Author: Lisa Hafey

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat. Lisa loves all good music, and she's interviewed Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com

CELEBRATE 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS OF ONE DIRECTION THIS MONTH

July 16, 2020

Louis Tomlinson left Syco last week after coming to a mutual agreement with the label, the last member of One Direction to have remained with Simon Cowell. All have embarked on solo careers with varied success, so – at the moment at least – it seems unlikely a reunion is on the cards. Regardless, there’s a lot of room for nostalgia for the X Factor group who went on hiatus in 2016, with special celebrations planned for July 23, which marks 10 years since the band’s formation.

Pennan Brae – ‘Pay Dirt’ (Lyric Video)

July 7, 2020

Pennan Brae’s sound is steeped in the sound of classic American rock and blues, storytellers such as Muddy Waters, BB King, and Elmore James. He’s also influenced by the likes of Elton John, and the sounds of the 80s: in fact he describes himself as the kind of rocker who “travels back in time yet remains unmistakably contemporary”. He builds huge rock songs, based on three or four chords, and gives them a timeless classic quality, turning humour, nostalgia, pleasure and pain into intense pop-rock and piano-driven ballads.