Franz Ferdinand take a bow at Firefly Music Festival on Friday, June 16, 2017. (Photo copyright Firefly Music Festival.)
Franz Ferdinand blew up the main stage of the Firefly Music Festival on Friday, June 16, igniting a dance riot with their well-recognized favorites but also introducing a few new songs and a few new members.
Howard Jones performs at The Hamilton on Sept. 3, 2016.
Tonight — don’t crack up, bend your brain, see both sides, and throw off your mental chains with Careless Memories! And dance the evening away as if we were at a summer music festival. Starting at 8pm at Dodge City, I’ll play artists like Howard Jones, The English Beat, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Bow Wow Wow, Katrina and The Waves, Thompson Twins, Midge Ure, and others, inspired by the summer Retro Futura Tour.
To get ready for all of it, I chatted with Howard Jones himself last week! Revisit our Parklife DC interview with Howard, and then join our listening party at Careless Memories tonight.
Caravan Palace (Photo by Jeremie Bouillon)
Looking for something different, yet fun and embraceable, for your dancing pleasure? Look no further than the French septet Caravan Palace, who cite among their influences Cab Calloway *and* Daft Punk.
The electroswing collective is coming to the United States again off their very strong third album <|°_°|> (pronounced “Robot Face”), and they perform at 9:30 Club on Wednesday, July 5. You can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.
Howard Jones performs at The Hamilton in DC on Sept. 3, 2016.
“Do you feel scared? I do, but I won’t stop and falter.”
So, sang Howard Jones in his smashing 1985 hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” which in my opinion perfectly framed Howard’s ethos. The Englishman is unflappably upbeat and optimistic, and he makes fantastically irresistible music still today.
Amanda Palmer (Photo by Kyle Cassidy)
The Wave Gotik Treffen 2017 (roughly “Wave-Gothic-Meeting), a legendary urban festival, occurs on June 2-5 in Leipzig, Germany, this year. As of today, the festival has confirmed 227 bands performing in several concert halls around the city.
Howard Jones at Rewind Festival in 2013. (Photo courtesy Universal News and Sport)
Editors Note: This event was originally scheduled for May 25, but we have moved it to June 8. On May 25, we will present an evening of music dedicated to bands from Manchester in solidarity with the city after this week’s tragedy.
For the last several years, an ’80s festival called Retro Futura has presented some of our favorite artists, including Howard Jones, The English Beat, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Katrina (of The Waves), Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, Midge Ure, and many others.
We’ll celebrate the ’80s festival circuit with these artists and others, alongside your requests, at the next edition of Careless Memories: A New Wave Party, this Thursday, May 25.
Giorgio Moroder performs at 9:30 Club on May 12, 2017.
Waiting for the DJ to arrive, the crowd at 9:30 Club pressed up against the security barrier on Friday, chanting his name.
“Giorgio! Giorgio! Giorgio!”
When the 77-year-old man of the hour arrived, the very full house erupted into cheers for their headliner — producer and tastemaker Giorgio Moroder, the legendary collaborator who brought synthesizers to Donna Summer and thereafter kept his finger on the pulse of global pop music.
