Connolly’s Corner

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.

𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘, 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 – 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠 𝘼𝙝𝙡𝙢

Charles measures life…

My weekly musings often cover the wisest philosophy. Or rather, they ramble on about this or that for several paragraphs. Something that has happened to me recently. Something in the news. My general random observations. A sad thing. A happy thing. Ya know: stuff. Basically, something in the artist or song that will give me something to blether about for a little while. But this time, let’s go deeper. Let us philosophise about one the biggest conundrums known to man: the meaning of life. I will not be littering this with Monty Python quotes, just in case any of you got excited. This will be deadly serious. Well, as deadly serious as I can get anyway. Which isn’t very.

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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.

𝙈𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙 – 𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙑𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙞

Charles favours one over the others…

So you’re single. Having the time of your life. Enjoying every day to the max. Utterly free and untethered. What joy it is! But you rarely realise it at the time. From time to time however, you do start to get a wittle bit wonewee. Just a wittle bit. You want to share these fun times with someone. But not in the way you would with your best friend. You want something closer. SomeONE closer. So you keep your eyes peeled and wear your lucky red t-shirt. Soon enough you spot the cutest little thing with the sweetest of moustaches, and a pretty little large beauty spot right in the middle of the forehead. Attraction can be a queer thing, and love can sway and skew all. Their name is Mel, and things go rather well. Ah hell, it’s better than that, can’t you tell? You fell to one knee, they said yes, and now it’s wedding bells! What fun, what larks, what japes! Nothing could spoil this beginning of forever. But like every business, expansion is the key. So they got fat. Well, one did. But before getting thin again, a thing arrived by stork. A little bloody blob of a person, no less!

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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.

𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 – 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙

Charles speaks honestly about the overrated and the underrated.

It’s out! Finally, the wait is over! We have all been longing for this for 6 years. The brand new album by Adele: “30”!!!

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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.

𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙚 – 𝘾𝙃𝙑𝙍𝙇𝙄 𝘽𝙇𝙑𝘾𝙆

Charles wastes your time out of vengeance…

Would you like some amusement? Would you like to laugh at me and my stupid life? Then let’s begin. I think perhaps a lot of people think I have an idyllic life, free from responsibilities (like children – or blobs), mortgage payments, debt, drug addiction, alcoholism, danger, natural disasters, war and pets. But this “idyllic life” of mine is more an idyllic lie. Correction, all of the above is true, but it is not tantamount to paradise. Sure, my job is pretty much my dream job. Sure, I live on the top floor of a lovely house built in 1890, in a lovely leafy area of London. Sure, I live with my girlfriend, and our relationship is just peachy, to say the least. But there are things that make life simply exhausting. The kind of things that would make a stronger, braver (stupider?) man punch a hole in the wall. The kind of things that MOST of us have to deal with.

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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.

¿𝙋𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙧 𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙧? – 𝘼𝙙𝙖́𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙞́𝙧𝙚𝙯

Charles is tuned to perfection…

The humble piano has been around even longer than I. More than 300 years, to be roughly precise. It is an instrument with which we are ALL most familiar. We know its sound intimately. Even if YOU have never tinkled a single ivory in your life, YOU will know that sound. Which is more than most can say about the oboe – an instrument not much older. The period of an instrument’s existence has little to do with its popularity. The Ondioline was invented as recently as 1939, and have you heard of it? Is it in countless records you know and love? It is not. And yet, our ancient humble piano continues to attract just about every genre – even electronic. Why is this? Well, I still stand strong in my belief that it is the greatest instrument because of one factor. Its versatility. Would you prefer to impersonate Debussy or Rachmaninov, or would you rather don the silly glasses and do an impersonation of Elton John? Either way, you will need a piano. I call it humble, but have you ever actually SEEN what goes on inside a piano? It is so complicated that it’s quite amazing they ever bothered with its completion. Why would such a heavy, immovable, complex and expensive thing attract such a wide audience? Let us travel to Camden Town in London to find out…

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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.

𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙞𝙡 – 𝙇𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛

Charles sculpts another…

Freshness is everything. In all ways. No one likes stale. No one likes a mundane song, or a sandwich that curls at the edges. That’s right, I’m not just talking about music, I’m talking about food, just like I did briefly last week. And why not? We eat it every few hours… All of us. It’s one of the few things we all have in common. Lately I have found it increasingly difficult to keep food fresh. It could be the warming of the weather right now in London. It could be that I am simply eating less and therefore allowing the food to go off. It could be that my fridge is dying. It could be that my cling film has been moth-eaten, though probably unlikely. If you don’t know what cling film is, you will probably know what Saran wrap is. I never liked using cling film, though I must admit it works, and works well. Foil is just SO much more satisfying, and frankly easier. The problem is, it doesn’t work in the same way as cling film. It just doesn’t cling.

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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.

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.

𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 (𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙨) – 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣

Charles presses play…

No words.

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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.

𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 – 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨, 𝘾𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙚

In all honesty, Charles almost falls and…

Sunday in London was a beautiful thing. Knowing full well (funny expression) the weather was to be glorious, I had set aside the entire day for a long wander on the lovelier side of life, with my girlfriend. Free from screens, free from distractions, free from even music. Yes, I know. Sacrilege. Think of it as a necessary healing. To be anointed by the sun, and little else (I was fully clothed). This little else was in fact mucho else. It was nature and beauty all around. It all does such a great deal for the soul. These simple pleasures. Plus the odd spot of nibbles and drinkies, for we are civilised adults who like a bit of this and also a bit of that. It turns out it is rather easy to enjoy oneself. To do little and yet be utterly contented. But one must let oneself go. It is important to make sure your brain doesn’t scurry back to its usual train of thought in terms of work and “real life”. It was all so perfect. Every moment of this oh-so simple day was just right, to the point where I started to wonder how long it would last. My brain kicked back into action, all suspicious-like. “If everything is so perfect, I must pay for this somehow. Something’s got to give. This can’t last forever. Is something going to spoil this blissful day?” – What kind of weak-minded individual thinks like this??

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