Zane Lowe’s first Beats 1 show, reviewed: “There’s nobody on the planet who does event radio better”

Here’s a fact. There’s nobody on the planet who does event radio better than Zane Lowe. For over a decade he dominated the western world’s music agenda from his BBC Radio 1 show - turning his Hottest Record into an institution that had fans scrambling for the retweet over their evening meal.

When he left our shores, they retooled his show. Hottest Record remained. His trademark ‘two plays’ transferred to new host Annie Mac - a brilliant broadcaster in her own right. They gambled on their established platform being the key. That the format brought the magic, not the specific talent itself.

But with a worldwide platform - even one only just emerging into the light - Lowe has already blown that one out of the water. Within minutes he’s singing over records again, unable to contain that enthusiasm for music. He opens with Spring King - a new British band that will be completely fresh to most outside the UK. Within half an hour, he’s unveiling his ‘World Record’ (a track that will tellingly also take Radio 1’s Hottest Record slot a few hours later). And he plays it twice. It’s Zane’s show, and already anything else feels like a pale imitation.