During the final night of their joint tour on March 29 at Le Zénith in Paris, France, Slash and Kennedy brought out Van Halen as a surprise guest for a rendition of the 1979 smash hit. Van Halen’s band Mammoth WVH had been serving as opening support for the rockers on their month-long run.
“We’re honoured that we’ve been able to tour with this next gentleman and his band, ’cause I think he’s one of the most talented people on the planet,” Kennedy said while introducing the musician to the stage.
The performance began with Slash playing the iconic ‘Highway to Hell’ riff with the rest of the band joining in. Bassist Todd Kearns provided lead vocals with both Kennedy and Van Halen joining in on the chorus. Van Halen also provided an electrifying guitar solo.
Earlier that night, Kennedy joined Mammoth WVH onstage for a rendition of the latter’s track ‘Take a Bow’.
“I guess I’m honoured he even thinks about me as much as he seems to,” he responded in an interview with radio show The Morning X With Barnes & Leslie.
While performing at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia yesterday (May 1), Horan brought out the Australian folk and indie pop duo for a rendition of their 2010 hit ‘Big Jet Plane’ from their second LP ‘Down The Way’.
“Night Twenty-Seven Sydney. Thank you to Australian legends @angusandjuliastone for coming out to perform one of my favourite songs,” wrote Horan in an Instagram post of the trio performing the song on stage.
Horan is currently on the Australian leg of his world tour in support of his third album ‘The Show’. His next gigs see him performing at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on May 3 and 4.
Elsewhere, Angus & Julia Stone have released their latest single ‘No Boat No Aeroplane’ from their upcoming sixth studio LP ‘Cape Forestier’
Speaking of the track in a press release, the duo shared: “This song encapsulates those moments in life when it feels like all semblance of stability has vanished, and what we once thought we comprehended has slipped away.”
“The song is about the spirit of resilience and curiosity required in times like that… You have nowhere to go and are full of doubt… but you must head towards the storm; if you turn away, you’ll never truly understand it,” they continued. “It speaks to the notion that confronting challenges head-on, even if it means grappling with tumultuous currents, can lead to a deeper comprehension of the unpredictable nature of the world. ‘My ride is with the wind’.”
The duo will also be embarking on a 2024 World Tour, featuring two dates in the UK, including a show at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall on May 28. Visit here for tickets and visit here for more information.
The singer opened up about her personal journey with Mental Health at the third annual Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit in New York City on Wednesday (May 1). While speaking to Today‘s Hoda Kotb, Gomez shared the steps she’s taken to protect her headspace.
As per Billboard, she revealed that one of the steps she’s taken has been to reel back on her online presence despite being the most followed woman on Instagram.
“I disabled all my comments on my photos on Instagram for only my friends,” she said. “So I think I’ve created boundaries to help me. Obviously people fussed about it. They fuss about everything. I felt empowered by doing that, by saying, ‘This is just for me.’”
Gomez also spoke about keeping positive people in her circle, including her boyfriend – producer Benny Blanco – who she described as “wonderful.” She continued: “It’s all about, at the end of the day, for me, owning my power and I am who I surround myself with.”
Blanco took to the comment section of her Instagram post at the Summit and replied: “I’m so proud of u bb” and “u inspire me”.
“I will always be working on my mental health, and I will always evolve,” the Only Murders In The Building actress said. “I’m not better or worse than anyone. I’m simply just a person living and surviving every day.”
During a SXSW panel in Austin, Texas, the singer reflected on her 2022 documentary My Mind & Me, which she admitted she went “back and forth” about releasing to the public.
In Lamar’s song ‘Euphoria’, the ‘Humble’ artist raps in a Toronto accent and name-checks the Chinese restaurant towards the end of the second verse saying: ‘I be at New Ho King eatin’ fried rice with a dip sauce and a blammy’.
The restaurant is located on Spadina Avenue in Toronto. After the release of ‘Euphoria’, New Ho King has received a plethora of five-star reviews on Google, with the majority referencing Lamar and the track. “Truly euphoric meal,” read one review left by a user while another wrote: “That fried rice with the dip sauce is the way to go. All my crodies love it.”
It currently has a 4.0 star rating on Google. Speaking to local TV station CityNews, Johnny Lu – the owner of New Ho King – expressed his gratitude for the mention in the song and called Lamar a “Good guy”.
The jumbled audio in the intro of the six-minute-long track is actually dialogue from the 1978 film The Wiz that had been reversed.
Shortly after the track’s release, fans clipped the beginning audio and played it backwards to find that the first line: “eurt si em tuoba yas yeht gnihtyrevE” happens to be a line from the iconic film in which Richard Pryor – who portrayed The Wiz – says: “Everything they say about me is true.”
Pryor’s line in the film is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed as Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. He admits to being Smith and says: “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
Fans have also speculated that Lamar’s inclusion of The Wiz is in connection to his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Like That‘ which was released last month.
In the track, the ‘Humble’ rapper comparing his work and contributions to that of the late Prince. “Prince outlived Mike Jack’ N****,” Drake had compared himself to Michael Jackson on his J. Cole collab ‘First Person Shooter’. Jackson was featured in The Wiz, portraying the Scarecrow.
Despite Drake claiming that his rival had “nothing to drop” in response, Lamar has fired back with ‘Euphoria’, addressing him directly for the first time.
In other news, Drake recently replied to ‘Euphoria’ on his Instagram stories. The ‘Know Yourself’ rapper seemed to mock Lamar’s lyrics: “I’m the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress / I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct” with a scene from cult romcom 10 Things I Hate About You.
The new track follows the previously released ‘Punk’s Dead‘ and ‘Mirror Muscles‘, and takes cues from nu-metal with its taut heaviness and the clean punch of its production. It also includes elements of Brit punk.
According to a press release, the song was inspired by Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent almost getting hit by an e-scooter as they stepped out of album sessions at The Libertines’ Albion Rooms studio in Margate.
“The whole walk back to the studio, we were discussing our contempt for e-scooter drivers. They should be illegal,” shared Vincent. “They shouldn’t be on the road. They should need a theory test. It was just a rich well to discuss, and the song’s about that.”
‘Act Violently’s accompanying music video visualises the track’s narrative, seeing Holman being plagued by the same e-scooter wherever he goes: first almost splattering him as he leaves a shop, then knocking his phone out of his hand in the park and then coming close to running him over on a zebra crossing. He eventually snaps and vows to cast his vengeance vigilante-style.
Soft Play are set to release their fourth studio album ‘Heavy Jelly’ on July 19. It marks their first LP under their new band name and first long form project in over six years.
Physical formats of the album include CD, black vinyl, a signed CD exclusive to HMV, and a limited green vinyl that’s only available via the band’s official store and select indie retailers. You can pre-order /pre-save the album here.
Soft Play ‘Heavy Jelly’ album artwork. Credit: PRESS
Soft Play ‘Heavy Jelly’ tracklist is :
‘All Things’ ‘Punk’s Dead’ ‘Act Violently’ ‘Isaac Is Typing…’ ‘Bin Juice Disaster’ ‘Worms On Tarmac’ ‘John Wick’ ‘Mirror Muscles’ ‘Working Title’ ‘The Mushroom and The Swan’ ‘Everything and Nothing’
The band shared that the album’s is named after a Jiu-Jitsu instructor told Vincent to act like ‘heavy jelly’ by means of explaining how much resistance to give in a demonstration. The phrase ended up being something that reflects the duo’s world view “life is heavy, but it’s also funny,” said Holman.
Vincent added: “We’re not gonna be the band that leads your protest march really eloquently, but we might be the band that motivates you to go down the gym or start doing something productive and that’s important too,” he continues, “what we can do is sing about relatable things and share that with people.”
Holman continued: “Don’t try and be like everyone else. Just do what you want and have fun.”
Speaking to NME about their name change in a recent interview, the duo revealed that the decison to start going by Soft Play instead of Slaves was partly inspired by a conversation they had with Bob Vylan vocalist Bobby due to perceived racial insensitivity of the name. “He basically said we were one of his favourite bands but he wouldn’t wear our merch,” explained Holman.
“If he felt uncomfortable about liking us, there must be others who feel the same way,” offered Vincent.
In their statement, the band wrote that they had previously “responded to criticism of the name from a place of fear and defensiveness” and they were “scared” of what would happen if they changed it because of how much their their identity was tied to the name. “It took years of therapy to see past that,” Vincent told NME.
“In the end, it just became tiring,” he continued. “I didn’t want to build a life around a name that clearly made people uncomfortable. It took a lot of growing up but now we’ve done it, it feels right.”
Elsewhere in the interview, they revealed that one of the tracks on ‘Heavy Jelly’ was written from the perspective of mega-assassin John Wick. “If Keanu Reeves reads this, we need you for a video mate,” said Vincent.
“The album is more accomplished than what we’ve done before,” he continued. “It’s frantic, frenetic, intense and still sounds really raw in places, but that’s not a mistake this time. I want to say it’s more mature, but there are some absolutely ridiculous songs on it. We’ve just captured the aggression and the humour perfectly this time.”
Vincent went on to praise Holman’s lyrics as the best he’s ever written, while Holman said he was inspired by his bandmate. “There was something about his riffs that made me want to scream from somewhere deep inside myself,” he offered. “It all felt so natural and so easy, which is when we’re at our best.”
Offered as part of AirBnB’s new experience – Icons. As per a press release, Icons is “a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more.” The vacation rental site has released the first 11 experiences to be released with Prince’s Purple Rain home listed as one of them.
“In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the legendary album and film, the newly restored home– located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, his hometown – will be open to the public for the first time, only on AirBnB,” read’s the listing for the legendary musician’s home.
It continued: “Guests will get to explore the home and go crazy for rare and special tracks from Prince’s world in an exclusive studio session.”
Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ House – Icons – Airbnb – Credit: Eric Ogden
“Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination—until now,” said Brian Chesky, AirBnB co-founder and CEO. “As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world. With Icons, we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth.”
AirBnB Icons are featured in their own category right on the homepage. Most Icons are free, and all are priced under $100USD (£80) per guest. A countdown displays the time until each Icon goes live, and guests can request to book through the app. The lucky guests who are selected will receive a digital golden ticket, and more than 4,000 tickets will be available in 2024.
Released in 1984, Purple Rain is American rock musical drama film scored by and starring Prince as ‘The Kid’ in his acting debut. The film was developed to showcase the musician’s talents. It features various concert sequences, featuring Prince and his band The Revolution. The film was directed by Albert Magnoli, who later became Prince’s manager, from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn.
A synopsis of the film reads: “A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent father, the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia. But another musician, Morris , looks to steal the Kid’s spotlight — and his girl.”
Purple Rain was the only feature film that Prince starred in but did not direct. Prince purchased “The Kid”s home which was used in the film eight months before his passing.
The film’s soundtrack of the same name earned the Number One spot on the US Billboard 200 Charts and came in at Number Seven in the UK Charts. The LP featured two US chart-topping singles, ‘When Doves Cry’ and ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, as well as the number-two hit ‘Purple Rain’.
The soundtrack is certified 13-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over 25million copies worldwide.
The band confirmed the identity of their new drummer on Tuesday April 30 on their social media pages. Slipknot posted a new promo photo of its nine members in their classic red jumpsuits and masks, resembling an iconic photo taken in 1999. In the photo, the band tagged eight of its nine members – one of whom has been revealed to be Casagrande.
Now, the former drummer of Brazilian metal icons Sepultura has shared his first statement after confirming his position in the band. The drummer took his official Instagram account and shared a photo in his Slipknot jumpsuit and mask. “It’s an exciting moment. Unthinkable until then. There is nothing to lose, there is nothing to win. There is just living. We’re here as one,” began the caption of the post.
He continued: “Thank you Slipknot for trusting me. Thanks all the maggots and fans around the world. See you on the road. Here comes more pain.”
During the intimate set, the band donned their classic red jumpsuits that they had worn in 1999 during their debut. Several of the band’s original members also donned throwback masks, while newer members revealed new masks.
Casagrande’s quick reveal as Slipknot’s drummer comes as a surprise to longtime fans who have followed the band through their numerous line-up changes dating back to 2013. Typically, the band have been very secretive about their new members’ identities, usually letting internet sleuths uncover identities rather than just revealing it on their own.
Speaking to NME about what Slipknot have planned for 2024, Crahan said: “I’m ready to move on from what has been, and move onto a world that I know needs to be. For instance, normally we’d have about two years on and one-and-a-half years off — we’re not doing that anymore.”
General ticket sales will commence tomorrow (Friday May 3) at 10am local time. Visit here to purchase tickets and check out the full list of dates below.
Slipknot ‘Here Comes The Pain’ 2024 25th anniversary US tour dates are:
MAY 12: Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville 19: Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Festival
AUGUST 6: Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center * 7: Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake * 9: Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena * 10: Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion * 12: New York, NY – Madison Square Garden * 14: Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion * 15: Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center * 17: Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *
SEPTEMBER 1: Pryor, OK – ROCKLAHOMA 7: Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre # 8: Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Styles Resorts Amphitheater # 9: Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life 11: Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater # 13: Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome # 15: Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre # 17: Austin, TX – Moody Center # 18: Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion # 21: Des Moines, IA – Knotfest Iowa at Waterworks Park #
* w/ Special Guests Knocked Loose and Orbit Culture # w/ Special Guests Knocked Loose and Vended
Metacritic aggregates reviews of TV, film, books and music and then gives them an average score. According to their About Us page, the review-aggregator site curates a “diverse group of highly respected critics and assigns scores to their reviews”. They then take “the weighted average of those scores”, which results in their “Metascore.”
The website has shared its current list of best-rated albums so far for 2024, with Beyoncé’s country album ‘Cowboy Carter’ taking the lead spot. In a five-star review of the LP, NME wrote: “It’s an undeniable thrill to see [Beyoncé] swing so big on a project that dares her to be so intimate and vocal-focused.”
Bill Ryder-Jones’ fifth studio album ‘Iechyd Da’ follows close behind Queen Bey, earning the Number Two spot on the list. In a five-star review of the album, NME shared: “Ambitious, cinematic and hugely affecting, folky follow-up ‘Iechyd Da’ is in many ways the album Ryder-Jones has threatened to make since 2013 breakthrough ‘A Bad Wind Blows in my Heart’.”
Beyoncé ‘Cowboy Carter’ album artwork. Credit: PRESS
It continued: “His solo work has almost always been deeply personal, which is certainly true of this new self-produced record: ‘iechyd da’ is a Welsh toast to ‘good health’ and the album is partly named for his familial roots in the country. Its songs echo with references to his past tunes, its acoustic aesthetic is set to ‘wistful’ and the lyrics find him baring all with apparent fearlessness.”
At Number Three is English Teacher with their debut LP. In a five-star review of the album, NME shared: “What you have in ‘This Could Be Texas’ is everything you want from a debut; a truly original effort from start to finish, an adventure in sound and words, and a landmark statement. Poised for big things? Who knows if this industry even allows that anymore.
English Teacher. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
“Here are a band already dealing in brilliance, though – who dare to dream and have it pay off. Not everyone gets to go to space, but at least English Teacher make it a damn site more interesting being stuck down here.”
Following behind to complete the Top Ten list are Mannequin Pussy coming in at Number Four with their fourth LP ‘I Got Heaven‘, Waxahatchee’s ‘Tigers Blood‘ landing at Number Five, St. Vincent’s electrifying ‘All Born Screaming‘ at Number Six, Vampire Weekend’s ‘Only God Was Above Us‘ landing at Number Seven, Brittany Howard’s ‘What Now‘ at Number Eight, Kali Uchis’ ‘Orquídeas‘ at Number Nine and Hurray for the Riff Raff’s ‘The Past Is Still Alive’ wrapping up the list at Number 10.
The six-minute-long diss track sees Lamar call the ‘Hotline Bling’ a “scam artist”, “master manipulator” and question his abilities as a father. It has been revealed that the jumbled audio in the intro of the song samples dialogue from the 1978 film The Wiz.
Following its release yesterday (April 30), fans clipped the short sample and played the line backwards to find the first line: “eurt si em tuoba yas yeht gnihtyrevE” happens to be a line from the iconic film in which Richard Pryor – who portrayed The Wiz – says: “Everything they say about me is true.”
Pryor’s line in the film is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed as Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. He admits to being Smith and says: “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
Fans have also speculated that Lamar’s inclusion of The Wiz is in connection to his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Like That‘ which was released last month.
In the track, the ‘Humble’ rapper comparing his work and contributions to that of the late Prince. “Prince outlived Mike Jack’ N****,” Drake had compared himself to Michael Jackson on his J. Cole collab ‘First Person Shooter’. Jackson was featured in The Wiz, portraying the Scarecrow.
Despite Drake claiming that his rival had “nothing to drop” in response, Lamar has fired back with ‘Euphoria’, addressing him directly for the first time.
In other news, Drake recently replied to ‘Euphoria’ on his Instagram stories. The ‘Know Yourself’ rapper seemed to mock Lamar’s lyrics: “I’m the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress / I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct” with a scene from cult romcom 10 Things I Hate About You.
The Dublin band – comprised of Grian Chatten, Tom Coll, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan III and Carlos O’Connell – took to their official social media to announce their one-night-only gig on May 8 at Brooklyn’s Warsaw venue. Tickets for the gig are sold out but fans can check to see if any more are released or resold here.
Fontaines D.C. will be playing to a crowd of 1000 at the legendary ballroom venue. It will also mark the first show of their new era leading into their fourth studio album ‘Romance‘ which is due for release on August 23 via XL Recordings (pre-order/pre-save here).
The European leg is due to kick on November 1 in at Sagres Campo Pequeno in Lisbon, followed by dates in Madrid, Berlin, Paris and more, before they wrapped up at AFAS Live in Amsterdam on November 16.
From there, the band will continue on to their remaining dates, which includes two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The band recently released ‘Starburster‘, the lead single of ‘Romance’. In a glowing five-star review of the track, NME called it the Dubliners’ “most experimental work yet” adding that Fontaines D.C. had “taken a perfect left turn” to usher in their next chapter.
It continued: “Leaning on the Massive Attack trip-hop noir vibes first hinted at on [2022 album] ‘Skinty Fia’’s title track, ‘Starburster’ is a pensive art-rock beast that fuses elements of electronica and hip-hop more akin to their fellow striking countrymen (and recent collaborators) KNEECAP.”
In other news, the band are also scheduled to make appearances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Pukkelpop and Sziget among other festivals across the season.
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