Rina Sawayama looks to have slammed The 1975 frontman Matty Healy yet again in her latest festival performance after he failed to apologise for a number of controversial comments he made on a recent podcast.
Referencing his appearance on The Adam Friedland ShowPodcast, the Japanese-born British singer, actress and model said that she’d simply “had enough” but following Healy brushing over the controversy with what many have described as a pretty insincere response/’apology’, Sawayama isn’t letting it slide.
Taking the stage at the NOS Alive Festival in Lisbon, Portugal over the weekend, she once again put the spotlight on her 34-year-old label-mate by saying, “So I’ve been thinking a lot about apologies and isn’t it funny how some people get away with no apologising ever?”
Rina calls out Healy again and is literally screaming for him to apologise for his comments.
Tapping into the rage of the song, Sawayama goes on to call out Healy for “saying some racist s***, some sexist s***”, adding, “Why don’t you apologise for once in your life without making it about your f***ing self!?”, before the kicking into the rest of the aggressive and specifically chosen track.
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As alluded to, Healy did address the situation by stating that the whole thing “doesn’t actually matter” and that he was simply making jokes on a sardonic podcast, as well as suggesting that “if it does you, you’re either deluded or you are, sorry, a liar.”
He did also go on to apologise to Ice Spice, who was the subject of what many have labelled as racist and body-shaming remarks on the show, saying, “I’m sorry… It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued but because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d*ck”.
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A significant part of the friction between Matty Healy and Rina Sawayama beyond the incident is that the singer also belongs to the same record label as The 1975, Dirty Hit Records, of which Healy is also a shareholder and former creative director — hence her previously saying, “he also owns my masters”.
In this latest instance, he appears to hint back at Sawayama’s Glastonbury comments by saying, “So is a micro-aggression something like a——”, before the beginning of ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ kicks in.
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As for the podcast from which the controversy originates, Adam Friedland and co-host Nick Mullen have since addressed the ongoing discussion, albeit only in their usual sarcastic and irreverent style, in which they seem to intentionally mispronounce her name and refer to her under the wrong nationality.
Olivia Rodrigo says ‘very inspiring’ Manchester is one of her favourite places in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Rodrigo has named some of her favourite places in the UK… and it’s good news for Manchester.
If you weren’t aware, the global pop superstar has a bit of an affinity for the UK, having spent a lot of time over here in recent years – particularly in London – and developing a love for some of our nation’s finest delicacies in the process, like M&S fan-favourite sweet treats Percy Pigs and Colin the Caterpillar, as well as Jaffa Cakes, Cadbury, sausage rolls, and plenty more.
And it’s fair to say that she’s once again proven herself to be a somewhat of an honorary Brit during the recent promotional tour for her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love – which released to the world last Friday (12 June).
In a recent interview with Hits Radio UK, Olivia was asked where some of her favourite places in the UK are, other than London… and it was good news for our city.
I mean, not that ‘good’… she’s still not chosen to bring her upcoming ‘The Unraveled Tour’ over to us this next time around in 2027, opting to just stay in London for more than a dozen nights instead, but it seems she’s keen to show Manchester some love regardless.
When asked if she has a favourite area of the UK, Olivia said: “I spent some time in Manchester which was really nice. Very inspiring, so many great bands from there. I spent some time in Wales too, which was fun. I’ve been around but I need to go and see more things.”
She then went on to add: “I really want to go to Leeds this year. I think that’ll be fun. Just like as a spectator, I think that’ll be cool.”
It’s not the first time Olivia has publicly spoken about Manchester either, as in another recent interview with Dazed Magazine, she claimed she’s the ‘best version of [herself]’ in the UK.
“Maybe it’s because it rains so much that all you want to do is be inside with the guitar and write. I spent some time in Manchester a few years ago and it was so rainy I was like, ‘No wonder so many great bands come out of Manchester’,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Hits Radio UK
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Much-loved Manc music shop Tasty Records goes up for sale as owners calls on next custodians to take over local favourite
Danny Jones
Much-loved Greater Manchester record and music store Tasty Records has officially closed, and the current custodian is putting the Trafford institution up for sale in hopes that someone will take over as worthy successors.
What an opportunity for any budding entrepreneurs.
The Alty record shop in its current brick-and-mortar form has stood for some time now, but popular owner Ben Molesworth has been selling physical media from 2012 onwards, and now his time at the helm of the hailed south Manchester spot has come to a somewhat bittersweet end.
A bit of a local legend with regulars who frequent and flick through his coveted vinyl collection, not just on Record Store Day but throughout the year, the area will be sad to see him go – and so will we – but it doesn’t mean this has to be the end.
“The shop deserves more than I can give it, and I have sold records in Altrincham for 14 years”, he explains, before going on to add that “It’s time for me to concentrate on different things.
“What happens now?” he continues, “Keep following! I’m not sure yet. I have closed the doors, but everything is still there… A busy website, Discogs, socials, a strong set of accounts and £ks of great vinyl stock.”
You’d think with a sales pitch like that, it would be a no-brainer for audiophiles who’ve ever dreamt of spending their days cataloguing their favourite tunes and artists, whilst providing a still criminally unsung public service: delivering printed music to the masses.
With more than a decade and a half of experience to his name, we’re sure Ben has plenty of wisdom to impart about how to take good care of his baby moving forward – he just needs some to set up to the plate/turntable.
As saturated as the Manc music market and record store scene is, it was also comfortably on this list pretty much since day one.
All that being said, part of the challenge for any independent business is getting the word out, hence why we thought we’d help do our bit by shouting about it.
He signed off by adding: “Thank you to all of my wonderful customers, friends and supporters. Tasty Recordsisn’t dead, only sleeping. Lots of love, Ben.”
For anyone who might fancy taking over this “awesome little record shop” (his words AND ours), you can express your interest/table an offer over email via [email protected].
What an honour it would be to carry on this place’s legacy – here’s hoping someone takes up the mantle soon.
Danny Jones -
11th July 2023 
