Little Simz

Here Are The Format Festival Set Times For 2023

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This weekend, Format Festival 2023 is preparing to plant its roots in Bentonville, Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains. Beginning Friday, September 22, through Sunday, September 24, three major recording artists are slated to headline, namely Leon Bridges (9/24), Alanis Morissette (9/23), and LCD Soundsystem (9/22).

Over the three days, dozens of entertainers will perform across the five performance spaces (North Of OZ, South Of Oz, Drag Me To The Disco, Next Door, and Rode House). Below, you will find the set times, which were announced by the organizer. Notable acts listed across the lineup include Modest Mouse, Poolside, Tash Sultana, Little Simz, Channel Tres, Kari Faux, Madeline Edwards, Serpentwithfeet, and Sudan Archives.

Similar to last year, in addition to the primary and secondary stages, there are also unconventional spaces on the grounds, such as forest enclaves, pavilions, barns, and speakeasies for more intimate performances. Outside of the musical performances inside the Fermentation Hall, geared toward video art programming. Featured visual artists include Jeremy Deller, Jon Rafman, and Ragnar Kjartansson x The National.

There are a limited amount tickets that are still available for Format Festival 2023. For more information, click here.

The schedule is subject to change. For an up-to-date timeline, visit the official Format Festival website.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Little Simz Goes ‘Gorilla’ In Her New Video, Proving That No Matter The Element, No One Is Messing With Her

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Little Simz is one of London’s greatest export. The rapper pours it all out in her music, unapologetically exploring topics such as depression, misogyny, and more. On her latest album, No Thank You, that’s still a community. However, the entertainer almost managed to squeeze in that when it comes to the art form of hip-hop, she goes apesh*t.

In the official video for her single, “Gorilla,” that’s crystal clear through her clever wordplay and admirable spunk. The visual directed by Dave Meyers proves that no matter the element, no one is lyrically messing with Little Simz.

As she raps, “Cuttin’ through the jungle in an all-black fitted / Hat low, incognito livin’ / Introvert, but, she ain’t timid / My art will be timeless, I don’t do limits / Be very specific when you talk on who the best is / How can I address this? / Basically, the rest is almost like to me what a stain to a vest is / You ain’t drop nothin’ in my eyes I’m impressed with,” how could you not be thoroughly impressed.

This level of creative imagination is only heightened by the video in which Meyers follows Simz and her friends as they effortlessly roam the world looking for competition.

Watch the video above.

Here Are The Lightning In A Bottle Set Times For 2023

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Lightning In A Bottle Festival will stage its 20th anniversary from Wednesday, May 24, to Monday, May 29, promising “five days of music, art, yoga, talks and workshops, camping, and more” in Buena Vista Lake, California. That’s a vast bill.

Last year’s lineup featured Glass Animals, Kaytranada, Little Simz, and Purity Ring. This year’s lineup is headlined by the likes of Diplo, 070 Shake, Sampa The Great, Tobe Nwigwe, Zhu, and an overwhelming amount of other performers.

The bad news: The five-day schedule is intimating. The good news: It definitely contains all the information you could possibly need, and that’s before even mentioning the separate schedule for Learning & Culture, Art & Interactivity, or Yoga & Movement lineups.

The music portion of the festivities will be divided across six stages: Lightning, Thunder, Woogie, Grand Artique, The Junkyard, and The Stacks. The marathon begins tomorrow, May 24, with Beau Sebastian (6-7:30 p.m. local time), Armando Kroma (7:30-9 p.m.), Marcos (9-10:30 p.m.), Cody Lee (10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.), and Saand (12-2 a.m.), all at The Junkyard.

Thursday, May 25, kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on the Junkyard stage with Blake Rudolph and will rage on until 2 a.m. with Evan Hatfield (12:45 a.m.-2 a.m.) on Grand Artique and a surprise guest slated from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. at The Stacks.

Friday’s slate features 070 Shake (9:30-10:30 p.m.) on the Lightning stage, Diplo (12-2 a.m.) on the Woogie stage, and two surprise guests back-to-back from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. at The Stacks.

Come Saturday — how could anybody possibly have any energy left? — Rogelio will get the day started at 11 a.m. at The Junkyard, and that set will be bookended by Zhu on the Lightning stage (12:30-2 a.m.) Finally, Sunday, May 28, will welcome two more surprise guests and the likes of Sampa The Great (8:10-9:25 p.m.), LSDream (11:30 p.m.-12:45 a.m.), Tale Of Us (12-2 a.m.), and Littlefoot (1:15-2:40 a.m.).

See the rest of the packed schedule as well as other pertinent information below.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Little Simz Headed On Tour After Postponing Last Year

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Little Simz has worked hard to amass her fanbase over the years. The British rapper has won over the hearts of many with her independent debut, “A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons,” in 2015. This was followed by “Stillness in Wonderland” in 2016 and “Grey Area” in 2019. Her 2021 project, “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert,” was greatly received, securing her the 2022 Brit Award for Best New Artist. In 2022, she unveiled her latest work of art, “No Thank You,” another critically acclaimed project. Now, Simz is ready to take her music on the road.

On Monday, the 29-year-old announced to her fans that she was headed across the U.S. and Canada for her No Thank You Tour. In an Instagram caption, Simz expressed her gratitude to her supporters who made the tour possible. “It’s been a long time. Appreciate your love and patience,” she wrote. The set of shows is especially special due to Simz previously having to cancel her tour. Last year she was looking forward to performing across the United States. 

Little Simz Self-Funds Her Music And Tours

Unfortunately, being a self-funded artist made this incredibly difficult. Breaking the news to fans via Twitter, Simz explained to followers that she pays for all her tour expenses entirely out of pocket. “Touring the U.S. for a month would leave me in a huge deficit.” Though disappointed at the time, fans sent words of encouragement to the singer and rapper. 

Simz will kick off her tour on September 20th in Chicago at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Days later, she’ll be at The Masquerade (Heaven) on September 24th in Atlanta, Georgia. The ten-date trek will also have two dates in Canada: October 8th in Toronto and Montreal the following day. Pre-sale access for the No Thank You Tour will be available on Tuesday, April 10th. The general sale will begin on Thursday, April 13th. Though she may not have been on the road, Simz has kept busy with sporadic performances. The same day her general admission tickets go on sale, Simz will grace the stage at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Fans can purchase passes to her show at ittlesimz.com. 

[Via]

Little Simz Will Bring Her Talents To North America For The ‘No Thank You Tour’

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UK rapper Little Simz is finally coming (back) to America after financial issues derailed her last planned tour, forcing her to reschedule it. Simz had planned to tour North America last spring after releasing her critically acclaimed album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, but as an independent artist, the tour would have left her in debt. “As much as this pains me to not see you at this time, I’m just not able to put myself through that mental stress,” she wrote at the time.

In the year since, the Mercury Prize winner put out another critically hailed project, No Thank You, and toured Europe, resulting in the On Stage Off Stage short film. Apparently, that’s put her in a better space, allowing her to announce a 10-date slate kicking off in Chicago on September 20 and hitting Atlanta, LA, and New York. Tickets go on sale beginning Thursday, April 13 at 10 am local time. Find more information here.

09/20 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
09/24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Heaven)
09/27 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
09/28 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
09/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
10/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ The NOVO
10/8 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
10/9 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
10/11 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
10/13 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Little Simz Recounts Her Tour Life In A New Documentary, ‘On Stage Off Stage’

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After closing out 2022 with the surprise album No Thank You, UK rapper Little Simz carried plenty of momentum into the new year as she toured Europe. Over the weekend, she released a new documentary, On Stage Off Stage, recounting her tour experiences and capturing the quiet moments between the chaos of performing.

In it, we see Simz working with her tennis trainer — staying in shape is important, after all — rocking stages across Europe, chatting with fans, and conducting interviews with her tour crew, from the manager to the sound man. She also shoots a music video, explaining how she employed its director at the last minute before the song was even done.

The documentary is a fascinating look into the life of an independent artist and just how jam-packed Simz’s schedule can actually be, even as she’s expected to come out each night with the same energy after a day spent traveling, shooting videos, or trying to unwind with one of the hardest sports to play. On Stage Off Stage is another smart visual component to the No Thank You rollout after the short film of the same name, proving that Simz is no slouch when it comes to packaging her music.

Watch On Stage Off Stage at the top of the page.

Little Simz’s Performance Of ‘Heart On Fire’ On ‘Colbert’ Is Chilling Look At Mental Health Struggles

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Little Simz’s latest album, No Thank You, is the hip-hop gift that keeps on giving. After its surprise release late last year, the UK rapper has been tactic yet patient with her promotional efforts. Immediately following the announcement of the project by way of a supporting short film, the musician took to social media to share a poignant message: “Emotion is energy in motion. Honor your truth and feelings. Eradicate fear. Boundaries are important.”

Just days ago, Simz took to the BAFTA stage to perform the latest single off the album, “Heart On Fire.” Now, continuing her live performance run of the single, she stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to do the same. With The Harlem Gospel Choir, The B-String Quartet, and The Late Show band, Simz delivered a chilling rendition of the track.

Differing from her BAFTA set design, Simz focused in on the reclusive nature of the song. Seated in an antique wooden chair and dressed in an elegant draped white gown, Simz raps the song. As the camera pans out, it is revealed Simz is not just staring into the void, she’s been dictating these hard-hitting truths to herself as she’s emotionlessly staring into a framed mirror. After Simz transitions out of her depressive solitude, she walks into the light as she joins The Harlem Gospel Choir and The B-String Quartet center stage.

The opening lyrics — “It’s a setup and you’ll be next to those prior / The devil works hard, but the business works harder / I vowed from now to work smarter” — sting, especially given that the star has been open about her mental health struggles which caused her to cancel her tour last year.

But Simz wants to ensure fans that despite her struggles, she has a few guardian angels, as she raps, “They won’t do it like us, for the people, by us / Why they wanna fight? Our spirit on higher / God made truth of everything I desire / I ain’t need much, as long as I got my baby, he a rider.”

If that wasn’t enough reassurance the chorus drills it home, as Simz raps, “My life is a blessing / But it comes with the stresses / And I can take it all / Just don’t let me down when I’m in the fire.”

Watch Little Simz perform “Heart On Fire” on The Late Show above.

Little Simz Wore Her ‘Heart On Fire’ At The 2023 BAFTAs And Brought Out Joan Armatrading

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Little Simz’s 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert propelled the UK rapper to acclaim, from the 2022 BRIT Awards to last year’s Mercury Prize. She surprise-dropped its follow-up, No Thank You, last December — along with a short film — and though 2023 is young, Little Simz is hitting the awards circuit again.

Simz took the Royal Festival Hall stage at the 2023 BAFTA Awards on Sunday, February 19, in London to perform “Heart On Fire” from No Thank You. As a bonus, she brought out Joan Armatrading to add some extra spice on the guitar.

“My heart’s on fire / I bought the dream with every penny that I acquired,” Simz rapped with a melodic, unwavering delivery. “It’s a set up and you’ll be next to those prior / The devil works hard, but the business works harder / I vowed from now to work smarter.”

The chorus hammers home the song’s poignant theme of a double-edged sword: “My life is a blessing / But it comes with the stresses / And I can’t take it all / Just don’t let me down when I’m in the fire.”

On a related note, Simz postponed a string of US tour dates last April due to “mental stress” and an inevitable “huge deficit” she’d be left in after self-financing a tour as an independent artist. All the more reason to soak up every Simz performance, including an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert tonight, February 20.

Watch Simz’s “Heart On Fire” performance from the 2023 BAFTAs above.

Complex UK’s Best Albums Of 2022

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