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A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast ‘VERZUZ’ battle in the works, says Swizz Beatz

A VERZUZ battle between A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast could be on the way, according to the virtual series’ co-founder Swizz Beatz.

Read more: Timbaland and Swizz Beatz on VERZUZ battle series: “We want to celebrate the architects of good music”

Speaking to DJ Kid Capri on Instagram Live, the super producer let it slip that he and the VERZUZ team have been working on getting the two iconic groups together for the series.

“We got A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast. [It’s] pending,” Swizz said. “I wasn’t even supposed to say, I might have just fucked that all up,” he added, realising that perhaps he wasn’t supposed to reveal the news yet.

He then said: “Q-Tip is my brother, but that man. Andre 3000, but that man.”

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Whoa! @qtiptheabstract @outkast Great talk with my guy @therealswizzz @alishaheed @jarobiwhite @constv #kidcapri #verzuz #swizzbeats shout to @timbaland #atribecalledquest #outkast

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VERZUZ is the popular entertainment series that pits producers, songwriters and artists against each other in a rap battle style format on Instagram Live and Apple Music.

Competitors take it in turns playing a song from a list of 20 from their discography, as fans, friends and fellow artists watch on. A winner is later decided by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.

Kicking off in March after Timbaland and Swizz Beatz issued challenges to one another, artists that have taken part so far have included: T-Pain, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Brandy, Monica, Rick Ross, DMX, Snoop Dogg and many more.

The second season of VERZUZ is set to take place later this month – the first battle will see T.I. face off with Jeezy.

The pairing comes after T.I. initially challenged 50 Cent to a VERZUZ battle, which was later shot down by the G-Unit rapper.

“For your birthday, I offer you a challenge, sir,” T.I. said to 50 Cent in an Instagram video. “Pull your ass up with 20 of your records, sit across from me, and get this work, man.”

50 jokingly responded to the proposal, referencing Chris Tucker’s character Smokey from the film Friday, writing: “yo somebody passed TI the weed they gave smokey in Friday. LOL.”

Meanwhile, OutKast have shared Zack de la Rocha‘s remix of ‘B.O.B (‘Bombs Over Baghdad)’, which is featured on the 20th anniversary reissue of their fourth ‘Stankonia’.

John Frusciante discusses writing new music with Red Hot Chili Peppers

John Frusciante has discussed his return to Red Hot Chili Peppers in a new interview, revealing he’s currently writing new music with the band.

Speaking to Australian radio station Double J, the guitarist said that while the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the Peppers to cease getting together for a time, they’re now back and working on new material.

“We were rehearsing for a couple months, then the quarantine started, and we stopped rehearsing for a couple months, then we went back to rehearsing,” Frusciante said. “We’re moving ahead with what we’re doing, writing new music.”

Talking to host Tim Shiel, Frusciante spent a large part of the interview discussing his electronic-based solo work, specifically new breakbeat album ‘Maya’, which is out today (October 23).

The guitarist discussed keeping the two projects separate from one another when Shiel asked whether Frusciante’s solo influences would find their way into the band’s new material.

“That’s what I do on my own. I’ve tried to do some of that kind of thing myself, breakbeats but with a rock music chord progression or whatever. I just think it’s kind of cheesy, and that’s not what I’m trying to do with the Chili Peppers,” he explained.

“In the Chili Peppers, what I found exciting when I started playing with them… is to just see what I can do with a guitar… It was that idea of just how many different worlds you can pull out of a Stratocaster.”

The guitarist also said he’s working more closely with drummer Chad Smith than before, saying they have an “interactive” musical relationship.

Frusciante also opened up about what it was like returning to the Chili Peppers last year, over a decade since he parted ways with the band and was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer.

“It’s just returning to family. I’m extremely comfortable with those people. It was as if no time had gone by at all when we started playing, pretty much, with a couple of minor exceptions, like how Chad and I gradually got our communication together in a new way,” Frusciante explained.

“But basically, we’re all just as comfortable with each other as we ever were, and it just felt like that right off the bat.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers announced that Frusciante would be rejoining the band back in December of last year, some 12 years after he last performed with the group.

In January, the band revealed they were working on a new album with Frusciante. The following month, the guitarist performed live with the band for the first time since leaving the outfit in 2008.

Letter written by The Beatles’ manager confirming Pete Best’s sacking is going up for auction

A letter written by The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein following the sacking of the band’s drummer Pete Best is going up for sale at auction.

Best was originally signed with the three long-standing members of The Fab Four — John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison — but he was let go by Epstein and replaced by Ringo Starr in August 1962.

Read more: The Beatles’ split 50 years on: the best songs from the solo careers

A letter written by Epstein to the “secret Beatle” Joe Flannery, who served as The Beatles’ booking manager between 1962 and 1963, has been put up for sale by the latter’s family following his death last year.

Written and sent on September 8, 1962, Epstein wrote to Flannery: “I read from the Mersey Beat Pete Best has now joined THE ALL STARS and I though [sic] I’d let you know that I have sent today, to him a certificate of release from his obligations under contract to myself.

“I would like to add, incidentally, our sincere wishes for Pete’s and the group’s continued success”.

The letter had been kept by Flannery’s family in the years since but is now being sold via Omega Auctions. The sale will take place on October 27, and it is estimated that the lot will reach between £650 and £1000.

“From 1959 onwards, Joe was a close friend and associate of The Beatles and played a major part in guiding them to their meteoric rise to success in 1963,” Omega auctioneer Paul Fairweather said (via BBC News).

“It is on record that they all felt bad when Pete was ousted, so I am sure it was pleasing for them to see he had joined a new band.”

Earlier this month, Paul McCartney reflected on meeting John Lennon and their subsequent songwriting partnership in The Beatles during an interview to mark what would’ve been Lennon’s 80th birthday.

John Frusciante drops new single and music video ‘Brand E’

John Frusciante has shared the third taste of his forthcoming album – a new track titled ‘Brand E’.

The track premiered alongside an abstract, sci-fi music video, which was directed by Amalia Irons and shot in various locations in Los Angeles.

Frusciante and Lee Bootee star in the visual, as well as a cat named Tanya – a stand-in for Frusciante’s late cat Maya, which his forthcoming album is named after.

Watch the music video for ‘Brand E’ below:

The new track follows previous singles ‘Amethblowl’ and ‘Usbrup Pensul’, which will all feature on Frusciante’s forthcoming album, ‘Maya’. It is slated for an October 23 release via Timesig, a label owned by Venetian Snares.

In a statement, Frusciante said the album was personal to him, which led him to use his real name over his moniker, Trickfinger.

“Maya was with me as I made music for 15 years, so I wanted to name it after her,” Frusciante said in a statement.

“She loved music, and with such a personal title, it didn’t seem right to call myself Trickfinger, somehow, so it’s by John Frusciante.”

In similar fashion to Frusciante’s recent album, ‘She Smiles Because She Presses The Button’, ‘Maya’ is inspired by jungle, hardcore and breakbeat music.

“I don’t have that interest in singing or writing lyrics like I used to,” Frusciante said of the musical style of the new album.

“The natural thing when I’m by myself now, is to just make music like the stuff being released this year. I really love the back and forth with machines and the computer.”

Willie Nelson and sons pay tribute to John Lennon with ‘Watching The Wheels’ cover

Willie Nelson and sons Lukas and Micah have paid tribute to John Lennon on his birthday with a cover of ‘Watching The Wheels’ – you can watch it below.

Read more: The Beatles’ split 50 years on: the best songs from the solo careers

Yesterday (October 9) marked what would have been the Beatles legend’s 80th birthday and among the celebrations were numerous tributes by fans and fellow artists.

The Nelson family, joined by Promise of the Real’s Anthony LoGerfo, Corey McCormick, Logan Metz, and Tato Melgar, performed the ‘Double Fantasy’ track, which was released as a single in 1981 after Lennon’s murder, on stools as part of the day-long celebrations.

Lukas and Micah can be seen trading off lines in the first verse, while Willie takes the second: “Well they shake their heads and they look at me/ As if I’ve lost my mind/I tell them there’s no hurry/I’m just sitting here doing time.”

Watch the video tribute below:

As part of the birthday celebrations, a new collection called ‘Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes’ has been released. The record was executive produced by Yoko Ono Lennon and produced by Sean Ono Lennon, and contain’s 36 of Lennon’s best-loved songs from his solo career.

Meanwhile, Sean Ono Lennon has spoken about John Lennon returning his MBE to the Queen, calling it “maybe more punk than anything the punks did.”

The Beatles were each given the honour in 1965, but Lennon returned his award a year later in protest against the Vietnam War and Britain’s involvement in the conflict in Biafra.

Speaking on George Stroumboulopoulos’ Apple Music Hits show STROMBO, Ono Lennon reflected on his dad’s actions, which happened just after the release of the track ‘Cold Turkey’.

Watch Elton John’s psych-tinged video for previously unheard song ‘Regimental Sgt. Zippo’

Elton John has shared the video for his previously unreleased, psych-tinged track ‘Regimental Sgt. Zippo’.

The song was the title track of what was intended to be his debut album in 1969, but the record was never released.

Read more: Elton John’s New York leg of his farewell tour is a reflective and stunning tribute to a great artist’s career

Now, the star has shared the rarity with fans for the first time ahead of the release of his new eight-disc collection ‘Elton: Jewel Box’.

The song and the video both showcase inspiration from The Beatles during their psychedelic era. The track tells the story of a boy wanting to be like his army father “if he can”.

“From the album that never was… Regimental Sgt. Zippo was going to be the title track of my unreleased debut album in 1969,” John wrote on Twitter. “You can find it on my upcoming Jewel Box!” Watch it below now.

‘Jewel Box’ marks John’s 50th anniversary in music and will feature demos, rarities and deep cuts, including over 60 previously unreleased tracks. It will be released on November 13.

“To delve back through every period of my career in such detail for ‘Jewel Box’ has been an absolute pleasure,” John explained when the release was announced last month. “Hearing these long lost tracks again, I find it hard to comprehend just how prolific Bernie [Taupin] and I were during the early days.”

Earlier this week, meanwhile, Rod Stewart said the musician had turned down his offer to end their ongoing feud. The two stars fell out after Stewart criticised John’s farewell tour and said his Rocketman biopic was “not very flattering”.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker shares ‘Jealous Guy’ cover for John Lennon’s birthday

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has shared a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ to mark the legendary singer-songwriter’s birthday.

Read more: John Lennon – his 10 greatest solo tracks

The late Beatle, who would have turned 80 today (October 9), died on December 8, 1980 after he was shot in New York by Mark Chapman.

Posting the cover to Instagram, Parker wished Lennon a happy birthday, tagged his son Sean Ono Lennon and included the hashtag #gimmesometruth. The video sees the musician playing the song on an acoustic guitar from his bed.

See Parker’s rendition of the song below:

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#gimmesometruth @sean_ono_lennon

A post shared by Tame Impala (@tameimpala) on Oct 9, 2020 at 9:25am PDT

‘Jealous Guy’ was originally released in 1971 as part of Lennon’s album ‘Imagine’. It was later released as a single in 1985 and again in 1988. Roxy Music scored a Number One on the Official UK Singles Chart with their cover in 1981.

Meanwhile, Sean Ono Lennon has spoken about his dad returning his MBE to the Queen in 1969. The Beatle sent the honour back to Buckingham Palace in protest of the Vietnam War and Britain’s involvement in the Biafra conflict – something his son described as “maybe more punk than anything the punks did.”

Lennon’s biographer has also reflected on what the icon would be like were he still alive today. “I see no reason why he wouldn’t still be here,” said Kenneth Womack. “I think in a lot of ways he would have been like David Bowie, very moved by the internet. He would be an influencer in that way. He’d be right there on Twitter giving Trump hell.”

John Lennon The Deluxe Ultimate Music Guide

“You may say I’m a dreamer…” Every album reviewed. Unmissable archive interviews rediscovered. A revolutionary solo journey, in full. Presenting the definitive 148-page tribute to the former Beatle, on what would have been his 80th birthday.

Order a copy here.

John Lennon’s son Sean to interview Paul McCartney for new radio show

John Lennon‘s youngest son, Sean Ono Lennon, is to interview Paul McCartney for a new special two-part radio show to mark what would have been his late father’s 80th birthday.

In the new BBC radio show, McCartney reflects on his earliest days of making music with Lennon – admitting that “there were a few songs that weren’t very good”.

He said: “Eventually, we started to write slightly better songs and then enjoyed the process of learning together so much that it really took off.”

When asked on their final meeting, he revealed: “I look back on it now like a fan, how lucky was I to meet this strange Teddy Boy off the bus, who played music like I did and we get together and boy, we complemented each other!”

Other interviewees for the new show include Lennon’s oldest son, Julian, and Elton John – who was a close friend of the singer.

John Lennon At 80 airs on October 3 and 4 at 9pm on BBC Radio 2.

Yesterday, it was revealed that Lennon’s murderer, Mark Chapman, has apologised to the late singer’s widow Yoko Ono almost 40 years after his death.

Chapman shot the former Beatle four times outside his Manhattan apartment as Ono watched on in December 1980.

He was denied parole at a hearing in New York on August 19, as the Press Association confirms. During the hearing, Chapman said he deserved the death penalty for his shocking crime and revealed that he killed the 40-year-old Beatle for “glory”.

“I just want to reiterate that I’m sorry for my crime,” Chapman told the parole board at New York’s Wende Correctional Facility. “I have no excuse. This was for self-glory. I think it’s the worst crime that there could be to do something to someone that’s innocent.

“He was extremely famous. I didn’t kill him because of his character or the kind of man he was. He was a family man. He was an icon. He was someone that spoke of things that now we can speak of and it’s great.”

He is next eligible for parole in two years.

John Lennon’s killer Mark Chapman apologises to Yoko Ono for “despicable act”

Mark Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon, has apologised to the late singer’s widow Yoko Ono, almost 40 years after his death.

Chapman shot the former Beatle four times outside his Manhattan apartment as Ono watched on in December 1980.

Mark Chapman parole — Mark Chapman in 2010. CREDIT: Getty

He added: “I assassinated him, to use your word earlier, because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish.

“I want to add that and emphasise that greatly. It was an extremely selfish act. I’m sorry for the pain that I caused to her [Ono]. I think about it all of the time.”

According to the Press Association, Chapman’s appeal was rejected on the grounds that it “would be incompatible with the welfare of society.”

Chapman added that he deserved the death penalty, although it was abolished in 2007.

“When you knowingly plot someone’s murder and know it’s wrong and you do it for yourself, that’s a death penalty right there in my opinion,” he said. “Some people disagree with me, but everybody gets a second chance now.”

He added: “I deserve zero, nothing. If the law and you choose to leave me in here for the rest of my life, I have no complaint whatsoever.”

Chapman was 25 at the time of the crime, but is now married with a wife who lives near the facility where he is currently incarcerated.

He is next eligible for parole in two years.

The Beatles to publish official hardback book ‘The Beatles: Get Back’

The first official The Beatles book since the turn of the millennium has been announced, telling the story of the band’s final studio album ‘Let It Be‘.

READ MORE: How Peter Jackson’s new version of ‘Let It Be’ will shatter your view of The Beatles

The Beatles: Get Back, a 240-page hardback, will be published worldwide on August 31, 2021. You can see a trailer for it below.

The book begins at the start of 1969, shortly after the release of their chart-topping ‘The White Album’, and covers sessions for their final LP as well as their now-iconic rooftop performance – their last ever gig.

It features transcribed conversations drawn from the band’s 120 hours of studio recording sessions, as well as hundreds of previously unpublished images from the archives of Linda McCartney and acclaimed photographer Ethan A. Russell, whose pictures feature on the sleeve of ‘Le It Be’.

It features a foreword from director Peter Jackson, whose documentary about the album, also titled The Beatles: Get Back, will be released shortly before the book on August 27. Novelist Hanif Kureishi has written the introduction.

While the Let It Be sessions have often been described as fractious, Kureishi writes: “In fact this was a productive time for them, when they created some of their best work. And it is here that we have the privilege of witnessing their early drafts, the mistakes, the drift and digressions, the boredom, the excitement, joyous jamming and sudden breakthroughs that led to the work we now know and admire.”

It’s the first standalone Beatles book officially released by the band since The Beatles Anthology, which was a bestseller when published in the year 2000.

Meanwhile, John Lennon‘s 80th birthday is set to be marked with the release of a new remix album called ‘Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes’ next month.

Watch Miley Cyrus cover The Beatles for Global Citizen’s Global Goal concert

Miley Cyrus has covered The Beatles for Global Citizen’s Global Goal: Unite For Our Future concert.

Read more: Ashnikko is the Miley Cyrus-approved bubblepunk pop-star who refuses to take herself seriously

The event was hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and featured performances from Christine And The Queens, Coldplay, J Balvin, Usher, Justin Bieber and Quavo, Shakira and more.

Performing at Pasadena, California’s Spieker Field At The Rose Bowl Stadium, Cyrus covered The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ The pop star delivered her version of the track from the dot of an exclamation mark at the end of a sign on the field spelling out the song’s title.

The video of her performance was overplayed with the message that it was “dedicated to those who are tirelessly working on testing, treatment and vaccines so all of us can come together in places like this empty stadium again…” Watch the performance below now.

The Global Goal concert was streamed online and broadcast on TV networks around the world today (June 27) and was set up to raise money to “combat the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable and disadvantaged communities”. A total of $6.9 billion (£5.6b) has been pledged to the cause by governments, the private sector and foundations so far.

Speaking ahead of the event, Cyrus said: “This moment requires all of us to act. As Global Citizens, we’re calling on leaders around the world to combat the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on marginalised communities by committing funds to develop and deliver tests, treatments, and therapeutics.

“Because of this global effort, we will be more able to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, regardless of their income or where they live.”

In May, Global Citizen teamed up with Lady Gaga for the One World: Together At Home live-streamed concert. The Gaga-curated event saw artists from around the world, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Billie Eilish and more, perform from their respective homes to raise money for coronavirus relief efforts.

Alicia Keys & John Legend Partaking In Special Juneteenth "Verzuz" Battle

Alicia Keys and John Legend will be going hit-for-hit on the piano in a special Juneteenth edition of “Verzuz” next week.

Alicia Keys and John Legend are celebrating the historic holiday of Juneteenth with a special edition of the “Verzuz” battles. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz‘s “Verzuz” series has become a pivotal source of entertainment these past few months in quarantine, giving us musical duels from pairs of opponents like Lil Jon and T-Pain, RZA and DJ Premier, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Babyface and Teddy Riley, Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, Nelly and Ludacris, and more. The most recent battle took place between gospel singers Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond at the end of last month, and after a brief hiatus, “Verzuz” is back with a piano face-off for the ages.

On Saturday (June 13th), “Verzuz” announced that the special Juneteenth battle between the two master pianists would (of course) be taking place next Friday, June 19th, at 8:00pm (EST). The idea of a piano battle against Alicia had been floated by John prior to the official announcement. “I think that would be the best thing,” John said about the prospect at the time.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS

This special Juneteenth battle coincides with the release of John’s new album, Bigger Love, which also drops on the 19th.

Will you be tuning in?

HNHH & TuneCore Present "Heat Seekers" Artist Spotlight: Big Dawg Johnson

Following the reveal of Tye Harris, HNHH & TuneCore are pleased to announce Big Dawg Johnson as the latest “Heat Seekers” artist.

Last year, HNHH and TuneCore partnered up to launch the extensive “Heat Seekers” contest, an eleven-week showcase designed to highlight some of the game’s best unsigned talent. After a lengthy search and plenty of submissions, Mr. Lightupp was ultimately declared to be the winner. Now, we’re back with another edition of the “Heat Seekers” challenge, picking up with our new format designed to highlight some of the twelve competitors. After all twelve are revealed, the winner will be chosen from there. Should you be interested in trying your luck, you can submit your own music right here.

With Tye Harris setting things off last week, now is the time for Dallas’ own Big Dawg Johnson, otherwise known as Big Hud. No stranger to putting in work, Big Dawg has crossed paths with several notable rappers, including Too $hort, Chance The Rapper, OMB Peezy, Rittz, Yelawolf, Yella Beezy, Scott Storch, and more. Now, Hud is looking to continue his ascent, bringing his Southern influence to the fold on standout tracks like “Wipe The Slate Clean.” Drawing inspiration from the game’s top moguls, Big Dawg’s ambitions are matched only by his potential.

If you’re looking to get a better understanding of Big Dawg Johnson, his music, his goals, and those who helped shape him, we’ve got an exclusive Q&A for your benefit below.

HNHH: Where are you from? How has your home influenced your sound and style?

Big Dawg Johnson:I’m from Dallas, Tx. My sound was heavily influenced by southern artists like T.I. & UGK & Future.

Describe your sound in three words.

Feel Good Music

How old are you? Does age matter in music?

Age doesn’t matter as long as you can relate & get your message across to your targeted demographic.

What’s the last album you listened to?

Dej Loaf new project It’s A Setup. My production team actually produced a record on it called “Technical Foul”.

Name your top three biggest influences.

Too Short, Diddy, Master P all for mogul & pioneer reasons.

Name your dream collaboration.

To Rap on a Dr. Dre/Scott Storch beat.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

UGK’s Riding Dirty.

What’s your favorite hip-hop sub-genre at the moment?

Drill Rap. RIP Pop Smoke.

John Legend Imagines "Verzuz" Battle With Alicia Keys: "I Think We Will"

John Legend hints that he and Alicia Keys may engage in a “Verzuz” Instagram Battle that may include “dueling pianos.”

The Verzuz battles are the new wave, and artists are wanting their pie of the pie. From writers to producers to artists, millions of people have tuned into Instagram Live to watch Swizz Beatz & Timbaland‘s Verzuz series. This weekend (May 9) we’re all set to watch Erykah Badu and Jill Scott celebrate their hits with R&B-soul fans, and in a recent interview with Nick Cannon, John Legend hinted that he and Alicia Keys may have something cooking up, as well.

Rich Polk / Stringer / Getty Images

“I think that would be the best thing,” he told Cannon. “Honestly, if we do it, like a dueling pianos—” Nick Cannon jumped in excitedly co-signing the idea. “That would be crazy! I would love to see that. I mean, obviously I’m a huge fan of both of you. Not just your songs and your artistry, but really, your musicianship,” Cannon said. “I feel like you guys don’t get the opportunity to show that off. Especially for this generation who needsd to understand musicality and the importance of theory and putting all of that together for people to be as successful as you and Alicia. We gotta see that.”

John Legend hinted that it actually may be in the works. “I think we will,” he replied. “What I do like with the way it’s been going so far is we’re seeing producers and writers, more than just artists. The producers and writers, what’s so cool about it is, maybe you didn’t know that they produced this song. For me and Alicia, you know it’s our songs ’cause we are the front person for them. We were on the radio singing them, but for all of these producers like Teddy [Riley], Babyface, and all these other producers, ‘Oh, I didn’t know they were behind that song.”‘

He added that the best part of the Verzuz series is the ability for audiences to learn about the music history behind the jams that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Watch John Legend chat with Nick Cannon below about his home life, quarantining, his forthcoming album, and new music.

Jeannie Mai Talks Wedding Reception Music Plans: "The Beats Have To Be Sickening!"

Jeannie Mai and Jeezy haven’t mapped out the exact plans for their wedding, but “The Real” host revealed some must-haves for their big day.

Although it seems as if Jeannie Mai and Jeezy‘s relationship has been moving rather quickly, the couple has been together since November 2018. They reportedly met on the set of The Real and ever since then, they’ve been inseparable. Their match-up seemed like an unlikely romance to fans, but they’ve been flaunting their love on social media after going public with their relationship.

John Sciulli / Stringer / Getty Images

Like many engaged couples, Jeezy and Jeannie Mai have been finding their wedding plans put on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent chat with HollywoodLife, Jeannie shared bits about what she and her rapper fiancée have envisioned for their big day. “The beats have to be sickening,” Jeannie said of their reception’s music selection. “So yes, it’s going to be a dance fest. We love R&B and of course, we love jazz and hip hop. We love 80s, too. We always said our wedding would be one fat party of love, so definitely that.”

Jeannie admitted that she and Jeezy haven’t laid out well-made plans for their trip down the aisle just yet. “We talk about things that we like,” she added. “All I know is I’m going to tell you one thing for sure that is going to happen at my wedding — Mama Mai is absolutely going to perform. She is absolutely going to sing!”

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Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats’ "Unlocked" Getting Comic Book Treatment

Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats are gearing up to bring “Unlocked” to the wonderful world of comic books.

Sometimes a creative vision can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways. Kendrick Lamar‘s DAMN, for example, took on a second life with a reversed tracklist; Run The Jewels went full crazy-cat-lady with the batshit insane Meow The Jewels. Now, the dynamic duo that is Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats have decided to offer up a different take on their popular Unlocked projected, which arrived back in February complete with an extensive companion film.

Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats' "Unlocked" Getting Comic Book Treatment

Jason Mendez/Getty Images

Today, Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats have revealed their plans to expand on their recently established world, announcing an official Unlocked 48-page comic book and instrumental album by way of their “dark” counterparts. With Psycho Films handling the plot and illustrations from Sam Hochman, Joey Prosser, Forrest Whaley, Justin Johnson, Chaz Bottoms, Malik Bolton, Rachel Headlam, Borboev Shakhnazer, and Asekov Tilek, it’s likely that Unlocked will continue to take on a life of its own. Should you be interested, check out the trailer below, and be sure to place your orders right here.

If that wasn’t enough, the pair will also be delivering an instrumental version of the album, as Kenny Beats believes that the beats can stand comfortably on their own. “UNLOCKED is so much more than a few songs, it’s a feeling we all have,” Kenny told Complex. “For the first time I’m releasing my instrumentals because I truly believe these beats can live on their own. Put them on while you read the comic and stay tuned for part 2!” Look for that to land on May 1st.

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Young Dolph Wants A Dr. Dre Beat

Young Dolph offers Dr. Dre a healthy sum in exchange for one of his signature bangers.

Though Young Dolph recently contemplated retirement from the game, it would appear an unfinished bucket list has kept from making the commitment. As it happens, Dolph has been actively seeking a collaboration with the legendary Dr. Dre, who has remained one of the game’s most selective producers, opting to work almost exclusively with Aftermath artists like Eminem and Anderson .Paak. Yet Dolph is not one to be deterred from his efforts, going so far as to dip into the reserves and present the good Doctor with a sizeable offer.
Young Dolph Wants A Dr. Dre Beat

John Lamparski/Getty Images

“Everybody go over to @drdre page rite now and tell him I said I got 100k for him for one of those hard-ass beats,” writes Dolph, taking to Instagram to issue a call-to-action. And while the support was indeed heavy, as was the appreciation for Dolph’s musical taste, so too was the skepticism; as many were quick to point out, the notorious perfectionist isn’t exactly firing off new beats on a willy-nilly basis, and a one-hundred thousand dollar offer might not be enough to pull the near-billionaire into the studio.

On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that Dre respect’s Dolph enough to acquiesce. Should that be the case, the potential for an incredible song is certainly high — Dre is no stranger to hard-hitting gangsta-rap bangers, and seeing him take it back to those days for a Dolph duet would be a welcome turn of events. What do you think — do these two need to link up ASAP?

JayDaYoungan Beats Up Drug Dealer For Selling Him Fake Pills

Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan posted a video of himself throwing punches at a man he accuses of selling fake Percocet.

21-year-old Louisiana native JayDaYoungan has been rising in the rap ranks for the last year and a bit, releasing his debut studio album Misunderstood late last year. The budding star has a troubling legal history but his time in the streets has forced him to smarten up when it comes to the shotty activity he raps about in his music.

Uploading a video to Instagram this week, JayDaYoungan proved that he has street smarts, calling out a drug dealer for allegedly trying to sell him fake Percocet, beating him up on camera.

“You sold me fake Perc, bitch!” says the rapper, mounting the man and throwing punches left and right. Jay is surrounded by his homies but he is the only person getting physical, teaching the man a lesson and showing him to never try and sell him fake pills again.

Johnny Nunez/Getty Images

The video does not have a caption and fans are unable to leave comments. However, it’s pretty clear that the 21-year-old is mad about fake Percs.

When the video was initially uploaded, JayDaYoungan supposedly had the following caption: “RIP @macmiller & @juicewrld999.”

Both Mac Miller and Juice WRLD died of drug overdoses, which could be confirming the reason why Jay was throwing punches.

Watch the clip below.

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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tests Positive For Coronavirus

The U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has tested positive for coronavirus, as has Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock.

The Prime Minister of the U.K., Boris Johnson, has tested positive for coronavirus, along with the country's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock. More and more public figures have been coming forward recently to announce that they've contracted coronavirus, and it looks like the leader of the United Kingdom is among them. Johnson addressed his diagnosis in a tweet on Friday, revealing that he has mild symptoms and is currently self-isolating.

"Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus," the PM wrote. "I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response video-conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this. #StayHomeSaveLives." In the video attached, he described his symptoms as "a temperature and a persistent cough," and assured everyone that he will still be able to fulfill his duties as prime minister from home. “Be in no doubt that I can continue–thanks to the wizardry of modern technology–to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus," he said. He then makes sure to thank the National Health Service (NHS) for all their hard work, along with the police, social care workers, teachers, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff. He also shows his appreciation for "every member of the British public who's volunteering" and "everybody who is working to keep our country going through this epidemic."

Julian Simmonds - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"The way we're going to get through this is, of course, by applying the measures that you'll have heard so much about," he continues. "The more effectively we all comply with those measures, the faster our country will come through this epidemic and the faster we'll bounce back. Thank you to everybody who is doing what I am doing–working from home. Stop the spread of the virus from household to household. That’s the way we are going to win. We are going to beat it, and we are going to beat it together. Stay at home. Protect the NHS and save lives.” Johnson's diagnosis comes just one day after another prominent British figure, Prince Charles, was revealed to have tested positive as well. Fellow world leader, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, had also gone into self-isolation earlier this month, after his wife, Sophie Grégoire, tested positive for coronavirus.

Timbaland & Swizz Beatz Have Epic Producer Battle On IG Live

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz face off with some of their greatest hits in an IG Live battle that has hip hop fans bopping all over the world.

Geniuses are at work on Instagram Live. We haven't watched so many live streaming concerts, contests, and celebrity Q&As in the history of social media, but this period of COVID-19 quarantine has spiced up online interactions. DJ D-Nice recently hosted multiple Instagram Live parties that reached upwards of 100K viewers including Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Hart, and Michelle Obama. Erykah Badu, John Legend, and Keith Urban hosted live concerts from the comforts of their homes. Earlier today, Tory Lanez got a few of his famous friends on his Live before added dozens of fans who wanted to drop it low for his twerk contest. Now, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz hopped on Live to share a few beats with the world in an epic showdown.

Paras Griffin / Stringer / Getty Images

The internationally renowned producers-artists had fans bopping along to a few fire tracks. "Attention, attention, attention," Timbaland said in his announcement video. "It's official. We doing this for the culture. Me and Swizzy gon' go at it 10 o'clock, baby. IG Live. Hoo, hoo, hoo. I done had that red blood in me. Whoo, it's gonna be a good one."

The "battle" is, of course, all done in love, and it's certainly a sight to see. The pair is currently a trending topic on Twitter, so check out a few clips from their session, read through a few reactions, get ready to jam to some hits, and let us know who you think is taking the top spot.

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Swizz Beatz’ beats always beat the competition. He’s beating Quarantine clouds with some wine and good beats, further cementing himself as a heartBEAT of the industry. Ok no, seriously. Swizz Beatz accepted some advice from Timbaland and poured a glass of wine in the studio and it sounds heavenly. #Quarantine
A post shared by Brian’s World (@briansworldlive) on Mar 24, 2020 at 3:56pm PDT

Singaporean Student Wrongfully Beat Up Over Coronavirus

A Singaporean student was wrongfully assaulted in London over the coronavirus.

23-year-old, Jonathan Mok, was wrongfully beaten and assaulted after being accused of bringing the coronavirus to London. The UCL (University College London) student was walking down Oxford Street last Monday (Feb. 24), when he heard shouting about the novel coronavirus. After hearing remarks about his race and the COVID-19 virus, Mok decided to stand up for himself and was met by three to four men and woman who unleashed a surprise attack on the Singaporean collegiate student.

Singaporean Student Wrongfully Beat Up Over Coronavirus Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Mok has been living in London for the past two years for his collegiate studies and frequently returns to Singapore during holidays. During the incident, the student was instantaneously punched in the face twice and kicked by a group of unknown Londoners near the Tottenham Court Road station. London’s Metropolitan Police Service confirmed on Tuesday (March 2) that they are investigating the assault, but have made no arrest. During a brief interview with Channel News Asia, Jonathan Mok stated:

“I felt really angry … It is ridiculous people are being targeted for being Asian.”

Since Mok’s attack, the Singapore High Commission urged all Singaporeans to take precautions while in the UK and report any type of abuse to the local authorities. John Wok took to his Facebook page to write in-depth soliloquy about being racially discriminated against, part of his post reads:

“Last Monday, at roughly 9.15pm on Oxford Street in London, I walked past a group of young men, when I saw one of them look at me (just as he walked past me) and said something to me, which I could make out the word ‘coronavirus’. I was stunned and turned around to have a look at the man made the statement. He was still staring at me as he walked past and realised I was looking at him. He shouted ‘Don’t you dare look at me, you ____’ (I could not catch the last word because of the accent). Within 3 seconds, he was in my face, together with 3/4 other young men, and a young lady (all of whom seemed no older than 20 years old, but were all more than a head taller than me). I was shocked and angry because he directed a racist remark at me and had the audacity to shout at me like I had wronged him. All of a sudden, the first punch was swung at my face and took me by surprise. When I was still shocked by the first hit, the guy delivered the second sucker punch. By then, a few passers-by had stopped and one of them tried to reason with them that 4 on 1 was not fair. The attacker’s friend tried to swing a kick at me as I was explaining to the passer-by that I hadn’t done anything at all. I tried to react in self-defence but couldn’t do anything substantial because I was still recovering from a broken finger in my master hand. The guy who tried to kick me then said, ‘I don’t want your coronavirus in my country’”

While the President of the United States may believe the coronavirus is a hoax, major corporations have been taking hits from the spread from the disease and is leaving American citizens dead from the virus. Jonathan Mok’s targeted attack is not what society needs in order to battle this current pandemic, but is a result of ignorance about the deadly virus. With a vaccine allegedly developed, hopefully, humanity will be able to move past this egregious disease and move forward amicably.

Check out Johnathan Mok’s bruised and battered face in the Facebook post provided below.

Magic Johnson Reveals Truth Behind Michael Jordan’s Shrug

Magic Johnson provides new details about Michael Jordan's infamous shrug, and what went down the night before Game 1 of the 1992 Finals.

Michael Jordan delivered an endless amount of memorable moments during the course of his Hall of Fame career, including one perfectly-timed shrug during Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals. That iconic moment came after Jordan buried his sixth three-pointer in the first half, as he hung 35 on Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the first two quarters.

As it turns out, Magic Johnson says he is the one to blame for Jordan's red hot performance on that night.

Magic Johnson Reveals Truth Behind Michael Jordan’s Shrug

During the NBA All Star weekend in Chicago, Johnson revealed that he, MJ and some others had played cards at Jordan's house the night before Game 1. As the legend goes, Magic and MJ's pops teamed up to beat Jordan while playing bid whist, which prompted his destruction of the Blazers.

Says Magic (H/T Brandon Robinson):

“The night before he hit all of them threes against Portland, we’re playing bid whist at his house. His dad and I, we bust him up, we tore him up, I’m running six nose and five specials on Michael.”
“So we play and I say: ‘Michael I gotta go home, you gotta go home, you’ve got a game. He said: ‘nah MJ' [Magic Johnson] because Mike was just so competitive. When he loses, he don’t want you to leave.”

The next night, Magic was calling the game for the NBA on NBC and he had a front row seat as Jordan took out his frustrations from the night before. Says Magic, “He was turning to me. He was so hot that night so he owed me a lot because I’m the one he was mad at. That’s why he took it out on Clyde Drexler the next day in the game."

Check out his recollection of events leading up to MJ's infamous shrug below.

Machine Gun Kelly Crew Members Indicted By Grand Jury Over Beatdown

In 2018, Machine Gun Kelly’s entourage was involved in a fight with an actor who called the rapper a “p*ssy” over Eminem beef.

The court case against two members of Machine Gun Kelly‘s crew is heating up as it’s being reported that indictments have been issued against them. Back in 2018, a physical altercation was captured on surveillance footage that allegedly shows a man named Gabriel “G-Rod” Rodriguez getting beaten by two men affiliated with MGK. Both parties were at an Atlanta restaurant when G-Rod decided to yell at MGK, calling him a “p*ssy” over his ongoing verbal spat with Eminem.

Charley Gallay / Stringer / Getty Images

Later, the parties just happened to reconnect at a Hampton Inn where two people in Machine Gun Kelly’s entourage reportedly unleashed a beatdown onto G-Rod. The victim was battered and bruised, so he decided to sue the rapper. Because MGK wasn’t involved in the fight personally and witnesses reportedly backed up his story, the rapper doesn’t believe he’s at fault. In his lawsuit, G-Rod stated that MGK told his crew members to attack him so he should be held responsible.

In October 2019, Brandon Allen and John Cappelletty were arrested on two counts of felony aggravated battery causing substantial physical harm. They quickly made bail and according to TMZ, they’ve now been indicted by a grand jury. They’re not expected to receive the maximum sentence, but the outlet states they’re facing 20 years in prison.

Lil Wayne Beats Elvis Presley For Second-Highest Number Of Top 40 Hits In History

Lil Wayne surpassed Elvis Presley’s number of Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits, making him the second artist with the most Top 40 hits in the chart’s history next to Drake.

When Lil Wayne dropped Funeral a week-and-a-half-ago, he reminded everyone how he has managed to make such a lasting impression on hip-hop. Now, his musical longevity has been proven even further with his latest Billboard feat: Weezy has officially surpassed Elvis Presley’s number of Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits, with a total of 82. This officially makes Lil Wayne the artist with the second highest number of Top 40 hits in history, next only to his former fellow Young Money man, Drake, who has exactly 100.

Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Young Money/Republic Records

With his 13th studio album, Funeral, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, Wayne managed to nab himself four Billboard Hot 100 hits. According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, the album’s title track sits at No. 88, followed by “Mamma Mia” at No. 87, and Mahogany at No. 61. With the Big Sean and Lil Baby-featured song, “I Do It,” is sitting at No. 33, however, Weezy has secured his 82nd Top 40 hit of his career, allowing him to surpass Elvis Presley’s record as having the second highest number of Top 40 hits in the chart’s history. In total, Wayne has 167 career entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the third-highest number of hits besides Drake and the Glee cast, who are tied at 207 each.

John Phillips/Getty Images

Funeral managed to debut at No. 1 after moving an impressive 139,000 equivalent album units during its first week on streaming services. This includes 38,000 traditional album sales, the equivalent of 134 million on-demand streams. Check out full list of artists with the most Top 40 hits in history below:

Most Top 40 Hot 100 Hits
100 – Drake
82 – Lil Wayne
81 – Elvis Presley
63 – Taylor Swift
57 – Elton John
56 – Kanye West
54 – Nicki Minaj
51 – Eminem
51 – Glee Cast
50 – The Beatles
50 – Jay-Z
50 – Rihanna

"Birds Of Prey" Described As A Batsh*t Crazy "John Wick" Funhouse Ride By Fans

Fans are receiving the new Harley Quinn, "Birds of Prey" film pretty well.

Following the lackluster reception of Suicide Squad (2016) upon its release, Warner Bros. needed a film to help reenergize the movie franchise which is set to release its second installment in 2021. The DC Universe team went to work curating a Suicide Squad spin-off centered around the Joker's accomplice and lover, Harley Quinn, entitled, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) which is set to hit theaters around the globe next week. Now, with press screenings and Warner Bros. in full promo mode for their latest creation, viewers of the early screenings are claiming that Birds of Prey is some of the best work to come out of the DC Universe in recent history.

According to one member early viewer, the film is comparable to that of the lastest John Wick film, delivering on promises of pure chaos, anarchy, girl gangs, and intense fighting scenes. From the scores of film critics that were able to see the film early, their reviews were surprisingly upbeat urging movie fans to see the film for themselves. Check out some of the reviews below:

Birds of Prey featuring the reformed Dr. Harleen Quinzel highlights the aftermath of her supposed 'mutual' breakup with the Joker. The film then surrounds its plot around Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) and her girl-gang as they terrorize Gotham City in all ways imaginable. The cast also includes stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask.

With The Batman starring Robert Pattison officially in production, and James Gunn at the helm of directorial duties for the new Suicide Squad 2 film, DC and Warner Bros. have the opportunity to kick off the decade in the right direction for the studio house. Check out the trailer to Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) below and if interested, catch the film in theaters Thursday, Feb. 6.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Announces Autobiographical Sitcom "Young Rock"

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is teaming up with NBC to release an autobiographical sitcom entitled “Young Rock.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is by far the most successful entertainer to step outside of the professional wrestling ring. Over the past decade and a half, The Rock has been able to become one of Hollywood’s elite personalities and executive entrepreneurs. Now, the eight-time WWF/WWE Champion is adding to his already extensive resume by partnering up with NBC to produce an autobiographical sitcom about his childhood entitled, Young Rock.

The pilot for Young Rock will be written by Fresh Off the Boat co-executive producers Nahnatchka Khan and Jeff Chiang and has been greenlit for a total of eleven episodes in its inaugural season. The announcement of The Rock’s reintroduction to the television space came at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour directly from the athlete turned actor’s mouth as he stated:

“We’re going to find young Rock wreaking havoc in the streets of Hawaii, when I was a teenager, getting arrested seemingly every single week, doing things I shouldn’t have been doing, but still a good kid. Then we got evicted off the island, and moved to, of all places Nashville, Tennessee, where I continued to get in trouble.”

“Just imagine me at 15 in downtown Nashville, listening to honky-tonk, buying my first car from a crackhead for $70 – I did talk him down so I was a pretty good negotiator. Then we go into high school years and then I became a University of Miami football star, if you will until I got beat out of my position by a guy by the name of Warren Sapp, who went on to become one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time,” he added.

Surprisingly, Dwayne Johnson’s upbringing isn’t reflective of his successful wrestling and acting career where he was arrested for assault, theft, check fraud, and more all before the age of seventeen. With a television series on the way depicting The Rock’s troublesome childhood, his fans and critics will be able to have a better understanding of the humble beginnings that helped shape him into the man he is today.

With Dwayne Johnson confirmed to join the DC Universe in the upcoming Black Adam film, The Rock is continuing his streak as one of the biggest stars of this generation to grace the silver screen. Stick with HNHH as more details unfold on The Rock’s Young Rock sitcom.

Former Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty has died aged 76

Dan McCafferty, a founding member of the Scottish rock band Nazareth, has died.

News of the singer’s death at the age of 76 was confirmed today (November 8) by Nazareth bassist Pete Agnew.

“This is the saddest announcement I ever had to make,” Agnew wrote on Facebook. “Maryann and the family have lost a wonderful loving husband and father, I have lost my best friend and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Too upset to say anything more at this time.”

McCafferty was the singer for Nazareth from their formation in 1968 through to 2013, when the band announced his retirement from touring due to health issues. He appeared on all of Nazareth’s albums up to 2014, beginning with 1971’s self-titled effort, and toured with the group for 45 years.

The last Nazareth album McCafferty was involved with was 2014’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Telephone’.

Dan died at 12:40 today.

Posted by Nazareth on Tuesday, November 8, 2022

In 2019, McCafferty released ‘Last Testament’, his third and final solo album, which followed 1975’s ‘Dan McCafferty’ and 1987’s ‘Into The Ring’.

Nazareth are known best for their 1975 album ‘Hair Of The Dog’, which featured the title track and a cover of The Everly Brothers ballad ‘Love Hurts’.

The band remained active, with Agnew as its only original member, and new lead singer Carl Sentance.

Earlier this year, founding member Manny Charlton passed away at the age of 80. News of the guitarist’s death was confirmed by his grandson, Jamie Charlton, who shared a photo on social media with the caption “RIP Grandad.”

Ricky Warwick, frontman of Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy, was among those who paid tribute to McCafferty.

He wrote on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty today. I was honoured to be in his company on the Rock Meets Classic Tour in 2016. My thoughts and condolences to his family and close friends.”

See more tributes to the frontman below.

Very sad to hear of the passing of Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty today. I was honored to be his company on the Rock Meets Classic Tour in 2016. My thoughts and condolences to his family and close friends. pic.twitter.com/o0cos0OttI

— RICKY WARWICK ? (@rickywarwick) November 8, 2022

Very sad news. The world lost one of the greatest singers in Rock History, my friend and Rock Meets Classic family member Dan McCafferty ?

Posted by Mat Sinner on Tuesday, November 8, 2022

The world has lost one of the greatest singers ever alive and one of the loveliest, funniest chaps I ever had the honor…

Posted by Alexander Beyrodt on Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Nooo just hearing that Dan McCafferty of Nazareth fame has died. Loved that group, loved that heavy heavy sound. Ach..never saw them live, anyone see them live? will discuss later here:https://t.co/aUVTVPvRmg

— John Beattie (@BBCJohnBeattie) November 8, 2022

Sad news about the passing of Dan McCafferty. A true gentleman. It was always a pleasure to be in his company. Despite the success he had found Dan always remained approachable. His stories were just the best too. A sad loss to his family and many friends and fans. RIP Dan. ?

— Visit Dunfermline (@LoveDunfermline) November 8, 2022

RIP Dan McCafferty who has died at the age of 76. One of the great rock voices, front man of one of the stellar early 1970s rock bands Nazareth & at his peak Dan had one of the classic male rock looks. pic.twitter.com/7j8xeKOOm4

— Gerry Hassan ?? (@GerryHassan) November 8, 2022

Very sad to hear the news of the passing of Dan McCafferty – possessor of one of the great voices in British rock. Here with Nazareth performing Hair of the Dog.https://t.co/0z1dsyg0up

— British Music Exp (@thebme) November 8, 2022

Michael Lindsay-Hogg interviewed: “Let It Be was misunderstood”

With The Beatles’ Let It Be back on our screens – at last! – after an absence of over 50 years, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg talks to Uncut about his memories of the original shoot, earlier attempts to bring it back into circulation and it’s relationship to Peter Jackson’s Get Back…

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“I feel so pleased it is coming out again. It has been 50 years and thank God some of the principles are still alive, including me. Peter Jackson’s Get Back was very influential in getting Let It Be reissued because Peter always saw Let It Be as the cherry on top of the cake. He thought it needed to be seen to complete the Beatles experience of that particular time.

“When the film originally came out, it was collateral damage from the Beatles breaking up. When we shot the movie, edited the movie, made the rough cut and the final cut, there were four Beatles. We screened the movie to the band, and then we all went for a fancy dinner. There was a discotheque and we all went down and danced. This was November 1969 and everybody was very happy. But then, unbeknownst to everybody, a little earthquake went off at Apple. Let It Be was the next project, it was ready to go, but then it sat on the shelf as they were breaking up.

“When it was eventually released to fulfil the United Artist contact it came out a month after they broke up. None of them went to the London premiere or supported the film, and everybody who went to see it assumed it had been made as they were breaking up rather than more than a year before. That simply wasn’t true. It was minimised as a movie because of that whole experience.

“It played in cinemas in 1970, appeared on the BBC a couple of times and then Apple put it on VHS, but that quickly got pulled because of an issue around music licensing. The movie was withdrawn. When I asked Apple why it wasn’t re-released after that issue was settled, they told me it was because of the state of play in the Beatles. There was no appetite to release Let It Be.

“This meant that the only way people could see it was bootlegs from the few BBC broadcasts, which tended to have very poor sound quality and really dark visuals. Not only was Let It Be misunderstood when it came out, when people did get the chance to see it, it looked shitty. Over the years that followed, I made videos with Wings and every so often I’d ask Paul about Let It Be. Paul would always say he’d like to see it come out, but nothing ever happened. Then after a while, every time he saw me there’d be a panicky look in his eyes.

“In the late 90s after Anthology, Apple made some in-house documentaries about the making of Let It Be. They wanted to do something but weren’t sure what. I was interviewed by Mark Lewisohn and it was so long ago I still had gelled hair. But the Beatles were all doing their own things and it never happened.

“Then Peter Jackson got involved. Apple said that Peter Jackson wanted to take a whack at re-editing the original footage and making a longer version of the movie. They were interested in how I’d feel about that, and worried I might throw a wobbly but I was thrilled. I had made this in 1969 and didn’t really want to go and look at it all myself. Peter and I had completely different briefs. When I made the film, I was planning to shoot a concert – the rehearsal footage was really meant to be a sort of trailer for the concert. Then when George left, part of his proviso when he came back was there should be no more talk about a TV special. He just wated to make an album. It suddenly became a different thing. We could have stopped filming after the concert idea was dropped but we kept going because I needed to figure out an ending for the movie and create something that could play in theatres. We eventually compromised with the rooftop concert.

“Peter had all this footage and spent three years working on it. He lost a year through Covid but that allowed him to make it for streaming rather than the cinema – so he made an eight-hour movie over three episodes. This was twice as long as Gone With The Wind. Get Back was amazing and won an Emmy but it was a different thing.

“While Peter was working on Get Back he was looking at the Let It Be footage and he was always very respectful. He’d ask questions, he’d send me clips and he’d ask about technical stuff and we’d talk about things I couldn’t do at the time. One example is the conversation between Paul and John about George round the table in the canteen. Back in 1969, there was tension brewing and Paul, John and I had lunch. I had a feeling something might come up so I put a mic in the flower pot. I left them and they had this conversation about George, but when I played it back later all I could hear was cutlery and plates clanging.

“Peter was able to isolate the conversation using his technology. He could also separate guitar and voice, which was really useful because guitar players are always strumming when they talk so you can’t hear anything. Pete sent me the audio clips of the Beatles talking without any of the other noises. He had developed this technology where we could hear these conversations for the first time.

“Peter has always liked Let It Be and seen it for what it is. He understands that Get Back and Let It Be are completely different movies, made for completely different reasons with different technology at different times for a different audience. He has been very effective at putting the idea of Let It Be out there. Paul and Ringo and the families of John and George were very happy with Get Back but Peter kept telling Apple that they needed to also release Let It Be.

“They figured they could restore the print. They were originally working off an old print but we wanted a more filmic look, so they worked on that while also working on Get It Back and helped to restore the print. Peter didn’t run off with my baby the way other directors with more ego might have done. He really was a collaborator. Peter and the Apple team have been very helpful. It looks and sounds great and now you can look at without the cloud that hung over the movie when it first came out.

“The film is about four men who loved each other but were no longer the Fab Four. They hadn’t performed for three years and were nearly in their 30s. They were looking at life differently to those glorious years when they changed the world. They were trying to work out what their expectations were. It was about four men growing up. That’s how I cut it. You see great affection, but you also see them staking out their own turf. It was a frustrating time for George in particular. He knew he was a great songwriter and was trying to figure out how to get his work looked at with more attention by John and Paul.

“The relationship between Get Back and Let It Be is unparalleled. There’s no equivalent to compare it with. And you can’t compare Let It Be with Get It Back. This is a film that hasn’t been seen by most people for 50 years so it’s totally out of a time capsule, while Peter could make Get It Back with 50 years of hindsight.

“Was it tempting to make a different edit? No, although I did think about it. But I felt I didn’t need to as Peter’s film covered a lot. I thought Let it Be should be seen for what it was when I made it. I wanted to just let it be.

“We originally had one edit that was 30 minutes longer that we screened for them on the day Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. I knew that was too long. There was repetition, longueurs. A lot of it was just footage of them rehearsing which is great but after a while it got a bit boring. I had to show them collaborating more. Because the Beatles weren’t on the road together, they weren’t writing together. You could see that when Paul is recording ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ and he just gave them the chords.

“In the first rough cut I had some of George leaving. We had Paul, John and Ringo talking without George. The Beatles themselves did not offer a lot of input during the edit but sometimes you would hear from another person what might work better, just occasionally. On this occasion, Neil Aspinall suggested we didn’t need the stuff without George as it was confusing for the viewer. They saw that The Beatles were very powerful as an entity and didn’t want to go into the stuff about George. That meant that in Let It Be there were always four Beatles. You have to realise that at the time, there was no real sense they were actually going to break up. We felt they might go and do solo projects – they were already starting to do that – but they would always come back as the Beatles, as it was such a powerful force.

“We showed the first cut and that evening I had dinner with Paul and Linda, John and Yoko and Pete Brown from Apple. We didn’t talk about the movie so my understanding was that they were very happy. We had a lovely evening, very civilised, then Pete Brown called a couple of days later and said he was wondering if there was too much John and Yoko in the film. I didn’t think there was – I had tried to keep John and Yoko in most of the shots as that was what it was like in the room. Pete said, “Let me put it like this, I have had three phone calls this morning from three different people all suggesting there is too much Yoko.” I knew what that meant. So I made the change.

“Generally, they interfered very little and when they did, I understand exactly why they wanted what they wanted. It always made sense and I was okay with it. The sequence of George and Paul arguing, which everybody thought was controversial, they never even blinked at – this was, for them, regular talk between musicians about a song. It happens. It’s a conversation about creativity. People took it for a sign that something was rotten but at the time, it didn’t seem that way.

“I am very proud of the concert footage. Coming up with the idea and then pulling it off. They were thrilled when they did it. They were so happy on that roof, even though it was so cold and windy. They were so happy to be playing together for an audience even though they couldn’t actually see them. And then you get the blue meanies coming up to stop the concert right at the end – what could be better?

“What is the right order to watch it in – Get Back or Let It Be? I have no idea. I was fascinated by the story that Peter was telling and had a lot of fond memories of some of the shots as I had taken them myself. He was able to explore the story about George that I had taken out. I was very touched by the way Peter always talked about Let It Be. He said it was a wonderful movie that had a bad rep and needed to be seen again. We weren’t in cahoots, he’s just been an advocate and he believes the two need to be seen together.

“Peter was dealing with different Beatles to me. I had all four of them at a difficult time in their lives, while he was working with Paul and Ringo, both around 80 with very different views of things back then. Now, Paul and Ringo were very excited about seeing all that old footage that Peter was able to use. They weren’t interested in that at all in 1969 and they might not even have watched Let It Be since it came out.

“Will they enjoy it? I think it’s a very valuable picture and I was always sad that it came off the market. People were always asking about it but lot of people who asked that question are now dead. This is a completely new audience. It does look pretty good now, and that will make a difference – it looks and it sounds great. I am fascinated to see how people receive it.”

Let It Be launches exclusively on Disney+ on May 8

Vampire Weekend Only God Was Above Us

Cleverness gets you only so far in life, and its limits become clearer with age. Vampire Weekend’s first album in roughly five years deals with that kind of reckoning. Its opening line: “Fuck the world” – spoken in context of a lovers’ sparring match, a geo-political negotiation, maybe both. Ezra Koenig’s vocals are dirty with distortion, draped in coiled feedback, and they build to a panic attack of galloping drums, presto orchestral strings and guitar squeals amid talk of soldiers, police, war and weaponised language. The song, “Ice Cream Piano” (note the “I scream” homophone), is bunker-mentality neorealism, and quite a way from the scenes of privileged youth “in the colours of Benetton” on the band’s 2008 debut, blithely spilling kefir on an accessorising keffiyeh and second-guessing last night’s hookup en route to class.

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Fair enough: Vampire Weekend are nearly 20 years in, and these are dark times. Gone too is the wistfully upbeat jam-band vibe of 2019’s Father Of The Bride, an impressive pivot after the departure of co-founder Rostam Batmanglij, long on laidback guitar spirals, pedal steel sparkles, Danielle Haim vocals and their trademark boutique internationalism. By comparison, Only God Was Above Us is off its meds – grimier, sonically and spiritually; more compressed, more stressed. Lyrically, conflict is everywhere, and nothing is stable.

Of course, anxiety, true perhaps to the band’s New York City roots, suits them nicely. Indeed, Big Apple nostalgia infuses Only God Was Above Us, though it’s not especially comforting. The packaging signals it straightaway with surreal, late-’80s images (by noted urban street photographer Steven Siegel) of wrecked train cars in a subway graveyard. The LP title comes from a 1988 tabloid headline in the cover image, teasing a story about a mid-flight airline explosion. In another image, a magazine cover trumpets a story on “prep school gangsters”, which here titles a song that seems less about junior hooligans than the full-grown ones who fail upwards into staterooms. “Call it business/Call it war/Cutting class through revolving doors,” Koenig sings sweetly over staccato bass and guitar suggesting early New Order, as Dev “Blood Orange” Hynes bashes out abstracted new wave drumbeats.

Flashbacks get conjured everywhere, quite cannily. Koenig has cited admiration for the late-’80s/early ’90s masters of sample surgery, particularly those with NYC pedigrees: RZA’s early Wu Tang work, Paul’s Boutique-era Beastie Boys. Here, abetted by producer and de facto fourth member Ariel Rechtshaid (Haim, Charli XCX, Cass McCombs), the band fold old-school allusions into a sort of OCD indie-rock hyper-pop. “Classical” opens on breakbeats like a vintage Coldcut remix, flanking cartoon electric guitar graffiti, Johnny Marr-ish acoustic strums and a sax solo that conjures a train station busker. “The Surfer”, a holdover co-written with Batmanglij, is a dubby mash-up of David Axelrod orchestral hallucinations, vintage George Martin gestures and King Tubby-ish drum fills.

This approach reaches its peak on “Mary Boone”, cheekily named for the NYC gallery owner who helped make downtown artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Julian Schnabel superstars in the ’80s. Koenig sketches a bridge-and-tunnel wannabe watching from the sidelines as art-scene money gets printed, while the arrangement samples Soul II Soul’s indelibly elegant “Back To Life” groove, adding a “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” choir just for the hell of it. It would all be so much showing-off if the narrative ache Koenig displays wasn’t so palpable, and the craft wasn’t so meticulous. These guys listen hard, sometimes applying different processing effects on each word, even syllable. It’s clear why they’ve begun taking roughly five years between albums.

Of course, busy work can help rein in bleak thoughts about the state of things, a dynamic that plays out across Only God Was Above Us. “Blacken the sky and sharpen the axe/Forever cursed to live unrelaxed,” Koenig croons over crisp punk drumming on “Gen X Cops”, whose title nods to the comic Hong Kong action film franchise, while its lyrics suggest how subsequent generations kick social crises down the years, disastrously. The album ends on a hopeful note, rather self-awarely titled “Hope”. It’s a folksy invocation proposing that the only way forward is to, well, move forward. It may be realistically cold comfort, but it’s comfort nonetheless.

The Rolling Stones NRG Stadium, Houston, April 28, 2024

Usually, the hits inside the 72,000+ capacity NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, are delivered courtesy of beefy men colliding against one another in the gladiatorial contests of the National Football League. Tonight, however, it is The Rolling Stones who deliver them, in an energetic and life affirmative two-hour set that kicks off their 19-date Hackney Diamonds tour of the States and Canada.

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60 years on from their first American tour, the band also tentatively navigate some nooks and crannies of their catalogue via lesser-played cuts and a handful of tunes from the album that gives this tour its name. As it transpires, the three tracks from Hackney Diamonds that make their tour debuts tonight all fit seamlessly into the wider set list. An energetic “Angry” seems to ignite a whirling, bitter-tongued Mick Jagger, while “Mess It Up” proves an uptempo jolt of contemporariness (though the raw, pile-driving “Bite My Head Off”, played at a New York record release gig, would have elevated this evening). Although Lady Gaga isn’t around to reprise her part on “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”, the powerful and charismatic Chanel Haynes more than fills the role with gospel fervour and some testifying in Texas.

Haynes’ also proved a skitteringly evil and slinky duet partner to Jagger as they came down the runway for “Gimme Shelter“, a song has lost none of its apocalyptic edge over the years. “Sympathy For The Devil” (with its hellish-looking graphics on the back and side stage projection screens) and an ominous “Paint It, Black” also stood out. Not for the first time, when the band went “dark”, they were at their peak.

Jagger, of course, remains the consummate rock ‘n’ roll frontman, striding the lengths of the stage – including the main runway that juts into the floor seats. Strutting, swerving, swaying, shedding shirts (only to replace them) and using every inch of his toned and lean physique, he’s a powerful electric conduit to the audience.

For the most part, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood remain happy supporting players to Jagger’s magnetism. Wood takes a particularly hot solo on an emotional “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, which also features some fine work by longtime keyboardist Chuck Leavell. The stage band is filled out at times by backing vocalist Bernard Fowler – (there since 1989!), an additional keyboardist and a horn section.

Richards – surprisingly sedate this evening – seems more intently focussed on his instrument than anything else throughout the show. He got his solo spot on a rote “Little T & A”.

Pity poor bassist Darryl Jones – 30+ years of service to the Stones and yet still not an “official” member. Nevertheless, he gets a much-deserved spotlight with an extended deep bottom run on audience favourite “Miss You”. Jones locks in with drummer Steve Jordan, who brings a more muscular tone to the backbeat than his predecessor, Charlie Watts.

A couple of deeper cuts received an airing, including a frenetic “Rocks Off” from Exile On Main Street and – going back even further – the mid-‘60s pop vibe of “Out Of Time”, which Jagger says has never been played before on American soil.

As this was the opening date of the tour, of course, there are some things to iron out. Jagger mentions some Houston rehearsals (in between his Instagrammed visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and under a giant armadillo). There is also some confabbing amongst members onstage. The working-it-out tenativeness shows in a slightly draggy “Beast Of Burden”, while “Honky Tonk Women” feels surprisingly disjointed.

The set closer, predictably, is “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. While the Stones would likely have been stoned by the audience if it wasn’t included, it ended the evening on a high note inside the stadium. Though a better ending for future gigs might have just Jagger and Richards, alone on stools with harmonica and acoustic guitar, reprise Hackney Diamonds’ album closer “Rolling Stone Blues”: the Muddy Waters‘ number from which they took their name bringing it all back home.

In 2024, the Rolling Stones are alone among their ’60s contemporaries who continue to put on a rock ‘n’ roll circus at this scale. And as big tent shows go, this one hasn’t lost any of its magic to enthral and entertain.

Houston set-list:

Start Me Up
Get Off My Cloud
Rocks Off
Out Of Time
Angry
Beast Of Burden
Mess It Up
Tumbling Dice
Can’t Always Get What You Want
Little T&A
Sympathy For The Devil
Gimme Shelter
Honky Tonk Women
Miss You
Paint It Black
Jumping Jack Flash

Encore:
Sweet Sounds Of Heaven
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Wings unveil first official release of 1974 live studio album, One Hand Clapping

The official album of Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1974 film One Hand Clapping, featuring songs recorded live in the studio at Abbey Road, is to be officially released for the first time on June 14.

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Some of the material has previously appeared on official McCartney releases, but this is the first time the audio for the film – plus several additional songs recorded off-camera – have been officially issued.

One Hand Clapping showcased Wings’ new 1974 line-up, with Paul & Linda McCartney and Denny Laine joined by guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton. Additionally joining the band in the studio were orchestral arranger Del Newman and saxophonist Howie Casey.

One Hand Clapping features live-in-studio renditions of “Live And Let Die”, “Band On The Run”, “Jet” and “Maybe I’m Amazed”, plus reworked extracts of Beatles’ classics “Let It Be”, “The Long And Winding Road” and “Lady Madonna”, and the Moody Blues’ “Go Now” with Denny Laine singing.

An online exclusive 2LP + 7” package features an exclusive vinyl single of previously unreleased solo performances recorded on the final day of the sessions in the backyard of Abbey Road studios. These include the unreleased track “Blackpool”, The Beatles’ “Blackbird”, Wings B-side “Country Dreamer”, and cover versions of Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” (the first song Paul played to John Lennon when they met in 1957) and Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” and “I’m Gonna Love You Too”.

You can view the full tracklistings for the various formats of One Hand Clapping and pre-order here.

Uncut’s New Music Playlist for April 2024

We’ve just dispatched another top-quality issue of Uncut to the printers – if we do say so ourselves – and while we can’t reveal too much about its contents until next week, this playlist of our current raves should give you a few clues.

There’s more from the superb Beth Gibbons solo album; the auspicious return of Fontaines DC; a scorching live performance from Mdou Moctar; a new single from Cassandra Jenkins, one of the smartest new singer-songwriters of recent years; the first sighting of Eiko Ishibashi‘s latest soundtrack; Altın Gün’s last ever tune with singer Merve Daşdemir; and lashings of ambient bliss courtesy of Carlos Niño, Chihei Hatakeyama and SUSS.

DAVID BOWIE IS ON THE COVER OF THE LATEST UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

Plus! Guided By Voices and Belle And Sebastian doing what they do best, and two appearances by the inspirational Warren Ellis – the first leading Dirty Three’s ecstatic comeback; and the second with Nick Cave, sharing their heart-rending tribute to Amy Winehouse from the Back To Black biopic. Dig in…

BETH GIBBONS
“Reaching Out”
(Domino)

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CASSANDRA JENKINS
“Only One”
(Dead Oceans)

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MYRIAM GENDRON
“Terres Brûlées”
(Thrill Jockey / Feeding Tube)

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RICHARD THOMPSON
“Freeze”
(New West)

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ALTIN GÜN
“Vallahi Yok”
(Glitterbeat)

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FONTAINES DC
“Starburster”
(XL)

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HOLLOW SHIP
“Music In Motion”
(PNKSLM)

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MDOU MOCTAR
“Imouhar – Live Outside The School (Agadez, Niger)”
(Matador)

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GUIDED BY VOICES
“Serene King”
(Guided By Voices Inc)

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STRAND OF OAKS
“Party At Monster Lake”
(Western Vinyl)

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BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
“What Happened To You, Son?”
(Matador)

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GIRL AND GIRL
“Mother”
(Sub Pop)

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KING HANNAH
“Davey Says”
(City Slang)

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AARON FRAZER
“Payback”
(Dead Oceans)

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O.
“176”
(PIAS)

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SHABAKA
“Insecurities (feat. Moses Sumney)”
(Impulse!)

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DIRTY THREE
“Love Changes Everything Part 1″
(Bella Union)

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BLACK DECELERANT
“Two”
(RVNG Intl)

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EIKO ISHIBASHI
“Smoke”
(Drag City)

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EZRA FEINBERG
“Future Sand”
(Tonal Union)

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KAMASI WASHINGTON
“Dream State (feat. André 3000)”
(Young)

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LANDLESS
“The Fisherman’s Wife”
(Glitterbeat)

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JAKE XERXES FUSSELL
“Going To Georgia”
(Fat Possum)

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GROUP LISTENING
“Shopping Building”
(PRAH)

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JOHN GRANT
“The Child Catcher”
(Bella Union)

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LOMA
“How It Starts”
(Sub Pop)

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CARLOS NIÑO & FRIENDS
“Love To All Doulas!”
(International Anthem)

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CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA & SHUN ISHIWAKA
“M4 (feat. Hatis Noit)”
(Gearbox)

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SUSS
“Flight”
(Northern Spy)

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NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS
“Song For Amy”
(UMR/Island)

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“I’m still kicking!”

As she celebrates the 60th anniversary of “Shout” with a new book and tour – and Glastonbury slot – Lulu talks Bowie, The Beatles and R&B

DAVID BOWIE IS ON THE COVER OF THE LATEST UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

Hi Lulu. How are you doing today?

I’m good. So what are we talking about this time? You know me, I could talk forever!

How about we start with current plans?

I’m putting out a book that’s going to be, how can I say it, different. The same goes for my Champagne For Lulu tour in April. You’ll have never seen or heard me like this before. I don’t want to say too much, because I want everything to be a surprise.

The tour coincides with the 60th anniversary of “Shout”. You recorded the song after seeing Alex Harvey, right?

It was totally inspired by him. I’d never heard The Isley Brothers version before I saw Alex sing it in a dingy little club in Glasgow. I was only 13 and went along with the other boys in my band, who were quite a bit older. It was so exciting. The place went wild when Alex started singing it. I think he’d been in Germany around the same time as The Beatles.

Talking of which, The Beatles were big fans of your version…

John and Paul said that Lulu’s “Shout” was their favourite record of the week when they were on Ready Steady Go!. That blew my goddamn mind. But they liked the same music as me. We were into black American music: Motown, R&B, the blues, gospel.

Is that what drew you to the States to record 1970’s New Routes and Melody Fair with Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd?

Yeah. I was working with people like the Dixie Flyers, the Memphis Horns, Duane Allman, Dr John, Cornell Dupree.But I struggled with a lot of it, maybe because we didn’t have enough great songs. My biggest hit was “Oh Me Oh My”, which actually came from Scotland. I don’t think the producers really understood me. When I met David Bowie a few years later, he said, “The record companies don’t get you, Lu. And they don’t get your voice either.” I aspired to be like Big Mama Thornton rather than being called the pop princess of Saturday night TV.

Bowie co-produced, sang and played on your 1974 cover of “The Man Who Sold The World”. Then you recorded more together. Can you explain the connection you had?

I was blown away by his talent. He was challenging, exhilarating, new. And I was astonished that Bowie saw me and heard me. We went to New York and recorded two or three songs. But then I left. He was into so many different things and substances, his life was going into a whole kind of wild trajectory and it made me feel anxious. I don’t believe in regret, but it’s maybe the one thing where I think, ‘Who knows what would’ve happened had I stayed?’

One of those songs was “Can You Hear Me”, which Bowie redid for Young Americans…

He said, “I’ve written this for you.” I’d love to hear [my version] again, but I can’t get hold of any of those tracks now. I think they’ve all disappeared.

Is it true you’re currently working on a collaborative album, similar to 2002’s Together?

I’ve put out feelers and I’ve got a few really great people who’ve said yes. But I’m keeping that a surprise for now, like the contents of the book and tour. I’m working on several things. I’ve been studying acting for seven years and did a film last summer, Arthur’s Whisky, with Diane Keaton. And there’s a documentary that’s in talks. So there’s lots of stuff. I’ve lived longer than I thought I would. And I’m still kicking, I still have ambition. Let’s just say I have big plans!

The Champagne For Lulu tour runs throughout April, see luluofficial.com for dates and ticket info

Worlds of echo

“There are a great many interesting things about Arthur Russell, one of which is that he was rediscovered through his music being made available for the first time, in many cases. So he was similarly simultaneously discovered and rediscovered. There’s very little biographical information in terms of him speaking about himself to the press. Consequently, there’s an element that Arthur can be whoever you want him to be, enhanced by the fact that he was adept at so many different forms of music.

DAVID BOWIE IS ON THE COVER OF THE LATEST UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

“He was a complicated person, of the type who have different versions of themselves. He practised Buddhism, but he was also wildly ambitious. He made avant-garde music, but he also made very warm and accessible music that he hoped would be commercial. I found that going through his archive in great detail just further enhanced the idea that he was an enigma.

“I’ve seen much of his record collection, and he did have things like Tommy James & The Shondells records. And he did like ABBA! But I don’t know how many Beatles or Beach Boys records he had. In the archive, there’s a letter from him aged 16 and he’s writing about John Cage and Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, so he had quite developed tastes for the counterculture. His approach – of not being limited by being a composer or a cellist or a disco producer – obviously hindered him in his lifetime, but it’s actually the approach a lot of people now take. I think one of the reasons for his popularity is that he’s so confident in his ability and he’s unrestricted by the idea of staying in your lane.

“In everything he did, there’s a degree of integrity. In the later period, when he’s making music like ‘Make 1, 2’ or ‘Wild Combination’, they are very catchy, potentially commercial songs. But there’s the same attention to detail that there is in some of his more abstruse compositions. There is a relationship to quality and rigour no matter what sort of musical dialogue he’s engaged in. That is very rare, and is probably one of his defining features.

“Arthur was encouraged by figures like Ginsberg and Philip Glass, but they weren’t facilitators, because I don’t think he’d let people facilitate for him. He was hyper-creative, obviously, but I don’t know how good he was at networking. I don’t think he had the kind of character that could quite get to that point. He only played outside of New York two or three times under his own name, and he could have probably walked to the majority of shows he ever played. So I think it’s very much a nest he built for himself in East 12th Street – a nest bordering on a cocoon.

“At the point he was diagnosed with HIV in 1986, he’d just released World Of Echo and he had a contract with Rough Trade. Whatever frustrations he’d had, he was probably the best place he’d been in terms of the opportunities ahead. So there is a tragedy that he got sick just as he reached a point where he could have gone on to do whatever he wanted.

“The reason Arthur’s music still sounds so fresh today is partly down to his skill in recording. In most cases, you can’t tell the era in which it was made – could have been made yesterday, it just doesn’t sound like anything else. There’s a sense of escape in a lot of his music: the escape of dancing in a club, but also the escape of hearing a very soft voice and a cello, drawing you back to the womb. Not many people sing like him or sound like him. So I do think there is some sort of genius at work.”

Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, A Life is published by Faber on April 18

Andrew Scott’s new Netflix series is getting rave reviews

The new Netflix show, Ripley, aired today, and is already receiving positive reviews from critics.

Starring Fleabag’s Andrew Scott in the titular role, the eight-episode series is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr Ripley.

The story follows Scott’s character as he takes on a job assignment to take a trip to Italy in an attempt to persuade his employer’s son, Dickie Greenleaf (played by Johnny Flynn), to return home from Europe.

As the series progresses, Tom Ripley works his way into the lives of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Dakota Fanning) and the story takes a dark turn.

The novel has been adapted several times before, most famously in 1999 with a feature film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead roles.

Now, the psychological thriller story takes its form in a television series, shot entirely in black and white.

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The Guardian’s five-star review, written by Lucy Mangan, praises the talent of the star-studded cast, saying on Scott: “At the heart of it all, and in virtually every scene, is Scott … There is something for everyone to relate to in him – a dark everyman figure. There is the natural envy of the fortunate … Scott’s Tom is everything and nothing, and mesmeric either way.”

Mangan also described the supporting cast as “uniformly excellent”, adding that “you can’t take your eyes off either of them.”

Meanwhile, Empire’s John Nugent’s four-star review celebrated the cinematography captured in Steven Zaillian’s writing and directing: “Zaillian’s camera establishes and stresses the moody, mysterious tone by finding visual tension in an outwardly beautiful place.”

Nugent also praised Scott’s performance, as well as Zaillian’s adaptation of the story into an eight-part series: “Zaillian makes the most of the long-form format here, luxuriating in the time spent with this psycho, and there is an assuredness to the slow unfolding of it all”.

The series adaptation captures the story’s darker tones, according to Nugent who wrote: “Inevitably, this is a less obviously inviting take on this tale. It is darker, literally and figuratively, and Tom Ripley — so often the scoundrel you love to hate — is less paradoxically likeable here than ever.”

On the other hand, The Independent’s Adam White disapproved of Scott’s casting and performance, writing: “Ripley falters because of its leading man, the typically very good Andrew Scott, who feels all wrong for this. Where Highsmith envisaged Ripley as an eerily calm social climber, who is charming and naive when he’s not beating people around the head with the oar of a boat, Scott plays him as more of an overt ghoul – someone oozing sociopathic menace in the corners of fancy ballrooms.”

Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning at the premiere of Netflix’s ‘Ripley’ on April 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. CREDIT: Getty/Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

White continued: “Dressed in a leather jacket and sporting greased-up hair, he looks more like a lost Mitchell brother than a high society interloper. You never quite get used to it.”

Similarly in Variety’s review, Aramide Tinubu raised issue with the age of the cast: “Since the characters are older than in previous adaptations (both Scott and Flynn are over 40), it’s implausible that the Greenleafs would send a man they don’t know in search of their adult son.”

The review continued: “Ultimately, Ripley fails to offer a new or intriguing perspective on the infamous scammer.”

However, most critic reviews of the series so far have been positive. In a five-star review by the BBC, Caryn James wrote: “Anyone who has seen the glorious, sun-drenched film The Talented Mr Ripley … will be astonished at how this new series transforms the same story into something completely different but just as masterful.”

“Writer and director Steven Zaillian makes his smart script compulsively watchable. Ripley plays as if it were a Hitchcock series Hitchcock never made,” James added.

Ripley is available to stream now on Netflix.

Julia Holter Something In The Room She Moves

Pop music used to be the preserve of the autodidacts, the high-school dropouts who taught themselves a few chords on the guitar and worked things out instinctively. The odd classically trained figure would sometimes crop up here and there – a Mick Ronson scribbling string arrangements on the back of a cigarette packet, a Donald Fagen writing out complex extended chords for his session musicians to improvise over, a Sean Moore from the Manic Street Preachers playing the occasional trumpet flourish over a punk track – but, by and large, pop and rock musicians would eschew formal learning and play by ear.

PINK FLOYD ARE ON THE COVER OF THE NEW UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

But something odd seemed to happen around the millennium, when an entire sub-genre of classically trained art-rock figures started to emerge across the US and Canada, including the likes of Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens, St Vincent, Owen Pallett, Janelle Monae, Caroline Polachek, Mary Lattimore, Oneohtrix Point Never, Andrew Bird and members of Vampire Weekend, Antony And The Johnsons, Dirty Projectors, The National, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Deerhoof, Battles, Midlake and many more. Where the art school had been the breeding ground for so much British rock music of the 20th century, the 21st saw the music conservatoire producing a peculiar brand of North American pop oddballs.

In many ways, you could see Julia Holter as the apotheosis of this trend. She studied classical piano and composition at the University of Michigan and CalArts, and still teaches at music schools and summer camps. She also makes ultra-literate, conceptual records that are confidently and knowingly recherché. Holter hates seeing music described as cerebral, but she certainly doesn’t seem to wear her highbrow references lightly – there have been albums inspired by Euripides’ Hippolytus and Colette’s Gigi; songs about the medieval romance between Heloise and Abelard; music based on field recordings from antique furniture stores and the temple songs of Buddhist monks; references to the poetry of Sappho and Frank O’Hara; songs inspired by the films of Alain Resnais and Andrei Tarkovsky. She has written a live soundtrack to a 1926 silent film about Joan of Arc with an opera chorus, and used John Cage’s methodology to create music from a 1920s church-club cookbook. She creates dark piano ruminations, upholstered with lavish string arrangements, with nods to everyone from Ligeti to Alice Coltrane. This is a long way from a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.

Some musicians, from Status Quo to The Fall, Philip Glass to Tinariwen, largely just do one thing really well: they define their own peculiar genre, and do it over and over again. Julia Holter is not that kind of artist. There’s an eternal restlessness about her music, one that flits between different genres, different idioms, wildly varied and wilfully eccentric lineups. Her last album, 2018’s Aviary, was an epic trawl that took us through medieval plainsong, 17^th-century madrigals, early classical music, field recordings and snatches of minimalism and free jazz. Such is Holter’s sense of musical confidence, and her control over these elements, that these references never sounded forced, they’re simply elements of her sonic arsenal.

Something In The Room She Moves – started under lockdown, and written and recorded either side of the birth of her daughter in 2020 – is even more varied than Aviary, but it seems to filter out some of Aviary’s transitional elements and instead take us on a voyage that alights on 10 very different and intense soundworlds. It is both poppier – in that there are some immediately appealing grooves – and more self-consciously experimental – in that there are arcane moments of sonic exploration – than anything Holter has ever done.

The poppier moments include “Spinning”, an insistent waltz, set to a thumping glam beat, with lyrics that turn Holter’s abstract poetry into the thrilling nonsense of early rock’n’roll. “What is delicious and what is omniscient/And what is the circular magic I’m visiting,” she coos, over a tangle of woodwind improvisation, fiddly fretless bass and strident synths. “Sun Girl” is wonderfully wobbly and disjointed – Holter conjures up an arresting, summery image by singing wistfully about a sun-obsessed girl who “dreams in golden yellow”, while bassist Dev Hoff sounds like Japan’s Mick Karn jamming with a West African drum troupe, while flautist Maia freaks out like Eric Dolphy over the top.

The title track is a terrific, slow-burning, Kate Bush-style ballad, where Holter recites seemingly abstract lyrics (“if there’s anything I know, I can intuit stucco”), over a warm sonic bath of electric piano, fretless bass, soaring flute and massed synths. “These Morning” is another dreamy, largely drumless ballad set to a complex tangle of Wurlitzer electric piano chords, which gets even better when it slows to an agonising pace as Holter repeats “just lie to me”.

But there are places where Holter is also at her most uncompromisingly experimental. “Meyou” is an a cappella piece where a choir sings a series of simple four-note plainsong-style riffs that alter very slightly each time, the singers constantly twisting the melody a little and employing an ever-widening palette of extended effects, howls and shrieks as the song progresses. “Ocean” is another wordless, self-consciously avant-garde piece, a slice of BBC Radiophonic Workshop-style experimentation where Chris Speed’s clarinet sounds like a swanee whistle slowly soaring over a patchwork of analogue synth drones. The hymn-like “Materia” sets Holter’s cut-glass voice over electric piano: “This version of love I can dwell on in the musing,” she sings, cryptically.

More often than not, the poppy and the experimental co-exist. “Who Brings Me” seems to fuse the Radiophonic-style abstraction – played live on flutes, bowed bass and Fender Rhodes – with a limpid poem of death. “Evening Mood” starts with a gorgeous kaleidoscope of synth voicings and wobbly electronic drones, before settling on a gentle ballad, romantic and unsettling, like Joni Mitchell backed by an ECM band. A woozy recollection of midsummer romance is interrupted by the refrain “daylight hits me” and a wonderfully wayward clarinet solo. Best of all might be “Talking To The Whisper”, a slow-burning seven-minute epic with a maddeningly off-kilter drum loop, a constant Hammond organ drone and a repeated double bass figure. “Love can be shattering,” Holter sings, before the song itself shatters into a Sun Ra-style freak out.

Experimental albums like this can sometimes be more laudable than enjoyable: easier to admire than to love. But there is something about Holter’s approach – her use of dynamics, her muted accompaniment, her sonic balance – that draws the listener in and keeps them beguiled. For a very Californian album, it draws comparisons with two peculiarly English releases – Kate Bush’s The Dreaming and Robert Wyatt’s Rock Bottom – like them, there is something about this music that is warming, aqueous, immersive and endlessly engaging.

Introducing…The 172-page Definitive Edition Ultimate Music Guide to The Smiths

Strange to think about it in these terms now that Johnny Marr is a solo artist and Morrissey is doing his best to please only himself; after the lawsuits and the contractual revelations. Still: the driving principle and greatest strength of The Smiths was always unity – the unique quality they had as a band.

Forty years on from the release of their debut album, it’s that which we celebrate with our the 172-page Definitive Edition of our Ultimate Music Guide to The Smiths. As Mike Joyce writes in his introduction to the magazine, the band had a quality which remained mysterious even to those closest to it.

“The music we were playing was so different, and it stayed like that throughout the Smiths’ career,” Mike says. “It wasn’t punk or reggae or vaudeville, or something with big anthemic tunes but at the same time it was all of that. The band was never about the four individuals. You could say the same about the Beatles or the Stones: how did it work? Why did it work? It just happened that way, as a unit. What we were creating was so magical and diverse it drew us all in.”

As you’ll read in the magazine or in the limited edition hardback with an exclusive cover that you can also get from us, this chemistry wasn’t short-lived. Collected here are incisive and in-depth reviews of all the band’s albums, and a selection of the best interviews from the archives. Not only that, we follow the band’s chief instigators into their solo careers, to find Johnny Marr an occasionally mystical maker of stirring electro-rock and Morrissey satiating his constituency with an increasingly robust view of current events. In the new eight-page foldout miscellany timeline, meanwhile, you’ll find stats, maps, and insightful miscellany.

The past year has seen the passing of Andy Rourke, and it’s testimony to him and abiding ties of what The Smiths created together that Johnny Marr and Morrissey have both been of one mind in expressing their sadness and gratitude for his life. Marr knew Rourke as a close friend. Morrissey, as an admiring bandmate: “nothing that he played had been played by someone else,” he wrote.

It’s the same unique quality that Mike Joyce praises in the band’s music as a whole in his introduction to the magazine. “What we did is bigger than us as individuals,” he says. “We changed the perception of what indie bands were supposed to be.”

Enjoy the magazine. You can get yours here.

Oren Ambarchi: album by album

Oren Ambarchi’s future path was defined by a serendipitous mix-up in his grandfather’s Sydney junkshop. Taking home what he thought was a copy of Iron Maiden’s Number Of The Beast, the record inside turned out to be Miles Davis’s even more nefarious Live-Evil. “I was really confused,” recalls Ambarchi. “The music was just bizarre. To my ears it sounded completely chaotic and didn’t make any sense. But I stuck with it, and became really obsessed with [Davis’s] music from that point onwards. It opened the door to a lot of things.” Not only did his grandad’s shop inculcate an early love of freaky sounds, it provided the tools for Ambarchi’s first sonic investigations: “I was bringing home effect pedals and reel-to-reel machines, so I started fooling around with that stuff at home.” He spent his teenage years drumming in free-jazz and noise-rock bands, but was always intrigued by the possibilities of pure sound. When a bandmate abandoned an old guitar in their rehearsal studio, he couldn’t resist picking it up, incorporating its buzzes and clangs into his vivid sound collages. “I always loved guitar, I always loved rock music, but I think I came at it from a different route.”

And so began a remarkably prolific and unconventional recording career, making abstract electronica with guitars or propulsive kraut-jazz freakouts with a “virtual band” that has at times included everyone from Arto Lindsay to BJ Cole. “I love making records,” he enthuses. “It can be tormenting, but it’s really addictive when it works. Just pushing myself to do something different each time really fires me up.”

PINK FLOYD ARE ON THE COVER OF THE NEW UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

OREN AMBARCHI

INSULATION

TOUCH, 1999

For his international debut, Ambarchi challenges himself to emulate glitchy European electronica using just a guitar

I’d been in a lot of noise-rock bands – I’d already been to Japan twice and worked with people like Masonna and members of The Boredoms. Then around ’98, I started listening to a lot of the electronic music that was happening in Europe at the time. The Mego label was absolutely huge for me, and also groups like Pan Sonic. I found myself with an old electric guitar, this instrument that was not associated with those worlds at all. But I was really determined to explore those inspirations – and also the older electronic music I was discovering, like musique concrète – and just see what I could do with the guitar. I was quite extreme in the sense that I was not going to use anything else; I was going to limit it to just these primitive effects pedals and see how far I could push it. Most of that record was recorded to cassette, I was just fooling around at home. I loved the Touch label at the time – I sent a demo to them and they got back to me. I couldn’t believe it. I think they wrote: “We really hate the guitar, but we really like this.”

OREN AMBARCHI

GRAPES FROM THE ESTATE

TOUCH, 2004

A hazy, hypnotic pleasure, employing warm organic textures for the first time

Around the time of [2001’s] Suspension, I found something that was a bit more personal. I remember consciously being like, ‘Wow, I’m letting melody into these abstract guitar pieces.’ I felt a little uncomfortable about that, but it just felt real. So I slowly started tapping into that more, because I grew up listening to a lot of pop music, and I love melody too. I’m not religious about being experimental or anything. There was a studio in Sydney called Big Jesus Burger, run by a very close friend of mine. He had a whole bunch of stuff in his studio that I could play, it was really fun. I thought, ‘Wait a second – why am I being so hardcore, just playing the guitar?’ It was liberating to have other colours going on. He had tuned bells in the studio, and I loved using that. I bought an acoustic guitar for “Remedios The Beauty”, because I didn’t have one. I think the only time I ever used it was to make that track. It sounds like a very relaxed record, but in those days I didn’t have a lot of money to go into the studio, so it was done really quickly and quite stressfully.

OREN AMBARCHI & JIM O’ROURKE

INDEED

EDITIONS MEGO, 2011

The first of three great records created as a duo with O’Rourke

I met Jim in New York in the ’90s. I had a Merzbow T-shirt on from his old label, Dexter’s Cigar. I was walking down the street and someone across the road yelled, “We only sold two of those, you know!” – and it was him. And then we just kept bumping into each other and clicking about stuff. We’re the same age and we love a lot of the same things. The Indeed thing was weird because I was in Japan doing a gig with Mika Vainio and Thomas Brinkmann. Jim wrote to me and said, “Oh, you should come to my house in Tokyo to record.” The night before, I was singing karaoke ’til about four in the morning and I’d drunk way, way too much. I remember emailing Jim: “I’m not in a good way, maybe we shouldn’t do this.” And he was like, “I’ve got coffee, just come over.”

He had a crazy modular synth set-up, and they’re all flickering. Pro Tools was ready to record, and then he hands me Kim Gordon’s guitar! I’m left-handed, it was right-handed, and I’m feeling horrible. I was like, ‘What is going on here?!’ I felt really self-conscious, so I said, “Can you make me sound like David Behrman on Leapday Night?” He jumped up and started patching all these cables into the modular in 30 seconds, it was insane. I remember as I was playing, he was pumping his fist in the air really excitedly. I recorded about 25 minutes’ worth of stuff. And then we literally made the album over the next hour or two in a frenzy of overdubs. He grabbed a banjo, there was marimba, a woodblock – it was just really fun and quick and it made sense.

OREN AMBARCHI

AUDIENCE OF ONE

TOUCH, 2012

Ambarchi expands his horizons in all directions: from ‘proper songs’ to 30-minute kraut-jazz jams to… Kiss covers!

I’d made so many records where it all began with me playing the guitar, and I started to lose inspiration. The big centrepiece of this record is called “Knots”, which came from when I was jogging and listening to a Terje Rypdal record that he made with Miroslav Vitouš and Jack DeJohnette. The drums were jazzy, but very propulsive – almost krautrock. As I was jogging, I thought, ‘I’m going to ask Joe Talia to play in that style for as long as he can, as intensely as he can, and build it over 30 minutes if possible.’ And he did, and then he sent it to me, and I reacted to it on the guitar at home. It was a really liberating thing to have me reacting to someone else’s playing for the first time, and then shaping it into a composition. And then the last piece is a cover of a track [“Fractured Mirror”] by Ace Frehley from Kiss. The Ace Frehley solo album was really big for me when I was eight or nine, and I still love it. In my head, I thought it could sound like an American minimalist piece. An installation artist asked me to do this thing where a guitar was tied to a rope in a huge aircraft hangar building. They wanted me to basically destroy this guitar by violently smashing it against a wall. I tuned all the strings to the same note and it sounded incredible. So the clangy guitar stuff on that Ace Frehley cover comes from me smashing a guitar against the wall.

OREN AMBARCHI

SAGITTARIAN DOMAIN

EDITIONS MEGO, 2012

Oren rocks out over an extended motorik groove, partly inspired by “Purple Rain”

A different installation artist wanted me to make sound for some films, and there was a budget that allowed me to go into probably the best studio in Melbourne for a day. It’s always a luxury for me to work in a studio, I feel like a kid in a candy store. He was very vague about what he wanted, so I went, “OK, well, I’m gonna go into this amazing studio and try to make an album in a day.” I had this recurring backbeat in my head, so I just played drums for about half an hour, and then built it from there. I didn’t even know if it would turn into a record – I was just having fun in the studio.

I remember falling asleep on a long-haul flight from Australia while listening to Prince’s “Purple Rain”. At the very end of it, there’s these strings that come in. It’s so beautiful, but it’s so short. I thought, ‘Imagine doing this extended “Purple Rain” string thing, like Prince meets Gavin Bryars or something.’ It’s also totally inspired by my adolescent Mahavishnu Orchestra fixation.

KEIJO HAINO/JIM O’ROURKE/OREN AMBARCHI

Only Wanting To Melt Beautifully Away Is It A Lack Of Contentment That Stirs Affection Or Those Things Said To Be As Of Yet Unseen

BLACK TRUFFLE/MEDAMA, 2014

The best of many live recordings Ambarchi and O’Rourke have made with legendary Japanese maverick Keijo Haino

The fun thing with that trio is, you never know what Haino is going to show up to the gig with. He has a crazy instrument collection and he grabs something different every time. Haino is always tripping you up – he’s always doing something to change what’s going on, or make things uncomfortable for himself and for us, which pushes you into another area. At that show, I remember thinking, ‘This is so beautiful’: the harp, the 12-string guitar, this very kind of folky otherworldly thing. I just had brushes, I was playing very quietly, and then Haino went over to his electronics and completely obliterated it. I remember feeling really pissed off, so I thought to myself, ‘I’m just gonna keep doing what I’m doing.’ It was kind of absurd, because there’s a guy playing with brushes while this madman is making torrential noise. Jim was still playing the acoustic guitar as well, so I was sure no-one could hear anything. But later I was able to mix the multitrack so I could hear what we were all doing, and it was incredible. It’s inspiring to play with someone who’s constantly creating something unpredictable.

OREN AMBARCHI

HUBRIS

EDITIONS MEGO, 2016

Two relentless rhythmic cavalcades – separated by a serene guitar interlude – with a who’s who of leftfield luminaries adding layer upon layer of freaky noise

I was determined not to make a complicated record, because I just made Quixotism [2014]. There’s a lot of people on that and it was really hard to make, and I was really burnt out. I thought, ‘OK, the next one is going to be really basic.’ And of course it ended up having, like, 98 guitar tracks. But in a way it’s very straightforward. I was listening to a lot of Italo-disco, and there’s a really great track by Tullio De Piscopo called “Stop Bajon”. There’s an instrumental version of it on the 12-inch with two guitars that are panned left and right doing this repetitive, out-of-sync, rhythmic thing, and I loved that. So Hubris was about honing in on these small details, but expanding upon it with various things. It was a reflection of my lifestyle where I didn’t really have a normal home situation, travelling from gig to gig. That record started because I was playing a show in London, and Mark Fell was in Rotherham. I said, “I’ve got this idea for a new record – maybe I could come over and do some stuff?” Then my next stop was Berlin to work with Konrad Sprenger, and it built from there. I think the last person I worked with was Jim, when I was in Tokyo. So the album slowly expanded during my tour – that’s why there’s so many different people from all over the world on that record.

I played with Arto Lindsay when I was 23, with John Zorn in New York, but I didn’t think he’d even remember who I was. I heard this Arto Lindsay guitar thing on “Hubris Part 3”, so I started to do it myself at home. And then I was like, ‘Why am I imitating it? Maybe he would do it?’ So I got in touch with him, and a day or two later I had 30 minutes of Arto Lindsey playing over this piece. Amazing! It kind of sounds like a band, but it’s actually me making a virtual band.

OREN AMBARCHI/JOHAN BERTHLING/ANDREAS WERLIIN

GHOSTED

DRAG CITY, 2022

Ambarchi plays live guitar and various effects in this groovy avant-jazz trio

That was the three of us in a room together, the absolute opposite of a lot of my solo records. I’d worked with Andreas and Johan in Fire! – we made a record and we toured, it was a lot of fun. So they said, “Why don’t we record for a day in Stockholm when you’re around?” It was really relaxed, just three people in a room playing together. I don’t think we even spoke about what we were going to do at all. But I’ve always loved jazz and I grew up listening to a lot of ECM records, and those guys as well. And maybe that side of us came out a little bit. It might have been because we’d worked in Fire!, which was much more aggressive, that we went the other way. I think because there were no preconceptions, it was kind of fresh – it wasn’t this thing where we were going back to what we always do. I’m a little nervous, ’cause we’re recording again in a week. I don’t want to do the same thing again, but there’s something nice about what we do together as well. I’m probably overthinking it!

OREN AMBARCHI

SHEBANG

DRAG CITY, 2022

Intricate yet playful four-part opus, with starring roles for Julia Reidy’s 12-string guitar and BJ Cole’s pedal steel

This record was inspired by me seeing Julia Reidy play for the first time in Melbourne about five or six years ago. She was playing 12-string guitar solo and she blew my mind. In my head, I could hear Joe Talia playing a ride cymbal over what she was doing. So I contacted her and said, “Hey, would you be up for recording some stuff? Can you play at this tempo in this tuning for this long?” And I made all this music related to what Julia was doing.

Again, that record was done in a way where none of us were in the same room – a lot of the time I wasn’t even in the room with the musician, because it was during a lockdown. So I would send people stuff, but I would never send the same thing to more than one person. I didn’t want people to hear the big picture. I had this really long timeline with all these different people reacting to different events. I knew that they would all relate to one another but not in a clichéd, conversational way.

Records to me are like a puzzle, and you’re putting the pieces together. There was a period of about two weeks where I was a mess, I couldn’t even speak to people and focus on the conversation because I was so preoccupied with the stupid thing that I was trying to solve. Eventually I was in the shower and I had this idea. I ran to Konrad Sprenger’s studio and said, “Can you just try this? Move this over here and move that over there?” And that was it.

Aziza Brahim Mawja

Aziza Brahim’s homeland of Western Sahara is listed by the UN as the last remaining colony in Africa. Under Spanish control until 1976, the territory was then annexed by Morocco and has been under occupation ever since. Denied self-determination, many of its people, the Sahrawi, were forced into exile in refugee camps in the Algerian desert. Those camps are where Brahim was born, her mother having fled the family’s ancestral home following Morocco’s military invasion.

TALKING HEADS ARE ON THE COVER OF THE NEW UNCUT – HAVE A COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME

Growing up, Brahim recalls singing as the principal form of entertainment, and she was soon setting to music the verse of her grandmother, Lkhadra Mint Mabruk, a celebrated Sahrawi writer, revolutionary and feminist hero known as “the poet of the rifle”.

In her teens Brahim was educated in Cuba before returning to the desert in 1995, where she joined the National Sahrawi Music Group. She then chose Spain as a suitable base from which to raise the plight of her oppressed people via her music.

After releasing her debut album in 2012 – which included settings of her grandmother’s poems – she was signed by Glitterbeat, for whom she has recorded a series of proudly defiant albums full of moving songs yearning for her homeland and espousing the cause of freedom.

A fearless moderniser who at the same time sounds somehow ancient, her work to date has found acclaim in world music circles without making the transition from a WOMAD audience to the mainstream in the way that, say, Tinariwen have done. Deeply rooted and yet sonically adventurous, Mawja should, if there is any justice, change that.

‘Mawja’ means ‘wave’ in the Hassaniya dialect of Arabic, a reference to the radio signal which growing up in the refugee camp kept her in touch with the outside world and the electronic “waves” that now carry her music and the story of her people to a wider audience.

Since her last album, 2019’s Sahari, much has happened to turn Brahim’s universe upside down and the travails have fed into Mawja to create her most accomplished and rounded work to date. With her mother, brothers and sisters and one of her daughters still living in the barren region of the Algerian desert known as The Devil’s Garden, she suffered a crisis of anxiety, characteristic of many exiles separated from their loved ones, which was exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. Then in November 2020 the uneasy 30-year ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, the armed wing of the Sahrawi liberation movement, broke down and fighting resumed.

In 2022 came the death of the grandmother whose revolutionary poetry Brahim had sung so stirringly and who had taught her to be “proud and tenacious” in the face of adversity. Out of anguish, though, came inspiration, and the spirit of the great matriarch permeates the album from “Duaa”, a blues-drenched prayer in her honour, to the tender tribute “Ljaima Likbira”.

Brahim’s default musical currency is a resonant African desert blues freighted with a mournful yet defiant passion, but with a distinctly feminist perspective that is as different from Ali Farka Toure or Tinariwen as, say, Bessie Smith was from John Lee Hooker or Robert Johnson.

It’s a potent and compelling sound, inextricably linked to the resistance struggle but with an inherent dignity and elegance – not merely a cry of protest at oppression but a celebration of a proud culture, too. Her country may have no official status but it “exists without restrictions in our words, in our memory and in our voices.”

Playing the traditional Sahrawi hand drum known as the tabal and accompanied by Western rock instrumentation, her soulful voice has a delectably creamy tone capable of subtly different emotional shading. With its flute and chiming guitar there’s a folkish vibe to “Marhabna 2.1” (‘Welcome’), a syncopated reimagining of the opening track on her 2012 album. There’s more of a defiant edge to “Haiyu Ya Zawar” (‘Cheer, Oh Revolutionaries’), a song of resistance and struggle with some thrilling flamenco-style guitar played on a Cuban tres, while the raw, fiery blues-rock of “Metal Madera” was inspired by Brahim’s admiration for The Clash.

Amid the militant rallying cries there’s a healthy dose of myth and magic, too, particularly on the gently swaying “Bubisher” about a legendary bird, the appearance of which in Sahrawi folklore is meant to be a portent that better times are on the way. The Sahrawi, it seems, desperately need another sighting. Meanwhile, Mawja is an eloquent homage to the indomitable spirit and rich culture of Brahim’s troubled but proud people.

When Pirates Ruled The Waves

A misty November morning in 1964. Radio Caroline’s 21-year-old breakfast DJ Tony Blackburn awoke early in his cabin and wandered up on deck. The sight that greeted him was like a scene from Powell & Pressburger’s The Battle Of The River Plate. The thick sea mist slowly cleared, revealing a huge ship – twice the size of Caroline’s – anchored a fair distance away. Three-and-a-half miles off the coast of Essex, Caroline suddenly had company.

TALKING HEADS ARE ON THE COVER OF THE NEW UNCUT – HAVE A COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME

The new arrival was the MV Galaxy, a 780-ton former WWII minesweeper. Now it was to be the home of Radio London (‘Big L’), an American-financed station that would give Caroline – the original UK pirate, launched seven months before – a serious run for its money. Radio London would play an all-day diet of the best ’60s pop (Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks) as well as helping to ‘break’ many important bands of that decade, notably The Byrds, The Animals, The Small Faces, The Move and Cream. The Perfumed Garden, a show hosted by John Peel from March to August 1967, would earn a dedicated late-night listenership for its unique mix of psychedelia, folk, West Coast rock, blues and poetry. Wherever you looked on the Galaxy, the future was happening.

“The ship that transformed everything was Big L,” agrees Tony Blackburn, who joined it in 1966. “Everybody remembers Caroline as the famous one, but Big L was modern radio as we know it.”

As it began broadcasting for the first time (December, 23 1964), Radio London had two advantages over its rival Caroline. Firstly, it boasted the slickest American-made jingles that UK audiences had ever heard; and secondly, it had Kenny Everett, a 20-year-old newcomer who would become a pirate radio sensation. Everett’s daily double-header with Dave Cash (the surreal, knees-obsessed Kenny & Cash Show) began in April 1965, soon topping the ratings. Other Big L jocks included Ed “Stewpot” Stewart, Tommy Vance and Keith Skues.

“It was a very professional station, very much based on American Top 40 radio,” recalls Skues, nowadays a veteran of BBC regional broadcasting. “The boat was much larger than Caroline, so you could go out and sunbathe on deck, which we did, until someone told us we were going to die of radiation from the aerial. We were also warned we’d lose our hair by the age of 26.”

The ’60s pirate radio phenomenon was founded on a simple loophole and a cunning understanding of maritime law. If a ship was moored three or more miles off the British coastline, it was technically sailing in international waters. A commercial radio station broadcasting from that ship – without a licence, on a stolen (‘pirated’) frequency, and with no intention of paying taxes on its profits – was legally untouchable. The Government, police, Navy, Customs & Excise and Coastguard had no jurisdiction.

“We had left the British Isles,” points out Blackburn. “Officially we were on the way to Holland. We just never got there.”

One can almost hear Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” as we visualise the scene. A flamboyantly-garbed DJ bobs up and down on the ocean wave, braving a force nine gale, fighting off an attack of seasickness and defying Harold Wilson’s Government all in the same moment. At the height of Big L’s popularity, that DJ broadcasted to around 12 million listeners a week, who showed their appreciation by sending fanmail by the sack. The pirates – heroes, outlaws, celebrities, pariahs – were an habitual topic du jour in Parliament, not to mention a source of immense discomfort to the BBC. But what would it take to stop them?

In the end, it would be a shotgun.

Mid-1965. In less than a year, Caroline and Radio London have revolutionised British radio. By giving airplay to new groups – Big L even puts them in its Fab 40 – the pirates have curbed the dominance of major labels EMI and Decca, and made the BBC (which rations its pop output to a few hours a week) look like a dinosaur. Keith Skues: “Pirates started appearing all over the place. They changed the whole face of ’60s music.”

“Suddenly the cartel was broken,” remarks ex-pirate Johnnie Walker, who began on Swinging Radio England in 1966, “and a lot of music – like Motown – was played for the first time.” The BBC may have denounced the more excitable pirate DJs as “bingo callers”, but the BBC, as Gary Leeds of The Walker Brothers explains, was the main reason why the pirates had to exist. “There was a Catch-22 situation,” he says. “The BBC had to play your record to get you in the charts. But if you weren’t in the charts, the BBC wouldn’t play your record.”

As a pirate, Tony Blackburn had enjoyed adventures that no land-based BBC presenter like Alan Freeman could match. One day Blackburn shinned to the top of the mast of Caroline’s vessel Mi Amigo, after a severe gale entangled the wires on the aerial. On another occasion he was hauled to safety when the Mi Amigo ran aground on the Essex coast. Pirates frequently had to broadcast in atrocious weather while the shipped rolled giddily. “In the summer, it was much nicer,” notes Keith Skues. “Little pleasure-boats used to come out from Frinton and people would throw presents to us.”

Radio London’s DJs shared the Galaxy with a crew of Dutch seamen, including a captain. The captain’s rules – no drunkenness, no girls, no insubordination – were not negotiable. Each DJ was permitted two bottles of beer a day, no more. Food and cigarettes were provided free.

They settled into a three-week cycle. Two weeks at sea; a week of shore leave. To return to the boat, they caught trains from London to Harwich, showed their passport at Customs and took the two-hour journey out to the Galaxy in a tender boat. The tender also ferried provisions (milk, water), occasional pop stars such as Marianne Faithfull, and the all-important new record releases.

The Walker Brothers were particularly grateful to Radio London for its support, even recording special jingles for Kenny Everett and Dave Cash. “Can you imagine?” Cash laughs. “‘Kenny and Cash on Lon-do-n…’ With Scott Walker’s amazing voice, and that echo.” Gary Leeds: “We know the image that Scott projects now, right? But it was totally different back then. We were young and foolish. Sometimes we’d have our picture taken up at Marble Arch, and Dave and Kenny would be around the back making rude noises.”

Kenny Everett, a timid Liverpudlian who became electrifying behind the microphone, was envied for his genius as a tape editor, and for his assortment of Goon Show-inspired voices and characters. Everett also proved vital in establishing Big L’s friendly relationship with The Beatles, travelling with them on their 1966 US tour – he later recalled fainting with excitement when he heard that he’d been invited – and remaining on good terms socially. This culminated in Radio London’s greatest coup of 1967: a world exclusive pre-release of Sgt. Pepper, which they played in its entirety again and again.

For the most part, the Big L Top 40 format was strictly adhered to. The DJ would play a song from the Top 10, then one from numbers 10 to 40, followed by a ‘climber’, then another Top 10, then another 10-to-40, then an oldie. The sequence would be repeated. But some areas of Big L’s schedule proved more difficult – if not impossible – to control, and the anarchic Everett became the first Radio London DJ to be sacked in disgrace.

Skues: “We had a religious programme called The World Tomorrow. None of us liked it, but the company that produced it paid Radio London a huge amount of money. We were constantly told, ‘This is where the income comes from, so don’t knock it.’”

Hosted by an American evangelist, Garner Ted Armstrong, The World Tomorrow was pre-recorded and sent out to the ship on tape. Everett, sick of having his daily show interrupted by Jesus Christ, decided to edit one of the tapes. Dave Cash: “We cut it apart, so that instead of saying ‘Garner Ted Armstrong loves you all’, it said ‘Garner Ted Armstrong loves vice, sex and corruption.’ Oh dear. And he happened to be in the country at the time.”

Even at their most innocent, however, the pirates were a scourge to Tony Benn, the Government’s Postmaster General (in charge of telecommunications and broadcasting), who promised legislation to ban them. He called the pirates a hazard to shipping (which they denied) and condemned them for stealing their frequencies (which they accepted, while adding that there were plenty to go round). In 40 years, Benn has never wavered from his position. He says today: “It had nothing to do with the music they were playing. That was never the issue. In fact, I bullied the BBC into starting Radio 1 to cater for the pop music audience – which they didn’t want to do. They said it would be like keeping the pubs open all day.”

In June 1966, with the pirates’ audiences still rising, and no sign of an end to the media coverage (both pro- and anti-), a pop group manager named Reg Calvert, who owned a pirate station called Radio City, paid a visit to the Saffron Walden home of a Radio Caroline director, Major Oliver Smedley. The two men had planned a joint venture, but had abandoned the idea after an argument. Later that day, it was reported that Smedley had shot Calvert dead.

From that day forward, the pirate ships knew they were on borrowed time. “Without a shadow of a doubt, the Radio City incident stirred the Government to try and speed up legislation,” Keith Skues writes in his authoritative history of offshore radio, Pop Went The Pirates. In the extraordinary series of events that followed Calvert’s death, his widow was given police protection, Major Smedley was acquitted at his trial on grounds of self-defence (and awarded 250 guineas costs), and the Marine Broadcasting Offences Bill was introduced to Parliament in July 1966.

Johnnie Walker is not the only ex-pirate to feel uncomfortable. “It was very suspicious, that whole thing,” he says. “The Bill was announced almost immediately. I think there can be question marks over that episode.” Dave Cash: “There was a hell of a lot of political manoeuvring.” One source suggests that Smedley, who died in 1989, may have had influential political friends.

The Marine Broadcasting Offences Bill passed through the House Of Lords in June 1967, receiving Royal Assent on July 14. Under the new Act, it would become illegal at midnight on August 14 for a British subject to operate, assist or publicise a pirate radio station. Most of the stations prepared to close. Radio London considered – then decided against – forging ahead with a new team of non-British DJs. It broadcast for the last time on August 14, shutting down at 3pm. Keith Skues, on shore leave at the time, met the Big L presenters off the train at Liverpool Street. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “Thousands of people had turned up. It was like a stampede. I got knocked over and dragged down, and ended up in the ladies’ loo. They weren’t attacking us, they were there to greet the DJs off the ships. No DJ who was on that train will ever forget it.”

One pirate station defiantly carried on: the station that had started it all. As the clock ticked towards midnight, Johnnie Walker on Radio Caroline cued up The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” and told his listeners: “We belong to you, and we love you. Caroline continues.” Walker knew it was a huge moment. In a year when two of The Rolling Stones had been sent to jail, it seemed realistic to imagine Caroline being surrounded by police launches within hours of defying the midnight deadline. Walker and his fellow Caroline DJs, facing instant arrest if they set foot in Britain, now based themselves in Holland. But the station’s advertisers had pulled out, and the tender boat stopped its daily deliveries, and the fanmail no longer arrived. Radio Caroline, as it had been in 1964, was out there on its own.

Of the pirate DJs who returned to dry land, many accepted jobs at the BBC’s new pop station, Radio 1. After three years of being the enemy, the Corporation was now the employer. Tony Blackburn opened up Radio 1 on September 30, 1967, Keith Skues following him on to the air. Dave Cash, Kenny Everett and Ed Stewart decamped to Broadcasting House too, as did Radio London’s late-night DJ John Peel, who’d joined the station in its final months. After some initial doubts (Skues: “I thought, ‘What a weird bloke’”), the other presenters had warmed to Peel’s intelligence and gentle personality. “He was good for the station,” Dave Cash admits. “He attracted a whole different set of advertisers, and he had music integrity all round.” Peel would go on to become Radio 1’s longest-serving presenter (1967–2004).

Johnnie Walker’s stint on Radio Caroline ended in March 1968. Having flouted the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act for seven months, he found doors slamming in his face when he returned to London to seek work. One memo from BBC bosses to Radio 1 producers read: “On no account employ Johnnie Walker for at least a year, to let the taint of criminality subside.” Walker went on to become one of Radio 1’s star presenters of the 1970s. He now broadcasts on Radio 2, and in February 2009 began a new Saturday night programme. With wonderful irony, it celebrates the golden days of ’60s pirate radio stations, among them Radio Caroline.

Ed Harcourt shares haunting new single ‘Deathless’

Ed Harcourt has shared his latest single ‘Deathless’, a haunting track from his forthcoming LP ‘El Magnifico’.

‘Deathless’ is the second single to be released from the forthcoming LP, following ‘Strange Beauty‘. “I’ve been dying to live for something / It’s better than dying for nothing / I want to be deathless / want to be deathless” he sings over a haunting and pounding beat.

Directed by Steve Gullick, the song’s accompanying black-and-white video features Harcourt standing still and singing in the middle of the desert under trees and next to cacti and agave plants.

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Speaking of the song in a press release, Harcourt said: “Written in a mad fever dream one night, this is a darker and heavier track from the record; basically it’s my attempt to write ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ but if it was trying to punch it’s way out of a metal box.”

He continued: “Absolutely blessed to have a brilliantly woozy string arrangement from Fiona Brice (John Grant / Placebo). My erstwhile co-navigator, Dave Izumi Lynch, really stepped up to the plate here and delivered a storming final mix; manipulating tape machines, dropping subharmonic sonic A-Bombs and flipping the song on it’s back and tickling it until it screamed for sweet mercy. Listen to it loudly until the neighbours call the cops.”

The UK singer-songwriter will release his 16th album, ‘El Magnifico’ on March 29, 2024 via his own imprint, Deathless Recordings. It’s available to pre-order or pre-save here.

“I think as a songwriter you do get to a point where you’re aware of your past and what you’ve done,” Harcourt said of ‘El Magnifico”s fresh direction. “It’s knowing what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, but also knowing how to better yourself by doing things you haven’t done before.”

“I find that I’m always learning,” he added. “When I’m writing with someone else it’s always a total blank canvas so you have to be open to trying new things. It means with every record I do myself it’s got to have something different in it. Every album is always a reaction to the last thing I did. After the ‘Furnaces’, which was quite heavy and experimental, I felt it was time I went back to the source a bit. So maybe there is a sense here of drawing on what people perhaps know me for, but there is also a big step forward.”

Harcourt concluded: “One of the important things with the record for me is that it feels like a combination of everything that I’ve done, yet it’s also opened up so many new possibilities.”

The artist’s most recent LP was the soundscape album ‘Monochrome To Colour’ in 2020.

In other news, Harcourt has announced a short run of in-store shows around in celebration of his album’s release. Check out the full dates below and visit here for tickets.

Ed Harcourt 2024 in-store live shows are:

MARCH
29 – Assai – EDINBURGH

APRIL
2 – Jacaranda – LIVERPOOL
3 – Jumbo – LEEDS
4 – Resident – BRIGHTON
5 – Truck – OXFORD
8 – Banquet – KINGSTON UPON THAMES

Liam Gallagher gives ruthless verdict on resurfaced clip of Noel singing with Damon Albarn

Liam Gallagher has given his ruthless verdict on a resurfaced clip of his brother Noel playing a version of Gorillaz’ ‘Dare’ with Damon Albarn.

The video was captured in December 2015 at a 60th birthday party for Paul Simonon, the bassist in The Clash, who is also part of the performance.

Noel Gallagher is singing the vocal that was originally recorded by the Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder while playing guitar, and Albarn is singing his original melody line from the 2005 song, with Simonon on bass.

What a bunch of CUNTS

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) January 13, 2024

Replying to a newly reposted video of the performance on X/Twitter, Liam wrote: “What a bunch of CUNTS”.

Later at the same birthday party in 2015, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde joined Gallagher and Albarn in a rendition of The Clash’s ‘Brand New Cadillac’.

Simonon was a member of the group The Good, The Bad & The Queen with Albarn from 2005 to 2008, alongside The Verve’s Simon Tong and Afrobeat drumming legend Tony Allen.

Earlier today (January 13), it was revealed that Liam Gallagher had introduced a children’s charity cover of The Beatles’ ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’. The charity GOODSTOCK was founded by music industry executives Katie and Debbie Gwyther to raise funds for Highgate Primary School.

Liam also recently announced his 10-track album with The Stone Roses‘ John Squire, which he teased was “the best record since [The Beatles‘] ‘Revolver’”, and shared the first single ‘Just Another Rainbow’. The song landed at Number 16 in the UK Singles Chart yesterday (January 12).

Former Oasis guitarist Bonehead, who plays in Liam’s solo band, revealed last month that he’d heard LG and Squire’s joint record and declared that the finished product was “very good”.

Gallagher has also recently reflected on Oasis’ split, claiming that his brother Noel “threw me under the fucking bus” at the time in a new interview.

In other Liam Gallagher news, back in September he hinted that his next solo album was finished. His latest LP, ‘C’mon You Know’, came out in 2022 following on from ‘As You Were’ (2017) and ‘Why Me? Why Not.’ (2019).

What films are on TV on December 23?

Die Hard and Fantastic Beasts are among the film highlights on TV for December 23.

In the run-up to Christmas, TV channels will be showing a range of both festive and non-festive fare.

READ MORE: The 50 best Christmas movies of all time

Highlights for Saturday (December 23) include 2014’s Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw, and 2019’s How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Other family-orientated offerings include How The Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald and Home Alone 3.

If you’re after an action classic, Die Hard is showing on Channel 4 from 9pm. For an action not-so-classic, there’s Men In Black 3 starring Will Smith and Josh Brolin.

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See all the films available to watch on December 23 below.

Miracle On 34th Street – Channel 5, 11.45am
How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World – BBC One, 1.15pm
Sing – ITV1, 1.15pm
Escape To Victory – Channel 5, 1.50pm
Scrooged – Channel 4, 2.35pm
Home Alone 3 – ITV2, 2.40pm
Casablanca – BBC Two, 2.55pm
How The Grinch Stole Christmas – ITV1, 3.20pm
The Dirty Dozen – Channel 5, 4.10pm
It’s A Wonderful Life – Channel 4, 4.30pm
Peter Pan (2003) – ITV2, 4.40pm
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald – ITV1, 5.35pm
The Polar Express – Sky Showcase, 6.20pm
Paddington – BBC One, 6.45pm
Johnny English Reborn – ITV2, 6.55pm
My Best Friend’s Wedding – E4, 6.55pm
Men In Black III – Channel 4, 7pm
Die Hard – Channel 4, 9pm
The Shawshank Redemption – BBC Three, 9pm
Wedding Crashers – ITV2, 9pm
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years – Sky Mix, 9.30pm
Bridget Jones’s Baby – Channel 5, 10.10pm
Scent Of A Woman – Channel 4, 11.35pm
Bad Boys For Life – E4, 11.40pm
Out Of Sight – BBC One, 11.50pm

If you want some new festive offerings, streaming services have added a bunch of new films in recent weeks. Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget has hatched on Netflix, while Amazon Prime Video has Your Christmas Or Mine 2 and Candy Cane Lane starring Eddie Murphy.

Over on Disney+, Ludacris stars in Dashing Through The Snow, while NOW has Genie from Love Actually director Richard Curtis.

‘Yellowstone’ star Cole Hauser reportedly got into fight with creator Taylor Sheridan

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and lead star Cole Hauser reportedly got into a fight the second time they met.

Sheridan recently filed a lawsuit against the actors’ coffee company over “trademark infringement”, but according to reports, this isn’t the first time the pair have had their differences.

In a recently resurfaced Men’s Journal interview from April 2022, Hauser opened up about the alledged fight with Sheridan.

Before sharing the revelation with the outlet, Hauser said that he’d been involved in his fair share of bar fights.

“Does a bear shit in the woods?” he said, laughing. “I’ve probably been in one on every continent.”

The actor then explained: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting. Sometimes I’m just tired of words, so let’s beat the shit out of each other. Maybe at the end of it you’ll buy me a Guinness and I’ll buy you a Bushmills, and we’ll be done. It’s kind of what guys do.”

Hauser – who played Rip Wheeler, the son-in-law of John Dutton (Kevin Costner) on the Paramount Network drama series – did not specify when the alleged altercation with Sheridan took place.

Kevin Costner in 'Yellowstone' — ‘Kevin Costner in ‘Yellowstone’. CREDIT: Paramount/TCD/Prod.DB/Alamy

Meanwhile, the pair are currently handling their disagreements in court. On November 21, Sheridan’s coffee company Bosque Ranch filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas against Hauser’s coffee company, Free Rein.

In court filings, Free Rein is accused of “trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising,” noting that both of the companies use branding marks with two overlapping letters.

“Neither Hauser nor the Defendants asked or received permission or authorization of Sheridan or Bosque Ranch to use a mark confusingly similar to the BR Brand for virtually identical goods,” the lawsuit claims.

Back in May, it was confirmed that Yellowstone would be concluding with its fifth season, which began airing its final episodes in November.

aespa ring in the holiday season with a remake of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’

K-pop girl group aespa have released their own version of Bobby Helms’ classic holiday song, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.

Today (November 24), the quartet unveiled a lyric video for their remake of the iconic 1957 Christmas song. aespa’s version of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ features a hip-hop-inspired beat, as well as a brand-new rap verse.

“Ring ring ring, jingle bell rock / Play like a spell I won’t tell, jingle bell talk / So giddy up, giddy up / Turn it up fast till we burn up / We ain’t ever gonna stop, jingle bell rock,” Giselle and Winter rap on the second verse.

SM Entertainment first announced the song via a press release earlier this week, describing it as a “catchy and hip” reinterpretation of the classic track, with the girl group’s “unique vocals and rap” setting it aside from the original ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.

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aespa’s ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ comes just two weeks after they released their fourth mini-album ‘Drama’. The record marked the official release of the songs ‘Hot Air Balloon’, ‘Don’t Blink’ and ‘YOLO’, which the girl group first performed at their ‘SYNK: Hyper Line’ concerts in Seoul this February.

Other songs on the record were ‘Trick or Trick’ and ‘You’, as well as their August English-language single ‘Better Things’.

In other aespa news, Netflix has announced that member Karina will be starring in its new original reality series Agents of Mystery alongside Korean celebrities like Girls’ Day’s Lee Hye-ri, actors Kim Do-hoon and Lee Yong-jin, comedian Lee Eun-ji and singer John Park.

SM Entertainment also recently shared its plans for the first quarter of 2024, which will see aespa releasing their first full-English album. Other labelmates set to return during this time include Red Velvet’s Wendy, EXO’s Suho and rookie boyband RIIZE.

Reading & Leeds 2024: Six headliners revealed as first wave of line-up announced

The six headliners for Reading & Leeds 2024 have been revealed: with Liam Gallagher, Lana Del Rey, Blink-182, Fred Again.., Gerry Cinnamon and Catfish & The Bottlemen set to top the bill.

READ MORE: Reading Festival 2023: the best moments from the Bank Holiday bash

Returning to Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds for Bank Holiday Weekend over August 21-25, the legendary twin-site festival has announced its first raft of huge names.

Lana Del Rey and Gerry Cinnamon will not only be making their R+L headline debuts, but also performing UK exclusive shows at the weekend. The long-rumoured Blink-182 will be headlining for the first time since 2014, with Liam Gallagher and Catfish & The Bottlemen returning to top the bill again.

Catfish last headlined in 2021 amidst rumours of a split, before guitarist Johnny “Bondy” Bond confirmed that he had left the band.

Following his huge appearance at Glastonbury last year, Fred Again.. said that “the only UK festival I’m playing next year and is the first festival I ever went to.”

Gallagher meanwhile, who topped the bill at R+L back in 2021 and will next year be touring to celebrate 30 years of Oasis’ seminal ‘Definitely Maybe‘ and potentially releasing his long-rumoured album with Stone Roses legend John Squire, said: “I’m gonna be playing Reading & Leeds – The most RnR festivals we have left in the UK. Be there or be square LG x”

Gerry Cinnamon, who made his R+L debut back in 2021, said: “Reading and Leeds. Last time was absolutely fucking bananas. Was first gig straight out of lockdown, heavy emotional. Headlining now so we’ll take it up another level again. Buzzing to be back. See you there.”

Sam Fender at Reading 2023. Credit: Andy Ford

Blink-182 will be performing with their recently reunited classic line-up to celebrate their comeback album ‘One More Time’, while Lana Del Rey follows her huge 2023 shows at Glastonbury and Hyde Park with a victory lap for her latest album, ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’.

Beyond the headliners, Raye, Skrillex, Spiritbox and Digga D have also been confirmed to perform.

Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic said: “We are thrilled to announce the first wave of artists for Reading & Leeds 2024. I am very proud that the biggest artists in the world choose to play Reading & Leeds and to have three incredible UK festival exclusives – the electrifying Fred again.., a true generational talent Lana Del Ray and the legendary Blink-182.

“The iconic Liam Gallagher will return to play an all-time classic album ‘Definitely Maybe’ which will be a special moment indeed. We pride ourselves on nurturing artists from the early stages in their career, so to see acts like Catfish & The Bottlemen rising through the festival to headline for the second time is very rewarding.”

He added: “2023 was a hugely successful year for attendance and sensational audience feedback, and we are eager to build upon this success even further at the UK’s biggest and best music festival.”

The crowd for The 1975 at Reading 2023. Credit: Andy Ford

The full line-up for Reading & Leeds 2024 so far is:

FRED AGAIN..
LANA DEL REY
LIAM GALLAGHER
BLINK-182
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN
GERRY CINNAMON
DIGGA D
RAYE
SKRILLEX
SPIRITBOX

Tickets to Reading & Leeds 2024 go on sale at 8.30am on Thursday November 30 and will be available here.

Speaking to NME at the end of Reading & Leeds 2023, Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn teased some potential “stage changes” at both sites. “We don’t stand still at Reading & Leeds and like to reflect what’s going on, so there will be a couple of changes,” he said. “There are always changes in the artists, but there will be to the stages as well.”

This year’s event was headlined by The 1975, Foals, Billie Eilish, The Killers, Sam Fender and Imagine Dragons

Cullen Jack: Harmonizing Heartbreak in “Space and Time”

In the vast expanse of the music universe, a new star twinkles with a poignant melody of love lost and the solitude of waiting. Cullen Jack, Oregon’s melodic maestro, weaves a tale of heartache and the aching void of absence in his latest single, “Space and Time.” With a heartfelt narrative set against a canvas of tender piano tunes, Jack invites us into a story of love’s labyrinth where space and time don’t heal, but tell a tale of their own.

“Space and Time” isn’t just a song—it’s a journey through the corridors of hope and the alleys of despair. It starts with a whisper, a gentle confession of patience when Cullen croons, “When you asked for space, I stepped away…” His voice, a blend of raw emotion and refined artistry, echoes the strength it takes to let go. But as the verses unfold, the realization dawns—the space becomes a chasm, the time turns into a relentless tide, sweeping away the castles of what could have been.

Cullen Jack‘s artistry lies not just in his words, but in the silences between them, the instrumental breaths that speak volumes of the introspection and growth that comes from pain. The song crescendos with an instrumental bridge, a poignant pause that serves as a canvas for listeners to paint their own experiences of love and loss.

The cheesiness of the piece comes with a mature flavor, the kind that knows the bitterness of growth. It’s in the earnest search for self-improvement, the wistful smile of moving on, and the sober realization that sometimes, coming back isn’t in the cards. “Signed, Kind Regards, I’m movin’ on,” he sings, and it’s a line that sticks, a postscript to a chapter that’s closing.

Cullen‘s background in classical piano and his symphonic adventures add depth to each note, his music resonating with the authenticity of someone who has translated life into music. He channels the spirits of his muses, from the storytelling grandeur of Jim Croce to the lyrical wit of John Prine, and the result is a single that’s as much a story as it is a song.

“Space and Time” stands as a testament to Cullen Jack’s journey—a bridge from the piano bars of Tokyo to the global stage, from singing tales in two tongues to telling the universal story of love. As he gears up to shower us with more singles and an album, this track is a promise of the musical mosaic to come. It’s a mosaic where each piece is a note, a lyric, a heartbeat that Cullen Jack captures and turns into song, etching his mark in the rhythm of the world, one beat at a time.

St Vincent says she’s in “awe” of Kate Bush: “There is no one who could ever compare”

St Vincent has shared how much she is in “awe” of musician Kate Bush, saying “there is no one who could ever compare.”

St Vincent, real name Annie Clark, made the comments on social media the day after she performed a version of ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ to honour Bush’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The ceremony took place in New York last night (November 3), with Bush being inducted via a speech by Big Boi.

In a post on social media, Clark recalled discovering Bush’s music and opened up about her love for the musician.

Clark wrote: “Kate Bush. First heard her song ‘This Woman’s Work” in the pivotal scene in the 1988 film She’s Having A Baby. And though I was 7 or 8 and too young to understand much of anything, I wept.

“Then around age 16 I went to CD World in Dallas and saw a copy of ‘The Sensual World’ on the racks. And I was so taken with her. Her expression. The flower to her lips. I hadn’t put the pieces together yet that this was the woman who sang THAT song. But I took it home and it was her. That woman who could soar so high into the ether and reach so deep into your soul. The entire album is a masterpiece, but I still cannot listen to ‘This Woman’s Work’ without weeping.

“Then I was working on my first record and an engineer friend played me ‘Hounds of Love.’ It was everything. So urgent. So emotional. An entire sonic world. Deeply catchy and deeply bizarre. ART. Kate. Singular. Inimitable. Then the early records. For me: ‘The Kick Inside’. ‘The dreaming’. And later, still pushing soaring on ‘Aerial’. How could someone be this genius and pure and completely free? Vocally, musically, physically?

“I stand in awe of Kate Bush. There is no one who could ever compare.” You can see the full post below.

Kate Bush. First heard her song “this woman’s work” in the pivotal scene in the 1988 film “she’s having a baby.” And…

Posted by St. Vincent on Saturday, November 4, 2023

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Ahead of the event, Bush issued a statement on her website that she would not be attending the ceremony, adding: “I am completely blown away by this huge honour – an award that sits in the big beating heart of the American music industry,” she said. “Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I never imagined I would be given this wonderful accolade.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the ceremony tonight, but for me the real honour is knowing that you felt I deserved it,” Bush continued.

After a video package paying tribute to her career, including contributions from Elton John, David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel and St. Vincent, Big Boi gave a speech hailing Bush as a “true visionary”.

Bush was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of a 2023 class that also included Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson, George Michael and The Spinners.

Earlier this week, Bush announced a series of new physical reissues of her album back catalogue, including two radical redesigns of ‘Hounds of Love’. The records will be available to order from her website from December 1.

Kate Bush thanks Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but will not attend ceremony

Kate Bush has issued a statement thanking the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her upcoming induction, but has confirmed she will not attend the event.

It had been speculated upon whether the iconic singer, who very rarely makes public appearances, would show up for her induction ceremony.

Instead, she has expressed her honour at being included in this year’s class of inductees in a letter published on her own website.

“I am completely blown away by this huge honour – an award that sits in the big beating heart of the American music industry,” she said. “Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I never imagined I would be given this wonderful accolade.”

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“Last year was such a surprisingly successful time for my track ‘Running Up That Hill’ and
I’m sure that a lot of you who’ve voted me in to the RRHOF also drove that track up the charts. Thank you!”

That song, originally released on 1985’s ‘Hounds of Love’ album, surged to the top of the UK Singles Chart in 2022 after appearing prominently in the fourth season of Stranger Things. She became the oldest female artist, at 63, to reach the top of the chart, and it also broke the record for the longest gap between Number Ones, hitting the top 44 years after ‘Wuthering Heights’.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the ceremony tonight, but for me the real honour is knowing that you felt I deserved it,” Bush continued.

“When I was growing up my hero was Elton John. I poured over his music, longed to be able to play piano like him and longed to write songs that could move people in the way his work moved me.”

“That little girl in South East London could never have dreamed she’d be sharing the event tonight with Bernie Taupin, Elton’s writing partner, an incredible lyricist who inspired me to keep writing songs – to keep trying. Congratulations Bernie! Congratulations to everyone who is being inducted tonight!”

“Music is at the core of who I am and, like all musicians, being on the journey of trying to create something musically interesting is rife with feelings of doubt and insecurity. I’m only five foot three, but today I feel a little taller,” she concluded.

Bush is being inducted into as part of the 2023 class that also includes Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson, George Michael and The Spinners. In addition, as referenced by Bush, Bernie Taupin will receive the Musical Excellence Award at the event.

The Rolling Stones become first act with Top 10 albums in each decade since the ’60s

The Rolling Stones have become the first act to have top 10 albums in the United States in every decade since the 1960s.

Their new album ‘Hackney Diamonds’ entered the Billboard 200 chart at Number Three this week (October 31), extending the band’s record as the artist with the most top 10 albums of all time, with 38 in total.

In their home country, The Rolling Stones already held the record for the artist with number one albums in the most decades. In 2020, a re-issue of their 1973 album ‘Goats Head Soup’ reached the top spot, marking number ones in six separate decades, although they did not get a chart-topper in the 2000s in the UK.

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‘Hackney Diamonds’, which was released on October 20, also recently reached the top of the UK Albums Chart, their 14th Number One in all. The band were also honoured this week with the British Phonographic Industry’s BRIT Billion Award for reaching the landmark of one billion career UK streams.

The album features contributions from Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and others. Speaking to NME, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood gave us a glimpse into the recording studio during the recording of ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, which features vocals from Lady Gaga.

“She was just sitting on the floor, singing along with Mick,” Wood said. “A rough vocal, you know. And Mick said: ‘That sounds pretty good. Do you wanna make a go of it?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, come on then – stand up and let’s go and work it out together!’ To see it all take shape was very rewarding.”

The Billboard 200 is the US’ official albums chart, and in addition to their 38 top 10 placings, The Rolling Stones have also scored a total of nine number one albums, including ‘Sticky Fingers’, ‘Exile on Main St.’ and ‘Tattoo You’.

No other artist has charted in the top 10 for each decade since the ‘60s, although Barbra Streisand has the chance to match the achievement if she is able to land an album in the top 10 before the end of the 2020s. Streisand also has the second most top 10 albums in total with 34, with The Beatles and Frank Sinatra tied for third on 32.

The Rolling Stones recently played a surprise intimate show in New York with Lady Gaga at the 650-capacity Racket venue in Chelsea. Mick Jagger introduced the pop icon for an encore performance of ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’.

In a four-star review of ‘Hackney Diamonds’, the Stones’ first album in 18 years, NME described the project as “an absolute barnstormer” that is “very enjoyable”.

It added: “…If ‘Hackney Diamonds’ does round off the most successful career in rock music ever, it wouldn’t be a bad place to leave it. A natural end, but definitely not a normal one.”

Keith Richards says recording with Paul McCartney felt “like the old days”

Keith Richards has said that recording on the latest Rolling Stones album with Paul McCartney felt “like the old days.”

McCartney recently appeared on the Stones’ new album track ‘Bite My Head Off’ playing bass.

Speaking to Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1 in a new interview about the collaboration, Richards said it reminded him of the “old days”.

“I felt that it was bloody time…I’ve known Paul for 60 years, just about. Although him and John [Lennon] did do a few backup vocals with us in the ’60s. Great fun to play with.”
He continued: “At the end of it, I just said, ‘Well, that’s just like the good old days,'” Richards recalled of the McCartney’s studio session with the band.

Keith Richards and Paul McCartney in the 1960s – CREDIT: Getty

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Richards also opened about the collaboration recently to The Telegraph.

“Paul happened to be in town…And we couldn’t keep him away, bless his heart,” Richards told the publication. “And hey, if you can get one of the Beatles on your track, you know, you do it. Paul’s a very amiable cat to play with; we’ve been great friends forever.”

In the same interview, Richards said that other Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison would have fitted well into The Rolling Stones.

Richards explained: “I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George, if you can imagine that sort of thing happening.”

He continued: “We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music. When we first heard The Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track.”

Earlier this week, The Beatles announced details of the release of their “final song” ‘Now And Then’, along with news of expanded reissues of their ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ albums.

The long-mooted single was created by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who joined forces to create the final ever Beatles track to feature all four members, with the help of AI.

NCT 127 mix futurism and traditional in vibrant ‘Fact Check’ video

NCT 127 have returned with their fifth album ‘Fact Check’ and a futuristic video for the record’s title track.

The new release follows the nine-member boyband’s 2022 album ‘질주 (2 Baddies)’ and its 2023 repackage, ‘Ay-Yo’.

On the single ‘Fact Check’, NCT 127 deliver an energetic, Afrobeats-based track that finds them in supremely confident mode, even in the face of being fact-checked against timeless art pieces. “Hang me in the Louvre / Next to the Lisa, touché,” Johnny raps at one point, before the group declare in the chorus: “Check the facts, go check that / Check the stats, go check that.”

In the accompanying video, the boyband hop around landmarks across Seoul, from Gyeongbok Palace to Incheon Bridge, as well as more futuristic landscapes.

[embedded content]

The rest of the album features lyrical contributions from Taeil, Taeyong and Mark on ‘Love Is A Beauty’. Mark and Taeyong also participated in writing rock track ‘Angel Eyes’ and the ballad ‘Misty’.

‘Fact Check’ follows NCT 127 reflecting on their success and story so far in the recent Disney+ and Hulu documentary, NCT 127: The Lost Boys. In the four-part series, the SM Entertainment boyband opened up about their childhoods and feelings about their international growth via never-before-seen interviews and exclusive footage.

In a four-star review of the documentary, NME wrote: “The Lost Boys’ refusal to walk the path commonly taken by documentary-makers should be commended, but sometimes – particularly in the first episode – it feels jarring […] Ultimately, once all four parts have been pieced together, it feels like a gentle triumph.

“As docuseries go, it succeeds at making you feel like you’ve been given a deeper insight into its subject, giving a human touch to a group that often feels larger-than-life.”

*NSYNC, Backstreet Boys to feature in upcoming boy band documentary on Paramount+

A documentary chronicling the popularity of boy bands like *NSYNC, New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys has been greenlit by Paramount+.

According to Variety, the as-yet untitled documentary will trace the legacy of boy bands during the height of their fame in the ‘90s and early-2000s, and will feature interviews with boy band members as well as archival music footage.

The project will be directed by Tamra Davis, whose credits include the music videos for New Kids on the Block’s ‘Call It What You Want’ and Hanson’s ‘MMMBop’, among others. The documentary is co-produced by Johnny Wright, who previously served as the tour manager for both New Kids on the Block and *NSYNC member, Justin Timberlake.

“The Nineties boy band era was an extraordinary chapter in music where harmonies and beats came together,” Wright said of the documentary, per Rolling Stone. “To this day, the boy bands continue to inspire, uplift and unite – reminding us of a great time that will forever hold a special place in our hearts.”

The documentary is produced by entertainment studio Gunpowder & Sky, who were previously involved in music projects like the 2023 series I Wanna Rock: The ‘80s Metal Dream and the three-part yacht rock documentary, Sometimes When We Touch.

Speaking of the boy band documentary, co-producer Van Toffler credited groups like The Jackson Five with “pav[ing] the way for boy bands”, and said traces of their legacy can be found in more current bands like One Direction and K-pop group BTS.

The news comes amid the recent reunion of *NSYNC, nearly two decades after their disbandment in 2004. After a string of public appearances together, including at last month’s MTV VMAs, the boy band returned last week with their first official single since 2002, titled ‘Better Place’.

The song features on the soundtrack of the upcoming film Trolls Band Together, a sequel to 2016’s Trolls which featured Timberlake in a voice role and saw him contribute the soundtrack song ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’.

Mick Jagger talks working with “really great singer” Lady Gaga for Rolling Stones’ ‘Sweet Sounds Of Heaven’

Mick Jagger has recalled working with Lady Gaga on The Rolling Stones‘ new single ‘Sweet Sounds Of Heaven’.

The collaborative song, which also features Stevie Wonder, was released yesterday (September 28) as the latest preview of the Stones’ 24th studio album ‘Hackney Diamonds’ (out October 20).

READ MORE: The Rolling Stones’ return is an even bigger bang

During an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Jagger praised Gaga – who provided backing vocals on the track – and explained how ‘Sweet Sounds Of Heaven’ came together in the studio.

“She’s a really great singer and I’d never heard her sing [in] quite that style before. Not exactly,” the frontman said of the pop star’s contribution.

“We did it live in the room and that was a great experience, her just coming in the room and her just opening up and seeing her bits and feeling her way and then getting more confident.”

He continued: “And then we came back and then did some extra parts that we hadn’t done on the day and then we did some tidying up and we were just in the overdub room, really face-to-face, getting them really tight, the parts really tight, and then being slightly competitive and screaming.”

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Jagger told Lowe that ‘Sweet Sounds Of Heaven’ is “all played live”, adding: “And of course, we did overdubs, but it’s all played in the room.”

While sharing some behind-the-scenes studio footage, Gaga recalled her experience of working with The Rolling Stones, saying that she’d been inspired by their classic hit ‘Gimme Shelter’ as well as “gospel and soul” music.

“I thought about my favourite old Stones tunes and all the great vocalists who had sung with Mick, making what we know now as a ‘sound’ unique to a band that defined a huge piece of rock’n’roll,” the star wrote.

“Then we cut [the song] live. Making the ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, I sang in a way I never really sang before except for with Mick. And Andrew [Watt, producer] and I both cried – there’s something about witnessing music history and when you get to be a part of it.

“I think that’s exactly what our heaven feels like. It’s just a sweet sound.” You can see that post below.

‘Hackney Diamonds’, which marks The Rolling Stones’ first collection of original music in 18 years, will also feature Paul McCartney, Elton John and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. The record’s lead single, ‘Angry’, arrived earlier this month.

In other news, Jagger has explained in an interview how Beatles icon McCartney came to be on the album.

“We suggested he played on this punk tune,” he said. “I didn’t know how it was gonna work out, but he really rocked it and he loved doing it. He said, ‘It’s great playing with a band! Really enjoyable playing with a band’.”

Meanwhile, Jagger recently confirmed that The Rolling Stones are already at work on their next full-length effort.

Blueface arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of attempted murder

Californian rapper Blueface was arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday (November 15), reportedly on suspicion of attempted murder.

According to TMZ, Blueface – real name Johnathan Porter – had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a shooting that occurred on October 8. A video published by TMZ shows the rapper, who was accompanied by his girlfriend outside a chicken and waffles establishment, being apprehended by multiple plainclothes police officers.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have since issued a statement confirming Porter’s arrest, noting that the shooting in question took place “in the 6000 block of Windy Road”. According to the statement, Porter “will be booked into the Clark County Detention Center on warrants for attempted murder with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm at/into an occupied structure”.

Earlier today, LVMPD detectives arrested 25-year-old Johnathan Porter for a shooting that took place on October 8 near Sunset Rd. and S. Las Vegas Blvd. Click here for more: https://t.co/mzLjQW30ti pic.twitter.com/uM4v7juT6n

— LVMPD (@LVMPD) November 16, 2022

At the time of writing, Porter is yet to speak publicly about his arrest. NME have reached out to representatives of his for comment.

This is not the first time Porter has run into legal trouble. In November 2018, the rapper was arrested and charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle; at the time, it was reported that a “dispute” had broken out between Porter and another party at a gas station in California. He was subsequently released on $69,000 bail.

Then, in February 2019, Porter was arrested on a charge of felony gun possession, after police found an unregistered loaded handgun on his person. Porter’s manager reportedly denied that his client was ever in possession of the handgun. He was reportedly released on $35,000 bail. In February of this year, too, he was reportedly arrested for possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle and driving on a suspended license.

Blueface is known for his 2018 song ‘Respect My Cryppin’, which went viral on social media shortly after its release that October. He’s thus far released one studio album, 2020’s ‘Find The Beat’, and has two Platinum singles to his name (‘Thotiana’ and ‘Daddy’) as well as three Gold singles (‘Bleed It’, ‘West Coast’ and ‘Outside’).

Grammys nominations 2023: Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Adele and Harry Styles score the most nods

The nominations for the 2023 Grammys have been announced with Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Adele and Harry Styles leading the way.

READ MORE: Ukraine, Billie Eilish, Louis CK: the biggest talking points from the Grammy Awards 2022

The official Grammys YouTube hosted a livestream today (November 15) for the announcement which you can watch below, with the winners set to be announced at the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony on February 5, 2023.

Beyoncé clocked up the most nominations with nine nods including Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year, closely followed by Lamar with eight nominations.

Adele picked up seven nominations while Future, Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige and DJ Khaled each scored six nods. Jay-Z, who picked up five nominations, is now tied with Beyoncé for the most nominated artists in Grammy history, having clocked up 88 nods in total.

Notably, the 2023 Grammy Awards will be the first time Beyoncé and Adele will go head-to-head for Record, Album, and Song Of The Year since 2017, when Adele swept all three categories.

Meanwhile, both Wet Leg and Måneskin were both nominated in the Best New Artist category.

See the full list of Grammys 2023 nominations below:

Record Of The Year
ABBA – ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’
Adele – ‘Easy On Me’
Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius – ‘You And Me On The Rock’
Doja Cat – ‘Woman’
Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’
Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’
Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’

Album Of The Year
ABBA – ‘Voyage’
Adele – ’30’
Bad Bunny – ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’
Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’
Brandi Carlile – ‘In These Silent Days’
Coldplay – ‘Music Of The Spheres’
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’
Lizzo – ‘Special’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)’

Song Of The Year
Adele – ‘Easy On Me
Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul
Bonnie Raitt – ‘Just Like That
DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy – ‘God Did’
Gayle – ‘ABCDEFU’
Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’
Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’
Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’
Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well’

Best New Artist
Anitta
Domi & JD Beck
Latto
Måneskin
Molly Tuttle
Muni Long
Omar Apollo
Samara Joy
Tobe Nwigwe
Wet Leg

Best Pop Solo Performance
Adele – ‘Easy On Me’
Bad Bunny – ‘Moscow Mule’
Doja Cat – ‘Woman’
Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’
Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’
Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
ABBA – ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’
Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran – ‘Bam Bam’
Coldplay & BTS – ‘My Universe’
Post Malone & Doja Cat – ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Diana Ross – ‘Thank You’
Kelly Clarkson – ‘When Christmas Comes Around…’
Michael Bublé – ‘Higher’
Norah Jones – ‘I Dream Of Christmas’
Pentatonix – ‘Evergreen’

Best Pop Vocal Album
ABBA – ‘Voyage’
Adele – ’30’
Coldplay – ‘Music Of The Spheres’
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’
Lizzo – ‘Special’

Best Dance/Electronic Recording
Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’
Bonobo – ‘Rosewood’
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – ‘I’m Good (Blue)’
Diplo & Miguel – ‘Don’t Forget My Love’
Kaytranada Featuring H.E.R. – ‘Intimidated’
Rüfüs Du Sol – ‘On My Knees’

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album
Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’
Bonobo – ‘Fragments’
Diplo – ‘Diplo’
Odesza – ‘The Last Goodbye’
Rüfüs Du Sol – ‘Surrender’

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Brad Mehldau – ‘Jacob’s Ladder’
Domi & JD Beck – ‘Not Tight’
Grant Geissman – ‘Blooz’
Jeff Coffin – ‘Between Dreaming And Joy’
Snarky Puppy – ‘Empire Central’

Best Rock Performance
Beck – ‘Old Man’
The Black Keys – ‘Wild Child’
Brandi Carlile – ‘Broken Horses’
Bryan Adams – ‘So Happy It Hurts’
Idles – ‘Crawl!’
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck – ‘Patient Number 9’
Turnstile – ‘Holiday’

Best Metal Performance
Ghost – ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’
Megadeth – ‘We’ll Be Back’
Muse – ‘Kill Or Be Killed’
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi – ‘Degradation Rules’
Turnstile – ‘Blackout’

Best Rock Song
Brandi Carlile – ‘Broken Horses’
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck – ‘Patient Number 9’
Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Black Summer’
Turnstile – ‘Blackout’
The War On Drugs – ‘Harmonia’s Dream’

Best Rock Album
The Black Keys – ‘Dropout Boogie’
Elvis Costello & The Imposters – ‘The Boy Named If’
Idles – ‘Crawler’
Machine Gun Kelly – ‘Mainstream Sellout’
Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Patient Number 9’
Spoon – ‘Lucifer On The Sofa’

Best Alternative Music Performance
Arctic Monkeys – ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’
Big Thief – ‘Certainty’
Florence And The Machine – ‘King’
Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius – ‘Spitting Off The Edge Of The World’

Best Alternative Music Album
Arcade Fire – ‘WE’
Big Thief – ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’
Björk – ‘Fossora’
Wet Leg – ‘Wet Leg’
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Cool It Down’

Best R&B Performance
Beyoncé – ‘Virgo’s Groove’
Jazmine Sullivan – ‘Hurt Me So Good’
Lucky Daye – ‘Over’
Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak – ‘Here With Me’
Muni Long – ‘Hrs & Hrs’

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan – ’Round Midnight’
Babyface Featuring Ella Mai – ‘Keeps on Fallin’’
Beyoncé – ‘Plastic Off The Sofa’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’
Snoh Aalegra – ‘Do 4 Love’

Best R&B Song
Beyoncé – ‘Cuff It’
Jazmine Sullivan – ‘Hurt Me So Good’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’
Muni Long – ‘Hrs & Hrs’
PJ Morton – ‘Please Don’t Walk Away’

Best Progressive R&B Album
Cory Henry – ‘Operation Funk’
Moonchild – ‘Starfuit’
Steve Lacy – ‘Gemini Rights’
Tank And The Bangas – ‘Red Balloon’
Terrace Martin – ‘Drones’

Best R&B Album
Chris Brown – ‘Breezy (Deluxe)’
Lucky Daye – ‘Candy Drip’
Mary J. Blige – ‘Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)’
PJ Morton – ‘Watch The Sun’
Robert Glasper – ‘Black Radio III’

Best Rap Performance
DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy – ‘God Did’
Doja Cat – ‘Vegas’
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug – ‘Pushin P’
Hitkidd & Glorilla – ‘F.N.F. (Let’s Go)’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’

Best Melodic Rap Performance
DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA – ‘Beautiful’
Future Featuring Drake & Tems – ‘Wait For U’
Jack Harlow – ‘First Class’
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer – ‘Die Hard’
Latto – ‘Big Energy (Live)’

Best Rap Song
DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy – ‘God Did’
Future Featuring Drake & Tems – ‘Wait For U’
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug – ‘Pushin P’
Jack Harlow Featuring Drake – ‘Churchill Downs’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’

Best Rap Album
DJ Khaled – ‘God Did’
Future – ‘I Never Liked You’
Jack Harlow – ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’
Pusha T – ‘It’s Almost Dry’

Best Country Solo Performance
Kelsea Ballerini – ‘Heartfirst’
Maren Morris – ‘Circles Around This Town’
Miranda Lambert – ‘In His Arms’
Willie Nelson – ‘Live Forever’
Zach Bryan – ‘Something In The Orange’

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Brothers Osborne – ‘Midnight Rider’s Prayer’
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde – ‘Never Wanted To Be That Girl’
Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt – ‘Wishful Drinking’
Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert – ‘Outrunnin’ Your Memory’
Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton – ‘Does He Love You (Revisited)’
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – ‘Going Where The Lonely Go’

Best Country Song
Cody Johnson – ‘’Til You Can’t’
Luke Combs – ‘Doin’ This’
Maren Morris – ‘Circles Around This Town’
Miranda Lambert – ‘If I Was a Cowboy’
Taylor Swift – ‘I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)’
Willie Nelson – ‘I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die’

Best Country Album
Ashley McBryde – ‘Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville’
Luke Combs – ‘Growin’ Up’
Maren Morris – ‘Humble Quest’
Miranda Lambert – ‘Palomino’
Willie Nelson – ‘A Beautiful Time’

Best New Age, Ambient, Or Chant Album
Cheryl B. Engelhardt – ‘The Passenger’
Madi Das, Dave Stringer & Bhakti Without Borders – ‘Mantra Americana’
Mystic Mirror – ‘White Sun’
Paul Avgerinos – ‘Joy’
Will Ackerman – ‘Positano Songs’

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Ambrose Akinmusire – ‘Rounds (Live)’
Gerald Albright – ‘Keep Holding On’
John Beasley – ‘Cherokee/Koko’
Marcus Baylor – ‘Call Of The Drum’
Melissa Aldana – ‘Falling’
Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese – ‘Endangered Species’

Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Baylor Project – ‘The Evening: Live At Apparatus’
Carmen Lundy – ‘Fade To Black’
Cécile McLorin Salvant – ‘Ghost Song’
The Manhattan Transfer & The WDR Funkhausorchester – ‘Fifty’
Samara Joy – ‘Linger Awhile’

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade – ‘LongGone’
Peter Erskine Trio – ‘Live In Italy’
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens – ‘New Standards, Vol. 1′
Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & Esperanza Spalding – L’ive At The Detroit Jazz Festival’
Yellowjackets – ‘Parallel Motion’

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band – ‘Bird Lives’
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows – ‘Architecture Of Storms’
Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed by Christian Jacob – ‘Remembering Bob Freedman’
Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted by Michael Abene – ‘Center Stage’
Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson & Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra – ‘Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra’

Best Latin Jazz Album
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective – ‘Fandango At The Wall in New York’
Arturo Sandoval – ‘Rhythm & Soul’
Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers – ‘Crisálida’
Flora Purim – ‘If You Will’
Miguel Zenón – ‘Música de las Américas’

Best Gospel Performance/Song
Doe – ‘When I Pray’
Erica Campbell – ‘Positive
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin – ‘Kingdom’
PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls – ‘The Better Benediction’
Tye Tribbett – ‘Get Up’

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
Chris Tomlin – ‘Holy Forever’
Crowder & Dante Bowe Featuring Maverick City Music – ‘God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)’
Doe – ‘So Good’
For King & Country & Hillary Scott – ‘For God Is With Us’
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin – ‘Fear Is Not My Future’
Phil Wickham – ‘Hymn Of Heaven (Radio Version)’

Best Gospel Album
Doe – ‘Clarity’
Maranda Curtis – ‘Die To Live’
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin – ‘Kingdom Book One (Deluxe)’
Ricky Dillard – ‘Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)’
Tye Tribbett – ‘All Things New’

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Anne Wilson – ‘My Jesus’
Chris Tomlin – ‘Always’
Elevation Worship – ‘Lion’
Maverick City Music – ‘Breathe’
TobyMac – ‘Life After Death’

Best Roots Gospel Album
Gaither Vocal Band – ‘Let’s Just Praise The Lord’
Karen Peck & New River – ‘2:22’
Keith & Kristyn Getty – ‘Confessio – Irish American Roots’
Tennessee State University – ‘The Urban Hymnal’
Willie Nelson – ‘The Willie Nelson Family’

Best Latin Pop Album
Camilo – ‘De Adentro Pa Afuera’
Christina Aguilera – ‘Aguilera’
Fonseca – ‘Viajante’
Rubén Blades & Boca Livre – ‘Pasieros’
Sebastián Yatra – ‘Dharma +’

Best Música Urbana Album
Bad Bunny – ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’
Daddy Yankee – ‘Legendaddy’
Farruko – ‘La 167’
Maluma – ‘The Love & Sex Tape’
Rauw Alejandro – ‘Trap Cake, Vol. 2’

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Cimafunk – ‘El Alimento’
Fito Paez – ‘Los Años Salvajes’
Gaby Moreno – ‘Alegoría’
Jorge Drexler – ‘Tinta y Tiempo’
Mon Laferte – ‘1940 Carmen’
Rosalía – ‘Motomami’

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Chiquis – ‘Abeja Reina’
Christian Nodal – ‘EP #1 Forajido’
Marco Antonio Solís – ‘Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)’
Natalia Lafourcade – ‘Un Canto por México – El Musical’
Los Tigres del Norte – ‘La Reunión (Deluxe)’

Best Tropical Latin Album
Carlos Vives – ‘Cumbiana II’
Marc Anthony – ‘Pa’lla Voy’
La Santa Cecilia – ‘Quiero Verte Feliz’
Spanish Harlem Orchestra – ‘Imágenes Latinas’
Tito Nieves – ‘Legendario’

Best American Roots Performance
Aaron Neville & The Dirty Dozen Brass Band – ‘Stompin’ Ground’
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell – ‘Prodigal Daughter’
Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton – ‘Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)’
Fantastic Negrito – ‘Oh Betty’
Madison Cunningham – ‘Life According To Raechel’

Best Americana Performance
Asleep At the Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett – ‘There You Go Again’
Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin – ‘The Message’
Bonnie Raitt – ‘Made Up Mind’
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius – ‘You And Me On The Rock’
Eric Alexandrakis – ‘Silver Moon [A Tribute to Michael Nesmith]’

Best American Roots Song
Anaïs Mitchell – ‘Bright Star’
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell – ‘Prodigal Daughter’
Bonnie Raitt – ‘Just Like That’
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius – ‘You And Me On The Rock’
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – ‘High And Lonesome’
Sheryl Crow – ‘Forever’

Best Americana Album
Bonnie Raitt – ‘Just Like That…’
Brandi Carlile – ‘In These Silent Days’
Dr. John – ‘Things Happen That Way’
Keb’ Mo’ – ‘Good To Be…’
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – ‘Raise The Roof’

Best Bluegrass Album
The Del McCoury Band – ‘Almost Proud’
The Infamous Stringdusters – ‘Toward The Fray’
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway – ‘Crooked Tree’
Peter Rowan – ‘Calling You From My Mountain’
Yonder Mountain String Band – ‘Get Yourself Outside’

Best Traditional Blues Album
Buddy Guy – ‘The Blues Don’t Lie’
Charlie Musselwhite – ‘Mississippi Son’
Gov’t Mule – ‘Heavy Load Blues’
John Mayall – ‘The Sun Is Shining Down’
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder – ‘Get On Board’

Best Contemporary Blues Album
Ben Harper – ‘Bloodline Maintenance’
Edgar Winter – ‘Brother Johnny’
Eric Gales – ‘Crown’
North Mississippi Allstars – ‘Set Sail’
Shemekia Copeland – ‘Done Come Too Far’

Best Folk Album
Aoife O’Donovan – ‘Age Of Apathy’
Janis Ian – ‘The Light At The End Of The Line’
Judy Collins – ‘Spellbound’
Madison Cunningham – ‘Revealer’
Punch Brothers – ‘Hell On Church Street’

Best Regional Roots Music Album
Halau Hula Keali’i o Nalani – ‘Halau Hula Keali’i o Nalani (Live At The Getty Center)’
Natalie Ai Kamauu – ‘Natalie Noelani’
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas – ‘Lucky Man’
Ranky Tanky – ‘Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’
Sean Ardoin & Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring The Golden Band From Tigerland – ‘Full Circle’

Best Reggae Album
Kabaka Pyramid – ‘The Kalling’
Koffee – ‘Gifted’
Protoje – ‘Third Time’s The Charm’
Sean Paul – ‘Scorcha’
Shaggy – ‘Com Fly Wid Mi’

Best Global Music Performance
Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar – ‘Udhero Na’
Burna Boy – ‘Last Last’
Matt B & Eddy Kenzo – ‘Gimme Love’
Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro – ‘Neva Bow Down’
Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode – ‘Bayethe’

Best Global Music Album
Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf – ‘Queen Of Sheba’
Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago – ‘Between Us… (Live)’
Berklee Indian Ensemble – ‘Shuruaat’
Burna Boy – ‘Love, Damini’
Masa Takumi – ‘Sakura’

Best Children’s Music Album
Alphabet Rockers – ‘The Movement’
Divinity Roxx – ‘Ready Set Go!’
Justin Roberts – ‘Space Cadet’
Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band – ‘Los Fabulosos’
Wendy And DB – ‘Into The Little Blue House’

Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording
Jamie Foxx – Act Like You Got Some Sense
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
Mel Brooks – All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business
Questlove – Music Is History
Viola Davis – Finding Me

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Amanda Gorman – Call Us What We Carry: Poems
Amir Sulaiman – You Will Be Someone’s Ancestor. Act Accordingly.
Ethelbert Miller – Black Men Are Precious
J. Ivy – The Poet Who Sat by the Door
Malcolm-Jamal Warner – Hiding In Plain View

Best Comedy Album
Dave Chappelle – ‘The Closer’
Jim Gaffigan – ‘Comedy Monster’
Louis C.K. – ‘Sorry’
Patton Oswalt – ‘We All Scream’
Randy Rainbow – ‘A Little Brains, A Little Talent’

Best Musical Theatre Album
Original Broadway Cast – ‘A Strange Loop’
New Broadway Cast – ‘Caroline, Or Change’
‘Into the Woods’ 2022 Broadway Cast – ‘Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)’
Original Broadway Cast – ‘MJ The Musical’
‘Mr. Saturday Night’ Original Cast – ‘Mr. Saturday Night’
Original Broadway Cast – ‘Six: Live On Opening Night’

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Various Artists – Elvis
Various Artists – Encanto
Various Artists – Stranger Things: Soundtrack From The Netflix Series, Season 4
Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga & Hans Zimmer – Top Gun: Maverick
Various Artists – West Side Story

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)
Germaine Franco – Encanto
Hans Zimmer – No Time To Die
Jonny Greenwood – The Power Of The Dog
Michael Giacchino – The Batman
Nicholas Britell – Succession: Season 3

Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media
Austin Wintory – Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Bear McCreary – Call Of Duty: Vanguard
Christopher Tin – Old World
Richard Jacques – Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
Stephanie Economou – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök

Best Song Written For Visual Media
Beyoncé – ‘Be Alive
Carolina Gaitán – La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto – Cast – ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’
Jessy Wilson Featuring Angélique Kidjo – ‘Keep Rising (The Woman King)’
Lady Gaga – ‘Hold My Hand’
Taylor Swift – ‘Carolina’
4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O’Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo & Grayson Villanueva – ‘Nobody Like U’

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6 – ‘As Days Go By (An Arrangement of the Family Matters Theme Song)’
Danny Elfman – ‘Main Titles’
Kings Return – ‘How Deep Is Your Love’
Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Auer -‘Scrapple From The Apple’
Remy Le Boeuf – ‘Minnesota, WI’

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet – ‘2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)’
Cécile McLorin Salvant – ‘Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying’
Christine McVie – ‘Songbird (Orchestral Version)’
Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer – ‘Never Gonna Be Alone’
Louis Cole – ‘Let It Happen’

Best Recording Package
Fann – ‘Telos’
Soporus – ‘Divers’
Spiritualized – ‘Everything Was Beautiful’
Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra – ‘Beginningless Beginning’
Underoath – ‘Voyeurist’

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Black Pumas – ‘Black Pumas (Collector’s Edition Box Set)’
Danny Elfman – ‘Big Mess’
The Grateful Dead – ‘In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81, ’82, ’83’
They Might Be Giants – ‘Book’
Various Artists – ‘Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined’

Best Album Notes
Andy Irvine & Paul Brady – ‘Andy Irvine / Paul Brady’
Astor Piazzolla – ‘The American Clavé Recordings’
Doc Watson – ‘Life’s Work: A Retrospective’
Harry Partch – ‘Harry Partch, 1942’
Wilco – ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)’

Best Historical Album
Blondie – ‘Against the Odds: 1974 – 1982’
Doc Watson – ‘Life’s Work: A Retrospective’
Freestyle Fellowship – ‘To Whom It May Concern…’
Glenn Gould – ‘The Goldberg Variations: The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions’
Wilco – ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)’

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Amy Allen
Laura Veltz
Nija Charles
The-Dream
Tobias Jesso Jr.

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Baynk – ‘Adolescence’
Father John Misty – ‘Chloë And The Next 20th Century’
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’
Robert Glasper – ‘Black Radio III’
Wet Leg – ‘Wet Leg’

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Boi-1da
Dahi
Dan Auerbach
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Jack Antonoff

Best Remixed Recording
Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul (Terry Hunter Remix)’
Ellie Goulding – ‘Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)’
The Knocks & Dragonette – ‘Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)’
Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)’
Wet Leg – ‘Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)’

Best Immersive Audio Album
Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene – Tuvayhun – ‘Beatitudes For A Wounded World’
The Chainsmokers – ‘Memories…Do Not Open’
Christina Aguilera – ‘Aguilera’
Jane Ira Bloom – ‘Picturing the Invisible: Focus 1’
Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej – ‘Divine Tides’

Best Orchestral Performance
Berlin Philharmonic & John Williams – ‘John Williams: The Berlin Concert’
Los Angeles Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel – ‘Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9’
New York Youth Symphony – ‘Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman’
Various Artists – Sila: ‘The Breath Of The World’
Wild Up & Christopher Rountree – ‘Stay On It’

Best Opera Recording
Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus – ‘Anthony Davis: X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X’
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus – ‘Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones’
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus – ‘Eurydice’

Best Music Video
Adele – ‘Easy On Me’
BTS – ‘Yet To Come’
Doja Cat – ‘Woman’
Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’
Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well: The Short Film’

Best Music Film
Adele – Adele One Night Only
Billie Eilish – Billie Eilish Live At The O2
Justin Bieber – Our World
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – A Band A Brotherhood A Barn
Rosalía – Motomami (Rosalía TikTok Live Performance)
Various Artists – Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

Paul McCartney announces career-spanning ‘7″ Singles’ vinyl boxset

Paul McCartney has announced a new vinyl boxset called ‘The 7″ Singles’ – find all the details below.

The former Beatle turned solo icon is due to release the special collection on December 2 (pre-order here). Limited to 3000 copies, the product comprises 80 career-spanning 7″ singles personally curated by McCartney.

READ MORE: Paul McCartney live at Glastonbury 2022: history-making rock’n’Grohl with The Boss

‘The 7″ Singles’ features 163 tracks overall, totalling 10 hours of music from Macca’s half-century as a solo artist. Additionally, each box contains a randomly selected exclusive test pressing of one of the singles.

Fans will also get a 148-page book with a personal foreword by McCartney, essay by music journalist Rob Sheffield, extensive chart information, liner notes, and official artwork, per a press release.

As well the planned physical release, ‘The 7″ Singles’ is set to arrive on major streaming platforms on December 2.

To preview the new boxset, Macca has today (November 10) shared the 2022 mono remasters of ‘Uncle Albert’/Admiral Halsey’ and ‘Too Many People’. You can listen to the songs above.

“I hope the songs in this boxset bring back fun memories for you too,” McCartney said in a statement. “They do for me, and there will be more to come…” Check out the preview image below.

a preview image of Paul McCartney's new vinyl boxset, 'The 7" Singles' — Paul McCartney – ‘The 7″ Singles’. CREDIT: Press

Paul McCartney – ‘The 7” Singles Box’ tracklist:

1971, Sweden
1A: Another Day
1B: Oh Woman, Oh Why
1971, US Mono
Promotional Release
2A: Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey [Mono]
2B: Too Many People [Mono]
1971, UK
3A: The Back Seat of My Car
3B: Heart of the Country
Previously unreleased on 7”
4A: Love Is Strange [Single Edit]
4B: I Am Your Singer
1972, UK
5A: Give Ireland Back to the Irish
5B: Give Ireland Back to the Irish [Version]
1972, UK
6A: Mary Had a Little Lamb
6B: Litt
le Woman Love
1972, Belgium
7A: Hi, Hi, Hi
7AA: C Moon
1973, Israel
8A: My Love
8B: The Mess [Live at The Hague]
1973, Sweden
9A: Live and Let Die
9B: I Lie Around
1973, Spain
10A: Helen Wheels
10B: Country Dreamer
1974, Germany
11A: Jet
11B: Let Me Roll It
1974, Germany
12A: Band on the Run
12B: Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
1974, The Netherlands
13A: Mrs. Vandebilt
13B: Bluebird
1974, Belgium
14A: Junior’s Farm
14B: Sally G
1975, Australia
15A: Listen to What the Man Said
15B: Love in Song
1975, Germany
16A: Letting Go
16B: You Gave Me the Answer
1975, Belgium
17A: Venus and Mars / Rock Show
17B: Magneto and Titanium Man
1976, France
18A: Silly Love Songs
18B: Cook of the House
1976, Germany
19A: Let ‘Em In
19B: Beware My Love
1977, Japan
20A: Maybe I’m Amazed (Live)
20B: Soily (Live)
1977, UK
21A: Mull of Kintyre
21AA: Girls’ School
1978, Germany
22A: With a Little Luck (DJ Edit)
22B: Backwards Traveller/Cuff Link
1978, UK
23A: I’ve Had Enough
23B: Deliver Your Children
1978, The Netherlands
24A: London Town
24B: I’m Carrying
1978, France
25A: Goodnight Tonight
25B: Daytime Nightime Suffering
1979, UK
26A: Ol
d Siam, Sir
26B: Spin It On
1979, UK
27A: Getting Closer
27AA: Baby’s Request
1979, Japan
28A: Arrow Through Me
28B: Old Siam, Sir
1979, UK
29A: Wonderful Christmastime
29B: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reggae
1980, UK
30A: Coming Up
30B: Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)
30BB : Lunch Box/Odd Sox
1980, UK
31A: Waterfalls
31B: Check My Machine
Previously unreleased on 7”
32A: Temporary Secretary
32B: Secret Friend
[7” Single Edit]
1982, UK
33A: Ebony and Ivory
33B: Raincloud
s
1982, UK
34A: Take It Away
34B: I’ll Give You a Ring
1982, UK
35A: Tug of War
35B: Get It
1983, UK
36A: Say Say Say
36B: Ode to a Koala Bear
1983, UK
37A: Pipes of Peace
37B: So Bad
1984, UK
38A: No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)
38B: No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version)
1984, UK
39A: We All Stand Together
39B: We All Stand Together (Humming Version)
1985, US

40A: Spies Like Us
40B: My Carnival
1986, US
41A: Press [Video Edit]
41B: It’s Not True
1986, Art reformatted from US 12” promotional vinyl
42A: Pretty Little Head (Remix)
42B: Write Away
1986, US
43A: Stranglehold
43B: Angry (Remix)
1986, UK
44A: Only Love Remains
44B: Tough on a Tightrope
1987, UK
45A: Once Upon a Long Ago
45B: Back on My Feet
1989, US
46A: My Brave Face
46B: Flying to My Home
1989, UK
47A: This One
47B: The First Stone
1989, Australia
48A: Figure of Eight [7” Bob Clearmountain Mix]
48B: Où Est le Soleil
1989, UK
49A: Party Party
49B: Artwork etching
1990, UK
50A: Put It There
50B: Mama’s Little Girl
1990, Europe
51A: The Long and Winding Road
51B: C Moon
1990, UK
52A: Birthday
52B: Good Day Sunshine
1990, UK
53A: All My Trials
53B: C Moon
Previously unreleased on 7”
54A: The World You’re Coming Into
54AA: Tres Conejos
54B: Save the Child
54BB: The Drinking Song (Let’s Find Ourselves a Little Hostelry)
1992, Europe
55A: Hope of Deliverance
55B: Long Leather Coat
1993, Germany
56A: C’Mon People
56B: I Can’t Imagine
1997, Reformatted from 7” picture disc
57A: Young Boy
57B: Looking for You
1997, Reformatted from 7” picture disc
58A: The World Tonight
58B: Used to Be Bad
1997, Reformatted from 7” picture disc
59A: Beautiful Night
59B: Love Come Tumbling Down
1999, UK
60A: No Other Baby
60B: Brown Eyed Handsome Man
60BB: Fabulous
2001, Europe
61A: From a Lover to a Friend
61B: Riding into Jaipur
2004, Europe
62A: Tropic Island Hum
62B: We All S
tand Together
2005, Europe
63A: Fine Line
63B: Growing Up Falling Down
2005, Europe
64A: Jenny Wren
64B: Summer of ’59
Previously unreleased on 7”
65A: Dance Tonight
65B: Dance Tonight [Demo]
Previously unreleased on 7”
66A: Nod Your Head
66B: 222
2007, Europe
67A: Ever Present Past
67B: House of Wax (Live)
Previously unreleased on 7”
68A: Sing the Changes
68B: Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight [Radio Edit]
Previously unreleased on 7”
69A: (I Want To) Come
Home
69B: (I Want To) Come Home [Demo]
Previously unreleased on 7”
70A: My Valentine
70B: Get Yourself Another Fool
2012, US
Christmas Kisses
71A: The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
71B: Wonderful Christmastime
Previously unreleased on 7”
72A: New
72B: Early Days
Previously unreleased on 7”
73A: Queenie Eye
73B: Save Us
Previously unreleased on 7”
74A: Hope for the Future
74B: Hope for the Future [Thrash Mix]
Previously unreleased on 7”
75A: In the Blink of an Eye
75B: Walking in the Park with Eloise
2018, Global
76A: I Don’t Know
76AA: Come on to Me
Previously unreleased on 7”
77A: Who Cares
77B: Fuh You
2019, Global
78A: Home Tonight
78AA: In a Hurry
Previously unreleased on 7”
79A: Find My Way
79AA: Winter Bird / When Winter Comes
Previously unreleased on 7”
80A: Women and Wives
80B: Women and Wives (St. Vincent Remix)

McCartney released his 18th solo studio album, ‘McCartney III’, in December 2020. The record completed the trilogy that began with ‘McCartney’ (1970) and ‘McCartney II’ (1980).

In a four-star review of the latest and final entry, NME wrote: “If future archaeologists take this three-album series as a significant marker of his solo half-century, they’ll conclude that Paul McCartney never stopped liberating.”

This summer saw Paul McCartney play a mammoth headline set at Glastonbury 2022. During the Pyramid Stage spectacle, the musician brought on surprise guests Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen, and duetted virtually with the late John Lennon.

Noel Gallagher’s handwritten ‘Wonderwall’ lyrics fetch over £46,000 at auction

Noel Gallagher‘s handwritten lyrics for Oasis classic ‘Wonderwall’ have been sold for £46,875 at an auction.

READ MORE: Watch Noel Gallagher’s track-by-track guide to ‘Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021)’

The page is believed to have been written in the mid noughties to help Gallagher during rehearsals according to a description at the Propstore auction. It was kept by a member of the band’s road crew.

It was estimated to fetch between 4,000 and £6,000 but went for 10 times the estimated price.

A 1962 Epiphone Casino Guitar, which Gallagher bought after advice from Paul Weller and was used to record ‘Be Here Now’, and demos for ‘Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants’, also sold for £56,250.

https://t.co/8vrICy7YAI
Noel Gallagher's handwritten Wonderwall lyrics fetch 10 times estimate at auction pic.twitter.com/m4EkFEymlF

— Brits & Pieces (@BritsPieces) November 5, 2022

Other items which went under the hammer included a leather jacket worn by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash during the music video for ‘Paradise City’ which went for £34,375 and an autographed ticket for a Beatles concert sold for £12,500.

David Bowie‘s spacesuit which he wore for the 1980 hit ‘Ashes To Ashes’ and a signed gun licence application from Elvis Presley also went up for auction.

Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher recently made his return with comeback single ‘Pretty Boy’ featuring Johnny Marr. It is the first track to feature on his forthcoming new album the follow-up to his 2017 LP, ‘Who Built The Moon?’.

The premiere for Liam Gallagher‘s Knebworth 22 documentary was also held in London earlier this week.

Director Toby L spoke about Gallagher’s return to Knebworth Park this summer, calling it “a great moment” for “a new generation of fans that weren’t alive when Oasis was around.”

Knebworth 22 is set to arrive in select UK cinemas for a limited time on November 17, with a full streaming release on Paramount+ later this year. Tickets for the screenings can be purchased here.

The incredible story of Misty In Roots and their “progressive protest music”

Emerging from their west London squat during the racially charged late ’70s, they battled inequality and injustice through their powerful “progressive protest music”. They went on to record one of the greatest live albums of all time, enjoy the patronage of John Peel and Pete Townshend, and become the first British reggae group to play in Russia – before relocating to a farm in Zimbabwe. All while they endured trauma and tragedy whose scars can still be felt to this day. This, then, is the remarkable story of MISTY IN ROOTS. “The music is our legacy,” they tell Dave Simpson. “It will outlast all of us.”

Find the full story in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, October 13 and available to buy from our online store.

It is Friday afternoon in Southall, west London. Cars pass along the high street while the shops bustle with customers preparing for the coming weekend. It is a typical suburban scene in early August, in other words. But it wasn’t always this way. Watching all this is Poko, singer with Misty In Roots, who remembers exactly how Southall looked 33 years ago.

ORDER NOW: Bob Dylan is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut

“This was one end of a no-go area set up by the police,” he says, brow furrowing as he gestures towards the traffic. “No-one could come down this road at all.”

Fatefully, Misty In Roots lived just outside the police cordon, in a squat at 6 Park View Road. The house was also the base for their community organisation and record label as well as providing a rehearsal space for around 40 local musicians. On April 23, 1979, however, it became the place where a community came together to defend itself.

“There were police horses everywhere,” Poko recalls, with palpable emotion in his voice. “Special Patrol Group in riot gear. There was no way to get out, so everyone came inside… the organisations, the politicians, Indians, local lawyers, everybody. Then police let all the politicians out, then all the white people, then the Indians. Then they went inside and beat up all the black people. It was a free-for-all. They smashed up all our equipment, destroyed all our records and beat everybody up.”

The events at 6 Park View Road were the culmination of a long day of violence. Earlier,
the National Front had held a demonstration in the centre of Southall, one of the most racially diverse areas in London. A petition to stop the meeting had received 10,000 signatures, but was unsuccessful, so 2,750 police officers had been deployed to protect the far-right party’s right to assembly, in the face of around 3,000 community and Anti-Nazi League protestors. In the ensuing clashes, 345 people were arrested and charged. Thirty-three-year-old special needs teacher Blair Peach was struck on the head and later died in hospital. Misty In Roots manager Clarence Baker was truncheoned, suffered a fractured skull, spent five months in a coma and was lucky to survive. Co-manager Chris Bolton – a white man – was also beaten. As the Daily Telegraph later reported, “Nearly every demonstrator had blood flowing from some sort of injury.”

Evidently, the events in Southall had a huge impact on Misty In Roots. As well as the injuries sustained by their managers, organist player Vernon Hunt – a mild-mannered Guyanan who Poko insists “wouldn’t hurt a fly” – was jailed for six months. He was so broken by his experiences he never rejoined the band. Other members spent two years fighting what Poko insists were trumped up charges. “It destroyed the group,” he sighs. Their home was gone, too. After the protests, the council demolished 6 Park View Road (although today a plaque on the pavement honours the location). “But we rallied,” insists Poko. “Because we had to.”

PICK UP THE NEW ISSUE OF UNCUT TO READ THE FULL STORY

Manchester’s Night & Day venue to face court case and potential closure

Manchester’s Night & Day venue is set to face a court case next month over a noise complaint that could see its closure.

Last year, the small venue was threatened by a noise complaint from a new resident who had moved to Manchester during lockdown. It came after the venue won a hard-fought battle against a separate noise complaint back in 2014.

According to a new press statement, the venue is now in danger again due to a planning file for the redevelopment of a nearby building.

The statement read: “In a critical new development to the story and after receiving a copy of the planning file for the redevelopment of the building next door where the complainant lived, the owners of Night & Day were shocked to find that a crucial acoustic report had not been provided, nor acoustic works completed to the development before it was occupied.

“This was a condition of the planning consent for conversion of the building next door, to ensure that residents were not disturbed by noise from pre-existing businesses in the area.”

As a result, Night & Day will face a court case from November 29 – December 1. Fans are encouraged to sign a petition here to help save the venue, and use the hashtag #savenightandday.

Speaking of the new developments, Manchester native and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey said: “This a shameful disgrace and we are furious. Manchester’s music and arts are things we all share and are rightfully proud of. The council and its politicians, its football teams and its universities all use our music in proud promotion.

“Night & Day has taken hundreds of Manchester artists from bedrooms and garages to the world stage. The vibrant scene started by Night & Day triggered enormous redevelopment in what we now call the Northern Quarter and making all this happen is a constant bill to bill balancing act. That this corner stone of our city’s culture is under attack again is bewildering.”

Venue owner Jennifer Smithson added: “We were one of the founding businesses in the development of the Northern Quarter, people wanted to move here because of vibrant, interesting places like Night & Day which is great and it’s really enhanced the area.

“What is particularly galling is that the planning department knew about the potential for noise disturbance from Night & Day when it issued the planning consent to turn the warehouse next door into residential flats. A separate acoustic report was required to establish what could be done to prevent noise from Night & Day impacting residents of the building. However, no separate acoustic report was ever prepared by the developer and the planning department allowed the building to be occupied without suitable acoustic insulation works.

Smithson added: “We now have to either accept the noise abatement notice, which will put us at risk of immediate prosecution in the event of noise complaints, or go to court at significant expense to appeal it. This could mean the end of Night & Day forever. It’s a nightmare.”

“It’s just so unfair. We believe that the fault lies squarely with Manchester City Council. They could cancel the noise abatement notice and rectify the problem that they originally caused, rather than close down a business that’s been the beating heart of the Manchester music scene for decades.”

elbow — Elbow’s Guy Garvey. CREDIT: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage

In a statement responding to the news, the Music Venue Trust said: “The refusal by Manchester City Council to overturn the Noise Abatement Notice issued to the iconic music venue Night & Day Cafe presents a very simple, clear, understandable and practical example for the UK’s music community.

“Either Manchester wants to be the proud home of British music or it doesn’t. With all respect to everyone in the City leadership, no amount of music boards, commissions, supportive statements, or well intentioned political positions will change the reality.

“Either Manchester City Council act to Save the Night & Day or they should just take down the billboards, switch off the marketing, drop the pretense, and prepare to close up shop on music.

“If Manchester cannot protect the Night & Day it isn’t a Music City.”

MVT STATEMENT ON THE NIGHT & DAY,The refusal by Manchester City Council to overturn the Noise Abatement Notice issued…

Posted by Music Venue Trust on Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Elsewhere in Garvey’s statement, he said that Manchester City Council “needs to drop this charge immediately and get this family business out from under the swinging anvil of closure for good.

“There are many that consider the stress of this situation may have hastened our friend Jan’s early death and for his daughter’s family to be under that same stress for a second time on account of council fumbling ineptitude and can-kicking is unforgivable.”

He added: “The message to the council is drop this and focus on making it the last time it happens to any music venue in our city. To everyone else concerned I cannot stress enough that anger directed at the complainants is misdirected. This is the council’s problem. Please pour your energy into supporting the campaign to save Night & Day and in due course the national legislation to prevent this happening to any historic venue that has been nick-named Jan’s Law.”

At the time of the 2021 noise complaint, the venue’s petition received tens of thousands of signatures and support from the likes of Johnny Marr, New Order, Courteeners, Frank Turner and Mogwai, as well as the network of the UK’s grassroots music venues.

The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess, who was instrumental in saving Manchester’s Gorilla and Deaf Institute through the pandemic, told NME why it was essential to fight back against this complaint.

“Music venues are essential for our nighttime economy and for the development of artists who will then tour the world and sell millions of records – they are vital for our towns and cities,” Burgess told NME. “Years and even decades after they opened, people are moving nearby and complaining about the noise. We need to get a grip of this daft situation. And it’s not just music venues – record shops are facing the same issue.

“The joke being that these city centre residents are often the ones showing off to their friends about the culture that surrounds them. We need to support our live music venues, not threaten them with closure.”

Joe Strummer Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years

Looking back 20 years later, it seems clearer now that Joe Strummer’s final three albums were each made under very different circumstances, for very different reasons; listening to them, it seems all the more remarkable how cohesive they sound, all shouting from the same street.

ORDER NOW: Bob Dylan is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut

The group Strummer dubbed the Mescaleros began as a band in name only, but then rapidly evolved into the real deal, only to be stopped in their tracks in the worst way, just as things had started to fly. The music they recorded across their 1999–2002 lifetime – the albums Rock Art And The X-Ray Style, Global A Go-Go and Streetcore, which are collected together in this striking new set along with an album’s worth of outtakes, demos and orphaned tracks titled Vibes Compass – documents this process. You can hear it especially when you assemble it all back to back like this, as a testament of the time: a band mutating fast through different shapes, different tensions, different harmonies.

Still, despite the varying conditions that fed it, all this music identifiably comes from one single place: that unique zone instantly recognisable as Strummerville, a neighbourhood that can feel as intimate as the walk from your front door to the corner shop, yet stretches all around the world.

Strummer’s re-emergence with the Mescaleros is often seen as a new beginning, but the same weird, proud, shaggy mongrel DNA present in the Mescaleros’ sound runs through all the scattered, roaming music Strummer made during what are now routinely dubbed his “wilderness years”, the era that lasted from the chaotic end of the second, Mick Jones-less version of The Clash in early 1986, through to the release of Rock Art And The X-Ray Style in late 1999. It’s a period still to be fully assessed, but track down the fugitive recordings – the collaboration with Jones’s BAD; the defiantly trashy Latino-Rockabilly War band; his 1989 Earthquake Weather LP; assorted soundtrack work; the partnership with The Pogues – and you find Strummer developing his love for Latin, Jamaican, Irish and African styles, while checking out hip-hop and electronica, and holding fast to his belief in gutbucket rock’n’roll and beat-jazz ruminations, all elements that fed the Mescaleros vision.

Indeed, the first Mescaleros record began long before the Mescaleros, in 1994, when, still roaming, Strummer hooked up with electronic supremo Richard Norris, known for his work in The Grid. Despite The Clash’s status as rock-dance pioneers on rap-soaked outings like 1981’s “Radio Clash” (and despite further collaborations with Jones, who so enthusiastically swallowed the dance pill), Strummer remained suspicious of techno, left behind by the machines. But working with Norris, he experienced a kind of acid awakening, recognising in the rave scene a spirit similar to that Strummer was kindling around the fabled campfire he’d started building at various summer festivals as a rolling spontaneous gathering, an epiphany explicitly celebrated in one of the songs they cut, “Diggin’ The New”.

The original tracks remain officially unreleased, but set something rolling in him. Shorn of their most acidic flourishes, reworked versions of four songs from the Norris sessions would become the core of the Mescaleros’ debut, the first album to bear Strummer’s name in a decade.

Rock Art And The X-Ray Style came about when Strummer encountered Antony Genn, a player on the Britpop scene, who flat out told him: “You’re Joe Strummer. You should be making a record.” He wasn’t the first to say it, but the time was right. The album Genn produced in 1999 was hailed as a triumphant return, but in truth, compiling Norris-era songs including the keystone “Yalla Yalla”, a valedictory dub epic in the lineage of late-era Clash, alongside some even older Strummer compositions like “Forbidden City”, it was more a continuation and consolidation of the path along which Strummer had been wandering.

What it did unquestionably do, however, was pull Strummer into sharper focus than he had been in years. Suddenly he seemed comfortable with both his legacy and his maturity – it takes a man of certain domestic experience to write a love song called “Nitcomb” – and hungry for new experience. The record’s most sublime moment was its most unexpected: “From Willesden To Cricklewood”, a new song from the sessions, a waltzing paean to Friday-evening London that feels closer to Ealing movies than the Westway sound.

For Rock Art…, Genn assembled musicians including Martin Slattery and Scott Shields – like him, a generation younger than Strummer, and less concerned about the Clash legacy that sometimes weighed Strummer down. Following Genn’s departure (“I was fired for being a junkie,” he tells writer Tim Stegall in the box’s comprehensive liner notes. “I was unreliable and useless on stage”), Slattery and Shields would become the spine of the Mescaleros as the unit took to the road and evolved from Stummer’s studio session men into a bona fide band.

The difference shows clearly on their second album. Co-produced by Slattery and Shields, Global A Go-Go is at once looser and more together, a stronger, denser, earthier affair – the stewing sound of a bunker gang, people locked in together, chasing their own thing. The group had been bolstered by the addition of Tymon Dogg, one of Strummer’s earliest collaborators – they’d busked together in the 1970s – whose plaintive, extemporised violin builds strange tension against the younger Mescaleros, and sounds a distinct call back to his work on The Clash’s epic Sandinista!.

Like that record, Global A Go-Go feels less a collection of individual tracks than one overpowering whole. Influenced by his stint as DJ on the BBC’s World Service, it’s the most intense expression of Strummer’s vision of a mongrel 21st-century folk music without borders. In places – say “Shaktar Donetsk”, following a refugee wrapped in the scarf of the Ukrainian football club – it makes you feel the loss of Strummer’s voice today keenly. Elsewhere, it finds his offbeat humour in full effect – a standout statement is about takeaway food, “Bhindi Bhagee”.

When Strummer died unexpectedly during the making of Streetcore, it seemed he was still moving up, on the brink of a new shift. To round out the unfinished album, some not-quite-Mescaleros tracks were added, including “Long Shadow” and a spare reading of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”, both originally intended for a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash project. But the bulk of the record, completed heroically by Slattery and Shields following Strummer’s death, hones the Mescaleros’ folk/world leaning to a sharper point, with echoes of a classic Clash sound, typified by the lead track, “Coma Girl”.

Going through this box, which comes copiously illustrated by a brilliant chaos of Strummer’s incessant doodles and scribbles, there’s the sense both of a sprawling body of powerful work and of business left unfinished. Among the 15 tracks on the Vibes Compass collection of additional recordings, the earliest, “Time And The Tide” demonstrates how strongly the through-line runs from Strummer’s “lost” years. Recorded in 1996, it became B-side to the Mescaleros’ debut single “Yalla Yalla” in 1999, but could easily be an Earthquake Weather exile. “Ocean Of Dreams”, a previously unissued Rock Art… outtake featuring Sex Pistol Steve Jones scrawling guitar over Strummer’s lament of gin-swilling suits cooking up laws in clubhouses, shares a similarly hazy vibe, the taste of smoke in the air.

The demo versions of album tracks find the songs mostly largely formed, but some differences are revealing of the process. “London Is Burning”, the original take of Streetcore’s “Burnin’ Streets” is a simpler, sweeter thing and shows how much a Clash sound was on Strummer’s mind.

The most poignant discovery might be “Fantastic”, an early iteration of the defiant “Ramshackle Day Parade” on Streetcore. As Strummer’s visionary testifying gathers pace, this earlier, more immediate performance steers the song into a different space. With the Mescaleros, Strummer may have left his future unwritten, but all these songs are like hand-written notes, pointing the way ahead.

DMA’S announce new album ‘How Many Dreams?’: “It’s a bloody feel-good record”

DMA’S have announced their fourth album ‘How Many Dreams?’ and shared new single ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’. Check out all the details below alongside a chat with the band and exclusive photos from the album’s studio sessions.

Out March 31, 2023 and now available for pre-order here, ‘How Many Dreams?’ will see DMA’S continue to branch out from the guitar-driven Britpop anthems of their first two records. “We were finding our feet with a more modern sound on [2019’s] ‘The Glow’,” Johnny Took told NME at Reading & Leeds, where they absolutely owned their main stage slot ahead of performances from Bastille and Halsey.

DMA'S How Many Dreams studio sessions — DMA’S at RAK Studios London for ‘How Many Dreams’. Credit Reuben Bastienne-Lewis

“With ‘How Many Dreams’, we really nailed that down and experiments with a lot of different sounds and different genres. It’s a great blend of the three things we love, which are rock’n’roll tunes, pop singalongs and electronic music.

“Our music will always have that nostalgic edge to it, but [this album] was about being less of a throwback band and more in the future.”

Lead single ‘I Don’t Need To Hide’ “sums up the album best. It’s got a bit of everything,” explained vocalist Tommy O’Dell. New single ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’, on the other hand, is more of a curveball. It’s about “letting go of the things that weigh us down and embracing the future with a sense of optimism. Stepping in the ‘right light in the dark times’,” Took said in a statement.

The “tongue-in-cheek” track was originally inspired by a conversation Took had with a mate who was down the pub on a school night. “It has a real playful vibe”, Took said, but also deals with the time he quit drinking. “It’s about when you’ve had a few too many drinks and say something stupid. Everyone’s been there.”

Elsewhere on ‘How Many Dreams?’ there’s ‘Fading Like A Picture’ which “opens with this rocking guitar riff” and “harks back to that old DMA’S sound,” according to Took. On the flipside, “there’s a song like ‘De Carle’ which is a full-blown, five-minute electronic song” save a tiny bit of electric bass. “We weren’t trying to split the difference. We really leant into the genre, which is so cool. There are surprises like that across the record.”

“We did what we wanted,” added O’Dell. “We didn’t have any boundaries and that’s what is really exciting about the record. You can’t put it in a box, but it’s still DMA’S.”

Taking inspiration from Groove Armada with vocalist O’ Dell pulling influence from old school Motown, ‘How Many Dreams?’ was the longest record DMA’S took to make.

The Aussie trio (rounded out by Matt Mason) spent three weeks in a London studio with superproducers Stuart Price and Rich Costey “working on a lot of band in the room stuff”. The Omicron variant hit, DMA’S returned home to Australia and though most of the album was done, “when we got back to Sydney, we were listening to the desk mixes and it felt like we had a lot more work to do.” With Costey and Price on the other side of the world, though, they got Konstantin Kersting in to help them finish the record.

“We ‘Screamadelica’-fied it,” Took quipped, referencing Primal Scream’s iconic album. “We’d find a live drumbeat [we’d recorded in London] but would only use eight bars of it, then we’d put programming underneath it, and some extra synths. We really had the time to be creative on this record, which we’ve never really done before.”

Working with Costey and Price was “just great”, Took said. “It’s amazing when you jump in a studio with anyone new, especially when they’re of that calibre. They’ve just got so many great stories and so much knowledge. Kersting might be younger but he’s worked on some great records as well. All three of them nailed it.”

With DMA’S more confident in the studio, ‘How Many Dreams?’ is a “bloody feel-good record,” according to Took. “We couldn’t be more proud of it.”

“We didn’t want to release something gloomy after [COVID],” added O’Dell. “There are still sentiments that are a bit doom and gloom but it’s definitely a feel-good record with positivity and nostalgia.”

Following the release of ‘How Many Dreams?’ and a support slot with Arctic Monkeys at The Domain in Sydney, DMA’S will head out a tour of the UK in April 2023. Still, the band has no worries about the shows getting bigger and bigger.

“I was thinking about the live show for a lot of the songs on ‘How Many Dreams?’,” added Took. “I’ve never written like that before but we played ‘I Don’t Need To Hide’ for the first time the other day and for such a new song, it went down really well. Incorporating those pop and electronic elements into our music means there’s a real dynamic to the set now [so] we can really hold our own on those big stages.”

The Libertines announce podcast to celebrate 20 years of ‘Up The Bracket’

The Libertines have announced the launch of a special podcast to celebrate 20 years of their debut album ‘Up The Bracket’.

READ MORE: Pete Doherty on life and new Libertines music at Glastonbury 2022: “I’ve been spearheading indie sleaze for years!”

The podcast Up The Bracket: 20 Years of The Libertines will be made up of seven episodes featuring exclusive interviews with band members Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall and Gary Powell, as well as the A&R who discovered them, James Endeacott, and their biographer and former NME journalist Anthony Thornton.

The series will be hosted by Radio X’s Sunta Templeton and will provide listeners with insight into The Libertines’ journey, exploring the highs and lows and the moment they felt like they ‘made it’ told by the band themselves.

Our podcast with @thelibertines, 20 Years Of Up The Bracket is out on Friday, and we want to know what your favourite Up The Bracket track is?

Reply or quote tweet with your answer ? pic.twitter.com/OFeOXyMJUi

— Radio X (@RadioX) October 11, 2022

The release of the podcast this Friday (October 14) will be accompanied by a special documentary, with both being available exclusively on Global Player.

Speaking on the podcast, Templeton said: “20 years on, we’re jumping aboard the good ship Albion with Peter, Carl, John and Gary and journeying back to where it all began. The story of The Libertines is fascinating, chaotic and totally captivating, and this is an essential listen for fans of their trail-blazing brilliance.”

Listen to the trailer for the podcast here.

News of the special podcast from The Libertines arrives weeks after it was revealed the band have just returned from working on their fourth album in Jamaica.

“We’ve got a new album on the way,” Doherty told media at the AIM Independent Music Awards 2022. “It’s been quite productive. Just trying to write some new songs.”

A date for their new album is yet to be announced but backstage at Glastonbury Festival in June, Doherty told NME he hoped to release the album before the end of 2022.

When asked when the project might be complete, he said: “By the end of the year, I think – hopefully. We’ll get the demos done in the summer hopefully, and then we’ll see.”

While a new album from the band is currently in the works, they are also gearing up for the release of a Super Deluxe Edition of ‘Up The Bracket’ – available to pre-order here – which is due for release on October 21. The collectible will include 65 unreleased recordings with original demos, radio sessions and live recordings. A 60-page book with a foreword by Beats 1 presenter and former NME journalist Matt Wilkinson, unseen photos and memorabilia is also set to be released.

The 20th anniversary of ‘Up The Bracket’ was also celebrated by the band back in July where they performed the album in full at a one-night show at Wembley Arena.

Uncut December 2022

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Bob Dylan, Robyn Hitchcock, Flaming Lips, Davy Graham, L7, Weyes Blood, Alan Parsons, Misty In Roots, Alabaster DePlume, Peter Frampton and Willy DeVille all feature in the new Uncut, dated December 2022 and in UK shops from October 13 or available to buy online now. This issue comes with an exclusive free 15-track CD of the month’s best new music.

BOB DYLAN: As Bob Dylan live fever reaches its peak, Uncut travels to Stockholm to experience the Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour up close. First, though, Uncut’s writers – and some close associates – relive their own legendary encounters with Bob from his past seven decades of challenging, constantly evolving live music. Take your seat alongside us at Sheffield City Hall in 1965, Madison Square Garden in 1974, the Spokane Opera House in 1980 and beyond, down 50 transformative years, in our definitive, eye-witness report on Dylan in concert.

OUR FREE CD! CONTAINS MULTITUDES: 15 tracks of the month’s best new music

This issue of Uncut is available to buy by clicking here – with FREE delivery to the UK and reduced delivery charges for the rest of the world.

Inside the issue, you’ll find:

THE FLAMING LIPS: Axl Rose! Cat Stevens! Songs to sing at funerals! As a 20th-anniversary boxset expands the technicolour universe of The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Wayne Coyne reveals the real story of how his band of freaks inherited the Earth. “We just embraced it all, and did it our way,” learns Sam Richards.

WEYES BLOOD: With Titanic Rising – Uncut’s Album Of The Year in 2019 – Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering conjured up a beguiling mix of bold cinematic dreams and ecological fears. For her follow-up, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, she has further refined her singular vision. She tells Jaan Uhelszki about Buddhist anthems, Greek myths and – of course! – the end of the world: “My idea of impending doom is a lot closer than people think.”

DAVY GRAHAM: He was a revolutionary spirit at the vanguard of the ’60s folk movement, until drug addiction and mental health issues waylaid his mercurial talent. Here friends and collaborators and – among them Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy and Ray Davies – celebrate the nimble-fingered magic of Davy Graham. “He burned very brightly for a short time, and no-one forgot that,” hears Rob Hughes.

MISTY IN ROOTS: Emerging from their west London squat during the racially charged late ’70s, they battled inequality and injustice through their powerful “progressive protest music”. They went on to record one of the greatest live albums of all time, enjoy the patronage of John Peel and Pete Townshend, and become the first British reggae group to play in Russia – before relocating to a farm in Zimbabwe. All while they endured trauma and tragedy whose scars can still be felt to this day. This, then, is the remarkable story of Misty In Roots. “The music is our legacy,” they tell Dave Simpson. “It will outlast all of us.”

ROBYN HITCHCOCK: As the singular psych-folk troubadour releases his 22nd album with help from famous friends, he answers your pressing enquiries.

L7: The making of “Pretend We’re Dead”.

ALAN PARSONS: The ultimate backroom boy on his massively successful “prog pop” career.

THE BEATLES: Their pivot-point LP gets a fresh spin.

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In our expansive reviews section, we take a look at new records from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Richard Dawson, Arctic Monkeys, Big Joanie and more, and archival releases from PJ Harvey, Iris Dement, Bright Eyes, and others. We catch the End Of The Road live; among the films, DVDs and TV programmes reviewed are The Banshees Of Inisherin, Triangle Of Sadness, Vesper, Neptune Frost and A Bunch Of Amateurs; while in books there’s Tom Doyle and Brian Johnson.

Our front section, meanwhile, features Pharoah Sanders, Peter Frampton, Willy DeVille, International Anthem & Skullcrusher, while, at the end of the magazine, Alabaster DePlume shares his life in music.

You can pick up a copy of Uncut in the usual places, where open. But otherwise, readers all over the world can order a copy from here.

CLICK TO GET THE NEW UNCUT DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR

See the setlist from Roxy Music’s 2022 reunion tour

The latest setlist for Roxy Music‘s reunion tour has been shared online – check it out along with live performance footage below.

READ MORE: All of these classic albums turn 50 this year

Roxy Music’s UK and North American tour, which kicked off on September 7 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, marks the first time that bandmembers Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera and Paul Thompson have been together on stage since the band’s ‘For Your Pleasure’ tour in 2011.

The tour also takes in the 50th anniversary of the band’s debut album, which they will be celebrating throughout 2022 with a vinyl reissue series that sees reissues of all eight of their studio albums.

Last night (September 19) the pop rockers played Chicago’s United Center. See the list of songs they played [via SetlistFM] below:

‘Re-Make/Re-Model’
‘Out Of The Blue’
‘The Bogus Man’
‘The Main Thing’
‘Ladytron’
‘While My Heart Is Still Beating’
‘Oh Yeah’
‘If There Is Something’
‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’
‘Tara’
‘My Only Love’
‘To Turn You On’
‘Dance Away’
‘Same Old Scene’
‘More Than This’
‘Avalon’
‘Love Is The Drug’
‘Editions Of You’
‘Do The Strand’
‘Jealous Guy’ (John Lennon cover)

Tomorrow (September 21) the band play Texas’ Moody Center in Austin ahead of a few more US shows before the UK leg of their tour. See the list of remaining dates below and find any more available UK tickets here.

Roxy Music’s remaining 2022 tour dates:

SEPTEMBER
21 – Austin, Moody CEnter
23 – Dallas, American Airlines Center
26 – San Francisco, Chase Center
28 – Los Angeles, The Forum

OCTOBER
10 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
12 – Manchester, AO Arena
14 – London, The O2

Discussing Roxy Music’s self-titled debut album for its anniversary, NME wrote: “After being fired as a ceramics teacher for singing in the classroom, Bryan Ferry, a fine art grad from County Durham, auditioned to sing in the London prog-rock band King Crimson. Though his voice wasn’t a fit, the band’s Robert Fripp was impressed all the same, and suggested that Ferry give E.G. Records a call if he ever formed his own band.

In 2019, singer Bryan Ferry reunited with some of his Roxy Music bandmates for the group’s first performance in eight years as part of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Robbie Williams breaks Official Chart records with ‘XXV’

Robbie Williams has broken Official Chart records as his latest album ‘XXV’ tops the Official Albums Chart.

READ MORE: Robbie Williams on Damon Albarn, Morrissey and the dark side of Take That: “I have a cannon-full of quotes”

The pop star released ‘XXV’, which contains re-recorded and orchestrated versions of songs from across his career, last Friday (September 9), and it is now his 14th Number One solo album.

The Official Charts Company have confirmed that Williams has overtaken Elvis Presley to become the solo artist with the most UK Number One albums ever (Presley’s record was 13). The Beatles are now the only act with more UK Number One albums than Williams, having scored 15 across their career.

In addition, Williams racked up four further Number One albums during his time in Take That. The overall record holder for an individual with the most Number One albums is Paul McCartney, who has received 23 across his career in The Beatles, Wings and as a solo act, with John Lennon following behind with 19 Number Ones.

“Thank you to everyone who’s supported the album: everyone who’s bought it, streamed it, downloaded it and reviewed it,” Williams said on breaking the record.

“I’m so pleased that it’s gone to Number 1, and whilst it feels strange to be receiving an award during these sombre times, I wanted to thank you all for your support and dedicate this to the fans, who I never take for granted. I really appreciate it, thank you so much.”

Robbie Williams performs during Soccer Aid for Unicef 2022 at London Stadium on June 12, 2022 in London, England CREDIT: Mike Marsland/WireImage

Speaking to NME recently, Williams praised Noel Gallagher as a “great comedic writer”.

“There was a lot of back-and-forth about a lot of different people,” he said. “And it wasn’t that I was hurt that it was said; it was just fucking annoying that it stuck. But, you know: Noel’s really good at that stuff. He’s said a lot of incredible quotes that stick.

“He’s got that sort of brain for those things that cut through the chaff and stay around.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Williams said he does the same thing “musically” that Morrissey and Elton John do, compared his weekend at Glastonbury 1995 to “Putin turning up in Westminster”, and hit out at Damon Albarn over his inaccurate past claim that Taylor Swift “doesn’t write her own songs”.

“I think that when people say that, what they’re actually doing is having a wank about themselves,” Williams explained.

Congratulations to @LewisCapaldi on his third Number 1 single, #ForgetMe ?

He's the third act to debut at Number 1 in 2022, after @Santandave1 and @Harry_Styles ? https://t.co/TwF1VgNsOC

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) September 16, 2022

In other Official Charts news, Lewis Capaldi’s new single ‘Forget Me’ has debuted atop the Official Singles Chart this week, making this his third UK Number One single.

Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne‘s 13th studio album ‘Patient Number 9’ debuts at Number Two on the Albums Chart, Manic Street Preachers see their 2001 record ‘Know Your Enemy’ return to the Top 5 this week and The Amazons’ ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’ becomes the band’s third consecutive Top 10 album.

Paul McCartney pens letter requesting immediate aid of abused Indian elephant

Sir Paul McCartney has penned a letter requesting immediate action be taken to aid an abused Indian elephant.

McCartney – a long-time PETA supporter – sent an urgent letter to Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, requesting immediate action be taken to send an abused elephant named Jeymalyatha (also known as Joymala) to a rescue centre for her recovery from psychological trauma.

Joymala has been held captive the Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple in Tamil Nadu. In a viral video, the animal can be seen being beaten with weapons and controlled using pliers.

In his letter, McCartney said: “I am confident that action will be taken to send sorely abused elephant Jeymalyatha (Joymala) to a suitable rescue centre where she can receive the specialised care she needs for her psychological wounds, and can live unchained and in the company of others of her kind.”

McCartney added that though the videos of the animal were heartbreaking, “equally heartbreaking is that this social, intelligent animal is still being forced to live in solitary confinement”.

“I trust you agree that Jeymalyatha has suffered more than enough, and that she deserves to spend the rest of her time on this Earth the way away from her abusive trainers, rehabilitating, and with others of her kind.”

According to a press release, McCartney’s letter follows a veterinary inspection report (and plea by PETA India) on the condition of Joymala, who found that her current handler (mahout) used pliers on her, even in the presence of inspectors.

Inspectors were reportedly forbidden by the mahout to take photographs or video footage of Joymala. The inspection was conducted after two viral videos of the elephant’s treatment emerged in June 2022 and February 2021.

Earlier this year, McCartney teamed up with PETA on a campaign that urged US coffee chain Starbucks to stop charging more for plant-based milk. The former Beatles musician, a vegetarian since 1975 and 2009 founder of Meat Free Mondays, wrote a letter to then-Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson calling for an end to the surcharge on plant-based milk options.

“I must say this surprised me as I understand that in other countries like UK and India, there is the same charge for both types of milk and I would like to politely request that you consider this policy also in Starbucks USA,” McCartney wrote.

“My friends at PETA are campaigning for this. I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy.”

NCT’s Jeno to become the first K-pop star to open a New York Fashion Week runway show

Luxury fashion designer Peter Do has teamed up with stars from K-pop label SM Entertainment for his upcoming New York Fashion Week showcase.

READ MORE: NCT Dream on ‘Beatbox’: “We have this music that’s uniquely our own”

Set to take place on September 13 (local time), Do’s upcoming Spring/Summer 2023 New York Fashion Week show will be opened by NCT member Jeno, who is best known for being a part of its NCT Dream subunit. This will mark the first time a K-pop star has opened a NYFW runway show.

“It was a natural choice to have Jeno open the show. Jeno embodies the Peter Do man – multifaceted, confident, and a trailblazer,” said Do in a press release, sharing his motivation behind the decision.

“Few realise the intensity of what is happening behind the scenes to achieve the end product; it’s very similar to fashion so I identify with that process very much,” he added.

Do’s new collection revolves around the theme of time, teased with personalised invitations that take the form of a memory box developed by the designer in collaboration with SM Entertainment.

Contained in a cookie tin, its contents comprise various items representative of Do’s life. These include a recipe from his late father, an old-school mix CD featuring music from SM artists Do listened to growing up and a SM-branded disposable camera, among other items.

“This memory box, filled with all these objects that are of a personal emotional significance to me, is a nod to SM’s presence in different stages of my life,” explained Do. “There’s the nostalgia of listening to Girls’ Generation songs on the bus on my way to school. When we started the brand, we were listening to Red Velvet on repeat while building studio furniture.”

In addition to Jeno, SM Entertainment trainees Shohei and Eunseok — part of the agency’s SMROOKIES team — will be making their NYFW debut by walking in the show. Red Velvet member Seulgi will also attend the event as a special guest, ahead of her upcoming solo debut next month.

While Do has previously worked with another NCT member, Johnny, who he styled for the 2022 Met Gala, this is SM Entertainment’s first foray into the annual fashion event.

Death Cab For Cutie on their new album ‘Asphalt Meadows’: “This feels like a new band”

Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard has told NME about how the creation of the band’s upcoming tenth album ‘Asphalt Meadows’ made them “feel like a new band”, while also revealing that one of the album’s tracks took 25 years to complete.

The band are releasing their follow-up to 2018’s ‘Thank You For Today’ this Friday (September 16) via Atlantic, and so far it has been previewed by the singles ‘Foxglove Through The Clearcut’, ‘Roman Candles’ and ‘Here To Forever’.

READ MORE: Ben Gibbard on his new Fender signature guitar – and how it’s influencing the new Death Cab For Cutie album

Work on what would become ‘Asphalt Meadows’ began prior to the pandemic, but Gibbard told NME that the opportunity that was given to the band to “get off the touring treadmill” during the COVID lockdowns changed the album they were making for the better.

“I remember specifically saying to my wife, at some point in January 2020, ‘I just wish I had a year off’,” the singer recalled. “The band had intermittent things planned that year, but there were a couple of own goals I had [made] too. I booked a two-and-a-half week solo tour for virtually no reason other than just to do it, and social things started to really eat away at the year.

“So the very dim silver lining on such a terrible period is that it did give artists a lot of time to take a breath and get off the touring treadmill. That time definitely took me to some different places creatively that maybe I wouldn’t have otherwise. I certainly don’t think we would have had the record that we have, I think for better, without this period.”

After living in what he called a “liminal” space between pre-pandemic life and the experience of lockdown, Gibbard told NME that “as [lockdown] extended longer my anxiety started to grow, and I didn’t really feel like writing”.

During that time Gibbard launched his ‘Live From Home’ livestream series, where he played songs from his own projects (as well as Beatles covers) in shows that were broadcast at the same time every day. Over the duration of the series, Gibbard raised over £200,000 for local COVID relief organisations in the Seattle area, as well as refreshing and revitalising his own creative process.

“I was just feeling so anxious and watching too much news,” Gibbard told NME of his headspace in the early pandemic before ‘Live From Home’ began. “I started doing these shows for altruistic reasons and because I thought people might enjoy them, but I had a selfish reason to doing them, too.

“It gave me a sense of schedule and a sense of normalcy. During a time where nobody had to be anywhere, the fact that I had to be somewhere at 4pm every day – and that I gave myself the task of playing very different sets every day and making sure that I was touching a lot of material – gave me a real sense of purpose in that time when I felt like I was floating.”

Through playing old Death Cab material and covering artists who inspired him during the series, Gibbard gained a new perspective when looking to write what would become ‘Asphalt Meadows’. “For anybody who has been doing this as long as we have, there’s this delicate balance that you’re always trying to strike between the spirit and the sonics of some of the older material, while also trying to push in some new directions. But I also wanted the record to sound like Death Cab – I want us to sound like us.

“In revisiting a lot of the older material for those shows,” he added, “it gave me some newfound perspective, or a perspective I hadn’t really had in a while. I would say, ‘I really like this tune, maybe we should start playing it again’. Or, ‘Oh, this song has a cool twist in it. Maybe I should try to do something similar to that on a new song’. It just allowed me to be a little more full-circle when thinking about our catalogue.”

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie (Picture: Erika Goldring / Getty Images)

Death Cab worked on ‘Asphalt Meadows’ with producer John Congleton, who Gibbard said he “immediately fell in love with” having been introduced by the band’s keyboardist Zac Rae in summer 2021. “John was somebody we’d always been kicking around about doing a record with,” Gibbard told NME, saying that the band were “quite far down the road” with making ‘Asphalt Meadows’ with an unnamed British producer before “COVID and creative differences slowed down that idea”.

Meeting with Congleton while he was in Seattle working with Tegan and Sara, Gibbard said the pair struck up an immediate friendship: “One of those fast friendships where you’re just kind of finishing each other’s sentences. I was just immediately completely taken with John. Sometimes the path you start on doesn’t end up being the path you take, but the path that you do take ends up being a far better one than your original plan. And that was certainly the case when working with John.”

As well as changing producers, Gibbard also set himself and his bandmates a challenge when writing the album. “When I was writing early in lockdown, I felt like I was repeating myself a lot,” he explained. “My hands were going to similar places on instruments, and I just wanted to break out of the lyrical holes that I was falling into.”

To break out of this rut, Gibbard came up with an MO for the record, where at the start of every week the band would pick out each of the five members’ names in a random order. From there, the member assigned to Monday would create a piece of music, which they would then pass on to the next member for Tuesday, and so on.

“By Friday,” Gibbard explained, “we’ve all had 24 hours with the song to do our bit, and when you had the piece of music you had complete editorial control. If it got to Dave [Depper, guitarist] on Wednesday, and he didn’t like the tempo, or he didn’t like the drum bit, he could just take it away or make something new. The goal was that we wanted to try and write the best songs possible. It wasn’t a case of everybody individually saying, ‘I’m going to shine with my cool guitar part on this one day!’ Everything was very deliberate in a way that we’ve never done before.”

Through this new process of working, Gibbard told NME that he learned more about his bandmates and that Death Cab now “feels like a new band” to him: “It feels like we’re just starting to cap the potential of this particular line-up.”

The anchor of the record is their stunning recent single ‘Foxglove From The Clearcut’, a post-rock-influenced hammer blow that began life over 25 years ago. Gibbard explained that, before the pandemic, he found and uploaded to his computer a host of four-track master tapes that he had recorded between 1996 and 2002, stumbling upon an unfinished instrumental track from ‘98.

“I was like, ‘That’s kinda cool actually!’,” he recalled to NME. “I made a loop of the drum, bass and guitar parts that I had recorded for it. It had a very ‘90s indie rock vibe to it. I thought to myself, ‘I’m just gonna try talking over this. I’ve never done a song where there’s been a spoken-word narrative’. One of the reasons that this song feels like such a tentpole for the record is that it’s quite literally the synthesis of the origins of this band and where we are now. If you’re trying to kind of harness the sonics of where you started and where you are now, that was just a perfect happy accident where those things can exist together.”

Of the song’s impact on him and ‘Asphalt Meadows’ at large, Gibbard added: “There really is no more introspective way to create music than to finish a thought you’d had 25 years ago. It’s literally finishing a thought. I remember when I was having memories of writing this piece of music, and I’d just sit in my house in Bellingham with a four-track and some shitty mics. I remember being disappointed that I never did anything with that, because I really liked that.”

In the song, Gibbard’s spoken-word performance positions him as the narrator telling the story of a man “who used to live by the ocean but never set foot in the sea”. After completing the song, the frontman realised that, in fact, he was both narrator and protagonist.

“When I’m writing, the characters are usually pretty flushed out, and I can see their faces,” Gibbard told NME. “But with ‘Foxglove’, I literally saw myself as the narrator standing next to somebody, but that person’s face was blurred out. I know this is very esoteric, but in my mind’s eye writing that song I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a person I’m writing about, and they’re all backlit or blurry, I can’t see who they are’.

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie performs during the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Picture: Getty)

“Then,” he added, “I started to realise that it’s definitely me. Perhaps it’s because of the gap between the beginning of this composition and now, there was me at two different places in my life and I was speaking to myself after I’d had a long journey.”

Through unconscious revelations like these and deliberate attempts to shake up their creative writing process, mystical magic flowed through the creation of ‘Asphalt Meadows’ that can be keenly felt across the record.

“The longer you do this, you’re going to hit a point where you’re starting to either repeat yourself or write yourself into a corner,” Gibbard said. “You have some songs that you’re very proud of, but you think, ‘Jeez, I don’t know what else I have to say!’

“These moments of creative transcendence become fewer and far between, but when they do happen, it’s an incredibly powerful and life-affirming moment. You think, ‘I love that I do this for a living. I love that. This song took 25 years to get to me. That’s fucking beautiful, you know’.”

Death Cab For Cutie will tour the UK and Europe in spring 2023. See the full list of gigs below, and find tickets here.

JUNE 2023

1 – Fabrique, Milan
2 – X-Tra, Zurich
5 – Den Grå Hal, Copenhagen
6 – Filadelfia, Stockholm
7 – Sentrum Scene, Oslo
9 – Columbiahalle, Berlin
10 – 13, Tilburg
11 – Paridiso, Amsterdam
12 – E-Werk, Cologne
14 – De Roma, Antwerp
15 – Atelier, Luxembourg
16 – Salle Pleyel, Paris
18 – Rock City, Nottingham
19 – Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin
21 – O2 Institute, Birmingham
22 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh
23 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
25 – Apollo, Manchester
27 – Dome, Brighton
29 – Royal Albert Hall, London

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp dedicate cover of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ to Queen Elizabeth II

In place of a new instalment of their Sunday Lunch series, Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp have dedicated a cover of David Bowie‘s ‘Heroes’ to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

A description shared with the video – which sees Willcox hold up handwritten placards dedicated to the Queen as well as the duo’s personal heroes, while Fripp plays guitar behind her – saw the pair offer their condolences to the British Royal Family. “Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp wish to extend condolences to the Royal Family, and respect the dedication HRH Elizabeth II showed her country during her unprecedented reign,” the description read.

“The Sunday Lunch series is paused to play “Heroes” in acknowledgement of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.”

Watch the video below:

The couple have been delivering Sunday Lunch episodes since 2020, when they began the series during the coronavirus pandemic. Among their covers have been Pantera‘s ‘5 Minutes Alone’, Grace Jones‘ ‘Slave To The Rhythm’, Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’, Limp Bizkit’s ‘Nookie’ and Billy Idol‘s ‘Rebel Yell’ among many others.

Hordes of music and entertainment industry figures have paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II following her death at age 96 on September 8.

In a statement, David Attenborough observed how “the whole nation is bereaved”. Sharing an image of the pair in 1977, Dolly Parton said the Queen “carried herself with grace and strength her entire life”.

On Twitter, Elton John wrote: “She was an inspiring presence to be around and led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency and a genuine caring warmth.”

Elsewhere, Pearl Jam covered The Beatles‘ ‘Her Majesty’ in honour of the late monarch, while talk show host James Cordon led tributes on The Late Late Show, describing her as “universally adored”.

Sex Pistols, who famously released their single ‘God Save The Queen’ just before the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, passed comment on the Queen’s death in online posts. Frontman John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten wrote “Send her victorious”, bassist Steve Jones asked fans “How do you feel?” and bassist Glen Matlock looked to the future with King Charles III. “God save the king – hope he’s not a silly old thing.”

Dolly Parton pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II: “She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life”

Dolly Parton has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II online and recalled meeting her at her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977.

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, the Queen died on Thursday (September 8) at her Balmoral estate after 70 years on the throne. She was 96 years old.

Parton shared a post on her Instagram page yesterday (September 9) honouring Queen Elizabeth II, joining a host of other famous faces in paying tribute. “I had the honour of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977,” she wrote.

“She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life. May she Rest In Peace. My thoughts are prayers are with her family at this time. Love, Dolly.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton)

Alongside the note, Parton also shared a photo of that meeting between herself and the Queen. The country star took part in the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, alongside The Jackson 5, Scottish singer and entertainer Sydney Devine and comedian Frankie Howerd.

Other figures from the entertainment world to pay tribute to the Queen included Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger and many more.

A 2021 interview with McCartney resurfaced after news of the monarch’s death broke, in which the Beatle recalled meeting the Queen when he was 10 years old. Other moments where Queen Elizabeth II had brushes with pop culture – including her London 2012 skit with James Bond actor Daniel Craig – were also recirculated.

Members of Sex Pistols, who famously released their controversial single ‘God Save The Queen’ just before her Silver Jubilee, also responded to her death online. “Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II,” John Lydon wrote. “Send her victorious.”

Sex Pistols share posts about Queen Elizabeth II’s death

Sex Pistols have shared posts online about the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died yesterday (September 8) at the age of 96.

The punk band famously released their controversial anti-monarchy single ‘God Save The Queen’ just before the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, with artwork featuring a safety pin through the monarch’s lips.

Following the news of her death, three members of Sex Pistols’ original line-up have now commented on the Queen’s passing. Frontman John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – shared the same portrait of Elizabeth II that was used for the ‘God Save The Queen’, minus the punk modifications on Twitter.

“Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II,” he captioned the tweet. “Send her victorious. From all at johnlydon.com.”

Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II.

Send her victorious.

From all at https://t.co/vK2Du0ZzDS pic.twitter.com/kq4M6WfeML

— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 9, 2022

Guitarist Steve Jones shared the embellished portrait of the Queen, with the title of the band’s infamous single and the lyrics. “How do you feel?” he asked his followers.

How do you feel? pic.twitter.com/fDGnLHv3Sc

— JONE$Y$ JUKEBOX (@JonesysJukebox) September 8, 2022

Bassist Glen Matlock, meanwhile, looked to the future with King Charles III. “God save the king – hope he’s not a silly old thing…” he wrote on Twitter.

God save the king – hope he’s not a silly old thing…

— Glen Matlock (@GlenMatlock) September 8, 2022

After news of the Queen’s death broke yesterday (September 8), figures from across the entertainment world paid tribute to the monarch online, including the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger.

Footage of Queen Elizabeth II’s many brushes with pop culture have also begun to recirculate online, including her appearance with James Bond’s Daniel Craig at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and knighting McCartney in 1997.

Meanwhile, artists have also paid tribute at their concerts, with Pearl Jam covering The Beatles’ ‘Her Majesty’ in Toronto. Elton John also honoured the Queen at his own Toronto gig, while Harry Styles led a New York audience in a round of applause for her “70 years of service”.

Paul McCartney recalls first time meeting “down to earth” Queen

Paul McCartney recalled the first time he met Queen Elizabeth II when he was 10 years old in an interview in 2021.

The Queen died yesterday (September 8) at her Balmoral estate, aged 96, bringing her 70-year reign to an end.

McCartney shared the memory of his first meeting with the monarch during an interview with CBS last year. “Because the coronation was approaching, there was a competition for all the schools in England,” he recalled. “You had to write an essay on the monarchy and I liked that idea.”

The Beatles star’s essay described the incoming royal as “our lovely young Queen” and helped him win his “division”. “I was very nervous, cos they called out my name,” he said. “I stumbled up with legs of jelly and it was the first time I’d ever really been on a stage.

“I think the thing about the Queen is that she’s – she’s royal, so you look up to her cos she’s royal. But she’s very down to earth.” Watch a clip of the interview above now.

McCartney is one of the numerous figures across the entertainment world who has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II since the news of her death broke last night. “God bless Queen Elizabeth II,” he wrote on Twitter. “May she rest in peace. Long live The King.”

Elton John also paid tribute to the monarch during his Toronto gig last night. “She was an inspiring presence to be around — I’ve been around her and she was fantastic,” he told the crowd during the concert at the city’s Rogers Centre. “She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency and a genuine care and warmth.”

In New York, Harry Styles led his audience at Madison Square Garden in a round of applause for the Queen, heralding her “70 years of service”.

Michelle Donelan appointed as UK’s new culture secretary

Michelle Donelan has been appointed by the UK’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Donelan, who served as the Secretary of State for Education for 35 hours in July, has represented the constituency of Chippenham since 2015.

The news comes as Truss continues to reveal her Cabinet tonight (September 6). Among the key appointments are Kwasi Kwarteng (Chancellor of the Exchequer and Deputy Prime Minister), Therese Coffey (health secretary), James Cleverly (foreign secretary) and Suella Braverman (home secretary).

Yesterday (September 5) Truss was announced to have won the Conservative Party’s leadership election, beating former chancellor Rishi Sunak to the position of Prime Minister following the resignation of Boris Johnson.

Donelan was promoted to the position of Secretary of State for Education in July after serving for two years as Minister of State for Higher and Further Education. Her summer appointment was made in the wake of a large number of resignations following Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher scandal.

The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP @MichelleDonelan has been appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport @DCMS#Reshuffle pic.twitter.com/VnnBpOMGbL

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 6, 2022

The politician was promoted after the previous education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer by Johnson.

However, on July 7 after just 35 hours in the role Donelan resigned as more than 50 other ministerial resignations poured in. She wrote that Johnson had “put us in an impossible position”.

Donelan was the shortest-serving Cabinet member in British history, breaking a 239-year-old record of four days set during the government of Pitt the Younger.

She replaces staunch Johnson supporter Dorries whose appointment in September 2021 was bemoaned by several politicians as well as figures in the entertainment world.

Nadine Dorries. CREDIT: Leon Neal/Getty Images

During her tenure Dorries made moves to privatise Channel 4 and vowed to abolish the BBC licence fee in 2027 with its cost frozen for the two years.

Dorries said today (September 6) that Truss had offered her the opportunity to continue as culture secretary but that she turned down the role to return to the backbenches.

I have submitted my letter of resignation to the outgoing Prime Minister.

I am humbled that Liz Truss extended her confidence in me by asking me to remain as Secretary of State for DCMS. I will always show her the same loyalty and support I have to @BorisJohnson.

Onwards! pic.twitter.com/CzNl3q2kJI

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) September 6, 2022

Meanwhile, figures in the entertainment world have reacted to Truss becoming Britain’s Prime Minister.

Comedian John Cleese was one of the first to react to her appointment with a mockingly scathing tweet stating: “Liz Truss says that it’s an honour to be elected leader of the Conservative party. No it isn’t.”

Prime Minister Liz Truss — Liz Truss is announced as the next Prime Minister at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London CREDIT: by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Elsewhere, comedian Omid Djalili was similarly scathing in his assessment of the appointment in the wake of the cost of living crisis. “The Tory leadership election was essentially a choice for the party voters between a punch in the throat or an iron bar into the bollocks. Congratulations Liz Truss,” he wrote.

Mogwai frontman Stuart Braithwaite drew attention to a controversial tweet Truss posted in tribute to sex offender Jimmy Saville following his death in 2011. “Reminder that our new prime minister hasn’t deleted this tweet,” he wrote.

Check out the full 50-song set list from the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

The first of two tribute concerts for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins took place over the weekend, with his surviving bandmates, Liam Gallagher, Queen, Travis Barker and Rush among the plethora of artists performing.

READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the show

At its opening on Saturday September 3, the event was promised by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl to be “a gigantic fucking night for a gigantic fucking person” – spanning nearly six hours with a set list of 50 songs. Find the full setlist below.

Foo Fighters also notably performed for the first time since Hawkins’ untimely passing back in March.

Kicking off proceedings, Grohl and the surviving members of Foo Fighters had their arms around one another for an emotional moment. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Grohl began, “tonight we’ve gathered here to celebrate the life, the music and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother, Taylor Hawkins.”

Later, Dave Chappelle recalled spending time with Hawkins and his son Shane, calling the late musician “a legend of a man”.

Liam Gallagher kicked off the night’s musical offerings, performing two classic Oasis songs with members of Foo Fighters, while Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith shared a touching video story.

Later, Grohl’s teenage daughter, Violet, took to the stage to perform Jeff Buckley covers, accompanied by her father, Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures’ Alain Johannes and Jane’s Addiction‘s Chris Chaney.

The night saw Them Crooked Vultures reunite for the first time in 12 years, while Supergrass performed three songs for their “huge fan” Hawkins. Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson joined forces on a pair of AC/DC covers, while Mark Ronson and Violet Grohl covered ‘Valerie’.

Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor then joined Foo Fighters for a five-song set, while The Eagles‘ Joe Walsh led a reunited James Gang in their first live performance in 16 years. Calling them the “one band that I always associated Taylor Hawkins with” Grohl joined the surviving members of Rush, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, on stage to perform a handful of the band’s biggest hits.

The final set of the night saw Paul McCartney, Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell and Hawkins’ son, Shane, Rufus Taylor (son of Roger Taylor), Josh Freese and Devo join Foo Fighters on stage. A “revolving door of drummers” then performed ‘Times Like These’, ‘All My Life’, ‘The Pretender’, ‘Monkey Wrench’, ‘Learn To Fly’, ‘These Days’, ‘Best Of You’, ‘Aurora’ and ‘My Hero’.

The night concluded with Grohl performing one of Foo Fighters’ most famous songs. Before he began, Grohl said: “I hope that you guys felt all the love from all of us and all of the performers, because we felt it from you for Taylor tonight,”

“This one’s for Taylor,” Grohl added before beginning the final song, a solo rendition of the band’s 1997 hit ‘Everlong’.

Among other stars on the line-up paying tribute to Hawkins were Wolfgang Van Halen, The Darkness‘ Justin Hawkins, Kesha, Nile Rodgers, Chevy Metal, and members of Hawkins’ own band The Coattail Riders.

Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997, died in March 2022, aged 50.

A second tribute show will take place at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on September 27.

The setlist for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert is:

Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’
Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – ‘Live Forever’
Josh Homme, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim and Nile Rodgers – ‘Let’s Dance’ (David Bowie cover)
Gaz Coombes, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim and Nile Rodgers – ‘Modern Love’ (David Bowie cover)
Chevy Metal and The Coattail Riders – ‘Psycho Killer’ (Talking Heads cover)
Kesha, Chevy Metal and The Coattail Riders – ‘Children Of The Revolution’ (T-Rex cover)
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘Louise’
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘Range Rover Bitch’
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘It’s Over’
Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins and Josh Freese – ‘On Fire’ (Van Halen cover)
Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins and Josh Freese – ‘Hot For Teacher’ (Van Halen cover)
Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner and Dave Grohl – ‘Last Goodbye’ (Jeff Buckley cover)
Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner and Dave Grohl – ‘Grace’ (Jeff Buckley cover)
Supergrass – ‘Going Out’
Supergrass – ‘Alright’
Supergrass – ‘Caught By The Fuzz’
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (Elton John cover)
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Gunman’
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Long Slow Goodbye’ (Queens of the Stone Age cover)
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Precious’
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Tattooed Love Boys’
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Brass In Pocket’
James Gang – ‘Walk Away’
James Gang – ‘The Bomber: Closet Queen / Bolero / Cast Your Fate To The Wind’
James Gang with Dave Grohl – ‘Funk #49’
Violet Grohl, Mark Ronson, Chris Chaney and Jason Falkner – ‘Valerie’ (Amy Winehouse cover)
Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich and Foo Fighters – ‘Back In Black’ (AC/DC cover)
Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich and Foo Fighters – ‘Let There Be Rock’ (AC/DC cover)
Stewart Copeland with Foo Fighters – ‘Next To You’ (The Police cover)
Stewart Copeland, Gaz Coombes, and Foo Fighters – ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ (The Police cover)
Rush and Dave Grohl – ‘2112 Part I: Overture’
Rush and Dave Grohl – ‘Working Man’
Rush and Omar Hakim – ‘YYZ’
Queen, Foo Fighters, Rufus Taylor and Luke Spiller – ‘We Will Rock You’
Queen, Foo Fighters, and Rufus Taylor – ‘I’m In Love With My Car’
Queen, Foo Fighters, Sam Ryder, and Rufus Taylor – ‘Somebody To Love’
Brian May – ‘Love Of My Life’
Foo Fighters with Josh Freese – ‘Times Like These’
Foo Fighters with Josh Freese – ‘All My Life’
Foo Fighters with Travis Barker – ‘The Pretender’
Foo Fighters with Travis Barker – ‘Monkey Wrench’
Foo Fighters with Nandi Bushell – ‘Learn To Fly’
Foo Fighters with Rufus Taylor – ‘These Days’
Foo Fighters with Rufus Taylor – ‘Best Of You’
Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Foo Fighters and Omar Hakim – ‘Oh! Darling’ (The Beatles cover)
Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters and Omar Hakim – ‘Helter Skelter’ (The Beatles cover)
Foo Fighters with Omar Hakim – ‘Aurora’
Foo Fighters with Shane Hawkins – ‘My Hero’
Dave Grohl – ‘Everlong’

Watch Rush perform with Dave Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush took to the stage at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert over the weekend to perform a slew of the band’s classics – watch below.

The special event in honour of the late Foo Fighters drummer took place on Saturday (September 3) at London’s Wembley Stadium, and was simulcast all on the web, television and streaming platforms.

Featuring a star-studded line-up, tribute performances came from the likes of Mark Ronson, Queens Of The Stone Age‘s Josh Homme, Supergrass, Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Blink-182‘s Travis Barker, AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Kesha, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and more.

Introducing Rush to the stage, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl said: “Now if there’s one band that I always associated Taylor Hawkins with, it’s these next two guys.

“Taylor got up and played with two guys once, in their hometown of Toronto, Canada. And I have to say, it was not only one of the greatest nights of my life watching him do that, but perhaps, one of the greatest night of his.”

Grohl then took a place behind the drums – filling the spot for Rush’s late drummer, Neal Peart – joining the Canadian rock outfit for performances of ‘2112 Part I: Overture’ and ‘Working Man’.

Watch fan-shot footage below:

From the stage, Lee spoke of the privilege it was for himself and Lifeson to perform in honour of Hawkins at the event. “In 2008, as Dave told you, we got a call from Foos’ management, asking if we’d come to the Toronto show, and show up so that Taylor could play one of his favourite Rush songs with us. We obliged, and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Drummer Omar Hakim then joined the pair on stage to deliver the classic instrumental number ‘YYZ’.

Rush played:

1. ‘2112 Part I: Overture’
2. ‘Working Man’
3. ‘YYZ’

Grohl and Hawkins’ Foo Fighters bandmates opened the event with a stirring speech that paid tribute to their late drummer. “No one else could make you smile, or laugh, or dance, or sing like he could,” Grohl said.

Liam Gallagher kicked off the live music, performing two classic Oasis songs, ‘Rock’n’Roll Star’ and ‘Live Forever’, backed by Grohl on drums for both. Comedian Dave Chappelle shared memories of spending time with Hawkins and his son, Shane, who attended the concert and watched from the sidelines. “Taylor Hawkins is a legend of a man, he’s a legend of a musician and he’s a legend of a father,” Chappelle shared.

Later, Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter, Violet, covered two Jeff Buckley songs in tribute to Hawkins, backed by her father on drums, Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures‘ Alain Johannes, guitarist Jason Falkner and Jane’s Addiction’s Chris Chaney. Violet performed ‘Last Goodbye’ and ‘Grace’, following an introduction by her father, who called her “the only person I know who can actually sing a Jeff Buckley song”.

Elsewhere in the show, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson joined forces to perform a pair of the latter band’s hits – ‘Back In Black’ and ‘Let There Be Rock’ – following Violet’s return to cover The Zutons’ ‘Valerie’ with Ronson, The Living End’s Chris Cheney and Falkner.

Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor also took to the stage alongside Foo Fighters to perform five songs – ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Somebody To Love’ and an acoustic rendition of ‘Love Of My Life’.

Helmed by Joe Walsh, James Gang reunited on stage for the first time in 16 years, performing ‘Walk Away’, a medley of ‘The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate to the Wind’ and ‘Funk #49’, joined for the latter by Grohl on drums.

Foo Fighters closed out the night with a star-studded set that featured a revolving cast of drummers, including Barker, Nandi Bushell, and 16-year-old Shane Hawkins. Paul McCartney also joined the group on stage, delivering a performance of two Beatles songs.

Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 alongside performing in bands like Chevy Metal and Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders, died in March 2022, aged 50.

A second tribute show will take place at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on September 27.

Joe Walsh leads reunited James Gang at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Joe Walsh led a reunited James Gang at last night’s Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, marking the group’s first performance in 16 years.

The special event in honour of the late Foo Fighters drummer took place on Saturday (September 3) at London’s Wembley Stadium, and was simulcast all on the web, television and streaming platforms.

Introducing James Gang, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl said: “If you’ve ever seen a picture of Taylor Hawkins, most likely he was wearing a fucking hat that said James Gang on it.”

Led by Walsh – who had tweeted about the band’s set at the concert the day prior (September 2) – James Gang stepped onto the stage at 7pm BST, where the trio gave a performance of ‘Walk Away’, from their 1971 album ‘Thirds’, before playing a medley of ‘The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate to the Wind’.

The group – rounded out by bassist Dale Peters and drummer Jimmy Fox – ended their brief appearance with a rendition of 1970’s ‘Funk #49’, joined by Grohl on drums at Walsh’s invitation.

Their first gig since 2006, James Gang were met with praise on social media from viewers of the tribute concert.

For a bunch of dudes who haven’t played together for more than 15 years, the James Gang are sounding righteous and TIGHT

They may look like your granda’ but they know how to rock #taylorhawkinstribute pic.twitter.com/FYRbEThOK0

— Benjamin Wright (@benwrightjourno) September 3, 2022

The James Gang reformed to play this benefit, and they sound great. T, I hope you’re listening and grinning like mad somewhere out there. #taylorhawkinstribute

— Heather Campbell (@RealLowVibe) September 3, 2022

‘James Gang’ playing for Taylor! Wow! Just Wow! ??#taylorhawkinstribute #TaylorHawkins #TaylorHawkinsWembley

— Shaun Cornforth™ (@TornShaun) September 3, 2022

Such an awesome thing for the James Gang to reform especially for Taylor Hawkins tribute concert.

They were one of his fave bands. Sad that he isn’t here to see them play #taylorhawkinstribute pic.twitter.com/ixJIFIrHqj

— Benjamin Wright (@benwrightjourno) September 3, 2022

Just over here crying randomly during this damn amazing concert. Also, I fucking *love* the James Gang. ❤ #FooFighters #taylorhawkinstribute #TaylorHawkins pic.twitter.com/8vly2NdevY

— FrogDrums (@DrumsFrog) September 3, 2022

Dave Grohl riding with the James Gang right now. It’s awesome!!!! #taylorhawkinstribute

— Jay R (@WildcatRiot) September 3, 2022

Man, these #JamesGang boys are in some fine fucking form

The fucking James Gang. At Wembley fucking Stadium. That's rock fucking history, kids. ??????#taylorhawkinstribute https://t.co/6H6dTSt6n5

— Celluloid Sorceress (@SorceressOfFilm) September 3, 2022

James Gang Rides Again! ? #TaylorHawkinsTribute #JoeWalsh pic.twitter.com/PDcZrc0OBF

— BarbAfter909 (@barb_potter) September 3, 2022

Ahead of the show, Walsh revealed in a statement (per Ultimate Classic Rock) that Hawkins had frequently asked him about his career. “Taylor was like my little brother who was always asking questions,” the veteran rocker said. “He had an insatiable curiosity about playing hard and loud like we used to do in the ’70s.

“We spoke a lot about being in a three-piece, how we recorded ‘James Gang Rides Again’ and what life was like for a musician before he was even born.

“He thought I was pretty cool and the feeling was mutual.”

James Gang played:

1. ‘Walk Away’
2. ‘The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate to the Wind’
3. ‘Funk #49’ (with Dave Grohl)

Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 alongside performing in bands like Chevy Metal and Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders, died in March 2022, aged 50.

A second tribute show will take place at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on September 27.

Earlier this month it was announced that Grohl would be joining Walsh and James Gang as the “special guest” at Walsh’s veteran benefit show, ‘VetsAid’, on November 13 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

James Gang will headline the event, with their reunion being billed as “one last ride”. They’ll be joined on the line-up by Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys and The Breeders.

Brian May and Roger Taylor join Foo Fighters for Queen set at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Both active founding members of Queen – lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor – joined the Foo Fighters to perform a five-song set of their own hits at the first Taylor Hawkins tribute concert.

READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the show

The special gig – which took place at Wembley Stadium last night (September 3) and was simulcast all over the web, TV and streaming platforms – honoured the late Foos drummer with performances from Liam Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Supergrass, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, Kesha, and more.

The Queen/Foos supergroup were introduced with archival footage of Hawkins himself, who welcomed Roger Taylor out at one of the Foos own shows before he passed. Hawkins was a noted superfan of the British rock icons, and Foos sets would often see the drummer take over from Dave Grohl to perform lead vocals on a cover of ‘Somebody To Love’.

“When I was 10 years old, my older sister took me to go see Queen in concert – the first concert I ever saw – and I watched the fucking drummer, and I said, ‘I wanna fucking be him, I wanna do that’,” Hawkins says in the archival clip screened at last night’s concert, after hyping the crowd up with his imitation of Freddie Mercury’s famous “ay-oh” chant.

The set itself began with a cover of Queen’s 1977 hit ‘We Will Rock You’, for which Taylor was joined on drums by his son Rufus, and Luke Spiller of The Struts sang lead vocals. With Taylor on vocals, they moved on to 1975’s ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, before welcoming out The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins to sing on the 1981 classic ‘Under Pressure’.

Next up in the setlist was ‘Somebody To Love’, for which Sam Ryder took over the mic. Introducing him, Grohl explained that, since Hawkins would always cover the song on vocals during the Foos’ own sets, it was particularly challenging to find the right vocalist for last night’s tribute.

“It might have been Roger that had this idea,” he said. “Roger showed us a clip of someone singing along to this next song, and we made one phone call, and within 20 minutes, this person told us that he would come here tonight to sing it with us.”

Rounding out the set, May delivered an acoustic performance of 1975’s ‘Love Of My Life’. Before playing the song, May told the crowd: “I did not write this song, it was written by a young boy called Freddie Mercury. And in 1986, we were on this exact spot, singing this song together.

“And in 1992, exactly 30 years ago, we said goodbye to Freddie in a style similar to this – so I know that Freddie would be very happy to use this song to honour Taylor Hawkins. But here’s the deal: I don’t sing this song, we all sing this song together.”

Have a look at the full Foos/Queen performance below:

Queen and Foo Fighters played:

1. ‘We Will Rock You’ (with Luke Spiller of The Struts)
2. ‘I’m In Love With My Car’
3. ‘Under Pressure’ (with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness)
4. ‘Somebody To Love’ (with Sam Ryder)
5. ‘Love Of My Life’ (Brian May performing solo)

Grohl and Hawkins’ Foo Fighter bandmates opened the concert with an emotional speech that paid tribute to their late drummer. “For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile, or laugh, or dance, or sing like he could,” the frontman said.

Comedian Dave Chappelle also recalled spending time with the rock star and his son in New York. “I’ve seen Taylor be a rock star many nights but it was my first time seeing him be a dad, and what a cool fucking dad,” he said. “Taylor Hawkins is a legend of a man, he’s a legend of a musician and he’s a legend of a father.”

Liam Gallagher kicked off the live music today, performing two Oasis songs with the help of the surviving members of Foo Fighters, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith shared a heartwarming story about Hawkins in a special video message.

Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter Violet also took to the stage to cover two Jeff Buckley songs at the show, before Grohl’s supergroup Them Crooked Vultures reunited for the first time in 12 years. Supergrass also performed, with the trio recalling a tour they did with the Foos and Hawkins in the ’90s.

Foo Fighters closed out the night with a star-studded set that features a revolving cast of drummers, including Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell, and Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane. Paul McCartney also joined the group onstage, delivering a performance of two Beatles songs.

Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 alongside his role in bands like Chevy Metal and Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders, died in March 2022. He was 50 years old.

Watch Mark Ronson and Violet Grohl cover ‘Valerie’ at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Mark Ronson and Violet Grohl covered ‘Valerie’ at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium tonight (September 3).

The memorial gig featured a stacked line-up of some of music’s biggest names, as legends from across the musical spectrum came together to honour the late Foo Fighters drummer.

READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the show

“When we first started talking about putting something together for Taylor, we sat down and we said, ‘Even if it’s his closest friends, that’s like 100 fucking musicians’,” Foos frontman Dave Grohl said before introducing the musicians on stage. “Because Taylor loved to jam and record with anybody and everybody. He loved to play music every day and there aren’t too many people that he’s never jammed with.

“So this collection of friends and family and musicians, this is all brought together by him. We’re all connected here today by that one guy, bringing musicians that have never met, musicians that have never played together, all in one place at one time with all of you beautiful people to make fucking noise for Taylor Hawkins.”

Grohl continued: “The last few days, we’ve been asking ourselves the same question after every rehearsal. We’ve been asking, ‘God, I wonder what Taylor would think of this? I wonder what Taylor would think to see all of these amazing people together making music.”

Grohl then ushered on an example of what he had just been talking about. “One of the people he recorded with not too long ago is here tonight to do a song I’m sure a lot of you know,” he said. “Would you please welcome Mr Mark Ronson to the stage right now.” He also introduced Jane’s Addiction’s Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner, backing vocalists Barbara, Sam and Laura, and his daughter, Violet Grohl.

The musicians walked down the runway of the stage to gather together. “I guess this one’s for all the legends tonight and if you wanna sing along with Violet and the rest of us, please feel free,” Ronson said before starting the cover of The Zutons’ ‘Valerie’. Watch footage of the performance above, starting around the -3.03.49 mark.

Earlier in the night, Violet Grohl joined Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures’ Alain Johannes, Falkner and Chaney to cover two songs from Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’ album.

Taylor Hawkins. CREDIT: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

Elsewhere, Grohl and Hawkins’ Foo Fighter bandmates opened the concert with an emotional speech that paid tribute to their late drummer. “For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile, or laugh, or dance, or sing like he could,” the frontman said.

Liam Gallagher kicked off the live music today, performing two Oasis songs with the help of the surviving members of Foo Fighters, while Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith shared a heartwarming story about Hawkins in a special video message.

Supergroup Them Crooked Vultures reunited for the first time in 12 years, while Supergrass also performed, with the trio recalling touring with Foo Fighters and Hawkins in the ’90s. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson also joined forces at the concert.

Foo Fighters closed out the night with a star-studded set featuring a revolving cast of drummers, including Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell, and Hawkins’ 16-year-old son, Shane. Paul McCartney also joined the group on stage, delivering a performance of two Beatles songs.

Watch Foo Fighters play with Paul McCartney and Travis Barker at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Foo Fighters closed out the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium tonight (September 3) with a massive set that featured big-name guests, including Paul McCartney and Travis Barker.

The memorial gig kicked off this afternoon and featured an all-star cast throughout the six-hour run, from Liam Gallagher to Mark Ronson, Josh Homme to AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, and many more.

READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the show

After a video was shown featuring performance and video clips of Hawkins throughout the years, Grohl took to the microphone to kick off the final portion of the night. Tearing up, the musician began a poignant version of Foo Fighters’ 2002 hit ‘Times Like These’ with his bandmates, plus Devo and The Vandals’ drummer Josh Freese.

After a raucous rendition of ‘All My Life’, Grohl explained how the last set of the evening would work. “We’re gonna play some of the Foo Fighters songs with some of Taylor’s friends – his favourite drummers and his good friends – coming up to play with us,” he said. “So there’s gonna be kind of a revolving door of drummers who are gonna come up and celebrate Taylor’s fucking awesome drums.

“If you could only see how many fucking drum sets are back there – it looks like the local music shop, it’s a fucking nightmare. But you gotta do that. When it comes to Taylor Hawkins, you gotta celebrate the drummers, right?”

Grohl then introduced Blink-182’s Travis Barker to the stage, sharing an anecdote about how Barker and Hawkins had first met. “Apparently, Taylor met this guy when this guy was a fucking garbage man in Taylor’s neighbourhood and Taylor started going to see his band play when he was a young kid,” he said. “Taylor would always tell him, ‘You’re gonna be a star, man. You’re gonna be a star’. Years later, we wound up on tour with his band and now, he’s gonna sit in with us to play a couple songs.”

Barker joined Foo Fighters on stage to play the 2007 single ‘The Pretender’ and 1997’s ‘Monkey Wrench’.

Following Barker’s departure from the kit, Grohl told the crowd: “Alright, now we have something very special for you. A person that we’ve known for a while now – one of the most badass drummers I’ve ever met in my entire life. A long, long time ago, someone sent me a little clip from Instagram of this fine young drummer who challenged me to a drum battle. She said, ‘Dave Grohl, I challenge you to a drum battle’. At first, I thought she was kidding – she was not. All of my friends said, ‘No no no, you have to respond’. So I engaged in a drum battle with this person and she proceeded to kick my fucking ass in front of the entire world.

“Ever since then, we’ve been friends. So everybody, you gotta say hi to our friend, the coolest fucking drummer in the world.” The star then invited 12-year-old drummer Nandi Bushell onto the stage. “Let me tell you, she’s the biggest rock star on the bill,” Grohl added. “I know we got Queen and Rush and all that shit, but we got Nandi tonight.”

Bushell accompanied the band for the 1999 single ‘Learn To Fly’, which originally appeared on the album ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’. The young musician sang along to the words as she hit the drums and delivered a short solo to close out the song.

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Queen drummer Roger Taylor’s son Rufus was the next to take to the drums, who Grohl referred to as “a real member of the Foo Fighters family”. “We’ve known him since he was a little kid because his father’s band was Taylor’s favourite band and his father was, I think, Taylor’s favourite singer and rock star – and maybe favourite person,” he said. Together, Rufus Taylor and Foo Fighters played 2011’s ‘These Days’ and 2005’s ‘Best Of You’.

“Pulling this whole thing together over the last three months, we’ve met some really amazing people,” Grohl said afterwards. “People that I’ve never met before. One of them, I got to stand on stage with tonight and play the bass – Miss Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders, who I happen to think is the baddest motherfucker in the world. She brought a friend with her tonight, so would everybody please welcome Miss Chrissie Hynde and our good friend, Mr Paul McCartney.”

Hynde and McCartney came to the front of the stage, with The Beatles star carrying a bass. “God bless Taylor,” he said. “Me and Chrissie are gonna do a song here that I haven’t done since we recorded it 100 years ago. I’ve never done it as a duet, but we’re gonna do it tonight for the first time for you.” Aided by Grohl and Foo Fighters, the artists then launched into a version of The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ track ‘Oh! Darling’. Omar Hakim, who played drums for David Bowie, joined the group on drums.

Hynde left the stage after the song was finished, with McCartney remaining on to perform another track, pausing to share an anecdote about Foo Fighters before. “Dave rang me up one day and he said, ‘Taylor’s written this song called ‘Summer Rain’,’ and he said, ‘We’d like you to drum on it,’” the star shared. “There’s this group who’ve got two of the best drummers in the world and they want me to drum on it? So I did. It’s quite a memory.” The band then launched into a version of The Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’.

Hakim stayed behind the kit for a performance of ‘Aurora’, taken from Foo Fighters’ 1999 album ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’, which Grohl said was Hawkins’ favourite song of the band’s. Afterwards, Hakim made way for Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane to get behind the drums for ‘My Hero’.

“Now, we’ve got the little guy,” Grohl said. “Let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone hit the drums as hard as this person. But beyond that, he’s a member of our family and he needs to be here tonight with all of us and I think it makes sense that he’s going to come up and play with us tonight.”

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins dead — Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Credit: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images

A photo of Shane and his dad was shown on the big screen as the young drummer kicked off the performance of the 1997 single. With Grohl cheering him on, Shane finished the song with a blistering solo.

The final set of the night concluded with Grohl performing one of Foo Fighters’ most famous songs solo. “I hope that you guys felt all the love from all of us and all of the performers, because we felt it from you for Taylor tonight, so thank you everybody,” the frontman said before the end of the set. “I don’t really know what else to say. I’d like to thank the Hawkins family – Shane, Everleigh, Annabelle, Alison – for being here with us tonight.

“This one’s for Taylor,” Grohl added, beginning the final song – 1997’s ‘Everlong’. Watch footage of the whole Foo Fighters set above, starting around the -1.28.04 mark.

Foo Fighters played:

‘Times Like These’
‘All My Life’
‘The Pretender’
‘Monkey Wrench’
‘Learn To Fly’
‘These Days’
‘Best Of You’
‘Oh! Darling’
‘Helter Skelter’
‘Aurora’
‘My Hero’
‘Everlong’

Earlier in the evening, Grohl and Hawkins’ Foo Fighter bandmates opened the concert with an emotional speech that paid tribute to their late drummer. “For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile, or laugh, or dance, or sing like he could,” the frontman said.

Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter Violet also took to the stage to cover two Jeff Buckley songs at the show, and supergroup Them Crooked Vultures reunited for the first time in 12 years. Supergrass also performed, with the trio recalling touring with Foo Fighters and Hawkins in the ’90s.

Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 alongside performing in bands like Chevy Metal and Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders, died in March 2022. He was 50 years old.

Vince Guaraldi It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

For millions around the world who were children between the mid-’60s and the early 1980s, Vince Guaraldi’s music for the Peanuts cartoons is deeply engrained. It was often the first jazz music they will have heard, although, at the time, Guaraldi’s upbeat, cheerful themes must have seemed an odd choice to soundtrack the grim, bleakly comic world of Charles M Schulz.

ORDER NOW: Joni Mitchell is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut

Born in San Francisco in 1928, Guaraldi emerged in the ’50s accompanying the vibist Cal Tjader, later joining Woody Herman’s big band. In 1962 he belatedly jumped on the bossa nova bandwagon with Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus, an album of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa songs from the 1959 film, although you got the impression that Guaraldi often got bored of playing to a bossa rhythm, instead lapsing back into the comforting world of swing beats and funky piano licks.

He did have a way with simple, catchy melodies, delivered with a bluesy flourish, and a track on the Black Orpheus album, “Cast Your Fate To The Wind”, was a surprise hit, earning a Grammy for best jazz song. One fan was TV producer Lee Mendelson, who thought that Guaraldi’s style – likeable, slightly yearning, hip but not too out-there – was a perfect fit for the animated adaptations of the Peanuts strip he was making.

You can find versions of Guaraldi’s tunes from Charlie Brown – “Linus And Lucy”, “The Red Baron”, “The Great Pumpkin Waltz”, “Charlie Brown Theme”, “Christmas Time Is Here”, “Skating” and “Baseball Theme” – on many of his albums, but this is the first LP featuring the complete tunes, mood music and “stings” from a single soundtrack. Craft released a CD of this 1966 soundtrack in 2018 that was, rather clumsily, taken from the actual broadcast, featuring sound effects and snippets of speech, but this version is taken from recently unearthed original analogue tapes. It’s a little disjointed and frustrating to hear in one go (there is a lot of repetition, and many tracks are less than a minute long) but, for us Peanuts obsessives, it’s fascinating to hear a sonically flawless original soundtrack recording.

Where most of Guaraldi’s LPs are piano/bass/drums recordings, this is more lavishly arranged in partnership with conductor John Scott Trotter (best known as Bing Crosby’s long-term musical director), featuring Mannie Klein on trumpet, John Gray on guitar and Ronald Lang on woodwind. Lang’s flute is, for many, a signature sound of the series. On tracks like “Snoopy And The Leaf”, it is oddly reminiscent of Harold McNair’s heartbreaking flute solos on the soundtrack to Kes (another poignant hymn to childhood).

The cartoons were regular fixtures of network television around the world well into the 1990s, and the royalties made Guaraldi very rich by jazz standards. But he didn’t enjoy his lifestyle for long – in February 1976, he suffered a massive heart attack and died, aged only 47. His music, however, lives on forever.

Diddy hits out at Triller following Verzuz lawsuit

Diddy has offered his support for Verzuz co-founders Timbaland and Swizz Beatz in the wake of their lawsuit against social media app Triller.

READ MORE: Timbaland and Swizz Beatz on VERZUZ battle series: “We want to celebrate the architects of good music”

VERZUZ is the popular entertainment series that pits producers, songwriters and artists against each other in a rap battle style format. Last year, the rights for the series were sold to Triller, who livestream the events on their app.

In a recent lawsuit seen by Billboard, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz claim that Triller owe them $28m (£23m) and that it has defaulted on previously agreed payments.

The suit goes on to claim that while the pair received payments as planned in January and April 2021, a payment that was due in January of this year has still not arrived.

A new payment plan was then reportedly agreed, but the money from that has still not come through, the pair allege.

“Since we ain’t fuckin’ with [Triller] no more, since they’re fuckin’ around with our boys, we don’t need to be going against each other,” Diddy said to So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri (per Rolling Stone). “Let’s come together and do that Bad Boy-So So Def in Atlanta. It ain’t no Verzuz, it’s just hit-for-hit.”

“We’re not fuckin’ with Triller until they take care of Swizz and Tim for Verzuz,” he said later. “Nobody fucks with Triller until they take care of Tim and Swizz for Verzuz, ’cause Tim and Swizz is Verzuz.”

Kicking off in March 2020 after Timbaland and Swizz Beatz issued challenges to one another, artists that have taken part so far have included T-Pain, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Brandy, Monica, Rick Ross, DMX, Snoop Dogg, D’Angelo and many more.

Speaking about VERZUZ previously to NME, Timbaland said: “Well, it’s not really a battle – it’s a celebration of our heroes in music, the ones who make us feel a certain type of way. Given what’s currently going on in the world, it’s a way to give back.

“It’s also an education, it’s educating people on the music, its creators and where this feeling comes from.”

The National: How we made “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

The National arrive in the UK this coming week, for their first tour here since 2019, to play All Points East and the Connect festival. To celebrate, here’s our piece on the making of their classic track “Bloodbuzz Ohio” from Uncut’s June 2020 issue.

Now read on…

In 2009, The National were burned out. They had toured solidly on the back of their Alligator (2005) and Boxer (2008) albums and found themselves in what guitarist Aaron Dessner calls “a dark place… It was exhaustion and everything that comes with being that fatigued,” he says. “Relationships were suffering. We almost broke up, actually.”

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Instead, The National set up their own studio in Brooklyn’s Ditmas Park neighbourhood and made High Violet – an album of brooding magnificence that “healed the band”, reaching No 3 in the US charts and taking them into arenas and what Bryce Dessner describes as “another universe that wasn’t even in our vocabulary”.

“Everyone was more ambitious,” remembers vocalist Matt Berninger. “We could all feel that we were on the edge of something. There was the real possibility that if we didn’t fuck this up we’d never have to have real jobs again and we could play music for the rest of our lives.”

In 2008, they set out on tour with Modest Mouse – featuring Johnny Marr – and REM. “So suddenly we had a loose connection to two of our biggest influences, REM and The Smiths,” remembers Aaron Dessner. “Michael Stipe and all those guys pushing us felt like a real moment, like we’d been anointed or something. Realising that REM were good, hard-working people gave us confidence that if we worked at it we could be, you know, a great American band.”

Berninger suggests that tracks such as lead-off single, “Bloodbuzz Ohio” – a simmering anthem of nostalgia and displacement – were also inspired by the “great advice” Stipe gave them on that tour. “He said, ‘Don’t be afraid of writing pop songs.’ But the next night he said, ‘If you want to be a band that lasts, you have to write lots of hits or none at all.’ We wanted to write pop hits but had very different ideas about what that meant. ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ started as a sweet little folk song, which we transformed. But we knew that was a good one right away.”
Dave Simpson

AARON DESSNER: Back then, we put a tremendous amount of pressure on ourselves. None of us liked mainstream rock, so we weren’t trying to make something commercial. We wanted to build on what we’d already done with Boxer. Bigger sounds, with more orchestration.

MATT BERNINGER: I mostly remember my exhaustion. We had been on tour to promote Boxer for what seemed like years, because it was. Then my daughter was born. I wrote most of the songs in that half-conscious, under-slept mental state. Happy but a little delirious. Carin [Matt’s wife] says she remembers me writing on the edge of the bed a lot.

BRYCE DESSNER: My architect brother-in-law helped us make a studio in Aaron’s garage in Brooklyn. You could get two or three people in there. Someone might be standing in the garden playing, with a line leading into the amp inside the studio. Bryan [Devendorf] somehow got his drum kit in the garage. We were all living on the same block pretty much at that time, so we’d hang out, like a clubhouse, bit of drinking. Our community of artist friends was very involved. Richard Parry from Arcade Fire, orchestral players, brass or strings, a lot of different colours. I recorded a lot of the orchestration instrument by instrument, in the garage.

AARON: Because we weren’t running up studio bills, we had freedom to experiment. We were recording on Pro Tools. The energy was more important than high fidelity. The band usually writes the music first and even records quite a lot of it before Matt gets to the lyrics. Then a lot of it gets discarded. But with “Bloodbuzz” we had played versions of it live.

BRYCE: “Bloodbuzz” began as a folk song without a drum beat. It was originally written on guitars and ukulele – almost like an English ballad or something.

BERNINGER: I actually wrote to a mandolin sketch from [touring violinist] Padma Newsome. It was a sweet little folk song until Bryan brought in the beat, then Aaron really delivered on the arrangement.

AARON: We recorded endless versions of some songs on High Violet. There were about 100 versions of “Lemonworld”, perhaps almost as many of “Bloodbuzz”. When we went to [mixer] Peter Katis’s studio in Bridgeport we still hadn’t finished recording it, so carried on.

SCOTT DEVENDORF: “Bloodbuzz” became more of a rock song eventually. Matt was directing us: “I want it to sound like this!”

BERNINGER: Everyone was trying to break out of their habits and patterns – but we weren’t breaking in the same directions. I was pushing for uglier, fuzzier textures to get away from the sad-sack Americana label that had stuck to us from the beginning. I remember asking for guitars that sounded like “loose wool” or “warm tar”. Aaron was trying to interpret what that meant, while Bryce was bringing in these big, ambitious string arrangements. It was a struggle to get the ideas to work together.

AARON: Our song “Fake Empire” had this brass fanfare, so we asked Pad Newsome to write a similar part for “Bloodbuzz”, but right at the end of mixing Matt said, “We can’t have another fanfare song,” so we took it off. Peter Katis has a way of miking drums and making everything sound better, but he got really quite upset with us over that, actually. Because we’d recorded it and been performing it live like that. But Matt was right. There were a lot of aesthetic tugs of war.

BRYCE: It’s always intense between us!

AARON: There’s been a few times when it gets heated. Some people run hot, they have a quick temper. Others run colder. Matt and I have never had a fight or a loud screaming match, but we get upset with each other during recording. It’s the sign that you’re making something good, usually.

BERNINGER: We were actually trying not to fight as much as we used to. Making Boxer was a painful experience and nobody wanted to go through that again. I remember trying to focus on just battling the song, not each other, but it was a hard battle.

AARON : At one point I doubled the speed and played in a cross rhythm. Matt got mad. I still have the email. He thought I was ruining the thing. Then he got into it over time.

BERNINGER: We couldn’t ever get what we were all looking for. Everything felt like a cross-bred mutant. Eventually we gave up and embraced it. The whole album is like that. It’s a desperate record. It admits that openly in the song “England” with the line about being “desperate to entertain”. I usually have lots of lyrics and melodies piling up. I usually have an easier time writing to simple guitar or piano ideas, but this time they were sending me complex arrangements with different guitar parts and key changes.

AARON: The first time we heard the lyrics was when Matt sang them. We all have our own ideas about what “Bloodbuzz Ohio” means. To me it was a lament, an existential nostalgic love song about where we’re from, about family and the way America is so frayed and divided. So you can be family in blood but estranged because of social values. Obama had just gotten in, but we were coming out of the Bush years and the financial crisis had meant people had worked their whole life and watched their savings just disappear. Hence “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe.”

DEVENDORF: There’s a homesickness to the song. We’re a band from Ohio that formed in New York. So we were channelling a feeling of being far away from a place you knew in another life.

BRYCE: “I was carried from Ohio on a swarm of bees.” I grew up in Ohio so I have a fondness for it, but it’s a place that’s quite disturbed. Everything that’s wrong in America, you can find there. Ohio is a beautiful place with amazing people, but also hard problems, social, economic issues and racism. It’s a swing state, red and blue. We grew up in that environment.

BERNINGER: It’s about being stuck between an old version of yourself and the one you’re becoming. I was trying to shed my skin. That’s what the first line about lifting up my shirt means to me. I definitely didn’t feel like the same person I used to be. I didn’t feel like an Ohioan any more and I definitely was not a New Yorker. I was married with a baby, living in Brooklyn, which was still a foreign land to me, and on the verge of becoming a rock star if I didn’t blow it. It was winter, and I remember pacing around ice puddles in Peter Katis’s yard trying to finish the words.

DEVENDORF: By now there was a deadline – partly from us and partly the label – and we were rushing towards it. It wasn’t all dour, but I remember Matt getting really sick and then his grandmother died.

BERNINGER: I’d just quit smoking after 15 years, and when you quit cold turkey like that you’re kind of coughing shit up for a while. Then I caught a really bad cold on top of that. I could barely sing, so we postponed everything for a couple of weeks. Then when I flew to Cincinnati for my grandmother’s funeral, my eardrum ruptured when I landed from the sinus pressure. Blood was coming out of my ear when my parents picked me up. I couldn’t even hear the eulogy. When I got back to the studio I had very little hearing in my right ear. Apparently, Aaron would pan stuff that I didn’t like to my deaf ear so I wouldn’t notice it.

BRYCE: The doctor put Matt on horse steroids as we were finishing the mixing.

AARON: Matt was discovering these different aspects to his voice. On Alligator he was screaming. On Boxer he found an almost whispered murmur. By High Violet he found something else, kinda iconic. He found the sweet spot in his voice. He couldn’t get healthy, and you can hear that on the record, but it’s a great performance.

BERNINGER: It was tough to get through the vocals, but not just because of the cold. I used to just chant or mumble, but I wanted bolder, more musical melodies and it took me a while to get there. Every time I would try a more ambitious melody, Bryan would start singing Will Ferrell’s impersonation of Robert Goulet doing “Red Ships Of Spain”. When I listen to High Violet now, I definitely hear that.

BRYCE: Bryan’s drums are almost like what a guitar riff would do, this really iconic, recognisable riff, but on drums. Bryan’s really methodical and writes his parts out so they have interesting patterns. They’re not intuitive. He’s very influenced by Stephen Morris from New Order and that feel. With “Bloodbuzz”, the piano riff inspired the drum beat.

AARON: We recorded Bryan’s drums so many times. It wasn’t about the playing, it was the sound. He played the drums to “Bloodbuzz…” yet again on the very last day. We were in perfectionist mode.

DEVENDORF: Some songs don’t reveal themselves until the end. When there was lyrics and drums it became, “OK, this is what the song is now.”

DESSNER: The guitar hooks were added on the last day, I think. The fuzzy guitar solo was also done very late. It was super hard to find those details.

DEVENDORF: The pictures on the [High Violet] sleeve are testament to how tired we were by the end. We all look worried or grumpy. There’s a lot of unseen tension on that record. Operating as a democracy added to it, but the dynamic got us to a place where we’re all satisfied.

AARON: We were obsessed. We kept circling the vortex as we wanted to make a timeless classic.

The National play All Points East on Friday, August 26. For more info, click here.
They play Connect Festival on Sunday, August 28. For more info, click here.

Dennis Bovell on his finest albums: “I have no problem calling the shots”

Originally published in Uncut’s July 2022 issue

Pioneering producer, songwriter, dubmaster and now MBE, Dennis Bovell has been busy as ever as he heads towards his eighth decade. In the last year alone, there have been ongoing dub reimaginings for the likes of Animal Collective and The Smile, various archival and new Bandcamp releases, and Y In Dub, a new version of The Pop Group’s seminal Bovell-produced debut.

“I got to get back into those tracks and marvel at the sounds I’d put down on the tape,” he explains of the latter. “They’re mad about dubbing, Mark Stewart especially, so they were going crazy!”

His latest project is a career-spanning anthology, The Dubmaster, so Bovell’s agreed to take Uncut through nine of the pivotal albums he’s helped create, from Matumbi’s reggae classics through to production work for The Pop Group, The Slits and Fela Kuti, and right on to his latter-day dub work.

“I have no problem calling the shots,” he says of his firm approach to making music. “You need that iron fist. If I didn’t like something, I let it be known. And if I thought it could be better done some other way, I let that be known as well!”

TOM PINNOCK

________________

MATUMBI
SEVEN SEALS
HARVEST, 1978
The debut album by the London reggae group, featuring Bovell on guitar
DENNIS BOVELL: “Our first studio session was in October 1971, so last year marked 50 years since the first Matumbi recording. When I ran the band like a totalitarian regime, it seemed to work a bit better, but then everyone went, ‘Urgh, it’s a bit totalitarian, yeah?’ So I went, ‘Alright, we’re all equal, everyone’s got an equal say.’ I think that was the beginning of it falling apart. We did this at Gooseberry Studios in Soho, then the band had a mutiny – they didn’t want me to mix the record, saying that I was gonna make the band sound like all the other bands I’d been mixing and engineering. I thought, ‘What’s wrong with that, there’s success there?’ But they said, ‘No, we want a white guy to mix it.’ I go, ‘What, is that the only criteria, he has to be white?’ The chief engineer at Gooseberry, Dave Hunt, had just taken a new job at Berry Street on my recommendation. They suggested Dave to mix the album, and because I’d suggested him as engineer there, I couldn’t say no. But I think it was a very good mix, except for on one song he put an echo on my rhythm guitar that seemed to me to be out of time. I complained about it, but the band said ‘We liked it.’ The album did very well, though – it sold more in Japan than any other territory.”

________________

BLACKBEARD
STRICTLY DUB WIZE
TEMPUS, 1978
Bovell’s first solo album, a masterful psychedelic dub haze
“Some people in Matumbi took offence to my solo career – they were like, ‘You’re in competition with the band.’ There was one instance where my record was at number one in a chart, and the band’s record was at number seven or something. So I stopped singing and started making dub records – ‘See, I’m not in competition with the band anymore, I’m not singing, I’m just doing dubs.’ That’s why the album’s called Strictly Dub Wize, it was a statement to the band. I got out of that one! This was all done at Gooseberry. We had a Revox tape machine that was doctored, so it could facilitate vari-speed. That was the main delay line, because then we could vary it to the tempo of the tune. It worked fantastically, because then we could have any speed for the delays. We had two Roland delays and an AKG BX20 reverb, which was quite famed, and also an EMT reverb plate: lots of outboard gear, because that’s what we did there, a lot of dub work, so we had to have machines. I couldn’t really afford session fees for other musicians to come on board and play what I told them to play – and 10 to one, I’m gonna have to correct them afterwards. So I thought, ‘If I’m able to do it, I might as well.’ I needed a drummer though, mainly because the control room was some distance from the drum booth, so it was quite a laborious process to play it and then come back to the control room to EQ it.”

________________

***UNCUT CLASSIC***
THE POP GROUP
Y
RADAR, 1979
The Bristol group’s chaotic, experimental debut, produced by Bovell at Surrey’s Ridge Farm Studios
“They were the first punk or post-punk band I worked with, but it really appealed to me – it was a chance to get in touch with my rock side again. I met the lads and found they were all very crazy, but in need of a referee. They wanted my undivided attention, so they decided to lock me in the studio so I couldn’t go home! And I stayed in that studio for about nine months to a year, because once I’d finished The Pop Group’s Y, I then did The Slits’ Cut, then Matumbi’s Point Of View, then Marie Pierre’s Love Affair. Why did I record them back to back? Because I was afraid someone else would get in the studio and I’d be locked out! Bryan Ferry was hovering around, you know. The equipment belonged to John Anderson of Yes, and they were on tour. We’d broken out their new gear, and we were breaking it in for them! Mate, some serious music was made on that farm. There was a lot of overdubbing with The Pop Group – I remember one day we recorded about two reels of just pure feedback from Gareth [Sager], and then we sat there noting which bits were the most exciting bits, editing them off and then spinning them back into the multitrack and timing it so each bit of feedback would be at a particular point. Which is now known as sampling, but we were sampling using tape.”

________________

THE SLITS
CUT
ISLAND, 1979
The legendary debut from the London group, with Bovell helping them combine reggae and dub with punk
“Chris Blackwell at Island said to me, ‘Look, these girls are going to be the first female punk band. I want them polished, but I want them sounding rough all at the same time.’ Then he handed me a cassette of the demos, and I listened to them and had plans for every song before we went into the studio. I remember in ‘Shoplifting’ there was a line I objected to: I said to them, ‘I’m not gonna sit here while you lot sing, “Mr Paki won’t miss much and we’ll have dinner tonight…” I propose to change that word to “Babylonian”.’ They changed it, and I went, ‘OK, I’m gonna produce the album then.’ I mean, it was punk to use that kind of language, but for me that was over the line. Their playing was rough – I made them do it and do it and do it until they were pissed off with it and then they did it right. I would say, ‘Nah, it’s better if you do it this way. Trust me, you will love it in five years’ time!’ I was forbidden to play any instruments because they knew of my instrumentality – ‘We don’t want you to play it, we just want you to show us how you would play it and then we’ll adapt what you did to our way of playing.’ And it worked! So I’m not actually playing, I’m just steering it from behind. It’s like when you learn to drive, the instructor doesn’t take the wheel.”

________________

DENNIS BOVELL
BRAIN DAMAGE
FONTANA, 1981
The first album under his own name, an adventurous double-LP which stretches reggae to eclectic extremes
“I was building my own place, Studio 80, because I needed more time to do my own projects. I was thinking of making a solo album titled Brain Damage, when I got a telephone call from someone in Japan who says ‘I hear you’re building a studio. My name is Ryuichi Sakamoto. I want to come over to London to your studio and record a few things and get you to do some dub mixing.’ Don Letts had gone to Japan with Big Audio Dynamite and met Sakamoto, and he’d said, ‘Do you know Dennis Bovell?’ And Don went, ‘Yeah, he’s my mate.’ Sakamoto says to me, ‘I want to use your studio before you do.’ I was like, ‘That’s a strange request, but I’ll take that, I’ll let you be my guinea pig.’ What a guinea pig, mate! And then he came over with this strange instrument called the Prophet 10. Until then, we’d only seen the Prophet 5. I was knocked out by it and the sounds that came out of it. After working with Sakamoto, I made Brain Damage. It mixed all sorts of styles – I wanted to do a rock’n’roll version of ‘After Tonight’. I thought Mac Poole was one of the greatest rock’n’roll drummers, so I invited him to come down to the studio, and I got Steve Gregory to play saxophone – he was the guy who played on ‘Careless Whisper’ for George Michael, and he was also a member of the backing band for Boney M, and played with Georgie Fame. His pedigree was tight, so I got him to do all the horns.”

________________

JANET KAY
CAPRICORN WOMAN
ARAWAK, 1982
After crafting pop-reggae hit “Silly Games” for the singer and actress, Bovell produced and wrote her debut album
“A producer, Delroy Witter, came to me and said, ‘I’ve got this singer, I want you to mix a couple of tunes she’s sung.’ I quite liked the way Janet handled it, then Delroy said, ‘Right, now I want you to do a recording with her in London.’ We went into the studio with my team and cut ‘I Do Love You’. After that, she said, ‘If there’s anything you think I can do, let’s work together.’ I unveiled ‘Silly Games’ and the rest is our story. It was designed as a pop reggae hit, with a nonconventional drum pattern I invented – it was supposed to be so amazing that drummers everywhere would want to play it, because it was quite intricate, a bit like juggling on the drums. It had a kind of Caribbean calypso soca hi-hat and then an Afrobeat snare, and a disco kick drum. And then Janet with this high note that you had to be Minnie Riperton to get to! I was doing all the music for her, all she had to do was sing, though she did write some of the songs. She wanted to become an actress, and she got a part in a programme on Channel Four called No Problem. And that was a problem, because instead of wanting to be in the studio recording, she wanted to be in the TV studio recording a TV programme. It meant I had to get other singers to do the backing vocals on a couple of tracks, which she wasn’t happy about. Other voices made it a bit stronger in my opinion.”

________________

FELA KUTI & EGYPT 80
LIVE IN AMSTERDAM
EMI/CAPITOL, 1984
Fake passports and Hells Angels on the lights: Bovell helps out the Afrobeat pioneer
“EMI said, ‘We want you to go with Fela to Amsterdam and record a live album.’ But there was some trouble with the electricity, because the Paradiso is an old building. There was a lack of earth, so the lighting rig made buzzes on the equipment. This Hells Angel on the lighting was having fun making the lights make those noises, so I said, ‘Don’t do that, we’re recording, mate.’ He was like, ‘This is my job, this is what I do.’ He had an eyepatch and what looked like a gun holster, so I didn’t argue. When we got back to London, I managed to filter his buzzes away, but I couldn’t do it from the bass. It was entrenched. Fela was furious: ‘Let me go back to Amsterdam and find that guy and sort him out.’ I’m going, ‘Nah, we won’t need to do that, I’ll replay that bassline for you.’ So I got the bass out, plugged it in. It took deep concentration, but I did it, and he was very happy. Then we recorded lots of material at my studio, but before it was finished the Nigerian authorities put him in jail – he was about to go to America to tell the tale of what the government had been doing in Nigeria, and it might have prejudiced an IMF loan. He wanted to take me to Nigeria at one point, and he arrives with a forged passport, with my picture in it. He says, ‘You’re an Igbo.’ I’m going, ‘Fela, I’m not going to Nigeria on a false passport, my British passport is good enough to go anywhere in the world. Knowing that you’re not flavour of the month for the authorities in Nigeria, and I’m there with a false passport, we’re both in trouble…'”

________________

LINTON KWESI JOHNSON
MAKING HISTORY
ISLAND, 1984
A turning point in Bovell and Johnson’s long working relationship
“We forged a relationship that’s lasted 45, 50 years almost, now – ever since Vivian Weathers told him, ‘If you want to record in London, you want to get the right reggae sound, you got to get Dennis Bovell.’ Up until Making History, we’d always had two teams of players. It was like a football team, we’d have a team playing and a team sat on the bench, two of everything. As the football manager, Lynton would take off a player or put on a new player. He didn’t care about who was great, it was all, ‘He played drums when we were at school, I want him on this…’ But when we made Making History, that stopped, because I then had the opportunity to choose musicians, and not just old school friends of Linton’s. Richie Stephens, especially, played some amazing drums. There was a poem on there, ‘Di Eagle An’ Di Bear’, which referenced America and Russia: ‘Di eagle and di bear got people living in fear/Of impending nuclear warfare/But as a matter of fact/Believe it or not/Plenty people don’t care…‘ Because they’ve got other issues like finding food, sending their children to school. All this eagle and the bear are presently in the news, aren’t they?”

________________

DENNIS BOVELL
MEK IT RUN
PRESSURE SOUNDS, 2012
A sublime set of dubs, crafted from the producer’s abandoned tape archive
“I’d had an operation called a laminectomy – I’d fallen over and cracked the top of my spine, unknowingly, and when my fingers started to curl up, I thought, ‘It’s time to go to the doctors.’ My spine had healed itself and trapped the nerve to the right side of my body. It was a massive operation – I’ve got a seven-inch scar at the back of my head, but it’s great, because I can’t see it! After the operation, I was laid up a bit and thinking, ‘What am I gonna do?’ I was feeling restless. The first thing was Lee “Scratch” Perry came and said, ‘I want to record with you.’ So I recorded three songs with him. Afterwards, he said, ‘Keep them until I’m dead because they’ll be worth more.’ I thought, ‘Well, they’re never going to come out because you’re immortal!’ Then Pete Holdsworth from Pressure Sounds said, ‘It’s about time I had another album from you, innit?’ So I dragged myself into Mad Professor’s studio and unravelled all these tapes of stuff I had recorded but abandoned, and finished them off by doing some dub mixing of them. I had to bake some of them and then play them straight onto ProTools. I like to get the best of the digital and the best of analogue, because they’ve both got something. If you hit a good medium between them, it usually works. I’ve got seven or eight different echo gadgets – my latest is the Ninja, it’s out of this world. I just mixed a dub for Animal Collective, and there’s one part where I actually freeze the music, and it’s running backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, like some kind of scratching effect. You can grab a few tracks and whizz them around and make some lovely noises.”

The Dubmaster: The Essential Anthology is out now on Trojan; Bovell’s solo work is due for digital re-release throughout 2022

Liam Gallagher shares hip-hop-infused ‘Diamond In The Dark’ remix by DJ Premier

Liam Gallagher has shared a new remix of his track ‘Diamond In The Dark’ by DJ Premier – you can listen to it below.

The original version of the song appear’s on the former Oasis frontman third solo studio album, ‘C’mon You Know’, which came out in May.

READ MORE: Liam Gallagher live in Knebworth: rock’n’roll star takes a leap of faith – and somehow pulls it off

Premier’s spin on ‘Diamond…’ marks Gallagher’s first official remix. The legendary Gang Starr producer has previously worked with the likes of Dr Dre, Jay-Z, Nas and Notorious B.I.G..

“I have always been a huge fan of remixing songs,” he explained in a statement. “To get an opportunity to make one over Liam’s incredible vocal sound and style guided me to making it bounce high like a rubber ball filled with too much air.”

The re-work sees Gallagher sing to a grooving hip-hop beat that underpins Premier’s signature vinyl scratching, vocal samples and a prominent piano loop. While adding grit to the track, the remix remains largely faithful to its original structure.

Tune in here:

DJ Premier’s new remix completes Gallagher’s ‘Diamond In The Dark’ EP, which also includes a live version of the song recorded at Knebworth Park, as well as a cover of John Lennon‘s ‘Bless You’ (listen here).

In a four-star review of Gallagher’s most recent full-length record, NME wrote: “At once experimental and familiar enough to keep his stunning second act on course, ‘C’mon You Know’ finds Liam Gallagher having his cake and eating it – and there’s plenty to go round at this party. If he doesn’t overthink it, why should you? Turn off your mind, relax and bring the cans.”

‘C’mon You Know’ bagged Liam Gallagher his fourth consecutive UK Number One album as a solo artist, and last month featured in NME‘s ‘best albums of 2022… so far!’ list.

The Foundations Am I Groovin’ You The Pye Anthology

One of the earliest, most noteworthy chart battles in the UK was fought between Bayswater-based The Foundations and their north London contemporaries The Equals, with both bands striving to be the first mixed-ethnicity outfit to make it to number one. The former’s debut release, “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You”, triumphed when it reached the top spot in November 1967, eight months before their rivals’ “Baby, Come Back” followed suit.

ORDER NOW: Wilco are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut

The victors had been honing their craft in clubs and dancehalls for two years as The Ramongs and The Ramong Sound. A change of name brought success, but the template remained the same: upbeat soul with singalong, pop-minded aspirations, yet infused with the edgier, grittier elements of Booker T & The MG’s or the house band at Motown’s Hitsville power base.

While The Foundations only troubled the Top 20 on four occasions, the commercial bounciness of their chart-topper, plus “Back On My Feet Again”, “Build Me Up Buttercup” – more of which later – and “In The Bad, Bad Old Days” only tells part of the story outlined on this 3CD anthology. They’re particularly in their element on the frenzied “Jerkin’ The Dog” (previously a minor US hit for R&B showman The Mighty Hannibal), and the mod strut of “Mr Personality Man”. For the fullest, most vivid portrait of the band in their pomp, the inclusion on this set’s third disc of the ’68 live album Rocking The Foundations is hard to beat. From the Hammond-led funk of the Freddie Scott song that gives this compilation its title, to the horn-blasting howl of Edwin Starr’s “Stop Her On Sight”, it’s a masterclass in how to confidently throw soul-infused shapes across a dance floor.

All was not well in the ranks, however. Shortly before the album’s release, singer Clem Curtis announced he was quitting to try his luck as a solo artist in the US (where he was briefly mentored by Sammy Davis Jr, and played a Las Vegas residency opening for the Righteous Brothers). Diplomatically, he hung around to help run auditions for his replacement, the gig ultimately going to Colin Young. The new boy’s arrival saw the release of the group’s second-biggest hit; like its predecessors, “Build Me Up Buttercup” came from the pen of their longtime producer Tony Macaulay (writing in tandem with Manfred Mann’s own new singer, Mike D’Abo), its structure intentionally aping material Holland-Dozier-Holland were fashioning for The Four Tops – a ploy rewarded by a spell at No 1 in the American trade magazine Cash Box chart.

But the relationship with Macaulay was becoming increasingly strained, largely because of his reluctance to allow the group to contribute self-penned material. The recording of 1969’s Digging The Foundations displeased some members, unhappy with having to play, especially, a version of “Let The Heartaches Begin”, the Macaulay ballad that had been a UK No. 1 for Long John Baldry two years earlier (knocking “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You” off the top spot, in fact) and the producer’s lightweight “That Same Old Feeling”, which would later see chart action when covered by Pickettywitch.

To be fair, The Foundations’ overhaul of the Baldry track has a lot going for it; a quickening of tempo gives the song the air of an early Drifters hit with a smidgen of The Isley Brothers on the side, while the same album’s “Take Away The Emptiness” possesses the finger-clicking fizz of Chairmen Of The Board at their best. Ties with Macaulay were severed the following year (he would go on to write million-sellers for David Soul), and although singles like “Take A Girl Like You”, the theme song to the Hayley Mills movie of the same name, adhered closely to the Macaulay formula, the hits days were over.

The band finally got their wish when the Young-penned “I’m Gonna Be A Rich Man” was chosen as the A-side for what would turn out to be their last single, but while its bluesy psychedelia was representative of the harder direction they wanted to pursue, fans were in no hurry to go with them.

Curtis returned to the UK in the late ’70s to front a new band bearing The Foundations name, resulting in a legal wrangle with a similar ad hoc lineup put together by Young (compilers of this set include recordings by both). Young later toured in another permutation of the group with original guitarist Alan Warner (who still shepherds a lineup today), following renewed interest when “Build Me Up Buttercup” featured prominently in the 1999 comedy There’s Something About Mary. Yet their influence goes further than just their own trailblazing hits: their hybrid of white pop and black soul was a torch carried forward into the ’70s and ’80s by the likes of Hot Chocolate and The Beat, while Lynval Golding of The Specials has cited seeing The Foundations on the Midlands club circuit in the ’60s as a seismic inspiration.

Gary Powell on The Libertines’ new album: “We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but we can push the boat out a little more”

Gary Powell has spoken to NME about his forthcoming ‘The Steam Packet UK Tour’, as well as providing an update on The Libertines‘ long-awaited fourth album.

The tour will see The Libertines drummer showcase acts from his 25 Hour Convenience Store indie label and will be headlined by raucous Southampton garage-rockers Dead Freights, with support from fellow stablemates Casino, Bear Park and Young Culture. Powell, along with his label partner, former Factory Records managing director Eric Langley, said he wants his imprint to be there for the artists who believe their voice cannot be heard.

“The label has always stood for one thing, which is I’m really anti the direction that the industry takes in regard to whom they should sign,” he said. “It’s led by what’s in vogue at that particular moment in time – a band has to have a particular look and sound – but that’s nonsense, and A&R-ing should come from the fact you hear something in a band, regardless of how popular they are. I’m more interested in attitude than numbers.”

Powell said he wants 25 Hour Convenience Store to be different from current record labels, which he feels prize streaming numbers over headhunting nascent talent and was inspired by the chance legendary Rough Trade A&R James Endeacott took on signing The Libertines in 2001.

“A perfect example would be James, who came to see us play at the Rhythm Factory, off Whitechapel Road. I didn’t have any drums – I managed to wangle the worst kit off a friend of [co-frontman] Pete [Doherty] and Carl [Barât]’s, and Carl broke a guitar string during the first track we played, and we had to stop the gig for 25 minutes until he could find another one and carry on,” he remembered.

“But James heard something in us. Now what happens is an A&R just looks at how full the room is and applauds, ‘I’ve found the next best thing’. That isn’t identifying talent – that’s just catching onto something people already know is good.”

‘The Steam Packet UK Tour’, which kicks off in Birmingham on October 7, is set to coincide with the release of Dead Freights’ EP ‘Missed World’ in the autumn, produced by Powell in his Albion Rooms studio.

Praising his flagship signing, he said: “They have their own energy and integrity. The singer Charlie [James] is an amazing lyricist and musician, and he and [guitarist Robert] Franklin come up with the majority of the ideas musically but ensure they encompass the ideas of the rest of the band. They’re not a stereotypically frontman-led band, they have their own unique dynamic, and everybody on that stage puts on a show.”

Powell recently took Dead Freights on tour as a support act for a number of dates on The Libertines’ ‘Up the Bracket’ 20th anniversary shows, with backstage footage from the Bristol gig showing Charlie James duetting with Pete Doherty on an acoustic rendition of The Beatles’ ‘I Will’.

“We had a great time hanging out together on tour, and I think Pete and Carl loved watching the band perform as well. There was an aspect of seeing the guys play and listening to them and watching them hang out, which brought back what it was like for us in our early days as well when we toured with Supergrass. We were the Dead Freights at that particular point in time.”

Although recent gigs have formed part of The Libertines’ 20th-anniversary celebrations of their debut ‘Up the Bracket’ – which will also see them release a ‘Super Deluxe Edition’ of the record in October – Powell is more interested in forging forward and said he wants to have the new Libertines album out next year.

“My mind is more in line with the opportunity to record a new album than anything regarding 20 years ago,” he said. “We’ve been playing the majority of the album [‘Up the Bracket’] for 20 years now, so this year for me, is a great opportunity to draw a line under this part of the saga and move on to the next phase.”

Discussing the progress of the follow-up to 2015’s ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’, Powell elaborated: “The good thing is everybody’s been writing. I’m hoping there’s going to be a whole new fervour and interesting dimension added to how we approach things. Obviously, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel and be like Depeche Mode going from rock ‘n’ roll to electronic, but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.”

Previously, Pete Doherty confirmed to NME that writing sessions in Jamaica were tentatively scheduled and revealed the record would have an eclectic range of styles similar to The Clash’s ‘Sandinista!’

“‘Sandinista!’-esque was definitely one approach we were thinking of,” echoed Powell, before adding that he was interested in what the concept of Albion would sound like in 2022. “But I also think it’s time we grappled hold of the 21st century as well and reflected where we are in the world right now. Nobody’s putting down their phones or dumping their social media, but they’re also looking back into the past for their creative needs.

“I think we could easily combine the two things together to create something interesting – bearing in mind it was Peter who pretty much started the idea of the band and the general public having a social media platform.”

He continued: “I remember asking John [Hassall, Libs bassist] once: ‘If The Beatles were around now, what would they sound like?’. John’s answer was ‘Sgt. Pepper….’ Of course they wouldn’t! If the Beatles were around now, they’d probably sound like garage, grime, mixed with an orchestra with a slight James Blake-esque twist. They wouldn’t sound like ‘Sgt. Pepper’; The Beatles were continually evolving.”

“So the question is: how do we turn ‘Don’t Look Back into the Sun’ 2003 into ‘Don’t Look Back into the Sun’ 2022? How do we approach it where we maintain our musical integrity but bring an added element that reflects the modernity of the world we’re in right now?”

Tickets for October’s ‘The Steam Packet UK’ tour are available here. Check out the full list of dates below:

OCTOBER 2022

07 – Birmingham –The Rainbow
08 – Liverpool – EBGBS
15 – Newcastle – Head of Steam
21 – London – Sebright Arms
26 – Southampton – Joiners Arms

Yo La Tengo on ‘Sugarcube’ and working with Bob Odenkirk: “He’s a genius”

Originally published in Uncut’s July 2022 issue

“I think it was shown on MTV once, maybe twice,” says bassist James McNew, remembering “Sugarcube”’s video. “As far as I know, that’s it. That’s all.”

In the 25 years since, however, the promo has racked up millions of views on YouTube, no doubt helped by the presence of its stars David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, the latter now better known as lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He has, it turns out, been a Yo La Tengo fan since the early ’90s.

“We were all fans of Bob’s from The Larry Sanders Show,” explains Ira Kaplan. “Then Georgia and I were on vacation out in LA and we saw that Bob was doing stand-up at a bookstore, so we went out to see the show. Afterwards he was just browsing the record section, and it was kind of out-of-character for us to do this, but we introduced ourselves. It turned out he knew our band.”

There’s more to “Sugarcube” than its video, of course. Since the mid-’80s, the Hoboken-based group had been charting a unique path, mastering the acoustic hush of 1990’s Fakebook as adeptly as they did the brutal fuzz workouts of ’92’s May I Sing With Me. On their eclectic eighth album, 1997’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One – now celebrating its 25th anniversary with a digital and vinyl reissue – they perfected this sonic tightrope walk. “Sugarcube”, a highlight of its 16 tracks, is a propulsive, droning delight, Hubley’s drumming and McNew’s unusual organ bass driving Kaplan’s freeform guitar wrangling and their surprisingly gentle harmonies.

“It feels really natural to play ‘Sugarcube’ or to play [quiet instrumental] ‘Green Arrow’,” says McNew. “Loud music is us and quiet music is us, atmospheric music is us and straight-ahead music is us. We were more comfortable with that idea than other people were, it seems.”

Recording took place in Nashville’s House Of David, a studio converted for Elvis Presley, with the sessions – somewhat typically for Yo La Tengo – efficient and exploratory at the same time. “We’d recorded before at Alex The Great in Nashville,” recalls Hubley, “which is a much more bohemian studio, with a lot of character. But House Of David was on a real street, with a lot of music industry stuff on that road, you know, publishing companies and other recording studios.”

“There were these big magnolia trees in the front yard,” says producer Roger Moutenot, summing up their quest for experimental spontaneity. “One time we went out there and the crickets were just crazy, so I ran in, set up two microphones on the front porch, and we recorded these crickets for ‘Green Arrow’. At one moment, this one cricket just stepped forward and almost took a solo. We were all just cracking up! It was beautiful. But that was the fun thing about Yo La Tengo – there was nothing too off-the-wall, no boundaries. This was a very free and expressive record to make.”

TOM PINNOCK

__________________

GEORGIA HUBLEY (drums, vocals): I remember we were pretty excited about the things we were coming up with for I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. We had a pretty crappy rehearsal room in Hoboken, but it was great, we were able to have all our stuff set up, and we’d just keep trying different things.

IRA KAPLAN (guitar, vocals): When we got to the point where we didn’t have to do anything else but be a band, it was great because we could practise during the day. When we had night-time practices, it would be kind of cacophonous with other bands playing simultaneously. But by the time of I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, we were able to work pretty much every weekday afternoon.

JAMES McNEW (organ, percussion): The space has since been demolished and turned into luxury condominiums, as has most of Hoboken, actually. But yeah, we would just play with no real destination in mind, and come up with jams and ideas that were fun to play and that seemed interesting.

KAPLAN: Our rehearsal room was located next door to a woodworking place, and one day as we were walking to practice we saw Teller from Penn & Teller on the street. It turned out they were having some stuff fabricated for them at the shop. At some point we came out of rehearsal and Teller was there, and then we saw blood flying out of his hand. Apparently he was testing some blood-spurting device.

HUBLEY: “Autumn Sweater”, for instance, was started on guitar, and then it just moved over to organ, but that was pretty indicative of a lot of the writing. “Sugarcube” doesn’t have bass guitar, it’s just James playing bass on our Acetone, our beloved, trashy Italian organ, which is very bassy-sounding.

McNEW: I don’t even know where we got the Acetone. It was just in our practice space. We noticed that no-one was ever using it – there was dust on it. So we decided to pay some attention to it, and it turned out to be so great that we would all take turns playing it on different songs. I liked the idea of organ acting as bass – you know, it had a lot of good precedents in Suicide or Snapper, things like that. It was a sound that I really like.

KAPLAN: Electr-O-Pura had been the first record that we’d made exclusively with Roger. We went to Nashville to make that.

ROGER MOUTENOT (producer): We made a deal where they’d come down here to record, and then I would go up to New York to mix. That was the arrangement.

KAPLAN: Going back to Nashville for I Can Hear The Heart…, I think we all felt pretty comfortable, and excited about the songs we had. There were definitely songs where we really didn’t know how they went, we were kind of allowing the process of recording to give us the chance to finish and change songs as freely as we wanted.

MOUTENOT: House Of David was a weird choice for a studio, but I had worked there, and I really, really liked the console. So I thought, ‘Oh, this will be good for this project.’ It had this unique vibe: Elvis was going to work there, and they built this whole entranceway off the garage, so he wouldn’t have to walk outside the building. There was actually a trapdoor that went into the garage, and that was for Elvis.

HUBLEY: I keep trying to visualise the place – I can see the room where we set up, and then there was a little downstairs area where we had a TV and we would watch reruns or whatever, when there was nothing for us to do, if they were working on machines that needed to be repaired or anything like that.

McNEW: They had cable TV, which was a great novelty back then. It was a nice place, a terrific [live] room, and the control room was really nice to use.

MOUTENOT: Most tracks were recorded live, as live as we could get. Sometimes we did vocals too, but I think for “Sugarcube” we just cut the basic tracks. For the most part, the Yo La Tengo stuff I worked on was always live to start with, just to get that band thing. There were a couple of songs on I Can Hear The Heart… that were built up, though, like “Moby Octopad”, which started with drums and then bass, and things like Ira’s piano were overdubbed later.

KAPLAN: I remember us coming up with the little ending for “Sugarcube”. It’s ancient times, so it was recorded on tape, and when you finished you’d rewind the tape machine. If you didn’t turn down the faders you’d hear the sound of the tape going backwards, played really fast. It sounded great, so we recorded that and stuck it on the end.

HUBLEY: The intro with the drum fill, I really cannot remember how that came about: it has to be some sort of weird accident that we decided to keep. I wish I remembered, because it’s so weird and random. I do remember thinking, ‘That’s terrible sounding’ but everybody else was like, “No, that’s great!” It kind of works.

MOUTENOT: That was a special fill! It may have been that Georgia did the fill and I was like, “Oh my God, that’s so great, let’s use that take.” But you know, I did cut between some takes once in a while – I did a bit of editing on that record as it was recorded on tape. I can’t say, but it might have been that.

McNEW: I remember Roger deciding that he needed to do some cutting on tape, and it was as though he was about to defuse a bomb. He ordered everyone out of the control room, so it was just him and whoever the assistant from the studio was. He told us all to just go get lunch, just get out of there while he did this extremely life-or-death manoeuvre on the tape. It was a mystery to me! I just knew that he was doing something very important, and I wanted to give him his space. Though I think that drum fill was actually a part of the arrangement. I don’t recall how it began, where it originated from, but I think it was always part of the beginning of the song, strangely enough.

MOUTENOT: That’s what I love about this particular record, I Can Hear The Heart…, it’s up, it’s down, it’s rocking, it’s soft, it’s got a lot of different textures and feelings. Like, “Damage” is one of my favourites, it just puts me in a dream world every time. When you make a record that way, when you open the can of worms like that and say ‘anything goes’, you could go down the rabbit hole and really get screwed up. But for some reason, with these guys, it all worked because we always would go somewhere but pull it back in to be what the band wanted. It was super fun.

KAPLAN: Apart from being in it, we had very little to do with the video after coming up with the concept – the plot of doing this lousy video and irritating the record company, and then them sending us to rock school; and then we do the exact same video as rock school graduates, the same as they one they hated, but this time they love it. That was what we presented to our pal Phil Morrison, who had directed the “Tom Courtenay” video and a couple of others that we did. Then Phil took that concept and him and his writing partner Joe Ventura came up with the script for the video.

HUBLEY: We knew the storyline, such as it was, but a lot of it’s improvised – certainly, Bob and David do a lot of improvising. We flew out to California just to do the video. I think it was maybe a two-day shoot in a variety of locations, but mostly at a high school or college in Santa Monica. It was shot at a weekend in the summer, so it was fairly empty and easy to film there.

McNEW: It just seemed like a weird dream that it was actually happening – it still seems like a weird dream that it did happen. I mean, I remember just how deeply committed to the idea Bob and David were. They really delivered and gave so much more than you would ever even have possibly imagined that they would give to such a such a ridiculous idea. That’s just kind of inspiring, and it shows how gifted both of those guys are.

KAPLAN: It was really fun. I wish the shoot had been longer. The only part I remember being gruelling at all was filming the scene where we’re getting yelled at by John Ennis, with Bob and David playing the record company flunkies. We were filming in an actual office, and because there was dialogue there was no way you could have AC on. Maybe because it was the weekend the air conditioning was off anyway? But it was really hot in there. That is the closest I can come to a complaint, because it was hilarious. All these takes kept being ruined, because either John was laughing or we were laughing.

McNEW: Keeping a straight face was a pretty sizable challenge. That scene in the boardroom where John Ennis is screaming at us, it was impossible to try to act our way through that. It’s very strange and amazing to see Bob [so famous] now, on television, in theatres. Of course, I’m not surprised, because I felt that he should have been there all along. I think that he’s a genius, as is David. But it is strange when universes collide all of a sudden. I know that I have esoteric tastes, and when they cross over into the mainstream, it’s surreal to think that, ‘Oh, everybody likes Bob. That’s great. That’s fantastic.’

I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is being reissued both digitally (out now) and on coloured vinyl (out now in the US & Canada, and August 12 elsewhere) for its 25th anniversary, via Matador

__________________

FACTFILE

Written by: Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, James McNew
Personnel: Ira Kaplan (guitar, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, vocals), James McNew (organ, percussion)
Produced by: Roger Moutenot
Recorded at: House Of David, Nashville, TN
Released: April 22, 1997 [album], August 4, 1997 [single]
Chart peak: UK -; US –

__________________

TIMELINE

February 28, 1992
Yo La Tengo release May I Sing With Me, their fifth album but first with bassist James McNew

May 2, 1995
Electr-O-Pura marks the band’s first time recording in Nashville entirely with producer Roger Moutenot

April 22, 1997
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is released – though it has stiff competition, it remains perhaps Yo La Tengo’s finest LP

August 4, 1997
“Sugarcube” is released as a single, backed on 7” by B-side “Busy With My Thoughts”, and on CD by “The Summer” and a 14-minute take on Eddie Cantor’s Looney Toons theme, “Merrily We Roll Along”

Yo La Tengo on “Sugarcube” and working with Bob Odenkirk: “He’s a genius”

Originally published in Uncut’s July 2022 issue

“I think it was shown on MTV once, maybe twice,” says bassist James McNew, remembering “Sugarcube”’s video. “As far as I know, that’s it. That’s all.”

In the 25 years since, however, the promo has racked up millions of views on YouTube, no doubt helped by the presence of its stars David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, the latter now better known as lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He has, it turns out, been a Yo La Tengo fan since the early ’90s.

“We were all fans of Bob’s from The Larry Sanders Show,” explains Ira Kaplan. “Then Georgia and I were on vacation out in LA and we saw that Bob was doing stand-up at a bookstore, so we went out to see the show. Afterwards he was just browsing the record section, and it was kind of out-of-character for us to do this, but we introduced ourselves. It turned out he knew our band.”

There’s more to “Sugarcube” than its video, of course. Since the mid-’80s, the Hoboken-based group had been charting a unique path, mastering the acoustic hush of 1990’s Fakebook as adeptly as they did the brutal fuzz workouts of ’92’s May I Sing With Me. On their eclectic eighth album, 1997’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One – now celebrating its 25th anniversary with a digital and vinyl reissue – they perfected this sonic tightrope walk. “Sugarcube”, a highlight of its 16 tracks, is a propulsive, droning delight, Hubley’s drumming and McNew’s unusual organ bass driving Kaplan’s freeform guitar wrangling and their surprisingly gentle harmonies.

“It feels really natural to play “Sugarcube” or to play [quiet instrumental] “Green Arrow”,” says McNew. “Loud music is us and quiet music is us, atmospheric music is us and straight-ahead music is us. We were more comfortable with that idea than other people were, it seems.”

Recording took place in Nashville’s House Of David, a studio converted for Elvis Presley, with the sessions – somewhat typically for Yo La Tengo – efficient and exploratory at the same time. “We’d recorded before at Alex The Great in Nashville,” recalls Hubley, “which is a much more bohemian studio, with a lot of character. But House Of David was on a real street, with a lot of music industry stuff on that road, you know, publishing companies and other recording studios.”

“There were these big magnolia trees in the front yard,” says producer Roger Moutenot, summing up their quest for experimental spontaneity. “One time we went out there and the crickets were just crazy, so I ran in, set up two microphones on the front porch, and we recorded these crickets for “Green Arrow”. At one moment, this one cricket just stepped forward and almost took a solo. We were all just cracking up! It was beautiful. But that was the fun thing about Yo La Tengo – there was nothing too off-the-wall, no boundaries. This was a very free and expressive record to make.”

GEORGIA HUBLEY (drums, vocals): I remember we were pretty excited about the things we were coming up with for I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. We had a pretty crappy rehearsal room in Hoboken, but it was great, we were able to have all our stuff set up, and we’d just keep trying different things.

IRA KAPLAN (guitar, vocals): When we got to the point where we didn’t have to do anything else but be a band, it was great because we could practise during the day. When we had night-time practices, it would be kind of cacophonous with other bands playing simultaneously. But by the time of I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, we were able to work pretty much every weekday afternoon.

HUBLEY: “Autumn Sweater”, for instance, was started on guitar, and then it just moved over to organ, but that was pretty indicative of a lot of the writing. “Sugarcube” doesn’t have bass guitar, it’s just James playing bass on our Acetone, our beloved, trashy Italian organ, which is very bassy-sounding.

McNEW: I don’t even know where we got the Acetone. It was just in our practice space. We noticed that no-one was ever using it – there was dust on it. So we decided to pay some attention to it, and it turned out to be so great that we would all take turns playing it on different songs. I liked the idea of organ acting as bass – you know, it had a lot of good precedents in Suicide or Snapper, things like that. It was a sound that I really like.

KAPLAN: Electr-O-Pura had been the first record that we’d made exclusively with Roger. We went to Nashville to make that.

ROGER MOUTENOT (producer): We made a deal where they’d come down here to record, and then I would go up to New York to mix. That was the arrangement.

KAPLAN: Going back to Nashville for I Can Hear The Heart…, I think we all felt pretty comfortable, and excited about the songs we had. There were definitely songs where we really didn’t know how they went, we were kind of allowing the process of recording to give us the chance to finish and change songs as freely as we wanted.

MOUTENOT: House Of David was a weird choice for a studio, but I had worked there, and I really, really liked the console. So I thought, ‘Oh, this will be good for this project.’ It had this unique vibe: Elvis was going to work there, and they built this whole entranceway off the garage, so he wouldn’t have to walk outside the building. There was actually a trapdoor that went into the garage, and that was for Elvis.

McNEW: They had cable TV, which was a great novelty back then. It was a nice place, a terrific [live] room, and the control room was really nice to use.

MOUTENOT: Most tracks were recorded live, as live as we could get. Sometimes we did vocals too, but I think for “Sugarcube” we just cut the basic tracks. For the most part, the Yo La Tengo stuff I worked on was always live to start with, just to get that band thing. There were a couple of songs on I Can Hear The Heart… that were built up, though, like “Moby Octopad”, which started with drums and then bass, and things like Ira’s piano were overdubbed later.

KAPLAN: I remember us coming up with the little ending for “Sugarcube”. It’s ancient times, so it was recorded on tape, and when you finished you’d rewind the tape machine. If you didn’t turn down the faders you’d hear the sound of the tape going backwards, played really fast. It sounded great, so we recorded that and stuck it on the end.

MOUTENOT: That’s what I love about this particular record, I Can Hear The Heart…, it’s up, it’s down, it’s rocking, it’s soft, it’s got a lot of different textures and feelings. Like, “Damage” is one of my favourites, it just puts me in a dream world every time. When you make a record that way, when you open the can of worms like that and say ‘anything goes’, you could go down the rabbit hole and really get screwed up. But for some reason, with these guys, it all worked because we always would go somewhere but pull it back in to be what the band wanted. It was super fun.

KAPLAN: Apart from being in it, we had very little to do with the video after coming up with the concept – the plot of doing this lousy video and irritating the record company, and then them sending us to rock school; and then we do the exact same video as rock school graduates, the same as they one they hated, but this time they love it. That was what we presented to our pal Phil Morrison, who had directed the “Tom Courtenay” video and a couple of others that we did. Then Phil took that concept and him and his writing partner Joe Ventura came up with the script for the video.

I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is being reissued both digitally (out now) and on coloured vinyl (out now in the US & Canada, and August 12 elsewhere) for its 25th anniversary, via Matador

__________________

FACTFILE

__________________

TIMELINE

February 28, 1992
Yo La Tengo release May I Sing With Me, their fifth album but first with bassist James McNew

May 2, 1995
Electr-O-Pura marks the band’s first time recording in Nashville entirely with producer Roger Moutenot

April 22, 1997
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is released – though it has stiff competition, it remains perhaps Yo La Tengo’s finest LP

August 4, 1997
“Sugarcube” is released as a single, backed on 7” by B-side “Busy With My Thoughts”, and on CD by “The Summer” and a 14-minute take on Eddie Cantor’s Looney Toons theme, “Merrily We Roll Along”

Creedence Clearwater Revival to release Albert Hall album and concert documentary

Craft Recordings has announced the release of an album and documentary concert film of Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s 1970 performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

The restored album will be released on September 16, alongside the film Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival At The Royal Albert Hall, which is narrated by Jeff Bridges and directed by Bob Smeaton (The Beatles Anthology).

Featuring the whole performance in its entirety, the never-before-released recording includes hits such as ‘Fortunate Son’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’, the last of which is now available to stream and download.

Creedence Clearwater Revival At The Royal Albert Hall will be available as a standalone album on CD, cassette tape, and 180-gram vinyl, as well as digital platforms. On November 14, fans will also be able to purchase a Super Deluxe Edition box set, available exclusively at CraftRecordings.com.

Creedence Clearwater Revival. CREDIT: Alamy

An official description for the restored album reads: “After spending roughly 50 years in storage, the original multitrack tapes were meticulously restored and mixed by the Grammy Award-winning team of producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, who have helmed countless acclaimed projects together, including the Beatles’ 50th-anniversary editions of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s ‘Lonely Hearts Club Band’, as well as audio for the Elton John biopic Rocketman and Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back Series.”

The accompanying documentary will “take viewers from the band’s earliest years together in El Cerrito, CA through their meteoric rise to fame.

“Featuring a wealth of unseen footage, Travelin’ Band culminates with the band’s show at the Royal Albert Hall—marking the only concert footage of the original CCR lineup to be released in its entirety.”

The documentary also explores how Creedence Clearwater Revival arguably went on to become the biggest band in the world, following the breakup of The Beatles.

Back in 2020, the band’s former frontman John Fogerty issued Donald Trump with a cease and desist order over his use of their song ‘Fortunate Son’ at some of his campaign rallies.

Entertainment world praises “brilliant” Lionesses as Euro 2022 comes home

The entertainment world have been reacting as England’s Lionesses beat Germany to win Euro 2022.

READ MORE: Why ‘Three Lions’ is still the ultimate football anthem

England’s Ella Toone’s scored the first goal earlier this afternoon before Germany’s Lina Magull equalised in the 79th minute. It was Chloe Kelly’s extra-time goal gave England a 2-1 victory over Germany to win Euro 2022 in front of a record-breaking crowd of 87,192 at Wembley.

Reacting to the news, Blur’s Dave Rowntree tweeted: “Brilliant! Just Brilliant!” Kasabian added: “Can’t believe it, historys been made! Congratulations to all the @Lionesses When you hit the wall you get back up again.”

Others reacting to the news included The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood who tweeted, “you’ve made us so proud” while The Subways wrote “standing ovation for every single woman who has taken part in this competition.”

The Spice Girls tweeted “True #Girlpower right there” while Adele wrote on Instagram: “What a game changer…so proud.”

Check out some more of the reactions here:

Congratulations @Lionesses True #GirlPower right there ✌???????? https://t.co/x3BDfsDccF

— Spice Girls (@spicegirls) July 31, 2022

Can’t believe it, historys been made! Congratulations to all the @Lionesses When you hit the wall you get back up again ????❤️? #WEuro2022Final #Lionesses

— KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 31, 2022

WE HAVE DONE IT

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 31, 2022

Brilliant! Just brilliant! #LionessesBringItHome

— Dave Rowntree (@DaveRowntree) July 31, 2022

Amazing!!! Well done Lionesses x

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 31, 2022

Standing ovation for every single woman who has taken part in this competition. How many girls have been inspired by each and every game. This is gonna change the culture of football. Hopefully society. Exciting times. And thank you for letting us feel this joy, Lionesses ??

— The Subways (@thesubways) July 31, 2022

Home. In fact it’s come home. A sentence I thought I’d never write. I’ve gone. Thank you Lionesses.

— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) July 31, 2022

OK then…just this once.

— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) July 31, 2022

It has come home, it has come home, it has come, football has come home ???

— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) July 31, 2022

Na but on a real, I’m so happy right now. This is huge for all of us. What a win! It finally came home ?

— ksi (@KSI) July 31, 2022

England won the Euros! Congratulations @Lionesses! You’ve made us all so proud. What an incredible result! Thank you forever! ?❤️⚽️?❤️????????#eng #EngvGer #Eurofinal pic.twitter.com/zzu8CuLgnI

— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 31, 2022

Come on England!! It came home ?????????????????????⚽️⚽️⚽️

— Jack Whitehall (@jackwhitehall) July 31, 2022

THE GAFFA #Lionesses https://t.co/6KZV27Zsej

— Tom Grennan (@Tom_Grennan) July 31, 2022

Wish I was DJing the celebration party for #Lionesses It’s gonna be better than Spike Island.

— Dave Haslam (@Mr_Dave_Haslam) July 31, 2022

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adele (@adele)

???

— Libertines (@libertines) July 31, 2022

Earlier in the day, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner & The Lightning Seeds sent a good luck message to Lionesses as they prepare to take on Germany in the final.

The message read: “Football’s Coming Home! Good luck Sarina and The Lionesses!”

Yesterday, Baddiel and The Lightning Seeds gave a special performance of ‘Three Lions’ at Camden’s Electric Ballroom. They were joined on stage by singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes and women’s players of the past to sing ‘Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)’ ahead of the final.

While Skinner was unable to join the band for the performance yesterday, he sent a message to the team and said that he will be “cheering on from the sidelines”.

Skinner said: “The Lionesses are playing some of the most exciting football I’ve ever seen from an England team. I’m gutted not to be there on Saturday but I know David, Lightning Seeds and Chelcee, with those Lionesses who’ve pulled on the shirt in the past, will deliver a unique performance that celebrates their run to the final.”

Baddiel added: “It’s a great honour that ‘Football’s Coming Home’ remains such a fan favourite twenty five years on and it feels fitting that we reflect the amazing achievements of the Lionesses with a unique performance of the anthem at this very special National Lottery gig. And very happy to be part of a one-off performance…”

Fara Williams, Rachel Yankey and Faye White, who share more than 390 caps between them for England, were among those former players joining the band and Baddiel on stage.

The message from Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and The Lightening Seeds – CREDIT: Press

Earlier in the day, Becky Hill, Stefflon Don and Ultra Naté performed at Wembley Stadium ahead of the final today.

Hill opened the performance before Stefflon Don joined Ultra Naté for a rendition of ‘You’re Free’, which Hill also appeared on towards the end.

Neil Young says he won’t perform at Farm Aid because of COVID concerns

Neil Young has said he won’t perform at this year’s Farm Aid event because of his ongoing concerns over COVID-19.

Young confirmed the news in response to a fan letter on his Neil Young Archives site that said: “I am not ready for that yet. I don’t think it is safe in the pandemic,” he wrote, adding, “I miss it very much.”

The veteran artist co-founded the yearly benefit concert to support American farmers. He also pulled out of last year’s event due to his ongoing concerns about the pandemic.

This year’s event takes place on September 24 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The line-up includes the likes of Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band, Margo Price, Sheryl Crow, and more.

Neil Young. Credit: Matthew Baker/Getty Images

Young has not performed in public since 2019. His latest comments echo ones made in December of last year, when he said he wouldn’t be returning to touring until COVID-19 was “beat” and the pandemic was over. “I don’t care if I’m the only one who doesn’t do it,” he said during an interview with Howard Stern.

Last year, Young also called on promoters to cancel “super-spreader” gigs while a pandemic was still ongoing. “The big promoters, if they had the awareness, could stop these shows,” he wrote in a blog post on his site. “Live Nation, AEG, and the other big promoters could shut this down if they could just forget about making money for a while.”

Recently, Young and Crazy Horse shared a first preview of their album ‘Toast’, with single ‘Timberline’.

The album was originally recorded by Young and the band in 2001 before being shelved. It was then finally announced for a July 8 release date earlier this year.

According to Young, ‘Toast’ is “an album that stands on its own in [his] collection”. He cited the record’s melancholic tone as a reason why it never left the studio, explaining in last May’s aforementioned blog post: “Unlike any other, ‘Toast’ was so sad that I couldn’t put it out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place. I couldn’t handle it at that time. 2001.”

He went on to say that the record was “about a relationship”, chronicling a particularly bleak point in its dissolution. He continued: “There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the break up, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.

“The sound is murky and dark, but not in a bad way. Fat. From the first note, you can feel the sadness that permeates the recording… These songs paint a landscape where time doesn’t matter – because everything is going south. A lady is lost in her car. The dark city surrounds her – past present and future. It’s a scary place. You be the judge.”

Watch the moment Jamie T joined The Libertines on stage in London

Jamie T joined The Libertines on stage at London’s Wembley Arena last night – check out the moment below.

READ MORE: Pete Doherty on his first Glastonbury: Kate Moss, an undercover agent, and a £16,000 cardigan

Jamie came on for the last song of the set, The Libertines’ ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ after the band had delivered a career-spanning set earlier in the evening. Libertines frontman Pete Doherty introduced Jamie T as the encore began, before taking Jamie’s hat and throwing it into the audience.

The gig was part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of their debut album ‘Up The Bracket’, which will also see them release a ‘Super Deluxe Edition’ of the record in October.

Elsewhere in the set, on ‘Radio America’, the band also played a snippet of The Beatles‘ ‘She Loves You’.

Check out fan-shot footage of the moment below, together with the set-list for the gig in full:

The Libertines bring out Jamie T at #WembleyArena #TheLibertines #JamieT pic.twitter.com/jnG2DPoEwB

— Teddy Coward (@cow_ted) July 23, 2022

Jamie T on stage with The Libertines, what a gig pic.twitter.com/1xRj1scl2m

— Michael (@MD1908__) July 23, 2022

The Libertines just brought out @jamietmusic !!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Wm0DHt3gyR

— Amy Nic (@amynicz) July 23, 2022

Don’t look back into the sun x #nffc #libertines pic.twitter.com/sWOtcU2p1z

— Jamie O'Dowd (@odowdspace) July 23, 2022

Libertines Wembley Arena setlist:

Part A – Up The Bracket
‘Vertigo’
‘Death on the Stairs’
‘Horrorshow’
‘Time for Heroes’
‘Boys in the Band’
‘Radio America’
‘Up the Bracket’
‘Tell the King’
‘The Boy Looked at Johnny’
‘Begging’
‘The Good Old Days’
‘I Get Along’
‘Mayday’ – acoustic rendition

Part B – Other songs
‘Mayday’ – full band
‘Bangkok’
‘Gunga Din’
‘You’re My Waterloo’
‘Music When the Lights Go Out’
‘What Katie Did’
‘Can’t Stand Me Now’
‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ – with Jamie T

Speaking to NME backstage at Glastonbury this year, Doherty said he hoped The Libertines‘ long-awaited fourth album should be completed by the end of 2022.

“The chemistry is working to the original chemical formula, with the prosperity, harmony and advancement of the Albion’s dream and promise,” Doherty told NME.

Looking to the future, Doherty confirmed that writing sessions in Jamaica were pencilled in for work on the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth‘.

Having previously told NME that the record looked set to have an eclectic mix of styles in the same vein as The Clash’s ‘Sandinista’, Doherty explained: “There are lots of things on the table – some really good, strong and melodic rock’n’roll songs. We’ve also got ideas for soundscapes and spoken word stuff.”

Asked when the album might be complete, he replied: “By the end of the year, I think – hopefully. We’ll get the demos done in the summer hopefully, and then we’ll see.”

Brexit: Bookings of UK acts at European festivals have fallen by 45 per cent

The number of British acts appearing on the bill at European festivals has fallen by almost half post-Brexit, according to new research.

Campaign group Best For Britain – which is “pushing for closer relationships with Europe and the world” – shared the figures today (July 21). They showed that the number of British artists scheduled to perform in Europe as part of this year’s festival season had decreased by 45 per cent when compared to 2017-2019 (pre-Brexit).

READ MORE: UK touring bands are suffering due to “Brexit fuck-ups and a lack of government control”

Naomi Smith, CEO of Best For Britain, explained of the findings: “The Beatles famously made their name in Europe and it’s on tour that many musicians gain the formative experiences and audiences they need to take off.

“With their dud Brexit deal, our lame duck Government has not only robbed emerging British talent of these opportunities abroad, but has also made international acts think twice before including Glasgow or London in their European tours.”

Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and UK Trade and Business Commissioner, Deborah Annetts, added: “Previous witnesses to our commission have described how, if you’re a festival organiser in Barcelona who needs to fill a last-minute slot, British bands will be at the bottom of your list due to new barriers created by this botched Brexit deal.

“Whoever ends up replacing Boris Johnson must commit to removing this needless bureaucracy which is stifling the prosperity and creativity of the next generation of British musicians.”

Brexit protestors — Protestors demonstrate against Brexit CREDIT: Getty Images

Earlier this year, artists, management and politicians spoke to NME about the ongoing issues of performing live in Europe post-Brexit.

It came over one year on from the music industry essentially being handed a “No Deal Brexit” when the UK government failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew. As a result, artists attempting to hit the road again after COVID found themselves on the predicted “rocky road” for the first summer of European touring after Britain left the EU.

White Lies were forced to cancel the opening night of their 2022 European tour in Paris this April due to “Brexit legislation” causing their equipment to be held up for two days. The band’s drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown told NME that the situation was “incredibly frustrating”.

“We’d done our best to ensure that we’d be prepared in any circumstance,” he said. “It’s very frustrating when you prepare for as long as we have to then rock up to the first venue and find that your equipment has been stuck in a 25 mile-long queue on the M20 through not fault of your own, and no fault of the trucking company either.

“It wasn’t the plan that we’d worked hard to get right.”

Lawrence-Brown largely blamed Brexit-related red tape regarding visas and carnets (a document detailing what goods and equipment are being taken across borders) for the setback.

“Prior to Brexit, this kind of tailback was never an issue,” he told NME. “There’s now a huge amount of paperwork for bands to deal with if they want to get themselves into Europe.”

In January 2021, European festival bosses expressed their concerns over Brexit potentially preventing many UK acts from being booked to play live events on the continent.

Eric Van Eerdenburg, the director of Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands, told NME that the additional costs and requirements needed to tour in Europe would prove “horrible and very limiting” for UK artists.

The new findings from Best For Britain came ahead of today’s cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission. It is taking evidence related to the post-Brexit challenges facing the UK music industry during the first festival without COVID-enforced restrictions.

Meanwhile, Elton John has warned that smaller, less established UK acts risk “being stranded in Dover” if Brexit-related travel issues are not resolved with the European Union (via Sky News).

David Crosby called “unkind schmuck” for criticising fan’s artwork

David Crosby has been called an “unkind schmuck” for criticising a fan’s caricature depiction of him.

READ MORE: Swift vs Albarn, Morrissey vs Marr and Young vs Spotify: dissecting pop’s Beef Week

The founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash was blunt in his response to fan DJB Sackett, who had shared his work with Crosby as a “thank you for the music”.

Crosby responded to Sackett’s tweet, which shows the artwork in question. “That is the weirdest painting of me I have ever seen. Don’t quit your day job,” he wrote earlier in July.

The musician has since received backlash from people supporting Sackett and his art. One social media user wrote: “This is the weirdest reaction to a fan trying to do something nice I have ever seen. Don’t quit your day job, David Crosby… but maybe stop being an unkind schmuck on Twitter.”

That is the weirdest painting of me. I have ever seen …..don’t quit your day job …… https://t.co/3USbW4Qt7a

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) July 16, 2022

Another person tweeted: “David Crosby’s shitty attitude towards a fan who took time to create a piece of fan art highlights a very real issue, that many people in similar positions as him don’t care about hurting others. Don’t let a decrepit voice like his stop you from sharing your authentic selves.”

Sackett, meanwhile, wrote the following in response to Crosby’s scathing review. “After yesterday’s somewhat lively discussion on subjectivity in art appreciation, I’d just like to say thank you to all the new followers and those who took the time to leave comments. Best wishes.”

As I have a small platform just now, albeit briefly, I thought I’d share a couple of music based cartoon style pieces I did of @johnlennon & @PaulMcCartney . #thebeatles #allyouneedislove #peace
(Disclaimer: Most of my pictures are not based on music ☺️https://t.co/CMKHvuwvlI) https://t.co/x3iFRH8NLY pic.twitter.com/m00QyzaeTO

— DJBSackett (@DjbSackett) July 18, 2022

It’s not the first time that Crosby has been embroiled in some controversy online.

When Crosby was asked on Twitter last year to respond to Phoebe Bridgers’ decision to wreck a Danelectro guitar during her debut SNL performance, he made it clear that he wasn’t at all impressed.

“Pathetic”, he wrote, one day after writing: “Guitars are for playing ..making music”, adding that he really does “NOT give a flying F if others have done it before…It’s still STUPID.”

In response, Bridgers labelled Crosby “a little bitch”.

Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash perform live in 2015. CREDIT: Nick Pickles/Redferns

In other news, the music of Crosby, Stills and Nash is back on Spotify after the musicians initially removed all of their music earlier this year in solidarity with Neil Young.

The band joined a growing number of acts in February who demanded that their music be removed from Spotify amid the COVID controversy involving Joe Rogan.

Elsewhere, earlier this year, Crosby – who also performs solo – offered young creatives a stark message, saying “don’t become a musician”.

In an interview Crosby was asked what message he would give to new musical creatives. He replied: “Don’t become a musician.” The reason he gave was largely due to streaming royalties.

The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine My Life In Music

Read more in issue 303 of Uncut – available now for home delivery from our online store.

THE KINGSTON TRIO
STRING ALONG
CAPITOL, 1960

I had already heard The Kingston Trio’s version of “The John B Sails” – the original title of “Sloop John B” – when String Along came out in 1960. It was their fifth album and the last one with original member Dave Guard. I just loved every song on it. At the time, nothing beat their folk sound and perfect harmonies. It’s still one of my all-time favourites and really takes me back to my early days when I was in my own folk trio called The Islanders. I liked their striped shirts too, ha-ha!

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GEORGE GERSHWIN
“RHAPSPDY IN BLUE”
VICTOR MACHINE TALKING CO, 1924

This is probably my all-time favourite song, and it’s so amazing that a song that’s almost 100 years old is still so powerful – it literally knocks me out every time I hear it. I also enjoyed Brian’s Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin album that features all of our current Brian Wilson band members: Darian Sahanaja, Probyn Gregory, Paul Von Mertens, Mike D’Amico and Gary Griffin, plus the late Nicky Wonder – RIP – and also Jeffrey Foskett. If there’s a George Gershwin Music Hall Of Fame, Brian should be in it!

FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS
WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE
GEE, 1956

I think Frankie Lymon was only 12 when he joined [the band that would become] The Teenagers and [not much older when] they released their big hit “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”. I loved that doo-wop sound in the late-’50s, but this song in particular really hit me with its catchy melody and expressive vocals. The Beach Boys recorded it in early 1964 and then we released it as the B-side to “Fun, Fun, Fun”. We still love playing it live – it just takes me back to a really innocent time in the early days of rock’n’roll and I still have the 45 in my own personal jukebox.

LEAD BELLY
COTTON FIELDS (THE COTTON SONG)
FOLKWAYS, 1953

Huddie Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) first recorded “The Cotton Song” in 1940 and I first heard it in the mid-’50s. I loved Lead Belly’s vocals and of course his 12-string guitar sound but it was really his heartfelt emotional lyrics written during the Great Depression that affected me. I was determined to record a new version for The Beach Boys at a time when we were going off in quite a few different musical directions. We released “Cotton Fields” on our 20/20 album and it ended up being our last single released in mono and on Capitol at the time.

Black Midi Hellfire

For three young men in their early twenties, Black Midi have already covered a lot of musical ground. Their 2019 debut, Schlagenheim, embraced a twisted mutation of math-rock, jazz and post-punk, recalling Battles at their most discordant or a mutilated King Crimson. 2021’s Cavalcade was a more all-encompassing tonal affair; alongside the frenzied assaults was a softer, more melodic and often poignant side that showed they could veer into avant-folk territory as easily as they could pulverising noise-rock. They continue on this unpredictable route here, on their third album, seemingly on a crusade to sound like all genres yet also none.

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On the opening “Hellfire” they combine an almost rap-esque spitfire delivery of words – “a headache, a sore limb, an itchy gash, a mirage, a tumour, a scar” – over the top of a composition that encompasses theatrical piano, military drums, stirring strings and wailing saxophone. It is a wild start to an album made by a band who have chosen to wholeheartedly embrace chaos. However, they also possess such clear talent as musicians, delivering each note with sharp clarity and exactness, that they manage to create a dichotomous form of precise mayhem.

Marta Salogni, who previously worked on Cavalcade’s opener “John L”, produces here, and does a deft yet dynamic job of bringing the band to life. The record is often intensely busy – with tracks like “Sugar/Tzu” veering from tender and gentle restraint to volatile and discordant bursts of squealing guitar and drums – yet it never sounds cluttered or messy. She’s able to extract, and highlight, the disorder while also emphasising space, allowing the record to swing from breakdown to explosion and back again with grace.

Some moments of the record are so overblown, bombastic, theatrical, confounding and nonsensical – take the brilliant “The Race is About To Begin”, with characters that include Mrs Gonorrhoea, and which sounds like someone has accidentally played three different songs at once – that it can feel like the band are taking the piss. And in many senses, they are; ideas, lyrics and musical directions that many groups may toss off for fun in the studio but quickly discard as being too absurd are seen through to the bitter end here. The band themselves have said as much: “Black Midi don’t expect, or want, you to take themselves or their music too seriously. Black Midi’s music can be exuberant, cathartic, theatrical, comic, absurdist, over-abundant, intense, cinematic, brutal.”

Black Midi’s creative restlessness is reflected in the vast shifts that take place within the album. At times it ricochets around so such – from the metal-esque riffage of “Welcome To Hell” to the acoustic skip of “Still” – that it feels whiplash-inducing. Similarly, the lyrics and stories on the album lean more towards vignettes than they do a neatly packaged conceptual whole, even if hell in various forms is something of a recurring theme.

Often what we have are character monologues, with singer Geordie Greep stating “almost everyone depicted is a kind of scumbag”; the narrative of the album glides from boxing-match drama to a fictional radio host introducing the band to confessions of a grisly murder. It’s a little like channel-hopping through a TV station programmed by someone who has amalgamated the strangest corners of the world into one place. There’s no performative politics here, no social commentary, no earnest personal overspill, just a series of odd stories that capture what a genuinely eccentric band, and lyricist Greep, are. His vocal delivery matches this wild ride too, from idiosyncratic spoken word, to frenzied screams, to a genuinely tender, soft and beautiful delivery that even veers towards a croon from time to time, as on the sweeping “The Defence”.

Ultimately, the unique thing about Black Midi is that despite the shock of their sound – an all-things-at-once post-genre party – Hellfire manages to retain a strange and hypnotic cohesion. They’ve managed to make tonal inconsistencies feel like an actual consistency, rather than being a jarring and detracting experience. They’ve wrangled chaos into submission, and currently sound like no other band out there.

Cheri Knight American Rituals

Fish around for a minute or two googling “Cheri Knight” and you’ll soon come across a song of hers on YouTube called “Dar Glasgow”. It’s the opening track on her second solo album, 1998’s The Northeast Kingdom. The cover is a painting of Knight in a dress of green leaves holding a guitar in a vegetable field, alluding to her two passions, music and farming. The song is a rural gothic folk tale, spun out over the drone of a harmonium, which slowly pulls the listener in. That harmonium is played by Steve Earle, whose label E-Squared released the album, and the song also features additional vocals by Emmylou Harris.

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In some respects, this is the pinnacle of Knight’s patchy career as a semi-professional musician, though she enjoyed modest attention in the early 1990s as the vocalist and bassist in roots-rockers Blood Oranges. After Northeast Kingdom, she withdrew from music and carried on tending the land where she lived in Western Massachusetts. She hadn’t been heard of since – until now.

American Rituals rewinds two decades to the late ’70s and early ’80s to focus on Knight’s early DIY recordings, when she studied music composition at the free-thinking Evergreen State College outside Olympia, Washington, long before the city became an indie hotbed. Raised in a musical household and schooled in philosophy and architecture, she was familiar with the likes of John Cage before entering Evergreen, but there, with access to new ideas, instruments and studios, she was able to channel her interests into creating quite a pure kind of music from voice samples and audio collages; pared-back, elemental pieces where the act of construction – the ritual – is intrinsic to the finished work.

She’s direct in her technique, nothing is out of place. “Hear/Say” primarily loops and layers those two words – we hear what she is saying – for five minutes until they become either meaningful or meaningless; “Primary Colours” coalesces into a melody comprised of her repetition of the names of various colours. For “Prime Numbers”, she assembles a basic groove from handclaps, bass and polyvocal chants. Others, like “Tips On Filmmaking” and “Water Project #2261”, share a joyous exoticism with Steve Reich’s rich minimalism and seem less concerned with process. Knight worked closely with the composer Pauline Oliveros while at college and her wisdom, her approach to listening, seems to have informed Knight’s thoughtful music.

At the time, the seven pieces here came out on various compilations celebrating the local DIY scene, released on vinyl by Evergreen College or Kerry Leimer’s Palace Of Lights imprint. Knight was also part of Olympia’s Lost Music Network alongside fellow musician Bruce Pavitt, who’d go on to start Sub Pop. Remarkably, for such a casually pioneering composer, this is the first time Knight’s foundational music has appeared in one place. Now she’ll surely get some of the recognition she deserves.

Wayne Coyne says he wants Billie Eilish to cover The Flaming Lips

Wayne Coyne has said that he wants Billie Eilish to cover one of The Flaming Lips‘ albums.

READ MORE: 11 of Wayne Coyne’s weirdest moments

The Flaming Lips singer was responding to fan questions in a new interview when he revealed his wish, also saying that in an ideal world he’d like Radiohead and The Beatles to cover some of his band’s records.

When a fan asked him what other albums he might like to cover (The Flaming Lips released a Nick Cave covers album, ‘Where the Viaduct Looms’, with a young fan last year), he responded: “Since I’ve had my own studio at my house, we’ve done The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper…’, Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, The Stone Roses’ debut.

He went on to say in The Guardian piece that the band have considered covering Portishead and Silver Apples.

“We’ve talked about doing Portishead’s first album [‘Dummy’], and a record by the Silver Apples,” Coyne continued. “Who would I most like to cover a Flaming Lips album? Well, who wouldn’t want to hear the Beatles do ‘[The] Soft Bulletin’, Radiohead do ‘American Head’, or Billie Eilish cover ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots?'”

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips performs during Riot Fest 2021 at Douglass Park on September 19, 2021 in Chicago Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

Elsewhere in the interview Coyne spoke about being robbed at gunpoint in Oklahoma.

A fan told Coyne that they were “robbed at Hemi’s Pizza – around the corner from Long John Silver’s seafood restaurant in Oklahoma – where three guys held you up at gunpoint as a teenager”.

The fan asked: “Did your near-death experience contribute to your desire to go avant garde?” to which Coyne answered: “I do think it made me less afraid to do things in the name of art. I now think: ‘What harm is going to happen if I make a bad record?’

“Once you’ve stood with a gun to your head and thought: ‘Well, I’m gonna die,” the petty little things don’t bother you. It definitely shaped my fierceness – if that’s the right word.

Coyne continued: “There were a lot of robberies around that time. You assumed if you got robbed, you were also going to get shot, your body would be thrown in the walk-in cooler and your mother would find out on the news.

“That pizza place was around the corner. I did get the feeling that these guys had already robbed a couple of places, but all we saw was a brief police report. Aged 16, 17, I assumed: ‘Everyone must nearly die two or three times, growing up.’ Only later in life did I realise: that’s not normal.”

Meanwhile, The Flaming Lips join Haim, The Roots, Sheryl Crow and more for The Big Climate Thing Festival, a climate-themed festival held in New York City this September.

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