London rockers Puppy offered great promise on their debut album, ‘The Goat’, back in 2019. Now the three-piece return with sophomore offering, ‘Pure Evil’, so how does this album hold up against its predecessor?
Well, from the very beginning the bands trademark sound remains intact as they produce a unique crossover of grunge and metal with a pop bow on top. Intro ‘Shining Star’ leads into single ‘The Kiss’ as the album very much picks up where ‘The Goat’ left off.
That’s certainly not to say that there isn’t progress made on ‘Pure Evil’. Somehow the riffs feel meatier yet the melodies sound poppier as the band stretch the differing ends of their rock and roll rainbow.
In doing so the end result may well be a pot of gold. Well perhaps not literal gold, but definitely musical gold. The likes of ‘My Offer’ and ‘…And Watched It Glow’ show that Puppy maintain their power to craft strong singles; but it’s the overall quality on show that cements the band as one of the finest purveyors of new rock music.
As the album comes towards a close, the band deliver more examples of the maturity in sound reached since their debut. ‘Angel’, ‘Shame’ and ‘Glacial’ give ‘Pure Evil’ a stunning ending and leave you ready to hit play again.
Puppy have managed to back up their fantastic debut with another album packed full of sublime alt rock that further establishes the band as amongst the best young rock bands around.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report. This week we are starting off with the latest festival news, and first up is All Points East in London.
The Victoria Park event this week added new acts to the Gorillaz headlined day on Friday 19th August. Heading up the latest additions are Turnstile who join the likes of IDLES and Self Esteem and a packed bill.
RISEFEST has this week revealed their line-up for the Saturday 10th September event. Headliners Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will be joined by VUKOVI, WSTR, Zand and many more.
On to the latest tour announcements now in our News Report and it was a big news week for The Subways. The band will be hitting the road later this year including a date at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.
Not only that, the band also debuted new single, ‘You Kill My Cool’, which will feature on their upcoming new album. Listen to the track below.
Puppy this week debuted the latest single from their upcoming album, ‘Pure Evil’. You can listen to ‘My Offer’ above, ahead of the album release on May 6th.
Australian pop punk duo 3REE have released their brand new single ‘Set This Place On Fire’, featuring guest vocals from Sleeping With Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn.
“We’re living our childhood dream!”, 3REE say about their collaboration with Kellin. “It was amazing to collaborate with such an idol of ours.”
Continuing about how the collaboration came about 3REE drummer Sean Tighe explains, “When we were writing the song, we could hear Kellin’s voice as a perfect fit with Mitch’s. I simply messaged Kellin the song and asked if he’d be interested and how wonderful it would be. Kellin’s response was fantastic, saying “WOW! This song is a banger” and “I can track my vocals by the end of the week”. We had to pinch ourselves.”
About the meaning of the song 3REE vocalist and guitarist Mitch Volcan says, “We built the song around the lyric ‘When the fire burns out we all come alive’; writing with the aim of connecting with the listener with the sense of rawness, energy and togetherness that you face during dark times.”
‘PARIS WILL BE PAID FOR’ – ANORAK PATCH
With debut EP ‘By Cousin Sam’ out at the end of this month, teenagers Anorak Patch have shared new single ‘Paris Will Be Paid For’.
On the new single, guitarist Oscar said, “Paris will be paid for is a song of ours which combines pop hooks and more off kilter music. It’s at a constant tempo however it changes time signatures multiple times throughout the song. It makes it wonky and the more melodic parts can sort of too because of that.”
He adds, “The lyrics, like the music itself, are absurd and silly. Nothing is taken too seriously and is all very tongue in cheek and a joke. We find lyrics don’t often have to be about much, as long as the syllables fit and there’s a nice melody.”
‘TENNIS’ – COURTING
Liverpool four-piece Courting have returned with a new single titled ‘Tennis’.
Speaking about the single, the band says, “Tennis is a paypig’s personal redemption narrative, set in “the city”, and told in two parts. A twisted tale of two lovers’ back and forth, bound by cricket, bodybuilding, and money. A story as old as time.
We named the song Tennis as a logical (but unrelated) sequel to our two previously released sports-related songs. To us, this felt like a natural ending to that idea. Dynamically, the second part of the song is supposed to represent a shift in tone for the character in which they realise their own worth and leave the situation that is set within the first part of the song.”
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! Where else could we start this week other than the line-up reveal for the mother of them all – Glastonbury Festival!
Yes, Worthy Farm is set for a spectacular celebration this June which will be headlined by Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Diana Ross.
Highlights on the line-up include Fontaines D.C., HAIM, IDLES, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Primal Scream, Self Esteem, Skunk Anansie, Squid, Supergrass, Turnstile, Wolf Alice and Wet Leg.
No Glasto tickets? Well, perhaps your summer lies at Beautiful Days festival who this week revealed their line-up!
Performing over the weekend will be the likes of Flogging Molly, The Specials, Levellers, The Dandy Warhols, Maximo Park, Seasick Steve, Funke And The Two Tone Baby, Billy Bragg, The Magic Numbers, Samantics, Millie Manders And The Shut Up and more.
Another option for festival lovers this summer is Latitude Festival who this week revealed their line-up. Headlining this year will be Lewis Capaldi, Foals and Snow Patrol.
They will be joined by the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Fontaines D.C., Maximo Park, Self Esteem, Bessie Turner, Gaffa Tape Sandy, JOHN and Porridge Radio.
The always incredible 2000trees Festival this week grew their 2022 line-up with the additions of Creeper, The Regrettes, Puppy, Strange Bones, Calva Louise, Sick Joy and Gloo.
They join an already packed bill including headliners Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Turnstile and IDLES.
The flow of festival announcements continue as we press on with our News Report with the latest line-up for Boardmasters.
Playing the festival this year will be the likes of George Ezra, IDLES, Bastille, Kings Of Leon, The Wombats, Self Esteem, Pale Waves, CRAWLERS and Peaness.
Live At Leeds will be hosting an outdoor edition this year and this week the line-up saw a number of huge additions.
Playing the event will be Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines, Sports Team, The Pigeon Detectives, The Snuts, Dream Wife, The Mysterines, Lauran Hibberd, Kid Kapichi and Zuzu.
Our News Report moves on now to the latest tour announcements. We start this week with Limp Bizkit who have added two additional dates in the UK whilst also moving their existing dates to September.
This week also saw Salem announce a new UK Tour set for April. ‘The Unholy Communion’ Tour will feature guests Bad Nerves and includes a dates at The Underworld in Camden.
New music releases take centre stage now in our News Report, and we start with global superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers. This week the band debuted new single, ‘Poster Child’, which you can listen to above.
The track comes ahead of new album, ‘Unlimited Love’, which arrives April 1st.
Placebo unveil new single ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’
Placebo – ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’
Another huge act readying the release of a new album is Placebo. This week they released their latest single, ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’, which you can listen to above.
Commenting on the track frontman Brian Molko says:
“Happy Birthday In The Sky for me, is one of the more heartbreaking moments on the album. Happy Birthday In The Sky is a phrase that I’ve been using for quite some time. When I say, happy birthday to people who aren’t with us anymore, it communicates the kind of heartbreak that we’re really, really good at communicating I think. You know that sense of loss, that sense of desperation. It’s as if a part of your body and your soul has been ripped from you unfairly. And you pine and you pine, and you wait.
What I am thinking is that this is kind of so visceral and so intense emotionally that it’s really going to communicate something very powerful to the listener. And that’s basically all I’m interested in. At what cost? Who cares. As long as the song really, really moves people, then whatever sacrifices you have to make in order to get there are fine with me. It’s not such a bad thing to inhabit these emotions – you’re very, very much alive and in the moment while you’re doing so.”
Their new album, ‘Never Let Me Go’ arrives on March 25th.
A couple of bands next who we recently featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist on Spotify. Firstly October Drift who returned with new track, ‘Insects’ this week which you can listen to above.
Regarding ‘Insects’ vocalist and guitarist Kiran Roy says, “It’s a coming-of-age song, about feeling life pull you in different directions. It’s about growing up but finding yourself smaller and more up against it than ever. I wrote the lyrics after visiting the Kelvingrove museum in Glasgow and seeing all the Victorian butterflies and beetles pinned up on display.”
The latter is reflected in lyrics of the powerful chorus as Kiran sings, “We’re still insects pinned to walls, trying to crawl, trying to crawl”.
The second of those ‘Discover’ New Music bands in our News Report this week is James and the Cold Gun who this week released new track ‘It’s Mutual’, which you can check out above.
The first track added to the playlist this week is the brand new single from Guise. You can check out ‘Don’t Come Back’ now on the playlist.
The single comes ahead of their debut album, ‘Youngest Daughter’ which will be released through Xtra Mile Recordings on April 29th.
‘Lies’ – Cosmic Ninja
The next band added this week is Cosmic Ninja with their track ‘Lies’. The single features on their forthcoming new EP, ‘Dissident Transmission’ which arrives on April 8th.
Commenting on the track, the band said: “‘Lies’ is about the dishonesty and corruption rife in UK politics. The endless lies and lack of integrity has reached an extreme level—we are fearful of the consequences and the damage it is doing to society. Politics has lost sight of trying to make a better place for everyone and, instead, those with influence climb to the top and pull up the ladder by any means necessary.”
“In most lines of work, you would be held accountable for lies, but, for politicians, it seems acceptable practice; a tool that is extremely effective in misleading and wrongly influencing public opinion. This song is about calling out those lies, seeing through the misconception and positively challenging those walking blindly through corruption.”
‘Love Kills The Demons’ – Krush Puppies
Finally this week we have added the new track from Krush Puppies, ‘Love Kills The Demons’. The band will release their debut EP of the same name on May 6th.
It’s an acknowledgment from vocalist and bassist Alexa about the night terrors she had for years, where she’d be up all night seeing shapes in the darkness. Then she met someone and suddenly it all went away as if his presence made her feel safe.
Alexa explains, “This faceless shadowy figure would sit at the end of the bed and wake me by pushing on my chest so that I was gasping for air. I used to be up all night, then I met someone and suddenly I started sleeping all the way through, soundly next to him. I guess I suddenly felt safe, which feels very soppy now I’m having to write it down. But I can’t describe this overwhelming sense of peace that I felt almost instantly. I came into the studio with the chords and melody, then we all finished it that day. A few weeks later we recorded it with John Bisset, and Jenny and I sang the whole song together in unison, so our voices kind of blended to make one. It almost sounds like a whole new band member.”
Thus concludes our weekly News Report. Remember to also check out our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast. We released two more episodes this week with recently Playlisted acts as guests. Our chats with both Daytime TV and PET NEEDS are available now.
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week 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: “We 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 I’m 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.
“On ‘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 – we want to achieve something which we haven’t figured out already, so our exploring will keep going.”
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 – “I’ve 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.”
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 “We 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.”
Bassist/vocalist Julia Cumming adds “Tomorrow 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?”.
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, “Are 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.
The bulk of our News Report this week will focus on the great new music releases of the past week, but first a handful of new tour announcements!
Up first, the legendary Status Quo will be on the road again in 2022 and this past week the band revealed an Arena Tour for late in the year. The ‘Xmas 22 Tour’ will see support from Shakin’ Stevens and concludes at Wembley Arena.
Fightstar and Busted man Charlie Simpson will head out on a solo UK Tour next year in support of his upcoming album, ‘Hope Is A Drug’. That albums arrived March 11th and the tour will start two days later in Dublin.
Our final tour announcement comes from Fatherson who also revealed the release of their latest album ‘Normal Fears’. The record will arrive on February 25th and is preceded by new single, ‘Normal People’.
You can check out the single below, with pre-order and ticket information here.
We turn our focus fully now onto new music releases as our News Report continues. This week saw Beans On Toast debut his latest track, ‘Humans’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on new album, ‘Survival of the Friendliest’ which arrives on December 1st.
There was also new music this week from one of the hottest new acts in the UK, Bob Vylan. The duo released their latest single, ‘GDP’ and announced their new album, ‘The Price of Life’ will be arriving 22nd April.
We said there were plenty of new music releases for our News Report this week and next up are Puppy. This week saw the band unveil their latest single, ‘The Kiss’, which you can check out above.
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Red Hot Chili Peppers unveil UK Stadium Tour dates
Welcome to our weekly News Report, where we roundup the best music news from the past week. We start off this week with a slew of tour announcements. The first of which comes from the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Now reunited with guitarist John Frusciante, the group this week revealed a huge world tour which will include 3 dates in the UK. Fans will be able to catch the band in Manchester, London and Glasgow next summer.
Tickets will be available from Friday 15th October at 10am here.
Another American band set to make their way to the UK in 2022 is Counting Crows. The group are set for a UK Tour in March and April which will now include two dates at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
We continue with a Canadian band now that this week announced a UK Tour for 2022. Arkells will be coming over in September next year for a run of shows including a date at Electric Brixton.
You can pick up tickets for the ‘Blink Once’ Tour here.
Having started with American and Canadian bands coming to the UK, our next tour announcement is for UK act Puppy who will head out on the International Tour of… England!
Yes, Puppy will be making the long trek around England with stops in six places, finishing up with a show at the Garage in London.
This past week was a big news week for The Mysterines. The band has announced a long run of dates for next year including a show at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.
These dates are in support of their newly announced debut album, ‘Reeling’, which will arrive March 11th. Fans who pre-order the album before 3pm on Tuesday 12th October will get early access to tour tickets.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes unveil ‘Off With His Head’ featuring Cassyette
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Off With His Head’
Finally we round out our News Report with the latest single from Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. The band will release their fourth album, ‘Sticky’, next Friday! This week they unveiled the single, ‘Off With His Head’ which features Cassyette.
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes unveil the ‘Sticky’ era
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Sticky’
We start out our News Report this week with the incomparable Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes as they begin their latest era. This week saw the band announce that their latest album, ‘Sticky’, will be released October 15th!
Arriving at the same time was a brand new single of the same name, which you can check out above.
You can pre-order the album here, and those that do so before 15:00 on Tuesday 13th July will receive special pre-sale access to their newly announced UK Tour. The tour includes two dates at Brixton Academy and tickets for all dates will be available here.
As we all hold our breath and hope that the world can return to some sort of normality sooner rather than later, the Music Venue Trust are continuing their fantastic work supporting music venues. The organisation is hoping to help ‘revive live’ and get fans back into venues in desperate need of support.
To this end they have unveiled the ‘Revive Live’ tour featuring some huge music acts gracing smaller venues. There will be shows from the likes of Rag’N’Bone Man, Fontaines D.C., Frank Turner, Bob Vylan, The Futureheads, Twin Atlantic and many more.
The return of live music feels imminent with a handful of festivals confirming their intentions to proceed. Headlining a couple of these events will be Royal Blood who have announced a small run of warm-up shows. Support comes from Tigercub.
As expected tickets have flown out, but you can check here for any remaining along with tickets to their 2022 Arena Tour.
Bob Vylan announces the ‘We Live Here’ Tour
One of the hottest new acts around, Bob Vylan, will be hitting the road very soon as part of the Music Venue Trust ‘Revive Live’ run of shows. The ‘We Live Here’ Tour is set to be a special run of shows as fans enjoy live music for the first time in almost 18 months. Support on select dates comes from Witch Fever and Zand!
We Are Scientists this week announced their return to Europe and the UK for a huge run of dates that in the UK will finish up at the O2 Kentish Town Forum. Tickets are available from here.
One piece of festival news in our News Report this week and it comes from Steelhouse Festival. The event has received confirmation that it can go ahead and with new additions Uriah Heep and Stone Broken onboard attendees are set for a fantastic weekend of rock music.
The rest of the line-up sees The Darkness, Therapy?, The Wildhearts, Those Damn Crows, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, Wayward Sons and more head for Wales. Final tickets here.
Don Broco debut ‘Gumshield’
Don Broco – ‘Gumshield’
On to our new music section of our News Report and there is plenty to report this week. We start with Bedford’s own Don Broco as they debut the latest single from their upcoming album, ‘Amazing Things’.
You can check out ‘Gumshield’ above and you can pre-order the album here, ahead of its release on September 17th.
Creeper recently stormed their headline set at the Download Pilot Festival and this week they continued their momentum with another stunning single release. Check out ‘America At Night’ above which precedes their upcoming EP ‘American Noir’ on July 30th.
Trash Boat have this week unveiled their latest single, ‘Bad Entertainment’ that features Milkie Way of Wargasm. The release comes ahead of their upcoming record, ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing?’ on August 13th.
Puppy returned this week with a brand new single, ‘Angel’, which you can check out above. The band also announced a special show at the Garage in Highbury. For tickets and more click here.
Another band with new music on show this week is Demob Happy. The group released their fantastic new single ‘Sympathy Boy’, which you can check out above. Tour tickets and more information from the band here.
‘Discover’ New Music Playlist adds The Mysterines and more
Finally in our News Report this week we remind you that we recently launched our brand new ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist on Spotify. Packed with the best new acts head here to discover your new favourite band!
New additions this week include WOOZE, ROSIE and the brand new single from The Mysterines, ‘In My Head’! These join inaugural additions from Miss Vincent, Smoke, Dead Nature, SCALPING, The Islas and more. Remember to follow the playlist as we continue to add more fantastic new music!
