Cindy Choek

The 1975, Wet Leg and Yungblud to perform for Live Lounge Month 2022

The 1975, Wet Leg and Yungblud are among the acts set to perform for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month this September. READ MORE: Clara Amfo on her favourite ever Live Lounge performances The station’s annual series of special sessions returns on September 5 with a set from Yungblud, who is due to release his self-titled third studio album three days prior (September 2). Further performances will follow from Self Esteem (September 6), RAYE (7) and Wet Leg (8) ahead of an as-yet-unannounced “very special guest” on September 12. Another mystery session is scheduled for September 15. Advertisement Elsewhere, fans will be able to catch an unseen track from Harry Styles’ Live Lounge show that was filmed earlier this year. The 1975, who are gearing up to drop their fifth record ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ on October 14, are lined up to close Live Lounge Month 2022 on September 29. Other names on the bill include Willow, Nova Twins, Knucks, Beabadoobee, Rina Sawayama and Tom Grennan. Check out the full line-up and find more information here. #LiveLoungeMonth is back ✨ Starting 5th September, we'll have a brand new Live Lounge session every weekday (Mon-Thurs) from the likes of @the1975,… Read More →

25AUGNews

Ed Sheeran announces intimate London Union Chapel charity gig

Ed Sheeran has announced an intimate one-off concert in London to raise funds for mental health support charity Shout. READ MORE: Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ is an on-trend bop from one of the savviest men in pop The ‘=’ singer-songwriter will perform at the 900-capacity Union Chapel in Islington on Tuesday, October 11 as part of the ‘Wellstock x For One Night Only’ event series. Wellstock, an initiative created by Will Young, aims “to build platform to bring mental health awareness to the fore whilst also looking at fundraising and with an overview of acceptance, validation and blowing away the shame that can attach itself to feeling anything other than happy”. Advertisement Sheeran’s special acoustic show, which will kick off the series, is being put on in support of Shout, the UK’s first and only free, confidential 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Fans’ only chance to attend the gig is by entering a charity prize draw and making a voluntary donation of £10 to the ‘For One Night Only’ fund that will be donated to Shout. You can do so by texting “ED” to 84903 (texts will be charged at your standard network… Read More →

24AUGNews

Watch Pharrell throw first pitch at NY Yankees game

Pharrell Williams has thrown the first pitch at a New York Yankees game earlier this week (August 22). Before Yankees starting pitcher Domingo Germán threw his first strike of the night, Pharrell took the field to throw a ceremonial first ball. At the game, Pharrell was wearing his brand Billionaire Boys Club collaborative clothing line with the Yankees. Advertisement You can see images and footage off the moment here: Happy to see @Pharrell at Yankee Stadium tonight. pic.twitter.com/HnED5Kosh5 — MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2022 Recently, Williams praised the writing prowess of Kendrick Lamar, declaring that his bars hit so hard “because he knows how to be very disciplined with a subject matter”. READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-bearing autobiography The claims came in a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, celebrating the release of Williams’ new Tyler, The Creator and 21 Savage-assisted single ‘Cash In Cash Out’. The song was released in June 10 and marked Williams’ second time joining forces with Tyler, after he produced Tyler’s track ‘Come On, Let’s Go’ for the ‘I Love Nigo’ compilation. Speaking to Lowe, Williams referred to Lamar as “one of the greatest writers of… Read More →

24AUGNews

Usher responds to Diddy’s claim that “R&B is dead”: “He sounds nuts”

Usher has responded to Diddy‘s claim that “R&B is dead,” saying that the rapper’s comments make him “sound nuts”. Last week (August 17), Diddy took to Instagram Live for a conversation with Timbaland, on which he posted the question: “Who killed R&B?” In an impassioned speech, he said: “R&B is muthafuckin’ dead as of right now. The R&B I made my babies to? R&B gotta be judged to a certain thing — it’s the feeling though, doggy. No, no, no. It’s a feeling. You gotta be able to sing for R&B and then you gotta tell the truth. R&B is not a hustle. This shit is about feeling your vulnerability. Advertisement “You gotta muthafuckin make a n-gga dick hard or a woman’s vagina wet,” he added. “You gotta cry. You gotta be able to get your girl back. I don’t wanna hear all this bullshit […] It’s our fault for accepting anything less for anybody getting on a mic. I feel like there was a death of R&B singing, and I’m a part of bringing that shit back! I ain’t feelin’ no emotions.” In a new conversation on SiriusXM show Bevelations, Usher defended the cultural importance of R&B in 2022, saying: “When… Read More →

23AUGNews

Noel Gallagher to launch signature electric guitar with Gibson

Noel Gallagher is set to launch his own electric guitar model in partnership with Gibson. READ MORE: Noel Gallagher live at Glastonbury 2022: how The Chief owned the Pyramid Stage The former Oasis musician teased a new signature version of his Gibson ES-355 on social media back in May, writing that it’d be arriving at some point in “August 2022…”. It came after Gallagher joined forces with the US-based instruments manufacturer to release the ‘Noel Gallagher J-150’ acoustic guitar last year. Advertisement Today (August 23), the singer-songwriter shared an official image of himself holding his beloved ’60s Cherry Red Gibson in a large studio space. In the caption, he confirmed that the special model would be launching next Tuesday (August 30). You can see that tweet below. Launching 30.08.2022#Gibson #GibsonCustom pic.twitter.com/sS1pYAF4am — Noel Gallagher (@NoelGallagher) August 23, 2022 As Guitar.COM notes, the High Flying Birds frontman previously hailed the Gibson instrument in question as “the greatest guitar” he’s ever played. Speaking to Guitar World in 2015, Gallagher was asked whether he’d ever consider launching his own signature model. “I’ve been asked and I kinda can’t be fucking bothered, do you know what I mean?” he replied. “It’s a funny thing, designing… Read More →

23AUGNews

Diddy clarifies his recent declaration that “R&B is dead”

Diddy has clarified his recent declaration that “R&B is dead”. Last Wednesday (August 17), the rapper – real name Sean Combs – asked his followers on Twitter: “Who killed R&B?” Many responded by stating that the genre was still very much alive. Diddy later participated in an Instagram Live broadcast alongside the likes of Mary J. Blige, Kehlani and Timberland in which he asked each of them to share their thoughts on the current state of R&B. Advertisement During the debate, Diddy double down on the view he’d expressed in his earlier tweet. “R&B is muthafuckin’ dead as of right now,” he said (via Hot New Hip Hop). “The R&B I made my babies to? R&B gotta be judged to a certain thing – it’s the feeling though, doggy. No, no, no. It’s a feeling. You gotta be able to sing for R&B and then you gotta tell the truth. R&B is not a hustle. This shit is about feeling your vulnerability.” Diddy continued: “You gotta muthafuckin make a n***a dick hard or a woman’s vagina wet. You gotta cry. You gotta be able to get your girl back. I don’t wanna hear all this bullshit […] It’s our fault… Read More →

22AUGNews

Reverend & The Makers return with new single ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’

Reverend & The Makers have returned with a new single called ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’ – check it out below. READ MORE: Reverend & The Makers’ Jon McClure talks Corbyn, taking on the Tories and their new album The new track is the band’s first new music in five years, and first taster of an upcoming seventh studio album. Frontman Jon McClure described ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’ as being about “lazing around on a sunny day with your lover getting stoned. Advertisement “Imagine if Barry White lived in Sheffield and you’re getting there,” he added. Listen to ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’, the first new music from Reverend & The Makers since 2017’s ‘The Death Of A King’ album, below. Last year, the band’s Laura McClure responded to comments that her group is a “lad band”, pointing out that she’s often treated as lesser than her bandmates because of her gender. The keyboardist, trumpeter and vocalist has performed on all six of Reverend & The Makers’ studio albums – most recently ‘The Death Of A King’. In a statement posted to the band’s social media, McClure said: “I am tired of explaining I’ve been in the band from the… Read More →

22AUGNews

Lorde has “kept working” since her ‘Solar Power’ tour ended

Lorde has told fans that she has “kept working” since her ‘Solar Power’ tour ended this summer, hinting that she’s making progress on new music. READ MORE: ‘Melodrama’ at five: how Lorde’s cinematic pop opus inspired a new generation of artists The singer released her third album last August and has since taken it on North American, UK and European tours, stopping at Glastonbury and beyond. On the one year anniversary of the album’s announcement in June, she thanked fans for their support, and called criticism of the album “confounding and at times painful to sit with”. To mark the one year anniversary of the album’s release, Lorde released a new video for its closing track, ‘Oceanic Feeling’, and updated them on her movements since the ‘Solar Power’ tour ended. Advertisement “I write to you from summer’s end,” her message began. “I can’t believe it’s almost gone. Normally in these months, my whole life is lived in deference to the season. I wake up and the weather decides what I’ll do. I spend long days outside. Swims come first, and everything else in my calendar arranges itself around them. This year, the summer’s been like a movie playing in the background.”… Read More →

22AUGNews

Listen to Jamie xx’s new remix of Oliver Sim’s ‘GMT’

Jamie xx has shared his new remix of Oliver Sim‘s ‘GMT’ – you can listen to the new version below. The two artists, who are bandmates in The xx, have further extended their creative partnership with the remix of the track, which has arrived this afternoon (August 22). READ MORE: Jamie xx on his debut solo album ‘In Colour’, his bright, bold homage to London nightlife The original ‘GMT’ – which was released last month – is set to feature on Sim’s forthcoming debut solo album ‘Hideous Bastard’, which has been produced by Jamie xx and is set for release on September 9. Advertisement Marking Jamie xx’s first new official remix in over five years, the ‘GMT’ remix – which incorporates a sample of Brian Wilson‘s ‘Smile’ – features additional production from Floating Points, and has previously been aired during Jamie’s recent DJ sets and live shows. You can listen to Jamie xx’s remix of Oliver Sim’s ‘GMT’ below. Having played his debut London solo show in June (where he covered Placebo and was joined by his xx bandmate Romy), Sim is now scheduled to embark on a North American, European and UK tour next month. Tickets for Sim’s UK dates are on… Read More →

22AUGNews

Coldplay bring out Stormzy for ‘Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1’ performance at final Wembley show

Coldplay finished their six-night residency at Wembley Stadium last night (August 21) by bringing out Stormzy to perform ‘Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1’ – see footage below. READ MORE: Coldplay live in London: a fantastical, feel-good bonanza that delivers on a bold promise Across the band’s gigs at the London venue this month, they have been joined by a host of special guests, including Natalie Imbruglia, Craig David, Steve Coogan in character as Alan Partridge and many more. All the performances have taken place on the venue’s ‘C-stage’ at the back of the arena, and the Sunday night gig saw them end the sixth part of their seven-part show by welcoming Stormzy for a version of his 2018 hit. Advertisement As with all of the special guest performances during the run of gigs, Coldplay and their guest were joined by Jacob Collier on piano and pedal steel guitarist Nicole Lawrence. Watch footage of the performance below. Across their residency, the band enlisted Shaznay Lewis to cover two All Saints songs, while the August 16 show saw them joined by Natalie Imbruglia, who paid tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John by covering ‘Summer Nights’ with the band. They also performed Imbruglia’s 1997 hit ‘Torn’. Meanwhile, Coldplay also… Read More →

22AUGNews

Sparta announce self-titled album, share ‘Mind Over Matter’ and ‘Spiders’

Sparta have announced details of their self-titled new album and shared two songs from it – listen to ‘Mind Over Matter’ and ‘Spiders’ below. The Texas duo, led by former At The Drive-In guitarist Jim Ward, will follow up 2020’s ‘Trust The River’ LP on October 14 via Dine Alone. The new record is being previewed by its first two singles, which both feature a special guest vocalist. Advertisement ‘Mind Over Matter’ features Kayleigh Goldsworthy, while Angelica Garcia appears on ‘Spiders’. Listen to both tracks below. Discussing the new record, Ward said in a statement: “This new record is a starting point for the band, with absolute love and respect for the last 20 years – it was time to scrap some things, release some baggage and forge a new path. [Bandmate] Matt [Miller] and I have a clear vision for the future and it starts now. We recorded a Sparta record with an ensemble of friends, new and old alike, and couldn’t be happier- there is so much love on this thing and I can’t wait for people to hear it. He added: “It’s been really important for me to grow past the music I was making before and… Read More →

21AUGNews

Dr. Dre says ICU doctors prepared for his death after he suffered a brain aneurysm

Dr. Dre has opened up about the near-death experience he faced at the start of last year, when he found himself in an LA hospital’s intensive care unit after suffering a brain aneurysm. READ MORE: Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’: A 4/20 deep dive into the album that changed hip-hop forever The legendary rapper and producer faced his health scare at the start of last year, when on January 4, he was admitted to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dre assured fans a day later that he was “doing great”, however he would stay in the ICU for two weeks. During that time, he explained in a new interview for the Workout The Doubt podcast, doctors welcomed in his family because they feared he would die from the incident. “They weren’t allowing anybody to come up – meaning visitors or family or anything like that – because of COVID,” Dre told host Dolvett Quince. “But they allowed my family to come in [and] I found out later, they called them up so they could say their last goodbyes, because they thought I was outta here. I didn’t know it was that serious… Nobody told me, I had no idea. That was… Read More →

20AUGNews

Thundercat show put on hold as a would-be singer attempts to perform for his audience

A Thundercat show got awkward after a would-be singer tried to have her fifteen minutes of fame and perform for the artist’s crowd. READ MORE: Thundercat – ‘It Is What It Is’ review: versatile superstar mediates on life and death with tribute to Mac Miller Fan-filmed footage of Thundercat’s show at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, Connecticut, on Tuesday August 16, shows the artist and the unknown woman sharing a hug on stage. After breaking away from Thundercat – aka Stephen Bruner – the woman readjusted his microphone before addressing the crowd: “Well, I’m here. I’m a singer. Can I sing?” Bruner is then seen attempting to end the interruption politely, however the woman seemingly pleads with the artist for her chance at stardom, before she is removed from the stage – raising a middle finger to the crowd – by venue staff. Some local singer just jumped the stage at the @Thundercat concert and tried to start singing her own shit I'm dead pic.twitter.com/F04tqz2EfZ — Finn Baller (@KillaCham) August 17, 2022 Advertisement In another clip, as the woman resists removal from the stage, Bruner can be seen trying to maintain his composure, saying into his mic: “Holy… Read More →

20AUGNews

Loyle Carner announces forthcoming third album ‘Hugo’

Loyle Carner has announced his third album is on its way, sharing a release date and tracklist for the forthcoming ‘Hugo’. READ MORE: Loyle Carner: “All the best things about me come from my ADHD” The English-Guyanese rapper shared the news yesterday (August 19) with a teaser video, in which he spraypaints the release date — October 21, 2022 — on a ‘Hugo’ poster. Advertisement The ten-track record will feature his recently released singles ‘Hate’ and ‘Georgetown’, the latter of which was produced by Madlib and samples a performance by the Guyanese poet John Agard of his acclaimed poem Half-caste. “John Agard’s poem Half-caste had a heavy impact on me,” Carner said in a press statement. “To see someone who was older, that looked like me, sharing a reflection of a similar lived experience made me feel comfortable/proud to not fit in. It kinda gave me the permission to finally write explicitly about being mixed.” See the full ‘Hugo’ tracklist below: 1. ‘Hate’ 2. ‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’ 3. ‘Georgetown’ (feat. John Agard) 4. ‘Speed Of Plight’ 5. ‘Homerton’ (feat. JNR Williams & Olivia Dean) 6. ‘Blood On My Nikes’ (feat. Wesley Joseph & Athian Akec) 7. ‘Plastic’ 8. ‘A Lasting Place’ 9…. Read More →

19AUGNews

Listen to Greentea Peng’s spiritual new song ‘Look To Him’

Greentea Peng has returned with a spiritual new song called ‘Look To Him’ – listen below. READ MORE: Greentea Peng: hallucinogenic blend of soul, dub and the vibes of the natural world The new track follows the track ‘Your Mind’, which was shared back in March, and is a precursor to a new project from the singer that is touted to drop “imminently”. “‘Look To Him’ explores the idea of originality and the notion of tapping into source energy for creativity and inspiration rather than just searching for it amongst your peers and surroundings,” Greentea Peng said of the new song in a statement. Advertisement “At the same time, it challenges the idea that anything is truly original as nothing is truly our own rather seeped into us from a Higher Power and thus channelled from God him/herself.” Listen to ‘Look To Him’ below. Earlier this year, Greentea Peng cancelled her March UK headline tour due to the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. “If it was just me on the mic over a track it would be different but manoeuvring a 6 piece band plus team is a different story and we need time, full energy and a lot of money to make shit happen…. Read More →

19AUGNews

Yungblud announces huge 2023 UK arena tour dates

Yungblud has announced details of a huge UK arena tour for 2023 – find full details below and get your tickets here. READ MORE: Yungblud at Glastonbury 2022: “Mick Jagger said he liked my energy” The Doncaster singer is set to release his self-titled new album on September 2 via Locomotion/Geffen, and it’s been previewed so far by the singles ‘Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today’, ‘The Funeral’ and the Willow-assisted ‘Memories’. Next February, Dominic Harrison will then hit the road in the UK for seven dates with support from Neck Deep. A short run of European headline dates will then follow. Advertisement The UK leg of the tour will begin in Cardiff on February 16 at the Motorpoint Arena, with shows in Birmingham, Manchester and more to follow. On February 25, the tour will wrap up with Yungblud’s biggest headline show to date at the OVO Arena in Wembley, London. Tickets for the tour go on sale next Thursday, August 25 at 9am BST. Get your tickets here and see the full list of UK dates below. FEBRUARY 2023 16 – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena 18 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena 19 – Manchester, AO Arena 21 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena 22 – Glasgow,… Read More →

19AUGHit Singles

Cass McCombs – Heartmind

The ancient provocateur Diogenes – a kind of Grecian hybrid of Slavoj Žižek and Steve Bray – is one of Cass McCombs’ recent obsessions. Born two and a half millennia ago, Diogenes demonstrated his radical philosophy by living on the streets of Athens, sleeping in a ceramic wine vessel and offending the public with various stunts, all in the service of sticking it to the corrupt ruling class of the time. ORDER NOW: Joni Mitchell is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut McCombs’ fascination is understandable, for Diogenes could easily have stepped from his catalogue; say, from one of the Californian’s many songs celebrating outsiders, the damaged and addicted, “the poor and screwed”, as he put it on 2013’s “Home On The Range”. As peripatetic as he’s often been, McCombs has not so far made his home in a jar. Yet his opaque, twisting lyrics have consistently dealt with existential and absurd questions: matters of spirituality, morality, property, personal responsibility. That this is never boring, or in the least bit earnest, is down to McCombs’ use of unreliable narrators, sarcasm, the language of the gutter and other acts of literary subterfuge. “Silverfish quilting testicle”, goes 2005’s “Equinox”; a… Read More →

18AUGNews

Oasis photographer on a mission to recover iconic ‘Be Here Now’ Rolls-Royce

Rock photographer Michael Spencer Jones is attempting to track down the white Rolls-Royce that famously graced the cover of Oasis‘ third album, ‘Be Here Now’. The six-times platinum-selling record celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, with an updated version featuring silver-coloured double heavyweight LP, double picture disc and cassette, and remastered audio set for release tomorrow (August 19). Back in 1997, Spencer Jones loaned the 1972 Silver Shadow from Leicestershire-based Flying Spares for the album shoot. It was sold the following year at a music memorabilia auction for £1,200, but experts have no idea where the car went from there. Jones has shared previously unseen pictures from the photoshoot at Stocks House in Hertfordshire, but to no avail. Advertisement Although the license plate on the album artwork reads SYO 724F – the same featured on a police van used by The Beatles on the cover of their seminal 1969 album ‘Abbey Road’ – the actual vehicle registration is MDH 119K. 'Be Here Now' features on @JoWhiley's Vinyl Revival this week on @BBCRadio2. Make sure to send over your memories of the album and what your favourite tracks mean to you. pic.twitter.com/CktIEoZejQ — Oasis (@oasis) August 3, 2022 Neil Arman, Director… Read More →

18AUGNews

The National share release date for Bon Iver collaboration ‘Weird Goodbyes’

The National have shared further details of their new single, ‘Weird Goodbyes’, featuring Bon Iver. READ MORE: The National on new music: “It’s the whole history of the band, but with a new exploration” Pictures of posters advertising the new song began to circulate online, with the band later confirming their legitimacy by changing their cover photos on social media to include the same artwork. Now The National have taken to Instagram to provide more information to fans, as well as a release date. Advertisement “Last spring, the band reconvened at Long Pond to begin writing and recording new music that we’ve been working on ever since,” the statement reads. “‘Weird Goodbyes’ featuring Bon Iver felt like the right track to share first and is one of a handful of new songs we’ve been performing on tour this summer. We’re so grateful to our friend Justin Vernon for joining us on this song.” The post also revealed that the single will be released worldwide at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm UK on Monday, August 22. You can pre-save ‘Weird Goodbyes’ here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The National (@thenational) The band have been performing… Read More →

18AUGNews

Mark Hoppus says Blink-182 reunion with Tom DeLonge isn’t off the cards: “I’m open to whatever”

Mark Hoppus has opened up about his newly rekindled friendship with Tom DeLonge, saying that as far as he’s concerned with the potential of a late-‘90s era Blink-182 reunion, nothing is off the table. READ MORE: Blink-182 – ‘Nine’ review: the spiritual follow-up to the classic ‘Untitled’ For years, rumours have swirled that DeLonge would eventually return to the iconic pop-punk outfit. Those rumours heated up last month when the former guitarist and co-vocalist – who left Blink in 2015 “to change the world for my kids” – hinted that he’d finally linked back up with Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker. Adding to the conversation was Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba (who replaced DeLonge upon his exit) admitting he didn’t know whether he was still a member of Blink. Hoppus quashed those rumours earlier in August, assuring fans that the band had “no news to share” on the matter. Writing in a Discord chat, he also ribbed the media for using DeLonge’s reunion tease as an opportunity to farm traffic: “If and when blink has any announcement about anything, you will hear it from the official blink-182 outlets. Not teased on a radio station like ‘tune in for a major announcement…Tom tagged… Read More →

17AUGNews

Rick Ross’ company Wingstop fined for labour law violations

Rick Ross has been fined for labour law violations at five of his chicken wing company’s franchise locations in Mississippi. Among the violations, investigators found that the rapper’s company illegally forced employees to pay for their own uniforms, training, and background checks, covered till shortages from their own pocket (bringing their pay below minimum wage), and breaching child labour laws by allowing a 15-year-old employee to repeatedly work past 10pm. As a result Ross, via his business Boss Wings Enterprises LLC, has been forced to pay $114,427 (£950,000) in back wages, liquidated damages, and civil penalties, according to Pitchfork. Advertisement The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division District Director Audrey Hall said in a statement: “Restaurant industry employees work hard, often for low wages, and many depend on every dollar earned to make ends meet. The law prevents Boss Wing Enterprises LLC from shifting operating costs to workers by deducting the costs of uniforms, cash register shortages or training expenses, or to allow a worker’s pay to fall below the minimum wage rate.” Rick Ross. CREDIT: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images The fine appears to have implications for Ross’s family, as sister Tawanda Roberts and mother Tommie Roberts are listed as… Read More →