Brian Jonestown Massacre @ The Pearl (Vancouver) Nov 17th 2025 Second Night

All photos taken in Vancouver by BEV DAVIES

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS SET 2026 U.S. TOUR DATES

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS SET 2026 U.S. TOUR DATES INCLUDE STOPS IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO, WASHINGTON D.C., BOSTON AND MORE TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PRESALE NOVEMBER 19, GENERAL ON-SALE DATE NOVEMBER 21 NEW FULL-LENGTH RECORD DUE NEXT YEAR Photo Courtesy of The New Pornographers November 18, 2025—The New Pornographers are set to tour the U.S. in 2026, kicking off their run on April 22 at The Wilbur in Boston with stops at New York’s Webster Hall, Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom, Chicago’s The Metro, Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club and many more, with support from Will Sheff of Okkervil River. Tickets are available for presale at thenewpornographers.com beginning Wednesday, November 19 at 10 A.M. local time, with the general on-sale beginning Friday, November 21 at 10 A.M. local time. Full details and list of dates can be found below. A portion of proceeds from presale tickets sold through the band’s website will be donated to upstate New York organization People’s Place, who are currently helping those whose SNAP food stamp benefits have been affected with their food pantry.  Frontperson A.C. Newman recently discussed the upcoming tour dates—as well as the new full-length album the band recently finished recording (due in 2026, details to come)—with Rolling Stone HERE. Since their debut in 2000, the band’s electrifying live show has been singled out for critical acclaim by the likes of NPR Music, Billboard, Consequence and more: “stunning” “songs suited for big rooms, all huge choruses and shimmering synthesizers” “They sounded better than they ever have. With often eight people onstage, four different lead vocalists, and a wide arrange of auxiliary instrumentation…it was a performance that their history and music deserved. It was simply great.” “The A.C. Newman-fronted ensemble bring a seasoned sensibility and a deft amount of showmanship to their shows.” “An immaculate set…It’s hard to pull off a truly collaborative feel when you boast singers like Neko Case and pop masterminds like Carl Newman, but the New Pornos have been doing it for decades and they sounded fresh and flawless on Sunday night.” The group’s most recent single, “Ballad of the Last Payphone,” is available as a limited 7-inch vinyl first release and is the subject of acclaim from Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum and more. Paste named it one of their Best New Songs, raving that “‘Ballad of the Last Payphone’ hits a different kind of nerve. Less giddy power-pop, more slow-burn meditation, the track leans into melancholy with acoustic strums, ghostly pedal steel, and vocals that swirl like a memory you can’t quite shake.” Listen to/share the single HERE. Further critical acclaim for The New Pornographers: “Over the course of their 20-plus-year career, the New Pornographers have often specialized in catchy ambiguity. If leader Carl Newman was just a machine cranking out power-pop tunes, it would get boring. But there’s also a lot of mixed emotions going on under the surface of their studiously nuanced pop-rock formalism—like if Cheap Trick was as quick-witted as Steely Dan, or the Romantics were as thoughtful as R.E.M.” “Pure, blissfully irresistible power pop” “[The New Pornographers] make catchy, sophisticated alternate-universe hits.” The New Pornographers have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut, Mass Romantic, reissued in 2021 to celebrate its 21st anniversary. Their latest, 2023’s Continue as a Guest, marked their debut for Merge Records; New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish,” while Brooklyn Vegan named it “one of The New Pornographers’ most lush albums, thick with synthesizers and horns and harmonies…their unique chemistry is as distinct and appealing as ever.” TOUR DATES April 22—Boston, MA—The Wilbur* April 23—New York, NY—Webster Hall* April 24—Glenside, PA—Keswick Theatre* April 25—Rochester, NY—Water Street Music Hall* April 27—Detroit, MI—El Club* April 29—Millvale, PA—Mr. Smalls Theatre* April 30—Cleveland, OH—House of Blues* May 1—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall* May 2—Minneapolis, MN—The Fitzgerald Theater* May 3—Chicago, IL—The Metro* May 5—Englewood, CO—Gothic Theatre* May 6—Salt Lake City, UT—The Commonwealth Room* May 8—Seattle, WA—The Showbox* May 9—Portland, OR—Aladdin Theater* May 11—San Francisco, CA—The Castro Theatre* May 12—Los Angeles, CA—Teragram Ballroom* May 13—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom* May 15—Austin, TX—Mohawk Outside* May 16—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater* May 17—Baton Rouge, LA—Chelsea's Live* May 19—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse* May 20—Saxapahaw, NC—Haw River Ballroom* May 21—Washington, DC—9:30 Club* *with Will Sheff (of Okkervil River)

congratulations Go Speed Dating in Whimsical New “Fought 4 Love” Video | Debut LP out Feb 13

congratulations Unleash “Fought 4 Love” Single + Video Available across platforms here Debut Album Join Hands due out February 13, 2026 via Bella Union Join Hands pre-order Singes: “This Life” “Fought 4 Love”

Credit: Josh Armstrong  Brighton-based four-piece congratulations will release their debut album Join Hands, February 13, 2026 via Bella Union. It is a high-powered, fast-paced 10 track collection of unbridled, intensely groovy indie dance rock and a bright-eyed plea to hang up your worries and let the good times roll. New single “Fought 4 Love” encapsulates the essence of congratulations. Kicking off with a floor-stomping riff that’s as groovy as it is thunderous, the dance rock-meets-new wave pop masterpiece is a Devo-inspired anti-love song. The music video, which is centred around a speed dating called ‘con-shag-u-lations’, supports this sentiment as it sees the band and the rest of the daters end up forgoing the date element and just enjoying each other’s company, ending with a giant party - whether the dates went well or not. Commenting on the track the band say: “There are so many songs out there about love; falling in love, being in love, but what about falling out of love? No, not a breakup song, there are plenty of those, this is an anti-love song, realising that sometimes letting go of love is the best thing for you, that we all grow up and apart and that’s actually fine - embrace this, celebrate it, move onto the next stage of your life, and enjoy your own company and have a great time.” Watch / Share “Fought 4 Love” Video Composed of Jamie Chellar on guitar, Greg Burns on bass, James Gillingham on drums and Leah Stanhope on vocals, the quartet is meticulous in their debauchery, diligently balancing ‘80s pop, ‘00s indie, and a modern-day rock experimentalism into something both deliciously nostalgic and firmly of-the-now. Clad in primary colour uniforms (the sobriquet “punk rock Power Rangers” has been lobbed in their direction on several occasions), and writing songs about delusional millennials, shadowy boogeymen and really good haircuts, congratulations have made a short-yet-dazzling career of never taking themselves too seriously—in fact, they might be the band who take not taking themselves seriously the most seriously ever.  Produced by Luke Phillips (experimental Bella Union pop artist ICEBEING), congratulations bring a youthful modern touch to their deep appreciation of 1980s pop music, citing Prince, Madonna, and Devo as core references. Join Hands is the magical result when four unique individuals with a shared creative vision come together and make something bigger than themselves. It’s like the uniforms—sure, they look great onstage, but in a weird way, they’re also a metaphor for how the band operates, four musicians delighting in finding their common ground. “There's no point in us trying to all wear the same thing because all of us are so different,” says Jamie with a laugh. “It's exactly the same in songwriting, isn't it?,” posits Leah. “We're never going to agree, are we?”   “Yeah,” concludes Jamie, “But somehow, it works.” Website | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

JOANNA share "Bandit Country" from lost 1990 debut album 'Hello Flower', to finally be released on Dec 5th via New Feelings.

JOANNA - Share new track "Bandit Country" - From long lost unreleased 1989 debut album - 'Hello Flower' out December 5th on New Feelings - Sold out album launch show in Manchester on December 13th

Today Manchester band Joanna share a third look at their long lost debut album 'Hello Flower', which will finally be released on December 5th via New Feelings, 35 years after intended. In 1989, Joanna were on the cusp of something bigger, their sound alive with the same electricity sparking through the North West of England. Yet in a world where gatekeepers decided who would rise and who would vanish, their debut never saw daylight. Now, ‘Hello Flower’ blooms at last — a time-capsule of youthful abandon, freed from the silence it was once consigned to, and finally able to be heard on its own terms.  Following previous singles "If You Don't Want Me To" and "Gardeners' World", today they share a third look at the record with "Bandit Country" - a track that is pulsing, catchy and flickers with the brightest sounds of the Madchester era. “'Bandit Country' is about navigating the years after leaving school and growing into adulthood" the band explain. "Neil's brother-in-law would refer to areas of other towns you'd have to get through to go and watch Liverpool FC (where the locals would want to beat you up) as "bandit country". Neil took it as describing life in general when you have no idea what you want to do, never mind how you're going to get there." Listen to "Bandit Country" on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CJkLNUmKAnI Also on: Spotify | Apple Music It’s 1989. The Stone Roses are dominating the Indie scene and music press. Happy Mondays are laying the foundations of what would come to be known as the Madchester era with chaotic live performances. All eyes are on the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Along the East Lancs Road, throughout industrial heartlands between Manchester and Liverpool, punctuated by woollyback accents, four young musicians meet and form the next contender for the scene’s attention, Joanna. Neil Holliday (vocals) and Terry Lloyd (bass), work colleagues from Runcorn and Widnes, join forces with Leigh Music College students Tyrone Holt (guitar) and Carl Alty (drums). They hail from thoroughly working-class backgrounds, raised by hard working dads and harder working mothers. Rejected by other local bands because of their perceived youthful naïveté, the four lads create a world of their own inside Pentagon Studios in Widnes. This world includes a stolen smoke machine and strobe lights, a wooden shack to prevent feedback on the vocals, and the occasional friend who would dance around wildly.   “I think the first tune we rehearsed was called (I Wanna) Marry Joanna,” says Holliday, “I’d never sang into a mic before and had no clue about levels, amps or speakers and started sweating after a couple of failed attempts to vocalise the words I had on a scrap of paper about smoking weed.”   Each track on 'Hello Flower' came together in the Pentagon rehearsal room, a fusion of hard-edged indie rock with bass funk rhythms and crunching guitar riffs spiraling into infinity. With a clear sixties influence, Joanna was impossible to ignore and irresistibly danceable. Listening back today, their music evokes fantasies of Hacienda acid trip jubilees, where the hook is secondary to the groove and attitude. Organic and jammy, their demos are infused with a kinetic energy, full of the defining youthful experience of figuring it out.   Their momentum grew quickly. They were interviewed on the cult Kiss FM by future Best Selling author and filmmaker Jon Ronson, performed at the 1500 capacity Ritz in Manchester, International 1 and Liverpool Polytechnic. The band secured coveted support slots for established acts of the time including Shack, Dr. Phibes and the House of Wax Equations, Rig, and Asia Fields. After recording several demos, Joanna had the opportunity to perform in London.   It seemed like a given. The A&R people would show up, the band would sign a contract backstage, and their local-legend status would evolve into international superstardom. They were already mentioning an upcoming record deal in interviews, with a bravado that inspired one journalist to describe Joanna as epitomising “the simple beauty of youth.” Bands like World of Twist, Charlatans, Rig and Paris Angels had all followed a similar route towards recognition and secured record deals. A few hours before their fateful London show after the band had sound-checked, singer Neil bumped into a girl he knew from school. She had started dating a guy with a good job and settled into London life and escaped beyond their small-town limitations. She’d made it out. Neil puffed out his chest and let her know about Joanna’s big show and imminent success. She laughed. Neil returned to the venue in a black mood, leading to a domino-like fall of morale. They were never offered a record deal.   When the long shadows of doubt crept up on them, Joanna started to lose its magic. Wounded, they limped along for another year, never recovering their initial verve. This story doesn’t have the happy ending of instant success, but it does preserve something much more ephemeral and unique. Joanna constantly brushed shoulders with fame as manager and friend Martin Royle pulled the strings with a quiet determination in the background. A major player in the Liverpool scene, Dave Pichilingi, offered to manage the band. The Boardwalk, which later became the rehearsal space for Oasis, asked Joanna to headline their re-opening after a major refurb, selling the venue out. Was a certain young roadie called Noel Gallagher there to witness the evening while he was putting his own band together? Definitely. Maybe. Hand-written letters on headed stationery, recently found in the attic of the Isle of Man home of Royle, show labels like Rough Trade, Factory Records and Polydor courted and encouraged the band to keep playing and recording.   Thirty-five years later, these long-forgotten ¼-inch reel tapes from Pentagon Studios were discovered in the loft of a mutual friend, their manager having handed them off to him 24 years earlier. These musical time capsules contained tracks the band members themselves hadn't heard in over three decades, offering a poignant reconnection with their creative past and tantalising glimpses of what might have been. “We realised we were actually as good as we remembered,” says Alty. The memories between the band members are blurred and contradictory but the tapes hold everything together, they are real, definite and irrefutable. With the release of 'Hello Flower', Joanna is no longer “the most popular band without a record out,” as NME called them in 1990, but their singular spirit is now available for anyone who wants a taste. The simple beauty of youth can only be experienced when you are invincible, fulfilling your natural destiny, buoyed by complete optimism… This record captures innocence untainted by failure. Beyond analysis, beyond critique, just lost in the groove.   Joanna will play a sold out show at Manchester's Low Four Studio on Saturday December 13th. More information here.  ‘Hello Flower' track list: A If You Don't Want Me To (Link) Bandit Country (Link) Hey Presto Weather Vane B Mr. Sunshine Hello Flower It's Worth A Try Gardeners' World (Link)   ‘Hello Flower’ artwork: Links: Instagram | Bandcamp

Autobiography From SIMON RAYMONDE (Cocteau Twins, Bella Union), 'In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor And Me'

SIMON RAYMONDE (COCTEAU TWINS, BELLA UNION) IN ONE EAR: COCTEAU TWINS, IVOR AND ME Award-Winning Autobiography Out Today via Bonnier Books;  Order HERE Read Excerpt About First Cocteau Twins Meeting via Rolling Stone; Reddit Indieheads AMA Today @ 3p ET / 12p PT

PRAISE FOR 'IN ONE EAR: COCTEAU TWINS, IVOR AND ME' Elton John: “This is a wonderful book of pop music history. A man obsessed with the beauty of creative artists and wanting to create his own legacy and to enable other musicians to have a voice by releasing their magic. We need more people like him in a world full of mass-produced mediocrity.” Cillian Murphy: “A beautiful, insightful and honest look into the life of legend and musical polymath Simon Raymonde.” Shirley Manson (Garbage): “Simon Raymonde has helped write some of the most celestial and influential music ever created and that is just one part of his remarkable story. He recounts it here with great command, insight and wit. So moving, so honest and disarmingly charming. I was riveted and I remain devoted.” Observer: “Reads like a love letter to a charmed life lived through music. What this book does best is send you back to the music”

Today – on the heels of a sold out North American book tour with additional dates to come in 2026 – Bonnier Books releases In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor And Me in North America. The award-winning autobiography from British producer, musician and record-company CEO Simon Raymonde is available here: https://geni.us/InOneEar. And, to celebrate the release of the book, Simon will also join fans for a Reddit Indieheads AMA today at 3pm ET / 12p PT HERE.  Raymonde helped to create some of the most beautiful and memorable albums of the '80s and '90s. From 1983 to 1997, he was one-third of seminal band Cocteau Twins and associated offshoot This Mortal Coil where he helped create music that continues to cast a spell over millions. He also launched and still runs the influential record label, Bella Union. Read an excerpt from the book where Simon first meets his Cocteau Twins bandmates while working at the Beggars Banquet record store via Rolling Stone HERE.  Throughout the riveting book, Simon revisits his remarkable childhood, exploring his relationship with his father, Ivor Raymonde – the legendary producer, musician and arranger for acts such as the Walker Brothers and songwriter for artists including Dusty Springfield; journeys from his early days at rise to prominence and his time with Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil; and charts the successful career he has forged running his own label, Bella Union, since 1997 – discovering, developing and working with globally renowned artists like Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty and John Grant. And the narrative leads readers back to the present day, reflecting on Simon's most recent experiences in the music industry, all while going deaf in one ear. A must-read for music fans, this is the incredible tale of Simon's life and legacy – his story in his words. For a taste of the stories found throughout the book, listen to his recent interview with Alison Stewart on WNYC’s All Of It HERE.

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