nicole

At THE FACE, it’s our belief that going out is good for the soul. Yes, there are dark forces conspiring against UK nightlife – venues are closing at a scary rate, pint prices are basically a joke at this point – but a proper night out always beats an evening of doom-scrolling. And so, behold THE FACE’s going out guide, in which you’ll find the UK’s best club nights, record shops, rappers, DJs, pubs and morning after breakfast spots – all recommended by locals who take pride in being out and about. We haven’t got round to spotlighting every buzzing UK city just yet. Sorry about that, we’ve been a bit knackered from going out. We’ll get on it once we’ve recovered.

No ButhoTheWarrior, no party! Yep, from 2018 to now, the Zimbabwean DJ has introduced the people of Glasgow to southern Africa’s worst kept secret: Afro-house. The genre has been steadily gaining international recognition, bolstered – in part – by the rise of South Africa’s sweetheart, Tyla, whose signature blend of amapiano and bacardi has propelled the infectious sound to the world.

Ones to watch in fashion, film, architecture, art and music. Get into it.

To celebrate 10 years of Ballantine’s True Music project, cutting-edge DJs from across the world congregated in Joburg. Asambe! Never seen a pretty girl from Joburg? You clearly weren’t at the Ballantine’s x Boiler Room party in South Africa’s biggest city last week, where the dancefloors were packed with stylish crowds celebrating forward-thinking club music.

Titled If you (see me, see me, see me), James’ installation explores the blurred lines between what constitutes ​“private” and ​“public” images; how perception works from the outside looking in, and vice-versa. The 31-year-old has long been an obsessive consumer of found photographs, often finding the context they’re taken in more interesting than the images themselves. Visually, the UGG collab felt like an extension of his pre-existing work.

“We kind of forgot about Easter,” says Ashley Walters, calling in from his coastal home in Kent. It’s the day after bank holiday Monday, but clearly, Ashley hasn’t been too preoccupied with bunny rabbits and chocolate. ​“It’s not one of [the kids’] big holidays. Me and the wife realised we hadn’t even got them an Easter egg.” Known to the world as Asher D from his So Solid Crew days, Dushane from his role in Top Boy or just Ash from Peckham, South London, the musician-turned-actor has racked up an impressive CV over the past two decades. Now, Ashley can also add modelling to his list of special skills: he’s just become the new face of adidas Spezial, fronting the campaign for the brand’s Pre-Spring collection.

With his Blacktronika university course, the veteran DJ is tracing the connection between Afrofuturism and the club.

Last night, The Sebright Arms – a classic East London boozer – was transformed for The Face’s Issue 18 launch party. Tables and chairs were pushed aside to make space for ravers, paper cups were poured with Wray’s Rum Punch by Wray & Nephew and there was a huge union jack flag hoisted behind the decks, emblazoned with the slogan ​‘Up Ya Archives’.

Screech, the BOYNEXTDOOR jukebox has been refilled with new songs! On September 9, 2024, BOYNEXTDOOR returned with their highly anticipated third EP titled 19.99. Following the release of their hyper pop-infused title track “Earth, Wind & Fire” earlier on in the year, the group’s second EP HOW? proved to be a fan attractor with more eyes on the group than before for this new era.

EVNNE has been taking over our social media. The seven-member boy group joins Keita, Park Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Yoo Seungeon, Ji Yunseo, Mun Junghyun and Park Jihoo together following the end of survival program Boys Planet. The group made their debut on September 19 under Jellyfish Entertainment, releasing their first mini-album Target: ME. EVNNE joined us and other media outlets for a roundtable talk discussing their debut album, where they let us pick their brains and find out more about them!

Kep1er returned at the end of summer with their fifth mini-album Magic Hour! The nine-member girl group are back with five new tracks for fans, each of which represent different colors and sides of the global girl group!

Who’s there? BOYNEXTDOOR! The six-member group of KOZ Entertainment has come back with their second mini-album WHY.. on September 4. WHY.. consists of six tracks, three of which continues the members journey from their first EP WHO!

In the busy summer months amid promotions, the five-member girl group QUEENZ EYE caught up with The Kraze to talk about their latest EP, UNI-Q. Their first comeback EP released on July 6 is home to two of their newest tracks: “UN-NORMAL” and “Domino.” While “UN-NORMAL” entices listeners with a rich four-beat count and groovy tempo, “Domino” brings in that tangy summer beat with its house-synth sound in its chorus.

Following the end of Boys Planet, pH-1 and Ciipher rapper Keita teamed up to drop their first joint single "Metronome."

Within the music industry, artists are constantly being rated and judged based on the perception of listeners. However on June 2, Stray Kids proved just how much they deserve five stars with their latest album ★★★★★ (5-STAR). The group proves this when you look at just how much they relate to the five most popular stars in the sky–Polaris, Sirius, Alpha Centauri, Betelgeuse, and Rigel–through the latest tracks on their album.

Following the release of his first independent single, “DIVE,” back in 2021, Jinyoung returns for his 10-year debut anniversary with an open letter to his fans through his debut solo album Chapter 0: WITH. The 28-year-old GOT7 member participated in all five songs, with the record boasting two title tracks: “Cotton Candy” and “편지 (Letter).”

After the release of her third single “Trouble? TRAVEL!” back in June, ADORA returns and greets fans with her first mini-album Adorable REbirth, released on September 26. The singer-songwriter made her long-awaited debut as an artist in 2021 after departing from BigHit Entertainment where she was an in-house producer, to joining AURA Entertainment for a fresh start and reintroduction to herself.

We often hear the phrase "Your favorite’s fave," and that's exactly who Yerin Baek is. Yerin is an artist who frequents everyone’s playlists. With her distinctive vocals to her off-screen personality, Yerin is often described as the epitome of cool and Korea's equivalent to Gen Z, MZ세대’s, cool girl inspiration. This rang true after her appearance on Lee Youngji’s YouTube series, No Prepare.

In life, when you’re apart from someone for so long, you may feel scared of a disconnect, with a dark gray cloud of nervousness threatening to overtake you in the wake of a reunion. However, on May 23, 2022, the dark clouds parted and made way for bright pink hues as GOT7 dropped their long-awaited album: 'GOT7'.

The month of May hit off a lot warmer in Europe than expected, with K-Pop fans experiencing an even more heated time with concerts finally coming back to our continent. The sunny air was once again filled with cheers and venue lines in Germany as Ahgases got ready to meet Yugyeom for his first solo concert, his first solo tour, and his first time meeting fans in almost three years.

SM Entertainment is known as a pioneer of the Korean entertainment industry and is credited with shaping “Idol Culture” the way it is today within the K-Pop industry. SHINHWA debuted under SM Entertainment in 1998, and this year commemorates the twentieth anniversary of their famous track “Perfect Man.”

Following the newest SM Entertainment group GOT the beat’s debut, BoA and her solo music have been a hot topic among K-Pop fans who were either already familiar with her music or were freshly introduced to her.

Following the release of his H1GHR MUSIC solo debut as JAY B with SOMO:FUME, the GOT7 member brought a revival to his alias Def. with his first physical EP LOVE. released on January 26, 2022.

Following the recent announcement of AMI’s partnership with ENHYPEN, the seven-member group has gained traction for their style and potential as global fashion ambassadors. One member who is being highlighted the most by fans is Gen-Z’s newest fashion icon Jay.

Have you been missing Dean’s voice and want to hear new music? Don’t worry, with the latest AI technology, you can hear him sing any song you want whenever you want! Now, how dystopian does that sound? The rise of technology has been no surprise within the music industry, with sound FX in beats taking over and voice altering features, such as autotune, enhancing artists’ voices to best fit a beat. But what happens if technology begins to mimic the voice of an artist, to create fake song covers of any song out there?

If your algorithms are anything like ours, then you would notice the increase in K Hip-Hop personnel in other forms of media within the Korean entertainment industry. From TOIL and GIST guessing celebrity faces on Ash Island's newly opened channel “JustAsh (그냥애쉬)”, to seeing Simon Dominic’s over 10 years of experience in entertainment shows continue on through his hosting of both seasons of “Transit Love”. The higher visibility of K Hip-Hop artists begs the question: Why is a once closed off, underground industry now opening its doors to the world?

ATTENTION! Our Summer Music Roundup Just Dropped ☆ This roundup consists of songs I’m gonna be bumping all of summer, and ones that you should too!

“I feel like I’m finally becoming a woman and I’m tryna figure out what that means for me.” TheBabeGabe always knew her bright and distinctive voice was her charm within BLACKSTARKIDS. In the heart of spring, Gabe joined the Zoom call adorned in a vibrant purple sweater with a pink and green flower stitched in the heart of it. In a way, the essence of the band’s lively and free-spirited identity was encapsulated by her sweater alone.

After the success of Black Panther, many people have set their eyes on the theme of Afrofuturism and what it entailed. This genre of art form is in no way new, as it transcends further than just within Film, its presence prevalent within; Literature, Fashion, many more but specifically in Music. Various artists making their own technology-heavy, futuristic, dystopian universes and presenting through music videos.

“Even though I wrote the album and I like that other people enjoy it, it was really mainly for me to get out my feelings and everything.” 18-year-old Jordan-J.K.- Kristine Seamón reveals about her first full length album Identity Crisis.