Link in bio pic.twitter.com/03D8oQvoOc

— SAULT (@SaultGlobal) November 1, 2022

Now… if you’ve ever gotten to know me, you may be aware that I’ve got a special place in my heart for music that is surprising. Whether it’s general amazement at the talent of a band like black midi, or the whimsy and mysticism of The Smile; I love a secret, I love a surprise. That being said, if any project has spent their time really leaning into the element of surprise, then SAULT are the one to take the crown – in my opinion. Since their debut, 5, back in 2019, the group have maintained a level of mystery rivalling that of Daft Punk, other than the almost obvious production credits from Inflo, and vocal appearances from Cleo Sol and Kid Sister; everything else is pretty much under wraps. The group have never played live, released a music video, or given an interview; they also have quite a substantial list of unnamed collaborators.

I mused back in April, after the group gave us their last offering – Air – that there would be another release this year. So even if I didn’t figure out the passwords for myself, I’ll feel good about myself. My speculation may not have been spot on, but the parallels to the 99-day release window for last year’s Nine meant that something had to be brewing.

After a quick listen to each of the LPs, there are some obvious directions that can be seen in previous works. Airr, for example, follows the more symphonic, ethereal style of April’s Air. (Untitled) God seems obviously in sync with its other Untitled siblings, Earth leans more into African-style dance music, while Today & Tomorrow could have easily been written 50 years ago. With 11, I’m continuing my semi-grounded conspiracy that 5, 7, and 9 are all one continuous project and constantly being updated. I think it fits musically, and thematically. Good luck with those passwords.

And the winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with @FreeNow_UK is… @LittleSimz – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/PqMWA59e0C

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) October 18, 2022

This puts Little Simz in a very respectable position this year after she also bagged the title of best newcomer at the Brit awards earlier this year – despite it being more than 7 years since she crashed onto the scene – as well as her appearances at Reading and Leeds Festival. Simz well deserved recognition was met with rapturous applause as she gave her short and sweet acceptance speech, “There was times in the studio when I didn’t know if I was going to finish this record, I was feeling all the emotions and really going through it. He stuck by me and pushed me to deliver this album for you guys.”

In a statement made by the Mercury Prize judges, they explain, “This accomplished and complex yet entirely accessible album is the work of someone striving constantly to push herself.” Continuing, “It deals with themes both personal and political while putting them against music that is as sophisticated as it is varied. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a light on albums of lasting value and real artistry. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has both.”

The original performance night was supposed to take place 6 weeks ago, on September 8^th, but the night was postponed after the news broke of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. In the days following the announcement many members of the public, as well as revered artists, made their respects to the Queen. You can take a look at a select few of those moments here.

My fundamental belief that Simz is the deserving winner of this prize doesn’t mean to take away from the achievements of all of the artists that even managed to be nominated for the award. Yard Act, Self Esteem, Nova Twins, Kojey Radical, and all of the other names featured here have given massive contributions to the ever-expanding repertoire of fantastic British music. But when you boil down thoughtful lyricism, creative production, and a bizarrely effective portrayal of a political system… you’ve just got to give it some credit.

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A post shared by Animal Collective (@anmlcollective)

Set to begin this November, the group’s 6 date UK tour – and then extensive European leg – was announced in the later months of last year. But now all these careful plans have been torn down, in summary, due to “Inflation, currency devaluation, bloated shipping and transportation costs”. The band released a statement to their Instagram explaining the situation: “Friends, we are absolutely gutted to announce today that we are making the decision to cancel our UK/EU dates for this November. We love playing music for you and truly wish we could be there.”

The post then takes a more sombre tone: “It has been a wild year for us trying to push through a mountain of touring obstacles related to COVID and the economy. Three of us got bad cases of Covid. We were forced to cancel shows and lost large amounts of the income that sustains us and our families. But preparing for this tour we were looking at an economic reality that simply does not work and is not sustainable.”

The obvious levels of sheer disappointment then come with the band’s explanation for the newfound costs of touring: “From inflation to currency devaluation, to bloated shipping and transportation costs, and much much more, we simply could not make a budget for this tour that did not lose money even if everything went as well as it could. We have always been the kind of people to persevere through the difficult times and get on stage unless our health prevented it. We are choosing not to take the risk to our mental and physical health with the economic reality of what that tour would have been. We hope you understand and that you know we would not make a choice like this lightly.”

 This summary seems to me like very bad news. Animal Collective may not be a household name these days, but they still have an undying fanbase all around the world after the huge success of their older projects like Merriweather Post Pavilion, or even Strawberry Jam. But now, they don’t have the funds to make it across the Atlantic. Consider for a moment a band in today’s day and age, with a new album that launches their career in the same way as Merriweather did for AN CO. Would we even get the chance to see them? Or will they just end up slipping through the cracks… this is bad news.

.@SpotifyUK Pop Up

15th October
The Truman Brewery#the1975 #bfiafl pic.twitter.com/ScQmyuD3Ra

— The 1975 (@the1975) October 6, 2022

The 1975 are currently in the midst of one of the most tantalizing album release schedules in recent memory. After returning back to the scene for a few shows in Japan, and then a surprise headline slot at the now legendary Reading and Leeds Festival, the group have made a number of promises – UK, US, EU, and Australian tours; album announcements, a pretty solid Jools Holland appearance, and a bunch of other band-y stuff. Now, we are finally approaching new album day. You can view the pro-shot performance of one of their latest singles, “I’m In Love With You” on “Later… With Jools Holland“ below.

News of the band’s UK and EU tour at the start of last month. Since then, ticket release day has come and gone, with most of the tickets to the original 14-date tour gone; the band announced extra shows in London and Glasgow. These tickets have, also, all but gone – but you can still check here for any of the few remaining slots at any of the shows. Set to kick off in Belfast, next January, the tour is yet to see any information regarding support acts. The naming alone promises the band will be “at their very best”, and at the moment this is something we’ll just have to believe in. Their Reading and Leeds Shows both came with high praise, and that’s about as good a start as we can hope for.

Matt Healey, the band’s overtly outspoken frontman, took to Instagram recently in a tirade against Aussie radio station Triple J. The station shared an image announcing The 1975’s upcoming Australian tour. This apparently tipped Healey icer the edge as he screenshotted the coverage and reposted it onto his personal Instagram account exclaiming, “Play our music then before you start licking our arse just cos you’ve finally realised we’re mint.” He then took to Twitter shortly after stating, “You literally have nothing to do with us coming to Australia don’t start getting involved now. You don’t have a monopoly on cool and the head of your company is a knobhead so yous can fuck off.” Kinda wild.

The 10-track album, or 11 if you fancy forking out a little extra cash for the deluxe edition, will actually feature exclusively unheard music. Now that may sound like a given, but the band’s touring schedule over the last year or so has led to a lot of shows with only a tiny amount of material. So, the fact that none of these new tracks have even been performed to the public yet is quite a nice surprise. That being until they embark on their pretty extensive EU and UK tour next February. The insanely dense tour will see the group play 22 dates across 5 countries all in February. You can find full ticket information for the shows here.

Pre-order Hands Across The Creek right here: https://t.co/mdiXu0IWPp

To celebrate, we embark on a UK and EU tour in February 2023. Pre-order the album for access to pre-sale. See you out there! pic.twitter.com/2aLj6rJz3M

— Hotel Lux (@hotelluxband) September 21, 2022

In a statement released by the band, they explain that lead single, “Common Sense is about how the media are aware that apathy is the greatest enemy of social shift, how we are being taken for fools and we’ve become numb to it.”. This nicely ties into their songwriting philosophy for their last EP. When confronted about their previous single, “Tabloid Newspaper”, this is what they had to say, “That old saying of the journo’s cut, paste and twist is the same in songwriting. Just no-one admits it. These three verses and a silly chorus are a confession” – we see there’s a self-deprecating protagonist. One who questions their integrity as a songwriter. One who pokes fun at the rhetoric appropriated to sell music. ‘Be cathartic, deep’. In other words, the song begs the question. Are singers structuring their take on the lyrics to fit the mould they’re taught makes a song good? Possibly.”

While this new album may be taking the same lyrical approach to slandering society by way of excessive Britishisms, not everything has remained so consistent. During lockdown, the group had to part ways with their original guitarist, Jake Sewell, before being replaced with Max Oliver. The new addition of producer, Bill Ryder-Jones, has also allowed the band to push their music in a different sonic direction to what we may have heard before.

Hotel Lux’s UK Tour dates:

17/2/23 – Brighton – Green Door Store
18/2 – Birmingham – Dead Wax
19/2 – Manchester – Deaf Institute
20/2 – Glasgow – Audio
21/2 – Leeds – Key Club
22/2 – Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms
23/2 – Bristol – Exchange
24/2 – London – The Dome
25/2 – Portsmouth – Staggeringly Good

22-23! PRESALE GOES LIVE TOMORROW 10AM pic.twitter.com/H77fhQA47a

— jockstrap (@jockstrapmusic1) September 20, 2022

As mentioned before, Jockstrap have already finished 2 tours in the UK so far this year. After the first ended in March the group allowed themselves to have a moment to breathe before taking part in a handful of instore shows to celebrate the release of their debut LP I Love You Jennifer B. Now the album has dropped, and is being strongly praised pretty universally – not to try and give my own opinion – the group can finally tour the album to the world. Starting with Europe.

Ever since their joining back in 2019, Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye – otherwise known as one of the most underrated and creative bands of the post-brexit-new-wave era Jockstrap – have continually pushed the boundaries of what it means to be in a band in today’s day and age. The amalgamation of Ellery’s classical training in vocals and violin, and Skye’s immensely idiosyncratic production style has allowed for some unique, and quite challenging electro-pop out today. While the 2-piece setup is nothing new, until now it seemed impossible to be in one without seeming like you’re just copying The White Stripes and just doing it worse (I’m looking at you Royal Blood). But Skye’s production and performance style almost seem more reminiscent of a band like The xx, which lends itself perfectly to the incredibly technical and clearly well-rehearsed style of Ellery. You can hear the musicianship particularly well in their most recent single. See the video for the most recent single ‘Glasgow’ below.

Recently, it was discovered that I Love You Jennifer B almost didn’t make it to the public after the only copy of the album was stolen at a restaurant in London. Fortunately for us all, iconic London rapper Slowthai was there to chase after the thief and retrieve the stolen Laptop containing the album.

Ellery will also hit the stage with her 2^nd, and arguable larger, project Black Country, New Road before the end of the year. the group’s first since the departure of lead vocalist Isaac Woods back in February. BC,NR started touring in May, and they had this to say, “We’re looking forward to sharing what we’ve been working on with you. The six of us will be performing a set of brand new music. We will not perform any music from ‘For the first time’ or ‘Ants From Up There’.”

7/2/22 – Liverpool – District
9/2 – Newcastle – The Cluny
10/2 – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
11/2 – Sheffield – Foundry
13/2 – Oxford – Bullingdon
15/2 – London – Heaven
16/2 – Margate – Olbys
17/2 – Manchester – Gorilla

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be doing vocals for the @Allegaeon fellas this November/December for their European tour. I’m very excited for this opportunity and I hope I get the chance to see a lot of you folks out there on the road! pic.twitter.com/jsdMP01aBF

— Ezra Haynes (@EzraHaynes) September 13, 2022

In a statement released by the band, Allegaeon explained, “Ezra recorded and toured extensively with us on our first three albums, and we are so excited to tour with him once more.” Ezra had this to share, “Going overseas and playing for Allegaeon fans has always been the piece missing out of my personal Allegaeon puzzle. A similar feeling to an unfinished task. It has been pretty surreal receiving this opportunity 7+ years after my much-needed departure.” Before finally concluding, “I am very excited for this run and I hope I’m able to meet so many long-time Allegaeon fans. Thanks again to the boys for the opportunity! See ya out there!”

Over the past fifteen years, Colorado’s Allegaeon have built themselves a unique place in the musical landscape, forcing both technicality and melody to the forefront as they create tumultuous and riveting death metal. With DAMNUM, their sixth full-length LP, they push everything further into the extreme, and in the process deliver the definitive Allegaeon record, which while forging into new territory, takes everything compelling about the band and enhances it.

Dave Otero, who has produced everything except the band’s 2012 album Formshifter, once again joined the band in Flatline Audio studio, Burgess asserting that working with him is “always easy and a blast.”

Last month saw Riley McShane leave the band after fronting them for 7 years from 2015. So far, the band are yet to make any official comments about the split, but McShane posted this statement wishing his former bandmates well. “I am no longer a member of the music project Allegaeon. I wish the remaining members nothing but the best in their careers – I have nothing but admiration & respect for their musical abilities. To our fans – I’m sorry if this news causes heavy hearts in any of you. Allegaeon, however, has always been able to find new members with talent, creativity, and fire in their bellies. I’m sure whoever replaces me behind the microphone will take the band in a fantastic creative direction.” Very heartfelt. “To the friends I’ve made along the way on this journey – you are loved so dearly and my gratitude for your support is immeasurable. I look forward to keeping in touch and staying close as always. The rest of the band will still be touring in EU this November – make sure to buy a ticket, buy some merch, and support them & the rest of the bands however you can. Thank you Allegaeon for the years. Good luck and be well.”

You can see below the full UK dates for the band’s tour.

26/11/23 – Bristol – Thekla
27/11 – London – O2 Academy Islington
28/11 – Glasgow – Cathouse
29/11 – Manchester – Rebellion
30/11 – Birmingham – Asylum
1/12 – Southampton – The Loft

The #WillOfThePeople tour comes to Europe Summer 2023 with special guests @royalblooduk
Tickets for most dates are on sale Friday 10am local, French shows go on sale Thursday 22nd at 10am local. pic.twitter.com/XvdNv1gFyL

— muse (@muse) September 12, 2022

The band released their 9^th LP, Will Of The People, a few weeks back and wow… what an experience that album is. Regardless of how on board you are of Muse’s trademark bombast, it’s undeniable that the album takes every conceivable dial and turns it as far as it’ll go – sometimes to its detriment. In an attempt to keep up with the current musical landscape the band also made the decision to sell their album in an NFT format. Making them the first artist to make UK number 1 with the implemented technology.

2 weeks ago, the band released their most recent single, “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”, alongside the full album. Exploring their more overtly spooky tendencies, the track sees the band go full Danny Elfman for about 4 minutes. The Tom Teller-directed music video forces as many references to 80’s horror cult classics that it almost feels like a trailer to a pseudo-MCU horror movie, but with the guys from ‘Scream’ instead of Iron Man. You can check out the video below.

As mentioned before, the group announced the UK leg of the tour a few weeks back. With support from Royal Blood, the 4-night tour will see – probably – some massive-scale shows at some of the country’s biggest venues. The shows will kick off at Plymouth’s Home Park on 27^th May 2023. Tickets have already gone on sale so you can try to bag any remaining spots here. If the band’s history is anything to rely on, the shows will carry the tradition of just trying to do everything they did on the last tour… but bigger. Expect massive puppets on stage, fireworks, and maybe even some people floating over the crowd. Who’s to say.

Muse’s UK tour dates:

27/05/23 – Home Park – Plymouth
20/06 – John Smith’s Stadium – Huddersfield
23/06 – Bellahouston Park – Glasgow
25/06 – The National Bowl – Milton Keynes

In this latest Placebo interpretation, “Shout” becomes a brooding industrial march. Given that the single’s original songwriter Roland Orzabal has said that the song concerns itself with political protest, it also makes for a fitting follow-on from Placebo’s latest album release Never Let Me Go, which marked itself out with commentary on tech-saturation, rising intolerance and the climate crisis.

Placebo recently announced a postponement of their North American tour dates, with rescheduled performances for 2023 to be announced soon.

Never Let Me Go, the band’s first album in nearly a decade, arrived in March. Classic Rock said “like their sci-fi-noir rock contemporaries Garbage, Placebo are a band to which music is finally catching up” and Kerrang! described the collection as “prescient tales of loss, surveillance, and climate change,” dubbing it “a record for our times.”

Placebo formed in 1994, with the London-based pair of Brian Molko (vocals/guitar) and Stefan Olsdal (bass/guitar), releasing their eponymous debut just two years later. In the intervening years, Placebo have released eight studio albums, that have sold over 13 million copies, filled stadiums from Moscow to Sydney, won numerous awards including a 1999 Brit Award and pushed the boundaries of gender and sexuality.

The group is also on the cusp of beginning an extensive UK and EU tour supporting their most recent album. Beginning in November the tour will see the band hit 13 different venues around England and Scotland; including 2 nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. You can try and bag any remaining tickets for the shows here.

Placebo’s UK tour dates:

18/11/2022 – Guildhall – Portsmouth
19/11 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
21/11 – Eventim Olympia – Liverpool
22/11 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
24/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
26/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
27/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
29/11 – De Montford Hall – Leicester
30/11 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds
02/12 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
03/12 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow
05/12 – 3 Arena – Dublin
07/12 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
08/12 – O2 Academy 1 – Birmingham

Photo credit: Mads Perch

Given Black Francis’ prolific songwriting, Joey’s contributions would usually be to build his distinctive style into his bandmate’s songs. But this time around it was the reverse approach, with Joey’s instrumental – a mix of explosive power chords that recall Pete Townshend and a pummelling punk attack – completed by Black’s decadent, surrealist lyrics, which reference Van Halen and Black Foxx while drinking under the iconic Hollywood sign.

In a press release, Black explained the song is about, “Living in Los Angeles in the ‘90s with my then-wife, hanging out with Joey and his ex-wife, lots of trips to Las Vegas, a lot of drinking, little bit drug taking, some genuine good times.” 

Flashforward to the present day. Joey was jamming at home on his guitar and the initial idea behind the song may well have been lost to the moment. He recalls, “I guess I was in kind of a zombie state, just playing. After I stopped playing I put it down and went, ‘Well, that was a fucking waste of time, what a piece of shit I am.’ I beat myself up a lot, but my girlfriend, unbeknownst to me, was recording me. She played it back to me and I go, ‘Fuck! Hold on a second here! This stuff is good!’” 

‘Dregs of the Wine’ emerges after Pixies have spent the summer headlining large outdoor shows in the UK and Europe, hitting Hyde Park as special guests to Pearl Jam, and playing a tiny Manchester show at Band On the Wall. Their legendary status has been heightened by the recent Doggerel singles ‘There’s A Moon On’ and ‘Vault of Heaven’, leading to an A-list and a Steve Lamacq premiere at 6 Music, as well as coverage stretching from NME to The Guardian to Spin.

Having just headlined the End of the Road Festival, Pixies’ remaining 2022 live shows include shows in North America, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Please see their website for a full list of all international dates.