Travis Scott fans throw ‘Utopia’ party at Egypt Pyramids despite cancelled show


Fans of Travis Scott threw a release party for his new album ‘Utopia‘ at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt this weekend, despite plans for a concert at the historic site being cancelled.

Earlier this month, the rapper announced a special launch show and livestream at the Pyramids, which was due to take place Friday (July 28), for his fourth album ‘Utopia’.

The show was then cancelled two days before due to “complex production issues”, as confirmed by Live Nation Middle East on social media.

“Unfortunately, despite highest efforts, complex production issues meant that the show could not be constructed in the desert. We understand that this news is disappointing and not the outcome any of us desired,” Live Nation wrote.

Scott later said that he still intends to perform at the pyramids, but at a later date.

“Egypt at the pyramids will happen But due to demand and detail logistics They just need a bit a time to set lay on lands,” the rapper said in a tweet.

Despite plans for the concert being put on hold, some fans still turned up to celebrate the new album’s release at the Pyramids of Giza.

Footage circulating on social media shows fans rapping the lyrics to ‘No Bystanders’ from Scott’s 2018 album ‘Astroworld‘.

The cancellation came as the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate appeared to announce earlier this month that the show would no longer go ahead due to safety concerns and “peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions.”

Live Nation then issued a statement refuting the claims, saying: “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false.”

In a three-star review of ‘Utopia’, NME described the album, as a “lofty concept” that’s “shakily executed”, adding: “The Houston rapper’s first album since 2018 teases a brave new sonic world, but has little to say about what might happen if we get there.”

The new album’s credits feature Beyoncé, SZA, Kanye West, Daft Punk‘s Guy-Manuel and more.





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Greta Gerwig reveals how she got Ryan Gosling to sing on the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack


Barbie director Greta Gerwig has revealed how she got Ryan Gosling to perform a track for the film’s soundtrack.

The director was speaking as part of a new interview with Rolling Stone when she reflected on the song ‘I’m Just Ken’ – a track from the film performed by the leading actor.

In the discussion, she admitted that she initially believed that he would have been reluctant to perform the song, and therefore took a very specific approach to convincing him to do it.

“He has a beautiful voice, and he’s a beautiful dancer. We kind of got there organically. I think if I had said, “I want you to sing and dance in this movie,” he would not have necessarily done that for me,” she began.

“But it was kind of that thing of boiling a lobster. I think by the time he was singing and dancing, he didn’t even totally know how we had gotten there,” she added. “But he’s so fabulous at it.”

She also shed light on the inspiration behind the track, and how songwriters Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt wanted ‘I’m Just Ken’ to draw similarities to artists such as Meat Loaf.

“Mark Ronson talked a lot about glam-rock and Meat Loaf and the drama of that kind of song. And then Mark and his songwriting partner Andrew Wyatt wrote ‘I’m Just Ken’. They didn’t even have all the lyrics. They just had a feeling and the skeleton and the lyric “I’m just Ken” and it just evolved from there,” she said.

“Because I was born in ’83 and going to movies in the Nineties, I wanted to create a moment that felt like those movies from the Nineties, when they had soundtracks to movies that ended up at Costco.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she also admitted that Gosling was the only actor she had in mind for the role of Ken, and that both she and lead actress Margot Robbie refused to “take no for an answer”.

“From the moment that Margot came to me and I knew we were making this for Margot, I equally knew we were making this for Ryan,” she said. “And I did not know Ryan at all. I’d never met him. I just was sure, and as soon as I thought of it, it made me so happy. Who else could do this? It’s some combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Guns N’ Roses icon Slash also appeared alongside Gosling on ‘I’m Just Ken’, and provided the blistering guitar track that sits behind the actor’s vocals.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling during the opening dance scene in ‘Barbie’. CREDIT: Warner Bros

Other artists featured in the star-studded soundtrack include Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Charlie XCX, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, and Dua Lipa.

In other Ryan Gosling news, the actor publicly gifted a guitar from the movie to BTS’ Jimin, after he “copied” one of his outfits.

“Hi Jimin, it’s Ryan Gosling here. I notice that your ‘Permission to Dance’ outfit is the same as my Ken outfit in the upcoming movie, Barbie. I have to give it to you — you wore it first… You definitely wore it best,” he said.

“There’s an unspoken Ken code that if you bite another Ken’s style, you have to give them your most prized possession. I hope you’ll accept Ken’s guitar as my humble offering.”





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Hinds announce departure of drummer and bassist


Hinds have announced the departure of bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen.

The Spanish indie band made the announcement in a social media post last week, sharing that Martín and Grimbergen had “decided to leave the band” back in December, and that they were “sorry we haven’t been able to let you know until now”.

Founding members Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote also said they planned to continue as a duo.

“You might feel as heartbroken as we felt, but luckily music has the power to heal an aching soul,” they wrote. “We’ve been through something very hurtful but we’re gonna carry on: we believe in Hinds more than anything in the world. If you’re in, we are in.”

A joint statement from Martín and Grimbergen shared on the band’s social media read: “After a lot of thought, we’ve realised that continuing with the band isn’t something that makes sense for us any more. Looking back at these 9 years, playing our songs on stages around the world and sharing all of that with you, makes the decision of leaving those amazing times behind, the most difficult of our lives.”

It continued: “At the same time we’re excited about what’s next. We’re excited about having new experiences with new and different projects. We’re excited about this new chapter in our lives.”

They went on to thank their former bandmates, crew members, labels, managers and more from throughout their time as a band.

“We’re gonna miss you, but we’ll be around,” they concluded the post.

In a follow-up post shared yesterday (July 30), the band thanked fans for the “love and kindness” they’d received. “Y’all have been so positive it has felt like a hug to our hearts.”

They continued: “We have made peace with things happening that we can’t control, with accepting the resources we have, trusting music and songwriting. almostthere.”

Back in 2020, Hinds spoke to NME about the importance of women learning to play musical instruments, and creating their own tutorials to support this.

“I think a big reason for girls not starting [to learn] instruments or starting bands is that they feel stupid. It’s like, ‘Ooh – I’m too far behind,” Perrote said. “I’m not going to start now because all my friends are the fucking best already.’ I think it’s really cool that we explained the easier stuff as well as the harder stuff. I think it would be useful if I was watching it when I was 13.”

Their last album, 2020’s ‘The Prettiest Curse’, was awarded four stars by NME, writing that the record saw them “embrace pop with confidence”. It continued: “Album three sees the band sing in Spanish for the first time and ditch their tried-and-tested musical formula. The experiment has paid off.”





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Disturbed’s pyro set offs sprinkler system during Houston concert


Disturbed found themselves drenched towards the end of their recent concert in Houston, Texas, after accidentally setting off the sprinkler system at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

  • READ MORE: Disturbed – ‘Evolution’ review

The band took to social media following their July 28 to share a video of their closing song ‘Inside The Fire’ as the sprinkler system rained down on them. “Our #TakeBackYourLifeTour was too hot to handle in Houston. Let’s hear it for the sprinkler system,” the band quipped.

Frontman David Draiman wrote on his personal social media account: “Well, last night in Houston was a first! Our pyro set off the fire suppression system onstage at the end of the set for a surprise rain shower onstage lol.”

In a fan-shot video, the band can be seen performing ‘Inside The Fire’ to close out their set, with extensive pyro set off above them. In the middle of the performance, the venue’s sprinkler system was set off, extinguishing the flames and soaking the band.

Watch the moment below.

Disturbed are currently touring North America as part of their ‘Take Back Your Life’ tour, which will wrap up in September. The tour is in support of their December 2022 album, ‘Divisive’.

In May, David Draiman revealed that he had a tumour in his arm removed. “Doing a bunch of press today, zoom stuff, so this is going to get out anyway,” he wrote on May 31. “I had a tumour removed from my rt radius last week. It had been keeping me up nights. Should have biopsy results tomorrow. Thoughts, prayers, positive energy all welcome.”

The following day, he shared an update that the tumour was benign and that he would be back on the road again shortly after.

Most recently, Draiman condemned Roger Waters during a recent concert in Tel Aviv, where he also performed the Isreali national anthem ‘Hatikva’. “Fuck Roger Waters and all the rest of his BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] nazi assholes — every last single one of them. We don’t need that shit. We’ve survived worse than them and we will continue surviving worse than them,” Draiman said.





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Listen to The Pretenders’ melodic new single ‘The Love’


The Pretenders have shared a brand new single – listen to ‘The Love’ below.

  • READ MORE: Chrissie Hynde: “People die of loneliness – it’s an epidemic”

The track is the latest song to be released from the band’s upcoming album ‘Relentless’, which is due out on September 15 via Parlophone.

“I suppose that’s the most traditionally Pretenders-sounding song on the album, in
the vein of ‘Kid’ or ‘Talk of the Town’ or any of the mid tempo ones over the years,” Chrissie Hynde said of the new track in a statement.

“I often see love / relationships almost in the same vein as drug addiction. Although,
having said that, I know I am jaded, and cynical… ‘The Buzz’ on Hate for Sale visited
the same theme.”

Listen to ‘The Love’ below.

‘Relentless’ was first previewed earlier this summer by the track ‘Let The Sun Come In’. The upcoming release will mark the band’s 12th full-length LP, and follows on from their 2020 album ‘Hate For Sale’.

According to the members, the album is set to represent a snapshot of where the band are in 2023, and arrive with the same “impulsiveness” and “attitude” that they captured in previous fan-favourites, including ‘I’ll Stand By You’ and ‘Back On The Chain Gang’.

“I liked the definition: ‘showing no abatement of intensity,’” said Chrissie Hynde of the meaning behind the title. “It’s the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless.”

One of these surprises on ‘Relentless’ will come in the form of a long-awaited collaboration between the band and esteemed composer Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile) — appearing as the album’s closing track ‘I Think About You Daily’. Check out the full tracklist below, as well as the first nostalgic single to be shared, ‘Let The Sun Come In’. Pre-order ‘Relentless’ here.

Earlier this summer, the band played Glastonbury’s Park Stage and were joined by The Smiths legend Johnny Marr and Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl.





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Jungle share unique, interactive video for ‘Back On 74’


Jungle have shared a new track called ‘Back On 74’, along with a unique, interactive music video – watch it below.

The pop duo will release new album ‘Volcano’ on August 11, and it was first previewed by the single ‘Candle Flame’.

The ‘Back On 74’ video is touted as a ‘music video art gallery’, with an ever-changing range of 10,000 images changing on each view.

When viewing the video – created with WeTransfer – fans are able to download any of the images, with another then automatically taking its place for others to see.

Watch the video here.

Jungle. CREDIT: Press.

“I think for Jungle, it’s actually really the most honest record we’ve made,” the band’s J Lloyd told NME of ‘Volcano’.

“In my head, I see us as like Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers – that sort of duo that makes electronic music. But we’ve always had this soul side and this love for soul music, so it’s always been a little bit more song-based. The new record is just an extension of that journey.”

Jungle will also play a huge London show for this year’s All Points East festival in Victoria Park. The duo play Victoria Park on Saturday, August 26, with Erykah Badu, Folamour, BADBADNOTGOOD, 070 Shake, Tobe Nwigwe, Charlotte Day Wilson, Lil Silva, Ragz Originale and Pretty Girl also on the line-up. You can find tickets here.

The band will also head out on a major North American and European headline tour later this year. Tickets are on sale here.





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Metallica’s Lars Ulrich writes foreword for new edition of Hunter S Thompson’s ‘Screwjack’


Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has written the foreword for a new edition of Hunter S Thompson’s book Screwjack.

The collection of short stories were originally printed in 1991, and have just received a brand new edition.

Announcing his introduction to the book, Ulrich wrote on Instagram: “Beyond psyched to have had the opportunity to write an introduction for the latest edition of Hunter S. Thompson’s ’91 collection of short stories, Screwjack.

“Reading these stories remind me what a treasure — and mindfuck — Hunter S. Thompson’s immortal words continue to be.”

He added: “Check it out if you like things wild, salacious and unsettling.”

Elsewhere, last month Metallica dropped a new live EP titled ‘The Amsterdam Sessions’. The four-track EP, recorded in April at Ready Set Studios in Amsterdam, consists of ’72 Seasons’ cuts ‘Lux Æterna’ and ‘If Darkness Had A Son’, alongside classics ‘Master Of Puppets’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters’.

Metallica most recently released their 11th studio album ’72 Seasons’ in April via their own label, Blackened. The record scored a four-star review from NME, with Kevin EG Perry writing: “For young fans just now learning the joys of heavy rock – perhaps lured in by the appearance of this band’s 1986 classic ‘Master of Puppets’ on Netflix megahit Stranger Things last year – this new record will be a fitting gateway drug. For everyone else there’s simply the reassuring thrill that, after so many decades on stage, Metallica are still capable of delivering sharp, spiky metal – and sticking it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

The band wrapped up their ongoing European tour this July, and will then embark on an extensive US tour from August until November. Metallica will next kickoff their second European leg of the ’72 Seasons’ tour in May 2024, which will conclude in July that same year.





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Stormzy pledges to fund 36 black Cambridge students


“For a further 30 black students to have the opportunity to study at Cambridge University – the same year we celebrate five years of the scholarships’ launch – feels like an incredible landmark moment,” the grime star told BBC News.

Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education, also said he was “delighted” the collaboration was continuing.





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Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman suffers “mild heart attack”


Descendents have cancelled a European tour after frontman Milo Aukerman suffered a “mild heart attack”.

The legendary Californian punk band were set to hit the road this year for a series of dates, but they have now been cancelled in order for the frontman to rest and recover.

“We are truly sorry, but we have to cancel the upcoming European shows,” the band told fans in a statement.

“Our singer, Milo, had a mild heart attack last night. He’s doing fine, and is expected to make a full recovery from surgery, but will need a few weeks to recover before we can hit the road again.”

In 2021, Descendents released their first studio album in five years, ‘9th & Walnut’. The unique project was primarily recorded in 2002, and features the classic line-up of the band – guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson.

The sessions were among the last Navetta recorded prior to his passing in 2008, while Aukerman recorded his vocals from his home in Delaware.

The album includes some of Descendents’ earliest-written material, from their formation in 1977 up to 1980. The title of the album alludes to the intersection in Long Beach on which the band’s original rehearsal space could be found.

‘9th & Walnut’ follows on from 2016’s ‘Hypercaffium Spazzinate’, which was the band’s first new album in 12 years. It featured Stevenson, Aukerman, guitarist Stephen Egerton and bassist Karl Alvarez – which has been the band’s lineup for every album since 1986.





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Gender fluid artist Marcilli breaks barriers with their new single ‘Done’ to celebrate Jamaican Independence Day


One of the hottest and most unique new talents to emerge out of Jamaica’s fertile music scene, vocalist/songwriter Marcilli (they/them) fuses dance music, R&B and Latin pop into an irresistible brew on their new single, the defiantly incendiary ‘Done (Breakup Anthem)’. Inspired by the edgier bits of Billie Elish, Rihanna, Suga of BTS and R&B icon Daniel Caesar, Marcilli  is one of the first and few openly queer-identified Jamaican artists, coming out of a strict cultural heritage that often remains hostile to members of the LGBTQ community.

Marcilli shared their thoughts on the release: “writing this song was born out of some serious heartbreak and disappointment, but seeing it evolve into the project it is today, gives me such a boost of encouragement. Honestly, it’s one of the things I’m most proud of so far, and I really hope it can inspire others to set their own boundaries and know their damn worth.”

Boldly blazing trails, bucking trends and declaring their independence from heartbreak, Marcilli is pointedly releasing their single right before Jamaican Independence Day, the most important holiday on the island nation, ready to open doors and set an example for future generations of artists who want to freely express themselves. 

Co-written by ace producer Alexx Antaeus, who has previously worked with The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind and Fire and Julian Marley, ‘Done (Breakup Anthem)’ also features a Spanish-language vocal turn from New York-based Puerto Rican act Natalis, who has sung on platinum-selling tracks by J Cole, Kanye West and Popcaan.

Follow Marcilli here



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