Lauren Mayberry, frontwoman of the electropop act Chvrches, has called out the music industry for “promoting records by sexual abusers and rapists”.

In an interview with Dazed she says the following: “There hasn’t been a shakedown of the music industry in the same way as there has been in the film industry, maybe because it’s not unionised in the same way. But I keep thinking, ‘one day these dominoes are going to fall, surely’. Dr. Luke’s in the cold, but beyond that, has there really been much change? We’re still promoting and selling records by sexual abusers and rapists. You can’t say no to one thing and yes to another.”

And she continues in the interview by saying: “You can’t kick Harvey Weinstein out of the canon but still have Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and Bill Cosby in there. Come on, guys! Let’s be consistent with our changes!”

New album to be released in May

Last month, Chvrches confirmed details of their third album “Love Is Dead” (to be released on May 25) with the release of the new single “My Enemy” featuring guest vocals from The National’s Matt Berninger. Chvrches began work on their third album in February 2017 in Los Angeles, California together with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. The production was however completed by Greg Kurstin.

Chvrches are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow and formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Smiths frontman Morrissey has gone full force in an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel defending Europe’s cultural roots. In the interview he says: “I want Germany to be German. I want France to be French. If you try to make everything multicultural, you will not have any culture in the end.” And he continues: “All European countries have fought for their identity for many, many years. And now they just throw it away. I think that’s sad.”

When asked if he sees the German Chancellor Merkel as the “mother” of Europe, due to her enduring years as the leader of the country and her power within the EU, Morrissey replies: “She stays silent, which is very interesting. But I’m sad that Berlin has become the rape capital… because of the open borders.”

Morrissey went on to praise the UK Brexit (although he did not say if he endorses it): “The outcome of the Brexit referendum fascinates me because it was a victory for democracy. The people said yes. Whether or not to endorse Brexit is another matter, but I was very proud of the British.”

Let’s see what the Morrissey fans make of this.

In the interview he also defends Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. “As far as I know, he was in a bedroom with a 14-year-old. Kevin Spacey was 26, boy 14. One wonders where the boy’s parents were.” Morrissey clarified that he condemned sexual violence against anyone, yet he also says that on some occasions “the person referred to as a victim is merely disappointed”.

“People know exactly what’s going on,” he said when asked about Weinstein. “And they play along. Afterwards, they feel embarrassed or disliked. And then they turn it around and say: ‘I was attacked, I was surprised’. But if everything went well, and if it had given them a great career, they would not talk about it.” The former Smiths singer also argued that definitions of harassment and assault have become too broad.

Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe’s largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of 840,000.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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