London – September 24, 2018 – In November 1968, millions of double LPs were shipped to record stores worldwide ahead of that tumultuous year’s most anticipated music event: the November 22nd release of The BEATLES (soon to be better known as ‘The White Album’). With their ninth studio album, The Beatles took the world on a whole new trip, side one blasting off with the exhilarating rush of a screaming jet escorting Paul McCartney’s punchy, exuberant vocals on “Back In The U.S.S.R.” “Dear Prudence” came next, John Lennon warmly beckoning his friend and all of us to “look around.” George Harrison imparted timeless wisdom in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” singing, “With every mistake we must surely be learning.” Ringo Starr’s “Don’t Pass Me By” marked his first solo songwriting credit on a Beatles album. For 50 years, ‘The White Album’ has invited its listeners to venture forth and explore the breadth and ambition of its music, delighting and inspiring each new generation in turn. On November 9, The Beatles will release a suite of lavishly presented ‘White Album’ packages (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe). The album’s 30 tracks are newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio, joined by 27 early acoustic demos and 50 session takes, most of which are previously unreleased in any form.

“We had left Sgt. Pepper’s band to play in his sunny Elysian Fields and were now striding out in new directions without a map,” says Paul McCartney in his written introduction for the new ‘White Album’ releases.

This is the first time The BEATLES (‘White Album’) has been remixed and presented with additional demos and session recordings. The album’s sweeping new edition follows 2017’s universally acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for ‘The White Album,’ Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All the new ‘White Album’ releases include Martin’s new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes. Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin.

“In remixing ‘The White Album,’ we’ve tried to bring you as close as possible to The Beatles in the studio,” explains Giles Martin in his written introduction for the new edition. “We’ve peeled back the layers of the ‘Glass Onion’ with the hope of immersing old and new listeners into one of the most diverse and inspiring albums ever made.”

The BEATLES (‘White Album’) releases include:

Super Deluxe: The comprehensive, individually numbered 7-disc and digital audio collections feature:
CDs 1 & 2: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 stereo album mix
CD3: Esher Demos
– Esher Demo tracks 1 through 19 sequenced in order of the finished song’s placement on ‘The White Album.’ Tracks 20-27 were not included on the album.
CDs 4, 5 & 6: Sessions
– 50 additional recordings, most previously unreleased, from ‘White Album’ studio sessions; all newly mixed from the four-track and eight-track session tapes, sequenced in order of their recording start dates.
Blu-ray:
– 2018 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo
– 2018 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix
– 2018 Dolby True HD 5.1 album mix
– 2018 direct transfer of the album’s original mono mix

Deluxe: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 stereo album mix + Esher Demos
The 3CD; 180-gram 4LP vinyl box set (limited edition); and digital audio collections pair the 2018 stereo album mix with the 27 Esher Demos.

Standard 2LP Vinyl: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 stereo mix
180-gram 2LP vinyl in gatefold sleeve with faithfully replicated original artwork

The minimalist artwork for ‘The White Album’ was created by artist Richard Hamilton, one of Britain’s leading figures in the creation and rise of pop art. The top-loading gatefold sleeve’s stark white exterior had ‘The BEATLES’ embossed on the front and printed on the spine with the album’s catalogue number. Early copies of ‘The White Album’ were also individually numbered on the front, which has also been done for the new edition’s Super Deluxe package. The set’s six CDs and Blu-ray disc are housed in a slipsleeved 164-page hardbound book, with pull-out reproductions of the original album’s four glossy color portrait photographs of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as the album’s large fold-out poster with a photo collage on one side and lyrics on the other. The beautiful book is illustrated with rare photographs, reproductions of handwritten and notated lyrics, previously unpublished photos of recording sheets and tape boxes, and reproduced original ‘White Album’ print ads. The book’s comprehensive written pieces include new introductions by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin, and in-depth chapters covering track-by-track details and session notes reflecting The Beatles’ year between the release of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and recording sessions for ‘The White Album,’ the band’s July 28 1968 “Mad Day Out” photo shoot in locations around London, the album artwork, the lead-up and execution of the album’s blockbuster release, and its far-ranging influence, written by Beatles historian, author and radio producer Kevin Howlett; journalist and author John Harris; and Tate Britain’s Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Andrew Wilson.

The Deluxe 3CD is presented in an embossed digipak with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, plus a 24-page booklet abridged from the Super Deluxe book. Presented in a lift-top box with a four-page booklet, the limited edition Deluxe 4LP vinyl set presents the 2LP album in a faithful, embossed reproduction of its original gatefold sleeve with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, paired with the 2LP Esher Demos in an embossed gatefold sleeve.

Much of the initial songwriting for ‘The White Album’ was done in Rishikesh, India between February and April 1968, when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr joined a course at the Maharishi’s Academy of Transcendental Meditation. In a postcard to Ringo, who had returned to England before the others, John wrote, “we’ve got about two L.P.s worth of songs now so get your drums out.”

During the last week of May, The Beatles gathered at George’s house in Esher, Surrey, where they recorded acoustic demos for 27 songs. Known as the Esher Demos, all 27 recordings are included in the new edition’s Deluxe and Super Deluxe packages, sourced from the original four-track tapes. Twenty-one of the demoed songs were recorded during the subsequent studio sessions, and 19 were ultimately finished and included on ‘The White Album.’

The Beatles’ studio sessions for The BEATLES (‘White Album’) began on May 30, 1968 at Abbey Road Studios. In the 20 weeks that followed, The Beatles devoted most of their time to sessions there for the new album, with some recording also done at Trident Studios. The final session for the album took place at Abbey Road on October 16, a 24-hour marathon with producer George Martin to sequence the double album’s four sides and to complete edits and cross-fades between its songs. The Beatles’ approach to recording for ‘The White Album’ was quite different from what they had done for ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ Rather than layering individually overdubbed parts on a multi-track tape, many of the ‘White Album’ session takes were recorded to four-track and eight-track tape as group performances with a live lead vocal. The Beatles often recorded take after take for a song, as evidenced by the Super Deluxe set’s Take 102 for “Not Guilty,” a song that was not included on the album. This live-take recording style resulted in a less intricately structured, more unbridled album that would shift the course of rock music and cut a path for punk and indie rock.

The Beatles’ newly adopted method of recording all through the night was time consuming and exhausting for their producer, George Martin. Martin had other duties, including his management of AIR (Associated Independent Recording), and he had also composed the orchestral score for The Beatles’ animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, released in July 1968. After the first three months of ‘White Album’ sessions, Martin took a three-week holiday from the studio, entrusting the control room to his young assistant Chris Thomas and balance engineer Ken Scott. Scott had taken the place of engineer Geoff Emerick, who left the sessions in mid-July. On August 22, Ringo Starr also left the sessions, returning 11 days later to find his drum kit adorned with flowers from his bandmates. While the sessions’ four and a half months of long hours and many takes did spark occasional friction in the studio, the session recordings reveal the closeness, camaraderie, and collaborative strengths within the band, as well as with George Martin.

The BEATLES (‘White Album’) was the first Beatles album to be released on the group’s own Apple Records label. Issued in both stereo and mono for the U.K. and in stereo for the U.S., the double album was an immediate bestseller, entering the British chart at number one and remaining there for eight of the 22 weeks it was listed. ‘The White Album’ also debuted at number one on the U.S. chart, holding the top spot for nine weeks of its initial 65-week chart run. In his glowing ‘White Album’ review for Rolling Stone, the magazine’s co-founder Jann Wenner declared: “It is the best album they have ever released, and only The Beatles are capable of making a better one.” In the U.S., ‘The White Album’ is 19-times platinum-certified by the RIAA and in 2000, it was inducted into the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY® Hall of Fame, recognizing “recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.”

Preorder The BEATLES (‘White Album’):  http://thebeatles.lnk.to/WhiteAlbum

Watch / embed a brief trailer video for The BEATLES (‘White Album’):  http://thebeatles.lnk.to/WhiteAlbumTrailer

Metallica’s WorldWired Tour has confirmed its return to the UK and Europe, this time for a staggering May 1-August 25, 2019 run of their own outdoor gigs at stadiums, parks, and even one at a castle.

Tickets go on sale September 28th at 10am
Fifth member pre-sale September 25th

The new dates are Metallica’s first in the UK and Europe since the Sept. 2017 to May 2018 indoor run that broke attendance records in 29 venues across the continent. Kicking off May 1, 2019 at Lisbon’s Estadio Restelo, the 25 newly announced WorldWired shows across 20 countries include a good dozen cities not visited on those 2017-2018 legs of the tour—including Milan, Zürich, Dublin, Brussels (for the first time since 1988), Berlin, Moscow, Warsaw, Bucharest and Gothenburg, and first ever appearances in Trondheim Norway, Hämeenlinna, Finland and Tartu Estonia.

Special guests Ghost and Bokassa will provide support on all dates.

With this kind of itinerary, it’s natural that the Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket will be returning: one ticket allowing floor access to any Metallica show on the 2019 UK/Europe tour. From A(msterdam) to Z(urich) and all points between, Black Ticket holders need only choose the show(s) and make an online reservation no less than 48 hours before the gig. A limited number of 750 of these Black Tickets* will be available for 598 Euro, more info here:  CID Entertainment.

As with most of Metallica’s WorldWired shows, every ticket purchased includes a choice of standard physical or standard digital copy of the band’s 10th and current album, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.

And once again, all tickets will include a free MP3 download of the show(s) attended, mixed and mastered by the team behind Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. The free full-show downloads can be obtained by scanning or entering the barcode from that show’s ticket stub at LiveMetallica.com/scan

Enhanced experience options will also be returning in partnership with the team at CID Entertainment: Three options of special enhanced experiences, including premium tickets and amenities ranging from early access to the venue and the “Memory Remains” travelling museum to meeting members of the band. Visit CID Entertainment for full package details.

Fan Club Presales begin tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25. Click here for details—and for a complete list of other presales, click here. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 28 at 10:00 AM local time.

May 2019
Weds 1st   Lisbon, Portugal, Estádio do Restelo
Fri 3rd   Madrid, Spain, Valdebebas
Sun 5th   Barcelona, Spain, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Weds 8th  Milan, Italy, San Siro Hippodrome
Fri 10th   Zürich, Switzerland, Letzigrund
Sun 12th   Paris, France, Stade De France

June
Sat 8th   Dublin, Ireland, Slane Castle
Tues 11th  Amsterdam, NL, Johan Cruijff Arena
Thurs 13th  Köln, Germany, RheinEnergieStadion
Sun 16th   Brussels, Belgium, Koning Boudewijnstadion
Tues 18th  Manchester, UK, Etihad Stadium
Thurs 20th  London, UK, Twickenham Stadium

July
Sat 6th   Berlin, Germany, Olympiastadion
Tues 9th   Goteborg, Sweden, Ullevi
Thurs 11th  Copenhagen, Denmark, Telia Parken
Sat 13th   Trondheim, Norway, Granåsen
Tues 16th  Hameenlinna, Finland, Kantolan Tapahtumapuisto
Thurs 18th  Tartu, Estonia, Raadi Airport
Sun 21st   Moscow, Russia, Luzhniki Stadium

August
Weds 14th  Bucharest, Romania, Arena Națională
Fri 16th   Vienna, Austria, Ernst-Happel-Stadion
Sun 18th   Prague, CZE, Airport Letnany
Weds 21st  Warsaw, Poland, PGE Narodowy
Fri 23rd   Munich, Germany, Olympiastadion
Sun 25th   Mannheim, Germany, Maimarktgelande

*Wherever I May Roam Black Tickets are non-transferable and if re-sold will be revoked. Each ticket is good for entry to Metallica specific shows and may not be used for festivals, promotional shows, benefit concerts or any other dates not included in the 25 city European tour announced on September 24, 2018. Use of a Black Ticket will require an online reservation for each show you plan to attend no less than 48 hours in advance. More details about how to use your Black Ticket will be sent to purchasers via e-mail.

**Every ticket purchased through official outlets includes your choice of a standard physical or standard digital copy of Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. Fans will receive an e-mail from their ticketing agent with information on how to redeem their albums. Full details of how you can gift the album, should you have already purchased it, will be given on the redemption page.

Metric’s seventh studio LP, Art of Doubt, is out today on MMI/Crystal Math Music; purchase/stream the album HERE. In celebration of the new record, the band is premiering the new video for album track “Now or Never Now,” directed by Lorraine Nicholson; watch/share the video HERE.

“Many music videos take place in night clubs,” notes Nicholson, “very few depict them as they so often are: pensive, dark and depressing.” Metric frontwoman Emily Haines adds, “This was a night shoot leading to dawn, as Lorraine wanted to place the video in those most questionable hours of the morning…I’m profoundly lost and alone with random uncaring strangers…the rest of the band is on an urgent quest to find me and rescue me from this sad existence, but they always arrive too late.”

The band has released two other videos ahead of the LP, watch “Dressed to Suppress” HERE and “Dark Saturday” HERE.

“In general, I found in the writing of these songs that I was positioning myself as being out in the world in solidarity with the people around me, kind of looking left and right and being like, “Wow, are you seeing this? Is it just me or is this all deeply fucked up and disorienting?” But no matter what’s going on internally or externally, there’s that sense of urgency, of energy. We’re still going to go out, we’re still going to socialize, to push ourselves, we’re still going to celebrate. It’s just going to be dark,” Haines explains.

For the first time in the band’s last three albums, guitarist Jimmy Shaw did not co-produce, preferring to turn over the producer mantle to first time collaborator Justin Meldal-Johnsen whose many other musical collaborations include M83, Beck and Nine Inch Nails. The album—which was recorded at Metric’s own Giant Studio in Toronto—was mixed by first time collaborator Tony Hoffer, whose countless credits include Phoenix, Depeche Mode and Air.

“Justin was just what we needed in a producer for this album,” notes Shaw. “He really saw every band member eye to eye and was able to capture what we each do best. It was something I realized I couldn’t do at this stage, having been in the band for so long. We were finally able to focus on just playing again, as we did at the start. Making this album brought us together in a way we hadn’t been for quite some time and I think you can hear it in the music.”

Metric will embark on a 20-date overseas headlining tour beginning in Moscow on October 25. Tickets are on sale via the band’s website. The unstoppable four-piece that spent the lead up to this LP release on an almost 40 date arena tour across North America with the Smashing Pumpkins will announce further North American dates in the coming days via the bands website and social media. Sign up to the Metric email list here to be one of the first to know and get access to exclusive pre-sale tickets and other special offers. Metric play the following UK dates in November as part of their European tour:

November
Sat 17th   BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute 2
Sun 18th   GLASGOW, Queen Margaret Union
Mon 19th  MANCHESTER, O2 Ritz
Tues 20th  LONDON, O2 Kentish Town Forum

Art of Doubt Track List:

1. Dark Saturday
2. Love You Back
3. Die Happy
4. Now or Never Now
5. Art of Doubt
6. Underline the Black
7. Dressed to Suppress
8. Risk
9. Seven Rules
10. Holding Out
11. Anticipate
12. No Lights on the Horizon

Metric will launch today a new exclusive merchandise store with limited edition items to celebrate the launch of their new album, Art of Doubt. ilovemetricexclusives.com

With more than 40 million albums sold and eight Grammy nominations, global recording superstar Avril Lavigne released her first new music in five years today.

Listen To ‘Head Above Water’ HERE

Preceded by a heartfelt letter to her fans on social media last week, “Head Above Water” details the personal side of Avril’s journey through her widely reported battle with Lyme Disease.  The singer co-wrote the song, which hinges on stark piano chords and her powerhouse vocals, to share the most intimate look at her experience and how she has emerged stronger than ever.   Released by BMG, the song is available to stream and download everywhere now.

“One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.’ In that moment, the song writing of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on,” said Avril.

Coinciding with the music release, Avril is continuing to bring the strong messaging of Head Above Water through The Avril Lavigne Foundation. The Foundation has launched a charitable t-shirt campaign that will raise funds to directly impact individuals affected by Lyme that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford treatment. Feeling the need to bring awareness to the severity of Lyme Disease, Avril and her Foundation have made the EXCLUSIVE #HeadAboveWater charitable t-shirt available below or by visiting  http://www.TheAvrilLavigneFoundation.org

The Avril Lavigne Foundation supports people with Lyme Disease, serious illness or disabilities. Through programs and grants, it provides funding, education and encouragement for its beneficiaries.

Kicking off what promises to be a massive year of 40th birthday celebrations, OMD will reissue their first four classic albums on 180g vinyl, mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road and housed in their original iconic die cut sleeves designed by the legendary Peter Saville.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, best known and loved as OMD, were formed in1978 by teenage friends Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. They quickly became electro-pioneers with a string of hit albums released throughout the 1980’s including the four to be re-issued on Universal Records November 2nd, eventually selling over 25 million singles and 15 million albums across their career to date.

Their 1980 self-titled debut album, ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark’, featured hit singles ‘Electricity’ and ‘Messages’. ‘Organisation’ followed later that year and reached #6 in the UK chart, showcasing undoubtedly one of the greatest synth-pop songs of all time ‘Enola Gay’.

Maintaining a prolific work rate and a rich vein of form, the band released their third studio album in 1981, ‘Architecture & Morality’, which reached #3 in the UK chart, featured the top 5 singles: ‘Souvenir’, ‘Joan of Arc’ and ‘Maid of Orleans’ and sold over a million copies in the UK alone.

Two years later, in 1983, OMD unveiled their masterpiece ‘Dazzle Ships’ – another top 5 album, featuring the singles ‘Genetic Engineering’ and ‘Telegraph’.

Earlier this year the band announced two concerts at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on October 6th and 7th. Both shows are sold out.  They coincide with the anniversary of OMD’s first ever gig which took place at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s in October 1978.

These ‘must see’ shows will feature orchestral arrangements of many of OMD’s biggest hits, also fan favourite ambient tone poem pieces like ‘Stanlow’, ‘Sealand’ and ‘Ghost Star’ written especially for these concerts by Ian Stephens and Gary Carpenter, in addition to songs which have never been performed live before including rare B-sides.

Alongside the classic vinyl re-releases, the autumn shows with the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be recorded as a live album, and a very special 40th anniversary book will tell the story of OMD from the garage beginnings right through to the latest sell out tours. Featuring memories from band members, other musical artists that they have influenced, famous admirers and loyal fans.

Usually when bands approach their 40th anniversaries they have long since run out of ideas, yet OMD continue to push musical boundaries, creating genuinely exciting sounds and powerful live performances. Having released three highly successful albums since they reformed 12 years ago, they continue to make music for the future. This anniversary is a rare moment of reflection for a legendary band that continues to influence and inspire.

A 40th birthday world tour starting in late 2019 will be announced very soon.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark (1980)

Side A
1           Bunker Soldiers
2           Almost
3           Mystereality
4           Electricity
5           The Messerschmitt Twins

Side B
1           Messages
2           Julia’s Song
3           Red Frame/White Light
4           Dancing (Instrumental)
5           Pretending To See The Future

Organisation (1980)

Side A
1           Enola Gay
2           2nd Thought
3           VCL XI
4           Motion And Heart
5           Statues

Side B

1           The Misunderstanding
2           The More I See You
3           Promise
4           Stanlow

Architecture & Morality (1981)

Side A
1           The New Stone Age
2           She’s Leaving
3           Souvenir
4           Sealand

Side B
1           Joan Of Arc
2           Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
3           Architecture & Morality
4           Georgia
5           The Beginning And The End

Dazzle Ships (1983)

Side A
1           Radio Prague
2           Genetic Engineering
3           ABC Auto-Industry
4           Telegraph
5           This Is Helena
6           International

Side B
1           Dazzle Ships (Parts II, III And VII)
2           The Romance Of The Telescope
3           Silent Running
4           Radio Waves
5           Time Zones
6           Of All The Things We’ve Made

Pre-order the Vinyl Reissues here – https://OMD.lnk.to/VinylReissues

Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling artist, Mike Posner (“I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” “Cooler Than Me”), is back with his first original song in over two years with brand new single, “Song About You.” The melodic genre-defying track, which is the first single off his forthcoming album, was released today, September 10th, via Island Records.

Listen To “Song About You” HERE

“Song About You” is a piercing introspective look at a relationship that didn’t work out. It dredges up the pain that comes when love seems to be in the palm of one’s hand and yet is impossible to grasp.  The song has the principle characteristics of Mike’s finest work, in that it allows us to hear what only Mike can be feeling, while at the same time striking a recognizable chord inside all of us who’ve suffered through our own unique romantic collapses.

A line at the heart of the song says it all for millions of us at some point in our lives: I think I miss something I never had.

We’ve all felt the exasperation in Mike’s voice as he sings this song, maybe even his resounding howl, and we can easily recognize the sadness coming through Mike’s guitar that brings a sense of resignation to his frustration.

“Song About You” is filled with the same piercing honesty that brought “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” a Grammy nomination and sent it streaming around the world more than a billion times.

For Mike, “Song About You” is yet another self-cleanse. “It was good to make this song because of all the angst that was inside me. What do you do with that angst? I put it in a song. Then I don’t have to throw it on another human or on myself,” he says.

“You can only hope someone feels a sense of beauty or connection out of your suffering – that’s the highest goal as an artist.”

www.mikeposner.com

Having just played a rip-roaring show at a sold out Camden Assembly last night, rising British artist LION (aka Beth Lowen) releases her explosive self-titled debut EP today along with a brand new video for current single ‘Oh No’.

Watch the video for ‘Oh No’ HERE

The four track EP, released on Fiction Records, was written by LION and recorded at London’s Snap Studios with producer Rich Cooper. Combining bluesy riffs with soaring choruses and led by LION’s unique rasping vocal prowess and deft guitar playing, the ‘LION’ EP is equal parts The White Stripes and Florence Welch.

Listen to the LION EP HERE

Live favourite ‘Fiction’ is a high-energy rock workout combining jagged guitars, smashing drums and her unique voice. The EP also includes debut single ‘Self Control’, current single ‘Oh No’ (already receiving huge support from 6 Music & Radio 1) and the understated ‘Garden’. Speaking of the EP LION said ‘releasing music for the first time has been such a daunting, but extremely exciting experience. My self-titled EP gives a small taste of who I am from playing acoustic gigs in pubs as a teenager to expressing myself with a distorted guitar’.

LION’s multi-instrumentalist brother Samuel T. Lowen adds bass and keys on the EP and plays drums in LION’s raucous live show, adding an electrifying family dynamic which has already seen them play The Great Escape, Dot To Dot and Boardmasters festivals, support the likes of Albert Hammond Jr, The Vaccines and Girli, and sell out their own headline shows at The Lexington and Camden Assembly. LION plays the following shows next month, including a slot at Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival

September
Thurs 20th   Hamburg, Reeperbahn Festival
Sat 22nd    MANCHESTER, Victoria Warehouse – The British Sound Project

www.iamlionofficial.com

“One of the most distinctive voices anywhere.” – Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
“The Steve Forbert saga is irresistible” – Rolling Stone

Legendary American songwriter, Steve Forbert releases his evocative new album ‘The Magic Tree’ out October 26th on Blue Rose Music. In support of the new record, Steve will also play a very special show at Nell’s Jazz and Blues on October 21st.

Produced by Karl Derfler (Tom Waits, No Doubt, Two Gallants), ‘The Magic Tree’ offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, augmented with new backing tracks. The collection rings with the verve and vitality that Forbert’s fans have always come to expect.

Listen to ‘That’d Be Alright’ HERE

Consistently upbeat and optimistic, the album’s songs recorded in Meridian, Nashville, New York, and New Jersey and Virginia convey a firm sense that age ought not diminish a lust for living. Revered critic the late Paul Nelson wrote about Forbert in Rolling Stone almost 40 years ago: “…Nothing, nothing in this world, is going to stop Steve Forbert, and on that I’ll bet anything you’d care to wager.”

Steve Forbert plays the following UK shows:

October
Sun 21st   LONDON, Nell’s Jazz & Blues
Tues 23rd  OXFORD, Jericho Tavern
Wed 24th  CAMBRIDGE The Robinson Theatre

More than four decades have passed since Steve Forbert made his way to New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi birthplace in quest of a career in music. It was the most unlikely time and place for a folk singer to leap into the fray in a burgeoning scene where new wave and punk were emerging while he took the stage as the archetypal folkie, armed with just an acoustic guitar and sheaf of very personal songs.

After busking on the street for change from passers by, he rose to sharing bills at CBGB’s with the likes of Talking Heads, The Shirts and John Cale as well as headlining more traditional venues such as The Bitter End and Kenny’s Castaways. Against staggering odds, he found blazing success early on with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially accepted albums including Alive on Arrival (1978), Jackrabbit Slim (1979), and Little Stevie Orbit (1980) and a most unlikely smash hit single, “Romeo’s Tune.”

His career had its share of triumphs as well as stumbles and disappointments as did his private life.  Through it all, over the course of a marriage, divorce, raising three children, writing and recording 18 studio albums and fronting an ever changing line-up of supporting musicians, he persevered and stayed true to his roots and the folk ethos.

Now, those life-changing experiences have been chronicled by Forbert in Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock, co-written with Therese Boyd, that will be released October 26th. The memoir, originally conceived as a stage play, offers a uniquely introspective view of a life and career during a period of cultural upheaval and the author’s emerging self-awareness.

Sharing reflections and journals he kept at the time, Forbert weaves an absorbing narrative that fully addresses the trials, travails and triumphs that would eventually play out over the course of his prolific 40+ year career. Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock features first-person commentary from those who worked with Forbert on the road and in the studio.

The Magic Tree track listing: (All songs written by Steve Forbert except #11 which was written by Steve Forbert and Robert Johnson)

1. The Magic Tree (Version One)
2.  That’d Be Alright
3. Carolina Blue Sky Blues
4. Let’s Get High
5. Tryna Let It Go
6. Lookin’ At The River In The Rain
7. Diamond Sky
8. Movin’ Though America
9. I Ain’t Got Time
10. The Magic Tree (Version Two)
11. Only You (And Nobody Else)
12. The Music Of The Night

www.steveforbert.com

R.E.M. grew up with the BBC, and this historic relationship is lovingly celebrated across an incredible collection that beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music’s greatest bands. The collection—available as a super-deluxe edition 8-CD/1-DVD box set, as well as 2-CD, 2-LP and digital formats—comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives. This is a must-have collection for R.E.M. fans and an authoritative introduction for newcomers.

Listen to ‘Losing My Religion (Live From Into The Night on BBC Radio 1 / 1991)’ HERE

In-studio performances featured in the 8-CD/1-DVD box set include a John Peel Session (1998), Drivetime and Mark and Lard appearances (2003) and a glorious Radio 1 Live Lounge performance (2008). Live broadcasts include a rough-and-tumble show from Nottingham’s Rock City (1984), the stunning 1995 Milton Keynes Monster Tour (their first after a six-year break), a blistering 1999 Glastonbury headline set and an invitation-only 2004 show at London’s St James’s Church.

The DVD kicks off with a sixty-minute intimate retrospective of the band’s legendary performances at the BBC in the Accelerating Backwards film – previously broadcast only in the UK and available commercially for the first time here.  Accelerating Backwards also includes revealing interviews with Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, further testifying to R.E.M.’s long, special relationship with the BBC.  The DVD also offers a complete 1998 Later….With Jools Holland episode uniquely dedicated to the band, plus TV appearances on Top of the Pops and more.

The package liner notes add yet more behind-the-scenes insight to this definitive retrospective collection. Assorted BBC personalities reminiscence about what it was like to work with R.E.M both on stage and off. Respected BBC DJ/Presenter Jo Whiley recalls, “Their Glastonbury performance in 1999 was a dazzling moment: the band storming through an all-killer, no-filler setlist. As a headline performance, it was a triumph and, for me, it’s up there as one of the Glastonbury greats.”  Of a 2001 Top of the Pops performance, BBC Producer Mark Hagen muses, “”Michael once told me that he hears in colors and it was one of those nights when you felt that you could reach out and touch the music as it flowed through the air, a glorious rolling cloud of green. Just like a kudzu vine in a dream.”  Acclaimed rock journalist Tom Doyle also provides an overview of the entire thirty-year period.

In addition to the comprehensive box set, The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC is also available via 2-CD and 2-LP formats. The Best of collection offers a selection of in-studio performance and live broadcast highlights. R.E.M. at the BBC will also be available to stream or download, with the digital album offering mirroring discs 1 to 8 from the box set.

The first instant grat. single—a memorable version of “Losing My Religion” recorded in 1991 for BBC 1’s Into The Night session—is available when you pre-order the box set or Best of album (Listen or Pre-order Here). New instant grat. singles will be released each week leading up to street date.

R.E.M. at the BBC (8-CD/1-DVD) Track Listing:
Note, the digital album mirrors discs 1 – 8.

Disc 1 (64:17) – Sessions
Into The Night, BBC Radio 1, 13 March 1991

1.    World Leader Pretend 4:36
2.    Fretless 5:16
3.    Half A World Away 3:33
4.    Radio Song 4:05
5.    Losing My Religion 4:42
6.    Love Is All Around 3:09
John Peel Studio Session, 25 October 1998
7.    Walk Unafraid 4:04
8.    Daysleeper 3:18
9.    Lotus 4:13
10. At My Most Beautiful 3:16
Mark and Lard, BBC Radio 1, 15 October 2003
11. Bad Day 4:03
12. Orange Crush 3:55
Drivetime, BBC Radio 2, 15 October 2003
13. Man On The Moon 4:59
14. Imitation Of Life 3:41
Radio 1 Live Lounge, 26 March 2008
15. Supernatural Superserious 3:23
16. Munich 3:18

Disc 2 (62:32) – Sessions
BBC Radio 1 Session, 25 October 1998

1. Introduction :26
2. Losing My Religion 4:44
3. New Test Leper 5:53
4. Lotus 4:48
5. Parakeet 4:23
6. Electrolite 4:23
7. Perfect Circle 4:39
8. The Apologist 4:40
9. Daysleeper 4:44
10. Country Feedback 7:23
11. At My Most Beautiful 4:14
12. Walk Unafraid 4:52
13. Man On The Moon 6:11

Disc 3 (58:49) – Live Broadcasts
Rock City, Nottingham, 21 November 1984

1. Second Guessing 2:57
2. Hyena 2:57
3. Talk About The Passion 3:04
4. West Of The Fields 3:07
5. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville 4:29
6. Auctioneer (Another Engine) 3:01
7. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) 4:51
8. Old Man Kensey 4:24
9. Gardening At Night 3:26
10. 9-9/Hey Diddle Diddle/Feeling Gravitys Pull 5:39
11. Windout 1:49
12. Driver 8 3:25
13. Pretty Persuasion 3:33
14. Radio Free Europe 3:49
15. Wendell Gee 3:21
16. Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) 4:47

Disc 4 (51:59) – Live Broadcasts
Milton Keynes, 30 July 1995

1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? 3:58
2. Crush With Eyeliner 4:42
3. Drive 3:51
4. Turn You Inside Out 4:17
5. Try Not To Breathe 3:50
6. I Took Your Name 4:15
7. Undertow 5:16
8. Bang And Blame 4:58
9. I Don’t Sleep I Dream 4:14
10. Strange Currencies 4:31
11. Revolution 3:20
12. Tongue 4:38

Disc 5 (56:43) – Live Broadcasts
Milton Keynes, 30 July 1995

1. Man On The Moon 5:46
2. Country Feedback 6:49
3. Half A World Away 4:04
4. Losing My Religion 4:54
5. Pop Song 89 3:27
6. Finest Worksong 3:48
7. Get Up 2:54
8. Star 69 4:00
9. Let Me In 3:59
10. Everybody Hurts 7:24
11. Fall On Me 3:11
12. Departure 3:52
13. Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) 5:15

Disc 6 (43:05) – Live Broadcasts
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 1999

1. Lotus  4:36
2. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?  4:09
3. So Fast, So Numb  4:47
4. The Apologist  4:36
5. Fall On Me  3:26
6. Daysleeper  3:29
7. The Wake-Up Bomb  5:01
8. The One I Love  3:27
9. Sweetness Follows  5:50
10. At My Most Beautiful  3:37

Disc 7 (53:28) – Live Broadcasts
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 1999

1. Losing My Religion  5:24
2. Everybody Hurts  6:47
3. Walk Unafraid  4:17
4. Star 69  3:04
5. Finest Worksong  4:22
6. Man On The Moon  5:43
7. Why Not Smile  2:10
8. Crush With Eyeliner  4:40
9. Tongue  5:19
10. Cuyahoga  4:37
11. Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)  6:58

Disc 8 (55:24) – Live Broadcasts
St. James’ Church, London Radio 2, 15 September 2004
1. Intro  :47
2. So Fast, So Numb  5:13
3. Boy In The Well  5:20
4. I Wanted To Be Wrong  5:19
5. E-Bow The Letter (with Thom Yorke)  5:09
6. Around The Sun  5:02
7. Aftermath  3:58
8. Losing My Religion  4:47
9.vWalk Unafraid  5:10
10. Leaving New York  4:48
11. Imitation Of Life  4:35
12. Man On The Moon  5:34

Disc 9 (DVD) – Television Broadcasts

Accelerating Backwards
Moon River
Pretty Persuasion
Pop Song 89
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
Half A World Away
Crush With Eyeliner
Man On The Moon
Daysleeper
Imitation Of Life
So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)
Leaving New York

Later… with Jools Holland Presents R.E.M.
Intro
Losing My Religion
Lotus
New Test Leper
Daysleeper
Electrolite
At My Most Beautiful
The Apologist
Country Feedback
Parakeet
So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
Walk Unafraid
Man On The Moon
The Passenger

Bonus Videos
I’ve Been High
Nightswimming
Bad Day

The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC (2-LP) Track Listing:

Disc 1 – Sessions

A1. World Leader Pretend 4:36
A2. Radio Song 4:05
A3. Losing My Religion 4:42
Recorded for Nicky Campbell Session Into The Night on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast on 13 March 1991
A4. Lotus 4:13
A5. At My Most Beautiful 3:16
Recorded for John Peel Session on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast 25 October 1998
B1. Bad Day 4:03
B2. Orange Crush 3:55
Recorded for Mark and Lard on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast on 15 October 2003
B3. Man On The Moon 4:59
B4. Imitation Of Life 3:41
Recorded for Drivetime on BBC Radio 2
First broadcast 15 October 2003
B5. Supernatural Superserious 3:23
Recorded for Radio 1 Live Lounge on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast 26 March 2008

Disc 2 – Broadcasts

C1. Driver 8 3:25
C2. Radio Free Europe 3:49
First broadcast on 21 November 1984 from Rock City, Nottingham
C3. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? 3:54
C4. Drive 3:51
C5. Half A World Away 4:04
C6. Pop Song 89 3:27
First broadcast on 30 July 1995 from Milton Keynes
D1. Everybody Hurts  6:47
D2. Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)  6:58
First broadcast on 25 June 1999 from Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival
D3. Losing My Religion 4:47
D4. Man On The Moon 5:34
First broadcast on 15 September 2004 from St. James’s Church, London

The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC (2-CD), Track Listing:

Disc 1 – Sessions
1. World Leader Pretend 4:36
2. Half A World Away 3:33
3. Radio Song 4:05
4. Losing My Religion 4:42
Recorded for Nicky Campbell Session Into The Night on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast on 13 March 1991
5. Lotus 4:13
6. At My Most Beautiful 3:16
Recorded for John Peel Session on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast on 25 October 1998
7. Electrolite 4:23
8. Perfect Circle 4:39
9. Daysleeper 4:44
Recorded for John Peel Session on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast 25 October 1998
10. Country Feedback
Recorded for Later… with Jools Holland on BBC1
First broadcast on 27 October 1998
11. Bad Day 4:03
12. Orange Crush 3:55
Recorded for Mark and Lard on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast on 15 October 2003
13. Nightswimming
Recorded for Later… with Jools Holland on BBC1
First broadcast on 14 October 2003
14. Man On The Moon 4:59
15. Imitation Of Life 3:41
Recorded for Drivetime on BBC Radio 2
First broadcast 15 October 2003
16. Supernatural Superserious 3:23
Recorded for Radio 1 Live Lounge on BBC Radio 1
First broadcast 26 March 2008

Disc 2 – Broadcasts

1. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville 4:29
2. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) 4:51
3. Gardening At Night 3:26
4. Driver 8 3:25
5. Radio Free Europe 3:49
First broadcast on 21 November 1984 from Rock City, Nottingham
6. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? 3:54
7. Crush With Eyeliner 4:42
8. Drive 3:51
9. Half A World Away 4:04
10. Pop Song 89 3:27
11. Finest Worksong 3:48
First broadcast on 30 July 1995 from Milton Keynes
12. Fall On Me  3:26
13. The One I Love  3:27
14. Everybody Hurts  6:47
15. Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)  6:58
First broadcast on 25 June 1999 from Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival
16. E-Bow The Letter (with Thom Yorke) 5:09
17. Losing My Religion 4:47
18. Man On The Moon 5:34
First broadcast on 15 September 2004 from St. James’s Church, London

Tom Walker, the biggest breakout UK global star of 2018, releases his eagerly anticipated debut album ‘What a Time To Be Alive’ October 19th on Relentless/Sony Music.

Produced by Mike Spencer (Years and Years), Tom’s emotional new single, ‘Angels’, is the follow-up to the summer smash ‘Leave A Light On’ that has sold over 570,000 in the UK and 1.8 million worldwide, reached #1 on iTunes in 16 countries including the UK and top ten in 39 countries. A sizeable hit!

The album title, ‘What A Time To Be Alive’, is taken from one of Tom’s best-loved songs, ‘Blessings’, and is indicative of the hope and optimism that permeates this blistering 12 track collection of original songs written or co-written by Tom and sung in his unmistakable voice.

One of the unique things about Tom Walker is the way his songs resonate with his fans. Tom has been overwhelmed by the response he’s had on socials and at shows to ‘Leave A Light On’, and the hope it has given listeners the world over. ‘Just You And I’ has already become a wedding staple. Another album highlight is ‘Now You’re Gone’ featuring Zara Larson.

The album sleeve, created by the innovative artist Craig Alan, features an extraordinary portrait of Tom comprised of over 2000 miniature figures of people, many of whom have influenced Tom throughout his 26 years on the planet.

While ‘Leave A Light On’ established Tom as a global breakout artist, his debut album ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ without doubt will solidify his growing reputation as one of the most exciting new artists working today.

Tom and his band have toured the world this year and continue to do so. They embark on their latest UK tour this October:

October
Wed 10th  Glasgow, QMU
Thurs 11th  Dublin, Academy
Sat 13th   Leeds, Stylus
Sun 14th   Manchester, O2 Ritz
Thurs 15th  Sheffield, Leadmill
Wed 17th  London, O2 Shepherds Bush
Thu 18th   Birmingham O2 Institute
Sat 20th   Exeter, The Lemon Grove
Sun 21st   Cardiff, Tramshed
Mon 22nd  Portsmouth, Pyramids Centre

‘What a Time To Be Alive’ tracklisting below:

1) Angels
2) Leave A Light On
3) Not Giving In
4) How Can You Sleep At Night?
5) Now You’re Gone feat Zara Larson
6) My Way
7) Blessings
8) Cry Out
9) Dominoes
10) Fade Away
11) Just You And I
12) The Show

Pre-order the album HERE

www.iamtomwalker.com

Bad Sounds, brainchild of brothers Callum and Ewan Merrett, are one of the most original, exciting British bands to emerge this year. Their debut album ‘Get Better’ is an undisputed gem and includes current single ‘Wages’, a new version of their breakout single.

Listen to ‘Wages’ HERE

Next month they embark on their biggest UK tour yet buoyed by heavy Radio 1 support and a growing fanbase. Their label Insanity is the perfect home for their highly imaginative spin both musical and lyrical on very 21st century problems including anxiety and depression but delivered in a positively upbeat way.

Their wonderful, intoxicating mash-up of influences – Beck, Flaming Lips, Michael Jackson and Curtis Mayfield – makes their debut album ‘Get Better’ impossible not to love.

‘Wages’, a song about juggling work and chasing dreams of pop stardom, was originally released in 2016, earning ‘Hottest Record in the World’ from Annie Mac. This new version is just one of many standout tracks on as joyous a debut album you will hear for a very long time.

Come see what all the fuss is about and put a smile on your face when Bad Sounds play the following UK dates:

October
Weds 24th  NORWICH, The Waterfront
Thurs 25th  LONDON, Heaven
Fri 26th   BRISTOL, SWX
Sat 27th   LEICESTER, The Cookie
Sun 28th   MANCHESTER, Gorilla
Tues 30th  GLASGOW, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Wed 31th  LEEDS, The Wardrobe

November
Thurs 1st   NOTTINGHAM, Rescue Rooms
Fri 2nd   LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy Liverpool
Sat 3rd   BRIGHTON, The Haunt

“… Interpol have been remarkably successful in finding ways to modify their sound, pinching and folding the edges of their sharply drawn song” – MOJO ****
“Marauder is the sound of Interpol at their most wonderfully intense” – Q
“a return to the echoing, distorted sound of their classic early records” – The Guardian
“pacy, pounding” – Evening Standard

In celebration of the release of their hotly-anticipated new album Marauder on August 24th, Interpol will play a pair of special and intimate shows, taking place in Kingston for Banquet Records on Wednesday 29th, and in Rough Trade East on Thursday, August 30th.

Tickets for Banquet Records event go on sale Monday, August 10th at 10am HERE

Wristbands for Rough Trade East event can be gained by pre-ordering the new album on CD, LP or LP+ from Rough Trade HERE. A very limited number of wristbands will also be available to buy in-store from 9am on August 24th. Full details are available at –  https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/events/rough-trade-east-interpol