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 The UK leg of the tour will begin on 8 November in Birmingham, before shows in Brighton, London, Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester. Outside of the UK, DeMarco will kick off the tour with 13 dates in the States, starting on 29 August in Los Angeles. He will then travel to Europe and begin a run of 11 shows, starting in Amsterdam on 21 October, before visiting the UK. Following the last show in Manchester, the ‘Ode to Viceroy’ singer will hop across the Irish Sea for two shows in Dublin on 17 and 18 November. The last leg of the tour will see DeMarco play across Canada, ending the tour near his hometown on 19 December in Victoria, BC.  

UK fans of the self-styled ‘jizz-jazz’ musician have found shows hard to come by in the 2020’s, with his only three shows this decade coming in 2023, when he held a three-night residency at Hackney Empire. Before then, he played 19 shows in the UK in 2019, including a Glastonbury set. The increased capacity of the recently announced venues compared to the Hackney Empire seems to indicate an expectation that the shows will face high demand from fans who haven’t seen him for nearly five years.

With the upcoming album shrouded in mystery, fans are left to wonder which DeMarco we will get. His most recent releases show a continued shift towards stripped-back, minimalistic music, but he is still the artist that gave us some of the most iconic alternative songs of the 2010s, including ‘Chamber of Reflection’, ‘Freaking Out the Neighbourhood’, and ‘My Kind of Woman’. The only certainty is to expect the unexpected.  

The announcement video on his Instagram page, @macsrecordlabel, was typical of the musician, who has become known for his surreal humour. Mac uploaded a video of himself contorting his face into something difficult to put into words, before showing two short posters for tour dates. He simply captioned the post “Going on tour. Album out in August. C U THERE.  tickets in bio.” No support acts have been revealed as of yet, but with almost six months to go, there’s plenty of time for announcements to be made.

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 Fan communities, particularly over on the r/MacDeMarco subreddit, have been blowing up with the news, with some of the more astute members pointing out that the tour will align with the 10th anniversary of 2015’s ‘Another One’. Only one track from the album has been regularly played at Mac’s most recent shows, that being the title track, but with a whole album of new material, the setlist will be anyone’s guess. 

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 Currently ranked as the 385th most popular artist on Spotify, tickets for Mac DeMarco are expected to sell out fast, especially outside of London. Even with his upcoming album, Mac always revisits his back catalogue, meaning fans can rest assured that he will play all of his biggest hits.

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The post has her fans hoping there could be new music on the way – leaving comments such as “We are so back (hand praising emoji),” while another added “We’re album ready.”

The British-Nigerian rapper remained active in 2024, dropping the 7-track EP ‘Drop 7‘, experimenting with a range of sounds from electronica to Brazilian funk. She released her final single of the year, ‘Hello, Hi’ in December, further showcasing her versatility, hopping on a smooth sample-based drill beat.

Flexing her status, she rapped “Noising up the whole street anytime I start my car/neighbours can’t believe how black woman got this far”. She also subtly teased more to come in 2025 – “SS Simz ’25, you ain’t never seen this season”.

Simz has solidified a strong presence in hip-hop, both in the UK and internationally. Her latest studio album ‘NO THANK YOU’ came out to widespread acclaim from critics. Before that, her ambitious, orchestrally layered album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ was universally lauded, loved by reviewers and fans alike, and has since been commonly listed as one of the ‘best hip-hop albums of all time’.

Last year she played a set on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, proving her skills as a performer, backed by just a DJ and a couple of instrumentalists. She didn’t miss a beat, with The Guardian giving her 5 stars, branding it a “triumphant coronation of a true UK rap great”.

Recently, she’s jumped on tracks with Glastonbury headliners Coldplay for their single ‘We Pray’, and with veteran UK rapper Wretch 32 for his introspective comeback single ‘Black And British’. Speaking to The Line of Best Fit, Wretch said of his collaborator: “Even like within being in the studio and just working on music with Simz, just creating, just creating. I’m just like, ‘She’s just so talented, so gifted.’”

As fans eagerly wait for a new album in 2025, Simz is nominated in the Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act category for the upcoming Brit Awards. She’s in the running alongside Stormzy, Central Cee, Ghetts and Dave.

This year’s Brits will take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday March 1, and broadcast exclusively on ITV1 and ITVX. Jack Whitehall has been confirmed as host, and several artists are set to perform. You can see the full list of nominees here.

In a recent episode of her podcast ‘Miss Me?’, co-hosted with Miquita Oliver, the singer outlined her plans: “Firstly, I’m going to go and get my head straight for a bit… then I’m going to do some more writing, then I’m going to do my play, hopefully, maybe get an album out by the end of the year. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

Allen has been working on new material in Nashville, Tennessee, a city renowned for its rich musical heritage. She described the experience as “quite intimidating” and noted that “people there are really talented”. Despite this, she has been productive and has written nearly 50 songs for the upcoming album.

It’s more like 50 nowhttps://t.co/TsdB6jHH2Z

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) January 31, 2024

In addition to her musical endeavours, the ‘Smile’ singer is set to star in a new theatrical production of ‘Hedda Gabler’, scheduled to premiere in England in July 2025 at Theatre Royal Bath.

This news comes after Lily Allen and David Harbour reportedly separated after four years of marriage.  The couple, who married in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2020, had been living apart for several months prior to their split. Speculation about their relationship intensified when Lily unfollowed David on Instagram and was later spotted on the exclusive dating app Raya. Reports suggest that Lily rejoined Raya to investigate suspicions of David’s infidelity, discovering an active profile believed to be his.

Allen’s last album ‘No Shame’ was written during a turbulent period in her life, including her divorce from Sam Cooper. The upcoming album is still largely under wraps, but true to her style, Allen is expected to address personal experiences and struggles. Given the reports about her recent split from David Harbour, these emotions could find their way into her lyrics.

If released, this album would follow the success of McCartney III, which debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and earned a score of 81/100 on Metacritic. That album, recorded during the pandemic, reflected a stripped-back, introspective approach with McCartney playing nearly all the instruments himself. During promotion, he told DJ Zane Lowe that much of the process stemmed from having time on his hands, using music as “the greatest therapy” by retreating to a quiet space with his guitar to “tell his troubles to it.”

The potential 2025 album, however, comes after a period of live performances and could reflect the energy from shows across North and South America, Australia and Europe. The ‘Got Back’ tour, which began in 2022, saw McCartney revisiting Beatles classics and solo hits, often accompanied by poignant moments such as performing his Christmas classic ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ in Manchester and sharing the stage with Ringo Starr in London. It’s likely that some of the new material was inspired or developed during this tour.

One question on fans’ minds is whether McCartney will continue the DIY ethos of McCartney III or collaborate with other artists, as he did extensively on 2018’s Egypt Station. While McCartney III resonated deeply with audiences for its authenticity, a collaborative effort could open new creative doors, allowing McCartney to engage with younger musicians or experiment with new sounds.

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Fans have taken to social media to speculate on what the new album might bring. One fan expressed hope that McCartney would embrace the warmth of his ageing voice, crafting simple, heartfelt songs rather than chasing trends and chart positions. McCartney’s ability to adapt without losing his core identity has been a hallmark of his career, from pioneering electronic music on McCartney II to influencing heavy metal with ‘Helter Skelter.’

While the album’s themes remain a mystery, it will not be a covers or greatest hits collection, according to McCartney’s comments. Instead, it promises fresh material, created in his traditional style of composing with a guitar or piano. Despite his opposition to AI-generated music, McCartney has embraced technology to assist with projects, such as extracting John Lennon’s vocals for the release of ‘Now and Then.’ McCartney gave ‘Now and Then’ it’s live debut back in October, playing it to fans in Uruguay.

A 2025 release would coincide with the 50th anniversary of Venus and Mars by Paul McCartney and Wings, though that album has already been reissued through McCartney’s Archive Collection. 

Regardless of timing, a new album would further cement McCartney’s legacy as one of music’s most enduring and innovative artists. At 82, McCartney remains full of surprises, and his next chapter is eagerly anticipated by fans of all ages.