Welcome to another edition of our News Report. The Christmas announcement rush may be over but we still have some top music news for you in this festive edition.
Up first, a festival announcement for 2022 from 110 Above. The festival will take place the 11th to 14th of August next summer in Leicestershire.
The first wave of acts for the event includes Everything Everything, Vistas, The Sherlocks, Spector, Pixey and Sarpa Salpa.
The Modfather himself Paul Weller has this week revealed three huge outdoor shows for next summer. Weller will be playing shows in Kent, Lincolnshire and Bedfordshire.
A single tour announcement for our News Report this week which comes from Smith / Kotzen. The debut tour from Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen will include support from The Dust Coda and takes place early next year.
We close out our News Report with new music releases. First is ‘Honest To God’, the latest track from Fatherson. This week saw the band release a live session version of the track as they continue to build towards the release of their new album, ‘Normal Fears’.
Von Hertzen Brothers announce new album ‘Red Alert in the Blue Forest’
Von Hertzen Brothers – ‘Red Alert in the Blue Forest’
Finally this week, news from Finland’s Von Hertzen Brothers. The band this week revealed that they will be releasing their latest album, ‘Red Alert in the Blue Forest’ next year on March 18th.
Full Pelt Music Album of the Year to be revealed on Christmas Day!
Throughout December our Advent Calendar style countdown of our Top 50 Albums of the Year is taking place across our Social Media. The reveal of our Album of the Year will be taking place on Christmas Day!
Since leaving their Callous Heart jackets on the KOKO stage back in November 2018 the normally well thought out plans of Creeper have hit road block after road block.
With their second record arriving during lockdown, this tumultuous period appeared to be ending with their arrival of their previously postponed headline tour. Alas, the show tonight at the O2 Kentish Town Forum in London takes place amid more uncertainty as the pandemic rages on.
Support act Wargasm are unable to play due to COVID and many of the sold out crowd clearly are also missing. The night should be a celebration, but the atmosphere is cautious, there is an impending sense of doom.
Music though is the great equaliser and can take away all of lifeâs worries, even if only for a while. Opening act Static Dress do a fantastic job of raising spirits and blowing away doubts. The crowd are instantly sucked in and the band capitalise on their short time on stage superbly. Crowd definitely warmed up!
With no Wargasm, itâs straight onto main support for this tour, Holding Absence. Having released one of the albums of the year in âThe Greatest Mistake of My Lifeâ, anticipation is high for their set. Over the next 30 minutes the band lives up to all of the hype that comes their way. Â
An assured and uplifting performance from a band on a massive spike in upwards trajectory. âAfterlifeâ and âWiltâ close out a short but very sweet set which captures the hearts of those in attendance. It shouldnât be long before Holding Absence are headlining venues of this size.
Our headliners tonight however are Creeper. The band have battled adversity to arrive at their biggest headline show. Their cult following are out in force, even if the attendance drop reported by the Music Venue Trust is in evidence. The night has a special feel, and if any band can meet the high expectations then itâs Creeper.
Musically stunning and theatrically spectacular, Creeper take their audience on a journey of delight. From the time they arrive on stage to the moment they leave, Creeper exude confidence. This show builds on everything the band has presented since their inception and makes a statement. This is a band at the peak of their powers. This is the celebration that it needed to be.
A mixture of material features from across their career from their debut EP to recent release âAmerican Noirâ. The evolution of the band is clear for all to see, and so is the effort put into the show.
It may have taken slightly longer than expected to arrive at this level of venue, but on this showing Creeper are still on course to progress into even bigger buildings. This tour is a master class from the purveyors of grandiose rock and roll theatrics. Letâs hope that Creeper now get a clear run towards their destiny.
Welcome to another edition of our News Report. We have festivals galore to report on this week as organisers look to get in on the Christmas shopping rush!
We’ll start with one of the biggest events on the planet, Reading and Leeds Festivals. This week saw the combined event reveal the first acts for 2022 including headline slots for Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon and Rage Against The Machine!
If that wasn’t enough there are also sets from Wolf Alice, Enter Shikari, Fontaines D.C., Bastille, Fever 333 and Pale Waves. There are many, many more still to be announced too.
Victorious Festival announce Stereophonics and more
Taking place the same weekend will be Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival. This week the event announced their first wave of acts including Friday headliners Stereophonics.
Also playing over the weekend will be James, Nothing But Thieves, The Wombats, Self Esteem, We Are Scientists, Little Man Tate and more.
Blackpool’s Rebellion Festival will next year include the new R-Fest. Taking place alongside the usual event, R-Fest will be part of the festival ticket or is purchasable as a standalone.
The outside event will feature headliners The Levellers, The Stranglers, Gary Numan and Squeeze.
They’ll be joined by The Wildhearts, Ferocious Dog, Beans On Toast, The Undertones, From The Jam, The Vapors, Peter Hook & The Light, Buzzcocks and more.
Torquay festival Burn It Down this week revealed the first acts for the 2022 edition. Taking place on 2nd and 3rd September, the event will feature a huge set from Dream State.
They will be joined by the likes of Tigercub, Gender Roles and Pupil Slicer.
Cambridge Folk Festival reveal first wave of 2022 acts
The festival announcements continue with Cambridge Folk Festival. The event revealed a host of acts for the 2022 return of the festival following the pandemic.
Acts playing the event include Passenger, Seasick Steve, This Is The Kit, Show Of Hands and Beans On Toast!
Wide Awake Festival returns to Brockwell Park next year
Our final festival announcement comes from London event Wide Awake, which takes place in May in Brockwell Park
The two day event will feature a headline set from Primal Scream plus appearances from Working Men’s Club, Billy Nomates, Chubby & The Gang, Yard Act and many more.
On to tour announcements now as our News Report progresses. My Chemical Romance fans have been left desperate to catch their returning heroes with their much hyped reunion continuously delayed by the pandemic.
With all three Milton Keynes dates long sold out, fans will now have more opportunity to catch them when they finally do arrive. This week saw the band reveal extra dates including Warrington, Cardiff and Glasgow.
Another special tour announcement this week saw The Cure reveal a run of UK dates. Fans will have the opportunity to catch them in arenas across the UK next year.
Making the dates even better is support act The Twilight Sad!
Seeing out our tour announcement section of the News Report is the iconic Jack White.
White this week revealed a huge World Tour for next year. ‘The Supply Chain Issues Tour’ will include two nights in London at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo in June.
Weâre currently counting down our 2021 Album of the Year list on Social Media. Itâs somewhat fitting yet frustrating therefore that we are at Alexandra Palace in London for the band that reached number four on our 2020 list.
Enter Shikari released one of the best albums of 2020 in the form of âNothing Is True & Everything Is Possibleâ, but have as yet been unable to tour that record due to the ongoing pandemic.
Finally, they now have the opportunity to take that album on the road, but alas the pandemic still has tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, the band take to their Social Media to announce bassist Chris Batten has Covid and is out, but the show will go on. Soon thereafter another post emerges and main support act, Dinosaur Pile-Up are also out as a result of Covid!
Despite all this adversity, the determination of the band shines and the show is on. Nova Twins are the first act on stage and continue to demonstrate just why they are so hotly tipped. Their ferocious, rip-roaring opening slot is instantly enough to justify the show proceeding. The band feel at home on huge stages and by the end of their short set, they have a legion of new fans.
With DPU out of the show, Enter Shikari called on their friends, and fellow St. Albans band Trash Boat answer the call at the 11th hour. DPU are a hard act to replace, but Trash Boat are an act up to the task. After all, their album âDonât You Feel Amazing?â will likely feature towards the top of our 2021 Album of the Year list!
They are able to blow away any disappointment at the lack of DPU within minutes of taking the stage. A traditional show of hands for Trash Boat first timers sees most hands in the venue raise, but by the end of their time on stage there is no doubt everybody now knows their name.
The quick flowing evening soon finds us being counted down towards the arrival of Enter Shikari. The venue is sold out and is packed tight towards the front as fans desperately await their heroes.
âNothing Is True & Everything Is Possibleâ is an incredible album and itâs only right that it features heavily tonight. That starts from opening track âTHE GREAT UNKNOWNâ as the band burst on stage to a stunning light show and a blast of confetti.
WATCH ‘THE GREAT UNKNOWN’ ON YOUTUBE
Enter Shikari – ‘THE GREAT UNKNOWN’
The crowd are truly up for it tonight as are the band. Despite the turmoil of the day and being a member down, Enter Shikari are able to adapt and overcome and still deliver an unstoppable performance.
Older tracks âJuggernautsâ, âSorry, Youâre Not a Winnerâ and âMothershipâ naturally elicit huge responses from the audience, but so do those new tracks. Highlights of the evening include âmodern livingâŠâ, âsatellites* *â and âthe pressureâs on.â.
Enter Shikari are an innovative and resilient force and tonight is a celebration of many things, but through all of the adversity of not just today but the last year or so, tonight is a triumph of tenacity.
An encore featuring two more new favourites in âT.I.N.A.â and â{ The Dreamerâs Hotel }â and the always uplifting âLive Outsideâ closes out another victory lap for a vital band that continue to go from strength to strength.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly News Report. This week features a slew of festival announcements as events prepare for the 2022 season.
For many events, they are preparing for their first event since 2019 due to the pandemic. One such event is Kendal Calling, who this week revealed their comeback line-up and it doesn’t disappoint with headliners including Supergrass and Stereophonics.
Also featuring high on the bill will be the likes of The Wombats, The Kooks, The Vaccines, Pale Waves, Sports Team and The Snuts.
It’s lower down the poster however that the line-up comes to life with The Mysterines, Lottery Winners, Valeras, Lauran Hibberd, Pigs x7, Massive Wagons, Hacktivist, Skinny Lister, Deux Furieuses, Guise and Berries all set to feature!
Another festival returning after a two year lay-off will be Truck Festival, which will also celebrate the events 25th Anniversary!
Headliners for the special event will be Bombay Bicycle Club, Sam Fender, Kasabian, Blossoms and The Kooks.
They are set to be joined by the likes of Sports Team, Shame, The Subways, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Black Honey, Vistas, Kid Brunswick, Lauran Hibberd and Dream Nails.
Slam Dunk Festival reshuffled their 2022 line-up this week with previously announced stage headliners Rancid no longer available. Added to the bill however are two new headline acts in the form of Sum 41 and Dropkick Murphys.
They are joined by new and previously announced acts such as Alexisonfire, The Interrupters, The Used, Deaf Havana, Hot Milk, Dream State and Spanish Love Songs.
Our final festival announcement this week comes from Standon Calling, who have revealed they will feature a huge bill on the Thursday in 2022.
Headlined by Madness and also featuring The Subways and The Skints, the Thursday provides a sneak peek at what’s to come with 3 more full days of music to be announced.
Music Venue Trust reveal next set of ‘Revive Live’ dates
The incredible Music Venue Trust continue to work tirelessly to protect our vital grassroots music venues from threats pandemic related and sadly un-pandemic related. FYI, if you choose to move in next to an existing music venue, don’t complain about the noise!
Anyway, this week saw MVT announce the next slate of dates for their ‘Revive Live’ tour in conjunction with The National Lottery. Lottery playing friends can get a free ticket with each ticket buyer!
Huge acts playing this January include Bastille, The Coral, Enter Shikari, Feeder, Carl Barat, The Snuts, James & The Cold Gun, Strange Bones and many more.
Our News Report moves on now to a couple of tour announcements, and up first is Will Varley. Following the release of his superb new album, ‘The Hole Around My Head’, Varley will be hitting the road in May next year.
Time now to turn our News Report on to new music releases from the past week and we start with Twin Atlantic.
The band continue to build towards the release of their new album, ‘Transparency’ which arrives on January 7th. This week saw the band debut the latest track, ‘Dirty’, which you can listen to above.
There was more fantastic new music forthcoming this week from The Hot Damn!. The band debuted their latest single, ‘I Didn’t Like You Anyway’, which you can check out above.
We finish our News Report this week with a band we recently featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist. Lyoness, dropped another new track this week and you can listen to ‘Heroine’ above.
This is our first visit to Three Wise Monkeys in Colchester and we discover a fantastic little venue above the pub on a vibrant and Christmassy Friday night in the town centre. Our reason for visiting is cult folk singer Beans On Toast, as he hits the road to support new album, âSurvival of the Friendliestâ.
The support slots tonight from local singer Benjamin Brown and main tour support Kitty Liv sail by, which is a complement to both for their delightful performances.
Soon enough itâs time for the man himself to grace the intimate stage and for this tour he is joined by Liv, and Mystery Jets bassist Jack Flanagan to fill out his sound during portions of the set.
The first portion of the show sees the three-piece serenade the audience with a mixture of old and new tracks. New songs âA Beautiful Placeâ, âBlow Volcano Blowâ and âNot Everyone Thinks Weâre Doomedâ take centre stage and showcase his wonderful new album âSurvival of the Friendliestâ.
As with all Beans On Toast shows, there are sing-a-longs galore with âWatching the World Go Byâ, âIâm Home When You Hold Meâ and âThe War On Warâ all coming early on. Soon its left for Beans alone to break out a number of favourites and rarities such as âA Whole Lot of Lovingâ and âPeter Panâs Playgroundâ.
Towards the end of the night Liv and Flanagan return for another superb collaboration on songs such as âHumansâ and âLetâs Get Married Againâ from that new album.
At the end of his encore, Beans On Toast is joined on stage by long time friend and collaborator Frank Turner for âThe Album of the Dayâ. A great treat for fans, and evidence that you should expect the unexpected at a Beans show.
A fantastic evening of songs, stories and laughs is closed out with âOn & Onâ which sees the main man backed by Flanagan, Liv and Turner for a truly spectacular finale. Tonight was just further evidence that Bean On Toast is an underground national treasure!
Volbeat find themselves at an interesting point in their career, well, as far as the UK is concerned. Of course the band is huge in Europe, but where do they fit in over here?
Theyâve steadily worked their way up festival bills and played larger and larger venues, but will they reach the arena filling, festival headlining status they enjoy elsewhere? They felt on the cusp prior to the release of 2019âs âRewind, Replay, Reboundâ but a slightly lacklustre response to that album and a global pandemic stifled their progress somewhat.
Now, they return with their latest album, âServant of the Mindâ, with another chance to make that leap. Whilst âRewind, Replay, Reboundâ wasnât a momentum killer of an album that many bands in the rock scene have suffered from in recent years, it also didnât propel them any further. So the ultimate question now is can âServant of the Mindâ?
If the early singles, âWait a Minute My Girlâ and âDagen FĂžrâ, were anything to go by then that answer would be yes! The album jumps straight in with âTemple Of Ekurâ, âWait a Minute My Girlâ and âThe Sacred Stonesâ setting the tone for the next sixty plus minutes of music.
Another single âShotgun Blues’, âThe Devil Rages Onâ and âSay No Moreâ all then act to reassure that yes, this is Volbeat at their very best. The thrashing swagger of the guitar work that launched their career is front and centre in all its glory, and the songwriting is able to latch on to create some new classics for the bands arsenal.
WATCH ‘SHOTGUN BLUES’ ON YOUTUBE
Volbeat – ‘Shotgun Blues’
Always a force to be reckoned with live, these tracks will instantly enshrine themselves as fan favourites when the band next take to the stage.
This album certainly finds the band at their relentless best and even as it reaches its latter stages there is plenty to retain your interest. The deluxe version of the album will set you back some 80 minutes of your life, but itâs time well spent.
On the evidence of this album, Volbeat will be pushing themselves further up those festival bills and any lingering doubts can now be dispelled. How could we ever have doubted this band!
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, especially when related to music. Take tonightâs show from Stereophonics which is part of the 20th Anniversary Tour for classic album, âJust Enough Education to Performâ as an example. Just the name of the album instantly takes me back to high school, instantly takes me back to sitting in my room and pressing play on said album in my bulky old CD player (remember those?).
Yes, musical nostalgia is a truly wonderful thing and is what ensures venues like the Corn Exchange in Cambridge are sold out for this tour.
There is no nostalgia for our young support act, Tom Speight, but after his delightful set, there will surely be many new fans. Speightâs short time on stage allows him to serenade the packed crowd with his marvellously crafted ballads. His gleaming demeanour is reciprocated by his legion of converted followers, as he ensures a superb start to the evening.
Up next is the nostalgia we speak of, as Stereophonics get straight down to business. Spending the first hour of the night performing the album affectionately known as âJEEPâ in its entirety, the band take the audience in a time machine back to 2001; a much simpler time, and a time where the band were dominating the musical landscape.
Monster hits such as âMr. Writerâ and âHave a Nice Dayâ punctuate an album blessed with quality throughout. Huge crowd reactions naturally also greet the likes of âVegas Two Timesâ, âStep on My Old Size Ninesâ and âHandbags and Gladragsâ.
WATCH ‘HAVE A NICE DAY’ ON YOUTUBE
Stereophonics – ‘Have A Nice Day’
A short break then sees the band return to the stage to fast forward to the present for a run of tracks include new songs âHanging On Your Hingesâ and âDo Ya Feel My Loveâ from upcoming album âOochya!â.
Stereophonics have done an incredible job in staying relevant some twenty years post âJEEP’. The fact that these dates are intimate shows despite still being large venues says a lot. The band, of course, will return to play arenas and stadiums imminently.
Itâs a pleasure therefore to be able to catch the likes of âMaybe Tomorrowâ, âJust Lookingâ and âDakotaâ as the band return to the stage for a third and final time.
This band has proven themselves to be incredibly consistent both on record and on stage and nights like this are to be cherished. Ultimately tonight is a celebration of the past that also shows that the future remains bright for Stereophonics.
BEANS ON TOAST – SURVIVAL OF THE FRIENDLIEST – ALBUM REVIEW
As per tradition, Beans On Toast is back with a new album for his birthday in which he provides social commentary on the events of the past year. This year sees him in a positive mood with the release of âSurvival of the Friendliestâ.
That positivity is a breath of fresh air in a world that, as the man himself sang, has gone crazy. This is an album exploring the possibility that things can and will get better, after all as the song says âNot Everybody Thinks Weâre Doomedâ!
Working with the main man on this record are Blaine Harrison and Jack Flanagan of Mystery Jets. The collaboration works perfectly and helps the music match the positivity of the lyrics, creating an infectiously upbeat tone to the album.
âSurvival of the Friendliestâ certainly continues the evolution of this talented artist musically, following the path of its recent predecessors. The accompanying arrangements beautifully showcase those trademark vocals. These songs are distinctively more radio-friendly then his early material.
WATCH ‘HUMANS’ ON YOUTUBE
Beans On Toast – ‘Humans’
Highlights from the album include âHumansâ and âLetâs Get Married Againâ but the record deserves to be listened to and appreciated in its entirety. We say that because, the collection of songs that comprise this album are up there with the best that Beans On Toast has released.
In a world shrouded in negativity, âSurvival of the Friendliestâ provides a light in the darkness, a feeling of positivity that instils a sense of hope. Letâs face it, itâs going to take more than an album to change the world, but for forty minutes let Beans On Toast put a smile on your face!
Welcome to another edition of our News Report. We start this week with a couple of huge 2022 Festival announcements.
Scottish event TRNSMT this week announced more acts for next years festival, which takes place 8-10 July in Glasgow. The event is set to be headlined by Paolo Nutini, The Strokes and Lewis Capaldi.
There are prominent spots also for Sam Fender, Foals and Wolf Alice. The rest of the bill includes The Regrettes, The Snuts, Fontaines D.C., Jimmy Eat World, Maximo Park, Self Esteem and Wet Leg.
All Points East will return to Victoria Park in London next August and this week unveiled their line-up across six days of music.
Headliners over the course of the event will be Gorillaz, The Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk, Tame Impala, The National, Disclosure and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Supporting acts across the event include IDLES, Self Esteem, Dry Cleaning, Fleet Foxes, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Michael Kiwanuka and Anna Calvi.
Bloc Party returned this week with the news that they will release a new album, ‘Alpha Games’ on April 29th. Not only that but the band will be touring the UK next Spring.
Another band announcing a tour for early next year this is Trash Boat who will hit the road in March. The intimate tour will see the band playing towns and cities not always on all touring schedules.
Our final tour announcement this week comes from Bob Vylan. The band will be hitting the road for a headline tour this May and June in support of new album ‘The Price of Life’ which is out April 23rd.
Fresh from supporting both Biffy Clyro and The Offspring, this is one not to be missed.
