Suki Benjamin

Smashing Pumpkins announce free New York City gig for later this month

The Smashing Pumpkins have announced they’ll play a free show in New York City later this month, with the show serving as a warm-up for their forthcoming North American tour with Jane’s Addiction. READ MORE: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan on being a reformed control freak: “I drove myself with my insecurities” Billy Corgan and co. will deliver an “intimate club performance” at Irving Plaza on Thursday September 22. Tickets are free, but prospective concertgoers will have to win them through a contest that radio station ALT 92.3 are holding – you can put yourself in the running here. The station will begin giving out passes to the show from next Tuesday (September 6). Smashing Pumpkins will officially kick their tour off at the American Airline Center in Dallas, Texas on October 2. From there, they’ll make their way across the United States and Canada, wrapping up on November 19 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. They’ll be joined by Jane’s Addiction for the whole run, as well as Poppy and Meg Myers on select dates. Tickets are available here. Advertisement In May, Jane’s Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins teamed up to perform ‘Jane Says’ together during an appearance on the… Read More →

02SEPNews

Watch Kendrick Lamar’s six-minute ‘We Cry Together’ short film

Kendrick Lamar has released the previously theatre-exclusive short film that accompanies ‘We Cry Together’, his collaborative track with actress Taylour Paige from ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ – making it available to view online nearly two-and-a-half years after it was shot. READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar live at Glastonbury 2022: thought-provoking rapper takes the Pyramid Stage The film was directed by Lamar himself alongside Jake Schreier and Dave Free, with Adam Newport-Berra serving as its cinematographer. It sees Lamar and Paige (best known for her starring role in Zola) take the role of a couple deeply immersed in an inflammatory argument, trading callous insults and personal attacks as they strut around their house, eventually losing track of their fight and having make-up sex on a couch. The song itself notably eschews Lamar’s usual work by being framed solely around spoken-word slam poetry – as Billboard pointed out, those vocals were tracked live-in-camera for the film, which was shot in a single, continuous take on a soundstage. Advertisement Have a look at the film in its entirety below: Originally filmed in March of 2020, We Cry Together screened theatrically in June, with seven showings – one each day between Friday June 3… Read More →

01SEPNews

Harry Styles and Kate Bush top Spotify’s Songs Of Summer lists

Harry Styles and Kate Bush have been named as the leading acts on Spotify‘s new Top Songs Of Summer 2022 steaming report. According to the official post, Styles’ hit ‘As It Was’ has registered over 610million streams on the platform over the past three months alone. The lead single from the star’s third solo album ‘Harry’s House’ is the most listened-to song globally, and claimed the top spot in 24 countries. READ MORE: Kate Bush’s best on-screen syncs – from Stranger Things to Being Human Bush’s classic 1985 track ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ came in at second place on the global run-down, but took the top position above Styles as the most-streamed song of summer in the US. Advertisement As for Spotify’s UK summer chart, Bush landed at Number One while Styles followed at Number Two (via Consequence Of Sound). There’s been a huge renewed interest in ‘Running Up That Hill’ after it featured prominently in the fourth season of Stranger Things, which was released on Netflix as two volumes in May and July. Per Spotify’s report, this led to a significant increase in first-time plays from listeners aged 24 and under. Streams of ‘Running Up That Hill’ among that… Read More →

31AUGNews

Nick Cave narrates audiobook of upcoming memoir ‘Faith, Hope And Carnage’

Nick Cave has announced an audiobook to accompany his new memoir Faith, Hope And Carnage, which he also narrates. READ MORE: EXIT Festival 2022 day two review – Nick Cave delivers an unforgettable emotional release The artist’s upcoming work is based on 40 hours of interviews between Cave and his friend, the Observer journalist Seán O’Hagan, and is released on September 20. It’s not clear if the audiobook is released on the same day – you can pre-order it in the UK here. Faith, Hope And Carnage will cover Cave’s perspective and personal life over the six years following the death of his son, Arthur, who died in July 2015 at the age of 15. Cave also lost his 31-year-old son, Jethro Lazenby, earlier this year. Advertisement Cave narrates along with O’Hagan the audiobook, which was recorded so that the listener – when wearing headphones – is hearing the speech as though they’re sitting between Cave and O’Hagan. Listen to a snippet below. The audiobook was co-directed and co-produced by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who collaborated with Cave previously on the film 20,000 Days on Earth [via Pitchfork]. Faith, Hope And Carnage was recorded by Adam Devenney and Michael… Read More →

31AUGNews

THE BOYZ’s Sunwoo to go on temporary hiatus due to “health difficulties”

Sunwoo of THE BOYZ will be taking a hiatus from group activities due to health concerns. IST Entertainment, THE BOYZ’ management agency, announced that Sunwoo will be taking a temporary hiatus due to “health difficulties” and a “worsening of his condition” through a statement released on the group’s fancafe. 더보이즈 선우 일시적 활동 중단 안내 https://t.co/3ipK4QjWbd — 더보이즈(THE BOYZ) (@IST_THEBOYZ) August 30, 2022 Advertisement “After [a] serious discussion with the artist himself, we have decided that he will temporarily halt activities in order to get rest and focus on recovering his health,” the agency said in their statement, as translated by Soompi. “We ask for fans’ understanding regarding this decision, which was made due to considering our artist’s health our top priority.” IST Entertainment’s statement adds that they will release a new announcement addressing Sunwoo’s recovery and subsequent return to group activities at a later date. Sunwoo is the second THE BOYZ member to go on hiatus from group activities this year. In March, IST Entertainment announced that member Eric went on hiatus due to “difficulties participating in promotions” and health issues. A statement regarding Eric’s return to group activities has yet to be released as of writing. Earlier this… Read More →

30AUGNews

Phoenix tease their new album is coming soon: “Done in the studio”

Phoenix have teased that fans won’t have to wait much longer for their next album, revealing that they are now “done in the studio” and have “new music coming”. READ MORE: 20 albums to get excited about in 2022 The French band, who returned recently with the song ‘Alpha Zulu’, have been working on their seventh album. It will be the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Ti Amo’ and has been described by the group as a “weird Frankenstein of an album”. According to a press release, ‘Alpha Zulu’ foreshadows the sound of Phoenix’s upcoming album, hinting at “bold new sonic horizons.” Advertisement In a tweet shared earlier today (August 30) the band wrote “Done in the studio – new music coming” alongside a video of bassist Deck d’Arcy playing a riff in a recording room. Done in the studio – new music coming pic.twitter.com/DIM4BiQNwQ — Phoenix (@wearephoenix) August 30, 2022 The band shared the music video for their latest single in June and also posted details of a North American and European tour. It kicks off in on September 6 at St. Paul’s Palace Theatre in Minnesota, US before wrapping at Paris’ Olympia venue on November 29. Last year, the four-piece shared… Read More →

30AUGNews

‘Terminator 2′ star Robert Patrick tried to get Nine Inch Nails on soundtrack instead of Guns N’ Roses

Terminator 2: Judgement Day actor Robert Patrick has spoken about the time he tried to get a Nine Inch Nails song on the 1991 film’s soundtrack instead of one by Guns N’ Roses. READ MORE: From the archives – 61 of the greatest film soundtracks ever In a new interview, Patrick revealed that it was lead star Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Terminator) who ultimately rejected the suggestion he’d put to director James Cameron. Instead, Guns N’ Roses soundtracked the sequel with an original song, ‘You Could Be Mine’. Patrick told The Guardian that his younger brother [Richard Patrick of the US band Filter] was a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails at the time, which later inspired him to advocate for the band. Advertisement “When I was making Terminator 2 I used to work out to ‘Head Like A Hole’ by Nine Inch Nails,” said Patrick, who portrayed the villain T-1000 in the movie. Patrick took the song to Cameron and “tried to get him to use it for the soundtrack… but he said, ‘No. Arnold prefers Guns N’ Roses.’” Guns N’ Roses’ ‘You Could Be Mine’ appeared twice in the film: once in a scene where Edward Furlong (as John… Read More →

30AUGNews

Music industry warns UK music studios could close without energy bills support

Figures from the UK music industry have warned that without support to combat rising energy bills, music studios, venues and other businesses could face closure. The government has committed to helping domestic households with rising energy bills, which are expected to soar by as much as 80 per cent in October with an updated price cap, however no price cap has been introduced for businesses in the music, leisure and hospitality sectors. Some music venues have reported their bills rising by between 300 and 740 per cent, according to Music Week, raising costs of running the spaces by tens of thousands of pounds. Advertisement Music Producers Guild executive director Cameron Craig highlighted the issues facing those who run independent recording studios, saying that the COVID pandemic had only recently shown “just how close to the bone” they are run. “The unprecedented energy cost rises are just another body blow to a sector just finding its feet in a post-pandemic recovery once again creating an uncertain future,” Craig said. “We call on the government to help the recording sector or lose an integral part of the UK’s cultural and creative capital.” UK Music back @ukMPG as they warn studios face closure… Read More →

29AUGNews

‘Amy’ director Asif Kapadia to create new docuseries about Camden’s musical history

Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director of Amy Winehouse film Amy, is to create a new docuseries about Camden’s musical history. READ MORE: Asif Kapadia on his new ’70s music doc: “It was such a drug-infused time” The four-part series, titled Camden, is being created for Disney+, and its reveal comes as part of the announcement of a handful of new projects for the streaming service, including a Keanu Reeves-starring documentary about a Formula 1 team, a show on the recent ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial and another documenting fashion in the ’90s. A synopsis for the new show reads: “Camden is a four-part original documentary series, brought to life by Lightbox, the production company founded by Academy-Award-winning producer Simon Chinn (“Man on Wire”, “Searching for Sugar Man”) and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn (“LA 92”, “Tina”) and Asif Kapadia, Academy-Award-winning director of Amy. Day One Pictures, the production company co-founded by Amy Winehouse’s original manager Nick Shymansky, with Jasper Waller-Bridge and Ben Friedman, also serve as executive producers.” Advertisement It adds: “How has a small corner of North London changed music as we know it? This evocative series will reveal the extraordinary untold stories of how the lives and careers of many of today’s… Read More →

29AUGNews

Ed Sheeran joined by Ukrainian band Antytila at Poland gig for live debut of ‘2step’ remix

Ed Sheeran was joined at his Poland gig last week (August 26) by Ukrainian band Antytila – watch them give a live debut of their collaborative remix of ‘2step’. READ MORE: Ukrainian band Antytila talk to us from the frontline: “We try to show people some light” Earlier this year Antytila reached out to Sheeran asking if they could perform remotely at the ‘Concert For Ukraine’ fundraiser event in Birmingham. Organisers refused because the event is “only able to focus on the humanitarian situation” and the band are currently fighting the Russians in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, but Sheeran did say he was going to be checking out their music. Following that, they released a collaborative remix of Sheeran’s track ‘2step’ in May, with Antytila sharing screenshots of conversations they’d had with Sheeran. Advertisement “I’m up for whatever man, just please keep safe,” Sheeran wrote to the group. “The video you sent was so heartbreaking, I’m so sorry all of this is happening. It’s incredible you write lyrics like that considering all that’s going on, I really appreciate it.” At the Warsaw gig on Friday, Antytila came across the border from Ukraine to join Sheeran for his performance. “156,000 in Warsaw! One… Read More →

29AUGNews

Ozzy Osbourne says America’s mass shootings are the reason he’s moving back to England

Ozzy Osbourne has said the troubling amount of mass shootings in the US are why he will be moving back to England, saying he is “fed up with people getting killed every day”. READ MORE: The Big Read – Ozzy Osbourne: “This album saved my life” The legendary Black Sabbath frontman and his wife, Sharon, have “fallen out of love with America”, according to a new interview the pair gave with The Observer. In the August 28 feature, Osbourne had been discussing his family with reporter Craig McLean, who asked why the rock star and his wife – who along with their extended family, have resided in Los Angeles for a little more than two decades – will be moving back to Osbourne’s native England in early 2023. Sharon insisted the decision had nothing to do with her husband’s ill health of recent years. “I knew people would think that,” she said, “It’s not. Advertisement “America has changed so drastically. It isn’t the United States of America at all. Nothing’s united about it. It’s a very weird place to live right now.” Osbourne shared a similar sentiment: “Everything’s fucking ridiculous here. I’m fed up with people getting killed every day. God… Read More →

28AUGNews

Fontaines D.C. talk “lighter” new material and Sam Fender’s epic McDonald’s order

Fontaines D.C.‘s Conor ‘Deego’ Deegan III caught up with NME backstage at Reading 2022, telling us that they might be heading in a “lighter” direction for new material and giving us the lowdown on hanging with Sam Fender and his McDonald’s preferences. Watch our video interview above. Yesterday (Saturday August 27), the Irish post-punk heroes – and winners of The Best In The World at the 2022 BandLab NME Awards – made their Reading & Leeds debut on the main stage, inviting a fan on stage to play guitar on ‘Boys In The Better Land’. Before they hit the stage, bassist Deego spoke to us about the evolution of the band. Advertisement Asked if the new textures and sounds of their acclaimed 2022 album ‘Skinty Fia’ had changed their chemistry as a live band, he replied: “I don’t really know about that. I think that we wanted to make that was very concrete and organised. We did it for the most part with the third album, moreso than the second one [‘A Hero’s Death‘]. “That really elevates our live show more, because the second one was a lot of slow songs and a lot of melancholy. Now we’ve finally got… Read More →

28AUGNews

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp share ‘Sunday Lunch’ bloopers compilation

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp have shared a special edition of Sunday Lunch today (August 28), featuring only bloopers from across their popular YouTube series. The Sunday Lunch series begin in 2020, and Willcox explained last year that it had been born from a desire to keep Fripp inspired and entertained during the coronavirus-enforced lockdowns. Here I am in this house with this 74-year-old husband who I really don’t want to live without,” she told the Guardian. “He was withdrawing, so I thought: ‘I’m going to teach him to dance.’ And it became a challenge.” Since then, the pair have covered a mountain of songs every Sunday from their kitchen, with last week’s (August 21) cover being of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Nookie’. Advertisement This week, the pair have delved into the archives and compiled all the bloopers and false starts from across the series. “Sometimes things don’t go the way they are supposed to,” the video begins. Check it out below. Earlier this month, the married couple covered Grace Jones’ ‘Slave To The Rhythm’, for which they performed from within a building site. The pair were joined by Simon Darlow, the former Buggles member who played on Willcox’s recent album ‘Posh Pop’, to make up the Posh Pop Three. Prior… Read More →

28AUGNews

Enter Shikari say Reading Festival set being cut “wasn’t an act of censorship”

Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds has confirmed that the band’s Reading Festival set being cut short yesterday (August 27) “wasn’t an act of censorship”. READ MORE: The story of Reading & Leeds 2022 – in glorious photos The band were playing the festival’s Main Stage East on Saturday afternoon, when a power outage meant they had to leave the stage and couldn’t return due to tight scheduling. The power outage occurred just after Reynolds made an impassioned speech about polluting water companies including Thames Water, leading many fans on social media to claim that the band were removed from the stage on purpose, rather than because of a genuine power cut. Advertisement Taking to Twitter this morning (August 28), Reynolds quote tweeted a fan who called the incident “political censorship right in front of our eyes” and alleged that the festival had “cut the power” to the band for “speaking the truth about sewage pollution in our waters and Tory greed”. Clarifying the situation, Reynolds wrote: “Just to clarify everyone – it wasn’t an act of censorship, it was a power outage at front-of-house. Immense bad luck, and of course bad timing.” “We then had our set cut as the power… Read More →

28AUGNews

Lynks announces last-minute secret set at Reading Festival 2022

Lynks has announced that they will play a special secret set at Reading Festival 2022 this afternoon (August 28) – get all the details below. READ MORE: The story of Reading & Leeds 2022 – in glorious photos The 2022 edition of the festival concludes today with headline sets from The 1975 and Halsey, while secret sets from Pendulum, Don Broco and more have peppered the weekend. Taking to Twitter to confirm their appearance, Lynks confirmed that they will perform on the BBC Introducing Stage in Reading at 2.45pm this afternoon. Advertisement Get all the details below. ?READING FESTIVAL TOP SECRET SET 2:45PM BBC INTRO STAGE TELL NO-ONE ? pic.twitter.com/iHostofKia — Lynks (@LynksLynksLynks) August 28, 2022 Last night (August 27) at Reading, Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon played co-headlining sets. Reviewing Arctic Monkeys’ UK comeback, NME said: “Whether tonight ranks as one of the band’s definitive sets is still up for debate; the Yorkshire homecoming in Leeds could still take the mantle. But here the band look comfortable in the sweet-spot, one where both chant-along indie classics and more esoteric concoctions can co-exist in each and every setlist.” Bring Me The Horizon, meanwhile, put on “a triumphant, hard-won victory… Read More →

28AUGNews

KISS announce deluxe ‘Creatures Of The Night’ reissue to celebrate 40th anniversary

KISS have announced a deluxe reissue of their 10th studio album, ‘Creatures Of The Night’, set to arrive on November 18 in belated celebration of its 40th anniversary. READ MORE: Horns up! What’s driving film and TV’s metal revival? Alongside a slew of merchandise, KISS will release the 40th anniversary edition of ‘Creatures Of The Night’ in five versions. There’ll be a single-disc CD and vinyl pressing – which will both feature a newly remastered mix of the original nine-track album – as well as a deluxe edition (over two CDs or three vinyl records) with an additional nine demos, rarities and outtakes, and seven tracks recorded live on the 1982/83 ‘Creatures’ tour. Rounding out the slate will be a “super deluxe” edition spread across five CDs, featuring a total of 103 tracks (75 of which are previously unreleased). Priced at a stonking $300 US dollars (£255), that release will include 34 tracks classed as demos, rarities and/or outtakes, 18 live tracks from the ‘Creatures’ tour and six pulled from other shows that KISS played around that time, and seven tracks of sound effects used during the ‘Creatures’ tour. Advertisement Alongside the announcement, KISS shared a previously unreleased outtake from… Read More →

27AUGNews

Watch Ed Sheeran join Bring Me The Horizon at Reading Festival 2022 for ‘Bad Habits’

Bring Me The Horizon were joined by Ed Sheeran during their headline performance at Reading Festival tonight (August 27) – watch them play ‘Bad Habits’ below. READ MORE: The story of Reading & Leeds 2022 – in glorious photos The pair’s remix of Sheeran’s 2021 mega-hit was released in February of this year, and got its live debut at the 2022 BRIT Awards in the same month. Towards the end of Bring Me The Horizon’s 15-song set at Reading tonight, Sheeran joined them once again to play the rock-y version of the pop hit, which featured pyrotechnics on stage. Advertisement The band were playing a co-headline slot at the festival tonight ahead of Arctic Monkeys, and will travel to Leeds tomorrow (August 28) to do the same. Elsewhere in their set, they played tracks from across their discography, opening with ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ and closing things out with ‘Throne’. Watch Bring Me The Horizon and Ed Sheeran perform ‘Bad Habits’ at Reading below, alongside the band’s full setlist from the gig. can you make some noise for ? ED SHEERAN ?@bmthofficial @officialrandl @edsheeran #RandL22 pic.twitter.com/lzU5tCFTAv — BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) August 27, 2022 Bad Habits at Reading Festival 2022Ed… Read More →

26AUGNews

Watch Michael Kiwanuka’s powerful new video for ‘Beautiful Life’

Michael Kiwanuka has shared a gripping new video for track ‘Beautiful Life’ – check it out below. The song was released earlier this year and featured on the Netflix documentary Convergence: Courage In A Crisis, directed by the Oscar winning director Orlando von Einsiedel. The new video is directed by the American director Phillip Youmans. Speaking of the collaboration, Youmans said: “This story is a cautionary tale about our nation’s easy access to, and fascination with, guns. Advertisement “We follow teenagers playing Russian roulette with a parent’s revolver. As each player holds the gun up to their temple, their lives flash before their eyes. When we die, our bodies release DMT; as the chemical fills our bloodstream, it’s said that a person experiences their life flashing before their eyes. So close to their possible death, I wanted to explore these characters through their memories. With each pull of the trigger, the change of death rises and each player deals with varying levels of fear. “Overconfidence and recklessness underline the core themes of this film: life is beautiful and precious, and conformity and exhibitionism can be deadly. Though they’re fearful, they pull the trigger anyway, bowing to the pressure of the moment” You can… Read More →

26AUGNews

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes kick off Reading 2022 with female-only mosh pit

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes kicked off the action on the main stages at Reading Festival today (Friday August 26), playing a blistering early afternoon set and inciting a female-only mosh pit. The first act to take to the Main Stage East of the weekend, Carter and co. worked to up the energy of the early arrivals in the arena. “It is a pleasure to be here at 12.30 in the fucking afternoon, to show you exactly what you should expect from every band here,” he told the crowd. “What a fucking weekend you have ahead of you. Jeez! Open up the mosh pit.” Advertisement Later in the set, Carter paused to deliver a message on inclusivity for the female and non-binary members of the audience. “These mosh pits belong to some very important people,” Carter said before ‘Wild Flowers’. “Men get to the edge and hold your male friends accountable. This mosh pit is for the ladies. I promise you will not see a happier mosh pit all weekend.” Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes crowd surf during Reading Festival on August 26, 2022 in Reading, England. (Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images) Carter then reflected the energy of the crowd… Read More →

25AUGNews

Slaves’ Isaac Holman shares message on mental health: “Approach with kindness, always”

Slaves’ Isaac Holman has shared an emotional post about mental health online. READ MORE: Slaves’ Laurie Vincent and producer Jolyon Thomas on their soft, melancholy new project LARRY PINK THE HUMAN Holman shared a picture of him mid-gig at a festival smiling and seemingly happy. However, he revealed in the post that behind the scenes, he was “unwell” and had to get taken to perform at gigs by his parents due to the debilitating nature of his illness. Advertisement “This is what mental illness can look like,” Holman wrote. “At this point in my life I was so unwell I couldn’t be without my parents. I used to get taken to gigs by them and cry in the car and say I couldn’t do it. “Then I’d get on stage and smash it and no one would have a clue. You never know what’s going on in someone’s head.” He concluded the post: “Approach with kindness always.” You can see the post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by @isaacholman_ Back in March, the Slaves drummer announced details of his debut solo album, released under the name Baby Dave. ‘Monkey Brain’ was self-released on April 22, and features… Read More →

25AUGNews

The 1975 say UK tour news is coming next week

The 1975 have said that news about an upcoming UK tour will arrive in the coming week. READ MORE: New song ‘Part Of The Band’ finds The 1975 ripping up their own rule book The 1975 are gearing up to release their fifth studio album, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, which is set to arrive on October 14 via Dirty Hit. They’ve already previewed the record with the singles ‘Part Of The Band’ and ‘Happiness’. Now, taking to Instagram, the band gave an update about when fans can expect to hear more about a UK tour. Advertisement Matty Healy and co said: “UK tour news, 1 week” and asked fans to sign up via a link here. You can see the post below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by The1975 (@the1975) Meanwhile, the Manchester band will headline Reading & Leeds festival this weekend, having stepped in at the last minute to replace Rage Against The Machine. The band first topped the bill at R&L back in 2019. Reading & Leeds boss Melvin Benn has since hailed The 1975 as “one of the most extraordinary things to happen to the festival”. In a new interview with Music Week, Festival Republic managing director… Read More →