Music

Ring out the old, ring in a cascade of eagerly anticipated album releases from some of pop’s biggest names.This month alone we have new full-length outings from The Weeknd, Manic Street Preachers, Franz Ferdinand, David Gray and Ringo Starr who becomes the latest legend to turn his hand to country music next week in collaboration with T. Bone Burnett.Will Lana Del Ray climb into the saddle too? Early reports suggest she aims to move closer to country on her tenth album, The Right One Will Stay – due out in May.Lana, who has already released a cover of Take Me Home, Country Roads and performed Stand By Your Man live, has confirmed it will be “a classic country, American, southern Gothic production”.She also says the new songs won’t be “a radical departure” from 2023’s critically acclaime...

Billie Eilish is hitting the UK next year. (Image: GETTY) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more 2025 is just days away at this point, and while the beginning of any year is a slog, it does herald the start of a new era of live music. 2024 was monumental for British music fans as we had some incredible arrivals - including Linkin Park, Tate McRae, Paul McCartney, and Chappell Roan to name just a few.Next year, however, is promising to have even more surprises, tours and exciting moments along the way, as well. There's all sorts on this list, including pop stars Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and a Taylor Swift tribute - but also something for the hard rock fans.Guns N' Roses and Oasis are top of the bill, with Linki...

Love him or loathe him, Gary Barlow is one of the country's most talented artists.He skyrocketed to fame in Take That, his boy band, in the 1990s alongside his friends and colleagues, including Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams. Since then, he has continued to explode in popularity.He's been a judge on The X Factor, and kickstarted his own reality TV show Let It Shine. On top of that, he's performed in front of the King. As things go, he's one of the biggest British stars in the world.And, next year, he's doing something a little different: He's going on tour alone.Gary Barlow is a showman. He was born for it. He brings a nuanced blend of talent and excitement to all of his shows - and I'm speaking from experience.I saw Gary Barlow in Take That last year during BST Hyde Park ...

It is difficult to imagine Christmas wthout Noddy Holder's dulcet tones yelling "It's Christmas" midway through their enduring seasonal classic Merry XmasEverybody.Over five decades after it's release it remains as popular as ever and still makes lead singer Noddy Holder a huge amount of annual royalties. While the PRS [Performing Right Society] estimates he earns more than £500,000 per year from the song they also keep exact figures secret to protect their clients. However Channel 5 did some digging in 2016 and concluded the figure was more like £1 million a year.Noddy himself acknowledges the fascination with the income from the track. In 2021 he told The Guardian: "Everybody wants to know how much money we make! I can’t put a figure on, because it’s just different every year. Some ye...

Soprano Lesley Garrett has revealed her impending 70th birthday has made her think about quitting singing.The classical music star says she would hate for audiences to complain she was no longer as good as she used to be at the height of her fame.So with her landmark birthday looming in April she has started to ponder retiring while she is still ahead.Lesley, who was the principal soprano for the English National Opera and has also performed in musicals in the West End, said: “I’m now having to look at re-inventing myself, because, although I am still singing and still performing, next year I’ll be 70. Can you keep going forever?“Or, do I quit while I’m ahead and say, ‘right. I’ve had 45 years of an amazing career, let’s just park that and go and do something else – save the whales, wha...

Wham! have claimed the Christmas number one spot once again this year with their winter classic, Last Christmas.Last year, the pop duo topped the leaderboard with their classic festive hit, despite being released 39 years ago. The song completed the longest journey ever to Christmas number 1 and has 1.5 billion streams online.The band were overwhelming favourites to once again be top of the charts at Christmas this year, and for the first time ever they managed to go back to back.Meanwhile, Gracie Abrams came close to spoiling the party with her song, That's So True, in second place.Mariah Carey secured the Number Three spot with her festive hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You, whilst Tom Grennan posed a challenge in fourth position with his song, It Can't Be Christmas.The Top Ten list...

Bryan Ferry. Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023Like most 70s teenagers, my introduction to Bryan Ferry came when Roxy Music debuted on Top Of The Pops with Virginia Plain in 1972. Part-prog, part-glam, the thrilling song broke pop’s golden rules – it had no chorus and Ferry didn’t even mention the title until the very end – but still went Top 5.His distinctive voice – once likened to “an extraterrestrial Sinatra” – swept along propelled by psychedelic guitar, oboe, and Brian Eno’s synth.This huge anthology packs in 81 tracks drawn from the parallel solo career Ferry launched in 1973, notching up a Top Ten hit straight off the bat when he applied his stylish, anguished croon to Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.Apparent throughout is his broad love of popular music in all its ...

Over the decades, some real chart crackers have gone on to become Christmas song staples. Now, a recent survey of 1000 Brits conducted by Betway has discovered the Top 10 favourites according to UK adults, who were asked to select three. Check out the full list below, which included Wham’s Last Christmas coming in second on 22 per cent of the vote to another classic that topped the poll on 33 per cent of the vote.

The Beatles legend Sir Ringo Starr is set to release his first new album in six years.And this time around the 84-year-old is going Country with Look Up, which is produced and co-written with T Bone Burnett.The music icon was at London’s Third Man Records last night to promote the record with a group of famous friends.Hosted by Jools Holland, the event included the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Bob Geldof.Posting an Instagram video of the evening, The Beatles drummer captioned it: “Wow, what a great time I had in London hanging out with all friends promoting my new country album Look Up peace and love Ringo.”Posting more snaps from the evening on his social media, Ronnie Wood wrote: “Fantastic night catching up with old friends celebrating @rin...

It sort of goes without saying but: Pierce the Veil are one of the most iconic alternative emo bands of all time.Their Collide With The Sky is one of the most popular early 2010s albums in the genre, and they're still releasing hits to this day. Last year, they dropped their fifth album, Jaws of Life, which included their first-ever number-one single, Emergency Contact.Now, in celebration of their almost 20-year career, the Californian-based rockers have just confirmed the I Can't Hear You World Tour. On this epic journey, the band - which is Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry and bassist Jaime Preciado - will be playing the hits from all five of their studio albums.In these Taylor Swift, Eras Tour-style events fans will see the band's biggest and best songs from throughout their career. Tickets a...