“Shame” is out 10/10.

Pre-save it here: https://t.co/hWgTWQeBeF pic.twitter.com/raTupS98Ea

— Lauren Mayberry (@laurenevemay) October 4, 2023

Mayberry announced initial details of her solo project back in July, promising that it would be an eclectic mix of emotions and musical styles. Now, Mayberry has had the chance to introduce fans to her new material after completing a tour in the United States, before hitting the road again in the UK and Europe.

Speaking to NME about taking the leap into the uncertain and often times nerve-wracking solo world, Mayberry said, “there’s always nervousness. For any front-person in a band, but especially a woman, as soon as you say the words ‘solo material’ people get very upset with you. I feel like every second sentence is, ‘I’m not breaking up the band, guys, however…’ But we’re lucky enough to have fans that care so much that they don’t want it to break up. I feel grateful, but I’m trying to be reassuring to them – ‘just give us a couple more years guys, it’s going to be fine’.”

Mayberry has stated that bringing her ideas and concepts to life as a solo artist has allowed her to explore female specific experiences that may not have been easy or a right fit for Chvrches. Sharing an artistic direction with two men in the band, Mayberry worried that her unique perspective on themes or directions would not necessarily resonate with them.

She added, “there are a lot of specific things about the female experience that won’t apply to Iain and Martin. Obviously they have been very supportive of some of that making its way into Chvrches’ music, but sometimes I don’t want to sing about certain things or perform in a certain way when I’m on stage with men – if that doesn’t sound terrible. They’re the nicest men, but sometimes it’s not a conversation that I’m comfortable having fully in that context.”

So far, Mayberry has been buoyed by the response that her new material has received from live audiences and, as her UK and European leg gets underway, she is hoping that the new songs continue to ring true for her scores of fans spread across the continent. As for Chvrches, the band is set to release a 10th anniversary edition of The Bones Of What You Believe later this month, although any imminent projects are not foreseen by Mayberry at this time.

Lauren Mayberry Tour:

06/10/2023 – )2 Institute 3 – Birmingham
08/10 – Gorilla – Manchester
09/10 – Scala – London
11/10 – Melkweg Oz – Amsterdam, Netherlands
12/10 – Lido – Berlin, Germany
13/10 – Strom – Munich, Germany
15/10 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France
16/10 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany
17/10 – Rock Cafe – Prague, Czech Republic
19/10 – Flex – Vienna, Austria
21/10 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland
22/10 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy
24/10 – La Nau – Barcelona, Spain
25/10 – Sala Capernico – Madrid, Spain

Appearing on Amazon Music’s +44 Podcast, Pinnock shared that, “Well, I mean, it’s definitely in the works. Yeah, to be honest, coming together quicker than I think anyone thought, which is good.” Listen to Leigh-Anne’s podcast episode here.

Pinnock released her debut solo single, “Don’t Say Love” back in June. Speaking on the influence behind the track, she said, “‘Don’t Say Love’ is about no longer seeking external validation and regaining my confidence and sense of self in a world where I often felt misunderstood and unheard. This video is a visual representation of me finding my voice. I’m excited to continue to do so with my first love, music.”

On the +44 Podcast, Pinnock discussed making the transition from being part of a successful girl group for over a decade to taking her first steps as a solo artist. She shared, “It’s incredible what Little Mix have done and what we’ve achieved, we’ve absolutely killed it. But now I am on my own and not all of the Little Mix fans are going to come along with me, I have to build a new fan base. Yeah, so I do feel like a new artist to some extent…”

Pinnock also shared, “It’s been a hard sort of transition. I remember, when we did ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ and when streaming started taking over and it really started coming in. I’m so old school, I’m trying to kind of get used to it I guess, but with social media and TikTok, that is such an important part of any campaign. We have to set time aside for that. Whereas before it’d be like oh, forget time, we’ll figure it out.”

Pinnock has also just released her second single, “My Love” featuring Ayra Starr which debuted at #32 on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs Chart.

Taking to Twitter, Leigh-Anne wrote, “I’m full of emotions but mainly EXCITED for you to finally listen and embrace me in my best self.”

My Love is finally YOURS! I’m full of emotions but mainly EXCITED for you to finally listen and embrace me in my best self. https://t.co/TXPHXwmFXf

I’m so thankful to everyone who made this song possible and a special thank you to @ayrastarr for jumping on this song. I cannot… pic.twitter.com/v5k11guloh

— Leigh-Anne (@LeighAnneMusic) September 7, 2023

Pinnock’s former band mates, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards have both shared their support for her solo career, but have made no mention of solo music of their own being forthcoming any time soon.  

Jade Thirlwall (@jadethirlwall) shows support to Leigh-Anne and her music video for her single ‘My Love’. “@LeighAnneMusic so unbelievably proud of you This is epic!! Shoutout to the director, editor and everyone involved in this video […] it’s a fucking masterpiece lol” pic.twitter.com/HYuwFdxTHc — Jade Thirlwall Updates. (@JTdailyupdates) September 10, 2023

Leigh-Anne duetted with Perrie’s TikTok dancing to Don’t Say Love pic.twitter.com/6Dn4kn33BO

— Little Mix Tea ☕️ (@TheLittleMixTea) June 21, 2023

Bruce Dickinson announces #TheMandrakeProject

Coming early 2024…#BruceDickinson #Album #Tour pic.twitter.com/6WNzzqj3b9

— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) September 21, 2023

The album will include collaborator Roy Z, a guitarist who has been apart of nearly every single solo album Dickinson has released since 1994’s Balls to Picasso

Not a lot more information has been released about the album however, with a tracklist or a lead single yet to be revealed.

In a press release Dickinson said: “This album has been a very personal journey for me and I am extremely proud of it, Roy Z and I have been planning, writing and recording it for years, and I am very excited for people to finally hear it. I’m even more excited at the prospect of getting out on the road with this amazing band that we have put together, to be able to bring it to life. We’re planning to play as many shows as we can in as many places as possible, for as many people as we can! As for what The Mandrake Project actually is… all will be revealed soon!”

Dickinson has announced a tour of Mexico and Brazil which begins in Guadalajara on April 18, 2024. No other dates have been announced, however it seems like Dickinson has plans to spread the tour across other regions, as he said: “I’m even more excited at the prospect of getting out on the road with this amazing band that we have put together, to be able to bring it to life, we’re planning to play as many shows as we can in as many places as possible, for as many people as we can!”

This will be Dickinson’s 7^th solo album overall since releasing his first, Tattooed Millionaire, in 1990.

Earlier this year, Dickinson had been recently touring spoken word poetry across Europe. He has also spent the year touring with Iron Maiden in support of their latest album Senjutsu, released two years ago in 2021 alongside celebrating 1986 Sci-fi inspired classic, Somewhere In Time.

Iron Maiden continue touring North America until early October, bring the tour to a close at the jam-packed Power Trip Festival in California. It can be assumed that more details regarding the album will be released sometime after the tour has commenced.

Conceived during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic and recorded at his home studio in New York, initial sessions for the solo project offered Clarke an opportunity to experiment with different textures and explore the more abstract, ambient aspects of electronic music.

As evidenced in his newly released lead single – “The Lamentations Of Jeremiah” - Clarke’s latest studio effort sees him tackle the Eurorack – a modular synthesiser format known for its limitless configurations. The first taster of what looks set to be a particularly somber record features composer Reed Hays performing a haunting cello line over ominous Eurorack-generated synth drones. 

Watch the official video for “The Lamentations Of Jeremiah”, directed by Ebru Yıldız, below:

“When I first heard the song, I felt like it contained a whole lifetime within itself,” says Ebru, whose pensive, black-and-white shots of Clarke in an old house portray a brooding musician in various states of contemplation. “All of the drama and peace, anxiousness and calmness, tension and hope, and everything in between. I wanted the visuals to feel like all those extremes as well.”

For the writing process of the album, Clarke followed two rules: firstly, each song would be composed using the Eurorack, and secondly, each track would stay within a single key, with one note pervading throughout. Adhering to these limitations helped the “Just Can’t Get Enough” hitmaker tap into a creative flow that eventually blossomed into a fully-fledged album.

“I could have gone on forever, I could have not stopped,” Clarke said of his creative process in a press statement. “I was enjoying the process so much and wasn’t thinking about anyone else hearing it. But hearing it develop in my studio, in my head, learning new tricks — that’s been the best thing about this. I was in a state of shock, actually, when Mute said they wanted to release this album.”

Songs Of Silence is out November 17 on Mute and available for pre-order here.

@NevilleStaple #FromTheSpecials @twforum @RoyalTunbridge @SugaryStaple
16 December 2021. A fun, stomping, singalong party show. Don’t miss it! pic.twitter.com/El3qZl2p7e

— From THE SPECIALS Neville Staple (@NevilleStaple) November 15, 2021

Neville Eugenton Staple is a Jamaican-born English singer and is known as a co-vocalist from the 2 tone Ska group The Specials, as well as group Fun Boy Three and for his group the Neville Staple Band. Staple’s musical journey began as a co-vocalist with the band The Specials originally called the Coventry Automatics who were formed in 1977.

Staple’s joined the band in 1978 and Tim Strickland (Vocalist and guitarist) was replaced, by vocalist Terri Hall.

The band lineup also included co-vocalsit Lynval Golding, who also also played the guitar, guitarist Roddy (Radiation) Byers, bassist Horace Panter, keyboardist Jerry Dammers, John Bradbury (Replaced drummer Silverton Hutchinson), as well as Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez both on horns.

The band are famed for their single “A Message to You Rudy” their 1980 UK number 1 single “Too Much Too Young” and single “Ghost Town” which also reached number 1 in the UK Official Charts.

The musician left the band in 2013 due to personal issues and ill health, he then kick started his solo career in 2014 with solo album Ska Crazy. The musicians follow up album Return of Judge Roughneck & Dub Specials was released in 2017 and his last album was Rude Rebels in 2018 with his wife Christine (Surgary) Staple and former bandmate Byers.

The musician is joined by his wife again for his new album. Staple’s revisits his musical career past on his new album and also teams up with reggae artist Clint Eastwood, actor Gary Shail, Derrick Morgan and founding Selector member Neol Davies for his new album From The Specials & Beyond. 

Staple’s said of his collaborators “The special guests were amazing to work with too, especially Derrick Morgan, one of my early inspirations” The musician also said “This is set to be a real ‘stand out’ one, that makes me proud of my career to date” The singer is set to release his new album The Specials & Beyond for his followers via Cleopatra Records, on December 10th and his followers can also enjoy seeing him perform at Tunbridge Wells on, December 16th.

See the tracklist for Neville Staple’s new album The Specials & Beyond below and pre-order the album here

Right from Wrong
Celebrate with You
Can’t Take No More
Don’t Let It Pass You By
Stand By Me
Something’s Wrong
Housewives Choice (Featuring Derrick Morgan)
Please Don’t Leave Me Lonely
What’s Really Going On (Featuring Gary Shail)
Miss Dis N Dat (DJ Mix) (Featuring Clint Eastwood)
Way of Life (Pandemic Mix) (Featuring Neol Davies)
World Turned Upside Down

See the details for Neville Staple’s upcoming concert date below and purchase tickets here

16/12/21 The Forum- Royal Tunbridge Wells- London

The legendary Black Sabbath vocalist is among a whole host of popular artists slated to have new releases coming within the next 6 months. Ozzy’s name appeared alongside the likes of A$AP Rocky, Adele, the Black Eyed Peas, Rick Ross and Travis Scott.

Sony Group Corporation is the over-arching parent company of Sony Music Entertainment and also Osbourne’s label, Epic. Some fans spotted something amongst the company’s document titled ‘Supplemental Information for the Consolidated Financial Results for the Second Quarter Ended September 30, 2021’.

A single line under the heading ‘Selected upcoming releases anticipated over the next six months’ states the name Ozzy Osbourne. Given the document is dated October 28, 2021, that would surely mean that the record should be set to hit our shelves by the end of April next year.

Osbourne’s previous full-length release was back in February 2020 with Ordinary Man. This was accompanied by the singles “Under The Graveyard”, “Straight To Hell” and “It’s A Raid” (featuring Post Malone). The record ended what was a ten-year hiatus from Osbourne’s solo endeavours. He has also released his latest single “Flying High Again” that could feature in the new album. You can hear the track below.

He recently told Metal Hammer that album 13 would be “similar in tone” to his previous album, but their will likely be differences as he also conceded that he “can’t describe it completely”. He then continued “I’ve not heard it for a while because it keeps going over to the next person to add their parts – we’re fucking around with it all the time.”

Osbourne later told Metal Hammer that he had 15 songs ready to go, declaring that his work on the album had “kept [him] alive”. These past two years, I’ve been in a terrible fucking state between the accident [a fall at home that left him seriously injured and then the pandemic. It’s kept me sane; I’ve needed the music.” 

Last December, Osbourne’s producer and guitarist Andrew Watt said he and his bandmates were “about halfway through” recording the new album. The new band, Watt explained, features Osbourne on vocals, himself on guitar and Robert Trujillo (Metallica) on bass, with Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) sharing drumming duties. The album also features other big names such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and as discussed in a previous MXDWN article Zakk Wylde.

The singer rose to fame with the band S Club 7 with Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett making up the band’s lineup.

The band was formed in 1998 and achieved chart success with a number 1 album 7 and four number 1 singles. The band are known for familiar singles “Don’t Stop Moving”, “Never Had a Dream Come True”, “Bring It All Back” and “Reach”.

The band was renamed S Club following the departure of Cattermole in 2002. The singer left the band in 2003 and launched her solo career in 2005 with the release of her debut single “What Hurts The Most” on September 26th 2005. The single reached number Number 13 in the UK Official Singles Charts.

The singer regrouped as S Club 3 with Cattermole and McIntosh in 2008 following the departure of band members Spearritt, Lee, Stevens and Barret thus placing her solo career on hold. 

The singer announced her departure from the band in 2020 and now wishes to concentrate solely on her solo career.

The singer’s new solo album is entitled With Love and is to be released by Metrophonic and their producers Brian Rawling, Paul Meehan and Kjetil Morland.

Watch video’s for singles “On The Surface” and “Missing You” from the album below:

The singer explained that her new solo album With Love is for her fans who have supported her over the years and stated, “I’ve made this album with all my love”.

The album has been described as highlighting the singer’s voice and feeling as if she is finally the singer that she wishes to be. The singer expressed that she is happy with the result of her new album and cannot wait for everyone to hear her new album.

See the free streaming service for Jo O’Meara’s new album With Love out tomorrow here and the tracklist below

I’ll Be There
On The Surface
Breathe In
Closer
I Hope You Dance
Lay Your Hurt On Me
Pieces
Sweet Surrender
Missing You
Relentless (Unplugged)
Heaven
Don’t Stop Moving (Unplugged)

#1 https://t.co/H7nq236i9B

— Jo O’Meara (@joomeara) August 26, 2021

 

 

When asked about the album Thorpe, stated that’s its main theme revolved around “the meeting point between science and religion, the grand struggle for reality that shapes so much of our time.” and he went on to say “What about nature? What about the cosmos? What about all these things that break through the tyranny of the self? Our sense organs bring the world inside of us after all, I just had to sing it back out. I was enchanted again with the mystery of science and how I might speak from the heart in an age where metric is gospel.”

This latest record has been previewed by a music video directed by Tom Haines for the first rather cosmic single ‘The Universe Is Always Right’.
The Cumbrian born singer/songwriter will showcase his new album with two live UK dates in October of this year. Thorpe will play in his hometown of Kendal at the Brewery Arts Centre on October 9, before coming to Chat’s Palace in London for the release date of the LP on October 15. These shows will then be followed up by a now rescheduled UK and European tour in support of Jon Hopkins.

The album as will be appreciated by environmentalists can be pre-ordered on climate-conscious, plastic-free vinyl here.

‘Moondust For My Diamond’ Tracklist:

1. Material World
2. The Universe Is Always Right
3. No Such Thing
4. Parallel Kingdom
5. Golden Ratio
6. Metafeeling
7. Supersensual
8. Hotel November Tango
9. Rational Heartache
10. Spherical Time II
11. Suspended Animation
12. Runaway World

Burgess announced Ascent Of The Ascended yesterday (September 23), with the premiere of new song, and second track on the EP, ‘Yours. To Be’ on Lauren Laverne’s Radio 6 show. Ascent Of The Ascended will be out via Bella Union (Burgess’ label since I Love The New Sky) on November 27. You can listen to ‘Yours. To Be’ below.

When asked to describe his newest song, Burgess explained, “It’s all about making the most of moments as they are happening. At the tail end of the glory of the night before – with all the hope and beauty that the following morning brings. Away from the glare of the party – like the calm after the storm has left town.” 

In addition to the new single, we can expect one other new offering from Burgess, title track ‘The Ascent Of The Ascended’. In addition, there are four tracks recorded live in New York for a session with Paste Magazine, back in March. Three of these are from I Love The New Sky, including the album’s second single ‘Laurie’ which – in my view – is a great example of a perfectly formed song. Burgess has also rerecorded the Charlatans classic ‘The Only One I Know’, the baggy single which changed everything for a young Madchester band.

In a press release, Burgess spoke the electricity of his time in the studio, and how I Love The New Sky spilled over into an additional EP – even though the album released earlier this year sounds like Burgess threw everything he had at one, idiosyncratic, multifaceted full length LP. “There was an energy that came from recording the album with such a brilliant band – I didn’t want it to end, I wanted to record a bit of a magnum opus, which is where Ascent of the Ascended came in.

“I’d always wanted to work with Charles Hayward from This Heat, so we have him a ring and he said yeah. With “Yours. To Be” being almost like an instant feeling you get in a moment, very rarely in your life – the two songs are so different but they somehow complement each other. So an EP was the perfect idea.”

pic.twitter.com/rdVDmsIZPH

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) September 23, 2020

Listing all of the projects that Burgess has hinted at recently would take longer than we’ve got. He is at the very core of a number of initiatives that have worked to keep people united through music during a period of self-isolation. A little later, Burgess lent his energy to a number of projects to save the music industry itself from the effects of lockdown; notably, he was behind the campaign to save Manchester’s venues, Gorilla and Deaf Institute.

There are still Listening Parties every night of the week – the number recently surpassed 450. Burgess has been hinting at “Gorilla TV“, but for now, the particular details are a tantalising secret. He is involved in the Soho Radio Raffle; he performed a straight-to-vinyl session there recently, and its up for grabs as a raffle prize. Eventually, you’ll be able to catch him live – see here for more details. Ultimately, Burgess is living and breathing music every day – and his commitment is infectious.

Ascent Of The Ascended tracklist:

1. ‘The Ascent Of The Ascended’
2. ‘Yours. To Be’
3. ‘Laurie’ (Paste Session)
4. ‘The Mall’ (Paste Session)
5. ‘The Only One I Know’ (Paste Session)
6. ‘Undertow’ (Paste Session)

In an announcement on her Instagram page Williams has said that her dates will be performed in 2021. The tour was following her recent release of her first solo project “Petals for Amor 1”.

View this post on Instagram

posting this tour postponement announcement to the feed. im very sorry we wont see each other in real life soon. eventually, though

A post shared by hayley williams (@yelyahwilliams) on Apr 28, 2020 at 5:21pm PDT

This is due to be her first album away from her more well known project of Paramore, they announced that the band would be on a hiatus while Williams needed time away from touring to focus on her solo material. She has since released two EPs and plans to release her debut solo album in May of this year. Listen to single ‘Dead Horse’ below;

This comes as no surprise to her fans as multiple music artists across the world have been announcing the postponing of their tours. While this does mean they will not be able to see her this year, they will be able to next.

Though they may not be able to see Williams perform, they are still looking forward to getting to listen to her album later this year. This will provide something for them to look forward to as they will be looking forward to hearing a continuation of the direction she has been moving in.

Though these are Hard Times Williams fans will be glad to know she is no longer “in the business of misery” and is still on course to release and perform, though it may be at a later date.