Month: September 2023

U2 have recorded a brand new track titled Atomic City which will be released on Friday 29th September 2023. Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, it was recorded at Sound City in LA and comes ahead of the band’s upcoming run of dates at Sphere in Las Vegas celebrating their seminal 1991 album Achtung Baby.

Atomic City is a 3 ½ minute homage to the magnetic spirit of 70’s post punk with a nod to Blondie, whose pioneering work with Giorgio Moroder inspired and influenced the band. Bono says “It’s a love song to our audience …’where you are is where I’ll be’.”

Atomic City is itself a 1950s nickname for Las Vegas from a time when nuclear fascination swept the nation and the city promoted itself as a centre of atomic tourism due to its proximity to the Nevada Test Site.

The video is directed by Ben Kutchins, with creative direction by Tarik Mikou with Moment Factory Music, and features U2’s late night surprise performance of the track in Downtown Las Vegas just last week, the same Fremont Street location where Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. filmed their iconic video for ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ over 36 years ago.

U2 will kick off ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ tomorrow, Friday 29th September. The 25-date run of shows will see the world’s biggest rock band launch the world’s brand new most state-of-the-art venue. This latest ambitious project celebrates the band’s acclaimed album Achtung Baby, as well as its accompanying industry-defining ZOO TV Tour which broke the mold in 1991 and firmly establish the band’s reputation as artists who have consistently pushed the boundaries of live performance, with ground-breaking stage shows that embrace the latest in technology and innovation.

Internationally beloved, Dolly Parton, has released the latest track off her upcoming Rock n’ Roll album, Rockstar (available on November 17th via Butterfly Records) a rendition of the ’90s hit, which features the song’s writer and lead singer, Linda Perry. A song about the at-times, overwhelming pressures of the world around us and the need for release. Dolly’s angelic and hopeful voice ushers in a sense of promise for a better tomorrow.

“First of all, I love Linda Perry. Second of all, I love this song written by Linda. Third of all, I love being a part of this video to try to make people think about what’s going on in this world today. Shout out to the little children that helped with the video! If our children don’t make it, then what will? Again, I ask ‘What’s Up?’ Enjoy.”

-Dolly Parton

“How is one supposed to react when the greatest and most prolific songwriter in the world wants to cover a song YOU wrote? Her version of What’s Up? is so good. Her spin on it made me feel like it was her song. No surprise there. Being on set making the video was a comfortable easy experience. The vibe on set was chill and Dolly and I got to catch up and laugh a lot. I could go on and on, obviously I’m a fan!”

• Linda Perry

Filmed at Eakin Elementary School in downtown Nashville on one of 2023’s hottest days of the year and directed by Steve Summers (produced by NOZ Entertainment), the touching video airs exclusively today on MTV and CMT/CMT Music/CMT on Pluto TV (check local listings for times), as well as on their iconic Times Square billboard. The video will then be released via YouTube and all other streaming platforms beginning tomorrow, September 23 at 10am ET.

CMT AUSTRALIA – ‘IT’S A DOLLY-THON’

11/17 from 3pm – 6pm
*Celebrate the premiere of Dolly’s ‘I Want My MTV’ episode with 3 hours of all things Dolly featuring her entire videography.

ABOUT DOLLY PARTON:

Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped the Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 48 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years.

In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has garnered eleven Grammy Awards and 51 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People’s Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 2020, she released the Christmas album “A Holly Dolly Christmas” which went #1 on the Billboard Country and Holiday charts, as well released the bestselling coffee table book “Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.” In 2021, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” and in December 2022, she released on NBC an all-new original holiday movie called “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” with her starring as well as producing; it was the most watched film of that year and the two years prior.

To date, Parton has donated over 215 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children’s book, Coat of Many Colors, was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library’s 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton released the book Run Rose Run which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at # 1 on the New York Times Bestseller’s List for 5 weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached #1 on three charts simultaneously — Country, Americana/Folk and Bluegrass Albums. From her “Coat of Many Colors” while working “9 to 5,” no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.

THE ROLLING STONES UNVEIL NEW SINGLE ‘ANGRY’ AND CONFIRM TITLE & RELEASE DATE FOR ‘HACKNEY DIAMONDS’ THEIR FIRST STUDIO ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL SINCE 2005.

FRANCOIS ROUSSELET DIRECTED VIDEO FOR STONES ‘ANGRY’, STARRING SYDNEY SWEENEY.

The Rolling Stones, come roaring out of the traps today with the release of their rocking single ‘Angry’ (Listen Here .) It arrives alongside the announcement of their hugely anticipated new album, titled ‘Hackney Diamonds’ and released on October 20th. The exciting news was shared today by Mick, Keith and Ronnie at a special media launch event at the historic Hackney Empire, East London’s epicentre of pioneering art for almost 125 years. The launch was hosted by American tv star Jimmy Fallon and streamed worldwide via YouTube.

The 12-track album, for which full track list information will be revealed in due course, was recorded in various locations around the world, including Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles; Metropolis Studios, London; Sanctuary Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Electric Lady Studios, New York; and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, also in New York.

The album is their first studio set of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, coincidently released on 6th September 18 years ago. Since then, the Stones have continued to smash box office records for fun on a series of global sellout tours and released 2016’s Grammy Award winning ‘Blue & Lonesome’, which featured their brilliant versions of many of the blues tracks that helped shape their sound, and topped album charts around the world. Last year, they thrilled European audiences totalling nearly a quarter of a million on the anniversary Sixty tour.

Hackney Diamonds marks The Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood) first collaboration with New York-born producer and musician Andrew Watt, who was named Producer of the Year at the 2021 GRAMMY® Awards and has worked with Post Malone, Iggy Pop and Elton John.

The exhilarating ‘Angry’ is accompanied by a music video directed by Francois Rousselet, whose credits include work with Nike, Diesel, Pharrell Williams, and on the Stones’ ‘Ride ‘Em On Down,’ from Blue & Lonesome. The new promo clip stars Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus, Euphoria, The Handmaid’s Tale). Watch Angry music video.

The bespoke artwork for Hackney Diamonds is by digital animator Paulina Almira.