Comedy is what we need right now, says Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, The Madness of King George), who ran London’s National Theatre for a decade.
13.02.2023 - 21:53 / nme.com
Plain White T’s have announced their return with a new single – listen to ‘Spaghetti Tattoo’ below.The band had a number-one hit song with ‘Hey There Delilah’ in 2006, earning two Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.They’ve released eight studio albums since their formation, with the last album ‘Parallel Universe’ coming out in 2018.‘Spaghetti Tattoo’ is an acoustic ballad in which frontman Tom Higgenson sings about a first date. The accompanying music video recreates the date and features puppets standing in for people.Speaking of the song, Higgenson said: “I went on a great first date with a girl I’d been talking to and DM’ng with for a while.
We laughed and drank and got lost in the moment, until we realized that we were the last two people in the restaurant!“It felt so good to be out again after those crazy last couple years, and the date left me filled with excitement and optimism about love and life. So the very next day, I grabbed my guitar and wrote this song.
She had a spaghetti tattoo on her arm, which was such a fun and silly detail, so I had to include that in the song. It’s definitely a song about noticing and enjoying the little things.”In 2019, Plain White T’s returned to the UK for that year’s Slam Dunk Festival.
Comedy is what we need right now, says Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, The Madness of King George), who ran London’s National Theatre for a decade.
EXCLUSIVE: The British Film Institute is close to appointing a new Festivals Director, with an announcement expected imminently, Deadline understands.
Royel Otis have shared a new single – listen to the bright and summery ‘Sofa King’ below.Following recent singles ‘I Wanna Dance With You’ and ‘Kool Aid’, the track marks the third preview of the Australian duo’s forthcoming EP ‘Sofa Kings’, which will be released on March 31 via OURNESS.‘Sofa King’ arrives with an accompanying music video, which sees the band – who appeared in the NME 100 2023 – pay homage to their hometown of Sydney, as they perform the song against the backdrop of a coastal cliff.Forming in 2020, Royel Otis released debut EP ‘Campus’ the following year. Their breakout single ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ arrived in 2022, taken from second EP ‘Bar & Grill’.Speaking to NME earlier this year, guitarist Royel Maddell teased the band’s forthcoming debut album, describing how a recent UK trip saw them “speed-dating” producers, hitting the studio with Speedy Wunderground boss Dan Carey and James Ford, Arctic Monkeys’ longtime producer.
Chvrches have spoken to NME about their new single ‘Over’, the “pressure” of stepping up to play stadiums with Coldplay, and how they’re preparing to mark their 10th year together as a band.The Scottish trio – comprising Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty – released the anthemic standalone track last Friday (February 24) before confirming three UK headline dates for this summer.“It’s sort of like a little miniature era between [2021 album] ‘Screen Violence’ and whatever the next year ends up being,” Mayberry told NME of ‘Over’, which was helmed by Swedish producer Oscar Holter (The Weeknd, Coldplay and BTS, Charli XCX).“I guess normally we kind of strictly abide by the album format and the album campaign format, and we’ll collect songs over the course of months and years, and then make a record.”While pointing to a yet-to-be-determined future, ‘Over’ harks back to the classic Chvrches sound as Mayberry seeks an escape from a period of personal turmoil (“It’s getting harder to breathe/ So, baby, put me to sleep/ ‘Til it gets better). This widescreen pop style, coupled with a narrative-led approach to writing lyrics, meant the song “didn’t feel right” for ‘Screen Violence’ – an LP that provided commentary on the horrors of modern society and our increasingly digital world.“It seemed a bit stupid to sit on it for an indeterminate amount of time until we’re ready to work on the next thing,” Mayberry told NME of the reasoning behind dropping the tune now.“So we kind of figured we would free ourselves from the self-imposed album cycle rules and just put the song out because we have it, and we’ve got loads more touring to do this year.
Love Island’s Olivia Hawkins and Maxwell Samuda have only been together since Casa Amor, but after leaving the villa as a couple they’ve vowed to make things work.The duo left the South African villa on Thursday night, after being voted the least compatible couple by the public. Before saying farewell though, Olivia and Maxwell were given one final task – choosing two other Islanders to leave with them. After deliberations, they opted for Claudia Fogarty and Keanan Brand.
Sparks have shared the title track for their new album ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’.The Los Angeles duo – comprising brothers Ron and Russell Mael – also announced that the song, which you can listen to below, will come with a video featuring actress Cate Blanchett at 5pm GMT tomorrow (March 3) here.They said via press release: “We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the César Awards last year, little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time (and a splendid person!) would graciously consent to lending her bootie-shaking skills to the first video from our new album, ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’. Dreams really do come true.
Into the unknown. The cast of Return to Amish is back for another season — and the challenges keep on coming.
While it's nothing new, and we're certainly not complaining, Harry Styles' name is inescapable right now.
Boygenius have released a brand new song, ‘Not Strong Enough’.The track premiered as Radio 1’s Hottest Record and is the fourth single after ‘$20’, ‘Emily I’m Sorry’ and ‘True Blue’ to be taken from the group’s upcoming debut album, ‘the record’.Lyrically, ‘Not Strong Enough’ deals with the paradox of experiencing self-hatred and masking it with a God complex. The accompanying music video was self-shot by the band – made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker – and edited by Bridgers’ brother Jackson.
Warmduscher have shared a new single and an accompanying music video – listen to ‘Love Strong’ below.The band’s new single arrives ahead of a trio of live dates, which are taking place at London’s Brixton Windmill in March. The band will then head off on their debut North American tour, before returning to the UK in May.
Neighbours fans can officially get excited as some more soap favourites will officially be returning to the revived show, set to premiere later this year. Fans of the long-running Aussie soap were left devastated when it was announced in February 2022 that Neighbours was coming to an end after a 37-year run, with a tear-jerking final episode aired on Channel 5 later that year.
Damian Lewis has announced his return to hit TV show Billions after two seasons away, as fans have said it “wasn’t the same” without him. The British actor, 52, will reprise the role of hedge fund wizard Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod for the upcoming seventh season.
Benefits have announced debut album ‘Nails’ and shared its first single, the furious ‘Warhorse’.The band, led by frontman Kingsley Hall, have signed to Bristol’s Invada Records, the label of Portishead and BEAK>‘s Geoff Barrow, for the album, which will come out on April 21.“We could have released a record at any point over the last couple of years but held back because I wanted to wait until the right people came along,” Hall said of the signing and forthcoming album.Watch him sign the record contract at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium below.Ok. Here's some massive news. pic.twitter.com/a8DVTSubDG— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) February 27, 2023Of first single ‘Warhorse’, Hall added: “At some point if the boot continues to stamp on us, we’re going to react.
Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have announced a sprawling world tour for this year, covering Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the UK and North America from May to October. The new run marks a continuation of the co-headlined ‘N.Y. State Of Mind’ tour – named for Nas’ 1994 ‘Illmatic’ cut – which initially hit the North American touring circuit over 25 dates last year.
Kali Uchis has released the second single from her new album – listen to ‘Moonlight’ below.‘Moonlight’ was produced by Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, and Leon Michels (of El Michels Affair) and follows recent track ‘I Wish You Roses’, which was Uchis’ first new music of 2023.The sensual track is an ode to chilling out with a lover, as she seamlessly switches between English and Spanish, singing “I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight” during the chorus.Uchis’ new album ‘Red Moon In Venus’ will be released on Friday, March 3, via Geffen Records. It’s set to be one of two albums from the singer this year, with both an English and a Spanish album to drop in 2023.“Love is the message,” Uchis said in a statement about the new album. “Red Moon In Venus is a timeless, burning expression of desire, heartbreak, faith, and honesty, reflecting the divine femininity of the moon and Venus.“The moon and Venus work together to make key aspects of love and domestic life work well.
The family of a woman killed by her British Airways captain husband with a claw hammer as their children cowered in a playroom have blasted 'nonsensical' plans to free him from prison in November this year.
Harry Styles will legally have to take part in New Zealand’s census because he is playing in Auckland on the day it is happening.Unlike in the UK, foreign visitors who are in New Zealand on the day of the census have to take part. The census, which is taken every five years, falls on March 7, the day Styles plays his only New Zealand show of his ‘Love On Tour’ world tour.A spokesperson for the New Zealand government’s census team told The Guardian that Styles would have to take part.
Vanessa Feltz's ex-fiancé Ben Ofoedu has been cast in a new London show as he begins to move on with his life after their unexpected split.The former couple, who were together for nearly 17 years, announced their split earlier this month.This Morning star Vanessa, 61, revealed she and Ben, 50, had called it quits after she allegedly discovered he'd been unfaithful during a tour of UK holiday parks with his music act Phats & Small. Now the dance music DJ is set to be putting the drama behind him as he's been cast in a brand new theatre production of Tony n' Tina's Wedding, which is based on the hit Broadway show.The opening night will take place on March 30, and Ben is said to be gearing up for rehearsals starting from next week.
Britney Spears has released a new video that has fans talking.
Thania Garcia Chuck Jackson, a vocalist of the doo-wop group Del-Vikings and the singer in Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard’s “Any Day Now,” died on Feb. 16 in Atlanta. He was 85. News of his passing was confirmed in a Facebook post by Ady Croasdell of Ace Records’ Kent Records division, a UK label that had been reissuing his recordings. No cause of death was given. “There are confirmed reports that one of the very greatest soul singers of all time, Chuck Jackson, died on February 16th,” Croasdell wrote. “His 60s and 70s recordings are hugely important works, revered as much now as on release…His passing will be deeply felt around the world.”