Indie: Last News

Peter Hook, the ‘100% Venues’ database aims to address the “outdated and unfair” practice of performance spaces charging acts a commission to sell their merch at gigs.“When fans buy merchandise from artists that they love, they want and expect that their money will go to supporting that artist,” the FAC explained, adding that the relationship between acts and venues is “essential and inseparable”.It states that the sale of official merch is “one of the key revenue sources” for musicians, and has launched the new directory “to ensure the current system is made fairer for touring artists”.Venue bosses can sign up by completing a one-minute form, with the FAC also encouraging acts to share the spreadsheet with their fanbase and the wider music community. You can find more information here.“Using a collective voice will be the way to promote change which will subsequently support live artists in the future,” the FAC wrote.

Father John Misty has shared a snippet of a forthcoming cover by Lana Del Rey of his as-yet-unreleased song ‘Buddy’s Rendezvous’.The original version of the song will feature on Josh Tillman’s fifth studio album as Father John Misty, ‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century’, which is slated to arrive on April 8 via Sub Pop and Bella Union.Lana Del Rey’s rendition of ‘Buddy’s Rendezvous’, meanwhile, will appear on an exclusive 7-inch single included with the deluxe vinyl edition of the album. The box set will also include another 7-inch that features Jack Cruz covering album track ‘Kiss Me (I Loved You)’.Listen to a snippet of Del Rey’s cover below – pre-orders are up on Tillman’s online store.A post shared by Father John Misty (@fatherjohnmisty)This is not the first time Tillman and Del Rey have worked together – he appeared in her music video for ‘Freak’ in 2016, and told NME at the Brit Awards that year that the video was “a dream”.“I’d do anything she told me to,” he said, joking: “That’s what I enjoyed about the video, just being her puppet.

The xx’s Romy, producer Fred Again and HAAi have announced that they’ve worked together on a new single.The trio shared a conversation in which all three are discussing the new single, which arrives this Thursday, alongside a “secret” launch party.Romy shared a screenshot of the conversation on Instagram and said the song was called ‘Lights Out’.Romy added: “I am SO excited about it! We are doing a last min release party this Thursday in London, which is the day it comes out.”There is then a link in the bio where fans can sign up to find out where.A post shared by Romy (@romyromyromy)Fred Again shared the same image and posted: “Me and @haaihaaihaai and @romyromyromy have decided to do a random last minute pop up rave in London on the day our song ‘lights out’ comes out! WHICH IS THURSDAY! WHICH IS ONE DAY AWAY BASICALLY!”While HAAi added: “@fredagainagainagainagainagain and I have decided to do a last min free rave in London on the day our track ‘Lights Out’ comes out, which is this FKN THURSDAY CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!????”HAAi hinted that more guests could be at the “free rave”, writing: “We may even bring some pals along to play as well, who knows?”A post shared by Fred again.. (@fredagainagainagainagainagain)A post shared by HAAi (@haaihaaihaai)Back in December, The xx shared a clip of themselves playing together in the studio.This was the first time the trio had been seen together in some time.

The Long Blondes features in Kate Jackson’s new art installation.The installation, which is taking place at Leicester’s LCB Depot, is called ‘Built For Sound’ and features a new loop sound by the band.It was recored by Paul Mazzitelli at R10 Leicester and is the group’s first new work since they broke up back in 2008.Speaking about the project, Jackson, who was the group’s front woman, said: “I first had the idea for Built For Sound during the second lockdown. We spent a lot of time at home watching old reruns of Top of The Pops and I became fascinated with the architectural stage sets and neon lights built slightly differently for each episode.“I kept thinking about the stage without performers and how abstract these sets would seem, like works of art in themselves.”“At the time there were of course no live performances happening anywhere and I had a lot of friends (musicians, crew, agents and promoters) who were out of work and struggling because of the pandemic,” Jackson continued.“As we didn’t know when live performance would return, this is a space built in a gallery for filmed performance rather than live performances.

Jenny Hval has shared a new single from her new album today (January 18). Listen to ‘Year Of Love’ below.The single follows on from the album’s first single release, ‘Jupiter’. Hval’s new album, ‘Classic Objects’, will be released on March 11. You can pre-order the album here.Speaking about the Paul Simon-inspired new single, Hval said it was inspired by a true story of a marriage proposal that happened in front of her while she was performing.She explained: “For me, this experience was very troubling.

Yard Act have shared a cover of Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ – listen to it below.Speaking about the cover, which the group told NME about last week, Smith said: “We did ‘Tiny Dancer’ ‘cause our new best pal Elton has been so kind about us in the press recently.“A song like ‘Tiny Dancer’ seems so far removed from what people assume Yard Act is, we thought it would be a really interesting way of showing not only our own versatility, but also the versatility of a song as good as ‘Tiny Dancer’.”John personally gave his blessing to the group for their cover in a “personal telephone call to frontman James Smith,” according to a press release.You can listen to the cover here.John has previously spoken of his admiration of Yard Act. Speaking to NME in last year’s Big Read, John said of the band’s style: “I can’t do it but I love it and I wonder how they do it.”In this week’s NME Big Read with Yard Act, the group responded to John’s praise saying: “It was mind-blowing, I fucking love Elton John; I want to write some lyrics for him.

Bez has tested positive for COVID after making his debut appearance on Dancing On Ice on Sunday (January 16).The Happy Mondays member took to the rink in episode one of the ITV show’s 14th series, which saw him skate to his band’s classic single ‘Step On’ alongside professional partner Angela Egan.Yesterday (January 17) Bez – real name Mark Berry – confirmed to the Daily Star that he’s since “had a positive test”.“I’m gutted because I’m going to be missing training but I’m looking forward to skating on the show again for week three,” he said, “and I’ll be tuning at home and cheering on my mates who are skating this weekend.”In a statement, an ITV spokesperson said: “We have stringent protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of all our contributors and staff which are routinely monitored and updated to reflect the current guidelines.”Bez was hospitalised with COVID in 2020, a full week before it was announced as a pandemic. Last summer he explained that he “seriously thought [he] was going to die” as a result of the virus, saying he “couldn’t breathe”.The Dancing On Ice judging panel scored Bez and Egan 12.5 points out of a possible 40, though the pair’s performance was a hit with viewers.Bez wore full protective gear, including a helmet designed to look like a melon – a nod to the iconic ‘Step On’ line “You’re twistin’ my melon, man”.A pair of giant maracas were displayed at the back of the ice rink, while dancers dressed as slices of watermelon joined the pair later in the performance.

Mitski has spoken about her decision to return to making music and touring following her indefinite hiatus in 2019.The indie star had announced that her headline show at New York’s Central Park Summerstage in September of that year would be her last “indefinitely”, but had assured fans she wasn’t quitting music entirely.In a new interview, Mitski has now explained that she did intend that to be the end of her artistic career.

Wolf Alice have confirmed that a few of the dates on their forthcoming UK tour will be postponed, with three shows in Glasgow and two in Dublin – both sold out – axed from their current roster.The news came in a Tweet shared earlier today, in which the band cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (particularly as the Omicron variant continues to surge through the continent) as the reason for their decision.The shows were initially set to go down on Wednesday January 5, Friday 7 and Saturday 8 at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, with Dublin’s shows slated for Monday January 24 and Tuesday 25.

Alt-J’s Thom Green has spoken about returning to touring in a pandemic as someone who is considered clinically extremely vulnerable.The drummer has a rare genetic condition, which meant he had to have a kidney transplant when he was a student. He now has to take medication to help his body accept the kidney, but which also suppresses his immune system.With Alt-J preparing to go back on tour across the UK and the US in February in support of their upcoming album ‘The Dream’, which is released on February 11, Green has spoken about the realities of touring in this time.

Coldplay will stop writing new music as a band in 2025, according to new comments from Chris Martin.The singer made the announcement to BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley for a special show to be broadcast tomorrow (December 23) from 7pm.Speaking on Wednesday’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show (via The i), Wiley shared an audio clip in which Martin can be heard confirming the news.“Well I know I can tell you: our last proper record will come out in 2025 and after that I think we will only tour,” Martin said. “Maybe we’ll do some collaborative things but the Coldplay catalogue, as it were, finishes then.”Whiley added that the frontman’s playfulness meant she didn’t always know when he was speaking in earnest.

Grandaddy have covered Metric‘s ‘Blindness’ in a new album titled ‘Cover of Covers’, which celebrates 20 years of Under the Radar Magazine.‘Cover of Covers’ will feature artists covering songs by artists that have previously appeared on the cover of the magazine.Ahead of the release, you can hear Grandaddy’s acoustic version of Metric’s ‘Blindness’ from their 2009 album ‘Fantasies’ and also, EMA‘s piano rendition of Modest Mouse‘s ‘Trailer Trash’.Other artists that appear on the album include Girl Ray covering Haim, Sondre Lerche covering Mitski and Alex Lahey covering St Vincent. You can see the album’s full tracklist below.On Blindness, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle said: “I’m a big Metric fan.

Sam Fender has shared a poster for next year’s Finsbury Park summer show which includes a cartoon of Boris Johnson as a pig, cooking on an open fire.The North Shields’ singer-songwriter announced the show earlier in December, which will see him being joined by a hand-picked roster of acts including Fontaines D.C., Declan McKenna, Beabadoobee and Goat Girl, with many more to be announced.“It’s the biggest gig we’ve put on so far – 45,000 tickets,” Fender told NME. “It’s gonna be like Sam Fender with his mates and friends.

Mac DeMarco has shared his annual Christmas cover for 2021 – listen to his version of Bing Crosby’s ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ below.Across the last five years, the musician has shared a festive cover every December, with 2020’s version coming in the shape of a rendition of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’.The new version of ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ comes alongside an official video which sees an inflatable Christmas tree wandering through a town before eventually finding its home in amongst a host of other – much more real – trees.Check it out below:DeMarco’s last studio album, ‘Here Comes The Cowboy’, was released in May 2019.

Paul Weller made a surprise appearance during Ocean Colour Scene‘s show in London last night – check out the fan-shot footage below.The group joined Weller on tour back in the early ’90s, with their guitarist Steve Cradock going on to play in the former Jam frontman’s solo band.

LCD Soundsystem’s Brooklyn residency have been cancelled, the venue and band have announced today (December 19).The New York band began a 20-date run at Brooklyn Steel on November 23 and were due to complete it on Tuesday (December 21).However, a notice was posted on the social media accounts for Brooklyn Steel earlier today announcing that the gigs due to take place tonight, December 20 and 21 would no longer go ahead.

Gaz Coombes has spoken about taking Valium on a flight with The Cure‘s Robert Smith, who was his hero growing up.The Supergrass frontman and soloist in his own name was being quizzed in NME‘s Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! feature recently when he recalled hanging out with Smith while on a flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.When NME asked Coombes (who formerly covered The Cure songs in his old band, The Jennifers) what it felt like to learn that Smith regarded him as a younger version of himself, he answered: “It means loads, man! He was on a bedroom wall when I was 10/11-years-old.”Coombes continued: “Seven years later, I’m sat next to [Smith] on a flight to Rio.

LCD Soundsystem have explained why they’re not cancelling their current live plans despite a rise in COVID cases.The band said they are aware of the risks but believe fans would “very, very irate if we cancelled all of the sudden”.LCD Soundsystem are currently in the middle of a residency at New York’s Brooklyn Steel, with three shows left to play (December 19, 20 and 21).

Nick Cave has given advice to teenager on love and heartbreak.In his latest edition of The Red Hand Files, in which Cave responds to fans who send in him questions, Cave gives advice to one teenager called Mauro, as well as another fan called Jenny.Mauro asked Cave: “I’m 17 years old, what can you tell me about love?” while Jenny asked: “How do I not have my heart broken?”In response, Cave told the pair that “to resist love and inoculate yourself against heartbreak is to reject life itself, for to love is your primary human function.

DMA’S have linked up with fellow Sydney artist MAY-A (aka Maya Cumming) for a new version of their recent single ‘Junk Truck Head Fuck’.The new version is largely unchanged from the track DMA’S released in August, with Tommy O’Dell’s warm and homely vocals driving the acoustic ballad. Cumming pops up around the 1:20 mark, taking over from O’Dell on lead vocals for the second verse. From the next chorus onward, Cumming and O’Dell perform the song as a luminous duet.Have a listen to the new version of ‘Junk Truck Head Fuck’ below:“We sat down and had a writing session with MAY-A and it was obvious from the get go she was super talented,” DMA’S said today (December 17) in a press release.

Supergrass have postponed all of their remaining December shows due to the “uncertainty” caused by a rise of Omicron cases in the UK.READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Supergrass’ Gaz CoombesThe band were set to play their first hometown show in 12 years on December 18 at the O2 Academy Oxford, followed by a gig in Glasgow and a headline show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. All three shows will be rescheduled for next year.Announcing the postponement on Twitter, Supergrass wrote: “Folks, we’re so sorry but we’re going to have to postpone our December shows.