We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
We begin our weekly News Report with a look at the best new music released in the past week. First up is Royal Blood as the duo dropped their new single ‘Boilermaker’ this week.
Produced by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, you can check out the single here. The track comes out ahead of the bands upcoming third album ‘Typhoons’, which is released April 30th.
Alter Bridge, Slash and solo artist Myles Kennedy has unveiled the latest track from his upcoming album, ‘The Ides Of March’. You can check out ‘Get Along’ above.
You can pre-order the album here, which arrives on May 14th.
Just the one festival line-up for our News Report this week. The already great looking Black Deer Festival in Kent has announced the line-up for their The Roadhouse stage.
The hard hitting stage will feature sets from Orange Goblin, King Creature and many more. You can grab your tickets here.
Onto our tour news section now as our News Report continues.
Every Time I Die and The Bronx are teaming up for a run around the UK early next year. The tour is also set to feature Jesus Piece and Sanction in support and finishes up at the Roundhouse in Camden on February 5th!
The fantastic MarthaGunn this week made three huge announcements as the band try to feature in all our usual News Report sections! So, welcome to the MarthaGunn section of the News Report!
The band has announced that the release date for their debut album ‘Something Good Will Happen’ will be September 17th. You can pre-order your copy here.
Secondly the group have unveiled their new single ‘Giving In’, which you can check out below.
Last but certainly not least, MarthaGunn have also announced a run of UK dates for later this year. Tickets for which are available here.
Enter Shikari drop surprise album and reveal new book
We see out our News Report this week with Enter Shikari. This week saw the band drop their surprise new album ‘Moratorium (Broadcasts From The Interruption)’. The new release features special recordings of tracks from throughout the past year of lockdown.
You can listen here, and pick up physical copies here.
Alongside this announcement was news that frontman Rou Reynolds is releasing a brand new book entitled ‘A Treatise on Possibility: Perspectives on Humanity Hereafter’. The book will be released on July 16th and you can pre-order your copy here including a signed bookmark!
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Isle of Wight Festival unveils new line-up for 2021
Since the government roadmap to unlocking the UK was revealed, many festivals have announced their plans. Some cancelled, some rearranged, with plenty of line-up announcements and many selling out. This week our News Report is again absolutely packed with festival goodness!
We start with the rescheduled Isle of Wight Festival. The event recently revealed it would move from its traditional June timeslot to the weekend of 16-19 September. Now, the event has unveiled it’s new line-up with a few changes from previous attempts.
Gracing the island come September will be headline performances from Liam Gallagher, Snow Patrol, David Guetta and Duran Duran! If that isn’t enough the main stage will also welcome James, You Me At Six, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Supergrass and Seasick Steve amongst an eclectic bill.
There is also plenty on offer in the Big Top with headliners Scouting For Girls, Primal Scream, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight joined by The Snuts, Maximo Park and many more.
At the other end of the UK, another festival is also making the move to September. Glasgow event TRNSMT will now take place on the weekend of 10-12 September at Glasgow Green.
Announcing the move, organisers have also confirmed the line-up which will feature headline acts Courteeners, Liam Gallagher and The Chemical Brothers. They are joined on another eclectic billing by a range of acts including some of our favourites such as Sports Team, The Ninth Wave, Another Sky and The Mysterines on Friday.
Primal Scream, Keane, Twin Atlantic, Vistas and The Murder Capital also play on Saturday. Finally Sunday will see the likes of Snow Patrol, Ash and Vukovi.
This week saw Kendal Calling confirm that it will go ahead, announce its line-up and subsequently sell out! Topping the bill is the likes of Supergrass, Stereophonics, The Streets and Dizzee Rascal.
More Full Pelt favourites joining in are The Kooks, Frank Turner, Pale Waves, The Snuts, Lottery Winners and The Mysterines. With tickets now sold out, you will need to keep a check here for any further releases.
There is just so much festival goodness to report this week and another event delivering a stellar line-up is Portsmouth event Victorious Festival.
Heading to the coast are headline acts Madness, The Streets and Royal Blood. There is a lot more to unpack then just the headliners and attendees will be treated to a smorgasbord of talent.
We can pick out The Kooks, Feeder, Richard Ashcroft, Rag’N’Bone Man, The Fratellis, Reef, Supergrass, Fontaines D.C., Miles Kane, The Snuts, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Beans On Toast as must see acts.
Further acts have been added to an already excellent looking Bloodstock Festival. Previously announced headliners Devin Townsend, Kreator and Judas Priest are now joined by The Wildhearts, Raging Speedhorn, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons and Hacktivist amongst others.
We move on now from festival news to some livestream announcements to keep us entertained before we can gather in our masses!
Tonight (Sunday 28th March) fans will be treated to another evening in the company of the fantastic Beans On Toast. Join in the fun at 8pm on Facebook here.
A very special livestream has been announced that will see Frank Turner and Emily Barker combine as Barker-Turner Overdrive for an evening of duets. The event will take place from the the awesome Tunbridge Wells Forum on Thursday 8th April.
Weezer will be teaming up with the LA Philharmonic and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles to perform ‘OK Human’ for the first time. Tickets, merch and VIP options are all available here.
Sean McGowan announces only full band live show of 2021
Sean McGowan has announced that his only full band headline show of 2021 will take place December 18th from The 1865 in Southampton. You can pick up your tickets now here.
Royal Blood debut ‘Limbo’
We couldn’t leave you without a little new music in our News Report and this week that comes from Royal Blood. As the duo continue to ready the release of ‘Typhoons’ on April 30th, they have released a third single in the shape of ‘Limbo’.
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
The trend of festivals selling out continues following the recent government roadmap announcement. We again start our News Report this week with the pick of the festival news.
Up first is Slam Dunk Festival. The organisers had already announced that the twin event would move to the 4th and 5th of September at Leeds Temple Newsam and Hatfield Park. Now they have unveiled a line-up that includes headliners Sum 41 and Don Broco!
Also on the festival bill is a collection of some of our favourites including Reel Big Fish, A, Dream State, Normandie and Wargasm. Pick up your tickets here.
Another event cementing their 2021 line-up this week is Bloodstock Festival. Having lost Mercyful Fate from the Saturday headline slot, the organisers have moved quickly to bring in Kreator to fill that spot.
They join the already announced Judas Priest, Skindred and Saxon. Pick up your ticket here.
Steelhouse Festival reveals their final three
We also saw this week the final three acts announced for a fantastic looking Steelhouse Festival. The Wildhearts, Bernie Marsden and Wayward Sons join the likes of Anthrax, Europe, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, Therapy? and Those Damn Crows.
Our final festival coverage this week goes to a stunning line-up from Black Deer Festival in Kent. The event is set to feature performances from Van Morrison, Saving Grace, Frank Turner, Imelda May and Emily Barker.
Enter Shikari reveal rescheduled tour with new dates added
It isn’t just festivals maneuvering in the wake of the governments roadmap. Tours have been also been adjusting to those plans. This week has seen more rescheduling from the likes of Biffy Clyro and Enter Shikari. The latter even adding in five additional dates!
Lincoln, Hull, Bristol, Liverpool and Leeds will now also get to witness the majesty of Enter Shikari with Dinosaur Pile-Up and Nova Twins in tow. Grab any remaining tickets here.
Fatherson plan huge UK tour
Another tour announced this week will see the incredible Fatherson hit the road for a lengthy trek around the UK. This promises to be one not to miss and you can pick up your tickets here.
Korn has announced details of a massive global livestream event taking place on Saturday 24th April 2021. Announcing the event frontman Jonathan Davis said “We hope you take part in this experience with us. And though it is not the same as performing live with you here, we still want to bring you some great music and a fun show.”
The show promises “hits, rare and sought-after deep cuts and select tracks from their latest album”. The event will be shot in downtown LA on the set of Stranger Things! Interest piqued? Grab your tickets here.
We move now into our new music section of our weekly news roundup. This week we were treated to the second single from the upcoming second album from Yonaka. ‘Ordinary’ is further evidence that the new album will be very special.
Gary Numan has also released the second single from his upcoming album. ‘I Am Screaming’ will feature on ‘Intruder’ which is due for release on May 21st.
Finally this week, news from Danko Jones. The band will be releasing their tenth studio album, ‘Power Trio’, on August 27th. In announcing the album, the band also unveiled the first single ‘I Want Out’.
Full Pelt Music looks back on 2020 for our Year in Review
What a year to pick to review. Itâs been a year like no other and not for good reasons.
On a personal level as detailed within my first blog, âThe Reluctant Bloggerâ, I was made redundant from a job I loved, just before Christmas and during a global pandemic! Not nice, but realistically I wouldnât be writing this blog on this website if that hadnât happened! The decision to return to writing about music also allowed me to take a look at the relationship between music and my mental health in âMental Health, Music and Meâ.
For the world it has been a year of pain, struggle and despair. From the fires of Australia to the flooding of the UK early in the year and now again just before Christmas; there has been no restpite in the year of the coronavirus. Unprecedented is the word of the year, but with Brexit and the ongoing pandemic looming large, the word for next year is probably uncertain.
Everybody has struggled this year, personally and professionally. This struggle is not limited to the music industry but our industry has struggled greatly. The live side of the industry is built on bringing people together and of course that has not been possible since March. The recorded side of the industry has also struggled with delays in recording, producing and distributing.
Recovery for the grassroots of the industry is far from guaranteed. The stark and sad reality is that many musicians and hard working crew members will have needed to have sought alternative employment and the actuality here is that many will never return to the music industry. The fact is many government schemes setup to alleviate the financial pressures on individuals and businesses simply bypassed these people.
Unfortunately the pandemic has also hastened the plight of many grassroots, independent music venues. We have sadly already lost many venues and there are still many more at imminent risk of permanent closure. We have written extensively about the issues surrounding our industry in our blog âWhy We Need To #SaveOurVenuesâ, and we encourage you to get involved in the initiatives highlighted.
This is of course a creative and innovative industry and through struggle we evolve. Much like the loss of my own job bred this website, the loss of touring and live shows has seen the evolution of the livestream. Many musicians have embraced technology and sought new ways to engage with their audiences. We have looked at the rise of this phenomenon in our blog âLivestreams: Good or Bad for the Music Industryâ.
When looking back on 2020 in the future, the memories will fill everybody with dread. There has however been some fantastic musical highlights despite everything else. We recently revealed our Album of the Year in our â2020 Album of the Yearâ blog; and the Top 20 list was highly competitive.
2020 has produced some incredible music and thatâs where we are going to focus this end of year review. In order to celebrate the successes of a very difficult year we going to look at the following awards – Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Gig of the Year, Festival of the Year and Artist of the Year!
Album of the Year
As mentioned we recently listed our Top 20 Albums of the Year here. This was a highly competitive list as 2020 saw some truly phenomenal releases.
We said âIt has been a crazy year, and this list has been heavily influenced by that. As mentioned the top of this list is massively impacted by new music I heard during the height of the initial lockdown. âUltra Monoâ was an album that I was already extremely excited to hear; and the stream of songs released during Lockdown only served to raise that excitement to a fever pitch.
Thankfully IDLES didnât disappoint and when the album arrived it was a pure masterpiece. It shows a natural progression on the bands first two records and grows the bands sound. It still captures what made us all fall in love with the band but by incorporating new elements into the bands sound the album shows that IDLES are no one trick pony.
Above all other releases this year and those that feature in this list, this was the album that we needed this year. In a year where we have all been knocked down one way or another, IDLES and âUltra Monoâ has been a call to arms, to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and keep going.â
WINNER:‘Ultra Mono’ by IDLES
The Contenders:‘A Hero’s Death’ by Fontaines D.C., ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ by Bring Me The Horizon, ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’ by Enter Shikari, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ by Biffy Clyro, and ‘Sex, Death & the Infinite Void’ by Creeper
Single of the Year
Itâs been a good year for both Bring Me The Horizon and Yungblud, with both releasing stunning new records. Yungblud recently hit the number one spot with âweird!â which we reviewed here, and Bring Me The Horizon silenced their doubters with âPost Human: Survival Horrorâ which we reviewed here.
It shouldnât therefore be so much of a surprise that their collaboration together is our standout single of the year. Accompanied by an over the top video, ‘Obey’ is a rip roaring tale of corruption and brainwashing, so perfectly fitting for 2020!
WINNER:‘Obey’ by Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
The Contenders:‘Model Village’ by IDLES, ‘Space’ by Biffy Clyro, ‘Trouble’s Coming’ by Royal Blood, and ‘Protect The Land’ by System Of A Down
Gig of the Year
I was lucky enough to catch some fantastic shows early in the year, you know BC (before Covid!), and Stereophonics, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Kaiser Chiefs and Fontaines D.C. all deserve special mention.
For my Gig of the Year however Iâm again looking to the Covid era.
When life has drastically changed and youâve been deprived of the opportunity to do something you love, you learn to savour those moments more. For me, as somebody that in 2019 attended some 93 gigs, the loss of live music was devastating. Of course, many people have endured much worse in 2020, particularly at the height of the initial national lockdown; for me however, I was just desperate for live music.
The opportunity to watch real, live music again thankfully emerged (if only for a short time) at the end of summer. Frank Turner lives by the moto âAlways on Tourâ, and he wasnât going to let a global pandemic get in the way. An innovative location for a socially distanced gig was Nottingham Arboretum, basically a bandstand in a park. The result was a stunning if unusual setting for a gig which came to life when night fell and Turner serenaded the sold out crowd with his biggest hits.
A great supporting cast including Tash Bird, Holly Carter and Beans On Toast helped to make this show one to remember. The musicianship on show was fantastic, as was the togetherness and gratefulness of an audience desperate to once again forget lifeâs stresses and enjoy an evening of music. It was a powerful evening that brought tears to many an eye, and thatâs why it wins our Gig of the Year award.
WINNER: Frank Turner @ Nottingham Arboretum (20/09)
The Contenders: Stereophonics @ Kentish Town Forum (21/01), Kaiser Chiefs @ Brighton Centre (30/01), Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Alexandra Palace (15/02), and Fontaines D.C. @ Norwich UEA (24/02)
Festival of the Year
The coronavirus pandemic completely obliterated the 2020 festival season, as early optimism that some festivals would survive was eventually swallowed whole by this horrible virus. With social distancing in place, festivals just were not possible. But didnât I say that the music industry is the most creative and innovative industry? Whilst some promoters attempted to arrange socially distant shows, tours and festivals, few succeeded; with even Live Nation cancelling a huge programme of drive in shows.
I was lucky enough however to venture to two such festivals at the Norfolk Showground near Norwich. A mixture of entertainment was laid on in a specially designed arena with socially distanced âpodsâ maintaining the necessary safety measures. Brickfest was a one day festival focussing on covers band with a handful of original acts like headliners Bad Touch thrown in. The day was a huge success given the circumstances, as was our 2020 Festival of the Year â Wild Fields Festival!
Wild Paths Festival debuted in Norwich last year with acts gracing venues across the fine city. This year the event embraced the outside arena and rebranded as Wild Fields Festival over two days was an eclectic line-up on offer. The first day featured great sets from many young artists including Lauran Hibberd, Indoor Pets, Another Sky and headliners Gengahr.
Even through the greatest adversity the power of the arts shines through and Wild Paths was a shining example of how to put on a safe, fun and thoroughly entertaining festival during a global pandemic.
WINNER: Wild Fields Festival
The Contenders: Brickfest
Artist of the Year
Our final award is for Artist of the Year. In a such an unprecedented and difficult year this award is going to an act that has considerably contributed to making the year better. Fantastic new music has played a hugely positive role in improving a hard year. With this in mind that means that IDLES, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon, Fontaines D.C. and Yungblud are all in the running for this award.
Beyond that however real live music when possible has been an even greater high than normal. As such Frank Turner enters the running as an act I somehow managed to catch live this year some four times including the aforementioned Gig of the Year.
But this year is different, new albums and live shows whilst normally the lifeblood of our industry almost feel insignificant when you look at the horrors witnessed across society, both inside and outside the music industry. One saving grace for many this year has been the arrival of the music livestream. A number of those already mentioned have dabbled if not excelled in this activity.
Our winner however has taken this new outlet to heart. They have provided joy and distraction to thousands of people during what must be a record setting number of livestreams. More than that, they have managed to raise an amazing amount of money for a cause I have already championed in this blog. That cause is of course the Save Our Venues campaign and our Artist of the Year is clearly that man again, Frank Turner!
In 2020, Frank Turner has probably played more real shows and more livestreams than anybody else. He has recorded and released new music including collaborations with NOFX and Jon Snodgrass. He has produced the fantastic new Beans On Toast record. He has thoroughly entertained and provided much needed distraction from the real world to thousands; and he has raised an incredible amount of money for charity.
In reality Turner deserves a medal, but what we can give him is our Artist of the Year award!
WINNER: Frank Turner
The Contenders: IDLES, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon, Fontaines D.C., and Yungblud
2020, a year we will all be hoping to forget very quickly, but there has been some great music released. All focus now however is on 2021 and those vaccinations. We hope that sooner rather than later we will be able to safely gather again in those venues and fields to watch our favourite artists in the flesh.
There will also likely be an avalanche of new music coming our way with artists having been isolated with their creatively for company. Letâs just hope that not every song is about lockdown!
FIVE4FIVE Fest announces return with stunning lineup
Following a highly successful debut in May, the charity festival Five4Five Fest has announced its return. The May event saw the likes of Enter Shikari, Don Broco and Deaf Havana raising money for the NHS Charities Together.
Now, the two day event is set to return on 18th & 19th December. This time around the event will be raising money for the #SaveOurVenues campaign by the Music Venue Trust. To learn why the campaign is so important for the future of live music, you can read our recent blog Why We Need To #SaveOurVenues.
The lineup has been announced for the event and will see headline performances from Yonaka and Holding Absence plus the likes of Normandie, Nova Twins and Haggard Cat. More details on the event can be found at five4fivefest.com.
110 Above Festival Announce 2021 Lineup
Another festival announcing their lineup this week is Leicestershire event 110 Above. Featuring headline performances from Sports Team, The Amazons and Sundara Karma, this promises to be a very special weekend.
Joining the lineup over 12-15th August 2021 are Yonaka, Vistas, The Snuts, Zuzu, Paris Youth Foundation, Lauran Hibberd and more. If you want to celebrate the return of live music with 110 Above, tickets are available here.
BST Hyde Park add Duran Duran
Our third and final festival lineup announcement this week comes from British Summer Time in Hyde Park. BST this week revealed that Duran Duran will headline Sunday 11th July 2021 with special guests Nile Rodgers & Chic plus Grace Jones. Tickets are available here.
Metallica unveil 2nd edition of Monopoly board game
If you are still looking for Christmas present ideas, look no further! Metallica have unveiled their 2nd edition of the board game Monopoly. Pick yours up here.
Greta Van Fleet announce new album and single
Greta Van Fleet are back with their new single ‘Age of Machine’ ahead of the release of their newly announced album ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’ on 16th April 2021.
Independent Venue Week is back
As we discuss in our blog Why We Need To #SaveOurVenues, our independent venues require our support. The always brilliant Independent Venue Week returns in 2021 from 25th – 31st January to help raise awareness. For more information visit independentvenueweek.com.