Indie: Last News

Arab Strap have announced they’re returning with their first new album in 16 years.The Scottish duo, comprised of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, will release ‘As Days Get Dark’ next year on March 5. The announcement also comes with a new single, ‘Compersion Pt.1’ which you can listen to below.Speaking about the new album, Moffat said: “It’s about hopelessness and darkness. But in a fun way.

Pale Waves singer Heather Baron-Gracie has discussed embracing her sexuality on the band’s forthcoming second album ‘Who Am I?’.The band announced their new album, out in February 2021 via Dirty Hit, last month alongside first single ‘Change’.Speaking to NME in a new Big Read cover feature, Baron-Gracie discussed the openness of the new album, and how she now feels comfortable discussing her sexuality.“I was hiding my sexuality and keeping it a secret because I didn’t want people to judge me,” the singer told NME of the era of the band’s first album, 2018’s ‘My Mind Makes Noises’.“My relationship with my family was closed off for a long time, and I saw [Pale Waves drummer] Ciara’s family and how they interacted with their parents and I was

Courtney Barnett has announced her first gig with a full live band since January, a global livestream from her home city of Melbourne.She’ll perform from one of the city’s landmark structures, the Royal Exhibition Building, the first building in Australia to receive UNESCO World Heritage status.The ticketed show is set to take place on December 17, with streams going out at different times to allow fans all over the world to tune in.The show will be streamed at 8pm GMT / 9pm CET for European viewers, 8pm AEDT / 10pm NZDT for Australia and New Zealand, and at both 8pm ET and 8pm PT for the US’ East and West Coast respectively.Tickets go on sale at 10pm GMT on Thursday (November 26), and will be available here.

Haim have revealed that they’ve started 100 songs since the coronavirus pandemic started.“I feel like I write songs all day,” Este Haim said. “Including the songs I make up in my kitchen, then I have over 100,” but said that only around five are complete.“I found it a little difficult to be creative in this time […] there’s starts of songs, but I find it hard to finish them at this time.”The episode of Music Life will be broadcast on the BBC World Service on Saturday November 28, and released as a podcast on BBC Sounds.Elsewhere in the show, the Haim sisters discussed the therapeutic aspects of their latest album ‘Women In Music Pt.

Phoebe Bridgers has shared her annual festive cover version – listen to her new recording of Merle Haggard’s ‘If We Make It Through December’ below.All proceeds from the new version will go to the Downtown Women’s Center, which helps support homeless women in Los Angeles.Last year, Bridgers’ holiday season cover saw her share a version of Simon & Garfunkel track ‘7 O’Clock News/ Silent Night’ with Fiona Apple and The National‘s Matt Berninger, while in 2018 she collaborated with Jackson Browne on a cover of McCarthy Trenching’s ‘Christmas Song’.Listen to the new version of 1974 track ‘If We Make It Through December’ below.The new cover follows Bridgers releasing her new EP ‘Copycat Killer’ last week (November 20).

Radiohead are auctioning off Thom Yorke‘s iconic bowler hat from the ‘Lotus Flower’ video.Proceeds from the sale will go to Cahonas Scotland and Testicular Cancer Education and Awareness.The hat is being sold on eBay, and at the time of writing, has had 76 bids with a highest bid so far of £4,700. It is signed by Yorke, and bears a hand-written Radiohead logo.Get your bids in here, and watch the ‘Lotus Flower’ video that made it famous below.Back in September, Thom Yorke married his partner Dajana Roncione in Sicily at a small ceremony with his bandmates present.Earlier this year, guitarist Ed O’Brien opened up on the future of Radiohead – saying that he was “sure there will be another album” at some point.

Tom Grennan has shared another new track from his forthcoming second album – watch the video for ‘Something Better’ below.The track is the third preview of his forthcoming new album ‘Evering Road’, which is set for release on March 5, 2021 via Insanity Records.It follows the release of the gospel-tinged ‘Amen’ last month, and first taster ‘Oh Please’, which arrived back in April.“When I wrote ‘Something Better’, it was a song about me smiling on the outside but dealing with a whirlwind of dark thoughts and distractions on the inside,” he said of the song in a statement.“Since Covid-19 and lockdown, the tables have turned! I’m smiling on the inside, and I’m constantly distracted with thoughts of the exciting, crazy and better future that is

We Are Scientists have released a new single ‘Fault Lines’ – scroll down the page to listen to it now.The track is the band’s second new release of the year, following May single ‘I Cut My Own Hair’.“Revelling in lost time/ Stepping over fault lines/ It’d help if we could rewind/ And redraw all these fault lines,” they sing over the heavy rock riffs on the track, which “alludes to increasing polarised views and deepening divisions within society”.In a press release, frontman Keith Murray said: “Look, I’m generally reluctant to get into song meanings and lyrical analysis, under the best of circumstances.

Pale Waves’ Heather Baron-Gracie has reflected on the tour bus crash that her bandmates were involved in earlier this year, saying that “it’ll be something that will stay for them forever”.Three of the four members of Pale Waves — Ciara Doran (drums), Hugo Silvani (guitar) and Charlie Woods (bass) — were on the bus that suffered a near-fatal accident back in February. Baron-Gracie chose to fly to the band’s next show in Germany instead of travelling on the bus.Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read, Baron-Gracie said that she will never “forget the sound of Ciara’s voice after the crash”.“I’ve known Ciara a very long time and we’ve been through so much together – I’ve never heard their voice like that ever,” she recalled.

John Cooper Clarke has announced details of a special virtual Christmas gig.Clarke will be joined by spoken word artists and poets from around the country and the event will aim to raise funds for a number of organisations including Colchester Food Bank, Salford Food Bank, Manchester Food Bank and Colchester Arts Centre.The gig will be streamed around the world from Colchester Arts Centre on December 12.

Suede are inviting fans to be part of their new record.The band are calling on their followers to “submit a voice recording” and have detailed a list of instructions on Facebook which includes singing and shouting “along when we ask you to”.“Everything you send in will be gratefully received. If you can do 2 or even 3 recordings, that would be even better.

Biig Piig has shared her latest single, ‘Feels Right’ — you can hear the new song below.This new offering is the London-based Irish artist’s (real name Jess Smyth) third official single of the year, following on from ‘Switch’ and ‘Don’t Turn Around’.Smyth is currently working on her debut album as Biig Piig, and she’s furthered her growing momentum today (November 18) by releasing ‘Feels Right’, which you can hear below.“‘Feels Right’ is a track about the energy of a night out. I miss going out so much,” Smyth explained.“The feeling of letting go and being surrounded by sweaty people; meeting strangers and one-night romances; the tunes and ecstasy.

Shame have today (November 18) shared new single ‘Water in the Well’ – you can listen to it below.The song is taken from the band’s much-anticipated new album, ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, which will be released on January 15 via Dead Oceans.The group also shared a new video to accompany ‘Water in the Well’, directed by Pedro Takahashi.You can watch the video here:The tracklist for ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ is as follows:1. ‘Alphabet’2. ‘Nigel Hitter’3. ‘Born in Luton’4. ‘March Day’5. ‘Water in the Well’6. ‘Snow Day’7. ‘Human, for a Minute’8. ‘Great Dog’9. ‘6/1’10. ‘Harsh Degrees’11. ‘Station Wagon’Frontman Charlie Steen said the new album emerged after the coronavirus lockdown proved a difficult adjustment, with the band having spent the last few years on

Mystery Jets and Graham Coxon have been announced on the line-up for a socially distanced benefit gig at London’s Jazz Cafe next month.All three acts will play at ‘Live For Beirut 2.0’ on December 11, which is set to raise money for the victims of the huge warehouse explosion which rocked the Lebanese capital in August, claiming the lives of over 200 people.Other acts on next month’s bill include the likes of Nadine Shah and Django Django, who will both play DJ sets, and performances from Rose Dougall and Bessie Turner.Tickets will go on sale here from 10AM tomorrow (November 19), starting at £40 per person.We’re excited to announce we’ll be performing at Live for Beirut 2.0 @thejazzcafe next month to raise money for the Lebanese Red Cross

Laura Marling and Marika Hackman teamed up tonight (November 17) for a series of covers as part of a guitar tutorial.Read more: Marika Hackman on her “dark” new covers album and living at her parents’ through lockdownThe pair put on a virtual performance featuring Hackman’s cover of Edith Frost’s ‘Temporary Loan’, Haim‘s ‘Hallelujah’ and Dolly Parton‘s ‘Do I Ever Cross Your Mind’.Marling, posted a video on Instagram which you can watch below, detailing the sessions.She said: “Today we’re going to do some covers in standard tuning and they’re all based around similar chords, which is why I put them together and also they’re some my favourite songs.”A post shared by Laura Marling (@lauramarling)Marling also went through the chords for the

Blossoms have lent their support to a crowdfund campaign in aid of Manchester nightclub and venue 42’s, raffling off a number of ultra-rare items.Among the prizes up for grabs are frontman Tom Ogden’s original, handwritten lyrics to their 2018 track ‘I Can’t Stand It’, and the full outfit worn by the singer in the video for 2016’s ‘Honey Sweet’.In a video publicising the venue’s fundraising efforts, Ogden and drummer Joe Donovan described 42’s as “the best club in town for us.”We’ve donated some stuff for @42snightclub in Manchester to help out with their Crowdfunder! Tom’s original hand written lyrics to I Can’t Stand It, his outfit from the Honey Sweet music video + much more! Head over to their page to bid! https://t.co/INzD2m5HZg

GUM – has shared a new video for ‘Low to Low’, a song taken from the Tame Impala touring member’s latest solo album ‘Out in the World’.The lo-fi, DIY-shot clip was directed and filmed by Watson alongside his Pond bandmate Jamie Terry, who also edited the video together.“My mate Az gave me 16 panels of Perspex he had found, who knows where?” Watson commented in a statement about the clip.

The Libertines will stream a two-hour live special this weekend, featuring performances from a number of musicians, comedians and poets, as well as the band themselves.The show, named RKD TV, will be broadcast from The Waste Land pub, part of the band’s new Margate hotel The Albion Rooms, on Saturday (November 21) from 9-11pm GMT.Tickets are £4, with part of the proceeds going to the homelessness charity Shelter.

Blossoms have announced that they will be playing a virtual gig at O2 Academy Brixton next month.Taking place on December 3, the ‘Live From London’ performance will mark the Stockport band’s first return to the venue since their sold out ‘Cool Like You’ UK tour back in 2018.Fans can watch the one-off show via the MelodyVR app on smartphones and by using VR headsets.The latest livestream technology allows fans to virtually join the band on stage, choosing from multiple camera angles, and getting a 360° view of the action.“We’re really excited to be coming back to play live at O2 Academy Brixton and also making our MelodyVR debut,” Blossoms frontman Tom Ogden said.

Nick Cave has praised John Cooper Clarke in the latest entry on his Red Hand Files website, calling the performance poet and musician “a brilliant, brilliant man”.Responding to a new set of fan questions on his regular Q&A site, Cave was asked for his thoughts on Clarke.He answered by incorporating a separate fan question (asking if he liked haiku poetry) and a request from another who asked Cave to tell a joke (“we need a laugh”, they added).In response to all three questions, Cave cited Clarke (“a very funny man”) and recalled “seeing him around back in the day, and I think we probably both had the same fondness for dangerous things — drugs and humour”.“I remember standing in the audience at some little club, maybe 40 years ago, and

Teenage Fanclub have announced a new album – get all the details on ‘Endless Arcade’ below.The album will be the band’s first without founding bassist Gerard Love, who quit the band in 2018.‘Endless Arcade’ will come out on March 5, 2021, and is being previewed by a video for first single ‘Home’, which was filmed at the Leith Theatre in Edinburgh.