Cindy Choek

Beyoncé’s team denies designer’s claims over unpaid ‘Renaissance’ artwork

Beyoncé’s team has responded to allegations made by a fashion designer and artist who has claimed he has unpaid fees for working on ‘Renaissance‘ material. READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy Earlier this week Nusi Quero took to his Instagram to claim that he has outstanding payments for his work, which includes the ‘Renaissance’ cover art. Specifically, he accused Beyoncé’s stylist Marni Senofonte of failing to pay him for various projects. “As a stylist for B, I really expected the best from you and your team,” Quero wrote in a since-deleted post seen by Complex. “But since you won’t responded to texts and emails. I supposed this is the final venue I can utilise before legal means to settle your outstanding balances, that you’ve owed me and my collaborator for about 3 months.” Advertisement He continued to allege that Senofonte had “paid a 50 percent deposit to me for one of the three jobs” but that did not include the work he did for the album cover. Quero also claimed he and his team didn’t receive those payments for more than a month. He alleged that the projects in question included the “album… Read More →

16OCTNews

Benjamin Netanyahu calls Kanye West’s anti-Semetic comments “stupidities”: “We’ve dealt with bigger problems”

Benjamin Netanyahu has somewhat dismissed Kanye West‘s recent anti-Semetic remarks as “stupidities”, adding that Israel has “dealt with bigger problems”. READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return? The former prime minister of Israel who now serves as the country’s opposition leader suggested in a new interview that West’s comments recall racist tropes against Jewish people that “shouldn’t have any place in civilised discourse”. Speaking to US political pundit Bill Maher on his HBO show Real Time on Friday (October 14) who asked him if Israel will take action over Ye, Netanyahu responded with a laugh: “We’ve dealt with bigger problems than these stupidities.” Advertisement He continued: “But, you know, the communists blame the Jews for being capitalists, the capitalists blame the Jews for being communists. “You have a problem, blame the Jews. It’s old stuff. It shouldn’t have any place in civilised discourse.” West been the subject of a wave of criticism after a series of recent anti-Semetic statements including declaring plans to go “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people”. Netanyahu continued: “That’s the reason we established the Jewish state – so the Jewish people would have defence against… Read More →

15OCTNews

Primal Scream collaborate with Aida Celtic for football shirt that raises funds for Palestinian refugee team

Primal Scream have collaborated with Aida Celtic FC and fashion brand A Number Of Names* (Anon*) for a new shirt to help fundraise for the refugee camp football team. READ MORE: ‘Screamadelica’? I was at the centre of the cyclone The Scottish band have unveiled the “Palestinadelica” shirt, the title of which is a play on the group’s third album ‘Screamadelica‘ (1991) and Palestine, the territory where the Aida Refugee Camp is based. All proceeds from the sale of the shirt, which features the ‘Screamadelica’ artwork on the right hand shoulder and chest, will go towards helping train Aida Celtic footballers as well as provide sportswear for the refugees in Bethlehem. You can purchase the shirt here. Advertisement Primal Scream, whose singer Bobby Gillespie is a known Celtic FC fan, have seemingly become involved with Aida Celtic in order to mirror the support shown by Celtic supporter ultra group, The Green Brigade. We have teamed up with @aida_celtic to make the Palastinadelica football shirt. ALL proceeds from sales go towards helping train and provide sportswear for the Aida refugee camp football team. If u want to buy a shirt go to <https://t.co/b5QyGqlBsy> https://t.co/vXBDzvjVmm — Primal Scream (@ScreamOfficial) October 12, 2022… Read More →

15OCTNews

Blink-182 add second London show to 2023 UK and Ireland tour

Blink-182 have added an extra London show to their 2023 UK and Ireland tour – tickets will be available here. READ MORE: Blink-182 – ‘Nine’ review: the spiritual follow-up to the classic ‘Untitled’ On Tuesday (October 11), it was revealed that the band had reunited with Tom DeLonge to release new music and embark on a huge world tour. The trio released the single ‘Edging’ yesterday (October 14), with a full album also in the works. Next September, Blink-182 will hit the road in the UK/Ireland and Europe with The Story So Far appearing as their support act. The UK and Ireland run includes concerts in Glasgow (September 2), Belfast (4), Dublin (5), London (October 11), Birmingham (14) and Manchester (15). Advertisement It’s now been announced that Blink will play a second date at The O2 in London on October 12, 2023. Tickets for all shows go on general sale at 10am BST on Monday (October 17) – buy yours here. Just announced ? @blink182 add a second date at The O2 On Thursday 12 October 2023? On O2? Get Priority Tickets now ⬇️https://t.co/AKUh6m7Pa9 General on-sale Monday 17 October at 10amhttps://t.co/xfo5J6jCU9 pic.twitter.com/H4XDniiqBT — The O2 (@TheO2) October 13, 2022 Additionally, Blink-182 are… Read More →

14OCTNews

Emma Bunton says Victoria Beckham would be “up for” joining Spice Girls at Glastonbury

Victoria Beckham would be “up for” joining the Spice Girls for a show at Glastonbury Festival, according to Emma Bunton. READ MORE: Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’ at 25: what we’ve learned from the iconic girl group since Appearing on Keith Lemon’s podcast ‘Back Then When’, Bunton said she had spoken to Beckham about the possibility of a reunion at Worthy Farm and that Beckham would be on board. “I dare you to tell us if you’re going to be playing Glastonbury next year,” Lemon said. To which Bunton replied: “Ah, I hope so… Can I be real? No one’s asked us.” Advertisement She continued: “I read it as well this week saying, ‘Oh, we’ve asked them. We’re quite far down’. All of us have been on the phone like… no one’s asked us! I think it would be fab [if they asked]. And I have spoken to Victoria about it too. And I think she’d be up for Glasto.” The ’90s girl group – minus Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice) – hit the road for the first time in 11 years in 2019, playing a run of huge stadium concerts across the UK and Ireland. Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Melanie… Read More →

14OCTNews

Girl In Red shares new song ‘October Passed Me By’, produced by Aaron Dessner

Girl In Red has shared a new single produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner – listen to ‘October Passed Me By’ below. READ MORE: Girl In Red: “Gen Z expect more honesty, intimacy and rawness” The track, announced last week, serves as the long-awaited sequel to 2018 single ‘We Fell In Love In October’, and follows the singer’s 2021 debut album. ‘If I Could Make It Go Quiet’. In a statement about the song and its short film, Girl In Red said: “’October Passed Me By’ has been living in the back of my head since June 2021. Every fall since I put out ‘We Fell In Love In October’ in 2018, I was encouraged to do things on social media to talk about the song again. Making TikToks, Instagram posts and other things about a song I made years ago never felt honest. I’m not in the same place as I was when I wrote the song, emotionally or artistically, so pretending to be so felt boring and uninteresting. So, I never did any of that; but last year something happened in my personal love life that brought up a lot of feelings that I had to confront internally.” Advertisement She… Read More →

14OCTNews

Taylor Swift to appear on ‘Fallon’ after releasing ‘Midnights’

Taylor Swift has been announced to appear on an upcoming episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, marking her first late-night talk show engagement for the year. READ MORE: Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness Celebrating her 10th album, ‘Midnights’, Swift will sit down for a chat with Fallon on Monday October 24 – three days after ‘Midnights’ is released on October 21. She won’t perform on the show, though; Meghan Trainor will appear as that episode’s musical guest, with others appearing across the week including the duo of Zedd and Marren Morris (on Tuesday October 25) and Selena Gomez (on Wednesday 26). Swift is yet to preview any material from ‘Midnights’, instead promoting it with a series of videos explaining the stories behind tracks. On Wednesday (October 12), she opened up about ‘Snow On The Beach’, her forthcoming collaboration with Lana Del Rey: “[The song] is about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you,” she said in a video shared on social media. Advertisement Another track she recently dove into is ‘Lavender Haze’, which was named after a phrase she heard on Mad Men. “If you were… Read More →

13OCTNews

Breakthrough for indie labels as Secretly Group Union sign contract with management

Members of the Secretly Group Union have secured a contract with the company for its employees. The union – which represents staff at indie labels such as Secretly Canadian, Dead Oceans and Jagjaguwar – shared the news yesterday (October 12). READ MORE: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Cool It Down’ review: a triumphant, rewarding return In a statement on social media, the SGU wrote: “We are ecstatic to announce that contract negotiations have concluded and our membership has voted to ratify the contract! Advertisement “This was a long and very difficult fight, but we could not be prouder to be the first independent label group union.” The message continued: “We hope this is a beacon to other labels and other people struggling to work in music. Our vote was a contentious decision, and we already know what we’re going back for when it’s time to go back to the table. “The fight never ends with a first contract – we’re excited to engage with the energy that this contract brings at Secretly and in our industry at large to continue advocating for our workers and everyone in the music industry.” Dead Oceans – whose roster boasts the likes of Phoebe Bridgers,… Read More →

13OCTNews

MAMAMOO to kick off ‘MY CON’ world tour in Seoul next month

MAMAMOO have announced the first concerts for their forthcoming ‘MY CON’ world tour. READ MORE: New generations: SNSD, NewJeans and the evolution of K-pop girl groups The tour and kick-off concerts were first announced via the K-pop girl group’s social media channels yesterday (October 12). Dubbed the ‘MY CON’ world tour, MAMAMOO’s global trek will begin with a three-night residency at Seoul’s Olympic Park Olympic Hall from November 18 to 20. Fanclub pre-sales for tickets are slated to begin on October 19 at 8pm KST and close on October 20 at 11:59pm KST. Thereafter, general sales will commence on October 21 at 8pm KST. However, information on where fans can purchase tickets have yet to be disclosed. [?]#MAMAMOO will be starting their 1st world tour, MY CON, with a 3-day concert in Seoul from Nov 18-20! ?️ Fanclub Sales: Oct 19, 8PM KST – Oct 20, 11:59PM KST?️ General Sales: Oct 21, 8PM KST~? Olympic Park Hall Olympic Hall MAMAMOO WORLD TOUR#MY_CON @RBW_MAMAMOO pic.twitter.com/PDk2bz7z9H — MAMAMOO GUIDE (@mamamooguide) October 12, 2022 Advertisement Despite RBW Entertainment touting the upcoming concerts in Seoul as part of a wider world tour, dates and locations for future ‘MY CON’ stops are expected to drop… Read More →

12OCTNews

Stormzy announces new album ‘This Is What I Mean’

Stormzy has shared details of his highly anticipated third album, ‘This Is What I Mean’, set for global release next month. Returning to social media after almost three years, Stormzy shared the new album’s artwork on Instagram today (October 12), depicting a letter sat on a doorstep with the album title printed on it. Described as “an intimate love letter to music” in a press statement and largely created at a “Stormzy music camp” in Osea Island, Stormzy spoke about praying every morning during the genesis of the new record. Advertisement “When you hear about music camps they always sound intense and sombre,” Stormzy explained of how the new album came together. “People saying: ‘We need to make an album.’ ‘We need to make some hit records.’ But this felt beautifully free. We’re all musicians but we weren’t always doing music. Some days we played football or walked around taking pictures. And the bi-product to that was very beautiful music. “Because when you marry that ethos with world class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world, and we’re in one space, that’s a recipe for something that no one can really imagine. You can’t even calculate… Read More →

12OCTNews

Duran Duran announce new docu-concert film ‘A Hollywood High’: Watch the trailer

Duran Duran have announced a new, 75-minute documentary, entitled A Hollywood High. You can watch the trailer for it below. The docu-concert film will feature footage of the band performing live on a rooftop in Los Angeles, as well as interviews and archival footage that tells the story of their long-time love affair with the city. Their performance was shot on the roof of The Aster in Hollywood, overlooking the Capitol Records building, the home of Duran Duran’s first record label. Advertisement Directed by Gavin Elder, Vincent Adam Paul and George Scott, A Hollywood High will be released in cinemas around the world on November 3, 2022. “For our first US show in several years we wanted to do something really special and intimate,” Keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in a statement. “After considering many options, a rooftop performance quickly became the frontrunner. It was post-pandemic, we had never done anything like that before, and we had just released a new album. Somehow it seemed like a magical doorway to the next part of our journey.” Bassist John Taylor added: “Duran Duran have had an enduring relationship with the city of Los Angeles since the first time we came to America…. Read More →

11OCTNews

When We Were Young festival announces 2023 line-up with Blink-182, Green Day and more

When We Were Young Festival has announced its 2023 line-up, which includes Blink-182 and Green Day as headliners. READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Green Day: “We live our lives as if we have nothing’ The 2022 festival, described as “an epic line-up of emo and rock bands from the past two decades”, was announced earlier this year with My Chemical Romance and Paramore topping the bill. It was the first new Paramore show to be announced since the group went on a hiatus in 2018. The 2022 festival is due to take place later this month in Las Vegas (October 22, 23 and 29), with Bring Me The Horizon, Bright Eyes, The Used and more also on the bill. Advertisement Though this year’s festival is still to take place, the line-up for 2023 has already been unveiled, with the likes of 30 Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Good Charlotte, Rise Against on the bill for October 21. What’s our age again? When We Were Young, 2023. LFG ? Register now for the presale that starts Friday, October 14th at 10 AM PT. $19.99 down payment plans available. #WWWY https://t.co/KUp7CwEQEV pic.twitter.com/wQCPKBdkjg — When We Were Young (@WWWYFest) October 11, 2022 Elsewhere on the line-up are… Read More →

11OCTNews

Elon Musk says he’s spoken to Kanye West about antisemitic tweet

Prospective Twitter owner Elon Musk says he has spoken to Kanye West following a series of antisemitic posts the rapper made over the weekend. On Sunday (October 9), West had both his Twitter and Instagram accounts suspended after posting antisemitic comments. Twitter locked West’s account on Sunday and the social media platform later removed the tweet before locking his account. A spokesperson from Twitter told BuzzFeed News that “the account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies”. Advertisement After welcoming Kanye back to Twitter earlier last week, Musk said he spoke to the rapper about his conduct, tweeting: “Talked to ye today & expressed my concerns about his recent tweet, which I think he took to heart.” Talked to ye today & expressed my concerns about his recent tweet, which I think he took to heart — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2022 Following the comments, Ye has been widely condemned by many figures in the entertainment world, as well as several political figures and organisations that represent Jewish communities. Last night on stage in Missouri, Jack Antonoff became the latest musician to address West’s behaviour directly. “I’m Jewish, and we take a lot of pride in… Read More →

11OCTNews

Ex-NU’EST member Kim Jong-hyeon to make solo debut with ‘Meridiem’ next month

Former NU’EST member Kim Jong-hyeon (previously known as JR) will be making his long-awaited solo debut this November. READ MORE: NU’EST: “We hope when others think of us they’ll think of artists who never settle for the status quo” On October 11 at Midnight KST, EVERMORE Entertainment shared a black-and-white visualiser clip on its YouTube channel announcing the title and release details of the idol’s upcoming debut record. Titled ‘Meridiem’, Kim’s first mini-album arrives on November 8 at 6PM KST. Further details such as the album’s tracklist are expected in the coming weeks. Advertisement So far, Kim has only released solo tracks as B-sides — such as 2021’s ‘Doom Doom’ — on NU’EST’s albums, or appeared as a featured artist on other singers’ singles. His most recent collaboration has been with former Wanna One member Yoon Ji-sung on the track ‘Summer Drive’ from his April 2022 EP ‘Miro’. ‘Meridiem’ will also be his first music release under EVERMORE Entertainment, which Kim signed with as an actor and singer in May 2022. This was shortly after NU’EST’s disbandment in March, which saw Kim’s and former bandmates Aron and Ren’s departure from longtime agency Pledis Entertainment. The boyband released the compilation album… Read More →

10OCTNews

Rex Orange County charged with six counts of sexual assault

Rex Orange County has been charged with six counts of sexually assaulting a woman in London. As first reported in The Sun, the musician, whose real name is Alexander James O’Connor, is accused of assaulting the woman on six occasions between June 1 and 2. He allegedly assaulted the woman twice in London’s West End, once in a taxi, and three times at his home in Notting Hill, according to the outlet. He appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London earlier today (October 10), where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. O’Connor is set to provisionally face trial on January 3, 2023. A representative for the musician told Pitchfork: “Alex is shocked by the allegations which he denies and looks forward to clearing his name in court. He is unable to make any further comment because of the ongoing proceedings.” O’Connor was released on unconditional bail following the appearance in court this morning. Back in July, the musician cancelled a string of tour dates due to “unforeseen personal circumstances.” There was no mention of the case at the time. “I am having to spend some time at home this year and I will not able to continue touring as planned,”… Read More →

10OCTNews

Blur’s Dave Rowntree shares moody video for new single ‘Devil’s Island’

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has shared a new video for his recent single ‘Devil’s Island’. READ MORE: Dave Rowntree tells us about debut solo single ‘London Bridge’ – and what’s next for Blur Rowntree shared the track last month along with details of his forthcoming debut solo LP ‘Radio Songs’. Speaking about the clip, which was directed by Guy Gotto, he said: ““I was keen to work with Guy Gotto, who makes gorgeous and interesting video art. He visualised the song as a journey through a bleak but beautiful landscape. Advertisement “We decided to film along the narrow gauge railway from Hythe to Dungeness, which runs through some of the most desolate but dazzling landscape in the country. A vista of abandoned boats, lighthouses and drama. The drama reached fever pitch when we were thrown off the estate for not having a permit. A bleak end to a beautiful day.” ‘Radio Songs’ is set for release via Cooking Vinyl on January 23, 2023. “The idea of Radio Songs is me spinning through the dial,” the Blur drummer previously said of the record. “It sounds like you’ve got a radio tuned to some static and you spin the dial, and the song pops out… Read More →

10OCTNews

Listen to SAULT’s surprise new single ‘Angel’

Elusive London-based collective SAULT have finally returned with a brand new single dubbed ‘Angel’. Check it out below. Clocking in at just over 10 minutes in length, ‘Angel’ is produced by SAULT frontman Inflo – who begins by delivering an upbeat sound before slowing things down just before the halfway mark. The song also features vocals from Jamaican artist Chronixx. ‘Angel’ arrives days after SAULT seemingly teased their forthcoming album ‘Ten’ on Instagram, simply posting a photo of matchsticks in an ‘X’ shape alongside the text ‘Ten’ in the caption. Advertisement SAULT are yet to confirm whether ‘Ten’ is the title of their next album but if it is, the project will serve as the follow-up to their surprise LP ‘Air’ which dropped in April this year. The mysterious group first emerged in 2019 where they dropped their two albums ‘Five’ and ‘Seven’, which was followed by another two LPs in 2020 in the form of ‘Untitled (Black Is)’ and ‘Untitled (‘Rise)’. Last year SAULT dropped the critically-acclaimed ‘Nine’, which NME hailed as for “carrying vital political and personal weight”. “Once again, SAULT demonstrate the power of words and just how impactful music can be,” read the NME review. “It’s… Read More →

10OCTNews

‘House Party’’s Doja Cat expansion is getting review bombed over a lack of explicit content

Adult adventure sim House Party’s new Doja Cat expansion is getting review bombed due to a lack of “Adult Only” content. READ MORE: How serious simulator games made their way into the mainstream Developed and published by Eek Games, House Party is an “edgy comedy adventure game inspired by classic comedies of the ’90s. Every decision changes your story and every character has something to reveal. There’s also a button to take your pants off.” In other words, players can fight or hook up with any of the 15 non player characters at the titular house party. Advertisement Last month, House Party’s first ever expansion pack launched, featuring Doja Cat. “This downloadable content (DLC) adds hours of fun new content and branching stories to the House Party game’s original story centered around and fully voice-acted by Doja Cat herself,” reads the announcement. House Party x Doja Cat – Coming Fall 2022! @EekGamesLLC Wishlist the Doja Cat DLC here: https://t.co/QIR1Dz5y11 pic.twitter.com/W54tbTrP5z — spooky cat (@DojaCat) March 1, 2022 The news also came with a note that promised “an intimacy scene with Doja Cat in this Expansion Pack, if you hit it off with her. It is a Mature rated scene” however… Read More →

10OCTNews

Arctic Monkeys confirm 2023 European tour dates with Inhaler

Arctic Monkeys have added European headline dates to their 2023 world tour behind new album ‘The Car’ – see the new dates below and find tickets here. READ MORE: Arctic Monkeys live in Brooklyn: their next era has truly begun The band’s seventh album will come out next week (October 21) and they have already confirmed details of a UK stadium tour and North American dates with Fontaines D.C. for next year. Across late April and early May of 2023, the band will play a number of gigs on the continent, reaching Germany, Norway, Sweden, France and beyond. Advertisement The gigs kick off in Austria on April 24, running through until May 9 where they will wrap up the tour with a gig at Paris’ Accor Arena. Support on all gigs will come from Inhaler. Check out the band’s full 2023 touring schedule below, with new European shows in bold. Tickets go on sale at 10am CEST on Friday, October 14 and you can buy yours here. Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys performs at Cala Mijas Fest 2022 in Malaga, Spain. CREDIT: Pablo Gallardo/Redferns APRIL 2023 24 – Tipsarena, Linz 25 – Zenith, Munich 27 – Sporthalle, Hamburg 29 – Avicii… Read More →

09OCTNews

Watch Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox enlist Chesney Hawkes for cover of ‘Summer of 69’

In the latest edition of Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox’s Sunday Lunch series, they were joined by Chesney Hawkes for a cover of ‘Summer of 69’ – check out the moment below. READ MORE: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp’s 10 best lockdown covers – ranked! In the latest edition of Sunday Lunch, Hawkes played guitar and sang the song while Willcox and Fripp appeared only in the background, dressed in inflatable dinosaur costumes. The edition today also featured some ‘bonus outtakes’ of the three performing the song together. Advertisement Check it out here: It’s the third time Hawkes has appeared with the pair recently. For their last edition of Sunday Lunch, Willcox and Fripp shared a cover of Hawkes playing The Killers‘ ‘Mr Brightside’. As part of their long-running series of weekly performances from their kitchen, the couple also delivered a rendition of Hawkes’ classic ‘I Am The One And Only‘ earlier this month month. Hawkes took the lead while they appeared in the background in lederhosen and a maid’s outfit seemingly to mark Oktoberfest. The couple have been delivering Sunday Lunch episodes since 2020, when they began the series during the coronavirus pandemic, recently delivering a cover of David Bowie‘s ‘Heroes’ in dedication to the late Queen Elizabeth… Read More →

08OCTNews

Watch Bring Me The Horizon perform ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’ with Knocked Loose

Bring Me The Horizon were joined by Knocked Loose vocalist Bryan Garris to perform ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’ at a recent show – check out footage below. READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Bring Me The Horizon: “Headlining Reading & Leeds is amazing. It’s been a crazy journey” Bring Me The Horizon are currently on tour throughout North America, celebrating 2020’s ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ EP. During their show at the Kia Forum in California on October 6, they were joined onstage by Bryan Garris, vocalist of support band Knocked Loose, for a punishing run through of ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’. The track was original released in 2008 as part of Bring Me’s second album ‘Suicide Season’. Advertisement Check out the performance below: Diamonds Aren’t Forever Bring Me The Horizon x Knocked Looseat The Forum pic.twitter.com/o3oXFWHwL3 — BMTH stan for lyfe (@bmthstan4lyfe) October 7, 2022 Hearing BMTH play diamonds aren’t forever with Bryan Garris from Knocked Loose has me screaming, shitting, hyperventilating, eating soup and crying pic.twitter.com/cXGkQpKmCV — Cristian ? (@spookimonsters) October 7, 2022 Diamonds aren’t forever ft Bryan garris pic.twitter.com/hymKyBC4r7 — shadow the hedgehog’s left testicle (@ithasbegunn) October 7, 2022 Oli Sykes spoke to NME about the pressure of being… Read More →