After blasting through stereos worldwide last night as Clara Amfo’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, one of the UK’s most exciting bands, The Snuts, make a rapturous return with new single ‘Gloria’. It’s their first release on the band’s newly set up label Happy Artist Records – via The Orchard – as they make a break away from their previous label home.

Mixed by Spike Stent (Harry Styles, Madonna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Muse, Oasis) and produced by singer Jack Cochrane and longtime collaborator Scotty Anderson, the track is an anthemic, summer song for the masses, which finds the beautiful in the everyday. ‘Gloria’ arrives ahead of the band’s performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee on Saturday 27th May. Listen to ‘Gloria’ HERE.

“This song is all about finding the beauty and romance in the most normal of things.” explains frontman Jack Cochrane. “As a band, our lives have never really transformed out of the boundaries of normal everyday existence, and we truly value the thoughts and feelings of the average person and how our lives look. We’ve never been more excited to present a song by The Snuts that captures such a raw and genuine intention, whilst making you want to get up and dance with your loved ones.”

The Snuts are well and truly into their stride. With chart-topping and top 3 albums under their belts, songs that attack subjects affecting the youth of today, and an arsenal of adoring fans up and down the country, these four lads from Whitburn, West Lothian, are well on their way to being one of the most vital bands of recent years. 

Set to play their biggest headline shows to date at SWG3 in Glasgow in July, The Snuts kick off the summer at Radio 1’s Big Weekend and will play the main stage at Reading & Leeds Festivals in August, as well as making two trips across the pond to tour the US & Australia.

‘Gloria’ signifies the start of an exciting new chapter in the Scots’ career.

UK LIVE DATES
MAY

Sat 27th BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Dundee, Camperdown Park

JUNE

Fri 9th Manchester, Heaton Park (supporting The Courtneers)

JULY

Fri 28th Glasgow, SWG3

Sat 29th Glasgow, SWG3

AUGUST
Sat 19th Osaka, Summer Sonic Festival, Japan

Fri 25th Leeds Festival 2023

Sun 27th Reading Festival 2023

The Snuts are Jack Cochrane, Callum ‘29’ Wilson, Joe McGillveray and Jordan ‘Joko’ Mackay.

thesnuts.co.uk / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok / YouTube

Texas are pleased to announce a series of special intimate acoustic performances to celebrate the release of The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023. 

Kicking off on July 10th at Coventry’s HMV Empire, the run will also see the band visit Kingston, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds. Each show will be followed by a Q&A session with Sharleen Spiteri to delve into the stories behind the album.

Full dates below and tickets can be purchased from 11am BST on Wednesday 24th May HERE.

July 2023

Mon 10th HMV Empire, Coventry with HMV

Tue 11th PRYZM, Kingston with Banquet Records

Wed 12th Saint Luke’s, Glasgow with Assai Records

Thu 13th The Caves, Edinburgh with Assai Records

Fri 14th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds with Crash Records

The instores follow the release of The Very Best of 1989 – 2023 out June 16th on [PIAS] Recordings. 

34 years since they recorded ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’, then watched, gobsmacked, as it reached Number Eight in the charts, Texas, one of the UK’s most loved bands, have gone on to produce ten studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide. So let the fireworks begin with a special 2LP & 2CD compilation The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023 – out June 16th on [PIAS] Recordings, ahead of an appearance on the Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

“Richly atmospheric, sonically adventurous” – The Sun

“Josh Ritter is like a more open-hearted version of Leonard Cohen. His lyrics draw on the divine but he seems to see a little heaven in all the people around him” – Paste

Following the release of his stunning new album Spectral Lines last month, Josh Ritter has announced he will be returning to the UK and Europe later this year for a run of very special shows. Connecting back with The Royal City Band, Josh Ritter will celebrate 20 years of his acclaimed third album Hello Starling.

“When I wrote ‘Hello Starling’, I was playing coffee shops and open mics. By the time it came out, I was on tour with the Frames and Joan Baez. I was practically living on the road, hearing my songs on the radio for the first time, staying up all night, touring Europe, doing all these things I had only dreamt of. It was a grand time,” Josh reminisces of the album. “For the 20th anniversary of the album, the band and I will be taking a swing through Hello Starling. We’ll play the entire album in full, front to back, and then play a bunch more music. It just felt right to try this out first in Ireland, England, and the Netherlands, where I spent so much time in 2003 “

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band play the following winter 2023 UK & EU Dates, including a date at Hackney Church in London on October 27th. Tickets are on-sale HERE.

October
18 Oct – Kilkenny, IE – Set Theatre
19 Oct – Galway, IE – Leisureland Galway
20 Oct – Belfast, UK – Mandela Hall
22 Oct – Limerick, IE – Dolan’s
23 Oct – Cork, IE – Opera House
24 Oct – Dublin, IE – National Concert Hall
25 Oct – Dublin, IE – National Concert Hall
27 Oct – London, UK – Hackney Church
28 Oct – Manchester, UK – Manchester Concert Hall
29 Oct – Glasgow, UK – St. Luke’s
31 Oct – Rotterdam, NL – LantarenVenster
01 Nov – Haarlem, NL – Patronaat
02 Nov – Utrecht, NL – Pandora
04 Nov – Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival

Produced by Ritter’s longtime collaborator Sam Kassirer (Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim), Spectral Lines finds Ritter expanding beyond the bounds of his previous work to create a record both atmospheric and profound. Dedicated to the memory of his mother, Ritter searches for commonality across these ten seamless tracks by exploring life’s most universal ideas—love, devotion and what it means to be connected, to both each other and to ourselves.

One of today’s most thoughtful and prolific voices, Ritter has released ten studio albums to date including 2019’s widely acclaimed, Fever Breaks, of which NPR Music praised, “He remains a hydrant of ideas while embodying an endless capacity for empathy and indignation, often within a single song.” In addition to his work as a musician, Ritter is also a national best-selling author, having released two novels to date: 2011’s Bright’s Passage and 2021’s The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All, for which the film rights have recently been optioned for development. 

www.joshritter.com

Today, Hozier has shared ‘Francesca,’ the latest single from the Irish troubadour’s forthcoming album Unreal Unearth. Touching on the project’s exploration of Dante’s Inferno, “Francesca” reflects on the sin of the second circle of hell: lust. Listen HERE. 

Due August 18 via Island Records, Unreal Unearth is available for pre-order HERE and features previously released tracks ‘All Things End’ and ‘Eat Your Young.’ The album will be offered digitally as well as in various physical configurations including standard black LP, raw ochre D2C exclusive LP, burnt clay Amazon exclusive LP, light umber indie retail exclusive LP, CD, and cassette. See the exclusive vinyl pack shots below.

Currently stateside performing intimate pop-up shows, Hozier returns to the UK in support of Unreal Unearth for a run of sold-out UK dates this summer, including a show at London’s Alexandra Palace Park on Friday July 21st. See full routing below and visit https://hozier.com/ for more information.

June

Sun 25th Glasgow, Queens Park SOLD-OUT

July
Sun 2nd Halifax, Piece Hall SOLD-OUT

Mon 3rd Newcastle, 02 City Hall SOLD-OUT

Wed 5th Manchester, Castlefield Bowl SOLD-OUT

Thu 6th Cardiff, Cardiff Castle SOLD-OUT

Sat 8th Bournemouth, 02 Academy SOLD-OUT

Sun 9th Birmingham, 02 Academy SOLD-OUT
Fri 21st London, Alexandra Palace Park SOLD-OUT

Sun 23rd Berkshire, Englefield House

FOLLOW HOZIER:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube

Dexys today release the title track from their eagerly anticipated new album The Feminine Divine. The album comes out July 28th on 100% Records.

In ‘The Feminine Divine’, the central character in the album narrative starts to really take stock of his life and his attitude towards women. His clarity is such that it’s as if he has been hit with a bolt of lightning.  Listen to ‘The Feminine Divine’ HERE. 

“After stating his original macho position in the opening track ‘The One That Loves You;’ then admitting that it was a phoney position in the second song ‘It’s Alright Kevin;’ subsequently committing himself to change in track three, ‘I’m Going To Get Free;’ and feeling he’s moving forward in track four, ‘Coming Home;’ the protagonist now examines his relationship with women in ‘The Feminine Divine.’ He’s hit with the realisation that his attitude and actions have been completely wrong,” Kevin Rowland said of the track.

“Overcome with regret and at last glimpsing how women might actually feel, the man gets honest and admits how afraid of women he has been, and how fear has driven so many of his actions. He now sees and acknowledges women’s inherent power: if anything, women are superior; they are goddesses. He sincerely pledges to be different in the future.”

“In the track that follows, ‘My Goddess Is’, the protagonist then enters into a relationship in a completely different way to how he would have in the past. But that’s a whole other part of the story…”

The track follows the album’s glorious first single, ‘I’m Going To Get Free’. Watch the video HERE.

The Feminine Divine is Dexys’ fifth album of original material produced once again by Pete Schwier, along with acclaimed session musician and producer Toby Chapman. After taking some time out to refocus his energy, Kevin Rowland came back to music with a fresh perspective and new-found positivity. A personal, if not strictly autobiographical, record portraying a man whose views have evolved over time. Not just on women, but the whole concept of masculinity he had been raised with: an education and an un-learning that is traced across the arc of The Feminine Divine with dizzying effect.

The record’s first act is full of music hall-esque swagger, much of it written with original Dexys’ trombonist Big Jim Paterson. The second half of the musical narrative is like nothing Dexys have done before. A saucy, synth-heavy cabaret, written in collaboration with Sean Read and Mike Timothy. It’s steamy, fizzing and sultry, at times heavy and at other times raunchy and funky. Quite a heady mix.

With over a billion worldwide streams, three top 10 albums in the UK, two number 1 singles, a Brit Award and a multi-platinum selling album with their sophomore release Too-Rye-Ay (as Dexys Midnight Runners), Dexys are as vital and exciting today as ever. The Feminine Divine marks a new chapter in a book that just keeps getting better and better.

Dexys play the following UK and Ireland dates in September 2023, before embarking on a full European tour in October. Tickets on-sale HERE.

September:
Tue 5th York, Barbican
Thu 7th Liverpool, Philharmonic
Fri 8th Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
Sun 10th Newcastle, O2 City Hall
Mon 11th Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
Wed 13th Cardiff, St David’s Hall
Thu 14th Ipswich, Regent Theatre
Sat 16th Wolverhampton, The Halls
Sun 17th Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
Tue 19th Brighton, Dome
Wed 20th London, Palladium
Fri 22nd Bath, Forum
Mon 25th Dublin, 3Olympia Theatre

CONNECT WITH DEXYS

Official Website

Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Youtube / TikTok

Today, award-winning multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Hozier has announced his forthcoming album Unreal Unearth will be released August 18th via Island Records. Unreal Unearth is available for pre-order HERE and features previously released tracks ‘Eat Your Young’ and ‘All Things End,’ as well as new single ‘Francesca’ out this Friday, 19th May. 

Read Hozier’s handwritten letter to fans sharing the news HERE and below.

Unreal Unearth will be offered digitally as well as in various physical configurations including standard black LP, raw ochre D2C exclusive LP, burnt clay Amazon exclusive LP, light umber indie retail exclusive LP, CD, and cassette. See the exclusive vinyl pack shots below.

(L to R: Raw Ochre, Burnt Clay, & Light Umber)

Currently stateside performing intimate pop-up shows, Hozier returns to the UK for a run of sold-out UK dates this summer, including a show at London’s Alexandra Palace Park on Friday July 21st. See full routing below and visit https://hozier.com/ for more information.

June

Sun 25th Glasgow, Queens Park SOLD-OUT

July
Sun 2nd Halifax, Piece Hall SOLD-OUT

Mon 3rd Newcastle, 02 City Hall SOLD-OUT

Wed 5th Manchester, Castlefield Bowl SOLD-OUT

Thu 6th Cardiff, Cardiff Castle SOLD-OUT

Sat 8th Bournemouth, 02 Academy SOLD-OUT

Sun 9th Birmingham, 02 Academy SOLD-OUT
Fri 21st London, Alexandra Palace Park SOLD-OUT

Sun 23rd Berkshire, Englefield House

FOLLOW HOZIER:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube

FOO FIGHTERS: PREPARING MUSIC FOR CONCERTS 

Free Global Streaming Event Exclusively at: https://foofighters.veeps.com/

May 21st

8pm BST / 3pm EST / 12pm PST

Featuring Performances, Behind the Scenes & More

Captured at the Band’s Own 606 Studios

While ears are still ringing from the sonic and emotional gut punch that was “Rescued,” Foo Fighters have unveiled “Under You,” an aggressively melodic punk-tinged earworm sure to join its predecessor in massive summer singalongs on the band’s upcoming tour dates.

“Under You” is the second advance offering from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ 11th album, But Here We Are, out June 2 on Roswell Records/Columbia Records. The new song follows the aforementioned “Rescued”—which has generated raves including “driven by a fresh sense of pathos and urgency” (The New York Times), “Foo Fighters have never sounded more vital” (Consequence),”cathartic in the truest sense, it’s golden Foo Fighters – anthemic, righteous, and emotive, ‘Rescued’ feels tailor made for those epic live shows.’ (Clash Magazine), “delivers everything fans have come to know and love” (Revolver) and more.

Listen to “Under You” HERE, watch the lyric video HERE and pre-order But Here We Are on you choice of Black Vinyl, White Vinyl, CD or cassette HERE

Today also marks the announcement of Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts, a global streaming event packed with rock & roll (including debut performances of songs from But Here We Are), exclusive behind the scenes footage, and a few surprises—all captured in the spacious yet homey confines of the band’s own 606 studios. Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts will premiere May 21 at 8pm BST / 3pm EST / 12pm PST exclusively at https://foofighters.veeps.com/, with on-demand repeat viewing enabled through May 24. Whether you’ve got tickets for an upcoming Foo Fighters show or not, don’t miss this chance to get intimate—and LOUD—with the last great American rock band.

“Shows like this don’t happen every day. To take this moment to gather fans worldwide, to give people an opportunity to share in the experience no matter where they are, is a gift. Having a place to make these moments accessible is why we built Veeps and we’re honored to be trusted with delivering this incredible show for Foo Fighters and all of their fans,” said Joel Madden, CEO and Founder, Veeps.

Foo Fighters’ upcoming tour will kick off May 24 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH. For a complete list of dates, go to: https://foofighters.lnk.to/Shows

About Veeps

Veeps is the premier streaming platform where music fans around the world can watch and connect with their favorite artists through access to premium live and on-demand concerts, documentaries, and more. Launched in 2018 by Joel and Benji Madden to power the future of artist-fan connection, the team at Veeps believe music changes lives and that it should be accessible to people wherever they are. Millions of viewers globally have experienced performances from 2,000+ artists including Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Louis Tomlinson, Patti Smith, Metallica and an Emmy-nominated Kings of Leon show from the O2, London. Veeps shows are available on its website and via apps on iOS, Apple TV, Android, and Roku. In 2023, Veeps was named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and continues to hold the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest ticketed livestream performance by a solo male artist. Veeps is a part of Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV). For more information, visit https://veeps.com/

Photo Credit: Jade Hammer

“Being Dead are one of the coolest and freakiest acts around.” — Paste

Austin, Texas-based trio Being Dead presents new single/video ‘Daydream’ from their debut album, When Horses Would Run, out July 14th on Bayonet. 

‘Daydream’ showcases Being Dead’s extraordinary harmonies — at once plaintive, uplifting, and eerie — and its gentle Laurel Canyon-style folk rock stands in stark contrast from the garage-punk delivery of lead single ‘Muriel’s Big Day Off.’

The accompanying ‘Daydream’ video, directed by Katie Cheline, is a jaw-dropping journey of riches to rags. “It’s safe to say that we’re typically ambitious when it comes to music video ideas and this one is no exception,” the band states. “We had a lot of ideas for this one and ended up just cramming them all in there. We think this is a relatively courageous attempt at a highly-condensed Pride and Prejudice 2.” Watch the video HERE.

When Horses Would Run — the debut album from best friends Falcon B*tch, Gumball, and Ricky Moto — propels listeners into vivid landscapes: desert planes, dirty basements, and lush rolling hills. Merging surf rock, freak pop and frantic punk, the album doesn’t linger in one place for too long; instead, it dances alongside the periphery, flickering between Super-8 memories and moments. Being Dead is here to create worlds where we can soak in stories of carefree shoplifters, wayward cowboys, and the final moments of a lonely Buffalo on the range. 

They began writing what would eventually become When Horses Would Run back in 2017, with Falcon B*tch likening the album to a kind of collage of Being Dead so far. “This is definitely a collection of songs from different versions of ourselves,” she says. Recorded at Radio Milk with producer/engineer Jim Vollentine (Spoon, White Denim), When Horses Would Run spit-shines Being Dead’s sound without diminishing their weirdo-best-friend vibes. 

“Our music is really a slice of our friendship,” says Falcon B*tch. “We’ve lived together and we’re always together and I feel like it’s a palpable thing.” The nurturing foundation of these platonic soulmates urges Being Dead to be their full, freaky selves, prodding at the absurdity of the world with slick n’ dreamy strums, gritty percussion, and kaleidoscopic harmonies. At their renowned live shows, Falcon B*tch and Gumball both sing and swap duties on baritone guitar and drums, commanding the attention of even the most passive concert-goers. Underlined by bassist Ricky Moto, the band prances merrily into the hearts of everyone from the roughest and toughest barbarians to the most angelic little babies. 

This spontaneous, gung-ho approach marks a refreshing originality in Being Dead. When Horses Would Run celebrates the nourishing merriment of friendship, the importance of enjoying the here and now, and creating simply for the hell of it. Here we have a reminder that we can not only move through the burdens of our past, but we can have company —and fun —while doing it.

Swedish rock’n’roll heroes The Hives return this summer with their first studio album in over a decade. Today, the band announces The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons out August 11th, 2023 via Fuga.

The announcement is paired with the release of the album’s muscular opening track ‘Bogus Operandi’, whose insistent and incendiary yet suave sound fizzes with the wild energy that has become the legendary band’s calling card and sets the tone for the project as a whole. The song’s thrilling, gory and downright stylish music video is directed by Aube Perrie (Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion) – watch HERE.

The announcement and new single precede a spring UK/EU arena tour with the Arctic Monkeys, as well as UK festival dates and intimate album in-store performances. The intimate shows are in Bristol and Nottingham (Rough Trade Records), and Prysm in Kingston (Banquet Records). Tickets are available from those retailers from May 4th. The band will also perform a very special underplay show at The Garagem London. Pre-sale access for this show is given to fans who pre-order the album from the band’s D2C store before May 9th. Fan pre-sale takes place on May 10th, with tickets going on general sale Friday, May 12th.

As the album’s macabre title hints, the band’s extended absence from the studio has been no hiatus but rather a horror story. The Hives now admit they have not seen nor spoken to their founder, mentor and songwriter, the perpetual limelight-shunning Randy Fitzsimmons, since the release of 2012’s Lex Hives. Following the recent discovery of a hidden away obituary and cryptic poem in the local paper of the Northern Vastmanland town where The Hives are from, the band members were led to Fitzsimmons’ tombstone. Upon digging the freshly interred ground, the band found not a body but instead several tapes, suits, and a piece of paper bearing the words “The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons” typed up as if a title. Whether a hoax or Fitzsimmons’ opening gambit, remains to be seen. The uncovered tapes included the demos that would become the twelve new songs on The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons.

Of the new album, frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist declares, “There’s no maturity or anything like that bullshit, because who the fuck wants mature rock’n’roll? That’s always where people go wrong, I feel. ‘It’s like rock’n’roll but adult,’ nobody wants that! That’s literally taking the good shit out of it. Rock’n’roll can’t grow up, it is a perpetual teenager and this album feels exactly like that, which it’s all down to our excitement – and you can’t fake that shit.”

Bassist The Johan And Only joins Chris Dangerous , Vigilante Carlstroem, Nicholaus Arson, and Howlin’ Pelle as a full member of The Hives following the departure of Dr Matt Destruction. Producer Patrik Berger captures the band’s punk energy and propensity for hits with his own roots in the Swedish punk scene and pop credentials including with Lana Del Rey, Robyn, and Charli XCX.

The album comes available as gatefold, glow in the dark vinyl, including a poster – limited edition D2C only.

​​In the twenty-five years since The Hives exploded around the world, they have sold out stadiums and shared stages with everyone from AC/DC to The Rolling Stones. They have sold millions of albums world-wide with multiple RIAA Gold-certifications. In the time since Lex Hives, the band has released 2019’s double A-side ‘I’m Alive’/’Good Samaritan’ as well as a live album via Third Man Records, and embarked on a series of global tours. The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons marks a true renaissance.

The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons tracklist:

1. Bogus Operandi
2. Trapdoor Solution
3. Countdown To Shutdown
4. Rigor Mortis Radio
5. Stick Up
6. Smoke & Mirrors
7. Crash Into The Weekend
8. Two Kinds Of Trouble
9. The Way The Story Goes
10. The Bomb
11. What Did I Ever Do To You?
12. Step Out Of The Way

THE HIVES UK SHOWS
May

Sat 27th Live At Leeds Festival,, Leeds

Mon 29th Bristol, Ashton Gate Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Tue 30th Bristol, Fleece – Rough Trade Records

Wed 31st Coventry, Building Society Arena w/ Arctic Monkeys

June
Fri 2nd Manchester, Emirates Old Trafford w/ Arctic Monkeys

Sat 3rd Manchester, Emirates Old Trafford w/ Arctic Monkeys

Mon 5th Middlesbrough, Riverside Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Tue 6th Kingston, Pryzm – Banquet Records

Wed 7th Norwich, Carrow Road Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Fri 9th Sheffield, Hillsborough Park w/ Arctic Monkeys

Sat 10th Sheffield, Hillsborough Park w/ Arctic Monkeys

Mon 12th Swansea, Swansea.com Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Tue 13th London, The Garage

Wed 14th Southampton, The Ageas Bowl w/ Arctic Monkeys

Fri 16th London, Emirates Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Sat 17th London, Emirates Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Sun 18th London, Emirates Stadium w/ Arctic Monkeys

Tue 20th Dublin, Marlay Park w/ Arctic Monkeys

Thu 22nd Nottingham, Rescue Room – Rough Trade Records

Sun 25th Glasgow, Bellahouston Park w/ Arctic Monkeys

The Hives on the web:

Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
Twitter | Spotify | Apple | Tidal

34 years since they recorded ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’, then watched, gobsmacked, as it reached Number Eight in the charts, Texas, one of the UK’s most loved bands, have gone on to produce ten studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide. So let the fireworks begin as they today announce a special 2LP & 2CD compilation The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023 – out June 16th on [PIAS] Recordings, ahead of an appearance on the Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

There’s the one with The Wu-Tang Clan. The five that were Top 10 singles from one album. The one with Alan Rickman in the video. The one that was an inspired Al Green cover. The two written with diverse titans of American music, Dallas Austin and Gregg Alexander. The one that was remixed by Giorgio Moroder. The une that helped give them their first French Number One album. The segued pair that, according to the woman at the front, makes their live audiences go “absolutely fuckin’ apeshit”. The one with the video directed by Peter Kay. The other one with Wu-Tang Clan. The one that gave them, straight out of the gate, a Top 10 single with their first ever release. The club banger with a killer Donna Summer sample. And the one that ended up the theme song to a top-rating American sitcom…

Texas – The Very Best Of 1989-2023 has all of the above, and more. 24 diamonds from a glittering career, including two brand new tracks ‘Keep On Talking’ & new single ‘After All’.

A nailed-on singalong, ‘After All’ is a song so stomping that the video, directed by Lewis Knaggs, features Sharleen deliver a stella performance, unleashing her inner Dave Grohl as she takes up drumming duties. Watch the video HERE.

Then there’s ‘Keep On Talking’, a foot-shuffling cover of the 1965 Northern Soul deep-cut Keep On Talking, written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – and produced by Oldham in Muscle Shoals.

There’s more screen star power sprinkled across Texas’s back catalogue as represented in The Very Best Of 1989-2023. The video for ‘In Demand’ features Spiteri’s dear friend, the late, lamented actor Alan Rickman. As for the video for ‘Sleep’, the final single from 2005’s Red Book (and another Top 10), it was made by Peter Kay after the comic and Spiteri bonded at the Live 8 all-star concert in Edinburgh.

“We did it in the club that Phoenix Nights was shot in.” Sharleen explains. “And Peter scripted, directed, starred, edited, everything – he did everything on that video on his own. He was phenomenal. A friend for life.” And when Spiteri’s duet partner on that beautiful song, legendary (and legendarily selective) Blue Nile singer Paul Buchanan had opted not to appear in the video, Kay’s a pretty good stand-in, right?

Meanwhile, across all their albums, Texas were reliably killing it in mainland Europe. Jump On Board (2017) was a chart-topping triumph in France, its ascent aided by the snake-hipped funk of Let’s Work It Out, “which literally you couldn’t get off the radio in France”. But, again, what an afterlife. Now, when they perform that song live, complete with Spiteri doing the video’s “stupid dance” (her words, not ours), they go straight into ace Hi cut Mr Haze. That dancefloor classic is rocket-powered by deft deployment of a sample of Donna Summer’s Love’s Unkind..

And all those, of course, are just some of the highlights studded across this 24-track compilation.

Finally, then: as Sharleen Spiteri looks back over these tracks of her years, what’s the overall sensation? Satisfaction of a job well done? The best is yet to come?

“No’ bad for a hairdresser fae Glasgow!” she says, an old joke but still a good one (and a true one). “But I gotta be honest: I still feel like I’m really close to the beginning. And the energy and the vibe between us all – as a band I don’t think we’ve ever been happier, and I don’t think we’ve ever been tighter. And I don’t think we’ve ever been more definite about who we are.”

Who are they? They are Texas, and they make hits.

Texas – The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023 tracklisting

1. Say What You Want
2. Black Eyed Boy
3. Inner Smile
4. Mr Haze
5. Halo
6. I Don’t Want A Lover
7. Summer Son
8. Keep On Talking
9. The Conversation
10. In Our Lifetime
11. In Demand
12. Put Your Arms Around Me
13. Let’s Work It Out
14. When We Are Together
15. Hi
16. Say What You Want (All Day Everyday) feat. Wu-Tang Clan
17. Tired Of Being Alone
18. Start A Family feat. Alan Rickman
19. So Called Friend
20. Everyday Now
21. Insane
22. After All
23. Sleep feat. Paul Buchanan
24. So In Love With You

‘Gag Order’ cover art

Today, Kesha announces her new album ‘Gag Order’, set to drop May 19th (via Kemosabe/RCA Records), an album that finds the GRAMMY-nominated pop star excavating the deepest recesses of her soul to date.

The Rick Rubin-produced record, which Kesha has labeled “post-pop”, is a full-bodied collection that flows like a stream-of-conscious journey through the psychedelic dark depths of the human psyche followed by basking in the cleansing light when finally reaching the surface.

Kesha has teased the forthcoming album on Instagram over the past month as well as in a cameo in a recent 60 Minutes story on Rick Rubin. This Friday, she will drop a duo of pre-release tracks, “Eat the Acid” and “Fine Line”.

‘Gag Order’, which Kesha is executive producer on, is an album unlike anything she has created thus far in her career, yet somehow is an album that only she truly could have made. Forged in the fires of self-discovery and learning to finally accept the ugly, scary sides of ourselves, ‘Gag Order’ feels like an emotional exorcism, unearthing and facing the darkness in oneself, brought to life with experimental, otherworldly production & lyrical vulnerability unlike anything the artist has written before. On ‘Gag Order’, Kesha confronts her own reflection & finds empowerment in her own voice, with beautiful, heart aching results.

“Without the darkness there is no light. I finally let my darkness have the light.  I cannot fight the truth of this life being difficult and painful. It is for everyone,” wrote Kesha in an album manifesto that went live today via Nylon. “An artist doesn’t exist to make others happy. I believe an artist gives voice, motion, color to the emotions we all have. The good emotions, and the unmanageably fucking miserable ones.”

Kesha has sold more than 14 million total album equivalents worldwide, has approximately 6.9 billion audio streams and 1.7 billion video streams worldwide, and has had 9 Top 10 hits on The Billboard Hot 100, including four # 1 singles at Top 40 Radio – “TiK ToK,” “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Die Young,” and “Timber.”

Following a year of staggering losses, personal introspection and bittersweet remembrances, Foo Fighters return with But Here We Are, out June 2 on Roswell Records/Columbia Records.

A brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year, But Here We Are is a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship and family. Courageous, damaged and unflinchingly authentic, But Here We Are opens with newly released lead single “Rescued,” the first of 10 songs that run the emotional gamut from rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between.

Produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, But Here We Are is in nearly equal measure the 11th Foo Fighters album and the first chapter of the band’s new life. Sonically channeling the naiveté of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth, But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life.

But Here We Are is available for pre-order now, with all pre-orders including “Rescued” as an instant grat. The album’s track list is as follows:

Rescued

Under You

Hearing Voices

But Here We Are

The Glass

Nothing At All

Show Me How

Beyond Me

The Teacher

Rest