“The end is the beginning”

NEW STUDIO ALBUM TITLED
The Mountain
COMING MARCH 20, 2026

FIRST TRACK 
“The Happy Dictator” (feat. Sparks)

OUT NOW!
LISTEN HERE // WATCH VISUALIZER HERE

The Mountain – Album Cover Art
DOWNLOAD HIGH RES IMAGERY HERE

THE MOUNTAIN TOUR 2026

UK & IRELAND ARENA TOUR 
OPENING MARCH 21st, 2026 IN MANCHESTER 

PLUS FIRST HEADLINE STADIUM SHOW  
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM
SATURDAY JUNE 20th, 2026
WITH SUPPORT ARTISTS
SPARKS AND TRUENO 

TOUR TICKETS & INFORMATION AT GORILLAZ.COM

Gorillaz will release a brand new studio album titled The Mountain on March 20th, 2026, the first on the band’s own new label KONG. First track “The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)” is out now, listen HERE. Watch visualizer HERE.

The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’ collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.  

Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, various locations in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi, as well as Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. 

The artwork for The Mountain sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D’s time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12×12 prints. 

“A quarter of a century on, Albarn and Hewlett are still legions ahead of the pack.” — LONDON EVENING STANDARD

Today’s announcement also comes with news of The Mountain Tour which will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland in Spring 2026, with support from Trueno on selected dates, and follows the sold-out 5-star House of Kong exhibition and four triumphant performances at Copper Box Arena which saw The Guardian hail Gorillaz as “still riveting and relevant”, and included a very special surprise performance of The Mountain for fans at last week’s Mystery Show. The Mountain Tour will kick off in Manchester on March 21st, 2026, with dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin; plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday June 20th, 2026, with support from Sparks and Trueno. Dates and ticket information below and at Gorillaz.com. 

Circumstances now find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of four fake passports courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, with our heroes now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making, as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

Gorillaz drummer Russel Hobbs said – “As space dust we are here forever and that’s a mighty long time. This is a musical meditation infused with light. A journey of the soul, with beats…“

This week, fans around the world celebrated the long-awaited return of Kong Studios – the home of Gorillaz. The band’s HQ since early 2000 (before falling into disrepair and eventually being burnt to the ground by Murdoc in 2008), the original Kong Studios was a ground-breaking virtual gathering place for fans, allowing them to connect and explore the band’s living quarters and recording studio, listen to music, play games, fight zombies, and much more. Now faithfully restored to its former glory, Kong Studios is back with a fresh lick of paint as a gamified, online fan experience. Visit Kong Studios HERE.

The Mountain – Album Tracklisting:

1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)’
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)

The Mountain will be available in the following formats: Digital Download; Standard CD; Deluxe 2CD (incl. selection of Mystery Show live tracks); Standard Vinyl; Hardback Book Vinyl Edition; Limited Edition Collectors Box (incl. Art Prints). Pre-order HERE.

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

Download High Res Press Imagery HERE. 
Pre-order/pre-save The Mountain HERE.

Gorillaz – The Mountain Tour 2026 – Dates:
March 21 – MANCHESTER, Co-op Live
March 22 – BIRMINGHAM, bp pulse LIVE
March 24 – GLASGOW, OVO Hydro*
March 25 – LEEDS, First Direct Arena*
March 27 – CARDIFF, Utilita Arena*
March 28 – NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena*
March 29 – LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena*
March 31 – BELFAST, SSE Arena*
April 1 – DUBLIN, 3Arena*

*support from Trueno

June 20 – LONDON, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
With support from Sparks and Trueno

The Mountain Tour – Tickets and Information: www.gorillaz.com

Gorillaz mailing list presale begins 11am BST on Wednesday September 17th. This presale will only be accessible to those who register in advance before 5pm BST on Tuesday, September 16th. General on sale begins 11am BST on Friday, September 19th.

About Gorillaz:
Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colorful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways. Based at Kong Studios, Gorillaz settled into a life of musical innovation with an eye-wateringly exciting roster of collaborators, a list that includes musical legends, geniuses and future stars from Elton John to Little Simz, MF DOOM to Jean-Michel Jarre, Grace Jones to slowthai, Kali Uchis to Sidiki Diabaté, plus so many more. With eight albums to their name, Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez (2020) and Cracker Island (2023), Gorillaz is a truly global phenomenon, achieving success in entirely new and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.

About KONG:
KONG is Gorillaz’ own label. The band’s ninth studio album The Mountain is KONG’s first release, with global digital and physical distribution via The Orchard.About Sparks:
Most other musicians, when they’ve been working for over half a century, are resting on their
laurels, basking in the warm glow of their heritage, accepting the odd Lifetime Achievement
Award, playing the odd Greatest Hits tour and concentrating on shifting their back catalogue.
But Sparks are not most other musicians. They are utterly unique. Levels of interest in the
work of Sparks – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – are at heights unsurpassed in their 50+
year career, with the ultimate cult band now centre stage in the full beam of the spotlight.
Now into their sixth decade of making music, Sparks have never been more relevant.

C.Y.M. 
NEW SELF-TITLED ALBUM OUT OCTOBER 17 
“Life of Mine” Featuring Day Wave Out Now
Watch the video HERE

Album art by Colin Fletcher

C.Y.M., the duo consisting of Chris Baio (Vampire Weekend, Baio) and Mike Greene (Fort Romeau), have announced the release of their self-titled, debut full-length album, out October 17th. 
The eponymous album was produced by Baio and Greene and mixed by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, blur, Jamie XX, Caribou), and will be released physically and digitally worldwide via ADA. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available HERE 

The album is influenced by classic artist/producer-helmed albums of the turn of the century (think Moon Safari by Air and Psyence Fiction by Unkle), and heavily informed by the duo’s encyclopedic knowledge and appreciation of a wide spectrum of genres spanning krautrock, shoegaze, indie, industrial and soul. These diverse and seemingly incongruous sonic references and influences were channeled into 10 meticulously and skillfully crafted songs that form C.Y.M.’s surprisingly cohesive first longplayer. Recorded over the course of four years in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Glasgow and Lagos, why the song titles refer to Italian cities is an unfolding mystery. 

The highly collaborative album features guests including Los Angeles’s Day Wave, New York’s Cherry Glazerr, Lagos’s SOLIS4EVR and rising Crenshaw rapper Nana.

C.Y.M. have also released their new single, “Life of Mine” featuring indie darling Jackson Phillips, the “stratospheric shoegaze” artist known as Day Wave. An irresistible earworm that sets a hazy vocal tinged with longing atop an entrancing cascade of emo, shoegaze and  psychedelia, “Life of Mine” makes a strong case for itself as the final feel good soundtrack of summer 2025. The accompanying video, directed and filmed by creative director Tom Mull takes the viewer on a “day in the life” skateboard ride through Los Angeles’s east side. The resultant daydream-y escape, starring the world’s cutest skater couple, is as addictive as the song that serves as its score. Come along for the ride and watch the video HERE

The tracklist for C.Y.M. is: 

Justify 
Life of Mine (featuring Day Wave) 
Roma 
City Lights (featuring SOLIS4EVR) 
Catania 
Give Me One Night (featuring Cherry Glazer) 
Milazzo 
Catch Me If You Can (featuring Nana) 
Never Let Me Go 
Positano

For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/c.y.m.official?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

WINGS
Definitive self-titled collection to be released across multiple formats

Available November 7, 2025
Pre-order HERE

Watch the trailer HERE

WINGS is the ultimate anthology of the band that defined the sound of the 1970s. Personally overseen by Paul McCartney, WINGS is available in an impressive array of beautifully designed formats – all including the timeless international hits “Band on the Run, “Live and Let Die,” “Jet” and “Let ‘Em In” – songs that still feature in Paul McCartney’s live shows to this day.

WINGS arrives in a remarkable variety of formats, including the stunning 3LP Limited Edition Color Vinyl collection, a lovingly curated time capsule of imagery and music for the mega Wings fan, through to the 1CD and 1LP versions for those embarking on their first flights with Wings and/or just beginning a deeper dive into this stage of Paul’s unparalleled career.

All physical formats come with a booklet including an introduction from Paul. 3LP and 2CD editions include an expanded 32-page booklet featuring photographs, artwork, paintings, trivia, and information about the band. The artwork for WINGS was overseen alongside Paul by Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell of Hipgnosis — the iconic design studio that worked with Paul for seven Wings albums, including Band on the Run, Venus and Mars, Wings Over America, and Wings Greatest. The expanded booklet includes extensive album-by-album notes on the artwork written by Po, with additional editorial by Pete Paphides and features original artwork by Humphrey Ocean – who first worked with Wings on some of the artwork for Wings at the Speed of Sound before being invited by Paul and Linda on tour in 1976 as their artist in residence — rendering behind-the-scenes sketches of the band.

The Blu-ray version of WINGS is the first time Wings songs are available on a physical format in Dolby Atmos.

See a complete list of formats and/or pre-order WINGS HERE.

This collection charts the story of a band as it became one of the biggest-selling acts of all time. With US #1 singles including “My Love,” “Band on the Run,” “Listen to  What the Man Said,” “Silly Love Songs,” and “With a Little Luck” (featured on all WINGS formats) and over 22 million albums sold around the world, Wings defied expectations. “Mull of Kintyre” became the first single in the UK to sell more than two million copies – overtaking “She Loves You” to become the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK.

At their core Wings were a great rock band, but as WINGS amply demonstrates, they were so much more: The sprawling compilation showcases the band’s versatility with a staggering tracklisting that spans pop, folk, soul, reggae and experimentation with songs like “C Moon,” “Goodnight Tonight,” “Arrow Through Me,”“Wild Life” and more. 

Following the breakup of The Beatles, McCartney found himself adrift, having parted ways with his lifelong collaborators and closest friends. He missed the camaraderie, the creative spark that came from being in a band. Faced with the daunting choice of walking away from music or starting over, Wings was born.

Formed in 1971 with his wife Linda McCartney and guitarist Denny Laine, Wings quickly became Paul’s vehicle for both personal healing and artistic rebirth. Over the course of a decade, the band released seven studio albums and charted an ambitious, unpredictable journey that blended musical experimentation with global success. Rather than rely on past glories, Wings forged their own identity, often in the face of critical skepticism and frequent lineup changes. Their story is one of triumph, resilience, and a deep belief in the power of reinvention.

WINGS
TRACK LISTINGS:

3LP / 2CD / Blu-ray / Digital
Band on the Run (2010 Remaster)
Hi, Hi, Hi (2018 Remaster)
Silly Love Songs (2014 Remaster)
Letting Go (2014 Remaster)
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five (2010 Remaster)  

Live and Let Die (2018 Remaster)
Mamunia (2010 Remaster)
Junior’s Farm (2014 Remaster)
Helen Wheels (2022 Remaster)
Some People Never Know (2018 Remaster)

Let ’Em In (2014 Remaster)
Get on the Right Thing (2018 Remaster)
Jet (2010 Remaster)
My Love (2018 Remaster)
Call Me Back Again (2014 Remaster)

Getting Closer (2022 Remaster)
Listen to What the Man Said (2014 Remaster)
I’ve Had Enough (2022 Remaster)
Love Is Strange (2018 Remaster)
London Town (2022 Remaster)
Arrow Through Me (2016 Remaster)

Venus and Mars/Rock Show (2022 Remaster)
She’s My Baby (2014 Remaster)
Bluebird (2010 Remaster)
Deliver Your Children (2022 Remaster)
Let Me Roll It (2010 Remaster)
Mull of Kintyre (2016 Remaster)

Wild Life (2018 Remaster)
C Moon (2018 Remaster)
With a Little Luck (2018 Remaster)
Soily
Goodnight Tonight (2016 Remaster)

1LP / 1CD / Digital
Band on the Run (2010 Remaster)
Let ’Em In (2014 Remaster)
Jet (2010 Remaster)
With a Little Luck (DJ Edit) (2016 Remaster)
Arrow Through Me (2016 Remaster)
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five (2010 Remaster)

Silly Love Songs (2014 Remaster)
My Love (2018 Remaster)
Live and Let Die (2018 Remaster)
Listen to What the Man Said (2014 Remaster)
Goodnight Tonight (2016 Remaster)
Mull of Kintyre (2016 Remaster)

RADIOHEAD ANNOUNCE A SERIES OF EUROPEAN LIVE DATES FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 2025 

Ticket registration opens Friday September 5th at Radiohead.com

Radiohead have announced a run of 20 shows to take place in five cities across Europe. The band will play shows in Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen and Berlin.

In a message to fans today, Radiohead’s Philip Selway said:

“Last year, we got together to rehearse, just for the hell of it. After a seven year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us. It also made us want to play some shows together, so we hope you can make it to one of the upcoming dates. For now, it will just be these ones but who knows where this will all lead.”

The dates are: 

NOVEMBER 

04,05,07,08        MOVISTAR ARENA MADRID, SPAIN 
14,15,17,18        UNIPOL ARENA, BOLOGNA, ITALY  
21,22,24,25        THE O2, LONDON, ENGLAND 

DECEMBER 

01,02,04,05        ROYAL ARENA, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK 
08,09,11,12        UBER ARENA, BERLIN, GERMANY 

To help get tickets directly to fans and to minimize interception from touts and bots, tickets will only be accessible by registering at radiohead.com. Registration opens this Friday September 5th at 10am BST/11am CEST and closes 60 hours later at 10pm BST/11pm CEST on Sunday September 7th.  

The ticket sale itself begins on September 12th – for more information visit www.radiohead.comEarlier this month, Radiohead digitally released the live album, Hail to the Thief – Live Recordings 2003-2009. The tracks were originally gathered as research for Thom Yorke’s arrangements for the stage production, Hamlet Hail to the Thief. The live record will be physically released on Friday October 31st 2025.

PETER McPOLAND

ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

 TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th

NEW ALBUM, BIG LUCKY, OUT SEPTEMBER 26th

Following last week’s exciting announcement of his fourth full-length album, Big Lucky (out September 26th), Peter McPoland announces the accompanying tour today. 

Spanning both coasts and a total of 30 dates, The Big Lucky tour will commence at The Roxy in Los Angeles on November 3rd. Peter will be accompanied on his upcoming tour by his childhood best friends and fellow musicians that now serve as his band – Joe Curtin, Landon Laney, and Josh Suarez. For a full list of tour dates, see below.

With over 450 million streams on Spotify alone, Peter has touched scores of fans worldwide. The sheer scale of his reach has led to several headlining national tours of his own as well as arena outings supporting the likes of Twenty One Pilots and Imagine Dragons. Peter frequently finds himself carrying out such energetic performances that he has – on many occasions – injured himself on stage and carried on with the show. Some may even remember the appearance of a bedazzled foot cast onstage. 

Local/Live Nation Presales begin Wednesday, September 3rd at 10am local times, Spotify presales begin Thursday, September 4th at 10am local times, and General Onsale commences Friday, September 5th at 10am local time. For a full list of dates and access to tickets please visit https://www.petermcpoland.com/tour

Peter McPoland
Big Lucky Tour
2025

11/03/25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre
11/05/25 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
11/07/25 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
11/08/25 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall
11/10/25 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
11/12/25 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
11/13/25 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
11/16/25 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
11/17/25 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
11/19/25 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
11/20/25 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
02/17/26 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
02/18/26 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
02/20/26 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
02/21/26 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
02/22/26 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
02/24/26 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
02/26/26 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel
02/27/26 – Boston, MA – Royale
02/28/26 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
03/02/26 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
03/03/26 – Detroit, MI – Shelter
03/05/26 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
03/06/26 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
03/07/26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave
03/09/26 – Omaha, NE – Slow Down
03/10/26 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
03/12/26 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
03/13/26 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s Tavern
03/14/26 – Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge

blur

The Great Escape

30th ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE COLORED VINYL EDITION COMING DECEMBER 12th

PLUS NEW CAPSULE MERCH COLLECTION

AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW

VISIT THE BLUR STORE FOR ALL INFO

“The Great Escape is so rammed with tunes, ideas, emotions, humour, tragedy, farce, and edgy beauty that it’s utterly beyond contemporary compare.” – NME (1995)

The Great Escape turns 30 this year and to celebrate, this seminal album from one of Britain’s most beloved bands will be available in a very special, brand new Half Speed Mastered Double-Disc Colored Vinyl Edition; out December 12th via Parlophone.

The Great Escape (30th Anniversary Edition) features the 15-track standard album (Disc One); as well as a collection of rare B-sides and bonus tracks (Disc Two) from the album era, several of which are previously unreleased on vinyl; available on yellow and turquoise vinyl and beautifully housed in a gatefold cover sleeve featuring all-new expanded artwork by artist and designer Tony Hung. 

Released to widespread critical acclaim on September 11th 1995, The Great Escape is blur’s fourth studio album, the follow-up to Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree’s international breakthrough release, Parklife (1994). Featuring a run of hit singles – “Country House,”  “The Universal,” “Stereotypes,” and “Charmless Man”- The Great Escape debuted at #1 on the UK Album Charts and went on to achieve triple Platinum status in the UK. The four singles have combined UK sales of over 1.8m, with over 61m YouTube views and combined global streams of 335m+ to date. 

A brand new 5-piece capsule collection of new bespoke merch by Tony Hung to mark the 30th anniversary of The Great Escape will launch on December 12th. To pre order, visit the blur store.

The complete track listing for The Great Escape (30th Anniversary Edition) is: 

DISC 1 (yellow vinyl):

Side A:

1. Stereotypes
2. Country House
3. Best Days
4. Charmless Man
5. Fade Away
6. Top Man
7. The Universal

Side B:

1. Mr. Robinson’s Quango
2. He Thought Of Cars
3. It Could Be You
4. Arnold Same
5. Globe Alone
6. Dan Abnormal
7. Entertain Me
8. Yuko and Hiro

DISC 2 (turquoise vinyl):
* denotes tracks previously unreleased on vinyl

Side A:

1. One Born Every Minute  
2. Ultranol*
3. Tame
4. No Monsters In Me*
5. To The End (La Comedie) (featuring Françoise Hardy)*

Side B:

1. The Horror 
2. Ludwig* 
3. A Song*
4. St Louis* 
5. The Man Who Left Himself
6. Eine Kleine Lift Music 

Download press imagery and artwork HERE. 

About blur

Since announcing their arrival with debut album Leisure in 1991, blur went on to revolutionise the sound of English popular music with seven successive UK #1 albums Parklife (1994), The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), Think Tank (2003), The Magic Whip (2015) and The Ballad of Darren (2023) and a string of Top 10 singles, including two #1s with “Country House” and “Beetlebum,” helping to propel the band to mass popularity at home and abroad.

One of the biggest British bands of the last three decades, blur have released nine studio albums and collected ten NME Awards, six Q Awards, five BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello Award, and played live to thousands of devoted fans across the globe. In 2010, the band released the Grammy-nominated documentary film No Distance Left To Run; with 1993’s Starshaped their first documentary release, a film beloved by fans to this day. Last year saw the release of the feature-length documentary blur: To The End, a film that depicts the most recent chapter in the band’s story, captured during the period in which they made a surprise – and emotional – return with their first record in 8 years. The Ballad of Darren, the latest #1 album from this most enduring of English bands, was released to critical acclaim on July 21st 2023, cementing blur’s position at the heart of British cultural life and influence for over three decades.

www.blur.co.uk

blur, London, September 8th 1995 – © Kevin Westenberg

Amazon MGM Studios has acquired Man on the Run, an intimate feature documentary exploring Paul McCartney’s creative rebirth after The Beatles’ breakup, directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville. 

The documentary, which will premiere this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival, is the centerpiece of a comprehensive new partnership among Paul McCartney, Universal Music Group, and Amazon that will unfold over the next year, including the release of exclusive music and merchandise drops for fans from Amazon Music, and one-of-a-kind commentary from McCartney himself. The partnership coincides with the release of his book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which will be available on Amazon and Audible November 4th, and McCartney’s Got Back tour dates across North America this fall.

Man on the Run, which is produced by Tremolo, in association with MPL and Polygram Entertainment, will be released in select theaters and subsequently available on Prime Video February 25th in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Producers include Morgan Neville, Chloe Simmons, and Meghan Walsh for Tremolo; Scott Rodger and Ben Chappell for MPL; and Michele Anthony and David Blackman for Polygram Entertainment. Executive producers include Caitrin Rogers and Paul McCartney. 

Man on the Run takes viewers on an intimate journey through Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of The Beatles and the formation of Wings with his wife, Linda. From Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, the film chronicles the arc of McCartney’s solo career as he faces down a myriad of challenges while creating new music to define a new decade. Through unprecedented access to previously unseen footage and rare archival materials, the documentary captures Paul’s transformative post-Beatles era through a uniquely vulnerable lens. 

Born in Liverpool in 1942, Paul McCartney was raised in the city and educated at the Liverpool Institute. Since writing his first song at 14, McCartney has dreamed and dared to be different. Paul’s output has been impossibly prolific and singularly influential crossing many different genres. Paul changed the world forever with The Beatles before going on to continue to push boundaries and make music history with his group Wings and as a solo artist. His most recent solo (and 18th) studio album McCartney III secured the UK Album Chart’s festive Number 1 spot in 2020, furthering his lead as the UK’s most successful album act of all time. In November 2021 Paul released his book, THE LYRICS: 1956 to the Present, recounting his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career – from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. The LYRICS hit Number One on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was named the 2021 Book Of The Year by Barnes & Noble. An 18-time Grammy winner and recipient of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards, McCartney’s list of international accolades reads like no other as well as being recognised for decades of philanthropic activities. Equally renowned for his live performances as he is for his song-writing, Paul set the world record for largest paying concert attendance – 184,000 people – in Rio De Janeiro in 1990. A freeman of The City Of Liverpool and Lead Patron of The Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts, Paul McCartney was appointed Fellow of The Royal College of Music in 1995 by The Prince Of Wales. In 1996 Paul McCartney was knighted by H.M. The Queen for his services to music, and in 2017 he was made a Companion Of Honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. 

Morgan Neville is an Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning director and producer best known for his work as a cultural documentarian. His acclaimed film Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a documentary about Fred Rogers, was released by Focus Features in 2018 and has become one of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing documentaries of all time. His 2013 film, 20 Feet from Stardom, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. His film, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, premiered theatrically in 2021, and was the highest grossing documentary of the year. Other films include the Emmy-winning Best of Enemies, about the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, about the production of Orson Welles’ final film and Keith Richards: Under the Influence, about the rock legend. Recent projects include the multiple Emmy-nominated Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces for Apple TV+, The Saint of Second Chances for Netflix and Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman, a docu-special for Disney +. For TV, Neville directed Shangri-La about music producer Rick Rubin, Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson, Abstract: The Art of Design, Song Exploder, and Ugly Delicious. His latest narrative film, Piece by Piece for Focus Features, released on October 11th, is a captivating motion picture experience that explores the creative genius of Pharrell Williams through the lens of LEGO. Most recently Neville’s documentary series, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, in cooperation with Lorne Michaels, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, streamed exclusively on Peacock in early 2025 and received an Emmy-nomination for Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series. He also recently executive produced Thank You Very Much, a film about Andy Kaufman and ART FOR EVERYBODY, a documentary on the artist Thomas Kinkade. Neville is the founder and president of Tremolo Productions, through which he executive produced BTS Army: Forever We Are Young, on the titular K-pop phenomenon and their fanbase, and produced Miss Americana, about Taylor Swift, among other high-profile projects.  

Polygram Entertainment is the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment. Built on the foundation of the world’s most comprehensive and storied music catalog, Polygram Entertainment develops, produces, and finances music-driven content that inspires and engages fans of all ages around the world. From premium documentaries to original scripted features and scripted and unscripted television, Polygram Entertainment productions explore the ways in which music shapes culture, informs our worldview, and brings us closer together. Polygram Entertainment’s acclaimed, award-winning projects include the upcoming Selena y Los Dinos, which follows the rise of the famed Tejano singer Selena and her family band; “The Greatest,” the first-ever authorized scripted series about the life of Muhammad Ali, produced with Michael B. Jordan and Roc Nation; the recently Emmy-nominated docuseries STAX: Soulsville U.S.A, about the legendary Memphis-based record label; docuseries James Brown: Say It Loud; Love to Love You, Donna Summer, directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano; Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues from director Sacha Jenkins; Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground; Frank Marshall’s The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart; Beastie Boys Story from director Spike Jonze; Alison Ellwood’s The Go-Go’s; Pavarotti from director Ron Howard; Roger Ross Williams’ The Apollo; the Emmy Award-winning series “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” and the subsequent telefilm “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas.” Upcoming projects include scripted features about KISS and The Osbournes.

MATR Labs’ Liesl Copland brokered the deal.

MATR Labs is a consultancy for a new era of storytelling built on the belief that stories shape movements and transform our changing global culture. We partner with creators, funders, media companies and philanthropists to propel narrative change and commercial success by engineering and amplifying projects that matter. We are a team of veteran producers, content strategists, and audience engagement and impact specialists focused on creative, financing, sales and release of culturally significant content. Named for mater—the Latin word for mother—and matter, the essence of all things, MATR was founded by changemakers Liesl Copland, Amanda Chen and Jannat Gargi who for decades have nurtured creation, connection, and significance for their clients.

PETER MCPOLAND

BIG LUCKY

NEW ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 26th

Today Peter McPoland announces the release of his brand new album, Big Lucky, to be released September 26th. His newest and fourth full-length album, Big Lucky hums with intimacy, homespun details, and emotional clarity. Pre-Order the album HERE.

Following a viral run of hits and over 450 million streams on Spotify alone that began with breakout single “Romeo + Juliet,” and albums Slow Down, Piggy, and Friend, Peter McPoland has opted for a stripped down, foundational reorientation with this latest album. Recently cutting himself off from social media and arming himself with a flip phone and an iPod full of Beatles songs, McPoland set out to create Big Lucky. 

“This is the album I wanted to make when I was 17. It’s very me,” he says. That sense of self reverberates through every inch of Big Lucky, named after a small token that’s followed him from studio to studio: a four-leaf clover, carried since his teenage years which is seen featured in the album artwork painted by McPoland. “It brings me back to the roots of everything,” he says. This latest offering is the project he’s always wanted to make: raw, uncontrived, and singularly him.

Preceded by the release of advance track “Last Looks,” Big Lucky was written, produced, engineered, and performed entirely by McPoland, captured on a reel-to-reel tape machine resurrected from his uncle’s basement. Always fascinated by gear and analog imperfections, McPoland recorded Big Lucky alone in his room with his instruments and a handheld drill. McPoland’s discography is a mixture of unfeigned emotional serenades and confident thundering tracks – a skill that he has showcased over the first four years of his career – finding balance between the sincere and the irreverent. His blend of folk, indie-rock, and what at times feel like hymns, melds into an impressive repertoire.

In a world of TikTok sensations, McPoland stands apart — bucking the industry standard of the one-hit-wonder, single-charting poster child — and carving out something far more lasting. Big Lucky touches on themes of life after death, a sudden rise to recognition, love, fear, nuanced heartbreak, childhood, and a varied array of the human experience. Peter has a knack for honing in on and exploring a moment, a feeling, and unraveling it all the way to the end. Sometimes even feeling like folk tales or parables – maybe an echo of his religious upbringing – the existential never detracts from the fun that also remains. Crafted with equal measures of intention and playfulness, this latest record is steeped in DIY spirit. McPoland equates his process to playtime: a kid with their toys and imagination. “I had fun and I played. It was the most fun I’ve had in a really long time. This album is just me having fun,” he says of the process. Big Lucky is Peter McPoland getting back to himself and the pure writing that began his career, captivating millions – inviting listeners into the room with him.

“It’s what I was when people started paying attention to me. It’s back to me.”

Photo Credit: Cameron Driskill

From Plastic Beach to the Island: Gorillaz Enters a Whole New Universe to Headline New Season of Fortnite Festival!

Gorillaz — the biggest virtual band in the world — has crossed over and crash-landed into a whole new universe. Band members Noodle, 2D, Russel Hobbs, and Murdoc Niccals are the new Icons of Fortnite Festival Season 10, making their debut on August 26th.

“It’s an honour for all of you that I am finally to be immortalised in my own fiefdom. Watch out serfs, here I come.” – Murdoc Niccals, Gorillaz

Before we dive into the Season 10 details, be sure to look out for Fortnite Festival IRL at the Fortnite x Gorillaz Pop Up at Hackney Bridge Garden in London. Open now through September 3rd, the Fortnite x Gorillaz pop-up merges the worlds of Gorillaz and Fortnite into an immersive activation filled with gaming stations, giveaways, live game streams and DJ performances.

What’s New in Gorillaz x Fortnite Festival:

• “DARE,” “Clint Eastwood,” and “On Melancholy Hill” are coming to Fortnite as a playable Jam Track.
  • “DARE” will also be available as an Emote, which is choreographed to and plays part of the song!
• Fortnite Festival’s “Main Stage” – where players and their bandmates perform – has transformed. Complete with towering buildings, a street train, and enough graffiti to make this band feel right at home, the new Main Stage channels Gorillaz through and through!
• Gorillaz band members Noodle, 2D, Russel, and Murdoc will all be playable characters in Fortnite (via Outfits), complete with themed matching in-game accessories.
  • Gorillaz in-game Cosmetics will be available in the Fortnite Shop or through the Music Pass as Free or Premium Rewards.

For more details on what’s coming to Gorillaz x Fortnite Festival, check out the blog here. Download assets here.

C.Y.M.
Newest Single “Give Me One Night” Featuring Cherry Glazerr OUT NOW

Visualizer Available HERE

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

“It sure sounds like a star-studded C.Y.M. album is on the way.” – Stereogum

Michael Greene and Chris Baio, the duo known as C.Y.M., have dropped their latest single, “Give Me One Night,” featuring an enthralling lead vocal turn from the incomparable Clementine Creevy, AKA Cherry Glazerr. The new song is now available across all streaming platforms here: https://www.lnk.to/GiveMeOneNight

“‘Give Me One Night’ is a psychedelic, Motown-influenced song that took shape over the course of 2022. We passed the song back and forth from our respective studios before tracking Robby Sinclair’s heroic drumming at the legendary Motorbass studio in Paris that summer. As longtime fans of Cherry Glazerr, we were thrilled when Clem was down to sing on the song. She recorded the vocals at Chris’ spot in Eagle Rock, coming up with something dark and haunting that perfectly matches the music.”  – C.Y.M.

“Give Me One Night” featuring Cherry Glazerr is the first C.Y.M. track to co-star a featured artist. It follows the release of “Catania” and “Justify” which earned this endorsement from Stereogum: “‘Justify’ is a funky midtempo party track that reminds me a bit of Justice’s ‘D.A.N.C.E.’… but I’m especially smitten with ‘Catania,’ which takes a sleeker and more dramatic approach to electronic music, an almost post-rock sound bolstered by sax from Colin Killalea.”

“Give Me One Night” is the newest manifestation of the C.Y.M. signature sound that Greene and Baio have honed over years of multi-genre exploration. Propelled by a relentless Motorik beat and rhythmic keys accompanied by Creevy’s singular voice serving as the lead instrument, the result is an irresistible atmospheric pull with just the right proportion of indie rock flourishes.

“Give Me One Night” was written by Greene, Baio and Creevy and produced by Baio and Greene, mixed by David Wrench.