Bono took part in an annual charity busking event in Dublin last night (December 24), performing U2’s ‘Running To Stand Still’. Every Christmas Eve, musicians take to the city’s Grafton Street to busk and raise money for local charities working to end homelessness. The event is organised by Glen Hansard and has been running for
Rock
There was no shortage of riffs, solos and screams in 2021, as heavy metal’s old guard went toe-to-toe with younger headbangers in the quest for hard-rock supremacy. This year saw glorious return of Iron Maiden, who released their 17th studio album Senjutsu. The band’s second consecutive double LP behind 2015’s The Book of Souls was a moody, grandiose affair, full
In the pantheon of guitar gods, from Delta blues sliders and ferocious rock gunslingers to fingerpicking folk stylists and bold American primitives, the gentle maestros of the Brazilian nylon-stringed acoustic (violão in Portuguese) too often get forgotten. The likes of Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa and Heitor Villa-Lobos all deserve recognition, but perhaps the finest of
Justin Bieber has become the first artist in Spotify history to cross 90 million monthly listeners on the streaming service. According to Chart Data, the pop star has reached 91million listeners per month, with Spotify currently showing the figure to be 91,824,133 Ed Sheeran sits in the number two position with 80.5million listeners, while The
Chickenfoot III, the second album from the all-star collective of Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith, turned 10 years old in 2021. Like all things Chickenfoot-related, their sophomore album (which followed their 2009 recorded debut as a band) didn’t arrive easily. Navigating their combined schedules when it came to touring was even
When Bush Tetras drummer Dee Pop died unexpectedly in October, plans were already well underway for this career-spanning retrospective. Confirming they would press ahead, bandmates Pat Place and Cynthia Sley noted that much of what went into Rhythm And Paranoia came from Pop’s own collection: the band’s most passionate historian, he kept an archive of
BTS rapper Suga has been diagnosed with COVID-19. On December 24, Big Hit Music shared that the 28-year-old South Korean idol had contracted the coronavirus, revealing his positive results on a PCR test. The star had returned to Seoul from the US on Thursday (December 23), and had been in self-quarantine since arrival. He has
Nirvana have issued an official response to the child-pornography lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, who was photographed as a baby for the cover of the band’s seminal Nevermind album, calling his case “not serious” and saying he filed his suit after the statute of limitations expired. The Nevermind album cover features a naked baby (Elden) in a swimming pool chasing
An agreement on the total worth of Prince‘s estate may soon be reached, following court proceedings set to begin in February 2022. As reported by Billboard (via The Minneapolis Star Tribune), tax filings made in November of this year show an agreement was made as to the total value of Prince’s assets. Though the final
Days after lawyers for Eric Clapton successfully sued a German woman for trying to sell a bootleg CD on eBay, the rocker’s management has issued a “clarification to set the record straight” following “widespread and often misleading” press stories. Of particular note, the musician reportedly no longer “[intends] to collect the costs awarded to him by
Halle Bailey, one half of American sister singer-songwriter duo Chloe x Halle, has shared an intricate cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. The singer-songwriter took to social media on Wednesday (December 22) to share the cover, which was originally uploaded onto her TikTok account. “My version of creepppp this song was in my head all day i
The pandemic didn’t end in 2021 — in fact, a crop of variants only emphasized just how difficult the virus would be to shake. But for a number of reasons too myriad to unpack here, the live-music motor revved back up in COVID Year Two: major tour announcements, a chunk of big-draw festivals, numerous bands finally fulfilling their
The Bronx have announced the postponement of their upcoming European headlining tour dates. The Los Angeles-based punk band confirmed via social media that all existing tickets for shows across Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and France will remain valid for the new dates – originally set to take place in January 2022 – when they are
Fans of ’80s and ’90s Kiss have enjoyed a wealth of rarities and hits from the era live thanks to former guitarist Bruce Kulick’s performances on the past couple of Kiss Kruises. He tells UCR that the Kiss Army is “hungry” to hear the songs, part of what he calls a “strong renaissance” happening with
New Found Glory‘s Chad Gilbert has undergone emergency surgery for a rare form of cancer. The guitarist took to Instagram this week (December 19) to share the story of how he was “minutes from death” after his wife found him unconscious in bed. “For the last 14 days I’ve been living in the hospital having
Anyone who ever said that good rock can come to you without heavy guitars doesn’t just sound silly; they clearly haven’t heard the stylings of one Jordan Wolfe in his new single “Different,” which blasts us with the kind of guitar gold that has been increasingly difficult to find in the underground and the mainstream
Describe your vocal & songwriting style to your potential new fan base.. Before debuting as an artist, I’ve been a songwriter. I wrote my first song in 2009 & have just shy of a hundred songs registered in my name since then. I value a good story. That’s what haunts me in a song. The
Kiss lead guitarist Tommy Thayer feels secure in his legacy with the band, calling himself “the Ronnie Wood” of the group in a recent interview. Thayer reflected on his tenure with the face-painted rockers in a new Guitar World interview. “I don’t know if many people realize this, but I’ve been the lead guitarist in Kiss longer than any
Lorde has released the music video for ‘Leader Of A New Regime’ – watch it below. READ MORE: Lorde: “I feel like I can see my world and myself a lot clearer now” The video, which Lorde directed with Joel Kefali, was set once again by water – as was the case for ‘Fallen Fruit’ and
Wanda Young, who found fame as the lead singer of the classic R&B group the Marvelettes, has died at the age of 78. “We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing,” noted a message posted to Twitter by the Classic Motown label. “What an impact she has had on