Songs from Hail To The Thief, released over 20 years ago, will be deconstructed and remoulded into a score to be performed by live musicians and cast members. Thom Yorke will taking the musical helm, after having proved himself as a composer for previous soundtracks, including Confidenza this year and 2018’s Suspiria. His upcoming orchestrations were commented upon by the frontman himself.

According to a post he made on Instagram, he says:

“This is an interesting and intimidating challenge adapting the original music of Hail to The Thief for live performance with the actors on stage to tell this story that is forever being told, using its familiarity and sounds, pulling them into and out of context.. seeing what chimes with the underlying grief and paranoia of Hamlet, using the music as a “presence” in the room, watching how it collides with the action and the text. Ghosting one against the other.”

Thom worked alongside designer & director Christine Jones and director & choreographer Steven Hoggett to create a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet - a tragedy about a son who has to find his own way, after his father is murdered. Who could forget Disney’s The Lion King hugely popular adaptation!

After vividly remembering hearing the album for the first-time, Christine Jones makes the case to use Hail To The Thief:

“It changed my DNA,” she recalled. “Not long after, I was reading Hamlet and listening to the album. Paying attention to the lyrics, I became aware of how many songs from Hail to the Thief speak to the themes of the play.

“There are uncanny reverberances between the text and the album. For years I’ve wanted to see the play and album collide in a piece of theatre. Eventually I shared the idea with Thom, who was intrigued.

“I wasn’t sure what we would make, but I knew I wanted to make it with Steven [Hoggett] and continue experimenting and building on work we have done together over many years.”

She added: “We’ve found that the play haunts the album, and the album haunts the play. Both reflect the internal disquiet and rage that result from despair – in particular despair arising from scrutiny of dominant power structures – whether within governments, communities, or families.”

It doesn’t seem much of a stretch, as Radiohead share another William Shakespeare adaptation, after they featured Talk Show Host.on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996).

Radiohead’s foray into the theatre world will commence with the production’s world premiere taking place at Aviva Studios, Manchester, home of Factory International from 27th April – 18th May 2025, before moving to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 4th – 28th June 2025.

If you subscribe to W.A.S.T.E., – the official Radiohead and Radiohead-related news, tour tickets and merchandise – you can get early access to tickets on Tuesday 1st October 2024 at 10am BST. Otherwise, tickets are available on general sale on Wednesday 2nd October 2024.

Formed in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal, the new album has drawn the band from Bath into a highly contentious conversation around artificial intelligence. Whether unintentional or not, they have touched a nerve among their fans in the same way the Apple Crush! Ad did earlier this year. The reason is entirely due to the cover art being generated by AI. It has polarised their fans who consider the band’s choice of artist, Vitalie Burcovschi otherwise known as @surrealistly, to be in bad taste. They argue his AI generated work has replaced pure human creativity. The artist specialises in AI content.

On their Instagram, Tears For Fears attempted to justify their decision by saying:

The cover for our new album, Songs For A Nervous Planet, was envisioned in collaboration with artist Vitalie Burcovschi, also known as @surrealistly.

The Songs For A Nervous Planet album artwork is a mixed media digital collage, with AI being just one of the many tools used in the creative process. We wanted vibrant artwork that evoked a sense of sci-fi, futuristic themes, and an escape from what is known. The sunflowers are a joyful nod to classic Tears For Fears imagery, while the juxtaposition of the astronaut is a link to our upcoming song, Astronaut, and a sense of alienation and not belonging. We have been fans of Surrealistly’s work for a long time and knew he would be the perfect artist to bring our vision to life.

“Collaborating with the band to bring their vision to life has been an incredible experience. Balancing surrealism with the emotional depth of their music was a challenge I fully embraced, and I believe the final artwork captures the powerful essence of their story.” – Surrealistly

(Unfortunately, if you read the comments, it has seemingly only inflamed the situation.)

Songs For A Nervous Planet tracklist:

1. Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad
2. The Girl That I Call Home
3. Emily Said
4. Astronaut
5. No Small Thing
6. The Tipping Point
7. Everybody Wants To Rule The World
8. Secret World
9. Sowing The Seeds Of Love
10. Long, Long, Long Time
11. Break The Man
12. My Demons
13. Rivers of Mercy
14. Mad World
15. Suffer The Children
16. Woman In Chains
17. Bad Man’s Song
18. Pale Shelter
19. Break It Down Again
20. Head Over Heels
21. Change
22. Shout

The album will also be accompanied by a film, titled Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film). It will be in cinemas on Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th October 2024. To find a cinema showing near you, head over to: tearsforfearsfilm.com.

Having previously worked on The Greatest Showman, Australian film-maker Michael Gracey described his upcoming film about Robbie as “a fantastical coming of age story”.

Speaking to Deadline back in 2021, Gracey says:

Robbie is that Everyman, who just dreamed big and followed those dreams and they took him to an incredible place. Because of that, his [story] is an incredibly relatable [one].

The film will be uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective. Following Robbie’s journey from his childhood in Stoke-on-Trent, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boy-band Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist.

Robbie Williams will be starring as himself, along with Kingsmen actor Jonno Davies starring as young Robbie. We also have Inside No. 9’s Steve Pemberton and Gavin & Stacey’s Alison Steadman cast as his parents – Peter and Betty. All eyes are will be on the actors playing the rest of Take That. We can confirm: Jake Simmance as Gary Barlow; Liam Head as Howard Donald; Jesse Hyde as Mark Owen and Chase Vollenweider as Jason Orange.

Initially named Kick It, Take That will be remembered as one of the biggest UK pop bands in the 90’s. Scoring number-ones with 12 singles and 9 albums in the Official UK Albums Chart (OCC), they also gained international success and notoriety. When Take That disbanded in 1996, Robbie went on to achieve phenomenal success as a solo artist. He has sold more than 77 million albums and singles worldwide and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.

Starting an enduring partnership with songwriter Guy Chambers on his debut album Life thru a Lens (1997), Robbie released his best-selling single to date with Angels. Following this success, he went on to release an array of hit singles including Feel, She’s The One, Supreme, Let Me Entertain You, Millennium and Rock DJ from a 12-album strong catalogue.

Robbie’s solo albums:

Life thru a Lens (1997)
I’ve Been Expecting You (1998)
Sing When You’re Winning (2000)
Swing When You’re Winning (2001)
Escapology (2002)
Intensive Care (2005)
Rudebox (2006)
Reality Killed the Video Star (2009)
Take the Crown (2012)
Swings Both Ways (2013)
The Heavy Entertainment Show (2016)
The Christmas Present (2019)

Studio albums with Take That:

Take That & Party (1992)
Everything Changes (1993)
Nobody Else (1995)
Progress (2010)

Better Life will be released in the UK & Ireland on Thursday 26^th December 2024 (Boxing Day).

If you don’t want to wait that long to see Robbie, on 20th September 2024, he was featured on the track Danny with Israeli singer, Noga Erez, on her album, The Vandalist. You can check her video out here.

Celebrating a decade of the grassroots music venue movement, MVT will be hosting the largest gathering of people who run grassroots music venues (GMV) in the world. The event will offer an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the UK and the challenges still being faced by the sector.

This year’s Venues Day theme will centre around the importance of the artists and the role GMVs play in inspiring, nurturing and connecting them with audiences while offering them an opportunity to experiment and develop new ideas. As ever, Venues Day will also offer networking opportunities, the chance to share experiences and information and a platform to discuss important issues.

The event represents the single biggest opportunity to engage directly and in person with the GMV sector as it is designed specifically for members of the Music Venues Alliance, providing attendees with workshops, discussions, presentations and networking that offer practical support to the people who run these vital venues and connect them with services that can help them.

A series of panels exploring the common goals of artists and venues has now been confirmed with speakers including: Sam Duckworth (Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly), Lily Meff (The Meffs), Kwame Kwaten (Ferocious Talent), Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood), Nathan Clark (Brudenell Social Club), Rhoda Dakar, Tom Gray (The Ivors) and Jane Beese among others.

Music Venue Trust represents over 800 UK grassroots music venues, has held this one day event for the sector since 2014, with delegates representing venues, promoters, agents, artists, government departments, funding bodies and a wide range of ancillary service providers.

Bev Whitrick, Chief Operating Officer at Music Venue Trust said, “The landscape for GMVs in 2024 is still challenging. 10 years of work has not solved everything, but this annual opportunity to bring our community together to update on progress, offer support, forge new connections and celebrate the wins is needed now more than ever. Venues Day 2024 is THE event for the GMV sector and everyone who has a stake in it.”

Hundreds of delegates from across the UK’s grassroots music venue sector, representing venues throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have already booked their places at the event.

Longtime supporters of MVT and headline sponsors Ticketmaster, Fred Perry and Jack Daniels have also allowed Venues Day 2024 to offer subsidised delegate passes and travel bursaries to ensure that venue representatives from across the UK can attend.

Thanks also to the generosity of Ticketmaster Venues Day 2024 will end with a fully catered after-party for delegates and special guests who have been instrumental in MVT’s work over the past 10 years.

Taking place at Woolwich Works in London on Tuesday 8th October 2024, there are a limited number of remaining tickets for Venues Day 2024. Priced at £168, they can be booked here.

Fans can get exclusive first access to tickets by ordering the band’s new album Moon Music (released on 4th October 2024) from the official Coldplay UK or EU Stores before 11.59pm BST on Tuesday 24 September. All those who have already pre-ordered the album will automatically be eligible for the pre-sale, which will begin on Thursday 26 September at 9am BST. The general sale will take place at 9am BST on Friday 27 September.

Fifty percent of the tickets for the Hull shows – their first ever concerts in the city – will go to local fans (with HU, YO, DN or LN postcodes), via Ticketmaster on Thursday 26 September at 6pm BST.

AUGUST 2025

18 – Hull, Craven Park Stadium
19 – Hull, Craven Park Stadium

22 – London, Wembley Stadium
23 – London, Wembley Stadium
26 – London, Wembley Stadium
27 – London, Wembley Stadium
30 – London, Wembley Stadium
31 – London, Wembley Stadium

What stands out about this tour announcement is the promise Coldplay have made to donate 10% of the band’s proceeds from the Wembley and Hull shows to Music Venue Trust (MVT).

Considering that every week a grassroots venue closes its doors, this will help fund vital work MVT does to support grassroots UK venues and upcoming artists. In a similar vein, Enter Shikari donated £1 from every ticket they sold for their 7-date 2023 tour. Their donations went to Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund, which is their grassroots venue fund.

According to an interview with Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of Music Venue Trust, Coldplay were introduced to MVT through Save Our Scene – a campaign fundraiser for cultural charities – after they reached out to its founder, George Fleming “who very graciously in turn recommended speaking to the Music Venues Trust. By February 2024, it had been agreed that when they announced their 2025 shows, that they’d be making a contribution to the grassroots to support the venues, artists and promoters.”

Donations to the Music Venue Trust will also be made by concert promoters SJM Concerts, Metropolis Music and Live Nation; the band’s booking agent WME; the venues Wembley Stadium and Hull Craven Park; and the official ticket agents, Ticketmaster, See Tickets and AXS.

Additionally, in a world first for a stadium show, Coldplay have also pledged to power the Wembley concerts’ production with 100% solar, wind and kinetic energy.

Sourced from The Independent, in June, Coldplay revealed that their Music of the Spheres show had, at that point, produced 59 per cent less CO2e emissions than their previous stadium tour between 2016 to 2017. The band have also overseen the planting of nine million trees, with a further one million to be planted before the end of the year. Coldplay are expanding their sustainability efforts to their album by producing physical copies of Moon Music made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles.

Lastly, seemingly to counter the ticket rip seen recently around Oasis, Taylor Swift and Beyonce’s tours, a limited number of Infinity Tickets, priced at £20 per ticket, will be made available for the shows via Ticketmaster at 12pm GMT on Friday 22 November.

Hostilities between these two band fellows have been building for a while, with Morrissey making claims on his website Morrissey Central. He has been posting messages from Morrissey in the third person within a segment called Messages from Morrissey.

What were Morrissey’s claims?

Taken directly from his website: Morrissey posted on 29th August 2024, “In June 2024 AEG Entertainment Group made a lucrative offer to both Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as ‘The Smiths’ throughout 2025. Morrissey said Yes to the offer; Marr ignored the offer.”

Subsequently, on 16th September 2024, Morrissey made the following claim: “J Marr has successfully applied for 100% trademark rights / Intellectual Property ownership of The Smiths name. His application has been accepted on whatever oaths or proclamations he has put forward. This action was done without any consultation to Morrissey, and without allowing Morrissey the standard opportunity of ‘objection’. Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood. Morrissey alone created the musical unit name ‘The Smiths’ in May 1982.”

How did Johnny Marr react?

Johnny Marr, ignoring Morrissey’s provocations in the past, made a rare rebuff on 17th September 2024 by releasing a statement. He countered the tour comment Morrissey made as well as recent claims about the ownership of The Smiths trademark. Johnny Marr is attempting to set the record straight, as his management released the following:

Rejecting Morrissey’s account of ignoring the tour offer, Marr bluntly asserted he had outrightly said no to it.

Seemingly, there is animosity on both sides. As the proverb goes, “there are two sides of every story” and it would be wise to take Morrissey’s comments with a pinch of salt. With this only proving there will be no reunion of The Smiths any time soon. We can understand, with the recent spate of reunions including Oasis, Blur and Pulp all profiting from nostalgia sales, Morrissey could be looking for a piece of that action. He has been embarking on a tour of his own in America, and we haven’t read any comments from Mike Joyce (The Smiths’ drummer) about this either. As nice as it would be to have The Smiths back together, with the passing of their original bassist Andrew Rourke in 2023, we wouldn’t have the full band in-tact. Would it be the reunion we want if there are so many unprovoked exchanges like this?

Rest assured, if you’re in the mood to listen to something by Johnny Marr, you can always check out the re-release of Johnny Marr + the Healers 2003 album Boomslang. It will include 7 brand new tracks and will be available to buy on Friday 20th September 2024 via BMG.

In 2020, while running for re-election, the former President used Electric Avenue in a campaign video and posted it to Twitter (now known as X). After issuing a cease and desist letter to the Trump campaign asking for the video to be removed, it finally was taken down. In that time, it had been viewed over 13 million times. Eddy Grant sued Trump for copyright infringement.

Trump’s defence attempted to argue they were permitted to use the song, as outlined in US copyright law, under ‘fair use’, which allows the limited use of copyrighted material without asking for permission. However, four years later, according to BBC News, “a federal judge in Manhattan ruled Mr Trump breached Mr Grant’s copyright for his 1983 hit, and is now liable for damages as well as paying for the singer’s legal fees”.

The case highlights longstanding issues within the music industry about the need to compensate artists for the use of their work and a trickier conversation about how their work gets used by others. Trump’s campaign thought it would be appropriate to use a song written about the 1981 Brixton riots, simply for these lyrics: “Now in the street, there is violence, and a lots of work to be done”. Juxtaposed to imagery in their video of a red “Trump-Pence” train speeding ahead of a handcar operated by an animated likeness of then-candidate Joe Biden, as described by Copyrightlately.

Eddy Grant can celebrate his win but he is part of a long list of artists who have taken action against Trump and are opposed to him using their music. These include:

ABBA
Adele
Aerosmith
A-ha
The Animals
The Beatles
Beyoncé
Bruce Springsteen
Celine Dion
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Earth, Wind & Fire
Eddy Grant
Elton John
Everlast
Foo Fighters
Free
Guns N’ Roses
Isaac Hayes
Johnny Marr
Leonard Cohen
Linkin Park
Luciano Pavarotti
Neil Young
Nickelback
Nico Vega
The O’Jays
Ozzy Osbourne
Panic! at the Disco
Pharrell Williams
Phil Collins
Prince
Queen
R.E.M.
Rihanna
The Rolling Stones
Sinéad O’Connor
Spinal Tap
Tom Petty
Twisted Sister
Village People
The White Stripes
Yoann Lemoine

Furthermore, a group of artists, in collaboration with the Artist Rights Alliance, which includes: Mick Jagger, Lorde, Sia, Blondie, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Lionel Richie, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Steven Tyler and Rosanne Cash have signed a letter demanding that politicians seek permission before playing their music at campaign rallies and public events.

Collective action like this might change the impetus to use copyrighted material without permission in future. At present, the outcomes for the above cases against Trump are still pending.

As part of their This Is What We Do for an Encore 2023-2024 tour, charismatic front-man, Jarvis Cocker introduced the track to 3,000 enthused fans, which is brand new take on an old demo from 1999.

This follows a spate of new material to come out of their recent North American dates. On Sunday 8th September, fans were played Spike Island at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. Shortly, after they had premiered My Sex on Tuesday 10th September – the first of two Toronto shows – at History (an aptly named venue).

Playing through their hits, Pulp have kept their setlist fairly unchanged. With the most amount of songs played live coming from their critically acclaimed and number one album Different Class (1995). Their setlist mainly but not exclusively consists of: I Spy, Disco 2000, Something Changed, Pink Glove, Weeds, Weeds II (The Origin of the Species), F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., Sorted for E’s & Wizz, This Is Hardcore, Do You Remember The First Time?, Babies, Sunrise.

So far, on this tour, they have followed their 13-track main set with two encores. The first of which has three tracks remaining (mostly) the same every gig: Like a Friend, Underwear and their biggest hit Common People. Their new material is saved for their second encore and, as they deliver mysterious new tracks, as their first song before Razzmatazz and Glory Days ending their gig.

Fans have also noticed a song called Farmers Market being listed but has yet to be played.

It has been over 20 years, since Pulp’s last album We Love Life (2001) and was produced by the late Scott Walker. The album was an absolute triumph.

With the potential of Britpop resurgence, it would seem fitting to have Pulp make a timely appearance. The summer ended with news of Oasis reforming for a live tour and Blur released their Blur: To The End documentary along with their performances from 2023’s Live at Wembley Stadium reunion. Out of all the bands from the naughties, it is Pulp we have missed the most.

A lot has happened in the last two decades and, more than ever, we have need for Jarvis Cocker’s wit and keen-eyed observations.

If you need a refresh, here’s a handy list of Pulp’s studio albums:

It (1983)
Freaks (1987)
Separations (1992)
His ‘n’ Hers (1994)
Different Class (1995)
This Is Hardcore (1998)
We Love Life (2001)

The return of one of the UK’s most prolific guitarists comes in the form of a full-length studio album Luck And Strange, which was released on 6 September 2024 by Sony Music and is his fifth studio solo album to date. It has been nine years since English guitarist and singer-songwriter has released an album.

It is one of three of his solo albums to hit number-one status – the other two being On An Island (2006) and Rattle That Lock (2015) – alongside a flurry of singles from Luck and Strange steadily dropped since April 2024. With the first being The Piper’s Call followed by Between Two Points and Dark and Velvet Nights, the album’s title-track was released this week.

According to Rolling Stone, the album was recorded over five months at Gilmour’s Medina Studio in Hove and at Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios in London, with the producer Charlie Andrew.

The album grapples with themes regarding mortality and age. Turning 78 this year, it is no wonder these subjects are clearly on his mind. David Gilmour is best known for being one of the members of prolific rock band, Pink Floyd. He joined the band in 1967 and was part of the group during their most successful period. Pink Floyd, one of the most acclaimed and highest-selling bands of all-time, created some of the most ground-breaking albums in music history: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).

He ranks at #28 on the Rolling Stone greatest guitarist of all-time list. If you haven’t listened to them already, here is a list of David Gilmour’s solo studio albums:
– David Gilmour (1978)
– About Face (1984)
– On an Island (2006)
– Rattle That Lock (2015)
– Luck and Strange (2024)

He is equally incredible live and David Gilmour will begin his Luck and Strange tour this month. So far, he has announced September-November shows through his website at Circus Maximus in Rome, Royal Albert Hall in London, the Intuit Dome and Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as well as Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Luck and Strange is out and available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Luck and Strange tracklist:

1. Black Cat
2. Luck and Strange
3. The Piper’s Call
4. A Single Spark
5. Vita Brevis
6. Between Two Points with Romany Gilmour
7. Dark and Velvet Nights
8. Sings
9. Scattered

Bonus tracks
10. Yes, I Have Ghosts with Romany Gilmour
11. Luck and Strange (original Barn Jam)

The Boileroom was founded in 2006 by Dominique Frazer. She is the manager and owner of The Boileroom Music And Cultural Arts Space in Guildford. Not only leading Guildford’s live music scene, in late 2021, her team took over the derelict New House Art Space in the centre of Guildford. Earmarked to be demolished, the building was refurbished to accommodate 20 artist studios as well as fitted with a new foyer, reception, gallery for rent, and art exhibition / creative workshop space.

New House Art Space is the perfect venue to see an exhibition dedicated to 18 years of the Boileroom in all its glory. In 2023, the 275-capacity venue won ‘Grassroots Champion’ of the year at the Live music industry Venues and Entertainment Awards. When accepting their award, they held a silent protest highlighting to the industry the closure of Moles – live music venue in Bath – and how it symbolised the crisis grassroots venues face.

It has never been easy being a grassroots venue. However, with the effects of the pandemic, Brexit and the cost of living, we are seeing venues close doors at an alarming rate. In 2023, 120 venues closed and, in a report made by the Music Venues Trust (MVT), it was predicted the sector would be at risk of losing 10% of its venues by the end of 2024. Grassroots venues are the life blood of the live industry and it is where industry professionals and bands “cut their teeth” to gain invaluable experience and build loyal fanbases.

It is important to note some of the artists who have previously played at the Boileroom. They highlight the importance of these venues, as a jumping off point for artists like: Ed Sheeran, Foals, The Bronx, First Aid Kit, Lucy Rose, Wolf Alice, Sugarhill Gang, Lee Scratch Perry, You Me At Six, Bastille, The 1975, David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan OBE, Declan McKenna, Tony Christie and The Amazons.

With the themes of this exhibition equally prescient: People, Place and Presence. The impact of these three things within a community are substantial and, from a perspective of a grassroots venue, absolutely fundamental. Grassroots venues need a community to represent, and bring in communities to attend or run events. Without a local venue, you would miss out on localised scenes and sub-cultures giving your area a truly unique sense of self. Imagine the Madchester scene without the Haçienda!

It should be the norm to celebrate venues like The Boileroom!

You can find out more about the exhibition here: Boileroom 2006-2024.