The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 21 is a special edition celebrating our ‘Discover’ New Music Week! We also have album reviews for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Alkaline Trio, an EP review for Dream State and live reviews of The Sleeping Souls & Sean McGowan in Nottingham and the Slam Dunk Winter Jam in Norwich.
Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Latitude Festival, Y Not Festival, Truck Festival, Kendal Calling, Wychwood Festival, Live At Leeds, Liam Gallagher & John Squire, Billy Talent, Eagles, The Black Crowes, Placebo, October Drift, Pitchshifter, The Wildhearts and Alkaline Trio!
Plus all the best new releases including Frank Turner, Courting, The Zutons, Bad Wolves, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Don’t Panic, Blackout Problems, Shannon & The Clams, Scott Stapp, Bruce Dickinson, The Longest Johns and Amongst Liars!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with a special bumper update including El Moono, Ashen Reach, SWARM6IX, Shooting Daggers, Feral Family, Attendant, VENUS GRRRLS, Gürl, Neversaid, The Gems, FLOYA and Defects!
This weekend is a celebration of twenty years of Download Festival. Stepping into the void left by Monsters of Rock not just at the hyped spiritual home of rock Donington Park but to the whole UK rock/metal scene, Download has become its own monster.
This year is truly monstrous as the event is fully sold out with record breaking numbers of attendees coming to partake in the celebration. Those celebrations get off to a rough start though with unprecedented traffic problems souring the event for many before it even properly begins.
📸 Live Nation UK PR
Once the music starts though a lot if not all of those problems subside. There is a stacked bill for the anniversary party including two nights of Metallica, a closing set from Download icons Slipknot but most vitally a new headline act Bring Me The Horizon.
The gap between Monsters of Rock and Download caused a vacuum in ability for bands to hit headline status with many acts from that era missing out on that status, Korn being one such act often thought of as passed over. Think about it, if they’d headlined at Donington Park in the late nineties, they’d no doubt still be that rank higher than they are now.
In the early years of Download, a number of bands had an opportunity to cement themselves at the top level, think Audioslave, Linkin Park, System of a Down and My Chemical Romance.
Playing alongside stalwarts like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath and Kiss gives bands credibility and elevates their stock. 2009’s Slipknot set is still heralded as the best example of the ‘bump’!
The problem is since then only Avenged Sevenfold in 2014 have really been given that opportunity and Download has become a bit of a clichéd round robin of the likes of Def Leppard, Rammstein, Aerosmith and other favourites already mentioned.
Perhaps then the most important booking in a celebration of the past is the look to the future with Bring Me The Horizon finally getting the top spot. Whilst Download probably should’ve got in before Reading and Leeds, it’s hopefully a sign of a subtle change of tact from the festival.
That’s because the line-up is also graced this year by the likes of Hot Milk, Nova Twins and Bob Vylan in prominent slots. Mixing this with the likes of classic Download bands Disturbed, Alter Bridge, Halestorm and Skindred gives the line-up a fresh but familiar feel.
Sadly beyond the bookings of Metallica and Slipknot plus the additional day there isn’t much done to make this year feel special for those who have made Download Festival part of their lives.
Whilst the organisers could have done more both in terms of that something special and in certain ways just the very basics, they have provided a top tier line-up, so let’s take a look at the highlights!
THURSDAY
Cancer Bats get the ball rolling on day one for us over at the second stage (now dubbed the Opus stage). The band get those that have made it into the arena pumped up with a early set packed full of ragers that ultimately ends prematurely when the sound is cut during ‘Hail Destroyer’!
Soon thereafter, Mammoth WVH get proceedings underway on the main stage (or Apex as it’s now called!). In some ways it’s fitting having the Van Halen name on this stage, in others it’s very ironic as the legendary band are often referred to by lead booker Andy Copping as one that got away.
Wolfgang and co show that with or without the last name, they have the talent needed to conquer stages like these. From start to finish it’s an excellent showing that places the band on the potential list for future festival stars.
Next up on the Opus stage are Hundred Reasons who are riding the wave of their stunning return album, ‘Glorious Sunset’. The band open with the title-track before running through a series of classic tracks much to the delight of those gathered. Hopefully this isn’t a victory lap for the band as creatively and onstage they are as good as they’ve ever been!
As we focus on the future of the festival, two names often linked to future headline status are Halestorm and Alter Bridge. It’s fine booking then to see the bands back to back next on the Apex stage.
Halestorm deliver another flawless set that seems to finish before it begins given their short allocated slot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though given the old saying of leave the fans wanting more. Halestorm certainly do that and with a headline date pencilled in at Wembley Arena this December, the next time the band grace Donington you’d hope to see them in the sub-headline spot.
That’s the spot filled by Alter Bridge who have played in this position multiple times before; a sense perhaps then of always the bridesmaid and never the bride! Today though the band give it their all to show what they have to offer.
Watching the crowd, the set seems to be really well received which is a good sign. The band after all are always technically superb, so if enhancing that audience connection is the missing piece to progression then today’s set will have gone a long way to creating that link!
All that’s left on this special Thursday then is the first of two headline performances from the biggest metal band on the planet, Metallica. The two sets will be completely unique, giving fans the chance to see far more than a standard Metallica set list.
Night one has a good mix of hits like ‘Creeping Death’, ‘Fade To Black’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘Sad but True’ and ‘Master of Puppets’, deep cuts such as ‘Leper Messiah’, ‘King Nothing’ and ‘Orion’ plus new material from ’72 Seasons’.
FRIDAY
Friday is a huge day for the future of heavy music with a number of hotly tipped bands performing on the main stage including headliners Bring Me The Horizon.
We start on the Opus stage though with a debut UK festival appearance from Mexicans The Warning. The sister trio deliver an assured performance which belies their position on the bill. The set is another case of leaving the audience wanting more and you have to imagine that they’ll be back very soon.
Nova Twins take to the Apex stage soon after and absolutely own the stage. The duo are able to show just why they have so much hype with a performance that should be talked about as one of the best of the weekend.
Hot Milk have the unenviable task of following the pure energy that was Nova Twins, and thankfully for the band and the crowd they are up to the task. With a debut album on the way the band are on the cusp of something special and this set will again not doubt be one of those “I was there” moments.
The effortless cool of Demob Happy delights the Avalanche stage next as they showcase their stunning new album, ‘Divine Machines’.
Back on the Apex stage with the run of younger bands, next up for us are Neck Deep who are perennial contenders for bigger things. Today they have tens of thousands of people singing back the likes of ‘December’ and you have to consider Neck Deep’s set another victory for the new breed of Download band.
It’s a short and sharp blast from the past next as we pop to the Avalanche stage for the return of The Blackout. The band perform like they’ve not been away and receive a hero’s return from the audience. With the tease of more live dates to follow, it looks like The Blackout are back and back with a bang today!
It’s a quick bolt over to the Opus stage next for Within Temptation who are clearly playing a slot below their stature. The performance the band give is headline worthy not just of this stage but of the main stage. The band has a wealth of experience and use all their tricks to deliver a masterful set full of their best crowd pleasing hits.
By the time Evanescence grace the stage, the mass of humanity in attendance is a clear indication that the band should have been on the main stage. Viewing points are few and far between but wherever you are stood the band sonically deliver. A mixture of old and new is greeted well regardless but it’s mega hit ‘Bring Me to Life’ that has the entire place singing their hearts out.
It’s then time for that set. Bring Me The Horizon take over the main stage and prove any remaining doubters wrong. Making Metallica appear average, the band give their all both aesthetically and musically and produce possibly the greatest headline performance in the twenty years of the festival.
As we said earlier, the band should have been given this slot years ago, but if they had then this moment wouldn’t have existed. Their show tonight is the proof needed that the next wave are ready now and the gatekeepers need to move aside.
This set is historic not just for the theme of the weekend or for the stature of Bring Me The Horizon, it’s historic as a watershed moment for this festival. New headliners of the future should personally thank Bring Me The Horizon for breaking through that proverbial ceiling!
SATURDAY
On to Saturday now and nobody mention the weather! A celebration of twenty years of Download would have fittingly seem some rain and mud, and from this point on the festival is so hot that many would probably have willing traded the sun for some rain.
After last night it almost feels an anti-climax for the festival to continue, but another Metallica set should never be scoffed at. Thankfully there are still some fresh new bands breaking through lower down the bill today, and first up we catch Static Dress who seemingly channel the energy of Bring Me The Horizon with the fantastic opening Opus stage set.
One of the best bits of a festival for a publication passionate about new music is stumbling across a surprise gem on one of the side stages. This year that is ANTISAINT who simply storm the small Dogtooth stage with a ferocious set and definitely leave with more fans than they had going in.
The new look FEVER 333 then take to the main stage and deliver another memorable moment with Jason Aalon Butler scaling one of the massive towers erected in the main arena. That moment though shouldn’t take away from the already phenomenal set the band had delivered.
Lake Malice are next for us back in the Avalanche stage who are able to continue the run of top tier performances we’ve caught thus far. Whilst some of the organisational elements of the festival have been lacking, the music has been of the highest calibre and Lake Malice are another band you suspect will be back in a bigger spot sooner rather than later.
Next on the Apex stage are Ice Nine Kills, whose theatrics create a spectacle on the main stage, but musically they feel a little flat, perhaps being the first underwhelming set of the weekend.
Clutch who follow then also suffer both through technical difficulties and the energy sapping heat which probably negatively impacted Ice Nine Kills as well. The lack of enthusiasm from the crowd doesn’t help and it’s probably a good thing we are headed to a tent next.
We are set now for another one-two punch, this time in the Avalanche tent with Kid Kapichi and Bob Vylan on tap. It’s Kid Kapichi up first and they instantly raise the intensity levels with opener ‘Sardines’. Each song that follows is just as rewarding and by the time the band finish with ‘Smash the Gaff’ they’ve done just that!
One of the most exiting acts on the bill this weekend are Bob Vylan. The mention of ceilings earlier is relevant because this duo haven’t just smashed ceilings they’ve proceeded to stamp the shards into dust. Their performance to a packed crowd today is further evidence that new acts can make Download their home. That’s exactly what Bob Vylan do here as to repeat another cliché they completely own the stage.
It was always going to be hard to follow that suckerpunch and next on the main stage with the intense heat still sapping all energy, Disturbed deliver a plodding set. The set list is fine, the performance is far from phoned-in but with the audience struggling and the band following the ferocity of Bob Vylan, Disturbed feel distinctly average today.
We then head to the Opus stage expecting Placebo to also struggle to engage the tired and weary crowd. After all this is the third day which would traditionally be the home straight, and Placebo are not known for their crowd pleasing set list choices.
Pleasantly though those making the effort are surprisingly rewarded not just with an energised performance from the band but also a excellent set of songs including a very rare outing for the superb ‘Nancy Boy’. On their day Placebo can be an incredible live act and today they are at the peak of their powers which re-energises the previously zombified crowd.
It’s then time for night two of Metallica’s no repeat weekend. There are some great choice cuts in the set tonight such as a tour debut for ‘Whiplash’ plus ‘Until It Sleeps’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’ and Thin Lizzy cover ‘Whiskey in the Jar’! The finale of ‘One’ and ‘Enter Sandman’ ensures that the hits are accounted for as well as Metallica deliver another slick and graceful set.
SUNDAY
The final day feels like a step too far, most definitely compounded by the unrelenting heat, but once again when lost in the music all those issues somehow disappear – the power of music!
Bloodywood start the day off with an engaging performance on the Apex stage, before our recent Podcast guests Blind Channel deliver on their promise to bring the energy to Download. The sight of many metalheads singing along to a rendition of Anastacia’s ‘Left Outside Alone’ is a real sight to behold and set closer ‘Dark Side’ has everybody with their middle finger in the air.
Lorna Shore then suffer again from a lack of enthusiasm from the crowd and their sound getting swallowed up by the enormous space. Joey Valence & Brae though have neither issue in the Avalanche tent with a rambunctious and fun-filled slot.
As the heat and the excesses of the weekend catch up on the crowd it’s telling that for this afternoon outdoor sets like The Amity Affliction and Avatar whilst technically great feel like a struggle. Whereas tented sets from Joey Valence and Brae and the brilliant The Meffs are able to revive the crowd and thrive on their rejuvenation.
Thankfully things start to cool as clouds begin to take over the sky as we get ready for Dinosaur Pile-Up on the Opus stage. Sadly technical difficulties shorten their set to just five songs, but those five songs sound fantastic!
I Prevail have a huge slot on the main stage and make a good impression although you do again feel something is just lacking today. Not to flog a dead horse any further but it may be the low energy levels today or the enormity of the stage swallowing the heavier sound but it’s hard to truly get into their set today.
Thankfully the smaller outdoor Opus stage seems to have a lot of energy and Bad Religion are able to take advantage of that next with a typically slick run of punk rock anthems. Opening with ‘American Jesus’ the band able to hold your attention throughout before finishing with a rousing rendition of ’21st Century (Digital Boy)’.
Next up on this stage are Ghost who really should be headlining the main stage at this point. Musically and theatrically they are on another level and you have a sense of the Bring Me The Horizons about then. Hopefully Download Festival will strike while the iron is hot because everything about their performance today is perfect.
Ghost are so good that you also feel it unnecessary to watch Slipknot, but as soon as the band hit the stage you are glad that you stayed. The history between the band and festival is huge and it’s great that they are one of the few acts that seem to properly acknowledge that this weekend.
A standard (which is great) Slipknot set follows with some sentimental set choices and an enthralling stage show. It’s really fitting for Slipknot to close out what has been an intense weekend of celebration.
📸 Live Nation UK PR
The busiest and longest ever Download Festival will last long in the memory for reasons both good and bad. As we said at the start, this festival is a true monster now and has enough dedicated customers to ensure that it will never go down as its predecessor did. It has however become rather soulless and corporate and it feels like the identity it created over the first decade or so could be lost.
Hopefully the event will use this success to both maintain its heritage but also to now really push for the future headliners and top acts to come through. So, congratulations Download on twenty phenomenal years, and here’s to many many more to come!
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with a handful of festival announcements and one of the line-ups that got a little bigger this week was the above, belonging to Bearded Theory!
Fresh names include Pretenders, Billy Bragg, Jealous Nostril, Witch Fever and more.
They join a packed line-up including Interpol, Primal Scream, Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly, Gary Numan, Yard Act, The Mysterines, Pigs x7, The Undertones, Beans On Toast, Grace Petrie, Skinny Lister, Millie Manders and the Shutup, Pet Needs and many more.
Also making several line-up additions this week was Suffolk’s Latitude Festival which will see headliners Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra take to Henham Park in July.
This week has seen James, Yard Act and more join a bill that now includes The Kooks, Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott, The Big Moon, Lightning Seeds, The Proclaimers, The Murder Capital, Bob Vylan and many more.
The Boardmasters line-up grew exponentially this week including Lorde joining the already announced Liam Gallagher and Florence + The Machine as a headline act.
The full line-up now includes Cypress Hill, Bob Vylan, Yard Act, Nova Twins, Kid Kapichi, Lottery Winners, Cassyette, Black Honey, Squid and more.
Live At Leeds: In The Park has this week revealed the final acts joining their 2023 line-up set to be headlined by Two Door Cinema Club.
New additions Maximo Park, Kate Nash and Lottery Winners join a bill featuring DMA’s, The Hives, Black Honey, Gengahr, Low Hummer and many more.
Speaking about joining the Live At Leeds: In The Park lineup and Live At Leeds memories of years gone by, Lottery Winners said:
“Live at Leeds is always one of my favourite festival line ups. It’s always crammed with all of my favourite bands, so I’m almost more excited to just go than to play. But I am proper excited to play – might even do a crowd surf.”
Speaking about the final names added to Live At Leeds: In The Park, Festival Promoter Joe Hubbard said:
“Can it be May already? We’re delighted to add even more names to the Live At Leeds: In The Park 2023 lineup – really bringing together an amazing array of names from across Live At Leeds’ history whilst remaining true to that core belief we all have to champion and support the most exciting new names in modern guitar music.
Having the likes of Maximo Park and Kate Nash (who have soundtracked countless memories and influenced a ridiculous amount of artists) alongside the likes of acts like Lottery Winners, James Marriott and Medicine Cabinet really nails what Live At Leeds is all about – and these names joining an already packed bill makes me very excited indeed. All coming together on one day, it’s going to be a special party indeed. We’ll see you there!”
A new festival is coming to Chelmsford as Hideaway Festival reveals its inaugural line-up including headliners Clean Bandit and Bastille.
They’ll be joined by the likes of James Bay, Texas and Jake Bugg.
Speaking about the first ever Hideaway festival, organiser Roy Trickett said: “Everyone on the Hideaway team is so excited to bring this family friendly, boutique Festival to Chelmsford. Headliners have all been hand-selected for their unmissable performances and the venue provides a perfect escape in a central Essex location. We’re very proud to be hosting the first ever music festival in this unique space – and have a few surprises in store for our festival guests!”
We move our News Report on now towards the best live announcements from the past week.
Having already confirmed support acts for their first sold out Wembley Stadium date this summer, Blur have now confirmed they’ll be joined on their second date by Paul Weller and The Selecter.
This summer promises to be a packed full of great live music and this week Placebo added another night to the mix. The band has confirmed that they will play Dreamland in Margate this June.
Tigercub have just announced that their third album, ‘The Perfume of Decay’ will be out on June 2nd. You can listen to their brand new single, ‘Play My Favourite Song’, below.
The also revealed a full UK tour set for this autumn.
Tigercub – ‘Play My Favourite Song’
Speaking on the single, frontman Jamie Hall says, “I realised that without music I am alone, without sounds to occupy my brain intrusive thoughts begin to swirl and unease and sadness rises within me, so play my favourite song because silence makes me feel low.”
The next tour announcement in our News Report comes from the iconic Glenn Hughes, who will be hitting the road this October. The special shows will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of classic Deep Purple album, ‘Burn’.
This week Blood Red Shoes revealed that they will be playing a run of club shows including a date at the famous 100 Club in London.
The band said: “We decided it ain’t right that we’ve never played the 100 Club in London. So we booked it! And then it spiralled and we turned it into a 25 date tour of smaller punk venues, in 9 different countries”.
The final tour announcement in our News Report this week comes from Pet Needs who will be out and about playing acoustically over the next couple of months.
Our News Report heads now across to the best new releases from the past week and we begin with Blind Channel.
Following the release last year of their ‘Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous’ album, Finland’s Blind Channel are kicking off 2023 with their new standalone single ‘FLATLINE’.
“This is the beginning of the next chapter of our career,”say the band.“Flatline is Blind Channel on steroids. We captured the energy of last year’s 130 shows into one song and threw it to a Berlin rave. The song was written with songwriting duo Blyne and it’s one of the heaviest tracks we’ve ever made. This is pretty unique from scratch. If you’re sick and tired of ups and downs, this song might help you.”
Next up in our News Report are Canadians Softcult, who this week shared their latest single, ‘Love Song’, which you can check out above. The single comes ahead of new EP, ‘see you in the dark’, which is out on March 24th.
“This is an anxious love song,” Mercedes explains. “It’s about loving someone so intensely that you find yourself in constant fear of losing them. Sometimes love and happiness can feel like these unattainable things that are too good to be true. Once we’ve finally found something our hearts have been yearning for, it’s hard to shake the thought that we will inevitably have to let it go. But these gnawing thoughts can get in the way of us allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, or enjoying our relationships for fear that they won’t last.”
On the video Mercedes says, “We wanted the video to tell the story in a different way, focussing more on getting carried away with our own imaginations when it comes to falling in love. We filmed in a small legion hall and tried to make the ambiance a little depressing and mundane. Our main character is an elderly man who’s sort of given up hope. He’s there having a beer alone while everyone else is playing bingo. When he lays eyes on Gina, his co-star, he gets lost in fantasy, imagining not only the love they might have together but the type of person he could be if he had love in his life.”
Alternative Horror Rock band ANGER PARTY are back with their sophomore single ‘Had Enough’!
“Everyday we wake up and have the same conversations, with the same people, on the same subjects, with no purpose or profound effect on our lives. We create a state of perpetual monotony and anxiety, while wearing masks to hide our every emotion. All this is done to make prying onlookers think that everything is fine. ‘Had Enough’ reflects on the deepest, darkest ways to break this cycle and exercise our true feelings on the world. It shows our desire to remove the mask, wipe away the make-up and reveal our true fears, frustrations, aggressions and vulnerability” –Lead Vocalist, Ashley Wilson
Militarie Gun – ‘Do It Faster’
Los Angeles’ Militarie Gun share a thrilling new single in ‘Do It Faster’.
Speaking about the song, vocalist Ian Shelton states: “It is about my overall impatience with life. The agonising wait for things to materialise… so before resigning to do it myself, I’m imploring the world to just move faster.”
De’Lour – ‘No One
South Wales based band De’Lour share their staggering new single ‘No One’.
“No One was one of the first songs we wrote together as a band in a room and not remotely. We got together at the first opportunity we could when lockdown was lifted in 2020. When we wrote No One, we wanted to express our thoughts on society’s lack of self reflection. We all worry about what everyone else thinks of us, but when you boil it down, no one is paying attention, no one really cares. People are only really concerned with what’s going on in their world, inside their own heads. So we wanted to express the feeling that we shouldn’t care about what other people think, we should just go for it if it’s what we want or what we think is best.” – De’lour
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the 20th Anniversary of Download Festival which just got a whole load bigger! Yes 40+ new acts have now joined headliners Metallica (x2), Bring Me The Horizon and Slipknot across the special four day event.
Newly announced acts include Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Neck Deep, Bob Vylan, Jinjer, Hot Milk, The Amity Affliction, Empire State Bastard, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Deaf Havana and more!
Also on tap will be the likes of Architects, Evanescence, Within Temptation, Pendulum, The Blackout, Nova Twins, Disturbed, Placebo, Ghost and so many more!
Ahead of their appearances at this August’s Reading & Leeds Festivals, You Me At Six will perform two intimate warm-up shows in Leicester and Bournemouth.
Our News Report moves now to the best new releases from the past week and we get things started with the latest single from Bury Tomorrow!
‘Heretic’ featuring While She Sleeps frontman Loz Taylor debuted this week and you can check it out above. It was also revealed that Bury Tomorrow will join WSS at their huge Alexandra Palace show in September.
The track comes from upcoming new album, ‘The Seventh Sun’, which is out March 31st!.
Speaking on Heretic, lead-singer Dani Winter-Bates states “Heretic is here, and we knew from day one of recording that this song was something we wanted the world to hear immediately. It’s right up there with the most aggressive and visceral tracks on the album, with an inherently dark feel, both lyrically and musically, which allowed us to delve into some of the more brutal elements of The Seventh Sun. All in all, we’re extremely proud to showcase this track and can’t wait to see what people think.”
Dani continues “from the off, we knew this song merited a guest vocal spot, and Loz Taylor of While She Sleeps sprang to our minds straightaway. Already an absolute legend in our eyes, working with him on this track has only confirmed that status further. His voice incorporated perfectly and has undoubtedly taken the song to the next level – we couldn’t be happier.”
The Raven Age have announced that their third studio album, ‘Blood Omen’, will be released on July 7th. To coincide with that announcement, the band unveiled their new single, ‘Parasite’, which you can check out above!
‘Parasite’ is bolstered by a blistering solo from guest guitarist Andy James of Five Finger Death Punch. “I’ve known the lads in The Raven Age for years now,” says Andy. “I really like the direction they are heading with this third record and enjoyed doing a guest solo for ‘Parasite’. It’s a heavy but memorable track that hits you right between the eyes.”
For the Essex quintet’s “all-important third album”, as George Harris puts it, they have expanded on every level.
This motivation is written into the album’s concept. Following the theme of its two predecessors, the raven motif looms large, this time centering on the overthrowing of old masters, with the band’s Raven King character coming to prominence. Even in the artwork, things are bolder, a close up of The Raven King, says George, “taking his rightful place on the throne.”
The theme weaves itself throughout ‘Blood Omen’, kicking off with ‘Parasite’ as MJ explains, “There’s the legend about the ravens in the Tower Of London, that if they were ever to leave, the monarchy falls. Without being too political, ‘Parasite’ is hinting at these dark notes of the hierarchy, the bottom feeders that tend to run everything and then screw everything up. Our Raven King, he’s basically ascending to the throne to bring down the monarchy, bring down the establishment, weed out the parasites, as it were.”
“It’s a heavy track,” MJ continues, “We knew we wanted to come back with a real punch between the eyes. It’s the full introduction to our Raven King, and it touches on elements of everything to come. It really shows where we’re going on this album.”
The album also sees the recorded debut of new guitarist Tommy Gentry, the prodigiously talented axeman – whose previous work includes stints with Marco Mendoza and former Judas Priest six-stringer KK Downing.
“Tommy was in our sights from day one,” says George. “He’s, without doubt, the most talented musician I know. Not only is he an amazing guitarist, he’s a grade eight pianist, he can score orchestral music, and all that brings something to the table.”
‘The Price of Progress’, the latest album from The Hold Steady is out on March 31st. This week the band continued to preview the record with new single, ‘Sixers’, which you can check out above.
“‘Sixers’ was written in the first days of the pandemic,” says frontman Craig Finn. “It’s basically a song about knowing your neighbors. Two young professionals meet up in their building late on a Friday night and spend the weekend partying together. They try to find a love connection, but it’s not quite there. It’s hard to make friends when your job is so demanding. Tad and Steve chime in with some beautiful guitar harmonies.”
This week saw The View return with news of their first new album in eight years! ‘Exorcism of Youth’ will be released on June 9th and was preceded this week by the single, ‘Feels Like’, which you can check out above!
Frontman Kyle Falconer says, “Working with Youth on our third album ‘Bread and Circuses’ was one of the best experiences of my career so we jumped at the chance to revisit the opportunity with him in Spain. To be able to go into the studio again as a band with added experience was just magical.”
On the single Falconer adds, “This one felt anthemic from the get go. Even though under the surface it’s about somewhere everyone’s been in their life before: regret of losing someone amazing due to your inner demons and seeing them moving on with their life, when you’re stuck in a ‘nightmare not a dream.’ When I first sat down to write it I had Holden Caulfield from ‘Catcher in the Rye’ in mind. It’s playing out in his mind and it’s his own paranoia destroying him from the inside out when in reality she’s the perfect woman.”
Texan singer-songwriter Ryan Hamilton has shared his latest single, ‘Asshole’, which you can check out above. The track comes from upcoming album, ‘Haunted by the Holy Ghost’, which is out March 10th.
A music video for the track features World Champion Barrel Racer, Ryann Pedone & Conor the badger. Ryan says, “It’s not everyday you shoot a music video with a badger! Why a badger? Because badgers are assholes. They’re adorable assholes. Haha. So proud of this song. The self sabotaging title will keep it off most radio stations… which is a shame, because it deserves to be a big hit.”
The Dollyrots have released a brand new UK single titled ‘Still Holding On’ to kick off their first ever UK co-headline tour with Don’t Panic and special guest Royals.
You can listen to the track above!
““Still Holding On” is the first song we’re releasing off our newest recordings, from the first full album sessions since 2019! It’s a hint of a flavor for the next LP to be released later this year. Since we’ll be touring the UK this month we thought we’d give our friends here a treat and release it exclusive to the United Kingdom.”” says singer Kelly Ogden.
This week saw Millie Manders and the Shutup share their new single, ‘Rebound’, on Valentine’s Day! You can of course listen to the track above!
An ode to toxic online dating, as Millie explains: “Rebound reflects my experience with online dating, but most people I have spoken to have had similar and worse experiences with it. I wanted to write a song that was in solidarity with those on the receiving end of a rebound relationship and let them know they were never the problem.”
The comes ahead of the bands upcoming UK Tour in April.
The steady stream of fantastic new music in our News Report continues to flow from iconic Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett. You can check out his latest solo effort, ‘Black Top White Lines’, above now!
This week also saw Pet Needs revealed as the special guests on Lottery Winners upcoming UK Tour. That wasn’t the only news for Pet Needs this week however, as they also debuted their video for ‘Ibiza in Winter’, which you can check out above!
New album ‘Primetime Entertainment’ available here.
Watch Episode 11 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests Pet Needs!
The Full Pelt Music Podcast – ‘Episode 11’ – Pet Needs
Glasgow four-piece Spyres return with their new single, ‘Sleep Forever’.
Vocalist/guitarist Keira McGuire explains:
“Sleep Forever is a song about blocking out the realities of life and living in your own world, not wanting to grow up, becoming an adult which puts an end to teenage daydreams and fantasies.”
FUDGE.- ‘Y.F.F.G.’
FUDGE. release their new single, ‘YOUR FALL FROM GRACE’, taken from their forthcoming ‘THAT’S JUST IT, THIS IS NOW’ EP!
Commenting about ‘Y.F.F.G.’ singer Cam says: “It’s different to our usual songs but it’s a fan favourite and shows a very atmospheric, abstract vibe and I see it as a rebellious love song. The feeling I get from this song is the same as the almost surreal sensation you get when you’re on your own late at night or early morning. That may sound strange but some of you might get what I mean.”
Guitarist Otto expands: “I call this our quiet song. I wrote it whilst someone was sleeping in the same room as me, so I picked something sweet sounding and played it with compassion. Luckily, the outcome was one of our most palatable songs for the listener and, honestly, one that I never meant to write but am grateful that I did.”
Drummer Angus adds: “You get to hear Cam’s sensitive side on this song, which is usually hidden behind his radginess. It’s a lot smoother in its ebbs and flows and playing drums to this is actually quite a relaxing experience because, for once, I can sit back and let the song do the work. For that reason, it’s bigger than its constituent parts. A bit of a banger in other words.”
IKONIK – ‘Wall of Stone‘
‘Wall of Stone’ is the debut single from IKONIK, the brainchild of Copenhagen’s Katrine Wachmann.
“‘Wall of Stone’ is a song about commitment issues and being stuck in a relationship that is going nowhere, though knowing that vulnerability might be the only way to make a relationship work. Whatever the listeners get from this song I’m just truly humble, amazed and excited that IKONIK is off on its wings and ready to fly out into the world”.
Download Festival reveals 20th Anniversary line-up
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with festival announcements and where else could we start other than the monster 20th Anniversary line-up announcement from Download Festival!
Extended to four days this year the event will feature two unique headline sets from Metallica, the return of Donington icons Slipknot and a well deserved top billing for Bring Me The Horizon.
Other big slots are taken by the likes of Alexisonfire, Architects, The Distillers, Disturbed, Evanescence, Ghost, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, Pendulum, Placebo, Simple Plan, Ville Valo and Within Temptation.
It doesn’t stop there and also playing will be the likes of The Blackout, Fever 333, Kid Kapichi, Nova Twins, Seether and Witch Fever.
Welsh rock fans are in for a treat when Airbourne bring the party on Saturday night at next years Steelhouse Festival!
The Aussies will headline the event which also features The Answer, Blues Pills, Kris Barras Band, Florence Black, The Cruel Knives, Austin Gold and more, with plenty more to be announced.
Crystal Palace Bowl in London will once again host South Facing festival next summer and this week Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and more were amongst the first acts revealed.
Peter Gabriel announces first EU tour in nearly a decade!
We stay with the live side of things next as our News Report moves onto the best tour announcements from the past week!
Peter Gabriel has revealed his first European tour in nearly a decade including UK dates in Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Manchester.
Gabriel said of the tour: “It’s been a while and I am now surrounded by a whole lot of new songs and am excited to be taking them out on the road for a spin. Look forward to seeing you out there.”
Primal Scream & Happy Mondays to team up in Margate
We continue our News Report with news that Saturday 5th August will see Dreamland in Margate taken over be a co-headline show from Primal Scream and Happy Mondays.
In celebration of their 40th Anniversary, James have announced a new UK ‘James Lasted’ Tour complete with 22-piece orchestra and gospel choir!
Tim Booth says “There are a number of great bands who have been around for 40. But to get here and to be having the best time of our lives. To be part of a supportive loving family that still has something to say and new ways to say it. To be turned on by every gig and song. To fall in love over and over again, Groundhog Day, with our bandmates and audience. Damn. That’s time well spent.
We should have recorded the orchestra tour first time round, as many of you have reminded us. Well, we’ve done it now. And here comes the tour. The Orchestra and Gospel singers expand our palette, heighten the tenderness, heighten the celebration and, despite their numbers, somehow leave us feeling more naked and raw. It will be different, probably each night, because we are James and Joe knows how to dance with us. And because you are different, each night. Please leave your phones behind, come and play in the moment.”
Jim Glennie says “Has it really been 40 years? In some ways it feels like yesterday and in others, many lifetimes. I’ve lived a blessed existence, being in a band I’m supremely proud of with musicians that would grace any stage. A family of brothers and sisters, willing to support each other musically and emotionally. We are bloody minded and independent to the core. Uniquely challenging, always pushing ourselves into the new and taking risks collectively and individually, looking for transcendence. With love, trust, and acceptance we grow. Somewhere in a parallel universe, James are the biggest band on the planet. Here’s to another 40 years.”
Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris will once again be taking British Lion on the road in the UK next January. Joining them for these shows will be Coney Hatch and Airforce.
Steve Harris comments, “We’re excited to be touring the UK again especially as we’ll be visiting many places we’ve not had a chance to play before. It’s fantastic that we’ve got long-time friends Coney Hatch coming over from Canada to join us. We had great fun when they were our special guests on the British Lion Canadian shows in 2018. And we’re happy to have our old mates Airforce back out on the road with us too. Everyone is really looking forward to this tour and we can’t wait to see everyone.”
Rockers Dirty Honey have announced a UK/EU Tour taking place early next year.
Prior to the tour, in January 2023, the band are set to release a brand new, re-recorded version of album track ‘Heartbreaker’.
“Some songs really come to life after they’ve been performed a bunch of times. You can really see an audience react to a line being sung a certain way or a riff grooving that you didn’t think of while recording in the studio. Over time we realized the song took on a new life on the road in both North America and Europe and we wanted to capture that energy….” – Marc Labelle, vocalist of Dirty Honey, talking about Heartbreaker 2.0
We move our News Report on now to the best new releases from the past week and we begin with Skindred!
The group this week announced new album, ‘Smile’, will be released August 4th. The band also shared new single, ‘GIMME THAT BOOM’, which you can check out above.
The track is based on a frustrating encounter lead singer Benji Webbe had with an overfamiliar fan.
“I was out shopping one day and I could hear someone building up asking me for a picture,” Webbe recalls. “The person didn’t care who I was with or what I was doing – they just wanted their picture. In this day and age, people want you and they expect to get you on tap, constantly giving you that ‘boom’ so they can get their Instagram Likes up. It’s important to remember that people can’t give you that ‘boom’ all the time. People think because they follow you on social media, they own you.”
Ahead of their UK Tour next month, The Dead Daisies have released new single, ‘Born To Fly’, which you can listen to above.
“Doug & I got together in New York earlier in the year and worked on a riff that I had written previously. Doug had a chorus that just fitted, we messed around with the melody and came up with the name ‘Born To Fly’. This is a straight-up rock song. For me it’s literal, I was born to fly. However we’re all born to fly in our own way.” – David Lowy
This week saw REWS share new single, ‘The World That Left You Behind’, which you can check out above.
“Ah! I’m ecstatic about finally releasing this song!! It’s got so much energy, riff’s for days and a great message!! I wrote it with a great friend of mine from NI, Cahir O’Doherty (New Pagans). It is a song that journey’s through how we can support those people in our lives who get carried away with negative thoughts and feel utterly lost and alone. Hopefully the song will provide a nice audio net for people to fall into at times of need, so they know they aren’t alone!” – Shauna
Dissonants have shared their huge new single ‘Grave Mind’.
‘Lyrically, Grave Mind is more conceptual than our previous work. I wrote the track from the viewpoint of someone on their deathbed looking back on their life and wondering if, now that it’s over and coming to a close, they can be happy and at peace. For this track we wanted to draw less from our own experiences and look at concepts such as mortality and happiness, and how one can affect the other’. – Frontman Benjie Allen.
M(h)aol – ‘Asking For It’
M(h)aol will release debut album, ‘Attachment Styles’ on February 3rd. This week they shared new single, ‘Asking For It’.
On the track singer Róisín said, “I wrote it initially in 2016 then revisited it in 2020. I was shocked by how much internalised victim blaming there was in the lyrics. I rewrote it, then we recorded it and it was released to raise money for Women’s Aid in 2021. The album version is a lot angrier than the 2021 one and almost satirical insofar as it’s highlighting how ludicrous the notion of anyone ‘asking for it’ is.”
Chasing Kites – ‘Shiver’
Bath-based indie-rock four-piece Chasing Kites return with their fourth single ‘Shiver’.
Speaking about the writing process, vocalist and lyricist Matt Donnelly explains, ‘’Shiver came together extremely quickly. I’d had the lyrics lying around for a very long time and felt they fit perfectly with the sonic side of the track when the melody was written. As we built on the skeleton of the song, our aim was to take us back into the realms of indie rock through powerful injections of energy in the choruses, while maintaining our commercial sound throughout.’’
Watch Episode 21 of our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast with guests Dissonants
‘Discover’ New Music Podcast – Episode 21 – Dissonants
It’s March 2013 and the following statement appears on the website of My Chemical Romance, breaking hearts around the world:
“Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.”
My Chemical Romance statement – March 2013
Fast forward to October 2019 and those hearts are sent racing with news that the band will reunite for a show in LA that December. Following that show many more shows are announced including three dates at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes. Of course just weeks later the world stopped as the pandemic took hold, and those shows fell by the wayside.
Finally, now in May 2022 the band can make their long awaited return to the UK; their show at the Eden Project just days ago being their first show on these shores since headlining Leeds Festival in August 2011.
So with the magnitude of these shows established let’s get into it! Stadium MK is the home to MK Dons Football Club, but has also become a popular destination for live music following an appearance from Rammstein back in 2019.
There is a great supporting bill in place this evening, with the hotly-tipped Witch Fever opening up proceedings. The band are able to grab the attention of the early crowd and hold it throughout their short but impressive set. The band will release their debut album in October, and after this performance that is certainly one to watch out for.
Another reunited band is next as LostAlone return having split back in 2014. The band toured with My Chemical Romance early in their career, so it’s a nice touch to have them back on this show. Frontman Steven Battelle does a fantastic job getting the crowd warmed up and the band leave the stage victoriously having conquered their big return.
Main support comes from the incredible Placebo who have just released their first album in 9 years, ‘Never Let Me Go’. In true Placebo fashion the band don’t cater towards the crowd and for the first thirty or so minutes stick with a mix of new songs and obscurer tracks from their back catalogue.
As a huge fan of the band, their set is fantastic, but from the audience reaction those in attendance clearly want the hits. Finally the band oblige and close out their set with the likes of ‘For What It’s Worth’, ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Infra-red’. Placebo are defiantly going to do whatever they want to do, for some the results are stunning, for casual bystanders the results are somewhat lacklustre. Thankfully I’m in the first camp!
One thing for sure is that audience response levels are guaranteed to be high as we prepare now for our headline act. After a decade of inactivity and a couple of extra years of delay, it’s finally time for My Chemical Romance to hit the stage.
The stadium erupts as they do, with singer Gerard Way taking the stage in blood spattered all white suit and mask for their new single, ‘The Foundations of Decay’. The noise levels then go through the non-existent roof with classic tracks ‘Helena’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell, Kid’.
With the band mixing the setlist up every night, fans are kept on their toes and that just adds to the general excitement, making the atmosphere inside the stadium as hot as it comes.
There are huge moments within the set, with ‘Teenagers’, ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘The Ghost of You’ all getting the entire stadium on their feet singing.
Then there are moments for the old school fans with deep cuts such as ‘It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Fucking Deathwish’ and ‘Skylines and Turnstiles’ featuring tonight.
It almost feels like the band has never been away, with the group typically cohesive yet brash. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, yet those with the band in their heart already hold them up as aloft as a godlike entity.
This return is only going to amplify that, but with showings like this the band are only going to solidify their position as one of the biggest on the planet.
‘Famous Last Words’ and ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ both feature towards the end and the band finally send fans home happy with ‘Vampire Money’. My Chemical Romance are back, hearts are healed and there are big things to come!
It’s been over eight long years since the last Placebo album, but they are finally back with their eighth studio album, ‘Never Let Me Go’. The band has always been a law upon themselves and operated on their own terms, and that’s a right that they’ve well and truly earned. But after such a long break, can ‘Never Let Me Go’ do their legacy justice?
Pre-release singles such as ‘Beautiful James’ and ‘Surrounded By Spies’ were promising, and as the album starts with ‘Forever Chemicals’ you already sense that this is definitely the Placebo that we know and love.
WATCH ‘SURROUNDED BY SPIES’ ON YOUTUBE
Placebo – ‘Surrounded By Spies’
We aren’t that far from then bands 30th anniversary, and over that lengthy career they’ve mastered their own iconic sound. Able to effortlessly switch from melancholy to inspiring, from mellow to rampant, Placebo have become an influence to many that followed in their footsteps.
The first thing to note is that ‘Never Let Me Go’ is that sound at its truest. Close your eyes, listen, and you’re back in time to when you first fell in love with the band. For me that’s the hedonistic days of high school, which then makes me feel rather old!
Secondly, it’s clear that during their time away, Placebo have lost none of their quality. Whilst it’s somewhat easy for a band to rinse and repeat their sound, ‘Never Let Me Go’ is that classic sound in the modern era. As the album progresses there are many highlights that emphasise these points such as ‘Hugz’, ‘Try Better Next Time’ and ‘Sad White Reggae’.
After such a long period away, the transition to a duo and just the general mystique around the band, there was a worry that this album could fail to live up to expectations. Thankfully those worries were completely misguided and Placebo in 2022 remain an extremely prosperous proposition.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! Where else could we start this week other than the line-up reveal for the mother of them all – Glastonbury Festival!
Yes, Worthy Farm is set for a spectacular celebration this June which will be headlined by Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Diana Ross.
Highlights on the line-up include Fontaines D.C., HAIM, IDLES, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Primal Scream, Self Esteem, Skunk Anansie, Squid, Supergrass, Turnstile, Wolf Alice and Wet Leg.
No Glasto tickets? Well, perhaps your summer lies at Beautiful Days festival who this week revealed their line-up!
Performing over the weekend will be the likes of Flogging Molly, The Specials, Levellers, The Dandy Warhols, Maximo Park, Seasick Steve, Funke And The Two Tone Baby, Billy Bragg, The Magic Numbers, Samantics, Millie Manders And The Shut Up and more.
Another option for festival lovers this summer is Latitude Festival who this week revealed their line-up. Headlining this year will be Lewis Capaldi, Foals and Snow Patrol.
They will be joined by the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Fontaines D.C., Maximo Park, Self Esteem, Bessie Turner, Gaffa Tape Sandy, JOHN and Porridge Radio.
The always incredible 2000trees Festival this week grew their 2022 line-up with the additions of Creeper, The Regrettes, Puppy, Strange Bones, Calva Louise, Sick Joy and Gloo.
They join an already packed bill including headliners Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Turnstile and IDLES.
The flow of festival announcements continue as we press on with our News Report with the latest line-up for Boardmasters.
Playing the festival this year will be the likes of George Ezra, IDLES, Bastille, Kings Of Leon, The Wombats, Self Esteem, Pale Waves, CRAWLERS and Peaness.
Live At Leeds will be hosting an outdoor edition this year and this week the line-up saw a number of huge additions.
Playing the event will be Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines, Sports Team, The Pigeon Detectives, The Snuts, Dream Wife, The Mysterines, Lauran Hibberd, Kid Kapichi and Zuzu.
Our News Report moves on now to the latest tour announcements. We start this week with Limp Bizkit who have added two additional dates in the UK whilst also moving their existing dates to September.
This week also saw Salem announce a new UK Tour set for April. ‘The Unholy Communion’ Tour will feature guests Bad Nerves and includes a dates at The Underworld in Camden.
New music releases take centre stage now in our News Report, and we start with global superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers. This week the band debuted new single, ‘Poster Child’, which you can listen to above.
The track comes ahead of new album, ‘Unlimited Love’, which arrives April 1st.
Placebo unveil new single ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’
Placebo – ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’
Another huge act readying the release of a new album is Placebo. This week they released their latest single, ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’, which you can listen to above.
Commenting on the track frontman Brian Molko says:
“Happy Birthday In The Sky for me, is one of the more heartbreaking moments on the album. Happy Birthday In The Sky is a phrase that I’ve been using for quite some time. When I say, happy birthday to people who aren’t with us anymore, it communicates the kind of heartbreak that we’re really, really good at communicating I think. You know that sense of loss, that sense of desperation. It’s as if a part of your body and your soul has been ripped from you unfairly. And you pine and you pine, and you wait.
What I am thinking is that this is kind of so visceral and so intense emotionally that it’s really going to communicate something very powerful to the listener. And that’s basically all I’m interested in. At what cost? Who cares. As long as the song really, really moves people, then whatever sacrifices you have to make in order to get there are fine with me. It’s not such a bad thing to inhabit these emotions – you’re very, very much alive and in the moment while you’re doing so.”
Their new album, ‘Never Let Me Go’ arrives on March 25th.
A couple of bands next who we recently featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist on Spotify. Firstly October Drift who returned with new track, ‘Insects’ this week which you can listen to above.
Regarding ‘Insects’ vocalist and guitarist Kiran Roy says, “It’s a coming-of-age song, about feeling life pull you in different directions. It’s about growing up but finding yourself smaller and more up against it than ever. I wrote the lyrics after visiting the Kelvingrove museum in Glasgow and seeing all the Victorian butterflies and beetles pinned up on display.”
The latter is reflected in lyrics of the powerful chorus as Kiran sings, “We’re still insects pinned to walls, trying to crawl, trying to crawl”.
The second of those ‘Discover’ New Music bands in our News Report this week is James and the Cold Gun who this week released new track ‘It’s Mutual’, which you can check out above.
The first track added to the playlist this week is the brand new single from Guise. You can check out ‘Don’t Come Back’ now on the playlist.
The single comes ahead of their debut album, ‘Youngest Daughter’ which will be released through Xtra Mile Recordings on April 29th.
‘Lies’ – Cosmic Ninja
The next band added this week is Cosmic Ninja with their track ‘Lies’. The single features on their forthcoming new EP, ‘Dissident Transmission’ which arrives on April 8th.
Commenting on the track, the band said: “‘Lies’ is about the dishonesty and corruption rife in UK politics. The endless lies and lack of integrity has reached an extreme level—we are fearful of the consequences and the damage it is doing to society. Politics has lost sight of trying to make a better place for everyone and, instead, those with influence climb to the top and pull up the ladder by any means necessary.”
“In most lines of work, you would be held accountable for lies, but, for politicians, it seems acceptable practice; a tool that is extremely effective in misleading and wrongly influencing public opinion. This song is about calling out those lies, seeing through the misconception and positively challenging those walking blindly through corruption.”
‘Love Kills The Demons’ – Krush Puppies
Finally this week we have added the new track from Krush Puppies, ‘Love Kills The Demons’. The band will release their debut EP of the same name on May 6th.
It’s an acknowledgment from vocalist and bassist Alexa about the night terrors she had for years, where she’d be up all night seeing shapes in the darkness. Then she met someone and suddenly it all went away as if his presence made her feel safe.
Alexa explains, “This faceless shadowy figure would sit at the end of the bed and wake me by pushing on my chest so that I was gasping for air. I used to be up all night, then I met someone and suddenly I started sleeping all the way through, soundly next to him. I guess I suddenly felt safe, which feels very soppy now I’m having to write it down. But I can’t describe this overwhelming sense of peace that I felt almost instantly. I came into the studio with the chords and melody, then we all finished it that day. A few weeks later we recorded it with John Bisset, and Jenny and I sang the whole song together in unison, so our voices kind of blended to make one. It almost sounds like a whole new band member.”
Thus concludes our weekly News Report. Remember to also check out our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast. We released two more episodes this week with recently Playlisted acts as guests. Our chats with both Daytime TV and PET NEEDS are available now.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week with a run through of this weeks festival line-up announcements, and there has been plenty!
First up is the above announcement from Standon Calling. This year the event will feature four days of music including headline sets from the likes of Madness and Primal Scream.
Also performing across the weekend will be acts such as Self Esteem, The Cribs, Yard Act, Pigs x7, The Subways, Billy Nomates, Lynks, The Skints, Bob Vylan and Bessie Turner.
Truck Festival also gain a slew of new acts over the past week. Already announced for the event were the likes of Kasabian, The Kooks, Sports Team, Shame, The Subways, Dinosaur Pile Up, Yard Act, Black Honey, Vistas, Lauran Hibberd and Gender Roles.
They’ll now be joined by acts including Sea Girls, The Murder Capital, Pulled Apart By Horses, Noisy, The Hara and Grandmas House.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes join Bearded Theory lineup
The fantastic looking Bearded Theory festival now looks even better following the addition of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes this past week.
They join a bill including Placebo, Yonaka, Nova Twins, Lauran Hibberd, Frank Turner, Shame, Ferocious Dog, The Hives, Bob Vylan, The Ninth Wave, October Drift and many more!
We move now onto the past weeks new music releases, and where better to start than with the news that Red Hot Chili Peppers have a new album on the way?
Yes, ‘Unlimited Love’ will arrive on April 1st. The band also debuted new single ‘Black Summer’ which you can check out above.
We close out our News Report this week with the latest from Puppy. This week the band revealed their latest single, ‘and watched it glow’, which you can listen to above.
The track will feature on their newly announced upcoming album, ‘Pure Evil’!
The album will be arriving on May 6th and you can pre-order here.
Welcome back to our weekly music News Report as 2022 begins to kick into gear! We’ll start our first News Report of the year with a couple of festival announcements…
Firstly, Slam Dunk Festival this week revealed their final headliner for this years edition will be festival favourites Neck Deep. Joining them at the top of the bill are previously announced Alexisonfire, Dropkick Murphys and Sum 41.
Also announced this week were Cancer Bats, The Bronx, The Summer Set, Point North, Mom Jeans and As December Falls. They join the likes of The Used, Deaf Havana, Hot Milk and Dream State on a packed bill.
It’s on to the latest new music now as our News Report continues. Muse treated their fans to outlandish new single, ‘Won’t Stand Down’ this week. Complete with a crazy video which you can view above, the song provides the first glimpse at the next phase for the iconic band.
There are plenty of new tracks to get through this week and next up is the latest single from Placebo. ‘Try Better Next Time’ comes ahead of their brand new album, ‘Never Let Go’, which arrives March 25th.
Fontaines D.C. announce new album and debut ‘Jackie Down The Line’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Jackie Down The Line’
It was a big news week for Fontaines D.C. with new arriving that their third album will be arriving 22nd April. Ahead of the release of ‘Skinty Fia’, the band also debuted the lead single ‘Jackie Down The Line’.
Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators – ‘Call Off The Dogs’
This week also found Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators releasing new music. ‘Call Off The Dogs’ arrives ahead of new album, ‘4’, which is released February 11th.
