Nicol Ostrc

Watch Kendrick Lamar play a surprise intimate set in New York

Kendrick Lamar played a surprise intimate show in New York over the weekend – check out the videos below. The rapper is currently on the North American leg of his 2022 ‘Big Steppers’ world tour, which began last month. On Saturday (August 6), he took to the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for a second consecutive night. READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar live at Glastonbury 2022: thought-provoking rapper takes the Pyramid Stage As Line Of Best Fit reports, Lamar then headed to the Dumbo House members’ club where he treated attendees to an impromptu show, performing alongside his touring bassist and keyboard player. Advertisement The star was also spotted hanging out with the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, his cousin Baby Keem and Dave Free at the venue. Footage has since emerged of Lamar playing ‘The Heart Part 5’. During the song, he gave a shout out to Jay-Z for allowing him to use the line “I do this for my culture” from his 2001 single ‘Izzo (H.O.V.A.)’. “Hov, good looking out for clearing that motherfucking line,” Lamar said. “You ain’t never charged me for no motherfucking line, dog. I really appreciate that shit.” You can watch the clips in the… Read More →

08AUGNews

Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes and Mat Nichols complete triathlon for Ukraine LGTBQ+ charity

Bring Me The Horizon‘s Oli Sykes and Mat Nichols have completed a triathlon and raised funds for a Ukrainian LGTBQ+ charity. READ MORE: Bring Me The Horizon on stepping up for the scene: “Things are better when you’re not the only one” Over the weekend, Skyles and Nichols posted on Instagram, detailing their first-ever triathlon which consisted of swimming, cycling and running and shared that they’d surpassed their original goal of raising £3,000 for UKRAINEPRIDE. “We did it!” Oli said. “Thank u so much to everyone that sponsored us in our first triathlon 4 @ukraine.pride means the world. I’m going to leave up the donation page til tomorrow would be sick to double our goal (link in bio) but yeah sick thank u!” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oli Sykes (@olobersykes) Advertisement “Had a great time today doing this,” Mat posted. “All for a good cause. Thanks to everyone that donated, me and Ol are dead chuffed to have smashed the target we set for the fundraising.” Earlier this year, the band paid tribute to Ukraine during their BandLab NME Awards 2022 closing set. Taking to the O2 Academy Brixton stage, BMTH, who were proudly displaying the Ukrainian flag… Read More →

08AUGNews

Watch Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox put their ‘Sunday Lunch’ spin on Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’

King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp and wife Toyah Willcox have returned with the latest instalment of their Sunday Lunch series, putting their uniquely off-kilter spin on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1980 hit ‘Crazy Train’. READ MORE: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp’s 10 best lockdown covers – ranked! It’s the second time Fripp and Willcox have paid tribute to the Prince Of Darkness – one of their first Sunday Lunch videos, from all the way back in November of 2020, was a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’. Responding to their take on the 1970 single, Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi told Heavy Consequence: “I think they’ve gone mad, actually. I think this lockdown has drove them mental.” The couple’s new cover sees Willcox pay tribute to Osbourne’s aesthetic with a cross necklace and fringe gloves, which she frequently dangles in front of Fripp (much to his annoyance). As Willcox declares at the end of the video: “We love Ozzy!” Advertisement Have a look at Fripp and Willcox’s ‘Crazy Train’ cover below: Fripp and Willcox have been steadily slinging Sunday Lunches since 2020, when they began the series during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent covers have included Lenny Kravitz‘s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’, AC/DC‘s ‘Back In Black’,… Read More →

08AUGNews

The Seekers frontwoman Judith Durham has died, aged 79

Judith Durham, the former frontwoman of Australian folk-pop outfit The Seekers, has died at the age of 79. Her death was confirmed by The Seekers on Saturday (August 6), with the band writing in a statement that Durham passed after a short stay in the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria (a short ways out from her hometown of Essendon). She was admitted into palliative care a day prior, and died as a result of complications from her lengthly struggle with a chronic lung disease. In a personal statement shared on behalf of her band (which also included guitarists Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley), bassist Athol Guy said: “Our lives are changed forever losing our treasured lifelong friend and shining star. Her struggle was intense and heroic – never complaining of her destiny and fully accepting its conclusion. Her magnificent musical legacy Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share.” Sharing the sentiment was Durham’s sister, Beverley Sheehan, who added: “Judith’s joy for life, her constant optimism, creativity and generosity of spirit were always an inspiration to me.” It is with overwhelming sadness that Musicoast Pty. Ltd. and Universal Music Australia announces the death of… Posted by The Seekers on Saturday,… Read More →

07AUGNews

BLACKPINK confirm release date for new single ‘Pink Venom’

BLACKPINK have revealed the title and release date for their next single, confirming it’ll arrive before the K-pop powerhouse’s second full-length effort drops next month. READ MORE: The 15 best K-pop songs of 2022 – so far In a new teaser shared to social media, the girl group confirmed that the track, ‘Pink Venom’, will be released next Friday (August 19). Fans have also been given the option to pre-save it on Spotify or Apple Music – you can do so here. #BLACKPINK – Pre-Release Single ‘Pink Venom’ Release Poster "Pink Venom" is available for Pre-Save now!✔ https://t.co/YTie4GKtBQ#BLACKPINK #블랙핑크 #PreReleaseSingle #PinkVenom #20220819_12amEST #20220819_1pmKST #Release #YG pic.twitter.com/tzEnE01Qma — BLACKPINK GLOBAL BLINK (@ygofficialblink) August 7, 2022 Advertisement ‘Pink Venom’ will come as the lead single from BLACKPINK’s forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Born Pink’. An exact release date for the album is yet to be confirmed, but in a teaser video shared last week – which also featured a 20-second preview of new music, presumably from ‘Pink Venom’ – the group revealed that it’ll be released sometime in September. According to their label, YG Entertainment, the title for the album – branded as a “comeback project” for BLACKPINK – “implies the identity” of the… Read More →

07AUGNews

Watch Travis Scott perform his first major headline show since Astroworld in London

Last night (August 6) saw Travis Scott give his first major headline performance since last year’s Astroworld tragedy. Performing the first of two sold-out headline shows at London’s O2 Arena – the second coming tonight (August 7) – Scott kicked off the proceedings with a performance of ‘Hold That Heat’. Pyrotechnics framed Scott as he entered on a podium, with much of his set – which included ‘Butterfly Effect’, ‘Way Back’, ‘MAFIA’ and ‘Sicko Mode’ among the 23-song setlist (which you can see in full below) – captured by fans and quickly shared to social media. TRAVIS SCOTT OPENING UP HIS SHOW AT THE O2 IN LONDON!!!!! He’s back ? pic.twitter.com/6DZCqHvMzT — TRAVIS SCOTT FANPAGE (@dailytrvis) August 6, 2022 Travis Scott burned the O2 in London tonight.Goddd he is the best!! ???? pic.twitter.com/sogcevtJCN — Akif (@Akf_333) August 6, 2022 Advertisement @trvisXX Travis Scott at @TheO2 tonight went beyond wild, never seen a crowd like it ? pic.twitter.com/CDf9o2UWPe — AB (@Adam__Baines) August 6, 2022 Notably, the night saw Scott perform ‘God’s Country’, a thus-far-unreleased track featuring Kanye West lifted from his forthcoming fourth studio album, ‘Utopia’. TRAVIS SCOTT PERFORMED A NEW SONG FROM UTOPIA pic.twitter.com/XntxNkwYxF — TRAVIS SCOTT FAN PAGE ? RodeoTheAlbum… Read More →

06AUGNews

Watch Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi busk together on the streets of Dublin

During a casual trip to Ireland this week, Lewis Capaldi linked up with Niall Horan – a longtime friend and occasional tourmate – to busk on the streets of Dublin. READ MORE: The Big Read – Lewis Capaldi: “I make jokes because I’m comfortable with who I am” The pair took to Grafton Street – one of the two main shopping lanes in Dublin’s city centre – yesterday afternoon (August 6), performing a short, unannounced set of acoustic jams with local busker Jacob Koopman. As Billboard pointed out, Koopman is well acquainted with Capaldi’s work, having covered ‘Before You Go’ (from Capaldi’s 2019 album ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent’) last July. Naturally, that song made an appearance in the short, unannounced set – which took place on Grafton Street, one of the two main shopping lanes in Dublin’s city centre – alongside Horan’s 2017 single ‘Slow Hands’, and a cover of Coldplay’s 2000 smash-hit ‘Yellow’. Advertisement Have a look at footage from the session below: Ah lads@NiallOfficial and @LewisCapaldi busking with Jacob Koopman pic.twitter.com/Ux3oWV2TVY — CROSSY (@CrossyTweets) August 5, 2022 The lads@NiallOfficial and @LewisCapaldi Class On grafton Street just now@FM104 pic.twitter.com/CldcJI3kBJ — CROSSY (@CrossyTweets) August 5, 2022 ?| Niall et… Read More →

05AUGNews

Panic! At The Disco share upbeat new single, ‘Local God’

Panic! At The Disco have shared an upbeat new single called ‘Local God’ – check it out below. READ MORE: Panic! At The Disco live: Brendon Urie emerges as the greatest showman The song is the final single to be shared from their upcoming new album, ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ after the title track was previously shared and last single, ‘Middle Of A Breakup‘. Speaking about the album’s title track recently, frontman Bronson Urie said: “’Viva Las Vengeance’ is a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn’t have before. Advertisement “I didn’t realize I was making an album and there was something about the tape machine that kept me honest.” The album is set to be released on August 19 via Fueled By Ramen and will focus on “the fine line between taking advantage of your youth, seizing the day and burning out,” according to a release. It’s also said to take an introspective look into the singer songwriter’s decade-plus career and his experiences with growing up in Las Vegas, love, and fame. Check out the video for the latest track here: The band have also announced that they will… Read More →

05AUGNews

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck reviewing claims they stole lyrics from a poem

Representatives for Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have said the duo will review allegations they stole lyrics from a poem on their collaborative album ’18’. The poem Hobo featured in a 1974 book about toasts, Get Your Ass In The Water And Swim Like Me, by Bruce Jackson, reports Rolling Stone. It revolves around a man named Slim Wilson who also vocalised the poem and featured the following lyrics: “Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there one among you that would grant me wine?/ I’m raggedy I know, but I have no stink/ And God bless the lady that’ll buy me a drink/ Heavy-hipted Hattie turned to Nadine with a laugh/ And said, ‘What that funky motherfucker really need, child, is a bath.” Advertisement Depp and Beck’s collaboration ‘Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade’ has allegedly pulled a number of lines from the poem including: “I’m raggedy, I know, but I have no stink,” “God bless the lady that’ll buy me a drink,” and “What that funky motherfucker really needs, child, is a bath.” Jackson claims that he hasn’t been credited by Depp or Beck. Now, a spokesperson for Depp and Beck said: “We are reviewing the inquiry relating to the song… Read More →

05AUGNews

John Legend says Donald Trump is reason why he and Kanye West aren’t so close

John Legend has said that Donald Trump is the reason why he and Kanye West aren’t as close friends any more. READ MORE: ‘Donda 2’: Kanye West’s ego is scuppering these half-baked, dashed-off sounding songs The singer-songwriter said in a new interview that their political divisions proved to be too much to maintain their friendship as strongly following years of creative collaborations. Legend told The Axe Files podcast: “[Kanye and I] aren’t friends as much as we used to be. I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump, I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.” Advertisement West was one of the producers on Legend’s 2004 debut album ‘Get Lifted’ and released the record on his own GOOD Music label. The pair have collaborated numerous times. John Legend performing live in 2021. Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Nordstrom. Legend added that he couldn’t support West’s 2020 US presidential run: “I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that. And we really haven’t been close since.” The musician added that despite their drifting friendship, he still respects West and admires his honesty. “I think he’s… Read More →

05AUGHit Singles

Lee Bains & The Glory Fires – Old-Time Folks

Like so many artists from the Deep South, Lee Bains is conflicted about his upbringing to the point of obsession. Albums like Deconstructed and Youth Detention have been filled with songs that explore his roots and the complex socio-political legacy of the South, usually set to an energetic musical accompaniment that owes more to The Clash than Skynyrd. Old-Time Folks sees Bains – once of the Dexateens – on familiar lyrical territory, but musically he has tried to slow down a little, introducing elements of folk and country with the assistance of Drive-By Truckers producer Dave Barbe. ORDER NOW: Wilco are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut Bains is a fascinating character, straddling the polarised worlds of red and blue America. His evocative poems about Southern food have featured in The New Yorker, and he holds down a day job in construction and maintenance. His sometimes tortured need to balance these two worlds have led to his songs becoming perhaps overly verbose, but here he made a conscious attempt to write singalongs in the style of Billy Bragg or classic folk. That said, there are still breakneck epic screeds such as “The Battle Of Atlanta”, an epic… Read More →

04AUGNews

Lady Leshurr calls out Cardi B over ‘Cheap Ass Weave’ sample

Lady Leshurr has called out Cardi B for using a sample from her song ‘Queen’s Speech 4’ on one of her tracks. The sample went on to appear on Cardi’s 2015 track ‘Cheap Ass Weave’, which Leshurr has now called her out on for allegedly not giving her a credit or a single penny in royalties. The exchange began with Leshurr tweeting a follower: “You mind asking Cardi if she can break me off a likkle change she used my beat/idea before her big break and is now a millionaire and I got paid 0. (sic)” Advertisement Cardi then hit back saying: “I made like 2 dollars of that song ….you want the other dollar?” before Leshurr said she was more “mad” about not receiving a credit. I made like 2 dollars of that song ….you want the other dollar ? — Cardi B (@iamcardib) August 2, 2022 She added: “Would b nice but tbh I just wanted my credit & it’s mad I had to tweet banter 4 a response when I dm u years ago about it. “I was cool wen I thought it was just YT cover but it’s on streaming sites as ‘cheap azz weave’ nw… Read More →

04AUGNews

The 1975 praise Jack Antonoff for identifying “what an artist is really good at” in producing new album

The 1975‘s Matty Healy has praised Jack Antonoff for his work on the band’s forthcoming album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’. READ MORE: New song ‘Part Of The Band’ finds The 1975 ripping up their own rule book The singer said in a new interview that Antonoff’s reputation is often that of being a “busy”, in-demand producer but that he wanted to stress just how “good” and incisive a producer he is. Antonoff, who also fronts Bleachers and Fun, is known for working with high-profile stars including Taylor Swift, Lorde and Florence + The Machine. Explaining to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 how the collaboration came about, Healy said: “We spent the whole of 2021 trying to figure out what [the new album] was. It wasn’t as obvious as it seemed by the time we got to the beginning of this year and made the record. We tried loads of different things. It was like some kind of continuation of ‘Notes [On A Conditional Form’] for a little bit. Advertisement “And then what happened was Beabadoobee was making a record and Jack Antonoff was maybe going to do it,” he said. “So that’s when me and Jack Antonoff… Read More →

03AUGNews

Listen to The Lounge Society’s breezy new single ‘Upheaval’

The Lounge Society have shared a new track called ‘Upheaval’ – you can listen to it below. The breezy, acoustic guitar-driven single serves as the latest preview of the Yorkshire band’s debut album ‘Tired Of Liberty’, which is due to arrive on August 26 via Speedy Wunderground (pre-order here). READ MORE: The Lounge Society: Yorkshire teens making political punk for the dancefloor “‘Upheaval’ has a calmer atmosphere than anything we’ve done before and looking back on the album as a whole, it may in fact be one of the most important tracks on there,” the group explained in a joint statement. Advertisement “In the studio Dan [Carey, producer] really helped us bring a certain vintage feel to life – with deep textured acoustic guitars, heavily impacted by the ambient room mixing we focused on in the closing stages of the album.” They continued: “This song, more than anything else we’ve ever done, feels like us together as four mates playing a song that we love.” Tune in here: ‘Tired Of Liberty’ has also been previewed by the recent songs ‘Blood Money’ and ‘No Driver’. You can check out the full tracklist below. 1. ‘People Are Scary’ 2. ‘Blood Money’ 3. ‘No… Read More →

03AUGNews

Listen to Sad Night Dynamite’s groovy new single ‘What Does That Make Me?’

Sad Night Dynamite have shared a new single called ‘What Does That Make Me?’ – you can listen to it below. READ MORE: Sad Night Dynamite: freaky alt-pop beats to dominate festival season The Glastonbury duo – comprising Archie Blagden and Josh Greacen – have described the upbeat, groove-led track as “a brief lapse in the nightmare that is SND”. It tackles the times when “you’re pranging out, wondering what people would think of you if they saw the way you were behaving”, the band continued. Advertisement “Would you act the same way if someone was watching you? Would they think differently of you? Therefore, should you look at yourself differently? Who’s the real you? The version people see, or the person you are behind closed doors?” Sad Night Dynamite are set to perform at Reading & Leeds 2022 later this month. Following a run of European dates, they’ll return to the UK in October for headline shows in London, Manchester and Bristol. You can see the full list of upcoming concerts here, and find any remaining tickets (UK) here. The pair were named by NME as one of the 20 essential rising bands and artists to see at this… Read More →

02AUGNews

Frank Turner on playing 50 US states in 50 days: “It was brutal”

Frank Turner has spoken to NME about the “brutal” experience of playing shows in 50 US states in 50 dates. The punk troubadour told us how he became the third artist ever (and first non-American) to complete the challenge of playing 50 states in the space of 50 days, after George Thorogood did so in 1981 and The Melvins in 2012. Speaking to NME from an airport in Hawaii after he and his band The Sleeping Souls finished the trek this week, Turner described his mood as “shell-shocked”. Advertisement “I had the idea of playing 50 states in 50 days prior to the pandemic, and it’s been on ice for the last little while,” he said. “In the context of post-pandemic touring, it seemed like a cool way to hit the ground running and a re-statement of intent. “I’m on my ninth record and my 17th year of touring as a solo artist, and this isn’t a bad thing to have a hook to hang a tour off.” Frank Turner played 50 US states in 50 days. Credit: Supplied However, Turner revealed that the tour didn’t come without its fair share of obstacles. “Insanely enough, I actually got COVID for the… Read More →

02AUGNews

The 1975 share a clip of their new song and video for ‘Happiness’

The 1975 have shared a short clip of their new song and video for their upcoming release, ‘Happiness’. Check it out below. READ MORE: New song ‘Part Of The Band’ finds The 1975 ripping up their own rule book The band shared the clip on Twitter and confirmed that the new song would be arriving tomorrow (August 3) at 5:30pm. The Manchester group returned earlier this month with the track ‘Part Of The Band’, which served as the first taste of their fifth album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ (out October 14 via Dirty Hit). Advertisement The latest song has already been teased with a poster campaign in London and frontman Matty Healy recently shared a black-and-white image of himself in the studio with the upcoming song’s title appearing as the caption. HappinessThe official video premieres tomorrow, 5.30pm bsthttps://t.co/NQyDYFj4lM pic.twitter.com/8tOMplW29q — The 1975 (@the1975) August 2, 2022 In a four-star review, NME said that The 1975 were “unafraid to rip up their own rule book” with their latest single. It added: “If ‘Part Of The Band’ is anything to go by, Healy and co. are clearly confident in their stature as one of the most provocative yet revered groups going,… Read More →

02AUGNews

Central Cee announces London and Dublin shows as part of 2022 world tour

Central Cee has announced a world tour for later this year, which includes a London and Dublin show – tickets will be available here. The rapper, who released his second mixtape ’23’ in February, will hit the road for a run of North American headline shows in October before heading to Europe at the end of that month. READ MORE: Central Cee: Big Sean-endorsed west London rapper whose career finally thrived during lockdown His European leg includes stop-offs in cities such as Madrid (October 31), Barcelona (November 1), Paris (7), Amsterdam (10), Berlin (13) and Stockholm (17). Advertisement On November 20, Central Cee will take to the stage at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin ahead of returning to the UK to play Alexandra Palace in London on November 22. The latter date is billed as a “UK headline exclusive”. Tickets go on general sale at 10am BST this Friday (August 5) – you’ll be able to purchase yours from here. Fans can access a pre-sale for the London gig at the same time tomorrow (August 3) by signing up here. Two shows in Australia – one in Melbourne, the other in Sydney – will precede the North American, European and UK/Ireland… Read More →

02AUGNews

Nile Rodgers & Chic announce ‘End Of Summer Party’ gigs in London and Manchester

Nile Rodgers & Chic have shared details of two ‘End Of Summer Party’ gigs in London and Manchester for later this year. READ MORE: “‘Let’s Dance’ was the easiest record I’ve ever made…” – Nile Rodgers remembers David Bowie The funk and disco legends will play the O2 Academy Brixton in London on September 19 and the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on September 21. Tickets go on sale this Friday (August 5) at 10am BST here. Advertisement Nile Rodgers said: “After the blues of COVID we’ve had an incredible summer in the UK getting up front and close with all of our incredible fans. What better way to celebrate the last day of summer and the first day of autumn than with our final UK shows of the year at Brixton and Manchester.” He added that he wants the England Women’s football team to join them after their Euros 2022 victory against Germany on Sunday (July 31). “We want to invite all the Lionesses who’ve made the whole country so proud to get up on stage for what will truly be ‘Good Times!’” he added, referencing Chic’s 1979 hit single. Nile Rodgers. CREDIT: Lorne Thomson/Redferns Meanwhile, in a recent… Read More →

31JULNews

BLACKPINK share snippet of fiery new song in ‘Born Pink’ teaser video

BLACKPINK have begun the promotional rollout for their hotly awaited second album – titled ‘Born Pink’ – with the release of a new teaser video. READ MORE: K-pop’s fourth generation girl groups need to give the girl crush concept a rest The clip offers a little over 20 seconds of new music, with a bold, Latin-style guitar lead and sharp, clap-heavy beat swelling into a fake-out drop while modulated voices chant, “BLACKPINK!” It also outlines the first few parts of the timeline for BLACKPINK’s new era, re-confirming that the album’s lead single will arrive in August, before the full record is released in September. A month later, BLACKPINK will embark on an ambitious world tour, which their label, YG Entertainment, has boasted will mark “the largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group”. At the time of writing, the group – which consists of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa – are yet to announce dates for the first leg of that tour. Advertisement “The name for this comeback project is ‘Born Pink,’ which implies the identity of BLACKPINK, which is never ordinary and will exude a fatal aura,” YG Entertainment said in a statement, per Yonhap news… Read More →

31JULNews

Britney Spears’ upcoming new memoir reportedly delayed by a paper shortage

Britney Spears’ upcoming new memoir has reportedly been delayed by a paper shortage. READ MORE: Controlling Britney Spears review: toxic conservatorship back under the microscope The much-anticipated memoir, which is expected to explore the 13-year conservatorship the musician was placed under until last year, is finished but has now been hit by production delays, according to reports. As reported in TMZ, the worldwide supply shortage has impacted publications of many books. The planned release date for Spears’ memoir was initially January, which is when publisher Simon & Schuster hoped to have the book on shelves. Advertisement Simon & Schuster have yet to confirm an alternate release date. NME has reached out to the publisher for comment. Britney Spears CREDIT: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic Spears recently shared a video of herself singing an a cappella version of her hit single ‘Baby One More Time’. The video came soon after Britney secured another legal victory, with her father Jamie Spears ordered to give a deposition and answer questions about his alleged misconduct at the helm of the pop star’s now-terminated conservatorship. “I haven’t shared my voice in an extremely long time … maybe too long,” Spears wrote on Instagram alongside the video of her singing the hit 1998 song…. Read More →