Indie: Last News

The Lathums and Doves are currently in a tight race to become this week’s UK Number One on the Official Charts.The two bands are in an intense battle for the top spot with less than 500 chart units between Doves and The Lathums in the race for the Number One album (per Official Charts).The Lathums are currently in the lead with their LP ‘Matter Does Not Define‘. If they land that top spot, it would mark their third consecutive UK Number 1 album, following 2021’s ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be‘ and 2023’s ‘From Nothing To A Little Bit More‘.Doves are not too far behind with ‘Constellations For The Lonely‘, their first album in five years.

Doechii, Barry Can’t Swim, Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, The Last Dinner Party and more have been announced as performers for Bristol’s FORWARDS festival 2025.The two-day event is due to take place at Clifton Downs in Bristol on Saturday August 23 and Sunday August 24.Now, the first wave of acts and headliners have been announced, with Barry Can’t Swim, Ezra Collective, Confidence Man, Orbital, Mount Kimbie, English Teacher, Happy Mondays, Katy J Pearson, Ishmael Ensemble and the Rituals Orchestra and Mermaid Chunky all set to take to the stage on the first day.The following day will see performances from Doechii, Jorja Smith, The Last Dinner Party, Olivia Dean, Fabio & Grooverider Orchestra and the Outlook Orchestra, Moonchild Sannelly, The Silhouettes Project, Almeda and Snapped Ankles.Described in a press release as a “future-thinking festival”, FORWARDS also features “major social initiatives” and “timely debate” alongside music acts from across the world.Pre-sale will begin at 10am GMT on Wednesday (March 5), followed by general sale on Thursday (March 6) at 10am. You can find all ticket details here.Tom Paine, Co-founder of Team Love said: “FORWARDS is back for its fourth year, and we couldn’t be prouder.

Lola Young has spoken to NME about her love of The Cure, and explained why she thinks ‘Messy’ went viral. Read the interview below, or watch the video above.The singer, songwriter and former NME Cover star spoke to us while on the BRITs 2025 red carpet, and discussed how ‘Messy’ became one of the biggest singles of the past 12 months.“I think it’s the idea that you don’t have to be this thing that stereotypers want women to be,” she began.

Beabadoobee has spoken to NME about her upcoming London shows with Sabrina Carpenter, as well as why she thinks it is important to embrace imperfection in her music. Read the interview below, or watch the video above.The singer, songwriter and guitarist caught up with NME while on the red carpet for the BRITs 2025. On the night, she was up for both Artist Of The Year and Alt/Rock Act, although the awards ultimately went to Charli XCX and Sam Fender.Speaking to NME, Beabadoobee opened up about her recent comments about embracing imperfections in songwriting, and why she thinks it is important to be honest with fans.

Shaun Ryder has denied allegations of “punching” and “knocking out” from his former Happy Mondays bandmate Rowetta.Back in December the band announced that they had parted ways with the vocalist and percussionist after 34 years.Rowetta joined the band back in 1990 and was featured on the band’s single ‘Step On’, which peaked at Number Five on the charts. She went on to appear on their third and fourth studio albums, ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches’ and ‘Yes Please!’, and joined the band for three world tours.At the time of her departure, things seemed amicable, with the band sharing a statement that said: “Happy Mondays thank Rowetta for her services and wish her the best for the future.”Now though, Rowetta has accused Ryder of punching her during an incident that allegedly occurred while Happy Mondays were performing at Dublin’s Witness Festival in 2000.On Wednesday (February 26), she took to Twitter/X to share a screenshot of an NME report published at the time that detailed an alleged fight that had broken out between the two at the festival.Witnness Festival 2000I am not a liar.I also have correspondence detailing everything between myself & the band management during the tour where I was on a 16 bed bus with mainly men I hardly knew.Neetsy & her boyfriend , Bez & his dogs & Shaun + 1 were in lovely hotels.

Shack have announced a 2025 UK tour, set to kick off this spring. Check out all the dates and ticket information below.The legendary indie band, led by frontman Michael Head, recently announced a hometown Liverpool show at The Olympia, marking their first gig in over a decade.

The Maccabees have announced a 2025 European tour, set to kick off this summer. Check out all the dates and ticket information below.Back in October, the band confirmed the news of their comeback and announced that they’d be taking to the stage at All Points East 2025 in the capital’s Victoria Park on August 24 for their first gig together in eight years.The performance will coincide with the 10th anniversary of their fourth and final album, ‘Marks To Prove It’.

The Beta Band have shared details of a UK and North American comeback tour, set to kick off later this year. Find ticket details below, as well as info on a rerelease of ‘The Three E.P.’s’.The news comes after the band began dropping hints of an upcoming announcement last month, which left fans convinced that a reunion was on the way.These included posts of the members, past performances and photos of a touring case washing up on shore, as well as a new BlueSky account and links where fans could sign up to receive new information about the Scottish group.Now, the band – comprised of Steve Mason (singer/guitar), Richard Greentree (bass), John Maclean (samples/keyboard) & Robin Jones (drums) – have confirmed that they are back together and will be hitting the road towards the end of the year.This marks the first time they have played together since they disbanded in 2004, and their first shows since they took to the stage at Edinburgh’s Liquid Room on December 4 of that year.The first run of tour dates kick off in September, and include stops in Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol and Nottingham.

Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg won Best Original Score for The Brutalist at the 2025 Oscars last night (March 2).Off the back of a recent Bafta win for the score, the composer won his first Oscar yesterday for his efforts soundtracking the sprawling drama, which charts the life of fictitious Hungarian architect, László Tóth – a role that also won Adrien Brody the Academy Award for Best Actor – who moves to the US after surviving the Holocaust.Blumberg’s work was nominated alongside the scores for Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Wild Robot, and gave a glowing description of his creative relationship with director Brady Corbet, who enlisted him to score his third film after Scott Walker had worked on the first two.“I’ve been an artist for 20 years, since I was a teenager,” he said, “and when I met Brady, I met my artistic soulmate.” He went on to thank the “hard-working, radical musicians” who helped perform his score for the film.NME’s five-star-review of The Brutalist noted “Blumberg’s jagged steam-roller of a score”, which employed jazz infused piano, sax and towering percussion to convey Tóth’s mounting despair.Earlier this year, the musician told Pitchfork that when the film was in post-production, he and the sound team would have screenings with Corbet, and he ran into a problem where every time he watched the film, he cried at the end.Daniel Blumberg – former frontman of Yuck – has won an Oscar for his soundtrack for #TheBrutalist. Here’s the vocalist/guitarist and his band talking to NME 15 years ago about their sound and “massive riffs”#Oscars #Yuck pic.twitter.com/Hr7ao2QAI3— NME (@NME) March 3, 2025“The first time it happened, I just ran out the room,” he recalled.

CMAT spoke to NME at the BRITs 2025 about how the success of The Last Dinner Party is marking a new era for women in the music industry.The Irish singer-songwriter, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, caught up with NME while on the red carpet last night (March 1), sharing her love for the artists nominated this year. One in particular was The Last Dinner Party, who she credited with having inspiring impact on other women.The band were the recipients of the BRITs Rising Star award last year, and were nominated for four awards this time, walking away with Best New Artist and using their speech to voice support for grassroots music venues.“I’m very openly a big fan of The Last Dinner Party, they’re such a beacon for me,” CMAT told NME.

Bring Me The Horizon have spoken to NME about why they chose to cover Oasis’ iconic ‘Wonderwall’ , and recalled how they were caught off-guard by Liam Gallagher’s approval. Watch our video interview above.The Sheffield rock pioneers caught up with NME while on the red carpet for the BRITs 2025, and opened up about putting their own unique spin on the Britpop classic.

BRITs, The Last Dinner Party discussed how they want to encourage more discussion around artists’ mental health, and told NME that their second album is on the way.The band caught up with NME while on the red carpet for this year’s BRIT Awards, where they were nominated for four awards, but walked away with Best New Artist – and used their speech to voice support for grassroots music venues.During the interview, the band looked back at the milestones they’ve seen since taking home the Rising Star award in 2024, and revealed what changes they have implemented since facing mental health struggles on the road.Looking back at how they were forced to cancel several live shows at the end of last year due to “emotional, mental, physical burnout”, the group told NME about the realisations they have had going into 2025.“[It’s about] planning your year with limitations. Not just seizing every single opportunity because it’s great,” bassist Georgia Davies told NME.

Sam Fender gave a shoutout to his home of Newcastle as he picked up a BRIT Award last night (March 1). Check out the footage, and his performance, below.The ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ singer won the award for Best Alternative/Rock Act during yesterday’s ceremony, and thanked his fans who he called “the best in the world”, as well as his band, who he said “without I’m just a mad person shouting at walls.”Fender also took a moment to pay homage to the north, adding a shoutout to “everybody at home in Newcastle and [North] Shields, love you all.”Later in the show he performed a rousing rendition of his single, and title track from his latest album, ‘People Watching‘.

The Last Dinner Party gave a shout out to the UK’s grassroots music venues as they picked up their BRIT Award for Best New Artist last night (March 1). Check out their speech below.After picking up the BRITs Rising Star award in 2024, the London band returned this year to take Best New Artist, following the release of their debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy‘.During their speech, they took a moment to highlight the current challenges facing grassroots music venues in the UK.

Sports Team have shared the latest taste of their upcoming third album, in the form of ‘Maybe When We’re 30’ – check it out below.The Cambridge indie band will release ‘Boys These Days’ on May 23 via Distiller Records/Bright Antenna, and you can pre-order/pre-save it here. They have previously shared the singles ‘I’m In Love (Subaru)’, ‘Condensation’ and ‘Bang Bang Bang’.Now, they have returned with the reflective ‘Maybe When We’re 30’, a somewhat sardonic ode to the concept of settling down as you get older and seeing your social circles transform.

Fat Dog and Jasmine.4.t are among the first wave of names confirmed for the 2025 edition of Iceland Airwaves Festival.The event, which has been running since 1999, returns to downtown Reykjavik from November 6 to 8 this year, and tickets and travel packages are available now – you can find yours here.Alongside South London’s Fat Dog and Manchester’s Jasmine.4.t, the festival will also welcome Kenya Grace, Antony Szmierek, Deadletter, The Orchestra (For Now), Babymorocco, Ratbag, Superkoloritas and Jelena Ciric.As ever, they will also platform a number of Icelandic artists during the festival, with Elín Hall, Sunna Margrét, Milkywhale, Magnús Jóhann and Tófa all on the bill.Good morning to everyone who's watching our very first announcement! You're a true TikTokker if you spot… come on, comment who we're talking about

Sam Fender has stormed to the top of the UK album charts with his new album ‘People Watching’, landing the biggest UK opening week for a British act since Harry Styles‘ ‘Harry’s House‘.Fender shifted 107,100 chart units in his third album’s opening week, earning him his third Number One album in a row, per the Official Charts Company. It’s also his biggest ever opening week, selling more units than 2019’s debut ‘Hypersonic Missiles‘ and 2021’s ‘Seventeen Going Under‘ combined.In addition, it’s also the biggest opening week of 2025 and the largest UK opening week for a British artist since Styles racked up 113,000 units just under three years ago.Only nine artists including Fender, have managed 100,000 UK albums sales in a week this decade – Taylor Swift, Adele, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Take That, ABBA and Arctic Monkeys.Furthermore, ‘People Watching’ has become the fastest-selling vinyl album by a British act this century.“This is completely overwhelming.

R.E.M. made a surprise appearance yet again last night (February 27) during a tribute gig celebrating their classic debut album ‘Murmur’.All four members of the band – Michael Stipe, Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills – made an unexpected return to the 40 Watt Club venue in their home city of Athens, Georgia as part of actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy’s current tour – which sees the pair play 1983’s ‘Murmur’ in full along with a handful of their favourite R.E.M. songs.It comes just over a year after the band did the same thing in 2024.

Oasis, during an interview to promote her new film An Invitation to Murder.Barton, best known for her role in ‘00s teen drama The O.C., took part in a interview with The Guardian, answering questions sent in from readers. The British-born star was asked how she came to be in the video for ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. In the video, her character getting out of a taxi, only to have her dress caught and torn off by the taxi door, and chasing after it.“I’ve hung out with Noel before,” she said regarding how she was approached.

Girl In Red has shared a brand-new single titled ‘Confession’ – listen to it below.The stripped-back, intimate track finds the Norwegian singer-songwriter (real name Marie Ulven) in a vulnerable and introspective mindset, and it is reminiscent of her lo-fi earlier work.Clocking in at under one-mintute-30-seconds, the song marks Ulven’s first solo material since her 2024 album ‘Doing It Again Baby!’.“There’s a part of me nostalgic/ For all that has been/ There’s a part of me that knows/ I wouldn’t do it again,” Girl In Red ponders in hushed vocals over a raw, acoustic instrumental.“There’s a part of me that feels/ That I am reaching my end/ There’s a part of me that knows/ It’s my time to go/ I don’t know if I can wake up/ Tomorrow morning/ And face my soul.”According to a press release, fans can expect more from Girl In Red “soon”. Check out the official ‘Confession’ lyric video here:The artist had teased the new single on social media last week, when she shared a brief snippet and revealed the lyrics.Girl In Red is set to appear at numerous European festivals this summer, including Rock Werchter and Øya.

Liam Gallagher has responded to the reports that he met up with Noel Gallagher earlier this week, branding it as “fake news”.Various tabloids shared reports recently, claiming that the two brothers had met up at a hotel in central London on Tuesday (February 25) ahead of their massive Oasis reunion shows kicking off this summer.The claims said that they were seen together at Nobu Hotel Portman Square near Hyde Park, along with both of Liam’s sons Lennon (25) and Gene (23), and spent an hour talking in a private room. Reports also added that the two were joined by Oasis guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs before leaving separately.Speaking to The Sun, an anonymous source then claimed that the brothers were on “much better terms now”.However, Liam has now dismissed all the reports as false and told followers on social media that the meeting never took place.“Is it true that you spoke for one hour with Noel in a hotel in London the other day?” one person asked him earlier this morning (February 28).