Peter Shep

Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & The Big Steppers

Kendrick Lamar is one of the finest instrumentalists of his era, although his instrument happens to be his own voice. On previous albums but especially on his latest, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, he raps in many modes, varying his pitching and flow on nearly every song, switching up his cadence as though changing his identity. He sounds impossibly nimble and declarative on opener “United In Grief”, even as he warns the listener, “I’ve been goin’ through something/Be afraid”. He goes low and legato on “Crown”, then spry and playful on “N95”. He uses short, choppy lines on “Count Me Out” to unsettle the listener, then delivers “Auntie Diaries” in a near whisper, as though drawing you closer to tell you a secret. The album is a remarkable series of disruptive transformations. ORDER NOW: THE BEATLES ARE ON THE COVER OF THE LATEST ISSUE OF UNCUT Lamar isn’t the only rapper who bends his flow into so many different shapes, but few others pull it off so dramatically or so eloquently, and almost no-one achieves the same emotional payoff. It heightened the tension of his 2012 breakthrough, good kid, M.A.A.D. City, and made 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly one of… Read More →

30JUNNews

Ed Sheeran says his ‘Mathematics’ tour will land in the US eventually

Ed Sheeran has promised that his ‘Mathematics’ tour will land on US shores sometime in the near future. The ‘Shape Of You’ hitmaker is currently at the end of the UK leg of the tour in support of his latest album ‘=’, with two shows left at London’s Wembley Stadium tonight (June 30) and tomorrow (July 1), before heading out to Europe next week. In an interview on the Late Late Show on Tuesday (June 28), Sheeran revealed that he’ll be touring the US – but probably not this year. Advertisement “I think we’re gonna announce by the end of the year,” Sheeran said about a potential North American tour. “We’re basically finalising a route now.” “I’m super excited to bring this tour, it’s an insane-looking tour,” Sheeran continued. “We basically planned it from the end of the ‘÷’ tour, because it was sort of well-publicised that it was the most people had gone to this tour, so I was like if we come back, we have to do all bells and whistles. The stage is nuts… there are fireworks and flames, there’s a band, it’s a whole thing.” The singer-songwriter also gave a hint at what US audiences can expect from the… Read More →

30JUNNews

Sharon Horgan says Liam Gallagher loves her show ‘Motherland’

Sharon Horgan has recalled how Liam Gallagher praised her hit comedy series Motherland when the pair crossed paths at one of his recent shows. Co-written by Horgan, the BAFTA-winning sitcom follows a group of middle-class mums in west London as they attempt to navigate their chaotic lives and deal with primary school politics. READ MORE: Sharon Horgan: “I still give a shit – but way less of a shit than I used to” It stars the likes of Anna Maxwell Martin (who plays Julia), Lucy Punch (Amanda) and Diane Morgan (Liz). Advertisement During a new interview with NME, Horgan remembered receiving some unexpected love for the show while standing side-of-stage at Gallagher’s gig at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium this month. “I went to see Liam Gallagher play and as he was coming onstage, he came over to me and said, [imitating his northern accent] “‘Motherland! Fucking genius!” she explained. “And I thought: ‘What the fuck?!’ That was the last thing I expected. First of all, I never expect people to know me from Motherland, because I’m behind the scenes writing and secondly, I never thought Liam Gallagher would fit into its demographic.” Horgan continued: “I always thought it would be mums… Read More →

30JUNNews

Watch Phoebe Bridgers, Arlo Parks and Guy Garvey read CBeebies ‘Bedtime Stories’ at Glastonbury

Phoebe Bridgers, Arlo Parks and Guy Garvey are the latest musicians to take part in CBeebies’ Bedtime Stories series, with the trio all reading a tale at Glastonbury over the weekend. They follow fellow artists Harry Styles, Dave Grohl, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Tom Hardy and Ed Sheeran in appearing on the children’s TV series in recent years. READ MORE: Glastonbury Festival 2022 – review: camping, killer tunes and catharsis on Worthy Farm Parks read Once Upon A Rhythm, written by James Carter and illustrated by Valerio Vidali, for her segment, while Bridgers read The Spectacular Suit (written by Kat Patrick and illustrated by Hayley Wells). Advertisement “It was an absolute pleasure to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story from Glastonbury and bring joy and dreams to young people – what a special moment!” Parks said in a statement about her story, which you can watch here (UK viewers only). View this post on Instagram A post shared by BBC Radio 6 Music (@bbc6music) Elbow frontman Garvey read his story, A Little Bit Brave (written and illustrated by Nicola Kinnear), to an audience of children. “The first time I did a CBeebies bedtime story it was for the rest of the band’s kids, I didn’t have any… Read More →

29JUNNews

ABBA’s Benny Andersson responds to Dave Grohl’s Glastonbury top with Foo Fighters’ ‘Learn To Fly’ cover

ABBA‘s Benny Andersson has shared a piano cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Learn To Fly’ to acknowledge Dave Grohl‘s decision to wear an ABBA top on stage at Glastonbury over the weekend. READ MORE: ABBA tell us what the future holds after their “surreal” and “fabulous” digital concert Grohl joined Paul McCartney during the latter’s headline set on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday (June 25), where he sported a black top that had the gold ABBA logo printed on it. The Foo Fighters frontman has been vocal about his love for ABBA over the years, saying back in September that he was open to the idea of playing drums for the band. Advertisement In a video that was posted on the ABBA Voyage Instagram account yesterday (June 28), Andersson is seen performing a short piano cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Learn To Fly’. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ABBA Voyage (@abbavoyage) At the end of the rendition, Andersson reveals that he is wearing a Foo Fighters t-shirt – you can watch the full clip in the above post. During that Glastonbury performance, Grohl joined McCartney’s other special guest, Bruce Springsteen, for a special set-closing performance of The Beatles… Read More →

29JUNNews

Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil to receive honorary degree from Glasgow Caledonian University

Biffy Clyro‘s Simon Neil is set to be presented with an honorary degree from Glasgow Caledonian University next week. The vocalist, guitarist and songwriter will receive a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University for “his continued inspiration to all creatives the world over”. READ MORE: Biffy Clyro: Cultural Sons Of Scotland review: homegrown heroes head back to their roots Speaking about the honour, Neil said in a statement: “To receive this doctorate is an honour I could never have expected. To receive it in Glasgow, a city which has featured so long and so supportively in the band’s story, is the stuff of dreams. Advertisement “I am also proud to be connected to such a forward-thinking institution as Caledonian University, and accept this honour gratefully.” Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro performs on stage at the Bergenfest festival on June 16, 2022 in Bergen, Norway (Picture: Per Ole Hagen/Redferns) Neil will be honoured along with Vicky Wright MBE during a ceremony on July 7, which will begin at 10:40am. “Graduations also afford us the opportunity to welcome distinguished individuals into our GCU family as honorary graduates,” the university’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE, said in a statement. “This year… Read More →

29JUNNews

BLACKPINK extend lead as most-followed musicians with 75million subscribers on YouTube

BLACKPINK have extended their lead as the most-followed musical act on YouTube, after hitting the 75million subscriber. READ MORE: K-pop’s fourth generation girl groups need to give the girl crush concept a rest Yesterday (June 28), the girl group hit the 75million subscriber mark on their official YouTube channel, making them the first musical act to achieve such a feat. A representative from the streaming platform consulted by Billboard also confirmed the news. With this, BLACKPINK continue their reign as the most followed musical act on the platform, after surpassing Canadian singer Justin Bieber as the most subscribed musical artist on the platform last year. Advertisement At the time, the quartet had 65.6 million subscribers, surpassing Bieber by half a million subscribers. Meanwhile, the Canadian singer currently sits at 69.3million subscribers, as time of writing. Earlier this year, member Rosé opened up about her hopes for BLACKPINK’s future. When asked about whether she had ever thought about life after BLACKPINK, Rosé revealed that while she indeed has, she “[doesn’t] think it will be over”. “I grew up with them. They’re a part of me. I don’t think it’ll ever end. It’s dumb of me to ever worry about that or… Read More →

28JUNNews

‘Fake Drake’ wants to box real Drake for $1million and a record deal

The Drake impersonator known as ‘Fake Drake’ has stated his ambition to enter a boxing match with the real rapper. READ MORE: Drake – ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ review: rapper’s house makeover provides long-overdue career boost The copycat has attracted attention recently for attending a number of events designed to fool members of the public into mistaking him for the multi-platinum-selling Canadian star, including nightclub appearances. Speaking on the We In Miami podcast, ‘Fake Drake’ said: “I’m challenging Drake to a boxing match. I just signed with Celebrity Boxing. If you win, I’ll change my name from Izzy Drake to just Izzy, you know.” Advertisement If he defeats Drake in the match, Izzy is asking the rapper for $1million and a deal with Drake’s record label OVO, “’cause I’m just trying to feed my family.” Watch the interview below. Last month, ‘Fake Drake’ spoke out publicly, claiming that his style and personality is all his own, despite booking a variety of public events based on his supposed visual likeness to the rapper. Speaking on Instagram, Fake Drake said: “This is just who I am. I’m just like, I’m just going with the flow, you know? I didn’t ask to become famous.” The women… Read More →

28JUNNews

Declan McKenna tells us about his new album and working with Sigrid at Glastonbury 2022

Declan McKenna spoke to NME backstage at Glastonbury 2022 about a “crazy” unreleased song he wrote with Sigrid a couple of months ago. Watch our video interview above. READ MORE: The story of Glastonbury 2022 in glorious photos Earlier this year, the pair hit the studio with producer and vocalist Sam Tsang – who works under the moniker Congee – to work on material for McKenna’s forthcoming third album. The result was “wild”, as McKenna explained: “I wrote a tune with Sigrid recently, which I don’t think is going to be on the album, but afterwards we were left thinking, ‘What the hell did we just do?’” He continued: “We were all in [a studio] together, and we’d never met each other before. We wrote a song from the perspective of a clown who is losing [their mind] at a group of children, and becomes super pissed by the end of the song. It gets really aggressive!” Advertisement Credit: Eva Pentel for NME The former NME cover star told us that he believes the currently-untitled track “needs to be released into the world at some point.” Could an official Declan McKenna and Sigrid collaboration be on the horizon, then? “We’ll have… Read More →

28JUNNews

U2’s Bono reveals how he first discovered he has a half-brother

U2 frontman Bono has opened up about the moment in 2000 when he first learned that he has a half-brother. The singer spoke about the family discovery in a new interview with BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. READ MORE: U2’s 10 best albums, ranked “I have another brother, whom I love and adore, who I didn’t know I had,” he told host Lauren Laverne, before explaining that his mother Iris, who died in 1974, did not know her husband had had a child with another woman. Advertisement “It’s a very close family,” Bono said. “And I could tell my father had a deep friendship with this gorgeous woman, who’s part of the family, and then they had a child. And this was all kept secret.” After Bono found out about his half-brother, he spoke to his father about it prior to the latter’s death in 2001. “I asked him, did he love my mother, and he said yes,” Bono recalled. “And I said, ‘How could this happen?’ He said, ‘It can’, and that he was trying to put it right. Bono (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images) “He wasn’t apologising, he was just stating: these are the facts. And I’m at… Read More →

27JUNNews

Five Finger Death Punch’s Chris Kael tells artists who threaten to leave America to “stop bullshittin’”

Five Finger Death Punch‘s Chris Kael has called out artists and celebrities who threaten to leave America over politics, ideologies, economics and more. “No one cares about anything enough to pack up and move out of the country,” the bassist claimed today (June 27) on Twitter. He continued: “It’s easy to say onstage, on TV and on social media; but, when’s the last time you actually packed your bags for anything longer than a brief vacation and a quick return home? Stop bullshittin’. #USA.” Advertisement Kael’s comments come a few days after Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told a crowd at the London stop of the band’s current Hella Mega Tour that he is “renouncing” his US citizenship, following the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. “Fuck America. I’m fucking renouncing my citizenship. I’m fucking coming here,” Armstrong said while onstage at London Stadium on Friday evening (June 24). “There’s just too much fucking stupid in the world to go back to that miserable fucking excuse for a country,” Armstrong continued. “Oh, I’m not kidding. You’re going to get a lot of me in the coming days.” No one cares about anything enough to pack up and move out of… Read More →

27JUNNews

Listen to The Kooks’ disco-tinged new single ‘Cold Heart’

The Kooks have released a new single, taken from their upcoming sixth studio album – listen to ‘Cold Heart’ below. READ MORE: The Kooks on new album ’10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark’: “A youthful, fresh spirit is what we are all about” The indie-pop track has a disco influence and is due to appear on ’10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark’. The album was announced in January alongside the release of new EP ‘Connection – Echo in the Dark Part 1’. ’10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark’ is due out on 22 July via Lonely Cat/AWAL Recordings and includes the songs ‘Jesse James’ and ‘Modern Days’. You can pre-order the album here. Advertisement Frontman Luke Pritchard said of the new single: “Very excited to drop Cold Heart out into the world this week. The song is about reaching forgiveness and humour when you finally have some perspective. “At the end of the track we bring in the incredibly talented kids choir to represent the inner child talking to our future selves. Musically it was fun to incorporate some new progressive sounds to the mix but with the DNA of the band we’ve always had. We wanna make… Read More →

26JUNNews

George Ezra plays surprise secret set at Glastonbury 2022

George Ezra played a secret set on the final day of Glastonbury today (June 26), as a surprise guest on the John Peel Stage. Watch footage of the set, see photos and check out the full setlist below. Ahead of his festival appearance this afternoon, the BRIT Award-winning artist took to Twitter to confirm the performance. “SURPRISE! Glastonbury see you 2pm for a big old party,” he wrote, posting a picture of the John Peel area of the site. Bedecked in a ‘Gold Rush Kid’ denim jacket – a nod to his recent Number One album of the same name – the hour-long set saw Ezra open with buoyant comeback single ‘Anyone For You (Tiger Lily)’, before playing hits from his three records to date, including ‘Listen To The Man’ and ‘Cassy O’. Advertisement Introducing ‘Pretty Shining People’, lifted from 2018 album ‘Staying At Tamara’s’, Ezra joked about his personal history with Glastonbury, which he played for the first time in 2014, the weekend that his multi-platinum-selling debut ‘Wanted On Voyage’ hit the top spot on the UK Charts. “This is my favourite festival, and I’ve been here many times,” he said. “I hate to admit, however, that I’m a… Read More →

25JUNNews

Greta Thunberg speaks at Glastonbury 2022: “This is not the new normal”

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has appeared on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage this afternoon (June 25) addressing the urgency of the climate change emergency. Taking to the stage ahead of Haim’s slot on the main stage, Thunberg was introduced by festival organiser Emily Eavis as “the most inspiring speaker of this generation”. With paper notes to hand, she spoke for roughly ten minutes on a range of sustainability issues, critiquing Governmental ‘greenwashing’. GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 25: Greta Thunberg speaks on the Pyramid stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 25, 2022 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) Advertisement “The biosphere is not just changing, it is destabilising, breaking down… unfortunately, this is not the ‘new normal’. It will get worse until we manage to halt the constant destruction of our life-supporting systems, until we prioritise people and planet over profit and greed.” I’m excited to announce that today I will be on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 5.15pm. See you there! @glastonbury pic.twitter.com/es7Uf2HbdY — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) June 25, 2022 To enormous applause, she emphasised the importance of collectivity: “If a bunch of schoolkids were able to get millions of people on… Read More →

25JUNNews

Neil Young to immortalise 2019 tour on ‘Noise & Flowers’ live album and film

Neil Young has announced his plans to release ‘Noise & Flowers’, a live album and film compiled from material recorded during his most recent tour of Europe and the UK. READ MORE: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – ‘Barn’ review: rugged and rural beauty, with a sense of hope Young embarked on the nine-date run with Promise Of The Real as his backing band, taking in four shows in Germany – as well as one each in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Ireland – across July of 2019. The album and film will feature recordings from all of the shows; the CD and two-disc vinyl release will sport 14 tracks, but it’s unclear if the film (which was co-directed by Bernard Shakey and DH Lovelife) contains the same content. Both iterations of the release will land on August 5 via Warner Records, with pre-orders available here. The first preview of the release – Young and the Real’s performance of ‘From Hank To Hendrix’ – was shared alongside the announcement. Have a look at that below: Advertisement The tour that ‘Noise & Flowers’ chronicles took place shortly after the death of Young’s longtime manager, Elliot Roberts. In a new blog… Read More →

24JUNNews

Billie Eilish speaks out on Roe v. Wade during Glastonbury set

Billie Eilish has spoken out against the overturning of Roe v. Wade during her Glastonbury headline set. READ MORE: Billie Eilish on the cover: “I owe it to everyone to put on a good Glastonbury show” Tonight (June 24), Billie Eilish has made history and become the youngest ever solo headliner of Glastonbury Festival, joining Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar at the top of the bill. Opening with ‘Bury A Friend’, her set included tracks like ‘NDA’, ‘Oxytocin’ and ‘You Should See Me in a Crown’. “Are you ready to have some fun?” she said, before launching into ‘My Strange Addiction’. Advertisement Joined by her brother Finneas, the pair played ‘Your Power’ together on the stage with acoustic guitars. “It’s about the concept of power and how we always need to remember not to abuse it,” Eilish said. “Today is a really really dark day for women in the US. And I’m just going to say that because I can’t bear to think about it anymore in this moment.” Eilish joins multiple musicians in sharing her reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade today (June 24), including Taylor Swift who tweeted: “I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that… Read More →

24JUNNews

Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam and more react as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

Multiple musicians have shared their reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade today (June 24). In May, a draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito argued that the 1973 landmark ruling was “egregiously wrong from the start”, adding that “it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” Though the draft was verified as authentic, it was noted at the time that draft opinions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading so the court’s decision was not final. Advertisement But now, it has been confirmed that the landmark case has been overturned, meaning abortion will no longer be protected as a federal right in the US for the first time since 1973, and each state will be able to decide individually whether to restrict or ban abortion. Notable figures in the music industry have expressed their outrage on social media, including Taylor Swift, who shared a letter that Michelle Obama had written about the decision. “I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are,” she wrote, “that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us… Read More →

24JUNNews

Griff on touring with Dua Lipa: “It was a very surreal experience”

Griff has discussed supporting Dua Lipa on her ‘Future Nostalgia’ tour, telling NME it was a “very surreal experience”. Catching up with NME at Glastonbury Festival 2022, she added: “It was amazing. It was the longest I’ve ever been out on tour: it was two or three months on a tour bus around Europe watching Dua every night, which was incredible.” READ MORE: The story of Glastonbury 2022 in glorious photos Later in the year Griff also has dates with Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Florence + the Machine. Advertisement “I’ve been really, really blessed this year,” she told NME. “I feel like I’m going on tour with the biggest and the best. I’m really excited for Ed Sheeran, Florence is obviously magical, and Coldplay is, like, incredible. What’s weird is I’ve never been in a stadium before, so supporting Ed and Coldplay is going to be really weird to see that many people.” Griff played an early afternoon set on the John Peel Stage earlier today (June 24). Her-first ever time at the festival, when asked what her initial thoughts of Glasto were, she said: “It’s really big, isn’t it? I came in last night, and from the car park to… Read More →

24JUNNews

Rowoon will not join SF9 during their comeback next month

FNC Entertainment has announced that Rowoon will not be taking part in SF9‘s album promotions next month. READ MORE: ‘Tomorrow’ review: supernatural spirits form a suicide prevention squad in sensitive drama Today (June 24), the music label shared in a statement to South Korean publication MyDaily that SF9 member Rowoon would not be taking part in the group’s promotions for their forthcoming album, currently slated for release next month. “Rowoon faced an inevitable situation in which he had to work on a tight schedule due to the combination of drama filming schedules during the long-running album production period,” wrote FNC, as translated by Soompi. Advertisement “As he finished the drama as scheduled, we had a deep discussion about preparing for the next album and decided that it was right to show a better performance with a better level of completion,” FNC added, saying that it was “inevitably decided” that Rowoon would not participate in both the production and promotion of SF9’s new album. “We ask for your understanding about Rowoon unfortunately not being able to participate in this album, which many fans have been looking forward to, and we ask for your generous support and interest in SF9’s comeback and other… Read More →

23JUNNews

Portisthead and Stüssy announce t-shirt collaboration

Portishead and skating brand Stüssy have announced a new merchandise collaboration. READ MORE: The Roots Of… Portishead The clothing brand announced its upcoming collaboration with the Bristol band via social media on Wednesday (June 22) with a video comprised of stylised footage of Portishead performing live. The collaboration will come in the form of a blue t-shirt that features the cover of Portishead’s 1994 album, ‘Dummy’. Check out images of the collaboration below. Advertisement Credit: Antosh Cimoszko for Stüssy Stüssy and Portishead’s collaboration will be available worldwide at select chapter stores, select Dover Street Market locations and stussy.com on Friday, June 24th at 6pm BST. Prior to collaborating with Stüssy, Portishead last teamed up with streetwear brand Supreme in 2011 to release another ‘Dummy’ collection. Earlier this month, the band digitised their entire archive, making it available on all major streaming platforms for the first time. Additionally, Portishead have also uploaded HD versions of their music videos including ‘Sour Times’, ‘Wandering Star’ and ‘Machine Gun’ onto their YouTube channel. Making the announcement on Instagram, they wrote: “Hello, our archive has now been digitised, and videos upgraded to HD. Available everywhere you normally get your music from, explore it as you like… Read More →

22JUNNews

Declan McKenna announces 2022 North American tour

Declan McKenna has announced he’ll embark on a North American tour in September in support of latest album ‘Zeros’, over two years since it arrived and marking his first shows Stateside since 2019. READ MORE: Declan McKenna at Reading Festival 2021: indie king has his mic drop moment The 15-date run will begin on September 25 at in Seattle, and will also include stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Texas and more. Support for the tour will come from singer-songwriter Annie DiRusso. Tickets will go on sale this Friday (June 24) at 10am local time. See full dates and details below. “My last show in America was a one off while making my second album in Nashville 3 years ago now,” McKenna said in a statement. “It’s been a long time coming but myself and my band are as ready as we’ve ever been and just cannot wait to be finally coming back with a whole new show.” Advertisement McKenna released ‘Zeros’ in September 2020 after previewing it with singles like ‘Beautiful Faces’, ‘Daniel, You’re Still A Child’ and ‘Be An Astronaut’. In a four-star review, NME called the follow-up to 2017 debut ‘What Do You Think… Read More →