Suki Benjamin

Self Esteem on her next album: “Think ‘Olympic opening ceremony euphoria’”

Self Esteem has revealed that she intends her next album to have the vibe of “Olympic opening ceremony euphoria”. Watch our full video interview with Rebecca Taylor above. Taylor was talking to NME on the red carpet of the BRIT Awards 2022, where she was nominated for Best New Artist, despite the acclaimed ‘Prioritise Pleasure‘ being her second album. “I love it! Don’t take it away from me!” she said of her nomination. “I’ve been around for a long time, but I’m new in this sort of world – and I’m the best one!” Advertisement She continued :”I’m just ready for a drink, but I’m good! I want to wait until I know that I’m definitely not winning until I do that, but yes! Of course, I love freebies. I’m ready for a good feed as well.” Asked what it was about 2021’s ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ that seemed to have caught so many people’s hearts and imaginations, Taylor replied: “I’m not sure really. Maybe the pandemic made people as depressed as I am at all times, so that was cool. The penny-dropping moment that I went through when I wrote it, I think that’s happening collectively to everyone who feels ‘othered’. I… Read More →

06FEBNews

Hank Williams Jr’s son, Sam Williams, pleads to end conservatorship: “I want out”

Country artist Sam Williams – the son of Hank Williams Jr, who himself is the son of western legend Hank Williams – has revealed to fans that he’s been placed under a conservatorship against his will, declaring that he wants the arrangement brought to an end. The admission came in a video that Williams shared to his YouTube page last week (the clip was since deleted, but has been re-uploaded by TMZ). It shows the singer holding up handwritten signs to explain his situation, telling viewers that he was placed in the conservatorship by his father, half-sister Holly Williams and an unnamed lawyer, in August of 2020 – 55 days after his sister, Katie Williams, died at 27 in a car accident. The video ends with Williams holding up a sign that plainly reads: “I want out.” Advertisement Williams further expounded on the case in the video’s caption, writing: “I’ve been quiet a long time now. I want out of this, and I don’t mind people knowing. They took my grief process, my spirit, my money, my car, my home, and everything possible in order to ‘protect me.’ Well, I need protection from them.” Noting that he’d been placed under… Read More →

06FEBNews

SCALPING announce debut album ‘Void’, share new single ‘Flashforward’

SCALPING have announced details of their debut album ‘Void’, as well as sharing a futuristic video for lead single ‘Flashforward’. The Bristol band, who were included in the NME 100 in 2021, are set to release the album on April 29 via Houndstooth. READ MORE: SCALPING: the sound of a metal band crashing a techno DJ set “We wrote this whole album without playing a single note of it together,” the band’s Alex Hill explained. “We produced all of the songs using the computer – as a blend of recordings and samples of our live drums, guitars and drum machines into production software – and then translated it all back into a live performance. Advertisement “Although there are structured songs on the record, there’s no explicit focus on exactly recreating those songs live either. Everything is adapted to work into a set that flows well. A lot of album parts are rewritten during rehearsals for the good of the live set as a whole.” Check out the sci-fi visual for ‘Flashforward’, created by visual designer and long-term collaborator Jason Baker, below. The band – consisting of Isaac Jones on drums, James Rushforth on bass guitar, Nick Berthoud on guitar, and… Read More →

06FEBNews

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong appeals for information after his car was stolen

Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong has appealed for information after his car was stolen in Costa Mesa, California. READ MORE: Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong on politics, going solo and new music “My car was STOLEN 1962 Chevy II,” he wrote on Instagram this weekend (February 5) along with a number of photos of the car. “This car is near and dear to all our hearts and has been in the GD family for over 30 years,” Armstrong added, inviting fans to “send any sighting, tips or info to the Costa Mesa police.” Advertisement His post includes the incident number – 22-002015, 22-002016 – and a phone number, 714-754-5280. “please re-post, lets all help find this car!!” he added. See the post below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billie Joe (@billiejoearmstrong) Elsewhere, Green Day have recently been previewing snippets of new music under the title ‘1972’. Back in December, the band shared a short clip of them recording music at London’s RAK Studios, set to what could be a new song. At one point in the clip the numbers “1972” flash up on screen. They followed it up last month with a mysterious split-screen teaser which… Read More →

05FEBNews

Fontaines D.C. debut new songs and tear through old classics at intimate London show

Fontaines D.C. played a tiny London show for War Child last night (February 4), debuting new songs from third album ‘Skinty Fia’ – see footage, reaction setlist and more below. The show, at The Dome in Tufnell Park, came as part of BRITs Week, which will see the likes of Damon Albarn and Bastille also playing intimate shows in the capital over the next few weeks around the 2022 BRIT Awards, which will be held at The O2 in London on February 8. READ MORE: Fontaines D.C. on their “poppy” yet “extremely dark” third album Opening the show with ‘Too Real’ from 2019 debut album ‘Dogrel’, the band played a 14-song set sprinkled with new material alongside old classics. Advertisement “Youse are a guinea pig and a half,” frontman Grian Chatten told the crowd after the full live debut of superbly catchy new single ‘Jackie Down The Line’, the first preview of new album ‘Skinty Fia’, which is set to arrive on April 22 via Partisan. Chatten was on animated form, giving thunderous renditions of ‘Televised Mind’ and ‘A Lucid Dream’ from the band’s 2020 album ‘A Hero’s Death‘ and asking the crowd to join him in the chaos. For ‘Hurricane Laughter’, he… Read More →

05FEBNews

Megan Thee Stallion shares new Cheetos-inspired song ‘Flamin’ Hottie’

Megan Thee Stallion has shared a new song featuring an interpolation of Salt-N-Pepa’s ‘Push It’ – check out ‘Flamin’ Hottie’ below. READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion: “I’m really working on my dynasty right now” The track was made to promote Frito-Lay products Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Flamin’ Hot Doritos and sees Stallion making several references to the crisps with lyrics like “Just like Cheetos on your fingers, wanna suck me,” and “Know I’m all that and a bag of flamin’ hot chips.” Elsewhere in the track, she raps “Ayy, ayy, moral of the story, I’ma get to the bag“. According to Billboard, Megan Thee Stallion is also set to star in a Super Bowl commercial for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos alongside Charlie Puth. “I am the Hot Girl Coach. I am Miss Flamin’ Hottie. I mean, I am all things hot. So I feel like it was very necessary for the Hot Cheeto and the Hot Girl to get together,” she said about her partnership with the company. Advertisement Listen to ‘Flamin’ Hottie’ below: Elsewhere in the interview, Stallion praises Salt-N-Pepa. “First of all, when you’re talking about female rap, you have to include Salt-N-Pepa in that conversation. They are Salt-N-Pepa…. Read More →

04FEBNews

Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson announces memoir

Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson has announced that he will be releasing a new book about his life in the spring. Titled Limited Edition Of One, the autobiography is set to take a deep dive inside the story of Porcupine Tree’s ascent from teenage shredders to Grammy-winning prog-rock heroes, as well as Wilson’s subsequent solo career. “Limited Edition Of One is unlike any other music book you will ever have read,” the official synopsis reads. “Part the long-awaited memoir of Steven Wilson: whose celebrated band Porcupine Tree began as teenage fiction before unintentionally evolving into a reality that encompassed Grammy-nominated records and sold-out shows around the world, before he set out for an even more successful solo career. Advertisement “Part the story of a twenty-first century artist who achieved chart-topping mainstream success without ever becoming part of the mainstream. From Abba to Stockhausen, via a collection of conversations and thought pieces on the art of listening, the rules of collaboration, lists of lists, personal stories, professional adventurism (including food, film, TV, modern art), old school rock stardom, how to negotiate an obsessive fanbase and survive on social media, and dream-fever storytelling.” STEVEN WILSON – LIMITED EDITION OF ONE Unlike any other music book you… Read More →

04FEBNews

BENEE drops dreamy new single ‘Beach Boy’ and announces ‘LYCHEE’ EP

BENEE has announced the details of her new EP ‘LYCHEE’ as well as dropping the lyric video for new single ‘Beach Boy’. Check it out below. READ MORE: BENEE: Kiwi pop star with TikTok banger taking her from Supalonely to superstardom ‘LYCHEE’ arrives on March 4 via Republic Record and will be the follow-up to the New Zealand pop star’s 2020 debut ‘Hey u x’. Her latest single was produced by Greg Kurstin and the EP also features tracks penned by Kenny Beats and Rostam. “‘Beach Boy’ is pure fantasy, set in LA,” Benee shared in a statement. “It’s about being happy alone, but still wanting some love; wanting the thrill without the pain. It was the first time I’d worked with Greg Kurstin, and it was so sick…we got on super well, and I love this track…I think it is perfect for cruising down the freeway with the top down.” Advertisement Benee said that she was inspired to write the summer-infused love song after heading out of lockdown in New Zealand to work on sessions in Los Angeles, and that the new EP came from a “great creative space” despite what she called “the craziest time in all our… Read More →

04FEBNews

Watch Mitski’s video for new album track ‘Stay Soft’

Mitski has shared the music video for ‘Stay Soft’ to coincide with the release of her new album ‘Laurel Hell’ – watch below. ‘Laurel Hell’, which is out today (February 4), follows 2018’s ‘Be The Cowboy’. Mitski previewed the album with the tracks ‘Working For The Knife’, ‘The Only Heartbreaker’, ‘Heat Lightning’ and ‘Love Me More’. READ MORE: Mitski – ‘Laurel Hell’ review: meta musings set to her grandest music yet The video for ‘Stay Soft’ is directed by Maegan Houang, who previously co-directed the visuals for ‘The Only Heartbreaker’. It sees Mitski in a spooky garden, with some eerie figures lurking in the background who eventually chase her until they meet their bloody end. Advertisement Houang said in a statement: “This video is heavily inspired by Romanticism and paintings and artwork from the Victorian era. Like the lyrics of the song ‘Stay Soft,’ paintings from that era have a gentle quality, but they still evoke a certain feeling of unexplored darkness and danger. I want the audience to feel safe within this fabricated world and then realize that the character Mitski plays is being hunted.” In a recent interview ahead of the album’s release, Mitski spoke about her decision to… Read More →

03FEBNews

Slipknot’s “killer” new album is nearly finished

Slipknot have “finished” work on their “killer” seventh studio album, according to frontman Corey Taylor. During an interview with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, Taylor revealed that the follow-up to 2019’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ was currently at the mixing stage and should be released in around “three months from now” (via Kerrang!). READ MORE: Corey Taylor: “If I can wear a mask for a two-hour Slipknot show, people can wear one for five minutes in a grocery store” “The record is actually in the process of being mixed right now,” the singer explained. “Everything is finished, so it’s just being mixed right now, which is rad news. So it’s probably gonna take… I think it’s probably gonna be another three months [before it comes out]. Advertisement “The artwork’s done. We just came up with the title. I’m not gonna tell you it right now. But we’re really stoked. So hopefully three months from now – well, less than that – we’ll get the single out, and then three months from now we’ll get the album out.” In terms of sound and style, Taylor told SiriusXM that the forthcoming record was “like a heavier version” of their 2004 full-length ‘Vol. 3: (The… Read More →

03FEBNews

Bombay Bicycle Club, The Wombats, Self Esteem and more for Boardmasters 2022

The second wave of names for Boardmasters festival has been announced, with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, The Wombats and Self Esteem joining the 2022 line-up. READ MORE: Boardmasters 2021 review: beach-side bonanza makes long-awaited return Cornwall’s surf and music event will return between August 10-14, and will be headlined by Kings Of Leon, Disclosure and George Ezra. It’s been announced today (February 3) that they will be joined by The Lathums, Greentea Peng, Mimi Webb, Kurupt FM and Enny. Advertisement In total, over 60 new names have been added to the Boardmasters bill, joining the already announced likes of Bastille, Declan McKenna, Sam Fender and Idles. Check out the complete line-up so far below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boardmasters (@boardmasters) Weekend camping tickets are on sale now, and tomorrow (February 4) day tickets will be made available following a pre-sale today. Boardmasters returned in 2021 following a two-year hiatus. The 2020 instalment was scrapped due to the coronavirus crisis, while severe weather caused a last-minute cancellation in 2019. It was headlined by Foals, Gorillaz and Jorja Smith alongside Sam Fender, Loyle Carner, Blossoms, Slowthai, The Kooks, Jamie xx, Beabadoobee, The Big Moon, Basement… Read More →

02FEBNews

Renowned Australian music manager Glenn Wheatley has died

The renowned Australian music manager Glenn Wheatley has died at the age of 74, reportedly from complications of COVID. Wheatley, who managed some of Australia’s best-selling acts including John Farnham and Delta Goodrem, died yesterday (February 1) in Melbourne. The Guardian writes that Wheatley had reportedly been seriously ill for weeks and was hospitalised after contracting COVID. Several outlets have said that Wheatley died of complications from the disease, although his cause of death hasn’t been confirmed. Advertisement The Queensland-born Wheatley was bassist for the Masters Apprentices in the ’60s, playing on the hits ‘Turn Up Your Radio’ and ‘Because I Love You’. In 1975 he founded the Wheatley Organisation and became manager of Little River Band. Farhham was lead singer with Little River Band in the early-mid ’80s. Wheatley famously mortgaged his house to bankroll Farnham’s 1986 comeback album ‘Whispering Jack’, which topped the charts for 25 weeks and became one of the biggest selling albums in Australia. Farnham said in tribute to Wheatley: “There are no words, our hearts are broken. Our love and thoughts to all who loved Glenn, especially his family…he was one of a kind, special to so many.” Devastating news… there are no words,… Read More →

02FEBNews

Megan Thee Stallion says she wants to work with Adele

Megan Thee Stallion has said that she wants to collaborate with Adele. The Houston rapper spoke about her desire to work with the ‘30’ singer in a new interview with People, which referenced a recent viral mash-up of their music. READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion: “I’m really working on my dynasty right now” The TikTok video in question mixes Adele’s ‘Water Under The Bridge’ with Megan’s ‘Body’, taken from the latter’s 2020 album ‘Good News’. Advertisement “If Adele wants me to come get on the track, be the dancer, I’m there, I’m here for it,” Megan told People about the clip, which you can watch below. @officialmashart I had to ? #fyp #adele #megantheestallion #mashup #remix ♬ Body On The Bridge – Ben Vertz (Mash Art) “Somebody tell her to call me because I’m ready!” Megan also spoke in the interview about how “manifesting” a collaboration with Beyoncé (the two both featured on a remix of the former’s ‘Savage’ in 2020) had already helped her achieve “my ultimate goal”. “Well, I also would really, really, really love to collab with Rihanna,” she added about her next career goal. “Like, that is my next dream collab.” Advertisement Megan Thee Stallion was… Read More →

01FEBNews

Björk, Mogwai, Groove Armada and more to headline Bluedot Festival

Björk, Groove Armada and Metronomy are among the acts that have been announced as headliners for this year’s Bluedot Festival. READ MORE: Björk’s ‘Cornucopia’ live in London: an audacious, expectation-disrupting spectacular from an artist unbothered with people-pleasing The fifth instalment of the music, science and culture event is set to take place at Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Observatory on July 21–24, 2022. The 2020 edition of Bluedot Festival was supposed to be headlined by Björk, Groove Armada and Metronomy but was postponed to 2021 because of COVID-19. With restrictions still in place this June though, the festival was once again forced to postpone to 2022. Advertisement In a statement released at the time about the headliners returning, it was confirmed organisers were “working with these artists to hopefully welcome them back in 2022”. It’s now been confirmed that all three acts are returning along with other headliners Mogwai and Hannah Peel. Björk’s Sunday set – a festival exclusive – will see her joined by The Hallé Orchestra at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jodrell Bank Observatory. The show will also feature a unique visual display as video and animation is projected onto the iconic, 76-metre wide Lovell Telescope. Groove Armada will headline Friday (July… Read More →

01FEBNews

Aerosmith cancel 2022 UK and European tour due to COVID

Aerosmith have cancelled their forthcoming UK and European tour due to the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE: Aerosmith: The best war stories The jaunt was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but was pushed back to 2021. It was later rescheduled again for this summer but has now been pulled again. “It is with deep regret we must announce that our European Tour, scheduled to take place in June and July 2022, has been cancelled,” Aerosmith said in a statement. Advertisement “We have continued to monitor the ongoing COVID situation, and with the related uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of COVID restrictions and other issues, it has become clear that it will not be possible to go ahead with our summer shows in the region.” They added: “The health, safety and well-being of our fans is our number one priority. We will be back to rock out with everyone and we hope to have some exciting news to announce soon.” It is with deep regret we must announce that our European Tour, scheduled to take place in June and July 2022, has been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/OIu7aPknl4 — Aerosmith (@Aerosmith) January 31, 2022 The shows included three UK dates in… Read More →

31JANNews

Kim Petras is teasing new music after sharing clips of new song

Kim Petras is teasing more new music after sharing several clips of a new song – check it out below. READ MORE: Kim Petras live in Manchester: larger-than-life pop star wows with parallel universe mega-hits It comes after Petras shared new song ‘Coconuts’ last month and shared a teaser of a different track ‘Something About U’ in December. Petras shared this latest new snippet last Friday (January 28), which was also linked to a new website about the single, which you can view here. The site lists pre-save options for the new song that has yet to be announced. Advertisement Then, over the weekend, Petras confirmed she was “about to drop” something new and then shared a further eight-second clip of the new track on social media yesterday (January 30). Listen to the clips here: https://t.co/cUKAydsKYM pic.twitter.com/BKNwV2xV6m — KIM PETRAS ❤️‍? (@kimpetras) January 28, 2022 I’m about to drop pic.twitter.com/SRPPeEGzNv — KIM PETRAS ❤️‍? (@kimpetras) January 29, 2022 https://t.co/cUKAydsKYM pic.twitter.com/Y83BY0WLSN — KIM PETRAS ❤️‍? (@kimpetras) January 30, 2022 ‘Coconuts’ was Petras’ second new track of 2021, following the release of ‘Future Starts Now’ back in October. Advertisement Both songs will appear on her as-yet-untitled second album, which is due to land… Read More →

31JANNews

Puppy unveil new album and share blistering new single ‘…And Watched It Glow’

Puppy have unveiled details of a new album today (January 31) – listen to blistering new single ‘…And Watched It Glow’ below. READ MORE: “We aim for somewhere between Teenage Fanclub an Black Sabbath”: an interview with Puppy, your new favourite rock band Their second album, ‘Pure Evil’ will be released on May 7 via Rude Records. Pre-orders for this will launch soon. ‘…And Watched It Glow’ is the third track following on from previously released singles, ‘Angel’ and ‘The Kiss’, both of which were released last year. Advertisement You can listen to the new track here: Speaking about the new album, ‘vocalist and guitarist Jock Norton said: “We had to dig fairly deep to find the purpose in doing any of it, because the global narrative was rightly shifted to more important things. “But I think to be honest that sort of introspection had filtered through into other aspects of our lives, so being able to record this album sort of gave us a bit of purpose and something to cling on to. “Ultimately for us we wanted to feel engaged and productive and useful, even if it was only for ourselves and each other. Like I said,… Read More →

27JANNews

Anaïs Mitchell’s Watershed Moment

By Grant Sharples “Watershed,” the closing track on indie-folk songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s first solo record in 10 years, is a reflection of where her life has taken her. Despite releasing her last collection, Young Man in America, in 2012, she’s stayed notoriously busy throughout that timeframe. Her 2010 studio album, Hadestown, was transmogrified into a full-blown Broadway musical, and it won eight Tonys in 2019, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The following year, she gave birth to her second child. She also formed an indie-folk supergroup, Bonny Light Horseman, alongside two fellow folk mainstays: trusted collaborator of Taylor Swift and The National Josh Kaufman, and Fruit Bats frontman Eric D. Johnson. That’s why “Watershed” chronicles Mitchell’s journey: It explores the trek for discovering one’s purpose in life, and how that experience can feel gradual and imperceptible. “The tallest summit you look up to, someday it’s gonna look small to you,” she sings. “There’s a new one coming into view.” “That word kept coming back to me because I found myself at a watershed moment in my life,” Mitchell tells MTV News. “But I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m looking back and seeing everything in my rearview mirror. There’s this… Read More →

27JANNews

Toro y Moi announces new album ‘Mahal’, shares videos for two songs

Toro y Moi has announced his forthcoming seventh studio album, with ‘Mahal’ set to arrive on April 29 via Dead Oceans. To coincide with the announcement, the singer-songwriter and producer – real name Chaz Bear – has shared two singles, ‘Postman’ and ‘Magazine’. The latter track features vocals from Salami Rose Joe Louis. The songs arrive alongside accompanying videos, directed by Kid. Studio and Arlington Lowell respectively. Watch the videos for ‘Postman’ and ‘Magazine’ below: Advertisement The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Outer Peace’ was largely completed in Bear’s studio in Oakland last year, and features contributions from Unknown Mortal Orchestra‘s Ruban Neilson, Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo, Sofie Royer and the Mattson 2. “I wanted to make a record that featured more musicians on it than any other record of mine,” Bear explained in a statement. “To have them live on that record feels grounded, bringing a communal perspective to the table.” Following the release of ‘Outer Peace’, Toro y Moi appeared on numerous collaborative releases and remixes. These included featuring on Flume‘s Grammy-nominated 2020 single ‘The Difference’ and delivering reworks of Caroline Polachek‘s ‘Hit Me Where It Hurts’ (alongside Deftones frontman Chino Moreno) and HAIM‘s ‘3 AM’. Advertisement The tracklist for… Read More →

27JANNews

PinkPantheress announces debut North American headline tour dates for 2022

PinkPantheress is set to perform her debut US headlining shows later this year, with the Bath-born, London-based musician announcing four North American dates for May. READ MORE: PinkPantheress: meet the mysterious, internet-conquering breakthrough artist The run of shows will kick off on May 7 in Oakland, California before continuing on to Los Angeles and New York. The brief run will wrap up May 21 with a show in Atlanta. See dates and venues below. NME 100 member PinkPantheress released her debut mixtape ‘To Hell With It’ in October of last year, following a string of breakthrough singles such as ‘Pain, ‘Break It Off’, ‘Passion’ and ‘Just for Me’. Advertisement In a five-star review of ‘To Hell With It’, NME‘s Ben Jolley wrote: “Despite the daunting level of hype surrounding it, [PinkPantheress’] debut 10-track mixtape doesn’t merely justify it, but exceeds it.” “PinkPantheress unloads these breathless and adventurous songs with a winning confidence that comes only when you outperform everyone’s expectations, especially your own.” The bedroom pop artist was crowned BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2022 winner earlier this month, and was this week announced as part of the line-up for Parklife 2022 alongside the likes of Tyler, the Creator, 50… Read More →

26JANNews

Kim Gordon announces US, UK and European headline tour

Kim Gordon has announced details of a new US, UK and European tour in support of her 2019 album, ‘No Home Record’. The UK and European portion of the dates, which kick off in March, will mark the iconic musician’s first international solo headline tour. READ MORE: Kim Gordon interviewed: “The end of capitalism is coming” Gordon will first take the record across the US, beginning at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA, before venturing on to six further cities for her own shows. She will also perform at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN and Treefort Festival in Boise, ID. In the US, she will be supported by Bill Nace and Mary Lattimore. Advertisement Following those dates, she will then travel over to the UK for four shows – including London’s Koko – and on to Europe for eight more stops. Tickets go on sale at 10am local time on January 28 and can be purchased here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kim Gordon (@kimletgordon) “I can’t believe the tour is finally happening!” Gordon said in a press release. “Looking forward to playing with my band who are amazing and bringing the music to you…. Read More →