Welcome everyone to the final News Report for 2022! We hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year! Our action packed News Report will return in January, but before then we have plenty of delicious music news to dissect!
Up for this week, we look at the best tour announcements from the past week and we start with Kiss. The band has revealed that their ‘End of the Road’ World Tour will continue into 2023 with a new UK Tour announced starting in Plymouth and ending up in Glasgow.
This *could be* your last chance to catch the band live! Tickets are here.
Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has revealed a full UK & Ireland Tour for next spring. The tour will showcase upcoming debut album, ‘Put Your Foot Down’, which is out April 28th.
On Friday, Colchester’s Pet Needs played a huge homecoming show which served as the 2nd ‘Fractured Party’. As the show concluded, the band announced the 3rd instalment will take place on December 16th 2023.
We move now on to festival announcements and up first is the return of Brits Week in aid of War Child. February will see bands playing intimate shows across the country with a focus on London.
The Hunna, The Snuts, Sea Girls, Frank Turner and Bob Vylan are amongst those on offer in 2023.
Another event doing a fantastic job in raising money for charity is Teddy Rocks festival in aid of research and direct support for children with cancer.
This year the event hosts Feeder, Jake Bugg, The Amazons, Those Damn Crows, Punk Rock Factory, Kid Kapichi, Dream State, Mason Hill, The Bottom Line and many more.
Penn Fest in Buckinghamshire also unveiled their line-up for next Summer this past week, including headliners Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Bastille.
They’ll be joined by the likes of Johnny Marr, Gaz Coombes, The Skinner Brothers and Embrace.
The final festival news in our News Report this week comes from Firestorm Festival. The event has added Massive Wagons to the top of their Friday bill for 2023.
They join the likes of Royal Republic, The Virginmarys, Mason Hill, Hollowstar, Kris Barras Band, Black Spiders and Scruffy Bear.
Hell Is For Heroes share ‘I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’
Hell Is For Heroes – I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’
New releases are up next in our News Report as we bring you the first new music from Hell Is For Heroes in 15 years. You can listen to their new single, ‘I Should Never Have Been Here In The First Place’, above.
On the week of her highly anticipated âDEADGIRLâ mixtape release fearless Doom Trap artist Mimi Barks has unveiled her new track âASHESâ.
Talking about the meaning behind ‘ASHES’, Mimi Barks shares, âWomen who posed a threat during the dark ages were accused of being witches, intimidated, burned alive, and sentenced to execution. Today, ever since the Age of Enlightenment, a creative, strong-willed, and self-assured woman still gets burnt to the stake verbally by those led by their own anxieties.â
XL LIFE – ‘Baby Steps’
XL LIFE shared new single ‘Baby Steps’ featuring Bob Vylan!
On working with Vylan for the new single, vocalist Traxx says:Â âWe always felt a kinship with Bob because of his message, his boldness, and his morals, so with this song we took the opportunity to have him on the album and co-sign each otherâs work. We will support him to the end.â
Commenting on the relevance of the new single, vocalist Traxx says:Â âWe knew this song had to be made, because we had all been going through some heavy stuff outside of the band. The band has been stop-start/stop-start the whole time, trying to prioritise our health and coming up against some really traumatic circumstances, so this song had to address that. The healing journey. Baby steps. Holding onto the promises.â
Fountain Island – ‘Pretty Little Nightmare’
Pop-punk newcomers Fountain Island reveal their contagious new single, ‘Pretty Little Nightmares’.
The band remark about its creation: ââPretty Little Nightmaresâ explores the bittersweetness of the first time with a loved one, and the realisation that one day it will just be a memory and can never be experienced again. The track takes cues from Blink182âs âI Miss Youâ, with its melancholy gothic tone whilst retaining the youthful pop feel.â
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
This week we begin with a handful of festival announcements including one that is always a hotly anticipation one, who is playing Reading & Leeds Festivals?
Your headliners this year are Sam Fender, Foals, The Killers, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons. They’ll be joined by the likes of Wet Leg, Nothing But Thieves, Slowthai, You Me At Six, Baby Queen, Inhaler, Don Broco and The Snuts.
Sticking to the August Bank Holiday weekend, Victorious Festival also revealed their first acts for next year this week including Friday night headliner Jamiroquai.
Also playing over the weekend will be The Vaccines, Amyl & The Sniffers, The Coral, The Enemy, Crawlers and many more.
Red Hot Chili Peppers extend Stadium Tour into 2023
We move our News Report now onto the best tour announcements from the past week and we begin with the news that Red Hot Chili Peppers will extend their global Stadium Tour into 2023.
Next year will see the legendary act play in London and Glasgow with support coming from The Roots and King Princess.
The Black Keys have this week announced their long awaited return to the UK after an eight year absence.
The band will play arena shows in London, Manchester and Glasgow with support from Spoon.
âAfter 8 long years, we are excited to say The Black Keys are coming back to Europe and the UK. We canât wait to see you at the shows in these iconic venuesâ the duo says.
We have plenty of juicy tours in our News Report this week and next we turn to Deaf Havana. The band have revealed that they will be back on the road in March and April.
DMAâs continue to tease new music from their fourth album ‘How Many Dreams?’, with the release of new track, ‘Olympia’, which you can check out above.
Guitarist Matt Mason comments on âOlympiaâ: ââOlympiaâ was written for a crowd, and is a dedication to all of our fans, especially the ones whoâve been with us from the start. we canât wait to play it for you all.â
Their new album is out March 31st, pre-order your copy here.
Levellers have announced their brand new acoustic album ‘Together All The Way’ will be released on March 10th. You can listen to new single, ‘Down By The River ‘O” above.
Of the album and recording, the Levellers say, âIt was truly a fun record to make, under the rigorous guidance of Sean. Seanâs a musician himself, always bringing ideas and get out of jail free suggestions when we got stuck. Itâs a stripped back, raw iteration of the collective with deep folk leanings. As energetic as the first one but definitely different.â
Blondshell explains, “I was obsessed with the [US teen drama] show âVeronica Marsâ as a kid and I was revisiting it around the time I wrote this song. I wanted to sing about that childhood era when I was being exposed to a lot more than I was comfortable with. âGimme shelterâ refers to the song but Iâm also saying please give me shelter from graphic TV and film, from New York City, overwhelming lyrics, etc. I think the song is just about having my boundaries crossed and the effects of those transgressions (for example, growing up to think men are hot if theyâre assholes).”
overpass – ‘3AM’
overpass have shared their latest single, ‘3AM’.
They commented, ââ3AMâ is an innocent coming-of-age song that I think most people can relate to. Itâs about the excitement you get when youâre going out, knowing you might be able to connect with that person, or at least hope that they will call you back when the night is over and done with.â
Life In Mono – ‘Blackout’
Life In Mono have just shared double A-side singles ‘Blackout/Sex To White Noise’
Speaking about the inspiration behind the singles, vocalist Sarah Clayton says, âBlackout is about people in your life that you know are no good for you but are hard to give up, whereas Sex To White Noise is about trying to find a connection that makes you feel something when youâre feeling really numb. If youâve ever been on prozac youâll know!”
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with returning Britpop legends Blur as they are set to play not one but two huge headline dates at Wembley Stadium.
Support comes from Slowthai, Self Esteem and Jockstrap!
Speaking on the announcement Damon Albarn said ââWe really love playing these songs and thought it’s about time we did it again.â
Graham Coxon said â âIâm really looking forward to playing with my blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs⊠blur live shows are always amazing for me. A nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling facesâŠâ
Alex James added â âThere’s always something really special when the four of us get in a room. It’s nice to think that on 8th July that room will be Wembley Stadium.â
And Dave Rowntree said â âAfter the chaos of the last few years, itâs great to get back out to play some songs together on a summerâs day in London. Hope to see you there.â
We move our News Report on now to festival announcements and start with new event Dog Day Afternoon which is set for Crystal Palace Park in London next July.
The event will feature Iggy Pop, Blondie and supergroup Generation Sex.
âBlondie and Iggy Pop⊠we are excited to reunite with our friend, the one & only Prince of Punk, Iggy for this special show in Crystal Palace Park. Once more, with feeling!â – Debbie Harry
âJust every now and then we find time to get together with old pals from back in the day – purely just for the crack and to have fun. If it ainât fun then we ainât interested, lifeâs too shortâ – Steve Jones
The final festival announcement in our News Report this week comes from Bloodstock, who have made further additions to a line-up that features Killswitch Engage, Megadeth, Anthrax, In Flames, Ugly Kid Joe, Knocked Loose and Nonpoint amongst others.
New additions this week include Heaven Shall Burn and Seething Akira.
Next, our News Report covers the best new releases from the past week and we begin this week with Enter Shikari.
The group shared new single, ‘Bull’, featuring Cody Frost and you can check out the video above.
Lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds comments: âSome people seem to crop up in your life, do immense damage to it, and then scuttle off again unscathed and unfazed. Whether itâs harassers or bullies, social media trolls, or ill-considered romantic partners, this song is about those who damage your mental health, your self-esteem, and even your very identityâ.
âWeâve known Cody for years and years now, and consider them a real part of the inner Shikari family. Weâve always known they were a wonderful talent and itâs been great to see them begin to ascend and find their voice.
When I was writing the chorus to Bull I could just immediately hear their voice. It seemed ingrained in the very viscera of the song already. We showed them the track and they came at us with all the passion in the world. Cody has incredible dynamic ability and is able to offer enormous power but with real vulnerability and tenderness never too far away. It was a joy to have them on this one, it all came together so effortlessly and we are all over the moon with the resultâ.
Cody Frost adds: âI canât tell you how much this collab means to me, and it came at just the right time. Iâd been through a hard breakup and lost everything, so when Rory messaged me asking if I wanted to be on a Shikari track, I lost my mind! Iâve been a huge fan of Enter Shikari since I was 15, I even have my favourite track title tattooed on my palms.
When I got the news I sat in my room for hours and the lyrics just poured out, I went into the studio with Dan (Weller), who has worked with me on my own music and some of Shikariâs too, to lay down the vocals while the band listened!
Filming the video was a dream, my favourite musicians serving me pies!!! It was surreal, and the concept was so fun I just know that Shikari fans are gonna dig it.â
Stray From The Path debut video for ‘Neighborhood Watch’
Stray From The Path – ‘Neighborhood Watch’
Stray From The Path, have released a music video for new single, ‘Neighborhood Watch’, with footage shot during their recent headline tour. Check out the video above.
“We wanted to do something fun, and something special on our last tour around North America,” says guitarist Tom Williams, “we filmed every single show and put together a music video where people were apart of it. It’s awesome to see familiar faces, and new faces having fun, playing new shit and just enjoying what we’ve missed so much.”
The Murder Capital have shared the latest single from their upcoming album, ‘Gigi’s Recovery’, which is out January 20th. Listen to ‘Ethel’ above.
The band share about the new single: âThe song âEthelâ is a picture of a crossroads, really, asking you what you want from life. Whether you want to continue down a path of chaos, or make a change in your course. Itâs showing you what is possible when you make the decisions that bring a sort of cradled warmth into your future. The idea of âEthelâ is that you can have what you truly desire if you put to rest those short-lived fixes that never bring you any real happiness.â
The band also share the Maxim Kelly directed video for ‘Ethel’; Kelly shares about the making of the video: âInitially I thought Ethel should be the main character and do the dance at the end, and I always had this image from this French film called ‘My American Uncle’. Where itâs like a little girl standing up at a table. I originally had that image in my head for a rap video, but it didnât really make sense to the song, I wanted this to feel more like surreal so then as I started finding more imagery, it kind of transpired that maybe the maid was the more interesting character.â
Jamie Lenman reveals NHS Charity single ‘Hospital Tree’
Jamie Lenman – ‘Hospital Tree’
Ahead of the release of his fifth solo album, ‘The Athiest’, out November 25th, Jamie Lenman has shared new single ‘Hospital Tree’, which you can listen to above.
Proceeds from the track go towards NHS Charities.
Commenting on the track, Lenman says: âI ended up visiting Frimley Park Hospital, who treated me when I got pneumonia and took care of my Dad when he had cancer, to talk to them about the idea of Christmas in hospital. One lady said she was glad I’d noticed their efforts with things like decorations and such, that cheering the place up around the holidays is important to them, and that one of the things that made the pandemic even harder was that they weren’t able to do as much of that. So it was wonderful that they could hear my message of thanks. I hope they all hear it.â
The single comes with a beautifully simplistic video directed by Jen Hingley that echoes the poignant lyrical themes of the song, which sees Lenman flexing his multi-instrumental muscles on a piano ballad in yet another impressive chameleonic turn.
âMy original idea had been to get hold a huge choir and have everyone singing away in this whole epic production,â says Lenman of the visuals, âbut I just couldn’t get it together so we ended up going the other wayâjust me and a piano in a beautiful old village hall, really concentrating on the song and, of course, the tree.â
Willie J Healey shares new single ‘Sure Feels Good’
Willie J Healey – ‘Sure Feels Good’
About to hit the road supporting Florence + The Machine on her UK Arena Tour, Willie J Healey has shared new single âSure It Feels Goodâ, which you can listen to above. The tracks serves as another taster ofnew album ‘Bunny’ out 24th March.
Earlier this year James And The Cold Gun released debut EP, ‘False Start’. Now the ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist alumni will start to build towards their full debut album with new single, ‘Chewing Glass’, which you can listen to above.
Frontman James Joseph had the following to say about the themes behind their new single:
“Chewing Glass” was written during a time where I felt like I couldn’t catch a break. The verses are a conversation with myself in the mirror at a low point where I’m re-evaluating all of my decisions – in essence, it’s a song about being down on your luck but persisting anyway. It’s our first self-produced song, which in itself was an act of persistence, but we’re super happy with the result.”
The former Boy Jumps Ship return as STAY FREE and share their new single, ‘Future Self’.
The band had the following to say:
âWeâre so excited to release new music, it’s by far the most exciting thing we have ever been a part of as musicians, and weâre excited to get it out there and release new tunes consistently. Working with Jason was a blast, itâs the most fun we have ever had in the studio.â
Lux Lyall – ‘Draw Blood’
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and poet Lux Lyall has released her brand new single, ‘Draw Blood’.
Regarding the new single Lux says, ââDraw Bloodâ is actually about multiple things. A few years ago I was finally open with my therapist about an assault that happened while I was dating someone when I was younger; I was pretty closed about it after it happened because I actually felt guilty for staying in the relationship afterwards. Now I know I basically shut the whole thing out because I didnât want to face it, itâs still hard to talk about.
âReflecting on that a few years ago while in another romantic situation that made me feel stifled, I wrote the chorus about being angry at what Iâd put up with, and what a lot of my friends were still putting up with in abusive situations. The verses are more about how trapped I felt at the time.
âI was watching a few of my guy friends going on tour and I was happy for them and envious at the same time. I kept thinking about the concept of âbeing with the bandâ and how Iâd been that way when I was young and all it did was give me trauma! Iâm trying to say I donât want to be with the band anymore I want to BE the band.â
Adult Leisure – ‘Control’
Bristol-based alt-indie four-piece Adult Leisure release new single, ‘Control’, taken from upcoming debut EP, ‘The Weekend Ritual’.
Reflecting on the EP, the band state, âweâve always wanted to produce an honest and homegrown debut selection of songs which both showcases our ability as musicians, but also keeps in line with our honest grass roots style. We wanted people to hear us with no filter or 3rd party influence. In an industry where so much is insincere, we wanted to give people us and us alone.â
Speaking about the inspiration behind the single the band state, âControl focuses around an immeasurable love to which itâs clear the object of affection isnât the wisest choice, yet still the lover is drawn ever closer, due to the overwhelming presence the recipient of their adoration has within their life.
They are the drug they can’t seem to pry themselves away from. They are hell, yet they are home and this is the battle the lover is having with themselves.â
