Eva Thai

John Lydon on Sex Pistols series: “It’s dead against everything we once stood for”

John Lydon has criticised his former Sex Pistols bandmates’ new Danny Boyle-directed biopic series in a new interview. READ MORE: Pistol – what the cast told us about their new Sex Pistols series Pistol premiered on Hulu and Disney+ on May 31. It stars Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook and Christian Lees as Glen Matlock among a cast line-up that also includes Maisie Williams. It is based on guitarist Steve Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol. In April, Lydon branded the show a “middle class fantasy” that “bears little resemblance to the truth” after claiming in 2021 that it was green-lit without his consent. Advertisement Lydon also lost a legal battle against his Sex Pistols bandmates over the series in 2021 after he refused to license the band’s music for inclusion in it. Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook legally challenged Lydon’s veto, with their lawyer appearing in the High Court. Their lawyer Edmund Cullen said that a band agreement made in 1998 stated that decisions about licensing requests could be determined on a “majority rules basis”. Sir Anthony Mann later found that Cook and Jones were entitled to involve “majority voting rules” against their bandmate. Now,… Read More →

12JUNNews

Roddy Ricch arrested trying to enter Governors Ball festival with loaded weapon

Roddy Ricch was arrested for trying to enter Governors Ball festival with a loaded weapon yesterday (June 11), it has been reported. The rapper was due to perform at the New York festival but his set was confirmed by the organisers to have been cancelled. According to TMZ, Ricch was stopped at a security checkpoint upon arrival at the festival site at Queens’ Citi Field. Authorities are thought to have found a loaded firearm and nine rounds of ammunition inside his vehicle and the rapper and two other people were arrested. Advertisement Ricch has reportedly been charged with four counts of criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and unlawful possession of an ammunition feeding device. He was reportedly taken into custody at Queens Central Booking and will remain there until he appears in court for an arraignment hearing on the charges. NME has contacted representatives for the rapper for comment. Ricch recently appeared on Post Malone’s single ‘Cooped Up’ and joined him on Saturday Night Live last month to give a performance of the track. He also appeared in the single’s official video, rapping alongside Post in a luxurious apartment. Meanwhile, the star… Read More →

11JUNNews

Watch FKA twigs debut new single ‘Killer’ in her ‘Tiny Desk (Home)’ concert

FKA twigs is the latest to perform for NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, debuting her upcoming single ‘Killer’ in-between cuts from her ‘Magdalene’ album. READ MORE: FKA twigs: “There are so many sides to me that the world hasn’t seen yet” Coming as part of NPR’s celebrations for Black Music Month, the Cheltenham multi-hyphenate – real name Tahliah Barnett – sang alongside pianist Kelly Moran, violinist Damsel Elysium and cellist Lucinda Chua. The set was recorded at the St. Matthias Church in London, where Barnett and co. performed amid a striking setup of twinkling white candles. ‘Killer’ was sandwiched between singles from ‘Magdalene’ – Barnett’s second album as FKA twigs, which landed in 2019 via Young and earned five stars from NME – with her set starting on ‘Home With You’ and wrapping up with ‘Cellophane’. Advertisement Take a look at the full performance below: As revealed on Monday (June 6), Barnett will release ‘Killer’ on Thursday June 16. She’s described it as being a song “for baddies with a tear in their eye”, which is made immediately clear in her Tiny Desk performance. Its official release will add to an already stacked year for the singer, who in January dropped her… Read More →

11JUNNews

Kate Bush reacts to ‘Running Up That Hill’ reaching new UK chart peak: “How utterly brilliant!”

Kate Bush has shared a new statement on ‘Running Up That Hill’ after it reached a new peak on the Official UK Singles Chart. The 1985 single has been witnessing a resurgence after it featured as a prominent part of the storyline in Stranger Things 4. READ MORE: Kate Bush’s best on-screen syncs – from Stranger Things to Being Human Yesterday (June 11), the track landed at Number Two on the Official UK Singles Chart. It was held off the top spot only by Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’, which has remained Number One for 10 consecutive weeks. ‘Running Up That Hill’ previously peaked at Number Three, and gave Bush her highest chart position since ‘Wuthering Heights’ went to Number One in 1978. Advertisement “Running Up That Hill has just gone to No 2 in the UK charts and No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden….,” Bush wrote in a new post on her official website. “How utterly brilliant! “It’s hard to take in the speed at which this has all been happening since the release of the first part of the Stranger Things new series. So many young people who love the show, discovering the song for the first… Read More →

11JUNNews

Manic Street Preachers postpone Peterborough show due to COVID-19

Manic Street Preachers have postponed tomorrow’s (June 12) show at the Peterborough Embankment, after frontman James Dean Bradfield tested positive for COVID-19. READ MORE: Manic Street Preachers live in London: potent missives bring life to the party Sharing the news on social media yesterday evening (June 10), the band confirmed that ticketholders would be contacted “by their point of sale” over the weekend. The Manics are yet to announce a new date for their Peterborough show, which is their only headliner scheduled for the immediate future. They noted, however, that they “hope to reschedule for as soon as possible”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manic Street Preachers (@manics) Advertisement Next month will see the Manics perform at two UK festivals, hitting the stage at Suffolk’s Latitude on Sunday July 24, and at Y Not in Derbyshire on Friday July 29. They’ll play the former alongside names like Nova Twins, Alfie Templeman and Caroline, with the latter boasting sets from the likes of the Courteeners, Blossoms and Nothing But Thieves. On Saturday August 13, the Manics will take to Herefordshire to headline this year’s Lakefest. Back in April, the Manics revealed that they’d recorded a studio version… Read More →

10JUNNews

Listen to Orville Peck cover Elton John’s ‘Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters’

Orville Peck has covered Elton John’s ‘Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters’ as part of Amazon’s ongoing Pride Month celebrations. The new take on the 1972 track, which appeared on John’s ‘Honky Chateau’ album, are part of the platform’s PROUD playlist. READ MORE: Elton John: “I’m not interested in the past – not even Elton John’s past” The masked country star brought the song into his own world, swapping John’s piano melodies for acoustic guitar strums and swooning country twangs. Advertisement “I chose this song because it was always one of my favourites when I was younger,” Peck explained. “I just really think the storytelling in it is evocative and beautiful. It’s also equal parts witty and whimsical, but also heartbreaking. I love the combination of those two things.” Listen to ‘Mona Lisa And Mad Hatters’ below. Peck’s contribution to the playlist follows Kim Petras covering Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ last week. In April, Peck shared his second album, ‘Bronco’. In a four-star review, NME said: “This is a rich landscape: wholly modern and proudly queer. It’s an album of unabashed growth, as the artist gets in his feelings but never veers into self-pity. The masked cowboy is – paradoxically… Read More →

10JUNNews

Anderson .Paak announces tiny free London gig at House of Vans

Anderson .Paak will play a tiny London gig at the House of Vans later this month – get full details on the intimate show below. The singer, drummer and Silk Sonic member will play the Waterloo venue on Monday, June 27 to celebrate his new collection with the footwear brand. Tickets for the gig will be free, and fans can enter a ballot for their chance to win. The ballot opens at midnight on Monday (June 13) and tickets will available to apply for here. Advertisement The gig also promises “a bespoke UX experience throughout the 32,000 square foot venue which is situated underneath Waterloo station.” Anderson .Paak. CREDIT: Getty Images Elsewhere, Anderson .Paak is set to direct his first feature film, K-POPS!, a dramatic comedy in which the rapper will also star alongside his son. The film follows a musician who travels to Korea to write for K-pop stars, only to discover that his long-lost son is about to front one of the country’s most popular new groups (per Deadline). After attempting to hijack his son’s new-found fame to boost his own career, the older musician is forced to confront the importance of fatherhood. “My mom is from Korea but she was adopted so… Read More →

09JUNNews

Rex Orange County shares new video for ‘One In A Million’

Rex Orange County has shared a new video for recent single ‘One In A Million’ – check it out below. READ MORE: Rex Orange County: “I want the music to sound and feel free – because I feel free” The track is taken from Alex O’Connor’s recent album ‘Who Cares?’, which came out earlier this year and scored him his first UK Number One album. The new video features a “heart character” who sets their sights on making the singer’s life difficult as he goes about his daily business. It was directed by Bráulio Amado. Advertisement Check out the new video below. Rex Orange County’s fourth album follows on from the independently released ‘BCos U Will Never B Free’ (2015) and ‘Apricot Princess’ (2017), and the RCA released ‘Pony’ which landed at Number Five when it was released back in 2019. In a four-star review of ‘Who Cares?’, NME‘s Sophie Williams wrote: “Even if there is no clear breakthrough moment for O’Connor on ‘Who Cares?’, there is something to be said for an artist that is this consistent, and this committed to uplifting his listeners. “These 11 tracks simply encourage his audience to draw those curtains wide, to look at the sun outside that window, to keep moving… Read More →

09JUNNews

Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie says “cocaine and champagne made me perform better”

Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac has revealed in an interview that taking substances and drinking allowed her to “perform better”. READ MORE: Stevie Nicks: “In Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie and I were a force of nature” In a recent interview shared today, (June 9) McVie discussed her solo work, writing some of the band’s biggest hits, and event talked about excess. When asked about Fleetwood Mac’s “legendary alcohol and drug intake” the singer told The Guardian, “My drug of choice was cocaine and champagne. I didn’t use any other drugs at all. It’s easy for me to say, but I think it made me perform better.” Advertisement She laughed: “Maybe somebody could tell me different.” Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed working in the male-dominated music scene of the ’60s. “In those days there were very few women,” she said, adding: “I never felt singled —out. It just all came very naturally to me.” CREDIT: Silver Screen Collection She also talked about her bandmates when asked what her favourite period of time playing with Fleetwood Mac was. “I would be silly not to say the Stevie [Nicks] and Lindsey [Buckingham] era, because that was pretty sensational. We had our fights here and… Read More →

09JUNNews

WINNER are gearing up to release their first album in two years

WINNER are currently preparing to release their first album in over two years. READ MORE: ENHYPEN on their musical duality: “If there is light, there’s got to be a shadow” Yesterday, South Korean news outlet Newsen reported that the quartet are working on a new album with the goal of releasing it in July 2022. The report was later confirmed by the boyband’s label, YG Entertainment in a statement to Top Star News. “It’s true that WINNER are filming their music video,” said YG Entertainment, as translated by Soompi. However, the agency have yet to provide further details regarding an exact date and the nature of the release, saying that “we think we’ll be able to inform you of their precise [comeback] schedule soon.” Advertisement The news of WINNER’s forthcoming comeback comes shortly after member Mino revealed during his recent appearance on the YouTube channel The Game Caterers that “WINNER is preparing for a comeback”. It will mark the boyband’s first music release in over two years, and their first since bandmates Jinu and Seunghoon completed their two-year military service. WINNER’s last release as a group was their third studio album ‘Remember’ which dropped in April 2020, led by a title track… Read More →

09JUNNews

AJ Tracey to play live streamed gig on UK’s first floating basketball court for Hennessy x NBA

In partnership with Hennessy Tonight (June 9), AJ Tracey is set to play a special live streamed gig on the UK’s first floating basketball court for the Hennessy x NBA. READ MORE: The history of AJ Tracey’s love affair with basketball The event is set to take place to begin three days of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the NBA and the ongoing 2022 Finals. After the floating court docks at Butler’s Wharf this evening, Tracey will perform an exclusive set live streamed to fans around the world from 7.30pm BST. Advertisement The rapper said: “It’s incredible getting NBA fans, like myself, to come together and celebrate the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Season this year. “Moments like this really put London’s love of the game on the map, and with the ongoing support from Hennessy, I’m excited to see the impact it has on basketball in the UK and the communities it’s giving back to.” Tune into the live stream via the link below. Across three days this weekend, Hennessy x NBA will take over London with a huge celebration of all things basketball as part of their Courts Beyond Limits series, which sees Hennessy and the NBA unveiling one-of-a-kind… Read More →

08JUNNews

Billie Eilish Surprises With Stripped-Down New Live Song ‘TV’

Billie Eilish surprised her fans with a brand new song on Tuesday night (June 7) at a concert in Manchester, England – including references to the recent defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and the impending overturn of Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court. It’s called “TV,” and it’s about aching abandonment. “We haven’t played a new song live before it’s out since 2017 or 2018,” Eilish said, fan-captured footage reveals, while sitting onstage with her brother, collaborator, and guitarist Finneas. “This is one we just wrote, and we just wanted to play for you.” A fan video uploaded to YouTube shows Finneas accompanying Eilish’s husky vocals with melancholic acoustic strings and chords. “I don’t wanna talk right now / I just wanna watch TV / I’ll stay in the pool and drown / So I don’t have to watch you leave,” she sings. “I’ll put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer / Maybe I should get some sleep.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snQvf1_GJEc In the second verse, she brings up other current events: “The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial / While they’re overturning Roe v. Wade.” The song ends with Eilish blaming herself for being at… Read More →

07JUNNews

Snoop Dogg wants everyone to “get along” after Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case

Snoop Dogg has said that he wants everyone to “learn to get along” following the outcome of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial. The rapper said he was too “busy doing Snoop Dogg” to keep up with the highly publicised case but is now calling for others to “be better, with or without each other”. His comments come after he announced the cancellation of his ‘I Wanna Thank Me’ tour due to “unforeseen scheduling conflicts”. Advertisement Speaking to the Associated Press at the MTV Movie and TV Awards [via The Independent], the rapper said: “It was definitely hard for me to make the decision… there’s a lot going on in my life and the world in general. “I need some time… to really give my fans a great show when I go over there because they know how much I love them. “When I go back I want to make sure I’m mentally right, physically and spiritually right and I want to make sure that the world is in a better place.” Amber Heard; Johnny Depp. CREDIT: Rod Lamkey/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images; Tommy London/Alamy Live News When asked for his thoughts on the defamation trial between Depp and Heard,… Read More →

07JUNNews

Watch Pusha T’s performance of ‘Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’

Pusha T performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live last Friday (June 3), delivering a rendition of ‘Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes’. READ MORE: Pusha T: “I’ve won the wars. I have withstood everything” During his performance of the song – which features on Pusha T’s most recent album, ‘It’s Almost Dry’ – the Virginia rapper confidently carries his bars as a kaleidoscopic light show flashes overhead. Watch it below. Advertisement The performance adds to Pusha T’s late-night circuit run in the wake of his LP release, having performed ‘Dreamin Of The Past’ on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show in April. Both songs are lifted from the rapper’s fourth studio album, a follow-up to 2018’s ‘Daytona’. ‘It’s Almost Dry’ was released in April, and preceded by singles ‘Diet Coke’, ‘Hear Me Clearly’ and the Jay-Z-assisted ‘Neck & Wrist’. In a four-star review, NME’s Dhruva Balram said the album usurped the much-lauded ‘Daytona’ to add “another jewel in the long and storied career of the Virginia rapper.” “Pusha T has managed to elevate his art to new heights, signalling that the artist is nowhere close to being done… it makes for an instant hip-hop classic,” Dhruva wrote. Pusha T himself shares similar praise for… Read More →

05JUNNews

Ronnie James Dio’s estate gave ‘Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson’s Dio patch

Ronnie James Dio’s estate gave the Stranger Things team the Dio patch worn by new character Eddie Munson in the show. Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, is the leader of The Hellfire Club and a “metalhead”, as the actor told NME recently. READ MORE: Stranger Things season four part one review: all the terrifying thrills you’ve come to expect The one outfit viewers see Munson in during the new series of Stranger Things includes a denim jacket with a Dio patch covering its back. In an interview on the Netflix website, costume designer Amy Parris has now revealed that the patch came directly from the metal icon’s estate. Advertisement “I love Eddie. I think Eddie feels so real,” Parris said. “And he’s wearing one thing because he’s in that outfit the whole time, so I really focused and zeroed in on making sure everything in that outfit was authentic. It was great to see this vintage DIO design on the recent episode of @Stranger_Things! Eddie loves DIO! ?? pic.twitter.com/NiH7CUw8Ak — Official Dio (@OfficialRJDio) May 30, 2022 “He’s a fan of wizard metal, he’s a fan of Dio. He’s a fan of Metallica. Actually, Dio was a popular band in the… Read More →

05JUNNews

Lorde says she’s “getting nearer” to writing nothing but big pop songs

Lorde has thanked fans for the support of third album ‘Solar Power’ and said she’s “getting nearer” to writing nothing but “bangers” again. READ MORE: Lorde: “I feel like I can see my world and myself a lot clearer now” Lorde’s third album saw the artist move away from the all out euphoria of 2017’s ‘Melodrama’ to create something more introspective and delicate. Speaking at the third and final night of her residency at London’s Roundhouse (June 3), Lorde revealed she’d been “thinking about bangers.” Advertisement “It’s so interesting to me how writing a big, bright pop song has been the thing that’s defined my life. This thing I started trying to do when I was 14-years-old because I would turn on the radio and love that feeling, what it did to me. It became like an addiction, I just wanted to keep trying to construct the perfect thing that would hit you in the heart emotionally, over three-and-a-half minutes,” she explained. “But I never thought a pop song would be the thing that changed my life. I was informed today that it’s the nine-year anniversary of ‘Royals’ coming out. I remember sitting in my parent’s kitchen, pressing upload on… Read More →

05JUNNews

King Princess details release date for second album ‘Hold On Baby’

King Princess has shared more details on upcoming second album ‘Hold On Baby’ – check out its release date below. READ MORE: King Princess: “When Harry Styles tweeted about me, it was a huge deal” The follow-up to Mikaela Strauss’ 2019 debut album ‘Cheap Queen’ was announced earlier this year alongside new track ‘For My Friends’, which follows recent tracks ‘House Burn Down’ and ‘Pain’. The album has now been confirmed to arrive on July 29, and will feature contributions from Mark Ronson, Ethan Gruska, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Tobias Jesso Jr and more. Advertisement “I want this album to give you all some strength in accepting ourselves; as chaotic as we can be,” Strauss said of the album. “It’s not easy being alive and I feel indebted to you all for providing me air to breathe in this insane world. “That’s what King Princess has always been about at its core. Making a home for us to feel safe and weird and messy and imperfect. You are not alone in your feelings. I bet you I feel and have felt the same. This album is for anyone who needs a sanctuary to be vulnerable. I’m here with you, and… Read More →

03JUNNews

Liam Gallagher celebrates fourth solo Number One with ‘C’mon You Know’

Liam Gallagher‘s new album ‘C’mon You Know’ has gained the former Oasis man his fourth consecutive solo Number One album. All of Gallagher’s solo studio albums, 2017’s ‘As You Were‘, 2019’s ‘Why Me? Why Not‘ and his latest, have all reached the top of the UK albums chart, as has 2020’s ‘MTV Unplugged (Live at Hull City Hall)‘. READ MORE: Liam Gallagher – ‘C’mon You Know’ review: his best and most experimental solo album yet It marks Gallagher’s eleventh chart-topping album overall, including his time in Oasis. Another live album ‘Down By The River Thames‘ has also entered this week’s chart at Number Four. Advertisement Gallagher, who headlines the first of two enormous Knebworth shows tonight, said of the accolade: “What do we have here? Another Number One record brothers and sisters! Thanks to everyone whose bought ‘C’mon You Know’ and ‘Down By The River’. I’m buzzing, you’re very kind. Thanks everyone and I’ll see you again.” ‘C’mon You Know’ knocked Harry Styles‘ record-breaking new album ‘Harry’s House’ down to Number Two. Ed Sheeran‘s ‘=‘ is at Number Three, while Def Leppard‘s twelfth album ‘Diamond Star Halos‘ is Number Five, the band’s highest placing since 1996. On the singles’ chart,… Read More →

03JUNHit Singles

Pistol

In Steve Jones’s splenetic autobiography, Lonely Boy, the Sex Pistols’ guitarist does his best to puncture the fables which have grown up around the group. He admits to being hazy about the facts – relying on a radio interview he did with manager Malcolm McLaren in 2005 for the chronology of how the band evolved. Jones’ tenure as the frontman of Kutie Jones And His Sex Pistols ended when McLaren was urged by Vivienne Westwood to look out for a good-looking boy called John. John Lydon is hired, though it transpires that the John that Westwood had in mind was John Ritchie, the future Sid Vicious. And the rest is history, or at least myth. ORDER NOW: Queen are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut Pistol is loosely based on Lonely Boy, but it has an uncertain tone, fluctuating between cartoonish awe and the predictable dynamics of a rock’n’roll exploitation film. Pistol’s creator, Baz Luhrmann collaborator Craig Pearce, and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, flatten Jones’s plainspokenness to the point of self-parody. “I screw a lot of birds and I act tough,” Jones (Toby Wallace) says, explaining his inadequacy as a frontman. “But when I’m up there I’ve got nowhere…… Read More →

02JUNNews

Frank Ocean reportedly set to direct his first film

Frank Ocean is reportedly set to direct his debut movie, with independent studio A24 in talks to distribute the project. According to Discussing Film, A24 – the company behind Uncut Gems and Everything Everywhere All At Once – and another production company, 2AM, are both in line to work on the unnamed project. Ocean has a connection to A24, having licensed his music to a number of the studio’s films in the past – including Waves, which featured his songs ‘Godspeed’ and ‘Seigfried’ – and wrote the foreword to a published version of Moonlight in 2019. Advertisement A24’s previous link-ups with musicians include a production deal with Travis Scott in 2021, with Scott’s company Cactus Jack signing up for a series of films. It was also reported in 2020 that Ocean had been working on a “secret” project with Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. No further details about the potential plot, cast or release date of Ocean’s latest potential film have been confirmed yet. Despite being confirmed for Coachella 2023, the last glimpse of new music from Ocean came on Christmas Day last year, when he shared a new song on his Apple Music show, Blonded Radio. Ocean added that… Read More →

02JUNNews

‘Stranger Things’’ Sadie Sink talks starring in Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well’ film

Sadie Sink, who plays Max in Stranger Things, has spoken about working with Taylor Swift on her ‘All Too Well’ short film. READ MORE: ‘Stranger Things’ cast and creators on the “massive” new season Released last year to promote ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’, the fifteen-minute short film saw Sink team up with Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner). The seven chapters of the film – ‘An Upstate Escape’, ‘The First Cracks In The Glass’, ‘Are You Real?’, ‘The Breaking Point’, ‘The Reeling’, ‘The Remembering’ and ‘Thirteen Years Gone’ – each chronicle a formative period in Sink and O’Brien’s fictionalised relationship, with Swift cameoing as an older version of Sink’s character at the end. Advertisement Now, speaking about the film in an interview with Glamour, Sink said: “For me, it was just a cool opportunity to step out of being a kid on screen.” “It was really special to me. Taylor is someone I’ve always wanted to work with, but never thought I would because I didn’t think our paths would ever cross,” she added. “She’s such an incredible human being, so smart and so grounded. To have her as a friend, as a director, as a mentor and to be able to bring… Read More →