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by Diane

From Fat Sam's Speakeasy to the Soul Charts: Vivienne McKone marks Fifty Years of Bugsy Malone with a Long-Awaited Single Release "Love Has To Be Easy".

Published: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 10:28:54 AM



Fifty years ago this July, a film unlike anything British cinema had produced before opened in London. Bugsy Malone, Alan Parker's gangster musical played entirely by children and teenagers, premiered on 23 July 1976, and it went on to become one of the most fondly remembered British films of its era. Among its young cast, dancing as Velma, one of the showgirls in Tallulah's troupe at Fat Sam's Grand Slam Speakeasy, was a young Vivienne McKone. Half a century on, McKone is back in the spotlight, this time as a soul vocalist, with the worldwide single release of "Love Has To Be Easy", a track that has spent the past few years quietly building a devoted following on London's soulful airwaves.


Bugsy Malone remains a genuine curiosity of 1970s film-making. Parker cast the film entirely with actors under seventeen, playing out a Prohibition-era gangster story with tommy guns that fire whipped cream instead of bullets. The cast included a young Jodie Foster as Tallulah, Fat Sam's chanteuse and gun moll, Scott Baio in the title role, and John Cassisi as the crime boss Fat Sam. The film was a genuine hit in the UK, went on to earn eight BAFTA nominations (winning three, including Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer for Foster), and has been screened in British secondary schools for decades since. It remains a rite of passage for generations of children discovering musical theatre for the first time. Vivienne McKone, then a young dancer trained at the Royal Ballet School, was part of that ensemble of showgirls bringing the speakeasy to life on screen.


McKone's career did not end at Pinewood Studios. She went on to work in British television, including an appearance in the BBC's Casualty, and built a parallel career as a singer-songwriter. Her debut solo album, "Vivienne McKone", was produced by Stuart Levine, a name well known to soul fans for his work with The Crusaders, Randy Crawford and Simply Red. She has performed in concert around the world and supported Anita Baker, one of soul music's most respected voices, giving her a grounding in the genre that runs through everything she has recorded since.


More recently, McKone has been the vocalist behind The Requestors, a trio she shares with Toby Baker and Gabriel Garrick, son of the late English jazz pianist Michael Garrick. Their debut single, "Love Has To Be Easy", written by McKone herself, first appeared in October 2023, a warm, mid-tempo soul song built around the simple idea that love, when it is right, should not be complicated. "When there's love around, things are easy, that's how that lyric was born," McKone explains, "and I feel that resonated with a lot of people in the audience. I was really taken aback!" She was speaking after a recent live performance of the song, where the reaction reminded her just how far it has already travelled.


That journey began modestly. "Love Has To Be Easy" was initially serviced only to DJs, picking up plays across London's soul and funk radio scene before Expansion Records included it as an exclusive track on the label's Luxury Soul 2024 compilation, a three-disc collection that each year gathers the best independent soul releases of the previous twelve months alongside bigger names in the genre. Sitting alongside artists such as Will Downing, Con Funk Shun and Narada Michael Walden, "Love Has To Be Easy" found its way to a wider and more discerning soul audience, and demand for the track has continued to grow ever since. Now, that demand has caught up with the song's ambitions: "Love Has To Be Easy" is finally getting its full worldwide single release.


The timing is not something anyone planned, but it is hard to ignore. The July release of "Love Has To Be Easy" lands in the same month as the fiftieth anniversary of Bugsy Malone's London premiere, tying together two very different chapters of the same career. It is a rare thing for an artist to have a foothold in two entirely separate cultural landmarks fifty years apart, first as a child performer in a film that has become a genuine piece of British cinema history, and now as a soul singer-songwriter whose own composition is reaching audiences well beyond the DJ booths and compilation shelves where it started.


For long-time followers of the UK soul scene, "Love Has To Be Easy" is likely already a familiar name, having spent the best part of two years working its way through the circuit the traditional way: word of mouth among DJs, a spot on a respected compilation, and a steadily building audience who kept asking where they could get hold of it properly. That patient, organic route to a single release says something about the song itself. It was never chasing a moment. It has simply been waiting for the right one, and the fiftieth anniversary of the film that first put Vivienne McKone in front of an audience feels like exactly that.


Whether you are coming to "Love Has To Be Easy" as a long-time Expansion Records listener who already knows it from Luxury Soul 2024, or discovering Vivienne McKone for the first time through this new worldwide release, there is a satisfying symmetry to the story: a Royal Ballet-trained showgirl from Fat Sam's speakeasy, fifty years on, telling us in her own words and her own voice that love, when it is real, should never be hard work.


"Love Has To Be Easy" by The Requestors featuring Vivienne McKone is out now worldwide. The track originally featured exclusively on Expansion Records' Luxury Soul 2024, available now, along with various mixes and edits, from expansionrecords.com.


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by Diane

The State of UK Music: Vinyl’s Resurgence, Streaming’s Plateau, and the Fight for Physical Media

Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 11:18:41 PM

create an image of a white man, aged 29 who is crate digging in a vinyl record store alongside another image of a black woman as a 70's radio DJ with turntables.

A Market in Transition

The UK music industry is in a fascinating place right now. In 2024, recorded-music revenues rose nearly 5% to reach £1.49 billion, despite inflation, rising costs, and shifting consumer behaviour. Streaming still dominates, but its growth is slowing. Physical formats are more volatile than ever, with vinyl thriving while CDs slide towards irrelevance.

For artists, fans, and labels, these shifts are reshaping how music is released, marketed, and consumed. And for independent pioneers such as Expansion Records, the UK’s leading soul label, 2025/26 will be a milestone moment: their 40th anniversary, right in the middle of this industry transformation.

Vinyl: The Revival That Won’t Quit

Vinyl continues to be the hero of physical media. In 2024, UK listeners bought around 6.7 million LPs, generating close to £200 million, up more than 10% year-on-year. Collectors, casual fans, and superfans alike are driving demand, often through limited runs, coloured pressings, and deluxe packaging.

Big name artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Sabrina Carpenter dominate headlines, but vinyl’s appeal goes much deeper. Indie and niche genres are flourishing in this space too. Labels like Expansion Records, which has championed soul, funk, and jazz since 1986, are perfectly positioned. Their catalogue translates beautifully onto vinyl, appealing to collectors who value timeless music in premium physical form.

With Expansion Records celebrating 40 years in 2026, expect exclusive reissues, limited editions, and anniversary vinyl to become highly sought-after among UK collectors and soul fans worldwide.

The Collapse of the CD

While vinyl is thriving, CDs are facing a starkly different reality. In mid-2025, UK CD sales dropped by more than 20% year-on-year. Without blockbuster releases to prop them up, the format is quickly losing relevance.

Unlike vinyl, CDs don’t offer nostalgia or cultural cachet. They lack the tactile appeal of records and the convenience of streaming. For collectors, they’re simply not desirable. Labels that once relied on CDs as the mainstay of their physical sales are shifting focus towards vinyl or digital.

Expansion Records is a good example of this pivot. Their emphasis on vinyl reissues and high-quality pressings of classic and modern soul has helped them stay relevant while others have seen physical sales collapse. Now while no longer the core business, and more to support the long standing audience of collectors and supporters Expansion maintains, they still do release CDs. The mastering will always be superior to streams, and the credits, liner notes, and photos they contain have value and this is appreciated.

Streaming Dominance and Slowdown

Streaming remains the backbone of UK music consumption, making up about 68% of all revenue in 2024. But its growth is plateauing, with year-on-year increases now closer to 5% than the 8–9% we once saw.

Market saturation is the main culprit. Most listeners who want a subscription already have one. Future revenue growth will come from price rises, bundling with other digital services, or better monetisation of catalogue music. But this also raises questions: will fans stick around when prices increase? And how much of that money will reach the artists and labels?

For independent labels like Expansion, streaming is both a blessing and a challenge. It ensures their artists reach global audiences instantly, but revenue share remains an ongoing battle.

Collectors, Superfans, and Indie Shops

The vinyl revival is fuelled by collectors and superfans, who treat records as cultural artefacts. Limited editions, anniversary reissues, and Record Store Day exclusives are driving sales.

Independent record shops have been central to this resurgence. They’re not just retail outlets, they’re community hubs and curators. Labels such as Expansion Records have long relied on indie shops to connect directly with dedicated fans of soul, funk, and R&B. As vinyl continues its upward curve, these relationships will only grow in importance.

Challenges Ahead

The industry still faces serious challenges:

• Volatility of physical sales: Vinyl growth depends on major releases and collector interest. Without big events, numbers dip.

• Production costs: Pressing vinyl is expensive, with rising material and distribution costs squeezing margins.

• Sustainability concerns: The production of multiple vinyl variants raises environmental questions. Fans and artists are calling for greener alternatives.

For labels celebrating milestones, such as Expansion’s 40th anniversary, these challenges may also present opportunities. By innovating in packaging, sustainability, and fan engagement, they can set themselves apart while still honouring their legacy.

Opportunities for Independent Labels

The current market offers plenty of opportunities for independent labels to thrive. Vinyl has given physical media a cultural rebirth, and streaming provides global reach. For Expansion Records, whose roster includes both classic reissues and fresh soul releases, the next year will be pivotal.

Their 40th anniversary isn’t just a milestone — it’s a chance to spotlight four decades of curating the best in soul, funk, and jazz. Expect collectors to clamour for exclusive vinyl editions, box sets, and anniversary events that tap into both nostalgia and forward-thinking curation.

Conclusion: Looking to 2026 and Beyond

The UK music industry remains strong, but its future is unevenly spread. Vinyl has carved out a lasting role, streaming is showing signs of maturity, and CDs are fading fast. For independent labels like Expansion Records, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

As they prepare to celebrate 40 years at the forefront of UK soul in 2026, Expansion exemplifies how to survive, and thrive, in a changing industry. By leaning into vinyl, embracing collector culture, and using streaming strategically, they show that independence and longevity can coexist in today’s marketplace.

For fans, this means more than just access to music. It’s about connecting with heritage, collecting pieces of history, and celebrating labels that have shaped the soundtrack of our lives.