Suki Benjamin

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Lykke Li returns with sombre new single ‘No Hotel’

Lykke Li has shared her first new song in two years – listen to ‘No Hotel’ below. READ MORE: Lykke Li tells us about working with Mark Ronson and Courtney Love, and “going out in style” with new material The Swedish singer-songwriter’s new track is co-produced with longtime collaborator Björn Yttling, who worked with her on her first three albums ‘Youth Novels’, ‘Wounded Rhymes’ and ‘I Never Learn’. ‘No Hotel’ is a quiet, melancholic release, with Li’s gentle vocals reminiscing about a former love. The track opens with the lyrics “There’s no hotel / No cigarettes / And you’re still in love with someone else“. Advertisement It follows Li’s 2020 return with new single ‘BRON’. The song, sung entirely in Swedish, was written by Li in collaboration with fellow Swedes, artist Little Jinder and composer Ludwig Göransson, most famous for his work with Childish Gambino. It was the singer’s first new music since her ‘Still Sad Still Sexy’ EP in 2019, which served as an extension to her 2018 album ‘So Sad So Sexy’. Last year, Li released a 10th-anniversary edition of her album ‘Wounded Rhymes’. A digital reissue featured unheard demo versions of the album’s biggest hits including ‘Jerome’, ‘I Follow Rivers’ and… Read More →

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London’s new MSG Sphere venue given green light despite objections from The O2

The MSG Sphere, a new arena set to open in London, has been given the go-ahead despite objections from The O2 operator AEG. First announced back in 2018, the 21,500-capacity venue is the brainchild of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp (MSG), the team behind the iconic New York venue of the same name. It will become the UK’s largest concert arena. The MSG Sphere will sit on a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) site in Stratford that was purchased by MSG. The land, which is adjacent to both the Olympic Park and the Westfield shopping centre, was used as a coach park during the 2012 London Olympics. Advertisement After futuristic mock-up images of the venue were published in 2019, MSG shared further details about the new space in September 2020 – including the news that Network Rail had withdrawn its initial objection to the construction of the arena. As Music Week reports, however, over 1,000 local residents formally opposed the planning application while AEG – the operator of The O2 Arena in Greenwich – objected due to the Sphere’s proximity to its own 20,000 capacity venue, which is just four miles away. Despite these concerns, the MSG Sphere was approved by planning authorities… Read More →

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Rosalía shares mind-bending ‘Montomami’ performance designed to be watched on a phone

Rosalía has shared a new half-hour video, which sees the musician performing tracks from across her recently-released album ‘Montomami’. READ MORE: Rosalía – ‘Motomami’ review: an electrifying serve from a left-field mastermind The unique visuals were designed to be watched on a phone. The footage constantly flips between portrait and landscape orientations, and requires the viewer to move their screen along with it. The video, first broadcast via TikTok LIVE, features elaborate choreography, POV shots, a brief behind the scenes segments including a surprise birthday party for a crew member and more. Advertisement During the track ‘La Combi Versace’, Dominican rapper Tokischa appears via TikTok’s ‘duet’ feature in order to rap her guest verse. ‘Montomami’ was released last Friday (March 18) to critical acclaim. In a five-star review, NME said: “Rosalía begins her third album by singing about transforming herself with “makeup de drag queen” and ends it with a burst of well-earned applause. In between are 40 minutes of the most thrilling, forward-thinking and discombobulating music we’re likely to hear all year. “…Rosalía isn’t so much carving out her own lane as building her own ultra-modern, super-bendy sonic motorway. It’s one you’ll want to hurtle down again and again.”… Read More →

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Listen to Bright Eyes cover Elliott Smith’s ‘St. Ides Heaven’ for reissue series

Bright Eyes have covered Elliott Smith‘s ‘St. Ides Heaven’ for their ‘Letting Off The Happiness: A Companion’ special release – listen below. READ MORE: Bright Eyes: “I hope our music makes people feel less alone” Last month the band, comprising Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcot, announced they will reissue all nine of their studio albums along with a Companion EP for each LP featuring new recordings of songs from the original release. A cover version from an artist the band found particularly inspiring at the time accompanies each reissue. Today (March 22) the band have shared their Smith cover for their 1998 album’s reissue, which lands with the new release on May 27. Bright Eyes’ first three albums – ‘A Collection Of Songs Written And Recorded 1995-1997’, 1998’s ‘Letting Off The Happiness’ and 2000 LP ‘Fevers And Mirrors’ arrive on the same May date. Advertisement In February the band shared new recordings of ‘Falling Out Of Love At This Volume’, ‘Contrast And Compare’ featuring Waxahatchee, and ‘Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh’ with Phoebe Bridgers from the six-track Companion EPs. “It’s a meaningful way to connect with the past that doesn’t feel totally nostalgic and self-indulgent,” frontman Oberst said previously… Read More →

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50 Cent scorns network for taking “too long to green light” his projects

50 Cent has hit out at network Starz over the rollout of his series Power Book IV: Force. READ MORE: The biggest moments from the Super Bowl Halftime Show 2022 The rapper took to social media to explain why he won’t have a series airing on Starz for the next six months. “I have 4 more episodes of FORCE, then I don’t have anything airing on STARZ for six months so y’all know the vibes,” he wrote on Twitter. Advertisement Responding to a fan’s enquiry about the forthcoming hiatus of Power, 50 Cent returned to Twitter to explain: “FORCE is the highest rated premier of any show on the network. “When they take too long to green light it, it pushes the production time line back. after tonight’s episode there are 3 left, April 10 it’s a wrap. Then 6 months till i have anything new.” 50 also reposted a video a fan addressing the network, saying: “we only here because of him,” “you don’t gotta go out like this 50, we gon’ take care of Starz,” and “I’ma make sure nobody watch Starz again.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) The rapper responded: “LOL I’m sorry man… Read More →

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Staind’s Aaron Lewis on Ukraine: “Maybe we should listen to what Vladimir Putin is saying”

Staind‘s Aaron Lewis shared right wing conspiracy theories about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during an onstage rant last week (March 17). READ MORE: Ukrainian artists on the Russian crisis: “Now is the time to push for change” While playing a solo show, Lewis seemingly backed a baseless argument that Russian President Vladimir Putin is invading Ukraine in order to dismantle the so-called ‘Deep State’ – a clandestine government sect formed to undermine former President Donald Trump. “So, I’m not gonna go into some big get-myself-in-trouble dissertation. All I’m gonna say is this: question everything. Everything that they’re telling you right now is a lie. Everything,” Lewis said [per Blabbermouth]. Describing the US as “the most corrupt country in the world,” he added: “I don’t know who’s worse – the Democrats that are trying to destroy this country or the Republicans that sit idly by while they do so.” He then said that the US government “have you convinced that we all need to support Ukraine even though all of their money laundering systems, all of their everything, the way that they get all their kickbacks and they wash everything is all through the Ukraine”. He then shared a swathe of COVID-related… Read More →

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Watch Tool’s Maynard James Keenan prank drummer Danny Carey with a dildo

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has shared a video of himself pranking drummer Danny Carey with a dildo during a recent concert in the US. READ MORE: Tool – ‘Fear Inoculum’ review The clip, which you can view below, sees the frontman crouching down behind Carey’s drum kit with a dildo, which he uses to replace the drummer’s gong mallet. When Carey reaches for his mallet, he instead grabs the plastic phallus, and hits the gong with it. Advertisement It is the second time in the last month the frontman has pranked his bandmate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tool (@toolmusic) He previously shared a humorous clip of himself trying to play Jenga behind Carey. However, Keenan’s game was ruined after Carey smashed his giant gong at the back of his drum set, causing the frontman to jokingly yell: “What the fuck! What’s wrong with you?!” Last Friday, Tool shared their first video in 15 years with ‘Opiate²’, a re-imagined and extended version of Tool’s 1992 single ‘Opiate’, with both the song and video marking the 30th anniversary of the EP of the same name’s release. Meanwhile, the band are due to hit the road for their… Read More →

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Willie Nelson announces tour with Jason Isbell, ZZ Top and more

Willie Nelson has announced the return of his Outlaw Music Festival Tour, with special guests to appear at each date – see the full line-up below and buy tickets here. READ MORE: Willie Nelson – ‘The Willie Nelson Family’ review: a tender passing of the torch The annual festival begins in June in St. Louis, finishing up in Philadelphia in September. Willie Nelson and Family will headline each date while being joined by a host of musicians along the way. The line-up includes Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, ZZ Top, Chris Stapleton, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Gov’t Mule, Allison Russell, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Charley Crockett, The Avett Brothers, Brittney Spencer, Brothers Osborne, Larkin Poe, Zach Bryan, The War and Treaty, and Billy Strings. Advertisement “The Outlaw Music Festival Tour has always been about family and friends coming together for a great day of music and fun,” Nelson said in a statement. “With the amazing group of artists joining us, this year promises to be our most special Outlaw Tour to date.” Joining the Outlaw Music Festival Tour with @willienelson, @theavettbros, @jasonisbell, @nrateliff,@charleycrockett & so many more !! ?Presale begins Wednesday, March 23 @ 10AM (local): https://t.co/yWXG8UP0Ks… Read More →

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Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello for ITV’s ‘Concert For Ukraine’

Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello have been announced for ITV’s Concert For Ukraine at Resort World Arena in Birmingham next week – get tickets here. READ MORE: Ukrainian artists on the Russian crisis: “Now is the time to push for change” They’ll be joined by the likes of Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter and Snow Patrol with further announcements to be made in the next few days. Announced last week, the two-hour benefit show will air March 29 on ITV in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Advertisement Additionally, all sponsorship and advertising revenue generated from the broadcast of the event – which is expected to raise over £3million – will be donated by ITV to the DEC fund. Tickets for the event, which is being held at Birmingham’s Resort World Arena, go on sale tomorrow (March 22). ?? @Camila_Cabello, @edsheeran, @emelisande, @GregoryPorter and @snowpatrol are the first performers to be announced for Concert for Ukraine, a two hour fundraiser event raising money for the @decappeal humanitarian appeal in Ukraine on Tuesday 29 March on ITV ? pic.twitter.com/TnoBCfWX3f — ITV (@ITV) March 21, 2022 Speaking about the crisis, Camila Cabello said: “My heart is breaking for the… Read More →

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Machine Gun Kelly announces huge US, UK and European ‘Mainstream Sellout’ tour

Machine Gun Kelly has announced details of a massive world tour behind his new album ‘Mainstream Sellout’ – get tickets here and see the dates and support acts below. READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever” The rapper-turned-pop-punk star’s new record is due out this Friday (March 25) following on from a string of collaborative singles – ‘Ay’ with Lil Wayne, ‘Emo Girl’ with Willow Smith and ‘maybe’ ft. Bring Me The Horizon. At the start of June, Kelly will begin the North American leg of the ‘Mainstream Sellout’ tour, which will see him supported by Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, WILLOW, PVRIS and more. Advertisement A UK and European tour then begins in September, running through to October and featuring a London date at Wembley Arena. Tickets for all dates go on sale on Friday (March 25) at 10am local time. Pick up tickets for the North American dates here, and the UK/European gigs here, and see a full list of all dates and corresponding support acts below. Machine Gun Kelly. CREDIT: Jeff Hahne/Getty Images Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Mainstream Sellout’ 2022 tour dates and support acts are as follows: North… Read More →

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Rapper Goonew shot and killed following incident in Maryland

Rapper Goonew has been killed following a shooting incident in District Heights, Maryland. He was 24 years old. The rapper, who was also known as Big Whizzle, died on Friday (March 18) after being shot. His death, which was confirmed to The Washington Post by his manager, comes nearly two years after he survived another shooting attempt in 2020. Writing on Twitter after that, he posted: “I Ain’t Never Show This Pictures But July 5th Last Year They Told My Mother I Was Dead I Came Back… I’m Blessed & thankful I’m Still Here.” It is not yet known if the two incidents are connected. Goonew first made a name for himself in 2017 after working with Lil Dude, before signing with Hoodrich Pablo Juan. He had released several mixtapes including ‘Hey Auntie’, ‘Big 64’ and ‘Goonwick 2’. He developed his style and fanbase over the next four years, with The Washington Post describing his music as “timeless”. An obituary from the newspaper said: “The 24-year-old Maryland rapper had a gift for smearing time, phrasing his rhymes slightly in front of the beat, making the present moment feel weightless and imprecise. It gave his music an enchanted atemporality, but for Goonew, it… Read More →

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Will Butler leaves Arcade Fire: “Time for new things”

Will Butler has announced that he’s quit Arcade Fire after two decades in the band. READ MORE: Arcade Fire’s Will Butler on mining his family history: “It’s no coincidence me and my brother are musicians” The band were founded by multi-instrumentalist Butler’s brother Win in Montreal in the early 2000s, with Butler joining in 2004 ahead of their debut album, ‘Funeral’. The band returned this week with news of sixth album, ‘WE’, and a video for first single ‘The Lightning I, II’, in which Butler did not appear. In a new series of tweets posted tonight (March 19), Butler has revealed that he left the band at the end of last year, saying that it is “time for new things” and that the band remain his “friends and family”. Advertisement Butler wrote: Hi friends— I’ve left Arcade Fire. I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete. There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed—and the band has changed—over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things.” I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete. There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed—and the band has changed—over… Read More →

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Greta Van Fleet postpone US shows after guitarist hospitalised with pneumonia

Greta Van Fleet have postponed a series of upcoming US shows after guitarist Jake Kiszka was hospitalised with pneumonia. READ MORE: Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Greta Van Fleet The Michigan rockers are currently on tour in the States behind 2021 album ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’, kicking off the ‘Dreams In Gold’ tour on March 10 in Michigan. Earlier this week, the band postponed gigs in Flint and Ypsilanti on March 16 and 17 respectively, revealing that brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka woke up unwell. Advertisement The band have now confirmed in a follow-up post that Jake had been hospitalised with pneumonia, meaning tonight’s (March 19) show in Huntington, West Virginia is also postponed. They wrote on Instagram: “While Josh has mostly recovered, Jake’s diagnosis is more complex. What started as a small cough on Tuesday rapidly progressed overnight requiring his admission to the hospital yesterday. The last 24 hours have been arduous as doctors were unsure of the exact illness. Fortunately, after further evaluation, they are confident in their diagnosis of pneumonia and an optimal course of treatment has been determined.” The band will now play Flint on September 13, Ypsilanti on September… Read More →

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Rapper Baby Cino has been shot dead moments after leaving jail

Rapper Baby Cino has died aged 20, moments after he was released from a Miami jail. The musician, real name Timothy Starks, was released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre earlier this week (March 16). He’d been arrested on a gun charge earlier in the week. As reported in The Miami Herald, Starks was picked up in a car upon his release from jail. Moments later, a shooter in another car took aim at the car Starks was travelling in. According to reports, the gunman fired at least 40 shots at the car. Starks’ car then hit a wall as it was travelling on the Palmetto Expressway. He reportedly suffered several gunshot wounds, including one to the head. The Miami Herald also report that Starks’ friend, who was in the car with him, was treated at a local hospital after also being shot. Dante’ Collins Banks, 20, has since been released from hospital. Speaking to WSVN, Starks’ mother said she was on the phone to him when the shooting began. “My son was OK. He was talking. He was just shook up because his friend got shot,” she said, adding that Banks has since been released from hospital. Detectives from the Miami-Dade… Read More →

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Watch Rosalía’s decadent new video for ‘Candy’

Rosalía’s has shared a new video for ‘Candy’ – check it out below. READ MORE: Rosalía – ‘Motomami’ review: an electrifying serve from a left-field mastermind The lo-fi, late-night video shows a wild night of drinking, partying and karaoke, and was released on the same day that Rosalía’s new album arrived. It follows on from previous singles ‘Hentai’, ‘La Fama’, ‘Saoko’ and last month’s ‘Chicken Teriyaki’. Advertisement Check it out here: Rosalía previously teased ‘Candy’ on TikTok along with another new cut, ‘Hentai’, that was also released earlier this week. They were both confirmed to be on ‘Motomami’ last month when the artist shared the record’s cover artwork and tracklist. Speaking to Rolling Stone last November, Rosalía described the new album as “the most personal and confessional album that I’ve made so far”, adding that it’s about “a feminine figure building herself”. “So, that’s how it goes: It’s almost like a self-portrait, when an artist makes a self-portrait in the context of the modern world,” Rosalía continued. Advertisement Reviewing Rosalía’s latest album, NME said: “Rosalía begins her third album by singing about transforming herself with “makeup de drag queen” and ends it with a burst of well-earned applause. In between are 40 minutes of… Read More →

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There’s a new U2 television series reportedly in the works from ‘Star Wars’ director J. J. Abrams

A new television series about U2 is in the work from Star Wars director J.J. Abrams. READ MORE: U2’s top 10 best albums – ranked According to reports in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline, Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions company are developing a scripted series for Netflix about the Bono-fronted band. There are reports that the script for the show is being written by Anthony McCarten, the scrip-writer behind Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. Advertisement As per The Hollywood Reporter, U2 are “expected to be involved and sanction the project.” NME has reached out to representatives of Abrams and Netflix for comment. J.J. Abrams. CREDIT: Getty Images. Last November, U2 guitarist The Edge revealed that the band were working on a new album. The update came shortly after the four-piece released the track ‘Your Song Saved My Life’, their first new material in two years. Their most recent studio album, ‘Songs Of Experience’, came out back in 2017. Advertisement Meanwhile, Bono said back in January that he dislikes U2’s name, most of their songs and his own singing voice. During an appearance on the Awards Chatter podcast, the frontman explained that he turns off the radio when the group’s tracks are played because he can’t… Read More →

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ArrDee on his collaboration with Aitch: “It just happened organically”

ArrDee has explained how his much-talked about collaboration with Aitch came about – watch below. READ MORE: ArrDee – ‘Pier Pressure’: a concise collection of drill-soaked party anthems In a new interview with NME, the rapper talked through each song on his new mixtape ‘Pier Pressure’, also discussing working with Aitch and Lola Young on the release. Speaking of recently released single ‘War’, ArrDee said: “Me and Aitch decided to link up and work on ‘War’. Not sparing a moment but a couple days before we ended up in the booth, he had obviously been in LA and Toronto and whatnot and come back. Advertisement “We’d always spoken and got along from the get go, from the jump. And separately in interviews, without even talking to each other, it was always a question that was asked, like ‘When are you going to link up with ArrDee? Are you going to be in the studio?’. “And my answer was always ‘Yeah, I know it will definitely happen at some point’, and that was his as well. So it just happened organically and we’ve been cool for a long time.” He continued: “We linked up and went to the studio and I… Read More →

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Phoebe Bridgers on her favourite Taylor Swift song: “It’s high art”

Phoebe Bridgers has revealed which Taylor Swift song is her favourite and called the pop star a “king of her craft”. READ MORE: Phoebe Bridgers: “I definitely feel a lot less apologetic than I did before” Appearing on Charli XCX‘s Best Song Ever podcast, Bridgers talked about first discovering Swift’s music via one of her guitar students when she was a “failed guitar teacher” in her teenage years. The ‘Motion Sickness’ singer revealed that one of her students asked to learn how to play one of Swift’s songs, at which point she checked out the ‘Shake It Off’ singer’s back catalogue, and from there she “just started listening all the time”. Advertisement “It’s high art,” Bridgers said of Swift’s music. “She’s like the king of her craft. She’s just a perfect example of someone who uses all the resources at her disposal to be completely genuine.” Charli then asked Bridgers to name her favourite track by Swift, and although the singer-songwriter has a vast discography Bridgers had an answer instantly to hand: ‘Betty’, one of three interconnected songs from Swift’s 2020 album ‘Folklore’. “I like when songwriters make you decide what’s so sad about this person,” Bridgers explained. “It’s kind of… Read More →

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Sophie Lancaster’s mother shares statement following decision to release Ryan Herbert

Sophie Lancaster’s mother, Sylvia Lancaster, has released a statement following the Parole Board’s decision to release one of her daughter’s murderers, Ryan Herbert. Sophie was 20-years-old when she was murdered in 2007 for the way she dressed and looked. She was attacked alongside her boyfriend, who survived the assault. Two people were convicted of murder, while three others were convicted for grievous bodily harm. Earlier this week, it was revealed that one of Sophie’s killers, Ryan Herbert, will soon be released from prison following a review by the Parole Board. Herbert has served 15 years in prison so far. In a new statement about the decision, Sylvia Lancaster said: “I’m obviously very disappointed in the result of the parole hearing. “Once again we have a justice system that fails to deliver justice. However much progress people make in prison, they have been given their sentence in recognition of the extent of their crime.” Following the news that the Parole Board have cleared Ryan Herbert for release from prison, Sylvia Lancaster has made the following statement.https://t.co/VHDW57SRLQ — S.O.P.H.I.E (@sophie_charity) March 16, 2022 She continued: “The judge at the murder trial described the attack on Sophie as ‘feral’, with the attackers’ behaviour… Read More →

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Watch Fontaines D.C. cover The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’

Fontaines D.C. covered The Cure‘s ‘Just Like Heaven’ during a live show yesterday (March 17) – check it out below. The band performed the cover during a livestreamed St. Patrick’s Day set in Dublin. READ MORE: CHVRCHES live in London review: a gothic sci-fi spectacular with Robert Smith on guitar Fontaines have also shared a snippet of new music on Instagram this morning (March 18), which appears to suggest that a new release will be arriving on Monday (March 21). Advertisement You can listen to that preview and see their cover of The Cure below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fontaines D.C. (@fontainesband) Fontaines’ Cure cover comes in the same week that CHVRCHES once again performed their version of ‘Just Like Heaven’, two weeks after they first performed the song with Cure frontman Robert Smith on stage at the BandLab NME Awards 2022. CHVRCHES were joined by Smith during their latest show at the O2 Academy Brixton in London, while the two acts also ran through a rendition of ‘How Not To Drown’ – their joint single that won the Best Song By A UK Artist prize at the BandLab NME 2022 Awards. READ MORE: The BandLab NME Awards… Read More →

Irma Thomas – Full Time Woman: Lost Cotillion Album

One of the truly great voices of Southern soul, New Orleans’ Irma Thomas never quite broke through and achieved the kind of success of peers like Aretha Franklin. It’s instructive to ponder why that’s the case: while she had chart hits in the USA during the ’60s, there was maybe something a little too left-field in some of Thomas’ song choices, and while she’s recently started to receive wider recognition for her achievements – her 1964 recording of Jerry Ragovoy’s “Time Is On My Side” was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame last year – there’s still much to discover in her back catalogue. ORDER NOW: Paul McCartney is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut Thomas was signed to Atlantic by label executive Jerry Wexler in the early ’70s. She landed on the Cotillon imprint, originally started in 1968 as a subsidiary focused on blues and soul, though the label’s remit expanded soon after, releasing Emerson Lake & Palmer, Sister Sledge, the Woodstock soundtrack and The Velvet Underground’s Loaded, among others. A motley crew, but Thomas’ tenure was short-lived, and during her time with the label she only released one single, “Full Time Woman/She’s Taken My Part”, in… Read More →