Since the original video games Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan in 1996, Pokémon has become an industry all of its own, with it launching lucrative enterprises in television, film, trading cards, toys and fashion among many others. Their instantly-recognisable critters have been a staple of the lives of children worldwide (and a great many adults) since Pokémon fever truly set in at the turn of the millennium, with no sign of it ebbing away.

While the video games are well-known for their iconic soundtracks, ranging from the Game Boy’s chirpy melodies to the modern era’s magical high-definition soundscapes, The Pokémon Company has also forged relations with many stars from the world of music. The franchise marked its 25th anniversary in 2021 with the P25 Music program, producing a full album with an international selection of guest performances by Katy Perry, Post Malone, Mabel, Jax Jones, J Balvin and others. Their collaboration with self-confessed lifelong Pokémon fan Ed Sheeran yielded single ‘Celestial’, which was used for the end credits in 2022 games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Kicking off their 30th year, in February Pokémon bought a Superbowl advert slot, reportedly costing an average of $8 million for a 30-second feature, which they used for a trailer of celebrities interviewed about their favourites from the roster of more than a thousand creatures. Pop-superstar Lady Gaga won hearts with her selection of the Pokémon Jigglypuff, and BLACKPINK’s JISOO chose franchise mascot Eevee. The month also saw them partner with London’s Natural History Museum for exhibits and a pop-up shop, as well as the launch of a Game Boy jukebox, which played tracks from Pokémon Red and Blue’s scores.

This week they announced ‘Pokémon Night Out’, a one-of-a-kind clash of Pokémon, EDM and illumination, targeting adults who grew up with their media. Their two events at Los Angeles’s Intuit Dome and London’s O2 Arena this autumn will be “the ultimate fusion of electronic dance music (EDM) and the vast and eclectic world of Pokémon, curated for audiences seeking a deeper connection with the brand.” They also describe it as “an unforgettable musical experience for attendees, featuring cutting-edge technology and animation to bring Pokémon to life in ways you’ve never seen before.”

Musical entertainment for both shows come courtesy of Alison Wonderland and headliner Marshmello. American DJ Marshmello did a Q&A video to promote the gigs, and when asked why he chose to sign up he said “honestly, I grew up with Pokémon, and when you guys asked me to do this, especially on the 30th anniversary, it’s just such an honour, and I’m just so excited to be a part of that.” He then hints that he will be playing “a very special, very curated unique set for everybody there.” Most importantly, he claims that his favourite Pokémon is Mewtwo, one of 1990s cinema’s most iconic villains.

‘Pokémon Night Out’ Los Angeles is on the 24th of October, with the London date at the O2 falling on the 10th of November. Tickets for London go on sale at 10AM local-time on Friday the 17th of April, through the O2’s website. Also in the announcement were their ‘Days Out’ events, which they call an immersive, “more family-focused celebration” – these will be happening in New York City, Dresden, Bordeaux and Mexico City this summer.

They have just announced three acts set to be supporting the rock band. Amongst these, be ready to be warmed up by the rock legends from the 80’s, Pretenders. Alongside them, the grammy nominated band Larkin Poe from the US. And let’s not forget The Darkness band from the 2000’s rock scene.

The Pretenders performance will be the wrap up for their UK and Ireland tour starting this May and finishing on the 30th June, as mentioned before, at Hyde Park. The tour is named “Relentless” after their soon to be released album – Relentless. However, Chrissie Hynde is handling the situation in a very secretive manner and still hasn’t revealed any valuable information about the official drop.

Larkin Poe lurk close behind their, band support, peers. The Nashville band formed by the multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell. It seems like the duo will be mainly showcasing their best hits from their latest album release Blood Harmony. This being their sixth studio album.

Finally, the British rock band, The Darkness, will be playing as Guns N’ Roses support act and will be playing another live show in Norway where they will be supporting KISS on their End Of The Road world tour, on the 15th of July before the bands official tour in November where they will be visiting Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

It is going to be the first time Guns N’ Roses perform at the BST Festival this year. They will be playing amongst our global, music industry’s leading figures from the past few decades, including Bruce Springsteen, BLACKPINK, Billy Joel, Take That and P!nk. All playing on consecutive weekends.

This years edition celebrates que festivals 10th year anniversary from when they first launched. It is an event which consists on a series of live shows held over two or three weekends at Hyde Park in London. Over the years it has hosted the biggests acts in the world such as Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, The Strokes, The Who, Adele … you name it.

Tickets for Guns N’ Roses are available here.

The band took to Twitter to announce the surprise show, writing “London! We’re headed your way for One Night Only at Royal Albert Hall on April 14th. How has it been 3 years since we last played a show for you?!”

London! We’re headed your way for One Night Only at Royal Albert Hall on April 14th How has it been 3 years since we last played a show for you?? pic.twitter.com/ctgVSfSCRI

— Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) March 10, 2023

They also posted “Let’s get it London!”

Let’s get it London! See you 14th April for the show at Royal Albert Hall Pre-order THE ALBUM at https://t.co/IWX6zduLra for early ticket access. Tickets onsale 17th March at 10am GMT! pic.twitter.com/lg14kzUJVV — Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) March 10, 2023

Fans will gain access to presale tickets by preordering the new Jonas Brothers album before 14th March. Standard ticket sale starts on 17th March. Tickets can be purchased here.

The brothers announced their new project earlier this year titled The Album, due to be released on 12th May. This is the band’s sixth studio album and is reportedly “inspired by 70s influences.”

In an interview with E! News, Nick Jonas revealed, “We’re taking the roots of what our sound is, but also going back to our roots and pulling from those ‘70s influences we grew up listening to.”

They have cited The Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder and Boston as influences for their new project and have hinted at a tour to follow. Kevin Jonas said a tour “will be coming very soon.” He continued, “We are going to be doing a bunch of shows leading up to the album release as well. A lot of exciting things this year and the years to come.”

Sharing his brothers’ excitement for their new project, Joe added “A lot of things happened obviously in the last couple of years, so we never got the time to just connect, stay in one room and work on new music. To be able to do that and have that outcome that we had, we are so thrilled.”

The band released “Wings“, the first single from The Album back in February. The track teased their new 1970s inspired approach, coming in at No.91 on the UK Singles Sales chart.

The Album was originally scheduled to be released on 5th May but has been pushed back by a week. The brothers took to Instagram to announce that “Sometimes the best projects take a little longer than originally planned. We’re moving THE ALBUM release date back one week to May 12th and releasing it on vinyl too.”  

 

 

 

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Having documented their tumultuous relationship eventually leading to disbanding, fans are excited to see the Jonas Brothers ushering in another new positive era after the success of their last album, Happiness Begins.

UK fans have already shared their excitement surrounding this one night only performance in London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall.

JONAS BROTHERS AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL DOING A ONE NIGHT ONLY SHUT UPPPP

— sera (@tearsnessa) March 10, 2023

Tickets will be available to purchase here.

Preorder The Album here.

Stream “Wings” here.

The boxset entitled ‘The Roaring Forty | 1983-2023’ is set to be released on 27^th October this year and is available for pre-order now. Compiled by Bragg himself, fans can look forward to 3 formats of Bragg’s music.

The first format available is a single disc ‘primer’ of 13 songs on limited edition orange vinyl.

A 40-song, 3-album collection on three varying shades of green vinyl is also available to purchase, ‘to appeal to casual admirers and die-hard fans alike.’

Both limited edition colour vinyl formats are also available to purchase as a CD.

The third format is perfect for Bragg fanatics, allowing them the opportunity to own a 14-CD boxset containing over 300 songs. This limited edition ‘Super Deluxe’ boxset includes all 12 of Bragg’s studio albums, non-album singles and B-sides, as well as previously unreleased material and live recordings from throughout his career. With this edition, fans will also receive a large format book including images of 40 significant mementos from Bragg’s life, including the flyer to his first solo gig, his first NME cover, the Red Wedge Manifesto and much, much more.

When ordered from Bragg’s official shop, the first 1000 orders of any format will come with a signed A4 art print, as well as access to pre-sale tickets for an upcoming tour.

Known for his left-wing activism as much as his folk and punk rock music, Bragg has publicly tackled political issues throughout his career, using his platform to further the socialist agenda. Much of Bragg’s work incites its listeners to join activist causes, allowing Bragg to obtain a passionate and confronting fan base, many of whom have been with him since the 1980s.

Bragg tweeted, ‘In the early 80s, I realised if I wanted to hear music that said something about the state of the world, I’d have to make it myself.’ He has continued to act as a spokesperson for the left-wing and has compiled these ‘commemorative releases’ in honour of a career that hasn’t shied away from difficult conversations.

In the early 80s, I realised if I wanted to hear music that said something about the state of the world, I’d have to make it myself. To mark my 40th anniversary, I’ve compiled a number of commemorative releases spanning my career since then. Pre-order: https://t.co/BuRCFT8RJS pic.twitter.com/Or2sN0JqVh

— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) February 28, 2023

To celebrate his 40 years in music, an upcoming UK and Ireland tour is also set to be announced soon. Bragg is also set to play a charity show at the O2 Academy Oxford on 19^th May 2023. Tickets are available from 5^th March and can be purchased here.

For nearly 20 years, @HOPEnothate have been in the front line combatting racism and fascism in the UK, and I’m proud to help raise funds so they can continue their important work. Tickets on general sale 11am Sunday 5th March: https://t.co/cW0OW2F0Xg Support: @tomasmithmusic pic.twitter.com/ibIqi4Z2Vy — Billy Bragg (@billybragg) March 3, 2023

‘The Roaring Forty | 1983-2023’ is available to pre-order now.

Stream Billy Bragg’s discography here.

See Bragg on tour:

19/05/2023 – 02 Academy Oxford – Oxford

27/05/2023 – Catton Hall – Walton-on-Trent

05/08/2023 – Curraghmore Estate – County Waterford

The stage set-up also featured a huge disco ball, which you can see below along with fan-shot footage and from the gig, along with some reaction from those in attendance here. Meanwhile, the band’s drummer Matt Helders recently spoke about the band’s upcoming new album, saying that musically it “picks up where Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino left off. The Sheffield four-piece have yet to officially announce the follow-up to their May 2018 album but new music from the band is expected to arrive this year given that the band are now out on tour.

After it emerged in August 2021 that the band had been recording new music in Suffolk, Helders told BBC Radio 5 Live in November that Arctic Monkeys “always do try and do something a bit different” with each release. When if the new album was “ready to go”, he replied: “Yeah, pretty much, yeah. It was a bit disjointed how we had to do it, and there are bits to finish off, but yeah, it’s all in the works.”

Arctic Monkeys will also go on to play gigs in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and France this month and are set to headline Reading & Leeds in August their only two UK live appearances scheduled for 2022 so far while their tour will also visit North America, South America and Australia after their European dates.

The set list for the gig was:

‘Do I Wanna Know?’
‘Brainstorm’
‘Snap Out Of It’
‘Crying Lightening’
‘Teddy Picker’
‘Potion Approaching’
‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’
‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’
‘Arabella’
‘Fireside’
‘Pretty Visitors’
‘Library Pictures’
‘Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’
‘The View From The Afternoon’
‘Do Me A Favour’
‘One Point Perspective’
‘One For The Road’
‘505’

Encore:
‘Cornerstone’
‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’
‘R U Mine?’

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The Cavern Club, which plays host to a maximum of 220 attendees, was graced by Muse’s first performance since 2019, as part of Jim Beam’s “Welcome” sessions. The Welcome Sessions debuted last year as live music was ushered back into the world following the music industry’s abrupt stand still at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial entries in the series featured intimate performances from world-renowned acts such as Dublin’s own post-punk titans Fontaines D.C, English rockers Wolf Alice, singer-songwriter Jack Garratt and Swedish singer-songwriter José González. Those who attended Muse’s cosy comeback gig had entered a ballot on Seetickets to be chosen to attend the show, and those lucky few were given information on the venue’s whereabouts.

As reported by Devon Live, the band performed a 45-minute-long set and filmed a promotional video throughout. This comes just ahead of their ninth studio album Will of the People.

According to Setlist.FM, the band commenced the electrifying evening with a performance of their newest single “Won’t Stand Down”, a heavy tune with a great deal of metal influence. Muse also performed the second single from the album “Compliance”, and of course brought out some fan favourites such as “Hysteria”, “Supermassive Black Hole”, “Plug-In Baby”,  and “Knights of Cydonia”. The video linked below is presently the only available footage of the gig.

Will of the People will be released on the 26^th of August via Warner Records and Helium-3. Never being a band to shy away from politically charged lyrical content, frontman Matt Bellamy said of the , according to NME: “‘Compliance’ is about submission to authoritarian rules and reassuring untruths to be accepted to an in-group…Gangs, governments, demagogues, social media algorithms and religions seduce us during times of vulnerability, creating arbitrary rules and distorted ideas for us to comply with. They sell us comforting myths, telling us only they can explain reality while simultaneously diminishing our freedom, autonomy and independent thought… We are not just coerced, we are herded, frightened and corralled to produce a daily ‘two minutes of hate’ against an out-group of their choosing and to turn a blind eye to our own internal voice of reason and compassion. They just need our Compliance.”

The forthcoming album can be pre-ordered here, and the track list can be viewed down below.

1). Will Of The People
2). Compliance
3). Liberation
4). Won’t Stand Down
5). Ghosts (How Can I Move On)
6). You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween
7). Kill Or Be Killed
8). Verona
9). Euphoria
10). We Are Fucking Fucked

https://t.co/ww5X3PzHVR pic.twitter.com/nvuueD2Q4t

— lcdsoundsystem (@lcdsoundsystem) February 22, 2022

Now, the usual level of trickery seems to have found its way to London. Projections of Murphey’s record label DFA Records have been spotted popping up around Shoreditch high street and around the Tate Modern in Bankside. The projections also came with the formidable slogan “YOU ARE HERE”, probably in reference to LCD’s breakout hit Losing My Edge and its borderline judgmental repetition of “I was there”. The fact that this is the DFA logo and not any kind of LCD specific symbolism could mean any number of things though. Perhaps a London date of the DFA 20^th anniversary party. With appearances from 2manydjs, Black Dice (Live), Black Meteoric Star (live), James Murphy, JDH + Dave P, Juan MacLean, Justin Miller, and a load of other DFA alum, I wouldn’t mind a London date. But as of yet, nothing has been confirmed about what these teasers are actually leading towards. Watch this space.

If, like me, you are in fact living in England, and can’t quite afford a ticket to the states for a few days just to go and see LCD Soundsystem, you may have to be temporarily satisfied with their SNL appearances last week. On the John Mulaney hosted event, the band played 2 old fan favourites from their 2005 self-titled debut; “Yr City’s a Sucker” and “Thrills”. The show also confirmed the Guardian Angel status of the band after they burst onto the scene, “We’re the Guardian Angels and if you’re looking for a fight, you’ve gotta go through us!”  You can watch the pro-shot video from the show below.

https://t.co/ww5X3PzHVR pic.twitter.com/nvuueD2Q4t — lcdsoundsystem (@lcdsoundsystem) February 22, 2022

#TeenageCancerGigs at the @RoyalAlbertHall are BACK for 2022 and not a moment too soon, with some of the best names in music and comedy! Tickets on sale Friday 25 Feb at 9am https://t.co/e6jo2B8WzP pic.twitter.com/gzSoyAJQ32

— Teenage Cancer Trust (@TeenageCancer) February 21, 2022

Another polarizing set of circumstances set to grace the week would be that of the ever-expanding scope of Yungblud, and his vow to make, “the most mental show the Albert Hall has seen in 150 years”. This promise seems to exude a polar objective to The Who, and their first live show in the UK since 2019 (other than their incredibly intimate stint of shows at PRYZM in Kingston), performing an acoustic set. The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, who actually helped to set up the Teenage Cancer Trust live series back in 2000, said in a statement, “Live music has been hit hard by the pandemic and it has been particularly frustrating for me that we haven’t been able to get artists on stage to raise money for this vitally important cause,” adding, “But we haven’t given up. My wonderful team and I have pulled out all the stops to make this 20th series of shows for Teenage Cancer Trust the best ever. I am so grateful for the loyalty and continued support given to us by the music and comedy industries.”

 Hot on the heels of claiming the NME award for Moment of the Year, Liam Gallagher is also set to make yet another charitable appearance. Say what you will about Gallagher and his never-ending opinions on an Oasis reunion (that will never happen), but the man’s heart is in the right place. Camden’s own Ska giants Madness rounds out the music for the week with what we can only expect will be a hit-packed set spreading across their 5+ decade career.

A quick reminder that the event is for charity, so any ticket costs will go straight to the Teenage Cancer Trust. But if you want to donate to the cause outside of buying tickets, you can go here for more information.

It’s an honour to announce that I will be doing a gig for the NHS and careworkers at London’s TheO2 on October 29th. They do an incredible job, we are very lucky to have them. LG x pic.twitter.com/iRfb2RNNNy

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) April 10, 2020

Featuring a career-spanning set of 20 songs consisting of mainly Oasis covers, Gallagher transformed the struggle of lockdown and COVID into a nationwide reassurance that everything will eventually be okay; with no shortage of thanks to those who have dedicated the most time and effort to the cause, the countries NHS workers. Support slots from Primal Scream and Black Honey ensure the evening will come with all the force an Indie-Britpop fusion could offer. As well as old Oasis classics like ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Supersonic’, ‘Morning Glory’, and ‘Live Forever’ Gallagher also triumphantly bounced through some of his genuinely great solo material. ‘Wall of Glass’ and ‘Once’ outshine any of the material he wrote back in the day by quite a significant margin. All in all, a pretty good gig.

Set for March 2^nd, the self-proclaimed “wildest night in music” will be hosted at London’s iconic O2 Brixton Academy, tickets to the event are still available and you can find more information here. With hosting expertise from comedian Daisy May Cooper and grime star Lady Leshurr the evening will feature a range of performances from Bring Me The Horizon, Same Fender, Griff, Rina Sawayama, BERWYN, and the recently announced collaboration of Chvurches and The Cure frontman Robert Smith. Many other surprises are bound to crop up throughout the night, so watch this space for more information soon.

Other artists already confirmed to receive awards this year include: FKA Twigs being crowned is year’s Godlike Genius, Halsey will take home the Innovation Award, and Jack Antonoff has already bagged the Songwriter Award, full information on this year’s nominees can be found here. You can also cast your vote on the Hero of the Year, and Villain of the Year categories here.

Next up, show #2 https://t.co/ToW62zSilU pic.twitter.com/CbbOCzSBob

— The Smile (@thesmiletheband) January 30, 2022

Beginning at 8pm, for those of us only fortunate enough to bag a livestream ticket, the first thing that catches our eye is just how pretty it all is. For a band ironically named after a Ted Hughes poem, their eye for cute lighting is absolutely on point. You also can’t help but notice the consistency of everything they’ve put out so far. The Glastonbury stream, all of the practice sessions on their socials, and now their first gigs – all are happening with the 3 members stood in a circle simply letting everything happen around them. Once the music started, I’m not even sure they remembered we were there… that’s a good thing by the way. Aesthetics aside, there were myriad musical moments that I feel everyone should be aware of: Jonny Greenwood playing a harp and synthesizer at the same time, Greenwood also playing the bass guitar with a violin bow (very cool), a rather dramatic telling of William Blake’s ‘The Smile’ from none other than Cillian Murphy, an updated version of ‘lost’ Radiohead track ‘Skirting on the Surface’ that I’m pretty sure ended up being played in 15/16 for any of you nerds, and (of course) anything else Jonny Greenwood did. We’re now aware of 12 Smile songs, until an announcement for the album drops… I guess this is just all we know. Some especially sneaky fans managed to get a bit of footage from the night, see below the encore to show 2.

The only difference between all the shows is one that only the attendants of the first show will really feel bad about, that’s the inclusion of a set-closing cover of ‘It’s Different for Girls’ by Joe Jackson. After the minute or 2 of applause for an encore of 2 and 3, the band would come back on and reveal new Smile track ‘Just Eyes and Mouth’ and then the cover. Unfortunately for everyone at show one, Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner just didn’t fancy it that time. I’d link a video but the exclusivity of the event means that if you want to see the show, you’ll have to get hold of someone with an on-demand code. Good luck, it’s worth it. Until then, here’s their latest single ‘The Smoke’ and its accompanying video. See Below.