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

MattO Gives Voice To The Voiceless With New Single, ‘Reeling’

February 9, 2024

MattO’s songs have an immediate effect, and the sound stays with the listener long after they’ve pressed stop. The singer songwriter has made it his mission to sing about the real things in his life, things that everyone can relate to; the issues and emotions that matter to us all. With his new single and video, ‘Reeling’, MattO brings his astute social commentary to the fore, in a way which speaks to everyone, as we all look for answers in this crazy troubled world.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Set To Make Bittersweet Return To BBC2 Amid Fan Efforts To Find The Show A Safe Harbour

January 29, 2024

Season 2 of the high seas romantic comedy, ‘Our Flag Means Death’, is due to set sail on BBC2 from next Monday, February 5. It’s a bittersweet return for the show, with the news earlier this month that the US streamer, HBO/MAX, had decided not to continue the series, despite showrunner David Jenkins having always said OFMD required 3 seasons to complete its full story.

Martha And The Muffins Examine Gun Violence In Their Moving Cover Of The Buffalo Springfield Classic, ‘For What It’s Worth’

January 23, 2024

With their latest release, a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s 1966 classic, ‘For What It’s Worth’, Martha and the Muffins imbue Stephen Stills’ poignant lyrics with a treatment that’s slower, darker, and more relevant than ever. Back in the 60s, gun violence was something that was shocking, rare, and unacceptable; somehow along the way it’s become so much a part of every day life, that people barely look up when they hear of or see it. Martha and the Muffins are aware of this shift, and see it for what it is: a blight on society, “a perverse virus perpetuated by hypocrites mouthing their meaningless recitations of ‘thoughts and prayers'”.