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Guns N’ Roses have plotted a 2025 summer tour of the Middle East and Europe that is slated to kick off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 23, which will be the veteran hard rocker’s first-ever stop in the country. The 24-show run will be the band’s first outing since they wound-down their 2023 world tour at the Hell & Heaven Fest in Toluca, Mexico in November 2023.
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Announcing the shows on their Instagram on Monday morning (Dec. 9), the band wrote, “Because what you want N’ what you get are two completely different things.” After opening in Saudi Arabia, the tour will visit the United Arab Emirates before moving on to stadiums in Europe, with shows in Georgia, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Serbia. The tour is currently slated to wind down in Bulgaria on July 21, with no .
Support on the tour will come from Public Enemy, Rival Sons and the Sex Pistols fronted by Frank Carter on select dates. Nightrain fan club tickets will be available in a presale beginning Tuesday (Dec. 10) at 9 a.m. local time with a general onsale slated from Friday at 9 a.m. local; click here for information on both. PE hype man Flavor Flav was elated by the news, writing on X, “I’M GOING ON TOUR WITH GUNS N’ ROSES, !!!! Letz go,!!!”
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GNR haven’t release a new album since 2008’s decade-plus in the making Chinese Democracy. In October, bassist Diff McKagan told SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk that the group has been working on new material. “There’s definitely a desire and a plan for new music,” he said. “Yeah, for sure.” At press time the band has not announced any other 2025 tour dates.
Check out the 2025 GNR Middle East/European dates below.
Brandi Carlile’s solo career is going pretty well by any measure, but she has a dream about expanding into her own supergroup, she revealed to Billboard on the red carpet at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night (Dec. 8), where she helped honor Bonnie Raitt. “I’ve got this plan — I’ve been hitting […]
“It was the end of an era, but the start of an age.” Taylor Swift sang these words as the final performance of her globe-spanning, blockbuster-selling Eras tour came to a close on Sunday night (Dec. 8) at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, tucking some fan service into a piano rendition of “Long Live” during […]
Shakedown Street wound its way to the nation’s capital on Sunday (Dec. 8) as counterculture mingled with high arts culture at the 47th Kennedy Center Honors, where legendary rockers the Grateful Dead; blues rock songstress and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; and jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval were inducted.
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In a first, the Honors this year inducted a venue, Harlem’s fabled The Apollo, in celebration of nine decades of the theater championing Black artists and culture.
The gala continues to elevate its unique mashup of celebrities, politicians and arts patrons—fun fact: former speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is still in possession of a button from a late-‘80s Dead show—and the outgoing Administration was out in full force. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff received extended applause.
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Musical star power included Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Maggie Rogers, Dave Matthews, Queen Latifah, Leon Bridges, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Don Was, Sturgill Simpson, The War and Treaty, Jackson Browne, Trombone Shorty, Doug E Fresh, Raye, Grace VanderWaal and Keb Mo.
Non-musical talent was equally sparkling. Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Al Pacino and Laurence Fishburne were among those who feted Coppola, while Letterman, Miles Teller and Chloe Sevigny shared their personal connections to the Dead. Julia Louis Dreyfus celebrated Raitt, and Dave Chappelle paid hilarious homage to The Apollo.
Bonnie RaittWinner of 13 Grammys, including a best song award in 2023 when her soul-stirring “And Just Like That” beat out songs by Beyonce and Harry Styles among others, Raitt was lauded as much for her activism as for her vocals and killer moves on the slide guitar.
“As you get older you reflect on how you got where you got and that’s not just in your career but life, and I attribute a lot to Bonnie,” Crow shared with Billboard before the show.
She recounted seeing Raitt perform for the first time and buying her first guitar the next day. “When you’re a 17-year-old girl and you play piano, and you go see Bonnie Raitt and she’s ripping and she’s fronting a guy band and she’s singing truth… I would never have picked up a guitar or seen myself being out front had it not been for her,” Crowe said.
Raitt’s work in social justice has been a north star for Carlile, among so many others. “I’ve lucky enough to get talk to Bonnie for hours and hours about activism and the ways we get to carry ourselves as musicians and artists,” she said on the red carpet.
“I was maybe 17 years old at a Bonnie Raitt concert when a ‘No Nukes’ guitar pick landed on the toe of my shoe, and I picked that up and I found out what she meant by that. I carry all of her messages forward. The work she’s done for Indigenous people, for women’s rights… she’s so outspoken and so musically powerful. Everything she says is backed by a thunderstorm of conviction.”
On stage and accompanied on piano by Crow, Carlile delivered an earnest rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” while Emmylou Harris and Dave Mathews stirred the heartstrings with their take on “Angel From Montgomery,” on which Raitt famously dueted with songwriter John Prine. Julia Louis Dreyfus praised Raitt’s authenticity, noting: “You know it’s Bonnie. It’s all red hair and no bullshit.” Jackson Browne, who noted his friend of 50 years “never stopped growing and expanding herself and her impulses as an artist,” before joining Crow, James Taylor and Arnold McCuller to croon “Nick of Time,” the title track from Raitt’s 1990 album that took home a Grammy album of the year.
Arturo SandovalSandoval, renowned for blending Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop and straight-ahead jazz, performed in 1990 at the Honors tribute to his mentor Dizzy Gillespie. He embraced his turn in the spotlight by treating his fellow honorees and other guests at the White House dinner the evening before the gala with a spicy rendition of “God Bless America.” And well-wishers including Andy Garcia, Debbie Allen, Chris Botti and Cimafunk returned the favor on stage.
Fellow Cuban-born Garcia, who played Sandoval in the 2000 docudrama “For Love or Country,” peppered Sandoval’s string of accomplishments—winning four Grammys, five Latin Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, among them—with personal narratives: “He let me play in his band, but only if I brought the sandwiches.”
Allen described her relationship with Sandoval as a “lifelong creative marriage” that began at the Kennedy Center in 1996, and Botti described Sandoval as “the trumpet master” before he put his own trumpet stylings to a stirring version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”
The ApolloThe Apollo served as the launching pad for artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Lauryn Hill, and Queen Latifah brought the audience through its decades of evolution.
Husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a gorgeous medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, while Savion Glover performed a high-spirited tap dance routine.
Comedian Chappelle recounted his first, horrifying experience performing at Amateur Night after winning a contest when he was just 15. “Everybody started booing. It was like I was outside my body watching,” he said, before waxing sincere. “My favorite part of freedom is art. The Apollo theater is a church where we could talk like ourselves, to ourselves.”
Francis Ford CoppolaCoppola’s segment was, in a word, legendary. The tribute to the five-time Oscar winner, whose anthology includes The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, American Graffiti and Patton, brought out Hollywood heavy-hitters Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Laurence Fishburne.
His sister Talia Shire, nephew Jason Schwartzman and granddaughter Gia Coppola also shared tributes and Grace VanderWaal, who appears in Coppola’s new film Megalopolis, performed a raspy, rousing version of “The Impossible Dream.”
Pacino mixed heart and humor, noting Coppola continues to break the cardinal rule in Hollywood: never invest in your own films. “For Apocalypse Now, he put up his house, with his wife and three kids in it. I know, I was there,” he quipped.
Noting without Coppola he wouldn’t have his career, DeNiro—whom the filmmaker cast in “The Godfather: Part II”—said, “And it’s not just me. Francis generously brings all of us into his family, into his world, into his dreams. And what dreams they are. Beautiful. Epic. Impossible.”
After sharing a few funny anecdotes, Scorsese compared his friend to visionary early pioneers of cinema because “he reinvents, he has the same spirit they had and constantly, time and time again, film after film and decade after decade, he reinvents, always expanding into new territory.”
The Grateful DeadAt 60 years and still truckin’, the Grateful Dead—whose original members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bobby Weir were in attendance—is mythological in its organic cultivation of community and the live show experience.
“The Grateful Dead was a dance band, and people like to dance and in those days there weren’t a lot of people dancing so that’s where the community started and the music just moved from there,” Hart told Billboard. “And we grew with the music.”
Weir broke it down like this: “We had no plan, we had no itinerary. We were just playing; that’s all we’ve ever done. Our entire agenda has been, Let’s make some more music.”
Pre-show, Maggie Rogers shared how her stint playing with Dead & Company in 2019 at Madison Square Garden completely changed her touring routine. “Before, I was playing basically the same set every night—and there’s a beautiful meditation in that repetition—but since then, I have my whole catalog on fridge magnets on the bus and we’re constituting a new set list every night. They showed me what it’s like to relax into the continence of your own musicianship.”
The presence of guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995, and bass player Phil Lesh, who died in October, was palpable throughout the evening. Lesh’s son Graham said pre-show his father had been excited when he learned about the band’s induction and “it was a great chance for the band to connect and revel in how much of an honor this was. It’s kind-of a big wow, what they accomplished.”
Graham Lesh was part of a stellar jam band that also included Don Was and Sturgill Simpson, backing four tunes that got some in the house up on their feet. Rogers and Leon Bridges dueted on “Fire on the Mountain,” Simpson sung “Ripple,” Matthews and Tedeschi grooved through “Sugaree,” and then all came together for show closer “Not Fade Away,” a nod to the band’s use of the Buddy Holly paean to enduring love to wrap countless shows.
Done+Dusted returned for a third year as executive producer, in association with ROK Productions. The special will air on Dec. 22 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Falling In Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke isn’t one to shy away from controversy, and his latest comments on his visa denial into the U.K., leading to their tour cancellation, have fans talking once again.
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After being denied a visa to tour the country—a decision tied to his 2008 prison sentence—Radke said in TikTok videos that the economic fallout of the shows, which he called “a literal Taylor Swift-sized concert worth of tickets,” will be felt far and wide.
The band’s canceled U.K. tour had reportedly sold 75,000 tickets, leaving fans disappointed and Radke evidently frustrated. In a string of videos, the vocalist didn’t hold back: “You’re celebrating the kids in my DMs with cancer that were excited to see me now they can’t. That’s what you’re celebrating.”
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“You’re celebrating the giant economic hit that’s gonna have on the U.K. for a little second—like the flights, the hotels, the tickets and all that stuff,” he said, addressing critics who appeared to cheer the tour’s cancellation. “That’s what you’re celebrating.”
Radke compared his situation to artists like Lil Wayne, Ja Rule, and Snoop Dogg, who have also faced visa issues in the U.K. due to legal histories. “You probably go and assume that it’s a politically charged reason, but it’s not. It’s just the fact that they changed the law,” he said. “I was allowed to get in after 10 years, after getting out of prison, they changed the law.”
“It’s not a personal attack, guys. I know you guys are really upset it’s postponed.”
Despite the disappointment, Radke is turning lemons into lemonade. He announced a new merch item—a “God Save the King of the Music Scene” t-shirt—with all proceeds going to the U.K. Prison Reform charity.
“I’m so honored to know that I could sell 75,000 tickets in the United Kingdom,” he said, adding, “This t-shirt is for you guys… 100% is going to that charity.” You can find the t-shirt here.
Radke also called out Austria’s Nova Rock festival for dropping Falling In Reverse from its lineup, blaming it on his “personality”. “Fans were mad, so I told them to chill out and have a ‘Vienna sausage,’” he joked, accusing organizers of overreacting and labelling them “spineless pieces of s—.”
The canceled U.K. tour is the latest hurdle for the band, whose European run has otherwise been a success. While Radke vows to return to the U.K., visa restrictions remain a significant obstacle for him and the band’s devoted fans. At the time of writing, Falling In Reverse’s ‘Popular Mons(Tour)’ is still set to head to Australia in March 2025, hitting arenas in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Earlier this year, Falling In Reverse’s latest album Popular Monster secured the top spot on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums for the first time and marked the band’s first release since 2017. The band charted four prior entries on Top Hard Rock Albums, all of which debuted and peaked at No. 2: The Drug in Me Is You (2011), Fashionably Late (2013), Just Like You (2015) and Coming Home (2017).
Quavo has been honored as the ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ at the eighth annual Variety Hitmakers Brunch, held on Dec. 7 at Nya Studios in Hollywood.
The accolade recognized the GRAMMY-nominated rapper and philanthropist’s transformative advocacy against gun violence, a mission he embraced following the tragic 2022 loss of his nephew and fellow Migos member, Takeoff.
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The award was presented by Greg Jackson, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, who praised Quavo’s tireless efforts to combat the epidemic through his Rocket Foundation. Launched in November 2022 in Takeoff’s honor, the foundation supports community-based programs addressing gun violence and has grown into a powerful movement for change in just two years.
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Quavo’s work has impacted communities at both local and federal levels. In March, the Rocket Foundation introduced Sparks Grants, distributing $10,000 each to 10 Atlanta organizations dedicated to creating safer neighborhoods. Over the summer, Quavo partnered with the Offender Alumni Association to host a music education workshop for at-risk youth as part of the Rocket Camp initiative.
On the national stage, Quavo’s advocacy contributed to the establishment of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
He met with Vice President Kamala Harris during the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference in September 2023 and hosted the inaugural Rocket Foundation Summit on Gun Violence Prevention in Atlanta earlier this year. Quavo also joined Harris at a rally to promote the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, one of the most comprehensive federal gun control laws in U.S. history.
The Rocket Foundation partners with organizations like the Offender Alumni Association, H.O.P.E. Hustlers, Community Justice Action Fund, and LIVE FREE to address gun violence through community-driven solutions.
Beyond his advocacy, Quavo remains a prominent figure in music and entertainment. As a key member of Migos, he achieved multiple No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts and collaborated with top-tier artists like Justin Bieber, Travis Scott, and Post Malone.
His recent solo ventures include tracks with Lana Del Rey, Peso Pluma, and Lenny Kravitz, showcasing his ability to blend genres while staying true to his Atlanta roots. Quavo’s versatility also extends to acting, with appearances in Atlanta, Black-ish, and films like Praise This.
Iron Maiden have announced their new touring drummer, fresh off the back of longtime percussionist Nicko McBrain‘s decision to stop performing live with the band.
News of McBrain’s departure was announced on Saturday, Dec. 7, with the 72-year-old musician announced that he is retiring from the road, making Saturday’s concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil his final show with the legendary rock band.
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“After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle,” McBrain shared in a statement on Iron Maiden’s website. “I wish the band much success moving forward.”
McBrain joined Iron Maiden in 1982, replacing Clive Burr, who had performed on the group’s first three albums. While McBrain had left the group Trust to take on the Iron Maiden role, Burr’s unceremonious exit saw him taking over McBrain’s newly-vacated role as drummer of Trust – effectively seeing the two musicians switching roles.
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Despite being in Iron Maiden since 1982, McBrain was the second most-recent addition to the lineup, save for guitarist Janick Gers who joined in 1990.
In a statement shared on Sunday, Dec. 8, Iron Maiden have now revealed that drummer Simon Dawson will take on the role of drummer for the band moving forward, having previously performed with co-founder Steve Harris on his British Lion project.
“As The Future Past Tour concludes after 81 shows to over 1.4 million fans, from Ljubljana to the Coachella Valley and from Western Australia to Sao Paulo, Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans – Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve’s rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion,” the statement reads.
“A native of Suffolk, England, Simon first teamed up with Steve Harris back in 2012. He debuted on three tracks on the first British Lion album and all of the second critically acclaimed The Burning, plus the many subsequent tours in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand &, most recently, both Mexico and South America.”
While McBrain has announced he will be stepping away from touring, he notes that he will remain closely connected to the band. He confirmed that he’ll continue to be involved in “a variety of projects” with Iron Maiden, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.
“I look into the future with much excitement and great hope! I’ll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, ‘Up the Irons!’” he wrote.
Iron Maiden will launch The Run For Your Lives tour in 2025, celebrating 50 years of the band. The tour will launch in Budapest on May 27, with 32 other dates currently scheduled for around Europe.
In the final week of November, Clockenflap 2024 transformed Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbor into a gathering point for music lovers, blending the city’s history and cultural energy with a lineup that crossed genres and borders.
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More than 60,000 fans came together from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 to witness headliners Jack White, Central Cee, and St. Vincent share the bill with AIR, Creepy Nuts, Glass Animals, as well as a mix of local and international acts. Since its start in 2008 as an indie gathering, Clockenflap has grown into a major international event, attracting world-class artists and fans from all corners of the globe.
Jack White’s closing performance on the Harborflap Stage was nothing short of spectacular as the rocker made his Hong Kong debut. Wasting no time, White dove headfirst into a set that spanned his illustrious career, pulling from his three No. 1 Billboard 200 albums – Blunderbuss, Lazaretto, and Boarding House Reach. Fans erupted as Jack White delivered a throwback with The Raconteurs’ “Steady, As She Goes,” a track penned by White and Brendan Benson that peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Alternative Airplay chart (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks) in 2006.
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However, the night undeniably belonged to “Seven Nation Army.” Its iconic riff, chanted in unison by thousands of fans long after White left the stage, echoed across Victoria Harbor, providing a powerful and unforgettable send-off for the festival.
The Hang Seng Stage on Friday night saw the highly-anticipated performance of Creepy Nuts, a Japanese hip-hop unit consisting of R-shitei (R-rated), the first MC in J-rap history to win the country’s top MC battle competition UMB Grand Championship three times consecutively, and DJ Matsunaga, who won the world’s largest DJ competition DMC World DJ Championships in 2019 and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The duo’s rapid-fire raps brought a fresh and frenzied energy that had the crowd on their feet. Their viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” featured in season two of the anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles, was an undeniable highlight.
The track’s success includes being ranked first on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 year-end chart for 2024. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” extended its record to 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and topped the Billboard Japan Streaming Songs, Hot Animation, and Download Songs charts for the year. Their latest single, “Otonoke,” added another high point, reaching number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and World Digital Song Sales charts.
In stark musical contrast and framed by the twinkling lights of Hong Kong’s skyline, AIR’s ethereal soundscapes created an unforgettable atmosphere on the Harborflap Stage. The iconic French electronic duo’s set featured the hauntingly beautiful “Highschool Lover” from their acclaimed The Virgin Suicides score. Released in 2000, the soundtrack earned critical acclaim and reached No. 161 on the Billboard 200. The pair also performed fan favorites like the sultry track “Sexy Boy” and the lush “La femme d’argent” from their landmark 1998 debut, Moon Safari.
Central Cee, one of the U.K.’s hottest drill artists, brought the grittiness of tracks like “Doja” and “Sprinter,” turning the tropical night into his own lyrical playground. With peaks of No. 19 and No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200, respectively, he represented a new generation of global artists refusing to be confined by geographic boundaries.
Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” cascaded across the musical landscape and drew a crowd as they showcased their record-breaking Billboard Hot 100 performance. The track holds the record for the longest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, with an unprecedented 91-week run. Its journey to the top was equally remarkable, taking 59 weeks to reach No. 1, the longest climb to the summit in Hot 100 history.
English EDM icon Jamie xx closed the Hang Seng Stage on Clockenflap’s final night with a vibrant set featuring tracks from his acclaimed album In Colour. The album, which debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, sold 19,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and spent an impressive 70 weeks on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Jamie kicked off his crowd-pleasing set with “Wanna” and “Treat Each Other Right,” blending fan favorites with fresh material. Highlights included “Gosh,” which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and “Obvs,” alongside newer tracks like “Falling Together” and “All You Children.”
Deep cuts such as “Breather” and “Life” added depth to the performance, while “Loud Places,” which spent nine weeks on the Billboard Dance Singles chart and peaked at No. 17, delivered a euphoric moment for the audience. The set concluded with “Team Closing,” leaving the crowd on an undeniable high and wrapping up the weekend with an uplifting finale to remember.
Over on the Hang Seng Stage, Porter Robinson took the audience on a journey through sound. With “Shelter,” his collaboration with Madeon that peaked at No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and the introspective “Blossom,” which reached No. 46 on the same chart, Robinson wove together emotion and euphoria. The hyperpop star, who was named as one of Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list in 2011, showcased his evolution as an artist, including tracks from his latest album Smile! 😀 which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart this year.
St. Vincent again delivered a genre-defying performance that featured fan favorites like “Cheerleader” and “New York” alongside new tracks from her latest album All Born Screaming, such as “Flea” and “Big Time Nothing”. Her crowd dive was a highlight, embodying the energy and unpredictability that define her artistry. Her latest album, All Born Screaming, debuted at No. 86 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on the Independent Albums chart. The record has also nabbed four Grammy nominations, including one for Best Alternative Music Album.
Local and regional acts added even more flavor to the weekend. Japanese vocalist yama turned heads on the Park Stage by Martell where she performed “Haru wo Tsugeru,” a track that peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, her voice carrying across the harbor with soulful clarity.
Japanese girl group Sakurazaka46 lit up the Harborflap Stage with their synchronized choreography for “Nobody’s Fault,” a debut single that topped both the Oricon Singles Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling over 408,000 copies in its first week.
Australian DJ Partiboi69, renowned for his unique mix of ghetto house, Miami bass, electro, Detroit techno, and ’90s rave sounds, delivered a party-starting set that kept the crowd moving late into the night. His energetic transitions and unexpected track choices had attendees on their feet, while local act Robot Presents Spider Gubbins added a playful twist to the festival’s evening, performing from an inflatable Bowser shell.
Whether it was Japan’s Creepy Nuts delivering sharp-edged hip-hop, the U.K.’s Central Cee infusing the event with gritty drill beats, and France’s AIR captivating the crowd with their ethereal electronic soundscapes, the festival was a showcase of how diverse musical traditions can intersect on a single stage, celebrating the shared language of music in the heart of Hong Kong.
Early bird tickets for Clockenflap 2025 are available here.
The culture-affecting Charli XCX has revealed her fondness for the culture-defining Velvet Underground, praising their 1967 debut at Variety’s Hitmakers Awards.
Appearing at the Awards on Saturday (Dec. 7), Charli XCX was on hand to receive the Hitmaker of the Year honor, predominantly thanks to the massive global success of her Brat album throughout 2024. However, in her own acceptance speech, Charli XCX explained that that the very definition of what is a “hit” is up for debate. To underline her point, she deferred to some remarks she had written about The Velvet Underground‘s iconic debut album.
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“In March 1967, The Velvet Underground released their album The Velvet Underground & Nico,” she began. “It debuted on the Billboard 200 at Number 199. And a few weeks later, it rose to its peak position of 195. But don’t worry, it dropped out, but then it re-entered the charts. And later in life, Lou Reed told Brian Eno that it had only sold around 30,000 copies over its first five years.”
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“In my humble opinion, this record is the definition of a hit. This record is arguably one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time,” she added. “This album is the apex of fine art and DIY culture colliding. It’s high and low, it’s poetry meets drugs, it’s earnest meets arrogance, and even if you’re never heard a single song from this album, you’ll undoubtedly recognize its cover, either from the walls of a modern art gallery or from the shop floor of an Urban Outfitters.”
“And let’s be real, what is a hit if you’re not conquering both of those places?” she asked. “My album cover has not yet appeared at the Guggenheim or the Whitney or the Tate. However, some of my merch is available to purchase right now in Urban Outfitters. So I guess that means that I’m halfway there.”
While Charli XCX is correct that The Velvet Underground & Nico peaked at No. 195 upon its initial release, it re-entered the charts later in 1967, ultimately peaking at No. 171. In 2013, the record would reach its highest peak to date with No. 129.
Likewise, the famous quote about the record only selling 30,000 copies in its first five years has been up for debate as well. Eno’s full quote adds that despite the sales figure, “everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band”. However, later investigations have seen more than 58,000 copies had been sold by February 1969, with as many as 200,000 copies being sold by 1971. For comparison, in June, Charli XCX’s Brat debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with a total of 40,000 album sales.
Close to two months after suffering a debilitating stroke while on tour in Toronto, alt-rock singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet has given fans an update into his current condition.
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News of Sweet’s condition was confirmed longtime manager, Russell Carter, in a statement on Oct. 22, which noted that the musician faced “a long, difficult road to recovery” and weeks of around-the-clock care followed by months of rehabilitation.
“Matthew has always been intensely focused and tenacious in all of his endeavors, not only in his recording career, but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits,” Carter shared.
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“I am confident that his signature determination will serve him well as he focuses now on recovery to good health.”
In the wake of his stroke, a GoFundMe campaign was launched in order to cover Sweet’s medical expenses. Having initially set a goal of $250,000, more than 8,700 donations have seen a total of over $500,000 raised so far, with the goal having been updated to $750,000.
On Saturday, Dec. 7, Sweet himself shared an update via the GoFundMe page, recollecting the circumstances of his stroke and sharing his gratitude with all the donors thus far.
“I was colder than I’ve ever been and an icy sweat came from every pore,” Sweet recalled. “Then I heard a deafening white noise in both my ears growing, and growing and growing in volume, and my eyes started to scramble like eggs in a pan.
“’Call me an ambulance’ I called out to Evan who was just checking us in to the Toronto hotel after a ten hour drive from Baltimore. Then I was in an ambulance and I heard a man yell, ‘Sir you’ve had a stroke.’ I didn’t know what it meant. It seemed unreal as much of my life has.”
In his post, Sweet recalled having to spend ten days in Toronto before receiving clearance to fly back to the U.S. to continue his care. “The only way they would let me travel back to the states was with a medical crew, on an airplane and straight into a rehabilitation hospital,” he wrote. “The cost of all these things was already astronomical. What is mankind doing? To not make these things available as part of our culture everywhere.”
Furthering his care at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, Sweet says he was not only exposed to the importance of carers and those who work at facilities such as this, but that he was also given the Madonna Spirit Award upon his discharge in early December.
Most notably, Sweet also took the time to reflect upon his future as a creative individual, recognizing that his condition has seen him come to terms with many changes moving forward, but an enduring appetite to continue creating.
“I’ve lived through the day where I realized I may never play guitar again, I’ve lived through the day where I realized I may never draw a straight line again or enjoy the pasttime that developed over just the last year of my life, painting with fountain pens and coloring with dip pens and ink,” he explained.
“I understand now what it means to need to reinvent oneself, when the self you knew before is gone, you have no other choice, you either quit or you keep going and so I feel I must keep going, and I feel a great burden to do so with such incredible support that you, many of whom I do not know, have given me. I must just say thank you to you for giving me this help.
“This hope I cannot feel whether I could have had on my own,” Sweet concluded. “I will try to make music. I will try to. I will try to make art. I will try to express myself, because that is all I have ever known and all that has ever brought me joy, throughout a life filled with more sadness than anyone could know what to do with, than any of us know what to do with, and that’s life. May you all today find a glimmer of hope and love and a future to strive toward the way you have helped me find it, every one of you.”