Suki Benjamin

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Watch Joan Jett and Travis Barker join Foo Fighters at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Joan Jett made an early appearance at today’s (September 27) Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in Los Angeles, joining the surviving members of Foo Fighters – with Blink-182’s Travis Barker sitting in for Hawkins on drums – to perform two of her biggest hits from the ‘80s. READ MORE: Inside the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert: “A gigantic fucking night for a gigantic fucking person” The one-off supergroup delivered renditions of ‘Cherry Bomb’ (from 1984’s ‘Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth’) and ‘Bad Reputation’ (from Jett’s self-titled 1980 album, reissued a year later as ‘Bad Reputation’). The latter was a particularly special inclusion, given that Jett and the Foos have teamed up several times throughout the years to perform it together. One notable team-up, in 2011, saw Jett join the Foos to perform ‘Bad Reputation’ on Late Night With David Letterman. Footage of tonight’s performance is yet to emerge – unlike the concert held in London earlier this month, LA’s is not being live-streamed – but in the meantime, you can see crowd-shot footage of the group playing ‘Cherry Bomb’ below: Advertisement Back in May, Jett shared her memories of Hawkins in an interview with NME. She remembered the late drummer as… Read More →

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Måneskin announce new single ‘The Loneliest’, coming next week

Måneskin have announced a new single called ‘The Loneliest’ – check out the official artwork below. READ MORE: “The NME Big Read – Måneskin: “Nobody is keeping rock’n’roll alive – it’s just impossible to kill” The Italian band are due to release the track next Friday (October 7). You can pre-save/pre add it here. ‘The Loneliest’ will follow on from Måneskin’s latest single ‘Supermodel’, which came out in May, and the group’s recent ‘If I Can Dream’ cover from the new Elvis biopic. See the announcement tweet below. Down these hearts’ depth.THE LONELIEST out on October 7th. Pre-save / pre-add now: https://t.co/ZNBwI80Qky pic.twitter.com/w46pryjZhb — MåneskinOfficial (@thisismaneskin) September 26, 2022 Advertisement Additionally, Måneskin have shared a live performance of ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’ from last weekend’s Global Citizen Festival in New York City. You can watch the video above. During an interview with NME over the summer, Måneskin talked about the “super cool” experience of topping the US charts with ‘Supermodel’. “To see such great feedback for our first [global] release makes us really confident for the future,” said frontman Damiano David. “Of course, we didn’t expect that so we’re truly happy and we can’t wait to come out with… Read More →

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BLACKPINK become the first female K-pop act to top the Billboard 200 with ‘Born Pink’

BLACKPINK have become the first female K-pop act to debut at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. READ MORE: BLACKPINK – ‘Born Pink’ review: K-pop titans consolidate their identity On September 25, Billboard revealed that the quartet’s sophomore studio album ‘Born Pink’ had debuted at the top of its weekly Billboard 200 albums chart for the week ending September 22. This makes BLACKPINK the first female K-pop act ever, as well as the first all-female group since 2008, to do so. The record reportedly earned 102,000 equivalent album units in its release week, of which 75,500 comprised album sales, while streaming and track equivalent units totalled 25,000 and 1,500 each. Advertisement It is BLACKPINK’s second Top 10 entry on the music chart, after their first studio album ‘THE ALBUM’ debuted at Number 2 upon its release in 2020. BLACKPINK. CREDIT: YG Entertainment ‘Born Pink’ is the third album by a South Korean act to top the weekly albums chart in 2022, following BTS’ ‘Proof’ and Stray Kids’ ‘Oddinary’. BLACKPINK joins the two boybands, as well as SM Entertainment supergroup SuperM, as the only K-pop acts to debut at Number One on the chart. Additionally, ‘Born Pink’ also became the… Read More →

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Listen to Beck’s new cover of Neil Young’s ‘Old Man’

Beck has shared a new cover of Neil Young‘s ‘Old Man’ – check out the version below. The new version of the 1972 track was teased on Sunday night (September 25) in an NBC Sports advert during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs NFL game. Following the teaser, the full version has now been shared on streaming services, which you can listen to below. Advertisement The latest in a number of takes on Neil Young songs, Beck’s solo version of ‘Old Man’ brings a haunting quality to the ‘Harvest’ track. Back in 2018, Beck teamed up with Jenny Lewis to cover Young’s iconic hit ‘Harvest Moon’ during a gig at at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado. Listen to his new version of ‘Old Man’ below. This week, Beck debuted a new collaboration with Gorillaz, with the singer and cartoon band giving new song ‘Possession Island’ its live debut at Gorillaz’ Los Angeles show this weekend (September 23). Gorillaz will release new album ‘Cracker Island’ on February 24, 2023 via Parlophone (pre-order here) and announced the record recently by sharing latest single ‘New Gold’, featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. Advertisement The new Beck collaboration will feature on the follow-up to… Read More →

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We Are Scientists announce new album ‘Lobes’ and UK and European tour

We Are Scientists have announced details of new album ‘Lobes’ and a new UK and European tour – find all the details below and buy tickets here. The duo’s eighth studio album and follow-up to last year’s ‘Huffy’ LP, will come out on January 20, 2023. A first single from the album, ‘Operation Error’, was released last week. READ MORE: We Are Scientists look back on ‘With Love & Squalor’: “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, in that we’ve been throwing up a lot” Discussing the new album, frontman Keith Murray said: “Lobes is the name of a cereal of black spheres invented by [bassist] Chris Cain (don’t ask). Obviously, the record has little to do with breakfast, but I loved the associations that the word has with cerebral biology, and the evocation of sci-fi, and a sense of something both fundamentally human and utterly unknowable. Advertisement “The word “lobes” makes me think of the body horror films of David Cronenberg, but also of the chatty comedies of manners of Whit Stillman. I really love the reaction it evokes in people: everybody knows the word “lobes,” but for whatever reason, being challenged to define it consistently scares them, or angers them, or… Read More →

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BLACKPINK become first K-pop girl group to land UK Number One album

BLACKPINK have become the first-ever K-pop girl group to achieve a Number One album in the UK. The South Korean band hit the top spot today (September 23) with their second full length record, ‘Born Pink’, which was released last Friday (September 16). READ MORE: BLACKPINK enter a world-conquering era with unapologetic new single ‘Pink Venom’ BLACKPINK previously peaked at Number Two in the United Kingdom with their debut album, 2020’s ‘The Album’ (via the Official Charts Company). Advertisement Martin Talbot, Chief Executive at the Official Charts Company, said: “Congratulations to BLACKPINK. “Being any kind of chart first is a record which can never be taken away, so for their new album ‘Born Pink’ to become the first UK Official Number One by a K-pop girl group is a fantastic achievement – and puts them in the record books forever!” Back in 2019, BTS became the first Korean act to hit Number One in the UK albums chart with ‘Map of The Soul: Persona’. Their 2020 record ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ went on to achieve the same feat. BLACKPINK. CREDIT: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global The remainder of this week’s UK top five is made up of Suede‘s ‘Autofiction’… Read More →

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Ozzy Osbourne says ’13’ “wasn’t really a Black Sabbath album”

Ozzy Osbourne has said that he feels that the last Black Sabbath album ’13’ wasn’t really one of the band’s records. READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Patient Number 9’ review: a fizzing piece of hard-rock magic The former Black Sabbath singer was discussing his new solo album ‘Patient Number 9’ in an interview when he was asked to reflect on the group’s seemingly final ever record, which was released in 2013. Asked by Stereogum if he still feels good about where ’13’ left things, he responded: “Not really, because, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really get a charge from the album. Although [producer] Rick Rubin is a good friend of mine, I wasn’t really… I was just singing. Advertisement “It was like stepping back in time, but it wasn’t a glorious period. Though Geezer [Butler, Black Sabbath bassist] did a lot of lyric writing for me, which he’s very, very good at. It wasn’t an earth-shattering experience for me.” Osbourne was then asked whether he thinks Black Sabbath are “totally done”. Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne perform live in 2022. CREDIT: Getty “I would like to say it’s completely done,” he replied. “I think it’s time. The only thing… Read More →

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Andy C to become first drum’n’bass act to headline The O2 in London

Andy C is set to become the first drum’n’bass artist to headline The O2 in London – tickets for the show will be available here. The DJ, producer and RAM Records co-founder (real name Andrew Clarke) will host his “ground-breaking” ‘Alive 2.0’ show at the 20,000-capacity venue on Good Friday next year (April 7, 2023). “I can’t believe it… we’re going to The O2 ARENA LONDON!” Clarke wrote on social media to announce the milestone gig, which will be his biggest to date. Advertisement ‘Alive 2.0’ will see the DJ perform a five-hour set featuring a “brand new immersive visual show & production”. The DJ went on to describe the upcoming event as “a true celebration of our amazing music… drum’n’bass”. Clarke continued: “Throughout my career I’ve had the honour to play in places and venues beyond my imagination. I’ve had the chance to share the love and vibes that only drum and bass can bring with so many of you and I can’t believe we have reached a venue as iconic as The O2 Arena London…absolutely insane!” View this post on Instagram A post shared by ANDY C (@andyc_ramagram) He concluded: “Thank you for coming on this journey with… Read More →

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Polaroid announce expansion into music with speakers, radio and app

American camera company Polaroid has announced a surprising new expansion of their brand, launching Polaroid Music with several new products and an accompanying app. The company has launched four speakers: P1, P2, P3 and P4. The first is a small, square shaped player, while the second is wider and oval-shaped. P3 sees the model of P2 adapted to include a handle, similar to the design of the boom-box, while P4 is the largest speaker and can be mounted on a stand. All four speakers will be available in multiple colours. Watch the new ad for Polaroid Music below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Polaroid (@polaroid) Advertisement In a press statement, Polaroid chairman Oskar Smolokowski expressed his excitement at the company’s newest launch. “Great musicians and photographers capture what we can’t always express with words – they make us feel,” he said, justifying the parallels between Polaroid’s usual camera-based focus and its new venture into music. “We’re new in the music world, but we want to bring as much color and emotion to the space as we can. We’re excited about this new chapter, while still being as committed as ever to instant photography.” In addition to… Read More →

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Cardi B shares Beyoncé’s personal thank you note alongside ‘Renaissance’ vinyl gift

Cardi B has posted a video showing off her signed copy of Beyoncé‘s ‘Renaissance‘ on vinyl, complete with a personal thank you note penned by the pop star. READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy In the clip the rapper appears to be delighted with the LP and warns viewers that no one can touch her special gift. “Look what Beyoncé sent me. Read it, bitch!” Cardi says with a laugh while holding up the vinyl. “It was so beautiful, so lovely. I’m gonna put it in a glass frame with some laser beams on it. Anyone who gets motherfucking next to it is gonna get electrocuted on motherfucking site.” Advertisement She then says: “I just wanna say ‘thank you so much.’ I feel so special,” before singing along to Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ song ‘Plastic Off The Sofa’. Thank you Beyoncé❤️….sooo sweet and it means a lot ? pic.twitter.com/YbVEQ6Z9Rc — Cardi B (@iamcardib) September 19, 2022 The note from Beyoncé read: “Hard working, beautiful and talented queen. Thank you for always supporting me. Sending so much love to you and yours.” Cardi was also included in Beyoncé’s first ever TikTok posts earlier this year. The… Read More →

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Pale Waves cancel all remaining North America tour dates

Pale Waves have cancelled the remaining dates on their North America tour due to “logistical and safety issues” with their tour bus. READ MORE: Pale Waves: “We’ve become the most resilient band we know” The band had dates booked up until October 7 in the US, but said they are now unable to fulfil the remainder of the tour. In a post on Instagram, they said: “We are hugely disappointed to say that due to logistical and safety issues with our tour bus, we are unable to complete the remainder of our North American tour. We’ve exhausted every possible option to find a new bus, but have been left with no option but to cancel these remaining dates. Advertisement “We’re so sorry to everyone who has purchased tickets – we’re working with our booking agent to arrange rescheduled dates and will share more details as soon as we possibly can. In the meantime refunds are available from point of purchase for all remaining shows. See you very soon.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by PALE WAVES (@palewaves) It comes just over two and a half years after the band’s near-fatal bus crash, supporting Halsey on their European arena… Read More →

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Listen to Jamie xx’s new disco-infused single ‘Kill Dem’

Jamie xx has shared his new disco-infused single ‘Kill Dem’ – listen below. READ MORE: Jamie xx on his debut solo album ‘In Colour’, his bright, bold homage to London nightlife The track – teased yesterday (September 19) – is the follow-up to ‘Let’s Do It Again’, which was released in April. Speaking about the track, Jamie xx said: “I started making it at a time when we weren’t sure when we were going to be able to do stuff. I was looking forward to the day when I could get back to what I love. It was one of those ones that happens quite instantly and that’s kind of rare for me these days. It happened within almost a day.” Advertisement According to a press release the song was also “created with Notting Hill Carnival in mind, inspired by the energy of the parties and soundsystems Jamie experienced there since first attending as a teenager”. Last month, Jamie xx shared his new remix of Oliver Sim‘s ‘GMT’. The original track – released in July – features on Sim’s debut solo album ‘Hideous Bastard’, which has been produced by his fellow The xx bandmate. The two artists have worked together a number of… Read More →

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Snail Mail and Mac DeMarco share new song ‘A Cuckhold’s Refrain’ as Peppermint Patty

Lindsey Jordan (aka Snail Mail) has shared a new song to her personal YouTube channel. It’s titled ‘A Cuckhold’s Refrain’, is attributed to a project called Peppermint Patty, and features guest vocals from Mac DeMarco. READ MORE: Snail Mail: “It’s awesome seeing lots of women and queer people in music” “I got the beef, you got the cheese / I’ll be the cuck, you be the tease,” Jordan sings on the opening verse of the track, which meets somewhere in the middle between Snail Mail’s emo-tinged indie rock and DeMarco’s woozy, hypnagogic pop. According to Pitchfork, the song – which appears to be the first collaboration between the two singer-songwriters to be released publicly – was recorded in DeMarco’s garage two years ago, and also features JD Beck, DOMi and Deaton Chris Anthony. Listen below: Advertisement Jordan’s most recent album as Snail Mail, ‘Valentine’, arrived last year. In a five-star review, NME said the record was “expertly curated”, with each of the 10 songs on its tracklist feeling “like a fully-realised gem”. Since then, Jordan has performed the album’s title track on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ‘Glory’ on Fallon, underwent vocal cord surgery, and covered Smashing Pumpkins‘ ‘Tonight,… Read More →

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Paramore add New York gig to intimate 2022 North American tour

Paramore have added a New York gig to their upcoming 2022 North American comeback tour – find details below and get tickets here. The trio are set to return with new single ‘This Is Why’ next month (October 28), having returned to the stage three weeks earlier (October 2) to begin their run of gigs. READ MORE: Paramore: their 10 best songs – ranked On November 13, the band will play the Beacon Theatre as part of the tour, which runs until November 19, where they play the Corona Capital festival in Mexico. Advertisement Tickets for the New York gig will go on sale on Friday, September 23 at 10am ET here, and fans can register their interest here today (September 19) and tomorrow (20). Discussing the ticket situation for the show in a statement, Paramore said: “As many of you know, we partnered with Ticketmaster for our Los Angeles shows to control the ability to resell tickets strictly through Ticketmaster’s Ticket Exchange Program, preventing anyone from reselling tickets for profit. “We really wanted to use the same program for this show, but unfortunately New York state law does not allow for the restriction of ticket resale pricing. However, the new… Read More →

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Bush release powerful new single ‘Heavy Is The Ocean’

Bush have released an explosive new single, ‘Heavy Is The Ocean’, the opening track of their forthcoming album, ‘The Art Of Survival’. READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: Bush’s Gavin Rossdale The hard-hitting ‘Heavy Is The Ocean’ dropped yesterday (Friday September 16), serving as the second single from Bush’s forthcoming ninth studio release. The deep, fuzzed out number dropped with an official visualiser. Listen below: Advertisement In a press release, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale spoke of his reaction when he first heard the weighty ‘Heavy Is The Ocean’ riff. “It really sets the tone and the gravitas of the album,” he said. “I love the power of the ocean. It’s mesmerising to me. It feeds your soul. The song uses the imagery I love. “This one definitely represents ‘The Art of Survival’.” News of ‘The Art Of Survival’ – the follow-up to 2020’s ‘The Kingdom’ – was heralded by the release of its first single, ‘More Than Machines’. Rossdale called the song “action-packed”, saying it focuses on “three really big topics”. “I don’t understand how anyone has the audacity to get involved or assume responsibility for women’s bodies,” he said. “I wanted to reference that, because it’s important to discuss…. Read More →

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Grimes says new album ‘Book 1’ is “done”

Grimes says her new album, ‘Book 1’, is “done”, taking to social media today (September 17) to share a handful of details. READ MORE: Grimes – ‘Miss Anthropocene’ review: an iconoclast continues to march to the beat of her own drum On Twitter, Grimes wrote: “Album is done we’re mixing. My friend and I.” She went on to share details of how the release’s final track was completed. “Perfected the last song in the plastic surgery clinic cuz they wouldn’t let me leave,” she wrote, “and we were laughing that this was the most Hollywood moment of all time.” The artist concluded by saying she has “20 songs”, adding the release may be issued in two volumes, across the previously announced ‘Book 1’ and potentially ‘Book 2’. “Deciding format / tracklist,” Grimes said. Album is done we’re mixing. My friend and I. perfected the last song in the plastic surgery clinic cuz they wouldn’t let me leave and we were laughing that this was the most Hollywood moment of all time. I have 20 songs so maybe BOOK 1 and BOOK 2? Deciding format/ tracklist — ?????? (@Grimezsz) September 17, 2022 Advertisement Shortly after her original post, Grimes followed up… Read More →

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Check out the vinyl record that’s also a guitar pedal

A world-first has been created in the form of a vinyl record that’s also a guitar pedal. The gadget is the creation of Indianapolis-based rock band Brother O Brother, who teamed up with Romanus Records and Audio Disruption Devices to release their new album ‘Skin Walker’ on a special vinyl release for the album. The limited edition will feature what are reported to be the thickest vinyl records ever made as part of a 2LP set on which the vinyl also serves as a guitar pedal. Advertisement Both LPs in the set have different functions, with one for delay and one for boost. The controls for the pedal are located in the centre of the vinyl records, which can be played on turntables. In a video explainer, Romanus Records walk fans through the new creation, and explain in the description: “One overdrive boost, and one delay pedal. Each with their own unique A.D.D. Pedals touch. The boost has a toggle switch for two different channels of boost while the delay has 4 wild settings for unique delay combos. “One pedal features the A side of the LP while the other the B side. These are limited to 35 units and will be… Read More →

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Bellowhead’s Paul Sartin has died aged 51

Bellowhead violinist and oboeist has died unexpectedly this week, aged 51. The news was confirmed in a statement from Sartin’s siblings Angela, James, Will and Joe, with the band also paying tribute. “The whole band are totally devastated to have to let you all know about the passing of our beloved Paul Sartin,” Bellowhead wrote on Twitter. “We were so privileged to share a stage with this masterful musician and good, good friend. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to his mother and the boys he was so proud of.” The statement from Sartin’s family, posted on Thursday (September 15), read: “It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of our beloved Paul, who left us unexpectedly yesterday morning. “We know that he was someone who brought wonderful music into your lives, and that so many of you counted him as a close and dear friend. We have lost a son and a father, and while we ask now that we are allowed to mourn Paul in private, we understand many of you will have lovely memories that you would like to share. “We invite you to do this in the comments beneath this post so that we… Read More →

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DPR to postpone Texas shows after DPR IAN and DPR LIVE test positive for COVID-19

South Korean music and media collective DPR (Dream Perfect Regime) have announced that they are postponing the Texas leg of their forthcoming 2022 Regime Tour. READ MORE: DPR IAN: “I’ve always been one to feed from chaos, which makes my art so dark, but beautiful” On September 14, concert organiser Kohai published a statement announcing DPR’s forthcoming show in Austin, initially scheduled for September 15, will not be pushing through after DPR IAN and DPR LIVE tested positive for COVID-19. The two members reported experiencing symptoms following a show in Hollywood, Florida. At the time, Kohai announced that ticket holders for the Houston and Dallas shows, set to take place on September 16 and 17 respectively, will receive real-time status updates while both members’ conditions were being monitored. [REGIME TOUR]Notice regarding the September 15, 2022 show in Austin. pic.twitter.com/xkaGtsNeqP — KOHAI (@heykohai) September 15, 2022 Advertisement “The artists have been isolated from each other as well as the rest of the crew, to ensure both IAN and LIVE spent the past few rest days for proper recovery,” the statement reads. “However, even though their respective conditions have been improving, they are still testing positive at this time.” Earlier today (September… Read More →

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Eminem pens lengthy reflection on struggles with addiction: “I don’t know how the fuck I’m still here”

Eminem has opened up about his former struggles with drug addiction in a personal new essay. READ MORE: Eminem: Rank The Albums – will the best Slim Shady album please stand up? In the piece penned for XXL, Em discusses the way that “everything changed” after he signed with Interscope and released his second studio album, 1999’s ‘The Slim Shady LP’. He describes how after he first relocated to Los Angeles, he and friends would go to Tijuana to purchase drugs such as Vicodin. “The last time we went, we’re second in line and this dude in front of us starts arguing with the guy in Customs, and they fuckin’ throw him down on the ground and start pulling pills out his pockets and shit,” Em recalls. “We were scared shitless, but we got through. And when I say we had the motherlode. Our pants were frickin’ stuffed with pills. I don’t know how many we had.” Advertisement Despite what he acknowledges was an early warning sign, the rapper says he didn’t think he had a problem at that stage. “I just really, really liked drugs. As I started making a little money, I could buy more of them.” “I… Read More →

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Billy McFarland reveals plan to pay $26million in restitution to Fyre Festival victims

Billy McFarland – a controversial entrepreneur best known as the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival disaster – has opened up about his plans to pay off $26million (£22.7million) in restitution owed to those he defrauded. READ MORE: Fyre Festival: Is this the worst ‘luxury’ festival of all time? McFarland was profiled by The New York Times this week, having completed his stint on house arrest earlier this month. It comes after he was moved from prison to a halfway house in March, being released from his six-year federal prison sentence more than two years early (he was formally sentenced in October of 2018). In the piece, McFarland details his wish to make a comeback as an entrepreneur, telling the Times that he’d “like to do something tech-based”. Addressing his fraught reputation in the wake of the Fyre Festival – the events of which infamously transpired in April and May of 2017 – McFarland said: “The good thing with tech is that people are so forward-thinking, and they’re more apt at taking risk. If I worked in finance, I think it would be harder to get back. Tech is more open. And the way I failed is totally wrong, but… Read More →