Keyshia Luc

Watch a reporter drop over 20 references to Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ during traffic update

A reporter known for dropping references to popular artists’ songs during her traffic updates has once again gone viral, with a recent road report heavily drawing on titles from Taylor Swift‘s new album ‘Midnights’. READ MORE: Taylor Swift – ‘Midnights’ review: a shimmering return to pure pop The feat took place during a live broadcast on Friday (October 21), the same day that ‘Midnights’ was released. After weather reporter Marvin Gómez kicked things off by saying there would be no ‘Midnight Rain’, NBC Philadelphia’s Sheila Watko said there was “no ‘Snow On The Beach’” by the shore, but that she had to bring some bad news. That was, she explained, ‘The Great War’ of being a traffic reporter, describing herself as the “traffic ‘Anti-Hero’”. Advertisement Warning viewers of potential delays due to construction work, she advised drivers to give themselves extra time, as they didn’t want to be thinking ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ while stuck in traffic. She then dropped a string of other titles in quick succession: “This is not a ‘Glitch’,” she said. “Looking great out there. ‘Sweet Nothing’ in both directions. This is our ‘Karma’ for dealing with that earlier construction.” “Most of our map is actually ‘Bejeweled’… Read More →

25OCTNews

FLO: “UK R&B is coming back”

FLO have declared that UK R&B is coming back in a new interview with NME. READ MORE: FLO – radiant London trio leading the next generation of girl groups Speaking on the red carpet at the Rated Awards, in a video you can watch above, when asked whether there was an R&B scene in the UK, Renée said: “It’s here, it’s so alive, so it just feels good to be seen and recognised for it”, before Stella interjected: “I feel like before that [R&B] was almost pop and then pop became what you think of pop now and so I feel like it’s coming back especially in America, so we need to bring it over here.” She also hailed the music scene in London adding: “London is so sick. The music scene is so good it’s like such a community as well, so it’s cool to be a part of it.” Advertisement It comes just weeks after the girl group made their debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with viral single ‘Cardboard Box’. FLO performing live on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Credit: ABC/YouTube. The track, which was released earlier this year and features on the girl group’s debut EP ‘The Lead’, was written alongside… Read More →

24OCTNews

Ozzy Osbourne to star at Metaverse music festival

Ozzy Osbourne is set feature at a forthcoming Metaverse music festival. READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Patient Number 9’ review: a fizzing piece of hard-rock magic The event, which will take place in the specially created Decentraland virtual world, is set to take place from November 10-13. Over 100 artists will performing and Osbourne’s Ozzfest will be staged as part of the event with an appearance from the Black Sabbath legend himself. Advertisement It will be the first time Ozzfest has been held since 2018 and further acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Rapper Soulja Boy will also be making an appearance at the festival in avatar form as will DJ Eddy-Temple Morris. Ozzy Osbourne Credit: Press The online event, which is in its second year, is free to attend and users will not be required to wear a VR set. For more information head here. Meanwhile, Osbourne recently launched his very own range of beauty products. He teamed up with Rock and Roll Beauty for The Ozzy Osbourne Collection, which features 21 separate pieces, including 14-pan eye shadow palettes (one shaped like a coffin and another like a bat), candles, Ozzy-styled body tattoos, lipsticks, a cosmetic bag, a… Read More →

24OCTNews

Arctic Monkeys reflect on lasting impact of ‘A Certain Romance’

Arctic Monkeys have reflected on the lasting impact of ‘A Certain Romance’, describing it as the song that showed the band they had ambitions “beyond what we once thought we were capable of”. READ MORE: Arctic Monkeys: “We know more tricks now, but we’re still rolling on that same instinct” Speaking to NME in their recent Big Read cover interview, frontman Alex Turner likened the emotional depth across ‘The Car’ to the two-minute guitar breakdown that wraps up ‘A Certain Romance’, the final track on the band’s 2006 debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’. “I remember when we were recording ‘A Certain Romance’ and having a conversation with the producer about the final guitar solo,” he said. Advertisement “There’s something that happens at the end of that track where we break some rules in a single moment. We focused on the [emotional] effect of the instrumentals over the words – and I feel like we’ve been trying to do that again and again since then.” Arctic Monkeys on the cover of NME Asked if he was still proud of the song, Turner replied “Yeah”, adding: “If anything, for the fact that [‘A Certain Romance’] showed… Read More →

24OCTNews

Harry Styles brought “wonderful honesty” to ‘My Policeman’ role, says co-star Linus Roache

Harry Styles’ My Policeman co-star Linus Roache has praised Styles’ performance in his latest role as PC Tom Burgess. The drama, based on the novel of the same name by Bethan Roberts, is set in the 1950s and tells the story of Burgess, a married policeman who is in a secret relationship with museum curator Patrick Hazlewood. Roache plays Burgess 40 years later in his life. Roache had only praise for Harry’s performance in the film when he spoke to NME at the BFI London Film Festival earlier this month, commenting on the depth of emotion in his performance. Advertisement Linus Roache plays an older version of Harry Styles’ character in ‘My Policeman’. CREDIT: Amazon Studios “I love Harry! What he has is a wonderful honesty to him,” said Roache. “He’s very present and interested and intrigued, he has a sense of wonder in him, so I think it’s beautiful what he did.” Playing the same role at different points in time gave both actors the room to make it their own, Roache observed. “In a way, when I watched some of his scenes, I thought well I don’t need to imitate him,” he said. “I just need to be… Read More →

24OCTNews

Elton John reschedules Liverpool shows due to Eurovision

Elton John has confirmed he’s moving two of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ headline shows to avoid preparations for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. READ MORE: Elton John: “I’m not interested in the past – not even Elton John’s past” John was set to play at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on April 22 and 23 2023 but following the news that the venue will be hosting Eurovision 2023, the shows have been shifted forwards to March 23 and 24. Original tickets remain valid. Advertisement In a statement, the venue said: “Following the exciting news that Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Concert, Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour show, due to take place on Saturday 22 April 2023 & Sunday 23 April 2023, has been rescheduled.” The pair of shows in Liverpool will now kick off Elton John’s 2023 European tour. “Given the electric reception that Elton received when he played to a sold-out Anfield Stadium earlier this year, he couldn’t wish for a better place to start the final leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour,” continued the statement. “Elton, his management team and everyone involved with the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour wishes Liverpool the… Read More →

24OCTNews

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck sue professor over plagiarism allegations

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck are suing a professor and folklorist, Bruce Jackson, over his allegations the pair’s song ‘Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade’ plagiarises an old poem titled Hobo Ben. Per Rolling Stone, Jackson accused Depp and Beck of pulling lines from the poem back in August, which he references in his 1974 book about toasts, Get Your Ass In The Water And Swim Like Me. The lyrics to ‘Sad Motherfucking’ Parade’ and ‘Hobo Ben’ overlap a number of times, with the lines “I’m raggedy, I know, but I have no stink / God bless the lady that’ll buy me a drink,” and “What that funky motherfucker really needs, child, is a bath” appearing in both. Advertisement The poem doesn’t have an explicit author, but was told to Jackson by an inmate at Missouri State Penitentiary, named Slim Wilson. Neither Jackson nor Wilson were credited by Beck and Depp for the lyrics. Following the accusations, a spokesperson for the pair said: “We are reviewing the inquiry relating to the song Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade on the 18 album by Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp. If appropriate, additional copyright credits will be added to all forms of the album.” However, as reported by Rolling Stone, Depp… Read More →

24OCTNews

First 191 artists announced for SXSW 2023

Promoters have announced the first batch of artists set to perform at next year’s South By Southwest (SXSW), with a stonking 191 names featured on the bill. READ MORE: SXSW 2022: the most exciting artists we caught at the returning Austin festival Among them are the likes of Algiers, Flowerkid, Kalush Orchestra and Jaguar Jonze, as well as a slew of acts – 41 altogether – hailing from the UK. Local exports will include Coach Party, Crawlers, Demob Happy, Exit Kid, Folly Group, The Golden Dregs, Jane Weaver, The Lounge Society, The Orielles, Poster Paints and Steam Down. SXSW 2023 will take place in its usual home of Austin, Texas, running over six days from Monday March 13 to Saturday 18. It’ll be the main festival’s 27th edition, and the second to be held in-person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; it returned to its usual format this year, after being cancelled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021. Advertisement Registration for delegate badges are open now. Music-only badges will run for $695 (£611), while film and TV badges will cost $995 (£874), and interactive event badges will cost $1,095 (£962). Platinum badges – which allow delegates access to… Read More →

24OCTNews

L.S. Dunes tackle hatred and fear on biting new single ‘Bombsquad’

L.S. Dunes have returned with their third single, a raging assault on political fanatics titled ‘Bombsquad’. READ MORE: My Chemical Romance live in Cornwall: giddy rock’n’roll from returning emo heroes In a press release, frontman Anthony Green (formerly of Circa Survive) said the lyrics for ‘Bombsquad’ stemmed from a poem he’d written in the wake of the United States Capitol attack – when on January 6, 2021, far-right zealots violently stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC to “protest” Donald Trump’s loss in the previous year’s Presidential election. “In the midst of the pandemic,” Green wrote, “people were trying to take down the government because a con-man politician couldn’t admit that he had lost the election, not for any legitimate grievance or protest. The song is a rage against society’s depressing and destructive forces.” Advertisement ‘Bombsquad’ arrives alongside a live video of L.S. Dunes performing at Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, New York. In addition to being where some of the band’s members’ favourite records were tracked (the presser cites albums by Sunny Day Real Estate, The National and The Hold Steady as particular gems), Dreamland is significant here for its cultural link to the lyrics on ‘Bombsquad’. At one point… Read More →

23OCTNews

Run The Jewels share details of new ‘RTJ4’ Latin remix album

Run The Jewels have unveiled details of a new ‘RTJ4’ Latin remix album. READ MORE: Run the Jewels – ‘Run the Jewels 4’ review: a modern protest classic and their best work yet The new release, called ‘RTJ Cu4tro‘, features remixes and new versions of tracks made entirely by Latin artists. Released on November 11, via Jewel Runners/BMG, the release was previewed by a new version of ‘Walking In The Snow’, which features Akapellah, Apache, and Pawmps. Advertisement You can check it out here: Orestes Gomez and Nick Hook have worked on the above new “Caminando en la Nieve” remix. Hook meanwhile has also curated and co–executive produced the new album (via Pitchfork). Other artists contributing to the album include Bomba Estéreo, Mas Aya, Lido Pimienta among more. You can see the full list of tracks here: Advertisement 01 ‘Yankee y el Valiente’ (Trooko’s Versión) 02 ‘Ooh La La’ (Mexican Institute of Sound Versión) [ft. Santa Fe Klan] 03 ‘Fuera de Vista’ (Trooko’s Versión) [ft. Baco Exu do Blues] 04 ‘Santa Calamifuck’ (Eva, Chucho, Yulian & Nick Hook’s Versión) 05 ‘Goonies Contra E.T.’ (Danny Braco & Nick Hook’s Versión) [ft. El Individuo and Sarah La Morena] 06 ‘Cminando en la… Read More →

23OCTNews

Nick Grimshaw recalls puking in front of Drake after smoking weed at party

Nick Grimshaw has written about the time he threw up in front of Drake and other musicians after smoking weed at an MTV VMAs post-show party in 2010. READ MORE: Nick Grimshaw on Jack Antonoff’s “magic” and his NME Awards memories The TV presenter and former BBC Radio 1 host recalled in his new autobiography Soft Boy, which is released this Thursday (October 27), the unfortunate incident. In an extract published by The Sun Grimshaw detailed being invited to a party at Drake’s studio in the US by his friend Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine). Advertisement “Drake played some tunes and Flo wailed along while someone passed around a comedy-sized cartoon-like spliff. I chuffed down on it and smiled at Drake,” Grimshaw wrote. Radio 1 presenter, Nick Grimshaw, poses for the camera to promote the sport relief challenge ‘The Heat is On’. CREDIT: Sam Riley/Comic Relief via Getty Images But he soon began to feel unwell. “I stepped a foot outside and proceeded to projectile vomit for what felt like 30 minutes,” he added. Although he managed to reach outside to puke, security footage of him throwing up ended up being shown to everyone in attendance. He continued: “I stepped… Read More →

21OCTNews

England World Cup football team’s Qatar hotel near “nightly raves” at electronic music festival

The England world cup squad’s hotel is situated close to the site of a “nightly rave” festival, the Telegraph reports. READ MORE: In a league of their own – the best football songs The team will be staying at Souq Al Wakra in Al Wakrah, south of Doha, two miles away from the site of electronic music festival Aravia by MDLBEAST. Fatboy Slim, Tinie Tempah, Calvin Harris and Jorja Smith are all set to play the 5,500 capacity festival, which kicks off on the same day as the tournament (November 21). As per The Telegraph, the England team will be too far away from the festival to be potentially disturbed by the noise. Souq Al Wakra is also enclosed by high walls to offer privacy. Advertisement MDLBEAST has courted controversy in recent years, with the DJs playing the brand’s Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, receiving heavy criticism for their involvement with a company accused of “culture-washing” from the Saudi government to cover up perceived human rights abuses. Fatboy Slim performs at Coachella 2022. Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella. Human Rights Watch said at the time: “Since launching in 2019, MDL Beast has used influencers and music-industry celebrities to rehabilitate… Read More →

21OCTNews

Balenciaga cuts ties with Kanye West over antisemitic comments

Luxury fashion house Balenciaga has cut ties with Kanye West over his recent antisemitic comments. READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return? The rapper had teamed up with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia earlier this year to release the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga clothing line, while earlier this month, he opened the house’s Paris Fashion Week show. However, the brand’s parent company Kering told WWD yesterday (October 20) that they would no longer be working with Ye. “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” a representative for Kering said. Advertisement As WWD reports, a photo of West walking the runway has been removed from the website. Balenciaga is not the first company West has been associated with to terminate a relationship with him. Last week, JPMorgan Chase confirmed that they had “decided to end its banking relationship with Yeezy, LLC and its affiliated entities”. Kanye West. CREDIT: Edward Berthelot/GC Images Elsewhere, Music News reports that officials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have written an open letter to Adidas, asking them to reconsider releasing products from West’s Yeezy footwear line. They have… Read More →

20OCTNews

PVRIS return with two new singles and short film

PVRIS have released two new singles, ‘ANIMAL’ and ‘ANYWHERE BUT HERE’. The two tracks have been accompanied by a six-and-a-half-minute short film, directed by Jax Anderson. Watch the video below. READ MORE: PVRIS: “Sometimes you’ve got to have the courage to walk away” The new tracks are the first songs to be released by the Lynn Gunn-led project on her new label, Hopeless Records. Advertisement Speaking about ‘ANYWHERE BUT HERE”, Gunn said: “At its core, “ANYWHERE BUT HERE” is about wanting to escape your surroundings. My whole life I’ve always found myself restless and eager to be somewhere else. I always imagine existing in different times and different places; everywhere and anywhere but where I am in the moment, even the good moments. I think a lot of us experience that to some degree, a longing to be somewhere or with someone you can’t necessarily identify.” Meanwhile, she described ‘ANIMAL’ as “all about defiance, breaking free of control whether it’s from other people, or from ourselves.” Gunna added: “It can even be looked at through a wider lens and interpreted as defiance towards ‘the man’, government, or the algorithms that run our lives, that ‘know us’. It’s about challenging the identity… Read More →

20OCTNews

Drake reveals he was paid just $100 to open for Ice Cube in 2006

Drake has confirmed that he was paid just $100 (£89) to open for Ice Cube at a gig in 2006. READ MORE: Kanye beef, Right Said Fred samples and the Drake-iest lyrics yet: 10 talking points from Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Taking to his Instagram Story on Tuesday (October 18), Drake re-shared a post by Flyer Vault, an archival account that documents the concert history of his Toronto hometown. The post includes an invoice for the Ice Cube-headlined concert in question, which took place at the city’s Kool Haus venue in August of 2006. While Ice Cube’s fee is redacted, the invoice shows that Drake received a hundred-dollar sum for his supporting performance. According to Flyer Vault, the 30-minute opener marked “what was likely [Drake’s] first ever concert”, and saw the rapper perform songs from his debut 2006 mixtape ‘Room For Improvement’. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Flyer Vault (@theflyervault) Advertisement Confirming the payday in his re-post, Drake used the invoice to encourage his musician fans, writing that “this is for anybody getting 100 a show right now”, before imploring them to “keep going”. Drake shared his second mixtape, ‘Comeback Season’, in 2007, before releasing… Read More →

19OCTNews

Music Venue Trust offer grants to grassroots venues with new Pipeline Investment Fund

The Music Venue Trust has launched a new grant scheme for small venues, offering them funding to help with purchases and staff training. Unveiled today (October 19), the Pipeline Investment Fund will offer grants of up to £5,000 to grassroots venues across the UK. These grants can be used to help with “small scale capital applications” including the purchasing of lighting and sound equipment and logistical alterations to their venue, as well as staff training and the diversification of workforces. Advertisement Details of the scheme and what constitutes a grassroots music venue can be found here, with applications to be filed here. Funding for the initiative comes from the MVT’s Revive Live tour, which took place this summer and saw Charli XCX, Paolo Nutini, Sleaford Mods and more perform at small venues around the country. Of the new fund, Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd said: “We have been working on music industry based funding support for Grassroots Music Venues since 2018. The launch of the Pipeline Investment Fund is an important indication of how the grassroots sector supports and nurtures each other. “It provides a targeted opportunity for individuals, companies and organisations right across the industry to get involved and… Read More →

18OCTNews

Little Simz wins the 2022 Mercury Prize for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’

Little Simz has won the 2022 Mercury Prize for her album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’. READ MORE: Mercury Prize 2022: why each nominee deserves to win The London rapper was favourite to take the prize and beat off competition from fellow favourites Self Esteem and Wet Leg at a live ceremony at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith tonight (October 18). Accepting the trophy, she said: “Wow, I’m very, very overwhelmed. I’m very grateful, glory to God. God thank you so much.” Advertisement She also paid tribute to producer Inflo who worked on her album and said there were times in the studio when “I didn’t know if I was gonna finish this record. I was feeling all the emotions and really going through it and he [producer Inflo] stuck by me and pushed me to deliver this album for you guys.” The rapper earlier performed a live rendition of ‘How Did You Get Here’ and got up for a second time to sing the track after accepting the award. Along with Self Esteem’s ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ and Wet Leg’s self-titled debut album, other nominees on the night included Sam Fender‘s ‘Seventeen Going Under’, Yard Act’s ‘The Overload’, Kojey Radical‘s ‘Reason To Smile’, Gwenno‘s ‘Tresor’, Harry Styles’ ‘Harry’s House’,… Read More →

18OCTNews

Kanye West partners with accused rapist to hand out ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts to homeless

Kanye West’s team handed out shirts with the words “White Lives Matter” to homeless people in Los Angeles’ Skid Row on Sunday night (October 16). READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return? A video posted by Ian Connor, who is a stylist and associate of West, shows the handout taking place (as reported by Rolling Stone), with a voice in the background stating “courtesy of Kanye West”. Connor has previously been accused of sexual assault by at least half-a-dozen women. West faced controversy after he wore the shirt emblazoned with the slogan when he introduced his latest Yeezy line after making his catwalk debut at Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show. He also doubled down on his views, writing on his Instagram Stories that the Black Lives Matter movement “was a scam”, adding “Now it’s over…you’re welcome”. He then responded with a new Instagram post which featured a picture of the long-sleeved tee in question: “Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO.” As Rolling Stone noted, the phrase – an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter slogan – has been adopted… Read More →

18OCTNews

Daft Punk launch official TikTok account: “Let’s rewind time”

Daft Punk have launched an official TikTok account. The French electronic duo – who confirmed their break-up in February 2021, following an almost-three-decade career – now have a direct deal with the platform, according to DJ Mag. READ MORE: The enduring influence of Daft Punk: “They gave off this attitude of not giving a fuck” TikTok users will now be able to access music from the band’s back catalogue for use in their videos. The group have retained the rights to their material since the 1990s. Advertisement Additionally, fans can apply two Daft Punk-themed filters to their posts; a customisable robot helmet, and Charles – the anthropomorphised dog from the Spike Jonze–helmed visuals for the 1995 single ‘Da Funk’. It’s said that Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo will continue posting content on their new TikTok channel. “Let’s rewind time, on TikTok,” they captioned the first video, a rapid-fire montage that ends with the dates “1993 – 2021”. The clip is soundtracked by the song ‘Contact’ from Daft Punk’s fourth and final studio album, 2013’s ‘Random Access Memories’. @daftpunk Let’s rewind time, on TikTok. #daftpunk #electronicmusic #tiktokmusic ♬ Contact – Daft Punk Back in August, a new Daft Punk-inspired VR event… Read More →

18OCTNews

HYBE outlines multi-label strategy plans for BTS’ absence

BTS’ agency HYBE has issued a letter to its shareholders discussing its strategy ahead of BTS’ upcoming break due to compulsory national service. READ MORE: LE SSERAFIM – ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ review: ascendant K-pop rookies regroup and find strength in vulnerability On October 17, HYBE label Big Hit Music announced that all seven members of BTS intend to serve their compulsory military terms without special exemptions, beginning with eldest member Jin later this year. In their statement, the label shared that the group and agency had planned to reconvene some time in 2025. In the wake of the news, HYBE CEO Park Ji-won reportedly issued a letter to its shareholders outlining how it has planned for the hit boyband’s absence in the coming years. “HYBE is confident in the structure that’s been put in place over the past 10 years,” it said, according to Variety. Advertisement Park also reportedly assured investors that the agency had long been preparing for BTS’ eventual military enlistment, promising that HYBE’s multi-label strategy and massive roster of artists will be further developed in the boyband’s absence. “By giving autonomy to each label, we ensure that a wide variety of music and content are created [and] even healthy… Read More →

18OCTNews

Kanye West’s controversial ‘Drink Champs’ interview removed from YouTube and Revolt

Kanye West‘s recent interview on the Drink Champs video podcast has been officially deleted in the wake of controversial comments on the death of George Floyd. The interview can no longer be found on either the podcast’s YouTube channel or on the official website of its parent company, Revolt TV. Its wiping follows an apology from Drink Champs host N.O.R.E., who spoke with Hot97‘s Pete Rosenberg in the wake of the controversy. “I have a relationship with Ye,” N.O.R.E. said (per Billboard). “When he was going through a lot of the things he was going through, he would call me and he would actually listen to me and take my advice. So, I felt [like] I could control the situation. I felt that I could control the interview, and [I] learned early on that I didn’t.” Advertisement Watch N.O.R.E.’s interview below: In the original interview – of which clips are still circulating on Twitter – West claimed that the drug fentanyl was responsible for the death of George Floyd, rather than the brutality of police officers. “If you look [at the video], the guy’s [police officer Derek Chauvin] knee wasn’t even on [Floyd’s] neck like that,” West claimed. Floyd’s family is considering a lawsuit… Read More →