Britpop Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Blur’s Dave Rowntree has shared his opinion of Labour leader Keir Starmer in a new interview with NME.The Britpop veteran was taking part in the latest installation of NME’s Does Rock N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! series when he was asked to recall key moments from throughout his career, including his work in politics.Alongside his role as the drummer for Blur, Rowntree has also had a successful career in politics throughout much of the 21st Century – even going as far as to be elected as a Labour Councillor in Norfolk in 2017.Now, following his time in the role, which came to an end in 2021, the musician revealed his thoughts on current Labour leader, Keir Starmer.“Well, the test is at General Elections,” he began, discussing how well he thinks the figurehead is faring with the public. “If he wins the General Election, he’ll be widely touted as the most visionary Labour leader of modern times and will join the incredibly small number of Labour leaders who’ve gone on to become prime minister.”“If he loses, he’ll be regarded as an idiot who wrecked the Labour Party and achieved nothing,” he continued.

Pulp have performed an unreleased song titled ‘Hymn Of The North’ at one of their Sheffield homecoming shows.The moment took place at the end of the band’s performance on Saturday (July 15) — the second of their two mammoth homecoming shows at the city’s Utilita Arena.Arriving as the final song of the band’s 20-song setlist, frontman Jarvis Cocker introduced the track as one that no one has ever heard Pulp perform, other than those stood on this stage, and explained that there was some deliberation as to whether they were going to perform it live or not.The track is one originally written by Cocker, as a solo track for the 2019 play Light Falls, which was written by Manchester playwright Simon Stephens.“OK, I can promise you that no one has ever heard this song except for us on this stage… Actually, that was a lie,” said Cocker, speaking to the audience towards the end of the show.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn has said that he believes the “road is clear” for an Oasis reunion.Back in May this year, Albarn said that he would “put money” on his band’s ’90s Britpop rivals reuniting.His comments came as Blur themselves began their own comeback tour in their hometown of Colchester.“I can guarantee they’re going to reform,” Albarn told The Sun of the chances of the Gallaghers putting their ongoing feud to bed. “In fact, I’ve put money on it.”In a new interview with Consequence, Albarn elaborated on his previous speculation about the possibility of a reunion.“Well, of course they were gonna.

Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes has released a live version of one of his singles, featuring a choir involving people impacted by homelessness.Released on Tuesday (July 11), the singer joined forces with The Choir With No Name to record a live version of his single ‘Long Live The Strange’ — taken from his latest solo album ‘Turn The Car Around’.Formed in 2008, the choir is a UK Charity which provides a safe singing community for those affected by homelessness, and offers support for those who face marginalisation because of their living circumstances.The opportunity to collaborate arose when Coombes made a stop in Birmingham for his 2023 UK tour, and the choir were invited to join him and his band at The Mill in Digbeth pre-gig to record a unique live version of the single.“It was such a pleasure to meet and spend time with the brilliant folks from The Choir With No Name,” said the singer, discussing the collaboration. “There was a lot of love in the room that afternoon and their energy and joyous performance elevated the track even higher.

Damon Albarn has revealed he is currently in the process of working on an opera as well as new music for Gorillaz.While appearing on the Broken Record Podcast, Albarn shared he is putting Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1807’s The Magic Flute Part II to music for the first time. The 1791 original was an opera in two acts to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder.“I’m doing an opera at the moment, using Goethe’s fragment he wrote about The Magic Flute Part II, which is fascinating,” he said.He continued: “You’ve heard of Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’? Well, Goethe, who is a contemporary of Mozart, wrote ‘Part II’ of that — the sequel — but it never got put to music.

Alex James has shared a video of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ at Wembley Stadium before Blur’s headline show at the venue.The 1998 football song was co-written by James, actor Keith Allen and bassist Guy Pratt. The track served as the band Fat Les’ (Alex James, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst) debut single and was recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.James took to social media to share a video clip of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ on the Wembley Stadium stage during Blur’s soundcheck for their show on July 9.

The Rise And Fall Of Britpop is developed by Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and explores how the genre first came into formation. Through the course of the series, the two hosts will also hold interviews with various musicians from across the scene, and delve into how the genre impacted both the music industry and UK pop culture.It also arrives on what the BBC is describing as the 30th anniversary of the genre, and seeks to not only detail how it rose to prominence but also dive into the archives and share never-before-heard stories from those who understand it best.“It’s easy to forget the environment Britpop landed in; The passing of power from Thatcher to Major, Britain embroiled in war and the Union Jack derided as a symbol of the far right.

Blur have cancelled their upcoming headline slot at a French festival due to an injury. The news comes just days ahead of their upcoming shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.The returning Britpop veterans were set to play the set at Festival Beauregard this Thursday (July 6) – but according to an update from the festival’s official Twitter page, the band will no longer be performing drummer Dave Rowntree has suffered a knee injury.“The bad news has just fallen: Blur will not be able to perform their concert in Beauregard,” the update began (translated from French).

Damon Albarn has recalled the first time he showed his bandmates the demos for Blur’s upcoming album, and admitted he only wanted Graham Coxon to be in the studio at first.The singer-songwriter was speaking as part of a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, when he recalled what it was like reuniting with Blur and starting work on their new album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.According to Albarn, he began writing the demos for the new tracks before he gathered his bandmates together, but felt reluctant to show all of them at the same time.“When I finished the demos and I felt I’d got something I’m excited about, I got everyone into a studio in January this year. I just sort of sat them down and I said, ‘Right. This is what I’ve got.

Pulp have announced the door times, curfew and stage times for their upcoming show at London’s Finsbury Park this weekend (Saturday July 1). Check them out below.The returning Jarvis Cocker-fronted Britpop heroes will be returning to the London venue for the first time since their legendary Hyde Park show back in 1998 – as documented in the concert move The Park Is Mine.After the gates open at 3pm, the first support act on will be Exotic Gardens at 5.05pm before cult indie hero Baxter Dury takes to the stage at 6pm and BRIT Award-winning Isle Of Wight art-pop stars Wet Leg at 7.10pm, before Pulp’s headline set kicks off at 8.40pm with a strict curfew of 10.30pm.

Liam Gallagher has announced an intimate live show in London celebrating the release of his upcoming live album ‘Knebworth 22’.Later this summer the singer-songwriter and former Oasis singer releases a live album from a show at Knebworth in 2022. The gig marked one of his biggest headline shows to date as a solo artist, performing in front of more than 170,000 people over two nights.Now, ahead of the album, Gallagher has announced that he’ll be performing one of his smallest headline shows to date to celebrate the upcoming release.

MEO Kalorama has announced that Blur will headline the first night of the three-day festival in Portugal.Blur will take to the Main Stage on August 31 alongside fellow acts such as The Prodigy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, M83, Metronomy and more.

Liam Gallagher has revealed the thing that “freaked him out” after he purchased a mansion previously owned by Noel Edmonds.The former Oasis frontman was co-hosting Jo Whiley’s BBC Radio 2 programme last night (June 15), when he shared insight into something that he came across after purchasing the home.The topic arose when the singer-songwriter was asked about the last thing he spent money on, to which he responded: “Oh, it was probably the house in France. I hate to be flash … It used to be Noel Edmonds’.

Pulp have launched their own brand of teabags, and announced that singles from their Island era will be arriving on streaming services.The band teased both new updates on social media – the first of which was their own signature brand of tea.Made in collaboration with Dragonfly Tea, frontman Jarvis Cocker took to Instagram last week to unveil the band’s own blend of Black Tea, which comes equipped with snippets of their lyrics.“Monday mornings can be hard. This could help: Pulp Monday Morning Tea,” Cocker wrote on the update, sharing an image of both the box of tea and an accompanying tea caddy.

Blur have announced that Sleaford Mods and Phil Daniels will be the latest acts joining them at their upcoming shows at Wembley Stadium.The long-awaited shows are set to take place on Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9, and come ahead of the band’s upcoming ninth studio album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ — set for release on July 21 via Parlophone and Warner (pre-order here).The first of the two new acts joining the bill is Nottingham post-punk band, Sleaford Mods. Announced today (June 13), the duo — comprised of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn — will join Damon Albarn and co for their Saturday show.Now sold-out, other acts supporting the Britpop legends at the Saturday gig include English singer-songwriter and Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, and London-based electro-pop duo Jockstrap.Paul Weller, the second of the newly announced artists joining the bill, will perform at both the Saturday and Sunday shows in the capital.

Liam Gallagher has announced a new live album, taken from two of his solo gigs at Knebworth. Check out newly-shared footage of him playing ‘Roll It Over’ below.Announced by the former-Oasis frontman last week (June 9), the new live album will feature footage from across two of his solo shows at Knebworth, held at the grounds on June 3 and 4 last year.Titled ‘Knebworth 22’, the live album will feature a career-spanning variety of tracks from the singer-songwriter — taken both from his solo career and from his earlier work with the Britpop icons.This includes hits including ‘Everything’s Electric’ and ‘Come On You Know’ from his solo projects, and Oasis classics such as ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’.Alongside the announcement comes a live video of the artist performing ‘Roll It Over’, a track which originally featured on Oasis’ fourth studio album ‘Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants’ (2000).

Noel Gallagher has spoken out to decry the “mass hypnosis” that led to Brexit, as well as arguing that England is “shit now” and “fuck all works”.The former Oasis icon was speaking to NME for the latest in our In Conversation series, when he explained the “reflective” nature of his new solo album with The High Flying Birds,  ‘Council Skies‘.“All the dreams I had growing up underneath the council skies sparked off a lot of things for me, but it was written in that god-awful period in lockdown,” he said. “In isolation in those nine months where there was nothing to do, nowhere to go and no one to see.“Everybody dealt with it personally differently.

Blur performed ‘Sing’ for the first time in 10 years in Madrid last night, and added ‘Country Sad Ballad Man’ to the setlist for the first time since 2015. Check out footage of the show below.The free gig took place at La Riviera in Madrid last night (June 8), and saw the newly-reformed Brit-pop legends perform fan-favourites, tracks from their upcoming album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ and rarities from throughout their discography.Originally, the show was meant to be held during the opening night of Primavera Sound Madrid, but was relocated due to extreme weather conditions in the city which led to the opening night of the festival being cancelled.Amid the 22-song setlist, Damon Albarn and co surprised fans with a rendition of ‘Sing’.

Noel Gallagher has shared his thoughts about the recent reunions of his former Britpop peers Blur and Pulp – as well as the lack of offers made for Oasis to do the same.Former rivals Blur recently kicked off their comeback tour, as well as announcing their surprise new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren‘, with Pulp also returning to the road their first shows together in a decade.Asked about how he feels about being on the road at the same time as his ’90s peers in support of his acclaimed new solo album ‘Council Skies‘, Gallagher wished them well when speaking to NME as part of the latest in our In Conversation series.“I didn’t know that, but good luck to them!” he said. “Blur never split up, did they? Pulp never split up, they just went and did other things, which is the adult way of doing it.

Foo Fighters have surpassed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in their race for the Number One spot on the Official Album Charts.Both released their latest full-length albums last Friday (June 2), and as it stands, they are competing to top the charts in a race that is too close to call.The competition is one of the closest chart battles in recent years, and sees Foo Fighters’ ‘But Here We Are’ — their first album since the sudden death of Taylor Hawkins last March — take on ‘Council Skies’, the fourth studio effort from Noel Gallagher’s solo project.First reported by NME on Tuesday (June 6), the midweek mark showed that Gallagher had only just claimed the Number One position and that Dave Grohl and co. were sitting in second place — although just 200 units separated the two.Now, just one day before this week’s Official Number One album is revealed on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart (June 9, from 4pm BST), the American rock veterans have surpassed the former Oasis member, and are currently in peak position.Although the five-piece are close to being certified the chart toppers with ‘But Here We Are’, the race is still too close to call as, at time of writing, they are only in the lead by a mere 500 units.A lot is at stake for both artists.

Blur are set to play a free show in Madrid tonight (June 8), after their set at Primavera Sound Madrid was cancelled.The Brit-pop icons were set to perform on the first day of the Madrid edition of Primavera Sound festival, however, yesterday (June 7) it was announced that it would be cancelled due to “persistent severe weather experienced in recent weeks that have affected the pre-production of the festival.”They also added that the decision was made in light of the “adverse forecast that is expected for Thursday with heavy storms during the afternoon”. Other acts who had their sets cancelled included Yard Act, Halsey, Ghost, Le Tigre, Turnstile and more.Now, it has been confirmed that Blur will be performing another show in Madrid later today, and tickets are free for Primavera ticket holders.“Blur will play tonight at La Riviera,” the post read, confirming that doors will open at 8pm local time.

Liam Gallagher has taken to Twitter to respond after his brother Noel said he “fucking dares” him to call him up and discuss an Oasis reunion.The comments arose during a recent interview with Seattle radio station 98.9 KPNW, when Noel was asked about the possibility of an Oasis reunion.Here, Noel — who is currently touring in the US in support of his latest High Flying Birds album ‘Council Skies’ — insisted that neither he nor his brother want the reunion to take place. He also stated that although Liam continues to say he wants Oasis to reform online, if he did want to make the prospect into a reality he would have already called him up to organise it.“Look, he’s gonna have to call me.

Blur brought fan-favourite ‘Country House’ back to their setlist at Primavera Sound last night (June 1), and played the rare track ‘Luminous’. Check out the setlist and footage below.The Brit-pop icons took to the stage for their headline set at the Barcelona festival, performing a series of classics, rarities and new tracks from their upcoming album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.One of the main highlights of the night came midway through their set, with Damon Albarn and co.

Noel Gallagher has responded to Matty Healy’s comments calling for an Oasis reunion, and described him as a “slack-jawed fuckwit”.The singer-songwriter was speaking in a new interview with Spin, promoting his upcoming High Flying Birds album ‘Council Skies’, when the topic of an Oasis reunion arose.It was here that he was asked what he thought about comments made by The 1975 frontman Healy, who argued that both Liam and Noel Gallagher needed to “grow up” and reform. He also claimed that they should bring the group back together because “there’s not one kid, not one person, going to a High Flying Birds gig or a Liam Gallagher gig that would not rather be at an Oasis gig.”While the comments ended up gathering a huge response online — and even provoked backlash from Liam Gallagher, who responded by saying “it’s our time to waste, who made him the boss of time?” — apparently Noel missed the commotion altogether and wasn’t aware of the singer’s comments until now.“Oh, that fucking slack-jawed fuckwit.

Pulp have announced a surprise run of UK shows in the coming months, taking place in Manchester and London. Check out dates and ticket details below.The returning Britpop heroes are set to play their first of their summer reunion gigs in Bridlington tonight (Friday May 26), and have now added more gigs to the run – playing a huge outdoor show at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl on Tuesday July 4 and two intimate gigs at London’s Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July.Tickets will be on sale from 9am on Friday 2 June and will be available here.Did someone say “encore” ? Here’s a few extra Pulp shows for the current UK tour … Manchester @castlefieldbowl on 4 July, and London @EventimApollo on 28 & 29 July.

Liam Gallagher has responded to recent comments made by his brother Noel, accusing him of being too much of a “coward” to organise an Oasis reunion.Noel was speaking to talkSport radio this week, when the High Flying Birds frontman and former Oasis member discussed the possibility of the Brit-pop icons reforming — and suggested that blame should be put on Liam.“Well, I put it out there. [Liam] won’t call… I mean, he should call me, because he’s like, he’s forever going on about it.

Noel Gallagher has explained that his younger self wouldn’t be too happy about his collaboration with Blur frontman and former Britpop rival Damon Albarn.The former Oasis member reflected on his time working with Albarn in 2017 in a new interview with The Big Issue (via Music-News.COM).The team-up in question was when Gallagher contributed backing vocals to Gorillaz‘s track ‘We Got The Power’, which appears on the band’s 2017 album ‘Humanz’. “What would my younger self think of me working with Damon Albarn,” he pondered.“It would depend entirely on what side of the bed I got out of on that day,” he added.

Noel Gallagher has explained that his younger self wouldn’t be too happy about his collaboration with Blur frontman and former Britpop rival Damon Albarn.The former Oasis member reflected on his time working with Albarn in 2017 in a new interview with The Big Issue (via Music-News.COM).The team-up in question was when Gallagher contributed backing vocals to Gorillaz‘s track ‘We Got The Power’, which appears on the band’s 2017 album ‘Humanz’. “What would my younger self think of me working with Damon Albarn,” he pondered.“It would depend entirely on what side of the bed I got out of on that day,” he added.

Liam Gallagher has told fans that he wants to celebrate 30 years of Oasis’ debut album, ‘Definitely Maybe’, by performing the tracklist in full.The singer-songwriter announced his intentions on social media earlier today (May 11), telling fans that they can expect to see him hitting the stage soon in celebration of the album’s anniversary.‘Definitely Maybe’ was the first full-length LP from the iconic Brit-pop band, which he founded with his brother Noel, and 2024 will mark three decades since it was first released.According to Gallagher, he not only intends to perform fan favourites including ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Supersonic’ at live shows, but wants to play the album in its entirety and in the official order of the track listing.“As it’s 30 years since [‘Definitely Maybe’] was released nxt year I’m gonna be playing the album from start to finish in its original order at a few BIBLICAL venues,” he wrote on Twitter.Although it isn’t yet clear what “biblical” venues the vocalist is referring to, it can be expected that wherever he chooses is likely to sell out, as fans have been persistently calling for an Oasis reformation in recent years.As it’s 30 years since DM was released nxt year I’m gonna be playing the album from start to finish in it’s original order at a few BIBLICAL venues LG x— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) May 11, 2023If the live shows do come to fruition, they will not be the only way that the members are planning on celebrating the milestone.

Oasis guitarist Bonehead has claimed that a band reunion would be “worth it”, due to the impact it would have on the younger generation of fans.The musician — whose real name is Paul Arthurs — was hosting a Coronation Weekend special for the Radio X station yesterday (May 8), when he discussed the possibility of the band reforming.It was here that the former Oasis member, who was with the band when they formed in the early 1990s up until August 1999, told his audience that he would like to see them reunite for a live show. The main reason for this being because of how much it would mean to younger fans, who were never given the opportunity to see them play live.“Never say never, I would say,” Bonehead said when asked about the possibility of a reunion by presenter Toby Tarrant. “Realistically? I don’t know.