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The show’s opening act first rose to fame with the release of their debut album, Crocodiles. The album was released in 1980 to widespread acclaim and soared into the top 20 on the UK album charts. After the release of their second album Heaven Up Here, the band attained cult fame and secured their place as one of rock’s most beloved bands. The group’s most recent album was released in 2018, The Stars, the Oceans & The Moon, contains reimagined orchestral versions of past material as well as two new songs.

After several line-up changes, the group now consists of founding members Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant. Also set to take the stage in Liverpool are the group’s touring musicians Jez Wing, Kelley Stoltz and Stephen Brannan. Speaking on the group’s forthcoming hometown show, McCulloch has given the following statement, “Two dreams in one – there’s nothing like The Rolling Stones, and there’s nowhere like Anfield.”

The singer continued to express his excitement to open for The Rolling Stones, “I can’t explain how unbelievably happy and proud I am that my band Echo And The Bunnymen are going to be opening up for The Rolling Stones, THE Greatest Rock Roll band in the history of time, at Anfield, the Shrine of Life and football…The Rolling Stones!!! And at Anfield!!! I feel honoured and blessed… Thank you God.”

The Rolling Stones also discussed the Liverpool show, saying, “It’s great to have Echo And The Bunnymen join us as special guests in their home city. We can’t wait to be back on stage in Liverpool! Roll on the summer!” In the statement, the band also expressed their joy to return to the road for their upcoming anniversary tour, the scheduled thirteen shows will be held to celebrate sixty years of the band and their genre defining music.

A statement on the band’s website also describes the importance behind the  “Paint It Back” hitmaker’s tour, “The Stones just keep on rolling! We are thrilled to announce the Rolling Stones 2022 Tour! Titled SIXTY to celebrate 60 special years together – Mick, Keith and Ronnie will be playing dates across Europe this summer, including two shows at London’s BST Hyde Park.”

The tour will kick start with string of European performances; the band are scheduled to begin the tour with a set in Madrid on the 1st of June 2022. The Rolling Stones will then perform in Munich before returning to the UK for their Liverpool performance with Echo & The Bunnymen. On 17th June 2022, the group will return to Europe to perform at Amsterdam, Bern and Millan. Following their three European dates, the band will come home to London to perform at this year’s American Express Presents BST, the rockers will take the Hyde Park stage on 25^th June and 3^rd July 2022. The group will conclude the tour with five more European performances in Brussels, Vienna, Lyon, Paris, Gelsenkirchen and Stockholm.

The Rolling Stones Sixty UK tour dates

09/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
25/06 – American Express Presents BST Hyde Park – London
03/07 – American Express Presents BST Hyde Park – London

Click here to purchase tickets.

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The genre defining group has been a staple of modern music since their formation in the early 2000s, after several line-up changes, the band have continued to pioneer experimental rock music. The group’s current line-up consists of founding member and lead vocalist Win Butler, original member and multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Hara. The band’s enduring legacy is often equated to the uniquely musically talented band members.

We is the group’s sixth studio album and was released on 6th May 2022 via Columbia Records, the album is the last full release to feature former member Will Butler who left the group last year. Members Butler and Chassagne co-produced the release with English engineer and producer Nigel Godrich, known for his work within the rock world, Godrich has worked with some of the genre’s biggest names including Radiohead, Beck and Pavement. So far the album has sired two singles, “The Lightning, I II” was the first track to be released and “Unconditional  I (Lookout Kid)” was released on 27th April 2022.

Elsewhere within the charts, pop singer Sigrid has also garnered great career success. The singer’s second studio album debuted at number two within the UK charts, How To Let Go was released on 6th May 2022 via Island Records. The album has sired four singles including “Bad Life”, the singer’s collaborative release with Bring Me the Horizon. The Norwegian singer’s debut album was released in 2019, Sucker Punch was a critical success and reached number four within the UK album charts. The 25-year-old singer spoke to Officialcharts.com concerning her chart placement, “I actually can’t believe it. I beat myself, and I couldn’t be prouder! Thank you so so much to everyone listening to the album, it really means the world to me and the rest of the team.”

Late last month, Arcade Fire made headlines when they performed in the UK to re-open Camden’s iconic venue KOKO. On 29th April 2022 the beloved live music venue re-opened its doors to a resounding roar of relief, the historic building closed temporally for a restoration project worth over £70 million. Music fans felt that it appropriate that musical giants Arcade Fire would Christian the venue’s rebirth, the gig also marked the band’s first UK show in over a decade.

 

 

 

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The band excited fans everywhere when they announced the dates for their global tour, The We Tour kicks off on 29th July 2022 with a set in Montreal. The group’s worldwide concert series comes to Ireland on 30th August and continues into the UK with a set at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on 2nd September 2022. Tickets are available to purchase now and have been selling out first after the band confirmed the addition of a second show in Dublin.

Arcade Fire We Tour UK dates

30/08/2022 – 3Arena – Ireland
31/08 – 3Arena – Ireland
02/09 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
03/09 – AO Arena – Manchester
05/09 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
08/09 – The O2 – London

Click here for tickets.

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The iconic group are offering a unique ticketing process for fans; ticketholders will be able to obtain a proof of attendance NFT which will not only act as a traditional ticket but will also include other elements. Included within the NFT is a special experience with exclusive offers and gifts. Ticketholders will also be given album artwork from the band’s 2021 release Future Past.

A press release has given the following statement, “These highly collectable NFTs will be limited to 1,400 a night, and each show will feature a different artwork from the FUTURE PAST collection. The initiative is being powered by specialist blockchain community builders, Cub3, who will not only mint the NFTs, but can also hold them in individual wallets for those fans who have yet to have their own. After the shows, the NFTs will be tradable on Cub3’s bespoke platform should fans desire.”

The statement continues to describe the band’s experience with their previous “ground-breaking” NFT rollout which included “limited-edition collection of works that had been created by their collaborative AI partner, Huxley, and connected them on the blockchain to living trees in a newly planted micro-forest in New Zealand.”

The group released their fifteenth studio album last year. Future Past dropped on 22nd October 2021 and was the band’s first full release since the 2015 album Paper Gods. Released via BMG, the group co-produced the album with Italian composer Giorgio Moroder, Erol Alkan and multi-talented artist Mark Ronson. The album sired six singles with the first single “Invisible” released on 19th May 2021. “Laughing Boy” was the album’s last single and was released on 9th February 2022.

The album featured various collaborations with the following artists Tove Lo, famed pianist Mike Garson, Japanese rock band Chai, Ivorian Doll and fellow music legend Graham Coxon. The Blur band member can be heard within the tracks “All Of You”, “Give It All Up” featuring Tove Lo, “Anniversary”, “Future Past”, “Wing” and “More Joy! (featuring Chai)”.  A third of tacks featuring Coxon were released as singles, “Give It All Up” featuring Tove Lo was made available on 20th October 2021 and “Anniversary” was released on 31st August 2021.

General Tickets for the group’s tour went on sale today at 10 am, and members of the group’s VIP community were given pre-sale access on Wednesday 20th April 2022 at 9 am. Pre- sale tickets via LiveNation and for the band’s upcoming O2 shows are on sale now, click here to purchase tickets

Duran Duran UK tour dates

21/05/2022 – O2 Academy – Leicester
22/05 – 02 Academy – Leicester
12/06 – St Annes Park – Dublin
17/06 – Castle Howard – York
01/07 – Lytham Festival – Lytham Saint Annes
02/07 – Caledonia Stadium – Iverness
05/07 – The Piece Hall – Halifax
10/07 – BST Hyde Park – London

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The group is a collaboration between Converge members and long-term musical partners; the supergroup was birthed in 2016 at the Dutch event Roadburn Festival. The members played as a seven-piece and performed a set full of revised Converge songs. The band’s performance was met with a surge of positive feedback; inspired by the applause, they decided to expand upon the Bloodmoon partnership.

The American supergroup consists of Converge band members vocalist Jacob Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. Joining the quartet are American singer and musician Chelsea Wolfe, former Converge member and Cave In vocalist Stephen Brodsky and Wolfe’s long term collaborator Ben Chisholm.

The collective recently released the album Bloodmoon: 1 on 19th November 2021 via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc. The album was received with great critical acclaim and was highly ranked within the genre’s publications. Through the album’s initial release, the record was made available on CD and digital formats, the album will be available to own on Vinyl from 24th June 2022 and a second pressing on wax is set to be released this December.

A press release has provided the following description of the album, “Bloodmoon: I is a harrowing and atmospheric collaborative effort that sees each performer working together and outside the comfort zones in order to create something that is truly unique to the project.” So far the album has sired two singles, the title track “Blood Moon” was released on 27th September 2021 and “Coil” was released on 3rd November 2021.

Although the album is the collective’s first full release, Bloodmoon: 1 marks Converge’s tenth studio album and is their first release in four years. The band’s ninth studio album, The Dusk In Us, was released on 3rd November 2017 and also attracted rave reviews from various publications. The American rockers are no stranger to critical success and accolades, receiving nominations for the Heavy Music Awards and numerous Boston Music Awards wins. Throughout their thirty-one-year long career, the group have produced a lengthy back catalogue of respected music within the heavy metal and hardcore genres.

Tickets for the group’s upcoming tour go on sale on Monday 14th March 2022 at 10 am UK time, more information concerning tickets can be found here.

Converge Blood Moon UK tour dates

28/06/2022 – Alexandra Palace – London
29/06 – Albert Hall – Manchester

Photo Credit: Emily Birds/Press Release

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The upcoming 2022 tour is in support of the band’s forthcoming eighth studio album entitled Never Let Me Go, which is set to be released on the 25h March 2022 via Rise Records. The thirteen-track album marks the group’s first full release in over nine years, with the duo’s last album Loud Like Love having been released in 2013. The album sired great commercial success and reached number thirteen within the UK album charts, Loud Like Love was the last album to feature former drummer Steve Forrest.

A press release for the upcoming new album provides the following statement, stating Never Let Me Go, “grapples with humanity’s multiple crises, from “Beautiful James,” a stirring anthem for non-heteronormative relationships, to “Surrounded By Spies,” an observation on tech-saturation, “Try Better Next Time,” a track that is both a statement on climate calamity and a poetic hope for the future, and the final preview of the album: “Happy Birthday In The Sky,” a moving ode to those who are no longer with us.”

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Frontman Molko discusses the influences and process taken to produce the group’s new album, “I wanted to capture the confusion of what it’s like to be alive today the feeling of being lost, always walking in a labyrinth, continuously being overwhelmed by information and opinions.”

Placebo first rose to fame in the 1990’s with their debut release, the self-titled album was released on 17th June 1996 and garnered great commercial and critical acclaim. The band’s alternative sound ensured the album’s success and in turn, Placebo became one of the era’s most defining groups, topics and themes heard within the group’s lyrics further cemented their importance within pop culture. The debut album’s most successful single, “Nancy Boy”, was the group’s breakthrough single and is now a crucial element within the era and genre’s musical cannon. The track’s lyrical content of drugs and sexuality were deemed trailblazing during the 1990s and paved the way for modern acts to sing openly about such topics.

Pre-order sales for Never Let Me Go are now available, fans will be able to purchase the album via multiple digital platforms as well as various physical formats. Placebo’s new release is available on Limited edition 2LP red vinyl, a web exclusive pink 2LP vinyl and a standard black 2LP vinyl. Music fans will also be able to purchase the upcoming album on caseate in a wide variety of limited-edition colours.

Placebo UK tour dates

18/11/2022 – Guildhall – Portsmouth
19/11 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
21/11 – Eventim Olympia – Liverpool
22/11 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
24/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
26/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
27/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
29/11 – De Montford Hall – Leicester
30/11 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds
02/12 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
03/12 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow
05/12 – 3 Arena – Dublin
07/12 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
08/12 – O2 Academy 1 – Birmingham

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to pre-order Never Let Me Go.

Photo Credit: Mads Perch

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Although the group have confirmed a hiatus, they insist that this is not a breakup and that new music and tours are on the horizon. The band recently became a trio after the departure of ex-bandmate Jesy Nelson. Since Nelson’s departure at the end of last year, Little Mix has consisted of members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards.

The group were formed in 2011 with four members via the music competition TV show X Factor. Since their formation the band have charted in the top ten at least once a year and have become one of the world’s most successful girl groups. Their debut single “Cannonball” was released on 11th December 2011 and became the group’s first number one single. The band’s debut album DNA was released on 16th November 2012 and sired their second number one single “Wings“.

The “Black Magic” singers will start their break once their Confetti tour has concluded. The tour will see the trio play thirty-five shows across the UK including many sold-out dates. The tour is set to begin on 9th April 2022 with a sold-out performance in Belfast. The Confetti tour will conclude also with a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena. The string of live dates marks the group’s seventh concert tour and marks their first without Nelson. The UK tour is in support of their sixth studio album Confetti, the album was released on 6th November 2020 via RCA Records and was the last album to feature Nelson.

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat spoke with fans of Little Mix to gauge how the news had been received. Ashton Braithwaite has been a long-standing fan since their genesis a decade ago. When giving his view, Braithwaite expressed support for the group, “I think most of us saw it coming anyway. Ever since Jesy left, we thought this would be the route that they took.”

Newsbeat also spoke with Kirsty Hillitt who voted for the group during their formative time on the music competition show, X-Factor. She also expressed an understanding viewpoint concerning the announced hiatus, “I’m so, so gutted really. I love their music and I’m gutted we won’t be hearing it from a while, But coming from a personal level, I can completely understand the girls needing to recharge, they’ve grown so much in the last 10 years. They’ve got to have a dabble at other things.”

The “Shout Out To My Ex” singers recently released their first official greatest hits album. Between Us was released on 12th November 2021 via RCA Records, the album aimed to celebrate the group’s decade of success and hits. Along with their back catalogue the release also featured four new tracks, “No”, “Between Us”, “Love (Sweet Love)” and “Cut You Off”. Also, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, the band were immortalised in London’s Madame Tussauds. The singers’ waxworks were unveiled on 28th July 2021 and included all members of the band’s original line-up.

Little Mix UK tour

09/04/2022 – SSE Arena – Belfast
10/04 – SSE Arena – Belfast
12/04 – 3 Arena – Dublin
13/04 – 3 Arena – Dublin
15/04 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle
16/04 – Utilita Arena (Matinee Show) – Newcastle
16/04 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle
18/04 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
19/04 – Flydsa Arena – Sheffield
21/04 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
22/04 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
23/04 – Resorts World Arena (Matinee Show) – Birmingham
23/04 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
26/04 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
27/04 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
28/04 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
30/04 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
02/05 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
03/05 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
0405 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
06/05 – AO Arena – Manchester
07/05 – AO Arena (Matinee Show) – Manchester
07/05 – AO Arena – Manchester
09/05 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
10/05 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
12/05 – The O2 – London
13/05 – The O2 – London
14/05 – The O2 – London

Click here to purchase tickets.

After a previous tease from Bastille on social media, the band announced the new upcoming album last week (19th October). They also shared a futuristic new video for the single “No Bad Days”, directed by frontman Dan Smith.

The track lyrics are full of references to video games, science fiction, films and literature. The new video shows Smith in a lab trying to bring his loved one back to the living, using technology. We can see references here to classic movies like ‘Ex Machina‘ or ‘The Matrix‘. The video is Smiths debut, he said: “It’s really satisfying to have finally directed, and I’m really proud of the little film we made. I grew up with film as my main obsession, so this was a bit of a dream. I learned a shitload and it was good to be challenged in a new way”. You can watch the video below.

The group described the upcoming release as a “tribute to humanity in the age of technology, and living through times that can feel like science fiction“.  Smith commented: “Working on these songs in such an apocalyptic period, with everyone stuck at home, glued to screens, fed into the feeling that what is real and what is not has become pretty difficult to discern sometimes.”

“We’re in the age of deep fake, fake news and lying world leaders. But online, you can be anyone. What that does to our sense of self and to our relationships is huge and it’s fascinating,” he added. You can pre-order the album here.

Bastille will hit the road in April next year. Play a few shows in Brussells and Amsterdam before heading to the UK. The band showed their pre touring excitement by saying: “After everything that’s happened over the last couple of years, we’re buzzing to play for everyone at these brilliant venues and can’t wait to have some fun back on the road again… here’s to gigging in 2022.“

Pre-sale tickets will be available from 2nd November at 9 am, and the main sale will launch on 5th November here. 

Bastille ‘Give Me The Future’ Tour dates are as follow:

03/04/22 – Forest National – Brussels – BE
05/04 – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam – NL

07/04 – The O2 Arena – London
8/04 – AO Arena – Manchester
10/04 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
13/04 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
14/04 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
15/04 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
17/04 – Plymouth Pavilions
18/04 – Brighton Centre