Indie Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Taylor Swift on her new album.The boozer, which is based in Vauxhall, south London, is mentioned by the pop star in the song ‘The Black Dog’ from the extended ‘Anthology’ edition of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.“And your location, you forgot to turn it off/ And so I watch as you walk/ Into some bar called The Black Dog/ And pierce new holes in my heart/ You forgot to turn it off,” Swift sings. “And it hits me/ I just don’t understand/ How you don’t miss me/ In The Black Dog….”The track is thought to address Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who lives in the same area as the pub (and inspired 2019’s ‘London Boy’).

NewDad‘s album cover has gone viral in China, with many fans taking to social media to share their own interpretations of the artwork.The Irish band announced the news on social media, where they shared some photos of fans recreating their ‘Madra’ cover: “We woke up this morning to find our album cover (photo by Joshua Gordon) going viral in China. so so surreal to see so many people creating their own interpretations”.‘Madra’ and its cover features a morose porcelain doll looking down.

The National have added a massive Cardiff Castle show to their summer 2024 UK and Ireland tour plans.The American quintet – comprised of Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf and Scott Devendorf – are set to perform at the iconic Wales establishment on July 3.They will be joined by special guests, New Zealand psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who will serve as the opening act for the night. Tickets for the Cardiff Castle gig are available to purchase here.The National are also set to perform at a variety of festivals this summer including taking over the Other Stage at this year’s edition of Glastonbury.

St. Vincent has praised the power of Taylor Swift‘s fanbase and spoken about the resurgence of ‘Cruel Summer’, which she co-wrote with the pop star.The song appears on Swift’s 2019 album ‘Lover’, but it wasn’t initially released as a single. St.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, has shared a response after being asked about Taylor Swift‘s ‘Tortured Poet’s Department’.Healy and Swift were romantically linked for a short period in 2023 and, while unconfirmed, it is strongly believed that Healy is the subject of several songs on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, namely its title track, ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ and others.Now, Healy’s mother – who has previously said that she is seen as “the Virgin Mary” among The 1975‘s fanbase – has responded after being asked about the album during an episode of Loose Women.On yesterday’s episode of the show (April 25), Welch’s co-star Nadia Sawalha addressed the elephant in the room by saying: “Taylor Swift has got a new album out. Have you heard it Denise?”Jokingly, Welch responded: “I wasn’t aware she had an album out at all, I haven’t heard anything to do with it,” before the live audience broke into laughter and guest Dermot O’Leary added, “It’s suddenly all become very awkward.”She continued, shutting down the conversation by saying: “I wish her all the best”.

Fontaines D.C., performing a cover of The Strokes‘ ‘Reptilia’ in 2014.The footage was shared on YouTube earlier this month by a channel that goes by the handle Fontaines D.C. Archive, and shows the members performing at the BIMM Music Institute back in 2014.The band’s performance at the music school comes as the members were once students at the Dublin site, and graduated shortly before they signed to Partisan Records, which is also the home to IDLES, Cigarettes After Sex and many more.In the clip, which is just over four minutes long, frontman Grian Chatten is seen chatting with the audience as the band ease their way into a rendition of The Strokes’ 2003 classic ‘Reptilia’, which arrived on the ‘Room On Fire’ album.From there, a lively rendition of the track follows and the crowd begin singing along.

Overmono have finally released their fan favourite edit of The Streets‘ track ‘Turn The Page’.Their version of Mike Skinner and co.’s 2002 track has been a staple of Overmono’s live sets since its debut at Lost Village in 2022. Their edit was first premiered on BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record of the Week with Jack Saunders.

Fontaines D.C. have added more shows to their 2024 ‘Romance’ UK and Ireland tour – find all the details below.The Dublin band will hit the road this November in support of their fourth album ‘Romance’, which is due for release on August 23 via XL Recordings (pre-order/pre-save here).Now, Fontaines D.C.

Nilüfer Yanya has returned with a new single called ‘Like I Say (I Runaway)’ – you can listen to it below.The song marks the first release from the singer-songwriter since her 2022 album ‘Painless’. It is accompanied by a video directed by Yanya’s sister, Molly Daniel, in which the musician stars as a runaway bride.Boasting crunchy, distorted guitar, the sub-three-minute track is reminiscent of the ’90s-era alternative and grunge scene, as Yanya sings about the passage of time being “precious“.In the uplifting chorus, she adds: “‘Cause I feel like all my friends/ They don’t read my mind/ The minute I’m not in control/ I’m tearing up inside/ Fill up on that feeling/ Fill up on the line.”Yanya explained: “It’s about how you choose to spend your time.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has responded to Taylor Swift‘s newest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ – see what he had to say below.While unconfirmed, it is strongly believed that Healy is the subject of several songs on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, namely its title track and ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ among others.When approached by paparazzi in Los Angeles on Wednesday (April 24), The 1975 was asked how he felt about his “Taylor diss track”. While it’s unclear which exact song the paparazzo was referring to, Healy replied: “My diss track? Oh! I haven’t really listened to that much of it, but I’m sure it’s good.”Watch Healy’s response below.Matty Healy admits he hasn't listened to all of Taylor Swift's new album 'The Tortured Poets Department' but is "sure it's good." pic.twitter.com/pKNaSwaYRA— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) April 24, 2024Since the album’s release, fans have taken to social media to dissect Swift’s lyrics, and have theorised that a hefty portion of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ focuses on Matty Healy, with whom Taylor had a brief romance in 2023, rather than Joe Alwyn, who she dated for six years.‘The Tortured Poets Department’ scored a three-star review from NME upon its release, with Laura Molloy writing: “The pitfalls that mire her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing — she’s proven time and time again she can do better.

Ezra Collective have shared their firey new single ‘Ajala’ and have announced a 2024 UK and European tour.The blazing new track features rhythmic drums paired with a joyful saxophone and trumpet section and stellar keys and bass line. ‘Ajala’ interpolates the sounds of Afrobeats and Highlife with Jazz.‘Ajala’ also serves as a nod to the nomadic spirit of the infamous Olabisi Ajala, the Ghanaian-Nigerian world adventurer who ambitiously took on touring the world on his scooter, covering 87 countries.Speaking about the song in a press release, drummer Femi Koleoso said: “Ajala the Traveller is a journalist from Nigeria whose story is really beautiful.

Art Brut have announced details of new ‘best of’ compilations, set for release this summer, as well as an upcoming UK and European tour. Find the details below.Announced today (April 24), the new releases from the Perennial pop enthusiasts are due to arrive on July 4 via Demon Records and Edsel, and will see them share two compilations of their greatest hits.The first of which comes in the form of a double LP titled ‘A Record Collection, Reduced To A Mixtape’.

Courteeners, English Teacher and Louis Tomlinson were among the acts to be honoured at the first-ever Northern Music Awards.The inaugural ceremony – hosted by the UK’s largest music therapy charity, Nordoff And Robbins – took place at the Albert Hall in Manchester last night (April 23) to celebrate northern artists, festivals, venues and industry figures.Presented by BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Chris Hawkins, the event featured live performances from Courteeners frontman Liam Fray, as well as English Teacher, Lisa Stansfield, The K’s and more.Guest presenters from the region included former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville, New Order‘s Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Norris, and Grimsby-born actor Thomas Turgoose (This Is England). ‌ Neville awarded Courteeners with the Band Of The Year prize. Responding to the nod, Fray said: “It’s really nice to be in a room with this much talent… but this isn’t about us, it’s about Nordoff And Robbins and the work that they do, it’s about music, and the way they’re changing lives with music and sometimes even saving lives with music.”The singer also delivered an acoustic rendition of Courteeners’ classic single ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and a cover of Oasis‘ ‘The Masterplan’.Rising Leeds band English Teacher picked up the Best Newcomer award, and performed ‘Albatross’ and ‘Albert Road’ from their acclaimed debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’ (watch the video below)..@Englishteac_her commanding the stage with the first song off their album.

Maya Hawke has shared a new single called ‘Hang In There’ – you can listen to it below.The song marks the latest preview of the singer-songwriter and Stranger Things actor’s third album ‘Chaos Angel’, which is due for release on May 31 via Mom+Pop (pre-order here).“He said, he could see through to your core/ You thought, his heart was open like yours,” Hawke sings in the first verse. “That he was just trying to hide it/ That he knew you better than you did.”In the chorus, Hawke offers a bittersweet, hopeful message: “He’s gonna get away with it/ I know, I’ve been there/ You’re gonna get the hang of it/ Hang on hang in there/ Maybe.”Explaining the meaning behind the song, the artist said in a statement that ‘Hang In There’ is about “when you have someone close to you, who’s going through something awful that you’ve been through earlier in your life, and you know that you can’t interfere because they’ll probably isolate themselves from you”.Hawke added: “So you have to just watch as they get really hurt.

Mitski has shared the dramatic new video for her song ‘Star’ – watch it below.The dreamy video for ‘Star’, taken off recent album ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We‘, was directed by Maegan Houang.Filmed in the summer of 2023, it is the latest video Mitski and Houang have worked together on, having previously collaborated to produce the videos for ‘Happy’, ‘The Only Heartbreaker’ and ‘Stay Soft’.“Unlike the more narrative/concept driven videos Mitski and I have done together in the past, I wanted this video to encapsulate the impressionistic circularity we all experience,” Houang said in a press statement.She continued: “Our lives oscillate between light and dark repeating itself in an endless cycle where nothing is permanent. The best moments are fleeting, but so are the bad.”Watch the video for ‘Star’ below:Mitski is soon to tour the UK at the end of this month, where she will begin her tour in Edinburgh on April 27 and finish in Zurich on May 30.

Coachella is facing a fine of around $28,000 (£22,585), due to Lana Del Rey’s set running over the scheduled time.The fine has been put forward to the festival organisers following the singer’s headline set at the Indio event last Friday (April 19), where she finished the performance 13 minutes over the allotted time.The news was first reported by TMZ on Monday (April 22), and a representative for the city later confirmed to the publication that the organisers of the event would have to pay up because of the missed cut-off point.This isn’t the first time that those behind the iconic California festival have faced fines. As highlighted by US Weekly, the fines gathered for curfew violations over the first weekend of the 2024 edition (April 12-14) totalled an estimated $117,000 (£94,367).

Bloc Party have announced an “exclusive” warm-up show to take place ahead of their string of appearances this summer – find all the details below.The band confirmed last December that they’d be playing their debut album ‘Silent Alarm’ in full at a huge outdoor gig in Crystal Palace this July to mark their 20th anniversary.The gig will be Kele Okereke and co’s biggest headline concert to date, with support coming from Friendly Fires, The Hives (UK exclusive performance), The Mysterines and Connie Constance.They have also announced two other live dates for the summer, with the first taking place at The Telegraph Building in Belfast on July 4 before performing at the 3Arena in Dublin the following night (July 5).A post shared by Bloc Party (@thisisblocparty)And now, Bloc Party have shared details of an “intimate” warm-up show ahead of their other appearances. It will take place at Birmingham’s O2 Institute on June 28, with tickets set to go on sale at 10am BST this Friday (April 26).

Thom Yorke has shared full details of the forthcoming Confidenza soundtrack and the first taster from the record ‘Knife Edge’.In January, it was revealed that the Radiohead and The Smile frontman was composing original music for the film (which translates to “Trust”) from Italian director Daniele Luchetti, based on the book by Domenico Starnone.Now, it has been confirmed that he has worked on the soundtrack with the London Contemporary Orchestra alongside a jazz ensemble which includes The Smile and Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner.It is set to drop digitally this Friday (April 26) with a release set for vinyl and CD on July 12. You can pre-order/pre-save all formats here. Yorke has also shared the first song from the record, the video for which you can view below.Here is Knife Edge from the Confidenza soundtrack, accompanied by an extract from the film edited by Ael Dallier Vega.To pre-order/listen/watch etc https://t.co/vcBqmUIsIE pic.twitter.com/03OWtgD0tf— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) April 22, 2024The full tracklisting for the record has also been revealed, which you can view below.1. ‘The Big City’2. ‘Knife Edge’3. ‘Letting Down Gently’4. ‘Secret Clarinet’5. ‘In The Trees’6. ‘Prize Giving’7. ‘Four Ways In Time’8. ‘Confidenza’9. ‘Nosebleed Nuptials’10. ‘Bunch Of Flowers’11. ‘A Silent Scream’12. ‘On The Ledge’The film stars Elio Germano, Vittoria Puccini and Isabella Ferrari, and follows Pietro Vella who works in a run down Roman high school.

Interpol have added four extra European shows to their ‘Antics’ 20th-anniversary tour, which will take place later this year.The album, released in 2004, was the band’s second studio album and peaked at Number 15 on the Billboard 200 and at Number 21 in the UK Albums Chart. The album’s singles included indie disco staples ‘Slow Hands’, ‘Evil’, alongside fan favourites ‘C’mere’ and ‘Narc’.The record cemented the band’s success after the seminal debut ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ and went on to become a classic of the era.

Damon Albarn said “this is probably our last gig” during Blur’s set at Weekend 2 of Coachella 2024 last night (April 20).The legendary Britpop band – comprised of Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree – took to the annual music and arts festival’s main stage for the second consecutive Saturday night (April 20).And as they prepared to launch into ‘Tender’, the last song of the night, Albarn confided to the crowd: “In the spirit of clarity and truth, this is probably our last gig”.“In the spirit of clarity, and truth, this is probably our last gig” – Damon Albarn introducing the last song of the Blur set at Coachella, Weekend 2 pic.twitter.com/52Fy56y702— Damon Albarn Unofficial (@DamonUnofficial) April 21, 2024It comes after Albarn stated in December that the band would be going on a hiatus until further notice, saying “it’s too much for me”.“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me.

Embrace have announced plans for a UK tour to mark the 20th anniversary of their landmark album ‘Out Of Nothing’.The band will hit the road for 11 dates in November to play the album in full, kicking off in Newcastle on November 14 before wrapping up at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on November 30. The jaunt will also include a stop at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire the night before (November 29).Tickets for the shows, which you can view below, go on sale this Friday (April 26) at 9am BST and can be purchased here.Released in September 2004, ‘Out Of Nothing’ became the band’s biggest selling album of their career to date, debuting at Number One in the UK albums chart before going on to sell over 600,000 copies.The album catapulted the band back to the top of the charts off the back of their Top 10 hit single ‘Gravity’, written by Coldplay‘s Chris Martin, and the band’s follow up hit ‘Ashes’.It came three years after Embrace had been dropped by former record label Hut Recordings.Frontman Danny McNamara said of the album and forthcoming tour: “I really can’t believe it’s been 20 years since we released the album.

Fat White Family frontman Lias Saoudi has laid into IDLES, accusing them of “grandstanding on that woke ticket”.The band have previously criticised the Bristol outfit, siding with Sleaford Mods when frontman Jason Williamson accused IDLES of “appropriating a working class voice” and said their take on politics is “cliched, patronising, insulting and mediocre”, adding that he doesn’t “like them at all”.At the time, Saoudi said they were 100 per cent with Williamson, and added that “the last thing our increasingly puritanical culture needs right now is a bunch of self neutering middle class boobs telling us to be nice to immigrants; you might call that art, I call it sententious pedantry.”Now, he has taken a further pop at the Bristol band yet again.Saoudi told The Independent: “I don’t mind bands being dull or whatever, fair enough, but when you’re grandstanding on that woke ticket I just find that anathema to what rock n’ roll really is, which is the reprobates. This is freak country.

Interpol played the biggest show of their career last night (April 20) in Mexico City, before a crowd of over 150,000 people.The New York band graced the huge Zócalo square in the city centre for the free show, which they had first announced earlier this month.In a sprawling 21-song set, they played songs from across their career, leaning heavily on tracks from their first two albums, 2002’s ‘Turn On the Bright Lights’ and 2004’s ‘Antics’.Check out footage from the show below:Interpol played:‘C’mere’‘Say Hello to the Angels’‘Narc’‘My Desire’‘Obstacle 1’‘Lights’‘Pioneer to the Falls’‘The Rover’‘All the Rage Back Home’‘Rest My Chemistry’‘PDA’‘Toni’‘Try It On’‘Not Even Jail’‘NYC’‘Evil’‘Public Pervert’‘Slow Hands’‘Untitled’‘No I in Threesome’‘Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down’Interpol.

Morrissey has said he has bought back the rights to two of his albums, after a long-running dispute with his label Capitol Records.The former Smiths frontman has been locked in battle with Capitol for a number of years, after his album ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’ went unreleased, despite being completed in 2021.The album had been announced for a 2023 release on Capitol, but Morrissey later said he had “voluntarily withdrawn from any association with Capitol Records”. He also revealed that Miley Cyrus, who recorded backing vocals for the track ‘I Am Veronica’ in 2020, had asked to have her vocals removed from the song.But now, in a post on his website Morrissey Central, titled ‘A Rush And A Push And The Music Is Ours’, in reference to a 1987 Smiths song, he has said that he has bought the rights to release that album.“Morrissey has paid the exit fee to Capitol Records in order to return both WORLD PEACE IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS and BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS albums back to him,” the post reads.“It’s been a long, hard, bloody war.

The Smiths and Nirvana tribute bands re-opened Brixton Academy last night (April 19) after tragedy closed its doors 16 months ago – with fans hailing it as “the best venue in London”.The legendary South London venue has been shut since December 2022 after a fatal crowd crush that left two people dead. The tragic incident occurred at an Asake concert, which resulted in the deaths of Gabrielle Hutchinson, aged 23, and 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo.

The National‘s Aaron Dessner has admitted to being “forever grateful” to have worked on Taylor Swift‘s new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.The guitarist and producer worked on Swift’s 11th studio effort along with his brother Bryce Dessner and Bleachers‘ Jack Antonoff.Dessner has a long working history with the the singer after producing her previous three albums and “re-recorded” LPs including 2020’s ‘Folklore’ and 2021’s ‘Evermore’.Swift also provided vocals and lyrics for ‘The Alcott’ on The National’s 2023 album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’.A post shared by Aaron Dessner (@aarondessner)Posting on his Instagram, Dessner wrote: “I’m so excited and honoured to share that I have contributed to my dear friend and collaborator @taylorswift’s brilliant 11th album – a 31 song double album / anthology called ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.“We started working on these songs over two years ago and it feels like they have kept us company and evolved in beautiful and unexpected ways through so much life lived during this process.”He continued: “It’s hard to believe Taylor and I have now recorded over 60 songs together (17 across this anthology!!) in the 4 years since we began working together on ‘Folklore’ in 2020.

Fontaines D.C. have announced details of a huge UK and Ireland tour, set to kick off later this year.

Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie has teamed up with Eric Cantona on a song the ex-footballer penned for Palestinians.The pair joined forces on vocals at a concert at King’s Place in London for the track ‘Give Us A Ticket’. You can view the footage below.Writing on the official Primal Scream Instagram, Gillespie wrote: “Last night I was honoured to sing with my friend @ericcantona on a song he has written about Palestine titled ‘Give Us a Ticket’.“Eric is on tour just now with his band – Their sound reminds one of Serge Gainsbourg, Tom Waits and Charles Baudilaire ( if he wore the number 7 shirt ) What a great concert.

Pete Doherty has announced plans to curate a trio of UK shows next month.The Libertines man will host three nights in Manchester and London to mark the fifth anniversary of his record label Strap Originals.Over the three nights at The White Hotel (May 28) and the 100 Club in the capital (29,30) Doherty will take part in a Q&A about his life, his music and his vision for the label.A host of the label’s artists including Trampolene, Andrew Cushin, Vona Vella, Evan Williams will also perform over the three day period. You can view the full line-up below and purchase tickets here.Strap Originals was launched in 2017 with the release of Doherty & The Puta Madres’ self titled album.

The Smiths tribute band set to play at the re-opening gig of the O2 Academy in Brixton tonight (Friday April 19) have spoken to NME about what to expect from the show and what it means it be gracing the stage at the iconic London venue after tragedy closed its doors.The legendary South London venue has been shut since December 2022 after a fatal crowd crush that left two people dead. The tragic incident occurred at an Asake concert, which resulted in the deaths of Gabrielle Hutchinson, aged 23, and 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo.

Been Stellar have shared their mesmerising new single ‘Sweet’ – the latest taster of their forthcoming debut album. Check it out below.The melancholic track features frenetic, interlocking rhythms paired with frontman Sam Slocum’s soft yearning vocals as he sings: “Feel at the root / That I need you, and I need you / I don’t mind all the words / They just sound like, like the feeling / And it’s all getting old / Cause I need you, and I need you / You let it take up every moment / Just a life to hear you say,” explaining the struggle to find the right words to sum up the moment.‘Sweet’ marks the third track to be released as a single from the band’s forthcoming debut LP ‘Scream from New York, NY’.

Arcade Fire have announced a second ‘Funeral’ 20th-anniversary show at London’s Brixton Academy.The additional London date was added “Due to demand” and will take place on Friday July 5 at the famous venue. Tickets will go on general sale tomorrow (April 19) at 10am local time.

Pom Poko have announced details of a new album titled ‘Champion’, and shared the intriguing new title track. Check it out below.Announced today (April 18), the new album will mark the Norwegian four-piece and NME 100 alumni’s third studio album, following on from their blistering debut ‘Birthday’ in 2019, and 2021’s critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘Cheater’.Set for release on August 16 via Bella Union, the LP is set to see vocalist/lyricist Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit, bassist Jonas Krøvel, guitarist Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne, and drummer Ola Djupvik reach new heights, as they learn from their time in the industry so far and push their sound in new directions.“It feels like we’re maturing and growing up together,” explained Jamtveit.

Kraftwerk, The National and Raye set to perform.The 58th edition of the prestigious Swiss event is due to take place on the Lake Geneva shoreline between July 5-20. Tickets go on general sale at 11am BST tomorrow (Friday, April 19) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.The aforementioned acts will all grace the Lake Stage along with The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice Cooper, PJ Harvey, Justice, Jessie Ware, Massive Attack, Air, Lenny Kravitz, Sting, Janelle Monáe, Michael Kiwanuka, Duran Duran, Paolo Nutini, Soft Cell and more.Artists for the stage’s opening day are yet to be confirmed.The Casino Stage programme, meanwhile, “blurs the lines between jazz, afrobeats, pop and rap”.

Girl In Red has opened up on the paintings that Taylor Swift gifted her sharing, describing it as “a very cute little thing”.While appearing as the latest guest as part of NME‘s In Conversation series, the Norwegian singer – real name Marie Ulven – discussed the gifts that the pop star gave her after the release of ‘If I Could Make It Go Quiet‘.“That was right after my first album came out and she reposted my album, and I was like, what the hell? That’s insane,” began Ulven. “I sent her my album as a thank you, and she emailed me being like, ‘oh my God, you sent me your album.

IDLES have revealed which song in their back catalogue is the one they now feel is like “a bad haircut”, explaining why they never play it live.The Bristol band, who released their fifth studio album ‘Tangk’ earlier this year, were talking to The Independent while reflecting on their earlier, angrier years.Frontman Joe Talbot and guitarist Mark Bowen talked about how they once believed in the beauty of violence in their lyrics, and how they now believe them to not be “the words of a healthy man”.“I was scared and lost and angry,” Talbot added.When Bowen interjected that, “at least it was honest”, Talbot agreed: “I never lie – well apart from ‘Great’ on ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’. That song is like a bad haircut, which is why we don’t play it.