The US rock heroes have had a turbulent time in the 2020’s so far. Following long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins’ sudden death in 2022, they channeled their grief into their massive stadium tribute concerts to his life, before releasing 11th album ‘But Here We Are’ in 2023. More public drama ensued with frontman Dave Grohl’s confession to fathering a child in an extra-marital affair, and the unceremonious sacking of permanent drumming appointment Josh Freese. However since the recruitment of current drummer Ilan Rubin, the ship has been steadied and the band are back with fire in their bellies.

In October last year, Foo Fighters released their first single with Rubin, ‘Asking For A Friend’, a thumping hard rock track begging to be played in arenas and stadiums around the world. When compared to their earlier 2025 single, the more laid-back power ballad ‘Today’s Song’, ‘Asking For A Friend’ is a triumphant return to a classic sound for the band. According to NME, at shows on their Australian tour this January, Grohl announced the album was complete and would be releasing before his next birthday, the 14th of January 2027.

Over the first two weeks of February, the band posted several cryptic updates to their social media accounts, the first with a caption “This is just a test.” and the second reading “Of a broken broadcast system.” Both featured a jumble of seconds-long snippets of music, with fans quickly identifying them as multiple unreleased songs. The overarching sound of the clips was bouncing with energy, and very heavy by modern Foo Fighters standards.

The news of ‘Your Favorite Toy’ broke earlier this afternoon, alongside the single. Later in the day, Apple Music shared an interview with Grohl speaking to DJ Zane Lowe about the journey to find the sound of the album. He says they looked for “whatever is going to make us jump around, and smile, and scream”, which they found in the title track’s writing. Talking about the single ‘Your Favorite Toy’, he says “This particular song was literally the springboard for the rest of the record. When we hit this, it’s like we hit a little vein of gold, and we were like “that’s the feeling, that’s the vibe, that’s the energy.””

‘Your Favorite Toy’ certainly has the jumpy vibe that inspired them, a noisy, stompy anthem, featuring the band’s familiar three-guitar assault and the return of Grohl’s snarling screams. Clocking in at under 3 minutes, this is Foo Fighters at their loudest and arguably best.

Foo Fighters make their live return to British shores with two sold-out dates at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium on the 25th and 27th of June. In the announcement they revealed pre-order links for album ‘Your Favorite Toy’ , launching on the 24th of April, as well as the designs for the physical version showing off the full track list. So far only ‘Asking For A Friend’ and ‘Your Favorite Toy’ have released, but here’s the whole running order:

CAUGHT IN THE ECHO
OF ALL PEOPLE
WINDOW
YOUR FAVORITE TOY
IF YOU ONLY KNEW
SPIT SHINE
UNCONDITIONAL
CHILD ACTOR
AMEN, CAVEMEN
ASKING FOR A FRIEND

The band first burst on the hard rock scene in Los Angeles in 1985 composed of five members: Axl Rose and his extensive vocal range, Slash’s full and expressive lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin’s grounding rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on the bass guitar building a rhythmic foundation, and Steven Adler’s swinging, energetic drum grooves.

Their 1987 debut album, ‘Appetite for Destruction’, gained global recognition after ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ became a No. 1 hit. With over 30m copies sold worldwide, it earned its title as one of the best-selling debut albums in history, while it’s other tracks, such as ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Paradise City’, became fan favourites and cemented the Guns N’ Roses’ place in rock history. 

The one and only, Appetite for Destruction album. Released on this day in ‘87. Drop your favorite in the comments. https://t.co/3mkNITZOIL pic.twitter.com/4auAzFc0oQ

— Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) July 21, 2024

In 1991, the band claimed No.1 and No.2 on the Billboard charts following the release of the double albums ‘Use Your Illusion I’ and ‘Use Your Illusion II’. These two records highlights the band’s evolution as they blend their raw sound with ballads like ‘November Rain’ and ‘Don’t Cry’.

The legendary global tour that followed became the final tour Guns N’ Roses would play together as by the mid-1990s a series of departures shattered the original line up, leaving Axl Rose as the sole original member. 

To the fans’ delight, they partially reunited in 2016 and Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan began one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, ‘Not in This Lifetime…Tour’. 

Last week, the band began teasing a 2025 world tour announcement and released their tour dates on Instagram today, alongside their named special guests Public Enemy, Rivals Sons, and Sex Pistols.   

pic.twitter.com/tYfGpzFZ4v — Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) December 7, 2024

Beginning in Saudi Arabia, the ‘Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things’  Tour will stretch across the Middle East and Europe from late spring to early summer next year, with US tour dates possibly added later. 

The UK will host Guns N’ Roses twice as they play in Birmingham Villa Park and London Wembley Stadium in late June. Pre-sale tickets will become available to buy at 9am tomorrow (December 10).

Because what you want N’ what you get are two completely different things.
Nightrain pre-sale: tomorrow 9am local
On-sale: Friday 9am local pic.twitter.com/n82M88v2wM

— Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) December 9, 2024

Raw energy, rebellious spirit, and innovative musicality are just three qualities that make Guns N’ Roses icons of Rock ‘n’ Roll with their influence transcending generations. This tour will give them an opportunity to showcase their recent singles as well as perform their much-loved classic hits for fans of all ages. 

The announcement of two album releases in 2024 has fans eagerly anticipating the new music that Stray Kids will bring. Known for their unique sound and powerful performances, the group’s albums are expected to showcase their growth as artists and further establish their musical identity. With their previous releases topping the charts, there is no doubt that these albums will make a significant impact on the music scene.

Stray kids have recently unveiled a video clip showcasing their accomplishments in 2023 and outlining their aspirations for the upcoming year, 2024.

Contrary to what their name suggests, Stray Kids did not come from a Charles Dickens novel. Instead, these talented individuals came together on a South Korean reality TV show called “Stray Kids” in 2017. Despite the show’s original purpose of eliminating contestants, all nine young men successfully secured a place in the band: Bang Chan, Woojin, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N.

Stray Kids effortlessly blend EDM and rap, incorporating fast-paced hi-hats. However, what sets them apart is their use of hard electric guitar, which adds a surprising and unique rock element to their music. Alongside their attractive looks and impressive dancing abilities, Stray Kids deliver an electrifying live performance.

The achievements of Stray Kids in 2023, including their debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and their success on the Billboard 200 albums chart, have solidified their status as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Their recognition at the Billboard Music Awards further validates their talent and hard work. With their unwavering dedication and constant drive to push boundaries, Stray Kids are poised to achieve even greater success in 2024.

As fans eagerly await the release of new music, unforgettable performances, and memorable experiences, Stray Kids’ journey in 2024 is sure to be an exhilarating one. The group’s passion for their craft and their ability to connect with their audience will undoubtedly propel them to new heights and solidify their place as one of the leading K-pop boybands in the industry.

Speaking to The Sun, Townshend explained: 

“I am still developing the score and recording the music. I am also working on a documentary about the project, from its inception in 2007 until today. I’m probably two years off completing it, at which time I hope to perform it with a full opera and a cast of guest singers.”

The Age Of Anxiety, released in November 2019, explores the anxiety of modern life in a story that follows two generations of a London family, their lovers, collaborators, and friends. The lead protagonist is a young rock musician who has the ability to psychically connect to his audience, giving him access to a soundscape filled with their angst-riddled thoughts.

In 2008, when Townshend first conceived the idea, he aimed to reflect the thoughts and feelings of his own audience. In fact, many of his story’s characters are based on people he knows personally – the songwriter even drew inspiration from conversations with neighbours, exchanges which revealed to him an underlying sense of fear and anxiety apparent within the community. 

Since then, this paranoid mentality has only intensified. Through his The Age of Anxiety show, Townshend will delve into contemporary themes that dominate our zeitgeist, including the consequences of global warming, the threat of terrorism, and the adverse effects of social media, which contribute to a generation grappling with mental health challenges.

Townshend is, of course, widely acclaimed for his iconic concept albums with The Who, several of which come with accompanying feature films. Among his most celebrated works are Tommy, which tells the tale of a deaf-mute-blind boy who also happens to be a pinball prodigy, and Quadrophenia, which follows a young mod named Jimmy in his search for self-worth.

Listen to “Pinball Wizard” from Tommy below:

Meanwhile, The Who’s only other surviving member, lead singer Roger Daltrey, is reportedly progressing on his own passion project, a biopic about the group’s late drummer Keith Moon that has been in a state of limbo since 2005. In an interview with NME, Daltrey confirmed that he recently completed a script for the film and is determined to get it to the big screen.

Moon, who died from a drug overdose aged 32 in 1979, was notoriously self-destructive but also, according to Daltrey, “the funniest man [he] ever met”.

Watch Keith Moon’s infamous exploding drum set performance below:

⚡️UK & Ireland Tour 2023⚡️
You have all been very patient. We are VERY EXCITED to announce the dates for our Permission to Land 20th Anniversary UK & Ireland Tour! We can’t wait to celebrate this very important birthday with you. See you all soon!

Tickets go on sale Friday at… pic.twitter.com/OsWLYHxIsr

— The Darkness (@thedarkness) July 3, 2023

Lead singer and frontman Justin Hawkins, in a recent press release, has said of the tour, “We, The Darkness, are delighted to announce that we’ll be hitting the road in the U.K. once again. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Permission to Land, our set will include every song from our debut album faithfully reproduced (with additional clam notes and meanderings) in the order in which they appear on the record. We’ll also play all of your favourite Darkness songs from the rest of our illustrious and tipsy turvy career. It will be the best show you’ll see this year. I should know, I’m the singer and also a YouTube music expert.”

The Darkness formed in 2000 in Lowestoft with an initial line-up of Justin Hawkins (lead vocals, lead guitar) , his brother Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). The group released their debut seminal album, Permission To Land, in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, with the album topping the UK Albums Chart and achieving quadruple platinum status after 1.3 million copies were sold. This album also contained the hit single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love“, by far the band’s most popular track.

Watch the music video for “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” below:

The group released their second album, One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back in 2005 but disbanded in 2006 following the departure of Justin Hawkins. The group reunited in 2011, however, and have gone on to release a further five albums, all to reasonably favourable receptions. Their latest album, Motorheart, was released in October 2021.

Watch the music video for “Motorheart” below:

An expanded Permission To Land deluxe album is also set to be released later this year via Warner Music, with details to be released by the band soon.

See below for tour dates:

02/12/2023 – The Telegraph Building – Belfast
03/12 – 3Olympia – Dublin
08/12 – UEA – Norwich
09/12 – Roundhouse – London
11/12 – Barrowland – Glasgow
12/12 – New Century Hall – Manchester
14/12 – Beacon – Bristol
15/12 – Rock City – Nottingham
16/12 – The Wulfrum At The Halls – Wolverhampton

Tour tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 7th July and can be purchased here.

The band are fronted by vocalist/guitarist Toby Jepson, with bassist Nic Wastell, drummer Phil Martini and guitarist Sam Wood. They delivery energetic rock combined with thoughtful, insightful lyrics. The quartet create passionate, honest music that reflects inspirations from the ‘70s and ‘80s, but is very much modern in style. You can listen to one of the tracks “Totally Screwed” from the upcoming EP below.

When Wayward Sons first formed in 2017 the return of former Little Angels singer Jepson was welcomed throughout the hard rock scene. Following the overwhelming success of the aforementioned band, with millions of sales as well as a no. 1 album and numerous hit singles. The singer subsequently has remained busy with movie work and has also performed with Fastway, Gun and Dio’s Disciples, and produced albums for Saxon, Fastway, The Virginmarys and Toseland. However, Jepson’s heart was always in writing and performing and so he formed a new group Wayward Sons. Fans were introduced to the band via a debut album entitled Ghosts Of Yet To Come that was greeted with outstanding critical acclaim upon its release in September 2017. It earned them a ‘Best New Band’ gong at the Planet Rock awards, with further success coming with its follow-up, The Truth Ain’t What It Used to Be and Even Up The Score.

The band have played several headlining tours and performed at festivals such as Download and Ramblin’ Man Fair, and also shared stages with bands such as Saxon, Inglorious, Steel Panther, Living Color and UFO. The EP is available for pre-order here and can view the full tracklisting below.

Wayward Sons Score Settled Tracklisting:

1 Beaten to The Punch
2 Can’t Take It Anymore
3 Real Go-Getta
4 Standby Heart (from ‘Don’t Wanna Go’ 12″ picture disc)
5 Radio Denial (from ‘Don’t Wanna Go’ 12″ picture disc)
6 Totally Screwed (from ‘Totally Screwed’ 7″ flexi-disc)
7 Backslide (Live In the Studio) (live version of Japan bonus track on ‘Ghosts Of Yet To Come’)

The Dutch-American guitarist, who formed Van Halen with his brother Alex in 1972, was famed for his energetic live performances and inventive, self-taught guitar techniques. The glam metal band secured a gold certification in Britain for their eponymous debut album, and notched up a clutch of UK hit singles including Jump and Why Can’t This Be Love.

Queen guitarist Brian May, who collaborated with Eddie Van Halen on Brian May + Friends’ 1983 standalone album Star Fleet Project,  described the metaller as “probably the most original and dazzling rock guitarist in history” in a emotional Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

Completely gutted to hear the sad news. This wonderful man was way too young to be taken. What a talent – what a legacy – probably the most original and dazzling rock guitarist in History. I think of him as a boy – an innocent prodigy – always full of joy, always modest – and those truly magical fingers opened a door to a new kind of playing. I treasure the moments we shared. His passing leaves a giant hole in my heart. RIP Ed Van Halen. Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Oct 6, 2020 at 3:08pm PDT

Yorkshire rock stalwarts Def Leppard – who sparred with Van Halen for metal supremacy in the 1980s – were also keen to pay tribute to their genre stablemate on Instagram. Leppard frontman Joe Elliot said “I saw Van Halen destroy Sabbath at the Sheffield City Hall in 1977 … Eddie was a big part of that, having essentially reinvented guitar playing just like Jimi Hendrix had done a generation earlier …. I had the pleasure of being on the same bill as Van Halen 7 years ago when Kings Of Chaos were on the same bill at the Stone Music Festival in Australia. I’m happy to say that his playing that night was as good as it’s ever been, he certainly shook things up when he came on the scene …. Rest In Peace Eddie.”

View this post on Instagram

Very sad to hear about the passing of @eddievanhalen. You will be missed. #RIPEddieVanHalen “I saw Van Halen destroy Sabbath at the Sheffield City Hall in 1977 … Eddie was a big part of that, having essentially reinvented guitar playing just like Jimi Hendrix had done a generation earlier …. I had the pleasure of being on the same bill as Van Halen 7 years ago when Kings Of Chaos were on the same bill at the Stone Music Festival in Australia. I’m happy to say that his playing that night was as good as it’s ever been, he certainly shook things up when he came on the scene …. Rest In Peace Eddie” – Joe Elliott “I distinctly remember the first moment I heard Eddie play. A good friend, also a guitarist, had just bought the first Van Halen album and came by my house and told me that I urgently needed to hear this. He wasn’t wrong; it was a moment that redefined everything that I thought was possible about playing the guitar. The goalposts had just been moved. I stayed up all that night trying to learn from Eddie. Many, many decades later, and I’m still learning from Eddie.” – Vivian Campbell Photo Credit: @markweissguy #EddieVanHalen @vanhalen

A post shared by Def Leppard (@defleppard) on Oct 6, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT

Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osborne paid his respects to Van Halen in an NME interview, saying “…one thing I loved about Eddie was he always had a big grin on his face, and he looked like he was enjoying every second he was up there. Whether it was showbiz bullshit or not — I don’t think it was — he always looked like he was having the best time of his life up there.”

There were also warm words from some more unexpected British sources. Elton John took to Instagram to call Van Halen “an amazing talent and a gentle, lovely man“; while legendary Leicester crooner Engelbert Humperdinck tweeted that the late guitarist was  a “wonderful entertainer”.

Van Halen’s death yesterday coincided with that of singer-songwriter Johnny Nash, who scored UK hit singles with I Can See Clearly Now, Tears On My Pillow and Hold Me Tight. Culture Club frontman Boy George was among those to pay tribute to the reggae star, tweeting that Nash was “one of the greatest“.

Back in summer, Pixie Lott designed a festival-inspired t-shirt in collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe which was a popular addition to Hard Rock Cafes iconic collection of clothing ultimately selling out across the UK. The Bromley-born singer and songwriter has a love for Hard Rock Cafe that is fueled with passion. In a Hard Rock Youtube ‘behind the scenes’ video for the making of the t-shirt she states “I’ve visited Hard Rock Cafe’s all over the world with my family and friends since I was young, and it always brings back so many amazing memories for me, so it’s always a real pleasure to be working with them.” Now, the Brit Award-nominated artist is working with Hard Rock a second time to jump back into the live music limelight by exclusively performing at the London based Cafe.

With the combination of Will Best – TV presenter and founder of audiosplitter.fm – hosting this exclusive event, the  famous cocktails and authentic American cuisine served by Hard Rock alongside the wonderful voice of Pixie Lott and her crowd-rocking material, this is a gig you will regret missing!

If you’re a Pixie fanatic then you should be even more pleased to hear that the London based Hard Rock cafe have announced on their Facebook page that they are running a one time only chance to win a pair of front row tickets for twenty lucky fans. To be entered into this competition, you simply have to follow the directions on their page. The competition will close on Tuesday 10 November where winners will be randomly selected and notified.

Want to win tickets to see @PixieLott perform at @HardRockLondon ? Head to our Facebook page for further details! pic.twitter.com/zI4HtMhset

— Hard Rock London (@HardRockLondon) October 26, 2015

It will be the quartet’s first release since 2011’s Revival, and their fourth album in total. Spectacular certainly didn’t take long to get attention, as within fifteen minutes the video had been taken down by Youtube bigwigs, due to the graphic sex scenes and nudity on display. As the video shows a house party it was to be expected, as all the best house parties contain at least one of the aforementioned, normally coming in pairs. Unfortunately we can’t show you the video, but if you believe you are old enough to not get over-excited by a pair of boobs, a bit of sex going on and smoking and alcohol, and of course over the age of 18, then follow this link here to fulfil your banned video needs. There is a clean version, without what has been listed above, which will be able to watch at the bottom of the page. http://www.muzu.tv/theanswer-napalmrecords/spectacular-music-video/1965670/

In celebration of the release of New Horizon The Answer will be going on tour around the UK and Ireland this October. If you like your music loud, your riffs heavy combined with a lot of booze, get yourself to one of these dates.

Friday 11th – Limelight 2, Belfast

Saturday 12th – Whelans, Dublin

Thursday 17th – Academy 3, Manchester

Friday 18th – Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

Saturday 19th – Cockpit, Leeds

Sunday 20th – Corporation, Sheffield

Tuesday 22nd – The Garage, Glasgow

Wednesday 23rd – 02 Academy, Newcastle

Thursday 24th – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

Friday 25th – Electric Ballroom, London

Saturday 26th – The Thekla, Bristol

Sunday 27th – Concorde 2, Brighton

You can find the (clean) video for Spectacular here. New Horizon hits stores on September 30th.

The six-piece group continue to move further and further away from their post-hardcore early days, as they progress as both musicians and people in their lives. Gone are the yelps and howls that made up their first few records, and have been replaced by taking advantage of frontman James Veck-Gilodi’s soaring and versatile vocal range.

Having supported Bruce Springsteen at this year’s Hard Rock Calling event in London the group continue to go from strength to strength, and have today released the song as a reward to their fans. Earlier on they posted on their Facebook page “We really want you to hear some new music, we might get in trouble but fuck it! 6pm we’ll post a new song, you guys deserve it x”, showing appreciation to their adorning and ever-growing fan base.

Deaf Havana’s uupcoming album Old Souls is released on September 16th. They will then head out on tour in support of the album in October, with main support coming from Fightstar frontman Charlie Simpson. Check out the video for Kings Road Ghosts below.