The Eagles’ greatest hits album has moonwalked past Michael Jackson’s Thriller to become the best-selling album in history. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is now certified 38x platinum, while their 1977 album Hotel California is now 26x platinum, making it the third best-selling album of all-time. Tim Fraser-Harding said of the news, “Eagles epitomize everything that is iconic about classic, timeless music – from songwriting, vocals, and harmonies, to musicianship, performance, and never accepting second best. These two albums in particular have been a definitive part of American life, and will continue to be shared by generations to come, just as they have been the soundtrack to so many lives for the last 40 years.”
We are very sad to hear the news that the great Aretha Franklin passed away today in Detroit at the age of 76. Aretha was a pillar of Atlantic Records and transformed global culture. From that day in January 1967, when producer Jerry Wexler took her to Muscle Shoals, Alabama and she sat down at the piano to record her first Atlantic record, “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” music was never the same. Back then, there was no one who sang that way, who took the roots of gospel and R&B and infused them with that originality, power, fervor, and depth. Her voice was an unparalleled instrument, a vessel of human emotion that touched people to their core. Aretha was always in charge – of the songs she sang and the songs she wrote; how she sang them and how she played them. With Aretha, soul wasn’t a genre; it was feeling that infused everything she did. She transcended musical categorization, bringing her prodigious talent to pop, blues, rock, jazz, and classical music.
In her dozen years with Atlantic, Aretha created a phenomenal body of work that has entered the timeless musical canon. At the same time, her boundary-breaking approach extended far beyond her music. She was a tireless champion of civil rights and social justice, and above all, a global citizen who strived her entire life to erase boundaries of race, culture, gender, and nationality. Her influence on artists across the globe is incalculable and her place in cultural history is undeniable. All of us in the Atlantic and WMG family are deeply proud to be a part of her extraordinary legacy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family at this very difficult time.
3Arena, Dublin: Friday 1st March & The SSE Arena, Belfast: Saturday 2nd March, 2019.
Tickets from €49.90 on sale Friday 20th July at 10am from Ticketmaster.
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS RETURN WITH TWO NEW TRACKS “JUMPSUIT” AND “NICO AND THE NINERS” AVAILABLE AT ALL DSPS AND STREAMING SERVICES
“JUMPSUIT” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO STREAMING NOW MASSIVE WORLD HEADLINE “BANDITO TOUR” ANNOUNCED
Twenty One Pilots have shared two new tracks – “Jumpsuit” & “Nico And The Niners” – which are available today at all DSPs and streaming services. “Jumpsuit” is joined by an official music video, directed by longtime collaborator Andrew Donoho, streaming now on Twenty One Pilots’ YouTube channel. Both tracks will appear on the band’s anticipated new studio album. TRENCH – which follows the GRAMMY Award-winning duo’s 2015 LP, BLURRYFACE, which has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide – will arrive everywhere October 5th via Fueled By Ramen, with more details to be revealed in the coming months.
Twenty One Pilots, the critically acclaimed duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, will celebrate TRENCH with “The Bandito Tour,” a massive headline world tour set to get underway October 16th at Nashville, TN’s Bridgestone Arena. The tour will traverse the U.S. through the fall followed by dates in Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom.
BLURRYFACE – which followed Twenty One Pilots’ Fueled By Ramen debut album, 2013’s RIAA Platinum certified VESSEL – made a stunning chart debut upon its initial release, entering the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #1. The album also achieved a milestone unrivaled in the digital era, becoming the first album in which every individual song on the album certified Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum by the RIAA.
BLURRYFACE spawned a series of hit singles, beginning with the 2x RIAA platinum certified “Tear In My Heart” and followed by the #1 sensations, “Ride” and the 7x platinum certified, GRAMMY® Award-winning “Stressed Out.” The latter track – which reached #2 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” – spent three months at #1 at Modern Rock while also topping the charts at CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC. “Stressed Out” was a worldwide breakthrough for Twenty One Pilots, earning gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in countries spanning Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The “Stressed Out” companion video was an equivalent success, now boasting close to 1.4 billion views at YouTube alone.
“Ride” spent five consecutive weeks atop the charts at Modern Rock radio outlets nationwide – the band’s second #1 single at the format in 2016 – while also ascending to #5 on the overall “Hot 100.” Another global smash, “Ride” is certified 4x platinum by the RIAA with additional platinum carts around the world. In addition, the track’s companion video – directed by Reel Bear Media – has now garnered over 657 million views via Twenty One Pilots’ hugely popular YouTube channel.
“Ride” was then followed by still another world-conquering hit single, “Heathens,” featured on Atlantic Records’ blockbuster SUICIDE SQUAD: THE ALBUM. The 6x RIAA platinum certified single – which received three GRAMMY® Award nominations including “Best Rock Performance” (Tyler Joseph, songwriter) – spent four consecutive weeks at #2 on the “Hot 100” while also topping Billboard’s “Hot Rock Songs” for a record-shattering 28 consecutive weeks and counting. The unprecedented one-two punch of “Ride” and “Heathens” made Billboard history, establishing Twenty One Pilots as only the third rock act with simultaneous top 5 “Hot 100” singles in the chart’s 58-year history, following only the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
“Heathens” — which hit #1 on the iTunes chart in over 60 countries – also rose to #5 in the United Kingdom and the top 10 in over 15 countries, with platinum and multi-platinum certification in Australia, Canada, Italy, and New Zealand. In addition, the “Heathens” companion video received the 2016 MTV Video Music Award for “Best Rock Video” and has now earned more than 1 billion individual views via YouTube alone.
2017 saw the release of yet another BLURRYFACE hit in “Heavydirtysoul.” Like its predecessor, the RIAA platinum certified single’s companion video received the 2017 MTV Video Music Award for “Best Rock Video” with views now exceeding 84 million via YouTube.
Twenty One Pilots received a number of major awards and nominations over recent years, with “Stressed Out” earning them the 2017 GRAMMY® Award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” alongside four additional nods. Other honors include seven total Billboard Music Awards including 2016’s “Top Rock Artist” and “Top Rock Album” (for BLURRYFACE) and 2017’s “Chart Achievement Award,” “Top Duo/Group,” “Top Radio Songs Artist,” “Top Rock Artist,” and “Top Rock Song” (for “Heathens”); multiple Alternative Press Music Awards including “Album of the Year Presented By Journeys” (for BLURRYFACE), “Artist of the Year Presented By Monster Energy,” and “Most Dedicated Fans”; 2016 American Music Awards for “Favorite Alternative Artist” and “Favorite Pop/Rock/Band/Duo/Group”; six iHeart Radio Music Awards (including “Alternative Rock Song of the Year” in both 2016 and 2017); 2016’s Kerrang! Award for “Best Fanbase,” and two MTV Europe Music Awards.
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS tickets for Dublin’s 3Arena show from €49.90 on sale Friday 20th July at 10am from Ticketmaster
Apple Music— Songwriter: Ed Sheeran [OFFICIAL TRAILER]
‘Songwriter’ is an intimate and personal look into the writing process of one of the world’s biggest artists – Ed Sheeran. Filmed by Murray Cummings, ‘Songwriter’ details the creation of Sheeran’s third studio album ‘÷’ and gives authentic insight into his life through never-before-seen home videos. Witness his creativity firsthand, from the very first chord to the finishing touch – the sounds become the songs on August 28, exclusively on Apple Music.
IRELAND’S #1 CHART-TOPPERS, THE ACADEMIC, SHARE TWISTED NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘DIFFERENT’
OPENING FOR THE ROLLING STONES AT IRELAND’S CROKE PARK FOLLOWING 2 WEBBY AWARD WINS
One of the most talked about bands right now, The Academic, have shared a new video for their hit single “Different.” Serving a Black Mirror-esque take on the music industry, the clip follows the four-piece as they meet with a team of scientists to formulate their perfect image.
The Academic have been on a meteoric rise since the release of their full-length debut album ‘Tales from the Backseat’– the record instantly shot to #1 in their Irish album charts, earning raves everywhere from The Irish Times, Salon, Uproxx, V Magazine, Clash Music, Hotpress + more, and the band just confirmed an opening slot for their musical heroes, The Rolling Stones, at Dublin’s legendary Croke Park on May 17.
The Academic also won two Webby Awards this week, for their video “Bear Claws” – which rose to viral fame earlier this year, racking up over 1.5 million views in less than a week.
Currently on a run of sold out dates across the UK and Europe, The Academic return to Dublin to open up for The Rolling Stones at Croke Park Stadium before going back to the US next month on their next leg of what is a hectic tour schedule, which kicks off with a double header at NYC’s Terminal 5 and Brooklyn Steel. The band then return for what will be one of the nights of the summer with their biggest headline show at Iveagh Gardens, Dublin on July 20th.
Although their live shows are best known for their electrifying and explosive energy, Biffy Clyro have often demonstrated that their songs possess an added poignancy when stripped back to their essence. Now the band can announce details of their first acoustic album, ‘MTV Unplugged: Live At Roundhouse London’ on May 25th.
Recorded at London’s famous Roundhouse venue on November 8th last year, the set represented the UK relaunch of the iconic MTV Unplugged series. Biffy Clyro follow in the footsteps of influential rock bands who had previously performed as part of the series, notably Nirvana, Oasis, Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and George Michael.
MTV will broadcast a global premiere of the Roundhouse performance on May 25th. Biffy Clyro ‘MTV Unplugged’ will premiere in the UK on Friday May 25th at 9pm on MTV and at 10pm on MTV Music.
The set is rich with favourites from the Biffy catalogue. ‘Machines’ is already long established as a highlight of the band’s live shows as Simon Neil performs accompanied by a single acoustic guitar, while the likes of ‘Many of Horror’, ‘Re-arrange’ and ‘Medicine’ are all natural fits for an Unplugged performance. Yet the band also flourish with stripped-back performances of songs that were more aggressive and dramatic in their original form, such as ‘The Captain’, ‘Black Chandelier’ and ‘Bubbles’.
The album also presents some special treats for Biffy fans. A stunning take on the Beach Boys’ classic ‘God Only Knows’ is an undoubted highlight, while a brand new original song is also included in the shape of ‘Different Kind of Love’.
‘MTV Unplugged: Live At Roundhouse London’ will be released on digital, CD, CD/DVD and a special vinyl/CD/DVD boxset. Pre-orders are now available from http://mtvunplugged.biffyclyro.com/, with the new Unplugged version of ‘Many of Horror’ provided as an instant download.
Everyone who pre-orders the album from the official Biffy Clyro store will subsequently receive a pre-sale code for the band’s MTV Unplugged tour which commences in September.
The MTV Unplugged tour presents a chance for a wider audience to see Biffy Clyro play a rare full-length acoustic set in magnificent surroundings. Tickets for the dates, listed below, go on general sale from May 11th.
September
15th – Dublin, The Helix
16th – Belfast, Waterfront
18th – Cardiff, St. David’s Hall
19th – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
21st – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
22nd – Manchester, Manchester Opera House
24th – London, Royal Albert Hall
In addition, the tour will also visit France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The ‘MTV Unplugged: Live At Roundhouse London’ tracklisting is:
On September 7, 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant first took the stage together in Gladsaxe, Denmark. Then billed as “The New Yardbirds,” the band would assemble in the studio for the first time later that month to start recording their debut album as Led Zeppelin, and rock ‘n’ roll would never be the same again. Before the band’s 50th Anniversary celebration officially begins in September, Led Zeppelin will continue their reissue campaign with a new edition of their celebrated live album “How The West Was Won”, originally released in 2003, featuring newly remastered audio, which was done under the supervision of Jimmy Page.
Details of additional Led Zeppelin 50th Anniversary releases and events will be announced later this year.
“HOW THE WEST WAS WON” will be released on March 23rd in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song, including the first ever vinyl and Blu-ray Audio editions (with the Blu-ray containing hi-res 5.1 surround sound).
• CD – Remastered audio on three CDs
• Vinyl – Remastered audio on four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
• Blu-Ray Audio – 96kHz/24 bit 5.1 (DTS-HD Master Audio Surround) and stereo mixes
(PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo).
• Streaming & Digital Download – Remastered audio.
• Super Deluxe Boxed Set o Remastered audio on three CDs and four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
o DVD of album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo, plus photo gallery.
o High-def download card of all stereo audio content at 96kHz/24 bit.
o A book filled with rare and previously unpublished photos of the band at each of the concert locations, plus memorabilia and ephemera.
o High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.
“HOW THE WEST WAS WON” highlights the best performances from Led Zeppelin’s legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, the three-CD and four-LP collections capture the band at the height of its formidable powers. Standouts include a 25-plus minute version of “Dazed And Confused” and a 21-minute medley based around “Whole Lotta Love.” The performances also capture the band introducing songs from its then-unreleased album Houses Of The Holy, which would be released nine months later.
LILY ALLEN ‘Trigger Bang’ (featuring Giggs) video out now
New album No Shame due for release early Summer 2018
UK live shows announced for March
“That’s why I can’t hang with the cool gang, everyone’s a trigger bang, bang, bang, bang, bang”
– Lily Allen, ‘Trigger Bang’
Lily Allen today releases the video for new single ‘Trigger Bang’ featuring Giggs and announces the forthcoming release of new album, No Shame, early Summer 2018. Lily has also announced she’ll play a string of intimate live shows across the UK in March, with further shows across Europe and the US to come.
Directed by frequent Giggs collaborator Myles Whittingham and set in London, the video for ‘Trigger Bang’ follows younger versions of Lily and Giggs enjoying the trappings of success, reflecting Lily’s characteristically sharp observations and tongue-in-cheek wordplay that take us on this retrospective journey: “When I was young I was blameless, playing with rude boys and trainers, I had a foot in the rave cause I was attracted to danger, I never got home for Neighbours.”
‘Trigger Bang’ was produced by Fryars, who has worked with Lily as a songwriter and producer for the past several years and is the first track to be heard from her fourth album, No Shame. Listen/Buy/Stream ‘Trigger Bang’ here
Lily will perform in the UK for the first time since in 2015 this March:
Tuesday 20th March Gorilla Manchester
Wednesday 21st March Tufnell Park Dome London
Friday 23rd March King Tuts Glasgow
Lily Allen has had three UK number 1 singles, two number 1 albums and she has sold over 5 million albums worldwide. She also recently featured on ‘Cigarettes and Cush’ from Stormzy’s acclaimed Gang Signs and Prayer.
What people are saying about ‘Trigger Bang’:
“the odd couple of Giggs and Lily Allen pull off a belter” – Guardian
“a fun, low-key pop bop” – Noisey
“a perfect return” – Wonderland
“dictionary definition of a pleasant surprise” – BBC News
“a high end pop cut” – Complex
VANCE JOY ANNOUNCES HIS NEW ALBUM ‘NATION OF TWO’ – RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 23rd
Plays Live In Dublin’s Olympia Date on March 20th 2018
You don’t sell close to two million copies of your debut album without some seriously hard work… and Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy has never been shy of major elbow grease.
Introduced to the world via the ukulele-led charm of instant classic ‘Riptide’, Vance Joy (born James Keogh) consolidated on that first impression with further anthems ‘Mess is Mine’, ‘Georgia’, ‘Fire and the Flood’ and ‘Straight Into Your Arms’.
Those hits all found a home on 2014’s debut dream your life away – the record hitting No.1 in Australia, No.2 in Canada and Top 20 in the UK and US.
The figures are remarkable. ‘Riptide’ (a Top 10 Australian hit, Top 10 UK, Top 30 US, not to mention former triple j Hottest 100 winner) is about to clock over 200 million YouTube views and over 500 million Spotify streams. In Australia, it is now certified a phenomenal 8x platinum and remains the longest standing local single in the ARIA Top 100. Subsequent singles ‘Mess Is Mine’, ‘Fire and the Flood’ and ‘Georgia’ boast a further 400 million Spotify streams between them.
Touring dream your life away saw Vance Joy surface everywhere from singing on American Idol to being handpicked to open Taylor Swift’s 1989 Tour worldwide, festivals from Lollapalooza in Chicago and South America, to Coachella, to Splendour in the Grass and of course, the AFL Grand Final.
Listeners all over the world connected to Vance Joy’s intimate yet anthemic songwriting. “It’s a cliché but we’re so lucky to be in this position, to know there are fans around the world. To go to South America and people know all the words to the songs.”
Then there was that moment Paul Kelly joined him on stage in Sydney singing a Beatles song, and selling out iconic venues in Canada, the US and the UK to thousands of adoring fans, plus a sold out arena tour back home in Australia. dream your life away went platinum in Australia, the US, Canada plus numerous territories in Europe and Latin America, nearing two million sales worldwide, his songs soundtracked an array of TV series and movies including Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, animated feature Storks and acclaimed film The Big Sick… and you can lose yourself in a YouTube rabbit hole of people covering Vance Joy songs.
It was only during 2016 that Joy and his trusty band finally wound down from nearly three years of global touring to start working on Album #2.
“I just wanted a solid second album, one that would stay at the same level, maintain the standard. More solid songs I’m proud of.”
The ol’ second album pressure? Not so much.
“I wasn’t too stressed out by the idea of people waiting for a new album, it was more just actually writing the songs for it. You can’t force it. It’s hard to schedule things like writing sessions around things that are so unknown. How do I know when it’s time to stop and chill and let my well of inspiration fill up?”
However for sophomore album Nation of Two Joy wasn’t starting totally from scratch.
He tapped back into his youth for the stunning ‘Little Boy’ – a tale of a childhood accident and growing up in the Melbourne suburbs. “I’m glad I could get a bit more personal on this album with a song like Little Boy,” he says.
Elsewhere, his trusty mobile phone was a very modern archive of some vintage lyric and music ideas. One pre-prepared riff salvaged by Dan Wilson – who has worked with Adele, Halsey, Pink and Taylor Swift, and with whom he wrote a handful of Nation of Two tracks – became ‘Like Gold’, and was released as an early taste of the album for hungry fans.
Another song Wilson helped bring to life is album highlight ‘We’re Going Home’. “I’ve had that song in my pocket since 2015,” Joy says. “I had the demo for a while. I’d tried writing it a few times but working with Dan we finally got the right vibe.”
Nation of Two’s first single ‘Lay It On Me’ was another song Joy had half-prepared earlier. “I’d actually given up on the guitar riff that starts the song, but I played it to Dave Bassett (Rachel Platten, Fitz and the Tantrums) who I wrote it with and he thought it was cool.” Cool might be an understatement – the track is just about to tick over 2x platinum in Australia and has made a steady climb to the top of the Alternative Charts in the US.
‘Saturday Sun’, a tune so good that he held up delivering Nation of Two to ensure it made the cut, was also finished with the help Bassett.
“Co-writes can be scary, but you learn things from working with other people. If you’re willing to step into the unknown and be a bit vulnerable, that’s when something exciting might happen.”
Whilst stepping out of his comfort zone was important in the scheme of Nation of Two, Vance Joy remained the driving force behind all of the songs on the album, with many still written solo, including the classic opener ‘Call If You Need Me’ and the gorgeous ‘Bonnie & Clyde’, inspired by his love of literature. “I’m really proud of the songs I wrote by myself for this album, I wanted to maintain the ability to do that.”
Complementing the dynamic song-writing, it’s fair to say that the Melbourne turned global star is sounding better than ever on Nation of Two. Joy’s compelling vocals dance around thoughtful lyrics and luscious melodies, and while he may have the special skill of making it all sound effortless, every word and metaphor is there for a reason. The album’s title came from Keogh marrying his Kurt Vonnegut phase with a book by Richard Ford called Between Them.
“The phrase Nation of Two reminds me about how your world begins and ends whenever you’re with that one person. It felt right.”
He even drew the album’s striking cover art himself.
Now, with a swag of exquisite new material added to his already impressive repertoire, comes time to start the crazy cycle all over again, this time with the bonus of simultaneous global releases and a ready-made audience.
“It’s a luxury to have made one album and it’s nice to know people are waiting to hear some new songs.”
Nation of Two is out February 23rd
NATION OF TWO TRACKLISTING
1. Call If You Need Me
2. Lay It On Me
3. We’re Going Home
4. Saturday Sun
5. Take Your Time
6. I’m With You
7. Like Gold
8. Alone With Me
9. Crashing Into You
10. One Of These Days
11. Little Boy
12. Bonnie & Clyde
13. Where We Start
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