Author: Surej Singh

Evanescence’s Amy Lee denies rumours that she will be Linkin Park’s new singer

However, she says she would be open to a potential part-time stint with Linkin Park if asked

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NME

Evanescence‘s lead singer Amy Lee has shut down rumours that she will be Linkin Park‘s new singer.

Earlier this month, Orgy frontman Jay Gordon sparked rumours of Linkin Park’s impeding return with a new female vocalist. When pressed during an interview about what he had let slip, Gordon continued by saying: “Don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure who the singer is going to be, but I heard it was gonna be female. They might just try to move on like that. That ought to be interesting.”

Later, Gordon issued a statement clarifying his comments: “With regards to this linkin park singer thing,” he wrote. “I know nothing about any of that. People sure do love to take my words out of context. I love those guys and wish them the best.”

Chester Bennington and son Tyler Lee Bennington attend the 9th Annual MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert at Club Nokia on May 30, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. CREDIT: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Despite appearing to say that interviewer Mike Z was the one to bring up the suggestion of the new female singer, it was in fact Gordon that brought up the subject unprompted. NME contacted Linkin Park’s representatives, who declined to comment on the rumours.

Now, however, rumours of Linkin Park potentially being led by a female vocalist have seen people suggesting that Evanescence’s Amy Lee will replace the late Chester Bennington, who tragically died in 2017.

In a new interview with Canada’s iHeart Radio, Amy Lee emphatically shut down rumours that she has been in talks with Linkin Park to step in on vocal duties: “That is an incredible compliment. I have not heard that. No, I have not been contacted or anything like that. But [I’m a] huge fan feel like our worlds, our fanbases are a lot of the same people.”

Lee went on to explain that the extent of her interacting with any member of Linkin Park dates back to when she and Chester had been in the studio at the same time and had a short chat years ago.

While Lee says she isn’t Linkin Park’s new singer, she isn’t entirely closed off to the idea, and has left the door open for a “part time” stint with the band if they ever feel return: “No, it’s not true. But that’s awesome. They should ask me about that. I don’t have a ton of free time, but I might do it part time.”

Linkin Park most recently released a career-spanning greatest hits album, titled ‘Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023)’. It arrived on April 12 via Warner and includes classics such as ‘In The End’, ‘Burn It Down’ and ‘Numb’. The record also features a previously unreleased track starring Bennington, ‘Friendly Fire’. The song was recorded during the sessions for the group’s final studio album, 2017’s ‘One More Light’ – Bennington died later that year.

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Aaron Taylor-Johnson to reportedly star in ’28 Years Later’

He is expected to join Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer

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NME

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has reportedly been cast in 28 Years Later.

Per a Deadline Hollywood report, Taylor-Johnson has boarded the project and will star alongside Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer, who joined the film earlier this month. Little is known of their roles or the film’s plot points at this point.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been rumoured to be cast as the next James Bond. However, the actor has not directly confirmed or denied the rumours, and at an event earlier this week, even swerved a question about the 007 gig.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson on April 08, 2024 in London, England. CREDIT: Getty/Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images

28 Years Later, first announced earlier this year, will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, both of whom led the original 2002 film.

Earlier this month, World of Reel published an article reporting that Fiennes and Comer had joined the cast along with Charlie Hunnam and Cillian Murphy – the latter of whom starred in the 2002 film. World of Reel has since updated its article to note Hunnam being replaced by Taylor-Johnson, and has walked back confirmation of Murphy’s return to the franchise.

Speaking to NME in 2022 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 28 Days Later, Murphy and Boyle said that they had often spoken about a follow-up to their hit zombie flick. While Murphy said he’s now too old for it, Boyle revealed that Garland had written a script titled 28 Months Later a few years ago but nothing came of it.

Director Danny Boyle, stars of the film Naomie Harris and Cillian Murphy, and producer Andrew Macdonald at the premiere of ’28 Days Later’. Credit: Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images

Boyle said at the time: “I’d be very tempted [to direct it]. It feels like a very good time actually. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered ‘Bang, this script!’ which is again set in England, very much about England. Anyway, we’ll see… who knows?”

It’s been reported that 28 Years Later will be a new trilogy for the franchise, with Boyle set to direct the first of the three films, while Garland writes all three. The budget for each film in the trilogy, per The Hollywood Reporter, is currently USD $75million.

The original film secured a sequel in 2007, 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland only executive-produced this project.

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Pearl Jam drummer recalls receiving cease-and-desist letter from KISS as a teen

Matt Cameron was part of a KISS cover band as a teenager

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NME

Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron has recalled receiving a cease-and-desist letter from KISS when he was a teenager.

Speaking on the Howard Stern Show to promote Pearl Jam’s latest album ‘Dark Matter’, Cameron – who was also in Soundgarden – told the story about meeting KISS when he was young and how that resulted in him getting a cease-and-desist a few months later.

Cameron revealed that he had been in a KISS cover band growing up: “We played local high schools, keggers, whatnot. And my dad was friends with the head of the stagehand union in San Diego, so when KISS was playing there… during the ‘Alive’ tour, that was ’75, we got to go see KISS do a soundcheck at the San Diego Sports Arena.”

Cameron continued: “So I brought the two guys I was in the KISS band with, Tim and Dave Mahoney and we brought our photo album from our stupid KISS cover band to meet Paul Stanley, and we got a photo with him. We were like, ‘Hey man, we’re in a KISS cover band, here’s our stupid little photo album.’”

“Cut to like, I dunno, four-to-six months later, we get a cease-and-desist letter from Aucoin Management. We were big KISS fans, and KISS used to put the logo from Aucoin Management on their albums. So we were all excited, ‘Whoa, we’re getting a letter from Aucoin Management, we’ve made it!’ And it was a cease-and-desist from KISS,” Cameron added.

However, Cameron attributes the letter to him and his bandmates marking the error of not naming their tribute band appropriately: “I think we just called [our] band KISS. We didn’t really think ahead there. So after that, we had ‘KISS’ and in parentheses: ‘Imitation’”.

NME gave Pearl Jam’s latest album ‘Dark Matter’ a glowing four-star review, and praised it as “some of their strongest work in recent memory”.

“For those longing for the charismatic songwriting that first put the band on the map over three decades ago, ‘Dark Matter’ will come as a pleasant surprise,” it read. “Not only does it showcase Pearl Jam reclaiming the charm that first made them a force to be reckoned with back in 1991, it comes alongside some of their most impressive musicianship yet, as well as a determination to take risks after years of playing it safe.”

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Kid Cudi cancels tour after breaking foot at Coachella: “The injury is much more serious than I thought”

“There’s just no way I can bounce back in time to give 100 per cent”

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NME

Kid Cudi has announced the cancellation of his upcoming North American tour after breaking his foot at Coachella 2024.

Last weekend, Kid Cudi performed a last-minute set at Coachella, taking over the Sahara Tent on Sunday (April 21). However, his performance – which was his first at the Californian festival since 2019 – came to an abrupt end after he had broken his foot.

The injury occured after Kid Cudi jumped off the stage to get closer to his fans at the barricades during ‘Memories’. He was carried out of the Sahara Tent while his DJ played Steve Aoki’s remix of ‘Pursuit Of Happiness’.

Now, Cudi has shared an update on the severity of his injury, announcing that he will no longer to tour North America with Pusha T between June and August. The rapper wrote on Instagram: “Guys, so, I have a broken calcaneus. I’m headed to surgery now and there’s gonna be a long recovery time.”

“We have to cancel the tour so I can focus on getting better to be out there in top shape to rage with you all. There’s just no way I can bounce back in time to give 100%. This injury is much more serious than I thought,” he continued.

Kid Cudi then confirmed that full refunds will be issued to all who have purchased tickets to the tour and that he will be announcing new tour dates “as soon as possible”.

The calcaneus refers to the largest bone the forms the heel of the foot. According to the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, a broken calcaneus will take between three to four months to heal.

Shortly after suffering his injury, Kid Cudi revealed the foot break to fans via X that he had “never broken a bone before so this is all a bit crazy”.

Kid Cudi and Pusha T are currently slated to tour Europe and the UK early next year. It is currently unclear if the  European leg of the INSANO tour will be affected or postponed due to his injury.

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Watch The 1975’s Matty Healy respond to Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Healy is speculated to be the subject of several songs on Taylor Swift’s new album

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NME

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.

Since 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. To a Melbourne audience of her Eras Tour, Swift said that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ came from a “need” to write. It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it.”

Numerous artists are name-checked throughout ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. The title track refers to a “Lucy”, which fans seem convinced is a reference to Lucy Dacus, one third of the Grammy-winning group boygenius. Charlie Puth gets a shout out on the same song, while fans are also speculating about whether ‘thanK you aIMee’ is aimed at Kim Kardashian.

Swift also mentioned the cult Scottish indie band The Blue Nile on ‘Guilty As Sin?’, which appears to be another nod to Healy. American 00’s pop-punk band The Starting Line also responded to Swift after she referenced them on ‘The Black Dog’.

Following the LP’s release, Swift will resume her career-spanning ‘Eras Tour’ in Europe next month before heading to the UK and Ireland in June. Swift is due to play eight shows at Wembley Stadium in London this summer as part of the run, with support coming from Paramore.

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Peter Frampton calls Ozzy Osbourne “the Betty White” of rock music

He also said it would be “fantastic” to perform ‘Crazy Train’ with Osbourne

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NME

Peter Frampton has shared his thoughts about his upcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, likening Ozzy Osbourne to Betty White in the process.

Following yesterday’s news that Frampton and Osbourne will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year, Frampton spoke to Rolling Stone about the honour.

When asked about Ozzy’s induction, Frampton compared the Prince of Darkness to Betty White, who was unanimously conceived as a likeable figure: “The man is the Betty White of rock & roll.” He also said it would be “fantastic” if he could perform ‘Crazy Train’ with Osbourne.

Elsewhere during the chat, Frampton told the publication that he was astonished when he learned of his induction: “It’s something I never expected. Because I was eligible so long ago, I kind of put it into the back of my mind. It’s like before I got my first Grammy for my instrumental record where I didn’t sing a note. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m over this. I’ll never win a Grammy.’ And look what happened. I got a Grammy. It’s because I keep working. I’ve never given up. I’ve kept coming back and doing more stuff, and I’ve kept touring. I’ve re-built a following that is now enormous.”

Peter Frampton. CREDIT: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

He then spoke about R&B and rap artists being inducted, and said of Mary J. Blige and A Tribe Called Quest: “Maybe it should be called the Music Hall of Fame as opposed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They’re kind of stuck now. But I agree, Mary J. Blige is an unbelievable talent. They definitely both deserve to get in.”

Frampton also spoke of Cher’s previous public declaration that she wouldn’t attend the induction ceremony after previously being snubbed: “Oh, go on, Cher! We want you there. It’s okay. Look at how long I waited. I didn’t wait as long as you, but it’s okay. You’re in now. You’re in! Come on, Cher!”

Other acts being inducted this year include Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner and Kool & The Gang. Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will be inducted in the Musical Excellence category, while Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton will be honoured with the Musical Influence Award. Entertainment producer Suzanne de Passe will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

All of the above names will be inducted during a ceremony held in Cleveland on October 19.

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US Congress approves bill to ban TikTok in the United States unless ByteDance sells the platform

President Joe Bide previously indicated that he will sign the bill once it hits his desk

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NME

US Congress has on Tuesday (April 23) voted to pass the bill that will ban TikTok in the United States unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform’s US stakes.

The bill – which was voted for 79 to 18 – is next expected to be signed by President Joe Biden, who has previously indicated that he will approve of the legislation once it hits his desk. Tuesday’s vote comes three days after it cleared the House of Representatives.

Should the bill be passed, ByteDance will have an estimated nine months to sell TikTok. In the event that ByteDance does not sell the platform’s stakes in the United States, TikTok will be banned from US markets, and will be removed from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store nationwide.

The bill was first brought up last month, when the US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 to give President Joe Biden the power to enforce a ban on the social media app over concerns that the app is a national security threat and a Chinese espionage tool.

The application app of the video portal TikTok can be seen on the display of a smartphone. Photo: Silas Stein/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

TikTok has consistently disputed lawmakers’ claims that the company’s ownership structure could allow the Chinese government to gain access to the data of its millions of American users.

To date, over 30 American states, Canada, and the European Union have separately banned the app from use on government-owned devices over concerns it could be a security risk. India banned the app nationwide in January 2021, while Taiwan and Afghanistan did the same in 2022.

According to a report from The Washington Post, ByteDance is expected to challenge the bill in court, as the parent company argues that the legislation violates millions of its US-based users’ right to free speech – it appears at the time of writing, per The Guardian, that the UK is not planning to impose the same restrictions against TikTok on its users.

The Washington Post also notes that TikTok has in the past proposed a plan to safeguard US users’ data, storing data with prominent American tech company Oracle. Negotiations between ByteDance and the US government however, fell apart.

TikTok star Leah Smith posted updates on her cancer treatment to TikTok. CREDIT: Getty/Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images

TikTok has yet to comment on the bill being passed on Tuesday (April 23), but on Saturday said in an internal email per the Financial Times that it intends to fight the legislation, and that “this is the beginning, not the end of this long process”.

The bill was included as part of a US$95 billion foreign aid package, including military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. In response to the package, TikTok wrote on X last week (April 18): “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”

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Listen to Knocked Loose and Poppy’s crushing new single ‘Suffocate’

Taken off Knocked Loose’s upcoming third album ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’

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NME

Knocked Loose have unveiled a crushing new single ‘Suffocate’ featuring Poppy — listen to it below.

Last night, the American hardcore band shared the video for ‘Suffocate’ via Pure Noise’s YouTube channel. The track starts with a furious, hard-hitting riff as the band waste no time, diving straight into the heaviness and aggression.

Soon, Poppy joins them, screaming and leading the band into a heavy reggaeton-inspired breakdown. Watch the music video for Knocked Loose’s ‘Suffocate’ featuring Poppy below.

‘Suffocate’ is taken off Knocked Loose’s upcoming third album ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’, which is due for release on May 10 via Pure Noise. The album will also include a collaboration with Chris Motionless from Motionless In White.

Prior to releasing ‘Suffocate’, Knocked Loose released the lead single ‘Blinding Faith’ in February to accompany the album’s reveal, followed by ‘Don’t Reach For Me’ in March.

Knocked Loose are set to play Sick New World festival in Las Vegas this weekend. The band were announced alongside System Of A Down, Slipknot and Slowdive – check for any remaining tickets here.

On the Poppy front, ‘Suffocate’ comes after she collaborated with Bad Omens on ‘V.A.N.’ earlier this year. The track marked her first release since dropping her latest album ‘Zig’ in October last year.

NME caught up with Poppy to chat about the album, during which she spoke about the importance of mystery in her music: “I prefer to let people interpret them. I feel like they change meaning over time and sometimes it’s a little bit too personal – not with ‘Motorbike’, that one’s not as close [to me]. But I feel like sometimes it gets a little bit washed out if you over-explain what a song is about to you. Because once it’s out there, it belongs to them, whoever they are.”

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Slipknot announce one-off intimate gig tomorrow

It will mark the band’s first show with their new drummer

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NME

Slipknot are set to play a one-off intimate gig this week – find out more below.

Per the band’s new You Can’t Kill Me website – which first made headlines after a new billboard popped up in California earlier this month – the band will be playing to a crowd of 350 attendees at the Pappy + Harriet’s barbecue bar in Pioneertown, California on Thursday (April 25).

Tickets to the event are now completely sold out, but cost USD$9 per ticket, with a strict limit of two tickets per purchase. It will mark the band’s first show of the year, as well as their first show with the Iowan metal band’s new drummer, who has yet to be confirmed.

Slipknot will be donating all of the show’s proceeds to the Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter and BOYS & GIRLS CLUB of the Hi Desert.

Slipknot’s Clown. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)

The upcoming intimate gig comes after percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan told NME that the band are “going back to basics” this year to celebrate their 25th anniversary. “We’re going back to basics. I’m ready to kick everybody in the face again! I’m ready to do a 100-person venue again! I’m ready to do a 500-person venue…”

The gig comes at a time when rumours of new music from the band has been percolating among their fanbase.

The last album the nu-metal icons released was ‘The End, So Far’, which arrived back in August 2022. It proved to be the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June, and Jay Weinberg, who was suddenly kicked out of the line-up shortly after.

In the time since, Slipknot have been teasing fans with hints about a new drummer, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption “Rehearsal.” However, according to the comments on the post, it looks like the band have more than live shows planned.

Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. Credit: Venla Shalin/Redferns

In other Slipknot news, fans have become increasingly certain that they have worked out the identity of the new drummer – speculating that the new member is former Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande. This comes following the Brazilian metal band recently announcing that they had parted ways with the longtime member ahead of their final world tour.

Speaking to NME about what Slipknot have planned for 2024, founding member Shawn ‘Clown’ 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.”

They will also be returning to the UK this winter to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. Visit here for remaining tickets.

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Jerry Seinfeld thinks the “movie business is over”

“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives”

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NME

Jerry Seinfeld has shared his thoughts on where the film industry stands – see what he has to say below.

Seinfeld – now a first-time director with his upcoming Netflix film Unfrosted – spoke to GQ Magazine about the upcoming film and in the process revealed that he thinks the film business is “over”.

When asked why he decided to make a film at this stage in his career, Seinfeld said: “Because they wouldn’t put me in Mad Men. I love that kind of comedy. I love office comedies. I love stupid people in suits. And it was Covid. I had nothing to do. So I got talked into it. It wasn’t my idea. Seinfeld wasn’t my idea either. I keep getting dragged into things and surrounded by the most amazing people. These movie people are unbelievable. They’re insane.”

He went on to add: “It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some cool stuff, but it was nothing like the way these people work. They’re so dead serious! They don’t have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.”

Jerry Seinfeld. CREDIT: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix

Seinfeld explained: “Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives. When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”

In its place, Seinfeld thinks “confusion” and “disorientation” has replaced film: “Disorientation replaced the movie business. Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, ‘What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?'”

Unfrosted, due for release on Netflix on May 3, will tell the story of the Pop-Tart and how it was created. It is set in 1963, the year before it hit shelves across the United States. It stars Seinfeld, Hugh Grant, Melissas McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, Max Greenfield and James Marsden among others.

In 2020, Netflix released Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy special, 23 Hours To Kill. It received a four-star review from NME‘s Paul Bradshaw, who wrote: “It’s true that he does seem like he’s from a completely different world to practically everyone else with a Netflix special. But then that’s all part of what makes Jerry, Jerry. He might have a lot more money, a bit more waffle and a few new things to moan about, but he’s still the same king of comedy he always was.”

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