The British rock band, Bloc Party, was formed in the 90’s and has a hold on many hearts that grew up in the 00’s. The American rock band Paramore is also one of those bands, formed in 2004 and securing the sound everyone loves from that era.

Kele Okereke came on stage during Paramore’s live show to play a stripped back version of the Bloc Party song. Hayley Williams, the lead singer of the American band, expressed her love for the group and are, to this day, still a great influence on her music; “Bloc Party has been a huge influence on Paramore since we were little kids, you know? Picking up guitars and writing songs for the first time. And we’ve grown up with this band, the same way that a lot of you have grown up with us and probably have grown up with Bloc Party as well. So it only feels right to sing a song together that I used to cry to in my car. And maybe we can all cry together.

The performance turned out to be a very emotional one. Combining Williams angelic voice and Okereke’s unmistakable tone, the outcome created an enthralling harmony and a beautiful version of the song. Their fans feedback was a very welcomed one.

Paramore are currently on tour. Having just finished visiting UK cities, they will be returning to the states. Their next gig is on the 19th of May at the Hangout Music Festival in Alabama. They will be touring their way through until August. Their final destination being in St Paul, Minnesota playing at the Xcel Energy Center.

During Paramore’s tour this year, Bloc Party have been opening as their support act. They will be doing so for the rest of the American post-punk band’s journey around the US, set to kick off next month (May). Alongside Bloc Party, they will be joined by other artists like Genesis Owusu and The Linda Lindas.

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 crush occurred after a large group of fans outside the venue attempted to force their way into the Academy, with the show going on to be cancelled.

A total of eight people were removed from the scene by ambulance with crush-related injuries, with two others being treated at the scene.

Police were called to the venue at around 9:30pm on the night of the 16th, after reports that large numbers of people were gathered outside the venue, which normally has a capacity of around 5,000 people, and were attempting to force entry into the show.  Scenes outside the venue were heated, with some witnesses estimating that up to 1,000 people had gathered without tickets outside the doors, clashing with security and  police, adn even trying to force their way through locked doors.

The concert was called off within just ten minutes of it having started, with Asake telling the crowd, “They said outside is fucked up already, so we have to end the show. I don’t know why. It’s not me.”

A further announcement from the team on stage went on to tell the crowd that the situation outside had become severe, with an estimated 3, 000 people attempting to enter the building.   The announcement was followed by booing from the crowd.

After the crush, Asake took to his Instagram with this message: “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest. I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals. I still do not have the full brief from the venue management themselves as to what led to the disruption at the entrance of The Brixton Academy, but we are thankful that all was peaceful in the end. For my people who enjoyed the beginning of my performance, I am sorry that it was cut short. Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!”

Solomon Smith, who was present at the show, took to twitter to share his feelings:

Not Asake’s fault at all, it was more people who didn’t have tickets turned up with fake tickets… #Asake #Brixton pic.twitter.com/dxDzfCEUY7

— Solomon Smith (@sollysworld) December 15, 2022

The tragic event comes after the release of the Lagos musician’s debut album, Mr Money with the Vibe, in early September this year.  Since the release, the album has climbed to become the highest charting debut Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard 200 list, making it to No. 66 in September.

Following the death of one of the victims of Thursday night’s crush, a 33-year-old east London woman who was taken to hospital following the show, Asake is said to be “devastated”, saying on his Instagram, “I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening”.

Police and the venue management are currently working together on a debrief as to why the situation escalated with such tragic consequences.

“It’s been a couple of hard years – how’re holding up? Alright?” calls out frontman Brandon Flowers after a trio of fan favourites ’When You Were Young’, ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ and ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, “Thank you very much. There’s been a lot of separation, there’s been a lot of uncertainty. But there’s one thing I’m certain of… we are together tonight, so let’s do something about it.”. A slight surprise in the set came from the early appearance of their seminal single ‘Mr Brightside’ which surprisingly came in the first half of the first set. Flowers also went on to comment on the recent warmup shows in Vegas, “We did some warm-up shows in Vegas. It was good but tonight feels a little bit better. Thanks for coming.” Before ultimately concluding that Sheffield is, in fact, “our spiritual home”.

“Oh, man – it’s such a strange thing that it’s been three years,” he said. “This feels so familiar but when you look at the days… it’s been a thousand days. It’s wild.” muses Flower’s midway through the set, “I hope you can tell that we’re genuine though when we talk about our love for this place. Man… I mean, you changed our lives! And we do love coming here – this is our spiritual home. You took these sentimental Americans in, and we won’t forget it.”

If you weren’t fortunate enough to bag tickets to this particularly intimate set, then you can try and snap up what few tickets may remain to their stadium tour here. Beginning at the end of the month, the tour will see support from Blossoms, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass, and Sam Fender – depending on which night of course. You can see the full list of dates below.

24/5 – Doncaster – Keepmoat Stadium
26/5 – Bristol – Ashton Gate
28/5 – Coventry – Ricoh Arena
30/5 – Southampton – St Mary’s
1/5 – Middlesbrough – Riverside Stadium
3/5 – London – Emirates Stadium
4/5 – London – Emirates Stadium
7/5 – Falkirk – The Falkirk Stadium
9/5 – Norwich – Carrow Road
11/5 – Manchester – Emirates Old Trafford
14/5 – Dublin – Malahide Castle
15/5 – Dublin – Malahide Castle

See you tonight at the O2 Academy Islington, London, h 7 pm ☆ can’t wait ☆

More tickets available here: https://t.co/UaQmYmRIdj pic.twitter.com/2h2xHK2YO6

— MåneskinOfficial (@thisismaneskin) October 20, 2021

The Italian band Måneskin comprises Victoria (bass), Damiano (lead singer), Thomas (guitar) and Ethan (drums). Their unique, distorted sound and raw energy brought them a victory at this years Eurovision contest in March.
Måneskin “are bringing rock’n’roll back to the top of international charts with a contemporary twist”.
Speaking to press last month, frontman Damiano David said: “We’re already working on new music and we have a few songs in our pockets, but like everything we do we want to do it properly and be 100 per cent satisfied with what we’re doing. We’re going to take our time: there’s no rush.”
Last week the band dropped a new video for the track “MAMMAMIA”. Speaking about the release at a press conference at Berlin’s SO36 Club, David commented: “We only had a few days to go to the studio and write new music but fortunately this song came out in a few hours – that’s why we felt like it was going to be a banger for us“.

The track has been written after the band received lots of attention following the Eurovision win. “A lot of the time, we did something that we thought was great but people criticised it. I wanted to translate that into the lyrics, because it happens a lot – maybe you’re doing something that you feel is great, but people don’t understand it and make bad judgements and bad comments about it. I wanted to make fun of that situation” – said David.

Bassist Victoria de Angelis added: “We didn’t take it too seriously. It’s a very silly, careless song and we’ve never done something like that before. It came together very naturally. We just tried to have fun and enjoy it, because [it was written] in a moment where we were experiencing a lot of things.” You can watch the fun video for “MAMMAMIA” below.

Since the big win, Måneskin which means ‘moonlight’ in Danish, managed to get two UK Top 10 hits with “I Wanna Be Your Slave” reaching No5 and “Beggin” reaching No6.
Next year Måneskin heads over to UK and Europe for the 2022 Tour. Apparently, most of the dates are now sold out with O2 Academy Brixton tickets vanished within 25 minutes. See full tour details below and ticket info here.

6/02/2022 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
10/02 – Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
12/02 – Rockhal, Luxembourg
15/02 – Towar Hall, Warsaw, Poland
19/02 – Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
21/02 – Le Zenith, Paris, France
24/02 – Halle 622, Zurich, Switzerland
26/02 – Verti Music Hall, Berlin, Germany
28/02 – Mala Sportovini Hala, Prague, Czech Republic

1/03 – Barba Negra, Budapest, Hungary
3/03 – AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
7/03 – Stereo Plaza, Kiev, Ukraine
9/03 – Stadium Love, Moscow, Russia
11/03 – Tinkoff Arena, St Petersburg, Russia
13/03 – Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
14/03 – Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia

Front-man Ian McCulloch has expressed his excitement at the announcement. The singer enthused, in an interview with the NME, that he could not wait to play their ‘magical songs‘ to their ‘brilliant fans‘. The tour includes dates at many iconic venues such as the The Roundhouse in London (12th May) and The Albert Hall in Manchester (31st May), as well as a homecoming show at the Liverpool Philharmonic (10th May). McCulloch emphasised that he wanted to ‘be out there with the band‘, on ‘all those stages in all those cities and towns‘, in order to make ‘lives happier‘.

Crocodiles, released in 1980, was Echo and the Bunnymen’s first album. It earned the band critical acclaim and commercial success, peaking at 17th in the UK album charts. The record contorts around themes of loneliness and despair, which mirrored a British society mired in a post-war unemployment high. McCulloch reflected this sentiment in the album’s headline track, Rescue, in which he admitted to being ‘jumbled up‘ and to feeling that things were ‘wrong‘. The British Phonographic Industry awarded a gold disc to the band in 1984 after the album sold 100,000 units.

McCulloch’s haunting vocals, coupled with the skull-shattering drums of Pete de Freitas, converted the band into central figures of the post punk renaissance, following the success of their debut. The post punk movement aimed to maintain the independence of punk rock, whilst moving beyond it’s raw sound by experimenting with different genres. It was Echo and the Bunnymen’s alternative tracks and subsequent position within this movement that framed their future achievements.

Their third and fourth albums, Porcupine (1983) and Ocean Rain (1984), increased their fame further and included the top-10 singles The Cutter and The Killing Moon. The band, having split-up in 1993 but reforming in 1996, continue to create and perform. They released their most recent album, named The Stars The Oceans and The Moon in 2018, and in 2019 they opened for The Doves at the Gunnersville festival. Their work stalks modern popular culture and has recently been heard in TV shows such as 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things and MisFits.

Echo and the Bunnymen boast a devout cult following and a sound coated in formative experimental rebellion. McCulloch’s eagerness to pay tribute to the record that kick-started a snarling 40 year musical journey ensures a string of shows that will drip in nostalgia, and serve as a reminder of the band’s existential talent.

View this post on Instagram

Pre-sale tickets for our May 2021 UK tour are available now from: http://gigst.rs/EATBpre We hope to see you there to celebrate 40 years of magical songs.

A post shared by Official Echo And The Bunnymen (@officialbunnymen) on Jun 24, 2020 at 2:00am PDT

Tour Dates:

07/05/2021  – Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield.
08/05 – Birmingham O2 Academy, Birmingham.
10/05 – Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool.
12/05 -London Roundhouse, London.
14/05 – Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge.
15/05 – Norwich UEA, Norwich.
16/05 – Northampton Derngate, Northampton.
18/05 – Leeds O2 Academy, Leeds.
19/05 – Bristol O2 Academy, Bristol.
21/05 – Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill On Sea.
22/05 – Bournemouth O2 Academy, Bournemouth.
23/05 – Cardiff St David’s Hall, Cardiff.
25/05 – Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow.
26/05– Gateshead Sage, Gateshead.
28/05 – Nottingham Rock City, Nottingham.
31/05 – Manchester Albert Hall, Manchester.