#Trendel

[lanatavina]

Baby gorls baby gorls

[anthonysperkins]

Paul Brooks, Tony Spencer and Pat Trendell The Marine, the Cop and Youth (1966) dir. Bob Mizer

[typemoonsmashorpass]

[aurora-daily]

AURORA talks ‘What Happened To The Heart?’: “Apathy is the biggest enemy to progress”

AURORA in the interview for NME by Andrew Trendell (March 29th, 2024)

NME: Hello AURORA. Why did you start on this journey of trying to understand the symbolism of the heart?

AURORA: “The world has grown so accustomed to being apathetic. The truth has never been easier to share, but it’s also never been easier to manipulate either. AI was created without our consent; nobody asked us the people if we were ready to have something that big being thrown upon us. Now, so many things are going to change, which I don’t think we can yet grasp.

“Another true form of power is to manipulate people, to embarrass people, to lie; there’s so much that you can do with it that’s dangerous. People are so used to becoming overflooded by misinformation and information, and sadly we’re looking to our influencers and celebrities to tell us what we’re supposed to know about political things instead of reading about it or listening to true experts on the matter.

“Of course, I’m very vocal about things so I do think it’s important as a ‘person with a voice’ or whatever to show people what you stand for, but to be the only arrow for people to show them what they mean – that’s dangerous, as hell!”

Ah, that’s grim��

“I have a lot of hope, but I’m really concerned that everyone’s necks are fucked, everyone is hurting, everyone is tired and depressed. It’s fashionable to joke about nihilism and suicide. We have really lost touch with something that we used to have, and it was really beautiful.”

The last time we spoke was just before the release of ‘The Gods We Can Touch’, fresh after COVID when there was an air of optimism and change afoot after the activism brought on by George Floyd’s murder and a lot of talk about how we relate to each other and the planet. You said: “It’s always a good thing when the oppressed aren’t the only ones fighting and the privileged are starting to fight as well. That’s a sign of true progress”. How you feel about that progress now?

“We aren’t meant to look at a genocide [in Gaza] happening for four months on our phones before we go to work. Because of the overflow of information, our attention span is our biggest weakness. We know how to care about something for a little bit, then we kind of lose touch with it again. Our ability to be persistent with the progress that we feel like we deserve is also weak, which is understandable. I’m not blaming us for that. It’s a very natural reaction to where we are at a species now, but we’re still being forced to become apathetic.

“Apathy is the biggest enemy to progress. But I feel that in shadows and what is not on the news, there are so many good things happening. The world is literally on fire – whether global warming, injustice, slavery in Congo, or a war that nobody can stop. The people that can, won’t, because war is also business. But amongst all of that, a lot of good things are happening too. People are proving that we’re tired of peace in that we want more than that: we want real change and liberation and real progress.

“What was peace for me and you here in London was not peace for other people out there. I’m kind of tired of peace and speeches of peace, because we deserve more than that.”

In asking ‘What Happened To The Heart?’, did you find any answers?

“I kind of did. At one point the album gets very ugly, it gets very harsh, it gets very uncomfortable – before it breaks apart. Then at the end of the album there is insight and truth that you need to go and mend all of the rules that you didn’t acknowledge for all these years.

“That’s what needs to happen. Something needs to break apart a bit. Who knows where the world is heading? The least we can do is just keep being in touch with each other and ourselves.”

But it’s not as easy as that, right?

“We’re stuck in pain and many of us don’t have the energy or the courage to begin doing the small things that can make us feel so much better on a daily basis.

“Imagine what it is to be a human today: you’re on your phone, disconnected, being lied to, being manipulated, then you see what’s wrong with the world – or you think you see it but you don’t know how to do anything about it, so you escape into something else. Imagine living in that world where everyone is supposed to feed you, help you, talk the truth to you, is just constantly bringing you into a system so that they can make money.

The world’s on fire so let’s make some money?

“Yes, it is a bit like that! People are getting so tired of celebrities and politicians. People are getting tired of rich people celebrating themselves while the world is burning. You see people getting tired of it, compared to 50 years ago when it was all the rage and all a hoot!”

There’s been some discussion about whether people want reality or escapism in their music. You’re proving that you can do both.

“You can do both and you should do both, because art is both. It’s all about balance.”

You said that you made it a mission to only write for this record in “unsafe” spaces that made you feel quite alien. Where did take that you? Did it make you feel more or less certain about your ideas? 

“Previously, I have gone to a place, locked the doors, turned the lights down low and made an album. This time I wanted to try different rooms and temperatures to write the songs because I needed to access a lot of different AURORAs on this album. It gave me access to a lot of parts of me that I haven’t really faced before; even parts that scared me a little – very personal parts. I’ve been exploring my own darkness more, so it is maybe my most personal album, even though it’s about something so big.”

Did that lead to some new sounds? 

“It’s a very human album and there are a lot of things being played. It has a lot of different moods and every song belongs to a different part of the process for me. The album is very different from the three singles, but I like to release songs that confuse people. The fans really like the complexity. I treat the fans like kings and I would never underestimate them with my music. I know they’re going to feel very satisfied with songs that are so multi-dimensional.”

Do you feel like an outlier for that?

“There’s a lack of that. People expect music now to be very instant and free. That’s why there’s all this shit music going around on TikTok. There are also a lot of cool new acts on TikTok. I like that they can promote themselves.

“Anyway, I’ve been exploring a lot of different things. There are new sounds I’ve never heard before. I’ve been experimenting a lot and had so much fun. I nearly shat myself every day! Not that I have an issue with that.”

It’s a good sign of a good time

“I had such a good time. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s extremely playful, and I’ve been working with people I admire.”

Including Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands…

“Always, my mate Tom from Chemical Brothers. We have a lot of fun. We feel like two little aliens walking around, and we have the same hunger for something exceptional. I’m really grateful. I texted him one evening just saying, ‘Tom – puke vomit all over my song please’. And he did, for like four hours.”

Did you get lost in his garden again? 

“I’m trying to not do that again. The one time I got lost in his garden it was his daughter’s birthday, and this time it was his birthday. I just love bothering him and his poor family on their birthdays – I never leave them alone. I gave him a cookie wrapped in a napkin that I found on the ground.”

I’m sure he’s OK. 

“Is he though? Has anyone heard from him?”

The album also sees you work with Ane Brun, Matias Tellez (Girl In Red, Maisie Peters), Chris Greatti (Yungblud, Blink-182, Pussy Riot), Dave Hamelin (Beyonce, King Princess and Zara Larsson) and Magnus Skylstad. Greatti is somewhat of a maximalist – what did he bring to the table?

“That! I tend to go into very dark landscapes. I like when my songs sound like a landscape, but I needed a few songs on this album to sound like a different part of the process I’m trying to deal with.

“Most of the people I work with come with a little strategy, and it’s based on me meeting them in a bar then saying, ‘Let’s go to the studio now!’ With Chris, it was because I liked his hair. He had a mullet and a glam-rock thing going on. I didn’t know who he had worked with before, but he seemed really interesting. We laughed a lot and we just played. Sometimes it’s about the art, sometimes it’s just about playing, and sometimes it’s about both. We’re really good friends now.”

So if Tom Rowlands brought out the raver in you, Chris Greatti brought out the glam rocker, what did Dave Hamelin bring out in you? 

“I remember I lost my voice when I went into the studio with him. It’s not often I work with new people, but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised by the unknown. Not The Unknown from that horrible Willy Wonka Experience…”

Oh you saw that? Are you not gutted to have missed it while you were in the UK? 

“I was gutted. I would have loved to have seen The Unknown up-close like that. Why the fuck was he there? It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

Well, there’s your next music video

“Don’t out my ideas! But to be thrown into the unknown, I wanted to cancel as I’d lost my voice my manager told me to go [into the studio with Hamelin]. I was there for four hours, I said, ‘Can you make it sound like hell?’ He made it sound terrible like I wanted, I just screamed because I couldn’t sing and it was really satisfying. After four hours I said goodbye. It was a really fast, beautiful, ugly thing – but it was just what I needed.”

Speaking of that primal urge, you play some drums and percussion on this record too right? 

“I love being in touch with rhythms. I love a very big diversity in the beats in my music. A long time ago I realised that a lot of deaf people or people with hearing disabilities liked my music, so I make sure to always have a lot of vast variation in the bass regions so that it can be felt.”

How is the new album going to change the live show? 

“One of my favourite shows from my childhood – and adulthood – was Avatar: The Last Airbender (not the movie, we don’t talk about that). I always felt like I was either air or water, and I feel like people are scared to change. They’re scared of me changing, they’re scared of the world changing, and themselves. That’s the most beautiful ability we have; it’s so freeing. Jesus Christ! It will change. I want more air, I want to create more space. I want every song to have huge balls.”

You’re playing Royal Albert Hall on your 2024 tour. That has plenty of space for balls.

“Yes, Royal Albert’s balls! I’m excited for every show, and just excited in general.”

And Glastonbury? 

“Heck yes! In the name of mathematics, I will conquer Glastonbury. I feel like I have to redeem myself there. Every time I go there, I’ve always had a holiday for like a month. Boy, do I know how to take time off! I always arrive all shrivelled like a raisin. This time I’m going to come back fresh and sweet like a plum. I love Glastonbury because it’s so iconic. Make sure that if you’re going to use drugs that you know what’s in them. Test your drugs, but most importantly: don’t do drugs. It’s a fucking stupid thing to do.”

Any amazing advice to end on?

“Don’t do drugs, but don’t be a don’t-er. Do be a doer.”

[jonnylovers-in-neverland]

"Yes, it is 12 albums for sure, but we’re going to be a bit later than that [initially planned last album in 2025]. There’s one more thing, which is a musical. [That’s] album number 11, but that might have to come out after album 12 because of how long musicals take to animate.

Our last single is on this album, and that’s called ‘All My Love’. That’s the last ‘single’ single. We have the musical thing, then an album just called ‘Coldplay’, which is the final one. I think that will be a year late – I know it will be.

It doesn’t mean we won’t tour or finish some compilation things or outtakes or whatever. It just means that the main story is told. That’s just what feels really right. Just knowing that’s happening supercharges all the work we’re doing now.

A combination of that 12 album deadline plus working with Max Martin means that we’re approaching everything with the same, if not more, hunger than right at the beginning. You don’t want to dilute the early stuff too much.

To the people that might be freaked out when you do a song with BTS, or freaked out when we dropped the acoustic guitar: don’t worry, it’ll all make sense in the end.

[After the 12th album Chris and the band will be] Touring, curating. What Liam [Gallagher] has just done with ‘Definitely Maybe’ has reignited that album. We will get to a point where it will be fun to not re-release but remember the earlier stuff and enjoy it again and do things specific to those periods. I have an idea for another type of show that’s more of a hotch-potch of everything. Maybe it’s not always about trying to be in stadiums, but you can do small things where you try and play the odd songs. I think it would also be nice to help younger artists a bit.

It’s like when someone becomes a football pundit and stops trying to score goals. I feel that within a few years, it might go a bit more that way for myself. Not right now. Right now I’m super hungry and so excited to go to work every day. It’s such a clear picture of what we’re supposed to be doing.”

- Chris Martin talking about the band's last 2 albums and plans for the future in the NME's interview | 01.10.2024

P.S. "You can see why he’s reticent to talk about the inspiration behind his music, especially when it’s the means to an end of a coping mechanism – and now it’s a very real end." (Words by Andrew Trendell)

[iamchaos1234]

Day 8 June of Doom: This is your last chance (drowning) (tw death, drowning, body horror, sUicide(?))

No, no no no! Hunter frantically tried to claw his way through the mounds of mud eating away at his mind, but no matter what he couldn't free himself. Like he was trapped in how own mind, forced to watch as he hurts his friends. He felt the pain throughout his body like a thousand fire bees stinging him all at once, like a slitherbeast tearing him open and eating him from the inside. Hunter could feel the mucky trendels digging their way under his skin, slithering through his veins and wrapping their way around his galdorstone heart.

But he could say nothing. Do nothing. Just suffer in this husk of himself, watching in horror and Belos's control forced him to launch Vee backwards with one of his now terribly distorted arms. He watched through a lens of blue as Flapjack allowed Luz to use him, and his sister launched herself at Hunter before wrapping the boy in a tight hug.

"I know you can hear me! Fight, him, off!" Luz pleaded. Hunter tried to struggle against the goop again but it just tightened its grip amount his skin, around his mitchmatched organs from being a grimwalker. Posessed Hunter threw Luz off him almost into the water, causing Hunter to try even harder to regain control of his mind again and escape this mucky prison of horror and pain.

Then he saw Flapjack. Pecking around the twisted horns on his head that dug into his skull, tweeting frantically in a frail attempt to help. Hunter pleaded the stupid bird would get away, before Belos could do anything with Hunter's body to hurt the bird. But it was too late. He watched in utter horror through those tinted blue eyes as he grabbed Flapjack tightly, prompting a pained squeek from the poor bird.

"You wouldn't want me hurting your precious palisman, would you?" He hissed in that demented half Belos half Hunter voice. "Oh wait. I don't care, what you want. Goodbye Evelyn." He said coldly, before his fist tightened around the palisman and a terrible cracking sound of Palistrome wood cracking and snapping echoed across the clearing.

No. He just... Belos just... with an extra strong push through the muck Hunter regained partial control, fighting against himself and letting the poor bird go who weakly glided over to Luz. Hunter could feel the goop eating at his skin like acid, any part the terrible muck claimed burning like a thousand fairy bites.

Hunter fought ferociously against Belos's control, run by sorrow and fury at Belos for everything he's done, all the *people* he has hurt. He needed to end this, once and for all. This was his last chance. Once the boy had regained control, it took more willpower than he normally had. But he persisted. He had to end this. Even if it killed himself in the process.

"You know what I'd like Belos?" Hunter hissed through gritted teeth, taking a shuddering step forward towards the edge of the water. "I'd like to leave the Emperor's coven, a-and never step foot in that throne room again! I'd like to study wild magic and carve palisman. I'd like to attend Hexside, as a regular student, and play flyer derby with my friends!" Hunter shouted, stumbling forward and falling to his knees at the edge of the water, his control over his own body starting to flicker again. He grabbed the titans blood vial in his trembling hand.

"But most of all, I'd like to make sure you never, hurt anyone, again!" He snarled, hurling the titans blood into the water in front of him. Hunter was immediately shoved out of control painfully, Belos's rage easily taking back over as he bellowed "No!"

Hunter knew he couldn't swim. That was proven when Luz had tried to bring the hexsquad to the "pool" and Hunter had almost drowned, thank Titan Willow was there. Hunter also knew Belos would go after the titans blood, no matter what. This was the only way he could finish this, once and for all. Kill Belos, and take himself out in the process.

Belos, still in full control of Hunter's body, lunged forward and dove into the water. Then he sunk. Then he felt water fill his stonesleeper lungs. His vision darkened at the edges, and if he did regain any control at all it didn't matter. Hunter only had one thought before everything plunged into darkness, and he finished his final mission.

Im ready.

@juneofdoom

[pidge-poetry]

Foals’ Yannis Philippakis on the “brutal” music he’s written for new play ‘The Confessions’

The frontman tells us about the score and "inspiring" story behind the devastating new Alexander Zeldin play at The National Theatre, and how his long-awaited project with the late Tony Allen is finally nearing completion

by Andrew Trendell for NME | 24th October 2023

Credit: Tom Oxley for NME

Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis has spoken to NME about making his theatrical debut by penning the music for new play The Confessions, as well as his long-mooted project with the late Tony Allen.

Having opened at London’s National Theatre last week before a press showing last night (October 23), The Confessions is an emotional, gut-wrenching and powerful play written and directed Alexander Zeldin – telling the story of his mother’s life across eight “tumultuous” decades across two continents and a series of complex relationships.

Philippakis and Zeldin have known each other since their days at school, when they would sneak away to smoke together on a nearby riverbank. Speaking with NME, the artist explained how the director had “a reputation that preceded him a bit” as someone “ferociously intelligent, but with a naughty streak”.

“We’ve just been in each other’s lives for a long time, but with differing orbits and different worlds,” Philippakis told NME. “Both of us have been circling towards working together over the years, and then the orbit got closer and we’ve finally been able to make something together.”

Their creative partnership came into fruition during the pandemic, when the two would go for long walks together around London when they were allowed.

“We had this great one around Blackheath and Greenwich when the weather was pretty blustery,” said Philippakis. “That’s when he just started talking about this idea of writing a piece of work to encapsulate his mother’s life. It was really inspiring.”

He continued: “I was shocked by the story, because I had met his mother a few times. My experience of her was that she was very permissive. Alex would invite people round to his house on a Sunday night and people would be smoking dro’ all over the house. Alex would invite street musicians to his house, we’d have school the next morning, and there were just all these people reading poetry and doing drugs in front of his mother!

“When he told me the story of some of the things that had happened to her and her arc from growing up in Australia to all of these shocking things that happened to her until she moved to England. Alex described this moment when her mother was nearly pushed off a cliff with murderous intent, and I told him that I could write music for that moment. That’s what bonded me to working on the project.”

Explaining how he approached penning music away from the context of an arena-filling indie band, Philippakis recalled it as “a really fascinating learning experience”.

“Alex was super free in not really giving me any direction,” he said. “It was liberating, and amazing stuff came out of it. I just went on my own to the studio and didn’t really use the guitar at all. Everything started off on a Roland Juno synth, and I’m not a very good synth or keyboard player, so I had to really push myself. It was quite frustrating and slowed down the pace of what I was doing, but I found that tension of not being fully adept at the instrument quite inspiring and gratifying.

“I ended up writing something quite beautiful out of that perseverance. I would send stuff to Alex and he’d always just encourage me and say, ‘Go further’.”

Yannis described the material as “harsh and brutalist in a way” with “metallic blasts of sound”.

“We refer to one of the repeated sounds as ‘an ancient elephant’ because it sounds like a primal blast from a brutal past,” he said. ‘I wrote a lot of music for Alex, and kept asking, ‘How much music can the play and the theatre take?’ One big thing I discovered was that what’s right for theatre is very different to what’s right for something filmed.

“That was a big chasm to understand, and I now have a bunch of very cinematic pieces of music that might be for a different project. A lot of the challenge of doing this has been in approaching how and when the music should be used, supportive and discreet.”

The frontman continued: “There’s one piece of music called ‘A Farewell’, which is my favourite and is super emotive and melancholic. It’s quite manipulative in a way. It’s played quite quietly over a scene where two characters declare a love for one another that’s so passionate it’s almost cannibalistic. It’s beautiful to have actors live inside that musical moment. The first time I saw that was in rehearsals in France, and it was a rush that I’ve never had in the band.

“Some of the music is super loud and almost attacks the play. There are scenes where it’s confronting, and I really enjoyed making something jarring that fights aspects of the play and shakes the theatre.”

For Foals fans looking to see the play, the frontman said that they would find “some musical DNA in there that they’ll be familiar with”, and that the score may evolve into something else later down the line.

“Some of the pieces being used may go on to find their final form in a song,” he said. “There are definitely a couple of pieces that I will finish as songs at some point; I don’t know in what project. By seeing the play, you’re going to see the embryo of something to come.”

“There are loud and cool sounds, but no spicy indie bangers!”

From here, Yannis said that he was “open” to doing more soundtrack and score work – particularly with Zeldin – with a dream of eventually penning music for “some kind of crazy, out there, twisted musical”. He also said that he’d be taking away some lessons on staging that may influence future Foals tours, but that the band would be taking time to re-charge after their upcoming shows in Australia to complete touring for 2022’s ‘Life Is Yours‘.

After that, Philippakis said that his long-awaited project with the late, great Fela Kuti icon Tony Allen would finally see the light of day – having been in the works since 2017, long before the percussionist’s death in 2020.

“It’s pretty done now,” Yannis revealed. “We’re in the very final mixes. David Wrench [David Byrne, The xx, Frank Ocean, Sampha, Caribou, Blur, Arlo Parks, Florence + The Machine] has mixed it. It’s going to come out next year.

“I need to figure out how to present it to the world and come up with a name for it. Hopefully we’ll play some shows to honour the project and to honour Tony. I’m really excited and think people are going to love it.”

Speaking to NME about the project earlier this year, Philippakis said: “The songs have amazing grooves obviously, with Tony Allen on drums. They’re quite dirty, quite rough, fun, polyrhythmic and some of them are quite up-lifting. There’s something generally liberating about having a separate project. It feels like a holiday, in a way. Even thought I always put 100 per cent of myself into everything, by virtue of it not being a Foals project it feels liberating in certain ways.

“The lyrics are slightly different and slightly more political. They’re less introspective and have more of a social edge. I was walking to studio in Paris through trash-filled streets due to the strikes, so some of that crept in. I don’t want to give too much away. I want it to be a document of the time that we were together in Paris and for it to be faithful to this Parisian band with Tony as the drummer.”

The Confessions runs at The National Theatre until 4 November.

[a-night-like--this]

The Cure photographer Paul Cox: “Robert Smith is a normal bloke – but he has a presence”

Cox tells us about his new photo book 'The Cure "Stills"', years of working with the band, and recent correspondence with Smith

By Andrew Trendell | 6th January 2023

The Cure's Robert Smith shot by Paul Cox

Photographer Paul Cox, who has released a new book of his images of The Cure, has spoken to NME about his experience of working with the band and his correspondence with frontman Robert Smith over the years.

The Cure, who recently completed a lengthy UK and European tour with a string of acclaimed shows at London’s Wembley Arena, are expected to release the long overdue ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ – the group’s first new album since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’.

To give patient fans something to digest in the mean time, Cox recently released The Cure “Stills” – a book documenting his long visual relationship with the band since he first started shooting them for a magazine session back in 1980, before soon taking photos of them during a Top Of The Pops performance. Their shoots together would often start in the early afternoon and go on until the early hours of the morning.

The Cure on ‘Top Of The Pops’ in 1980, shot by Paul Cox

“I was quite young, and they came across a little bit intimidating – but interesting; and that was always the thing,” Cox told NME about their first meeting. “You get a little bit of a vibe off people. From that one little session I just kept pestering them and got to shoot them more and more.”

Cox continued: “Robert is a very down to earth person – a normal bloke – but he has a presence when he walks into a room. He knows what he wants and nothing is going to stand in the way of how he presents himself. He won’t do interviews for the sake of it, he won’t do pictures for the sake of it; there always has to be a reason and he’ll put his all into it.

“Working with him over the years, he always puts a lot of effort in. That’s not him trying overly hard but just knowing what needs to be done and projecting himself in a certain way. He’s just great to photograph and a real character.”

The Cure’s Robert Smith shot by Paul Cox

Despite Smith’s image as one of rock’s most iconic figures, Cox doubled down on his reputation as “a normal bloke”.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like inside Robert Smith’s house, but I think it would be fairly normal!” he said. “I can imagine him putting a shelf up. He’ll do things himself. When we were doing the book, I first asked his permission out of courtesy, then he ended up curating it. It took so bloody long because of various things happening and people dying and whatnot. It took five years to do this book when it could have taken six months.

“Anyway, while we were putting the book together he was actually moving house at one point. He didn’t get people in to do it for him. At one point he told me, ‘Oh, this is the 10th trip I’ve done in a van!’”

The Cure, shot by Paul Cox

As for what his photographs reveal about the band, Cox said that The Cure “haven’t changed at all really”.

“You see their fashion changing slightly like when they went for the suits for a bit in the ‘80s, but generally Robert Smith in particular hasn’t changed at all – the big hair, the red lips, the eyeliner, his commitment. How many bands have survived as long as them? Not many.

“The members dip in and out, but I would imagine that [Smith] is really hard work to work with, but he’s just so driven.”

Cox went on to say that he “didn’t know” if he’d ever work with The Cure again, or if the band would be likely to do many more photo shoots.

“In the kindest way, they don’t need to promote themselves pictorially,” Cox argued. “They are what they are and can get by with a little drawing. Photography and what photos are used for have changed and now taking new photos is kind of unnecessary most of the time.”

The Cure, shot by Paul Cox

Smith has repeatedly teased the band’s upcoming record to NME as a dark, “merciless, relentless” piece, inspired by a period of great loss following the passing of several family members, and in a similar spirit to their 1989 gothic art-rock masterpiece ‘Disintegration’.

Quizzed on if he had any inside knowledge on ‘Songs Of A Lost World’, Cox replied: “No, not at all! Haven’t they been working on a couple of albums? I know one was supposed to come out back in the autumn, but I can understand why it didn’t. Sometimes you won’t hear from him for three months at a time, then he’ll come back with shitloads all at once! A lot of personal things have happened in his life over the last few years, and he just puts his priorities in the right place.”

The Cure “Stills” by Paul Cox is out now. Visit here for more information.

The Cure “Stills” – by Paul Cox

Speaking about the book in a statement, Smith said: “The ‘look’ of the various incarnations of The Cure, through many different periods, is inextricably linked to Paul’s pictures; his vision, expertise and patience played a huge part in portraying us, not just as we wanted to be, but as we really were.

“An excellent photographer, and an excellent man… and a very good job he wasn’t put off by the very weird job that was The Cure on top of the pops in 1980!”

[if-tomorrow-never-comes]

The Libertines return with ‘Run Run Run’ and announce new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’

“We're over the moon, and the ball is in the back of the net," declares Pete Doherty, as the band also announce intimate Margate shows

ByAndrew Trendell

The Libertines have returned with new single ‘Run Run Run’, as well as announcing details of their long-awaited fourth album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ and some intimate Margate shows.

READ MORE: The Albion Rooms: Watch Carl Barat show us around The Libertines’ hotel and studio

Arriving on March 8, ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is the long-mooted follow-up to 2015’s ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’, with the first taster arriving in the form of launch single ‘Run Run Run’ – a classic yet subtly raucous Libs indie dancefloor anthem that sees them reflect on their standing after more than two decades, as Carl Barat begins: “It’s the lifelong project of a life on the lash”.

“It’s about being trapped, and trying to escape your dismal life, a bit like the man in Bukowski’s Post Office,” said Barat of the track. “The worst thing for The Libertines would be to get stuck in a ‘Run-run-run’ rut – constantly trying to relive our past.”

As well as sharing a name with Erich Maria Remarque’s anti-war novel, the album’s title is in honour of the band’s Margate hotel, studio, restaurant and bar, The Albion Rooms – which is also depicted on the sleeve with a dramatic cast of characters from the world of faded seaside glamour.

Consisting of 11 new tracks with songwriting credits shared among all four of the band, ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ was produced by Dimitri Tikovoï (The Horrors/Charli XCX/Becky Hill) and recorded at The Albion Rooms in just four weeks back in February and March of 2023, before being finished over a wee at La Ferme de Gestein Studios in Normandy. Additional production and mixing comes from Dan Grech-Marguerat (Lana Del Rey/Liam Gallagher/Paul McCartney).

Despite having been attempting work on writing the album for some years, the indie veterans have said that their previously reported sessions at Geejam in Port Antonio, Jamaica

saw Barat and Pete Doherty’s chemistry reform, before returning to Margate to reconvene with bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell where, as Doherty explained, “we really came together as a band for “a moment of rare peace and unity, with all the members contributing.”

Doherty continued: “We’re over the moon, the ball is in the back of the net, and I’m chuffed for the lads!”

“I feel like we’ve completed a cycle of some kind as a band, and finally now we can add these songs to the setlist, because we’ve got some bangers in there. Now we’ve opened the hotel and used the studio ourselves and it’s all worked out – more Libertines records? I should hope so!”

Barat, meanwhile, added: “Our first record was born out of panic, and disbelief that we were actually allowed to be in a studio; the second was born of total strife and misery; the third was born of complexity; this one feels like we were all actually in the same place, at the same speed, and we really connected.”

The Libertines’ new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is available on CD, deluxe CD, 12” vinyl in limited edition coloured variants, deluxe double vinyl cassette and digital download on March 8.

Fans who pre-order the album will be offered the chance to purchase tickets for ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade – described as “two days of special acoustic and electric live shows by The Libertines” at the 500-capacity Lido in Margate on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December. VIP after party tickets at the Albion Rooms and Justine’s nightclub, including full band DJ sets, will also be available.

The tracklist to ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is: 

‘Run, Run, Run’ ‘Mustang’ ‘Have A Friend’ ‘Merry Old England’ ‘Man With The Melody’ ‘Oh Shit’ ‘Night Of The Hunter’ ‘Baron’s Claw’ ‘Shiver’ ‘Be Young’ ‘Songs They Never Play On The Radio’

Speaking to NME back in 2019, Doherty said that the band had been exploring a number of ambitious directions on new material, likening it to the diversity of The Clash‘s divisive ‘Sandinista’.

Drummer Gary Powell then told NME in August last year that the band were “not going to try and reinvent the wheel… but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.”

[capsensislagamoprh]

The ice cold wetness of a dream melting into the abyss seemed to echo thrugh the threads of the weave, dripping musty agony into the sleep of the young boy. No amount of silk sheets or soft bedding could take away the physical reaction of his calling. His body burned. He could see the bright, golden light of the warmest, most welcoming spring creep along the edges of his nightmares, turning the pleasant gloom into a bright morning. The closer he got to catching it, the more it glittered, radiating daylight. When finally his hand went to touch it, the sounds it made an angry caress, he felt something try to take him over. Try to squish that light like a fire fly, spreading its glowing guts in a florescent streak, soaking it in, turning his flesh from ashen black to bronze.

The boy knew this hand. Knew this clawed, jagged thing that pretended to be him. It was him. It was what used to be him. Samhain.

He was Samhain. He had been created to let the mortal world interact with that of the Dream. He was how they survived the harshness of winter, faced the terror of death, lived into the next breath of life. With out him... with out Samhain there was no way for things to have meaning. Only reason. With out him the world was orderly and neat and sterile in its brutality. When he was born from humility, kindness, wonder, possibilities, the world of the gods was made visible to humankind. The gods played tricks on their mortal worshipers; mischievous to the last. Their tricks were fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes. Which is why the mortals created this body, this form and it's unwavering abilities. This was the importance of him, of Samhain.

And that light? That glowing summons at the edge of his dreams the previous body tried to capture? Tried to becomes? That was his other half. That was Beltane, the eternal flame of life itself. He was the fire of rebirth that blessed the fields, animals, and community, and maintained the wary, careful balance between the human and faery realms. A veil of unimaginable fragility, burning all who touched it. Survive and you could access the Dream. You could access the great power of Samhain. Many thought the Hero protected mortals, and there for the dream. This was a lie. Beltane was his shield, and with out him, without his bright, glimmering beauty, Samhain would be left bare, unable to protect the very essence of Dream. Need. The boy, tangled in the silk sheets, felt himself manifest the vorpal blade. Felt his armor form on his sweat soaked skin. He could feel his steed calling to him. It cried for battle. His very being whispered into the dread, looking for the essence of Beltane, trying to find that distant light. It was as natural as breathing. It would be so easy to look into the horizon of Dream and see which direction he needed to go to find him.

Go, whispered the shadow, tempting him with death soft whispers. Find, tempting his body with the thoughts of action. Yours to claim, it smiled into his ear. Take, like a pleasant refrain.

The boy suddenly jerked upward, his wakeful mind still lost to dreams. "NO!" Moments latter the au pair rushed into the room, feeling his heated head, cooing and making fuss. Otabek had fought back the Darkness in his dream. It rewarded him with a vicious case of chicken pox. ---- The boy shook, his fervor high. Golden locks soaked with sweat stuck to his head in limp trendels as his dadushka applied cold compresses, urging him to drink tea, sip a little broth. He'd had the flu for over a week, each day worse than the last. Nikoli took the Yuri to the hospital, got the medicine, diligently insured every instruction was followed. It wouldn't let up

Nikoli thought if the sun would just shine, if the snow and grey skies would let up, his vnuk would get better, stronger. Rising, he left Yuri's side to get fresh, cool water for him to drink.

In his fitful sleep Yuri could see a dark, forbidden place waiting for him to explore. It promised wonder and excitement, it offered acceptance and unconditional love. It threatened to meet his fire with calm, his anger with comfort. It offered to be what it was, and to respect what he was in return.

Yuri was tempted.

He felt himself fly at the edge of the shadowed place, trying to get it to come play. It seemed for a long moment that it might. It certainly seemed to want to, but it didn't. Yuri tried to taunt, to tease, to entice. He could feel a longing coming from that cool, welcoming place. It seemed to reach for him, and he was happy. Then it stopped, struggled, the shadows becoming darker than night, pulling in light, swallowing it whole. It frightened him.

The gentleness in the dark place pushed Yuri forcefully away, flicking its will against the wind, letting his small form fly with ease. When he was back in the safety of the warmth of summer, he tried to see what was going on in that gloomy place. For a moment he saw someone standing there, stopping something vile from spewing forth. It began to glimmer in the darkest shades, taking on the form of stories his dadushka told, of the brave people from the T.V. He heard something whispered from the repulsive place. It was threatening to open old scars, to rip open his soul, to bare his mind and feast.

Yuri knew fear.

And then that darkly glimmering being called a single, discordant note. The dream shattered and Yuri was free, his fever breaking. Above him, Nikoli looked relieved, reading a thermometer by the first rays of dawn.

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25, part 26, part 27, part 28, part 29, part 30, part 31

[annespooky]

NME | 17 juin 2020

Les Manic Street Preachers partage la bande annonce du film de concert “brut” de Gold Against The Soul, Pieces Of Sleep Regardez la bande annonce avec notre interview avec le réalisateur Kieran Evans Andrew Trendell Continue reading Untitled

[melancholyflower]

NME | 17 juin 2020

Les Manic Street Preachers partage la bande annonce du film de concert “brut” de Gold Against The Soul, Pieces Of Sleep Regardez la bande annonce avec notre interview avec le réalisateur Kieran Evans Andrew Trendell Continue reading Untitled

[cyarskj1899]

The 50 best songs of 2022

NME5th December 2022

“Bloody hell, it’s nearly Christmas? Well that year just flew by didn’t it?” Hell no. We’d usually be aghast at the fleeting nature at the passage of time at this point in the calendar – especially in the past few quiet years – but 2022 was anything but short. Even festival season already feels like an age ago; but hey, at least we had one. RIP to the COVID buzzkill years, may we never see their like again.

You were out there in the fields with your arms around your mates, in the venues with the pints flying through the air, and in the clubs with your feet suspiciously stuck to the floor. Sure there’s a lot of ongoing shithousery afoot, but when you look back to 2022 you’ll remember getting back to doing what you love and the tunes that helped you do it. Just like you, so many songs were larger than life and raring to get out and be heard. Here’s a definitive list of the 50 best songs that truly made our year. Enjoy….

Andrew Trendell, News Editor

Words by: Alex Flood, Ali Shutler, Andy Brown, Andrew Trendell, Ben Jolley, Derrick Tan, El Hunt, Ella Kemp, Erica Campbell, Gemma Samways, Hannah Mylrea, Hollie Geraghty, Jake Tucker, Jenessa Williams, Karen Gwee, Kyann-Sian Williams, Max Pilley, Nick Levine, Rhian Daly, Sam Moore, Sophie Williams, Thomas Smith and Will Richards

50. Jamie xx – ‘Let’s Do It Again’

Marking his first new solo release in two years, Jamie xx’sApril return coincided with the very start of the first proper post-lockdown summer. Recalling the transcendent highs of his 2015 album ‘In Colour’ and built around an uplifting vocal sample from Bobby Barnes’ soul belter ‘Super High On Your Love’, the dopamine-filled ‘Let’s Do It Again’ became an ecstatic singalong 2022 festival anthem. Welcome back to partying. BJ

Best bit: The clever way that Jamie winds the track back down to a near-silence four-and-half-minutes in, only for each sonic element to be layered up again: building up the claps, drums, twinkling keys and soaring synths before one final euphoric release. You love to see it.

49. Tomorrow X Together – ‘Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go’

This bright, bouncy bop – performed by Tomorrow X Together’s synth-pop unit Soobin, Beomgyu and Taehyun – uplifted spirits with its straightforward, feel-good melodies. The trio exuded positivity and optimism for the future following an emotional break-up, with Beomgyu’s “today’s hashtag: ‘Break up’ / Then paste ‘glow up’ next to it” line proving a stroke of genius. DT

Best bit: Soobin’s breathy post-chorus mantra “I won’t cry again” feels like a reassuring invisible hug.

48. The Killers – ‘Boy’

Brandon Flowers told NME in the summer that this gem provided “the impetus” for The Killers’ 2021 folky triumph‘Pressure Machine’, but was left off the album due to its new wave shimmer. For a leftover, it bangs: ‘Boy’ is The Killers at their sweet, synthy and streetwise best, strutting from the gutter to the dancefloor. AT

Best bit: That little nod to Erasure’s ‘A Little Respect’. Cheeky cheeky!

47. Angel Olsen – ‘All The Good Times’

Olsen’s sixth album ‘Big Time’was written amid a turbulent, tragic time: during its production, the US musician came out to and then lost both her parents in quick succession. Laced with grief and hope for new love, the record’s opening track was as epic and emotional as they come. TS

Best bit: The song’s finale, where Olsen’s gentle strum is joined by a swelling horn section that ratchets up the emotion.

46. TSHA – ‘Giving Up’

A highlight of the Ninja Tune-signee’s debut album ‘Capricorn Sun’, ‘Giving Up’ was TSHA at her very peak. A fizzing drum’n’bass beat paved the way for Mafro’s warped vocal line to run wild and free. A song equally suitable for the club, home listening and summer BBQs, it proved TSHA’s ability as a producer with wide-ranging appeal. WR

Best bit: When that delightful, joyous synth line comes in at the one-minute mark.

45. Foals – ‘2am’

‘Back to basics’ songs can often be seen as a negative regression for artists, but on ‘2am’ and their seventh album ‘Life Is Yours’,Foals simply returned to what they do best. Written in the depths of a lockdown winter, this ecstatic indie hit pined for human connection and getting sloshed with friends again. This summer, its wish came beautifully true. WR

Best bit: Frontman Yannis Philippakis’ vocals belting out as his most enthused in years.

44. LE SSERAFIM – ‘Impurities’

LE SSERAFIM got their band name from an anagram of the phrase “I’m fearless” – so it’s not surprising that they understand that confidence can be drawn from all manner of places. On this cool, ethereal electro R&B song, co-written by member Huh Yunjin, they calmly declared that one’s flaws are actually glorious testaments to life. You’ll be similarly convinced by the track’s sassy hook: “Impurities, show you my impurities.” DT

Best bit: The hypnotic falsetto harmonies – one from Chaewon and Kazuha, another from Yunjin and Sakura – in the pre-chorus.

43. Sunmi – Heart Burn’

Sunmi’s best songs are undeniably the co-productions she’s made with frequent collaborator FRANTS (‘Narcissism’, ‘Tail’). But the ex-Wonder Girl’s dreamy ‘Heart Burn’ – reminiscent of ’70s Fleetwood Mac – ventured out of that comfort zone to rank among her best releases yet. Its flirty lyrics (“I am getting hot, oh, my!”), delivered in her raspy vocal style, matched the growing blaze of a midsummer romance. DT

Best bit: Those heavy-handed guitar strums after the bridge that lead us to the track’s fiery climax.

42. Liam Gallagher – ‘Everything’s Electric’

“Underneath the red sun, everything’s electric,” Liam Gallagher sings on the bold centrepiece of his excellent third solo album, ‘C’mon You Know’. The track certainly lived up to that big declaration, sizzling with classic arms-aloft anthemics and a chorus that was simultaneously simple and life-affirmingly massive. If there were any lingering doubts left about LG’s solo prowess, this song blasted them all away once and for all. RD

Best bit: The helicopter-whirring opening riff that signals that the king of British rock’n’roll is back – and he means serious business.

41. Beabadoobee – ‘The Perfect Pair’

So much of Beabadoobee’scareer has been built on the idea of ripping up the pop rulebook and simply doing what the hell she wants – sugar-sweet vocals would sit alongside screeching guitars to speak to a younger generation that feels stifled. But ‘The Perfect Pair’ changed everything again: a holiday-inflected croon and sighing strings made the backbone of one of Bea’s most restrained tracks yet; a break-up song that accepted defeat and just swayed in abandon. Beautiful. EK

Best bit: The cinematic outro where strings take over and Bea just lets the melody do its thing.

40. Yungblud – ‘The Funeral’

Donny punk tearaway Yungbludstruggled with the worldwide attention that followed his second album ‘Weird!’. But rather than bow to other people’s expectations, he fought back with his defiant self-titled follow-up; its swaggering emo opener ‘The Funeral’ his confident mission statement. Flickering between self-hatred and self-love, this flamboyant rager twisted uncertainty into a jubilant celebration, backed by the sort of guitars that would make The Smiths’ Johnny Marrjealous. AS

Best bit: The Gen-Z motivational speech: “But do you hate yourself? Well, that’s alright. Do you love yourself? Well, that’s alright.”

39. Fontaines D.C. – ‘I Love You’

In a twist no-one saw coming, the most exhilarating love song of 2022 was inspired by a country rather than a person. Billed as Fontaines D.C.’s “first overtly political song”, this swirling post-punk epic saw frontman Grian Chatten interrogate his status as an Irishman based in England, laying bare a perpetual tug-of-war between guilt and pride. Impassioned and deeply affecting, Chatten’s performance here grew steadily in intensity throughout. GS

Best bit: The knockout-punch of the final chorus, which climaxes with Chatten howling: “I had to be the fucking man.”

38. GloRilla and Cardi B – ‘Tomorrow 2’

GloRilla’s immense talent was clear to see on her July single ‘Tomorrow’ – so much so that the Memphis artist quickly earned a fan in rap superstar Cardi B, who hopped on the September remix ‘Tomorrow 2’. The latter was a belter: the duo demonstrated their respective lyrical prowess over sparse, piano-led accompaniment. Best of all, it provided an early glimpse at rap’s next massive star more than keeping up with one of the reigning champs. HM

Best bit: GloRilla’s stellar put-down: “Can’t say your name up in my songs, might not fuck with you tomorrow.” Can’t say she didn’t warn you!

37. Måneskin – ‘The Loneliest’

After winning Eurovision 2021 with the hammering ‘Zitti e Buoni’, the new saviours of rock’n’roll kept the party going with such stadium-sized anthems as ‘Mammamia’ and ‘Supermodel’. Then came ‘The Loneliest’, a brooding ballad that saw the Italian four-piece trade fiery excess for heartbreaking emotion. Despite the restraint that was plastered across Måneskin’s first English language slow jam, ‘The Loneliest’ still bristled with excitement as the rockstars let another side of them shine. AS

Best bit: That guitar solo: let them Italians wail.

36. Gorillaz – ‘New Gold’

In the midst of this year’s scorcher of a summer, Gorillazappeared like a mirage to deliver another legendary collaboration. ‘New Gold’ served up a deliciously psychedelic hook from Tame Impala, while The Pharcyde’s Bootie Brown – who Gorillaz fans recognised from his explosive verse on ‘Dirty Harry’ – spun a bouncy tale of a vain society in freefall. 2022’s best weather may be long behind us, but ‘New Gold’ was a warm ray of sunshine to remember it by.AB

Best bit: Bootie Brown’s second verse, which is packed with throwbacks to ‘Demon Days’.

35. Fred again.. – ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’

Built around a sample of 070 Shake’s 2019 single ‘Nice To Have’ – a tune that Fred Gibson said he “literally listened to every day last year… everywhere, all the time” – ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’ is a classic Fred again.. creation. Emotive lyrics (“Fuck what they say, I’m safe in your arms / And if I die in your arms, there’ll be a smile on my face”), wobbly, bass-driven synths and bombastic beats united as one to form one of 2022’s most tear-jerking bangers. SM

Best bit: When the synths and beats crackle back into life, sparking one last rave in the track’s ecstatic final minute.

34. Wunderhorse – ‘Leader of The Pack’

2022’s best rock song? Wunderhorse, AKA Cornwall-based Pistol actor Jacob Slater, put up a very good fight with the brooding, snarling ‘Leader Of The Pack’. Chugging guitars, crashing drums and gang chorus vocals turned every listen into a rock’n’roll hoedown, with Slater having written the song “as a means of getting even”. Mission accomplished, surely. SM

Best bit: That crunching opening riff: beat that, 2023.

33. Tove Lo – ‘No One Dies From Love’

Tove Lo’s fifth album ‘Dirt Femme’ was packed full of effervescent earworms, but none more so than its jubilant opener ‘No One Dies From Love’. Written when she “was having the fear of ‘What if this love that I have ends?’”, the Swede spun that relatable vulnerability over squelchy synths, driving beats and ‘80s drums. The result? Very real emotions coupled with a sugar-rush instrumental. HM

Best bit: The euphoric, layered vocals that open the first chorus, where Tove belts out: “No one dies from love / Guess I’ll be the first.”

32. FLO – ‘Cardboard Box’

If there was ever any doubt about the current state of UK R&B, then the country’s next best girl band quickly put those suspicions to bed in 2022 with their glistening debut single. A flawlessly synchronised and perfectly-poised track about cutting off a toxic relationship, the London trio’s harmonies and satin-smooth melodies served as a glossy throwback to the golden age of early-00s female empowerment (see: Destiny’s Child and Sugababes). A flow like this is no fluke. HG

Best bit: The sassy bridge that makes you want to waggle a finger and pack up your own cardboard box: “I’ma put your jeans next to the dreams that you sold me.”

31. Piri and Tommy – ‘On & On’

The drum’n’bass-loving Manchester duo are now making scene-leading pop-meets-dance music to soundtrack the kind of wild nights out they used to enjoy as clubbers. “Big night, lost my weed but the beat goes on,” Piri serenely sang while impressively keeping pace with the unrelenting Tommy-produced drums that helped ‘On & On’ truly zip along. SM

Best bit: Piri’s “on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on” will be stuck in your head forever. Sorry!

30. IVE – ‘Love Dive’

Looking back on K-pop in 2022, it’s been the year of rookie girl groups punching far above their weight. Case in point: IVE and their sophisticated seduction anthem ‘Love Dive’. This slice of alluring electro-pop reels you back in again and again, whether it’s to savour the confident, flirtatious lyrics and gorgeous backing melodies, or to pick up on all the sonic flourishes studding the production like diamonds in the rough. KG

Best bit: Wonyoung’s line “Narcissistic, my god, I love it” – knowingly cheeky and delicious every time.

29. The 1975 – ‘Part Of The Band’

Distortion, ambient noise, stream of conscious neurosis, and Matty Healy spilling out the melodic interrogations, “Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke?” this track had it all. ‘Part Of The Band’’sstrong suit was that it’s quieter and more subtle than many of their tracks, but it’s still quintessentially The 1975. With dry, wry millennial humour and apt observations standing, the result will always reward a careful listener. EC

Best bit: The cheeky line, “I like my men like I like my coffee / Full of soy milk and so sweet, it won’t offend anybody“. Same.

28. Bring Me The Horizon – ‘Strangers’

From the moment Bring Medropped ‘Strangers’ during a DJ set at their curated Malta Weekender festival, it became a modern day emo anthem. From the melodramatic opening lines (“Maybe I’ll just be fucked up forever”) through to the snarling angst and a gooey spirit of community that rages throughout. Get together, get low and feel the high. AS

Best bit: That ‘90s nostalgia dragged into 2022

27. Oliver Sim – ‘Hideous’

“I’m ugly…” sang Oliver Sim on the opening moments of ‘Hideous’, his immediately recognisable deep vocal finding a new home outside of The xxfor the first time. An intensely beautiful song that tears the sting out of shame, its subject matter is deeply personal, and rooted in the singer’s HIV-positive status. Here, Sim found freedom in “radical honesty” and power in baring every part of himself – even the aspects that he said feel hideous and hidden. EH

Best bit: The transcendent moment that Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beats bursts as an ethereal guardian angel.

26. New Jeans – ‘Hype Boy’

In a time where lots of pop groups feel like they’re chasing the same sounds, styles and attitudes, K-pop rookies NewJeans’ debut provided a refreshing change of pace. ‘Hype Boy’, their second release, was the jewel in their crown – its flashes of ‘90s R&B melded with modern pop production an immediately addictive combination, and a chorus so cool and catchy you had no choice but to join the rising four-piece in longing for their “hype boy”. RD

Best bit: Any time the girls sing “take him to the sky-y-y-y-y-y”, an instant skyrocketing high.

25. Omar Apollo – ‘Evergreen’

In October, pop music’s best-kept secret finally broke into the mainstream: Omar Apolloscored his first-ever chart hit with ‘Evergreen’, a ballad of crisp, measured guitar and purposefully subtle drum patterns. This quietly scathing breakup tune built up to a lover walking away and refusing to allow their turned back to become the relationship’s final scene – a change in perspective that became its own kind of revelation. SW

Best bit: Clearly, Apollo wanted an ex to feel the sheer magnitude of his pain. “You didn’t deserve me at all”, he belts out on the bridge, his delivery reaching a near-scream. You tell ‘em, king!

24. Arctic Monkeys – ‘Body Paint’

Let’s be honest, every song onArctic Monkeys’ triumphant seventh record ‘The Car’ might have made this list – but that wouldn’t be fair, would it? We’ll take Alex Turner’s velvet-smooth croon and the accompanying killer chorus on this track anyday. “My teeth are beating and my knees are weak,” he sings in falsetto as ‘Body Paint’ builds to its utterly euphoric ELO-esque orchestral pop breakdown. Same, Alex. Same. AF

Best bit: The anthemic outro, featuring squealing guitars and the repeated refrain: “There’s still a trace of body paint / On your legs and on your arms and on your face.”

23. My Chemical Romance – ‘The Foundations of Decay’

With ‘The Foundations of Decay’, My Chemical Romance’sfiery comeback exceeded every current or ageing emo kid’s wildest dreams. The six-minute triumph starts off as a simmering ballad to atrophy, with a subdued Gerard Waysinging a of a man “tired with age” and ravaged by time – yet when the track finally explodes in rousing choruses, thundering guitar riffs and a gut-punch breakdown, it proves the legendary band was anything but. AB

Best bit: The first explosive chorus – a shot of pure catharsis for fans who waited nine years for that moment.

22. Florence and The Machine – ‘King’

There’s power in how Florence Welch stood tall and fearless in the face of the patriarchy on ‘King’. She has always strung lyrics together like armour, but this remarkable track felt designed to protect herself from the expectation that she should compromise her career in order to raise children. She narrated her experience, and reclaimed it – a revolt against the very idea of doing what you’re told. SW

Best bit: When Welch breaks into an almighty roar; you can picture her throwing out her arms and letting her hair flutter out in the wind alongside a phenomenal, gale-force vocal.

21. WILLOW – ‘Hover Like A Goddess’

Fresh from helping kickstart a pop-punk revival with 2021’s ‘lately i feel EVERYTHING’, the lead single to follow-up record ‘COPINGMECHANISM’ saw Willow trading angst for romance. Driven by an excitable energy, this urgent garage-punk banger celebrated the fact that “every woman deserves to be worshipped”. ‘Hover Like A Goddess’ may channel Bloc Party and The Strokes, but it saw Willow cut party-starting rock’n’roll with her own unique vision. AS

Best bit: Willow embracing the art of a good “oh-ohhh, oh-ohhh”.

20. Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’

The first glimpse we got of Beyoncé’s seventh album ‘Renaissance’, ‘Break My Soul’ was a tantalising taster of slick production, massive hooks and beats made straight for the dancefloor. With dual samples of Big Freedia’s ‘Explode’ and Robin S.‘s ’90s classic ‘Show Me Love’, and packed with lyrics that preach self-confidence and joy, ‘Break My Soul’ landed as a modern house classic. HM

Best bit: The sample of Big Freedia’s ‘Explode’, that instructs you to “release ya job… release the stress“. Who are we to disagree?

19. Rosalía – ‘Chicken Teriyaki’

The purity, simplicity, silliness and badassery of this cut from the stellar ‘Motomami’ is a testament to Rosalia’s knack for a hook and a good time. We don’t know what the Spanish pop sensation is singing about and frankly, it doesn’t matter. Throw your phrase book away and let this chugging beast of Latin spirit and reggaeton rhythms consume you. AT

Best bit: Telling your friends that you’re now fluent in Spanish and fiesta

18. Griff & Sigrid – ‘Head On Fire’

Teased via a series of cryptic videos posted on social media, this chart-ready team-up between two of music’s most exciting young talents was as rock-solid as their friendship. When they performed the tune at the BandLab NME Awards 2022 in March, it made for a standout moment – and a triumphant victory lap round one of the country’s greatest gig venues. More, please! AF

Best bit: A short pause for breath before launching into that joyful chorus. Set your watch for a good time.

17. Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’

The lead single from Swift’s 10th album ‘Midnights’, ‘Anti-Hero’ proved a self-deprecating anthem. Delivering tongue-in-cheek lines over Jack Antonoff’s production (the chorus opener “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me” has spawned scores of memes), the songwriter extraordinaire has done what she does best: turn painfully relatable experiences into a stone-cold banger. HM

Best bit: Love it or hate it, it’s got to be the line that got everyone talking: “Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby/And I’m a monster on the hill“…same?

16. Phoenix – ‘Tonight’

As much as the band’s seventh album ‘Alpha Zulu’ pushed the indie-pop masters’ sound forward, its standout moment happened to be a dabble in nostalgia. The deliciously catchy bassline and chorus would have nestled in nicely on their 2009 breakthrough album ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’, as frontman Thomas Mars and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig wistfully duet. TS

Best bit: The band told NMEthey’ve always felt a synchronicity with Vampire Weekend, and consider them transatlantic cousins. The song’s middle-eight, where Koenig and Mars trade lines, finds the pair in perfect harmony.

15. Doechii – ‘Persuasive’

The latest signing to the star-making Top Dawg Entertainment, Doechii has opted for a meticulous, patient roll-out where so many other artists rush to ride their early momentum. She already feels like a fully-formed artist bursting with complex visual ideas and diverse musical directions. To be fair, every track feels standout – but the house-tinged ‘Persuasive’ just about nabs the top spot. No wonderSZA jumped aboard for the equally addictive remix. EH

Best bit: When soulful brass gradually creeps into the ether two-thirds of the way through, steadily building up the biggest drop. That, and the abundant air-horns.

14. Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’

A highlight of ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’, here’s Kendrick Lamar delivering an anti-pop gem with a message to “take off” the fakery and stop looking for external validation. In a lesson to other rappers, Lamar spits for morals rather than boasting over distorted, growling 808s and trap synths. With a dextrous flow and words you can’t ignore, this is why Kendrick is king. KSW

Best bit: In the refrain, the explosive “Bitch…” before the whining response “…you’re outta pocket” makes for a perfect wake-up call.

13. Wet Leg – ‘Angelica’

Indie’s silliest and most fun new gang took us into the highs and lows, dangers and consequences of getting pickled at a house party in one of the standout tracks of their phenomenal debut album. With spiralling riffs, ray-gun sound effects, and a multi-layered central mantra of “good times all the time”, ‘Angelica’ cemented Wet Leg’s place as our new favourite relatable party pals. RD

Best bit: The delectably eye-rolled lines “I don’t wanna follow you on the ‘gram / I don’t wanna listen to your band.”

12. Maggie Rogers – ‘That’s Where I Am’

Coloured with optimism, this track was fuelled by the sense of autonomy that defined Maggie Rogers’ comeback this year. With new production credits and a Harvard Divinity School degree to her name, Rogers created a wild symphony of rebirth on ‘That’s Where I Am’, as she sang of a blossoming love atop ripples of distortion and gleaming keys. It was the sound of Rogers feeling something shift inside of her, and wondering where this new, beautiful thing even came from. SW

Best bit: The giddy relish of the way Rogers delivers the bridge – “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted / All I ever really wanted was you” – channelling a feeling far beyond her own understanding.

11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Wolf’

“Hunger, connection, and wildness” were the words YYY’sKaren O used to describe ‘Wolf’ – a climbing, synth-laden track that keeps its lyrics sparse, embodying the primal nature of not only punk but the track itself. “I’m lost and I’m lonely / I hunger for you only / Don’t leave me now, don’t break the spell,” warned O in a sinister tone, right before the instrumental drop and powerful chorus. It’s a bold glance at the primitive side of human nature from a band able to hold the weight of a song this big. EC

Best bit: O gently singing, “In heaven lost my taste for hello / taste for hell”, before a full orchestra kicks in with urgent strings. Powerful stuff.

10. Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Plan B’

While serving ‘90s New York style hip-hop raunchiness, Megreminded the world of her immaculate lyricism with this declaration of self-love. Teaching women to “love yourself ‘cause this shit can get ugly / That’s why it’s ‘Fuck n****s, get money,’” this is confidence manifest. Just like Lil Kim and Foxy Brown, she stepped into her sex appeal without relying on it to prove naysayers wrong. One-dimensional? Get a grip. This is everything. ‘Plan B’ is Megan Thee Stallion delivering a layered and positive lesson for life. KSW

Best bit: All the candid, empowering quips in a masterclass from Meg.

9. Charli XCX – ‘Beg For You’

A collab between two of the UK pop’s finest, ‘Beg For You’ was always going to be something special. However, chuck in a killer sample – lifted from September’s 2005 hit ‘Cry For You’ – and you’ve got magic on your hands. Rina’s vocals and harmonies feel so essential, you pine for more of her on Charli’sfifth album ‘Crash’, but that’s what you get from top maestros on top of their game. ‘Beg For You’ may have dropped in January, but it was a clear and bold proclamation from Charli and Rina that 2022 would be their year. JT

Best bit: The September sample truly makes the song, but everything comes together for the first chorus.

8. Jockstrap – ‘Concrete Over Water’

‘Concrete Over Water’ presented the Jockstrap musical blueprint in miniature: the poise of Georgia Ellery’s pristine, ravishing vocals, torn asunder by the anarchic hand of producer Taylor Skye. The song sings of the impossible beauty of a bridge-top romantic rendezvous, but Skye scorches the scene with a mutant synth army of math-rock screeches and warped atmospherics. Were Ellery and Skye competing for supremacy? Nah, in this fight we all win. MP

Best bit: Ellery sings “I wanna be there” before the elegiac beauty of the opening caves to hyper-processed mania

7. Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’

Steve Lacy’s first US Number One single felt long overdue. ‘Bad Habit’, taken from the 24-year-old LA artist’s second solo album ‘Gemini Rights’, was the song that propelled the Internet and Kendrick Lamar collaborator to the big time; no doubt aided on its journey to the very top by its massive popularity on TikTok. Showcasing Lacy’s impressive vocal range, his nifty way around a guitar and his tattoo-worthy lyrics (“You can’t surprise a Gemini”), the single has unsurprisingly become Lacy’s biggest hit to date. After all, some bad habits are just too good to kick. SM

Best bit: “It’s biscuits, it’s gravy, babe” – the most delicious lyric of the year?

6. Rina Sawayama – ‘This Hell’

Sawayama is one of the smartest pop stars we have, and ‘This Hell’ is her wittiest and most undeniable tune yet. Who else would think to eviscerate the anti-queer rhetoric spouted by extreme religious groups with a spangly country banger inspired by Shania Twain? Rina, that’s who! And with a belter that’s tongue-in-cheek and subversive, but also outrageously good fun. NL

Best bit: “Get in line, pass the wine, bitch / We’re going straight to hell!”

5. Arctic Monkeys – ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’

After the space-age dabblings on 2018’s ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, Arctic Monkeys returned to Earth on the heavenly and lush launch single from seventh album ‘The Car’. Known for being cheeky in his early work to escapist in his latter days, Alex Turner came across as truly earnest, open, romantic and human for the first time on this slow-dance waltzing beauty. “Don’t get emotional, that ain’t like you,” croons the frontman, inviting us in. It’s the Monkeys, Jim, but not as you know them. AT

Best bit: “So do you wanna walk me to the caaaa-aaaar?” You drive on ahead, Alex – we’ll float there.

4. Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal – ‘B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)’

The summer’s ultimate rave anthem. First released in early June with modest ambitions, it soon became a hit as welcome blaring out of stadium PAs and spicing up ITV2 montages as it did in the festival fields and clubs. By early September, the ‘90s-indebted hit had climbed to Number One in the UK Singles Charts, capping off a spectacular rise. TS

Best bit: The opening melody, a delightfully simple and catchy hook that floats all the way to the song’s conclusion.

3. Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’

It’s hard not to tumble into the vast emotional depths of ‘As It Was’ and look beyond everything else that made this song such a triumph. Change is a constant beneath the track’s heart-raising BPM and twinkling melodies: here, Harry Styles’empathetic songwriting saw him fight for stability amid breakups and personal upheavals, finding strength in a renewed relationship with himself. It’s a quietly beautiful thing, then, that it became his biggest hit to date, proving that opening yourself up to the world doesn’t always have to be a risk. SW

Best bit: So much of the feeling is in the instrumental: some peppy guitar lines, and the crescendo of tubular bells, less of a breakdown than the sound of a heart skipping a beat.

2. Paramore – ‘This Is Why’

After five years, Paramore slid back in with a groove so heavy, swaggering and sleazy, any talk of hiatus was immediately forgotten (not that they’d care, as Hayley Williams croons sweetly at the start, “if you have an opinion / maybe you should shove it”). Her voice is equally exhausted and exhilarated, leaning into its full power as guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro somehow manage to play tight and loose simultaneously. With its slow crawling synth and cymbals eventually erupting into a full funk fest, ‘This Is Why’ gave us just what we wanted: an innovative pop-punk moment from a band already responsible for so many. EC

Best bit: Williams repeating “One step beyond your door / Might as well have been a free fall” meditatively before crashing back in with an echoing “And I’m floating like a cannonball”. Chills.

1. Beyoncé – ‘Cuff It’

Beyoncé is of course no stranger to creating enduring anthems. From ‘90s R&B belters with Destiny’s Child (‘Independent Woman’, ‘Say My Name’ to ‘00s earworms (‘Crazy In Love’, ‘Irreplaceable’), powerhouse ballads (‘Halo’), to the poignant and political (‘Formation’), the superstar is responsible for smashes eternally etched into the public pshyche than most artists could even dare to dream of. And in 2022, ‘Cuff It’ joined these ranks.

Taken from Beyoncé’s brilliant seventh album ‘Renaissance’, this funk-laden earworm is a triumph. With a Grammy nomination (for Best R&B Song) and a viral TikTok dance, it should be a government mandated requirement for this celebration of letting loose, falling in love and “gettin’ fucked up” to be played at least once on all future nights out. Keir Starmer, shove this in your manifesto.

With a bridge bigger than the Golden Gate, slinky strings, NSFW saucy lyrics, and the disco flare that a Nile Rodgersassist always brings, ‘Cuff It’ is total ecstasy and an unexpected gift to the pop canon of all time, let alone 2022. HM

Best bit: The first time we get that joyous post-chorus and Beyoncé sings: “Bet you you’ll see far / Bet you you’ll see stars.” Floor-filling euphoria.

Sent from my iPhone

[mermaid886]

“Mmm, you could send me into a rut all over again, sweetling.” Tom whispered into Harriet’s ear while he held her close, “You’re absolutely addictive.”

Harriet responded with a noise between a chuckle and a gasp as she spoke, “I didn’t tell you about my day yet, did I?”

Tom’s heart skipped a beat.

He instantly pulled back to scan Harriet’s face with his dark eyes.

“Sweetling…….?” He whispered in joyful anticipation.

Harriet’s face twisted into an irritated frown as she realized what her husband thought she would say, “Oh, Tom, you can’t be serious! It’s been one day! How could I possibly know yet?”

He mirrored Harriet’s frown as he shrugged, “Forgive me, sweetling……” Determined to worm out of any blame, he complimented Harriet, “You’ve been such an excellent mother to our children, I wasn’t certain if your instincts would have given any clue after the passionate hours we spent together.”

Harriet laughed quietly at her husband’s suave attempt.

“Are you angry with me for enjoying being a father and a husband?” Tom asked.

“No, Tom, of course I’m not angry.” She chided as she stretched herself in his arms, “Besides all that though, Amelia and I have decided that James and Lily will share their first birthday party together! Isn’t that exciting?! He’ll have so much fun!”

Tom bristled as soon as he listened to the words that fell from Harriet’s lips.

In one swift motion, he released her and sat up in bed.

“What’s the matter?” She frowned.

“Are you talking about that muggle woman?” Tom demanded.

“Yes, I am talking about that muggle woman, actually.” Harriet shot back as she narrowed her eyes.

Anger overpowered Tom as he hissed,“My son should not have to share his celebration with anyone, let alone a little-“

“-Muggle girl?” Harriet finished for him.

Ominous tension filled the air as Tom’s expression softened once he realized the disdain on Harriet’s face.

During their time together, he had so far managed to keep his prejudices fairly well-hidden, yet he dreaded the friendships his wife and son continued to cultivate with the Trendells.

———————————————————————

[aurora-daily]

AURORA at Glastonbury 2024 on her Bring Me The Horizon collab and Wembley plans

An interview with AURORA by Andrew Trendell for NME (June 30th, 2024)

The Norwegian art-pop star told us how she and Oli Sykes "bonded over Palestine", and feeling love all around at Glasto

Shortly before she took to the stage for a blissed-out performance at The Park, the Norwegian art-pop star spoke to us backstage to share what it was like to lend her vocals to BMTH’s ‘Limousine’ from new album ‘Post Human: Nex Gen‘.

When asked about the collab earlier this month, Bring Me frontman Oli Sykes told NME: “I know what I wanted on that song and that was someone to bring something that could level it up – someone like a really ethereal, haunting, beautiful, voice,” he told NME. “I wanted someone to elevate it and take it somewhere else. The song itself is very Deftones-influenced, almost to a point of parody! For this whole record, we’re happy to admit that the songs all are very nostalgic homages to loads of bands, but it’s also felt very important that we do something where we were pushing it as well to make it our own, put our own stamp on it.

He added: “AURORA for me is what a pop star should be,  what the next wave of pop stars should look like; someone that has the songs, but is a real person who dares to speak what they believe in, who gives a shit about the world.”

NME: Hello again AURORA. Welcome back to Glastonbury.

AURORA: “It’s really nice to be back. I love this festival. It’s overwhelming. So I feel kind of glonky, you know, but I’m so excited to play. I love to be outside again. Festival season is the best.”

Glastonbury’s sense of peace, love and like reconnecting with each other seems to like tie into the themes of your new album ‘What Happened To The Heart?’. Discuss.

“Yes, discus…ting! But yes, it’s true. It feels like the the main purpose of these festivals. We need to go outside, touch the grass and feel the air and just be in touch with each other. It’s super nice to see how people are so cohesive. They even sway the same way without knowing. When the bass is high enough, you know that people’s heartbeats will beat the same ≠ you can feel it, the connection. It’s very needed. I’m very grateful.”

We just spotted a Chemical Brother backstage. They’re friends and collaborators of yours. Could they be surprise guests for your set?

“Oh, no. We work as friends now. So he’s here for emotional support. I don’t know how to do this without Tom [Rowlands].”

Since we last spoke, you collaborated with Bring Me The Horizon on ‘Limousine’. What did it mean to have that come together?

“Well, I’m a very big metal fan. I heard Bring Me The Horizon when I was a teenager. They were with me for some time. I was introduced to them by a lover. My first lover who actually died. It is sad. But it’s beautiful as well. Because now when I listen to them, and now when I made a song with him, I know that he would be just – it felt very full circle in the journey of grief.”

We heard know Oli slipped into your DMs and you kinda were like, “Fuck, yeah!”

“We bonded over Palestine. Because I was like, ‘We need to stick up for them’, and he was like, ‘Yeah, we do. It’s true’. Then he was like, “Do you want to make a song?” I was like, ‘Yes!’

Is it a sign of things to come? There are some gnarly songs on your album too. Could you go make a metal record?

“I think so. My heart won’t be complete without it so yeah, definitely. I really want to do it because I just love it so much. It’s such a force. Like a wave, a deadly wave coming at you, which is so cool. So I will, I have to for my Norwegian ancestors. Until now I’ve been purely a disappointment to them. Finally I will make them proud.”

Next year you’re playing a show at Wembley Arena. What do you have in store for that?

“I forget about that all the time. It’s huge, isn’t it? It’s crazy business. I’ll put the big guns out, metaphorically.

What are you going to do straight after your Glastonbury set?

“Drink beer. I’m immensely excited.I am terrified of this festival. It’s so fuckin’ huge. Maybe if I have a beer and I become a bit braver, I can try to see some things but I am quite terrified!”

[jonnylovers-in-neverland]

Exclusive: Coldplay: “When things appear overwhelmingly positive, that’s often because it’s what the singer needs most”

In his first and only written interview for their new album, frontman Chris Martin tells NME about how ‘Moon Music’ walked him through dark times, the humility of knowing his place, and the end of Coldplay as we know it

An interview by Andrew Trendell (October 1st, 2024)

As affable as Chris Martin is famed to be, today, he isn’t quite in the headspace to open up about Coldplay’s upcoming 10th album, ‘Moon Music’. At least, not at first. With this being his first interview for the record, he hasn’t yet verbally delved into the emotional genesis of the life-affirming opus. Forever self-deprecating, he doesn’t want to seem “pretentious” or to pretend to appear “cooler than he really is” – “especially in the NME!” he laughs.

“I don’t know if I want to put myself on that chopping block right now,” he admits, talking via Zoom from the band’s LA studio. “I’ve gotten worse and worse at describing songs over the years. I’d rather they just spoke for themselves.”

Still, warm with a smile, he finds his bearings via some pleasantries and invites us into an extended chat. It’s what you’d expect from the Coldplay frontman – tender and guarded, yet still the genial master of ceremonies; the shy, nerdy indie kid who conquered the world one stadium at a time and recently held Glastonbury in the palm of his hand. Loaded with impossibly good vibes and even a bloody Michael J Fox cameo, their record-breaking fifth headline slot saw Worthy Farm’s house band deliver a blockbuster set that bordered on the surreal. Sure, it was a lot and the show had its critics, but Martin doesn’t care.

“Right now, and since about 2008, if something lands in me as a song or as a good idea and it feels authentic, we’ll do it,” he admits. “It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks. It’s very liberating, and it was probably started by Brian Eno’s philosophy when he came in to rebuild us. Since then, if I find something true and exciting, then we’ll go for it. It has led us to some really weird and amazing places.”

He continues: “In a way, [Fox] being there at Glastonbury reminded us what the whole spirit of the band and the festival is: trying to find the joy. And when you can’t find it, you need to have some good tools to go looking for it.”

Ever since Eno produced their fourth album ‘Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’, the band have been driven by his commandments to remain “true, curious and open-minded”. That’s all been building up to ‘Moon Music’: a record made to “find the joy” and pumped full of enough of that stadium-filling loving feeling to make it the most ‘Coldplay’ Coldplay album.“That’s a nice way to describe it,” replies Martin. “It’s nice to be both an adjective and a noun, but I think we’ve earned that privilege!”

The last time NME spoke to Martin, we found him getting through a “questioning time of his life” as he overcame a “really hard time” of existential crisis with his past and the wider world. Do overly joyous acts like Glastonbury and this album help him make sense of all that?

“Yes, in the context of, ‘It’s very easy to be not happy’,” says Martin. “In a way, it’s a band manifesto: These are the things that helped me every day to not be super overwhelmed or super down.

“When things appear overwhelmingly positive, that’s so often because it’s what the singer needs most. My head tends to fill with so much negativity that over the years – in fact from the very beginning – music has been the place where I find a light and an explanation for some of the more challenging things in my life, or the people’s lives that I see.”

The path to the bright side runs throughout ‘Moon Music’. The gossamer opening title track finds Martin “trying to trust in the heaven’s above”, asking, “Is anyone out there? I’m close to the end… I just need a friend”. Via the state of the nation address of ‘We Pray’, the Lennon-indebted open-hearted anthem ‘All My Love’ and the cinematic full-stop of ‘One World’, he travels the gamut and eventually concludes that “in the end, it’s just love”.

As Martin puts it: “‘Moon Music’ is kind of the story of waking up in the morning and feeling terrible about yourself, terrible about the world – depressed, isolated, separate, alone, and not able to be yourself.

“Through the album, it’s a journey to feeling the complete opposite at the end of the day.”

TThe boundaries of Coldplay aren’t fixed to Martin and his university pals Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion. Ever since Rihanna jumped on ‘Princess Of China’ back in 2011, the band have opened up their prism of pop to feature the likes of Tove Lo, Selena Gomez, Jacob Collier and K-pop powerhouse BTS across their records.

‘Moon Music’ is no different, with guest turns from Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, Tini and Ayra Starr – all helmed by producer and pop Midas, Max Martin. “I would say that the audition process for songs is really hard now, because Max Martin is here,” offers Martin. “For any of the songs to get on the album, they had to go through a sort of X Factor 2010 audition process.”

Is the Coldplay frontman more of a Simon Cowell or Louis Walsh?

“I think I’m a cross between the two – with a bit of Sharon maybe!”

Now there’s an image. Anyway, Afrobeats don Starr passed her audition to feature on the disco-indebted ‘Good Feelings’ with flying colours. The song is inspired by Jonas Carpignano’s acclaimed film Mediterranea – the story of two migrant friends who leave Africa and cross the sea to find a new life in Italy.

“The song is really supposed to be a phone call between a couple that’s separated by an ocean,” Martin tells us. “All of our royalties from that song are going to refugee charity Choose Love. Like you said, it’s a very ‘Coldplay’ Coldplay album, so even when we’re singing about extremely stressful situations, it’s important to me that it’s still trying to find the light in that situation.

“In my experience, criticising and aggressively accusing hasn’t worked, so I’d rather look at a situation that is very difficult and see a hope in there somewhere.”

Martin chose Starr to be the voice on the end of the line because, “Number one: she’s brilliant, and number two: she’s Nigerian. It would maybe work with an English person, but it wouldn’t be the same.” The remits for guesting on ‘Moon Music’ were simple: “Is it the person the song wants?”, “Is it someone Coldplay can give wider exposure to?”, and “Do they come from a completely different place to us?”

“On our records, we’re covered for middle-aged white guys,” the frontman admits. “We don’t need any more of them, really. It’s fun to expand the band into other cultures, countries, genders and sexualities. That’s really what we believe in.”

It all comes back again to authenticity. Take ‘We Pray’ – a cross-cultural, genre-defying battle cry against an increasingly hostile and divisive world in the hope that “love will shelter us from our fears”. It’s a message that means a whole lot more coming from Mercury-winning British rap icon Little Simz, Nigerian juggernaut Burna Boy, Palestinian-Chilean musician Elyanna and Argentinian singer Tini rather than a middle-aged white guy. “It would just fall apart if it didn’t have the others on,” says Martin.

Aware of their privilege, Coldplay take the time to host a party with local talent whenever they visit another country. “It’s amazing how much talent there is everywhere,” says Martin of their United Nations of pop. “It’s also humbling because you realise that we are beneficiaries of having been born English and being able to play everywhere. That comes off the back of extraordinarily awful colonialism.

“Any thought that we’re just a special group of people… just no. We’re just ordinary humans like everybody else, who happen to be born here where the language that we sing in happens to be understood in more countries than Finnish is. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The more artists they meet, the more enter the Coldplay universe, “because it reflects the actual world”. Adopting a love of K-pop from his goddaughter and, by his own admission, NME coverage, the band had BTS feature on ‘My Universe’ from prequel album ‘Music Of The Spheres’. To Martin, it’s a natural fit. “It’s not My Bloody Valentine, it’s not indie, but it’s equally great because they’re passionate, driven people working in a way that we couldn’t do. We’re lucky that we get to mix it all together.”

He devours music. During our chat, he waxes lyrical about discovering Kneecap through NME, the “genius” of Peggy Gou and his love of the new Bad Seeds album, ‘Wild God’. “Do you want me to show you something really funny?” he asks after discussing the latter, before quickly disappearing off camera for a good minute or more, gleefully returning with an upsettingly creepy life-size puppet of Nick Cave that he fetches from his closet. For context, Martin tells us, the band’s studios are adorned with plenty to inspire them – from Nelson Mandela sketches and paintings from his mother’s native Zimbabwe to words of wisdom from collaborators. Then, there’s this. “Isn’t that cool?” he chuckles. “That’s our Nick Cave idol. I have to keep it hidden, because it scares people if it’s late at night.”

Effigies aside, Martin looks to others to keep him on his toes. Take Fontaines D.C., for example. “With competitiveness and professional jealousy, I feel very lucky that it very quickly alchemises into just being inspired by someone and then being a fan of them,” he says, buzzing with admiration. “When Fontaines or Little Simz come along, you’re just reminded that you can never phone it in. Even if you’re making something that you think no one is going to like, you have to be so sure that you do, and that you poured every last ounce of energy into it.

“You know that when they made ‘Starburster’, no one was phoning that in. When I hear that song or IDLES, I’m like, ‘Shit!’ We’re not just talking about bands; we’re talking about Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé – anyone that you can feel is just working so hard.”

His love of IDLES was even rewarded when, earlier this year, frontman Joe Talbot asked if they could take the ‘Yellow’ video and transform it with AI so it looks like Martin is singing along to ‘Grace’ for a music video. “I said, ‘Joe, are you sure you want to do this with Coldplay? You’re in IDLES!’” he laughs. “But I find that what’s so beautiful about the music community now – there tends to be much more love and respect among artists, regardless of genre, just based on talent and truth.”

Most bands have had their fair share of feuds in their day, but Martin hasn’t got time for the drama. “I’m sorry, this is why I feel bad talking to NME, because beef is your bread and butter!” He’s right, and we’re always hungry. “We don’t do beef,” he apologises. “I tried beef once in the NME where I said one mean thing about [Primal Scream’s] Bobby Gillespie in the year 2000 and I still feel terrible about it. I would apologise to him if I saw him. I’m just not a beefer!”

Even Liam Gallagher, who once said Martin “looks like a geography teacher” and that he found Coldplay fans to be “boring and ugly and don’t look like they’re having a good time”, has mellowed. They came together for a monumental and emotional performance of ‘Live Forever’ at Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester concert in 2017, and the Oasis frontman told him: “I take back everything I ever said about you.”

“I’ve always loved Liam,” smiles Martin. “He blows hot and cold, but he’s always free to come round my house for tea and we’ll have lasagne…”

It won’t surprise you to learn that self-confessed fanboy Martin is also rather excited about Oasis’ supersonic return next year. “That reunion showed what music is all about,” he tells us. “It just exists to make people happy; for the people that want it. I felt really great that they decided to do that.”

Of course, not everyone was happy – many fans were left furious at being kept in online ticket queues for hours to be met with inflated costs due to dynamic pricing. The band say they had nothing to do with the decision, and it’s currently under official investigation. Coldplay are having none of that. In fact, their upcoming UK stadium shows – including a record-breaking 10-night run at Wembley – will see 10 per cent of the band’s profits going to the Music Venue Trust.

The charity have been campaigning for a mandatory levy for £1 of every ticket sold to a gig at arena level and above to go back into the grassroots, at a time when the scene faces “disaster” with around two venues closing per week in the UK. Enter Shikari took it upon themselves to do it, and now Coldplay are taking it to the next level. “The band’s support really will stop venues closing, make tours happen and bring the joy of live music to thousands of people,” said MVT CEO Mark Davyd. Even if you hate Coldplay, you can’t deny this is a classy move.

Martin tells us that he put his plan into action when he became aware of the situation at the tail-end of last year. “I’d just assumed The Leicester Charlotte would be fine,” he says. “I didn’t think there was an issue because I didn’t think about it. It was around COVID that you started to hear about this or that venue having to close. I thought, ‘Oh, we played all those venues, Oasis played all those venues – these are important’.”

Does it bother him that if venues continue to disappear, we may never see another Coldplay?

“I think a lot of people would be happy about that! The truth is that playing live is an important connection. It doesn’t bother me that there might not be another Coldplay, but it does bother me that there might not be acts that are free to start on the bottom rung and work all the way up – so that by the time they get to stadiums, they are really good. You can’t just jump into that. With all of the artists that are playing stadiums next year, it’s no coincidence that all of them started in a van, driving around and playing pubs: Oasis, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, the truth is all there. Taylor Swift has probably played more than anyone in tiny Nashville venues and county fairs.”

And, as Teesside noiseniks Benefits once put it, there’s nothing wrong with staying on the third rung.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with staying on the first rung either. Our first tour manager, God bless him, was happiest with a bag of trucker’s speed, some beer, £50 profit and a sticky floor. As soon as I started talking about having a piano, he was out! And that’s great.”

This tour also marks the beginning of the end, of sorts. The last time Martin spoke to NME, he said that Coldplay would release their final album in 2025, later revealing a plan for the band’s catalogue to end after 12 albums. Well, we’re one year off now, is that still the plan?

“Yes, it is 12 albums for sure, but we’re going to be a bit later than that,” he says. “There’s one more thing, which is a musical. [That’s] album number 11, but that might have to come out after album 12 because of how long musicals take to animate.

“Our last single is on this album, and that’s called ‘All My Love’. That’s the last ‘single’ single. We have the musical thing, then an album just called ‘Coldplay’, which is the final one. I think that will be a year late – I know it will be.”

Now at 47 years old, having a finish line in sight for Martin is only adding to his compulsion to make the most of the final lap. “The 12 album thing is very real, and it’s a nice feeling,” he tells us. “It doesn’t mean we won’t tour or finish some compilation things or outtakes or whatever. It just means that the main story is told. That’s just what feels really right. Just knowing that’s happening supercharges all the work we’re doing now.

“A combination of that 12 album deadline plus working with Max Martin means that we’re approaching everything with the same, if not more, hunger than right at the beginning. You don’t want to dilute the early stuff too much.”

Admitting that “it’s not about achievement anymore”, the frontman feels driven by the question of “what are we supposed to do” and promises that by the time the arc is complete and the 12th album is out there “everything will make sense”.

“To the people that might be freaked out when you do a song with BTS, or freaked out when we dropped the acoustic guitar: don’t worry, it’ll all make sense in the end,” he promises to the fans still pining for “when they woz good” back in the days of ‘Yellow’ and ‘Shiver’.

And what will life look like for Coldplay and Chris Martin after that final album?

“Touring, curating. What Liam [Gallagher] has just done with ‘Definitely Maybe’ has reignited that album. We will get to a point where it will be fun to not re-release but remember the earlier stuff and enjoy it again and do things specific to those periods. I have an idea for another type of show that’s more of a hotch-potch of everything. Maybe it’s not always about trying to be in stadiums, but you can do small things where you try and play the odd songs. I think it would also be nice to help younger artists a bit.”

There you have it, folks – the plan for the end of the multi-million album-shifting Coldplay machine as you know it. And Martin is very much looking forward to spending his latter years in the backseat. “It’s like when someone becomes a football pundit and stops trying to score goals,” he says, excited about becoming the Gary Lineker of music, albeit without the crisps. “I feel that within a few years, it might go a bit more that way for myself. Not right now. Right now I’m super hungry and so excited to go to work every day. It’s such a clear picture of what we’re supposed to be doing.”

You can see why he’s reticent to talk about the inspiration behind his music, especially when it’s the means to an end of a coping mechanism – and now it’s a very real end. Coldplay has given Chris Martin a home, a purpose, a tonic, and a galaxy of fans, artists and friends as his family. As he sang on debut album ‘Parachutes’’ opening track ‘Don’t Panic’: “All that I know, there’s nothing here to run from, because everybody here’s got somebody to lean on”.

“Finishing on ‘Moon Music’, I’m so grateful for the people around this album and the songs that have arrived,” ends Martin. “I don’t know where they come from, I never know where they come from, but I’m like, ‘Wow, we’ve finally got an album that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to put in the same room as my favourite albums.”