What could be better after a hard day’s sightseeing? Visitors to Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles, can rest their heads in the Lennon or McCartney suites at the Fab Four-themed Hard Days Night Hotel that opened Friday. More than 45 years after John, Paul, George and Ringo emerged from Liverpool’s tiny, sweaty clubs to conquer the world, the Beatles industry is key to this battered-but-proud city’s attempt to transform itself from fading commercial hub to thriving cultural hotbed. The 110-room Hard Days Night Hotel hopes to be its newest attraction. “It’s stunning, spectacular,” said Julia Baird, John Lennon’s half-sister, after… Read more »
Liverpool plans a tribute concert this month for George Harrison, who died of cancer on Nov. 29 at age 58. Organizers, who include Liverpool City Council and the British Broadcasting Corp., did not announce the performers but promised “a host of big names.” Money raised from the Feb. 24 show at the Liverpool Empire will be donated to cancer charities. Mike Storey, leader of Liverpool City Council said Monday that the former Beatle was “a true Scouser” – the slang term for a Liverpudlian – “who never forgot his roots.” “He was a great ambassador for the city and popular… Read more »
The birthplace of the world’s most famous band the Beatles remembered George Harrison on Saturday as an inspirational musician, a spiritual man of conviction and a reluctant celebrity. Outside the Liverpool house where Harrison was born 58 years ago, fans from as far afield the United States and Australia braved the northern English cold to pay tribute to the man known as the “Quiet Beatle.” “George: a man of conviction along with John. Rest in peace,” said a note written by a fan placed with a bunch of flowers on the windowsill of the tiny house in Arnold Grove. Eddie… Read more »
After teasing the cover, David Byrne has finally released his reimagination of Paramore‘s “Hard Times.” This follows the band’s take on Byrne’s classic track “Burning Down The House,” which they covered as part of the Talking Heads tribute album Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense via A24 Music. Both tracks will be out on April 20 for Record Store Day on a limited 12″ LP. “The band told me that their song ‘Hard Times’ was inspired by Talking Heads,” Byrne said in a Twitter post. “So I learned and recorded my version of their great song with a horn section.” Fascinatingly, this arrives… Read more »
Everyone has their favorite record, song, and artists they live for. That also includes the Grammy-winning trio Paramore. BrooklynVegan interviewed the 2024 Record Store Day Ambassadors about what they love listening to. As emo staples, it completely makes sense that one of the first records vocalist Hayley Williams bought was from another iconic act. “Thursday’s Full Collapse, on white vinyl,” she explains in the interview. Drummer Zac Farro jumps in that while he doesn’t fully remember what his first vinyl purchase was and says it might’ve been one of many albums from The Beatles. He also recalls what CD he… Read more »
Megan Thee Stallion isn’t only a chart-topping queen of rap with such hits as “HISS” and “Savage,” she. is an alternative lover through and through. Aside from loving anime and even being a 2024 Crunchyroll Awards presenter, she is also an alt baddie for her recent collaboration with Spiritbox. Together, the two artists made the “Cobra (Rock Remix)” which reimagined Megan‘s original “Cobra” with a heavy metal edge. In a recently released Women’s Health cover interview, she shared that she even listens to Paramore when she works out. “The hotties that know me wouldn’t be surprised to know that like… Read more »
Pop-punkers Gold Bloom have dropped their new single, “Clarity,” featuring As December Falls. They released a music video to accompany the track, and it’s in the place where most of us have a brain-blast moment: in the shower. This marks the Liverpool band’s first release of 2024. The video features vocalist Benji Yapp signing in the shower. Fully clothed with water pouring on him goes off throughout the song. “Clarity won’t you please come to me?/’Cause right now it’s getting hard to see you clearly,” evoke the catchy chorus. The complex bubblegum pop-punk tune is intoxicating to the point of… Read more »
Paramore is kicking off March with a brand-new video for their This Is Why track “Thick Skull.” The breezy, indie song’s visuals continue the story first started on “This Is Why.” At the end of the initial video, Hayley Williams is seen smearing red lipstick all over her face and staring at herself in the mirror. The “Thick Skull” music video opens up in the same setting as Williams solemnly sings, “I am a magnet for broken pieces/I am attracted to broken people.” Similar to “This Is Why,” this video is also directed by none other than Turnstile‘s lead vocalist… Read more »
Ahead of the release of her forthcoming record Girlfriend Material, Lauran Hibberd shared her new single “2nd prettiest girl (in the world)” with an accompanying music video. In her new pink-tinged production, Hibberd “got to make the video of my 11 year old dreams.” She continues, “I was always anxious to go to sleepovers, this is how they go right?” Basically, I wish every single sleepover of my youth was this colorful, cute, and supportive. With satirical lyrics over nostalgia-inducing pop-rock melodies, Hibberd sings, “I look better in silver, it matches my eyes/If I’m a first place loser, I guess… Read more »
Does the new Royal & The Serpent song bang? Well, it “kinda smacks” at the very least. The alt-indie artist teamed up with pop sensation GAYLE on this recent release out via Atlantic Records. It’s a blend of both their musical styles, adding a unique sign-off on this new era for both acts. “Your ex-boyfriend’s music kinda smacks/And it makes me kinda sad/’Cause I can’t stop listening,” opens the chorus in a whisper-equivalent tone that mimics telling a friend this potentially traitorous secret. At the same time, listeners subscribe to Royal’s energy to coincide with their “villain era,” while this… Read more »
