The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 20 features cover stars Enter Shikari as they prepare their arena tour with a new collaboration with Jason Butler! We also have album reviews for Green Day and Neck Deep, an EP review for Jarki Monno and a live review of Bring Me The Horizon in London.
Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Gaz Coombes, Robert Plant, Resolve, Cassyette, Cro Cro Land, Maid of Stone, Steelhouse, Burn It Down, Takedown and Brits Week!
Plus all the best new releases including James, Emily Barker, The Sleeping Souls, Yard Act, IDLES, Greywind, Yours Truly, The Dandy Warhols, Chelsea Wolfe, Mad Caddies, The K’s, P.O.D., NOTHING MORE, Neck Deep, PET NEEDS, Joanne Shaw Taylor, DragonForce, LANDMVRKS, South of Salem, Mother Mother, New Model Army, Saxon and Cassyette!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Comastatic, Crushed By Waves and Noah and the Loners!
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
This week we begin with the best new releases of the past week and up first are Linkin Park.
The iconic group are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their seminal album, ‘Meteora’. As part of these celebrations the band have now shared another unreleased track from that era. You can listen to that track, ‘Fighting Myself’, above!
Skindred returned this week with, ‘Set Fazers’, the second single from their upcoming new album, ‘Smile’, which is out August 4th. You can check out the video for the single above.
Lead singer Benji Webbe states, “Star date 22.3.23: With this song we’re boldly going where no ragga-metal has gone before. We come in peace, L.O.V.E and unity, to bring Skindred’s outergalactic sound-system to the infinite expanse of the cosmos.”
Skindred drummer Arya Goggin continues, “The idea with the ‘Set Fazers’ video was to make a Sci Fi meets Dancehall epic! Through TikTok we met an amazing dancer called Shin (whose dance to our song ‘Nobody’ went viral earlier this year) and he’s added his unique style to the video too. We had so much fun filming it and can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Empire State Bastard, the new project from Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and his long-time colleague Mike Vennart of Oceansize, have shared their debut single ‘Harvest’, which you can check out above.
The track features the legendary drummer Dave Lombardo and represents the first taste of what the project will offer with the band simply exclaiming “Empires fall, States rise, Bastards sing…it’s Harvest time motherfuckers!”.
British heavy metal legends Saxon have released their second album of influences, ‘More Inspirations’, this week. Alongside the album came a new single, ‘Razamanaz’, which you can check out above.
Frontman Biff Byford comments “In the seventies we’d go and see Nazareth they were one of the premier touring hard rock bands. We were lucky to tour with them in 1980, they used to open the show with this song, it’s about the audience performed to an audience… brilliant stuff!”
There was more new music on offer this week from The Pearl Harts also as the duo shared their new single, ‘Hypocritical’, which you can of course check out above!
The track is the third single to come from their upcoming album, ‘LOVE, CHAOS’, which arrives on April 21st!
Supergroup Generation Sex have added new shows to their summer schedule including a special one-off show at The Civic at the Halls in Wolverhampton this July.
Billy Bragg will once again be out on the road later this year for ‘The Roaring Forty Tour’.
A new collection of songs with the same name is also on it’s way with a release date of October 27th.
“Doesn’t seem like just that long ago that I was playing Thursday nights at the Tunnel in Greenwich, opening for whoever was headlining. I learned my chops there in late 82/early83 and I’m still putting those lessons to good use 40 years later. Hope to see some of you this autumn.” – Billy Bragg
The Darkness reveal first wave of ‘Permission to Land’ shows
The final tour announcement in our News Report this week comes from The Darkness who will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of seminal album ‘Permission To Land’ with a load of tour dates!
Initial dates take the band across Europe with further world and UK dates on the way.
Frontman Justin Hawkins comments, “When Permission to Land landed, twenty short years ago, we were bathed in shock and awe. As if by magic, Rock wasn’t dead! Fun wasn’t banned! And Spandex was almost acceptable again…
“Well, guess what? Twenty years on, the same rules apply. So please to squeeze yourselves into those inappropriate leggings, back-comb your mullet, splash on a big handful of attitude, and come celebrate with us! We promise everything and we deliver, every time. Bring on the next twenty!
As our News Report turns to festival announcements we head over to Neighbourhood Weekender who this week revealed the final wave of line-up additions for May.
New names include The View, Kula Shaker, Gaz Coombes and more. They join the likes of Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, The Kooks, Pulp, The Wombats, Self Esteem, Ocean Colour Scene, The Enemy and Lottery Winners.
Closing out our festival announcements in our News Report is the latest line-up additions from Bearded Theory.
This week saw the event reveal that Skindred, Kid Kapichi, Brix Smith, Loose Articles and more will join the line-up topped by Interpol, Primal Scream and Pretenders.
Brighton noise rock trio Staff Party reveal their new single. ‘Dread’, which is the title-track of their upcoming EP.
Commenting on the new single and themes on the EP, frontman Ed Lamb says: “I have tried—but am completely unable to—write happy songs. When I want to write about something, typically I take a look around and something which pisses me off, confuses me, or scares me, is usually what inspires me the most. It’s hard not to draw on the awful state and chaos the world is in at the moment, as well. Just browsing the Internet can be a rich and endless source of horror.”
“I also consider myself a fairly introspective, and potentially sentimental person, so much of what I write about is based on aspects of my own psyche and personality. It feels cathartic to articulate those thoughts in the form of loud, aggressive music. I enjoy the fact that ‘Dread’, with probably the most upbeat and bouncy sounding instrumental, still has these introspective dark lyrics to juxtapose it. I couldn’t even let the fun catchy song be nice.”
headcage – ‘nothing’
Newcastle Upon Tyne Alternative Post-Hardcore band headcage share their brand new single ‘nothing’.
“Lyrically the song details the struggle to overcome the feeling of uselessness and the everyday battles that come alongside living with ADHD and Anxiety. I wanted to state in layman’s terms the difficulty that I face to remain persistent or disciplined in many aspects of my life. The song itself acts as catharsis, a real and true personal expression of the negative aspects of these conditions that I have to face everyday”. – Vocalist – Leyum Pattinson
Civil Villains – ‘Mortuary Blue’
Brit alt-rockers Civil Villains have released their brand new single, ‘Mortuary Blue’, taken from upcoming album, ‘Motion Sick’.
The band remark about the record: “Like the nauseating sensory mismatch experienced from the passenger seat, ‘Motion Sick’ is largely about contradictory states and lost control. Born as a series of voice notes, written over webcam, developed via shared Logic Pro projects, and honed in snatched moments of lifted lockdowns, the album was recorded in the rolling countryside expanses of Oxfordshire.”
Over to Oxfordshire next for Truck Festival where Royal Blood again top the bill alongside Two Door Cinema Club, alt-j and Thursday headliner The Wombats.
They’ll be joined by acts such as DMA’s, The Vaccines, Self Esteem, Circa Waves, Pale Waves, Squid, We Are Scientists and more.
To Yorkshire next and Sheffield’s Tramlines returns to Hillsborough Park this July with a huge line-up including headliners Richard Ashcroft, Courteeners and Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott.
Also on the bill are DMA’s, Bloc Party, Blossoms, Kaiser Chiefs, Sea Girls, Circa Waves, The Enemy, Pale Waves, The Zutons, October Drift and Black Honey!
The line-up announcements come thick and fast in our News Report this week with 2000trees also adding a further 50 bands to the line-up including the mighty Skindred!
Deaf Havana, The Bronx, Empire State Bastard, Kid Kapichi, Lynks, The Xcerts and many more also join the like up topped by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes!
Wollaton Park in Nottingham will once again host Splendour Festival this July. The festival this year will be headlined by Madness and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Also playing will be the likes of The Kooks.
Yes with all these festival announcements in our News Report this week, we are set for some Beautiful Days next summer! Headlining that very event will be Suede, Primal Scream and Levellers.
Also playing will be Johnny Marr, The Proclaimers, Gaz Coombes, Reef, Ferocious Dog, Beans On Toast, The Joy Formidable and many more.
The fantastic Cambridge Folk Festival has also revealed their names this week with The Proclaimers, Rufus Wainwright, Imelda May, Grace Petrie, Kiefer Sutherland, The Longest Johns and Stornoway all set for Cherry Hinton Hall.
Teddy Rocks, which takes place in Dorset and helps to raise money towards research and direct support for children with cancer, set their full line-up this week.
Newly announced acts like Ferocious Dog join a bill featuring Feeder, Jake Bugg, The Amazons, Those Damn Crows, Kid Kapichi, Mason Hill, Dream State and MOSKITO.
The traditional Teenage Cancer Trust shows at the Royal Albert Hall will once again return in 2023 with headline acts Underworld, Wet Leg, Courteeners and Kasabian.
We move our News Report over now to the best tour announcements from the past week. First of all is the above mix of dates from The Who.
The iconic group will be accompanied by an orchestra and support on most dates will come from UB40.
Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey “Having not toured the UK for six years, it’s great that at this time of our careers we have the chance to go to places that are not on the usual touring map Edinburgh Castle and Derby, as well as the other cities across the country that we haven’t been to for decades, will make this very special for me. This opportunity will give our UK Who fans the chance to hear our current show, which, with the addition of an orchestra, takes our music to new heights.”
Pete Townshend “Roger initially christened this tour with an orchestra Moving On! I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose. I’m really looking forward to bringing this show to the UK.”
Another musical icon, Gary Numan, will be playing three very special shows at the Electric Ballroom in Camden this April.
Revealing the dates, Numan said “In my career I have played, so far, 997 Gary Numan shows. To celebrate reaching the 1,000 milestone I’ll be playing three shows, 998, 999, and 1,000, at the Electric Ballroom in London on April 13th, 14th and 15th. These will obviously be special nights for me, but made all the more so as my daughter Raven will be the support. Raven has finished writing her first album which is currently being recorded with, and produced by, Ade Fenton. For me to be able to celebrate these three momentous shows with the fans who have made it all possible, and for those same nights to be Raven’s first ever three shows playing her new music, is almost more than my tiny heart can stand. I hope to see you there.”
Jamie Lenman had a big news week with details of a Spring Tour accompanied by the news that a new EP, ‘Iknowyouknowiknow’, is set for release on May 5th.
That news has included the debut of new single, ‘Words of Love’, which you can check out below.
Jamie Lenman – ‘Words of Love’
Commenting on the new track, Lenman says: “‘Words Of Love’ is a very old song that I’ve been trying to get on a record since some time between the second and third Reuben albums, but it never fit anywhere until now. Even so, I still had to shave off a few of the post-hardcore edges to make it fit with this project, so if you think you can hear a little mid-noughties vibe in there, that’s why. For a long time this was on rough track listings for the album, but in the end we decided it would be nice to give it a starring role on the EP instead—otherwise it would have been fighting for attention.”
“Thematically it’s about somebody’s reaction to a past infidelity, their inability to get over it or even recognise their own culpability. In that way it’s very much the flip side of ‘Let’s Stop Hanging Out’, where the person is reacting to the same situation in a much more accepting way. In fact, I wrote the middle eight section at the same time I wrote LSHO, when I was in college. So they share some of the same DNA.”
The new single comes with a new video, once again directed and filmed by Lenman live band guitarist and visual collaborator Jen Hingley.
“The video came out of nowhere, because we’d had the tour and then Lenmania and then Christmas to deal with,” explains Lenman of the concept. “Suddenly it was the first week of January and we needed it the next week. I said to Jen on the Sunday night: ‘We’re gonna drive up to Manchester on Tuesday morning and drive back home the same day—we’ll have about six hours in between, so let’s just book a room, fill it full of lights and instruments and see what happens!'”
Pre-orders, tickets and all things Lenman are here.
The final tour announcement in our News Report this week comes from the unstoppable October Drift! As the band continue to celebrate the release of their sophomore album, ‘I Don’t Belong Anywhere’, the group have revealed a fun of dates in April/May.
The band said, “Over the moon to announce our Spring headline UK tour dates and our first ever headline shows in Ireland and Northern Ireland. This is going to be our biggest an best tour yet”.
Hundred Reasons will imminently release their first new album in 15 years as ‘Glorious Sunset’ arrives on February 24th.
This week the band shared the final pre-release single, ‘So So Soon’, which you can check out above.
Frontman Colin Doran who had the following to say about the sentiments behind their latest song:
“My 7-year-old son has Cerebral Palsy and goes to a mainstream school. The school he attended at the time of writing this (he’s at another school now) was pretty bad and hid information, lied, and generally did a terrible job of looking after my son and his needs. They always gave the impression that things were fine but effectively were just making sure they were OK by covering up issues. My son is the light of my life and beyond incredible every single day and I wanted to draw light on how people with disabilities are still treated terribly in society by people who should just be better educated, more understanding, thoughtful, and kind.”
Next up in our News Report is ‘kill[h]er’, the brand new track from Stand Atlantic, and of course you can listen above!
“Self sabotage is a bitch,” states Bonnie Fraser. “Self doubt kills and denying good and genuine parts of yourself because you’ve been conditioned to think they’re not good enough is a form of murder. it’s a reminder to myself not to give in to that shit. personal growth is important but don’t deny who you are. sometimes i find myself thinking back to who i used to be and missing that person.”
Ahead of their upcoming UK Tour, Dub War have shared the video for their track, ‘Celtic Cross’, which you can check out above. Their latest album, ‘Westgate Under Fire’, is out now!
The band comment:
“”Celtic Cross” sends out a message of defiance and hope, and features the amazing drummer Tanner Wayne, who many of you will recognise from the Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. From 1st March, we will be touring England and we’ll be hitting some great intimate venues – come and see what we got to say!”
Continuing the slew of great new releases in our News Report this week is ‘Nightmare’, the latest single from From Ashes To New, which you can check out above.
The track comes from their as-yet-titled fourth album due out this summer.
“Betrayal by someone we trust happens to the best of us,” says Danny Case. “We befriend someone, let them in, build a connection and then all of a sudden they turn into someone unrecognizable. Someone you once trusted and cared for so deeply is now a backstabbing enemy. In a heartbeat, the person you once thought you knew is now gone. There aren’t many things in life that cut quite as deep as betrayal. Erasing that person from your life and moving forward is the only way to wake up from the nightmare.”
Slow Readers Club share new single ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’
Slow Readers Club – ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’
There was also new music on offer this week from Slow Readers Club as they shared their latest single, ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’, which you can check out above.
The band commented, “‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’ was born out of a jamming session in our rehearsal room. We were jamming around the verse idea at rehearsals and then went for a brew break. When we came back we started on another idea but soon realised it was the same notes but with a completely different groove and feel. We didn’t want to lose either version and we loved the idea of the tune getting progressively louder and intense so we combined them. Working on this one in pre-production Joe helped us make the crescendo work well with a cool synth sound.
Lyrically it’s a song about recognising someone going through difficulties, reaching out and offering support. The vocal melody mostly came in the practice room but the high melody ‘hold on for dear life the ones you love’ over the crescendo came in the studio.”
The track features on upcoming album, ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’, which is out February 24th.
Hamish Hawk will release new album, ‘Angel Numbers’ on 24th February and this week saw Hawk share new single ‘Rest & Veneers’ with Samantha Crain.
Hamish had the following to say about the themes behind the song:
“Rest & Veneers is a love song, in the softer, quieter sense of the phrase. It doesn’t deal in high romance, in grand gestures, or the movements of celestial bodies. It’s about the everyday kind of love and affection that shows itself in those small kindnesses, those spared thoughts and graces between friends. It’s new territory for me lyrically, and it takes me to a really good place when I listen to it, plus I’m in awe of Samantha Crain. The song is a relaxed moment on the record, and I’m so pleased its getting its own time to shine.”
Samantha Crain also commented on their collaboration:
“When Hamish sent me this song, I was absolutely floored. This is the kind of song I would have wanted to write. Such a simple subject matter but it really explores the complexity within that seemingly simple emotion. It’s my favorite song I’ve ever gotten to collaborate on a recording of.”
Beans On Toast will be back out on the road very soon, so this week he aptly shared his new single, ‘Back out on the Road’. You can listen to the track above!
Closing out this section of our News Report this week is ‘Be Yourself’, the latest single from Stay Free, which you can listen to above.
The track is described as “an anthem about avoiding the all of the pressure the world and the media put on you to be a certain way and to just follow your own heart and be true to your authentic self.”.
Chappaqua Wrestling have announced their debut album, ‘Plus Ultra’, will be out April 14th and shared new single ‘Wide Asleep’.
The bands says, “Wide Asleep is a complaint to ourselves for being consumed by the echo chamber of social media. Our mobile phones are the portal which lead us to misread and miscommunicate stories and topics, often leaving us more confused than we were in the first place. Wading through muddled points of view, mistargeted ads, senseless airtime of the Royal family, weddings of friends you’d rather forget, addictively numbing reels, leaving us blinded by a little hand-sized screen. It makes us detached and unmoved by anything, all whilst being asleep to the world around us. Hopefully, our preaching will teach us something ourselves as we try to focus on the present.”
Continuing about the album they say: “Plus Ultra documents the journey through our friendship, from school to where we now find ourselves commenting on what is around us. Roughly translating to ‘Nothing Lies Beyond’, a Latin naval term adopted by those exploring uncharted waters, we present a collection of our best works to date, each lyrically distinct but venturing into new territories that life presents; mass media, Tory austerity, mental health, homelessness, the deprived NHS and the release that music gives you from it all. Come with us to make sense of what lies beyond in this world through questions, power and statements that we stand by.”
Gold Fever – ‘DB Cooper’
Gold Fever have shared their second single, ‘DB Cooper’.
Fronman Oscar JD Sault says – “DB Cooper is written from the perspective of someone who believes they’re destined for significance but misuses the present through hedonism. I wanted the track to feel precarious, like a train about to come away from the tracks. As if to mirror how one can wander too far from discipline towards indulgence.”
Bitter Kisses – ‘Pr*y’
Bristol’s Bitter Kisses have shared their debut single, ‘Pr*y’.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the single the band state, “Pr*y was partially inspired by a fever dream in which Lady Gaga collaborated with Queens of the Stone Age to produce a new Earth Wind And Fire song.
When writing Pr*y we wanted to create a track which could ambiguously explore the difference in meanings of the words ‘prey’ and ‘pray’, and how they each apply to dangerous or unhealthy relationships. One person could worship another, while at the same time being preyed upon by the subject of their love. The meaning of the lyrics can change depending on which version prey/pray you want to hear whenever they’re used in the song.”
Welcome everyone to the final News Report for 2022! We hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year! Our action packed News Report will return in January, but before then we have plenty of delicious music news to dissect!
Up for this week, we look at the best tour announcements from the past week and we start with Kiss. The band has revealed that their ‘End of the Road’ World Tour will continue into 2023 with a new UK Tour announced starting in Plymouth and ending up in Glasgow.
This *could be* your last chance to catch the band live! Tickets are here.
Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has revealed a full UK & Ireland Tour for next spring. The tour will showcase upcoming debut album, ‘Put Your Foot Down’, which is out April 28th.
On Friday, Colchester’s Pet Needs played a huge homecoming show which served as the 2nd ‘Fractured Party’. As the show concluded, the band announced the 3rd instalment will take place on December 16th 2023.
We move now on to festival announcements and up first is the return of Brits Week in aid of War Child. February will see bands playing intimate shows across the country with a focus on London.
The Hunna, The Snuts, Sea Girls, Frank Turner and Bob Vylan are amongst those on offer in 2023.
Another event doing a fantastic job in raising money for charity is Teddy Rocks festival in aid of research and direct support for children with cancer.
This year the event hosts Feeder, Jake Bugg, The Amazons, Those Damn Crows, Punk Rock Factory, Kid Kapichi, Dream State, Mason Hill, The Bottom Line and many more.
Penn Fest in Buckinghamshire also unveiled their line-up for next Summer this past week, including headliners Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Bastille.
They’ll be joined by the likes of Johnny Marr, Gaz Coombes, The Skinner Brothers and Embrace.
The final festival news in our News Report this week comes from Firestorm Festival. The event has added Massive Wagons to the top of their Friday bill for 2023.
They join the likes of Royal Republic, The Virginmarys, Mason Hill, Hollowstar, Kris Barras Band, Black Spiders and Scruffy Bear.
Hell Is For Heroes share ‘I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’
Hell Is For Heroes – I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’
New releases are up next in our News Report as we bring you the first new music from Hell Is For Heroes in 15 years. You can listen to their new single, ‘I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’, above.
On the week of her highly anticipated ‘DEADGIRL’ mixtape release fearless Doom Trap artist Mimi Barks has unveiled her new track ‘ASHES’.
Talking about the meaning behind ‘ASHES’, Mimi Barks shares, “Women who posed a threat during the dark ages were accused of being witches, intimidated, burned alive, and sentenced to execution. Today, ever since the Age of Enlightenment, a creative, strong-willed, and self-assured woman still gets burnt to the stake verbally by those led by their own anxieties.”
XL LIFE – ‘Baby Steps’
XL LIFE shared new single ‘Baby Steps’ featuring Bob Vylan!
On working with Vylan for the new single, vocalist Traxx says: “We always felt a kinship with Bob because of his message, his boldness, and his morals, so with this song we took the opportunity to have him on the album and co-sign each other’s work. We will support him to the end.”
Commenting on the relevance of the new single, vocalist Traxx says: “We knew this song had to be made, because we had all been going through some heavy stuff outside of the band. The band has been stop-start/stop-start the whole time, trying to prioritise our health and coming up against some really traumatic circumstances, so this song had to address that. The healing journey. Baby steps. Holding onto the promises.”
Fountain Island – ‘Pretty Little Nightmare’
Pop-punk newcomers Fountain Island reveal their contagious new single, ‘Pretty Little Nightmares’.
The band remark about its creation: “’Pretty Little Nightmares’ explores the bittersweetness of the first time with a loved one, and the realisation that one day it will just be a memory and can never be experienced again. The track takes cues from Blink182’s ‘I Miss You’, with its melancholy gothic tone whilst retaining the youthful pop feel.”
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
It must be nearly Christmas, because the announcements came thick and fast this week! Up first for us is the news that Elton John will play what is set to be his final UK show at Glastonbury Festival.
Organiser Emily Eavis shared the following statement:
Another legendary act announced this week to be headlining a major festival was Guns N’ Roses. The band are the latest act announced for British Summer Time which takes place in Hyde Park, London.
We continue the festival announcements in our News Report with Bearded Theory who this week announced a stunning line-up topped by Interpol and Primal Scream.
Also on tap will be Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly, Gary Numan, Yard Act, The Mysterines, Pigs x7, The Undertones, Beans On Toast, Skinny Lister, Holy Moly And The Crackers, Coach Party, Pet Needs and many more!
Another festival dropping their initial line-up for next year is Standon Calling. The event will be topped by Years & Years, Self Esteem, Bloc Party and The Human League.
Also on the bill are the likes of Squid, KT Tunstall, Bob Vylan, Lynks and Stone.
Festival Founder and Director Alex Trenchard says: “2022 was an incredibly special year for all of us at Standon Calling. It’s given us so much excitement to look forward to 2023, in what is shaping up to be the greatest Standon Calling to date.
We’re so proud of this year’s progress in booking a gender-balanced headline bill and are certainly in for a good time. Couldn’t be happier to bring Self Esteem back and in an even bigger slot, alongside Bloc Party, an all time favourite of ours and one of the greatest modern alternative indie rock bands around. With more iconic names like Years & Years, The Human League and many more, we’ve booked some of the best live acts going, including future superstars ready to take over 2023 and much more – this announcement really captures everything important about Standon Calling.
We can’t wait to see everyone next July, and we’ve got a LOT more surprises to come – so stay tuned!”
Another festival to check out is Yorkshire’s Deer Shed Festival, which is set to feature the likes of Public Service Broadcasting, Gaz Coombes, The Big Moon, This Is The Kit and Dream Wife.
The final festival announcement in our News Report comes from Lume Festival. The event will takeover The Underworld, The Black Heart and Camden Eye in April.
The line-up features Dream State, Black Orchid Empire, Delaire the Liar, Led By Lanterns and ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast alumni Moskito, Youth Illusion and Blight Town!
We move our News Report onwards now to the best tour announcements from the past week and get the ball rolling with the news that The Weeknd will bring the ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ global stadium tour to the UK.
A Manchester date in June will be followed by two dates at London Stadium in July.
The Blue Stones have announced a return to the UK and Europe for Spring 2023. The band will include three UK shows in Manchester, Nottingham and London.
The Blue Stones vocalist/guitarist, Tarek Jafar, had this to say about the tour, “when we release new music, we immediately think about how it will be received in Europe and the UK. We feel such a connection to those places, and our fans there have been incredibly supportive. We wanted to provide an album that stays with them forever, and a show they’d never forget. No one should miss these shows, because it’s a side of us that you’ve never seen before.”
The final tour announcement in our News Report this week comes from Party Cannon who will tour the UK early next year with support from recent Podcast guests Godeater!
Black Star Riders share new single ‘Riding Out the Storm’
Black Star Riders – ‘Riding Out the Storm’
Next we take our News Report to the best new releases from the past week and we get started with Black Star Riders.
It was a big news week for the band as they both shared their new single and revealed their new guitarist. Yes, Wayward Sons guitarist Sam Wood joins the group and you can check out new single, ‘Riding Out the Storm’ above!
Ricky Warwick “I first saw Sam back in 2019 when Wayward Sons were guests to Black Star Riders and I was absolutely blown away! I had Sam join me for some Fighting Hearts dates a few months back and knew he was the guy for us. If ever there was a new GUITAR HERO waiting in the wings, then it’s Sam! Black Star Riders have had some of the World’s finest guitar players in their ranks and Sam is truly up there as one of them. We couldn’t be happier!”
The single comes from forthcoming new album, ‘Wrong Side of Paradise’, and Warwick comments:
“As we get older, sadly we start to lose the ones around us who we love, having lost both my parents and some dear friends in the last few years I’ve started to question and look at my feelings on my own mortality and morality.I’ve come to realise that death is a part of life and even in the darkest days (that we all get sometimes), I’ve come to understand that every aspect of life should be an intensified experience and never taken for granted.”
He continues: “The video was shot in downtown Los Angeles and directed by Tony Aguilera. I love the cinematography and different camera filters that Tony used during the shoot. I think it complements the essence of the song, which conveys reflections of mortality and consequences of choice. Life must end eventually, but love doesn’t.”
Hundred Reasons also had new music on offer this week and you can listen to new single, ‘New Glasses’, above.
Vocalist Colin Doran had the following to say about the themes behind the track:
“The lyrics for this song are really about a person I used to work with that spent lots of time treating people badly to cover up their own inadequacies. They were not good at their job but, due to their massive ego and how they wished to be perceived by others, preferred to make others feel deficient. The song describes how I came to realise this. The amusing thing is that it was a working title as when we started writing it, Larry had actually got new glasses that day but the name stuck.”
The song comes from upcoming album, ‘Glorious Sunset’, which is out February 24th.
This week saw Bury Tomorrow share their new single, ‘Boltcutter’, which you can listen to above.
The tracks features on upcoming new album, ‘The Seventh Sun’, released March 31st.
Speaking of the track, guitarist Kristan Dawson shares, “from the second we put the finishing touches to Boltcutter, we knew it had to be a single. Whilst it is a fundamental Bury Tomorrow track, being both loud and heavy, it also emphasises the new era of our band.”
“Specifically, it highlights influences we haven’t necessarily channelled through Bury Tomorrow before, and it’s a pleasure to continue to expand the possibilities of our music. It began its existence through Tom crafting the foundations, with an ambient and electronic soundscape, before the rest of the band provided their usual expertise.”
“Considering its weighty riffs and catchy dual vocal hooks, we also knew that Boltcutter was going to be an undeniable addition to future setlists. And for those who have attended recent shows on our tour, they will have already had a sneak preview. We’ve loved being able to preview a single release like this with our fans, and it seems that it has already made an impact with teamBT and we can’t wait for the rest of our wonderful community to hear it.”
Finally for our News Report and setting off into a new era, metal greats Delain have announced that they will release new album, ‘Dark Waters’ on February 10th.
You can check out new single, ‘Beneath’, above!
Martijn Westerholt on ‘Beneath‘:
“’Beneath’ is a perfect ambassador of the album and Delain as a whole because it encapsulates almost all of the recognizable Delain elements you will find on the album.”
“This album captures all elements Delain is known for – our distinctive heavy guitar riffs, massive orchestral parts, both heavy metal and pop vocals, rock opera vibes along with 80s synth sounds. In short, this is definitely a recognizable Delain album that contains classic ‘Delain elements’ while also moving forward with fresh influences.”
UK rockers Little Triggers share their new single, ‘Personality Crisis’.
The track takes a swipe at social media influencers and the millions of young people who follow them. Tom remarks: “I don’t feel any connection to this sort of instant gratification online culture. The minds of these digital influencers are a closed book to me. I just don’t get why so many people think they have something meaningful to say.” Hamilton goes on to elaborate: “The personality crisis of the song title is both my alienation from this virtual world and also that of the individuals who think their online musings really matter. To them and their followers, I say get a life – a real life!”
MOSKITO – ‘517’
Fearless UK band MOSKITO are back with their new single, ‘517’, taken from upcoming mixtape, ‘Bad Love’ out January 27th.
“517 is a song which allows you to find yourself lost in the chaos, conjuring any emotion in which you allow yourself, this is your page…. What would you write? After all we all just architects of our own downfall! It’s like a letter to your ex. Full of optimism, pride, resentment, confusion, jealousy, loathing & a desperation to prove them wrong. 517 is the ultimate revenge bod.” – Frontman Jake Rudd.
MYNK – ‘Boundaries’
London trio MYNK share their debut single, ‘Boundaries’.
Bex Morrison comments:
“The track is about the boundaries we set in order to function in different situations / relationships; the crossing of sacrifice and habit meets somewhere in the middle to maintain a connection. It’s about the relatable internal questioning of ‘do I/don’t I?’ and where that takes you, and how you can lose yourself in it.”
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with a handful of festival announcements and they didn’t come bigger than the initial line-up reveal for the 2023 edition of the legendary Isle of Wight Festival!
Always eclectic, this year’s bill is full of diverse options for attendees to check out including headliners Pulp, George Ezra, The Chemical Brothers and Robbie Williams.
Also on the bill are Courteeners, Blondie, James Bay, The Human League, Manic Street Preachers, The Enemy and more.
Following a multi-year hiatus, Takedown Festival will return in 2023, and this week organisers revealed the stunning first batch of bands that will be taking over Portsmouth Guildhall in April.
Headlining the event will be Sleep Token and Skindred. They will be joined by the likes of Loathe, Jamie Lenman, InMe, Palm Reader, Our Hollow Our Home, As December Falls, Fearless Vampire Killers, The Bottom Line and more!
Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes will be releasing his latest solo album, ‘Turn The Car Around’ on January 13th. Ahead of that release, Coombes has this week revealed a full UK/Ireland Tour set for April.
We move our News Report on now finally to the best new releases from the past week and we start with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes!
This week saw the band share new single, ‘Parasite’, which you can listen to above.
Of the song they share: “This song was written between 12am and 3am during a particularly brutal trip to the seaside, it rained for a week straight and I had spent all my time listening to friends and their relationship problems but I had no words, no solutions to find. After all that a new parasite had been discovered.”
The band also detailed a 3 date residency at the Underworld in Camden this December.
At the end of their special Roundhouse show on Friday, Creeper announced the debut of their new single, ‘Ghost Brigade’, which you can listen to above now!
Black Star Riders this week released unique new single, ‘Crazy Horses’, which is a reinterpretation of The Osmonds classic. Listen to the track above!
The Track comes from upcoming new album, ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’, which is out January 20th.
Front-man Ricky Warwick comments: “I remember watching The Osmonds performing this song on television in the early seventies as a young kid. I fell in love with it then and was patiently waiting for the opportunity to cover it. Thankfully my brothers in BSR shared the same adoration for the tune. So… The time is now and here it is!”
AWOLNATION returned this week with brand new single, ‘We Are All Insane’, which you can listen to above.
Frontman Aaron Bruno on the inspiration behind ‘We Are All Insane’, “I wrote the song during a time when the days of the week felt especially monotonous and I was searching for ways to stay creative and productive. I think that’s a feeling most people have experienced at some point in their lives, especially over the past few years.”
This week saw IDLES announce the upcoming release of ‘Five Years of Brutalism’, a newly released vinyl celebrating five years since the release of their seminal debut album.
Speaking about the album, singer Joe Talbot writes; “What started as a headstone slab of indulgence and unrest became a long journey of beauty, forgiveness, and gratitude. Little did we know that it was not just a headstone but the foundations we were building, for a house full to the brim with loving human beings. Thank you so so much”
You can check out a taster of the release with ‘1049 GOTHO’ live from Glastonbury which you can listen to above.
Just Mustard this week shared the new video for their track, ‘Blue Chalk’, which you can watch above.
The video was made with the group’s friend Seán McMahon and was directed by vocalist, Katie Ball. “The song Blue Chalk defines the heaviness that the whole of ‘Heart Under’ exists beneath. The kind that comes with grief and you feel like you are trying to navigate life with the weight of the sea on your chest keeping you down. I wanted to make this video since we started writing ‘Heart Under’ and to me it visually represents a lot of the emotion in the album. It was filmed in 4hrs in freezing cold water with the help of our friend Seán McMahon.” says Ball.
DEADLETTER share new single, ‘Madge’s Declaration’, taken from debut EP, ‘Heat!’, which is out November 18th.
Frontman Zac Lawrence said the following on the track: “We wanted to make something that had elements of humour and danceability, trying to explore a genuinely terrifying idea in a manner which mirrors our cultural fascination with it. Our tendency to work around the drumbeat and bassline is highly evident here, with the song climaxing in a cacophony of primal ecstasy.”
Hell’s Ditch – ‘Take The Night Off’
British punk rock group Hell’s Ditch are back with their brand-new single ‘Take The Night Off’.
“We’re made to feel lucky that we have a job and that we should be grateful for the opportunity to fight over scraps from the tables of the political class.People deserve more than just the bare minimum – we deserve dignity and good quality of life. Take The Night Off is about the need to live a life beyond the daily grind. Bread and roses, if you will”. – Vocalist Nick Davis
Xondra – ‘Tedious’
New York-based singer and songwriter Xondra unveils ‘Tedious’, the final single from her much anticipated EP, ‘Tedious & Brief’.
“It is a song for the people that love so much and so hard that they sometimes forget to save some for themselves; it is for those learning to step out of survival mode and really live in the present,” says Xondra. “’Tedious’ is me putting myself first. It is me allowing myself to to walk through the hard feelings I was having and still be hopeful that good times were coming down the road for me.”
