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Statue of legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher unveiled in Belfast

A statue of the legendary Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher has been unveiled in Belfast city centre – check it out below. The rock and blues musician is often cited by other guitarists, including Eric Clapton, The Edge and Brian May, as one of the greatest players of all time, both for his solo work and for his time leading the band Taste in the 1960s. The County Donegal native played in Belfast many times over his three-decade career and now he has been immortalised with a bronze statue outside the city’s Ulster Hall on Bedford Street, with a ceremony being held to mark its unveiling. “He’s finally here!” announced the venue on X on Saturday (January 4). “Today we’re celebrating the legacy of Rory Gallagher with the unveiling of a new statue of the legendary guitarist outside Ulster Hall.” He’s finally here! Today we’re celebrating the legacy of Rory Gallagher with the unveiling of a new statue of the legendary guitarist outside Ulster Hall. The festivities continue this evening with a special screening of the documentary ‘Irish Tour ‘74’: https://t.co/Rj3PkzT5Rh pic.twitter.com/EaxpMDR0l5 — Ulster Hall | Live Entertainment Belfast (@UlsterHall) January 4, 2025 Advertisement Members of Gallagher’s family were joined by… Read More →

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Couple divorce after wife kisses Romeo Santos onstage at an Aventura gig

A husband has left his wife after she kissed Romeo Santos on stage while at an Aventura gig. During the bachata group’s show in their native Dominican Republic on December 28, a fan by the name of Miriam Cruz took a moment to kiss frontman Romeo Santos after being invited on stage. In fan-captured footage of the viral moment, Cruz is seen jumping on the stage and greeting members of the band. When she gets to Santos, she hugs him and kisses him. The crowd erupt in cheers and Cruz remains seated beside the ‘Obsesion’ singer while the group perform their 2003 song ‘La Guerra’. Pareja de la mujer que besó a Romeo Santos le pide el divorcio luego de 10 años de casados. Definitivamente el mundo esta lleno de hombres inseguros. ¿Como vas a dejar tremendo mujerón por un beso?#RomeoSantos #Aventura #Beso pic.twitter.com/WWSo5gTDLq — 🅺🅻🅴🅸 𝕏 (@KleiverArcaya) December 30, 2024 Advertisement Following the viral moment, Cruz took to her social media to reveal that her actions with the singer at the gig led to a split between her and her husband of a decade. In a now-deleted post shared by Cruz on her social media, she wrote: “I have… Read More →

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Låpsley speaks out on being dropped and launching own label: “The future is bright”

Låpsley has opened up about being dropped from her label and launching her own label, sharing that “the future is bright”. To kick off the new year, the singer took to her official social media accounts to reveal that she was dropped from her label home of Believe. “Contractually, I was meant to go straight into another album cycle after ‘Cautionary Tales Of Youth‘, but it didn’t sit right. I stuck to my guns and made a 5 track EP. It cost me my record deal but creatively was the best decision I’ve ever made,” she began. She explained that her EP ‘A Guilty Heart Can Never Rest’ was “born out of a necessity to delve deeper into my artistry, visually as well as with my writing, on my terms,” adding that she wanted to “make a statement that was not defined by the metrics” she had be subjected to since she was a teen “for the sake of long term creative and business success, not short.” Advertisement “Through world building I met my visual soul mate director and photographer Jeanne Buchi and got to work with the incredible Crusoe Weston,” she continued. “Despite my relationship with Believe coming to… Read More →

Neil Young confirms he will play Glastonbury

Neil Young WILL play Glastonbury after all – just days after saying he would not play the festival because “it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.” In a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, Young wrote, “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved.Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!” Meanwhile, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis responded on Instagram. “What a start to the year! Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury. He does things his own way and that’s why we love him. We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June”

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Lupe Fiasco to teach rap at Johns Hopkins’ Peabody institute

Lupe Fiasco is going to be teaching a course on rap at Johns Hopkins’ Peabody Institute – find out more below. On New Year’s Day (January 1), the veteran rapper took to social media to announce that he will be conducting a course for Johns Hopkins’ new four-year hip-hop degree program in Fall this year. Lupe Fiasco. Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images He wrote: “I’ll be joining the faculty at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025 as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, teaching Rap as part of the groundbreaking new 4-year Hip Hop Degree Program led by the visionary Professor [Wendel Patrick]” Advertisement Lupe Fiasco continued: “I’m honoured to contribute to this legacy doing what I love most, Rap.” He also confirmed that he will at the same time continue to teach as a Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pursue his Yale fellowship. Recommended Applications for Johns Hopkins’ new four-year hip-hop degree program close today (January 3) – you can find more information and apply for the course here. Per the course’s official site, the degree program will be led by accomplished composer, producer, pianist and professor Wendel Patrick. It will consist of one-on-one… Read More →

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Listen to Thursday’s heavy new song ‘Taking Inventory Of A Frozen Lake’

Thursday have kicked off 2025 with the release of their heavy new single ‘Taking Inventory Of A Frozen Lake’. Check it out below. Produced by Stuart Richardson, the track opens with intense drumming paired with a gritty, chugging guitar riff while Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly wails: “What’s in my heart? It’s a frozen lake / What’s in my heart? It’s a list of names with no ending.” In the caption of an Instagram post shared to their official account, the American post-hardcore band shared that ‘Taking Inventory Of A Frozen Lake’ “began life at Steve Evetts’s studio in Jersey on off days when we toured with MCR in 2022.” [embedded content] Advertisement Explaining the lyrics, the band said that they “refer to the dark night of the soul that people encounter when they are forced to examine their pasts. It reminds us of an updated version of the kind of songs we gravitated towards in the Full Collapse era and we are so blessed and so happy to share it with you.” The new song follows their previously released tracks ‘White Bikes’ in December and ‘Application For Release From the Dream’ in April, with the latter marking their first new music… Read More →

In the studio with Stevie Wonder

From Uncut’s June 2005 issue (Take 97). In a world exclusive interview, Uncut visited the soul legend in his studio as he worked on his then-upcoming album, A Time 2 Love… By the small hours of Saturday morning, L.A.’s Koreatown district is hushed and still. The odd car rattles along Western Avenue, but most of the Friday nightclubbers have dispersed and headed home. “Little Seoul”, if one can call it that, is slowing down. Advertisement Unbeknownst to the few locals still awake, the soul legend once known as Little Stevie Wonder is hard at work in the studio that sits slap-bang in the midst of this improbable neighbourhood where few signs or billboards are in English. The blind genius who recorded at least five of the most remarkable albums in the history of American music is rounding off another night behind the massive SSL console of Wonderland, putting finishing touches to a track from his forthcoming A Time 2 Love. Wonder at work is everything you might imagine. His head sways from side to side as he mumbles melodiously along to “Please Don’t Hurt My Baby“, the track he’s working on tonight. The famous gums of his open smiling mouth show… Read More →

Loretta Lynn: “If you’re good to the ghosts, they’ll be good to you”

From Uncut’s March 2016 issue (Take 226). We meet the Queen of Country in her haunted Tennessee mansion and look back on her spectacular career… Welcome to Hurricane Mills, the second-most-haunted house in Tennessee and, for the past 50 years, home of the supernaturally gifted Loretta Lynn. Here, the Queen Of Country Music looks back on her sparkling career, her wayward spouse, her legendary friends — from the Cash family to Jack White — and the spirits that surround her to this day. Advertisement There is no mistaking the route that leads to Loretta Lynn’s estate in Middle Tennessee. At five-mile intervals along the freeway that bisects the Volunteer State from East to West, there are folksy billboards showing the Queen Of Country Music in a red, checked cowboy shirt. Her head is tilted to one side, her well-appointed brown curls grazing her collarbone, while the hoarding invites you to “Visit the Legend Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills”. In fact, more than 500,000 people come through the doors of Lynn’s antebellum mansion each year. Lynne recalls the Sunday afternoon in 1966 when she and her late husband, Oliver “Doolittle/Mooney” Lynn, got lost on the back roads of Humphreys County. “I… Read More →

Uncut – February 2025

CLICK HERE TO GET THE NEW ISSUE OF UNCUT DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR Every print copy of this issue comes with a free 15-track CD featuring brand new music from The Weather Station, The Delines, Richard Dawson, Sunny War and more. Meanwhile, inside the magazine… Advertisement THE BAND: 50 years on from the release of The Basement Tapes, Uncut invites compatriots, aficionados and heads – including JASON ISBELL, RICHARD THOMPSON, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, ELVIS COSTELLO, VAN MORRISON, MARGO PRICE, STURGILL SIMPSON – to celebrate the 30 greatest songs of ROBBIE ROBERTSON, RICK DANKO, GARTH HUDSON, RICHARD MANUEL and LEVON HELM. THE VERVE: Before Urban Hymns briefly made them the biggest band in Britain, THE VERVE summoned some of the most rapturous rock music of the ’90s, fuelled by a prodigious diet of booze, drugs, Rosicrucianism, home-delivered lasagne and lashings of self-belief. Luckily, they lived to tell the tale: “We wanted that rock’n’roll life. It was all that mattered.” SHARON VAN ETTEN: With her new band THE ATTACHMENT THEORY set to make their debut, SHARON VAN ETTEN reveals how she found fresh inspiration in collaboration. “How can I keep doing what I’ve been doing, but try new things?” Advertisement BLUE ÖYSTER CULT:… Read More →

Introducing the new Uncut: The Band, The Verve, Sharon Van Etten, The Moody Blues and more

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY Advertisement Back in the dim and distant days of June last year, Will Hermes emailed me from Woodstock, where he was interviewing Mercury Rev for us. After several stop-offs at sites of interest, they found themselves in the studio belonging to Aaron Hurwitz, “where they tracked Levon and Garth for Deserter’s Songs”, wrote Will. “Classic Woodstock, truly like stepping back in time. FYI, this was sitting on a coffee-table when we arrived unannounced…” Attached to the email was a photo of Uncut’s April 2005 issue, with The Band on the cover. As you can imagine, it’s deeply satisfying to find traces of our history lingering in such hallowed spaces. Of course, in 2005, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson were all still with us; now it’s only Garth. In fact, we started discussing a new Band cover shortly after Robbie’s death in August 2023, which became more advanced as we headed towards this year’s 50th anniversary of the release of The Basement Tapes. Rather than retell familiar tales from The Band’s story, we asked some of our favourite artists to choose their favourite songs, including Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Jason Isbell and Sturgill… Read More →

Tributes paid to Johnnie Walker

Tributes have been paid to Johnnie Walker, who died on January 31, 2024 aged 79. Walker had retired from a long career in broadcasting at the end of October. His death was announced on air by fellow BBC Radio 2 DJ, Bob Harris, who described Walker as an “incredible, warm, wonderful, superb broadcaster” who “was passionate about his music”. Advertisement On Twitter/X, Robert Plant wrote, “so long Johnnie Walker, all across the years ..a defender and gatekeeper of great musical taste .. a cool, kind man who kept the bar high for all of us who loved him ….” Also on Twitter/X, Joan Armatrading wrote, “RIP Johnnie Walker and thank you. Thank you for all you did for my music and the many other musicians you brought to the public’s attention. I loved talking with you on your shows. I will miss you. You will be very missed by many x” And Rick Wakeman wrote, “Johnnie Walker was a great friend and stunningly influential within radio. We talked about Caroline a lot and his overall radio knowledge and experiences were second to none. A privilege to have been able to call him a true friend. Radio Heaven now has a… Read More →

Neil Young pulls out of Glastonbury

Neil Young has pulled out of this year’s Glastonbury, saying he believes the festival, which is partnered with the BBC, is now “a corporate turn-off”. Writing on his Neil Young Archives website, he said, “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favorite outdoor gigs. We were told that the BBC were now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way i remember it being. Thanks for coming to see us the last time! “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. “Hope to see you on one of the other venues on the tour.” Young last played Glastonbury in 2009. Young’s latest band The Chrome Hearts – comprising guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony LoGerfo and Spooner Oldham on keyboards – recently finished an album at ShangriLa Studios in Malibu with producer Lou Adler.

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Ex-Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg is working on a solo album

Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg has revealed that he’s planning to record a solo album this year. READ MORE: Clown talks Slipknot’s 25th anniversary tour and future: “We probably have several albums in us right now” Weinberg – who joined Slipknot in 2014 and was sacked from the Iowan metal outfit in November 2023 – took to social media to share his plans for the new year on December 31. Though now a drummer for punk legends Suicidal Tendencies, Weinberg has shared that he plans to “record more music in the studio” this year. This will seemingly take shape as his debut solo project – which he says has been in the works for years, and will seeming see him play guitar as well. Jay Weinberg performs with Slipknot. Credit: Venla Shalin/Redferns Advertisement He wrote on Instagram: “One of my ambitions for 2025 is to record more music in the studio — starting with my own material I’ve been writing for quite a while. Some of which I’ve been working away at since my early 20’s. He continued: “I haven’t touched these songs since then, until recently feeling inspiration to pick the guitar back up and kick this stuff around again…. Read More →

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Here’s what Morrissey played at his Hollywood Palladium New Year’s Eve show

Morrissey saw in the New Year with a show at the Hollywood Palladium last night – see footage from the show below. The former Smiths frontman first announced the show in early December, the final of a run of four gigs the singer played between New York and Los Angeles to round out the year. On the night, Morrissey ended the show shortly before midnight, before a countdown played and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ kicked in to mark the start of 2025. Morrissey remained on stage, holding a placard reading ‘Happy New You’, as he embraced members of his band and Vera Lynn’s ‘(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover’ played. The set saw the singer play tracks from across his solo career, including early hits ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ and ‘You’re The One For Me, Fatty’, and Smiths classics ‘Shoplifters Of The World Unite’ and ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’. Advertisement He also played four tracks from his unreleased new album ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’: ‘I Am Veronica’, ‘Rebels Without Applaise’, ‘I Ex-Love You’ and ‘Sure Enough, The Telephone Rings’. See fan-captured footage from the show below. [embedded content] Recommended [embedded content] [embedded content] [embedded… Read More →

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All active Blox Fruits codes in November 2024

Blox Fruits is one of the most popular Roblox games where you battle bosses, take to the seas, look for treasures, and more. However, to make the most of your time in the game, you will want to make use of Blox Fruits codes to grab yourself some free XP. As you progress, your character will get stronger, allowing you to take on new seas. This is where things get progressively more challenging, and you may want a little bit of help while battling tough enemies. Blox Fruits codes can grant you XP boosts, meaning you’ll get more out of your time playing. You can even earn in-game titles for free by using these codes. Let’s take a look at all active Blox Fruits codes for December 2024. Active Blox Fruits codes for December 2024 There are a bunch of Blox Fruits codes currently live in the game. Generally, these get released by the developer periodically. Sometimes they expire, but many last for a fair while. The active Blox Fruits codes as of December 7, 2024, are: FIGHT4FRUIT – 20 minutes, 2x experience NOEXPLOITER – 20 minutes, 2x experience Starcodeheo – 20 minutes, 2x experience Enyu_is_Pro – 20 minutes, 2x… Read More →

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Watch Robbie Williams headline ABC’s New Year’s Eve party in Australia

Robbie Williams rang in the new year by headlining ABC’s New Year’s Eve party in Sydney, Australia. Check out the footage below. The singer performed in front of the legendary Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge during the TV network’s countdown to midnight. Williams’ eight-song set was filled with career-spanning hits such as ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Feel’, ‘Rock DJ’ and more. He also played a rendition of Chris Kenner’s ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ and Chris Thompson’s ‘You’re The Voice’. For the final song of the night, Williams performed his 1997 ballad ‘Angels’. Once the song ended, the singer was joined on stage by the night’s hosts and together they counted down to the new year which was celebrated with the city’s legendary fireworks display. British pop superstar Robbie Williams rocks Sydney on New Year’s Eve 🔥 “Allow me to introduce myself. This is my band, this is my arse and you better be good. Because l am phenomenal” pic.twitter.com/LtA8ZWyRN5 — Clown Down Under 🤡 (@clowndownunder) December 31, 2024 tiktok è un posto magico, mi sto guardando la live del concerto di capodanno di Robbie Williams a Sydney pic.twitter.com/1XuP07MnJM — marti 🌟 (@okssmarti) December 31, 2024 Advertisement ▶️FIESTA TOTAL |… Read More →

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Jason Momoa joins James Gunn’s DC Universe as Lobo

Jason Momoa is back in the DC cinematic universe – albeit this time as a new character. READ MORE: Who is the new Superman David Corenswet? Between 2016 and 2023, Momoa was a part of Zack Snyder‘s DC Extended Universe as Aquaman and appeared in two standalone films, and had cameo in other DC projects. Now, Momoa has confirmed his return to the DC Universe under the leadership of James Gunn as the villainous Lobo. Momoa broke the news via social media, where he shared an excerpt of an interview he did recently in which he spoke of his affinity for Lobo: “He was always my favourite, and I always wanted to play Lobo, because I’m like ‘Hello? It’s the perfect role. I mean, listen. If they call and ask me to play him, it’s a fuck yeah.” He captioned on the post: “They called.” James Gunn commented on Momoa’s post, writing: “Welcome, my friend.” Advertisement Gunn then shared Momoa’s post on his Instagram Stories, which included the hashtag #Supergirl. Per Deadline, Momoa’s official debut as Lobo will come in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow starring Milly Alcock as the titular hero. A release date for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has yet… Read More →

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Here’s who’s playing Jools Holland’s Hootenanny 2024

The line-up for Jools Holland‘s traditional New Year’s Eve show has been announced. READ MORE: CMAT: “The Irish have always been brilliant – but there is a lot of trauma” Jools’ Annual Hootenanny will see the likes of The Boomtown Rats, CMAT, Jungle, Marc Almond, Queen‘s Roger Taylor, Ruby Turner, Toby Lee, and The Dead South bringing in the year 2025. Other guests include Jade, Kathy Sledge and Paul Carrack. Details of which songs the artists will perform on the night are yet to be announced The show will go out at 11.30pm GMT on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer tomorrow (December 31). You can watch it here. Advertisement CMAT CREDIT: BBC Public Service/Shirlaine Forrest Holland’s last New Years’ Eve show included appearances from Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Olivia Dean, Paul Jones, P.P. Arnold, RAYE, Sugababes and The Mary Wallopers. Meanwhile, Holland was branded the “worst contestant” by viewers after he appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? last night (December 29) for this year’s celebrity special. Recommended Fans had high hopes for Holland but he struggled to reach the £1,000 mark, calling in his ask-the-audience and phone-a-friend lifelines for his fourth and fifth questions. “Wow. It’s a good job Jools can play the piano… Read More →

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Post Malone shares heartwarming message to Beyoncé after Christmas Halftime Show

Post Malone has shared a heartwarming message for Beyoncé following the latter’s Christmas-day Halftime Show last week – see his message below. On Christmas day (December 25), Beyoncé headlined the NFL’s Christmas-day Halftime Show in Houston, Texas, where she performed songs from ‘Cowboy Carter’ live for the first time. During the performance, she surprised the audience by bringing out Post Malone to perform their collaboration ‘Levii’s Jeans’. Yesterday (December 29), Post Malone took to X (formerly Twitter) to give thanks to Beyoncé for inviting him to perform at the Halftime Show. He wrote: “thank you @Beyonce so much for havin me out in Houston, and on your beautiful record. also, thank you for sharin your talent and art with the world. I love you” See the post below. thank you @Beyonce so much for havin me out in Houston, and on your beautiful record. also, thank you for sharin your talent and art with the world. I love you 🍻🩵 — Post Malone (@PostMalone) December 28, 2024 Advertisement Following the conclusion of the Christmas-day game – which was live-streamed on Netflix – Beyoncé’s complete performance was shared on Netflix as a standalone special dubbed Beyoncé Bowl. During the set, which… Read More →

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Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre sampled song by London learning disabilities charity on new album ‘Missionary’

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre sampled a song by a learning disabilities charity in London on their new album ‘Missionary’. The duo recently shared energetic new single, ‘Outta Da Blue’ last month ahead of the album’s release on December 13 via Death Row Records. Now, it has come to light that the pair sampled the song ‘Watermelon Fantasy’, which was originally released by the charity Daylight Studio in 2018. The original track was performed by three artists with learning disabilities, and produced by the founder of Daylight Studio and one of its trustees. You can listen it and ‘Outta Da Blue’ below. Advertisement [embedded content] [embedded content] Tina Bruins, who features on the track and lives in supported housing in north London, told The Guardian: “I was shocked. I remember being like: ‘Whaaaaaat?’ I didn’t know it was going to be released by Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg. I thought no, I thought it was a fantasy.” Recommended She added: “It was a good shock because it sort of proves I make good music. I’m proud of [‘Watermelon Fantasy’] because Snoop Dogg took it over.” Jack Daley, a recording engineer, and Oliver Price, a songwriter and music producer, put ‘Watermelon Fantasy’… Read More →

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The View’s Kyle Falconer announces new acoustic album and shares sweeping single ‘Angelina’

The View frontman Kyle Falconer has announced plans for a new acoustic album ‘The One I Love The Most’. READ MORE: The View on being indie survivors and that on-stage bust-up: “Being in The View can be volatile sometimes” The record, which is out on February 7, features acoustic versions of his songs from The View and his solo LPs, inspired by women. It is available to pre-order here. It also features brand new track, ‘Angelina’, which you can listen to below. Of the album, Falconer said: “‘The One I Love The Most’ came from an idea I had after getting my own studio in Spain. I thought about all the girls’ names I had written about and thought it would be a great romantic idea to put them all in one place and release the record for Valentine’s Day. I wanted to show the songs as they were without all the production and we captured the first essence of them. Advertisement “It’s great to see the different feelings along the album and my ups and downs, from the childlike writing of ‘Claudia’ to the more in depth idea of ‘Kelly’ as I have seen and heard more of the… Read More →