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Reading & Leeds boss Melvin Benn calls The 1975 “one of the most extraordinary things to happen to the festival”

Reading & Leeds boss Melvin Benn has hailed The 1975 as “one of the most extraordinary things to happen to the festival”. The Manchester band will headline the dual event this weekend, having stepped in at the last minute to replace Rage Against The Machine. Matty Healy and co. first topped the bill at R&L back in 2019. READ MORE: Reading and Leeds 2022: the best new acts you need to see at this year’s festival During a new interview with Music Week, Festival Republic managing director Benn has spoken about the process of booking The 1975 and acknowledged...
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Kalush Orchestra share hopeful message to mark Ukrainian Independence Day

Kalush Orchestra have marked Ukrainian Independence Day by sharing a message of hope and making a fresh appeal for donations. The rap group raised $900,000 (£739k) by auctioning off their Eurovision trophy after winning the contest in May. An additional $370,000 (£301k) was generated by raffling off the pink bucket hat that frontman Oleg Psyuk wore during their victorious performance. READ MORE: Kalush Orchestra: “It’s amazing that we can perform our music at Glastonbury” Speaking to NME ahead of the competition, Psyuk explained how Kalush Orchestra taking part felt like a “huge responsibility”, given their home country’s ongoing war with...
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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...
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Ed Sheeran has designed and modelled Ipswich Town’s new third kit for 2022/23 season

Ed Sheeran has designed and modelled the new third kit of his hometown football club, Ipswich Town. Last summer, the pop star announced that he was set to sponsor the club’s kit, with the front of the shirt adorned with promotion for his ‘+ – = ÷ x tour’. For the 2022/23 season, which began last month, the club are once again sponsored by Sheeran, and the pop star has revealed that he also designed their blackout third kit, which he modelled for its reveal this week. Advertisement The new shirt incorporates parts of the artwork for Sheeran’s 2021 album...
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Here are the stage times for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at All Points East 2022

All Points East 2022 will wrap up on Sunday (August 28) with a headline performance from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds  – check out the full stage and performance times below. READ MORE: Field Day 2022 review: the past, present and future of electronic music The annual festival in London’s Victoria Park kicked off last Friday (August 19) with a headline show from Gorillaz, who were supported by IDLES, Turnstile, Yves Tumor, Self Esteem, Femi Kuti, Obongjayar, NewDad, Remi Wolf, Gabriels, Ibeyi, Nia Archives and Willow Kayne. The following night, Field Day returned to the park with co-headline slots from The Chemical Brothers and Kraftwerk, while this weekend will...
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Here’s the weather forecast for Reading & Leeds 2022

Reading & Leeds 2022 is set to kick off this week – check out the latest weather forecast for both festival sites below. The twin festivals will take place from Friday through to Sunday (August 26-28), with the gates set to open tomorrow (August 25). Those with an Early Entry Pass can head to R&L today (August 24). READ MORE: The story of Reading & Leeds Festival 2021 – in glorious photos Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, The 1975 and Halsey will headline the festivals this year. Advertisement The latest weather forecast at the...
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AB6IX release their first official English-language single, ‘Chance’

AB6IX have released their first official English song ‘Chance’ today (August 24). READ MORE: AB6IX on how “love stories” from American high school dramas inspired new single ‘Cherry’ The Brand New Music boyband gave little prior indication ‘Chance’ was coming, only sharing details of the song on Twitter yesterday. AB6IX (에이비식스) SPECIAL SINGLE 'CHANCE' 2022.08.24. 6PM (KST) RELEASE#AB6IX #에이비식스 #전웅 #김동현 #박우진 #이대휘 #CHANCE #브랜뉴뮤직 #BRANDNEWMUSIC pic.twitter.com/qod93F6vvj — AB6IX (@AB6IX) August 23, 2022 Advertisement   The funky, guitar-driven song arrived with a music video featuring footage of AB6IX interacting with fans in the US during their recent ‘AB_NEW AREA’...
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TWICE’s Jihyo tests positive for COVID-19

TWICE’s leader Jihyo has tested positive for COVID-19 days out from the release of new mini-album ‘Between 1&2’, according to an announcement from JYP Entertainment. READ MORE: New generations: SNSD, NewJeans and the evolution of K-pop girl groups In a statement posted to TWICE’s fancafe earlier today (August 24), the agency announced that the vocalist had contracted the coronavirus, according to the results from a self-diagnosis antigen test the idol took. “Jihyo tested positive self-diagnosis kit at 10:30am and is currently quarantined, following the guidelines from health department after testing positive for COVID-19 antigen testing,”...
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Ezra Collective share Sampa the Great collaboration ‘Life Goes On’ and announce new album

Jazz quintet Ezra Collective have shared a new collaboration with Sampa the Great and announced their new album, ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’, will arrive in November. READ MORE: Sampa The Great: “Music is the one thing that is supposed to be the truth” On the new single ‘Life Goes On’, which nods sonically to Fela Kuti’s ‘Shakara Oloje,’ Sampa fires off rapid verses over horns, keys and bass, buoyed by particularly lively percussion courtesy of bandleader (and touring Gorillaz drummer) Femi Koleoso. The song arrives alongside a video directed by Nathan Miller and shot on location in both...
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Grimes claims journalists are “stalking”, attempting to “dox” her and her children to “get at” Elon Musk

Grimes has hit out at journalists who she claims are “stalking” and attempting to “dox” her and her children in an attempt to “get at” her former partner, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. READ MORE: Grimes – ‘Miss Anthropocene’ review: an iconoclast continues to march to the beat of her own drum Grimes, who was in a relationship with Musk from 2018 to 2022 and has two children with him, took to Twitter on Tuesday (August 23) to blast those who she claims are attempting to reveal personal information about her and her family. “To the journalists who are...