Ocean Way Festival Cancelled Due to Coastal Erosion

Santa Monica’s inaugural Ocean Way Festival has been cancelled just weeks before its planned debut. Announcing the cancellation on social media on Friday (September 11), organisers said surf and storm runoff connected to Hurricane Marie, which has seen massive swells pummel beachfronts this week, had drastically reduced the amount of beach space that was safe to use.

The conditions left the site unable to safely support the stages, equipment and infrastructure required for the two-day festival. The event was expected to combine live music with food, wellness, sustainability, and local beach culture on September 26-27 on the beach in Santa Monica, California, with The Killers, Olivia Dean, Jack White and Khruangbin headlining.

Also on the line-up were Sublime, with Durand Jones and the Indications, Alvvays, NME 100 alum 54 Ultra and more also set to perform at the festival, which is put on by the same promoters as Coachella and Stagecoach.

Organisers have said that plans to bring the festival to Santa Monica next year are already underway, and that refunds for tickets are being processed automatically.

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At the time of writing, there has been no update on whether the line-up for next year’s fest would change. Extreme weather conditions derailing festivals has been a consistent story this summer, with Katy Perry’s 55,000 capacity Werchter Boutique headline performance cancelled earlier this year due to severe thunderstorms. Similarly, Fred Schneider, vocalist with dance-rock legends The B-52’s, described his band’s experience at The C Trop Music Festival in Tilloloy, France as “a total disaster”, with their set cancelled minutes before performance time. Recent months have also seen Bonnaroo organisers explain that the extreme conditions experienced over the past few years led to them deciding to take a break in 2027 so that the festival grounds can recover.

Jack White and Chris Robinson Deliver High-Energy Cover of Free’s ‘I’m A Mover’

During a recent performance at Chicago’s Radius, Jack White treated fans to a rare and electrifying collaboration, inviting The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson to the stage. The pair delivered a raw, high-energy cover of the 1969 blues-rock classic ‘I’m A Mover’ by Free, marking a standout moment on White’s current North American tour.

With Robinson taking on lead vocal duties, White was free to focus on his guitar work, driving the song with the intensity that has defined his latest live shows. The performance served as a testament to the enduring influence of 1960s blues-rock, a genre that remains central to White’s artistic identity.

A Night of Musical Collaboration

The surprise appearance occurred midway through White’s set on Thursday, July 23. It was the first time either artist had publicly performed the track, which originally appeared on Free’s debut album, Tons Of Sobs. The song, famously featuring vocalist Paul Rodgers and guitarist Paul Kossoff, provided the perfect backdrop for the two rock icons to showcase their chemistry.

The Chicago show was part of the ongoing tour supporting White’s seventh solo studio album, Frozen Charlotte, which was released earlier this month. Throughout the evening, White balanced new material with deep cuts and fan favorites, including The White Stripes classics such as ‘Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground’, ‘Icky Thump’, and ‘Seven Nation Army’.

Watch footage from the performance here:

This collaboration follows another notable guest appearance earlier in the tour, where White brought his daughter, Scarlett, on stage in Brooklyn to play bass on several tracks. These moments highlight the collaborative and spontaneous spirit of White’s current live performances.

Touring and Future Dates

Following the Chicago date, White continues his North American run before heading to the UK and Ireland in August. The tour includes two nights at London’s Eventim Apollo, followed by shows in Bristol, Newcastle, and Belfast, as well as two performances at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre. With Frozen Charlotte receiving praise for its live-ready energy, fans can expect more surprises as the tour progresses through the fall.

Baby Queen Announces New Album ‘I Hope You Don’t Remember Me’

Alt-pop sensation Baby Queen has officially announced her highly anticipated second studio album, I Hope You Don’t Remember Me. Set for release on July 24 via Insanity Records, the project follows her 2023 breakthrough, Quarter Life Crisis, and marks a significant shift in her creative direction.

To celebrate the announcement, the singer—real name Bella Latham—has unveiled the new single ‘Permanently Obsessed’. The track joins previously released songs ‘Word Vomit’, ‘Feel Something’, and the album’s title track, offering fans a glimpse into a more introspective body of work.

Latham describes the album as a departure from her signature sociopolitical commentary, opting instead to explore personal narratives centered on love, rejection, and ego. The record features an impressive lineup of collaborators, including producer Alex Casnoff, bassist Michael Shuman of Queens Of The Stone Age, and drummer Carla Azar, known for her work with Jack White and PJ Harvey.

Reflecting on the writing process, Latham shared: “The songs I wrote seemed to reveal more about me than about the people or relationships I was writing about.” She noted that the album shines a light on “corners of myself I hadn’t looked at in a long time” and “truths I had long been trying to avoid.”

In support of the new release, Baby Queen will embark on a nine-date UK record store tour throughout July. The intimate run of shows kicks off in Oxford on July 21 and concludes in Nottingham on July 30.

Baby Queen’s in-store tour dates:

• July 21 – Truck, Oxford
• July 22 – Rough Trade East, London
• July 23 – Resident, Brighton
• July 24 – Banquet – Fighting Cocks, Kingston
• July 25 – Rough Trade, Bristol
• July 27 – Wax & Beans, Bury
• July 28 – Rough Trade, Liverpool
• July 29 – Crash – Headrow House, Leeds
• July 30 – Rough Trade – Nottingham

Jack White Opens First Public Art Exhibition in London

Jack White has officially opened his first public art exhibition in London, offering fans a rare glimpse into a creative side of his personality that he admits most people are unfamiliar with. Titled ‘These Thoughts May Disappear’, the exhibition is currently hosted at Damien Hirst’s prestigious Newport Street Gallery and is scheduled to run until September 13.

Among the diverse collection of works on display is a striking recreation of the musician’s 2015 sculpture, The Red Tree. The original project involved White painting a dying tree in his garden red. Reflecting on the process, White told Wallpaper, “It died, I brought it back to life, and it died again, and now we’re bringing it back to life in a fake version of it – a plastic resin version of the tree which is also the height of the room. It was very collaborative for me in Nashville, with the team in London and the fabricators in China. To be able to be a director of a concept was really nice.”

The exhibition also features a series of upholstered chairs, which serve as a poignant nod to the musician’s early career. Before his global success with The White Stripes, White apprenticed as an upholsterer at age 15 and eventually opened his own business, Third Man Upholstery, at 21. One standout piece is a reworked Eames chair created in collaboration with Damien Hirst, featuring leather hand-painted by the artist.

White noted that his sculpture and upholstery work had largely remained private for the past two decades. When asked why he decided to exhibit now, he credited Hirst’s encouragement. “No one had ever really invited or encouraged me, so I never really sought it out. I just made work in my own time. Until Hirst said: ‘Why don’t you do a show at our gallery?’”

Many of the over 100 pieces on display utilize raw materials salvaged from local garbage collections in Nashville, a practice White traces back to his childhood in Detroit. “I was taught about the creativity in taking an old piece of furniture that’s headed for the dump and rescuing it and bringing it back to life,” he explained. “It was the first thing I was taught to do with my hands.”

Ultimately, the exhibition serves as a bridge between his musical career and his tactile artistic pursuits. “People don’t know this side of me,” White added. “I want them to see that this came from a passionate place, in an attempt to try to get somewhere with it.”