Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 4h

Full report (and even more quotes) on the BBC News website.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sam Fender wins the 2025 Mercury Prize for his third album, People Watching

The rock star won for his third album as the ceremony took place in his home town.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 4h

Congratulations to Sam Fender - who won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his third album People Watching.

I grabbed him as he came off the stage for an instant reaction.

1 1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 19h

The Last Dinner Party's new album is a sumptuous feast for the ears (do you see what I did there, etc...)

Ahead of the release tomorrow, I caught up with Abi, Georgia and Emily to talk about relationships, tragedy and humungous guitar riffs.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

2

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 1d

Reddit comment of the day.

At a festival, the band we were watching were on a roll until they launched into Edwin Starr's 'War! The lead singer shouted 'War! Huh! What is it good for!?' then pointed the mic at a girl in the front row.
Clearly never having heard the song before, she hesitated before saying '...uh, killing people?'
That pretty much finished the show right there as the band were laughing too hard to play. They tried a few times to get things going again, but ended up staggering off early.

6 39 200

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 4d

Thank you!

1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 5d

I spoke to legendary presenter Simone Angel about the legacy and impact of MTV Europe, as the channel prepares to close all of its music stations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. #mtv

1 2 5

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 5d

“We had no idea, from a technical perspective, of what we were doing.”

Wolf Alice on their development as a band, their fourth Mercury Prize nomination and their favourite albums.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wolf Alice: 'A good album is one of the highest forms of art'

With a fourth consecutive Mercury Prize nomination, the band share their philosophy of album making.

www.bbc.co.uk

1 1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 6d

What if you get a blister on your little finger? What if you get a blister on your thumb?

1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 6d

End of an era… Although I was surprised to see 1.3m people still watch MTV’s main UK music channel every month.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

MTV to axe its music TV channels in the UK

The broadcaster will stop showing music videos in December, but its main channel will remain on air.

www.bbc.co.uk

2 2 9

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 10d

I will stop posting about Taylor Swift soon, I promise, but the latest sales figures are astonishing.

She sells records - actual, physical records - like streaming never happened.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Taylor Swift's new album breaks her own sales records

The star gets the biggest first-week sales of her career in the UK; and sets new records in the US.

www.bbc.co.uk

4

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

The “unhappy artist” cliché is neither true nor helpful. What about It Must Be Love, Maybe I’m Amazed, Isn’t She Lovely, One Day Like This, the entirety of Ray of Light, etc?

Your point about the tank running dry is more apt - although I think there’s still some great writing on Showgirl.

5

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

This sucks. He was having such a good time on stage at Wembley last weekend. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Oasis guitarist Bonehead pulls out tour after cancer diagnosis

One of the band's founding members says he will be miss some upcoming shows for treatment.

www.bbc.co.uk

6

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

“Even Taylor Swift’s worst ideas have a way of working out.”

Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t describe Taylor’s album with as much verve and insight and joy-in-writing as Tom. The definitive review?

tombreihan.bsky.social @tombreihan.bsky.social · 13d

Wrote about The Life Of A Showgirl, babe.

Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift 'The Life Of A Showgirl'

Here’s the best advice I can give you: Don’t worry about Taylor Swift’s conduct. You are not her mom, and you are not her therapist. If she wants to empty both barrels into another pop star, that does...

www.stereogum.com

1 5

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

This is such a good analogy. I’ll credit you in every interview where I steal it this morning!!

3

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

There’s a tacit admission that she’s unable to compete with Chappell, Charli, Lola and all the messy pop girls. But that’s ok.

I’d have liked a Blank Space or I Knew You Were Trouble - but equally, I can live without a bad facsimile of those big pop moments.

1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

I feel like we were all expecting 2008-era Max Martin, when his most recent productions have been more atmospheric and subtle.

I felt the album was a good balance between the writing of Folklore and his melody-first approach.

Agree on the lack of singles, though - but Opalite is v catchy.

1 2

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 13d

Romance! Scorn! Knob jokes!

Absolutely loved The Life of a Showgirl. The first ever Taylor Swift album to make me laugh out loud in public.

Full review/ brain dump on the Beeb.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Taylor Swift: The Diary of a Showgirl is a triumphant pop victory lap

Taylor Swift's 12th album is a breathtakingly fun pop record, capturing the joy of falling in love.

www.bbc.co.uk

3 4

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 14d

She should be told!

1 1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 14d

I grew to like TTPD over time, but it needed a lot of pruning. There is a superb 12-track album hiding in there.

1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 14d

Does anyone else's nose go all tickly when they use an electric toothbrush, or am I doing it wrong?

1 3

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 14d

My name's at the top of this piece, but all the really impressive stuff was done by Luke Mintz and our Visual Journalism team. Kudos to them. Best in the business.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

How Taylor Swift made herself too big to fail - BBC News

With a passionate fandom and chart supremacy, it seems like nothing can damage Taylor Swift, as expectation about her new album grows.

www.bbc.co.uk

2 1 5

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 16d

On previous tours, I’ve often felt Lady Gaga’s ambition was let down by the execution. Not this time. 5 black stars for a gothic night of opulence.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Lady Gaga serves mayhem, magic and a few surprises as UK tour launches

The pop star brings her Mayhem Ball to the UK, throwing in a few unexpected surprises along the way.

www.bbc.co.uk

4

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 17d

The whole poster is a delight

1

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 17d

This is really smart and clear. Scott, as always, has his eyes on the ball. (A big sparkly mirrorball, but I digress…)

Scott Reid @ascottreid.bsky.social · 17d

What’s that? A chance to write about misinformation and Eurovision? Potentially the most on-brand thing I’ll ever write. escinsight.com/2025/09/29/f...

Fighting False Information And Rumours Around Eurovision's Israel Vote

The Social Media Song, San Marino 2012 (image: EBU/YouTube)

escinsight.com

1 1 4

Mark Savage @mrdiscopop.bsky.social · 17d

Ooops! Here’s the link I meant to include in the original post.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Raye on hit song Where Is My Husband! and five-year plan to start a family

Chatting with her sisters, the pop star says her new single, Where Is My Husband!, is a pop manifesto.

www.bbc.co.uk

1