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Brittany Howard shares cover of ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher’

Brittany Howard has released a cover of Jackie Wilson’s ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher’.

Howard’s cover remains fairly loyal to Wilson’s original version, which was released in the late ’60s. The new cover was recorded exclusively for Amazon Music and is only available through the streaming service.

Listen to the cover below:

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Howard’s cover of ‘Higher & Higher’ follows her rendition of Nina Simone’s ‘Revolution’, which she performed in November for Colbert.

  • READ MORE: Brittany Howard on how her late sister Jaime inspired her powerful solo album: “I feel like we did it together”

Howard released her debut solo album, ‘Jaime’, back in 2019. The record earned his five nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards, including for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song. She will also be performing at the ceremony on March 14.

‘Jaime’ is named after Howard’s late sister, who died from cancer as a teenager. Speaking to NME, Howard explained how it was Jaime who taught her piano and encouraged her.

“She was the beginning of everything for me,” Howard said, “she definitely trained me up and taught me about songs.

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“She’d be like, ‘Brittany, if we’re going to write a song, you’ve got to have a verse and you’ve got to have a chorus.’ We were little kids! Seeing our names together on the album is appropriate – I feel like we did it together.”

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London Grammar launch new International Women’s Day t-shirt for charity

London Grammar‘s Hannah Reid has designed a new t-shirt celebrating International Women’s Day.

  • READ MORE: London Grammar: “I always end up being the only female in the room”

Sharing a link to the t-shirt on Twitter, she said that all sales profits will go to Care International UK, who she describes as “an amazing women’s charity working to save lives and achieve equal rights and opportunities.

As well as a picture of herself wearing the shirt, which features the words ‘Formidable Young Woman’ and the band’s logo, Reid shared a screenshot from a recent interview she gave with NME.

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Taken from last month’s Big Read, it sees Reid recalling a confrontation with a security guard at a festival who didn’t let her backstage to her own show, not believing she was in the band, and who then called her ‘a formidable young woman’, the words printed on the new t-shirt.

“I was just like, ‘For Fucks sake’. If I was fucking Chris Martin, he would not be called a formidable young man,” she told NME. “To me that’s just code for ‘bitch’.”.

Reflecting elsewhere in the interview on how her protests have been received, Reid said: “If I’m strong-minded, I’m being really ‘difficult’ or I’m being a ‘bitch’, whereas for the boys they’ve just got ‘integrity’ over what they do.

“It can be a really, really tiny thing – but if you have it every day, and it becomes a thousand moments, it can actually change who you are… You can’t let it go when it’s happening all the time.”

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A number of figures in the entertainment industry have posted messages to mark International Women’s Day 2021, including Little Mix, Christine And The Queens, Rita Ora, The Staves and more.

Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson also shared an ‘Every Day Is International Women’s Day’ playlist, with picks ranging from St Vincent and Little Simz to Grimes and Arlo Parks.

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BLACKPINK’s Jisoo named Dior’s global fashion and beauty ambassador

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo has been named Dior’s new global ambassador for fashion and beauty.

  • READ MORE: BLACKPINK’s Rosé shares video teaser for upcoming solo single, ‘On The Ground’

The fashion house announced the appointment through Instagram, alongside photos of the K-pop star donning several Dior looks. The luxury label remarked that Jisoo “perfectly encapsulates the House’s contemporary femininity” and cited her as a key inspiration for their upcoming Autumn/Winter 2021 collection.

The K-pop idol said that the upcoming collection has “an underlying boldness to it that’s felt when the garment is worn”. She added: “I myself may seem calm on the exterior, but as an artist I exert a more powerful attitude on stage.”

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The BLACKPINK member also expressed her excitement for the partnership. “I can’t wait for all the exciting work we’ll do together,” she said in an Instagram caption. “Hearing that the [Dior Fall/Winter 2021] collection was largely inspired by myself made this shoot that much more special,” she added.

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The singer has worked with Dior since December 2019, when she was first named the Korean ambassador for their cosmetics brand, Dior Beauty. She also modelled for the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2020 collection.

This appointment makes Jisoo the latest BLACKPINK member to become a global ambassador for a French luxury fashion house. Fellow members Rosé and Lisa were named as global ambassadors for Saint Laurent and Celine respectively last year, while Jennie has represented Chanel since 2018.

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BLACKPINK released their first full-length Korean album ‘The Album’ in 2020, which featured the singles ‘Lovesick Girls’ and ‘How You Like That’. In the same year, the group also released collaborations with Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Cardi B.

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Watch Zara Larsson perform ‘Poster Girl’ live for MTV

Zara Larsson is the latest act to feature on MTV’s Fresh Out live performance series, where she shared a rendition of her track ‘Poster Girl’.

‘Poster Girl’ is taken from Larsson’s recently released album of the same name. For the MTV performance, the singer is backed by a full band on stage.

Watch the performance below:

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‘Poster Girl’ is Larsson’s third studio album, following on from ‘So Good’ in 2017. The record was given a four-star review from NME upon its release, describing it as a “catchy and characterful album”.

“The singer’s third album, veering from elegant electro-pop to grittier R&B, was well worth the wait. When she sings ‘this girl’s having fun’, you believe her.”

  • READ MORE: Zara Larsson: “I think I’m obsessed with love”

Speaking to NME about the LP, Larsson said she doesn’t see ‘Poster Girl’ as a concept album, rather a “collection of really good pop songs”.

“Most of them just happen to be about the emotions you would feel when you break up with someone or you meet someone new. And that’s because those are the things that I find most interesting in life,” she said.

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Larsson will be performing a live-streamed concert later today (March 8) from 6pm GMT to celebrate International Women’s Day. The performance will be filmed from within an IKEA store in Sweden and streamed to the singer’s YouTube channel.

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Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox show support for #FreeBritney as they cover ‘Toxic’

King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have shown support for the #FreeBritney movement as they performed a cover of one of Britney Spears’ hits.

In the latest edition of the couple’s Sunday Lockdown Lunch series, they played a version of Spears’ 2003 single ‘Toxic’.

  • Read more: Why is #FreeBritney trending and what is conservatorship? Here’s everything you need to know

In the video, Fripp appeared in his typical shirt, waistcoat and tie, while Willcox carried a truncheon and had black makeup painted over one eye. Before the performance started, a title screen showed the #FreeBritney hashtag, which also appeared in the right-hand corner of the video throughout.

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After the pair had finished their version of the track, they both held up handmade signs with a red heart in the middle and the words “Britney we c you” around it. Watch the performance below now.

 

Last week, Fripp and Willcox were joined by a snake for a cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Everlong’. “No animals were harmed or mistreated in the filming of this episode,” a title screen assured viewers at the start of that episode.

Earlier this year, Willcox revealed that the musical couple had started the Sunday Lockdown Lunch series because Fripp had started “withdrawing” under coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

“Here I am in this house with this 74-year-old husband who I really don’t want to live without,” she said. “He was withdrawing, so I thought: ‘I’m going to teach him to dance.’ And it became a challenge.

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“I do the lighting, the filming, the conceptual side and the persuading Robert to take part.”

Other covers in the series so far have seen the pair take on tracks by the likes of Alice Cooper, Metallica, Soft Cell, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and more.

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Mumford & Sons’ Winston Marshall praises “brave” right-wing agitator Andy Ngo

Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons has received criticism after praising notorious right-wing agitator Andy Ngo.

Ngo, an American journalist and social media personality, has gained notoriety in right-wing circles for his reporting on left-wing groups, though has been criticised for painting left-wing activists as violent while not saying the same of right-wing protestors.

The journalist, who has associated himself with the far-right group the Proud Boys in the past, has released a new book called Unmasked, which promises to take the reader “inside ANTIFA’s radical plan to destroy democracy”.

In the book, Ngo calls the Proud Boys a “pro-Trump fraternity” while referring to left-wing activists as a “marauding gang” whose mission is to “destroy the nation-state, America in particular”.

In a new tweet, Marshall congratulated Ngo on the publication of the book, writing: “Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.”

In response to the endorsement, Marshall has received criticism on social media. One fan wrote: “I may be naive, but “Banjo player from Mumford & Sons Comes Out As Nazi” was not a headline I foresaw…”

Another wrote: “This is so damn disappointing and really reinforces all the bad stereotypes about what it means when you hear “the sound of banjos.” Supporting fascism ain’t a good look,” while some fans used Mumford & Sons lyrics to share their dislike of Marshall’s views.

See a host of responses to Marshall praising Ngo below.

Back in 2018, Mumford & Sons responded after they faced criticism over a photo that saw them posing with controversial right-wing academic Jordan Peterson.

The photo caused a stir online, in the wake of Peterson’s often-criticised views on the subjects of feminism and gender identity. He has previously claimed that Islamophobia is “a word created by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons,” that white privilege is a “Marxist lie,” and that “the idea that women were oppressed throughout history is an appalling theory.”

“I primarily was very interested in Dr. Peterson’s work on psychology, read both his books and found it very, very interesting, and met him [through] a mutual acquaintance and invited him down to the studio whilst he was in London on tour, which was very interesting and one of many interesting visits [from various figures] we had in the studio”, Marshall explained afterwards of the band’s decision to meet with Peterson.

Marshall also responded to Power’s question of whether the band risked alienating fans who identified as feminists or LGBTQ+.

“I don’t think that having a photograph with someone means you agree with everything they say,” he said.

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Mitski shares new track ‘The Baddy Man’ from graphic novel soundtrack

Mitski has shared a new song, taken from her soundtrack to a new graphic novel – listen to ‘The Baddy Man’.

As revealed last year, the singer-songwriter was hired by Z2 Comics to create the score, which will accompany writer Chris Miskiewicz and artist Vincent King’s forthcoming novel, called This Is Where We Fall.

  • READ MORE: Mitski stuns in Central Park as she bows out of the live arena (for now) with artful and emotional farewell

The soundtrack is set to arrive on May 5, and a synopsis for the novel describes it as “an innovative new science-fiction series… that delves into complex questions on science, faith and mankind’s need to believe in something bigger than itself”.

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Speaking about the new project to Rolling Stone, Mitski said: “It was exciting to make a soundtrack for a comic book. It allowed me to work outside of my usual songwriting form and try to approach it like a score, but without any of the cues that come with working alongside a moving image, which ended up being both freeing and challenging. I hope the end result helps to immerse you in the story!”

Listen to ‘The Baddy Man’ below.

Mitski’s last full-length album came with 2018’s ‘Be The Cowboy’, after which she announced details of her “last show indefinitely,” before promising fans she was not quitting music.

Reviewing that last show, in New York’s Central Park, NME wrote: “Most artists playing their final shows for the foreseeable would likely use some of their allotted performance time to make an emotional speech to their audience. Mitski keeps her words to a minimum, only pausing to tell the crowd she’s grateful for them and, later, to ask if she can play one more song.

“This is a musician who doesn’t need bells and whistles to create something beautiful. Who knows when we’ll see Mitski again but, whatever she does next, it feels like a safe bet that her return will be just as stunning as her goodbye.”

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Since then, the musician has stayed largely quiet, though did collaborate with Allie X in early 2020 on new track ‘Susie Save Your Love’ from Allie’s album ‘Cape God’.

This January, she then shared a track called ‘Cop Car’, which appears on the soundtrack for The Turning.

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Record Store Day announce second 2021 event for July

Record Store Day has announced a second drop date for 2021, with events now taking place in June and July.

It comes after the 2020 version of the annual celebration ended up being split across three events in August, September and October.

After announcing their initial date of June 12 for 2021’s RSD at the end of last year, an additional date of July 17 has now been added.

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A statement announcing the new date read: “With vaccines on the horizon, Record Store Day organisers around the world look forward to the future, but recognise that in 2021, the world’s biggest record store party needs some adjustments to make it as successful for as many participating indie record shops as possible.

“Throughout the past year, record stores have found creative, flexible and inventive ways to keep serving the music lovers in their communities. However, the ongoing worldwide pandemic makes it impossible to predict the status of many stores and locations around the globe in the next few months.

“This brings with it many unexpected side effects, including production and distribution issues that continue to disrupt record store supply chains.”

The message concluded: “The decision to once again shift the “Record Store Day energy” across 2 dates allows the largest number of stores to participate around the world.”

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The last in a trio of RSD 2020 events took place on Saturday, October 24. Fans were able to get their hands on exclusive releases from Beck and St. Vincent, Def Leppard, Eminem, Suede, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Snoop Dogg and Thin Lizzy.

Back in September, it was revealed that the first Record Store Day (held in August) resulted in a 3% rise in vinyl sales, despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing significant disruption to the retail industry.

At the end of 2020, Record Store Day released limited vinyl from the likes of Motörhead, My Chemical Romance and Beastie Boys for Black Friday 2020. More than 200 UK indie record shops participated.

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Watch Holly Humberstone join Glass Animals for version of ‘Heat Waves’

Holly Humberstone has joined Glass Animals for a new acoustic performance of the band’s recent single ‘Heat Waves’ – watch the collaboration below.

Humberstone and the band’s singer Dave Bayley performed the song for the La Blogotheque series while strolling through Hackney in London.

  • READ MORE: Glass Animals – ‘Live In The Internet’: indie-pop dons re-define the potential of virtual gigs

The new video is the latest alternate take on ‘Heat Waves’, which topped Australia’s coveted triple j Hottest 100 list for 2020, after Bayley turned the track into a sea shanty back in January following the TikTok-fuelled trend.

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Watch Glass Animals and Holly Humberstone’s new collaboration below.

Glass Animals released their third album ‘Dreamland’ last year, and recent performed a livestreamed event entitled ‘Live In The Internet’. Reviewing the gig, NME wrote: “This is a creative, immersive show that re-defines what can be achieved in a virtual performance space, but it’s also one where the sadness of a band missing their fans feels palpable.”

Elsewhere, the band have collaborated with Arlo Parks on a new version of their track ‘Tangerine’, remixed London Grammar’s ‘Lose Your Head’ and more.

Humberstone, meanwhile, recently confirmed that she’s recorded a new song with The 1975‘s Matty Healy.

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After rumours of a track called ‘Please Don’t Leave Just Yet’ surfaced when the song was registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Humberstone confirmed the collaboration in an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, revealing that it will appear on her next EP.

In a five-star review of the musician’s debut EP ‘Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ last year, NME wrote: “Soul-baring and candid, ‘Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ is a deeply affecting collection of songs that solely document Humberstone’s own personal fears and emotions, but the power and grace of her sentiments are sure to resonate universally.”

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Evanescence release new album cut, ‘Better Without You’

Evanescence have dropped a new single, ‘Better Without You’, lifted from their forthcoming studio album.

Released yesterday (March 5), the track is the third official single lifted from the band’s upcoming album, ‘The Bitter Truth’, due out March 26. Upon its release, it will mark the Arkansas rock outfit’s first album of all-new music in a decade.

‘Better Without You’ sees vocalist Amy Lee’s project a fierce performance of unapologetic independence on top of some gruelling guitar riffs.

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Listen to it below:

The new single follows on from previous releases ‘Use My Voice’ with Halestorm‘s Lzzy Hale and The Pretty Reckless‘ Taylor Momsen among others, ‘Wasted On You’ which they performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and ‘Yeah Right’, released to coincide with the new album announcement.

Evanescence also announced a tour of the UK and Europe in support of ‘The Bitter Truth’, set to begin this September. Full dates are listed below.

Evanescence 2021 tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER

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Wednesday 8 – Zurich, Hallenstadion Zurich
Thursday 9 – Milan, Mediolanum Forum Milan
Saturday 11 – Berlin, Velodrom
Sunday 12 – Gilwice, Arena Gilwice
Tuesday 14 –Leipzig, Quarterback Immobilien Arena
Wednesday 15 – Hamburg, Barclaycard Arena
Friday 17 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome
Saturday 18 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome
Monday 20 – Paris, Accorhotels Arena
Tuesday 21 – Düsseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Wednesday 22 – Muinch, Zenith
Friday 24 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Rockhal
Sunday 26 – Frankfurt, Festhalle
Monday 27 – Brussels, Palais 12
Tuesday 28 – Brussels, Palais 12
Thursday 30 – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro Arena

OCTOBER

Friday 1 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
Sunday 3 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena Birmingham
Monday 4 – London, The O2
Thursday 7 – Madrid, Palacio Vistalegre