First Published June 2023
LIAM GALLAGHER ‘LIVE’ AT KNEBWORTH
LIAM GALLAGHER will document his triumphant two-night Knebworth Park shows with the release of the live album KNEBWORTH 22 on August 11th. Returning to the scene of the era-defining Oasis gigs of the ‘90s, the huge audience stretched from fans who had been present some twenty-six years earlier right through to teenagers relishing the excitement of their first big gig. The voice of a generation? With Knebworth, Liam confirmed himself to be the voice of two generations.
Anticipation for the shows was at fever pitch after all 170,000 tickets for the weekend sold-out almost instantly. The heady atmosphere of the shows shines throughout the Knebworth 22 album, from the roar of approval that greets Liam as he steps up to open the show with Hello right through to the mass sing-alongs that greet the closing classics Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova (the latter featuring a very special guest in the shape of Stone Roses legend John Squire).
Liam and his band are on fiery form, blazing through the likes of Shockwave and Everything’s Electric with a full-throttle intensity, but also providing the accompaniment for the more tender side of Liam’s voice to standout on more reflective moments such as Once and Slide Away. Collectively, Knebworth 22 is a must-have live album for any fan who wants to relive the experience.
Knebworth 22 is released alongside a live video of the weekend’s surprises. Roll It Over originally featured on the Oasis album Standing On The Shoulder of Giants and, while the band never played it live, it nonetheless turned out to be a lesser-known fan favourite. This performance elevates the song to its full majesty, a sweeping melancholic epic with Liam’s vocal simmering with unadulterated passion.
Liam says, “So we recorded the Knebworth gigs we did last year. We all sound Biblical, turn it up ENJOY, LGx.”
Knebworth 22 is now available to pre-order or pre-save. In addition to its digital release, physical formats include standard and deluxe CDs, black double-vinyl and sun yellow double-vinyl. A striking olive and black marble double-vinyl edition is also available exclusively from Liam’s official store.
Liam Gallagher will play select international festivals this summer, including a UK festival exclusive headline set at Boardmasters before culminating with Summersonic shows in Tokyo and Osaka. Please see his website for a full list of dates.
From the very start, Gallagher’s solo career has been a remarkable resurgence which has seen all three of his studio albums – As You Were, Why Me? Why Not. and C’mon You Know – shoot straight to #1. His MTV Unplugged album also topped the charts, while the live album Down By The River Thames charted at #4 after being released on the same day as ‘C’mon You Know’.
~ KNEBWORTH 22, the ‘LIVE’ album from LIAM GALLAGHER, will be avialble everywhere from August 11th.
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NEW LP FROM RON POPE
On June 2nd, Nashville-based, platinum recording artist RON POPE released his new LP, INSIDE VOICES, via Brooklyn Basement Records. The album was written in the wake of emotional upheaval from pregnancy loss and an ectopic pregnancy that almost cost Pope’s wife her life.
After being pummelled with one tragedy after another, the Pope family was in a very dark place of unbearable heaviness and overwhelming pain. For a year, he found himself unable to create, spending all of his energy trying to keep his family afloat. To gain some sense of normalcy, he packed up his wife and young daughter, and headed to the beach. The Popes found peace and rest by the ocean; the simplicity of life by the water began to resurrect the spark of creativity, and he was able to write again.
When it was time to make the record, the “normal” grind of 18-hour days in the studio, locked away from his family, having too much caffeine and too little sleep was out of the question. His family was still too fragile. He decided to record the album at the shore, finding a small, secluded cottage on the Peconic Bay, a rural area of Long Island. Enlisting the help of long-time friend and collaborator, Paul Hammer, the pair set about the painstaking work of recording – playing all of the instruments, carefully building each track layer by layer, as well as mixing and mastering it – by themselves. It was the happiest Pope had ever been while making a record.
Also during the recording process, both of his beloved grandparents passed away within eight days of each other. They were an integral part of his life, offering advice and guidance – several of the songs on Inside Voices commemorate the impact his grandparents had on him. Witnessing their 60-year marriage showed him that real, lasting love is an action, a choice you make every day, message carried throughout each of the album’s gut-punching tracks.
Inside Voices is ten of the rawest, most vulnerable, stripped-down songs Pope has ever recorded. Tracks like album opener Body Language and lead single The Real Thing and recount that harrowing hospital experience: standing in the emergency room wondering if he was going to lose his bride and the centre of his universe.
Meanwhile tracks like Lie, Cheat, and Steal reminisce on better times. In The Good Old Days (ft. The Mayries), Three Days After Christmas, and To Be Without You (ft. Ira Wolf & Robby Hecht), Pope is viscerally grateful for his life and family, and embraces lessons learned with tracks like Love Is A Thing You Do, inspired by his grandparents’ six-decade marriage, and You’re OK, inspired by his young daughter.
Here, there is no artifice; this is the sound of a man stripped bare, broken down, and then rebuilt. Inside Voices finds Ron at the height of his prowess, a writer speaking with honesty, vulnerability, and ultimately, gratitude.
~ INSIDE VOICES, the NEW album from RON POPE, is OUT NOW, digitally across all major platforms. It’s also available on vinyl, including with a limited edition, cream-coloured pressing. Ron Pope is now on tour with Lydia Luce and Caleb Hearn supporting.
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CIAN DUCROT FINDS ‘HEAVEN’
Fast rising Irish singer-songwriter CIAN DUCROT shared his new single HEAVEN on June 2nd, ahead of the July 21st release of his eagerly anticipated debut album Victory.
He has already landed two UK Top 20 hits with the gold-certified All For You and the silver-certified I’ll Be Waiting, which have both climbed charts all over the world en-route to a career total of 300 million+ streams to date. Always eager to connect with fans in a personal and innovative way, Cian is now approaching 7 million listeners at Spotify, as well as 4.4 million followers at TikTok. He also recently enjoyed a spotlight moment when he was invited to join The Jonas Brothers during their show at The Royal Albert Hall.
An artist who constantly finds inspiration from the love and commitment that comes from his family, Heaven sees Cian reflecting upon his bond with his brother. It’s a lifetime’s story in a four-minute song, which begins with Cian being picked up by his brother after falling off his bike as a kid and runs through to his brother looking on proudly during Cian’s recent shows with Ed Sheeran.
But, as Cian’s recent introduction to the Victory album explained, this song has a darker current too. His brother “never smiled… because you carried that pain more than any child should.”
Cian says, “I wanted to write a song that felt like it could be sung by thousands of people in a stadium and that joined everyone together in this shared feeling of love and euphoria. ‘Heaven’ is a song I wrote about my bond with my brother and our love and everything we’ve been through. It’s a thank you to him and a song that I hope many people will connect with over their bond and love with their siblings and family.”
The 14-track Victory album also features Cian’s recent singles All For You, I’ll Be Waiting and Part of Me.
Cian’s touring plans for 2023 were recently extended with the confirmation of a major Victory world headline tour, which includes his biggest London show to date at the Eventim Apollo. He will also play three huge outdoor shows in Limerick as special guest to Dermot Kennedy before hitting the summer festival circuit.
~ HEAVEN, the NEW single from CIAN DUCROT, is OUT NOW.
On The Right TRAX 