Music

30 Nov 2023

How Slow Pulp Drew on Both Lucinda Williams and ‘The O.C.’ for Breakthrough Album ‘Yard’

The Album

Yard, out now on ANTI- Records.

The Origin

Guitarist-producer Henry Stoehr and drummer Teddy Matthews met as youngsters in a McDonald’s ball pit in their native Madison, Wis., and they’ve been playing music together almost as long. They formed a band with buddy and future Slow Pulp bassist Alex Leeds as preteens and kept making music as teens and, later, students at University of Wisconsin, Madison. That’s where they met singer-guitarist Emily Massey, who was in another band, but began writing with Stoehr for fun.

The creative relationship blossomed and Stoehr invited Massey to join the nascent Slow Pulp. Initially, Massey explains, she “was just kind of an auxiliary member,” helping with rhythm guitar and backing vocals. But while recording 2017’s EP2, Stoehr and Leeds asked Massey to sing lead on a couple of their songs. “They were like, ‘How about you sing this song as well?’ And then we started sprinkling in the songs that we had been writing together,” Massey, now 28, recalls. “It just kind of slowly transitioned into me kind of taking the frontperson role.”

The Sound

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“Lucinda Williams’ album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, that’s my gold [standard], like, this is how I like music to sound, production-wise” says Stoehr, 29, who produced Slow Pulp’s debut full-length, 2020’s Moveys, and its follow-up, September’s Yard. Massey shares the affinity: She wrote some of Yard‘s songs at a cabin where Williams’ Grammy-nominated 2001 album Essence was one of the few CDs on hand. “She’s just an incredible songwriter,” says Massey, noting the “production cues that [Slow Pulp] took from that Americana world for some of the songs” on Yard.

Stoehr and Massey also gush about the soundtrack to seminal ’00s teen TV drama The O.C., explaining the impact the set of canonical alt-rock and indie-pop songs had on them as younger Millennials. “Overall, on [Yard], there’s a little more earnestness and exposed emotion. And I feel like that [O.C.] era of music was all about that.”

And when it comes to the tried-and-true “Artist A x Artist B = Artist C” equation, one could do worse than encapsulating Slow Pulp’s emotional and vibrant indie-rock than “Lucinda Williams x The O.C. soundtrack.” On Yard, the band’s upped the rootsy quotient – like on late-album standout “Broadview,” a gem laden with steel guitar, harmonica, and banjo that sounds like Slow Pulp exhumed and rerecorded a lost demo from Neil Young’s Harvest.

The Record

Like many young bands, Slow Pulp’s rise is forever linked to the pandemic. The quartet finished its debut, Moveys, in the early months of COVID; around that time, Massey says her own health issues and a serious car accident involving her parents were among the factors that forced the band to “take a breather for a second.”

Writing for Yard began in earnest in early 2022, and by February 2023 the band had submitted the record – and signed with eminent indie label ANTI-, currently home to an eclectic roster that includes Fleet Foxes, Mavis Staples, MJ Lenderman and Japandroids. “They were very down for just letting us take a lot of creative control, which is something that was really important to us,” Massey says.

As she did for Moveys, Massey tracked many of Yard‘s vocals in her musician father’s home studio – “It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows; we definitely are good at arguing,” she says with a laugh – and Stoehr ornamented tracks the band recorded with “sound candy type of stuff” to make them pop. The technical prowess helps Slow Pulp’s sharper-than-ever songwriting, chock-full of huge hooks and vivid lyrics, shine.

“Songs like ‘Broadview’ and ‘Yard’ have a different flavor than some of the music that we’ve done before,” Massey says. “And ANTI-, those were some of their favorite songs, like from the jump. That felt cool to have a label be excited about new things and new sounds that are kind of taking a risk.”

The Breakthrough

When Slow Pulp released EP2, influential YouTuber thelazylazyme gave its closing track, “Preoccupied,” a boost by sharing it. “That was the turning point of, like, ‘Maybe we should look into taking this a little bit more seriously,’” says Massey, explaining how the recognition prompted Slow Pulp to relocate to Chicago.

In 2019, the band opened for Alex G on tour – and noticed a pronounced change in the audiences compared to other support slots it had played before. “That was the first tour we went on where the person we were opening for’s fans were pretty receptive,” Stoehr says. “People were liking it.”

And when touring opened back up following the pandemic, Slow Pulp shored up its indie-rock bona fides with coveted slots supporting Alvvays, Pixies and Death Cab For Cutie.

The Future

In early November, Slow Pulp took the stage – to Phantom Planet’s O.C. theme “California,” naturally – for a sold-out show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, the third of three sold-out Manhattan club shows. The raucous Big Apple crowd has been the norm since Slow Pulp hit the road days after Yard’s release.

“One of our favorite shows that we played on this tour was in Minneapolis,” says Massey, recalling the band’s second stop this fall. “The album hadn’t even been out for a week, and the crowd sang every song. It was just like, ‘What?! How is this happening?’”

The band’s wrapping the year with a European tour – and is already booked for Spain’s Primavera Sound and the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret in June 2024. Says Massey: “It feels like this big dream is coming true.”

The Piece of Studio Equipment They Cannot Live Without

Stoehr: “The AKG C414 [microphone]. The gold and black one.”
Massey: “My MacBook.”

The Artist They Believe Deserves More Attention

Massey: “Ratboys. They could be huge. The record they put out this year is really so, so cool.”
Stoehr: “They’re an amazing band. There’s this other small band from Madison called She’s Green that I think are really sick.”

The Advice Every Indie Artist Needs to Hear

Massey: “Have fun. That’s something that we like have to remind ourselves of sometimes. I’ve had a really hard time letting myself just fail and make things that are horrible. That’s OK! Make stuff that’s really bad. Make bad songs and it gets you to the good ones. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

The Most Surprising Thing About the Music Industry So Far

Massey: [long pause] “People listen to our music.” [laughs]
Stoehr: “Yeah, probably that.”
Massey: “That’s pretty surprising, always.”

The Thing They Hope Fans Take Away From Their Album

Massey: “Letting yourself have a certain compassion for yourself. That’s the big takeaway. We all have moments of a lot of self-doubt; there are a lot of things that we’re so hard on ourselves for. And to be able to work towards finding the places where you feel you’re able to care for yourself, outside of all the things that are happening. A lot of this record is about gratitude and reflecting on relationships and things that get you to the place you are now.”

30 Nov 2023

Watch Beyoncé, Elton John & Yes, Taylor Swift Race to Boxscore Gold

Another year, another Boxscore recap. After Ed Sheeran scored consecutive wins in 2018-19, Elton John and The Rolling Stones led abridged COVID-flanked charts in 2020-21, and Bad Bunny broke ground in 2022, Beyoncé rules the 2023 year-end Top Tours ranking.

According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Renaissance World Tour grossed $570.5 million during the 2023 tracking period – Nov. 1, 2022-Sept. 30, 2023 – and another $9.3 million on its final show on Oct. 1. But the tour didn’t even begin until May 10 – and now, you can take a look at how the Top Tours chart took shape, from start to finish.

For the first month, Coldplay and Elton John dominated the race. John began ahead with $7.8 million on Nov. 1 from a show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. The final shows of Coldplay’s 10-night run in Buenos Aires gave them the lead by Nov. 2, but a week later, John resumed his reign.

After dominating the 2022 year-end charts, Latin music reigned in December and into the new year. Bad Bunny took over first, before ceding to Daddy Yankee, whose farewell La Ultima Vuelta World Tour grossed $72.5 million between early November and its late December finish.

The Brits returned to the top in January, as John reclaimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Harry Styles.

Notably, figures for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour have not yet been reported to Boxscore. While that disqualifies her from appearing on year-end charts, Billboard’s projections place her at the center of the year’s biggest touring acts.

Based on estimates, Swift would have ended the Styles era around mid-April, becoming the first artist in 2023 to gross $200 million, $300 million, $400 million, and beyond. By the end of August, The Eras Tour played its last shows of the tracking period, with more than $800 million in the bank.

Based on official figures, Styles and John continued to flip the top spot well into the summer, until Beyoncé broke through in August. The Renaissance World Tour brought her to the top 10 within a month of launching, with $85.8 million by June 5 and $141.8 million by the end of its first leg (June 28).

Kicking off the North American leg on July 8, Beyoncé kicked into high gear, averaging nearly double the nightly grosses of her European shows. Her three shows at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 11-12 and 14 charged the tour’s overall gross from $324.8 million to $364.6 million, pushing the Renaissance World Tour to No. 1, where it’d stay through the end of the tracking period.

Ultimately, at $570.5 million, Beyoncé enjoys a 67% lead over Coldplay, which snuck by Styles at the last minute to land at No. 2.

Though they never occupied the top spot, BLACKPINK and Ed Sheeran were among the top 10 throughout most of the year. The K-pop girl-group spent the first four months of the tracking period in the top five, before dipping off the graph and returning to the top 10 for year’s end. Sheeran took the early months off from touring, and then shot onto the list by late February. For his part, Morgan Wallen blossomed in the late months with stadium shows in support of One Thing at a Time, ultimately yielding the biggest year-end gross for a country tour ever.

Click here to see the full year-end 2023 Boxscore charts.

30 Nov 2023

BLACKPINK, Karol G & More Are Diversifying Stadium Stages — and Boxscore Charts

From K-pop to Latin and beyond, Billboard’s Boxscore charts are undergoing a facelift, spotlighted by a diverse crop of artists crowding the 2023 year-end report. While pop and rock have long dominated the touring space, the two central genres’ combined market share has dropped from 69% in 2019, to 59% in 2022, and now to 48% in 2023.

Traditionally, the common threshold for a stadium tour is that the artist in question should be generally ubiquitous: recognizable by face and name, with a handful-plus of sing-along hooks, and accessible across generations, genres and cultures. That explains the sustained success of veteran acts such as Elton John, Madonna and The Rolling Stones.

But even without discographies that date back to the 20th century, contemporary acts have infiltrated the stadium space while still operating as current hitmakers. Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift have broken ground with record-breaking global tours that eschew past notions that underestimated young audiences. Those acts, though still building their own legendary discographies, pass the various tests mentioned above, with widespread recognition and iconic hits.

In the post-pandemic era, the goal posts have shifted once again. Beyond the slew of mainstream stars that fit the established mold – generally from mainland U.S., Canada or the U.K., performing in English, and catering to pop or an adjacent radio format – stadium stages, and therefore the upper reaches of the year-end Boxscore charts, have some fresh faces.

Rounding out the top 10 of the 2023 Top Tours chart, BLACKPINK grossed $148.3 million and sold 703,000 tickets from 29 reported shows in the eligibility window. Next, Karol G is No. 11 with $146.9 million and 843,000 tickets sold from just 19 dates. Side by side, they lead genre rankings for K-pop and Latin, respectively.

Next to artists such as The Weeknd, P!nk and Luke Combs, BLACKPINK and Karol G stand out as stadium stars and Boxscore chart-toppers. The nine acts that ranked higher on Top Tours have, on average, 12 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. BLACKPINK and Karol G, on the other hand, have spent a combined total of one week in the top 10, when Karol G’s “TQG,” with Shakira, hit No. 7 earlier this year.

This puts both acts at odds with the presumed criteria for stadium acts. Neither artist has conquered the Hot 100, nor have they been nominated for a general-field Grammy award, hosted Saturday Night Live, or made hyped-up cameos or supporting turns in a major film or television series. To boot, their careers are young. Karol G released her first album in 2017 and BLACKPINK did so in 2020. Depeche Mode – the only other act in the top 10 without a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 – has been building its fan base for more than 40 years.

Both BLACKPINK and Karol G have, however, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, perhaps signifying a deep, passionate fan base ready to pay top-dollar for concert tickets, even without the wider-spread recognition that often accompanies hit singles.

Notably, neither are the first of their respective genres to hit the jackpot. Bad Bunny broke ground for Latin artists last year when he ruled the 2022 year-end chart. In doing so, he broke BTS’ record for the highest year-end finish for an act that primarily performs in a non-English language, after the K-pop boy band finished 2019 at No. 3.

If there’s a constant with non-English-language acts playing stadiums, it’s that with the minor exceptions of Bad Bunny and BTS, they’ve been outliers with vast fan bases that sometimes aren’t represented in the mainstream. Initially, Karol G’s team booked six stadiums in “safe” markets. Those dates quickly blossomed to nine when Los Angeles, Miami and New York shows sold out and second dates were added. When all was said and done, she played 19 shows in 16 cities.

“She was the one who insisted on playing the stadium, not a 360 arena,” says her sister, Jessica Giraldo, who oversees Karol G’s businesses. “She was the one who wanted to do a stadium tour. She said, ‘Believe in my vision.’”

When reflecting on the growth of regional Mexican music in 2023 at Billboard’s Latin Music Week, Live Nation’s Jorge Garcia noted, “These are the same people that are buying Drake tickets. They’re also the fans buying the Fuerza Regida ticket.” Once impenetrable lines that divided artists by genre and culture are fading away, quickly.

The 2023 achievements by BLACKPINK and Karol G do a few things. For one, their collective triumph means that Bad Bunny and BTS’ banner years were not anomalies. More than that, both genres have deeper benches than ever. K-pop girl-group TWICE also played U.S. stadiums, while BTS member SUGA conquered arenas as a soloist. Both grossed more than $50 million this year.

Further, 14 artists who primarily perform in Spanish find themselves among the year-end top 100, representing a mix of legacy acts and newcomers; reggaeton, pop and regional Mexican; and artists from Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and more. Latin music’s share of the top 100’s total gross dipped from 12.1% in 2022 to 11.5%, but considering the absence of Bad Bunny’s $373.5 million gross from last year, Latin’s steady hold points toward more growth over the coming years.

The Boxscore arrival of BLACKPINK and Karol G is also a win for gender representation. Women doubled their share of the top 100 tours from last year. Of just 12 woman-identifying acts in the top 100, the genres of K-pop and Latin claim four (TWICE and Ana Gabriel, in addition to BLACKPINK and Karol G).

They’re also skewing the Boxscore charts younger. The members of BLACKPNIK range from 26 to 28 years old, and Karol G is 32, all well below the top 100’s average of 46.6. The two youngest acts in the top 100 are both K-pop groups (ENHYPEN averages 20 and TOMORROW X TOGETHER averages 22). The next youngest are Latin acts (the group Fuerza Regida averages 23 and soloist Peso Pluma is 24). Members of Grupo Firme, SEVENTEEN and Bad Bunny himself are all in their 20s, among others from both genres.

In all, genre diversity helps make 2023 one of the youngest years in Boxscore history. It’s the youngest top 100 since 2014, when One Direction (average age of 21 at the time) was No. 1, and the youngest top 10 since 2001, when *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys paired up in the top five.

Legacy acts from pop, rock and R&B continue to do stellar business at the box office, proven by the presence of Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie and Journey, among many others. But the push of younger artists from diverse genres only points to the touring industry, and specifically the slate of artists capable of selling out stadiums, being able to replenish itself with fresh faces well into the next decade.

With K-pop and Latin genres leading the charge, the reshaping of the U.S. touring circuit continues. Late last year, Belgium’s Stromae — mixing French-language pop, rap and electronic — played a brief North American tour, including two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Hailing from Nigeria, Asake sold out the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sept. 8, while Burna Boy launched a full North American arena tour in early November. If Bad Bunny and BTS blew the door open, then BLACKPINK, Karol G and a growing list of international artists are breaking down the wall.

Click here to see the full year-end 2023 Boxscore charts.

Dating back almost 40 years, all Boxscore rankings are based on figures reported to Billboard. Data is reported from a variety of official industry sources, from artist managers and agents to promoters and venue executives.

All reported shows, worldwide, between Nov. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023, are eligible for year-end 2023 consideration.

30 Nov 2023

Phish Booked For 2024 Four-Show Sphere Run in Las Vegas

Phish are the next major act booked to play Las Vegas’ eye-popping Sphere venue. The band announced on Thursday (Nov. 30) that they will do a four-show run at the building from April 18-21, 2024, with each night set to feature a unique setlist and visuals.

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“From the moment we first heard about Sphere and its potential, we’ve been dreaming up ways to bring our show to this breathtaking canvas,” Trey Anastasio, Phish guitarist and vocalist said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to present this completely unique experience to Phish fans.”

Known for switching things up every show, the band promised that the Sphere gigs will continue that tradition, while adding a “once-in-a-lifetime audio-visual experience” into the mix; they also noted that these will be the only Sphere shows by Phish in 2024.

The mind-bending globe-shaped performance space features a 160,000 sq. foot LED display inside the main venue, which wraps up, over and around the audience for a fully immersive experience in cutting-edge 16K x 16K resolution.

Ticket requests for the Phish run (April 18, 19, 20 and 21) now open here, and will stay open through noon ET on Dec. 11; all remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. ET.

The venue’s first resident artist, U2, wrapped their four leg of the U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency on Nov. 4, with Billboard Boxscore reporting that the 17 show grossed $109.8 million and sold 281,000 tickets, marking the fastest-grossing residency in Boxscore history.

30 Nov 2023

Beyoncé Scores Biggest Boxscore Earnings of 2023

Beyoncé claims the year’s top-grossing tour, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Between May 10 and Oct. 1, the Renaissance World Tour grossed $579.8 million and sold 2.8 million tickets. With a tracking period of Nov. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, all but one of those shows powers her record-breaking finish at No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Top Tours chart.

Last year marked the first full year-end tracking period after the pandemic forced venues to close. In 2022, Bad Bunny ruled the annual recap with $373 million, on his way to a record-breaking $434 million during the ’22 calendar year. This year, that record washes away, as Queen Bey returns with her first solo headline tour in seven years.

The Renaissance World Tour earned $570.5 million and sold 2.7 million tickets during the 2023 tracking period, plus another $9.3 million and 53,200 tickets in Kansas City on Oct. 1. That makes it the biggest one-year sum for an artist in Boxscore history, dating back to the mid-1980s. Both Bad Bunny and Ed Sheeran grossed more than $434 million in 2022 and 2018, respectively.

Click here to see the full year-end 2023 Boxscore charts.

The tour’s $580 million is a towering total, but even more impressive when achieved in less than five months. Beyoncé topped four of Boxscore’s monthly recaps this year, including a record-setting three-peat where she grossed more than $100 million in July, August and September. Her August haul of $179 million is the largest reported monthly gross since the charts launched in February 2019.

The Renaissance World Tour is the seventh highest grossing tour in the Boxscore archives. Based on Billboard’s projections, official reports for The Eras Tour would give Beyoncé some company, with Swift joining her as the only two women and only American soloists in the top 10. Beyoncé is also the only Black artist on the all-time ranking.

The well-documented combined domination of Beyoncé and Swift breaks up the boy’s club that has ruled the last handful of year-end Boxscore recaps. Bad Bunny, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Ed Sheeran (twice) and U2 have topped the last six annual Top Tours charts. The last times that women presided were in 2015 and 2016, topped by – who else – Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, respectively. Before that, women only led the year-end list three times: Tina Turner in 2000, and Madonna in 2004 and 2012.

The year-end Top Tours chart breaks ground even beyond Queen Bey’s contributions, and without the official help of Swift. There have never been as many tours above $300 million (three), $200 million (seven) or $100 million (17). Harry Styles, Morgan Wallen, BLACKPINK help lead one of the youngest and most genre-diverse annual recaps, while being the highest-grossing year ever for Billboard Boxscore. Despite the 11-month tracking period marking the shortest year-end window ever, 2023’s top 100 tours grossed a combined $7.5 billion, up 17% from last year, and up 53% from the pre-pandemic total in 2019.

Dating back almost 40 years, all Boxscore rankings are based on figures reported to Billboard. Data is reported from a variety of official industry sources, from artist managers and agents to promoters and venue executives.

Reporting is and has always been voluntary, and some artists, venues, and promoters opt to withhold data from representation on our charts. Notably, figures for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour have not yet been reported to Boxscore. While that disqualifies her from appearing on year-end charts, the tour’s widely recognized ubiquity is acknowledged throughout Billboard’s year-in-touring coverage. Click here to read more.

All reported shows, worldwide, between Nov. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023 are eligible for year-end 2023 consideration.

30 Nov 2023

Shane MacGowan, Pogues Singer Dies at 65

Shane MacGowan, the legendarily shambolic, magnetic frontman of Celtic rock band The Pogues, died on Thursday (Nov. 30) at age 65 following a recent hospitalization. The band confirmed the passing of their notoriously hard-living vocalist, whose yearning, howling vocals super-charged the Pogues’ meld of traditional Irish music and punk rock spirit on such beloved songs as “Dirty Old Town” and “A Pair of Brown Eyes.”

The group issued a statement in honor of their beloved bandmate on behalf of MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clark, sister Siobhan and father, Maurice. “It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of SHANE MACGOWAN. Shane died peacefully at 3am this morning (30 November, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side. Prayers and the last rites were read which gave comfort to his family,” it read, alongside a picture of MacGowan in his prime, a cigarette and glass of wine in hand, flashing his signature infectious, crooked smile.

In an Instagram post, Clark wrote, “I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love ❤️ of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.”

The singer, who the BBC reported had been unwell for quite a while, struggled openly for many years with drugs and drink and was booted from the band in 1991 after his alcohol abuse made him unreliable; he returned to the fold in 2001 for a final thirteen-year stint before the band split for good in 2014. MacGowan was hospitalized in Dec. 2022 with viral encephalitis and spent several months in intensive care earlier this year as a result.

MacGowan was as mythical a figure on the British music scene as the grizzled characters he inhabited in the Pogues’ songs, which were inspired by figures from literature, the Bible, mythology and the hard-scrabble lives of working class heroes. His vocals, filled with a mix of anger, pugnaciousness and sad-eyed resignation, could swing from a howl and a growl to a grizzled tenderness in the span of a single track.

His death just weeks before Christmas added an extra layer of poignancy to the loss, as this is the season when the Pogues’ 1987 holiday standard, “Fairytale of New York,” is often in heavy rotation. The swaying, sentimental ballad featuring MacGowan trading vocals with the late singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl has been in the UK’s top 20 19 times since its release, perennially charting around Christmastime and peaking at No. 2 on the UK charts during the year of its release.

After an opening scene in which MacGowan’s characer laments sleeping off a drinks binge in a New York drunk tank, the tune has the two trading (not-PC) insults as they lament dreams deferred by addiction, brought home by the crooned chorus, “The boys of the NYPD choir/ Still singing Galway Bay/ And the bells are ringing out/ For Christmas day.”

Born Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan on Dec. 25 1957, in Kent, England to Irish parents, MacGowan showed creative promise from a young age, earning a scholarship to the prestigious Westminster school for his literary skills, only to be expelled in his second year for drug possession. He burst onto the English music scene in an incident that was fittingly chaotic and tinged with punk-fueled violence when he was photographed covered in blood while attending a 1976 gig by The Clash at which his ear was ripped open, spawning the NME headline “Cannibalism at Clash Gig.”

After briefly joining a punk band called The Nipple Erectors (aka “the Nips”), MacGowan formed The Pogues in London in 1982 with tin whistle player Peter “Spider” Stacy, banjo player Jem Finer and former Nips accordion player James Fearnley; they were originally known as “Pogue Mahone,” a winking twist on a Gaelic phrase that roughly translates to “kiss my arse.”

With the addition of bassist Cait O’Riordan and drummer Andrew Ranken the band began playing London pub gigs and signed to punk label Stiff Records, which released their 1984 debut, Red Roses For Me. The album set the table for the Pogues’ signature sound from the very first song, “Transmetropolitan,” a rousing pub rocker featuring MacGowan’s excitable vocals, which fronted a collection of originals mixed with a number of traditional Irish songs.

Quickly establishing a reputation for high-energy, chaotic live shows, the group’s profile was kicked up several notches when Elvis Costello signed on to produce their breakthrough 1985 album, Run Sodomy & the Lash, which featured such classics as the lament “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” “Sally MacLennane,” “The Old Main Drag” and the frenetic pirate tune “Billy’s Bones,” all written by MacGowan.

Their next album, 1987’s If I Should Fall From Grace With God, (which featured “Fairytale”) was their best-seller and their most eclectic, swapping some of the traditional Irish sounds with more world music touches, including a epic take on the the Australian anti-war lament “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda.”

That was followed by 1989’s Peace and Love and 1990’s Hell’s Ditch, whose U.S tour was scotched due to MacGowan’s unreliability, which led to his sacking in 1991. The singer quickly formed the solo band Shane MacGowan and the Popes, with whom he released two studio albums and a live album. In 2000, Sinead O’Connor reported MacGowan to the police for heroin possession, which angered the singer at first, though he later thanked her for helping him kick the drug; when O’Connor’s son Shane, 17, died in 2022, MacGowan paid tribute to the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer, writing, “You have always tried to heal and help.”

MacGowan returned to the Pogues in 2001 and the group toured for much of the next decade while stories of MacGowan’s life and times were chronicled in the autobiography A Drink With Shane MacGowan and the 2020 film Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan.

Hailed by late Clash singer Joe Strummer — who briefly joined the band in 1991 — as one of England’s greatest songwriters, MacGowan won the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting award in 2018. His passing was honored by Irish president Michael Higgins, who said, “His words have connected Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history … The genius of Shane’s contribution includes the fact that his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams – of so many worlds, and particularly those of love, of the emigrant experience and of facing the challenges of that experience with authenticity and courage, and of living and seeing the sides of life that so many turn away from.”

See the family’s statement and listen to some MacGowan’s most beloved songs below.





30 Nov 2023

The Recording Academy’s 2023 New Member Class Is 50% People of Color

A record-breaking 2,400 people have joined the Recording Academy as part of the organization’s 2023 new member class. Fully half of the new class is composed of people of color, while 46% are under the age of 40 and 37% are women. The Academy calls these statistics “a demonstration of the Academy’s commitment to remaking its overall membership.”

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The Academy further said that the 2,400 new members includes 1,700 new voting members and 700 new professional members (people who work in the industry but aren’t involved in the creation of recordings). This brings the total current membership to about 14,000 – 11,000 voting members and nearly 3,000 professional members.

The Recording Academy’s membership model is community-driven and peer-reviewed to create a more diverse and engaged membership base. Since implementing this new membership model in 2019, people of color have gone from comprising 24% of the Academy’s total membership to 38%. The percentage of Academy members who are women has also increased in that time frame, albeit at a more modest rate, from 26% to 30%.

“I’m proud as our organization continues to evolve and build a membership body that reflects the diverse talents and backgrounds that make up our music community,” Harvey Mason, jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Our commitment to diversity and inclusivity, however, is an ongoing effort. While we celebrate our progress, we also acknowledge that there’s still more work that must be done. Our members play a crucial role in everything we do, so representation is integral to our mission of supporting and uplifting music makers.”

The Recording Academy reports that the new member class is 50% people of color, 37% white or Caucasian and 13% unknown. The 50% people of color statistic breaks down like this: Black or African American, 28%; Hispanic or Latin, 10%; Asian or Pacific Islander, 5%; South Asian, 2%; Middle Eastern or North African, 1%; and Indigenous or Alaskan native, less than 1%. Four percent replied that they prefer to self-describe.

In terms of gender, 54% of the new member class is male, 37% is female, 8% is unknown and 1% is non-binary. Less than 1% replied that they prefer to self-describe.

In terms of age, 46% of the new class is under 40, 40% is over 40 and 14% is unknown.

All of these numbers refer to total members — which encompasses both voting members and professional members.

The Recording Academy also specifically asked voting members in the new member class to indicate which genres they are most aligned with. (They could choose more than one genre, so the totals exceed 100%.) Pop leads, as expected, with 41%, followed by R&B (29%), rock (23%), rap (22%), jazz (21%), alternative (21%), global music (17%), classical (15%), dance/electronic (15%), contemporary instrumental (13%), American roots music (12%), gospel/Christian (12%), Latin (12%), country (11%), visual media (10%) and seven other genres that each had less than 10%.

Jazz and classical rank higher than their market share would indicate. Latin and country, two of the hottest genres of recent years, rank lower than their market share would indicate; notably, the Grammy nominations that were announced on Nov. 10 were light on Latin and country representation in the Big Four categories. Latin was shut out completely in those marquee categories, while country was represented by just a pair of best new artist nominees: Jelly Roll and The War & Treaty (and that husband-and-wife duo is primarily associated with Americana). This brought criticism from people in the Latin and country fields.

Full statistics surrounding the demographics of the new class can be found here.

The Recording Academy reports that it’s 98% of the way toward its goal of adding 2,500 women voting members by 2025. It expects to achieve this milestone next year, a year ahead of schedule.

The final round of voting for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards extends from Dec. 14 until Jan. 4, 2024. All voting members, including those welcomed in the 2023 new class, are eligible to vote.

In addition to voting in the Grammy Awards process, members can submit product for Grammy consideration, propose amendments to Grammy rules, run for a Recording Academy board position or committee, vote in chapter elections and more.

For more information on the Recording Academy’s membership process and requirements, visit here.

30 Nov 2023

Miley Cyrus Posts Video of Her Jazzy ‘Flowers’ Live Debut Performance at Chateau Marmont Party

Miley Cyrus celebrated her big 2023 in the only way she knows how: by singing about it. The singer posted a three-minute video on Wednesday night (Nov. 29) in which she gave herself flowers for the global success of her “Flowers” single.

“Live from Chateau Marmont,” she captioned the clip filmed at the famed Hollywood hotel last week in which she presented the live debut of her huge hit single for the first time since its release 10 months ago. “Thank you for the support this year. Love, Miley [rose emoji].” The video opens with footage of the crowd mingling and Miley greeting her guests as a piano player tinkles around in the background while a list of accomplishments fills the screen:

“Flowers — Spotify’s #1 most streamed song of 2023 globally, Billboard top global 200 song, Billboard top global (exlu. U.S.) song, Billboard top radio song, Danish Music Awards international hit of the year, NRJ Award International song of the year, NRJ International Music video of the year,” reads the crawl.

Cyrus, wearing a short black dress, long black gloves and with her hair pulled back in a bun then takes the floor to perform a jazzy version of “Flowers” accompanied by piano in which she playfully inserts a series of sassy ad-libs in between the self-love song’s lyrics. “I didn’t want to leave you (but I had to)/ I didn’t want to fight (but we did)/ Started to cry, but then remembered I (I’m in Dolce!),” she sings exuberantly.

By the end, she wails the “I can love me better than you can,” holding it a few beats longer as the assembled crowd whoops and hollers in delight. The song from Miley’s eighth album, Endless Summer Vacation, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and logged eight non-consecutive weeks on the tally, giving Miley her second No. 1 chart; her first was “Wrecking Ball” in 2013. The song also spent 13 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 chart and broke two records on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart with 25 weeks at No. 1. In addition, it logged the Spotify record for the most streamed song in a week and the fastest song in Spotify history to reach one billion streams.

“Flowers” landed three nominations for the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year and pop solo performance.

Watch the video below.

30 Nov 2023

Jimmy Barnes Battles Bacterial Pneumonia, Cancels Concert

Jimmy Barnes has fallen ill just days after opening the Mushroom 50 Live concert in Melbourne.

The Australian rock legend was hospitalized and received treatment after contracting bacterial pneumonia, forcing the cancelation of a planned performance on the seas.

“I’m sorry to let you know that I’ve been receiving intravenous antibiotics over the last 36 hours to treat bacterial pneumonia,” he writes on a social post.

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“Unfortunately,” he continues, “this has stopped me travelling to Noumea to join Rock The Boat 2023 as planned. My band will still perform on board, together with my daughter Mahalia and other special guests.”

Barnes went on to apologize “for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused,” and points out his doctors have ordered two days’ bed rest. “The timing couldn’t be worse.”

He’s expected to make a full recovery in time to perform live at By The C in Torquay, on Saturday, Dec. 2.

When it comes to dominating the national charts, no one can touch Barnesy, as he’s affectionately known in these parts.

The Scotland-born singer has 15 leaders on the ARIA Chart, an all-time record, most recently topping the tally last December with Blue Christmas (via Liberation/Universal). Including his five leaders with Cold Chisel, Barnes boasts an unprecedented 20 No. 1s, comfortably eclipsing the Beatles (with 14), Madonna (12), Eminem and U2 (11).

Barnes has overcome several health issues in recent years. In 2022, he wiped clear his touring schedule when surgeons gave him the news that he required back and hip surgery.

He also underwent back surgery in 2014, which kept him in hospital on Fathers Days (Sept. 7)

The 67-year-old singer is twice inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, first with Cold Chisel (in 1993), and again as a solo artist (2005), and is the first Australian solo act to have a No. 1 album in every decade since the 1980s.

The rocker was in full voice at the top of the Mushroom 50 Live concert at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, where he delivered a two-song performance of “No Second Prize” and his signature song, “Working Class Man.”

30 Nov 2023

Cher Scores No. 1 Song on a Billboard Chart In Seventh Decade With ‘DJ Play a Christmas Song’

For a seventh straight decade, Cher has earned a new No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart, as her latest hit, “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” jingles 3-1 on the Dec. 2-dated Dance/Electronic Song Sales survey. The track is the lead single from the pop diva’s first holiday album, Christmas.

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Cher joins the Rolling Stones with at least one new No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart in each of the seven decades from the 1960s through the 2020s (excluding any Bubbling Under rankings).

Cher scored her first No. 1 as half of Sonny & Cher, when “I Got You Babe” topped the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 14, 1965.

In the 1970s, she logged a trio of Hot 100 No. 1s of her own: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” in 1971, “Half-Breed” in 1973 and “Dark Lady” in 1974. She also claimed another No. 1 with Sonny, “All I Ever Need Is You,” on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart in 1971.

In the 1980s, Cher landed a pair of No. 1s on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1989 with “After All,” with Peter Cetera, and “If I Could Turn Back Time.” In the next decade, Cher returned to No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Believe” in 1999, and it also crowned the Dance Club Songs tally. She notched two more No. 1s on the Dance Club Songs list that decade: “Strong Enough” and “All or Nothing.” (Cher additionally topped other Billboard rankings that decade, such as the now-defunct Hot Singles Sales and Dance Singles Sales charts.)

In the 2000s, Cher achieved three more No. 1s on the Dance Club Songs chart with “Song for the Lonely” (it also topped the Dance Singles Sales list) and “A Different Kind of Love Song” in 2002, and “When the Money’s Gone” in 2003. The following decade, she racked up further No. 1s on Dance Club Songs with “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” in 2011 and “Woman’s World” in 2013.

The Rolling Stones, meanwhile, began their streak of No. 1 songs in seven straight decades just a month before Cher, when “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 dated July 10, 1965. They most recently led a songs survey with “Living in a Ghost Town,” which ruled the Rock Digital Song Sales chart dated May 9, 2020.