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Instagram adds new MySpace-esque music feature

Instagram is adding a new music feature where you can show off your taste on your profile, reminiscent of 2000s MySpace. In what feels like a blast from the past – where you’d be able to hear your friend’s favourite song playing every time you went on their MySpace profile – Instagram is making music a more central feature. “Now you can brag about your music taste by adding a song to your profile,” Instagram writes on a social media announcement. Now you can brag about your music taste by adding a song to your profile 😎♬ pic.twitter.com/dSJuwlzh9b — Instagram (@instagram) August 22, 2024 Songs can already be added to stories, and more recently to posts, but this update will mean music can be added straight to your profile without the need to post anything new. Advertisement To add music to your profile, navigate to your profile settings and select “Add music to your profile.” From there, you can either search for songs or explore the “For You” section. Once you’ve chosen a track, you’ll have the option to feature a specific 30-second snippet on your profile. This snippet will stay until you decide to update it However, unlike Myspace,… Read More →

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Alex James wants Blur to stick around for a ‘very long time’

Blur bassist Alex James said he hopes the band will keep going for “a very long time” in a recent interview. The bassist of the Britpop group, who is releasing the memoir Over The Rainbow: Tales Of An Unexpected Year later this year, has said he is eager to continue collaborating with his bandmates. When asked about the band’s future, James shared with The Sun newspaper: “Last year was truly magical. I hope we can keep doing it and keeping it special for as long as we live. And I hope that’s a very long time.” The Britpop band played at this year’s Coachella Festival, during which frontman Damon Albarn said, “this is probably our last gig”. Advertisement Last December, frontman Damon Albarn shared that Blur will be going on a hiatus until further notice, saying “it’s too much for me”. However, James is not the only Blur member to tease that this is not the end for the band. Last month drummer Dave Rowntree hinted there may still be a future for the band, despite them appearing to announce that they had played their last ever show. In an interview with the Daily Star’s Wired column, Rowntree has offered… Read More →

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Here’s what went down at Fontaines D.C.’s intimate ‘Romance’ London show

Fontaines D.C. played an intimate surprise gig in London last night (August 22) to launch their new album ‘Romance‘ – check out footage, the setlist and more below. The Dublin band – comprised of Grian Chatten, Tom Coll, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan III and Carlos O’Connell – took over London’s iconic Electric Ballroom for a last minute show in celebration of the release of their fourth album. They played to a sold-out crowd of 1500 at the Camden venue which saw the likes of Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Florence Welch and more in attendance. To kick off the night, Coll, Deegan and Carlos made their way to the stage as lime green lights flashed while Curly – swapping his 6-string for a bass guitar – began the opening notes to ‘Romance’s haunting and eery title track. Advertisement Chatten walked on stage sporting a black t-shirt, black kilt, white knee-high socks, black combat boots and a pair of dark sunglasses which has become his uniform for the band’s current era. A massive Palestinian flag adorned the band’s keyboard setup, showing their ongoing support for the country amidst the ongoing war with Israel. From there, Fontaines D.C. jumped into old favourites ‘Jackie… Read More →

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Mark Heap and Dawn French sign up for new sitcom by ‘This Country’ writer

Dawn French and Mark Heap are set to star in a new sitcom for the BBC titled Can You Keep a Secret? The actors will play a married couple in the show, and when William Fenton, played by Heap (Spaced, Brass Eye) dies, French’s Debbie quickly moves through her grief and progresses on to thinking about the insurance payout. That is because William is not in fact dead – a clerical error sees him declared as deceased when he is still alive. The couple take advantage of the situation, cooking up a scheme to claim a hefty payout, with William having to hide out in the loft for a few months until the money arrives. Dawn French. CREDIT: BBC/Phil McIntyre Live/Marc Brenner Advertisement The six-episode series will be directed by Simon Hynd (Ghosts, Motherland) and is written by Simon Mayhew-Archer (This Country). “At last, a sitcom where I can keep my top on,” French said in a press release. “Mostly.” “Can You Keep a Secret? hilariously delves into a rarely portrayed stage of the family life cycle, blending classic sitcom elements with an exhilarating farcical crime twist,” said Jon Petrie, director of BBC Comedy. “With Dawn French and Mark Heap… Read More →

Hit Singles

Stephen Malkmus’ The Hard Quartet announce debut album

The Hard Quartet have announced their self-titled debut album with a new single, “Rio’s Song“. JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! The band – who feature Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Jim White and Emmett Kelly – will release their album on October 4 via Matador Records. You can pre-order and pre-save here. “Rio’s Song” comes with a video. “The ‘Rio’s Song’ video is The Hard Quartet’s homage to street rock in the hot afternoon & clowning around with lifer friends in downtown New York City. Director Jared Sherbert shot it guerrilla style on St Mark’s Place and in The International Bar on July 15 2024. It features local NYC artists, musicians, activists, skaters and icons who are dear to the band.” Tracklisting for the album is: ‘Chrome Mess’‘Earth Hater’‘Rio’s Song’‘Our Hometown Boy’‘Renegade’‘Heel Highway’‘Killed By Death’‘Hey’‘It Suits You’‘Six Deaf Rats’‘Action for Military Boys’‘Jacked Existence’‘North of the Border’‘Thug Dynasty’‘Gripping the Riptide’

Hit Singles

Hear Panda Bear & Sonic Boom’s Reset Mariachi EP

Panda Bear and Sonic Boom – aka Noah Lennox and Pete Kember – have released the Reset Mariachi EP, a reworking of two tracks from their 2022 album, Reset. You can hear the EP below. JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! Resert Mariachi was rerecorded with the Mexico City outfit Mariachi 2000 de Cutberto Pérez. The EP features two Spanish-language versions of “Peligro (Danger)” and “Viviendo en las sequelas (Livin’ in the After),” one sung by Panda Bear and Sonic Boom and one sung by the vocalists of Mariachi 2000 de Cutberto Pérez, with both featuring instrumentals from the mariachis, including guitarron, vihuela, guitar, trumpet, and strings. The digital EP adds Songbook Instrumental versions of both songs and includes sheet music with Spanish translation; the vinyl version, out September 20 and available for pre-order now, features a “Magic Matrix Puzzle Platter” dual concentric vinyl cut where either version has equal possibility of playing. Panda Boom have also shares two versions of an animated video by Lucas Moreira & Studio Sparks for both versions of “Peligro (Danger)”.

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Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman announces departure from band

Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman has announced his departure from the band – find out why below. Last night (August 21), the longtime drummer – who joined the band in 2011 – took to social media to announce that he was leaving the band. He wrote: “After an incredible journey of over a decade, I will be departing the amazing band that is Imagine Dragons. I wanted to share my deepest gratitude to you, the fans, for your unwavering support and sharing in the joy of music with me.” He continued, explaining the reason for his departure: “Connecting with you all has truly been the highlight of this chapter. I’m excited to be able to share more soon about the projects I’ve been hard at work on over the past few months centered on my biggest passion: film scoring and composing. I promise you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned.” Advertisement Imagine Dragons have announced Platzman’s replacement at the time of publishing. However, it is worth noting that there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood involved in Platzman’s departure from the band, as Imagine Dragons’ bassist and keyboardist commented a supportive “Love you Platz!” on the drummer’s announcement…. Read More →

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Here’s every song on the ‘It Ends With Us’ soundtrack

Blake Lively’s hit romantic drama It Ends With Us is a hit in cinemas, but what songs feature on the film’s soundtrack? Read on for all the info. The romantic drama stars Lively as a flower shop owner who gets caught in a love triangle with her abusive partner Ryle, played by Justin Baldoni (Jane The Virgin), who also directs the film, and her childhood sweetheart Atlas, played by Brandon Sklenar (Vice). The film is based on the 2016 bestselling book by Colleen Hoover and has made over $180million (£137million) at the worldwide box office to date. It also currently sits at second place at the UK box office, behind Alien: Romulus. [embedded content] Advertisement Ryan Reynolds and Lively recently became the first married couple to top the US box office since Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, with Deadpool & Wolverine and It Ends With Us taking the top two spots, just as Die Hard 2 and Ghost had done in 1990. It was recently revealed that Reynolds wrote a scene in It Ends With Us in which Lively’s character Lily first meets Ryle, whom she eventually marries. “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that, but you now,” she told E! News. “He works… Read More →

Hit Singles

Horace Panter – My Life In Music

The Specials’ bassist on his journey to the Dirt Road Band: “I knew that there was a new world somewhere” JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! THE BYRDS Advertisement “5D (Fifth Dimension)” CBS, 1966 I joined The Searchers’ fanclub when I was 11, but the first single I ever bought was “5D (Fifth Dimension)” by The Byrds. I didn’t have the faintest idea what it was on about, and you couldn’t dance to it because it was in waltz time, but it was fantastic. By buying it, I became a music fan – you could tell, because I owned a single by The Byrds! It was the first step. I was living in Kettering, a little out-of-the-way East Midlands market town, and all of a sudden there was psychedelia, which I thought had to do with long hair and colours. I didn’t know about drugs or anything like that, but I knew that there was a new world somewhere and perhaps I could be part of it. Advertisement CREAM Wheels Of Fire POLYDOR, 1968 “Crossroads” was really the only song I would listen to on… Read More →

Hit Singles

Dorothy Carter – Troubadour (reissue, 1976)

That elderly lady in the loft, who had no shower or kitchen, who threw parties for the bohemian crowd, where she played strange, ringing, twanging instruments with a faraway look in her eyes? Around New Orleans they said she lived in a hippy commune before hippies existed, or worked her passage as a cabin girl on a Mississippi steamboat, or ran away to a monastery in Mexico with an anarchist priest. They said she had two kids, that she had studied in Europe and travelled all over the world; some said she was secretly involved in a famous pop group over there, though none knew which; others warned not to speak ill of her, lest she cause her hammers to bludgeon the dulcimer of your heart. JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! These things they said were pretty much true. For Dorothy Carter, whose life ended after 68 years with a stroke in 2003, lived a nomadic, chaotic, private life whose richness found its expression in music – a mesmerizing tapestry of medievalism, folk, songwriting and proto-new age ambient recalled by many who knew her… Read More →

Hit Singles

El Khat – Mute

Both Jewish and Arab, musically omnivorous but unmistakeably Middle Eastern, globe-trotting trio El Khat are a fascinating hot mess of sounds and influences. Their founder, frontman and primary songwriter Eyal El Wahab is part of the huge Yemeni-Jewish population in Israel, mostly children of refugees who fled persecution in Yemen in the late 1940s, a diaspora now numbering over 400,000. Named after the plant famous for inducing mind-bending euphoria, El Khat’s mission is to keep the unsung cultural heritage of their ancestors alive, but on their own terms, adding a healthy dollop of DIY attitude, psych-rock energy and noisy experimentalism. They are promiscuous folk-punk mongrels, not prim world-music puritans. JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! El Wahab grew up on sober classical and sacred Jewish music. Indeed, his unlikely apprenticeship for El Khat was teaching himself the cello in his twenties, then joining the Jerusalem Andalusian Orchestra, who specialise in Arabic music from North Africa. But his sonic horizons were blown wide open by the 2012 crate-digging compilation album Qat, Coffee & Qambus: Raw 45s From Yemen, a treasure trove of lost gems, impassioned vocals and lo-fi arrangements that struck a deep chord with his own… Read More →

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Fred Durst and The Kid LAROI battle killer machines in A24’s ‘Y2K’ trailer

A24 has released the trailer for its upcoming horror-comedy film, Y2K, featuring Limp Bizkit‘s Fred Durst and The Kid LAROI – watch the trailer below. The film, due for release in December, stars Rachel Zegler and IT‘s Jaeden Martell in lead roles as a couple of teenagers who attempt to connect with one another at a New Year’s Eve party on December 31, 1999. As the party counts down to 2000, Y2K takes full effect, and machines all around the world rise up to end the human race. The trailer – aptly soundtracked by Chumbawamba’s ‘Tubthumping’ – also features appearances from Fred Durst and The Kid LAROI among other actors. Watch the trailer for Y2K below. Advertisement [embedded content] Y2K is helmed by Saturday Night Live veteran Kyle Mooney, in what will be his directorial debut. Mooney co-wrote with Evan Winter, while Jonah Hill is billed as a producer on the film. The film is due for release in December. Other cast members include Lachlan Watson, Daniel Zolghadri, Eduardo Franco, Mason Gooding, Lauren Balone, Tim Heidecker and Alicia Silverstone – the last of whom most recently had her own brush with horror earlier this week when she unknowingly ate a… Read More →

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Michaela Coel and ‘Succession’ scribe Jesse Armstrong are making a new series together

Michaela Coel has announced her first new series since I May Destroy You, which she is working on with Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong. Coel’s new series is titled First Day On Earth, a new 10-part drama set to air on BBC One and co-produced by HBO in association with A24. Armstrong will serve as an executive producer on the show. Coel plays British novelist Henri, who goes to her parents’ home country of Ghana after she’s offered a film job there. It doesn’t just offer the opportunity for change she’s crying out for, but a chance to reconnect with her estranged father. Michaela Coel. Credit: Spencer Hewett/BBC Advertisement However, per a synopsis, “neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity – one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her.” “I am delighted to be working with VAL, the BBC and HBO again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands,” Coel said in a press release. “The process of creating… Read More →

Hit Singles

Taylor Swift, Wembley Stadium, London, August 19, 2024

She arrives, of course, as if by magic. As dancers dressed with giant flower petal costumes move around the stage, like extras from Rio Carnival, she appears without warning, popping up from a trapdoor in the centre of a walkway stretching deep into the audience. She is beamed onto a giant screen that covers the length of the stage, her expression suggesting she’s seemingly been caught by surprise – what are you lot doing here? – before she bursts out smiling and the roar of the crowd gets even louder. JIMI HENDRIX, A BIG STAR CD, GILLIAN WELCH, FONTAINES D.C. AND MORE – ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT HERE! You join us on the penultimate European date of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, a trek which began last March in Glendale and concludes in December in Vancouver. The Eras Tour comes trailing its own set of eye-watering statistics – from global pre-sales to attendance figures and box office receipts – accompanied by an unbroken cycle of clickbait news stories, from the price hikes of hotel rooms near the venues to the grilled chicken handed out by Swift’s father to hungry fans and the value of freebie tickets reportedly gifted… Read More →

News

Chappell Roan would “rather get arrested” than get into acting

Chappell Roan has revealed that she’d rather “get arrested” than get into acting – see what the pop star had to say below about a potential career change below. READ MORE: Chappell Roan: the pop supernova who feels like one of the ‘Drag Race’ girls In a new interview with Interview Magazine, Roan was asked by Bowen Yang if she’d consider getting into acting to escape from the demands of touring and performing in music. Roan emphatically shot that down, revealing that she had already been offered lead roles in movies, but turned them down. “I say this with peace, and love, and blessings. Actors are fucking crazy,” she said, before explaining that she gets weirded out by people in the film industry. “Like, I get so freaked out by film people. I’ve been asked in the past couple of weeks, like, ‘You want the lead in XYZ?’ and I’m like, ‘No.’” Chappell Roan performs at Lollapalooza 2024. Credit: Erika Goldring/WireImage Advertisement She then shared that she had initially got into music as a way to “get my foot in the door” for acting, but backed out of the acting idea when she arrived in Los Angeles. “The industry is legitimately… Read More →

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Kanye West seen at Donald Trump rally in Beverly Hills

Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori were seen at a Donald Trump rally in Beverly Hills this weekend. Trump is currently campaigning to be the next President of the United States. Last Saturday (August 17), fans of the Republican candidate showed their support by gathering at the Beverly Hills sign near Santa Monica Boulevard (per FOX 11). In a video uploaded to TikTok, Ye and his wife Bianca Censori were filmed riding past the demonstration in a camouflage-print Tesla Cybertruck. The person who was recording the video walked towards the passenger side of the vehicle, curious to see who was inside. When he saw it was the Chicago star, he yelled, “It’s Kanye!” before also exclaiming Trump’s infamous 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”. @ali.aam.06 WE SAW KANYE AT THE TRUMP RALLY IN BEVERLY HILLS WHAT THE FUCKK #ye #kanyewest #makeamericagreatagain ♬ original sound – Ali ﾒ𝟶 Advertisement West has been a longtime supporter of Trump. Back in 2016 ahead of the businessman’s first run as POTUS, the rapper was a vocal advocate for him. Ye was seen wearing the red MAGA hat synonymous with Trump’s first election run and was often pictured with the president. When Trump… Read More →

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Watch Taylor Swift perform ‘I Did Something Bad’ for first time on ‘Eras’ tour at Wembley Stadium

Taylor Swift has performed ‘I Did Something Bad’ for the first time on the ‘Eras’ tour while at Wembley Stadium – watch fan-shot footage of the performance below. READ MORE: Taylor Swift live in Edinburgh: The ‘Eras Tour’ finally hits the UK On Saturday (August 17), Swift performed the third of her five-night ‘Eras’ tour run at Wembley Stadium which kicked off on August 15 and will wrap up on August 20. For the show, Swift treated fans in attendance to a special song, which she performed during the “surprise songs” segment of her career-spanning show. That song came in the form of the ‘Reputation’ cut ‘I Did Something Bad’, which she performed live for the first time on the tour, and for the first time since 2018. Before jumping into the performance – which came with deafening screams – Swift said to the audience: “I’m gonna do a song that I’ve never done on the tour, that’s one of my favourite songs ever just because you’re that awesome and you deserve something of this calibre.” Watch Taylor Swift perform ‘I Did Something Bad’ live at Wembley Stadium below. 📹 | FULL and CLOSE UP video of Taylor performing ‘I Did Something… Read More →

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Loyle Carner announces he has a new daughter during headline set at All Points East 2024

Loyle Carner announced that he is the father of a new daughter during his headline set at All Points East Festival last night (August 17). The annual All Points East takeover of Victoria Park in London is well under way, with Kaytranada having headlined on Friday (August 16) and Carner taking the top of the bill yesterday. Closing out a set that he described as “the best night of my life”, Carner’s final track was ‘Ottolenghi’, which includes the line, “So I sit and start to wonder on the woman she’ll become / Wonder if I’ll have a son or a daughter”. However, on this occasion, Carner tweaked the lyrics, this time rapping: “Because now I have a son and a daughter”. The news that his new daughter now makes him a father of two was picked up on by the crowd, who cheered the good news. Advertisement See images and clips from Carner’s set below, which also saw him joined by Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch and poet John Agard. Legendary scenes 🧡@loylecarner played the biggest show of his career last night at Victoria Park to a huge hometown crowd! Video by CC Co.#AllPointsEast #LoyleCarner pic.twitter.com/xke8GjQxWv — Uber One presents… Read More →

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PS Plus September 2024 games – confirmed Essential, Extra, and Premium titles

The PS Plus September 2024 games have already been revealed, with the full lineup coming shortly. However, subscribers can look forward to one of the best months of the service yet with two day-one launches. Get the full breakdown on these games, what titles are leaving the service, and more below. PS Plus September 2024 games The PS Plus September 2024 games confirmed so far are: Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – PS5, PS4 (Essential – Available from September 3, 2024) The Plucky Squire – PS5 (Extra, Premium – Available from September 17, 2024) The PS Plus September 2024 games so far were announced ahead of the usual lineup announcement. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions was announced as a PS Plus game back in June. The Plucky Squire was revealed to be a part of the Extra and Premium lineup on August 15, 2024. Advertisement The full lineup of Essential games will be announced on August 28, 2024. The other Extra and Premium games will then be revealed later in September, on September 11, 2024. Credit: WB Games Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – PS5, PS4 (Essential) Your next chapter takes flight! Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Quidditch in Harry Potter: Quidditch… Read More →

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The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart reunite for 2025 European tour

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have announced a series of comeback shows for next year, their first since splitting up five years ago. The band officially announced that they had broken up in November 2019, with frontman Kip Berman writing on Instagram that his life had “changed radically” since the band first formed in 2007 and that he had decided to focus on other projects. The group also included singer and keyboardist Peggy Wang, bassist Alex Naidus and drummer Kurt Feldman and they released their self-titled debut in 2009 together with three further full-length albums, 2011’s ‘Belong’, 2014’s ‘Days of Abandon’ and 2017’s, ‘The Echo of Pleasure.’ [embedded content] Advertisement Now, they have announced that they will be getting back together for a series of shows to celebrate the 15th anniversary of that debut album. The shows will take place in Spain and Portugal in February and March 2025, with tickets going on sale at 11am local time on Tuesday (August 20). You can get yours here. “We got some news!” wrote the band on Instagram on Friday (August 16). “To celebrate the 15 year anniversary of our debut album, we’ll be touring Spain + Portugal in February/March 2025…. Read More →

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Tributes paid after Houston underground rap legend BeatKing dies, age 39

BeatKing, one of the most influential underground figures in Houston rap music, has died at the age of 39. The news was confirmed by BeatKing’s manager Tasha Felder on Instagram on Thursday night (August 15), who invoked his moniker Club Godzilla, writing: ”Today, August 15, 2024 we have lost @Clubgodzilla.” “BeatKing has been the best part of the club for over a decade,” she added. “He has produced and worked with so many artists, that his sound will forever live. He loved his daughters @clubgodparenting, his music and his fans. We will love him forever.” BeatKing – real name Justin Riley – was father to two daughters, as reported by ABC News Houston. TMZ report that he passed away following a pulmonary embolism. He was perhaps best known for his 2020 breakout song ‘Then Leave’, which featured Queendome Come and became a viral TikTok hit that year. The track, taken from his album ‘Gangsta Stripper Music 4’, rose to Number 3 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. [embedded content] He began his live music experience by playing the drums alongside family members in church while growing up in Houston but later established with Club Godzilla persona with the… Read More →