Charles Connolly

Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙎𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 – 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖́𝙣𝙙

Charles introduces with an introduction that is completely unnecessary.

You know that feeling when you find out that your favourite artist is playing in your hometown? The excitement and anticipation that you will soon be in the same room. That personal touch, where they will be playing for YOU. So much more than streaming on Spotify. It just means so much. The thrill of it all. You rush to buy tickets. You sweat slightly as they are running out fast. Seats or standing? Doesn’t matter. You will be there, if you manage to get tickets of ANY kind. You succeed! You have spent rather a lot of money but you don’t care. Then comes the day. You get there early, because that’s what people do. Far too early because you’re so eager. You buy overpriced lager in a plastic cup. You buy a hot dog that you don’t really want. You take your seat (or stand). It is all about YOU. After a while, the support act comes on stage. This is what I am getting at – the support act. You tap your foot and nod your head a bit, while still chatting with your guest about the act you came to see. You also chat impatiently and pointlessly about the size of the vast venue and how many people there are. You wonder if now is a good time to go to the loo – ‘John’ is a man’s name, a ‘bathroom’ contains a bath, I am not exhausted enough for a ‘restroom’, and ‘toilet’ is simply a vile word. And so, what is this ‘support act’ actually for? A time to ponder on the capacity of one’s bladder? An introduction to the real reason you arrived? Something to put you in the mood? “And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for: a man who needs no introduction” – why do they always introduce the act by saying they need no introduction? The lights are low, and it is time for everything you ever wanted. I am the support act. My time is up. Please welcome Mats Dernánd.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 – 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙘𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙬𝙮𝙣

Charles is in the pink.

Here we are, bang in the middle of the month of June. Happy June, everyone! Another word for ‘happy’ that my parents or even grandparents might have used is ‘gay’ – another meaning entirely, these days. But this time around I wish to blend both definitions, for we are now in the centre of LGBTQ+ Month! A time to celebrate our differences, come together (if you will) and enjoy this sparklingly garish and wonderfully camp festivity! It’s time to whoop, get the flags out – a sprinkling of rain makes the skin glisten, and a rainbow sets the scene. Coloured streamers fill the air. Many have dyed their hair the colour of cotton candy. The energy is high. This is not the time for reservedness, nor is it the time to be stuffy or old-fashioned. Free hot-pants for everyone!! This really is the spirit the 60s tried to be, but it was just too early, and most people were just not ready for it – everything was still rather conformist. Times have changed, and I couldn’t be happier! It is time to be proud of Pride.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 – 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙗𝙚𝙣, 𝙇𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙣, 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙆𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨

Charles holds back…

I should probably keep this brief. I probably won’t, but I probably should. The world is a loud place these days. In the words of Harry Nilsson, “Everybody’s Talkin’”. All the time. People have learnt to speak their mind. All the bloody time. Sometimes this is wise, sometimes very much not. And rarely ever are they asked to be so forthcoming with their thoughts, views and ponderings. But sometimes we do genuinely ask people to open up. In the words of Coldplay, “Let’s talk”. In the words of C. Duncan, “Talk Talk Talk”. They might, they might not. All depends, really. On whether they trust you, and whether they actually want to talk. But as I said, modern people are wired a different way. Wired to speak their mind. To open up and say what’s really on their mind. As if we are all dying to know. Typically though, the talkative types tend to have the least to say, while the quieter ones are usually far more interesting. Which I suppose must make me dull as dishwater. I think I am probably known for saying rather a lot. For opening up and being truthful. But while I don’t ever lie, it might not have occurred to you that I don’t (and won’t) speak about EVERYthing. Some things are best kept to oneself. I would give you an example, but of course that would rather oppose my point.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥

Charles hunts for the missing info…

I am a thin man. I used to be slim, but now I am decidedly thin. To the point where I lack the strength to lift even so much as a pencil case. Okay, it’s not quite that bad, but I am pretty bloody useless at the moment. My usual wandering mind wonders about whether there is any purpose in us measuring our BMI (body mass index), because a man of fat will probably weigh about the same as a man of muscle… I am neither. I wondered then if it might be mood based (!), but it’s not. Obviously. I sit. All day long. Doing magical musical things. Which is nice, but I just sit. Hence why I am finally starting to do something about it. Starting to. Bit by bit, I will not sit, in order to be somewhat fit. Noyce. I have one concern though. Being fit means changing shape. So while in time I might be fit, my clothes might not fit. So I must make sure I don’t become Schwarzenegger too soon. Admittedly, this is unlikely. But I don’t want to have to get an entire new wardrobe. There is a limit to altering clothes. Although I must say, my alteration chap is rather fast, so if he were able to succeed, I don’t think I’d have to wait too long. What I mean to say is, my tailor’s swift.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 – 𝙂𝙚𝙛𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩

Charles goes to church…

For someone so irreligious as I, God and his troves do make quite a number of appearances in my articles. Please do not forsake me oh Lord, for not conforming to your scriptures, but I give thanks for leading me to my own weekly scriptures. Or some such rubbish. Let’s face it, there is something very satisfying and wholesome about this way of speaking. A church remains largely unaltered by the modern world, with the exception of a card reader in place of a donation box. Even the almighty Lord himself is not impervious to contactless payment… On/Off topic, when at the Roman Baths in Bath the other week, I did chuckle at the sign which read “Do not throw coins into the water, please instead use the contactless donation device located to your right” – completely missing the point of throwing coins into fountains and the like. As if to say that places without such modern payment methods would have dedicated evening staff fishing the pennies out of the water, in order to pay for that leaky roof. It gives a different meaning to Sinatra singing about “three coins in the fountain”… I would imagine the same goes for the “Love Locks” on countless bridges and railings all over the world – they are simply donating padlocks to the nation. That must be the reason. Now if only they supplied the key as well, then we’d all be secure. God almighty, I forgot what we were talking about! Oh yes: God Almighty. Aside from the beauty and romance of it all, even non-believers will turn to it for another reason. Desperation. When almost all hope is lost, one cries for help.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 – 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚

Charles momentarily forgets the past…

With the passing of time, time passes. This is without exception and by definition what happens. There is no time when time stands still. “Now” is instantly “then”. The future becomes the present, and the present becomes the past. Which is why people get so excited about the lottery, yet couldn’t give a damn about last week’s numbers. But with time comes change. Change in all ways, always. What was once so popular becomes so impossibly unfashionable. A young green fragile stem with but one leaf, becomes a great, grand awe-inspiring oak, towering above almost everything, given time. But given more time, its life is forced to a close, and it becomes, say, a table. Time is everything here. Without time, life is a photograph. Without time, there would be no war, no destruction, no death and no rush. But then again, without time, there would be no peace, no conservation, no life and no rush.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙮 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 – 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙨

Charles adds a little seasoning…

Think back not too long ago. That never-ending, heavy, lethargic summer. The relentless heat. The endless blue sky. The golden tan no longer a novelty; it’s a permanent ultraviolet stain. The trees all lush green with envy as they watch you sip your ice cold drink of choice. You’re slow. You’re tired. You’re raw. You’re just too exposed to the elements, and it’s been too long. “Pray for rain!”, we all cry! Pray for rain. But the next day, not a drop. Nothing but blissful blue. Nothing but scorching sun. Nothing but pure “paradise”… There is no hideaway in which to hide away. You wear too much, you overheat. You wear too little, you burn. You crave the days of change. The days where sweat is a sign of hard work, not simply of being. You wish for the leaves to come down to earth in hues of orange, of yellow and of red. You wish for a cool breeze not articulated by a rotating blade. You wish for a cloud, if only to break the monotony of blue perfection. You wish, you wish, you wish. But in reality, you wait, you wait, you wait.

(more…)

Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙬 – 𝙈𝙖𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣

Charles finds a treasure map…

It is the beginning of July. Do you know what this means? It means we are truly in the thick of Summer. Well, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. In Britain though, we have a different way of looking at it. It’s very much the thin of it. We tend to look at Summer like a dream. Like, “one day I’ll be rich”. Like this impossibility for which we are eternally hopeful. An impossibility that is not only possible but highly likely in other parts of the world. I don’t mean a wealth of pennies. I mean a wealth of sunshine and of heat. In many parts of America, people right now are simply too dehydrated to bother with a rain dance. Besides, it would be a futile endeavour. The clouds are too busy migrating to Britain in small boats. It’s apparently where they belong. Italy though, as usual, has it just right: perfect clockwork weather. In Italy, Summer means Summer. In Britain, Summer is a bit like the Euros. We hope and hope some more. A few days of sunshine is like England winning the football on Sunday: enjoy it while it lasts. That could be it. We always hope we’ll get a proper European Summer. We always hope to win a major football tournament. And although the outcome is rarely terrible, we’re never left satisfied. This is the English way. Mustn’t grumble, but must mutter under our breath. Last week was Summer. This week? It’s all right. The usual meh. But still, we keep on hoping, in search of this mythical utopian season. If only we had a map of Summer.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 – 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙧𝙮

Charles talks about tomorrow…

There is something I have always found mildly fascinating, ever since I was young. I mean, even younger. It involves the passing of time, and the way we regiment said passing of time. A birthday, for example. It is a day for celebration. But we have decided this. It is not actually the actual day of one’s actual birth. It is to commemorate x-amount of years since one’s birth. But what is a year? We split life into years, yet this is a human invention. God did not place years on our table. Neither did God invent the table (but its simple perfection leads me to wonder). Sure, the seasons make the idea of years a little easier to digest and swallow, but what if we go further into months… Why 12? Why does January start in, well, January? And what about weeks and even days? Why is Sunday the so-called day of rest? I say “so-called” because on Sunday I had to do a full day’s work alongside constant power tools across the road that only stopped shortly before 7pm. Day of rest, my FOOT!! This fictional birthday I spoke of before, it is technically just another day. Just like New Year’s Day. It is technically just another day. With a “day” only being made official by the sun going up and down like a slow-motion yoyo.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 – 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙗𝙚𝙣

Charles theorises…

What is music? “Wait, wait, wait a sec… You’re actually going to talk about music??” – I know. You’d think I’d be sick of music by now. But no, I ain’t the blasphemous kind. “But you NEVER talk about music in your intros.” – Yes, I know, I usually write about something like ”How to overcome the pressures of the world”, or “What came first, the chicken or the duck?”, or “Have you noticed the increasing presence of the hip flask lately?”… But this time I thought I’d go all out and speak about music. It is, after all, the time and the place. So. Back to my initial question… What IS music? This is something about which people will argue forever. But I’m not going to go into avant-garde nonsense that in my eyes (ears) is simply not worth bothering with. I am talking about REAL music. Ya know, instruments and all that. Something that doesn’t make one scratch one’s head, and something that one actually enjoys, as opposed to reluctantly putting oneself through, for the sake of being kind to the “artist” or in an attempt to broaden one’s horizons. One’s horizon is probably quite big enough, and does not need broadening. So you’ve got your instruments, be them analog or electronic. You’ve got yourself a singer. Bravo! That’s basically done, right? Well, you’ll need a place and a means to record. Okay then, CHECK! Got all of the above. Hit record, we’re ready! “Okay guys, what’s the name of the song?”, the engineer says through the studio’s intercom.

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