Nicol Ostrc

Liam Gallagher dedicates ‘Champagne Supernova’ in Manchester to fan who died

During his show at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on Wednesday (June 1), Liam Gallagher dedicated the last song of his set – Oasis’ 1996 hit ‘Champagne Supernova’ – to a fan who died earlier this year. READ MORE: Liam Gallagher talks NME through his ‘Firsts’ The song was played in tribute to Grant Taylor, a fan of Gallagher’s who’d passed away in February at the age of 22. It was a request made by Taylor’s sister Katie, who tweeted it to Gallagher last month. She’d initially asked for Gallagher to dedicate ‘Live Forever’ to him, as it was “his chosen funeral song [and] played as we carried his coffin in March”. Katie attended the show using a ticket that Grant had originally bought for himself, and spent the spent the duration of the show holding up a flag that sported a photo of her brother, a blue heart, the acronym ‘GT22’ and the words ‘Live Forever’. Advertisement See footage of the tribute, and the full performance of ‘Champagne Supernova’, below: @liamgallagher you’re amazing?? https://t.co/Kz5RwZM4aR pic.twitter.com/Q94tx5jQ6m — Katie Taylor (@_katiettaylor) June 1, 2022 Gallagher is currently on tour across the UK and Europe in support of his third solo album, ‘C’mon You… Read More →

03JUNHit Singles

Wilco – Cruel Country

After the amiable twang of their 1995 debut A.M. and the more ambitiously conceptual rock’n’roll of 1996’s Being There, Wilco went straight-up pop on 1998’s Summerteeth, trading the pedal steel for an orchestra and treating The Beach Boys as their new Gram Parsons. Country, even alt.country, was far too restrictive, too conservative both musically and culturally, for many bands identified with that movement, and some of the biggest acts – The Old 97s, Joe Henry, The Jayhawks – were toying with power pop and art rock. Few, however, went as far or as hard as Wilco, who by the 2000s were embracing noise and krautrock to capture something essential about America at the turn of the century. ORDER NOW: Queen are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut It’s probably a coincidence that the upcoming 20th anniversary of Wilco’s 2001 breakout album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is preceded by a new studio album that gets back to their country roots. While it’s still a far cry from anything coming out of Nashville at the moment, Cruel Country is self-consciously grounded in classic country music and old-time folk – two styles that influenced Jeff Tweedy’s earliest music 30 years ago, first… Read More →

02JUNNews

Nikki Lane’s new album features members of Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys

Country singer Nikki Lane has announced her new album and confirmed contributions from members of Queens Of The Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys. READ MORE: Arctic Monkeys on the cover: “Science fiction allows you to explore the real world” Released September 23, ‘Denim & Diamonds’ has been produced and mixed by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and sees Lane backed by his QOTSA bandmates Alain Johannes, Dean Fertita, and Michael Shuman. It’s also been confirmed that Arctic Monkey’s Matt Helders appears on the record, as does Autolux’s Carla Azar. The first single from ‘Denim & Diamonds’ was released earlier today (June 2) – check out ‘First High’ below. Advertisement Speaking about the track, Lane said it’s “about chasing that feeling of the first roller coaster, the first drag of a cigarette, that first kiss.” Lane last released an album back in 2017 with ‘Highway Queen’ but did co-write Lane Del Rey’s ‘Breaking Up Slowly’ from 2021’s ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club‘ and they performed it together at the Stagecoach Festival last month. Queens Of The Stone Age have been largely inactive while Homme has been engaged in legal proceedings over custody of his children with ex-wife Brody Dalle, but… Read More →

02JUNNews

Rina Sawayama says her new album is inspired by the “fake stories” on Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’

Rina Sawayama has discussed how she was inspired by the “fake stories” on Taylor Swift‘s ‘Folklore’ for her new album ‘Hold The Girl’. READ MORE: Rina Sawayama at the BandLab NME Awards 2022: an exhilarating performance of extremes The singer’s follow-up to 2020 debut album ‘SAWAYAMA’ is due out on September 2, via Dirty Hit, and was previewed last month with the single ‘This Hell’. In a new interview with Rolling Stone UK about the album, Sawayama spoke of being struck by the way Swift told stories of other people on her 2020 lockdown album, moving away from the autobiographical work of her past. Advertisement “I remember when Taylor Swift released Folklore, I was like, ‘This bitch is writing about fake stories and she just wrote a whole album. If she can do it, I need to do it,’” Sawayama said, revealing that it was too painful to write songs about her own experiences while going through therapy. Discussing how she wants to keep her personal issues out of her songs for the time being, the singer added: “For me, it’s important that the listener is able to listen to it as a pop record first without that background, [and] make their own… Read More →

02JUNNews

Pharrell set to release new collaboration with Tyler, The Creator next week

Pharrell has announced the release details of his upcoming collaboration with Tyler, the Creator and 21 Savage. READ MORE: Tyler, the Creator – ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ review: a love letter to the genre that made him ‘Cash In Cash Out’ is due for release next Friday (June 10) and comes ahead of Pharrell’s upcoming Something in the Water Festival, which will be held in Washington D.C. from June 17 to June 19. The event will be headlined by “Pharrell and Phriends” and feature sets from Tyler, The Creator, Calvin Harris, Lil Uzi Vert, Run The Jewels and Gracie Abrams. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ??? ?? ? ??????? (@pharrell) Advertisement Earlier this year, Tyler, The Creator shared the Pharrell-produced track ‘Come On, Let’s Go’ from the compilation album ‘I Know Nigo’, curated by DJ, fashion icon and A Bathing Ape founder Nigo. Kid Cudi, A$AP Rocky, Lil Uzi Vert and Pusha T also featured. Tyler, The Creator released his sixth studio album, ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’, in June 2021. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “The record stands as an all-encompassing culmination of Tyler’s ever-varying sound, showing that growth isn’t always… Read More →

02JUNNews

The Strokes cancel headline slot at Primavera Sound Festival due to COVID-19 infection

The Strokes have announced they will be cancelling their headline set at Primavera Sound Festival due to a COVID-19 infection within their camp. The band were due to close the Friday night of the festival (June 3) but Caribou will now be taking The Strokes’ place, with Mogwai filling the gap left by Caribou. Taking to Twitter, Primavera wrote: “We have tried everything. We wanted The Strokes to be at Primavera Sound Barcelona this weekend but you can’t always get what you want.” Advertisement “Since we heard about the cancellation of the band’s concert in Boston on May 28, we have been in contact with the band to see how the festival could help make their concert happen. In fact, the band is already in Barcelona, with the exception of one of its members, who can’t travel due to health reasons” A statement shared by the band said: “Due to an ongoing positive COVID-19 case in The Strokes, their Primavera Sound concert tomorrow night has been cancelled. The band will return to the stage beginning next week in Stockholm and will perform on the second weekend of Primavera.” We regret to inform you that The Strokes are canceling their performance… Read More →

01JUNNews

The 1975 confirm fifth album, marking July 7 as significant date

The 1975 have confirmed July 7 as a date of significance ahead of the release of their as-yet-untitled fifth studio album. READ MORE: The 1975: “I just hope that my honesty is not seen as self-indulgent” Earlier today (June 1), speculation began to grow amongst fans who spotted mysterious posters featuring a black-and-white photo from a distance with frontman Matty Healy, and a date of July 7. The band also hinted at new activity by wiping their social media accounts back in February. Advertisement Now, they have confirmed the rumours, marking the announcement with two new photos, taken by collaborator Samuel Bradley. Sharing one of the photos on their Instagram and Twitter, the caption reads: “Your new album. Your new era. Your old friends. The 1975”. The band’s profile pictures on their Instagram accounts have also changed, as has the imagery on their Twitter and Spotify pages. In addition, they have each shared the same cryptic artwork on their individual Instagram accounts. Fans can sign up to receive news on the new album first via the band’s official website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dirty Hit (@dirtyhit) View this post on Instagram A post shared by The1975 (@the1975)… Read More →

01JUNNews

Listen to a preview of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new song ‘Nerve Flip’

Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to share a new song this week – listen to a preview of ‘Nerve Flip’ below. READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Red Hot Chili Peppers: “We feel fresh, like a new band” The song originally existed as a Japanese bonus track from the band’s new album ‘Unlimited Love’. This Friday (June 3) it will now come to all streaming services. Advertisement Preview ‘Nerve Flip’ below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Red Hot Chili Peppers (@chilipeppers) Since its release in March, ‘Unlimited Love’ has gone on to become the best-selling rock album of 2022 so far. The band’s 12th album topped the Billboard 200 chart and the UK albums chart and it has gone to Number One in several other countries since its release. It’s the Californian band’s best-selling album since their 2006 double LP ‘Stadium Arcadium’ and their first since guitarist John Frusciante returned to the band after leaving following that particular record. In a four-star review of the record, NME’s Ali Shutler wrote: “There’s a lot to ‘Unlimited Love’, both in scale and ambition. It’s at once familiar – without being boring – and fresh (but never at the expense of the band’s identity).” Advertisement… Read More →

31MAYNews

Scorpions changed lyrics to ‘Wind Of Change’ because it “romanticised Russia”

Scorpions have revealed why they’ve changed the lyrics to their chart-topping hit ‘Wind Of Change’, explaining that they no longer wanted to “romanticise Russia”. In light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the German hard rockers decided to change the song’s lyrics for their ongoing US and European tour, which opened in Las Vegas on March 26, a month after the start of the invasion. “To sing ‘Wind of Change’ as we have always sung it, that’s not something I could imagine any more,” Meine told Die Zeit. “It simply isn’t right to romanticise Russia with lyrics like: ‘I follow the Moskva/ Down to Gorky Park…Let your balalaika sing’“. Advertisement The band have changed the lyrics to: “Now listen to my heart/ It says Ukrainia/ Waiting for the wind to change,” which are projected on a screen behind the band as they perform. Released in 1991, the perestroika power ballad is the German hard rockers’ most famous song; it was voted song of the 20th century by viewers of the public broadcaster ZDF in 2005. Even though the song was released over a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is widely remembered as the soundtrack to the era of… Read More →

31MAYNews

Fontaines D.C. meet family of the late Margaret Keane, who inspired song ‘In ár gCroíthe go deo’

Fontaines D.C. have met the family of the late Margaret Keane who inspired their song ‘In ár gCroíthe go deo’. READ MORE: Fontaines D.C.: “People are looking to me for answers. What the fuck do I know?” Back in 2020, the band came across the story of Keane, who died in 2018, in The Irish Post. The family of the former dinner lady, who lived in Coventry for most of her life before passing at age 73, had originally planned to have the Irish epitaph “In ár gCroithe go deo” – which translates as “in our hearts forever” – engraved on her headstone. However, a court of the Church of England ruled that the Gaelic phrase could be interpreted as “political” or “provocative” if displayed without an English translation. Advertisement The decision sparked widespread anger among the Irish community and in response, Fontaines D.C., wrote ‘Skinty Fia’’s opener ‘In ár gCroíthe go deo’ (“Gone is the day/ Gone is the night”) in response to the decision. “The story really hit home” Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten told NME after he read about Keane. “I just found it very revealing; it unravelled this cynical distrust in the British perception of Ireland. It was like, ‘Ah, but… Read More →

31MAYNews

Harry Styles makes chart history with ‘Harry’s House’ around the world

Harry Styles‘ hugely successful new album ‘Harry’s House’ has garnered a series of chart accolades and broken numerous records across the world. In addition to recording 2022’s fastest selling album in the UK, Styles achieved the rare feat of simultaneously holding the number one album and number one track (‘Harry’s House’ lead single ‘As It Was’) in a number of countries. READ MORE: The five most wholesome moments from Harry Styles’ One Night Only In London show The accomplishment was made in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Belgium. Additionally, ‘Harry’s House’ went to number one in Norway, Finland and Denmark. Advertisement In the US, the album had the largest first week of 2022 for any album, and was only the fourth album in the last 18 months to earn at least 500,000 units in a single week. Styles’ third consecutive US number one, it extends his record as the first UK male artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with their first three albums, and the biggest sales week for a British male artist’s album since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales data in 1991. ‘As It Was’ has been… Read More →

31MAYNews

Haçienda co-founder says club was nearly founded in a Castlefield warehouse

Alan Erasmus, co-founder of The Haçienda, has revealed that the iconic superclub was almost located in a warehouse in Manchester’s Castlefield area, rather than its now famous site. The club was started in 1982 by Erasmus and his Factory Records colleagues Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, Martin Hannett and Peter Saville, and funded largely by the label and the band New Order. It was located in a former yacht builder’s shop on Whitworth Street West until its closure in 1997. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News to mark the club’s fortieth anniversary, Erasmus – who was already running The Russell Club in Hulme – said that he had pushed for the club to be located elsewhere, and that he and Hannett both voted against its eventual location. Advertisement “Me and Martin didn’t want to do it for different reasons – Martin because he wanted to invest in computers and technology, while I had the Russell Club going at that time, I could see down the line the problems you had coming with gangs and drugs becoming more organised. From that perspective I could see problems.” The former site of The Hacienda is now apartments CREDIT: Commons His preferred location was the derelict Bridgewater’s Warehouse… Read More →

30MAYNews

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong opens up about emotion of ‘Hella Mega tour’

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has opened up about the emotion he felt on the band’s first night of the ‘Hella Mega Tour’. READ MORE: 10 albums that wouldn’t exist without Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ Armstrong has been touring the US with Fall Out Boy and Weezer as part of the tour and spoke to Kerrang! recently about his feelings getting back to playing live after two years away. “The crowd looked like this giant flock of birds freaking out,” Armstrong said of their first tour date. Advertisement “Coming offstage, afterwards, no-one could believe what was happening with this shared experience for all of us. And it was like that every single night. People were just grateful to be alive, to be around people again. It was awesome. We wanted to make it a special tour back in 2019, but when it ended up [happening] it was an unbelievable experience.” Speaking about the opening night of the tour, Armstrong recalled the emotion he felt and feeling overwhelmed: “We sound-checked the day before and I was so overwhelmed by the size [of the place] – it was like the first time I ever played a stadium in my life… “Everyone – the crew, every… Read More →

30MAYNews

N-Dubz add new dates to their UK tour

N-Dubz have added six new dates to their UK tour. It comes after the group announced their return last month while sharing details of a new single and UK arena tour. READ MORE: Tulisa on her big comeback: “I want it to feel like it used to feel when I was in N-Dubz” The London group, which consists of Dappy, Fazer and Tulisa, split in 2011 after releasing three albums together: ‘Uncle B’ (2008), ‘Against All Odds’ (2009) and ‘Love.Live.Life’ (2010). Advertisement After reports about their 2022 reunion first emerged at the start of the year, N-Dubz officially confirmed that they’ve reformed in May. N-Dubz will tour in November and December on their ‘Back To The Future Tour’, marking the group’s first live shows together in 11 years. Now, in addition to those dates already announced, the group have unveiled six new further dates in Cardiff, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester and London. Tickets for the shows are on sale now and you can buy them here. Check out the dates below: November 7 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle 8 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow 10 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham 11 – First Direct Arena, Leeds 12 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham 14 – International… Read More →

30MAYNews

‘Stranger Things’ causes surge in streams of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’

Streams of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ have increased by 153 per cent after the song appeared on the latest season of Stranger Things. READ MORE: ‘Stranger Things’ season four part one review: all the terrifying thrills you’ve come to expect The first volume of season four arrived on Netflix last week (May 27) and Bush’s song features in the first episode of the new show and then prominently in some of the episodes thereafter via key moments involving the character Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink). The song, taken from Bush’s album ‘Hounds of Love’, overtook ‘Wuthering Heights’ on Spotify to become her most popular title on the service after it experienced a 153 per cent surge in streams on Spotify. It was described as “the biggest gainer on the Global Spotify chart” by the streaming giants. Advertisement Elsewhere, the song also went to number one on iTunes. The first part of the full soundtrack, which you can listen to above, was released on May 27. The second volume of the season, and the second part of the soundtrack, will arrive on July 1. As well as Bush, the first part of the collection features tracks from artists including Journey, Talking Heads and… Read More →

30MAYHit Singles

ZeXzy Sparks The “Obsession” Of His Fans With New Single

A God among Gods, ZeXzy is clearly not your average artist. With well-over 3M views on Youtube alone and a few other millions on Spotify with his previously released music videos for the singles “TROWAY” and “My Mind,” the established artist is hungry for more. He just unveiled his new single titled “Obsession,” an infectious song in which he beautifully depicts his magnetic aura that attracts every single woman he meets. Colorful, exotic, and extremely sensual, his new single well-reflects ZeXzy’s natural charisma and sultry energy. The singer-songwriter hails from the ancient city of Benin, in the Edo state of Nigeria. He is signed to Maple Grove Entertainment. Everything started back in his home country of Benin where he used to make jingles for companies, and everyone would keep telling him that those jingles could make great songs. It is shortly after having left Nigeria that he released visuals to his first single “Troway” which helped him build a large fan base of millions. With “Obsession” now under his belt, fans are excited about him pairing the track with visuals, but until then, stream ZeXzy’s new single without moderation! ZeXzy: Instagram – YouTube

30MAYNews

Here’s what went down at Bring Me The Horizon’s “throwback” Malta set

Bring Me The Horizon hosted their own festival in Malta this weekend, and Saturday night (May 28) saw them play a special “throwback” set – see footage, setlist, reaction and more below. READ MORE: Bring Me The Horizon: “I’m like everyone else: confused, scared and angry” Curated by the band themselves, the Malta weekender also hosted Bullet For My Valentine, Nova Twins and Beartooth among others, and earlier in the festival, the band debuted a new song called ‘Strangers’ during a DJ set. During their Saturday night throwback set, the band were joined by a host of special guests and performed rare old tracks that they haven’t played live in over a decade. Advertisement After the set began with the first live performance of ‘Liquor & Love Lost’ since 2008, the band were then joined by Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante for ‘Chelsea Smile’, Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo for ‘Antivist’, Malevolence’s Alex Taylor for ‘Pray For Plagues’, While She Sleeps‘ Loz Taylor for ‘Empire (Let Them Sing)’ and more. Watch footage of the performances and see the full setlist below. alligator blood.@bmthofficial x @staticdress pic.twitter.com/ltlk6VLox6 — Static Dress (@staticdress) May 28, 2022 Chelsea Smile with Courtney of Spiritbox Bring me the horizon Throwback Set in Malta 2022… Read More →

30MAYNews

BTS reveal they finally felt “noticed” in their career after releasing ‘I Need U’

BTS have spoken about the significance of their 2015 single ‘I Need U’ in the group’s career and how that became their breakthrough release. READ MORE: LE SSERAFIM on being HYBE’s first girl group: “Diamonds are made under incredible pressure” On Saturday (May 28), the K-pop juggernauts premiered the first of three episodes from their new Apple Music 1 limited-run series, BTS Radio: Past & Present. During the episode, the group’s members discussed about their past songs and what those songs mean to them. Vocalist Jungkook pointed out how BTS’ 2015 single ‘I Need U’, from their ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt.1’ mini-album, had been a notable turning point in their career. “This song is special to us in many ways,” said the youngest member, describing it as a “great” release. Advertisement “‘I Need U’ got us our very first Number One win on a Korean music show,” Jungkook explained added. “I think back then was when we first got the feeling that we were finally being noticed, finally about to make it.” BTS Radio: Past & Present has since become the biggest show of the year on Apple Music 1, bringing in more listeners than any other… Read More →

29MAYNews

The ABBA Voyage live band are looking forward to playing for “multiple years”

The house live band of the ABBA Voyage digital concerts have spoken to NME about the experience of recreating the magic of the pop legends, and how long they expect to be playing for. Watch our video interview with some of the band above. READ MORE: ABBA Voyage reviewed: an epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world Premiering earlier this week at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Stratford, East London, to a delighted response from fans, the ambitious production sees a “digital” version of ABBA (or ‘ABBAtars’) performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton). Speaking to NME on the red carpet ahead of the performance, guitarist Dom John said that they were “buzzing, locked in and ready.” Advertisement ABBA Voyage concert photos CREDIT: Johan Persson John recalled the first time he met ABBA in rehearsals – when he looked up to find Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson watching him play. “We played one of their songs, and I was playing both guitar parts and then looked up and realised that Benny and Bjorn were standing right in front of me!” he said. “They just looked at each other and said, ‘Ah maybe we don’t need… Read More →

28MAYNews

ABBA Voyage’s creators tell us how they made the show, and what’s next

The team behind the creation of the new ABBA Voyage live experience have spoken to NME about how it was made, as well as what could be next for both the show and the band. Watch our video interview above. READ MORE: ABBA Voyage reviewed: an epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world Premiering earlier this week at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in Stratford, East London, to a delighted response from fans, the ambitious production sees a “digital” version of ABBA (or ‘ABBAtars’) performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton). Working on the show with ABBA were Svana Gisla (who produced Jay-Z and Beyoncé‘s On the Run Tour), choreographer Wayne McGregor, Johan Renck (who directed David Bowie‘s videos for ‘Blackstar’ and ‘Lazarus’), Baillie Walsh (who has directed for Massive Attack and Bruce Springsteen) and producer Ludvig Andersson (son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson and producer of And Then We Danced, Yung Lean‘s ‘In My Head’ and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). Advertisement “We did an awful lot of research and development on this, as you can imagine,” Gisla told NME from the red carpet. “We did two years of trying to figure out what this is. We put a lot… Read More →

28MAYNews

Jack White calls for greater gun control following Uvalde school shooting

Jack White has called for greater gun control in the US following the Uvalde school shooting this week. On Tuesday (May 24), an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School, which teaches children aged seven to 10. Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed that the suspect was later shot dead by responding law enforcement officials. 19 children and two teachers were killed in the attack. It marked the US’ deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting back in 2012, and is the nation’s third-deadliest school shooting in history. Writing on Instagram, White said he was “exhausted…with the ignorant excuses about the inability to fix this problem” and called for greater control of guns in the US. He wrote: “As we tour in Texas these past few days, I can’t help but to feel saddened in so many ways about the latest in a long line of mass shootings, but mostly I’m exhausted. Exhausted with the ignorant excuses about the inability to fix this problem, exhausted with people clinging to their political party or their “side” instead of looking at the issue. “Exhausted with people whining about their “freedom” being more important than rules that help save lives. Like… Read More →