Nova Twins have been slowly building their fanbase with impressive support slots and festival appearances. In February 2020, you know just before the world stood still, the duo released their debut in âWho Are The Girls?â.
Despite the difficulties for music promotion over the next year or so, stock in the band has only risen with their debut album a critical success. The quality of that first album helped to back up the hype that had begun to surround Amy Love and Georgia South.
Now, the duo are unleashing their sophomore album on the world as they continue to lay the groundwork for stardom.
The potential for this band is unlimited with their genre-defying sound making them a true crossover act. Fans of various musical types will find comfort in âSupernovaâ, which sees Nova Twins once again delivering a slice of action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled, electro-punk groove.
Single, âAntagonistâ, is straight in your face and sets the tone for whatâs to come from the rest of the record. âCleopatraâ, âK.M.B.â and âFire & Iceâ are highlights but there really isnât a bad track on âSupernovaâ.
The duo are clearly growing in confidence with every record, and this album is a timestamp of a band transitioning from having potential to delivering the goods.
If you like music with attitude, passion and ferocity then this album and Nova Twins are most definitely for you. âSupernovaâ really is a half hour of power and it will do nothing but continue to push this incredible band on their upwards trajectory!
Pale Waves reveal UK Tour, debut new single and announce new album
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report, and it has been as huge news week for fans of Pale Waves!
This week saw the band announce a new UK Tour to take place in November. The run of dates will include a huge show at the O2 Brixton Academy in London.
That isn’t it though, as the band also announced that they will be releasing their third album, ‘Unwanted’, this August.
They also debuted the first single from the album, ‘Lies’, which you can check out below.
ââLiesâ is about someone who built up my trust and destroyed it like a wrecking ball,â says frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie. âit caused some real trust issues, but fortunately for me that person is no longer in my life. Once you do me wrong youâre gone!â
Pale Waves have been on a personal and artistic journey since the release of their debut album ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ in 2018. These experiences have begun to inform their songs in recent years and are what jump to the fore on ‘Unwanted’.
âIt was really the only thing this album could be called,â says Baron-Gracie, now 27. âItâs bold and unapologetic, and thatâs what the Pale Waves community is about. We donât need to fit a perfect mould, we donât need to apologise for being ourselves, and we wonât change for anyone. That acceptance is what connects us.â
Five Finger Death Punch announce new album ‘Afterlife’
Five Finger Death Punch – ‘IOU’
We move our News Report onwards now on to the new releases from this past week, and we start with Five Finger Death Punch.
The metal icons this week revealed that their new album, ‘Afterlife’, will be released on August 19th. In announcing the album, the band also debuted new track, ‘IOU’, which you can check out above.
âAFTERLIFE was hands down my favorite record to make.â says 5FDP guitarist Zoltan Bathory and continues: âIt is our ninth album so at this point, we have legions of loyal fans, and our signature sound is more than established. It became its own island, our ground zero we operate from and we can always come back to. So when we started this record, there was an excitement of impending musical adventures, we knew we could step away as far as we wanted to, there was a freedom of truly âanything goes.â
This resulted in an album that is way more diverse than our previous ones, while it feels more unified, because there is a framework of overarching stories in Ivanâs lyrics and interconnecting musical motifs between songs. It was not planned as a concept album, but we were so hyper-focused on painting a complete picture, it somehow feels like one… We are very proud of it and are just as impatient as the fans waiting for the release, canât wait to share it.â
The HU also had new music to present this week as the band debuted new track, ‘This Is Mongol’. You can listen to the track above, which comes ahead of their highly anticipated sophomore album due this summer.
Speaking about the video, singer and tumur hhuur player Jaya said, âWe shot in the Mojave Desert, Nevada and the environment reminded us of Gobi Desert in Mongolia. We enjoyed shooting the video, which happened during our tour and gave us a little break to reminisce about home. The song perfectly matched the environment we made the video in. It was one of the best memories we created as a band and it was special because our producer Dashka was with us to oversee the whole process.â
BERRIES announce debut album, and release new single ‘
BERRIES – ‘We Are Machines’
Finally, we close out this section of our News Report with the fantastic news that BERRIES will release their debut album, ‘How We Function’ on July 8th.
This week also saw the band debut their latest track, ‘We Are Machines’, which you can listen to above.
As always we conclude our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist over on Spotify.
The Lounge Society – ‘Blood Money’
The Lounge Society have announced that their debut album, ‘Tired of Liberty’, will arrive August 29th. This week they debuted new track ‘Blood Money’.
The band comments: âBlood Money is a reaction to the culture of greed thatâs seeping into the corridors of power across the world. Itâs a reminder that ultimately, we all suffer at the hands of self-serving elites, and itâs our personal perspective on the effects of dirty politics on the everyday lives of ourselves and people we know.
For us itâs a song that completely captures this record and us as a band. It feels like the perfect development from our previous releases to our debut album and exactly how this record should be introduced. The balance of driving guitar riffs and the groove of the drums and bass is sort of a snapshot of the album. Weâd never claim to be a purely dance based band and weâd never claim to be a purely guitar riff-based band because itâs the combination of the two which excites us.
On Blood Money it felt like in the studio we took our sound to a different level. We approached the album recording in a totally fresh way to how we have recorded in the past and we got exactly what we wanted.
We had good friends & Speedy label mates of ours Anouska (Honeyglaze) and Jojo (Heartworms) do some extra vocals in the chorus, and it really elevated it and gave it an almost operatic feel which was amazing to see develop in the studio.â
Call to the Faithful – ‘The Problem’
Fierce UK Rockers Call to the Faithful return with their first offering of 2022, âThe Problemâ.
The band says: âThe Problem is biographical account of the miserable situation so many of us find ourselves in, unable to break free of living paycheck to paycheck while being continuously belittled by a generation so detached from modern struggles that they provide useless solutions like âsimply work harderâ and âdonât waste your money at Starbucksâ.
smallmint – ‘The Dark’
Northern Ireland stalwartâs smallmint have unveiled their new single, ‘The Dark’, plucked from debut LP âwhere we all end up in the endâ.
Speaking of the albumâs production, Cameron-Braithwaite says:
âWe wanted the album to feel natural and to actually sound like a band playing live in a room, which is exactly how it was recorded. It was important for us to keep that space and energy in the recordings â no need for overproduction or too many overdubs, so that the arrangement of the music and the emotion within the lyrics could speak for themselves.â
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week with our tour news section and with the one and only Don Broco.
This past week saw the band announce a huge arena tour set for March next year. Support on the shows will come from Papa Roach and Dance Gavin Dance.
Regarding the tour frontman Rob Damiani says, âBeyond pumped to announce the Amazing Things arena tour featuring a line up only the sweetest dreams are made of. Thereâs no two ways about it, we wouldnât be the band we are today if it wasnât for the legends that are Papa Roach so as you can imagine weâre super excited to have the guys out with us as well as our ridiculously talented friends Dance Gavin Dance. See you next year!â.
This week also saw Alter Bridge announce their return to the UK this December. As part of a bigger European Tour the band will be hitting arenas across the UK finishing up at the O2 Arena in London.
Joining the tour are very special guests Halestorm and Mammoth WVH!
Festival news now as our News Report continues, and Suffolk’s Latitude Festival have updated their line-up this week with 60+ acts being added from across the arts.
Joining the music line-up were the likes of Courting, m(h)aol, Matt Maltese, Nova Twins and TV Priest.
Beans On Toast has announced he will be hosting a second edition of his Foolhardy Folk Festival.
Taking place at Nottingham Arboretum, the event will also feature She Drew The Gun, Will Varley, Holy Moly & The Crackers, Gaz Brookfield, Kitty Liv, Jack Flanagan and Georgie!
On to new music release now as our News Report continues. First up is ‘You Got The Best Of Me’, the new single from icons Journey.
Listen to the track above, which will feature on a new album called, ‘Freedom’ which will arrive July 8th.
âI wanted kind of a punky rendition of âAny Way You Want Itââ, says the groupâs founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Neal Schonabout the single. âI usually don’t go in saying I’m going to look for something like that, but then it just came to me, like âWheel in the Skyâ did years ago. It just kind of flew out of my mouth.â
While the forthcoming album was made with visions of arena and stadium stages, it started from humble beginnings. In 2020, as COVID swept the globe, Schon was stuck at home like the rest of us. âDuring the pandemic, there wasnât much to do,â he says. âI spent a lot of time in my little studio at home, learning how to play keyboards and looping. Some of those ideas ended up being songs. So it kind of came out of nowhere.â
Another band releasing new music this week was Deaf Havana. The band are gearing up for the release of their new album, ‘The Present is a Foreign Land’, on July 15th.
This week they debuted the latest single from the album, ‘On The Wire’, which you can check out above.
MAN WITH A MISSION share new single ‘More Than Words’
MAN WITH A MISSION – ‘More Than Words’
Japanese superstars MAN WITH A MISSION have released their brand new single, ‘More Than Words’, the latest song to be taken from their forthcoming album ‘Break and Cross the Walls II’ out May 25th. You can check out the song above.
Bassist and songwriter Kamikaze Boy has a special connection with the song and says, “Itâs about people sharing thoughts and feelings, even though they have a hard time exchanging words.“.
Rising Los Angeles rock band Classless Act this week debuted their latest track, ‘Time To Bleed’, which you can check out above.
The song will feature on their debut album, ‘Welcome To The Show’, which is released on June 24th.
Bass player Franco Gravante, who produced, mixed, and cowrote the track, explained the origins of the song, “Itâs one of the first riffs I wrote for the record a couple years back. But I couldn’t finish the song. We got some magic dust sprinkled on it by Justin Hawkins and that gave me the confidence to know THIS song belonged on the record. But the record was already done and delivered. So we called the label and said, HOLD UP! Then we called Keith (Nelson), he booked a studio and 37 hours later, it was on the record and itâs coming out now! It was so fast. I think theyâre still cleaning up the mess we made. It takes what it takes, ya know?âÂ
After working on the song with the band during quarantine, Hawkinscommented, âI had the pleasure of writing with these young men at the beginning of the Covidian era. It quickly became apparent that I had underestimated their musicality and talent. They make really sleazy good time rock and roll music with smiles on their handsome faces and I am proud to have contributed. Good luck boys!â.
Bringing our new releases section of the News Report to a close this week are TV Priest. The band shared new track, ‘Limehouse Cut’ this week and you can listen above.
The track will feature on upcoming album, ‘My Other People’, which arrives June 17th.
Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater says of the track, “The song is about a feeling dislocated and displaced in an urban space you once felt you knew and âunderstoodâ, however itâs also a coming to terms with an idea that you never really âownâ somewhere as infinitely regenerative as a city. Itâs a bit of a psycho-geographical study, a little bit of pathos at my own mortality and smallness in the great tide of history. We loved the idea of something quite abstract, something that references landscape, feels mesmeric, melancholic, a little sinister but also quite beautiful.”
As always we finish our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist! Featured this week are:
‘Harlequin’ – Dissonants
A new look Dissonants return with new single, ‘Harlequin’.
âItâs been a tough year or so for us with the instability in the line-up, and at several points myself, Ben and Aaron wondered if the band would cease to exist, as it just felt like setback after setback was crippling us. Cuba and Harvey coming into the fold has been a massive breathe of fresh air, and has totally reinvigorated us with the ideas theyâve bought to the table. On this new track, Harlequin, I believe weâve never sounded better as a bandâ, explains bassist Mike Barton.
‘Decay’ – Trashed
Bristol-based emo punk-rockers Trashed share new single, ‘Decay’, ahead of their debut album ‘Happy In Hindsight’.
Speaking about the single, the band state:Â “Decay was the first song written for the album. It’s like a journal entry about being trapped between existential apathy and a desire to overcome it. We wrote the lyrics to be deep and relatable without being overwhelming or uncomfortable. It’s also a transitional song for us. We’re ready to move on from what we’ve done before, which is symbolised in the artwork. This track lays the foundation for what’s to come, perfectly.”
‘The Moon’ – The Shipbuilders
Surf-Rock scousers The Shipbuilders ready debut album, ‘Spring Tide’ with the single, ‘The Moon’.
Speaking of the track, singer Matty Loughlin-Day explains: “I’ve long been fascinated and drawn towards the concept of ‘Cante Jondo’, the folk music of Andalusia that literally translates to ‘deep song’. Moon’ came from a contemplation of all of this. It’s a song written from the perspective of a soldier in the Spanish Civil War who, while standing underneath a haloed moon, can hear “the wailing of this life and the next collide” while lamenting his love’s death and pondering if the same fate will fall on him⌔
Welcome all to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week with a handful of festival announcements and leading the way is the above line-up from Download Festival.
The Donington event got a little bigger this week with the addition of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Napalm Death, Kris Barras Band, Pengshui and more joining.
The event will be headlined by Kiss, Iron Maiden & Biffy Clyro.
We move on now to the weeks new music releases as our News Report continues at pace.
Alongside the release of their new album, ‘Skinty Fia’, Fontaines D.C. this week shared their latest single, ‘Roman Holiday’. You can listen to the new track above.
Speaking on the single, frontman Grian Chatten says, âRoman Holiday makes me think of the wide streets of north London in the Summer and the urge to discover them at night time. The thrill of being a gang of Irish people in London with a bit of a secret language and my first flat with my girlfriend.â
The band has also added additional dates to their upcoming UK Tour!
There was also new music coming from the Boston Manor camp this past week as the band debuted new single ‘Foxglove’. You can listen to the track above.
Folk favourite Beans On Toast this week debuted his latest track, ‘Swimming In It’. The track is described as “A protest song about the heinous environmental crimes committed by Southern Water”. You can listen to the song above.
This week saw The Blinders release the video for their recent single, ‘Fight For It’. You can watch the video above.
Regarding the song vocalist and guitarist Thomas Hayward says, âItâs about waking up and seizing the day with both your hands firmly gripped round its neck, to the point where you know youâre a better person by the end of it.
âI had a lot to say about the matter, so subconsciously probably chose the song weâd worked on the least, in terms of seeing how far we could push it musically and made up for it lyrically.
âUsually, as a band, weâd rarely let a song exist in such a basic form⌠but upon writing the lyrics the tone was right. The words came very fast. When all was said and done it was probably over in about half an hour.
âItâs the lightest song weâve done. Not something youâd usually expect from the band, and not necessarily a place where Iâm particularly comfortable drawing from. Give me brick and barbed wire over sunshine any day. Iâve got a soft spot for it though.”
The last new release in our News Report this week comes from LIFE who have debuted their newest track, ‘Almost Home’. The track will feature on upcoming third album, ‘North East Coastal Town’.
Speaking on the new single vocalist Mez Green says: âAlmost Home barks, jolts, jerks and spits with the theme of pining to be home and thus chimes with North East Coastal Town’s over-riding sense of belonging. ‘Taste the difference…feel significant…hold a lifeline, you’re almost home!” Almost Home is a song that wrestles with ego and love, with love winning; ”Recipe, I ain’t a cult recipe.â
As always we finish our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist! Featured this week are:
‘Night’ – Oakman
France based pop/rock trio, Oakman debut their brand new single, ‘Night’.
“This song was written in one day,â says the band. âMarine had just learned that she might have a serious health problem. Without knowing it, Geremia sent an idea for a riff to Marine that day, who was instantly inspired by the mood. It matched so well with what she was feeling at the time that the whole song was written in one go. She was in a very special mental state that day. It was a kind of happy-sad nostalgia of life. Between the reality of losing everything and the people that you love and the strong desire to just live and exist. We spend our time complaining but when life can suddenly stop, that’s when we realise how much the smallest thing is worth. This song was like a mourning, a last night before everything stops forever. It’s the first time we wrote such a personal song and it’s one of our favourite tracks. It allowed Marine to not sink that day.â
‘Halo’ – Blue Violet
‘Halo’ will feature on the upcoming album, ‘Late Night Calls’ from husband/wife duo Blue Violet.
Ahead of the forthcoming release of âLate Night Callsâ Sam and Sarah Gotley explain:
âAll in all, the thing we enjoyed most while recording the album was the opportunity to be experimental with sound on top of the structures we had already put in place during the writing and pre-prod processes. We got very lucky to find a like-minded team of people to work with and a beautiful location to match. Coming off the back of a good couple of years in our previous band Broken Bones Matilda, we had no idea that our goals and choice of music we wanted to make would change, but it feels like this album is the start of something long and fruitful and that we’ve found out who we are and what we want to say.â
‘The Concrete of Moulded Men’ – Eat Your Own Head’
Norwich alt-rock newcomers Eat Your Own Head feature with new track ‘The Concrete of Moulded Men’.
Commenting on the track, vocalist Ash Woolnough said: ââThe Concrete of Moulded Men’ is a sledgehammer to the slab of toxic masculinity. When writing the track, we wanted it to be fierce, hard, and unrelenting to reflect the kind of feelings and pressures that are put on men.â
âI didnât have any friends that played music when I was growing up, and It would feel embarrassing to say no to football or something like that because I wanted to play guitar and sing. I started making up reasons and hiding it, which was obviously not the right thing to be doing. This track is basically saying donât worry about all that nonsenseâ
Muse set to perform to intimate Charity Shows this May
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We are starting this week with the latest tour announcements including the above special shows from Muse!
Yes, Stadium fillers Muse will be headlining two very intimate shows at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo this May. Night one is to support War Child and Medecins Sans Frontieres with their work in Ukraine.
Night two will support The Big Issue for its 30th Anniversary and will feature Razorlight as special guests.
There was huge news from The Gaslight Anthem camp this week as the group announced their return. The band teased new music to come in the future, but also revealed a huge world tour.
UK dates will include a huge show at London’s historic Wembley Arena. Tickets are here.
Another huge tour announced this week will see The Pretty Reckless return to the UK for a run of dates finishing up at the iconic O2 Brixton Academy in London.
We move on now to the latest festival announcements as our News Report continues. Up first is the above stunner of a line-up from 2000trees, now with added You Me At Six!
Also joining the line-up this week were Twin Atlantic (acoustic), Boston Manor, Nova Twins, Salem, Cassyette, James and the Cold Gun and many more.
They join headliners Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Turnstile and IDLES plus many more.
Another festival completing their line-up this week was Kendal Calling. Having recently added Bastille to existing headliners Supergrass, Stereophonics and The Kooks, the event has now added many more new acts to a packed bill.
Joining this week were The Cribs, Zuzu, NOISY, Never Not Nothing, Sonic Boom Six, Ducking Punches and Samantics.
We move now onto the new music releases of the past week as our News Report continues. The first new track to feature is the brand new single from the iconic Liam Gallagher.
You can listen to ‘C’mon You Know’, the title track from his new album, above. That new album will arrive on May 27th, and those that pre-order before April 5th will get early access to new release Knebworth tickets.
Skinny Lister unveil video for ‘Like It’s The First Time’
Skinny Lister – ‘Like It’s The First Time’
Skinny Lister this week unveiled the video for their track ‘Like It’s The First Time’. Watch the video above and read our review of their album, ‘A Matter of Life & Love’here.
Finally, TV Priest this week announced new album, ‘My Other People’, will be out on 17th June. You can listen to new single, ‘Bury Me In My Shoes’ above.
Frontman Charlie Drinkwater says of the album, âMy Other People is a more âopen’â set of songs, both musically and in our themes; in the process of writing we found ourselves talking about things other than anger or aggression. We wanted to discuss love, loss and joy too. Itâs a record about personal disintegration and destruction, but also rebuilding again after this. Itâs also heavily rooted in place, the music being a very direct response to Britain and England in 2021, but in a more abstract and textural sense. A muddy field viewed from a train window between cities, a patch of wild flowers growing next to a motorway, sticky carpets in a suburban flat roof pub, pissing rain on an August bank holiday and the smell of diesel in an out of town supermarket car park. An angry, hopeful, shitty, beautiful island.â
As for the new single, he adds, ââBury Me In My Shoes’ is a hangover of a song. Last year was about reminding ourselves to hang on to good things; to remember you can love and hate in equal measure. That the answers are rarely found by looking backwards. âBury Meâ was written as a response to that general feeling of unease and creeping dread. A feeling you get from bad news on no breakfast.â
The mysterious BLACKGOLD have released their second track, ‘Sorry’ which will feature on their debut self-titled EP coming out 13th May.
‘DON’T PLAY NICE’ – TWISTER
Rockers Twister have debuted new single, ‘Don’t Play Nice’. Guitarist Jake Grimes comments: âThe new material really is seeing the band develop and take huge steps forward not just as song writers but sonically too, working with someone of Romeshâs talent has really helped us capture our vision for Twister⌠The new stuff is genuinely sounding epic!â
‘WE ONLY CAME HERE FOR YOUR HEARTS’ – SQUIGGLES
Squiggles join the Playlist with their new single, ‘We Only Came Here For Your Hearts’. The track precedes new EP, ‘Look What We Have Done’ which arrives April 22nd.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report, where we roundup the best music news from the past week. We start this week with the latest festival announcements including the above from Reading & Leeds Festivals.
The dual event this week added a load of new acts for August including Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Black Honey, DMA’s, All Time Low, cleopatrick, Tigercub, Kid Kapichi, Witch Fever, The Blinders and Crawlers!
They join the likes of already announced Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, Rage Against The Machine, Wolf Alice, Fontaines D.C., Enter Shikari and Pale Waves.
Festivals across the country continue to reveal their line-ups for this year, and this past week saw Hardwick Festival unveil theirs.
Headlining the event will be Stereophonics and The Specials. They’ll be joined by Jake Bugg, Seasick Steve, The Proclaimers, Lottery Winners, Rats, Twister and more.
Firestorm Rock Festival will take place in Manchester this August, and this week saw the event reveal a packed line-up.
Performing over the weekend will be Wayward Sons, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Those Damn Crows, Stone Broken, King King, The Treatment, Inglorious, Mason Hill, Florence Black, Bad Touch, Revival Black, The Hot Damn and many more!
Another lengthy arena tour announced this week comes from Kaiser Chiefs, who will be joined on the ‘All Together’ UK Tour by both The Fratellis and The Sherlocks.
The Struts announced this week that they’ll be heading back to the UK for ‘The Homecoming Tour’ this July.
Lead singer Luke Spiller comments, “We are bursting with excitement to be coming back to our home country to see you all once more. It’s been far too long and we are more than ready to make up for lost time. Can’t wait to make some more amazing memories with you all!”
Rock icon Corey Taylor this week announced details of three solo UK dates this October. Taylor will play London, Hull and Swansea with support from Cherry Bombs.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs this week announced their return to the UK with three shows this June. Support comes variously from English Teacher, Dry Cleaning, Porridge Radio and Anika!
The latest music releases now in our News Report. Rock behemoths Muse this week announced details of their new album, ‘Will Of The People’.
The album will be released on August 26th, and is preceded by new single, ‘Compliance’, which you can check out above.
Speaking of the album the band explain, “Will Of The People was created in Los Angeles and London and is influenced by the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world. A pandemic, new wars in Europe, massive protests & riots, an attempted insurrection, Western democracy wavering, rising authoritarianism, wildfires and natural disasters and the destabilization of the global order all informed Will Of The People. It has been a worrying and scary time for all of us as the Western empire and the natural world, which have cradled us for so long are genuinely threatened. This album is a personal navigation through those fears and preparation for what comes next.â
Our News Report is drawing to a close, but we aren’t done yet! The Virginmarys kick started their new era this past week with the release of their new single, ‘The Meds’, which you can watch above.
There was also new music this week from British rock icons Skunk Anansie who debuted new track, ‘Can’t Take You Anywhere’.
Discussing the song Skin explains, âThis track is a double-edged sword. We all have that one friend that we love but is a total embarrassment to us, a mate that has no off button and no filter. So if they arenât losing their phone/keys/coat, theyâre saying some stuff that will defo get you cancelled by all your other mates. This song is about how polarised the world is now, and how careful you need to be. Itâs about dealing with the new world order of friendship, as never before have I had great long term friends develop completely opposing views to mine. It’s about having to navigate and understand people, keeping the love and respect but also standing firm in your opinions.”
Peaness are preparing to release their debut album ‘World Full of Worry’ on May 6th. Check our their single, ‘Worry’, on our playlist!
‘TV PERSONALITY’ – BAIT
As their debut album edges into sight, BAIT are back with the electrifying new single: ‘TV Personalityâ.
Of the track Michael Webster says: âThe pandemic locked us away and forced us to live life through a screen. We each became a TV personality, broadcasting from the rabbit hole for work, study & play.â
‘ALL OUT’ – THE NATIVE
Rising Plymouth band The Native have just signed with This Feeling Records, and will soon support Bastille in arenas across the UK.
Check out their single, ‘All Out’, on our playlist!
Welcome to a bumper edition of our weekly music News Report! A plethora of festival announcements to get through this week, so let’s get start with Download Festival!
New additions this week included Skindred, SKYND, Dirty Honey, Kid Brunswick, The Velveteers and the incredible Yonaka.
They join a massive line-up headlined by Kiss, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro. Other highlights include A Day To Remember, Korn, Shinedown, Volbeat, Rise Against, The Pretty Reckless, Airbourne, The Darkness, Funeral For A Friend, Creeper, Boston Manor, Trash Boat, Holding Absence and many more.
This week also saw Y Not Festival reveal their second wave of acts including Thursday headliners The Kooks!
Also added this week were Jake Bugg, The Hunna, We Are Scientists, Blood Red Shoes, The Mysterines, Noisy, Daytime TV, MarthaGunn and more.
They’ll join the likes of Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Nothing But Thieves, Levellers, Pale Waves, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Black Honey, Yard Act, The Futureheads, Dream Wife, Beans On Toast, Lauran Hibberd, REWS and many more.
Slam Dunk Festival updated their line-up this week following a couple of drop-outs. Joining the bill are Streetlight Manifesto, Stand Atlantic, Cassyette, MC Lars and more.
The event will also feature Sum 41, Alexisonfire, Neck Deep, Dropkick Murphys, Beartooth, The Used, Deaf Havana, Hot Milk, Cancer Bats, Nova Twins and many more.
Nottingham’s Splendour Festival this week revealed the event will stretch to two days this year with acts including Richard Ashcroft, Supergrass, Razorlight, The Magic Numbers, Ocean Colour Scene and Happy Mondays.
New festival Wide Skies & Butterflies set for North Norfolk
A brand new music festival is heading to the Raynham Estate in North Norfolk. Taking place this August, Wide Skies & Butterflies will feature headline sets from The Vaccines, Hot Chip and James!
They’ll be joined by the likes of Editors, Everything Everything, Levellers, Scouting For Girls, Natalie Imbruglia, Toploader, Lauran Hibberd and MarthaGunn.
Our smorgasbord of festival goodness continues with Gateways Festival who revealed their line-up this week including headliners Jake Bugg and The Charlatans.
Also onboard for the event are The Subways, Ash, The Sherlocks, Dream Wife, Lottery Winners and many more.
Bowling For Soup debut ‘I Wanna Be Brad Pitt’ and announce new album
Bowling For Soup – ‘I Wanna Be Brad Pitt’
Another band releasing new music this week was Bowling For Soup, who returned with new single ‘I Wanna Be Brad Pitt’.
That’s not it though, as the band also revealed that new album ‘Pop Drunk Snot Bread’ will arrive April 22nd!
Listen to the single above, and pre-order your album here.
Fatherson debut ‘Better Friend’
Fatherson – ‘Better Friend’
Fatherson continue to build towards new album, ‘Normal Fears’, which arrives April 1st with new single, ‘Better Friend’.
Speaking on the single, frontman Ross Leighton says, â”Better friend is about losing touch with people when youâre growing up and wishing you were better at staying in touch. Sometimes life gets in the way, but if the last few years has taught me anything life is better with the people you love.
Itâs an anthem about friendship and an apology for letting it slip. It was the first song that I wrote for Normal Fears in my old bedroom in Kilmarnock and it really felt like the first normal fear I had going into the record. It became this reference point for melody and groove that the rest of the record built on.
I think everybody has felt a bit out of sorts before and gotten themselves into a space where they lose touch with people that are close to them. This song for me is a reminder to just get back in touch and start to rebuild. I love it!â
Listen to the track above and pre-order your album here.
One of the most important artists emerging over the last couple of years Bob Vylan have continued to preview their upcoming album ‘Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life’.
The album arrives April 22nd and can be pre-ordered here. Before then you can check out the latest single, ‘Health Is Wealth’ above.
North London singer/songwriter Louis Dunford shares brand new single ‘The Angel’ from his forthcoming second EP ‘The Popham’.
Speaking about the track Louis says: âI wrote this song about my home town. Anyone whoâs lived in North London as long as I have will recognise the people and the places Iâm talking about in the lyrics. Some that are still here and some that are not. Itâs my family and friends favourite song Iâve ever written. Everyone’s London is different. I tried my best to capture oursâ .
‘GIVE IT TO ME’ – CLASSLESS ACT
Los Angeles rockers Classless Act will be joining huge tours with both Dorothy and the Motley Crue/Def Leppard/Poison/Joan Jett Stadium US Tour on their schedule. Check out recent single ‘Give It To Me’ on our Playlist.
‘IT’S ART’ – BLACKGOLD
Described as masked misfits bringing nu-metal vibes, the mysterious Blackgold emerged from the shadows this week with debut single, ‘It’s Art’.
Check out all tracks on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist’, and remember to also check out our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast wherever you listen to or watch your Podcasts. We have multiple Episodes coming this week and just talked with recent Playlisted acts Youth Illusion and Scruffy Bear!
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week of with a rundown of the latest festival line-up announcements including the above beauty from Victorious Festival!
Heading Portsmouth way this August will be a stellar line-up featuring Stereophonics, Paolo Nutini and Sam Fender in the headline slots.
They will be joined across the weekend by the likes of James, Primal Scream, Bastille, The Wombats, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, White Lies, Sports Team, The Subways, We Are Scientists, Nothing But Thieves, Editors, Little Man Tate and Turin Breaks!
Slam Dunk Festival is really taking shape now with the additions of Beartooth, Counterparts, Set It Off, Nova Twins and With Confidence this past week.
They join the likes of Sum 41, Alexisonfire, Neck Deep, Dropkick Murphys, The Used, Deaf Havana, Cancer Bats, Hot Milk and Dream State playing the twin events this June.
Another festival revealing their line-up this week was Deer Shed Festival who will feature Nadine Shah, Self Esteem, Yard Act, Snapped Ankles and Billy Nomates towards the top of their bill.
Also featuring will be Pip Blom, The Mysterines, Du Blonde, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and more.
A single tour announcement in our News Report this week and it comes from Puppy! The band have just revealed an extended run around the UK for this May.
We move now onto the new music release section of the News Report and start this week with the latest from Japanese genre-blenders Crossfaith. The band has just debuted their latest track, ‘Gimme Danger’, which you can check out above.
Speaking of the song, frontman Kenta Koie says: âWe decided to write new music to heal people and boost their minds. We still can’t play live, but we can deliver new music to our fans and Iâm pretty sure that is our role under these circumstances,”, adding that the vocal feature of grime-inspired local rapper ralph brought both an energy, intensity and chemistry to the song.
âOn ‘Gimme Danger’ we welcome ralph, an upcoming rapper who has the essence of grime. We feel a real chemistry, and our fans can catch new feelings with it. Those moments where people have a new experience are more important than just making music â we want to achieve something which we haven’t figured out already, so our exploring will keep going.â
This week also saw Killing Joke return with their first new music in 7 years. ‘Lord of Chaos’ is the title-track for a new 4 song EP due out March 25th. You can pre order your copy now here.
Speaking on the new music Dr Jaz Coleman had the following to say – âIâve never known anything like the time we are living in now; not since the Cuban Missile crisis but now in comparison we have multiple flash points. ‘Lord of Chaos’ is about complex systems failure, when technology overloads and A.I. misreads the enemies intentions.â
The band will also be playing a UK Tour in March and April finishing up with a show at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith which is set to be filmed.
Sunflower Bean announce new album ‘Headful of Sugar’
Sunflower Bean – ‘Who Put You Up To This?’
There is new music on the way from New York trio Sunflower Bean with the announcement that their third album, ‘Headful of Sugar’ will arrive on May 6th.
Said to be fuelled by the agony and ecstasy of contemporary American life. guitarist/vocalist Nick Kivlen says âWe wanted to write about the lived experience of late capitalism, how it feels every day, the mundanity of not knowing where every construct is supposed to ultimately lead you. The message is in the title: this is about fast pleasures, the sugar of life, the joy that comes with letting go of everything you thought mattered.â
Bassist/vocalist Julia Cumming adds âTomorrow is not promised, no tour is promised, no popularity is promised, no health or money is promised. Why not make what you want to make on your own terms? Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?â.
Ahead of the release of the album, the band this week debuted new single, ‘Who Put You Up to This?’, which you can check out above.
The band says of the track, âAre you satisfied? Who put you up to do things that you do? Was it your own choice? Questioning your life is the first step to taking the agency to change it. Sometimes you have to let go of who you have been so that you can become who you want to be.”
Thumper to release debut album ‘Delusions of Grandeur’
Thumper – ‘Overbite’
Finally this week we finish our News Report with the latest from Thumper who we’ve previously featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist.
The band will be releasing their debut album, ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ on March 18th! They have also previewed the album with new track ‘Overbite’ which you can listen to above.
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.
2020 was a year that we all wish we could forget. Could 2021 be any better? Well, it started off just as the previous year ended; with the live music industry on its knees. Lockdown restrictions still ruled out any live in person shows, with even socially distanced shows initially outlawed.
Come late spring, things began to look up and a number of âtestâ events were planned. We were lucky enough to attend the Pilot Download Festival and the euphoria of being amongst fellow music fans in a field canât truly be put into words. Things were looking up!
Live music would eventually make a full return but sadly as we write this The Year In Review 2021 feature, the sector is once again holding its breath waiting for the Government to take action. Alas, true normality may still be a long way off, but for a few months this year we got to feel alive again.
That alone elevates 2021 above 2020, but there is plenty more to unpack. We recently undertook our now annual countdown of our top albums of the year over on our social media. 2021 was a truly exceptional year in terms of album quality. Those musicians kept in lockdown last year certainly found their creativity and compiling a list of the top 50 albums of the year was highly competitive.
In our The Year In Review 2021 article, we will be revealing our end of year award winners. As with last year we will announce our Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Artist of the Year, Gig of the Year and Festival of the Year.
This year however we have an additional award to hand out. 2021 was a big year for Full Pelt Music, our first full year in existence. Weâve grown and weâve enhanced our focus on new music. We launched initially our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist on Spotify through which we highlight the best up and coming artists.
We also launched not one but two Podcasts this year, including the accompanying âDiscoverâ New Music Podcast where we truly shine the spotlight on your new favourite acts. As such, this year we will also be awarding the âDiscoverâ New Artist of the Year award!
Before we get to those awards though, letâs run you through a few of our highlights this year. First of all, as mentioned we also launched The Full Pelt Music Podcast this year. Fittingly our inaugural guest was Frank Turner, the winner of both our Gig of the Year and Artist of the Year awards in our 2020 Year In Review.
Across the Podcasts this year weâve had the pleasure to talk with Press To Meco, Beans On Toast, Miss Vincent, Planet Fatale, Mercutio, Light By The Sea, Freddie and the Fabs, The Damned Few, Project Renegade, Icarus and Smoke! Be sure to check out these conversations, and also to Subscribe on Youtube or wherever you listen to your Podcasts. After all, we will have plenty more for you to enjoy in 2022.
The Music Industry has seized on the opportunity to entertain this year both live and on record. Weâve reviewed 66 albums, 2 festivals and 27 gigs in 2021 as fans have been treated to incredible releases and some truly stunning live shows. Again, perhaps the enforced break has allowed creativity to breed innovation.
So with that in mind, letâs work through those award catagories!
Album of the Year
As weâve already referenced, the pure quality of releases this year made compiling our Top 50 Album of the Year List very tricky. It was hard work but we did it, and you can read the full list here.
The quality is demonstrated best by last yearâs winners IDLES only reaching a still respectable number 7. The winner however had to be âBlue Weekendâ from the incredible Wolf Alice who continue to go from strength to strength. After three stunning albums, there is no ceiling for this band and we canât wait to catch songs from the album live in 2022.
Winner:
‘Blue Weekend’ by Wolf Alice
The Contenders:
‘Written & Directed’ by Black Honey, ‘Typhoons’ by Royal Blood, ‘Seize the Power’ by Yonaka and ‘Transmute’ by Press To MECO
Previous Winners:
2020 – ‘Ultra Mono’ by IDLES
Single of the Year
We move on now to our award for the Single or Song of the Year. This year has again seen us locked down for considerable amounts of time and many will have sought solace in Playlists such as our Spotify Hot List.
In selecting our track of the year we considered which songs weâve come back to time and time again, which songs remain as fresh now as they did on first listen and what songs simply just resonate on a different level.
Our winner is an incredible track from the fantastic album âTransmuteâ from Press To MECO. âA Test Of Our Resolveâ ticks all of the criteria and also sounds absolutely massive live.
Press To MECO – ‘A Test Of Our Resolve’
Winner:
‘A Test Of Our Resolve’ by Press To MECO
The Contenders:
‘My Town’ by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, ‘Afterlife’ by Holding Absence, ‘Midnight’ by Creeper and ‘Haven’t Been Doing So Well’ by Frank Turner
Previous Winners:
2020 – ‘Obey’ by Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
Artist of the Year
Artist of the Year now and for this award we look for somebody who has had a huge, perhaps even career-defining year. Last year we gave the award to Frank Turner for his incredible work for the #SaveOurVenues campaign through his Independent Venue Love series.
This year our winners are a band that also dabbled with livestreams during that first lockdown. This year however has been a hugely important year for Biffy Clyro. A new album, âA Myth of the Happily Ever Afterâ came hot on the heels of last yearâs âA Celebration of Endingsâ. Itâs another quality album from a band that continue to deliver consistently great music.
The band also had a huge impact on the live music scene this year. Firstly, the band rode to the rescue by stepping in as late replacements for Queens of the Stone Age to once again headline Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Secondly, the band played huge outdoor shows in Cardiff, Glasgow and Margate to help signal the return of live music after around 16 months of lockdown. Highlights of both their Reading and Glasgow performances aired on the BBC.
Lastly, the band played a completely sold out and very intimate âFingers Crossedâ Tour across the UK. Their shows this year giving fans an opportunity to witness songs from not one but two albums live for the first time.
Biffy Clyro – ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt / Unknown Male 01’
Winner:
Biffy Clyro
The Contenders:
Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon, Creeper and Wolf Alice
Previous Winners:
2020 – Frank Turner
Festival of the Year
Festivals made a belated return from lockdown restrictions in late summer, although the majority of the usual seasons events were still cancelled. For our Festival of the Year however we canât look anywhere other than the special event that laid the groundwork for all events to return, the Download Pilot Festival!
Back in June the Government test event was the first opportunity for music fans to camp in a field and rock out for three days. The camaraderie and atmosphere this situation created, combined with the uniquely intimate Download layout and line-up made for a once in a lifetime experience.
British bands took centre stage and delivered an incredible weekend of music; with bands and fans both desperate to experience live music again. Thanks to all involved we can hopefully experience a full fat Download Festival again this summer.
Last yearâs winner of Gig of the Year was a socially distancing outdoor affair, this year however true live music returned! Picking a winner this year is difficult because the pent up frustration of lockdown on both musicians and fans vented fully across some amazing gigs.
We reviewed 27 of those shows this year and there were some very special moments amongst them. The winner however must go to Bring Me The Horizon who stormed the O2 Arena with You Me At Six and Nova Twins in tow.
The night was a massive middle finger to any remaining doubters and the band solidified themselves not just as arena fillers but as festival headline ready. Fitting therefore that they have recently been revealed as headliners for Reading & Leeds Festivals next year.
Creeper @ O2 Kentish Town Forum, Idlewild @ Electric Brixton, The Offspring @ Wembley Arena, Biffy Clyro @ O2 Kentish Town Forum, Vukovi @ Norwich Waterfront Studio and Royal Blood @ Norwich UEA
Previous Winners:
2020 – Frank Turner @ Nottingham Arboretum
‘Discover’ New Artist of the Year
Our final award is a new award for this year where we shift focus on to the future. Having launched our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist and Podcast this year we wanted to honour an act that we have featured and for whom the future is bright.
With their debut album âA Funeral For Youthâ cracking our top 20 for the year, Miss Vincent take the inaugural âDiscoverâ New Artist of the Year award!
Miss Vincent – ‘Rosaline’
Winner:
Miss Vincent
The Contenders:
Planet Fatale, Dead Nature and Thumper
So, it hasnât been a usual year again, in fact at times it has been just as hard as 2020. 2021 has however reminded us of what we were missing. Stunning new music, incredible live shows and a return to some normality (nobody say ânewâ normal!), make 2021 a year that will live long in the memory for many reasons.
We hope youâve enjoyed our The Year in Review 2021 feature and we wish you a very Happy New Year. Hereâs hoping 2022 is a good one!
