He continued, “It’s quite a sad song, in a beautiful way, and it’s probably one of the first songs I tried to teach myself on guitar. It’s one of those songs that gives me a lot of emotion.”

Perhaps best known for his work with the bands The Rascals and The Last Shadow Puppets, which he formed with Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner, Kane has also become a notable solo artist. Releasing five studio albums to date, the singer has also collaborated with Turner, Noel Gallagher and French actress Clemence Poesy.

In 2017, Kane, along with fellow musicians Matt Bellamy of Muse, Nic Cester of Jet, Graham Coxon of Blur, Sean Payne of the Zutons and Nine Inch Nails and Jamie Davis formed The Jaded Hearts Club-a Beatles tribute band. Initially only playing songs by The Beatles, the band have also covered songs by Cream, The Who and The Kinks.

Kane has recently supported Arctic Monkeys on their UK and Ireland tour.

NOW LIVE! Watch the documentary and learn the full story behind ‘Now And Then’ – with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson.https://t.co/UaCIMywCOX #NowAndThen @johnlennon @PaulMcCartney @GeorgeHarrison @ringostarrmusic… pic.twitter.com/9OZL5VdGMR

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) November 1, 2023

The Beatles have released a 12 minute short film just ahead of their planned issue of “Then And Now” that tells the story of how a failed demo tape evolved into the band’s final song. The track has already dominated headlines, not least because it features Lennon and Harrison via AI technology supplied by filmmaker Peter Jackson.

When Jackson made his ground-breaking film documentary Get Back, examining The Beatles’ recording of their last studio album of the same name, he utilised the technology to isolate conversations the members had with each other during recording. It was again used in 2022’s reissue of Revolver. Paul McCartney sent the demo to Jackson who was able to separate Lennon’s vocals on the tape, allowing McCartney and Ringo Starr to record the song as if the former members were still there with them.

McCartney had previously said that isolating Lennon’s voice without the piano on the demo tape was always a persistent challenge and prevented the band from being able to work on “Then And Now.” With Jackson’s help, Lennon’s voice was successfully pulled from the demo tape and allowed the band to complete the song.

Speaking about the process, McCartney said, “Every time I wanted a little bit more of John’s voice, this piano came through and clouded the picture. I think we kind of ran out of steam a bit and time, and it was like, ‘well, I don’t know, maybe we’ll leave this one. Now And Then just kind of languished in a cupboard. And then in 2001, we lost George, which kind of took the wind out of our sails. It took almost a quarter of a century for us to wait until the right moment to tackle Now And Then again, with the technology that Peter Jackson and his team had worked out during the Get Back movie.”

After the re-release of Revolver, McCartney sent Jackson the demo. He continued, “It was like, John’s there, you know? It’s far out. So in the mix, we could lift John’s voice without lifting the piano, which had always been one of the problems. Now we could mix it and make a proper record of it.”

“Now And Then” will be released today at 2PM and a video directed by Jackson will follow tomorrow, Friday 3 November.

Save the Prince Albert music venue in Brighton… @musicvenuetrust https://t.co/xzrXp9hpG8

— Fatboy Slim (@FatboySlim) October 27, 2023

Over 1200 people have already voiced their displeasure and opposition to a planning application for a commercial building to go up next door to the pub, while 14,000 have signed their names to a petition to the block the proposal. Grassroots venue locations have been a constant headline within the UK music scene of late, with many locations facing complete closure or the threat of shutdown in favour of commercial projects.

Getting his start in the Brighton club scene, Fatboy Slim played a secret show at the Prince Albert on 30 October and told the crowd, “It’s a long slow death over three or four years if the neighbours complain. In Brighton, we preserve our Grade II and Grade I listed buildings, we preserve Regency architecture because it’s part of what Brighton is. We should preserve music venues in the same way because they’re a more recent part of Brighton culture but a huge amount nonetheless.”

Grassroots music venues have been the subject of a growing political debate with many UK artists weighing in, claiming that small, often underground locations are where they have got their starts and without them, the industry would face an uncertain future. Ed Sheeran, Bring Me The Horizon and Arctic Monkeys are only a few such artists that have expressed their concern over the growing threat of a commercial takeover of these venues.

A recent report by the MVT urged urgent government action to save grassroots venues with the consequence of choking off the stream of emerging talent if action is not taken. Mark Davyd, the CEO of MVT said recently at a panel about the future of grassroots music at Beyond The Music conference this month that “127 music venues of the grassroots type have stopped programming live music or closed down entirely.”

Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook is best known for his DJ work, producing hit singles “Praise You,” “Right Here, Right Now” and “Weapon Of Choice.” His singles have often been accompanied by highly artistic, often surreal music videos directed by the likes of Spike Jones and starring prominent actors such as Christopher Walken.

The DJ has recently announced an eight-date UK tour for the summer of 2024.

Chief booker James Scarlett said of next summer’s festival, “Once again we’re bringing a line-up of 2000trees legends, including the likes of Boston Manor and The XCERTS, to open the festival on the Wednesday night for those of you lucky enough to get your hands on a four-day ticket. We’re also stoked to be welcoming so many bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Manchester Orchestra, Hot Mulligan and Better Lovers to the festival for the very first time. 2000trees 2024 is already shaping up to be something truly special – don’t sleep on it!” 

The festival is certainly aiming to capitalise on and further promote acts that have been grabbing the attention of fans and critics in recent months with groups such as Brighton’s Lambrini Girls, Southampton’s thrash/hardcore crossover band Grove Street and Glasgow’s Dead Pony all getting the opportunity to wow audiences with their exciting, pulse-raising live sets that have earned them much press coverage over the past year.

A stand out feature for 2024 will undoubtedly be Better Lovers-a supergroup made up of members of Dillinger Escape Plan and Everytime I Die. UK audiences will be eager to catch what will assuredly be a wildly chaotic and exhilarating performance from a band that promises true greatness in the years to come.

Founded in 2007, 2000trees festival was began by six friends who were tired of the mainstream festivals dominating the British Summer Time scene and yearning for a more underground celebration that featured bands that were less well known, up and coming or rooted in the alternative scene. The festival remains small, capping out at 15,000 attendees-giving it a close-knit atmosphere.

Tickets to the 2024 edition of the festival are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Speaking about the new single, Front woman Anna Shields said, “It’s a story of admiring someone and coming to the realisation that they aren’t the person who you thought they were. It’s frantically trying to piece together broken fragments of yourself and of them, to try and mend what is now lost. Sometimes trust can be fixed but other times it is broken for good. About Love tells the tale of growing up in love and the complications that arise when one of you changes.”

After releasing hit single “Cobra,” Dead Pony have been going from strength to strength, supporting Chvrches on their summer tour and appearances at festivals including 2000trees and Y Not. The band have also embarked on their own headlining tour in September along with another supporting tour with Funeral For A Friend.

As Dead Pony begin to gather a formidable fan base and grab the attention of various music critics and publications, a debut album is certainly on the cards but, as yet, remains a bit of a mystery as to when it will be released. It also remains to be seen whether any of the new singles will make up a part of the record or if the album will feature completely new music.

Speaking in an interview, Shields shed some light on the band’s intentions for an album, explaining, “We are currently releasing some singles that we recorded through the year, ‘MK Nothing’ and ‘MANA’ as part of an album, but we’re still keeping it kind of secret as to when the album is coming out, and what exactly is going to be on the album, and what it’s called. The new singles that you’ve heard are building up to the album.”

Dead Pony have certainly been enjoying a meteoric rise, with past singles “Cobra,” “Mana” and “MK Nothing” bringing the band many headlines and attention. Fans of Dead Pony will eagerly be anticipating a full length from one of the UK’s most promising acts.

The collaboration has proven to be an inspired one as well, as McCartney had the chance to flex his guitar playing muscle, delivering a memorable and distinctive bass line for “Bit My Head Off.” Richards spoke about his friendship with McCartney and how easy he finds playing with him.

Further elaborating on the guest spot with The Telegraph, Richards said, “Paul happened to be in town…And we couldn’t keep him away, bless his heart. And hey, if you can get one of the Beatles on your track, you know, you do it. Paul’s a very amiable cat to play with; we’ve been great friends forever.”

The Rolling Stones guitar virtuoso also said the late John Lennon and George Harrison would have slotted into the Stones rather easily. “I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George, if you can imagine that sort of thing happening. We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music. When we first heard The Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track.”

The Rolling Stones continue to experience amazing success, well into the band’s 6th decade. Hackney Diamonds has thus far proven to be another critical and commercial success for the band. The Beatles, for their part, recently announced that they will be releasing their final song “Now And Then” in November.

In an interview with NME, frontman Guy Garvey said about the new album, “it’s in very sharp contrast to the last record. The last one was made in lockdown and was very gentle, wistful and based on life, childhood, memories and fatherhood – all these very wholesome things. With the bruising that the pandemic had given everyone, it felt the right time to do a record like that….That’s a beautiful, gentle record, whereas this is groove-based. It tackles some pretty full-on subjects, and it’s loads of fun as well.”

Garvey divulged that the new studio effort by the band tackles some weighty topics that he feels the time is just right for. He added, “It deals with some pretty inky stuff. There are a couple of wholesome tunes on there, but by and large there’s everything from a maniacal rant from the point of view of a frontman who’s lost his mind, to really awful portraits of toxic relationships failing – all set to a very thick, guitar, drum and groove-based thing. It doesn’t sound like anything that we’ve done before. There’s everything from Stiff Records and what Elvis Costello was doing in his early years, right through to Afrika Bambaataa. We’re wearing our influences a bit more proudly.”

Formed in 1997 in the Greater Manchester area, Elbow came into considerable success after the release of their fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid-scoring the band their first Mercury Music Prize and Brit Award for Best British Group. From there, Elbow continued to release new material at a steady rate, even having one of their songs (“Mirrorball”) covered by none other than Peter Gabriel.

For their upcoming tour, Garvey has revealed that the band fully intend to provide a career-spanning setlist, saying, “the first time we played arenas, we didn’t have enough big numbers to do an arena set….we had a B-stage, a walkway, all this stuff – but now we’ve got more than enough massive songs. I think it’s going to be loads of fun.”

Tickets for the arena tour can be purchased here, ahead of the general sale on 27 October.

Elbow UK Tour:

07/05/2024 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
09/05 – O2 Arena – London
10/05 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
11/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
12/05 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
14/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
15/05 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham

The aim of the festival and its travels is to “showcase underrepresented regional POC artists and engage/connect with POC fans of punk and alternative music in the communities where they live.” This year’s instalment will feature Art Rock musician Kapil Seshasayee, R. AGGS and Trishaaa.

In Kerrang’s free hosted Black Voices In Alternative Music event with the Royal Society of Arts in London on the 16th of October, Decolonise Fest’s co-founder Alex Ekong said, “Decolonise Fest is a space that allows us to advocate for emerging artists of colour, foster a community of like-minded people, connect punx of colour to global struggles against the legacy of colonialism, and indulge in our love of punk together.”

The panel discussion also featured London’s own trap metal star Kid Bookie and journalist Laviea Thomas and centred around their own experiences within the alternative rock scene as well as whether or not they have witnessed or felt any changes and where the scene will go in the future.

A complete DIY festival that began in 2017 in London, Decolonise Fest was began to highlight people of colour within the alternative music scene. Centring on what they term punx of colour, the collective focuses attention on people, “who we define this as people who are descended (through one or both parents) from the original inhabitants of Africa, Caribbean, Asia, Middle East, Latin America, Australasia, North America, and the islands of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, and of Romany Gypsy or Traveller heritage.”

The festival’s site states, “We celebrate the many punx of colour creating right now, acknowledge the legacy of our elders and the doors they opened for us, and make room for more DIY punx of colour to take centre stage and make some noise. You can read our manifesto here.”

Heaven In Your Eyes. October 20th. Pre save. https://t.co/rSiBiriZ1v pic.twitter.com/5GOPxtsxaJ

— Jamie Campbell Bower (@Jamiebower) October 10, 2023

Although Bower’s acting credits have been adding up, making him one of the most sought after stars in the business, the performer has not allowed his musical chops to fall by the wayside, with “Heaven In Your Eyes” set to be his latest hit after 2022’s “I Am.” Following the dissolution of his punk project Counterfeit, Bower has shown his intent to carry on with his passion for music by releasing another new single that is sure to please fans.

With Bower’s various acting endeavours grabbing most of the headlines these days, the singer has also taken the time to reflect on his time with Counterfeit and his solo plans saying to Kerrang, “For me, this is a new chapter of my artistic exploration. Being sort of on my own now has allowed me to go and be more free in the creative process. I can now kind of go, ‘Well, we can do whatever we want,’ and then we’ll just make that work in a live setting. It’s taking all the things that I loved in Counterfeit – a lot of the rock elements – and blending it with things that perhaps weren’t suitable for Counterfeit. But mainly this is an opportunity for me to kind of just be more expressive.”

While Counterfeit tapped into the punk/hardcore  sonic edge, with Bower embracing the DIY tough work ethic of the scene, he has also previously expressed his admiration for American country music-a genre he explored with last year’s single, “I Am.” Speaking about the single and inspiration behind it, he divulged, “I’ve always written some country and western music. I love the structure of a country song. It’s always very fun to go into; it’s classic.”

With the snippet of “Heaven In Your Eyes,” that Bower has provided so far, the singer looks set to continue where “I Am” left off, with the country twang of the guitars at the forefront. The single will be available Friday and can be pre-saved here.

Bower had his film debut in 2007’s Tim Burton classic Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, where audiences were introduced to the power of his vocal abilities. Shortly thereafter, Bower had roles in the Harry Potter franchise, Twilight franchise and, perhaps most notable of all, Stranger Things where he performed the chilling season four villain of Vecna.

Now, as the singer has just turned 65, Dickinson has revealed that he has had to take a massive step back from flying-at least with the commercial plane variety. Speaking to Triple M Rock, Dickinson said, “I just turned 65. In most jurisdictions in the world, if you’re a pilot – a commercial pilot – at 65, they sneak you round the back and just put a bullet in your brain. Like an old dog or an old horse, gotta put it down now. The last time I went near a commercial aircraft to fly it was in 2017.”

The Iron Maiden frontman has also embarked on a few solo projects over the years, recently announcing his seventh solo endeavour The Mandrake Project which is due for release sometime in early 2024. And the singer still somehow manages to find the time to indulge in his passion for fencing-a sport he has participated in since the 1980s.

Dickinson continued, “I’m still fencing. I’m a veteran now. There’s a vets team and I still do Commonwealth championships. Being a vet is brilliant, actually, because all you have to do is survive and wait, and eventually everybody else will die, then you get in the team.”

Dickinson recently revealed that Iron Maiden have absolutely no plans to call it a day, with enthusiasm within the band still at its highest. Demand for the group could not be any more apparent as the band are set to continue their highly successful Future Past Tour in Australia and New Zealand in September of 2024. Dickinson will also be touring his solo project in the Spring in Mexico and South America.