Music News
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Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have shared a new statement following mounting criticism over resurfaced footage of alleged on-stage comments.
On Monday (Apr. 28), London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that a clip of the group allegedly calling for the death of British MPs (members of parliament) is being assessed by anti-terror police in the U.K.
Filmed at a London gig in November 2023, it appears to show one member of the band saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” At the time, the Conservative Party – also known as the Tories – were in government with a large majority.
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It followed the news that last week that a video of the band expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah – both of which are ascribed terror group status by the U.K. government – was also being assessed by the Met. Under anti-terror laws in the country, it is an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 to “invite support for a proscribed organisation.”
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On Sunday, (Apr. 27), a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We were made aware of a video on 22 April, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required. We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.” The group are yet to be charged with any offence.
In response, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead David Taylor and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney have made public calls for the removal of Kneecap from several summer festival performances, including Glastonbury and TRNSMT in Glasgow.
Now, Kneecap – made up of rappers Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin and beat-maker JJ Ó Dochartaigh – have responded with a statement posted to their Instagram page, addressing their alleged support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and promoting violence against British MPs.
“Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay,” it read. “We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history. We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
The trio continued, in part: “We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
Elsewhere in the post, Kneecap went on to apologise to the families of Labour MP Jo Cox and Conservative MP Sir David Amess, who recently condemned the band of “inciting violence.” Both MPs were murdered in 2016 and 2021 respectively.“To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt,” Kneecap said.
Doubling down on their stance, they concluded: “Kneecap’s message has always been – and remains – one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that.” Read the full statement below.
The new statement comes in the wake of the fall-out following the band’s sets at Coachella earlier this month. During their performance, Kneecap displayed a message stating, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
On Friday (Apr. 25), meanwhile, it emerged that the group had split with their U.S. booking agent, IAG, and there have been calls for the group’s U.S. work visas to be revoked. Kneecap are currently scheduled to perform a headline tour in North America this October.
KNEECAP STATEMENT: They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral… pic.twitter.com/qZht5532Zf— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 28, 2025
“Five Nights of Beyoncé!” That was the tagline trumpeted across television and radio throughout Los Angeles ahead of the Monday (April 28) night kickoff for the 35-time Grammy winner’s highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour at SoFi Stadium in neighboring Inglewood, Calif. The 32-market stadium tour — across nine cities in the U.S. and Europe — […]
Prolific Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend has revealed to fans that his forthcoming run of North American tour dates will be his last for the “foreseeable future” as he takes a “vacation” from touring.
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The 52-year-old shared the news with his fans via a video message on Monday (April 28), telling them they should embrace the upcoming opportunity to catch him live throughout May.
“For nearly 35 years, I’ve followed a creative path guided by instinct—each album, each tour, each project a new chapter in a story I’ve felt compelled to tell,” he added in an accompanying message. “My mind latches onto concepts, and I love chasing them down. That chase has made this journey wild, unpredictable, and deeply fulfilling.
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“Over the years, I’ve heard it countless times: ‘Dev, take a break… please.’ But the flood of ideas, the excitement, and the support of incredible musicians and listeners have kept me going, kept me touring, and kept me grateful for a life on the road.
“That said, things have changed—especially since the pandemic,” he added. “Booking tours now means planning up to two years in advance. With fewer venues, fewer crews, and a saturated touring circuit, it’s become more challenging than ever to line things up.”
As a result, Townsend explained that when he wraps up his upcoming run of dates in Los Angeles on May 23, it will be the “last time you’ll see me on stage for the foreseeable future.” Continuing, he noted that his extended period of rest will see him taking time to “breathe and recalibrate” as he deals with the necessities of life and he tends to the “dozen things that I’ve been waiting to do for all these years that have to be pushed aside due to the constant touring.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m done playing live. Not by a long shot,” he continued. “I’ll be performing until my final breath. But right now, I need to be present for the people who need me, and to give myself the space to reflect on everything I’ve been through.”
Townsend also added that he would be taking the time to launch a new YouTube series called The Ruby Quaker Show where he explores the numerous creative ventures he has had on the back burner for years. “Now I’m making the time to bring them to life, without that familiar pressure of knowing I’ll be gone again in a month,” he says.
In the meantime, Townsend also added that he would be doing his best to make the upcoming shows as “meaningful and unforgettable as possible” before he takes an extended period of leave from the stage.
“I will return to the stage. But first, I need to reset,” he concluded. “Touring has been a beautiful, exhausting constant in my life, and for once, I’m listening to the voice that says: slow down. I want to create from a place of calm inspiration rather than frantic obligation. And until I can truly be there for the people who rely on me, my creativity won’t be at its best.”
Townsend first rose to prominence in the ‘90s after working with and touring alongside Steve Vai, before founding Strapping Young Lad in 1994. The group would ultimately split in 2007, though Townsend had already embarked upon a prolific solo career by this point, with releases under the Devin Townsend Project and Casualties of Cool monikers also arriving over the years.
While the Devin Townsend Project’s 2012 release Epicloud would hit No. 105 on the Billboard 200 and top the Heatseekers chart, he would receive his biggest success in 2013 when Z² reached No. 73 on the Billboard 200.
As Haim ready the release of their long-awaited fourth album, the trio of siblings have dropped an extensive run of North American and U.K. tour dates.
The Haim sisters officially confirmed the title of their upcoming album only a week ago during a show at The Bellwether theater in Los Angeles on April 23. The show itself was their first full show in nearly two years, with the trio revealing that I Quit will be their moniker of their fourth LP.
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The follow-up to 2020’s Women in Music Pt. III, the upcoming record will officially arrive on June 20, and has so far been previewed by way of singles “Relationships,” “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out,” and the newly-released “Down to Be Wrong.”
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As the countdown to the record’s release slowly ticks away, Haim have now unveiled a run of tour dates to occupy them during the latter half of the year.
Launching their upcoming tour plans with festival dates across the U.K, Europe, and Japan over the summer, the I Quit tour will see the trio embark upon a 23-date tour of the U.S. and Canada between September and October, before returning to the U.K. that same month with a six date run of shows.
In a recent interview in i.d. magazine, self-proclaimed “serial monogamist” Danielle said the new album is the first they’ve made without the involvement of her longtime boyfriend, producer Ariel Rechtshaid, and that she’s single for the first time since 2011. “Being single now, I’m just trying to embrace it, because I’m… I feel like I’m the age where I need to embrace it,” she said.
Alana said that the album is “the closest we’ve ever gotten to how we wanted to sound,” with Danielle diplomatically adding that working again with another longtime collaborator Rostam was “very quick, kinetic with him, which I really love as an artist… Maybe before, it wasn’t that way, it was kind of a more… longer, searching, labored situation.”
Haim – 2025 I Quit Tour Dates
Sept. 4 – TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia, PASept. 5 – The Stage at Suffolk Downs, Boston, MASept. 6 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONSept. 8 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NYSept. 9 – Westville Music Bowl, New Haven, CTSept. 10 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MDSept. 12 – United Center, Chicago, ILSept. 13 – The Rave, Milwaukee, WISept. 14 – The Armory, Minneapolis, MNSept. 17 – Edgefield, Portland, ORSept. 18 – WAMU Theater, Seattle, WASept. 20 – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver, BCSept. 23 – Mesa Amphitheatre, Phoenix, AZSept. 25 – The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TXSept. 26 – Moody Center, Austin, TXSept. 28 – White Oak Music Hall- Lawn, Houston, TXSept. 30 – The Pinnacle, Nashville, TNOct. 3 – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Denver, COOct. 4 – The Great Saltair, Salt Lake City, UTOct. 7 – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CAOct. 9 – Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CAOct. 10 – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, San Diego, CAOct. 11 – Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CAOct. 24 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, UKOct. 25 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UKOct. 26 – Brighton Centre, Brighton, UKOct. 28 – The O2, London, UKOct. 30 – AO Arena, Manchester, UKOct. 31 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
The first wave of acts locked in to perform at this year’s KCON Los Angeles has been announced.
As unveiled Monday (April 28), the 2025 performer lineup will feature, in alphabetical order: CRAVITY,SEVENTEEN subunit HxW, IS:SUE, IVE, izna, JO1, LEE YOUNGJI, NMIXX, P1Harmony, Roy Kim and ZEROBASEONE. Organizers of the three-day event are expected to announce several more batches of artists in later weeks.
Taking place Aug. 1-3 at Crypto.com Arena in L.A., 2025’s KCON LA will also have a theme: “KLOVER’S CLUB FAIR.” Drawing inspiration from lucky four-leaf clovers, the event will feature different stages and activities that cater specifically to K-pop fans while promising the good fortune of access to their favorite artists. And those who love Korean culture as a whole will have much to experience in addition to music, with stations focusing on fashion, beauty and food.
The L.A. installment of KCON is just one of many that take place annually around the world, with the festival also hosting iterations in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, United Arab Emirates, France, Mexico, Australia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia since first kicking off in the United States in 2012. In 2024, KCON LA attracted more than 5.9 million fans from 170+ countries, both on-site and through virtual opportunities to join in.
The 2025 KCON LA will be extra special for the guys of P1Harmony, who will return this year after performing at last year’s festival as well. “It’s really a convention to show off Korean culture and what’s hot and upcoming in Korean culture, like K-beauty, music, food,” band leader Keeho told Billboard backstage at the 2024 event.
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He added at the time: “To be able to go there and just be part of that wave of representation, and showcase what’s new, I feel like it’s really really good to take part.”
Before Jelly Roll sang a bit of Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” to tens of thousands of fans as the day 2 headliner of Stagecoach on Saturday night, the country superstar got a little practice in with his wife, Bunnie XO. Bunnie shared a video of the couple making their way to the Mane Stage over the […]
Goldenvoice must pay a $20,000 fine to the City of Indio for going past curfew for several minutes during Travis Scott‘s set during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, according to a statement from city officials. On Saturday, April 12, Scott closed out his headlining set three minutes past 1 […]
Lizzo celebrated her 37th birthday on Sunday, and at one point during her party, she was overcome with emotion to the point that it brought the flute-playing singer to tears. The Detroit native took a moment to reflect on her party, and she said time stood still as she took in seeing her family members […]
The members of BTS are just as eager to reunite after their break as ARMY is to see it happen, according to J-Hope.
In a clip from his upcoming interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Low, which Teen Vogue premiered Monday (April 28), the “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer shared an update on the boy band’s future with respect to RM, Suga, V, Jimin and Jung Kook approaching the end of their respective times in the South Korean military. “I look forward to June when our members will have completed their service,” J-Hope began, according to a close-captioned translation.
The star went on to reveal that the septet’s reunion will be speedy once the final five members finish their enlistments. “We will quickly get together and talk about what BTS can do in the future,” he told Lowe. “I think it’s going to be a massive energy.”
The interview comes a little over six months after J-Hope became the second member of BTS to be discharged from the military, after Jin. The bestselling band has been on break for about two years as they each completed their mandatory service periods, with all seven of the members releasing solo projects in the interim.
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“I think that over time, we each refined our unique identities as each of us work on their own music, come out with their solo projects and do their own thing,” J-Hope said on Apple Music 1. “The funny thing for me is when our identities, which have taken shape in various ways, come together as BTS.”
He added of their upcoming reunion: “I’m curious to see how it’ll look like.”
For J-Hope’s part, the South Korean singer has released multiple pieces of solo music since he began his now-complete military service in February 2023. In March of that year, he dropped single “On the Street” with J. Cole, about a year after which J-Hope unveiled EP HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
BTS last released an album in 2020, with Be reaching No. 1 on the albums chart. The LP features smash hit “Dynamite,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.