To celebrate the occasion, the band have recorded a stripped-back acoustic cover of Shania Twain’s classic You’re Still the One, a song that frontwoman Gill Montgomery says holds personal significance, saying of the album’s recording process: “It had been a pretty taxing weekend… or year, really. The line ‘looks like we made it’ just kept popping up over the years. We’d been singing it so much along the way that it really felt part of our journey.”

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The band’s journey began in 2019, a product of long-standing rock connections forged through former projects. Montgomery and drummer Josie O’Toole, previously of The Amorettes and Tequila Mockingbyrd respectively, initially joined forces to cover tour commitments for their old bands. By 2021, bassist Lzi Hayes joined from her day job as an estate manager at the V&A, and The Hot Damn! was born. ““I think we both had moments where we were like: ‘Can I really be fucked starting again?” Hazed said to Louder Sound, adding: “In a way Covid did us a favour, because it gave us a bit of time to take stock, and miss it, and be like: ‘Yeah, we do want to do this.'”

The band opted to forge their own path with a fresh, neon-saturated aesthetic, trading black attire for tie-dye hues, glitter, and party props. The concept paid off, capturing attention before they’d even released a single. O’Toole saying in Louder Sound, “It’s about making the biggest impression you possibly can. We’re on a shoestring budget, but if we get some party canons from Asda and launch them at the end of the show, it still works. It’s fun, and it’s us.”

Having partnered with Echelon Talent Agency earlier this year, The Hot Damn! have designed their upcoming shows to reflect their “mission to make rock fun again.” While their vision of confetti, glitter curtains, and beach balls seemed ambitious, fans have quickly gravitated toward their light-hearted take on live music.

Montgomery, whose day job includes managing a funeral home in South East London, brings an unconventional perspective to her role in the band. “It’s interesting,” she says. “You’re either for it or you’re not.” But when it comes to performing, she takes inspiration from rock legends who’ve built legacies on charisma, not perfection. “I look at people like Iggy Pop or Alex Harvey. They make it interesting and fun.  I never wanted to be an Adele. I just wanted to be different, be… not boring If you’re boring, you’re fucked.”

The Hot Damn! have already made their mark on the airwaves, enjoying A-list radio rotation on Planet Rock, BBC 6 Music, and Germany’s Star FM and Radio BOB!. The band’s debut has also met acclaim, being described by Rockfield as “not only a feel-good instant cure for S.A.D but the spontaneous dancing and prancing around the room it inspires will also get the blood pumping on a cold autumn night.” Now, following their international debut in Germany earlier this year, Dancing on the Milky Way paves the way for The Hot Damn! to share their rose-hued bubblegum brand of rock with audiences across the UK.

The in-store tour will showcase previously unheard tracks from Dreams on Toast, marking the first live performances of the material. The concerts are scheduled for December 10th in London, December 11th in Nottingham, and December 12th in Liverpool. Rough Trade itself has recently opened a new store in the heartland of London’s music scene Denmark Street.

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This initiative comes amid a broader album release campaign that has already introduced Dreams on Toast’s lead single, “The Longest Kiss’. The infectious track, which recalls the 1970s camp pop of Queen and Paul McCartney, pairs Hawkins’ signature falsetto and humour with jaunty piano and guitars. Hawkins has described the track’s inspiration in vivid terms, telling Clash that he credited the natural beauty of Nairn in Scotland, where he conceived the lyrics, with invigorating his musical creativity.

Hawkins’ promotion of the album has been characteristically theatrical. Reflecting on Dreams on Toast‘s creative process, he spoke of divine inspiration with tongue firmly in cheek. “You know that thing when God’s breath tickles your soul and tells you to create?” Hawkins quipped in the album’s announcement. “Yeah, makes me giggle too. But you can’t resist. God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs now is rock sweet rock.”

Hailing from Lowestoft in Suffolk, the band’s explosive debut Permission to Land in 2003 propelled them to rapid fame, driven by the success of the single ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’. After sporadic releases for the next ten years, Dreams on Toast will mark the group’s third LP release in five years, as they continue to blend camp humour with heavy riffs and classic rock pastiche.

Following this brief in-store run, The Darkness will embark on a nationwide arena tour in March 2025, aiming to reach a broader audience and showcasing their latest works on a grander stage. The UK leg of the tour will encompass 17 dates, culminating in a final performance at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on 29th March. Notably, Northern Irish indie-rock band Ash, who supported The Darkness on their 2003 Permission to Land tour, will join them as the opening act. Tickets for the in-store shows and full UK tour are now available through Dice and the band’s official website.

The tour will launch on 31 March at Bristol’s Beacon before continuing on to venues including Southampton’s O2 Guildhall, Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, and the O2 Academy in Glasgow, where Primal Scream will play two back-to-back nights on 4 and 5 April. The band will also perform at Liverpool’s Mountford Hall, Manchester’s Academy 1, and London’s Eventim Apollo. Support will come from Baxter Dury on select dates, with Fat White Family confirmed to support the London performance. An exclusive pre-sale will open on 30 October for those who pre-order the album via the band’s official store.

The Come Ahead Tour signals Primal Scream’s much-anticipated return to live performance, following the highly praised Screamadelica Live tour in 2022 and a series of summer headline shows in 2023, including a headline set at Crystal Palace’s South Facing Festival.

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Ahead of the release of the group’s 12th album Come Ahead on November 8, Primal Scream have already released the album’s lead single ‘Love Insurrection’, which is in many ways the opposite of ‘Deep Dark Waters’, being characterised by Stereogum as  a “utopian lead single, a funky, string-laden dance track.” The lead single does, however, allow peaks through to some dark undertones. Gillespie’s lyrics exhort the world for a “new direction” against an obliquely referenced backdrop of global crises.

To date, the album’s lead singles, Love Insurrection and Ready to Go Home, have already generated significant interest. Love Insurrection, remixed by UK house pioneers Black Science Orchestra, has made an impression with its deep bass and funk elements, overlaying Gillespie’s vocals with layered flutes and strings. Meanwhile, the ‘Ready to Go Home’ remix by Terry Farley and Wade Teo received praise from outlets such as DIY and Clash. In critical previews, Come Ahead has been positively received. Mojo remarked that the album ranks “up there with Primal Scream’s best,” while Classic Pop declared “Primal Scream just became important again”.

Come Ahead mark the band’s reunion with producer David Holmes in sessions that saw the band record  across Belfast, London, and Los Angeles. The album will be available in several formats, including double vinyl, CD, and special limited editions. Tickets for The Come Ahead Tour will go on general sale on 1 November at 10am, while pre-sale tickets will be accessible to fans on 30 October at 10 am for those who pre-order the album.

The Last Dinner Party, a band that has quickly garnered a dedicated following, announced the cancellation on their Instagram story, expressing deep regret for the inconvenience caused. “With great regret, tonight’s performance at the Cardiff Tramshed is cancelled due to illness. We are truly sorry for those of you that were looking forward to the show,” they wrote in a story.

The cancellation in Cardiff comes hot on the heels of another last-minute axing at Lincoln’s Engine Shed on September 28th. Fans there were also left in the lurch after two support acts had already performed. The venue confirmed on social media that the show had to be pulled last minute “due to a band member falling ill,” and assured fans they were “working to confirm a new date.”

Fuck. Tour is ELECTRIC See you soon Sheffield pic.twitter.com/kb8MyTlA9Q

— The Last Dinner Party (@lastdinnerparty) September 25, 2024

The band is still riding the coattails of several recent accolades. They are currently on a sold-out UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their debut album Prelude To Ecstasy, which was nominated for the prestigious 2024 Mercury Prize. The album achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the biggest UK Number One debut in nine years, topping the charts with critical acclaim from major publications such as NME, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone.

Critics have praised the album for its innovative sound and lyrical depth, with standout tracks frequently highlighted in year-end lists. Fans took to social media to vent their frustrations, with many expressing disappointment over the late notices. One described it as an “odd evening” at the Engine Shed, saying he had waited an hour before the show was officially cancelled. “I’m now the owner of a t-shirt for a gig that wasn’t,” he lamented. Another fan voiced her dismay, saying: “Cancelled at last minute with no notice very disappointed tonight.”

not a single word of apology issued to the thousand people stood in the engine shed that were expecting you at 9pm last night and no announcement was made until 9:30? appalling pic.twitter.com/dqazRhVT32

— freya! (@junegloomtoo) September 29, 2024

“Not a single word of apology issued to the thousand people stood in the engine shed that were expecting you at 9pm last night and no announcement was made until 9:30? Appalling.”

Despite the setbacks, the band assured fans that they are working to reschedule the cancelled shows. “Please keep a hold of your tickets and a further announcement will be made as soon as possible,” they wrote, promising that the show would eventually go on.

The group is comprised of Harry Breen on the drums, Liv May who plays bass as well as taking on those backing vocals. The lead singer is Holly Minto and Amy Woodall rocks out on the guitar. The members are Warrington born and formed Crawlers in 2018. The band announced the tour dates in an Instagram post sporting the caption ‘it’s been a long time coming… THE MESS WE SEEM TO MAKE UK TOUR IS HERE…we have been waiting a long time to perfect this show for you…. our best tour yet… and we better see you all there… ‘.

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Throughout the first week of December the group will take the stage at the SWG3 Warehouse in Glasgow to kick off the tour on the 2nd of December and then continue across the UK where they will play Manchester, their home town Liverpool, and Birmingham. They will then say their farewells at The Dome in London on December 7. Speaking about the tour in a press release, Crawlers shared: “We’ve been waiting for the perfect time to do our first headline in the UK with an album in the world — we can’t wait to get back on the road.’

In a press release announcing their debut album which hit the shelves in February, front-woman Holly Minto, “This album debut comes from us honing our craft, being vulnerable with each other, finding our sound and saying exactly what we wanted to. I think that’s a lot of what the Crawlers sound is, being honest with each other about how to get the correct emotions out – trying, failing, and pushing each other to keep playing and writing to the limits.”

After their song “Come Over (Again)” went viral on TikTok in 2021, which according to the Warrington Guardian has over  65,000 posts with it in the background, the band have seen exponential success with The Mess We Seem To Make and supporting various artists on world tours such as Mother Mother earlier this year and are currently supporting Jane’s Addiction Love and Rockets on their, recently expanded, North American tour

Pre-sale and general sale of tickets has already opened and you can grab yours from the Ticketmaster website here. For a full line up of dates check out the poster below.

The tour kicks off on November 1 at Edinburgh’s O2 Academy, setting the stage for a 21-date journey that will conclude at Copenhagen’s Poolen on December 14. While the release date for Champion Sound has not been confirmed, the tour is marketed as supporting the upcoming release. Joining Faithless on the tour as opening act will be Dutch electronic duo Tinlicker. General sale for tickets will begin on Friday August 30, with fans able to purchase here.

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After forming in London in 1995, the group rose as part of the burgeoning electronic scene in the city, blending trip-hop, trance, house, and other electronic styles. Their debut album, Reverence (1996), featured hits like “Insomnia” and “Salva Mea”, which, combined with a reputation live shows of great energy and emotional depth, made them a staple at major festivals worldwide. The announcement of the Champion Sound tour comes on the heels of Faithless’ recent festival appearances, including a standout performance at Glastonbury.

 

 

 

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The tour will be the first major outing for the group since the passing of their frontman, Maxi Jazz, in December 2022. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, surviving members Sister Bliss and Rollo expressed their gratitude for the support they’ve received over the past year. “Maxi died just over a year ago and obviously we miss him every day. Thank you all for all of your kind words of support over this last year. It has really, really meant a lot,” they wrote.

Champion Sound is set to be Faithless’ eighth studio release and their first since 2020’s All Blessed, which Magnetic Magazine called “reinvigorated” from previous releases, as well as “blissful, tranced out Balearic.” In contrast, the band appears to be dealing with Maxi Jazz’ death in Champion Sound‘s already shared first single, “Find A Way,” which has been met with enthusiastic acclaim from fans and critics alike. Teaming up with London poet Suli Breaks, the track opens: “I wish our worlds weren’t so far apart / Please know you’ll always be my star”, over a more grave, anthemic and moody beat than those seen on the group’s last release.

After an abrupt break up in 2009 the both the whole of Great Britain and fans internationally have been perched on the edge of their sofas grasping for any sign of a reunion of the brothers. The status of the relationship between the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, is a frequent talking point in the Britpop and Rock community as it has been notoriously turbulent. The buzz regarding a reunion has continued to intensified and then fizzle out time and time again like earlier this year when the official Oasis X account posted abstruse footage of a large countryside house on a riverbank which several fans believed to be a clue pointing towards an impending reunion. Unfortunately it was simply promoting limited edition versions of existing albums.

The latest speculation on the duo’s reconciliation began to boil over after Liam Gallager’s son Gene Gallagher mentioned in an interview with The Times that his father had expressed a desire for an Oasis reunion. He provided the online article with and insight into his fathers feelings on a potential reunion saying that “I get the feeling my dad wants it, too,” Gene stated in the Times interview. though he acknowledged the complexities involved, adding, “It’s easier to speak about after a couple of pints”.  You can read more on that story right here on the MXDWN UK site.

However everything changed for fans on the 25th of August after Liam Gallagher posted a slightly cryptic message to his X page (formerly known as twitter) declaring ‘I never did like that word FORMER’.

I never did like that word FORMER

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) August 25, 2024

The post was met with immense fever and has been viewed over 9.6 million times by the sites users who were almost certain that the incoming news would be announcing Oasis’s return to the stage. Fans guessed correctly with both Noel and Liam making announcements on their personal social media accounts this morning at 8am  as well as on the official Oasis account which you can check out below. The duo also released a slightly enigmatic poem to the page stating that ‘The guns have fallen silent. / The stars have aligned. / The great wait is over. / Come see. / It will not be televised.’

Oasis will tour the UK & Ireland in summer 2025! Tickets go on sale this Saturday 31st August. IRE 8am IST UK 9am BST Full informationhttps://t.co/EtNuE2Hx6b *These dates will be the band’s exclusive European appearances. pic.twitter.com/C5I0NVWS68 — Oasis (@oasis) August 27, 2024

Tickets are due to go on sale at 9am in the UK & 8am in Ireland on Saturday 31st August and the duo are due to play at various venues across Britain including the Cardiff Principality Stadium on the 4th and 5th of July, Manchester Heaton Park on the 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th July, London Wembley Stadium on the 25th and 26th July as well as the  2nd and 3rd of August, Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium on the 8th and 9th August and finally Dublin Croke Park on the 16th and 17th August. For the full information regarding where to but tickets you can visit the official Oasis website here.

The tour will be a chance for fans to catch WARGASM in their element, as they unleash their energetic and subversive live shows which have drawn attention to the group. As vocalist and guitarist Sam Matlock said in an interview with NME, ” we need to bring more war, and more gasm,” – something the band are no stranger to, having crashed the stage at the Heavy Music Awards in 2021, and invited a fan to smash a guitar during their gig at Scala in the same year.

The band’s debut mixtape, Explicit: The Mixxxtape, came out in 2022 and charted at No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. The mixtape featured guest appearances from Frank Carter, Fever 333, Poppy and Yungblud, and showcased the band’s eclectic influences and genre-bending style. Of Poppy, Matlock said to NME “I think [they’re] absolutely brilliant […] What she’s blending is exciting and fresh and what we need more of. I love classic metal and classical alternative music, but it’s also nice when you’re pushing the boundaries of something — when you’re playing with ideas as opposed to just regurgitating something that’s already existed.” The mixtape also earned them a spot on Loudwire’s “Best Rock + Metal Debut Albums of 2022″ list, as well as the Best New Noise award at the Kerrang! Awards in the same year.

Vocalist and bassist Milkie Way said in an interview with Kerrang!: “There was a point at the beginning of the year when we didn’t even think that it would be able to come out this year.”

“Just because there always seems to be complications with labels and distributors, and all these people who don’t seem to be able to do their fucking job anymore, for whatever reason. Yes, you can print that!” he added.

Of the band’s 2023 full length debut, Venom, Milkie told Kerrang: “Venom is our statement of intent, our manifesto, our declaration of war. It’s us saying that we’re here to stay, and we’re not going to compromise or conform to anyone’s expectations.”

The band have been busy touring throughout the year, both as headliners and as support acts. February, they joined Poppy on her seven-date ‘Zig’ tour of the UK, which sold out in minutes. They also played festivals including Download, Reading and Leeds, Warped Tour UK and Slam Dunk, where they impressed crowds with their energetic and passionate performances.

Matlock later said in an interview with Metal Hammer, “We love playing live, it’s our favourite thing in the world. We love to connect with our fans, to see them go crazy, to make them feel something. We always give 100% on stage, and we always have fun.”

Tickets for WARGASM’s new UK tour are now on sale, visit here to buy yours and view a full list of tour dates.

The lead single from their forthcoming album is a slower 80s style Bryan Ferry inspired track about a Subaru. ‘I’m In Love (Subaru)’ has been released with an accompanying music Video, directed by Dora Paphides, which sees the six members of the Mercury Prize nominated band all gathered and playing their instruments around a red Subaru as the singer, Alex Rice, sings about his love for the car. Watch the video below.

According to Rolling Stone Rice said about the new single: “The song captures that tension between those glossy inanimate objects you can project any desire onto versus all the stuff that creeps in behind it. It should be a very uncomplicated love song, talking about cars and how people perceive their relationships, but with humanity, nothing is ever that simple.”

He continued talking about how Bryan Ferry influenced the single: “Having been in London guitar world for a quite while, I began looking at people like Bryan Ferry and how it can be a bit more fun if you play around with characters.

“He looks like he’s having a better time than a lot of the bands from our generation, and that’s what you want to be shooting for. The video we did with Dora really taps into that dramatic side too. It’s something that has always been there, but it felt right to really explore it around this song.”

Fans can pre-order the album here on CD, vinyl or cassette as well as a special picture disc vinyl. You can also buy exclusive ‘Boys These Days’ t-shirts from the group’s official store.

The announcement of the upcoming record has come alongside an announcement that Sports Team will be embarking on a run of ten shows as part of a headline UK tour later this year in support of the project. The tour will take place throughout November and will begin with a performance at Manchester’s New Century Hall followed by shows in Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol before coming to an end at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on the 25th of November.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale at 10am on Friday the 26th of July and fans can buy tickets here. Before that there will be a presale which will begin at the same time on the 24th of July, and fans can access this by pre-ordering a copy of ‘Boys These Days’ from their official store.

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The full list of Sports Team’s 2024 dates are below:

14 – Manchester, New Century Hall
15 – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
16 – Liverpool, Arts Club
18 – Sheffield, Foundry
19 – Glasgow, SWG3
20 – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
22 – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
23 – Leeds, Wardrobe
24 – Bristol, Trinity Centre
25 – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town

Supposedly their best and most ambitious album that they have made so far, ‘Too Cold To Hold’ incorporates polyrhythmic grooves of gqom, which is a South African style of house music, as well as incorporating elements of hip-hop and jazz along with their punk-funk. The album has been produced by the group’s bassist, Benjamin Romans Hopcraft, along with Jamie Neville.

Speaking about the first track to be released from the album, ‘Fashion Week’, singer Clams Baker Jr. said: “Those that will do anything to become that thing. That creation. And live it. It’s real artistry when you don’t have the means and you’re doing it. You’re hustling to get on the guest list, you get in, you’re done up by means that you can’t really afford, whatever you do… It’s a celebration of people who will do whatever to look good and feel good and step above wherever they are in their own minds.” Watch the official music video for ‘Fashion Week’ below.

The upcoming record sees contributions from various artists which includes British singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas, Confidence Man’s Janet Planet, and Jeshi. Fans can pre- order or pre-save the forthcoming album now in various formats here.

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The full track list for ‘Too Cold To Hold’ is below:

1. ‘An Introduction By Irvine Welsh’
2. ‘Fashion Week’
3. ‘Pure At Heart’ feat. Janet Planet
4. ‘Top Shelf’
5. ‘Body Shock’cfeat. Lianne La Havas
6. ‘Cleopatras’ feat. CouCou Chloe
7. ‘Immaculate Deception’ feat. Jeshi
8. ‘Out Of Body’
9. ‘Staying Alive’
10. ‘Too Cold To Hold’
11. ‘Weeds In The Garden’

Along with the announcement of the post-punk band’s fifth album, they also announced that they will be embarking on a headline UK and European tour in October and November to support the release of ‘Too Cold To Hold’.

The string of UK dates will kick off in the south-west with a show in Exeter before the group play dates in Oxford, Leeds, Manchester, Swansea, Nottingham, Newcastle and Glasgow. The band will then commence their EU leg of the tour with a performance in Dublin followed by gigs in France, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The whole tour will be concluded by a set at The Troxy in London on the 29th of November. Tickets for the tour are on sale now and you can buy tickets here.

The full list of Warmduscher’s 2024 UK and EU tour are:

OCTOBER
29 Phoenix, Exeter, UK
30 Cheese & Grain, Frome, UK
31 Papillon, Southampton, UK

NOVEMBER
1 Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
2 Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, UK
5 O2 Academy, Oxford, UK
6 Project House, Leeds, UK
7 The Ritz, Manchester, UK
10 Patti Pavillion, Swansea, UK
12 The Leadmill, Sheffield, UK
13 Rock City, Nottingham, UK
14 Newcastle University Student Union, Newcastle, UK
15 QMU, Glasgow, UK
16 Opium Live, Dublin, Ireland
19 Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
20 L’Aeroneuf, Lille, France
21 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
22 Urban Spree, Berlin, Germany
23 Neues Schauspiel, Leipzig, Germany
24 ISC Club, Bern, Switzerland
26 Petit Bain, Paris, France
29 The Troxy, London, UK