Eva Thai

George Ezra could be playing a secret set at this year’s Glastonbury

Fans online think they’ve worked out that George Ezra could be playing a secret set at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. READ MORE: Get down early! 20 essential rising bands and artists to see at this summer’s festival season A sign from Worthy Farm revealed that the ‘Gold Rush Kid’ would be on stage in the John Peel tent from 2pm on Sunday June 26. ‘Gold Rush Kid’ is the latest album by Ezra and was released earlier this month. The sign has led fans to speculate that Ezra may be the act now appearing in the John Peel tent on Sunday in the ‘TBC’ slot. Advertisement You can see the sign here: pic.twitter.com/xy3kB4gFIF — The Glasto Thingy (@TheGlastoThingy) June 18, 2022 A review of Ezra’s album from NME said: “The effusive ‘Gold Rush Kid’ sees Ezra marvel at his status as one of the UK’s most successful singer-songwriters of the past decade – his debut recently went five times Platinum – with a title track that sees him awed by the unexpected nature of his situation. “‘I’m the gold rush kid / Robbing the bank,’ he sings giddily over a caffeinated drumline so demanding and bouncy it could spur on a conga… Read More →

19JUNNews

Flo Milli is feeling herself on feisty new track ‘Conceited’

Flo Milli has dropped off a brand new single called ‘Conceited’ – listen to the feisty new track below. READ MORE: Flo Milli: “I’m always shooting for bigger. If I had a goal then, it’s bigger now” The Alabama rapper’s latest track comes alongside news that her debut album, ‘You Still Here, Ho?’, which is the follow-up to her acclaimed ‘Ho, Why Is You Here?’ mixtape, is coming soon. Armed with an unyielding confidence, Milli lets listeners know on ‘Conceited’ that she’s headstrong when it comes to her abilities and knowing her worth. Advertisement “I been that bitch since a fetus/ Been had my stripes, no Adidas/ My opps takin’ pics when they see us/ I’m so fabulous/ Bitch, I’m fabulous/ I don’t need his money/ Bitch, I got enough/ Pretty bitch walk in, they gon’ salute,” Milli raps on the track’s second verse. Arriving with a high-energy music video, directed by NAYIP, Milli flexes on her haters in a number of different settings – including a nail salon – and fabulous outfits. You can watch it below. Milli’s previous singles ‘Ice Baby’ and ‘PBC (Pretty Black Cute)’ will also appear on her forthcoming LP. Speaking to NME back in March, Flo Milli said her upcoming new project will be… Read More →

18JUNNews

Watch Phoebe Bridgers perform on CBS with Christian Lee Hutson

Phoebe Bridgers has performed on CBS with singer-songwriter Christian Lee Huston – check out the moment below. READ MORE: Lucy Dacus: “This record is just one step on the staircase of revelation” The pair, who have collaborated together frequently in the past, appeared on CBS This Morning: Saturday earlier today (June 18). They performed two of Hutson’s originals together, ‘Rubberneckers’ and ‘Lose This Number’. Hutson also performed a solo, stripped-back acoustic cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’. Bridgers and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst worked as producers on Hutson’s latest album, ‘Quitters’. Check out the performance here: Meanwhile,

18JUNNews

Chance The Rapper and Joey Bada$$ team up on soulful new cut, ‘The Highs & The Lows’

Chance The Rapper has released a brand new track, ‘The Highs & The Lows’, featuring Joey Bada$$ – listen to it below. READ MORE: Joey Bada$$ – Soundtrack Of My Life The song – which serves as another preview of Chance’s upcoming second album – begins with a message from Chance, where he thanks his fans and supporters “that have been there since day one”. “Your support has been fuelling me throughout these years and this next piece is something really special,” he says, before asking his fans to share the new track with five friends because “the people gotta know the return is now. The Rapper’s back. Jozif’s back. We back. Let ’em know Chano back in these streets.” Advertisement The pair exude optimism and channel their inner spirituality as they rap about overcoming the lows in life to enjoy the highs, floating over a beautiful soul sample and low-tempo beat. Listen to ‘The Highs & The Lows’ below: Chance has been busy prepping the follow-up to 2019’s ‘The Big Day’. In May, he dropped off the tracks ‘A Bar About A Bar’ and ‘Writing Exercise #3: Wraith’, the latter of which featured Vic Mensa. Back in March, Chance shared the… Read More →

18JUNNews

Kendrick Lamar says ‘Mr. Morale…’ is his “most present” album in new mini-doc

Kendrick Lamar has visited Accra in Ghana for a new mini-documentary in which he describes his new album as his “most present yet” while also reflecting on going to therapy. READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography The four-minute Spotify film, titled A Day In Ghana With Kendrick Lamar, follows the rapper as he makes his first-ever trip to the capital of the West African country. “I can’t even tell you what day it is,” he said at the start. “I’ve just been in the moment.” Soundtracked by ‘Crown’ from his fifth record, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, the video contains footage of locals boxing, skateboarding and playing football as the star participates in a brief interview. Advertisement At one point, Lamar was asked what he’d been talking about with the children of Accra. “Just about them being here, how it makes them feel to be over here and [late fashion designer and DJ] Virgil [Abloh],” he replied. Abloh, who was born in the US to Ghanaian immigrant parents, partly funded Accra’s Freedom Skatepark which appears in the doc. Lamar continued: “What he means to them, you know, as far as… Read More →

17JUNNews

Flying Lotus drops off pair of new songs, ‘You Don’t Know’ and ‘The Room’

Flying Lotus has dropped off pair of new songs, ‘You Don’t Know’ and ‘The Room’ – listen to both below. READ MORE: Flying Lotus – ‘Flamagra’ review The tracks – both of which feature Los Angeles–based soul singer Devin Tracy – are the producer’s first new releases since scoring Netflix anime series Yasuke last year. The series, which was created and directed by LeSean Thomas and Studio MAPPA, stars LaKeith Stanfield as the show’s titular character and sees Flying Lotus take on the role of composing the original score. Advertisement FlyLo called it a ‘dream project”, and he consulted on the story, working alongside renowned anime creators MAPPA Studios as an executive producer on the project. His creativity in this role was driven by “an opportunity to communicate from a unique and necessary perspective”. You can check out ‘You Don’t Know’ and ‘The Room’ below: FlyLo’s last album was 2019’s ‘Flamagra’, which NME‘s Thomas Hobbs called “a piece of art that’s bursting with ideas that impressively complement one another” in a five star review. Earlier this year, Flying Lotus shared details of his forthcoming second feature film Ash, which will contain elements of both sci-fi and horror. Advertisement The film is the… Read More →

17JUNNews

Sky Ferreira says long-delayed second album is “basically done”

Sky Ferreira has given a new update on her long-delayed second album, ‘Masochism’. READ MORE: Sky Ferreira live in London: pop prowess well worth waiting for The follow-up to the singer’s 2013 debut LP ‘Night Time, My Time’ has been teased on and off for more than half a decade, but in a new interview with NME she has given fans a promising update. “It’s basically done for the most part, it’s just that some parts need to be re-recorded,” she said in this week’s Big Read, before adding: “Just the finishing touches, really.” Advertisement ‘Masochism’ has been a long time coming. It was first scheduled for release in 2015, and has been pushed back multiple times since. Last October, she said a release date for the album had been confirmed, teasing its arrival this March. The following month, she asserted that ‘Masochism’ was “actually coming out” in 2022, and back in January, Ferreira’s mother re-confirmed that a March release was on the cards. When the album wasn’t released in March, Ferreira told fans to hold off on their “wrath and death threats” until April. Sky Ferreira on the cover of NME The singer returned last month with new single ‘Don’t Forget’, her first new music since… Read More →

17JUNNews

Jimmy Kimmel apologises for saying Beyoncé’s name wrong “for 20 years”

Jimmy Kimmel has apologised to Beyoncé for mispronouncing her name for “20 years”. Following the news of Beyoncé’s forthcoming return with ‘RENAISSANCE’, the host and comedian made his apology to the singer in the opening speech of his show yesterday (June 16). ‘This will be Beyoncé’s first new album since 2016. And I feel like this is a good time to mention something that’s been bothering me,” Kimmel began, before bringing up her name on screen. Advertisement “I want everybody to look at this together. The accent mark is at the end. It’s on the ‘e’. So it’s actually ‘Be-yon-say’. Not ‘Beyon-Say.’” He then addressed the star directly with a joke reference to the 1999 Destiny’s Child hit ‘Say My Name’: “I just want to be-yon-say, to be-yon-say, that I am so-ray for screwing up your name for 20 years. I mean you said, you told us ‘Say my name, say my name,’ and we didn’t listen.” Meanwhile, ‘RENAISSANCE’ is reportedly set to feature country and dance tracks, with contributions from hit songwriter Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote her 2008 hit ‘Halo’ and Raphael Saadiq, who has crafted hits for Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, and Beyoncé’s sister Solange’s 2016 album ‘A Seat At… Read More →

17JUNNews

Mötley Crüe bring out Machine Gun Kelly as US tour begins in Atlanta

Mötley Crüe brought out Machine Gun Kelly as their US tour began last night (June 16). READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever” The jaunt, which sees Mötley Crüe perform alongside Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, kicked off in Atlanta and mid-way through the gig, Mötley Crüe brought out MGK to play the live debut of their 2019 collaboration ‘The Dirt (Est. 1981)’. You can see footage of the moment here: Advertisement Despite getting off to a roaring start, Crüe drummer Tommy Lee had to be replaced half way through the band’s set due to pain from an injury suffered two weeks ago. Lee broke several ribs and had to be replaced by session drummer Tommy Clufetos. “We did it! You did it, we did it, we’re fucking here!” Lee was reported to have told the the crowd before detailing his injury (via Stereogum). “OK, anyway, what I’ve got to tell you is about 14 days ago, I fuckin’ broke not one, not two, not three, but four fuckin’ ribs right here… I wish I had a fuckin’ badass story like me and Connor McGregor fuckin’ scrapping… Read More →

16JUNNews

Watch the trailer for Machine Gun Kelly’s new documentary ‘Life In Pink’

The trailer for Machine Gun Kelly’s upcoming new documentary, Life In Pink has arrived – watch it below. READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever” The film will be released onto Disney+ in the near future – an official full release date has yet to be confirmed. The documentary is directed by Sam Cahill and Executive Produced by Colson Baker, Stephen Astephen, Andre Cisco, Ashleigh Veverka, John Janick and Sean “Diddy” Combs. The film is also produced by Cahill. Advertisement Check out the trailer here: An official synopsis on the film read: “Machine Gun Kelly’s Life in Pink is an in-depth look at the dramatic highs and lows of an artist chasing music’s top spot while tackling noise from the outside world, stardom, fatherhood and more. “From creating his platinum-selling, Billboard No. 1 album Tickets to My Downfall, to his most recent No. 1 studio album, Mainstream Sellout, this is an all-access pass, that goes beyond the headlines, into the chaotic world of Machine Gun Kelly.” Tweeting about the new documentary earlier today, Kelly said: “My whole life changed in the last two years, and we had the cameras rolling…” my whole life changed… Read More →

16JUNNews

Portishead go digital, uploading their entire musical archive

Portishead have digitised their entire archive, making it available on all major streaming platforms. READ MORE: The Roots Of… Portishead In addition to their music, the Bristol band have also uploaded HD versions of their music videos including ‘Sour Times’, ‘Wandering Star’, ‘Machine Gun’ and ‘All Mine’. These videos are available to view on their YouTube channel. Making the announcement on Instagram, Portishead wrote: “Hello, our archive has now been digitised, and videos upgraded to HD. Available everywhere you normally get your music from, explore it as you like via the link in our bio.” Advertisement Check out the band’s post below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by @portisheadofficial Last month, Portishead performed live for the first time in seven years as part of a War Child UK benefit gig for Ukraine at O2 Academy in Bristol. Marking the first time the trio had played a show since their 2015 appearance at Benicàssim Festival, Portishead performed five songs – ‘Mysterons’, ‘Wandering Star’ and ‘Roads’ from 1997’s ‘Dummy’, and ‘Magic Doors’ and ‘The Rip’ from 2008’s ‘Third’. Elsewhere on the bill were headliners IDLES along with sets by Billy Nomates, Katy J Pearson, Heavy Lungs, Willie J Healy and Wilderman…. Read More →

16JUNNews

Glastonbury fans advised to avoid train travel as biggest rail strike in 30 years set to cause chaos

Glastonbury 2022 ticketholders who are planning to travel by train are being advised to make alternative arrangements as Great Britain faces its biggest rail strike since 1989. READ MORE: We’re gonna need a bigger farm: why Glastonbury 2022 could be the best in history The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) and National Rail’s nationwide strike was confirmed last week for the following days next week: Tuesday (June 21), Thursday (June 23) and Saturday (June 25). It means that those travelling to Pilton, Somerset for Glastonbury on its warm-up day on Wednesday (June 22) and its final day on Sunday (June 26), as well as the usual Monday (June 27) return travel day, will face disruption and a backlog from the strikes. Advertisement Rail workers are striking over pay and redundancies. Separately, a strike is also planned on the London Underground on Tuesday (June 21), which is part of a different dispute over job losses and pensions and could also affect people heading to Glastonbury early. Steve Montgomery, who chairs the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, has now advised ticketholders to plan their journeys carefully. Festivalgoers travel to Glastonbury Festival by train. CREDIT: Rob Stothard/Getty Images “Working with… Read More →

16JUNNews

Ed Sheeran adds three new shows to 2023 Australia and New Zealand tour

Ed Sheeran has announced three new dates for his upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2023 – find tickets here. READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘=’ review: the millennial Lionel Richie indulges his saccharine streak The new shows, which have been added “due to overwhelming demand”, will take place on February 1 at the Sky Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand; February 11 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand; and February 19 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Additionally, more tickets have been released for the singer-songwriter’s concerts in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Advertisement Tickets to the newly announced shows will go on sale on Thursday, June 23. Tickets to several of the previously announced concerts are also currently available. Get your tickets here. The upcoming ‘+ – = ÷ x Tour’ (or ‘The Mathematics Tour’) will be Sheeran’s first string of shows in the region since 2018. In late May, Ed Sheeran released a “tour” edition of his latest album, ‘=’, which includes a total of nine additional tracks, two of which – ‘I Will Remember You’ and ‘Welcome To The World’ – are completely new. The songs ‘One Life’ and ‘Penguins’ come from the… Read More →

15JUNNews

Röyksopp announce ‘Profound Mysteries II’: “We want to get your senses going”

Röyksopp have announced details of their new album ‘Profound Mysteries II’. Check out new singles ‘Unity’ and ‘Sorry’ below, along with our interview with Svein Berge from the duo. The second part of their current project and follow-up to this year’s ‘Profound Mysteries‘ will be released on August 19, and sees the Norwegian electronic pioneers exploring “reoccurring themes such as love and loss, despair and reconciliation” while also being “wrapped up in an esoteric nod to those artists and genres that shaped us in our formative years”. “We are focussing on what we call ‘the mystery’ – it’s rather pompous, I know,” Berge told NME. “We even added ‘profound’ to turn up the nobhead-hood of it all! But anyway, the thing with ‘part two’ in particular is that with this one, we point to the inspirational genres and artists who helped to forge us when we were kids. Advertisement “For the keen ear, you’ll notice the heavy references. We’ve always had that in our music, but this time it’s more blatant. It’s meant as a tribute, not a rip-off. You’ll find things that could point to the likes of Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, but also genres like Italo Disco and… Read More →

15JUNNews

Adele calls for “truth, justice and change” on fifth anniversary of Grenfell Tower fire

Adele has shared a new message of support for the survivors and bereaved families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire to mark the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. Yesterday (June 14) marked five years since the 2017 blaze at the high-rise which killed 72 people in North Kensington, west London. Writing on Twitter last night, Adele – who visited Grenfell in the hours following the fire in 2017 to comfort residents and those affected, and has subsequently paid tribute to the victims on numerous occasions – shared a post from Grenfell United, who represent the survivors and bereaved families of the fire. “For five years we’ve had to endure a justice system that protects the powerful,” Grenfell United’s statement read. “A system that prevents justice. While this system exists, we face the same unachievable battle as the many before us. “From Aberfan, to Hillsborough, justice has been denied & #Grenfell is no different.” I stand with the Grenfell families. Follow @GrenfellUnited and join their campaign for truth, justice and change ? https://t.co/RZb3aiQfq4 — Adele (@Adele) June 14, 2022 Adele shared that post on her Twitter account last night and added: “I stand with the Grenfell families. Follow @GrenfellUnited… Read More →

15JUNNews

Watch Harry Styles’ stripped-back, single-take performance of ‘Boyfriends’

Harry Styles has delivered an intimate performance of his song ‘Boyfriends’ for Japanese YouTube series, The First Take. READ MORE: The five most wholesome moments from Harry Styles’ One Night Only In London show The performance depicts Styles delivering a stripped-back version of the ‘Harry’s House’ track against a clean white background, in line with the series’ typical style. Sarah Jones and Elin Sandberg provide backing vocals, while guitars come courtesy of Ny Oh and Mitch Rowland. The series is known for challenging artists to perform any song of their liking, but in one take without any vocal or visual effects. Styles’ First Take performance echoes the arrangement of ‘Boyfriends’ he delivered at his Coachella headline set in April. Advertisement Watch the performance below: The performance was previously announced last week. The First Take series has previously featured K-pop acts including Tomorrow X Together and Stray Kids, alongside notable Japanese bands including CHAI. Styles’ appearance makes him the first Western artist featured by the programme. Though released as part of the 2022 album ‘Harry’s House’, ‘Boyfriend’ was previously recorded for Styles’ 2019 effort, ‘Fine Line’. In an interview with Today, the former One Direction member shared that the track underwent multiple… Read More →

15JUNNews

Pale Waves Embrace Their ‘Chic’ Side

By Carson Mlnarik Pale Waves have never been better. The English indie-rock band are spending their summer opening up for 5 Seconds of Summer on their North American tour and putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated third album, Unwanted. Frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie has officially traded in her dark locks for a bleach-blonde bob, setting the tone for their new record of breakneck pop-punk ahead of its August 12 release. All things considered, it’s ironic that their latest single “Reasons to Live,” a euphoric, arena-ready love song, was inspired by one of her darkest moments. “I was lost. I didn’t even know if I wanted to do music anymore,” Baron-Gracie tells MTV News. “Then my partner Kelsey came into my life and just completely changed that and gave me a whole different view on life, and thankfully, saved me in a way.” Over pounding drums, crunchy guitars, and soaring belt notes, Baron-Gracie has her “Hayley Williams moment” singing about finding someone who “showed me how to love myself a little more.” “I hope that a lot of people can relate to this song and I hope a lot of people find their Kelsey,” she says. Written alongside Pale Waves… Read More →

14JUNNews

Coachella confirms dates for 2023 festival

Dates for Coachella 2023 have been announced by organisers, alongside details of advance ticket sales. The festival made its return in April after being cancelled for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE: All the action from Coachella 2022 weekend one – in stunning photos Now, its 2023 edition has been confirmed, with its now-traditional two weekends to take place between April 14-16 and April 21-23. An advance sale for tickets will begin at 10am PT (6pm BST) on Friday (June 17). Advertisement Fans can register here for access to the first round of sales. Payment plans can be set up, with a $99 (£82.37) first payment being made on checkout and the remaining balance being split over six equal payments through December 2022. Coachella Festival 2022 CREDIT: L Gerber courtesy of Coachella Although the line-up for Coachella 2023 has yet to officially be announced, Frank Ocean is set to headline the two weekends. Coachella founder Paul Tollett said in an interview last year that the star, who was initially booked to top the bill in 2020, will take one of the top spots this year. Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd headlined Coachella 2022, with… Read More →

14JUNHit Singles

Uncut – August 2022

HAVE A COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME The Beatles, George Clinton, The Osees, Sessa, Chris Blackwell, Bikini Kill, Nina Nastasia, Christine McVie, Roger Chapman, Neil Young and Al Jardine all feature in the new Uncut, dated August 2022 and in UK shops from June 16 or available to buy online now. This issue comes with an exclusive free CD, comprising the best tracks of the month. THE BEATLES: Welcome to 1962: the first annus mirabilis of many in the extraordinary life of The Beatles. We relive the key events in this fast-moving, transformative year – from disaster in Decca’s Studio 2 to triumph on the stage of the Empire Theatre. Familiar faces appear here for the first time, old friends depart, the tempo is set for the rest of their career – and by the end of the year, John, Paul, George and Ringo are poised to release their first No 1 single. The future, Peter Watts discovers, is born here. OUR FREE CD! FROM US TO YOU: 15 of the best new tracks this month, including songs by Andrew Tuttle, Black Midi, Ty Segall, Laura Veirs and more. This issue of Uncut is available to buy by clicking here – with… Read More →

14JUNNews

BTS’ Jin likens his music career to being in a video game

BTS vocalist Jin has opened up about his achievements throughout the group’s music career, likening it to being in a real-life video game. READ MORE: BTS’ new single ‘Yet To Come’ offers poignant reflection and an optimistic invitation into the future In a new interview with Weverse Magazine, the boyband member spoke about some of the K-pop act’s recent achievements, and also touched on his latest solo endeavours. He later likened BTS’ career to a video game, describing new music and content as updates for their fans. “Games have to be updated to make them more fun, even if the users didn’t ask for it,” he said, explaining the analogy. “I think we’re similar to that. Just like I feel happy when I play games, ARMY feels happy being our fans. Advertisement “And they do that while listening to our music and enjoying our new content. I tried thinking of ARMY as the user. That led me to want to keep them satisfied,” Jin added later in the interview. The K-pop idol later opened up about why he started working on solo endeavours, such his 2021 song ‘Yours’ for K-drama Jirisan, as well as his self-penned viral track ‘Super Tuna’…. Read More →

13JUNNews

Music superfan Big Jeff seriously injured in fire

Jeff ‘Big Jeff’ Johns – the beloved, gig-going Bristol music fan – has been seriously injured in a fire at his home. A statement shared with NME earlier today (June 13) reads: “Jeff Johns, known to all as Big Jeff, has been very seriously injured in a fire at his home in Bristol. He is in a specialist burns unit in Swansea in a stable condition. “His family have asked for people to keep Jeff in their thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time. His friends have set up a playlist on Spotify ‘Play a record for Big Jeff’.” Jeff Johns is widely known as Bristol’s most frequent gig-goer, having attended live shows every night of the week at venues across the city before the UK lockdown was implemented back in March 2020. He is renowned for being a regular and enthusiastic attendee at thousands of shows around the region, and the UK. Speaking to NME earlier this year during Independent Venue Week, Johns described gig spaces as “basically my churches”. “They’ve been safe spaces for me for years,” he said. “You see communities you’ll never meet anywhere else. It’s not just the artists, they develop people who are going… Read More →