57 minutes later, however, festival organisers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that sales were now closed:

“Tickets for Glastonbury 2024 have now sold out. Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we’re sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply. There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2024.”

Tickets for Glastonbury 2024 have now Sold Out. Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we’re sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply.

There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2024.

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) November 19, 2023

The news left a large amount of empty-handed queuers disgruntled about the stressful buying experience, which requires navigating a holding page that refreshes every 20 seconds and teases ticket availability.

This year’s sale faced a brief delay of two weeks, a decision made by organisers to accommodate individuals who were not aware their initial registrations had expired. The window was reopened from November 6th to November 13th, allowing fans a second chance to secure their spots for the Somerset-based event, which is due to kick off in late June of next year.

The heightened anticipation surrounding Glastonbury 2024 revolves not only around the rapid ticket sales but also the promise of a stellar lineup. Festival organiser Emily Eavis hinted at a “really big” female US singer headlining, sparking rumours that Madonna could be topping the bill at Worthy Farm next year.

Eavis, who faced criticism for the all-male headliners in 2023, has since shut down the speculations in an Instagram post, insisting:  

“We are working on the line-up day and night at the moment, but it’s still changing every day. The story about our confirmed headliners is untrue. As always, we love your enthusiasm and guesswork – but accurate news on headliners will be with you sometime in the new year.”

The rise in demand for Glastonbury admission has been a growing trend since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic: last year’s festival saw around two and a half million people vying for 210,000 tickets. Meanwhile, ticket prices have increased to £355 (plus a £5 booking fee), up from £335 in 2023 and £285 in 2022. 

Prior to release, PinkPantheress shared three singles: “Mosquito,”, “Capable of love” and “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with Bronx rapper Ice Spice, the cutesy summer bop that vaulted up the charts earlier this year. While all three tracks maintained the signature glossy early-2000s club sound that had catapulted the singer to fame, they also unmistakably hinted at a new chapter in the artist’s musical journey.

Listen to “Capable Of Love” below:

Indeed, on Heaven Knows, much of the new material feels more mature and complete. PinkPantheress, a homemade superstar who initially rose to fame with viral internet pop bites that clocked in at under two minutes to appeal to the short-form media zeitgeist, largely dispenses of her original approach on this new record.

In an interview with NME earlier this year, the singer had expressed a desire to make “a shift towards other styles of music” – a vision that has now materialised on Heaven Knows. Here, PinkPantheress reveals the depth of her artistic versatility, flexing her abilities as a writer, producer, and expert curator of guest spots.

The long-awaited 13-track project sees the Bath-born artist enlist a crew of both familiar and new collaborators on writing and production duties, including two-time Grammy producer of the year Greg Kurstin, Caroline Polacheck producer Danny L. Harle and “Boy’s a Liar” co-writer Mura Masa, whose contributions as an additional producer are manifest on most songs.

Listen to “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2”, co-written by Mura Masa and featuring rapper Ice Spice, below:

Upon announcing her debut LP in October, PinkPantheress explained:

“This album is an accumulation of music I’ve made over the last two years, with some beloved tunes that might sound familiar and some cutie features who I can’t wait to announce. I love everyone here, I cried the other day thinking of how lucky I am to have people willing to listen to me, you are never taken in vain.” 

A press release further revealed that Heaven Knows is about “grief for a loss, but being at peace with yourself in your aloneness. Journeying from hell into purgatory, but I’m OK with being there.”

The news coincides with the release of the four-piece’s new gothic-themed album, Danse Macabre, which made its debut at number four in the UK charts and which contains three new tracks, as well as reimagined versions of older material and covers of songs by artists such as Billie Eilish and The Rolling Stones.

Listen to title track “Danse Macabre” below:

On being revealed as Latitude Festival headliners, Bassist Taylor said: 

“We are excited to be making Latitude our sole UK performance next summer. It’s a great festival, and it’s been a long time since Duran have been in that part of the country. In fact, it’s our first time ever in Suffolk.” 

“We are riding high on the reception our new Danse Macabre album has received, and looking forward to bringing music from that record, all the way back to our 1981 debut album. See you there!”

Meanwhile, Latitude Festival director Melvin Benn commented: 

“Duran Duran’s fusion of artistry and innovation seamlessly resonates with Latitude’s commitment to curate a multifaceted cultural experience. Celebrated for their iconic style, ground-breaking music, and a consistent string of chart-topping hits, the band have unquestionably left their mark on both the music and fashion realms.”

He added: “With their ongoing evolution and the ability to transcend musical boundaries, the band’s mesmerising live performances make them an ideal fit for the Latitude festival.”

Renowned for its eclectic mix of culture, art and music, Latitude Festival is an annual event set within the grounds of Henham Park near Suffolk. Next year’s edition – for which a full line-up is scheduled to be announced within the coming months – will run from 25 to 28 July.

Check out the highlights from last summer’s event:

Formed in 1978, Duran Duran were one of the biggest pop acts of the 1980s, with hits including “Save A Prayer”, “Rio”, and “Hungry Like The Wolf”. Since then, they have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, garnering countless awards on the way, including two Grammys.

Watch the official video for “Hungry Like The Wolf” below:

In 2022, Duran Duran’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rounded off a remarkable year, during which the band graced the stage at the Queen’s Jubilee Concert, brought the Commonwealth Games to a close in their hometown of Birmingham, and performed sold-out shows at both New York’s Madison Square Garden and the iconic Hollywood Bowl.

Get tickets for Latitude Festival 2024 here.

After wiping her entire Instagram profile of around 1500 posts, Lipa shared a teaser video with the caption “I’m not here for long”. The snippet showcases the singer’s new auburn look in a series of close-up shots set to an italo-disco-inspired groove, culminating with the lyrics “catch me or I go”. The video has since been deleted.

Fans will have noticed that keys played a significant role in the teaser: Lipa opens her mouth to reveal a key lying on her tongue, while the sound of metallic rustling and unlocking prematurely cuts off the music, leaving bewildered listeners with an enigmatic impression.

Indeed, the pop star’s online behaviour has been particularly cryptic as of late. As well as wiping her Instagram feed, Lipa changed her various social media profile pictures to an image of her eyes reflected in a kaleidoscopic diamond shape. 

Not only that, but upon closer inspection, it seems all of her YouTube thumbnails, as well as album artworks on streaming platforms such as Spotify, have been swapped with kaleidoscopic versions of the original depictions.

Every sign points towards a much-anticipated third studio album – and a new Dua Lipa “era”. In August, the singer revealed that her new record will be coming out in 2024, but will mark a departure from the house-inspired sound of Future Nostalgia. 

Listen to “Don’t Start Now” off Future Nostalgia:

According to Lipa, the new collection of songs is heavily informed by “1970s-era psychedelia”, which the new imagery she has been teasing seems to support. In an interview with Variety, the pop star explained:

“The album is different – it’s still pop but it’s different sonically, and there’s more of a lyrical theme. If I told you the title, everything would make sense – but I think we’ll just have to wait.”

Lipa is said to be working with a smaller group of collaborators, including modern psychedelia wizard Kevin Parker of Tame Impala – a songwriting partnership the former “all but confirmed” during an interview with The New York Times Style Magazine in August.

Meanwhile, producer Mark Ronson, who worked with Lipa on Barbie smash-hit “Dance The Night”, revealed that he has heard some of the new album, describing it as “incredible”.

Listen to “Dance The Night” below:

Speaking to The Sun, Townshend explained: 

“I am still developing the score and recording the music. I am also working on a documentary about the project, from its inception in 2007 until today. I’m probably two years off completing it, at which time I hope to perform it with a full opera and a cast of guest singers.”

The Age Of Anxiety, released in November 2019, explores the anxiety of modern life in a story that follows two generations of a London family, their lovers, collaborators, and friends. The lead protagonist is a young rock musician who has the ability to psychically connect to his audience, giving him access to a soundscape filled with their angst-riddled thoughts.

In 2008, when Townshend first conceived the idea, he aimed to reflect the thoughts and feelings of his own audience. In fact, many of his story’s characters are based on people he knows personally – the songwriter even drew inspiration from conversations with neighbours, exchanges which revealed to him an underlying sense of fear and anxiety apparent within the community. 

Since then, this paranoid mentality has only intensified. Through his The Age of Anxiety show, Townshend will delve into contemporary themes that dominate our zeitgeist, including the consequences of global warming, the threat of terrorism, and the adverse effects of social media, which contribute to a generation grappling with mental health challenges.

Townshend is, of course, widely acclaimed for his iconic concept albums with The Who, several of which come with accompanying feature films. Among his most celebrated works are Tommy, which tells the tale of a deaf-mute-blind boy who also happens to be a pinball prodigy, and Quadrophenia, which follows a young mod named Jimmy in his search for self-worth.

Listen to “Pinball Wizard” from Tommy below:

Meanwhile, The Who’s only other surviving member, lead singer Roger Daltrey, is reportedly progressing on his own passion project, a biopic about the group’s late drummer Keith Moon that has been in a state of limbo since 2005. In an interview with NME, Daltrey confirmed that he recently completed a script for the film and is determined to get it to the big screen.

Moon, who died from a drug overdose aged 32 in 1979, was notoriously self-destructive but also, according to Daltrey, “the funniest man [he] ever met”.

Watch Keith Moon’s infamous exploding drum set performance below:

In a statement on his website, Gabriel announced: 

“After a years-worth of full moon releases, I’m very happy to see all these new songs back together on the good ship i/o and ready for their journey out into the world.”

With “full moon releases”, the former Genesis frontman is referring to his unconventional album roll-out plan, which involved releasing a new single on the occasion of every full moon in 2023. On top of that, Gabriel gave fans the option between “bright” and “dark” side mixes of the respective songs.  

Listen to the “bright-side” version of the upcoming album’s title track:

The majority of i/o was recorded at Real World Studios in Bath, England and Gabriel’s home studio. Furthermore, a plethora of musicians and producers contributed to the record, including longtime collaborators Brian Eno, guitarist David Rhodes, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché. The Soweto Gospel Choir, Swedish all-male choir Oprhei Drängar and the New Blood Orchestra also feature.

A press release on Gabriel’s official website details the upcoming LP’s concept and themes as follows: 

“Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful – often thought-provoking – songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us […] is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism.“ 

“But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope […]”

Listen to the “dark-side” mix of Gabriel’s most recent single “This Is Home”:

To complement these themes, and building upon an idea initially developed in his Us and Up albums, Gabriel has invited a host of visual artists to create a piece of art to accompany each of the twelve songs on the new record – be it through painting, photography, sculpture or even plasticine. The dozen artists include Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson and perhaps more surprisingly, Nick Cave.

Meanwhile, Gabriel still has a few more dates left on his North American tour which ends on October 21, but so far, he hasn’t made any plans to retire from recording or touring.

Pre-order i/o here.

The singer-songwriter took to social media to express her frustration, informing her followers she had been hacked and that she would be scrapping the leaked music as a result. In a series of Instagram Stories, the avant-pop artist told fans “Well done, no new music for a while now. Bye.” Her following story reiterated the consequences of the leak, with the words “no new music”.

whoever leaked fka twigs shit will be dealt with TRUST pic.twitter.com/QbFuJ1rfzo

— gigi (@DEARGlGl) October 15, 2023

A third post confirmed the worst, as Twigs shared a screenshot of a text conversation with music producer Sega Bodega that included the caption “back to the drawing board”, implying she was giving up on the leaked project and starting anew. This is bad news for fans who have been eagerly anticipating a new full-length FKA Twigs LP since 2019’s MAGDALENE, the critically-acclaimed record inspired by her breakup with Robert Pattinson.

The unfortunate Instagram update comes only two weeks after the singer previewed new music at Valentino’s Paris Fashion Week show, where she unveiled four unreleased tracks rumoured to appear on an upcoming album. In an exclusive performance titled “Unearth Her”, Twigs accompanied the reveal of Valentino’s latest collection, dancing to songs recorded with longtime collaborator Koreless.

Check out the production below:

FKA Twigs has slowly been teasing new music since the release of her last project CAPRISONGS – a poppy mixtape that featured a host of big names such as The Weeknd and Daniel Caesar. In June 2022, she released the single “Killer” and, months later, revealed previously unheard material in a Calvin Klein’s March 2023 campaign.

Listen to “Killer“:

Meanwhile, the musician is involved in an ongoing legal battle with former boyfriend and actor Shia LaBeouf, who she accused of “relentless abuse”. In a relationship that lasted just over a year, according to The New York Times, Twigs alleged that LaBeouf physically, emotionally, and mentally abused her on several occasions.

This September, it was announced that the trial date had been pushed back to 2024 due to scheduling conflicts between both Twigs and LaBeouf.

During The 1975’s headline set at the Good Vibes Festival last July, Healy had attempted to demonstrate his disdain for Malaysian anti-LGBTQ+ laws by locking lips with bassist Ross MacDonald. Thirty minutes later, the band were asked to end their show and leave with immediate effect.

The following day, much to the disappointment of thousands of ticket-holders, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced the cancellation of the entire three-day festival. Naturally, the incident didn’t take long to spark a major online dispute, with many condemning Healy for disrespecting foreign culture.

In the aftermath, The 1975 faced legal action, with the festival’s organiser, Future Sound Asia, demanding the band pay £2 million in damages. Healy and co. heeded their lawyers’ advice and kept quiet about the lawsuit for months, but now, the singer has finally addressed the controversy in a 10-minute speech.

On Monday, Healy told fans at a Dallas concert that he had been advised not to talk about what happened in Malaysia, but that he had “cracked” and “genuinely just [didn’t] care anymore”. Reading from a prepared statement on his phone, the frontman launched into a lengthy defence of his actions at the Good Vibes Festival:

“The 1975 did not waltz into Malaysia unannounced – they were invited to headline a festival by a government who had full knowledge of the band’s well-publicised political views and its routine stage show. […] Me kissing Ross was not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government; it was an ongoing part of The 1975 stage show which had been performed many times prior.”

“To eliminate any routine part of the show in an effort to appease the Malaysian authorities’ bigoted views of LGBTQ people would be a passive endorsement of those politics. As liberals are so fond of saying, ‘silence causes violence, use your platform’, so we did that. […]”

“The Malaysian authorities were irate because homosexuality is criminalised and punishable by death in their authoritarian theocracy. That is the violent reality obscured by the more friendly term “cultural customs.”

The singer described some of the online response as “puzzling”, adding that “lots of people, who appear to be liberal people, contended that the performance was an insensitive display of hostility against the cultural customs of the Malaysian government and that the kiss was a performative gesture of allyship.”

Addressing these claims, Healy remarked: “The idea of calling out a performer for being performative is mind-numbingly redundant as an exercise. Performing is a performer’s job.”

In defence of accusations that condemned his stunt as a form of colonialism, Healy said that “to call The 1975’s performance colonialism is a complete inversion of the word’s meaning” and that “[they] have no power at all to enforce [their] will on anyone in Malaysia.” In fact, the singer revealed off-handedly that they were briefly imprisoned by the Malaysian authorities.

Watch the full speech below:

Matty Healy’s full speech on Malaysia incident in Fort Worth tonight

Thanks to Emily and talktorossabouit#The1975 #SATVB pic.twitter.com/1DfP18kXND

— The 1975 TH (@the1975_thteam) October 10, 2023

 

Following analysis by the Official Charts Company – whose data additionally revealed that more than one billion of the singer-songwriter’s streams had been garnered in the last 12 months – Sheeran was presented with the prestigious award by Rizzle Kicks member Jordan Stephens on behalf of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The Suffolk superstar, who claimed his trophy in a record store, was quick to express gratitude to fans in an Instagram video, saying: “Thank you so much for all the streams. It’s a pleasure, I love being British.”

Later on, he added in a statement: “It’s wonderful to receive the first-ever BRIT Billion Award in the UK for 10 billion streams. I want say a big thank you to my fans. None of this is possible without you guys.”

Meanwhile, BPI Chief Executive Dr. Jo Twist applauded the singer for his new milestone:

“We congratulate Ed Sheeran and his team on this landmark achievement. Ed may represent the pinnacle of streaming success, but he is also among the thousands of artists who are being streamed in the tens and hundreds of millions in the UK each year and who are thriving thanks to streaming and label support. We look forward to honouring many more artists, including future talent, with a BRIT Billion award.”

Sheeran, who in June was named the UK’s most-played artist for the sixth time in eight years, has dominated the charts throughout most of his career – with all six of his studio albums peaking at number one. The seven-time Brit Award winner has made Official Charts history countless times, breaking records including becoming the first British solo artist to claim a full year at No.1.

Listen to Ed Sheeran’s most recent number one single, “Eyes Closed“, below:

He currently holds three of the 10 most-streamed songs of all time with “Shape Of You” in second place, “Perfect” at number three and “Bad Habits” claiming the ninth spot. As the recipient of the Gold BRIT Billion Award, Sheeran joins an exclusive club of similarly high-achieving acts including ABBA, Whitney Houston and most recently, Billie Eilish.

Last week, the songwriter released his latest studio effort, Autumn Variations, his second record this year following May’s chart-topping release Subtract. 

Listen to Autumn Variations here.

Waters’ defence comes after an investigation by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) uploaded a video accusing him of repeated derogatory references to Jews. The Dark Side Of Roger Waters, which is available on YouTube, includes a number of serious claims by those who have worked with the outspoken ex-Floyd bassist over the years, including Bob Ezrin, the co-producer behind the band’s acclaimed 1979 album The Wall.

Watch the video below:

Waters, who was initially reluctant to acknowledge CAA’s allegations, has now published a lengthy statement dismissing the documentary as “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda” and “without any foundation in fact”.

“All my life I have used the platform my career has given me to support causes I believe in,” he wrote. “I passionately believe in universal human rights. I have always worked to make the world a better, more just and more equitable place for all my brothers and sisters, all over the world, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, from indigenous peoples threatened by the U.S. oil industry to Iranian women protesting for their rights.”

“That is why I am active in the non-violent protest movement against the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its egregious treatment of Palestinians,” he continued. “Those who wish to conflate that position with antisemitism do a great disservice to us all.”

Waters goes on to explain that the CAA’s core purpose is “waging partisan political campaigns against critics of the state of Israel” and that the organisation “manipulates footage and quotations to serve its agenda”.

“The film totally distorts and misrepresents my views about the Israeli state and its political ideology, Zionism,” he continues. “It relies on a definition of antisemitism that sees criticising Israel as inherently antisemitic and assumes that Zionism is an essential element in Jewish identity. These opinions, clearly shared by the presenter and the two interviewees, are widely contested by many, including many Jewish people.”

Read Waters’ full statement, which also addresses more concrete accusations, here.

The record-breaking songwriter is, of course, no stranger to controversy – allegations of antisemitism have plagued him throughout 2023. He drew criticism earlier this year for performing in a Nazi-like get-up during a concert in Berlin, prompting an investigation from the German police.

Waters, however, has always maintained he is not an antisemite and claims critics are missing the point of his shows.

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna