ᴏɴᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴋɪꜱꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.

ᴡᴇᴍʙʟᴇʏ, ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ᴜꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ, ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴡᴇᴀᴛ. pic.twitter.com/pP8rE75a0Q

— ENTER SHIKARI (@ENTERSHIKARI) February 18, 2024

The St Albans based band started their captivating speech by stating: “We cannot just enjoy this moment without acknowledging the fact that there are children being blown to pieces by a government and a country that has been completely lost in nationalistic and religious fervour.”

Continuing to express his support of Palestine, Reynolds said: “with the activists and actionists up and down the country who have been blocking and targeting the Israeli weapons manufacturing factories. Our country is very complicit in this atrocity, and supports those who are targeting the investment banks that are effectively bankrolling genocide. We have been yelling ‘Free Gaza’, ‘Free Palestine’ for 15 years. I just hope to God that there is still a Gaza and a Palestine left when this fucking nightmare ends. So let us be grateful for tonight, we have safety. We have community, we have love, we have human connection. Let us treasure this feeling that we all have tonight.”

The current death toll of Palestinians in Gaza stands at 28,775, with around 1,410 Israelis killed and around 100 Israeli hostages still remaining in Hamas captivity after the October 7 attacks. Israel is currently being urged by many Palestinian supporters not to send ground forces into Rafah on the Egyptian border, where many of the strip’s citizens are now living after areas closer to their homes became engulfed by fighting. Around 1.5million people are living in Rafah, among fears that there are few to no other places for Palestinians to seek refuge. The BBC reported “tens of thousands” gathered in London yesterday for pro-Palestine rallies.

This is not the first time the British rockers have spoken out about the horrors of war and their distaste for modern day worldwide conflicts. Their 2012 song Stalemate depicts this, with lyrics such as “Money is made when bombs are dropping in Afghanistan, and when phosphorous falls in Palestine.” The four-piece also signed an open letter for ceasefire in November of last year, alongside other artists such as Architects and The Last Dinner Party.

Way back in 2022, a study by Yard, a sustainable marketing agency, showed that the 34-year-old singer’s use of private jets was one of the worst contributors to climate change and CO2 emissions. People were quick to criticise and make jokes about Swift after speculation that this will be her mode of transport to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor Swift on her way downstairs to grab her Door Dash order (which she also had delivered via private jet/helicopter)pic.twitter.com/CEPCxsECIM

— Stogna Bologna (@1000waystoRy) February 7, 2024

I will stop tracking taylor swifts private jet when she pledges to offset carbon emissions by paying off my student loan and credit card debt

— alexa (@mariokartdwi) February 7, 2024

There were some however who came to Taylor’s defence and supported her throughout the critiques. British singer-songwriter Adele publicly spoke out at one of her Las Vegas residency shows Weekends With Adele and told the haters to “get a f**king life.” The “Hello” singer went on to say “I want the 49ers to win but I also want the Chiefs to win. I think I want the Chiefs to win just because Taylor Swift goes for them…and all of you that are complaining about Taylor Swift being at the games, get a fucking life! It’s her fucking man! She’s actually made it a bit more enjoyable to watch, because like I said I have no idea what’s going on.”

| At her show tonight Adele shared she will be supporting the Chiefs tomorrow because of Taylor Swift;

“I think I want the Chiefs to win just because of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and all of you that are complaining about Taylor Swift being at games get a f*cking life” pic.twitter.com/YQA446PCr5

— Taylor Swift Updates

Swift had also received backlash from NFL players Rob Gronkowski and Tony Dungy for appearing at games too frequently and being shown too often. Kelce’s brother Jason supported the American Sweetheart’s actions by saying: “She’s the quintessential artist right now in the world, singer-songwriter, immensely talented, unbelievable role model for young women across the globe. So I think that the NFL would probably be foolish not to show her and be a role model for all the young girls out there.”

Our NEW EP is out today!! “Home Soon” everybody!! AND with it a new single Gamma Rays!! Give it a listen or ten and let us know what’s your fave!! Big love, cassia x

➡️ https://t.co/dmXOGdRVEZ pic.twitter.com/dLHFgD5l3Y

— Cassia (@wearecassia) February 9, 2024

Cassia is composed of vocalist Rob Ellis, bassist Lou Cotterill, and drummer Jacob Leff. Collectively, the group have cited World Music as a shared inspiration, with frontman Ellis saying: “Speaking personally I think the thing that interests me the most is the unpredictability of the music. It’s cool knowing that there’s an endless vat of unexplored approaches ideas out there to take influence from.” Having spent part of his childhood in Zambia, lead singer Ellis was exposed to West African music and has brought this mastery into Cassia’s sound. Their Home Soon… EP was constructed all over the world, taking influence from every corner of the globe. The band commented on their recent writing style, claiming: “we felt that gave us a new lease of life creatively.”

Moreover, when asked about the EP in general, the band said: “Summed up the EP is based around life cycles. I feel that l always struggle to cope with chapters drawing to a natural close because it forces me to change what is comfortable, it is just a natural response of mine and so these songs act as an outlet for me, some tracks reminded me of the positive outcomes that come off the back of change, whilst some songs were jotted down during a painful switch of reality.”

In honour of the release of their new EP, Cassia will be performing a one off intimate show in London this March. For more information and tickets, click here.

We have a NEW EP dropping 9th Feb!It’s called ‘Home Soon’ and you can now preorder it on vinyl as well as new merch! we’re also doing a one off intimate show in LONDON!! General sale is Monday but you can grab one early with a vinyl + ticket bundle

➡️ https://t.co/e97u4bet1H pic.twitter.com/RwIQqi4REO

— Cassia (@wearecassia) November 10, 2023

Tour dates:

04/03/2024 – Omeara – London
14/03 – Flux FM Bergfest – Berlin
04/11 – New Century – Manchester
05/11 – HERE At Outernet – London
06/11 – HERE At Outernet – London

2005-2025
This is the end.

Thank you for being the heartbeat of this band.
Final live shows taking place 2024/2025.

Sign up at https://t.co/TKQnwP6bLchttps://t.co/lhDcsDxBC2

— You Me At Six (@youmeatsix) January 31, 2024

After releasing a suitably emo video statement filmed in a graveyard, You Me At Six announced that the time has come for them to bid farewell to the band. However, after keeping this a secret for some time, Franceschi told BBC “I’m grateful that we’re in a position where we can celebrate, in real time, with our fans.”

Throughout their career, the “Stay With Me” singers have released 8 studio albums, 2 of which (2014’s Cavalier Youth and 2021’s SUCKAPUNCH) reaching number 1 status, toured extensively and received glowing recognition through a variety of awards. These accomplishments have not gone amiss with the band members, as frontman Franceschi told NME “The thing that mattered the most is longevity, getting closer and closer to that 20 year mark. We don’t need this band for self-indulgent reasons. We’re all really satisfied with what we’ve done, let’s just tie a nice little ribbon or bow around it. You don’t want to be the last ones hanging around at the party. We want to be a band that bowed out, not one that was kicked out.”

When asked about plans for their upcoming farewell tour, the 33-year-old stated “We’ve worked out that our final gig is going to be 20 years to the day since our first ever band practice, which is wild. It wasn’t even deliberate.” However, fans will have to be patient for any more information regarding the tour, as dates are set to be announce in “a couple of months”.

Whilst dates for You Me At Six’s final tour are still unknown, you can ensure you receive information regarding the upcoming shows by signing up here. However, the Surrey based five-piece have some upcoming performances this month, as well as their appearance’s at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival to serve as their penultimate shows. For more information and tickets, click here.

Tour dates:

09/02/2024 – KK’s Steel Mill – Wolverhampton
10/02 – UEA – Norwich
11/02 – O2 Academy – Bristol
13/02 – O2 Academy – Oxford
14/02 – Town Hall – Middlesbrough
15/02 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
17/02 – Liverpool University – Liverpool
18/02 – Guildhall – Portsmouth
25/05 – Slam Dunk Festival South – Hatfield
26/05 – Slam Dunk Festival North – Temple Newsam

PVRIS in 2024, with Pale Waves, Scene Queen, Bruses, and Sophie Powers. https://t.co/U1QlVEkVUB pic.twitter.com/JjpeVTXXxO

— PVRIS (@ThisIsPVRIS) January 8, 2024

Joining PVRIS on their upcoming tour is New York based rock singer Scene Queen, whilst up and coming artist Sophie Powers will be supporting on all UK dates.

Nobody panic but I’m going on my dream tour with one of my actual heroes in Europe/ the UK this spring !!! 16 yr old me is actually flipping out rn !! See you in Europe @ThisIsPVRIS ! And I’ll see my Mf’ing girl @sophiep0wers in the UK pic.twitter.com/Kwy8qJOq8r — Scene Queen (@scenequeenrocks) January 8, 2024

Going on tour with @ThisIsPVRIS @scenequeenrocks !! Ticket sale Friday, January 12 at 10 AM local. pic.twitter.com/o5LxQOiNOe

— Sophie Powers (@sophiep0wers) January 8, 2024

Speaking about Evergreen in a press release, lead singer Lynn Gunn said: “Evergreen is a reclamation of control in our post-pandemic culture, posing a complex discussion on fame, technology, spectacle, and female autonomy.”

She added: “It’s not my job as an artist to cater to certain trends or people’s nostalgia, I have to follow what I feel compelled to follow and do my best to uncover what truths and messages I can find within that. I have to always embrace the risks of change and trust that each stage of my music’s life will resonate with whoever it’s meant to.”

Moreover, when speaking about the new album, Gunn told Flood Magazine: “More than ever, PVRIS has, and always will be, anti-formula, anti-virality, and anti-instant gratification.”

Pre-sale for the tour is now open, and tickets can be purchased using the password “WORLD”. General sale for tickets will commence this Friday (January 12th) at 10am. You can find tickets and information here. For additional information and upcoming VIP upgrades, head to the official PVRIS website here.

Tour dates:

24/04/2024 – Musikzentrum – Hanover
25/04 – Docks – Hamburg
26/04 – Huxleys Neue Welt – Berlin
27/04 – Proxima – Warsaw
29/04 – Lucerna Music Bar – Prague
30/04 – Arena Wien Open Air – Vienna
02/05 – Alcotraz – Milan
03/05 – Zoom Frankfurt – Frankfurt
06/05 – Carlswerk Victoria – Cologne
07/05 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels
09/05 – TivolviVredenburg – Utrecht
10/05 – La Trabendo – Paris
12/05 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
13/05 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow
15/05 – O2 Academy Birmingham
16/05 – Troxy – London

WAITING IN THE SKY VINYL LP FOR RSD 2024

“He’d like to come and meet us…”

To mark what would have been David Bowie’s 77th birthday, Parlophone Records are proud to announce the release of a very special David Bowie limited vinyl LP, WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME… pic.twitter.com/j9Oh0pQWSv

— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) January 8, 2024

The LP is set to be released on April 20th 2024, in line with Record Store Day, which falls on the same day.

Record Store Day is an annual event beginning in 2007 to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store”. Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.

A press release for the upcoming album states that “The tracklisting for WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH) runs differently from the ZIGGY STARDUST album and features four songs that didn’t make the final album.

On Side 1, in the place of ‘STARMAN’, one of the last three tracks recorded for the album in February 1972, is ‘ROUND AND ROUND’, a Chuck Berry cover. The track was finally released on a single as the B-side to ‘DRIVE-IN SATURDAY’ on 6th April, 1973. Initially, closing Side 1 of the album was Bowie’s version of Jacques Brel’s ‘AMSTERDAM’, which would later appear as the B-side of ‘SORROW’ on 12th October, 1973.

Side 2 of the 15th December, 1971 tracklisting features two long-time non-LP fan favourites, ‘HOLY HOLY’ and ‘VELVET GOLDMINE’. The former is a re-recording with The Spiders of David’s 1971 single. Again, this version of the track had to wait several years before surfacing as the B-side of ‘DIAMOND DOGS’ on 14th June, 1974.”

Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth) tracklist:

Side 1
“Five Years”
“Soul Love”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Round And Round”
“Amsterdam”

Side 2
“Hang On To Yourself”
“Ziggy Stardust”
“Velvet Goldmine”
“Holy Holy”
“Star”
“Lady Stardust”

Radio 1 presenter Sam MacGregor told BBC: “There has been a history of people who, when they have done a UK tour or European tour, have missed off Wales. But it’s exciting to see artists are starting to change that perception. And if people like Taylor Swift, the biggest artist in the world right now, can come to Cardiff, they why can’t some of the smaller or medium scale artists come?”

Fans had been eagerly awaiting information regarding Swift’s upcoming tour, and when the 34-year-old announced what cities she, along with support from American rock band Paramore, would be visiting, many were ecstatic to discover the singer would be hitting Cardiff this summer. The “Anti-Hero” singer will be playing Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on June 18, her only Welsh date for the entire tour.

Really can’t contain my excitement because… we’re adding 14 new shows to The Eras Tour. And I get to travel the world doing shows with @paramore!! Hayley and I have been friends since we were teens in Nashville and now we get to frolic around the UK/Europe next summer??? I’m… pic.twitter.com/kl1aijxR2o

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 5, 2023

Taylor Swift isn’t the only superstar to be performing in Cardiff this summer, as the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Billy Joel, and Pink will be performing at the Principality Stadium, giving Wales an unforgettable summer of live music.

Emily Cotterill from FOR Cardiff, a group representing businesses in the city centre, believes each event is a big opportunity. She said: “We want people who have maybe come to Cardiff once for a gig to think ‘we want to go back and spend a weekend’. Lots of the time, especially with these big names, they are a reason to come here for the first time and then it’s up to us to help those people come back for a second, third or fourth time.”

For more information on Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour, click here.

Tour dates:

07/06/2024 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
08/06 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
09/06 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
13/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
14/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
15/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
18/06 – Principality Stadium – Cardiff
21/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
22/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
23/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
28/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
29/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
30/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
15/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
16/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
17/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
19/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
20/08 – Wembley Stadium – London

Sealing last year’s number one spot was none other than Miley Cyrus with her smash hit “Flowers”, which spent an incredible 10 weeks at the top of the Official UK Singles chart. “Flowers” was the lead single from Cyrus’ eighth studio-album Endless Summer Vacation, and went on to accumulate 198 million combined audio and video streams in the UK in 2023, making it the most-streamed song of the year. The 31-year-old’s single also went on to be the most-downloaded song of the year, with 91,000 UK downloads.

Joining Miley in a 10-week long reign at the number one spot were British rappers Dave and Central Cee with their single “Sprinter”. The track was a smash hit as it broke UK chart records as it clinched the biggest streaming week for any rap song in Official Chart history, and also claimed the title of the longest-running rap Number 1 in the UK. Since its release, the team duo have racked up 161 million UK audio and video streams, landing them the number two spot on the top songs of 2023.

The track claiming the number three spot in this list was originally the first Official Number One Single of 2023. When RAYE and 070 Shake’s track “Escapism” soared to number one, RAYE told Official Charts: “We are Number 1 in the UK! It’s the first Number 1 of the year, it’s my first Number 1 in my life. I’m an independent artist, this is sickening! This is proof you should back yourself, no matter what. Thank you, this is mad. These are happy tears!” 

Completing 2023’s top five was Taylor Swift’s resilient 2022 hit “Anti-Hero”, and collaboration trance track “Miracle” from Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding. Celebrating the success of the latter, Goulding told Official Charts: “This is just very cool. Thank you very much to everyone for listening to it and supporting it, Oontz, oontz…rave on!” 

The Official top 10 songs of 2023:

1. “Flowers” – Miley Cyrus
2. “Sprinter” – Dave & Central Cee
3. “Escapism” – RAYE feat. 070 Shake
4. “Anti-Hero” – Taylor Swift
5. “Miracle” – Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding
6. “Calm Down” – Rema
7. “Kill Bill” – SZA
8. “Boy’s A Liar” – PinkPantheress
9. “As It Was” – Harry Styles
10. “People” Libianca

“Followed by the thirst…”

Europe / United Kingdom 2024. Tickets on sale
Monday at 11am GMT / 12pm CET at https://t.co/JMn594oAoc pic.twitter.com/NZ5dW6WDVj

— Knocked Loose (@knockedloose) December 8, 2023

Back in June, the five-piece released two singles from their double-single EP Upon Loss, produced by Drew Fulk (also known as WZRD BLD). Upon Loss marks the band’s first new release since their 2021 EP, A Tear In The Fabric Of Life. You can listen to the singles “Deep In The Willow” and “Everything Is Quiet Now” below.

Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garris caught up with NME earlier this year at Reading and Leeds Festival, where the singer shared his thoughts and feelings about his band going viral at California’s famous annual festival Coachella. Garris said: “It was awesome, we didn’t know what to expect going into that. We were very excited for it but definitely had the feeling that it could have not gone well. But we were just excited to be there and excited to say that we did it.

“Then on top of that, it went so well and it’s been an exciting thing for us — we’ll still be riding off that excitement for the rest of the year. We’re very very fortunate that we were able to be a part of that.”

The 30-year-old also hinted that there may be some new music coming our way, as he teased: “I can’t give too much away, but we are working, we are working very hard — That’s all I can say. Whatever comes next will be heavy.”

Tickets for Knocked Loose’s 2024 UK and European tour are on sale now. You can purchase your tickets for next year’s shows here.

Tour dates:

15/02/2024 – Elysee Montmartre – Paris
16/02 – Patronat – Haarlem
18/02 – Kamienna12 – Krakow
19/02 – Lucerna Music Bar – Prague
20/02 – Simm City – Vienna
22/02 – Live club – Milan
23/02 – Dynamo – Zurich
25/02 – Batschkapp – Frankfurt
26/02 – Live Music Hall – Cologne
27/02 – Grosse Freiheit 36 – Hamburg
28/02 – Huxxleys – Berlin
29/02 – Conne Island – Leipzig
02/03 – Trix – Antwerp
04/03 – O2 Institute – Birmingham
05/03 – SWG3 – Glasgow
06/03 – O2 Ritz – Manchester
07/03 – SWX – Bristol
09/03 – Project House – Leeds
10/03 – O2 Forum – London

Victorious Festival 2024 will run from August 23-25 with Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol co-headlining the event’s opening night. Jamie T and Biffy Clyro will then take the headlining spot for Saturday and Sunday night respectively. The 2023 instalment of Victorious Festival featured another star-studded line up as the likes of Mumford and Sons, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Jamiroquai and Ellie Goulding were amongst the big names of performers.

The festival also houses a comedy stage, and at next year’s event, leaders of the industry Russell Howard and Frankie Boyle will be headlining on Friday and Saturday night at Southsea seafront.

One of the most successful dance artists of all time, the Grammy and Brit award-winning DJ and producer Fatboy Slim will bring a memorable Friday night opening party packed full of hits. His attendance of the festival had previously been teased as a sign saying “Praise You”, in reference to his hit song of the same name, appeared at the event’s location.

Victorious Festival hints at 2024 headliner: https://t.co/85AAcyqY7K #FatboySlim #VictoriousFestival

— Neil Durham (@NeilDurham) November 27, 2023

In addition to these huge headliners, many other world class acts will be making their way down to Portsmouth for Victorious Festival. Other artists on the bill include Wet Leg, Becky Hill, Pixies, Courteeners, IDLES, Jess Glynne, Arlo Parks, Louis Tomlinson and Natasha Bedingfield. You can find the full line up below.

Big News!

We’re SO excited to announce @FatboySlim@snowpatrol , @jamietmusic , and @BiffyClyro are headlining VF24! Plus the incredible @wetlegband@BeckyHill@PIXIES@Louis_Tomlinson@jessglynne@arloparks@thecourteeners@idlesband & loads more!… pic.twitter.com/O6GEwuXxBP — Victorious Festival (@VictoriousFest) December 5, 2023

Victorious’ lead booker Andy Marsh said in a press release: ‘‘This is the first year we’ve released all our headliners at once and we’re thrilled to be able to announce the acts after months of planning. Victorious 2024 is going to be bigger than ever and it’s not just the headliners people need to look out for, we have booked hundreds of acts across the weekend spanning multiple genres. We can’t wait for August, it really will be a year to remember!” Early bird weekend camping tickets are now on sale from £180, while day tickets are priced at £65 each. For tickets and more information, you can visit the official website for Victorious Festival here.