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14 Feb 2023

The Chicks Set 2023 World Tour With Maren Morris, Wild Rivers & Ben Harper

Twelve-time Grammy winning trio The Chicks will take their music global this summer, when The Chicks World Tour 2023 launches in June.

Joining them on the outing are “The Bones” hitmaker Maren Morris, Canadian band Wild Rivers and “Better Way” singer Ben Harper, with each act opening select shows throughout the tour. The tour launches on June 20 in Oslo, Norway and wraps Sept. 18 in Toronto, Ontario. Along the way the Chicks will visit more than 30 cities, including 29 stops in North America. Among their U.S. dates are shows in Nashville, Tennessee (July 27); Grand Rapids, Michigan (Aug. 17); Tulsa, Oklahoma (July 21) and Bethel, New York (Aug. 3).

“Thank you to all our fans for making last Summer so fun! It’s time to get the party going again! We can’t wait to see everyone!” The Chicks said via Instagram.

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Morris also shared the news on social media, saying, “READY TO RUN to ????????????”

Tickets will go on sale for all U.S. shows except for Bethel, Hershey, Columbus, St. Paul, & Sioux Falls on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets for shows in Europe, UK, Canada, and St. Paul (U.S.) will go on sale on Friday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets for the Bethel, Hershey, Columbus, and Sioux Falls dates will be available beginning Friday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

Prior to the tour launch, The Chicks are slated for their six-concert Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater starting in May, and will take part in Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration concert on April 30 in Los Angeles.

See the full list of tour dates below:

June 20: Oslo, Norway @ Oslo Spektrum Arena (with Maren Morris)

June 21: Stockholm, Sweden @ Ericsson Globe (with Maren Morris)

June 23: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome (with Maren Morris)

June 27: Cardiff, England @ Cardiff Castle (with Maren Morris)

June 28: Glasgow, United Kingdom @ OVO Hydro (with Maren Morris)

June 30: Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena (with Maren Morris)

July 2: Birmingham, United Kingdom @ Utilita Arena Birmingham (with Maren Morris)

July 4: Manchester, United Kingdom @ AO Arena (with Maren Morris)

July 21: Tulsa, Oklahoma @ BOK Center (with Wild Rivers)

July 22: North Little Rock, Arkansas @ Simmons Bank Arena (with Wild Rivers)

July 25: Louisville, Kentucky @ KFC Yum! Center (with Wild Rivers)

July 27: Nashville, Tennessee @ Bridgestone Arena (with Wild Rivers)

July 29: Knoxville, Tennessee @ Thompson-Boling Arena (with Wild Rivers)

July 30: Greensboro, North Carolina @ Greensboro Coliseum Complex (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 2: Columbia, Maryland @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 3: Bethel, New York @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 5: Gilford, New Hampshire @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 6: Saratoga Springs, New York @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 10: Hershey, Pennsylvania @ HersheyPark Stadium (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 11: Canandaigua, New York @ CMAC Performing Arts Center (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 13: Bangor, Maine @ Maine Savings Amphitheater (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 16: Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 17: Grand Rapids, Michigan @ Van Andel Arena (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 19: Des Moines, Iowa @ Iowa State Fairgrounds (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 25: St. Paul, Minnesota @ Minnesota State Fair (with Wild Rivers)

Aug. 26: Madison, Wisconsin @ Kohl Center (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 29: Kansas City, Missouri @ T-Mobile Center (with Ben Harper)

Aug. 30: Omaha, Nebraska @ CHI Health Center Omaha (with Ben Harper)

Sept. 1: Sioux Falls, South Dakota @ Denny Sanford Premier Center (with Ben Harper)

Sept. 5: Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers Arena (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 7: Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 8: Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 10: Saskatoon, SK @ Sasktel Centre (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 12: Winnepeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 15: Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 16: London, ON @ Budweiser Gardens (with Maren Morris)

Sept. 18: Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena (with Maren Morris)

14 Feb 2023

P!nk Pays Tearful Tribute to Her Late Dad on Emotional Preview of ‘When I Get There’

Valentine’s Day is the time to tell the ones you love how you feel about them. But it’s also a day to remember the people in your heart who you can’t share a box of chocolates with anymore. That seemed to be the mood P!nk was in on Tuesday morning (Feb. 14) when she shared a snippet of a moving ballad from her upcoming Trustfall album dedicated to her late father, Jim Moore, who passed away in 2021.

“Sometimes love leaves us too soon. On Valentine’s Day – I cherish the love I have that I can touch – and the love I have in my heart for those who have gone on to the next adventure,” she wrote alongside a 30-second video preview of the song “When I Get There.”

“This one’s for you, Daddy Sir,” she added, using her affectionate nickname for the Vietnam veteran who provides voiceover for the clip. “I thought it would be nice if you had some memories of how it all began and where you all came from,” Moore says over images of P!nk hugging her dad, as well as a montage of school pictures of the singer from childhood through her teen years and film of her parent’s wedding.

“It’ll always be so important to all of us,” Moore says before revealing footage of the singer on her first birthday as the song’s majestic piano bed swells up. “I think of you when I think about forever,” P!nk sings amid a montage of video of her and her dad together. “I hear a joke, and I know you would’a told it better/ I think of you out of the blue.”

P!nk recently revealed the dance-heavy video for the album’s title track; Trustfall is due out on Friday (Feb. 17) via RCA Records. In addition to the singles “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” and the title track, the Lumineers lend a hand on “Long Way to Go,” First Aid Kit join her on “Kids in Love” and Stapleton helps to close things out with final track “Just Say I’m Sorry.”

The high-flying singer has also announced the dates for her massive 21-city “Summer Carnival 2023” stadium tour featuring Brandi Carlile, as well as new Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar & Neil Girlado on select dates and Grouplove and KidCutUp on all the shows.

Check out P!nk’s “When I Get There” preview below.

14 Feb 2023

Disney Music Group, Andscape Introduce Good Company Records

The Disney Music Group (DMG) and Andscape are partnering on a new record label, Good Company Records. Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer D’Mile, talent manager Natalie Prospere and Grammy-winning mixing/audio engineer John Kercy are the founders of the new global venture. 

In addition to signing and developing artists, Good Company will collaborate with other Andscape divisions on various projects. First up will be the Andscape documentary Shyne. The forthcoming film will chronicle Shyne’s life and journey from rap artist on Sean Combs’ Bad Boy label to becoming a member of the Belize House of Representatives. 

Announcing the partnership with Good Company today (Feb. 14), Disney Music Group president Ken Bunt stated, “It’s special and unique to have a shared vision for the future of music, and the opportunity to visually tell new stories with Andscape. We can’t wait to collaborate with D’Mile, Natalie, John and the Andscape team to deliver on this goal.”

Added DMG head of creative Mio Vukovic, “We could not be more excited about working with the talented team behind Good Company and our partnership with Andscape. It allows us the dream of creating a home to cultivate and nurture Black artists through storytelling.” Disney Music Group houses Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, Disney Music Publishing and Disney Concerts.

Andscape is the 2022 rebrand and expansion of ESPN’s former media platform The Undefeated. Dedicated to exploring all facets of Black identity, Andscape encompasses several divisions including editorial, book publishing, film/television and music publishing. 

“D’Mile, Natalie and John are special individuals – each true to Andscape’s vision: deep and dimensional multi-hyphenate storytellers,” said Andscape vice president/editor-in-chief Raina Kelley in the announcement release. “We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Andscape family. This incredible partnership vaults forward Andscape’s evolution as a content creator across The Walt Disney Company.”

Prior to creating Good Company, D’Mile became the first songwriter in Grammy history to win back-to-back song of the year Grammys: for H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” in 2021 and Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” in 2022. Also in 2021, he won the Academy Award for best original song for co-writing and producing “Fight for You,” performed by H.E.R., from the film Judas and the Black Messiah. A producer of the year nominee at the 65th Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, D’Mile has also worked with Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson, among others.

The longtime manager of D’Mile and fellow Good Company co-founder Kercy, Prospere has also managed Grammy-winning artist Lucky Daye and songwriter/producer DJ Camper. She is also the creator of the Friends Only collective, focusing on forward-thinking business development and artist partnerships throughout the Caribbean and Black diaspora. Kercy’s resumé includes collaborations with Daye, Lil Wayne, Disclosure, Diddy, Ty Dolla $ign, Normani and more.

In a joint statement, D’Mile, Prospere and Kercy said, “We are so excited to partner with Disney/Andscape on Good Company. Disney is a place where we believe all of our creative ideas can come to life, and we are looking forward to where this partnership takes us!”

14 Feb 2023

Harry Styles Songwriter Tyler Johnson Sells Partial Catalog to Influence Media

Influence Media has acquired the publisher’s share of a big chunk of the song catalog of Harry Styles collaborator Tyler Johnson. While terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, the acquired catalog includes all songs Johnson co-wrote on Styles’ first two solo albums, as well as tunes recorded by Meghan Trainor, Sam Smith, Maren Morris, Keith Urban, Diplo, Miley Cyrus and John Legend.

According to the ASCAP/BMI SoundView song platform, Johnson is credited with writing or co-writing 197 songs. The 67 songs included in the catalog acquisition cover those he wrote from 2012 through 2020, according to the announcement.

“Influence Media is committed to partnering with the secret weapons behind some of music’s modern classics, and Tyler Johnson is at the top of that list for his work with Harry Styles alone, along with fellow superstars like Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor and Miley Cyrus,” Influence Media partner and founding advisor Rene McLean said in a statement. “We are so proud to represent Tyler’s works and look forward to introducing them to even wider audiences.”

Influence Media, which is partnered with Black Rock and Warner Music Group, previously acquired the master recording catalog of Blake Shelton for his records issued between 2001 and 2019 as well as Future’s song publishing catalog, among other music investments.

“It has been a pleasure working with the trusted team at Influence Media on my song catalog,” Johnson, a Grammy winner and five-time Grammy nominee, said in a statement. “These songs are very important to me and I feel our deal reflects the value of this catalog that I have built over the last 10 years.”

According to Influence Media, it formed the collaboration with Johnson “as part of its investment strategy built on ‘modern evergreens,’ songs and artists with a strong potential for long-term impact on pop culture.”

“Rene and I have been doing business with various clients for a while now, he’s a straight shooter,” said Johnson’s manager Nathaniel Cochrane in a statement about the deal. “It was a pleasure to get this deal over the line together and I look forward to building with Influence.”

Johnson was represented in the deal by Francois Mobasser, Audrey Benoualid and Andrew Paster at Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Influence Media Partners was represented by Lisa Alter, Katie Baron and Jaclyn Felber at Alter, Kendrick & Baron.

14 Feb 2023

Lorde Working on Fourth Album: ‘I Feel Excited About What’s Coming’

Lorde is already hard at work on her follow-up to 2021’s Solar Power album. “It has taken me quite a while [to start working on it],” she told Ensemble magazine. “I mean, I do just take a long time… I do a lot of research, I write a lot down.”

She then broke down her workflow for her as-yet-untitled project, saying, “Sort of a big chunk of work before I actually start writing music. So yeah, that’s been a really big part of it. It’s been super exciting and I feel excited about what’s coming.” Lorde also gave some hope that it may not be another four years of waiting, as it was between her second and third albums.

“You know, it’s my intention, it’s always my intention, to move as quickly as I f—ng can and then that ends up taking different forms,” she said. “But this one, I really am trying to. I don’t want to wait, you know, so take from that what you will.”

And while she didn’t share any details about who she’s working with or what sound fans can expect, it seems unlikely that we’ll hear it this year… maybe. “Anything could happen. Let’s see!,” she said.

Back in September during her headlining set at Los Angeles’ Primavera Sound festival, the singer began teasing her next era. “Who knows what will come next?” she said while running through the themes of her three studio albums. “Well, I know. And you’ll know sometime soon.”

Though Power was polarizing for some fans (and critics), Lorde told the magazine that she took the response in stride, accepting that some people liked it and some didn’t. “I think the third album is like always a real… you do sort of cross over in a way, you know, you’re not new any more, and also you want maybe different things,” she said. “I had real things I wanted that I just had to do with that album, and I feel more clear and calm for having done that.”

She also explained why after the cycle of recording and touring her 2017 sophomore album Melodrama everything felt… “too big… It felt like people believed in me too much or something. I was like, I’m 20 or 21, this is my hobby. You know, I felt really spooked by it. And so to sort of go down this weird road and for people to have absolutely no idea what’s going to come next, that is super cool to me. I’m stoked that I don’t feel pigeonholed at this stage.“

Lorde is gearing up for the latest round of dates on her Solar Power tour, with dates in her native New Zealand kicking off on Feb. 21 in Wellington and gigs in Australia slated to run through a March 18 gig in Perth at Belvoir Amphitheater.

14 Feb 2023

Academy President Says Response to Will Smith Oscars Slap Was ‘Inadequate’

Academy President Janet Yang reiterated that the organization’s response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 ceremony was “inadequate” and that “we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively” on similar issues in the future.

Yang addressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ response to the incident at last year’s awards show during the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon while touching broadly on “their exciting vision” for the 95th iteration of the show.

“As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said. “What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”

“We must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward,” she added. “We are committed to maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”

During the 2022 ceremony, ahead of his best Oscar win, Smith took to the Dolby Theatre stage and slapped comedian Rock after he made an unscripted joke about Pinkett Smith’s baldness while presenting an award. Smith has since offered several apologies, in addition to resigning from the Academy, which previously said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but declined. What ensued was several weeks of deliberation over how to address Smith’s behavior, resulting in the actor being banned from appearing at their events for 10 years. 

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”

The Academy previously addressed Smith’s behavior, at one point admitting that “we could have handled the situation differently.” They also called Smith’s actions “unacceptable and harmful behavior” and, once again, noted that they did not “adequately address the situation in the room.”

“This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented,” it concluded.

The remainder of Yang’s speech saw the AMPAS president addressing how the “collaborative nature of cinema” will be the focal point of this year’s ceremony.

“The Academy aims to be a driver of unity for our artists and for the public,” she said. “I urge us all to focus our efforts on nurturing the extraordinary, brilliant community that we inhabit. I want to remind us of the deep respect and love we have for our fellow colleagues and for the art of filmmaking. I invite us to grow together because the collective power of this room and this industry are unstoppable.”

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

14 Feb 2023

Babyface on His Super Bowl Performance and Unreleased SZA Track

R&B legend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is happy his Super Bowl performance is over — sort of.

“I feel relieved — now I can breathe,” he told The Hollywood Reporter outside his suite following his moment on the field Sunday. “Before it was moments of nervousness and then I’d be chill and then I’d get a little nervous again. Right before they introduced me [I was like], ‘Oh shit, there it is.’ I just have to be chill and just try to concentrate on the song.”

“You know the words, but it’s a different kind of song. It’s not something that you sing every day and you’re on the spot,” he added of singing “America the Beautiful” at the State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

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“If you go wrong in this, you go wrong forever. I’m thankful that we made it through it good,” he said.

Babyface strummed a custom-made guitar featuring the American flag during the performance.

The singer/songwriter/producer has won 12 Grammys, written all of his own hits and also written for Beyoncé, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, TLC, Mariah Carey, Usher and Whitney Houston, whose 11-year death anniversary was Saturday. 

“I can only say that Whitney was always fun. She was silly and that was the relationship that we had when we were in the studio. We always had fun with each other,” he recalled.

Babyface is still penning hits today: He recently co-wrote the track “Snooze” on SZA’s critically acclaimed album SOS, which is spending its eighth week at No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart.

“SZA is great. We worked on two songs, actually. Hopefully one day she’ll let us put out that other song, but she’s amazing,” he said. “I don’t know any artist that’s like her, male or female. She is truly one of the best that I’ve ever written with.”

The 64-year-old debuted in the R&B group The Deele, who released their debut album 40 years ago in 1983. He said he’s happy to still have a career strong enough to bring him to the Super Bowl.

“I just find it interesting that I’m here at this event doing this. I didn’t see this coming and so it’s such an honor to be here,” he said. “I was honored that Roc Nation and Jay-Z thought I was worthy of doing it. It’s great.”

Watch SZA’s “Snooze” lyric video below.

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

14 Feb 2023

2 Jazz Artists Receive 2023 Doris Duke Artist Awards – And the $550,000 Prize Money That Goes With It

Two jazz musicians, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah and Somi Kakoma, were among six creators who were named Doris Duke Artists on Monday at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. Oscar- and Grammy-winning rapper Common hosted the event.

The Doris Duke Foundation also announced the doubling of the prize money associated with the award. Each recipient is receiving an award of $550,000, up from $275,000, in recognition of their contributions to the fields of contemporary dance, jazz and theater.

This year’s other Doris Duke Artists are director Charlotte Brathwaite and playwright and performer Kristina Wong in the theater category, and choreographers and performers Ayodele Casel and Rosy Simas in the dance category.

“When artists thrive, we all thrive,” Sam Gill, president and CEO of the Doris Duke Foundation, said at the event. “Tonight we evolve the Doris Duke Artist Award from an award to a platform—a platform to advocate and fight for the future of artists.”

“What a decade of this award has revealed to us is that if you trust extraordinary artists like the ones here tonight and give them the conditions to thrive, they will go beyond the boundaries and expectations that you or anyone else could set for them,” added Maurine Knighton, chief program officer at the Doris Duke Foundation.

Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, 39, is a jazz trumpeter, composer and producer. Has received six Grammy nominations since 2008 – three for best contemporary instrumental album, two for best improvised jazz solo and one for best contemporary jazz album.

“Receiving the Doris Duke Artist Award offers me the ability to dedicate more time and care to what I truly love, which in itself is the most valuable gift a person can receive,” Chief Adjuah said in a statement. “Not only is this tremendously meaningful for myself, it also puts me in the position to create new opportunities throughout my community. Growing up, I often heard elders use the phrase ‘Take my song and pass it along,’ and I look forward to embodying this spirit in passing along this gift to others.”

Somi Kakoma, 41, is singer, songwriter, playwright and actor. In July 2020, Somi released Holy Room – Live at Alte Oper on her own Salon Africana label. The live album, which featured the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, was nominated for a 2021 Grammy for best jazz vocal album. It also won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for outstanding jazz album, vocal.

“As a proud daughter of immigrants, I have never fit neatly into a ‘here’ or ‘there’—nor has my music,” she said in a statement. “Receiving this award is affirmation that this journey has not been in vain. Knowing that it was determined by a panel of my peers is especially meaningful—I feel seen, understood, supported, and so very grateful. This award will allow me to pursue or formalize more of my artistic projects on the African continent in spaces where the local cultural economy doesn’t always have the resources in place to support them.”

The event included performances by six members from the inaugural class of Doris Duke Artists: Vijay Iyer, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Bebe Miller, Nicole Mitchell, Eiko Otake and Basil Twist.

The Doris Duke Artist Awards program supports approximately six performing artists annually with unrestricted individual grants. Recipients may use funds on anything: work space, travel, study, a new home, health care, exploring new collaborations or retirement savings.

The increase to the grant amount from $275,000 to $550,000 per artist reaffirms the Doris Duke Foundation’s commitment to investing in individual artists as the lifeblood of the performing arts. Gill announced the increase to an audience of around 400. He additionally revealed that the foundation has locked in a $30 million commitment to carry the program forward.

Established in 2012, the Doris Duke Artist Award is the largest national prize dedicated exclusively to individual performing artists. Since its inception, 129 Doris Duke Artists have received a total of $35.5 million in Doris Duke Artist Awards. This includes a total of $12.6 million in funding to 44 jazz artists.

The program was originally launched as a five-year program in 2012 as part of a $50 million special initiative but was made a core part of the foundation’s arts funding strategy in 2018. It was, and continues to be, the largest national prize dedicated to individual performing artists. It was also one of the first grant programs to offer a unique matching feature for up to $25,000 of the award to encourage artists to invest in late-career savings given the limited benefits programs available to them.

The Doris Duke Foundation operates five national grantmaking programs—in the performing arts, the environment, medical research, child and family well-being, and mutual understanding between communities—as well as Duke Farms and Shangri La, two centers that serve the public directly.

The Doris Duke Foundation is one of only two foundations to have received the National Medal of the Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more, visit www.dorisduke.org.

To learn more about the Doris Duke Artist Awards and the six new Doris Duke Artists, visit: DorisDukeArtistAwards.org.

14 Feb 2023

Paramore’s ‘This Is Why’ Is Cruising to U.K. Chart Title

Paramore’s reunion could net the pop-punk veterans a U.K. chart crown.

Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York reunited on This Is Why (via Atlantic), their six album and first since 2017’s After Laughter. It could also be their first U.K. No. 1 in nearly a decade.

Based on sales and streaming data reported by the Official Charts Company, This Is Why is the clear leader at the midweek stage. It’s currently out-selling its nearest rival, You Me At Six’s Truth Decay (Underdog), by more than two-units-to-one.

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If it maintains its trajectory, This Is Why will follow Paramore’s Brand New Eyes (from 2009) and Paramore (2013) to the top of the chart.

You Me At Six’s Truth Decay, No. 2 on the Official Chart Update, should give the Surrey, England rock outfit a seventh top 10 entry.

The Rolling Stones, meanwhile, are rolling to a 42nd top 10 appearance with their live hits retrospective GRRR! Live (Mercury Studios). It’s on track for a No. 6 debut.

Several winners from last Saturday’s 2023 BRIT Awards should see gains on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday (Feb. 17). Harry Styles’ third studio album Harry’s House (Columbia) is on course to climb 12-3 after collecting album of the year, while British group and best new artist winners Wet Leg could reenter the top 40 with their chart-topping eponymously titled debut. Wet Leg (Domino Recordings) is at No. 33 on the Official Chart Update.

Finally, a string of reissues look set to peak positions on the national chart. Scottish alternative rock outfit Mogwai has a pair of re-issues on track for new highs — 1997 debut Mogwai Young Team (at No. 12 via Chemikal Underground), and their sophomore LP Come On Die Young (No. 24).

Also, Gary Numan’s new wave act Tubeway Army could see their 1978 self-titled debut beat its previous best. Tubeway Army (via Beggars Banquet) blasts into the midweek chart at No. 13, ahead of its No. 14 peak position from 1979.

14 Feb 2023

S Club 7 Reunite For 25th Anniversary Tour

S Club 7 are bringing it all back for a reunion tour of the U.K. and Ireland.

The original seven members — Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett — will set out for a 25th anniversary nostalgia trip later in the year.

As it stands, the British pop outfit will play 11 arena dates, scheduled to kick off Oct. 13 at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, then visit Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin, Cardiff and more cities, before wrapping Oct. 28 at London’s The O2.

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“After eight years it feels amazing to announce that we’re reuniting and performing together again,” reads a statement from the reunited group.

“We’re so excited to bring the S Club party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7,” the message continues.

“We can’t even believe it’s been so long. Music and friendship have always been at the core of everything that we’ve ever done. We hope everyone can join us for one big party.”

Tickets will be available to the public from Friday (Feb. 17).

Formed in 1998 by pop svengali Simon Fuller, S Club 7 went on to become one of the U.K.’s biggest pop bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Along the way, the seven-strong act landed four U.K. No. 1 singles (“Bring It All Back,” “Never Had A Dream Come True,” “Don’t Stop Movin’” and “Have You Ever”) and a No. 1 album with 2000’s 7.

Fans will remember that they also starred on the family sitcom Miami 7/S Club 7 in Miami, about seven friends who relocate to Miami in search of fame, playing exaggerated versions of their own personalities. (The show aired on ABC Family in the United States.)

The group disbanded in 2003, with Stevens going on to enjoy a high-profile pop career in her homeland, bagging five top 10 singles, including No. 2s for “Sweet Dreams My LA Ex” (2003) and “Some Girls” (2004).

Then, in 2014, the singers joined forces once more to perform for the BBC Children In Need appeal. The reunion gathered pace when a U.K. tour was booked the following year.

More on the 2023 tour will be revealed at a press conference Tuesday morning (Feb. 14), streamed live on Instagram and YouTube.