Jackie Weaver became a global sensation and we were all unfortunate enough to not only witness, but come to terms with, the fact that Matt Hancock can pull; not one, but two women at the same time. Aside from politics and the dreaded C-word, the music industry has been unstoppable this year, with some unforgettable moments which will live in music history forever. We take a look back at some of the most iconic music moments of 2021 as a final tribute to another bizarre year.
The dreaded vinyl shortage
If you were one of the people who partook in the latest trend of record collecting this year, you really did choose the wrong time to begin. And that’s because there’s a global vinyl shortage, which we can all blame the pandemic for, causes all life’s problems at the moment really doesn’t it. However, there’s two sides to every story, so we should probably say that the heartbreak anthem superstar, Adele, is another one we can pass the blame onto. Sources have told Variety that Adele’s long-awaited fourth album “30” has caused problematic delays for other artists and bands, after more than 500,000 copies of the album have been pressed. Fantastic news if you’re a fan of soulful ballads, not so great news if independent artists are more your thing, as the disruption is expected to continue until August 2022 at the very earliest.
The return of ABBA
Perhaps the greatest musical comeback to ever exist, this year, ABBA made the miracle announcement that they were returning to music after four decades apart. Upon the news of their reformation, the Swedish heroes declared they would be releasing a new album “Voyage”, released on November 5th 2021, as well as a ‘live’ show like no other. The “ABBA Voyage” experience runs from May up until December 2022 and see’s the band return as holograms of their younger selves, ‘ABBA-tars’ if you will. After selling nearly 400 million records, having film and theatre productions based around their music, and just being massive music icons, this has been a long time coming and a monumental moment in music history.
Blossoms play the first non-socially distanced gig in over 14 months
For any keen gig goer, these past 14 months have been a living hell with no live music events to attend. Sure, there was the alternative of virtual live streamed gigs, but there’s nothing quite like being crammed into your favourite music venue, trying desperately to see the stage after a tall bloke stands directly in front of you, all whilst you have pints of lager lobbed at your head. Fortunately, May 2021 was the first successful step in the right direction, as the pilot scheme for non-socially distanced gigs arrived, with Blossoms headlining the UK’s biggest music event in over a year. 5,000 fans attended Liverpool’s Sefton Park to watch Stockport’s indie king’s with all government restrictions lifted, proving to be a roaring success to get the music industry back on its feet.
Taylor Swift re-releases epic 10 minute version of “All Too Well” alongside short film
Debuting her new found sound after working with the likes of The National in 2020 on folklore and evermore, Taylor Swift seems to be running with authenticity by stripping things back to their rawest of forms. And instead of churning out new records, Swift has taken the initiative to reclaim her old albums by re-releasing them as “Taylor’s Version”. Beginning the series with “Fearless” earlier this year, November saw the re-release of pop sensation “Red”, which came along with the cinematic 10 minute version of breakup track “All Too Well”. Heavily rumored to be about Swift’s split with Jake Gyllenhaal, the song includes new verses delving deeply into the couple’s age gap, being stood up on the singer’s 21st birthday and Gyllenhaal’s secrecy surrounding the relationship.
Alongside the track came a 15 minute short film written and directed by Taylor Swift herself, featuring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien who are thought to be capturing Swift and Gyllenhaal’s relationship. Captured on 35mm film, the story is split into seven chapters, defining formative periods in the ‘fictional’ relationship. With snippets of dialogue whilst the rest maintains the essence of a music video, it’s a gut-wrenchingly thrilling watch.
Billie Eilish is announced as Glastonbury’s youngest headliner for the 2022 festival
Thanks to COVID we’ve had one of the world’s most prolific festival’s cancelled for two years on the trot. Now live music is back on the cards, it’s looking positive that Glastonbury Festival WILL go ahead in 2022, in which case, its comeback is set to be the best ever. In October earlier this year, after teasing it on her instagram, Billie Eilish was officially announced as Glastonbury’s first headliner for the 2022 festival. Confirming the announcement, co-organiser Emily Eavis said “We couldn’t be happier to announce that the wondrous Billie Eilish is headlining the Pyramid on the Friday at next year’s Glastonbury Festival, becoming the youngest solo headliner in our history. This feels like the perfect way for us to return and I cannot wait!”. Over the last few years, festivals have faced extreme backlash after their poor effort to showcase female talent, Eavis has pledged a 50/50 gender balance at Glastonbury festival (hooray!). Making Billie Eilish an exemplary headline act after the festival’s two year long, unintentional, hiatus.