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, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), 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

Jonny Dee – ‘The Man Who Fell From The Sky’

November 16, 2018

San Diego’s Jonny Dee’s love for the likes of David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Prince, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson – along with a new found interest in spirituality and peace – has clearly had an influence on his new music. His latest album, ‘The Human Experience’, which was released in the spring, sees Dee declaring himself to be the new saviour of rock and roll, and blending elements of funk, jazz, psychedelia, and soul, combined with a rap sound and rock. Essentially it’s a sound all of his own, which he’s dubbed “psychedelic hip hop”.

Soft People – ‘The Absolute Boy’

November 15, 2018

Soft People have that whole California feel about them, which isn’t surprising when you discover that they’re based in San Luis Obispo, close to the midpoint between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The duo comprises married couple Caleb Nichols and John Metz, who met when Nichols, a long term member of the Oakland California music scene, hired John as his drummer, for his band, Grand Lake. The pair started dating shortly after, and that, as they say in the classics, was that.

Life Tour: Wembley 14 November – Tom Bailey, Belinda Carlisle, Boy George and Culture Club Show The 80s Weren’t So Long Ago After All

November 15, 2018

Wembley marks near enough to the midpoint of the 12 date UK and Ireland ‘Life’ tour, headlined by Boy George and Culture Club, and supported by Tom Bailey and the Thompson Twins, and Belinda Carlisle. Bailey and Culture Club have been touring together for the better part of this year and last year, while Belinda has only joined for this current run.

‘Welcome Home’ With Aaron Paul And Emily Ratajkowski Is A Caution Against Booking Holiday Houses Online

November 13, 2018

Aaron Paul is the name on everyone’s lips at the moment with the news that Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan is considering making a film based on his character, Jesse Pinkman. So it’s with great interest that we watched Paul’s most recent offering, the psychological thriller, ‘Welcome Home’, which sees him starring alongside model and actress, Emily Ratajkowski.

Jim Clements’ Releases New Track ‘The Comet I Was Waiting For’ From Fourth Album ‘A Failure’

November 11, 2018

Jim Clements’ voice sounds to us like a cross between Donovan and Marc Bolan, with their lyrical abilities crossed with Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen. In the ultimate sense of the word, Clements is a songwriter’s songwriter – we’re not listening for his voice, which is still quite appealing – but we’re hanging onto his every word as it drops from his lips.