Tune in to @zanelowe on @Beats1 tomorrow at 9AM PST for something new… https://t.co/AwEfsoPnJw pic.twitter.com/3NInstcAt9

— The Killers (@thekillers) 13 January 2019

While it is still unclear what the announcement will be, back in December the band released a photograph of them back in the studio. Singer Brandon Flowers was behind a keyboard with an someone sitting at a computer, with production software clearly up on the screen. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr gave an interview to NME where he told them he didn’t think there would be a 5 year break between new material and a new album, like there had been between ‘Battle Born’ and ‘Wonderful Wonderful’.

After making mistakes and the band recognising they needed to ‘grow up’ with ‘Battle Born’ in 2012, ‘Wonderful Wonderful’ was about the band coming back together after a string of solo releases, including Brandon Flowers’s ‘The Desired Effect in 2015, that debuted at No1 in the UK Album Chart.

After ‘Wonderful Wonderful’ Flowers was asked what could be coming next in terms of a new album, Brandon explained that he had no idea; “It’s just all evolution and you learn from each record. It’s funny, I’ve found that I wait for it to present itself to me. I don’t necessarily say I’m going in and this is the record I’m going to make. I don’t think you can force it because whether you like it or not, things that you’ve absorbed in the last couple of years since are going to expose themselves and it’s going to be different to what you had planned”.

In juxtaposition drummer Ronnie said that he did have an inkling at what was coming next for The Killers; “I do. i’m constantly messing around with things and I see a lot online… there’s still a lot to be discovered and I think keeping with the tradition of always trying something new with a record might be something for us to look into”. 

Guitarist Dave Keuning’s solo project will also be released this month, after he told NME that he regretted not doing it sooner, as it had awakened the creative part of him that had been diminished after a set of gruelling and exhausting tour with The Killers. Keuning decided to take a step back from touring, and decided to stay at home in San Diego whilst the band toured after their ‘Wonderful Wonderful’ album release. The result is a 14 track album named ‘Prismism’ due to be released on January 25.

Carter is now in preparation for her debut album after she was signed to Polydor, and is under the same managed company as Dua Lipa, who she supported on tour. Speaking to BBC News, Carter revealed how she found her voice, and connection with music: “I was a difficult child for sure. I was a very angry child and I hadn’t quite found a way to let it out, apart from shouting for a long time.

“My mum met my stepdad when I was 13 and he was the person who really changed me as a child and the way I looked at my life and dealt with things. He got me a guitar and said, ‘Instead of shouting at everyone and getting really angry, why don’t you just try and talk about the things you’re feeling?’”

It seems that Carter’s broken family during her childhood, caused her a lot of angst, however she believes that was a pivotal point for her, and music became her way of expressing her anger and emotions. Carters raw and emotional single ‘Why Her Not Me’, was an expression of the anger and sadness she felt towards her biological father.

She said on this song that “sadly, today I figured out the reason my dad wasn’t in life was because he was raising another family but I want to know why he picked them over me. Why her not me?. I literally just said that and the song wrote itself.”

When asked if she was glad that she put such personal information out there for everyone to hear Carter explained that for her she was “just an open book”, and “I didn’t really think about it”.

Writing for Carter seems to have been a healing experience as she explained “It was really hard (releasing ‘Why Her Not Me’) I think the month after I put Why Her Not Me out, I felt pretty exposed. I felt like I’d shared a lot. But at the same time I felt like I’d got a lot back, and through sharing that story and being open, it allowed a lot of young people to be open as well. As hard as it was, it was also extremely empowering and exciting that I was encouraging young people to talk and be open about their feelings (about) situations they’ve been through, and help them realise that actually they’re not the only ones who have felt it.”

Carter also revealed some of her biggest musical influences including, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse and Carole King. Grace Carters music is often referred to as melancholy and sad, yet her lyrics are often thoughtful and empowering too. in her own words she explains “I never want to be a victim, and that’s the main thing. Of course there are sad subjects through all my songs; but at the end of it i’m stronger than all that.” For the complete BBC Music Sounds of 2019 click here.

The Northumbria-born, London-based singer released her debut EP ‘Something American’, in July 2017, which was followed by several singles including ‘Love Has All Been Done Before’. The EP caused a stir in America, where Rolling Stone coined her an artist you need to know. The singers British take on Americana has had her labelled as a country singer, which Bird has has deemed a little restrictive.

Speaking about the album, Bird said: “This album is my experience, direct and undiluted, of the past two years. Every decision I’ve made has culminated into this magical process, just as every word I’ve written has spun into these songs. It changes in style, like most of my music, and tries to dodge boxes and genres but the consistency is me – a young woman really trying to figure it out’.

Bird spoke to NME last year about how moving t0 New York City to record her debut album “clarified everything” for her following an “anxious phase in London”. The US has been an “idealistic” place for her to be creative, where, she said, there was a “freedom of eccentricity that I feel is sometimes a bit shunned in the UK”.

Bird has been playing since the tender age of 12, when she first picked up her grandmother’s guitar. She has been writing for several years, to date she’s filled three notebooks with lyrics and ideas. During her teens, Bird played at scores of open mic nights, before winning a place at the notorious performing arts Brit School in London. Jade Bird plays London’s The Garage on January 29 and Paradise Noord in Amsterdam on February 13. Get your tickets here.

Track listing:

‘Ruins’
‘Lottery’
‘I Get No Joy’
‘Side Effects’
‘Uh Huh’
‘My Motto’
’17’
‘Good At It’
‘Does Anybody Know’
‘Love Has All Been Done Before’
‘Going Gone’
‘If I Die’

MTV Music Award winner Janelle Monae played the festival in 2015, with Eavis calling her previous performance incredible. After the success of her critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Dirty Computer’ Monae will make up a huge appearance for the festival.

Grime icon Stormzy has also been revealed as the first artist confirmed for the main stage Pyramid headliner on Friday (June 28), to mixed reviews from festival goers.

It has also been reported that Kylie Minogue has confirmed she will appear on the Sunday (June 30) playing on the Pyramid Stage during the teatime slot, that has previously been host to other legendary artists such as Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton.

Kylie took to twitter confirming her first gig at Glastonbury, after treatment for breast cancer forced her to cancel a headlining appearance some 14 years previously.

Kylie wrote: “I’m so thrilled to announce that i’ll be playing the ‘Legend slot’ on Sunday 30th June @Glasto2019. It will be 14 years since I was originally meant to appear there and so much has happened up to now. I can’t wait to see you all there to share this special show”.

Eavis also discussed with Lauren Laverne the changes and developments that Aradia are making on the site. There is to be a completely new area, and completely new design. Bloc 9 are expanding down into the South East corner with a ‘mind blowing’ new installation. The Park will dos have something new appearing in it.

Other acts rumoured to be playing Glastonbury 2019 include Lana Del Rey, Paul McCartney, The Cure and Arctic Monkeys. The pop group The Spice Girls who are reforming for a string of stadium shows this summer, are also according to Mel B in talks with festival organisers.

The musician has already released albums under the names frnkiero and the cellabration, followed by Frank Iero And The Patience, who played alongside The 1975 in his native New Jersey at the Shadow of the City in 2016. Iero made the announcement via his instagram profile, in the video clip he reveals his new artistic name by writing it on a piece of paper.  There is a hint at a Spring release date for new music in the caption: hashtag FIATFV – Spring 2019 chapter 3.

Fans took to his page to express their excitement with one fan literally unable to contain themselves stating “IM SCREAMING”, with many other fans begging Frank to go on tour and visit their hometown. Back in August 2018 Frank posted a black and white photograph of 4 people wearing the mask of a balding older man with simply “first band photo (no filter) #FIATV”. Now we know what it means!

Similarly ex My Chemical Romance’s frontman Gerard Way has also been working on his own solo projects. In 2017 he released two singles “Into The Cave We Wander” and “Pogi’s Cavern” for Record Store Day an event running for over a decade celebrating the music industry and participating stores. In 2018 we heard ‘Getting Down The Germs” and “Baby You’re A Haunted House” which being launched towards the end of 2018 gives fans an inkling that although not yet officially announced, a new album could be on its way from Way! 2019 is set to be a good year for fans of My Chemical Romance and its ex bandmates.

Keenan posted on twitter an update, announcing that final vocals had been tracked months ago, but that a long mixing process lay ahead of the band. Various updates were shared during 2017, with the debut track ‘Descending’ released last April, and an instrumental demo released during the background of a promo video for the bands upcoming  European tour running from 2nd of June through to the 2nd of July 2019.

The frontman revealed that after eleven years of begging the words and melodies for the new record were 100% done, on all but 1 (song). Keenan had previously implied the delays were caused by a lack of decisiveness by his bandmates, stating: “I like to release records and write things a little more quickly than those guys like to write”, “their process is very analytical”.

For a group as meticulous as Tool, it is unlikely that the album will be released before they begin touring North America in May, and Europe during June and July. As Keenan revealed his final vocals had been completed, it seems optimistic as he is the last member of the band to record before the mixing process is started.

It appears to be good news for Tool fans, as Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, who visited the group while they were recording and was privy to a private rendition, described the new music as “progressive metal at its most atmospheric and just when you get into a groovy trance you get beat over the head with riffs so heavy it feels like a TOOL”. 

After tweeting in September “Step back: Adjust. Re-adjust. Master. Adjust. Re-adjust. Long way to go but much closer”, it makes you wonder if 2019 will really be the year we get to hear rocks most highly anticipated (and long awaited) album. It sounds like it will be worth the wait as according to Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, no song was shorter than 7 minutes, and some were 20 minutes long. The so far untitled album is expected to be epic!

Update- Final vocals tracked MONTHS ago. Then U.S.-UK-Euro run w #APC. If Tool all inst are tracked, long process of Mixing now. Meanwhile write/film/track w @puscifer for #puscifer2020 & troll the band FBs with wine posts. #funnyshit #whileyouwerewhiningiwasworking

— Maynard J Keenan (@mjkeenan) 4 January 2019

TOOL European Tour Dates 2019:

02/06/2019 – Mercedes-Benz Arena – Berlin
04/06 – O2 Arena – Prague
05/06 –  Wiener Stadhalle – Vienna
07/06 – Rock Am Ring Festival – Nurburg
09/06 – Rock Im Park Festival -Nuremberg
11/06 – Impact Festival – Tauron Arena – Krakow
13/06 – Firenze Rocks Festival – Florence
16/06 – Download Festival – Donnington
18/06 – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam
20/06 – Copenhell festival – Copenhagen
25/06 – Hallenstadion – Zurich
28/06 – Rock Werchter Festival – Werchter
30/06 – Download Festival Spain – Madrid
02/07 – Alice Arena – Lisbon

Rap Queen Nicki Minaj announces 2019 European tour that promises fans a “fully immersive ‘Queen’ experience”. 

After releasing her fourth album ‘Queen’ in 2018, with features from Lil Wayne, Ariana Grande, The Weekend, Future, and the legendary Eminem, a European tour, with 4 dates sets for the UK, looks set to be hugely popular.

The Nicki WRLD Tour starts in February in Germany, and will finish in Switzerland on March the 28th.

Minaj will play in London at the O2 on March 11th, the Birmingham Arena on the 14th, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on the 17th, finishing her UK stretch at the Manchester Arena on Monday the 18th.

In a recent statement, Minaj said: “ I’m so excited to bring the full Nicki Minaj experience to my fans in Europe”, she guaranteed a “new creative that will give her fans a fully immersive Queen experience”. She stated; “I have been carefully crafting the most exhilarating, unique, memorable piece of art to share with my incredible fans”.

Juice Wrld, AKA American rapper, singer and songwriter Jarad Higgins has been announced to replace Future on the European stretch of the Nicki WRLD Tour. Higgins debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance was released in May 2018, and has since gone platinum. His single Lucid Dreams, narrowly missed out on Billboard 100s top spot, peaking at No. 2.

 Future fans may be disappointed that Nicki switched artists, after having to cancel and postpone her North American tour, citing production problems. Future was sadly not able to commit to the tour dates, because of clashes in his schedule. Nicki’s team announced “Following her unforgettable VMA performance, Nicki Minaj has decided to reevaluate elements of her production on the NickiHndrxx Tour… (and) to contribute more time to rehearsal ahead of the tour’s launch to make certain her fans get the absolute best quality show that they deserve”.

The North American trek now has a rescheduled date of May 2019. Minaj gushed about Juice WRLD stating; “I’m in love with Juice Wrld’s music and feel so stoked to have him join me. This will be one for the books”.

The Anaconda singer will continue promoting her new album Queen, which recently went platinum

You can see the full tour dates below

February 

21 – Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle

22 – Bratislava, Slovakia, Ondrej Nepela Arena

24 – Lodz, Poland, Atlas Arena

25 – Budapest, Hungary, Budapest Sportarena

March

1 – Copenhagen, Denmark, Royal Arena

3 – Oslo, Norway, Spektrum

4 – Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson Globe

6 – Brussels, Belgium, Palais 12

7 – Paris, France, AccorHotels Arena

9 – Bordeaux, France, Metropole Arena

11 – London, UK, The 02

14 – Birmingham, UK, Birmingham Arena

15 – Dublin, Ireland, 3Arena

17 – Glasgow, UK, SSE Hydro

18 – Manchester, UK, Manchester Arena

20 – Esch – sur -Alzette, Luxembourg, Rockhal

22- Frankfurt, Germany, Festhalle

23 – Cologne, Germany, Laxness Arena

25 – Amsterdam, Holland, Ziggo Dome

27 – Zurich, Switzerland, Hallenstadion

28 – Geneva, Switzerland, Arena Geneva

To purchase tickets please click here 

The Boomtown Festival runs for four days at the Matterly Estate in Hampshire from the 7th to the 12th of August, has announced a new techno district. Boomtown is made up of 14 different districts that aim to follow a storyline that has been evolving over the past 10 years. The organisers hope to create a totally unique experience, bringing in hundreds of actors to bring their film-like sets to life. Each year Boomtown has a new chapter, and 2019 will be called Chapter 11: A Radical City. There is an ongoing story line, which festival goers are encouraged to take part in and get involved with a theatrical style experience.

The festival has been running now since 2009, combining music with theatre, and interactive sets. Area 404, one of the fourteen districts, will welcome headliners Four Tets, Carl Cox and Amelie Lens to the new nucleus stage. Welcoming for the first time techno, at the festival. Bugged Out will headline on Friday, with Carl Cox taking centre stage on Saturday, followed by Drumcode on Sunday. Other acts announced include Eats Everything, Claude Vonstroke, Dense & Pika, Sama’, Enrico Sangiuliano  and Skream. Social media comments have been positive, showing that the line-up choices have been popular among fans of the independent festival.

The festival’s main stage, known as the Town Centre, is said to be the most extravagant stage setup of all the UK festivals, with exciting visual displays, pyrotechnics and dazzling performances. The festival has four main areas: Hilltop, Downtown, Whistlers Green and Temple Valley. Across the four areas the 14 smaller districts are formed around a unique theatrical identity.  

2019’s overall lineup is yet to be announced, but looking at the 2018 acts there is a lot to be excited about. This year acts were varied, with performances from artists such as the Gorillaz, Jimmy Cliff, Purple Disco Machine, Level2, Spice, Morcheeba, Limp Bizkit, Shy FX, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, and hundreds more, 2019 is unlikely to be anything less than eclectic and exciting.

The new nucleus stage is presumed to be replacing the fallen Bang Hai Towers. In line with the Boomtown sustainability ethos, the nucleus stage is likely to be built using and recycling the rubble of the old frame of Bang Hai Towers.

 Boomtown organisers are fierce about protecting the environment, asking festival goers to “respect yourself, respect each other and respect your city”. The Boomtown respect yourself campaign has been hugely popular. As the festival is held within the South Downs National park, everybody in attendance is asked to use public transport, to take their tents home, and recycle any rubbish. This breeds a sense of conscientious party going, which is vital in the festivals future of being sustainable.

The remaining acts will be announced starting from the 8th of February 2019. To purchase your tickets please visit Boomtown Festival 

Shazam’s software allows users of smart phones to find out which song it is playing on the radio, just by holding their smart phone up to a speaker. 

For years the age old question has always been, “who sings this song?”, “what’s this song called?”, and we had no way of knowing the answer. Shazam is the answer to those prayers, and knows through its analysing technology the answer to those questions.

In 2018, Shazam revealed that the most searched for song of 2018 was Clean Bandit’s “Solo” featuring Demi Lovato. It was revealed to have been tagged 9.1 million times.

The second most popularly searched for song, was X by Nicky Jam and J Balvin, with Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s “One Kiss’ coming in at third place.

The company was bought by the giant Apple last year, for a reported $400m (£316m). Shazam had over 120 million users, and was one of the only music technology companies to be making a profit.

Apple has used its purchase of Shazam to get users over to their streaming service.

Ed Sheehan also proved popular in 2018 with his track “Perfect” coming in at the fifth most Shazamed song, and the number one song in Shazam’s global charts this year. “Perfect” had been at the top of the bill for nine weeks, as well as being the most shared song worldwide. Sheehan is the only artist to have claimed pop’s most Shazamed song of 2017 hit the number one spot in the same genre twice.

Shazam revealed that “Friends” by Marshmallow and Anne-Marie was 2018’s most Shazamed track in a day worldwide, on April 9th.  Drake was named as the most Shazamed artist of the year,  J Balvin was the second most popularly searched artist.

Top 10 Most Shazamed Songs

1. “Solo”, Clean Bandit Feat. Demi Lovato
2. “X”, Nicky Jam & J Balvin
3. “One Kiss”, Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
4. “In My Mind”, Dynoro & Gigi D’agostina
5. “Perfect”, Ed Sheehan
6. “Leave a Light On”, Tom Walker
7. “Girls Like You”, Maroon 5 Feat. Cardi B
8. “Friends”, Marshmallow & Anne-Marie
9. “Flames”, David Guetta & Sia
10. “I Like It”, Cardi B & Bad Bunny & J Balvin

Most Shazamed Songs by Genre

Country: “You Make It Easy”, Jason Aldean

Pop: “Perfect”, Ed Sheehan

Dance: “Solo”, Clean Bandit Feat. Demi Lovato

Hip-Hop: “I Like It”, Cardi B & Bad Bunny & J Balvin

Rock/Alt: “Feel It Still”, Portugal. The Man

K-Pop: “FAKE LOVE”, BTS

Latino: “X”, Nicky Jam & J Balvin

R&B: “Love Lies”, Khalid & Normani

Board masters 2019 attended by a huge 50,000 party-goers, will run from Wednesday 7th to Sunday 11th of August. Tickets are available via the website. The music and surfing festival is held across Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay, within walking distance of the popular tourist town of Newquay.

Other acts confirmed for the sun, sea, surf and music festival include; Brit and NME award winning Glaswegian indie rock legends Franz Ferdinand – British Grime super stars Dizzee Rascal and Giggs, UK Garage Legend DJ EZ, as well as  2018’s Brits’ Critics Choice award, Mercury Prize nomination and critically acclaimed debut album ‘Lost and Found’ artist; Jorja Smith. Joining them are – IDLES – Michael Franti & Spearhead – Lewis Capaldi – Lady Leshurr – Self Esteem – Boy Azooga – Pete Murray, and many more.

All music and camping activities will be held at the Watergate Bay site, whilst any surfing, skate, BMX and shopping will be at the Fistral Beach site near the town centre. Saturday nights headline act has been confirmed, with Florence + The Machine taking the main stage. Fresh from their critically acclaimed fourth album release ‘High As Hope’, alongside some of the worlds most eclectic and diverse acts. 

Florence and The Machine is fronted by vocalist Florence Welch and keyboardist Isabella Summers. They are usually joined by a varied array of other musicians, that form ‘The Machine’. The band have achieved huge success since 2007 with hits such as ‘Kiss with a fist’, ‘Rabbit Heart’ and a cover version of Candi Staton’s 1986 hit ‘You’ve got the love’.

The musical powerhouse is currently on tour with their ‘High As Hope’ album tour. After a brilliantly successful 2018, including the release of their second album, ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’, which was also named as BBC 6 Music’s album of the year, the fantastic IDLES will also be joining Florence + The Machine to play at Boardmasters 2019.

Last year’s event was popularised by headline performances by The Chemical Brothers, George Ezra, Rag ’N’ Bone Man, Years & Years as well as Catfish and the Bottlemen. Boardmasters organisers said they will continue their work to keep the festival environmentally conscious, organising a working partnership by teaming up with the Surfers against Sewage charity, with beach cleans throughout the year, as well as during the festival.

This year’s successful reusable cup scheme, as well as incentivising festival-goers to clean up after themselves. Beyond the music, Boardmasters returns with its surf competition, which is part of the World Surf League Qualifying Series, with the biggest names on the International surf scene battling it out for supremacy on the water.