News

SZA has revealed that she may have no problem attracting men, but keeping their attention is a different story. And she knows exactly why.

On Thursday (4 July), pre-sale tickets to the 2024 edition of the Strawberry Fields festival sold out before a single act was announced.

This year’s event—taking place from Friday, 15, to Sunday, 17 November, and returning to its home of the Wildlands in Tocumwal, NSW—celebrates the 15th anniversary of Strawberry Fields, as well as celebrating ten years of good times at the Wildlands.

Strawberry Fields will release a very limited number of tickets on Tuesday, 9 July, at 9 am AEST for its Public Sale. No special link will be required to access tickets; you can find them via Humanitix or the Strawberry Fields website.

According to festival organisers, the festival sells out ahead of time every year, but due to the 15th-anniversary celebrations—which punters know will be special despite not knowing the line-up—attendees “broke the internet” to access tickets on Ballot Day on Thursday.

Strawberry Fields also released tickets via a low-income program, ensuring that your lack of coin is no excuse for a lack of party.

You can find ticketing information about this year’s event here.

One of Australia’s best-known music, arts and camping festivals, a post about the impressive response to the pre-sale reads (via the Strawberry Fields Instagram): “We are humbled, and our hearts are full at the insane response you have shown for SF24! Get set for the biggest weekend of the year. The Murray is calling!”

On the festival’s Instagram Stories, organisers assured punters that the line-up is coming soon: the announcement drops on Monday, 8 July (with Sun Showered by Soichi Terada playing in the background).

Strawberry Fields 2024 teaser. Source: Instagram Stories (posted on 5 July 2024)

Last year’s Strawberry Fields locked in a massive 81 live artists and DJs after the 2022 event was forced to cancel due to extreme flooding.

After the chaos of 2022, last year’s festival was always going to be special. Festival organisers teased, “Expect Strawberry to be back in full power next November! We plan to drive all the surprises we had in store for October into fifth gear.

“As a proud underground event (that means no bar sales, no corporate sponsorship BS!), your support is really what makes Strawberry happen year after year and means the world to us.”

Embedded Content

Cardi B, Warner Music Group, and others are facing a new copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly borrowing from a 2021 work without permission in “Enough (Miami).” Two Texas-based plaintiffs just recently fired off the allegations, naming as defendants the mentioned Cardi B and WMG as well as Atlantic Records, “Enough (Miami)” producers OG Parker and […]

London-based DJ/producer/vocalist Bklava shares their anticipated club-ready mixtape, c u l8r, alongside previously unheard track “Don’t Rush” – ​ a driving blend of house and techno featuring Bklava’s stand-out, powerful vocals, it’s a track primed for big, sun-filled outdoor festival and club spaces this summer. Bklava shares, “If I had to choose one song that really makes me the most proud on this mixtape, it’s Don’t Rush. It’s completely produced and written by me and I’m always aiming to do more of that as an independent artist. I wanted to push that euphoric sound that gives me goosebumps in the crowd. Every time I hear or

The post Bklava – c u l8r appeared first on We Are Beyond Noise.

Post Content

Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) organiser Mathieu Jaton has previewed this year’s reimagined 58th edition in an interview with IQ.

The Swiss event, which typically draws 250,000 people over 16 days, kicks off today with performances from Jon Batiste and Henry Moodie and runs until 20 July. More than 30 shows will be livestreamed for free on the festival’s YouTube channel.

MJF has undergone a number of temporary changes for 2024 due to construction work on the Montreux Music and Convention Centre Congress Centre (2m2c), home to the 4,000-capacity Stravinski Auditorium, its main venue.

As a result, this year’s festival features a new layout with a new 5,000-cap main stage erected on top of Lake Geneva, and a return to the historic Casino, which will have a capacity of 1,300 and a half-seated, half-standing configuration. The Casino burnt down in the ’70s and inspired Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.

“It’s a totally different festival this year,” Jaton tells IQ. “We decided to reinvent everything and create something exceptional for this 2024 edition. The main difference is the festival is much larger in terms of distance, because it was concentrated around the Congress Centre before, so the spirit will be a little bit different.

“It will have the same overall capacity, although the stage on the lake is much bigger than Stravinski, with space for [an additional 1,000 people]. We will be out of the hall for two years, but it will be ready for ’26 for the 60th anniversary of Montreux.”

“Our signature right now is to have very powerful double bills”

Each night will offer a carefully curated double bill including Editors & Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey & The National, Jessie Ware & Paolo Nutini, Róisín Murphy & Kraftwerk, Air & Massive Attack, Rag’N’Bone Man & Sting, Raye & Janelle Monáe and Soft Cell & Duran Duran.

“Our signature right now is to have very powerful double bills,” explains Jaton. “It’s not like an opening act and main act, it’s really a complementary double bill, so that’s exactly where we’re going. When we had the confirmation of Janelle, the goal was to make something not only good, but something exceptional that makes Montreux unique.

“With the big open air festivals, you have 10 to 15 bands playing the same night, and you buy tickets because you know you will see something fun. In Montreux, every single person is buying a ticket for a specific night, so it should be unique and exceptional. Putting two acts on with very big production, like Air and Massive Attack, for example, is not easy, but it’s amazing to have both together on the lineup on the same night.

“We are very proud of that stage this year, because it looks totally different from all the other festivals, and that’s what we’re trying to do. The audience loves the storytelling and know they will have an experience that is different from anywhere else.”

Deep Purple will also return as part of this year’s lineup alongside Alice Cooper for what will be the band’s 10th performance at Montreux.

“Of course, their story is very deep with us, and they want to show a little movie at the beginning of their performance to celebrate,” says Jaton, who recently the MJF brand’s international expansion. “Smoke on the Water is really the hymn of Montreux so I could not have dreamed of anything better than having Deep Purple playing the stage on the lake. Even though the rest of the lineup is crazy, one of the first sold out shows was Deep Purple so I’m very happy.”

“Jack White said, ‘Montreux is not like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo: the music is first, the party is secondary.’ That is a beautiful definition”

The Swiss institution was the subject of a documentary mini-series, They All Came Out To Montreux, which premiered last year and detailed the history of the event and its celebrated founder Claude Nobs, who died in January 2013 following a skiing accident.

“Claude was not a businessman, he was really a music lover,” says Jaton. “So he was not doing a festival to make money, but because he loved music. He loved the musicians and wanted to have them close to them. They interviewed Jack White [for the documentary] and he said that when his children asked him what Montreux is about, he told them, ‘It’s not like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo: the music is first, the party is secondary.’ And that is a beautiful definition.

“We are not a for-profit company. I don’t have shareholders, so I don’t have pressure for there to be a return on investment at the end of the festival. The only thing I have to do is take the festival into the future – and we’re always thinking of the artistic projects first, before thinking of the budget.”

MJF also includes a free programme, which represents more than 80% of its total offering and will feature more than 500 activities on 15 stages, largely dedicated to emerging artists. Highlight include Kenya Grace, Good Neighbours, Sid Sriram, Marcel Dettman, Jazzbois, Venna, Dargz, Elmiene and Black Coffee.

The prospect of MJF’s landmark 60th edition in two years’ time is also rapidly coming closer into view.

“We’ve started thinking about it,” reveals Jaton. “It’s quite difficult to book an artist for 2026 right now, but we have some ideas and discussions about doing something very special with artists who have become friends of Montreux – the old but mostly the new guys that played Montreux when they were up and coming – because our Spotlight project and Artists Foundation are very important to our programme. So we’re going to work on that, and hopefully some of the big guys will come to the 60th anniversary.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

The post Montreux Jazz Festival chief talks 2024 revamp appeared first on IQ Magazine.

Featuring A Lazarus Soul, Palmbomben II, Mabe Fratti, James Blake, Lil Yachty, Desire, Rosie Lowe, D*mp, Decarteret, 1000 Beasts, Pearl & The Oysters.

As first published on Nialler9 – The Nialler9 New Music Playlist

Latin pop sensation in the making, EmiTQM, has made an indelible mark on the Latin pop scene with his dreamy indietronica debut single, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE, which arrests with ethereal melodic waves in the same vein as Cigarettes After Sex, and originates via tenderly warm and exploratively 8bit-adjacent sequences which envelop you in a sonic world of kaleidoscopic colour and soul. Translating to ‘maybe you thought of me’, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE is a reticently sweet embodiment of hope and yearning to reverberate around the mind of the person who ceaselessly occupies every waking thought. The single is an affectingly unforgettable introduction to the Mexican pop singer-songwriter and producer’s unique style which has already seen him amass a loyal army of fans who relish in his ability to visualise universally resonant facets of the human condition. The emotions that will flood through you as you follow EmiTQM’s lead through this future-forward earworm reach the pinnacle of visceralism. The hazy love-drunk hues translate with perfect articulation as the lines between reality and imagination blur. One of the only things with more promise than his music career is that the sun will rise tomorrow. We are already stoked to hear what […]

The post EmiTQM has made an ethereal debut with his installation of Latin indietronic pop, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE appeared first on A&R Factory.

A celebration of one artist’s songs by family and friends who just happen to be music icons.

You can easily make the case that Linda Thompson is one of the greatest British vocalists of the last sixty years, not just in the folk and folk rock genres.  She first came to the wider attention of folk rock fans when she featured on The Bunch’s “Rock On” in 1972, before recording six studio albums with her then-husband Richard Thompson. While their relationship may have been traumatic at times, her vocals lifted Richard Thompson’s songs to a new level, a level he has struggled to achieve since no matter the ongoing quality of his guitar playing and songwriting. In the forty years or more since her break up with Richard Thompson, she has only released four solo albums excluding “Proxy Music”, each one receiving critical praise and maintaining her reputation as an iconic singer and an increasingly interesting songwriter.

The limited number of solo albums is because Linda Thompson was unfortunately diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia in the 1980s which prevented her from singing. She was only able to sing again periodically in the 21st Century with the help of medication. However, the difficulties with her singing voice meant that Linda Thompson was able to devote more effort to her songwriting, which leads very aptly to ‘Proxy Music’, an album of Linda Thompson songs sung by singers selected by her.  This is not a run of the mill tribute album, but a celebration of Linda Thompson through her songs sung by singers handpicked singers by her. Also, the singers are family and friends of Linda Thompson which means they can bring a personal aspect to their interpretation of the songs. If there was any doubt about the joyous nature of the album, the album title and album cover, a perfect pastiche of the debut Roxy Music album, dispels those thoughts immediately, particularly when you realise the album design was all Linda Thompson’s idea.

The opening track ‘The Solitary Traveller’ may be sung by daughter Kami Thompson accompanied by son Teddy Thompson, but the first line “I had a voice clear and true.. “ makes it still all Linda Thompson. Martha Wainwright is featured on ‘Or Nothing At All’  and brother Rufus on Darling This Will Never Do’. The Proclaimers repay their debt to Linda Thompson on their version of ‘Bonnie Lass’. Salford’s Ren Harvieu takes on the persona of the young Linda as ex-husband Richard Thompson plays guitar on ‘I Used To Be So Pretty’. Life’s ups and downs are covered in ‘John Grant’ which had to be sung by John Grant. Daughter Kami Thompson and her husband invoke Richard and Linda Thompson as the Rails perform  ‘Mudlark’  with the help of some background vocals by Linda Thompson herself. We cross the Atlantic on ‘Shores of America’  with Don Freeman bringing a touch of americana to a dark tale of desertion. Eliza Carthy does her own family traditions proud on the lively ‘That’s the Way the Polka Goes’. The Northumbria pipes of The Unthnks bring a special colour to ‘Three Shaky Ships’. Teddy Thompson is at the heart of ‘Proxy Music’ as producer and accompanist and he closes the album with ‘Those Damn Roches’ which celebrates the various folk family dynasties from the Coppers to the McGarrigle-Wainwrights by way of the Waterson-Carthys.

‘Proxy Music’ is a surprising album on many fronts, not least the fact there are no filler tracks. Linda Thompson made her reputation in the ‘60s and ‘70s as one of the great British female vocalists, and then fate conspired to gradually reduce her vocal capability. What could have been a life-changing trauma has meant that Linda Thompson has also become one of Britain’s best female songwriters who has pulled together a group of singers who have reset the bar for any tribute album. Linda Thompson’s reputation was forged singing the dark songs of then-husband Richard, but the concept and cover art of ‘Proxy Music’ give us a glimpse of the humorous side of Linda Thompson, something many listeners may not have known existed. A great Linda Thompson album despite the absence of her signature lead vocals, a sign that ‘Proxy Music’ is very special indeed.

Kasabian have announced dates for an arena tour in support of their latest album, ‘Happenings’, with selected dates alongside The Streets.

READ MORE: Serge Pizzorno: “Kasabian’s trajectory is exactly where it’s always been, and always will be”

The band kick off the tour tomorrow (July 6) with a homecoming show at Victoria Park supported by acts including Kaiser Chiefs, before heading to arenas in Bournemouth and Bristol. The Leicester group then wrap up their July dates with a headlining slot at Latitude Festival, which will include acts such as Duran Duran, Orbital, The Vaccines, Khruangbin, and Jockstrap.

The Streets will then join Sergio Pizzorno and co for a second leg in November, beginning in their hometown of Birmingham, before hitting Glasgow, London and Manchester. Pre-sale for tickets to the November shows start July 8 at 9:30am BST, with general sales starting on July 10 at 9:30am BST via Ticketmaster.

The dates for Kasabian’s upcoming 2024 tour are:

JULY 2024
06 – Leicester, Victoria Park (with Kaiser Chiefs)
22 – Bristol, O2 Academy
23 – Bournemouth, O2 Academy
26 – Latitude Festival

NOVEMBER 2024 (with The Streets)
08 – Birmingham, bp pulse LIVE
09 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
15 – London, The O2
16 – Manchester, Co-op Live

The tour follows a secret set that they played at the Woodsies stage this Glastonbury Festival, which marked their fifth appearance at Worthy Farm. Calling Glastonbury “the greatest festival”, Pizzorno noted that the appearance marked “one of the greatest days in this band’s history”, previewing their new record while covering dance classics such as Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove Is In The Heart’.

In an interview released today with NME, frontman Sergio Piozzorno explained the pop-structured mentality behind the band’s eigth record. “Usually, I tend to react to the last album, and I went through it surgically (wahey) so that every eight bars, it hits,” Pizzorno explains. “It’s a pop record, in a way – it’s just big song after big song. I wanted to make the point, then leave as fast as possible.”

Meanwhile, The Streets most recently dropped the contemplative single ‘End Of The Queue’, which was released as part of their upcoming ‘Fabric Presents…’ mix. Mike Skinner’s most recent record ‘The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light’ dropped last October.

The post Kasabian announce 2024 UK arena tour with The Streets appeared first on NME.