help but compare the two cities. After that afternoon in the vibrant, artistic South Bank, it was hard not to get the impression that we were living in the wrong place. However, London was kind enough to show us its limits that very same evening: it is impossible to have dinner there after 9 pm on a Sunday. Fortunately, our hotel, CitizenM Shoreditch (highly recommended!), offers 24-hour food service of decent quality at reasonable prices.

On Sunday, 35 years ago, The Cure released Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, their seventh studio album and my favorite of theirs. Rayna Khaitan wrote an in-depth review in 2022 for Albumism, which provides some background on how the album was recorded. The image of the band being in Southern France and indulging in wine and brandy gives an idea of how the stunning opening title track came together. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me was the first Cure album I bought when it was brand new, which was also a very special time in my life between school and college.

glamglare favorites

Listen to glamglare favorites on Spotify, Apple Music, or below on YouTube.

After a travel break, we are back on our glamglare favorite list – with our heads in the clouds. After Windser released “Head in the Clouds” on his self-titled new album, we were reminded of that week in early 2023 when we had similarly titled songs by Ollella and O. Wake on glamglare. So why not make five out of it? It’s a popular song title, so a quick Apple Music search provided us with plenty of material to work with.

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify for the 50 latest Song Pick of the Day features, or subscribe here to receive them in your mailbox in real-time. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

• In “Romeo,” Charlotte OC finds a perfect match. “It’s about meeting someone and realising how similar you are, like maybe neither of you are angels,” she says.
• Singer/songwriter Nicklas Sahl from Denmark is a people pleaser and feels like a "Trampoline" – so he made a super-catchy song about it.
• The Canadian singer/songwriter MINOE tells a moving story of abuse at home in "Teenage Disillusion”.
• Feel the “Bliss” of a summer sunset at a rooftop bar turned into a 6-minute track by London producer Anwei Huss.
• conversations with those i love is the new EP by Brighton singer/songwriter rances mistry. An especially beautiful conversation is called "when i look in her eyes."
• “you and I is the hyper bright world of change,” says London producer Tiiva about a new futuristic pop track, “you and I”.
• Alexandra Savior recounts a breakup in the cinematic "Goodbye, Old Friend" from her new album Beneath the LilyPad, out now.

New Albums Out This Week

Here are the four albums we are looking forward to listening to this weekend:

• Amy Milan - I Want to Find You
• Léa Sen - LEVELS
• Miynt - Rain Money Dogs
• Shura - I Got Too Sad For My Friends

Nine Photos of our Sunday in London

Did you expect anything else? Since Oliver so beautifully transported me back to this unforgettable Sunday afternoon and early evening, let’s add some visuals to that memory. Shall we?

(1) Impossible to leave Brighton with one last glimpse of its ubiquitous Herring Gulls.
(2, 3) Arriving in Shoreditch, and our hotel room on the 8th floor with a scenic, urban view.
(4) Underneath the London Bridge, a huge billboard for Sparks’ 26th studio album.
(5) Big thanks to Yodashe for pointing out this picturesque spot and taking a photo of us. For once, not a selfie!
(6) Somewhere around Borough Market.
(7, 8, 9) Promenading along the river, very relaxing and utterly beautiful!