The Darkness live in Glasgow (Graham Noble for Live4ever)
A reissue from The Darkness and something brand new from Metric were among our biggest headlines last week.
The Darkness have added a reissue packed with B-sides, unreleased demos and live albums to the 20th anniversary celebrations surrounding their debut record Permission To Land.
Joining the European and UK tour dates, Permission To Land…Again will be available on various formats carrying their performances at the London Astoria and Knebworth Park supporting Robbie Williams in 2003, and Wembley Arena in 2004.
“So much has happened since the original release of Permission To Land that I can hardly believe it’s only been 20 years,” Justin Hawkins said.
Holly Humberstone has unveiled her debut album Paint My Bedroom Black with two of its tracks, Antichrist and Room Service.
“Antichrist is about a break up I went through a couple of years ago,” she explained. “I genuinely cared about this person and wanted so badly to make it work, but I knew something wasn’t right and my heart wasn’t in it.”
“I knew that I was inevitably going to have to hurt the person who I wanted so much to love. At the time I wrote the song, I remember feeling like I was constantly letting those around me down.”
The Eagles will be joined by Steely Dan when they begin their farewell with a North American tour later this year.
“Credit and thanks go to our longtime management team, our dedicated road crew, and our exceptional backup musicians for providing skilled and steadfast support, throughout these many years,” the statement continues.
“We know how fortunate we are, and we are truly grateful. Our long run has lasted far longer than any of us ever dreamed. But, everything has its time, and the time has come for us to close the circle. The official farewell tour is currently in the planning stages. We want to give all our fans a chance to see us on this final round.”
Metric live at the Manchester Academy on January 31st, 2023 (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
Metric will release a companion piece to last year’s Formentera album on October 13th.
Formentera II was recorded primarily at their own Main Street Studios near Toronto and is being trailed today with Just The Once, described by lead singer Emily Haines as ‘regret disco’:
“It’s a song for when you need to dance yourself clean. Beneath the sparkling surface, there’s a lyrical exploration of a simple word with many meanings. Once is a word that plays a game of opposites. Once can mean once-upon-a-time and refer to a moment in the past, or it can mean someday, once something happens.”
Nicky Wire has released his new solo album Intimism to Bandcamp.
“This record is a collage pieced together over the last decade,” the Manic Street Preachers bass player said.
“It’s as me as me can be – a distillation of my purest indie fantasies, a place where all those broken lists of regret have found themselves realigned. I found a musical and lyrical language I could call my own. A landscape of mundane miracles, interior monologues and lacerating self loathing. As the song says: ‘I am an -ist / I am an -ism / a lifelong affair with tunnel vision’.”
Courting have returned with a brand new single entitled Flex.
It comes after the band’s debut long player Guitar Music, released just under a year ago, and is introduced by Sean Murphy-O’Neil as being, ‘designed to be a theatrical performance, a short play’:
“Our protagonist is wealthy, successful, and famous…but at what cost? Our protagonist misses their ex (after seeing their glow-up), wears Ricks, chainsmokes, sends thought-out emails about their well-being to people they should’ve replied to sooner, and has increased their screen time by 25%. Flex is as sincere as we can be. Sometimes the lines between real life and fiction get blurred here, but we’re nothing if not committed.”
