Noel Gallagher performing with the High Flying Birds at Kenwood House, June ’22 (Alessandro Gianferrara for Live4ever)
October
Rage Against The Machine began October by confirming next year’s tour of North America will not be going ahead.
Not long after it brought an abrupt end to their plans to bring the reunion tour to the UK, frontman Zack De La Rocha revealed his leg injury would now do the same in the US.
“It’s been almost three months since Chicago and I still look down at my leg in disbelief,” De La Rocha wrote on social media.
U2 frontman Bono was to embark on a 14-city book tour in North America, the UK and Europe during November.
He was due to start in New York on November 2nd, and would visit London, Glasgow and Manchester before heading to Dublin, Berlin, Paris and Madrid.
“I miss being on stage and the closeness of U2’s audience,” he said. “In these shows I’ve got some stories to sing, and some songs to tell.”
As widely expected, Stormzy confirmed his new studio album would be out before the end of this year.
This Is What I Mean was to be released by the iconic Def Jam label on November 25th – recorded, according to the grime superstar, during a ‘music camp’ in Osea Island.
“When you hear about music camps they always sound intense and sombre,” he said. “People saying: ‘We need to make an album.’ ‘We need to make some hit records.’ But this felt beautifully free.”
Blink-182 announced they will head around the world from next year as part of a reunion which also includes brand new material.
It’ll all start in Central and South America during the March and early April of next year, moving on from there to North America for a lengthy spring/summer tour which is to include a stop at Madison Square Garden on May 19th.
Europe will get its turn in a year’s time, with UK gigs booked in Glasgow and Belfast, and later in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Little Simz won the 2022 Mercury Prize for her fourth studio album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.
“We all change people’s lives with our music and that’s the most important thing, so this is for us really,” she said when concluding her acceptance speech.
Previously nominated in that bumper 2019 year with GREY Area, Simz beat off competition from the likes of Wet Leg, Self Esteem and Yard Act with a record which Live4ever immediately got on board with upon the release of its lead track Introvert back in the spring of last year.
The first artists confirmed to be performing at SXSW 2023 were revealed.
Among those making the journey over from the UK will be The Lounge Society – their second attempt after withdrawing this year – Jane Weaver, Pigsx7 and Crawlers.
“This first small reveal is just a taste of what you can expect at South By Southwest 2023,” the event’s VP James Minor, VP responded.
Pulp confirmed their return for a run of UK and Ireland gigs next year.
It’ll all start at the Bridlington Spa on May 26th, 2023, followed by an appearance at Neighbourhood Weekender on May 28th.
Other festival spots are booked at TRNSMT and Latitude, while there’s further outdoor concerts St. Anne’s Park in Dublin and Finsbury Park in London.
The month ended with Noel Gallagher sharing Pretty Boy, the first song from his upcoming new album with the High Flying Birds.
“For this new record it was the first thing I wrote, the first thing I demoed and the first thing I finished, so it’s only right that it’s the first thing people get to hear,” Gallagher said.
“Massive shout out to my mainest man Johnny Marr for taking it somewhere special. Oh…and watch out for a cameo from me in the video…first one to spot me wins a bag of Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Giants!”
Pulp, George Ezra, The Chemical Brothers and Robbie Williams were revealed the headliners for next year’s Isle Of Wight Festival.
The announcement added to Pulp’s live comeback in 2023, while George Ezra and The Chemical Brothers are set to share top billing on the Main Stage on the Saturday night.
Other performers across the weekend will include Manic Street Preachers, The Human League, Echo & The Bunnymen, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blondie and The Enemy.
slowthai performing live in Manchester during his March 2022 UK and Ireland tour (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
November
Taylor Swift announced a run of North American stadium shows for next year shortly after the runaway chart success of Midnights.
The Era Tour has been scheduled to open at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ next March, and through to August will stop for two nights in cities such as Atlanta, East Rutherford and Chicago.
Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium is to host the final two concerts on August 4th and 5th.
slowthai was back with a new single entitled ‘i know nothing‘ which was leading a campaign from Beats By Dre aimed at highlighting social media pressures on today’s football stars.
“Social media can and should be used as a tool for connection and good but instead it serves to gloat and punch down,” slowthai said. “It fails to show the harsh reality we live in, which can lead to isolation and depression. Let’s lift each other up.”
Tyron Frampton aka released his second full length TYRON last year – summed up by Live4ever as, ‘messy and sweet one moment, angry or mischievous the next’.
When Blur announced their live return earlier in November they had more than the initial gig at Wembley Stadium on July 8th in mind.
News of an appearance at Beauregard Festival in France on July 6th swiftly followed, and now a second night in London was added for July 9th.
“I’m really looking forward to playing with my Blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs,” Graham Coxon said.
Shame revealed they will release their third studio album Food For Worms on February 24th next year.
Flood was invited to produce sessions which focused on a move away from the post-punk sound which dominated 2018 debut Songs Of Praise and its 2021 follow-up Drunk Tank Pink as the band also cast their lyrical net further afield.
“I don’t think you can be in your own head forever,” frontman Charlie Steen said. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Popular music is always about love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn’t much about your mates.”
The death of Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson was announced.
“This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” a social media statement read.
“He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.”
Metallica confirmed they will put their new album 72 Seasons out on April 14th next year.
The 12 songs total over 77 minutes and were co-produced by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich along with Greg Fidelman, their first full length collection of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
“72 seasons,” Hetfield said. “The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents.”
The Weeknd by Brian Ziff
December
Elton John’s long goodbye from music is to conclude in the UK at Glastonbury next June.
Elton was the first headliner to be confirmed for next year’s festival at the start of this month, and will top the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, June 25th.
“We are incredibly excited to announce that the one and only (Elton John) will headline the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night at Glastonbury 2023, for what will be the final UK show of his last ever tour,” the event’s social media announced.
Guns N Roses were the latest headline act to be confirmed for next year’s BST Hyde Park concert series in London.
They joined Billy Joel and P!NK who’ll also be topping bills at Hyde Park next summer, while Bruce Springsteen got the ball rolling for 2023 not long after this year’s events had wrapped up.
“As we wave goodbye to BST Hyde Park 2022, the most successful Hyde Park series ever, there is no bigger and better way to welcome in our 2023 edition than with another of the world’s greatest artists,” Jim King of AEG Presents said at the time.
The death of Christine McVie was announced after what her family described as a ‘short illness’.
After impressing on the late sixties’ blues scene, McVie joined Fleetwood Mac full time in 1970 and would go on to play a leading role in one of the most storied eras of any rock band, contributing several hit tracks to their biggest selling albums.
“On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death,” a statement from her family read.
The Walkmen added more US shows to their live comeback next year.
Now set to encompass a five-night run at Webster Hall in New York, the tour will move into May 2023 with shows in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Chicago.
“Back in 2013, an unnamed Walkmen band member (Peter Bauer) announced to the Washington Post that we were going on an ‘extreme hiatus’,” Hamilton Leithauser said of their comeback.
Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, The Killers, Foals, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons were all announced as headliners for next year’s Reading/Leeds Festival.
“I first went to Leeds Festival with Dean when we were teenagers,” Fender said. “We had a wild time, a rite of passage. Ten years later and we’re headlining. I’m so excited, it’s going to be fucking intergalactic! See you down the front.”
Loyle Carner and Wet Leg will both be performing before Fender on Main Stage East, while slowthai, Becky Hill and Inhaler are some of the confirmed artists.
Slaves’ Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman announced they’re back working together, but are doing so under the new name Soft Play.
“Until now, we’ve not been able to comment on what’s going on with the band, as life changing events have left us on hiatus, just trying to get through each day,” a statement from the duo read.
“There were times over the last few years when we never thought we would ever step foot on a stage together again. However we feel that the time has now come to pick up where we left off. Before we do that though, we want to address something important.”
The Weeknd revealed he will return to the UK on August 18th next year for a concert at Wembley Stadium in London.
It added to the already confirmed UK concerts at the London Stadium and Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, and was one of a number of new shows added to the European leg of the After Hours Til Dawn world tour.
They also include additional nights in Stockholm, Amsterdam, Brussels and Milan.
