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Phoebe Bridgers in court: judge leans towards throwing defamation case out

Phoebe Bridgers appeared in court yesterday (August 12) in an ongoing defamation lawsuit and the judge in the case appears to be leaning towards throwing the case out. READ MORE: Phoebe Bridgers on the cover: “I definitely feel a lot less apologetic than I did before” The lawsuit was filed against Bridgers by the producer Chris Nelson last year. It came about following an October 2020 social media post in which Bridgers directed her followers on Instagram to a thread written by her friend Emily Bannon, which Nelson has claimed was defamatory. Nelson subsequently sued the singer for defamation and is currently seeking $3.8million (£2.8million) in damages. He claims Bridgers “intentionally used her high-profile public platform on Instagram to publish false and defamatory statements” about him “in order to destroy his reputation”. Advertisement In a sworn declaration filed on February 14, Bridgers responded to the allegations, saying: “I believe that the statements I made in my Instagram story are true. My statements were made based on my personal knowledge, including statements I personally heard Mr. Nelson make.” Nelson subsequently demanded the right to depose Bridgers, saying it was the only way to prove that the musician defamed him. Earlier this month, Bridgers’… Read More →

12AUGNews

BLACKPINK’s Rosé on her “empowering” solo music: “It is still in the process of defining itself”

BLACKPINK’s Rosé has shed some light on the exploratory creative process she’s undertaking for her solo material. READ MORE: Girls’ Generation – ‘Forever 1’ review: K-pop’s most illustrious girl group prove why they’re timeless and boundless Variety released its annual Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report on August 10, which named the K-pop idol as one of the most influential stars of the past year. Speaking with the outlet upon receiving the honour, Rosé discussed her solo music and her experience being a part of BLACKPINK. “There are times when it feels like a lot of pressure,” Rosé said of being in BLACKPINK, completed by Jennie, Lisa and Jisoo, who all debuted together in 2016. “But it’s what drives us to create new sounds and push ourselves.” Advertisement The Australian singer also shared that she takes this same approach to her solo material. Rosé debuted as a soloist in March 2021 with her single album ‘R’, which spawned the singles ‘Gone’ and ‘On The Ground’. “I’m constantly exploring new ideas and sounds,” Rosé shared. “It differs from BLACKPINK’s [music] in the sense that it is still in the process of defining itself. There are so many genres that I’ve always… Read More →

11AUGNews

Watch Simple Minds’ perform in ancient Sicily venue in new video for single ‘Vision Thing’

Simple Minds have shared a new video for their recent single ‘Vision Thing’. READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Jim Kerr, Simple Minds The clip, which you can view below, is interspersed with live pictures of the band recently performing at the Ancient Theatre Taormina in Sicily. It is the first track to be lifted from their forthcoming eighteenth studio album ‘Direction Of The Heart’. Advertisement The song is described as a tribute to frontman Jim Kerr’s “best pal” – his late father who passed away in 2019. It is ‘Direction Of The Heart”s opener and is followed by eight new tracks, which were all recorded at Hamburg’s Chameleon Studios. ‘Human Traffic’ features a guest appearance from Sparks’ frontman Russell Mael, and elsewhere the album includes a cover of The Call’s 1983 single ‘The Walls Came Down’. ‘Direction Of The Heart’ is the follow-up to 2018’s ‘Walk Between Worlds’ and is out on October 21. You can see the full tracklisting below and pre-order the album here. Speaking about the new album recently, Kerr said: “How to make a feel-good ‘Electro-rock’ record, during the very worst of times? ‘Direction Of The Heart’ is the result of that challenge…. Read More →

11AUGNews

Megan Thee Stallion reveals new album will arrive this week

Megan Thee Stallion has surprised fans by revealing that her new album will arrive this week. READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion: “I’m really working on my dynasty right now” The Houston rapper revealed last month that the follow-up to her November 2020 debut studio album ‘Good News’ had been completed, before subsequently dropping hints that the record will be titled ‘Traumazine’. Now, on social media, the rapper has confirmed that the album is indeed called ‘Traumazine’ and it will arrive tomorrow (August 12). Advertisement Check out the tweet here, which also shows the full tracklisting of the album: LETS JUST GO !!! #TRAUMAZINE OUT FRIDAY PRESAVE IT NOW https://t.co/4xP39BHi70 pic.twitter.com/Egl9Pm6TeD — TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 11, 2022 Earlier this month, Megan shared a series of new images that teased the album along with the following caption. “It took a lot of self reflecting to get to the point in my life where I am right now… “I ain’t saying I finally figured everything out or that I’m finally at peace, bc I’m not… buttt I’m excited for the hotties to get a better understanding of what’s happening in my head #TRAUMAZINE.” The rapper recently released the Future-featuring ‘Pressurelicious‘, her fourth new track… Read More →

11AUGNews

Black Honey enter the ring with powerful new single ‘Charlie Bronson’

Black Honey have returned with their buzzing, powerful new single ‘Charlie Bronson’, accompanied by a boxing ring-set video. The track follows the release last year of the Brighton band’s second album ‘Written & Directed’, which landed at Number Seven on the Official UK Albums Chart. READ MORE: Black Honey live in Kingston: despite the setbacks, the Brightonians are a band unleashed ‘Charlie Bronson’ keeps the four-piece’s momentum going with a raw and unfiltered exploration of singer and guitarist Izzy Phillips’ experiences with the weight of societal expectations. “Gaslighting myself again,” she sings. “Lay me down with Marilyn / Rest in peace and rise again.” Advertisement “There’s a personality in my head that feels like Britain’s most notorious prisoner,” Phillips explained in a press release. “Sometimes I can’t make sense of anything. It’s a bind of frustration from having to constantly present myself in a way that society accepts. My mind works differently. I say all the wrong things. I hate being ‘ladylike’. I was punished so much for what I know to be my good qualities; a strong-minded neurodivergent person who is creative, inquisitive, excitable and in my own universe. “I was medicated, my shine dimmed and I began to see… Read More →

11AUGNews

Gary Powell on The Libertines’ new album: “We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but we can push the boat out a little more”

Gary Powell has spoken to NME about his forthcoming ‘The Steam Packet UK Tour’, as well as providing an update on The Libertines‘ long-awaited fourth album. The tour will see The Libertines drummer showcase acts from his 25 Hour Convenience Store indie label and will be headlined by raucous Southampton garage-rockers Dead Freights, with support from fellow stablemates Casino, Bear Park and Young Culture. Powell, along with his label partner, former Factory Records managing director Eric Langley, said he wants his imprint to be there for the artists who believe their voice cannot be heard. “The label has always stood for one thing, which is I’m really anti the direction that the industry takes in regard to whom they should sign,” he said. “It’s led by what’s in vogue at that particular moment in time – a band has to have a particular look and sound – but that’s nonsense, and A&R-ing should come from the fact you hear something in a band, regardless of how popular they are. I’m more interested in attitude than numbers.” Advertisement Powell said he wants 25 Hour Convenience Store to be different from current record labels, which he feels prize streaming numbers over headhunting… Read More →

11AUGNews

EVERGLOW member Aisha hospitalised due to “sudden health deterioration”

EVERGLOW member Aisha has been hospitalised due to a “sudden health deterioration” and will not join her bandmates at the K-pop festival HallyuPopFest in Sydney this weekend, her label says. READ MORE: HallyuPopFest London 2022 review: K-pop festival’s UK debut suffers some hiccups but emerges triumphant South Korean news outlet News1 reported earlier today (August 11) that the K-pop idol had collapsed amid preparations for an undisclosed scheduled activity. Following the incident, News1 said that her label, Yuehua Entertainment, immediately took her to the hospital. In response to the report, Yuehua Entertainment issued a statement to XSports News to confirm Aisha’s hospitalisation. It also said the singer would be absent from EVERGLOW’s upcoming appearance and performance at HallyuPopFest in Sydney, Australia on August 13. Advertisement “Aisha was scheduled to leave the country today to prepare for the performance of HallyuPopFest Sydney 2022, but due to [her] sudden health deterioration, she is unable to depart and participate in it,” the statement read, as translated by Soompi. “Currently, Aisha is undergoing a thorough examination at the hospital, and we will do our best for the artist’s recovery by putting her health first.” “We apologise for causing concern to all of the fans with the sudden news…. Read More →

10AUGNews

Listen to Alvvays’ reflective new single ‘Easy On Your Own?’

Alvvays have shared their brand new single ‘Easy On Your Own?’ – you can listen to it below. The song is the second to be previewed from the Canadian band’s forthcoming third studio album ‘Blue Rev’, which is due for release via Transgressive on October 7. READ MORE: Alvvays’ Molly Rankin on Oasis, MGMT, and ‘Antisocialites’ Following on from the arrival last month of the LP’s lead single ‘Pharmacist’, Alvvays have now shared ‘Easy On Your Own?’. Advertisement You can listen to the track in the below visualiser. You can see the tracklist for Alvvays’ ‘Blue Rev’, which has been described in a press release as the band’s “most harmonically rich and lyrically provocative” album yet, below. ‘Pharmacist’ ‘Easy On Your Own?’ ‘After The Earthquake’ ‘Tom Verlaine’ ‘Pressed’ ‘Many Mirrors’ ‘Very Online Guy’ ‘Velveteen’ ‘Tile By Tile’ ‘Pomeranian Spinster’ ‘Belinda Says’ ‘Bored In Bristol’ ‘Lottery Noises’ ‘Fourth Figure’ Alvvays will head out on a North American tour in October, with dates running through to mid-November. You can see their tour schedule below and find any remaining tickets here. October 14 – Chicago IL, Riviera Theatre 15 – Minneapolis MN, First Ave 18 – Salt Lake City UT, The Depot 19… Read More →

10AUGNews

Events start-up Pollen enters administration after raising £124m

Pollen, a taxpayer-backed events start-up, is reportedly on the brink of collapse just months after raising $150million (£124m) in fresh funding. According to Sky News, the company – which had secured the money through the UK government’s Future Fund – has been seeking a rescue deal for weeks. The outlet said yesterday (August 9) that Pollen could go into administration as early as today (August 10) if it failed to do so. Sky News cited city sources who claimed that the hopes of securing a buyer had diminished in recent days. Tech business website UKTN has since reported that Pollen has entered administration. Advertisement Per an email sent by one of Pollen’s co-founders (via Sifted), parent company StreetTeam Software Limited is “appointing administrators to restructure after we were not able to sell the company in its entirety”. Pollen is said to have hired Kroll to “administer its restructuring” Drumcode Festival, which Pollen was due to host in Malta next month, has issued a statement on social media to confirm that the event is now cancelled “due to an accumulation of unresolved problems with Pollen, the company responsible for providing venues, ticketing and accommodation”. The update went on: “We no longer… Read More →

09AUGNews

The Libertines’ Gary Powell claims Morrissey ignored him over other bandmates: “He showed his true colours”

Gary Powell has claimed that Morrissey ignored him on several occasions when the former The Smiths singer was linked to matters concerning The Libertines and the New York Dolls. READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – The Libertines’ Gary Powell Powell, who drums in The Libertines and also played for the New York Dolls at the 2004 Meltdown festival that Morrissey curated, told NME in a new interview that he found the singer to be “rude” towards him. After saying that the only other act he could remember at Meltdown was The Smiths man himself (and calling him a “wazzock!” in the process), Powell claimed that Morrissey never apologised to him for blanking him at the festival. Advertisement “No,” Powell said when NME asked if Morrissey had ever said sorry about the alleged lack of interaction, which the drummer had spoken about previously. “He never spoke to me for the two days we did Meltdown. He came up onstage, spoke to everybody in the New York Dolls, and completely blanked me. At the meet and greet afterwards, he didn’t even look in my general direction,” Powell said. CREDT: Supplied He continued: “When [The Libertines] later did an NME… Read More →

09AUGNews

Omar LKC Gets Personal In Hypnotic Debut EP Too Far Away

Hip-Hop recording artist Omar LKC gets personal in his latest release, the hypnotic EP Too Far Away, a powerhouse collection of five tracks. Through his vivid creativity and strong penchant for bringing innovations to the genre, Omar manages to keep the listeners hooked throughout the impressive debut tracklist. Deeply representing who he is, Omar LKC’s art includes a therapeutic element while displaying his innate ability at transforming pain into beauty. No matter the challenges faced in one’s life, Omar LKC finds a way to get inspired and make relatable tracks. He entirely wrote, recorded and supervised his sound engineer Austin Leeds for this project, and even mastered it himself. Inspired by XXXTENTACION and Pop Smoke, his main goal with this project was to stay true to his own essence, and the result is simply mind blowing. Thanks to a seasoned vision, he will continue to grow and develop as an artist at lightning speed, so make sure to keep him on your radar in the coming months! Follow Omar LKC:Instagram – Spotify – YouTube – TikTok

08AUGNews

Marilyn Manson used racial slur against The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha in text message to Johnny Depp

According to recently unsealed court documents, Marilyn Manson used a racial slur against The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha during a text message conversation with Johnny Depp. The conversation happened in 2016 after Lindsay Usich (Manson’s current wife) allegedly “filed a police report” against Manson. The text accuses Usich of “pulling an Amber (Heard)” by getting the police involved but, according to Manson, it was only because her brother-in-law James Iha and her “poor, fat Mom want to steal my money”. It’s here Manson uses a racial slur targeted at people of East Asian descent. Advertisement According to the texts, Depp then offers Manson a place to “hide out”, if he needs it. More text messages between Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp pic.twitter.com/T02Mh1rrqU — kamilla (@k4mil1aa) July 31, 2022 Thousands of pages of documents filed in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation case were unsealed at the end of last month, with Depp supporters paying over $3,300 (£2700) to access the files. At the start of June, the jury in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial gave their verdict, ruling in favour of Depp. The verdict was returned after almost 13 hours of deliberation across three days at the district court… Read More →

08AUGNews

Yeah Yeah Yeahs share snippet of new single ‘Burning’ ahead of its release this week

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have shared a snippet of their new single ‘Burning’ ahead of its release later this week. READ MORE: Yeah Yeah Yeahs live in Manchester – indie sleaze icons triumphantly kick off ‘Cool It Down’ era The band confirmed in a post that the song will arrive this Wednesday (August 10). They also shared a roughly 10 second preview of the song, which features a heavily distorted guitar riff over a piano sequence. ‘Burning’ follows the New York City trio’s comeback single ‘Spitting Off The Edge Of The World’ (feat. Perfume Genius), which was released in June. Both songs feature on the band’s forthcoming album ‘Cool It Down’, their first new record in nine years. Advertisement ‘Cool It Down’ is the follow-up 2013’s ‘Mosquito‘. The new eight-track album lands on September 30 via the band’s new label home of Secretly Canadian. ? #Burning Aug 10th https://t.co/tGhGZ2p5la pic.twitter.com/JsQN42iGy9 — Yeah Yeah Yeahs (@YYYs) August 5, 2022 Last month, Yeah Yeah Yeahs cancelled three shows in Australia due to unspecified “health issues”, according to a statement provided by Splendour In The Grass, the festival that the band were due to play. On July 15, Splendour announced that the band were… Read More →

08AUGNews

The Big Pink announce first album in 10 years, ‘The Love That’s Ours’, and share new song ‘Rage’

The Big Pink have shared details of their first album in a decade, ‘The Love That’s Ours’, alongside the release of new single ‘Rage’. READ MORE: The Big Pink return after a decade with ‘No Angels’ – “It’s true to what we stand for” ‘The Love That’s Ours’ follows 2012’s ‘Future This’, after which the London-formed group that previously featured Milo Cordell disbanded. Now, singer/guitarist Robbie Furze has reconnected with old bandmate Akiko Matsuura on drums and enlisted new bassist Charlie Barker for The Big Pink reincarnated. Third record ‘The Love That’s Ours’ arrives on September 30 via Project Melody Music. Advertisement Produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Phoenix), the album features a host of guest collaborators including Jamie T, Jamie Hince (The Kills), Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Ryn Weaver, Mary Charteris, Ed Harcourt and more. Furze said of the new album: “Somehow we got here! Our record is about to be released. Thank fuck for that! Getting to this point has been one of the craziest journeys in my life. I truly thought this day would never come. I got so lost, so confused, went down so many rabbit holes, at times running completely blind, so much so… Read More →

08AUGNews

K-pop rookies Billlie to release new mini-album in late August

K-pop girl group Billlie will be making a comeback later this month with their third mini-album ‘the Billage of perception : chapter two’. READ MORE: The 15 best K-pop songs of 2022 – so far On August 8, Mystic Story announced that the seven-member act would return in late August with their third mini-album, titled ‘the Billage of perception : chapter two’. According to a representative from Mystic Story, per Newsen, the upcoming record will continue the story of their November 2021 debut mini-album ‘the Billage of perception : chapter one’. While the agency has yet to announce an exact release date, it added that the record is in its “final stages”. Advertisement News of Billlie’s upcoming release comes weeks after they dropped their digital single album ‘track by YOON: Patbingsu’, which was led by a remake of Mystic Story founder and singer Yoon Jong-shin’s ‘Patbingsu’. The release included one B-side, ‘Highway Romance’, also a remake of one of Yoon’s songs of the same title. Both tracks were originally released in 2001 as part of his ‘Shade’ studio album. In February, Billlie released their sophomore mini-album ‘the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one’. Shortly after its release, a fancam of… Read More →

06AUGNews

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard cancel UK and European dates due to “personal health crisis”

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have cancelled the remaining 13 dates of their current UK and European tour, citing frontman Stu Mackenzie’s newly revealed struggle with Crohn’s Disease. READ MORE: King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard: “It’s cool how divisive we are” The Australian psych-rock outfit had completed four dates on the run, with the most recent being a headline show in Prague last night (August 5). Among their axed performances include a set at the POLandROCK Festival in Szczecinek, Poland, which was scheduled to go down tonight (August 6). “Unfortunately due to a personal health crisis we’re going to have to cancel the remaining EU and UK dates,” Mackenzie wrote in a statement shared to the band’s Instagram page overnight. “For the past decade or so I’ve dealt with Crohn’s Disease the best I can. It’s a miracle we haven’t cancelled any shows in the past. But right now, my health is in really bad shape and I need to get home for some urgent treatment.” Advertisement Mackenzie went on to note that he’d “always kept my struggles with Crohn’s private”, citing a desire to keep his condition from impeding on his personal narrative. “Maybe I’m not defined by… Read More →

05AUGNews

Watch Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon turn Tears For Fears’ ‘Head Over Heels’ into a weather anthem

Kevin Bacon and The Tonight Show… host Jimmy Fallon have covered Tears For Fears‘ hit ‘Head Over Heels’ – and turned it into a song about the weather. READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life – Kevin Bacon The pair performed their rendition as part of The Tonight Show‘s ‘First Drafts Of Rock’ segment, which typically sees Bacon join Fallon to play a classic song under the guise of it being an early draft of the song’s actual lyrics. On Wednesday night’s (August 3) episode, Bacon and Fallon performed their own version of Tears For Fears’ 1985 song, ‘Head Of Heels’, which is the second single from the British band’s second album ‘Songs From The Big Chair’. In the clip, which you can watch below, Bacon and Fallon appear in a hazy video accompanied by a backing band and wearing their hair in curls. Footloose actor and musician in his own right Bacon sings: “I wanted to be with you alone/ And talk about the weather/ There’s rain up in Seattle so if you’re going out/ You might need an umbrella.” Fallon

05AUGNews

Listen to Carly Rae Jepsen’s upbeat new song ‘Beach House’

Carly Rae Jepsen has today (August 5) shared a new song – listen to ‘Beach House’ below. READ MORE: Carly Rae Jepsen: “My relationship with ‘Call Me Maybe’ was a rollercoaster” It’s the latest offering from Jepsen’s upcoming new album, ‘The Loneliest Time‘, which the musician announced earlier this week. The album will arrive on October 21 via 604/Schoolboy/Interscope. Collaborators on the new project include include Tavish Crowe, Rostam Batmanglij, Bullion, Captain Cuts, John Hill, Kyle Shearer and Alex Hope. Advertisement Announcing the album on social media, Jepsen wrote: “I’m quite fascinated by loneliness. It can be really beautiful when you turn it over and look at it. Just like love, it can cause some extreme human reactions.” Check out new song ‘Beach House’ below: Last month, Jepsen teamed up with French singer and musician Lewis OfMan on a new song called ‘Move Me’. It followed on from Jepsen’s recent single ‘Western Wind’ and comes after the singer wrapped a UK and European tour. Speaking of the collaboration she said: “In September of 2020 I heard about an artist named Lewis OfMan. A friend sent me a playlist and I kept pausing at the same track of Lewis’ thinking, ‘This is really good.’ The… Read More →

05AUGHit Singles

Little Feat – Waiting For Columbus: Super Deluxe Edition

Ask anyone who was a fan of Little Feat during their initial run – a decade-long stretch from 1969 to ’79 where vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, and keyboard player Bill Payne, steered a leaky ship through toil and trouble – and they’ll tell you Little Feat’s music truly came alive onstage. Much like peers the Grateful Dead, the Feat needed the unpredictable conduction of energy between band and audience, plus the heat-of-the-moment, now-or-never fury of live performance, to take flight. It’s no surprise, then, that Waiting For Columbus is one of Little Feat’s most enduring albums, often included in lists of the greatest live albums of all time; it’s also wild to consider how the sextet pulled things together against the odds, and almost in spite of themselves. ORDER NOW: Wilco are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut They’d already been through a hell of a lot. Little Feat formed in ’69, when George left Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention, taking bass player Roy Estrada with him, and connected with Payne (whose pre-history included appearing on an obscure garage rock stomper, Something Wild’s “Trippin’ Out”), and drummer Richie Hayward, who’d previously worked with George in The… Read More →

05AUGNews

Benny Blanco is BTS’ biggest fan in video for new collaboration ‘Bad Decisions’, featuring Snoop Dogg

Benny Blanco has shared his new single ‘Bad Decisions’, a collaboration between the producer, BTS and Snoop Dogg. READ MORE: Pop powerhouse Benny Blanco: “Do I consider myself a ‘hitmaker’? I think I’m a loser!” The new song features vocal contributions from Snoop and BTS’ Jungkook, Jimin, V and Jin. It arrived today (August 5) alongside a video in which Blanco excitedly prepares for a BTS concert that evening, baking them a cake and creating an elaborate heart collage. He arrives at the venue only to be informed he’s a day early. Watch the Ben Sinclair-directed video for ‘Bad Decisions’ below: Advertisement Blanco first teased the new song in July, saying he was “still pinching myself” about the star-studded collaboration. “I can’t believe I have a song coming out with Jin, Jimin, V and Jung Kook of BTS and Snoop Dogg. It doesn’t even feel real!” The announcement came less than a month after Blanco remixed three BTS fan favourites – ‘Life Goes On’, ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ – into a new medley. Promoting the medley on his TikTok page, Blanco explained that he had been asked to collaborate on the remix to promote the K-pop group’s… Read More →

04AUGNews

50 Cent says former G-Unit artists blame him “all the time” for career failures

50 Cent has admitted that bands on his former G-Unit label blame him “all the time” for their career failures. READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: 50 Cent The rapper who has steered the careers of several artists including The Game, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck was asked whether any rappers spoke out against him but later apologised for their actions. “Yeah, I get that all the time,” he told Houston’s 97.9 The Box. “What’s ill is, when you’re in the seat, the driver’s seat, a lot of times, no, every time something goes wrong it’s your fault. If you ask artists why their career didn’t go the way they want, it’s the [fault of the] record label. See what I’m saying? Advertisement “I happened to become the record label; so all of those artists that were around and didn’t do exactly what they thought they were supposed to do, it’s my fault that it didn’t. They give it to me individually now, like it’s not the company, it’s him.” He added: “The other people are upset because they felt like they coulda did it, ‘if you had did it for me. So it’s your fault you didn’t do it for… Read More →