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Andy Samberg has proven time and again that he will do anything for a laugh. But the comedian revealed on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast this week that when he once again returned to his old stomping grounds at Saturday Night Live two weeks ago for as sketch with that night’s host/musical guest Charli XCX he almost gave viewers way more than they anticipated.
“There was a lot of debate about how high my shorts should be,” Samberg said of his outfit for the nearly not-even-safe-for-late-night final scene of the musical digital short “Here I Go,” in which Andy and Charli played a clean-cut suburban couple who can’t stop snitching. “And I kept being like, ‘Well Charli’s are gonna be pretty high because that’s how she rolls, so I should really have mine high.’”
Samberg told Meyers that despite his regular cameos on the show this season, he wasn’t slated to be on SNL the week of Nov. 16 until he heard Charli would be pulling double-duty, noting that he and his Lonely Island crew are “huge fans” of the singer. He said they had a “couple songs” Charli might be interested in, and after sending “Here I Go,” the Brat star was totally down to clown with them on the song chronicling a clean-cut couple who love ratting out their neighbors.
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Knowing Charli would be doing heavy lifting on the episode, Samberg said the K-pop-inspired “retro funk pop” song — written during last year’s writers and actor’s strike — made the most sense since it would require a bit less of a time commitment from the singer. She shows up at the end to join Andy for a show-stopping dance routine in the middle of the street in which Samberg rips off his pants to reveal bun-hugging red shorts that (almost) match Charli’s micro pants.
Samberg said he considered trying to wear the “exact” same outfit as the singer — which also included a red halter top — but thought better of it. “I was like, well no, I don’t think anybody actually wants to see that, despite what they might think,” he said, noting that he initially asked the costume department to cut the shorts even shorter. “They cut them higher and I was like, ‘I don’t know, maybe I should go higher.’ And then as soon as we started, like, really dancing, I really almost flopped out. I was like, ‘Oh no!”
While he ended up keeping his polo shirt on, Samberg said he was glad he opted for the less aggressively short bottoms. “Thank God we did not make it any higher ’cause it would have been really bad,” he said.
He also revealed that when he sent the song to Charli it originally didn’t have the wife character in it, but after she heard it and loved it he added a bit in for the “365” singer that come after he croons, “now make way for my wife.” In the bit, Charli, dressed in a yellow pant suit, sings, “Now hold up, wait a minute/ Cuz I’m about to snitch like I invented it/ They gonna roll up, any minute/ I pay my motherf–kin’ taxes now I’m cashing in on everything,” leading to a sweet duet portion where the two serenade each other about how they show love by “calling the cops instead of sex.”
Listen to Samberg discuss “Here I Go” (shorts talk begins at 22:07 minute mark) and watch the digital short below.
It’s official: Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spends a 19th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, tying the all-time record set by Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” in 2019.
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The song holds at No. 1 the week the same week that his new single, “Good News,” debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 71. It also follows an eventful night at the CMA Awards for the singer-songwriter, where he performed and was a multi-time nominee, and made headlines at the awards for being the subject of several on-stage jokes that played off his name in a way that some found distasteful.
Will Shaboozey’s new hit be a success in its own right? And will “A Bar Song” eventually rack up a 20th week at No. 1?
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1. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” has tied the 19-week record at No. 1 on the Hot 100. On a scale from 1-10, how momentous an occasion do you think this is in chart and/or popular music history?
Kyle Denis: 10. This is probably the single grandest Billboard chart achievement; it’s an incredibly momentous occasion. Especially considering Shaboozey did it as a new artist with no high-profile remixes. It does feel a bit muted because 2019 was just five years ago, but few things can truly take away from how insane it is that the two longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 songs of all time are hip-hop-infused country songs by Black men.
Jason Lipshutz: A 10. I am on record writing that I didn’t think “A Bar Song” would get to 19 weeks, because 19 weeks at No. 1 is literally historic, and only one other song and soared that high in the generations-spanning history of the Hot 100. Now that it’s here, “A Bar Song” deserves its flowers, and to sit alongside “Old Town Road” in the pantheon of new-school mega-hits, the type of months-long smashes that we’ll be happily humming many years from now. Shaboozey should savor this moment, but so should all pop-watchers.
Melinda Newman: I’d give it a 9. Shaboozey had put out two albums prior to the album with “A Bar Song,” and several non-charting singles and now he’s verging on becoming a household name. He already has the record for most weeks at No. 1 for a non-collaboration in the 66-year history of the Hot 100. From here on out, every artist will be chasing his (co-) record.
Jessica Nicholson: 7. Like “Old Town Road” before it, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” was an inescapable hit this year, and both were led by Black artists, each crafting their own blend of elements of country, pop and rap into massive hits that resonated with nearly everyone, proving that the amalgam of those genres is a winning formula.
Andrew Unterberger: I’d say an 9. It doesn’t feel quite as momentous as when “Old Town Road” set the record five years ago — mostly because that was only five years ago, and because in the last decade the Hot 100 has clearly started to tilt towards longer-running No. 1s than in prior decades. But a 19-week No. 1 is a 19-week No. 1, and “A Bar Song” was one of the year’s most fascinating singles even before it began its incredible chart run, so it’s definitely still a very, very big deal.
2. Let’s say at Thanksgiving this week, a friend or relative of yours without much frame of reference for pop or country music asks what the deal with this song is. In one sentence, how would you explain this song’s popularity to them?
Kyle Denis: Country and western sounds and aesthetics have been defining aspects of pop culture this year, and “A Bar Song” captured all that energy into a literal, ridiculously catchy, bar song.
Jason Lipshutz: “It’s an anthemic, undeniable sing-along that became historically gigantic by appealing to all sorts of fans — country fans, pop fans, hip-hop fans, fans of J-Kwon’s impeccable 2004 jam ‘Tipsy’ — and clicking at every consumption platform that exists, from top 40 radio to TikTok.” That’s a long sentence, but still one sentence.
Melinda Newman: Even though the song is ostensibly about drinking away your troubles, it’s so insanely catchy, that you can’t help but tap your toes and sing along even if you’re nowhere near a bar or have no history with Jack Daniel’s.
Jessica Nicholson: This song blends a weekend barroom party groove, with lyrics steeped in laidback, workweek escapism, all rolled into one.
Andrew Unterberger: Whether you’re a pop fan, a rock fan, a country fan or a hip-hop fan — or best of all, if you’re all four — everyone loves a good barroom singalong.
3. Shaboozey’s “Good News” also debuts on the Hot 100 this week. We won’t ask if it’ll match the very-close-to-unprecedented success of its predecessor, but what kind of chances would you give it of quickly disqualifying Shaboozey from any one-hit wonder considerations?
Kyle Denis: I’d say it’s still early. It honestly feels unfair to even begin speculating about how a new Shaboozey single will perform as long as it must exist in the domineering shadow of “A Bar Song.” “Good News” doubles-down on Shaboozey’s country framework and shifts away from the uptempo hip-hop nods of “Tipsy,” which might limit just how far it can crossover. Prior to “A Bar Song,” Shaboozey tracks weren’t debuting on the Hot 100 after the first week, so the performance of “Good News” is already promising. And even if this particular song isn’t his second hit, that doesn’t mean he won’t snag one with a different tune.
Jason Lipshutz: I like “Good News” — it’s essentially “A Bar Song (Mournful),” with an impressive vocal take from Shaboozey and some nifty violin work snaking throughout the production — but I’m not sure it will replicate even a tenth of its predecessor’s success. “Good News” is arriving at a crowded moment at the top of the charts, with enduring hits, a new Kendrick Lamar album and the holiday music onslaught about to start. While I’m not sure Shaboozey’s latest will be able to hold on through January and make a chart push, I feel pretty confident that he’ll have something else in 2025 that can follow up “A Bar Song” and silence the one-hit-wonder chatter.
Melinda Newman: Here’s the “good news”: With “A Bar Song,” Shaboozey has already established himself with an instantly recognizable voice. I heard “Good News” and knew it was him without waiting for the song to be ID’d. Having said that, it’s going to take more than one hit and several years for Shaboozey to escape one-hit wonder status. And no matter how many hits he gets, this will be his signature song, but that’s not such a bad thing. I doubt Garth Brooks complains that fans wait all show to hear “Friends in Low Places.”
Jessica Nicholson: The song is already making strong inroads on the Hot Country Songs chart with a top 20 debut, so it seems very likely that this track will void any potential “one-hit wonder” notions. Like “A Bar Song,” “Good News” incorporates a singalong chorus and rustic-leaning acoustic guitar rhythms, which also lends a bit of familiarity for fans of “A Bar Song.”
Andrew Unterberger: Between its rousing chorus and capo’d acoustic guitar melody — and more than a hint of Zach Bryan on the verses — it certainly feels like it could (and should) find a big fanbase on streaming, radio or both. That doesn’t mean it necessarily will — plenty of prior non-“A Bar Song” Shaboozey songs were worthy singles that ended up not really catching fire — but I like its chances.
4. While this is a triumphant, headline-grabbing moment for Shaboozey, he has also been in the news the past week for last week’s CMA Awards, where he went home empty-handed and had his name used as a punchline in a variety of on-stage jokes. Do you think the CMA stuff taints the moment for Shaboozey, or will it soon become a footnote to his and his song’s historic accomplishments?
Kyle Denis: It’s a footnote that only reflects poorly on the CMAs. Hopefully, this moment can help crystallize Beyoncé’s true aim of Cowboy Carter – or at least what I think she was trying to get at. Through its expansive envisioning of Western and Americana aesthetics and collaborations with genre-bending artists like Shaboozey, Cowboy Carter found Beyoncé trying to remind us that being “country” and country music are far bigger than the CMAs or Nashville or any other institution. Shaboozey played the game and earned one of the two biggest songs in Billboard history — that still wasn’t enough to receive basic respect at his genre’s biggest awards show. Why continue to grovel for a seat at their table when you could build several dining halls elsewhere in the vast expanse that is country music?
Jason Lipshutz: Definitely a bizarre moment that possibly left a poor taste in Shaboozey’s mouth, but I’d bet every other artist at the CMA Awards would have wanted a 19-week No. 1 smash instead of a trophy that evening. I’d guess that Shaboozey has a good shot at the best new artist Grammy, and “A Bar Song” is one of the favorites for song of the year — possible redemption, although even being blanked at the Grammys won’t diminish the song’s achievement.
Melinda Newman: Definitely a footnote. He’s already been very classy about the jokes on social media and the simple fact is 80% of the nominees lose, so there’s no shame in going home empty-handed. He gave a fine performance of “Highway/A Bar Song,” and performances are, by and large, what move the sales/streaming needle post-awards show, not whose name is called when the envelope is opened.
Jessica Nicholson: In the short-term, it does feel like it temporarily taints the moment a bit, given all of the big milestones he’s had this year, from being featured on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album, his huge CMA Fest performance that shut down Nashville’s Lower Broadway this summer, his Billboard cover, sold-out shows and his Grammy Awards nominations. But in the long run, it will likely be a footnote, given the historic chart run of “A Bar Song,” and Shaboozey’s musical talent, which will likely be giving us more hits in years to come.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s part of his story now, but obviously not as big a part as having one of the two longest-running No. 1 hits in Hot 100 history. You just hope that everyone learns from this moment and Shaboozey is treated more like an insider than an outsider at the next such awards show.
5. The Hot 100 was already about to get crowded with the Christmas rush, and now Shaboozey has a new Kendrick Lamar album to deal with as well. Do you think “A Bar Song” manages to score a record-breaking 20th week at No. 1?
Kyle Denis It’s possible! Kendrick will probably snag a week or two on top before the holiday songs begin to dominate, so if I were on Team Boozey, I’d keep an eye on January. Release a remix – Maybe J-Kwon gets a call? Tease a Beyoncé version at either of their respective NFL halftime sets? — as the holiday songs begin to fade, but before Kendrick gets a double-whammy of a boost come February with the Grammys (Feb. 2) and the Super Bowl (Feb. 9) in back-to-back weeks.
Jason Lipshutz: Look, I have been the one saying “No way it gets to 10 weeks,” “No way it gets to 15 weeks,” “No way it gets to 19 weeks.” You know what? I’m calling it: “A Bar Song” gets to 20 weeks, somehow, some way! I am now drinking the whiskey, going to the party downtown near 5th street.
Melinda Newman: Sadly, no. Even though “A Bar Song’s” sales are going up, its streams are slowing, and it seems unlikely to hold off the juggernaut that is Kendrick Lamar, and, most notable, “Squabble Up” from Lamar’s new album. Plus, Christmas songs will start re-entering and soaring back up the chart. But that doesn’t take away from his remarkable accomplishment.
Jessica Nicholson: Even though “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has had a stellar run, between the chart surge of holiday songs and the buzz around this new Kendrick Lamar album, it seems likely that “A Bar Song” will get overshadowed on the Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: Not in 2024, I don’t think. But we’ve likely got a sleepy January ahead, and I bet it can get at least one more week at that point.
Gwen Stefani jumped in the wayback machine on The Tonight Show on Tuesday night (Nov. 26) when she joined host Jimmy Fallon and house band The Roots for a run through one of her most beloved solo hits on classroom instruments. With Fallon pounding on a drum and shaking tinsel-decked percussion instruments, Stefani sang the […]
Liam Gallagher has shared a response to a series of comments that original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock made about Oasis in a wide-ranging new interview.
Speaking to NME over the weekend, the 68-year-old described Oasis’ live show as “boring,” claiming that he would “never” go and see them perform again. He also compared the Manchester band to classic rock band Status Quo, saying that “to hear one song once is enough.”
Oasis are currently set to kick off their Oasis Live ‘25 reunion tour next summer, starting at Principality Stadium, Cardiff (July 4) before performing dates in major cities across the U.K., Ireland, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia. The run will mark the first time the Gallagher brothers have performed together since 2009, following years of public rivalry.
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“If you’re a fan, it’s understandable. They’ve got lots of fans,” Matlock said of the excitement around the forthcoming reunion, before later opening up on his time in Sex Pistols, as well as sharing his thoughts on Danny Boyle’s “cheesy” Pistol TV biopic for Disney+.
“I’ve always seen Oasis as a bit Status Quo,” he continued of the long-running U.K rock band best known for such hits as “Pictures of Matchstick Men” and “Down Down.” “[With Quo], to hear one song once was enough. It’s a bit like that with Oasis: to hear one song once is enough. I just find them kind of samey. I know the guys. Nice blokes. I’ve gotta be careful what I say because I bump into Noel [Gallagher] quite a lot. He lives around the corner from me.”He added: “I think Liam is fantastic. He sings great – he’s like Johnny Rotten, but can carry a tune. He’s got a magnetic stage personality: he can just stand there and it’s riveting. The rest of the guys? No. I think they’re boring live. I’d never go to see ‘em.”
When asked if Matlock had seen Oasis live in the past, he responded by saying that in the mid 1990s, he left a London show of theirs early. “I got invited to see ‘em at Earl’s Court. I left. It was boring. I went again to see ‘em in upstate New York with [Blondie’s] Clem Burke. Nah – I couldn’t wait to go.”
Now, Gallagher has responded to Matlock via Twitter/X. “F–K HIM SID WAS THE PISTOLS,” he posted, referring to Sid Vicious, the legendarily outrageous bassist who performed with the Sex Pistols after Matlock initially left the band in 1977.
The Oasis singer, meanwhile, is known to be a huge fan of the Sex Pistols, even naming his adopted kittens Sid and Nancy after the band’s late member and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
It looks like Brat Summer will roll well into 2025: Charli XCX has been announced as a headliner at another U.K. festival, this time heading up the bill at Manchester’s Parklife Festival (June 14-15), the largest city festival in Europe.
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The British star leads the announcement for the Heaton Park festival, which includes other electronic names such as Confidence Man, Interplanetary Criminal, salute, DJ Heartstring and more. Elsewhere Girls Don’t Sync, Prospa, Chaos In The CBD, KI/KI, Antony Szmierek, Sim0ne, Bakey, Jodie Harsh and Gina Breeze will join the bill. The festival’s full lineup will be announced in January.
Tickets for the event go on general sale at Parklife’s website on Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. (GMT) and can be purchased here. 2024’s edition of the festival was headlined by Doja Cat and Disclosure.
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It’s the latest booking for Charli following an announcement that she will be bringing her Party Girl series to London’s new LIDO Festival in Victoria Park, which takes place over the same weekend on June 14.
The announcement comes ahead of a run of arena dates in the U.K. this week, kicking off in Manchester this evening (Nov. 27) before heading to London, Glasgow and Birmingham. She’s also announced a new run of North America arena dates for next spring, where she’ll perform in Brooklyn, Chicago, Minneapolis and Austin, as well as a big slot at Coachella Festival.
Charli’s Brat album was recently nominated for seven Grammys at the upcoming ceremony in February, including a nod for album of the year. She recently appeared on Saturday Night Live as host and the performing musician, as well as completing a co-headline tour throughout North American with close collaborator Troye Sivan.
Charli XCX revealed as the first headliner at PL25 next June, confirming Brat summer 2.0 is officially back for 2025 💚The iconic partygirl will be joined by Confidence Man, Girls Don’t Sync, Interplanetary Criminal, KI/KI and 100+ artists revealed in January 👀 pic.twitter.com/a2ESeu153m— Parklife 🪩 (@Parklifefest) November 26, 2024
On Tuesday night (Nov. 26), as fans filed into London’s Hammersmith Apollo to see Zayn Malik perform, the foyer of the 5,000-capacity venue became a flurry of nerves and pent-up anticipation. At each corner, friends ran to each other and embraced, sharing handmade bracelets or falling into selfie formation. The merch stand was adorned with mini tote bags and paint-by-numbers sets, a nod to a well-documented pastime of the Bradford-born singer. Outside, meanwhile, small groups of people could be spotted refreshing resale sites incessantly on their smartphones – the unmet demand for tickets felt palpable.
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For the lucky few thousand who made it inside, emotions were running high. Across the near entirety of Malik’s solo career, the 31-year-old has remained absent from the live circuit, citing struggles with stage fright. In the eight years since he released his Billboard 200-topping debut LP Mind Of Mine – which dropped 12 months to the day after he departed One Direction – Malik has continued to put out records while keeping a low profile, a commitment which has extended to an often-elusive social media presence.
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“I just couldn’t go through with it,” Malik wrote in his 2016 self-titled memoir, explaining his decision to cancel a planned appearance earlier that year at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball. “Mentally, the anxiety had won. Physically, I knew I couldn’t function. I would have to pull out.”
In the book, he explained how being in One Direction allowed him to get past his anxiety because he wasn’t the sole center of attention, though solo performance was simply too much for him. “I don’t want to say I’m sick. I want to tell people what’s going on, and I’m not gonna be ashamed of what’s happening,” he added.
Last night’s show also came less than a week after Malik attended the funeral of One Direction’s Liam Payne, where he joined his fellow former bandmates, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan. He commenced his tour in Leeds three days later, paying tribute to Payne – who died last month (Oct. 16) following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina – with a message projected on a large screen at the end of the performance. “Liam Payne 1993-2024 Love You bro,” it read, while Malik’s track “Stardust” played over speakers.
At Hammersmith Apollo, Malik chose not to directly address the emotional upheaval that has marked his journey to the stage and instead let the music do most of the talking. Leading a live band, on a stage flanked with tree decorations and an illustrated backdrop resembling his farm in rural Pennsylvania, Malik’s setlist was dominated by tracks from recent album Room Under The Stairs, which landed at No.3 in the Official U.K. Albums Chart in May.
Kicking off the performance with “My Woman,” Malik looked overawed at the response from the crowd, who hit pulverising decibel counts for newer tracks such as “In The Bag” and “Lied To.” Wearing a trilby hat as he gripped a red mic stand, the singer chose to eschew performing any One Direction material, as well as some of his biggest singles (from radio hit “Like I Would” to Sia team-up “Dusk Till Dawn”).
Malik slowly opened up throughout the evening, miming a guitar solo during “Dreamin” and laughing in disbelief at the room’s enthusiasm towards his newer material. “It feels fu–ing amazing to be here,” he said by way of introducing “Birds On A Cloud.” He continued: “It took a while, but we’re going to enjoy ourselves – have a drink, have a laugh and sing as loud as you can.”
As Mailk rolled through Room Under The Stairs highlights, plus the occasional track from 2018 LP Icarus Falls or follow-up Nobody Is Listening, the screaming refused to subside. “Vas happenin’!,” the singer exclaimed at one point, referencing a beloved catchphrase from his One Direction days. He later hailed his “amazing” fanbase for being “so patient” with his comeback before pausing proceedings numerous times to check on the wellbeing of those in the crowd.
From a sublimely confident cover of Paolo Nutini’s “Last Request” to a countrified version of the chart-topping “Pillowtalk,” the performance was a stark contrast to the more intimate show that Malik played at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in May. That six-song set was accompanied by the premiere of The Road To The Mic, a documentary charting his rehearsal process. It marked only the second time Malik had been seen in public for five years; in January, a lack of crowd control at his Paris Fashion Week appearance led to his foot being run over by a passing car.
While Malik continues to reckon with returning to the limelight, he is set to tour the U.K. through Dec. 9, with gigs lined up in Wolverhampton, Manchester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, plus additional dates in London and Leeds. He’ll then head to the U.S. in early 2025 for a run of shows initially postponed in the wake of Payne’s death, hitting up major cities including New York and Los Angeles.
“Thanks for being patient with me and for always believing in me,” Malik concluded shortly before the lights went up at Hammersmith Apollo. As closer “Gates Of Hell” began to simmer out, he offered a nod in gratitude, signing off with a giddy cry of “f–k yeah.”
U.K. groups Hot Chip and Sleaford Mods have combine their vastly-different musical styles to craft two songs as part of a benefit single for the War Child charity. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The two tracks – titled “Nom Nom Nom” and “Cat Burglar” – were recorded […]
A handwritten letter which sees John Lennon pitching a new band to Eric Clapton is going under the auctioneer’s hammer.
The eight-page letter, which is dated Sept. 29, 1971, is a draft of the final version which was sent to Clapton that same year. Helmed by International Autograph Auctions Europe SL, the missive will go to auction on Dec. 5 for an expected sale of €100,000 – €150,000 (approximately $104,000 – $157,000), with bidding registrations open now.
The contents of the letter show the beginnings of what could have been an interesting chapter in the story of rock music, with Lennon asking Clapton to form a new band.
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“You must know by now that Yoko and I rate your music and yourself very highly, always have,” the letter begins. As Lennon continues, he touches on Clapton’s then-current dark period, which was marred by heroin addiction and a retreat from public appearances.
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“Eric, I know I can bring out something great, in fact greater in you that had been so far evident in your music,” Lennon adds. “I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us, which I know will happen if/when we get together.”
The letter ultimately pitches the idea of Clapton performing as part of the prospective band, which would have included previous Plastic Ono Band members Klaus Voorman, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, and Phil Spector. “And of course we had YOU!!! in mind as soon as we decided,” it continues.
By the time of the letter’s writing, Clapton had previously performed as part of the Plastic Ono Band, appearing as part of the iterations of the group that existed between September and December 1969.
“Please don’t be frightened, I understand paranoia, only too well,” Lennon adds to the expectedly-hesitant at the close of his letter. “I think it could only do good for you to work with people who love and respect you, and that’s from all of us.”
Ultimately, Clapton would turn down Lennon’s offer of joining the nascent band of “superstars”.
The draft of the letter also includes numerous corrections and edits, though it’s unknown what the final version that was sent to Clapton looked like. This isn’t the first time the letter has gone up for sale, however, with a 2012 auction expecting the item to sell for a total of $30,000.
Months after the passing of New Zealand musician Martin Phillipps, the late frontman of the Chills is to be remembered with a newly-announced posthumous album.
The record, titled Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs, will be released under the Chills moniker on Feb. 28, 2025 through Fire Records, and is in fact the product of many years of hard work from Phillipps himself.
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Alongside his work as a member of the Chills, Phillipps had spent the final years of his life trawling through his archives, rediscovering many “easy songs and musings” which were revisited and revised ahead of being collected on Spring Board. Described as a “dedicated reimagining of his earlier unreleased songs that became his artistic farewell”, the record has received the blessing of his band, family and friends.
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“The album seemed like an easy option,” Phillipps was quoted as saying. “All of the songs needed varying degrees of rewriting; a 60-year old man couldn’t just stick to the lyrics of those formative years. And some of the songs were just vague recollections, incomplete, only blossoming during recording.”
Alongside his Chills bandmates – including Oli Wilson, Erica Scally, Callum Hampton and Todd Knudson – the record also features appearances from appearances from Fur Patrol’s Julia Deans, Shona Laing, and Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz fame.
Phillipps passed away unexpectedly in July at his home in Dunedin, on New Zealand’s south island. He had played what was called “an integral part” of the university town’s scene in the 1980s, and of Roger Shepherd‘s Flying Nun Records family, whose roster would include the Clean, the D4, Headless Chickens and Tall Dwarfs, Chris Knox, Straitjacket Fits and the Verlaines.
Following a lengthy hiatus, Philipps reactivated the Chills in 2013, with a number of new albums following, supported by a run of domestic and international tours. Their most recent LP, 2021’s Scatterbrain, would reach No. 4 on the New Zealand Albums Chart – their highest placing in close to 30 years.
Billy Corgan and Bill Burr sure look alike, don’t they? The Smashing Pumpkins star’s stepmother thinks that’s no coincidence. During an appearance on Howie Mandel’s Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, Corgan shared a hilarious story after Mandel mistakenly put up an image of Burr behind him. Corgan explained that it’s not the first time someone has pointed […]