Stormzy announces #Merky Books literature festival

Jungle have been announced as the latest headliners for this year’s All Points East festival in London.The funk and soul/dance duo – comprising Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland – are set to deliver a UK exclusive performance in Victoria Park on Saturday, August 26.Also featured on the line-up for that day are Erykah Badu, Folamour, BADBADNOTGOOD, 070 Shake, Tobe Nwigwe, Charlotte Day Wilson, Lil Silva, Ragz Originale and Pretty Girl. Organisers promise that “many more” acts are to added in the coming months.Tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT next Tuesday (March 21) – you’ll be able to purchase yours here.

Alison Goldfrapp has today announced her debut solo album ‘The Love Invention’, and dropped the synth-heavy new single ‘So Hard So Hot’.The release marks the musician’s first full release as a solo artist, following her extensive career with electronic duo Goldfrapp.Set for release on May 12, the album will see the vocalist channel her love of disco and house into an 11-track LP that captures her “forward-thinking” approach to songwriting and her “reawakening as a dancefloor priestess”.Following on from launch single ‘Digging Deeper’, the vocalist also shared her new single ‘So Hard So Hot’ – a track that captures glossy synths and an intense bassline, paired with a classic house beat.Accompanying the song is the hypnotic music video, which uses a range of AI techniques to see the vocalist pulled into her fantasy environment.“I wanted to do something that had that very clubby, acid-y feeling to it,” she said of the latest track. “But I wanted lightness to come out of the chorus – there’s tension there, as well as euphoric freedom.”According to the musician, the track seeks to reflect a mythical world that is simultaneously powerful and fragile, and represents the “instability and hope of transitional states”.Alison Goldfrapp is also set to play a series of live shows in the UK.

The nominees for this year’s Heavy Music Awards have been announced. Vukovi lead the pack with five nominations, while Nova Twins, Halestorm and Ghost have four apiece.“Being the first and only band to receive five nominations in one year in the history of the HMAs has given us such a sense of purpose and achievement”, says Vukovi vocalist Janine Shilstone.“We feel seen and we feel heard.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Kuwaiti-born writer-director Zeyad (also known as “Z”) Alhusaini, whose action movie with comedic undertones “How I Got There” recently won the audience award at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, has joined United Talent Agency for representation in all areas. The groundbreaking film about two best buddies from childhood, named Salem and Asad, who stumble upon a gun shipment and try to seize this opportunity to get rich quick is set entirely in the Persian Gulf. “How I Got There” provides a relatively realistic glimpse of Kuwait’s present-day melting-pot of cultures, and its underworld of gun-running mercenaries, gangs, and terrorists, plus the local rap scene.

The Cure have announced a 2023 tour across North America – find all the details below and purchase tickets here.The band will kick off the 30-date tour at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on May 10, with stops planned in Austin, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Tampa and many more, before closing out at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami on July 1.The run also includes three dates at both LA’s Hollywood Bowl and New York’s Madison Square Garden, with support across all dates from The Twilight Sad.“The Cure return to North America in May for a 30 date tour #ShowsOfALostWorld23,” the band wrote on social media, the hashtag being the name of their much anticipated first new album since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’.Verified fan registration is open now until Monday, March 13 at 10am EST and can be accessed here.

The Killers, Brandi Carlile and Bruno Mars have been announced as headliners for Bourbon & Beyond festival 2023.The four-day festival takes place at Louisville’s Highland Festival Grounds in Kentucky from September 14 to 17, dubbed the “world’s biggest bourbon and music festival”.Carlile tops the bill on day one (September 14), with Brandon Flowers and co. taking to the stage Friday (15) along with Duran Duran and Hozier.

Cavetown has announced a huge headline show in London – find all the details below.The singer-songwriter (real name Robin Skinner) is due to perform his biggest headline gig to date at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, September 24 as part of his Bittersweet Daze festival.He personally curated the event’s line-up, which also features special guest openers Alfie Templeman, Dodie, Tessa Violet and Cafuné.In a statement, Cavetown said: “This is going to be such a massive epic time and I can’t wait to play songs with my dear pals in London at this incredible venue :’) !!!”Tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT this Friday (March 10) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. Alternatively, members of the Cave Club can access pre-sale tickets now here.Per a press release, £1 from every ticket sale will be donated to Cavetown’s This Is Home Project.

Sleaford Mods have announced details of a new UK and Ireland tour set to take place later this year.The Nottingham duo will hit the in November in support of their new album, ‘UK Grim’, which arrives next week.Sleaford Mods will kick off the tour in Birmingham on November 22 before travelling to Glasgow, Dublin, Leeds, Manchester, and Bristol. The run will then conclude in London with a massive headline show at the 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace on December 2.A SMarmy pre-sale will open at 10am GMT on March 8, with fans able to gain access by pre-ordering ‘UK Grim’ from the band’s website before Wednesday.

Fall Out Boy have announced two intimate UK shows and shared the tracklist for their upcoming new album ‘So Much (For) Stardust’.The band will release their eighth studio album – and first in five years – on March 24, via Fueled By Ramen.Ahead of the record’s arrival, Fall Out Boy will return to the UK for two tiny shows in Manchester and London. The US band will play at Manchester’s Band On The Wall on March 15 and London’s Heaven on March 16.Fans who pre-order the new album from Fall Out Boy’s UK web store before 2pm GMT on March 7 will get exclusive ticket access to the special gigs.

American rock band Fall Out Boy have announced a small, intimate show will take place in Manchester in less than two weeks time.

Boygenius, Fred Again.. and Primal Scream are set to headline Connect Festival 2023 – see the line-up so far below.The three-day event is due to take place at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland between August 25-27.

Che Lingo has released new single ‘Out The Blue’ and shared details of his sophomore album ‘Coming Up For Air’.The album follows his critically acclaimed debut ‘The Worst Generation’, and will see the AIM Award-nominated south Londoner talk about mental health and anguish to the full extent“CUFA is an intimate and personal look at myself and the people like me who find it hard to see themselves sometimes,” said Che Lingo. “The CUFA album in my own way is to let people know that they aren’t alone in these trials”.In anticipation of his follow-up record, Lingo has released ‘Out The Blue’; a sombre track to help “break out of the cycle of pressures, inherited and personal, that he and so many suffer from”.Speaking of what inspired the song, Lingo talked of “Times where I felt like I was drowning, fighting things, emotionally and mentally I couldn’t even see and repeating that cycle…This is a story about times like that and how I sung and rapped my way through it.

Ed Sheeran has surprised fans by announcing details of a UK and European arena tour that kicks off later this month. Check out full dates and ticket details below.The news comes after the singer-songwriter today (March 1) announced details of new album ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’), his fifth LP to date and the final in his “mathematical album era” of records named after symbols.To launch and celebrate the new material, Sheeran will be playing dates in Manchester, London, Glasgow and Dublin this month, with a once-off show in Paris in April.

Devo have announced a one off date in the UK as part of their farewell tour in 2023.The new wave pioneers will perform at London’s Eventim Apollo on August 19 to celebrate 50 years in music.Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 3) at 10am GMT and can be purchased here.It comes after the band were recently announced among the first wave of acts at Øya Festival 2023 alongside Sigrid and FKA Twigs.JUST ANNOUNCED: In celebration of their 50th year and as part of their Farewell Tour, pioneering synth-pop legends @DEVO will be playing the Eventim Apollo in London this August – their one and only UK show!Tickets on sale Friday at 10am.https://t.co/VYeFrrI0EE pic.twitter.com/i27WKRnHUh— Eventim Apollo (@EventimApollo) February 28, 2023The Norwegian festival is set to return again from August 8 to 12, 2023, taking place in Tøyenparken, Oslo.Other artists announced on the line-up include Caroline Polachek, Shygirl, Amyl and The Sniffers, Obongjayar and TV GIRL. More names will be confirmed in the coming months.

Foo Fighters have announced a trio of US headline shows for this year – find all the details below.The Dave Grohl-led band were already scheduled for a run of summer festival appearances including Boston Calling, Sonic Temple, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, and Bonnaroo.Today (February 28), the Foos have confirmed their own concerts in Gilford, New Hampshire (May 24), Rogers, Arkansas (June 14) and Pelham, Alabama (June 16).Tickets are due to go on sale at 10am local time this Friday (March 3) – you’ll be able to purchase yours here. A fan pre-sale has also gone live today (February 28).

Stormzy has announced that he will host a two day #Merky Books Literary Festival at London’s Roundhouse venue in April. As well as literature, the event will also cover storytelling across film, TV, music and photography.Sponsored by Netflix, the free event will feature headline interviews with rapper Wretch 32 and former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman.There will be additional sessions featuring the likes of author Candice Brathwaite, playwright Theresa Ikoko and BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Richie Brave, as well as spoken word performances from Sophia Thakur, Monika Radojevic, Caleb Femi and Yomi Sode, plus workshops, mentoring, masterclasses and screenings.“I’m so proud that we’re able to offer a free festival to inspire young creatives”, says Stormzy.

Post Malone has announced a string of UK and Ireland shows for this spring – tickets will be available here.The rapper/singer is due to play two dates at The O2 in London (May 4, 6) before heading to Dublin (9), Glasgow (13) Birmingham (14) and Manchester (16) as part of the European leg of his ‘Twelve Carat Tour’. Support will come from Rae Sremmurd.Concerts have also been confirmed for Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Zurich, Cologne and Amsterdam.Tickets go on general sale at 12pm local time this Friday (March 3) – you’ll be able to purchase yours here.

Made in Chelsea star Tiffany Watson has announced that she is expecting her first baby with her footballer partner Cameron McGeehan.The Londoner, who joined the reality tv show in 2014 with stars like Spencer Matthews, Georgia Toffolo and Ollie Locke, took to Instagram on Monday to reveal the spectacular news in a joint post with Cameron that showed them looking as loved up as ever.The picture showed Cameron, 27, and Tiffany, 29, in matching beige outfits, while another picture also featured their labrador, who seemed just as excited at the news. A third photo showed Cameron kissing Tiffany's bump as he lifted the pooch to do the same for the perfect pregnancy picture.

Adam Lambert has announced details of two special shows in London and Cologne this summer – get details on how to buy tickets here.The singer released new covers album ‘High Drama’ this month, which features reworked songs by the likes of Kings Of Leon (‘Sex On Fire’), Lana Del Rey (‘West Coast’) and Sia (‘Chandelier’), among others.Tonight (February 27), he’ll play a one-off album party launch London’s KOKO, and has announced he’ll return to the capital this summer as one of two special European gigs.On June 5, Lambert will play the Royal Albert Hall, before heading to Cologne for a show at The Palladium on June 10.Tickets for the London show will go on sale here from Friday, March 3 at 9.30am GMT. An artist pre-sale will be available here from Wednesday, March 1, also at 9.30 local time.I’m so excited to play at the iconic @RoyalAlbertHall on June 5th and take the stage at Cologne’s Palladium on June 10th! ✨ Presale begins Wed, March 1st at 9:30am and the general on-sale begins Fri, March 3rd at 9:30am.

Janette Manrara and her husband, Aljaz Skorjanec, have a lot on their plate at the moment.Not only did they announce the exciting news that they're expecting their first baby in an exclusive HELLO! interview but then revealed to fans that, after previously sharing that they were looking for a house, they've chosen to relocate from London to Cheshire.On Wednesday, Jeanette was clearly feeling somewhat emotional about the move, as she shared a sweet video update letting her social media followers know how it was progressing...WATCH: Strictly's Janette Manrara shares bittersweet home update with fansAs the couple shared with HELLO!, they were about to start IVF when they received the happy news that Jeanette was pregnant.MORE: Why Strictly's Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec's pregnancy journey was bittersweetJanette and Aljaz's announcement sparked an outpouring of love from their fans and family. "Yayyyyyyyyyyyy so excited for you," penned Strictly co-star Dianne Buswell, as Loose Women panellist Ruth Langsford wrote: "Congratulations! What a beautiful & loved baby this is going to be!" Janette and Aljaz have made a big move from LondonSpeaking to HELLO!, the pregnant star said: "I was overwhelmed with emotion because it was real.