He recorded in a specially made red British telephone box that Max unveiled as his “custom booth”. Over a smooth, R&B-tinged drill track, the west London rapper performed a speedy, introspective verse. Since going live, the song has been released on streaming platforms.

His bars had some words for his opposition – “I don’t wan’ hear man rap, Alexa play next track, I know they’re nerds.” He also reminisced on how far he’s come, rapping “I slept on the floor at my auntie D’s, now look at the screen, now I’m on TV.”

Cee has just released his debut ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ via his label CC4L and Columbia records. The album features fellow British artists like Dave and Skepta, as well as a handful of US guests like Lil Durk, 21 Savage and Lil Baby.

The record has been met with critical acclaim, with reviewers noting Cench’s openness and refreshing observations on fame. The Independent called it a “smartly produced debut, which sees him switching between macho posturing and surprising vulnerability.” The Guardian said, “The album’s central topic is very familiar – the disparity between the rapper’s pre-fame and post-fame life – but his take on it is intriguingly original”

One stray shot on the album has ignited a feud with Mancunian rapper Aitch; on the track ‘5 Star’, Central Cee sent a subtle dig, rapping “I felt like a pr*ck when I went to the BRITs they gave the award to a guy called Aitch.”

Responding within a couple of days, Aitch dropped “A Guy Called?” – a scathing diss on a dark drill instrumental, with bars aiming at Cench’s authenticity, writing ability and relationships.

Sending shots about Cee’s image and social media presence, the ‘Taste (Make It Shake)’ rapper said “I can’t lie though, it’s makin’ sense ’cause we like your fit pics more than your bars,”

Also questioning whether he pens his own verses, he claimed “All your songs get wrote by Clint, in the booth, one mic, two c**ts”.

PlaqueBoyMax himself has been wrapped up in a beef with NY drill artist Fivio Foreign. Both Max and Fivio have been trading disses over social media.

Their dispute started earlier in January when Fivio and fellow Lil Tjay appeared on PlaqueBoyMax’s livestream – when the two started smoking weed, Max asked them to stop so they wouldn’t set off the fire alarm. The rappers then decided to leave, and Fivio soon uploaded a diss track calling out Max, as well as fellow livestreamer Kai Cenat.

Central Cee has a few noteworthy events scheduled this spring – nominated for multiple MOBO and Brit awards, the ‘BAND4BAND’ emcee also has a show scheduled at the London KOKO on January 30 to honour his debut dropping. You can read more on that here.

Reading and Leeds festival is a pair of music festivals that take place annually in UK cities Reading and Leeds. The festival dates back as far as 1955 and is still famous today for being the longest running popular music festival to still exist. Every year on the August bank holiday weekend, Richfield Avenue in central Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds welcome over 100,000 avid music lovers for a weekend jam packed with music’s most current and popular artists.

This year’s festival runs from August 25th to August 27th, and the line up features headlining performances from Sam Fender, Foals, The Killers, The 1975, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons. Lewis Capaldi was set to be amongst this crowd, however, in June 2023 the Scottish sensation cancelled all his upcoming performances. Luckily, The 1975 were ready to replace him and perform as Reading and Leeds headliners for the third time in the band’s career.

If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s festival, do not feel like you’ve missed out completely! There is plenty of live coverage for you to get your live music fix this weekend.

BBC One will be broadcasting shows that feature highlights and coverage of two of this year’s headline performances, The Killers and Billie Eilish.

The Killers’ performance will be aired on BBC One on Sunday 27th August starting at 11:40pm. The Grammy nominated band is sure to get the crowd excited with their world famous Indie classics such as “Mr Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me”, as well as performing songs from their latest album Pressure Machine which was released in 2021.

Reading rocked again tonight! pic.twitter.com/SLXAvjN42l

— The Killers (@thekillers) August 26, 2023

Similarly, the BBC is set to air the much anticipated performance of Billie Eilish’s first ever Reading and Leeds headline on Monday 28th August at 11:15pm. The 21 year old has taken the world by storm with hits such as “Bad Guy”, “When the Party’s Over” and “What was I Made For?”, the latter being featured on the Soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) movie.

In addition to these two special shows, BBC iPlayer will have 24/7 coverage of Reading and Leeds festival, which can be found here. You will be able to livestream the entire festival for free, and from the comfort of your own home. Also, from Monday 28th August, there will be the opportunity to watch highlights from the weekend and even past performances from previous years, meaning you can catch up on all things Reading and Leeds even after the festival goer’s tents have been taken down.

You can also catch live broadcasts from Reading’s Main Stage East and Main Stage West on BBC Radio 1 throughout the weekend.

For the full line up, click here.

During a three-show run at 02 Brixton Academy last December, two people, gig-attendee Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, lost their lives as a result of a crowd crush outside of the venue as a result of many fans trying to get into the show without a ticket.

Just before Asake hit the 02 Arena stage last Sunday a tribute towards the two who lost their life was carried out as their picture was shown across the stage’s big screen. This was accompanied by a spoken word poem alongside backing performers dressed in all-white surrounded in full view by flowers.

The poet went on to say: “I know some feel loss and some regret. We need to hold this moment. I need to hold this moment. They need to hold this moment.”

Throughout the poem, the big screen cycled through photos of the two victims as well as news footage from the scene and pictures of the tributes that were left outside the venue.

This was all then rounded out with a message that read “Rest well” immediately prior to the start of the concert.

The tribute was commended and praised across social media from those who attended the show and those that chose to watch the live stream.

I love Asake’s tribute to the Brixton Victims

— AJ (@liliestbaby) August 20, 2023

Respect to Asake and his team for the tribute to the victims at o2 Brixton

— ApEx (@apex_ams) August 21, 2023

However, the tribute was met with criticism from the sister of victim, Rebecca Ikumelo, as she stated on social media: “My sister lost her life at your show and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than nine months later and play her videos as a ‘tribute’?”

What a sorry excuse of a “tribute” from @asakemusik. My sister lost her life at your show and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than 9 months later and play her videos as a “tribute”? RIP Rebecca Ikumelo — R (@rachaeliku_) August 20, 2023

The show itself was still mired in speculation. Asake showed up on stage 90 minutes late with there being rumours of issues with crowd control. However, it is possible extra precaution was taken as Asake went on the state “Safety is my main priority tonight”.

Investigations are still ongoing regarding what happened during that fatal crush outside the 02 Brixton Academy last December, with the venue remaining closed as Lambeth Council reviews it’s live music license. The future of the venue is currently up in the air at the moment; the Met Police have claimed to have “lost confidence” in the venue’s safety whilst online petitions have pushed for the venue to remain open.

Albarn confirmed the news of his opera project on the Broken Record Podcast, sharing his plans to put Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1807 “The Magic Flute Part II” to music for the first time. He said, “I’m doing an opera at the moment, using Goethe’s fragment he wrote about The Magic Flute Part II, which is fascinating. You’ve heard of Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’? Well, Goethe, who is a contemporary of Mozart, wrote ‘Part II’ of that — the sequel — but it never got put to music. It’s this legendary lost thing.”

Albarn admitted to feeling less confident when delving into the world of opera, saying, “I don’t really know what I’m doing. I never know what I’m doing in that world, I’m a complete idiot. I don’t know if it’s any good. With songs, I’m more confident about that.”

On the podcast, Albarn also confirmed that he is working more within his comfort zone by creating a new Gorillaz album.

Bon voyage, Stuart, Matlock, Rusty, and Nödel.
सुरक्षित प्रवास ✈️ pic.twitter.com/n5j6D2V160

— gorillaz (@gorillaz) June 21, 2023

Speaking on the direction that the new Gorillaz album will take, Albarn said, “It’s not going to be as dramatic as a quantum shift, it will be a paradigm shift, it will be very different. It will be an entirely different approach to everything — to the band, to everything.”

He continued, “We’re at a point where we’re going to change. Why? Because it was always just Jamie and I. Although it is a very big thing now, it is still, in essence, just two people. If we decided between us that we want to do something unrecognisable then we will. You need that for it to stay alive, really.”

Albarn has not yet confirmed release dates for either his opera or his new Gorillaz project, but has confirmed plans for Blur. Blur recently announced a special gig in which they will play their newest album, The Ballad of Darren, in full.

The show will take place at London’s Eventim Apollo on 25th July 2023 and will see the band perform the album in full for the first and only time. Physical tickets are only available to those who pre-ordered The Ballad of Darren, and are on sale from 18th July 2023. Fans can order tickets to watch a livestream of the show however, with these available to purchase here.

Listen to Albarn’s Broken Record Podcast episode here.

We’re overwhelmed with how quickly the three shows on 29th & 30th sold out. Thanks so much for your response.
We wanted try to make a global audience inside the venue as well as online, so we’ve held back some venue tickets for sale… pic.twitter.com/AbHhYgh5MX

— The Smile (@thesmiletheband) January 20, 2022

Set to go ahead in just over a week (January 29^th and 30^th), all 3 of the shows are set to go ahead in less than 24 hours. Beginning at 8pm on January 29^th, the first show almost immediately leads into the 2^nd that will kick off 5 hours later at 1am the next morning. The 3^rd and final show will then allow the trio to rest for a short while before beginning again at 11am that same day.

The shows have already sold out. But fear not, if you’re in desperate need to watch the show there are a number of options. The shows will be streamed at select venues around the UK, US, and EU live on the big screen, with accompanying big sound. Details for where and when can be found here. If you don’t fancy dragging yourself to the cinema to see the show at 1AM, then firstly you may want to reassess your priorities, you can however bag a ticket to the livestream through dice. For about £14 you can stay up until 2:30AM from the comfort of your own home. Details to gain entrance to the livestream are available here.

We are still short on most other details for the band though, still no announcements on when we can hear the album or even how many songs we’re going to hear. A few snippets have surfaced on the group’s socials; so, if you’re in desperate need then head over the group’s Twitter or Instagram and you can hear a few 15-second snippets to calm the nerves until the album drops. Or you can just keep listening to the sole release we already have, “You Will Never Work in Television Again”, on repeat… it’s up to you. Listen below.

I still miss my friend Scott every day. His passing left such a huge hole in so many lives. I wrote this song in his honour and memory, it was hard to write and record, but I think it does the man some small justice.
‘A Wave Across A Bay’ is out now:https://t.co/DHH0uLcIkE pic.twitter.com/5EpzOZws98

— Frank Turner (@frankturner) January 12, 2022

Hutchison and Turner withheld a close friendship throughout their respective careers. Hutchison is best known as the founding member and songwriter of the Indie band Frightened Rabbit. The Scottish born multi-talented artist was also a member of the groups The Fruit Tree Foundation and Mastersystem, the indie supergroup including Hutchison’s brother and members from British group Editors and Minor Victories.

Fans were left in shock when Hutchison was reported missing on 9th May 2018. On 11th May 2018, the mental health charity Tiny Changes reported the tragic news that Hutchison had taken his life. Turner was amongst the many musicians and artists who paid tribute to Hutchison, included within the long list of albums dedicated to his memory was Death Cab For Cutie’s 2018 album Thank You For Today.

Turner’s touching tribute to his late friend is taken from his upcoming album FTHC, set to be released on 11th February 2022. The upcoming album will be the folk artist’s ninth solo album, the release marks the second album with American producer Rich Costey. The pair previously worked together on Turner’s fifth solo studio album Tape Deck Heart, the album was released in 2013 and is widely regarded as a breakup album. The forthcoming album has already sired five singles, “A Wave Across The Bay” is the album’s fifth single.

Alongside the new release, Turner has also shared a video of a live performance of “A Wave Across A Bay” at Camden’s The Fiddler’s Elbow. The single was initially performed in 2020 during a live-streamed concert, within the set Turner performed a setlist of Frightened Rabbit covers. The event was in aid of Tiny Changes, the charity set up by Hutchison’s family to honour his memory and help those in need.

The charity aims to ensure that every child has “the opportunity to lead happy and fulfilled lives as adults.” In 2020 the charity celebrated its first anniversary and recently confirmed the launch of a new scheme, the new charity initiative intends to raise over £10,000. The foundation’s scheme was announced on Mental Health Day 2021 with a projection of various statements onto Scottish landmarks. The new fund aims to continue the charity’s mission, support the mental health of young people and provide investments for new projects.

The release is also available on a 7” Vinyl edition, the format includes a cover of the Frightened Rabbit track “The Modern Leper” as a B-side. All proceeds from the sale of the vinyl edition will be donated to Tiny Changes, to learn how to further support the charity click here.

Click here to download and purchase “A Wave Across A Bay”.

Turner explains the situation in an intimate video on his socials, “It’s with a VERY heavy heart that I must announce The Never Ending Tour of Everywhere dates in Jan / Feb 2022 have sadly been cancelled” adding, “All tickets will be refunded for now and I assure you we will do our very best to get new dates scheduled when it’s safe to do so.” With no information yet on any rescheduling, fans will have to watch this space for any updates.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frank Turner (@frankturner)

Fortunately for fans requiring a fair dose of Turner over the holiday season, A livestream concert has been set up for tonight (December 21^st) on YouTube to help raise funds for his touring party. Turner again, took to Twitter to explain the gesture, “Well. Another Christmas is coming up, and the world (and particularly the music industry) is still completely screwed. We’ve just had to cancel the upcoming GB tour, which puts my band and crew out of work, again. Most of these people (my family) have worked a handful of weeks in the last 2 years, and there’s precious little support from any other quarter. If you’re able to help, please throw a few quid in the pot. Tarrant, Ben, Matt, Callum, Johnny, Tre, Doug, Luke, Jamie, Cahir and Ali will appreciate it more than you could know”. Find details for the livestream here.

I’m going to be banging on about this today, fair warning. Tune in tonight! Will post the YT link in a bit. https://t.co/X7ByrDyvqx

— Frank Turner (@frankturner) December 21, 2021

It’s not all bad news in Turner’s camp though. His ninth solo album, Frank Turner Hard Core, or FTHC for short is set to be released February 11th, 2022. To mark the announcement of the new project Turner has dropped the new track “Non Serviam”. Showing us anger in the raw screams and quick pace that we haven’t seen before in Frank’s music. You can pre-order FTHC here.

This show is one of several in the last few weeks to be cancelled due to COVID-19 all over the globe. With new government rules coming into place, venues are struggling, a recent study revealed that up to 40% of punters aren’t actually showing up to shows they’ve bought tickets to.

The 30-minute documentary will include the footage of the group’s debut appearance on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, the famed segment featured on the BBC Radio 1 station. The BBC film will not only chart the rise of BTS but will also examine the increasing popularity of the genre K-pop and the industry which has evolved the style. The Live Lounge broadcast will take place on Tuesday 27th July 2021 at 12 pm and will be available to view on Radio 1’s YouTube channel. Following the radio broadcast, the BBC One programme will air on Wednesday 28th July at 10:35 pm, the show will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

The hitmakers first performance and interview on the Live Lounge will be presented by Adele Roberts, Roberts who once participated in the reality TV show Big Brother is a regular presenter for the station’s segment. The group will perform versions of their successful single ‘Dynamite’ and will perform their new single ‘Permission to Dance’ as well as a cover of the gigantic hit ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ originally performed by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans.

Roberts took to her Instagram page to announce the news, the presenter also conveys her elation to be a part of the show.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adele Roberts (@adeleroberts)

Radio host, Adele Roberts, has spoken on her excitement to be a part of the group’s appearance, the DJ also comments on the band’s accolades and immense popularity. “I am so happy for BTS fans worldwide especially our very own UK Army. They have been so passionate, so supportive and have hoped for a Radio 1 Live Lounge since the first time we played the band. Four years later, BTS have broken records, barriers & boundaries. That dream is now going to be a reality. I’m beyond excited for us to finally be hosting the biggest boy band in the world!”

The BBC documentary entitled ‘BTS @ Radio 1’ will begin by charting their initial relationship with BBC Radio 1, which saw the group’s first-ever radio play in 2017. Ever since their initial radio plays a supportive and large fanbase has developed across the world. Roberts will be conducting an exclusive interview prior to their Live Lounge appearance, where the presenter will reunite with the group.

Within the BBC film, Roberts will provide an insight into the moment that the group exploded after their hits were broadcasted on the BBC station. Viewers will also get the chance to see Roberts describe her experiences when the presenter set out to explore and document the popularity of BTS. Her exploration took her to Seoul in 2018, it was within this trip that the radio personality met with the group’s choreographer who is responsible for the band’s most beloved and infamous dance routines. Roberts also met with the minister for K-pop to further her understanding for the genre’s industry and the group’s large and loyal fanbase, faithfully called The ARMY. Within the documentary viewers will see the impact of The ARMY within the band’s victories and the sheer admiration in which the ARMY hold for the band.

BTS, otherwise known as the Bangtan Boys, are a south Korean breakout act from the newly popular music genre K-Pop. The band consists of seven members, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook. To say that the band are successful is a vast understatement, the seven-piece outfit have rocketed since their inception in 2013. The band are mainly popular with a younger audience and include topical and current themes within their music, their lyrics involve subject matter such as mental health issues, self-love and loss. The band’s music also deals with topics that are geared towards adolescent life, coming of age story themes are prevalent within their lyrics.

Their debut single album, ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’, was released on 12th June 2013 and was well received, the album sired two singles ‘No More Dream’ and ‘We Are Bulletproof pt. 2’, both released in 2013. The band’s second album, which was recorded and released in Korean, was their first big success and became their first step into stardom. The album entitled ‘Wings’ was released in 2016 and sold over 1 million copies in the band’s home country of South Korea. The band soon crossed over into global success, they were awarded the certification from the Recording Industry Association of American and became the first Korean group to receive the certificate, the award was for their single ‘Mic Drop’. The band would soon become the first Korean band to enter into the US billboard 200 Chart, doing so with their album ‘Love Yourself: Tear’ which was released in 2018. BTS would then obtain a Grammy nomination for their massive single ‘Dynamite’ which was released on 21st August 2020. Keeping in line with the band’s lyrical message, the release was meant to improve morale among the world during the COVD-19 pandemic. The single landed at number 3 within the UK Singles charts and became the catalyst for the group’s world domination.

The band have been compared to the Beatles due to their vast and endearingly loyal fan base, much like Beatle fever within the ’60s, BTS hysteria has ensued globally. The group’s success is not only based on their catchy hooks and relatable lyrical content but on a phenomenon, which has spread throughout the world. Due to these reasons, the BBC special along with the Live Lounge, is not just for diehard BTS fans but for music fans everywhere, giving an insightful look into a new and powerful genre of music.

The DJ has been very busy this year; this livestream is one of many she’s done this year, playing sets throughout April, and her most recent livestream on 1 May from her balcony. She also released a new album, ‘Auraa Rmxs 1′ back in March. These remixed four songs from her 2020 album ‘Auraa’. And her reasoning behind creating these pieces is something we can all relate to: frustration with COVID. As the BPitch founder chatted with Limited Clubbing, she shared her inspiration: “On AurAA many of the tracks are about the world we live in and things that are more important to me… vibes. Energies we feel and the feeling of living with covid.” In spite of all of the restrictions, Allien has continued to share her music with the world virtually, and will soon be able to do so in-person.

Her tour will start in Moscow on 12 June and end at the Riverside Festival in Glasgow on 5 September, making stops in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Croatia along the way. You can purchase tickets on her website here, and find the list of dates below.

Tour Dates
27/05 – Livestreaming from Kraftwerk – Berlin, Germany
12/06/2021 – Monasterio – Moscow, Russia
03/07 – Ploegendienst Festival – Breda, The Netherlands
24/07 – Nation of Gondwana – Schönwalde-Glien, Germany
08/08 – Loveland Festival – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
08/08 – Voltage Festival – Zwevegem, Belgium
09/08 – Barrakud Festival – Novalja, Croatia
21/08 – E1 – London, UK
05/09 – Riverside Festival – Glasgow, UK

An announcement was made in January stating that the festival would not be going ahead this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the festival organisers, father-daughter duo, Michael and Emily Eavis have now obtained a license to put on a later event, Eavis had revealed to NME that the September event will be called ‘Equinox’. The September event will be held at the festival’s iconic location, Somerset’s Worthy Farm.

Organiser Emily Eavis has spoken to NME providing further news for music fans concerning the event, stating that it will be “a large[r] version of the Pilton Party”

The Pilton Party is a ‘thank you’ gig held each year for those involved within the festival, this includes the workers and the area’s residents.

Eavis continued to discuss the event. “We do that every September, but it will just be bigger and the public can come down, We’ll call it Equinox if we do it. We’ve got a licence hearing and we’re working with the authorities to see what we can do, but it’s just one step at a time, really.”

The license has been obtained from Mendip District Council, the organisation in charge of such approvals after ensuring that proper consultations and reports have been made with local authorities and the area’s residents. The committee met on 12^th May in order to converse over the application and approved the proposal.

The license comes with over 50 conditions in which must be followed and abided by, the agreement encompasses many rules involving live music. One of which involves the famed Pyramid Stage, any live music must be staged on the specific stage. Although attendees will not be able to camp overnight, the license does allow for up to 50,000 lucky ticket holders entry. The application was for a two-day event, but due to the current COVID restrictions certain aspects of the event are yet to be fully confirmed and at this time the event may just be one day long.

The chair of licensing at Mendip District Council, Councillor Sam Phripp, has provided an explanation to the Somerset County Gazette concerning the licensing process as well as discussing the measures in which COVID still entails.

“Whenever a licence application is considered, Mendip rightly assesses the impact of an event on local people and seeks to find a decent balance. With regard to Glastonbury Festival Events Limited holding a concert in September, we’ve heard concerns from residents, and those concerns are reflected in more than fifty conditions that have been added to this licence. We believe they’re sensible measures and match the perceived risk of the event. With a view to Covid-19, of course, any event would have to be Covid-safe, and Mendip will work with other organisations and the organisers to make sure that’s the case.”

Councillor Phripp continued to discuss the event.

“It’s in everybody’s interest for events like these to be a success, but as chair of licensing at Mendip, I’m clear that we’ll keep our ears and eyes open and take on board feedback from residents in Pilton, just as we would with any other event. We hope that, Covid-depending, this event will be a success, and we look forward to welcoming music lovers back to our corner of Somerset this autumn.”

Fans will not have to wait until September to catch a Glastonbury event, a very special Livestream will be held on Saturday 22nd May direct from the Festival site. The Livestream will feature performances from HAIM, Coldplay and Bristol rockers IDLES.

Click here to watch the stream.