Alternative: Celebs Rumors

Arctic Monkeys were joined onstage by Miles Kane at their latest show for a rendition of ‘505’. Check out footage of the moment below as well as the full setlist.The gig took place at Emirates Stadium last night (June 18), and marked the latest show in Arctic Monkeys’ ongoing UK stadium tour. It also closed off the final date of their three-day residency in London (June 16-18) — the longest run of gigs the band have had in one venue.For the most part, the setlist was relatively similar to previous shows in the UK leg of tour dates, and included a number of fan favourites including ‘Do I Wanna Know’, ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’, ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ and ‘Arabella’.A highlight from Last night’s set, however, came towards the end of the Sheffield rockers’ 21-song tracklist, when Miles Kane made a surprise appearance to perform a rendition of ‘505’.

Liam Gallagher has revealed the thing that “freaked him out” after he purchased a mansion previously owned by Noel Edmonds.The former Oasis frontman was co-hosting Jo Whiley’s BBC Radio 2 programme last night (June 15), when he shared insight into something that he came across after purchasing the home.The topic arose when the singer-songwriter was asked about the last thing he spent money on, to which he responded: “Oh, it was probably the house in France. I hate to be flash … It used to be Noel Edmonds’.

Morrissey has accused Capitol Records of “fascism” after the label shelved his latest album ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’.The controversy around the album stems back to 2022, when the singer-songwriter and former Smiths frontman revealed that he had “voluntarily withdrawn from any association with Capitol Records” — despite announcing that he would be releasing the LP with them just two months earlier.He also revealed that Miley Cyrus — who recorded backing vocals for ‘Bonfire’ track ‘I Am Veronica’ in 2020 — had asked to have her vocals removed from the song.Both severed partnerships came in relation to the musician’s political stance and his support for controversial far-right anti-Islam political party For Britain, which he previously wore a badge for during a 2019 television appearance.Upon announcing his departure from Capitol, the label seemingly shelved ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’ in February, and the album remains unreleased. Now, in a new statement released on his website, Morrissey has accused the brand of “fascism” and having a “creeping culture of censorship”.“It’s a clear display of how censorian the music industry has become.

Bat For Lashes debuted songs from new album ‘The Dream Of Delphi’ at her Nottingham gig on Monday (June 12).Natasha Khan opened with three currently unnamed new songs from the forthcoming album (via setlist.fm), before going on to perform tracks including ‘Daniel’, ‘What’s A Girl To Do?’ and ‘Laura’.Back in August, the singer said the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Lost Girls’ was “almost ready” and that she had “recorded the final song”.You can check out clips of the songs below.Speaking at Christine And The Queens‘ Meltdown Festival for a behind the scenes interview, Khan explained how embodiment and embracing physical landscapes was key to her creativity in creating the album and her accompanying show.She started the album in the middle of lockdown when she was breastfeeding her daughter, Delphi, when she would spend windows of time improvising in the studio.“There’s definitely spontaneity and a meditative quality to the music,” she explained, “because it was just my emotion coming through into my hands and out into the musical instruments I chose that day.”She continued: “[The album] is about the conception and growing and birthing of this human being onto planet earth, and sort of the cosmic resonance of that, and the deep animalistic, raw aspects of being a mother, and I’m sort of bowing at the feet of this miraculous event.”The singer also performed in Leeds this month along with her sold out Meltdown show tonight (June 15).“For fans who want to see the new material up close, these are not ones to be missed,” she shared on social media.Her next live performance will be at new concert series On The Mount on July 2 where Sigur Rós, Primal Scream and Gabriels will perform throughout the multi-day event.

QTY, has died.News of the musician’s death was shared on The Lemonheads‘ Facebook page this week with the caption: “Life is short and unforgiving.“RIP Dan Lardner, we will forever love you.”The news was accompanied by a photo of Lardner hugging The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando.The QTY musician was Dando’s guest of honour when the latter opened for Psychedelic Furs on their recent US tour.No further details about the cause of death have been shared.Lardner performed guitar and vocals in indie rock band QTY, alongside Alex Niemetz (guitar/vocals), Peter Baumann (bass), and Alan Yuch (drums).The New York group started in 2014 and signed to Dirty Hit Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 2017, produced by former Suede member Bernard Butler.In 2017, NME described QTY as “New York’s most exciting new band”, before they were featured on the NME 100 list in 2018, describing their sound as “guitar-pop at its most catchy” that “follows in the long line of bands from New York who sound oh so very much like they’re from New York”.“There was a point in the studio where Alex and I wanted to play around a bit and Bernard told us we knew what we wanted to do with the songs – which we did, we knew what we wanted to do with them before we got into the studio – so we didn’t need to [do that],” Dan told NME back in 2017.

Placebo have played ‘Nancy Boy’ live for the first in six years at Download 2023. Watch clips of the performance below.‘Nancy Boy’ was noted as the band’s gender-bending breakthrough hit.

Pixies have announced a new UK and European tour, in which they will celebrate their ‘Bossanova’ and ‘Trompe Le Monde’ albums.The tour is set to kick off in Spring 2024, and will see the alt-rock icons perform their third studio album ‘Bossanova’ (1990) and follow-up ‘Trompe Le Monde’ album (1991) in full.‘Bossanova’ was introduced by the singles “Velouria” and “Dig for Fire“, and marked the first LP following the success of their hit second album ‘Doolittle’. It also was the first to feature no songs written by bassist Kim Deal, as she formed her other band The Breeders around the time it was written.‘Trompe Le Monde’ arrived the following year, and featured four singles: ‘Planet Of Sound’, ‘Alec Eiffel’, ‘Letter To Memphis’ and ‘Head On’.

Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are currently in a neck-and-neck race to reach the Number One spot on the UK album charts this week.Both acts released their latest LPs — ‘But Here We Are’ and ‘Council Skies’ — last Friday (June 2) and as it stands, it is too close to call which one will reach the peak position on the Official Album Chart by the end of this week.Currently at the midweek mark, Noel Gallagher has surpassed the American rockers and stands as the UK’s best-selling album with his fourth solo album with High Flying Birds. That being said, the two remain almost neck and neck, as just 200 units separate them from first and second position.The victory would no doubt mark an important milestone for Foo Fighters, as ‘But Here We Are’ marks their first full-length LP since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March last year.

BLACKPINK have announced six more support acts for their upcoming appearance at London’s BST Hyde Park.Taking place between June 24 and July 8, this year’s edition of BST Hyde Park will feature a headline slot from global superstars BLACKPINK — making them the first K-pop group in history to headline a major UK festival.Back in March, the girl group announced the first wave of artists set to support them for their slot on July 2, including American singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter and South Korean indie-rock band The Rose. Now, BLACKPINK have announced six more acts set to join them at the festival.Rebecca Black is the first of the newly-announced artists set to support Jennie Kim and co.

Noel Gallagher has performed a live cover of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ with the BBC Concert Orchestra – check it out below.The singer-songwriter and former Oasis guitarist appeared on the BBC Radio 2 Piano Room series earlier today (June 1) in support of his upcoming album with High Flying Birds, ‘Council Skies’.Set to arrive tomorrow (June 2) via Sour Mash, the album marks Gallagher’s fourth studio album under the guise, following on from the 2017 LP ‘Who Built The Moon?’.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have shared ‘Open The Door, See What You Find’, which features Johnny Marr – you can listen to the new single below.Released today (May 31), the track is the fifth to be shared ahead of Gallagher‘s latest LP with High Flying Birds ‘Council Skies’, which is out this Friday (June 2) via Sour Mash.The single is an optimistic, retro-inspired counterpart to its predecessors, and sees Gallagher rejoin forces with songwriter, composer and former Smiths guitarist Marr.Discussing the meaning behind the track, the former Oasis frontman described ‘Open The Door, See What You Find’ as being about acceptance, and the peaceful realisation that each person has to accept the route that life will pave out for them.“Lyrically, the premise is that, at a certain point in your life you look in a mirror and you see all you’ve ever been and all you’re ever going to be,” he explained. “It’s about being happy with that.

The Snuts have announced their new single ‘Gloria’, and explained to NME how the single marks a new chapter for the band and why they decided to split from their record label.The new track marks the band’s first new music since 2022’s ‘Burn The Empire’ and, as frontman Jack Cochrane told NME, marks a vital new milestone in the band’s history – as they venture away from their longtime record label and seek new ways to reconnect with the indie scene.“It’s been one of my favourite tracks that we’ve done to date,” said Cochrane of venturing outside of his comfort zone with ‘Gloria’ by harnessing a more optimistic message than he’s used to. “What I tried to do was create this classic love song – just celebrate the happy things that come in relationships, you know?”“In music nowadays, there are so many heartbreak songs, but certainly with the music that I love — the golden oldies and stuff —they’re all super pure love songs,” he added.

The Japanese House has joined forces with The 1975’s Matty Healy and shared ‘Sunshine Baby’ — the latest single from her upcoming album.The track is the third to be taken from the British singer-songwriter’s forthcoming album, ‘In The End It Always Does’, which is set to arrive June 30 via Dirty Hit. It sees The Japanese House — whose real name is Amber Bain — team up with The 1975 frontman to create a nostalgic piece of dream pop, dedicated to her beloved pet.According to a statement from Bain, the title of the single comes from a pet name she had for her dog, and the lyrics explore the theme of separation and the moment that a romantic relationship comes to an end.“Sunshine Baby is my nickname for my dog, and my ex and I always used to lay on the beach together being sunshine babies,” she explained.

Genesis Owusu has announced his awaited sophomore album, ‘STRUGGLER’, alongside a new single and music video.Announced today (May 18), ‘STRUGGLER’ is set to arrive on August 18 via Ourness/AWAL – preorder the album here. ‘STRUGGLER’ is accompanied by a new single, ‘Leaving The Light’, and its music video.The Bose x NME C23 artist’s upcoming album will serve as a thematic successor to his debut album ‘Smiling With No Teeth’. While ‘Smiling With No Teeth’ chronicled Owusu’s battles with depression and racism, ‘STRUGGLER’ will see him grapple with overcoming his demons.Genesis Owusu said of the album via a press statement: “The struggler runs through an absurd world with no ‘where’ or ‘why’ at hand.

The Beatles‘ ‘Hey Jude’ from his recent cameo in Ted Lasso, as well as sharing two exclusive live session clips with NME. Check out ‘Yougazer’ above and ‘Shine Your Way Out’ below.Appearing in the eighth episode of the ongoing third season yesterday (May 3), Varga appeared briefly in the Apple TV+ comedy series – performing a musical interlude that saw him cover the classic track by The Beatles.“It was quite random.

Pixies have issued an apology to fans after it was revealed that their song ‘Where Is My Mind’ was turning off their phone alarms.The iconic 1998 track was discovered to be wreaking havoc on some Google devices earlier this week, when one fan took to social media to explain how the track was inadvertently causing him to miss his morning alarms.As detailed by one Reddit user on Monday (May 1), the start of the song was interfering with an update to Google’s recent Assistant update, which allowed users to turn off their alarms by saying “stop”.However, the Assistant has been interpreting the start of ‘Where Is My Mind’ — the ‘Surfer Rosa’ track that opens with Black Francis abruptly stating “stop” — as a command from the user, and has been switching off users’ alarms in response.“For the past few months, I could not figure out why on random days, with seemingly no reason, sometimes my alarm would either not go off, or turn itself off very quickly,” wrote the Redditor. “Well this morning, I woke up about 5 minutes before my alarm went off, and I have cracked the code.”“The alarm is set to play a Spotify playlist, and one of the songs on that playlist is ‘Where is My Mind’ by the Pixies.

Ashnikko has pushed back the release of the music video for ‘Weedkiller’ by a week out of respect following the school shooting in Belgrade.Earlier today, eight pupils and a security guard were killed in a shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in the centre of the Serbian capital, with another six pupils and a teacher injured. The shooter, a 13 year old boy named by police as Kosta Kecmanovic, has been arrested along with his parents [via BBC].Ashnikko explained in a tweet that the video release has been delayed because it was filmed in Belgrade.

Horace Andy, Balming Tiger, DOMi & JD Beck, Meshell Ndegeocello and more set set to perform at the Finnish festival’s “unique landmark”.The Helsinki-based festival will take place between August 11-13 this year, with headliners including Blur, Wizkid, Lorde and Christine & The Queens joining the likes of FKA twigs, Caroline Polachek, Suede and Devo.Other acts added to the Balloon 360° stage, which promises a “versatile group of exciting musicians”, include Jake Xerxes Fussell, Nala Sinephro, Olli Ahvenlahti, Sonia and more.The stage will also host performances from Esa’s Afro-Synth Band, assembled by DJ and producer Esa Williams, along with Finnish artists Tuomo Prättälä and Markus Nordenstreng’s Tuomo & Markus featuring trumpeter Verneri Pohjola.The previously announced Eddie Palmieri has also now withdrawn from the festival due to health reasons.A post shared by Flow Festival Helsinki (@flowfestivalhelsinki)The festival also recently announced the huge line-up for its 2023 electronic program.Tickets for Flow Festival 2023 are on sale now – you can purchase yours here and check out the full line-up on the website.The festival returned last year for the first time since before the COVID pandemic, with acts including Fontaines D.C., Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Gorillaz performing on stage at the historical Suvilahti, a former power plant area in the city.Praising its climate-conscious ethic in a review of the 2019 festival, NME wrote: “Here are a list of things that you can do at Flow Festival: eat Michelin Starred hotdogs, watch some of the biggest artists on the planet and then save it as well, all at the same time.

Kurt Cobain singing Hole‘s ‘Celebrity Skin’.READ MORE: In the age of AI Oasis, there’s no point being ordinaryThe original track was released in 1998 by the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band, which was founded by the Nirvana frontman’s former wife, Courtney Love, and guitarist Eric Erlandson.Now, a clip has emerged with Cobain’s vocals on the track, which has prompted mixed reactions from fans.“This version was made based on a human interpretation, but the voice was synthesized by AI. Many more to come,” poster FaustoX wrote in the YouTube description.“Whoever is offended by this version, I really hope you understand that this is not a part of Kurt’s or Courtney’s official work,” they added in a follow-up comment.

Grimes has criticised music copyright law, suggesting it impedes creativity.The artist was speaking at the annual International Music Summit (IMS) in Ibiza on April 28, where she delivered the keynote speech moderated by BBC Radio 1 Dance DJ Jaguar. In her speech, she went into topics surrounding artificial intelligence, music rights management and technology.“I feel strongly that there’s way too much gatekeeping in music,” said Grimes. “Copyright sucks.

Reading & Leeds have added over 20 new names to this year’s festival, including Mae Stephens, Cordae and Venbee.The acts who have joined the line-up include Foushee, Ken Carson, skaiwater, Artan, Jordy, Dreya Mac, Highlyy, Mnelia, Lost Girl and Tibasko. Upsahl will also be performing at Reading only.Also set to play Reading & Leeds are Somebody’s Child, Malaki, Bilk, Mothica, Joey Valence & Brae, The Royston Club, Lauran Hibberd, Mya Craig and Fat Dog.In addition, the festival has confirmed the DJs for Leeds’ post-headliner entertainment programme, Late Night Leeds, as well as those who will be entertaining punters who arrive early on the Thursday night (August 24).

Grimes has left her deal with Columbia Records.The news was broken by Billboard earlier this week (April 25), after the alternative pop star’s manager, Daouda Leonard, confirmed rumours.Grimes — whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher — had only been with the label since March 2021 and, at time of writing, no reason was given for their split.The partnership marked the first major label deal for the Canadian artist, and came after releasing five albums on independent labels. 2010 albums ‘Geidi Primes’ and ‘Halfaxa’ both arrived on the indie label Arbutus, while her last three LPs — ‘Visions’ (2012), ‘Art Angels’ (2015) and ‘Miss Anthropocene’ (2020) were released with 4AD.During her time with Columbia, Grimes only released two singles — ‘Player Of Games’ and ‘Shinigami Eyes’.

PJ Harvey has announced her upcoming 10th album, ‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’ with the release of the lead single, ‘A Child’s Question, August’. Check out the track below.Shared today (April 26), the new single follows a series of teasers shared by Harvey on social media, and follows on from her last full-length LP with 2016’s ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’.According to the double Mercury Prize-winning artist, ‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’, was written over a period of three weeks, although stemmed from ideas dating back to 2017 when she felt she had lost her connection with music.Seeking to revive her connection with songwriting, the inspiration for the new tracks was uncovered following advice from film-maker Steve McQueen, who told her to ignore the ‘process of writing an album’, and instead rediscover why she first fell in love with “words, images and music”.The album will see the singer-songwriter return to her roots – inspired by the likes of Nina Simone and Bob Dylan – and provide fans with “a resting space, a solace, a comfort, a balm” which is created to feel “timely for the times we’re in.”Today also sees Harvey share the first single from the LP, ‘A Child’s Question, August’.

Thundercat has teamed up with Tame Impala to release the new one-off single ‘No More Lies’. Check out the track below.Released today (April 25) via Brainfeeder, the new single marks the first time that the two have collaborated, and also marks Thundercat’s first new music in over three years.As per a press release, ‘No More Lies’ sees the duo combine their two unique styles and explore the motif of a doomed relationship.

Miles Kane has announced details of new album ‘One Man Band’ with the introspective single ‘Troubled Son’. Check it out below, along with the indie veteran telling us about what to expect from the record, and if there’ll be new music from The Last Shadow Puppets and The Jaded Hearts Club.The announcement of ‘One Man Band’ – which will be Kane’s fifth solo album – comes hot on the heels of his 2022 LP, ‘Change The Show’.  As the guitarist and singer-songwriter told NME, however, the new release couldn’t come at a better time – aiming to reflect his current frame of mind in the most raw and authentic way possible.“I feel like that was like the most fitting song to come back with,” Kane said of ‘Troubled Son’ representing the album as a whole. “It’s a song [about how] we all have struggles in our lives, and sometimes we have shit together, sometimes we don’t.

Grimes is set to present a closing keynote speech on artificial intelligence at the International Music Summit (IMS) in Ibiza later this month.The Canadian musician, real name Claire Boucher, will be closing the three-day conference with a presentation sharing her insights into music tech, AI and the metaverse. The 14th edition of the summit will begin on April 26 and end on April 28, and will be co-hosted by Pete Tong and Jaguar.“Grimes is one of the most important, impactful and creative artists of our times,” shared IMS Ibiza co-founder Ben Turner.

Sleep Token have announced details of a 2023 ‘Rituals’ North American tour beginning in autumn. Check out dates and ticket details below.The band announced the tour on social media this week with the caption: “This September and October, North America shall gather in Worship.”The tour kicks off on September 9 in Philadelphia and ends on October 5 in California, with Sleep Token will also be performing at a handful of festivals including Blue Ridge Rock, Louder Than Life, and Aftershock.A post shared by Sleep Token (@sleep_token)Tickets are on sale now and are available here.

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke has shared that the band are working on “exciting” new music.The indie veterans released their sixth album ‘Alpha Games‘ last year, with Okereke previously telling NME that he was “more excited about the energy that the band has right now” than he was concerned with their legacy.Now, after the recent release of his sixth solo album ‘The Flames pt. 2’, he has now told NME that Bloc Party are already back at work. Speaking with NME‘s In Conversation series, Okereke shared: “We, Bloc Party, have been writing in the last week.”He continued: “We have made a lot of music over the years and we’re going to make more.

pic.twitter.com/vWIyOYQE45— The Catherine Wheel (@catherinewh33l) March 29, 2023At the time of writing the band have yet to announce any further details surrounding the posts nor confirm if they will be making their return more than 20 years since their last full-length album.Eager fans have been quick to speculate what the posts may be hinting at, with some thinking the band may be planning a new tour.life in the Facebook comments section as the CW social media admin pic.twitter.com/sBB6MDVM8W— The Catherine Wheel (@catherinewh33l) March 27, 2023“Please tour please tour please tour,” wrote one user, while another hinted that it may be a reissue of one of their albums.

Christine & The Queens has announced a UK and European ‘PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE’ tour for 2023 – find the details below and purchase tickets here.The French singer-songwriter’s new album ‘PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE’ is due for release June 9 and will follow-up last year’s ‘Redcar les adorables étoiles’.

Grimes has revealed that she’s renamed her daughter, changing the name from Exa Dark Sideræl to a single letter.The Canadian artist – real name Claire Boucher – shares two children with Twitter CEO and Tesla boss Elon Musk – son X Æ A-Xii, born in May 2020, and daughter Exa Dark Sideræl Musk who arrived December 2021 via surrogate.News of the pair’s second child was accidentally revealed last year during a cover interview with Vanity Fair, when the interviewer noticed the sound of a baby crying while talking to Grimes about her upcoming “space opera”-themed album, ‘Book 1’.Last week, (March 23), the singer shared a rare photo of her daughter on Instagram, posted alongside a picture of herself wearing a red matching onesie.

Arlo Parks has shared how her forthcoming new album ‘My Soft Machine’ takes inspiration from the heavy sound of bands like Fontaines D.C. and My Bloody Valentine.Back in January, Parks shared news of her second album and unveiled its first single ‘Weightless’, followed up this month by ambient new track ‘Impurities’.The singer-songwriter has described the forthcoming new record as a “deeply personal body of work” which highlights the artist’s experience of navigating life in her 20s.Now the London artist has offered a sense of what to expect from the sound of her new album, sharing that it will be noisier than her gentle 2021 debut ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’.Speaking to BBC Radio 6 Music, Parks shared that it’s “always been the case” that she’s a fan of heavier genres, but said it’s “never really shown itself in my music”.“One of my favourite bands is My Bloody Valentine, and I bring a few more of those moments into My Soft Machine,” she continued.She praised the rock band for their “sense of absolute chaos, and you feel that your ears are falling off, but then there’s this real delicate quality to the lyrics”.“They’re really sensual and vulnerable, but alongside this wall of sound,” she added.The singer also shared that upcoming live shows will be “a lot more full-bodied”, with the aim of creating “a wall of sound, whereas maybe before there was more of that sense of minimalism”.“I think I’m bringing a lot more energy, to be honest.

Depeche Mode performed ‘Ghosts Again’ from new album ‘Memento Mori’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week – check it out below.Ahead of the release of 15th album ‘Memento Mori’, out Friday (March 24), the band – comprising Dave Gahan and Martin Gore – performed the lead single on this week’s episode of the celebrity talk show which aired Tuesday (March 21).Last month, the duo gave ‘Ghosts Again’ its live debut at the SanRemo Song Festival in Italy, the first time they had performed live since the death of bandmate Andy Fletcher last year.Watch the latest live performance of ‘Ghosts Again’ below.Last month, Depeche Mode also performed ‘Ghosts Again’ and ‘Personal Jesus’ on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.“To me, ‘Ghosts Again’ just captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy,” said frontman Gahan of the song upon its release, with Gore adding: “It’s not often that we record a song that I just don’t get sick of listening to – I’m excited to be able to share it.”The recent performances come ahead of their huge 2023 ‘Memento Mori’ world tour, which starts in the US and Canada this month and kicks off today (March 23) in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center.Last month, the synth-pop duo announced a second North American leg of 29 new dates between late September and mid-December, 2023.Depeche Mode are also scheduled to tour in Europe, the UK and Ireland this year. Find any remaining tickets for the UK dates here.During an interview with NME last October, Gahan said that the new album wasn’t “something I dived into”, explaining: “At first I put up quite a bit of resistance.

Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and The 1975 among the headliners.Lollapalooza 2023 is returning to Giant Park in Chicago, Illinois from August 3-6. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Odesza, Tomorrow X Together and Karol G will also be topping the bill, with the latter making history as the first female Latin artist to headline the festival.Elsewhere, Lollapalooza has also booked the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Rina Sawayama, Pusha T, Lil Yachty, 30 Seconds To Mars, Beebadoobee and Fred again..

Tim Burgess has announced that Tim’s Twitter Listening Party will be heading to Absolute Radio for a new six-part series.The Charlatans frontman started his Listening Parties – in which he invites artists to Tweet along track-by-track to provide insight on new and classic albums – in March 2020. This was in response to the first national lockdown and since then, there have been hundreds of instalments and two books about the popular online events.Now, Burgess will take the series to Absolute Radio for six weeks, beginning this Sunday (March 26) – you can listen to the first show here from 10pm until midnight.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has said he is “sickened” by high Ticketmaster fees for the band’s upcoming North American tour after they vowed to keep prices affordable for fans.Last week the band announced a 30-date tour across the US, which is set to kick off at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on May 10 before closing out at the Miami-Dade Arena in Florida on July 1.In an email to fans, Smith said they would keep ticket prices reasonable, writing: “The Cure have agreed all ticket prices, and apart from a few Hollywood Bowl charity seats, there will be no ‘platinum’ or ‘dynamically priced’ tickets on this tour.”The band also said that tickets would not be “transferable” to minimise “resale and keep prices at face value”. Smith has since elaborated on the ticketing strategy, acknowledging “real problems” with the system and that it wasn’t “perfect”, but did clarify that the band had a “final say” over pricing.However, after the Verified Fan sale went live yesterday (March 15), some fans reported that Ticketmaster fees, including service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, exceeded the price of actual tickets.Smith has now responded, tweeting that he was “sickened” by the “ticketmaster ‘fees’ debacle”.He continued: “To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them.