Suki Benjamin

Watch FKA Twigs wield a bow and arrow in new ‘Meta Angel’ video

FKA Twigs has shared the official video for her latest single ‘Meta Angel’ – you can watch it below. The song appears on the singer-songwriter’s new mixtape ‘Caprisongs’, which came out last Friday (January 14). READ MORE: FKA Twigs – ‘Caprisongs’ mixtape review: the brightest, poppiest music of her career Arriving yesterday (January 19), the track’s accompanying visuals find Twigs in a London park before a bow and arrow-wielding alter-ego of the artist takes to the roof of a city skyscraper. Advertisement Once in position, the latter character sets her sights on the FKA Twigs on the ground and shoots. The arrow flies above the capital’s streets, with drone-shot footage taking us along for the ride. After being struck in the middle of her chest, Twigs sings along to ‘Meta Angel’ as she lies on the grass. You can check out the Aidan Zamiri-directed video here: when the drone hits #caprisongs https://t.co/zIw87c2Ixs pic.twitter.com/v73WUhQjlD — FKA twigs (@FKAtwigs) January 20, 2022 Twigs later shared a brief behind-the-scenes clip from the shoot on social media, captioning it: “When the drone hits.” Watch above. In a four-star review of ‘Caprisongs’, NME wrote: “After pouring her darkest moments into ‘Magdalene’, this varied and playful… Read More →

19JANNews

Animal Collective share new single and announce UK and European tour

Animal Collective have announced a UK and European tour alongside the release of a new single – find out more below. Following a spring US tour, the band – comprising Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist and Deakin – will hit the road on this side of the pond beginning November 2 at Dolan’s in Limerick, Ireland. They will then make stops in Dublin, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow before heading across to mainland Europe for a run of dates that will wrap up on November 27 in Cologne. Advertisement Animal Collective are due to release their 11th studio album, ‘Time Skiffs’, on February 4 via Domino; it’s their first since 2016’s ‘Painting With’. You can pre-order it here. On the heels of recent singles ‘Prester John’ and Scott Walker tribute ‘Walker’, the band have now shared a third track from their upcoming LP, ‘Strung With Everything’, an experimental, psychedelia-inspired record that clocks in at almost seven minutes. The track comes alongside a colourful animated video directed by Abby Portner. Discussing her work with the band and the video, she said: “Recently for Animal Collective’s live shows I have been designing and animating all of the video content out of cut paper. I have been editing together symbols and coloured… Read More →

19JANNews

Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz once made Prince an hour late to his own gig

Javier Bardem has said he and Penélope Cruz once made Prince an hour late to his own concert. The Being The Ricardos actor recalled the incident on The Tonight Show on Monday (January 17), explaining to Jimmy Fallon how Cruz, who Bardem has been married to since 2010, was friends with the late musician. READ MORE: ‘Being The Ricardos’ review: Nicole Kidman plays Lucille Ball in a well-rounded biopic Bardem explained that he and Cruz were having dinner at Prince’s home in London with Jordi Mollà before one of Prince’s shows. Advertisement “We were having dinner and we took the dessert and we were having a drink, two drinks, and we were like, ‘Nobody’s coming here to pick us up,’” Bardem said. Watch the video here: “So I step out of the room and I say, ‘Hey, we are here.’ ‘Are you finished?’ ‘Yes.’” Then Prince came and said, ‘Are you done?’ ‘Yes.’” The actor said Prince then sent Bardem and Cruz to their seats, and started the show very quickly afterwards. “We were like, ‘Oh my god, they’ve been waiting an hour for us to finish the dinner,’” Bardem said. “So that’s my Hollywood star story – I made people wait… Read More →

19JANNews

Watch Gang Of Youths’ “larger than life” video for ‘In The Wake Of Your Leave’

Gang Of Youths have shared the official video for their latest single ‘In The Wake Of Your Leave’ – you can watch it below. READ MORE: Gang of Youths on ‘The Angel of 8th Ave.’: “It’s a reflection of love in a new city” Arriving today (January 19), the choreographed clip is the latest collaboration between frontman Dave Le’aupepe and director Joel Barney. While the song sees Le’aupepe channelling grief into creativity, the new video provides a dose of joyful escapism. It follows the singer and a team of dancers as they bust moves through a colourful, “hyperreal” version of London in homage to “the golden age of the musical”. Advertisement The dazzling visuals were shot in just three takes and culminate in a two-minute group routine. You can tune in here: “When I first heard the track, I knew the video had to be larger-than-life,” Barney explained. “Dave came to me with a Singing In The Rain meets Top Hat concept that paid homage to the great musicals of the ‘50s and ‘60s. We wanted to merge elements of old school Hollywood with a modern edge.” As for the process of bringing this vision to life, the director said: “Using… Read More →

18JANNews

Listen to Lime Garden’s poppy new track, ‘Marbles’

Lime Garden have shared a poppy new track today (January 18) – listen to ‘Marbles’ below. READ MORE: Lime Garden: Brighton’s new guitar heroes embrace their poppier side Speaking about the new song, singer Chloe Howard said: “‘Marbles’ is about the realisation that you’re not sharing the same lifestyle as those around you. It’s about overthinking that comparison to the point where you question your own sanity or direction in life. “It tells the story of an individual on a journey of self-discovery that the listener is witnessing from afar but with access to their internal monologue.” Advertisement “This wasn’t the easiest song to finish writing – we knew we had a strong chorus, but we just couldn’t seem to join the different sections or to get the detached feeling we wanted. In the studio Leila eventually detuned her guitar for the double track in the verses, this created the warped and dissonant feel we wanted.” You can listen to the new song here: The group recently featured in NME’s ‘100 Essential New Artists for 2022’ list. Writing about what makes the group special, NME said: “It’d be pretty impossible to go to a Lime Garden show and not immediately want to go home… Read More →

18JANNews

London venue The Drumsheds to close permanently this month

London venue The Drumsheds will close permanently later this month. The news was shared by promoter The Hydra on the venue’s website. READ MORE: “We wanted togetherness and community”: how gigs came back with a bang in 2021 The Hydra were due to host their Not To Be event on December 18, with Four Tet, Floating Points, Jon Hopkins, Joy Orbison and more on the line-up. The event was postponed, however, due to concerns around the spread of COVID-19. Not To Be has been rescheduled to January 29, which will also be “the last ever show at The Drumsheds, which closes its doors next month”. Tickets are available here. Advertisement “Thank you for your patience while we’ve been working to reschedule our NOT TO BE show, which was unfortunately postponed in December,” the statement from The Hydra reads. “As many of you recognised, postponing the show wasn’t a decision taken lightly – but it was the right call and we appreciate the ongoing support. “After a great deal of negotiation, we’re pleased to finally inform you that the show will now be going ahead on Saturday, 29 January 2022 at The Drumsheds.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by… Read More →

18JANNews

New song by The Long Blondes features in Kate Jackson art installation

A new song by The Long Blondes features in Kate Jackson’s new art installation. The installation, which is taking place at Leicester’s LCB Depot, is called ‘Built For Sound’ and features a new loop sound by the band. It was recored by Paul Mazzitelli at R10 Leicester and is the group’s first new work since they broke up back in 2008. Advertisement Speaking about the project, Jackson, who was the group’s front woman, said: “I first had the idea for Built For Sound during the second lockdown. We spent a lot of time at home watching old reruns of Top of The Pops and I became fascinated with the architectural stage sets and neon lights built slightly differently for each episode. “I kept thinking about the stage without performers and how abstract these sets would seem, like works of art in themselves.” The Long Blondes Credit: Press “At the time there were of course no live performances happening anywhere and I had a lot of friends (musicians, crew, agents and promoters) who were out of work and struggling because of the pandemic,” Jackson continued. “As we didn’t know when live performance would return, this is a space built in a… Read More →

18JANNews

Boris Johnson claims “nobody told me” Downing Street party was against COVID rules

Boris Johnson has claimed that he wasn’t informed that a Downing Street garden gathering that’s been alleged to have been party was against COVID rules at the time. The Prime Minister said in a new interview that he “humbly apologises” to people for “misjudgements” that were made, but that he wouldn’t have attended the gathering on May 20, 2020, if he thought it broke the rules. He told Sky News today (January 18): “I’m saying categorically that nobody told me, nobody said this was something that was against the rules, doing something that wasn’t a work event because frankly, I can’t imagine why it would have gone ahead, or it would have been allowed to go ahead if it was against the rules.” “I carry full responsibility for what took place, but nobody said to me that this was an event that is against the rules.” Boris Johnson recalls what he remembers about an alleged party in the Downing Street garden during lockdown. Latest: https://t.co/lE3sSg2vbt pic.twitter.com/k50uWKeYmD — Sky News (@SkyNews) January 18, 2022 Advertisement Under the rules that applied at the time of the alleged party, which dozens of Downing Street staff were invited to in an email sent by… Read More →

18JANNews

Grandma covers Blink-182 and challenges Travis Barker to drum battle

Drumming grandma Dorothea Taylor has shared her latest cover and challenged Travis Barker to a drum battle. READ MORE: jxdn – “Working with Travis Barker is like winning the lottery” Taylor, a private drum instructor who’s been playing for 58 years, has covered Blink-182‘s 1999 single ‘What’s My Age Again?’, taking on Barker’s incorporation of drum “rudiments” in pop-punk music. “You’re never too old, and you’re never too young, to start playing drums,” Taylor says at the end of her performance in a recorded clip, which you can watch below. Advertisement “You probably never would have expected someone like me to play along to Blink. I’ve learned my rudiments over the years and was able to incorporate and understand what Travis was playing. “So, Travis Barker, are you watching? How about a drum battle?!” Taylor, who’s nicknamed “The Godmother of Drumming”, made headlines last year for going viral on TikTok with 21 million views clocked at the time for a lesson on how to play doubles. She first enjoyed viral fame in January 2020 with a drum cover of Disturbed‘s classic track ‘Down With The Sickness’, which has now registered over 15million hits on YouTube. Taylor’s popularity grew further when she shared… Read More →

17JANNews

Martin Shkreli ordered to repay more than $64million as he’s banned from pharmaceutical industry

Martin Shkreli, the disgraced pharmaceutical CEO who made headlines in 2015 for purchasing an exclusive Wu-Tang Clan album, has been barred from the drug industry. The incarcerated former hedge fund manager has been ordered to return the $64.6million (£47.2million) in profits that he made by price-gouging the drug Daraprim in 2015. He’s also been banned from ever working in the pharmaceutical industry again. The US District Court ruling in Manhattan on Friday (January 14) came in response to a multi-state lawsuit accusing Shkreli of illegal and monopolistic behaviour. AP reports that prosecutors last month presented at trial recordings of conversations that appeared to prove that Shkreli was continuing to exert control over his company, Vyera Pharmaceuticals LLC, while he was serving his seven-year prison sentence. Advertisement In the recordings, Shkreli made indications of plans to prevent generic versions of Daraprim, a life-saving drug used to combat a rare parasitic disease, from being sold. The drug’s price was increased by $13.50 (£9.87) to $750 (£548) in 2015 by Vyera after it purchased exclusive rights to the drug. US District Judge Denise Cote said at the trial’s conclusion last month: “Shkreli was no side player in, or a ‘remote, unrelated’ beneficiary of… Read More →

17JANNews

Swim Deep team up with Hatchie for new single ‘World’s Unluckiest Guy’

Swim Deep have released a new single with Australian dream pop artist Hatchie titled ‘World’s Unluckiest Guy’. READ MORE: Swim Deep tell us about their cinematic new single ‘On The Floor’, featuring Phoebe Green The single arrives ahead of Swim Deep’s upcoming EP ‘Familiarise Yourself With Your Closest Exit’, which will see the Birmingham band collaborate with different artists on each track. Hatchie brings wistfulness to the track, which is a propulsive and synth-draped ballad written affectionately for the “world’s unluckiest guy”. READ MORE: Meet Hatchie, the Aussie dream-pop auteur joining the dots between Cocteau Twins and Carly Rae Jepsen Advertisement Swim Deep’s Austin Williams explained in a statement that they reached out to Hatchie – real name Harriette Pilbeam – to ask if she could feature on their “then unfinished song.” “What came back was something far grander and more magical than I could ever imagine,” he added. Listen to ‘World’s Unluckiest Guy’ below. After the single’s release, Swim Deep also announced their first concert since the start of the pandemic. The band will also perform a one-night London concert at 100 Club on March 10, with special guests to be announced soon. View this post on Instagram A… Read More →

13JANNews

Listen to Tears for Fears’ patriarchy-bashing new single ‘Break The Man’

Tears for Fears have shared a new single called ‘Break The Man’ – check it out below. READ MORE: Tears For Fears on how personal and political trauma shaped new album ‘The Tipping Point’ The song is the third taste of the group’s first album in 17 years, ‘The Tipping Point’, which is due to arrive on February 25 via Concord Records. In October 2021, the duo – comprised of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith – released the record’s title track and last month, they released second single ‘No Small Thing’. ‘Break The Man’ pays homage to women who fight against the patriarchy. “I feel that a lot of the problems we’ve been having as a country and even worldwide to a certain degree has come from male dominance,” Tears for Fears singer Curt Smith said of the single. Advertisement “It’s a song about a woman who is strong enough to break the man. For me, that would be an answer to a lot of the problems in the world – a better male-female balance.” Smith recently spoke to NME about the album following the release of ‘No Small Thing’, and also commented on ‘Break The Man’. “Four years of living through… Read More →

12JANNews

Harry Styles will reportedly headline Coachella 2022

Harry Styles is reportedly headlining Coachella 2022, alongside fellow unconfirmed headliners Billie Eilish and Kanye West. READ MORE: 20 festivals to look forward to in 2022 The Californian festival is set to return to Empire Polo Ground in Indio on April 15-17 and 22-24. According to Variety, Styles is the third headliner for the 2022 edition. Travis Scott was previously meant to top the bill but was allegedly removed from the bill after the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 dead, while Rage Against The Machine appear to have dropped out from this year’s festival. Advertisement The publication also claims an official announcement will be made revealing the full line-up later today (January 12). Coachella 2019. CREDIT: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Should the reports be correct, the headline set will mark Styles’ first performance at Coachella. It will come after he recently wrapped up a North American arena tour and amid rumours that he is set to release his third album sometime in 2022. Eilish, meanwhile, would be the youngest-ever headliner at Coachella and would step up to top the bill after a huge breakout performance at the event in 2019. The festival has already teased Swedish House Mafia’s return to the twin weekender,… Read More →

12JANNews

Mariah Carey announces first children’s book ‘The Christmas Princess’

Mariah Carey has announced the release of her first children’s book, The Christmas Princess, which will arrive later this year. READ MORE: Mariah Carey: “You know what? I love Christmas!” The pop star has become synonymous with the festive season thanks to her perennial seasonal hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. Announcing the new book on Instagram, Carey described it as “a fairytale for holiday lovers of all ages”. Advertisement “Little Mariah represents my inner child believing in her own vision, she represents all children, especially those who feel like outsiders or ‘others’, striving to believe in themselves,” she wrote. “It was empowering to transform my childhood turmoil into a modern classic fairytale full of wonder and boundless hope.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) The Christmas Princess was co-written with Michaela Angela Davis, who previously collaborated with the pop star on her memoir The Meaning Of Mariah Carey. It was illustrated by Fuuji Takashi and will be published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in autumn. An exact date is yet to be confirmed. In December ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ topped the charts in the US for the… Read More →

12JANNews

‘Hitman 3’ Year 2 content set to be revealed this week

Hitman 3 has scheduled a presentation for later this week to give players a glimpse at the title’s Year 2 content. READ MORE: ‘Hitman III’ review: absurd international assassination at its absolute finest IO Interactive will premiere the 15-minute pre-recorded presentation on the Hitman Youtube page tomorrow (January 13) at 2pm GMT. You’ll be able to watch it here. According to the announcement, the stream will be “packed full of announcements, reveals and never-before-seen footage of new content coming to the World of Assassination in 2022”. Advertisement Year 2 content is set to launch January 20 and players can expect to see the reveal of “Elusive Target Arcade, PC VR and a brand new game mode – plus other announcements, surprises and new footage,” tomorrow. Get the popcorn ready. https://t.co/qKo3cPqCgu — Travis (@IO_Travis) January 11, 2022 Late last year, IO Interactive said that there were “more people working on Hitman 3” than at the game’s launch in January. Communications Manager for IOI, Travis Barbour also promised that “there’s a lot more to come next year, too” for Hitman 3. In NME’s review of the game, Jordan Oloman gave it four stars, saying Hitman 3 was “a confident package of killer… Read More →

12JANNews

The Weeknd shares ‘alternate world’ remix of ‘Sacrifice’ with Swedish House Mafia

The Weeknd has released a remix of ‘Dawn FM’ single ‘Sacrifice’ with Swedish House Mafia, who co-produced the original track. READ MORE: The Weeknd – ‘Dawn FM’ review: soulful star meets a new day with hope and hindsight This rework of ‘Sacrifice’ doubles down on the vintage disco-inspired sound that characterises ‘Dawn FM’. It introduces drums that sound closer to the song’s original Alicia Myers sample, 1981’s ‘I Want to Thank You’, which build up to sections that capture the euphoric sound of Swedish House Mafia. This new remix arrived today (January 12) with a new music video that takes The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – away from the shadowy chamber of the original single’s music video into an indoor basketball court, culminating a dance sequence of flashy voguing. Advertisement Watch the music video for ‘Sacrifice (Remix)’ below. The remix is part of a new edition of his latest album titled ‘Dawn FM (Alternate World)’, which was also released today (January 12). Swedish House Mafia are credited as producers and composers on the original ‘Sacrifice’ alongside Max Martin, Oscar Holter and Tesfaye himself. Last year, the trio of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso teamed up with… Read More →

11JANNews

MUNA say they’re releasing new music this year

MUNA have confirmed that they will release new music in 2022. READ MORE: Muna – ‘Saves the World’ review “The greatest band in the world muna will be releasing music yet again this year. they will be taking no further questions at this time. take care,” they wrote on Twitter yesterday (January 10). No indication of when fans can expect new songs was given nor any hints about what the music will sound like. Advertisement MUNA, comprising Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, released their most recent single ‘Silk Chiffon‘ with Phoebe Bridgers last September. Earlier in 2021 the band signed to Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records. In 2017 MUNA released their debut album ‘About U’ followed by ‘Saves The World‘ in 2019. They’ve also released a number of EPs since 2014. the greatest band in the world muna will be releasing music yet again this year. they will be taking no further questions at this time. take care. — MUNA (@whereisMUNA) January 10, 2022 The band are set to support Kacey Musgraves on her North American tour behind her latest album ‘Star-Crossed’. The tour kicks off on January 19 at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota…. Read More →

11JANNews

Billie Eilish stands up for Charlie Puth amid alleged feud with Benny Blanco

Billie Eilish has voiced her support for Charlie Puth amid his alleged fallout with producer Benny Blanco. READ MORE: From the archives – Billie Eilish: the most talked-about teen on the planet Blanco has been criticising Puth publicly on TikTok for several weeks, insulting the singer’s appearance and music, even calling him a “fucking loser”. “You sit in a room all day and make TikToks,” Blanco said in a November video. Now Eilish has made her feelings on the feud clear by sharing Blanco’s TikTok from November before cutting to a clip of herself commenting: “What do you do all day, Benny? The same thing. Literally, the same thing.” Advertisement Puth then wrote a simple “Thank you” to Eilish in the video’s comments. @billieeilish #stitch with @itsbennyblanco #drafts ♬ See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth) – Wiz Khalifa While Blanco’s videos have been persistent, many fans have been questioning whether the beef is actually real or a publicity stunt, since both artists have worked together previously. Puth responded to the insults in his own video in November, saying: “You know, man, these videos were really funny at first. I don’t exactly know why you’ve been so mean to me these past couple… Read More →

11JANHit Singles

Uncut – March 2022

HAVE A COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME Johnny Marr, Carole King, Lou Reed, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Cate Le Bon, Michael Hurley, Black Country, New Road, The Damned, Sun O))), and Blossom Toes all feature in the new Uncut, dated March 2022 and in UK shops from January 13 or available to buy online now. This issue comes with an exclusive free CD, comprising 12 tracks compiled by this month’s cover star Johnny Marr. JOHNNY MARR: Nearly four decades on from The Smiths’ debut single, Johnny Marr has made the most ambitious album of his career. After the seismic events of recent times, Fever Dreams Pts 1–4 mines qualities of optimism, empathy and collectiveness. But what do Syd Barrett, Sylvia Plath and Marr’s 11-year-old self have to do with it? Michael Bonner heads to Marr’s HQ outside Manchester to discover: “It’s all a work in progress. Everything is connected.” OUR FREE CD! FEVER DREAMING: 12 tracks curated by Johnny Marr, including songs by Broken Social Scene, Sparks, Khruangbin and more. This issue of Uncut is available to buy by clicking here – with FREE delivery to the UK and reduced delivery charges for the rest of the world…. Read More →

11JANNews

Eminem and Stevie Wonder to appear on Cordae’s new album ‘From A Bird’s Eye View’

Cordae has revealed the guests on his upcoming sophomore album ‘From A Bird’s Eye View’ include Eminem and Stevie Wonder. Yesterday (January 10), Cordae revealed the album’s tracklist in an Instagram post. ‘From A Bird’s Eye View’, out this Friday (January 14), promises a long list of guest features, including Eminem and Wonder, as well as Gunna, H.E.R., Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs and Nas. The list of producers, composers and vocalists in the post also reveals that the album will feature contributions by musician Terrace Martin and actress Taraji P. Henson. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cordae’ (@cordae) Advertisement Two tracks with featured artists have been released so far: ‘Sinister’ with Lil Wayne, and ‘Gifted’ with Roddy Ricch, the latter to be included as a bonus track. Meanwhile, last night (January 10), Cordae appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform two tracks from the upcoming album: ‘Sinister’ and ‘Chronicles’. Watch it below. ‘From A Bird’s Eye View’ is Cordae’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2019 debut ‘The Lost Boy’. In April 2021, the rapper released a four-track project titled ‘Just Until…’, which offered guest features from Q-Tip and Young Thug. Advertisement Since then, Cordae appeared on… Read More →

10JANNews

Betty Boo announces first new solo single in 30 years

Betty Boo has announced plans to release her first solo single in 30 years. READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Betty Boo The ‘Doin The Do’ singer is set to release ‘Get Me To The Weekend’ – her first solo release since 1992’s ‘GRRR! It’s Betty Boo’ this Saturday, (January 22). It will premiere on Rylan’s show on BBC Radio 2 before being made available online, immediately after the broadcast. Advertisement The pop singer scored Top 10 hits with 90s singles ‘Doin The Do’ and ‘Where Are You’ Baby’. She made her breakthrough as guest vocalist on The Beatmasters’ Top 10 single ‘Hey DJ/I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)’ in 1989. Betty Boo released two albums – 1990’s ‘Boomania’ and 1992 follow up ‘GRRR! It’s Betty Boo’ – before she retired her solo career. She went on to write songs for other pop artists such as Popstars band Hear’Say and Girls Aloud including the former’s Number One hit ‘Pure And Simple’ and the latter’s three singles ‘Mars Attack’, ‘Boogie Down Love‘ and ‘Love Bomb‘ from their 2003 album ‘Sound Of The Underground’. Speaking to NME about working with Girls Aloud previously, she said: “Post-pops star… Read More →