Music

Green Day reflect on early beginnings: “We were not about politics at all”

• Green Day say their early career "was not about politics at all"
• Comment highlights contrast with band's later political reputation
• Full article details beyond the headline quote were not available

Green Day have reflected on their early years as a band, saying that despite later becoming known for outspoken political statements, their beginnings were not driven by politics at all. The remarks, attributed to the band in a recent interview, offer a contrast between the group's punk-rock origins…

Queens of the Stone Age launch complaint hotline for “gripes and grievances”

For fans, friends, and foes. The post Queens of the Stone Age launch complaint hotline for “gripes and grievances” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Arankai Announces New Album ‘The Shape Of Blue’

• Arankai announce album "The Shape Of Blue", out 30 October
• Follows last year's "A Portrait Of Red" via Hopeless Records
• New single "I Hope It Hurts" released alongside the announcement

Metalcore act Arankai has announced their new album, "The Shape Of Blue", set for release on 30 October via Hopeless Records. It follows "A Portrait Of Red", which came out the previous year, and continues the band's exploration of themes such as rebellion, pride and sacrifice, though this…

The 1976 Rush album made as a ‘screw you’ to their label: “You can’t tell us what to do”

• Rush made "2112" in 1976 to defy their record label.
• Mercury Records wanted shorter, more commercial songs.
• The gamble succeeded, boosting Rush's career and creative freedom.

Far Out Magazine revisits the story behind Rush's 1976 album "2112", made as a defiant response to pressure from their record label. After the poor commercial performance of 1975's "Caress of Steel", Mercury Records pushed the Canadian trio to write shorter, more radio-friendly songs, but the band instead…

4 Well-Worn Country Hits That Every 90s Kid Still Knows by Heart

• Article lists four beloved 1990s country hits still fondly remembered today
• Featured artists: Tim McGraw, Trisha Yearwood, Alan Jackson, George Strait
• All four songs were major chart successes in their time

American Songwriter has published a nostalgic list celebrating four country songs from the 1990s that remain widely recognised by listeners who grew up in that decade. The piece highlights the enduring popularity of 90s country music, arguing that the genre produced some of its finest work during that…

The 1991 Guns N’ Roses song that Axl Rose regrets making: “I was set up”

• Axl Rose regrets "My World", a 1991 Use Your Illusion II closing track.
• The largely electronic solo track baffled fans and critics.
• Rose says he felt "set up" over its creation and release.

Axl Rose has looked back with regret at "My World", the strange, largely electronic closing track he wrote and recorded alone for Guns N' Roses' 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. The song marked a sharp departure from the band's hard rock sound, and its inclusion has long…

Faster broadband rollout continues in rural areas

• Over 60,000 rural Yorkshire and Lincolnshire homes now have ultra-fast broadband.
• Project Gigabit aims to connect 123,000 regional premises, £300m government-funded.
• Quickline holds the contract; 99% UK coverage targeted by 2032.

More than 60,000 rural homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have now been connected to ultra-fast broadband under the government-funded Project Gigabit scheme. The rollout matters because it targets areas the commercial market has largely bypassed, as providers often deem rural connections too costly or unprofitable to…

Kathy Griffin claims Dave Grohl blanked her at the airport after Donald Trump photo scandal

• Kathy Griffin says Dave Grohl ignored her at JFK Airport.
• She links the snub to her 2017 Trump photo scandal fallout.
• Grohl has not commented on Griffin's claims.

Kathy Griffin has claimed that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl blanked her during an encounter at a US airport, an incident she attributes to her 2017 photo scandal involving Donald Trump. Griffin caused widespread controversy that year after posing with a fake, bloodied severed head resembling the president,…

Manchester’s Beyond The Music Announces First Speaker Lineup for 2026 Event

• Beyond The Music 2026 speaker lineup announced for 7–9 October in Salford
• RCA UK's Stacey Tang and Mayor Bev Craig among confirmed speakers
• Event includes an AI summit convened by ex-mayor, now PM, Andy Burnham

Manchester's Beyond The Music conference has revealed the first speakers confirmed for its 2026 event, due to take place at the MediaCity UK complex in Salford from 7 to 9 October. The announcement matters because the conference, now in its fourth year, has become a significant fixture in…

The 1971 pop song even Leonard Bernstein thought was “too complex to get all of first time around”

• Bernstein called "Surf's Up" too complex to grasp on first listen in 1966.
• He rated Brian Wilson among pop's most important musicians of the era.
• The song's classical-style structure drew comparisons to Franz Schubert.

In 1966, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein publicly praised pop music's growing sophistication, singling out the Beach Boys' "Surf's Up" as an example so intricate that listeners could not absorb it fully on a first hearing. Speaking on CBS's "Inside Pop," Bernstein argued that pop, despite being dismissed…