Author: Press Room

In partnership with Open’er Festival Words: Ali Shutler and Mark Beaumont Open’er Festival 2026 has something for everything. The Polish festival has already seen performances from main pop girl Zara Larsson, political rave-rockers Kneecap and art-pop king David Byrne, with Florence & The Machine, The xx, Calvin Harris and more adding to the eclectic, inclusive party atmosphere. Later today (July 4), Open’er will be transformed into a pop paradise with Jennie, Jade, Addison Rae and PinkPantheress all due to perform. But Friday’s line-up was a celebration of brooding goth rock as The Cure returned to Poland for the first time…

Revolutionary rap albums, rock classics, celebrations and protests The American flag has spent 250 years fluttering over battlefields, front porches, moon landings, and hot dog eating contests, but it has also enjoyed a prolific side hustle posing for album covers. While Old Glory sometimes appears on albums with hand-on-heart sincerity, it’s more often been reimagined, re-stitched, wrapped around rappers, or otherwise subjected to treatment that would make a high school civics teacher red, white, and blue with rage. That’s because musicians aren’t content to use the flag for simple patriotic window dressing. It has been appropriated as a symbol of…

If it seemed like everyone Taylor Swift has ever met her wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden that's because the singer always planned a huge guest list. The couple welcomed hundreds of people to the New York City venue on July 3, including A-listers from the music industry, sports world, and Hollywood. But, according to an interview with Swift last year, this was the plan all along. The singer appeared on The Graham Norton Show to promote The Life of a Showgirl in October, appearing on the talk show alongside Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson,…

Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats have called out Gorillaz after the band allegedly forced an early end to their Roskilde Festival set. READ MORE: Gorillaz – ‘The Mountain’ review: a world-building ode to death and starting over Damon Albarn and co. were headlining the Danish festival’s Orange stage on Thursday (July 2), which coincided with the psych rockers’ set on the Legune stage. Problems occurred as Uncle Acid’s set was clearly audible at the Gorillaz show, which led to some perturbed comments from Albarn. “Is it supposed to be possible for me to hear the other music so clearly?” Albarn asked the…

Independence Day Surprise The track, written by the singer, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, and Darius Dixon, will appear on an upcoming 20th anniversary reissue of Beyoncé’s B’Day, out on Beyoncé’s birthday (September 4) Beyoncé delivered some fireworks on the Fourth of July as the singer surprise released a new track titled “Morning Dew (Donk),” her first new song in two years. According to a press release, the song is “a direct nod to her loyal BeyHive to commemorate the upcoming epic celebration of B’Day“; the “Morning Dew (Donk)” release marks the official start of a 60-day countdown to the 20th anniversary…

This article was produced by Capital & Main, an award-winning nonprofit journalism publication. It is published here with permission. During his lifetime, Woody Guthrie saw America at ground level, riding boxcars, singing in taverns and on street corners, and even living for a time in a California migrant camp. These experiences shaped the songs he wrote, giving voice to migrant workers, laborers, and other marginalized Americans. Through his music, Guthrie protested inequality and championed social justice, helping define the role of folk music as a vehicle for change. Guthrie died in 1967 at age 55, but his music has never…

Adam Sandler officiated Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Garden on last night, helping the happy couple to tie the knot. Many fans expressed surprise that the Happy Gilmore actor was selected to lead the festivities, but the couple actually does have a history with Sandler. Kelce notably appeared in Happy Gilmore 2 last year as a waiter. Later in the film, he made a shirtless cameo alongside Bad Bunny and a bear. “Travis is such a gentle, nice guy, and funny as hell,” Sandler told Entertainment Tonight. “He's like the guys I grew up with. When…

With “Nature Is Healing”, HorsegiirL takes the riskiest step that a project born as a meme, avatar or viral phenomenon can attempt: to transform its narrative universe into something that aspires to last beyond the initial joke. The half-horse, half-human DJ who has conquered festivals in recent years, social networks and international clubs could have limited himself to reiterating the formula of “My Barn My Rules”, accumulating hard-dance, irony and equine nonsense until the game ran out. Instead he chooses a more ambitious direction: building an album that tries to bring together humor, pop spirituality, rave culture and a sincere…

RAYE surprised fans at Montreux Jazz Festival by bringing out Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson as surprise guests – check out footage below. READ MORE: RAYE – ‘This Music May Contain Hope’ review: showstopping musical maximalism at its grandest The 2026 instalment of the festival kicked off on the Lake Geneva shoreline last night (July 3), with RAYE opening the event with a special performance that saw the Auditorium Stravinski transformed into a completely new stage configuration for the first time. Marking her third consecutive appearance at Montreux, last night’s appearance follows the release of her ‘Live At Montreux’ vinyl in…

As an immigrant and later a citizen, more than 50 Fourths of July have taught me to love the day’s exuberance — backyard barbecues, tailgate parties, and outings like sailing out on a small boat to join thousands on a sunlit lake. Parades and fireworks added flourish, but what I remember most was the communal revelry: neighbors and strangers laughing, sharing stories, sharing food, and marking the day together. Bright shirts and breezy shorts in flag colors offered a casual nod to the occasion. But rarely was there any talk of “freedom” or “liberty,” much less the Declaration of Independence.…