Could this be their next historic moment? Arctic Monkeys fans have launched a petition for the band to play a huge gig at the legendary Knebworth Park. The band, who are currently in the midst of a UK arena tour to promote their acclaimed 2018 album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino‘, currently have no dates scheduled for 2019 – but are rumoured to headline either Glastonbury or Reading & Leeds festival. Now, there’s a fan campaign for the Sheffield indie veterans to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Oasis and The Rolling Stones by playing a historic gig at the 125,000 capacity Knebworth Park. “Arctic Monkeys have established themselves as a truly iconic British band,” the petition reads. “Having released their ambitious sixth album earlier this year, followed by an astounding run of recent live performances, it’s time for Arctic Monkeys to join the list of legendary artists (Led Zeppelin, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen and more) to perform at Knebworth Park. A concert (or series of concerts) at the legendary outdoor venue would be a worthy celebration of the greatest British band of this century.” They continued: “The event would also allow the band to select a range of excellent artists to perform alongside them, creating an unmissable music festival. Six consecutive number one UK albums proves the mass popularity of Arctic Monkeys. It’s important to celebrate brilliant bands at their peak and this would be a truly memorable gathering. “Arctic Monkeys deserve their place in Knebworth history.” The petition has been shared on social media by Clive Helders, father of drummer Matt, following in the footsteps of another recent petition which was signed by thousands – calling for the BBC to make a special about the band. A special was later made and aired back in June. The band capped of their campaign for previous album ‘AM’ with two huge shows at London’s Finsbury Park. This week sees the band’s tour head to their hometown with a run of shows in Sheffield – where fans will be opening an unofficial fan village for the week.

"I had to refer to the Bargain Hunt rulebook. I think it’s the first time in history that we’ve had to look at it” The forthcoming episode of Bargain Hunt that pits Pulp against Happy Mondays had to be re-shot after the ‘Step On’ group broke the rules. As part of BBC Music Day on Friday September 28, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker and Candida Doyle will take on Bez and Rowetta Idah from Happy Mondays, as part of a special day of shows from the brooadcaster. But in a not entirely unexpected twist, it’s now been revealed that the episode’s finale had to be re-shot after Bez and Rowetta decided to opt for some unauthorised tactics. Speaking to Radio Times, show presenter Charlie Ross revealed: “Suffice to say I had to refer to the Bargain Hunt rulebook. I think it’s the first time in history that we’ve had to look at it.” Executive producer Paul Tucker added: “We had to deliver this show quite quickly after we filmed it, and of course we weren’t expecting to have to do the ending again. Although it wasn’t expected, it certainly added an interesting twist and another layer to the show. I guess it’s what you might expect from a bunch of rock ‘n’ rollers.” Although it’s yet to be revealed who eventually emerges victorious, the episode will see the two teams doing battle at an antiques fair in Kent. As well as Bargain Hunt, BBC Music Day will also see a special edition of ‘Pointless’ that features Shaun Keaveny, Lianne La Havas, Amy Macdonald, Leslie Garrett and Ella Eyre alongside other BBC radio presenters. ‘Woman’s Hour’, meanwhile, will publish a Women in Music Power List – “celebrating the top 40 female voices in music, from songwriters and performers to managers and producers”. Meanwhile, fans are awaiting the return of Jarvis Cocker after touring to launch his new project ‘JARV‘ earlier this year. Speaking to NME back in 2015 about the chances of the band returning for more new material and live shows from Pulp, Cocker said: “We’re very cloak and dagger about that, well, it isn’t cloak and dagger, we just don’t know! We’re not being mysterious, we’re just not very together.”

Expect a little musical theatre... Smashing Pumpkins have their discussed their hopes to tour their albums ‘Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness’ and ‘Machina I/II’ in full. The alt-rock veterans, who recently announced their new album with the majority of their ‘classic’ line-up, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1995 double album and magnum opus in 2020. Judging by their latest comments, it looks like an anniversary tour could well be on the cards. “Imagine having a film script, and a bunch of songs that go with the film script, and a story, and it could be made anyway,” frontman Billy Corgan said in a recent interview with KROQ. “The band could perform it onstage with visuals like the tour we just did [on the current ‘Shiny Oh So Bright’ tour]. You could enact it theatrically, which probably isn’t the optimal way to do it, because the band sort of needs to be part of the show.” Corgan continued: “Or you could turn it into a musical movie, like Tommy or The Wall or something like that. Hopefully this will set the stage for that someday being released. With that said, ‘Mellon Collie’ was sort of written as a musical, but it was never explored publicly. We still are hopeful that as we go along we will be able to create similar shows around those albums [including Machina], in the way that we created a show around the Shiny tour.” The 28 track ‘Mellon Collie…’ is widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of the ’90s, selling over 10million copies and featuring the likes of ‘1979’, ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’, ‘Tonight, Tonight’ and ‘Zero’. This week saw the band announce ‘Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun’ – the first album to feature founding Pumpkins members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin since 2000. This will be the 10th official Pumpkins’ studio album, produced by Rick Rubin and due to arrive on November 16 via Napalm Records. The current line-up consists of Corgan, Iha, Chamberlain, longtime collaborator and guitarist Jeff Schroeder and touring bassist Jack Bates – son of Joy Division and New Order legend Peter Hook. Meanwhile, the band are also planning to reissue their albums ‘Machina I and II‘ as ‘originally conceived’ – as a box set with both of the records together. The band will return to the UK to play London’s SSE Wembley Arena on October 16. They’ll also be playing a show in Bologna, Italy on October 18.

Chan Marshall has taken on a track from the star's 'Unapologetic' album Cat Power has included an emotional cover of Rihanna‘s ‘Stay’ on her new album, ‘Wanderer‘. The record marks Power’s (whose real name is Chan Marshall) 10th studio album and her first in six years. It follows 2012’s ‘Sun‘, which, in a three-and-a-half-star review, NME described as: “[sitting] in stark contrast to 2008’s loungey covers collection ‘Jukebox’ and the reclining Memphis strings and horns of 2006’s ‘The Greatest’, as Marshall wrings everything she possibly can out of the studio.” ‘Stay’, which originally featured on Rihanna’s ‘Unapologetic‘, appears in the middle of the record and sees the musician building a new version from the chorus and bridge over gentle piano. In a press release, Power said: “I love the tradition of covering songs. I think it’s one of the highest compliments you can pay another artist. It’s one of the great traditions in American music and one of the true pleasures of music history.” Last month, a collaboration between Power and Lana Del Rey was unveiled. ‘Woman’ also features on ‘Wanderer’, which will be released on October 5 via Domino. The musician said the record reflects “the course my life has taken in this journey – going from town to town, with my guitar, telling my tale; with reverence to the people who did this generations before me.” “Folk singers, blues singers, and everything in between – they were all wanderers, and I am lucky to be among them,” she added. Cat Power will return to the UK next month for a one-off show before heading to Europe. October 2018 23 – London, UK – Roundhouse 25 – Paris, France – Le Trianon 26 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique 28 – Berlin, Germany – Astra 29 – Zurich, Switzerland – Z-Tra 30 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Les Docks November 2018 1 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz 2 – Madrid, Spain – Circo Price 5 – Bologna, Italy – Estragon

The activist was hospitalised last week after falling ill in Russia Pussy Riot member Peter Verzilov was poisoned last week (September 12), doctors have confirmed. The activist was hospitalised in a critical condition after falling ill in Russia. His friends and family, including fellow Pussy Riot members, suspected he had been poisoned, according to reports. Verzilov fell ill after attending a court hearing for the group’s Veronika Nikulshina. He passed out and felt like he was losing his eyesight when he regained consciousness. According to a statement issued by Pussy Riot, doctors from the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin hospital confirmed at a press conference today (September 18) that it was their medical belief that Verzilov had been poisoned in Moscow. The statement added that the activist was still suffering from amnesia, dizziness, and confusion, but described him as being in “good spirits” as his condition improved. “If you ask Peter why do you think you were poisoned,” it read. “He most likely will tell you about the recent arrest of Igor Sechin, whether there is mobile connection in Arctic or not, about Marina Abramović and Ulay’s performances, and his postmodernist phantasies. It may be scary, but most of the time Peter still has his unique sense of humor. When he saw me and Nika Nikulshina yesterday, he said, ‘So good to see you without handcuffs.’” The group also explained: “It’s important to realize that Peter’s life was in danger. He might be dead now if Nika Nikulshina was not around to help him.” Verzilov was one of four Pussy Riot members jailed after invading the pitch during the World Cup Final in July. They were sentenced to 15-days in prison and banned from attending sporting events for three years. Verzilov and Nikulshina were also arrested earlier this month (September 9) in separate incidents.

Wait, what? Who was it then? Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, was in attendance at last night’s Emmy Awards, seemingly appearing as character Teddy Perkins from his hit show Atlanta. Having debuted in season two of the show, the evil character is played by Glover himself in Atlanta. Perkins’ appearance was revealed as Bill Hader was announced as the winner for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, before Glover himself was filmed in the crowd just minutes later without a disguise – leading many to question whether or not it was really him dressed as his alter-ego. However, a new photo showing Glover posing with Perkins has now been released, making it unclear who was actually dressed as the character. Revealing what to expect from season 3 of Atlanta, Glover has compared it to Kanye West’s ‘Graduation‘. “I align the seasons, I think, to me, like Kanye records,” he said. “I feel like this is our ‘Graduation’. This is probably our most accessible but also the realest – an honest version of it – and I feel like the most enjoyable, like the third album.” As well as debuting a new song in New York earlier this week, Glover has also made headlines by suing his former record label – claiming that they owe him $10,000 in streaming royalties. Meanwhile, Glover will be heading to London as Childish Gambino to perform at The O2 on Sunday November 4.

The singer is swiftly following up 'Mariners Apartment Complex' as promised Lana Del Rey has released a new video for her latest song ‘Venice Bitch’ – the second track to be taken from her recent sessions with producer and Bleachers member Jack Antonoff. The track follows another recent new song called ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’, which the singer released last week. The full song premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show on Apple Music today (September 18) after Del Rey teased the track on her Instagram account. Speaking to Lowe about the song, Del Rey said: “I played it for my managers and I was like, “Yeah, I think this is the single I want to put out.” And they were like, “It’s 10 minutes long. Are you kidding me? It’s called ‘Venice Bitch.’” Like, “Why do you do this to us? Can you make a three minute normal pop song?” I was like, “Well, end of summer, some people just wanna drive around for 10 minutes get lost in some electric guitar.” Speaking of the album, she said: “Working with Jack, I was in a little bit of a lighter mood because he was so funny. So the title track is called ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ and it’s kind of about this guy who is such a genius artist but he thinks he’s the shit and he knows it and he like won’t shut up talking about it. So often I ended up with these creative types or whatever, and you know, they just go on and on about themselves, and I’m like, “Yeah, yeah.” But there’s a little bit of merit to it also. They are so good. I just like the title track so much that I was like, “OK, I definitely want the record to also be called that.” “In the song ‘Venice Bitch’ there’s like another little reference to Norman Rockwell, which didn’t have to be in there. I don’t even remember if I threw it in there intentionally just to pop that message in a little further. I can’t even remember what I was thinking, but I think when I was writing this song, it was a more happy take on love and it was just sort of about like, “I tour, you write. We make it work.” And also you know I love having painter references because I think sometimes when you’re writing you’re sort of trying to paint these ideas into existence, because I’m very visual too. So yeah, I don’t know. I know it’s a crazy title, but that’s just the title of the record.” You can watch the video for ‘Venice Bitch’ below. The video was made by her sister and artist, Chuck.

The two stars were due to hit the road together in 2009 Lady Gaga has spoken about the joint tour she and Kanye West were due to embark on in 2009. The ‘Fame Kills’ tour would have seen Gaga and West co-headline a series of dates across North America in support of the pop star’s ‘The Fame Monster‘ EP and the rapper’s ‘808s and Heartbreak‘ album. The planned tour never took place, however. It was cancelled shortly after West interrupted Taylor Swift‘s winner’s speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. No reason was given for the cancellation at the time. Gaga was asked about the tour in an interview to promote her upcoming movie, A Star Is Born. “I think that everybody has a threshold and everybody’s human, and artists are human,” she said. “This film also deals with mental health, substance abuse, and addiction – a lot of trauma as well, for Jackson. “For Ally, there’s a suggestion of it as well, when she walks up the stairs and says to her father, ‘You know all about drugs.’ I think it’s important to care for people and to look out for their mental health.” She added: “There’s nothing wrong with it if an artist needs to stop – it’s them listening to their body and their mind […] It’s nice to be treated like a human being.” Gaga stars as rising singer-songwriter Ally in the new remake of A Star Is Born. Bradley Cooper plays the role of Jackson Maine, an aging musician who is struggling with addiction. He also directed and co-wrote the movie. Earlier this year, the pop star said working alongside Cooper on the film had “changed” her. “It just has changed me. Watching Bradley work was phenomenal and then having him believe in me – it gave me more ammunition to believe in myself and I just feel so blessed to have had that experience.” She continued: “I think what I learned from Bradley [is] it’s okay to be relentlessly sure of your vision and to go after it with every fibre of your being, and to never stop white gloving what you’re making. Sometimes, as an artist, I second guess myself when I go, ‘Am I pulling the thread? Am I unravelling the whole blanket now? Do I need to stop?’ It’s changed the way that I work today.” A Star Is Born is released on October 5.

Dave Grohl will be a guest on the 50th anniversary season of Sesame Street, which will see him perform a song with Elmo and Big Bird. The Foo Fighters frontman previously appeared in 2015’s The Muppets movie, which saw him take part in a drum battle with Animal. Sesame Street‘s new season, which will premiere on HBO, will reportedly show some of the Muppets traveling across the United States, visiting kids in their own neighborhoods. Last weekend, Grohl performed Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’ for the second time since Kurt Cobain’s death. He took to the stage to drum along to the seminal single from ‘Nevermind’ with Trombone Shorty at Los Angeles’ Voodoo Threauxdown Festival. “For years I couldn’t even listen to any music, let alone a Nirvana song,” said Grohl earlier this year of his connection to his former band. “When Kurt died, every time the radio came on, it broke my heart. I don’t put Nirvana records on, no. Although they are always on somewhere. I get in the car, they’re on. I go into a shop, they’re on. For me, it’s so personal. “I remember everything about those records; I remember the shorts I was wearing when we recorded them or that it snowed that day. Still, I go back and find new meanings to Kurt’s lyrics.” He continued: “Not to seem revisionist, but there are times when it hits me. You go, ‘Wow, I didn’t realise he was feeling that way at the time’. “Nirvana, for me, was a personal revolution, I was 21. You remember being 21? You think you know it all. But you don’t. I thought I knew everything. And being in Nirvana showed me how little I really knew. Grohl added: “They were some of the greatest highs of my life, but also, of course, one of the biggest lows.”

The Dirty Hit band released their debut album 'My Mind Makes Noises' last week Pale Waves covered Dua Lipa in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge earlier today (September 18). The Manchester band released their debut album ‘My Mind Makes Noises‘ last week (September 14). In a four-star review, NME said: “It’s the perfect record to summarise the band’s rise from Manchester’s little secret to one of the most adored new bands in the country.” The group appeared in the Live Lounge today to promote the record, playing the track ‘Eighteen’ from it. Bands who take part in the sessions are traditionally asked to perform a cover of a hit song and Pale Waves took on ‘One Kiss’, Lipa’s collaboration with Calvin Harris. Watch their performance below. Earlier this year, drummer Ciara Doran said the band had big ambitions for their debut record. Speaking to NME in February, she said: “You can’t not aim for a number one. I think it deserves it as well. We’ve only written half of it, but that half deserves it!” Meanwhile, Dua Lipa’s recent concert in Shanghai saw fans “dragged out” of the venue by security for waving rainbow flags. Qingpu police have now said two security guards, known as 22-year-old Zhu and 20-year-old Nai, had argued with and beat members of the audience during Lipa’s gig. They have been given a 10-day detention, while the security company they worked for has been ordered to take steps to prevent other incidents like it happening again. Lipa recently released a new track in the form of Silk City collaboration ‘Electricity’. The ’90s house-influenced song was co-written by The xx’s Romy Madley-Croft, along with Silk City’s Mark Ronson and Diplo. It will feature on a reissue of her self-titled debut album.

The singer has been busy with other work besides new album 'Norman Fucking Rockwell' Lana Del Rey says she wants to publish a book of her own poetry and already has “13 kind of long poems” written. The musician has been busy working on a new album, which she announced earlier today (September 18) would be called ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’. Speaking to Zane Lowe, she said she also had other creative endeavours on the go that she had recently realised could be something she could share with the wider world. “I didn’t think I would [publish them] until three weeks ago,” she said, discussing her poetry. “I have like 13 kind of long poems that I started binding and I thought, ‘Wow, the pages are kind of stacking up here.’ I mean, it’s easy too with haikus because it’s only three lines so you could have like 30 pages of haikus that’s only like 200 words or something. But I thought they’re kind of like stacking up to look like a real book. So I mean what I’d like to do is sort of self publish but I’m not very good at the distribution side of things.” She also revealed she already has a title for the book. “Right now, it’s tentatively called Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass,” she said. “That’s just from a line in one of my favourite poems that I wrote….Yeah, ‘Seven years old with dandelions grasped tightly in her hand.'” Listen to the full interview above. Meanwhile, Del Rey shared a second new song today, called ‘Venice Bitch’. The 10-minute long track follows last week’s ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’ and is the second piece of music to come from her sessions with Taylor Swift and Lorde producer Jack Antonoff. The star recently pulled out of Israel’s Meteor Festival. She had been criticised for planning to perform in the country while a cultural boycott is taking place, but she had promised to visit both Israel and Palestine during her time there. She said the reason for her cancellation was not due to the pressure put on her but because it wouldn’t be possible for her to fulfill her promise to visit Palestinian fans too “with such short notice”. “Therefore I’m postponing my appearance at the Meteor Festival until a time when I can schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans, as well as hopefully other countries in the region,” she wrote.

They're accused of “stealing the beat” from Yasminah Daft Punk and The Weeknd – real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – are reportedly being sued by Somali-American poet Yasminah for ‘ripping off’ her song ‘Hooyo’. In the $5 million lawsuit, Yasminah accuses the French duo and Tesfaye of “stealing the beat” for their track, ‘Starboy’. She also accuses them of using the “same hook, same key and a similar tempo.” The trio released ‘Starboy’ in 2016, while Yasminah released her song in 1999. She also claims Tesfaye only knows about her songs because of his East African background. You can listen to both tracks below. According to TMZ, Yasminah has threatened Tesfaye with legal action before, claiming that two of her producers had previously reached a settlement. Yasminah claims she “never got a cut” of that alleged settlement, which has caused her to sue Tesfaye – and Daft Punk – again. Last month, The Weeknd debuted two new songs including a ‘My Dear Melancholy’ remix featuring Quavo. He premiered the tracks during the second episode of his Beats 1 show ‘Memento Mori’. He also contributed to two recent albums – Nicki Minaj’s ‘Queen’ and Travis Scott’s chart-topping ‘Astroworld’. NME gave ‘Astroworld’ a score of five stars, writing: “The rapper has produced a lush, complex, extraordinarily accomplished album that invites us mere mortals to peer in at his life behind the velvet rope.” Earlier this year, Tesfaye revealed that he had finished work on a “very upbeat” and “beautiful” album, but said it will never be released. After the release of ‘My Dear Melancholy’, he explained that he had an entirely different record written and complete. He said that the project was shelved as it doesn’t reflect his current feelings. “Prior to Melancholy, I had a whole album written, done, which wasn’t melancholy at all because it was a different time in my life…It was very upbeat — it was beautiful,” he told Time.

The rapper also shared a photo of him in a 'Killshot' t-shirt with fans raising their middle fingers Machine Gun Kelly was reportedly booed while performing his Eminem diss track ‘Rap Devil’ and has been accused of “faking” a photo directed at the star. The rapper is currently on tour with Fall Out Boy and opened for the band at Orlando’s Amway Center last night (September 17). Kelly shared a photo on Instagram after the show of him wearing a t-shirt with the artwork for ‘Killshot’ – one of Eminem’s tracks taking aim at him – on it. He and the large crowd can be seen raising their middle fingers, while the caption reads: “He missed.” Fans in attendance at the show, however, claim they had no idea what was on Kelly’s t-shirt at the time. “He was wearing a jacket when he asked the crowd if they would put up their middle fingers for a picture, he turned around to take the jacket off and they had no idea what shirt he was wearing,” one fan commented on the photo. “He couldn’t pull a crowd this big, of course they were excited, they were waiting to see the band that they actually paid for!” Others corroborated that account, with another user writing: “Your shitty rapper was at a fall out boys concert, making everyone take a picture with him without anyone knowing what for or even the shirt he was wearing. As soon as they saw his shirt his ass got boo’d off stage AND HE STILL POSTED THIS PHONY ASS PHOTO.” “You really are wack lil boy,” someone else added. “You opened for someone bigger than you, used the crowd to diss Em with a photo, then when you revealed the shirt you got BOO’d off the stage. You really are some shit. Obviously KILLSHOT didn’t miss is you doing skirt shit like this. What a clown.” Fans on Twitter also posted footage of Kelly performing ‘Rap Devil’. Although the sound quality on the clips isn’t great, crowd noise that sounds like booing can be heard in the background. Others have claimed, however, that the footage has been faked. You can watch fan-shot footage above. Earlier today (September 18), it was revealed that Eminem and Kelly’s diss tracks were produced by the same person. Ronald Spence Jr, also known as Ronny J, is listed as a writer and producer on ‘The Ringer’, ‘Rap Devil’ and ‘Kamikaze‘ track ‘Not Alike’.

The show takes inspiration from the practice of hiding backward messages in records The trailer for new TV series Deadwax, which revolves around a vinyl record that kills, has been released. The short-form series will be available on Shudder, a streaming service dedicated to films and programmes within the horror genre. Deadwax was created by Graham Reznick, who has served as sound designer on the likes of The House Of The Devil and The Sacrament. It takes its inspiration from the name for the space between the last track and the label on a vinyl record, and legends around “backmasking” – where backward messages are hidden in a recording. According to an official synopsis, the series explores the question: “What if the vinyl itself could cause harm just by putting the needle to the groove?” The description reads: “Deadwax delivers a creepy and stylish tale of Etta (Hannah Gross, Mindhunter), a young woman who works as a scavenger of scarce records for rich clientele. She’s got a gift for tracking down the rarest of the rare, even if it involves a little breaking and entering. Her most recent score includes an especially unusual piece, legendary in collectors’ circles: a “key” record from master sound engineer Lyle M. Lytton, and one of only three in existence. “She sells it off to one of her usual high bidders, but her curiosity goes into overdrive when the police discover that one of these records — identified by its strange, ominous marks in the space between the grooves and the label, also known as the “deadwax” — is linked to the death of another record collector. That gruesome demise puts the law and Etta on the same track, trying to unwind the mystery behind these wicked acetates.” Each installment in the eight-episode season will clock in at 15-minutes, which producers claim make it “laser-focused on its menacing tone and mystifying puzzle”. It will debut at Austin’s Fantastic Fest this weekend (September 23). Watch the trailer above now. Meanwhile, Thom Yorke has scored the new remake of cult horror movie Suspiria. Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino has helmed the new version, which stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, and Chloe Grace-Moretz. It is the first time the Radiohead frontman has provided the full score for a film, following contributions to Velvet Goldmine and The UK Gold.

The producer released his 'Collapse' EP last week Aphex Twin displayed a series of projections around various locations in London after teasing an event taking place at spots across the city tonight (September 18). The producer, whose real name is Richard D. James, released his latest EP ‘Collapse‘ last week (September 14). In a four-star review, NME said the five-track record was “unlikely to sway anyone not already on board with James’ weirdo-funk [but] is nevertheless a brilliant, warped addition to a canon like no other.” Earlier today, Warp Records – the label to which Aphex Twin is signed – shared a black-and-grey map of London, stretching from the West End to the edge of Shoreditch. Four locations were marked by the electronic musicians logo, with exact addresses and times listed below. “TONIGHT (18.09.18) LONDON COLLAPSE,” it read. The caption offered no further clues to what would be taking place in the marked locations, saying only: “LONDON. LOOK OUTSIDE TONIGHT.” Fans who went to investigate the event posted videos of projections being displayed on walls across the city. Some featured Aphex Twin’s logo while others featured mutating shapes or text, all created by Weirdcore, who directed the video for ‘T69 Collapse’. The ‘Collapse’ EP followed 2014’s ‘Syro‘, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. It was 13 years in the making, after the release of 2001’s ‘Drukqs‘. A video for the first track to be taken from the new EP, ‘T69 Collapse’, had its TV premiere pulled at the last minute after it failed the Harding Test. The criterion helps decide whether videos may cause a reaction in people suffering from photosensitive epilepsy. Meanwhile, earlier this year, an in-depth documentary called ‘The Cult Of Aphex Twin’ aired on BBC Radio Four. The programme aimed to shine a light on the long-standing mysteries and rumours surrounding the artist, including that he once lived in a bank vault in the middle of the Elephant & Castle roundabout.

Samsung has just announced a new contest aimed at Fortnite fans who are using its products, namely the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4. If you're a hardcore Fortnite player, there's a high chance that you might have already heard about Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, currently one of the most prolific Fortnite streamers. It appears that Samsung is giving Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4 owners the chance to squad up on Fortnite with Ninja. Those who want to enter the contest will have to share user-generated photos or videos of the Galaxy skin in a Fortnite match with the hashtags #NinjaGalaxySquad and #Contest on Twitter or Instagram. Entries are meant to put the Galaxy skin and users’ Fortnite talent on display, including dance emotes and victories. According to Samsung, there will only one grand prize winner who will get to play Fortnite alongside Ninja and will receive the ultimate Cross-Platform Gamer Pack. The latter is valued at $5,249 and includes a 65-inch Class Q9FN QLED TV (2018), a 49-inch CHG90 QLED gaming monitor, and the new premium AKG N700NC wireless noise-canceling headphones. Also, three runners-up will receive the Cross-Platform Gamer Pack, as described above, and one hundred 3rd-prize winners will receive a pair of AKG N700NC wireless noise-canceling headphones. The contest is already underway and runs until September 30, while the grand prize winner will be announced in early October 2018. You can find the official contest rules at the source link. source: Samsung

Nokia X7 is one of HMD's mid-range Android smartphones that has yet to be officially introduced. However, the latest links paint a slightly different picture than what we originally thought. It appears that HMD won't include a notched display, even though it belongs to the X lineup (Nokia X5, Nokia X6). Although the first reports about the Nokia X7 suggested the smartphone will sport a notched display, the latest information leaked from China contradicts those reports. We now have two pictures allegedly showing the front and back sides of the Nokia X7 panel, something that we've seen before. However, this time the leakster claims it has some details about the size and resolution of the display, as well as info about the Nokia X7's release date. Obviously, we suggest our readers taking this information with a grain of salt since we can't yet confirm it. Long story short, the Nokia X7 will feature a “traditional” LCD display with a size of 5.9-inch and full HD+ (2160 x 1080p) resolution. The smartphone will be launched globally as Nokia 7.1 Plus and it will be equipped with a Snapdragon 710 processor. Finally, HMD is determined to bring the Nokia X7 to the market this year, unlike the camera-oriented Nokia 9. Even though we don't know exactly when the source of these images claims the phone will be launched in October-November.

Square Enix announced the next installment in the Life is Strange saga, Before the Storm will drop on Android and iOS devices on September 19. However, it appears that someone has decided to push the green button for the Android version of the game, which is now available for download in the Google Play Store. Life is Stranger: Before the Storm is a prequel to Life is Strange that made its debut on Android a few months ago. The game features three episodes, which will be released on a monthly basis. The first episode is now available for Android users, but iPhone and iPad owners will be able to download it too, starting tomorrow, September 19. The second episode is expected to be released on October 19. The first chapter of the episodic adventure costs $3.99, but you can also buy all three episodes for $11.99. If you're not certain that you'll like the game, you can download the first episode for free since it includes a limited demo. You can find more about the game on the Google Play Store page, which is already live in many countries. If it shows as incompatible, you might have to wait until tomorrow to be able to download it.

5G might not even be here yet, but research into the next generation is already well underway. It might be an unpalatable thought for those who are still unable to get an adequate 4G signal where they live or work, but the first commercial 5G services are set to go live later this year in the US. Asia, Europe and the UK will follow in 2019 and 2020, kickstarting a new generation of mobile technology, capable of ultrafast speeds, greater capacity and ultra-low latency. These characteristics will enable enhanced mobile broadband and the possibility of new applications in the fields of Internet of Things (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), changing the way we work and play. But on the edge of the Arctic Circle in Northern Finland, one group of researchers are already working on the generation of services beyond that, unconvinced that 5G will be able to live up to the impossibly high expectations that its proponents have generated. The road to 6G The city of Oulu is home to a thriving technology scene, with startups and major tech firms looking to tap into the engineering talent left without jobs following Nokia’s dramatic fall from grace in the mobile phone market. That’s not to say Nokia doesn’t have a presence here. Its telecommunications equipment factory and R&D centre is working on 5G technology and the facility is billed as the ‘home of radio’, due to its role in the development of every significant generation of cellular connectivity. And it’s keen for this to continue with 6G. The company is one of 60 organisations participating in the University of Oulu’s 5G Test Network (5GTN), which covers the university campus and parts of the city. The 5GTN could eventually be the foundation for the world’s first 6G network, with the 6Genesis project taking the lead. 6Genesis is an eight-year programme with €251 million in funding, tasked with researching the wireless communications technologies that will eventually comprise 6G networks. The Academy of Finland is the single largest sponsor, with the University of Oulu’s Electronics and Communications Engineering department devoting all its resources into the project. Other participants include corporate sponsors such as Nokia, as well as Aalto University and the state-owned research centre VTT. “The University of Oulu is strong with 5G and with this programme we hope to be strong with 6G,” says Ari Pouttu, the 6Genesis collaborative projects leader. “Our long-term ambition is for the 5GTN to be the world’s first 6G network, so we’re constantly upgrading it. “The role of the university is to look what will happen over the next ten years. Of course, we’ll do research for a shorter timeframe, but most of our work covers a longer period.” Delivering the 5G promise Pouttu says there is a reluctance within industry to call anything ‘6G’ at this stage, but says it is tradition for the even-numbered generations to deliver the promise of the odd-numbered ones. For example, 4G delivered the data revolution hinted at by 3G and 6G will deliver the low latency and architectural shift that 5G is promising. The easiest commitment for 5G to deliver is faster speeds because it handles spectrum more efficiently. Early 5G networks using 3.4GHz won’t be too dissimilar from LTE but the use of millimetre wave (mmWave) frequencies further up the spectrum will be its true legacy. These frequencies have traditionally been considered unsuitable for mobile communications, but will be a key component of 5G networks. And 6G intends to build on this legacy by using airwaves even higher in the spectrum. But the downside to this bandwidth is that signals have a low penetration rate, meaning networks will have to be densified using microinfrastructure such as small cells, which will complement traditional masts. The researchers believe it will take a considerable amount of time and capital to achieve the required density. “There’s already a theory there will need to be 1000s of radios per person,” adds Pouttu. Meanwhile, the ultra-low latency promised by 5G can only be achieved through by rearchitecting cellular networks. With current generation infrastructure, mobile devices use the radio network to connect to the base station before connecting the core network, with the same process used to return the signal. However, this is too long a process for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and some other latency-sensitive applications. Mobile operators are using Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) technologies to move functions around their network, closer to customers, in conjunction with edge data centres. This reduces latency significantly. This shift may not happen until the mid-2020s, but Pouttu believes latency will still be too high for industrial applications: “It will be millisecond when microsecond is needed.” What exactly is 6G? It’s easy to dismiss 6G as yet another industry buzzword, but there is already an idea of what 6G networks will constitute. Pouttu expects them to be commercialised in the early 2030s, offering even faster speeds, even greater capacity and even lower latency. Early 6G networks will be largely based on 5G infrastructure, an acknowledgement that each generation ‘borrows’ elements from the previous one, and so will benefit from the increased number of radios and de-centralised network architecture that will take place with 5G. In terms of speed, 6G networks will allow for 1Tbps by making use of sub-1THZ spectrum and will focus on connecting the “trillions” of objects, rather than the “billions” of mobile devices. Latency will be improved through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to determine the best way to transmit data from the device to the base station and through the network. It is also predicted that organisations outside the mobile industry will play a much greater role in standardisation, meaning it can be tailored to their needs. “There has been a lot of talk about bringing verticals into 5G development, but only a few companies in the 3GPP standardisation groups comes from outside ICT,” says Pouttu. “This will change with 6G.” The sub-1THz frequencies earmarked for 6G will be even poorer at penetrating indoors than the mmWave spectrum set to be used in 5G, so it could be that building owners, rather than operators, build out the networks. “At the university we have come up with something called the micro-operator model,” explains Pouttu. “ “When a property owner starts constructing a building, such as a shopping mall or football stadium, they will decide who is going to build the network. Micro-operators will be tasked with building and maintaining cellular networks as a neutral host and offer access on a wholesale basis. “Mobile operators themselves will move further up [the chain] to things like content and context, with the maintenance of mobile networks outsourced.” The first steps The road to 6G is a long one and 6Genesis’s research activities are only just getting started. After the funding was secured earlier this year, there was a break for the summer, and now there is a real appetite to get going. Because of the contribution from the Academy of Finland, some elements of the research will be tailored to the needs of the country. The initial focus will be on Industry 4.0, personalised health services, sustainable energy and autonomous transportation. There may be an early definition of 5G – 1Tbps speeds, microsecond latency, infinite capacity, and the use of AI to build networks and route traffic – but it will be more than a decade before it is a reality. Industrial applications will likely be the biggest single beneficiary, but do consumers really need such advanced connectivity? Pouttu says he isn’t worried, stating that no one could have predicted the rise of YouTube and other video services which made 4G so necessary. “We are just engineers, people will think of the applications.”

Despite being the number one smartphone manufacturer, Samsung has historically been one of the slowest brands when it comes to software updates. But thanks to a new leak, it has been revealed that the company is already deep into the process of preparing its next update, Samsung Experience 10. Before getting too excited, it’s worth noting that the build in question, which is intended for the Galaxy S9+, is still an early development one based on Android 9 Pie, so there are unsurprisingly some bugs and inconsistencies. However, the screenshots of the software version do provide a pretty good glimpse at what’s in the pipeline. Starting off with the lock screen, the South Korean giant has refined the overall look slightly by updating the fonts and moving the time and date to the middle of the display. Additionally, the previous quick app icons have been removed and in their place are simple stripes of color below the app names. Once the smartphone has been opened up, the most notable difference at first glance is the presence of modified on-screen buttons which are now much more simplistic, although they can be disabled in favor of a gesture-based UI. In any case, opening up the overview menu will now display recent apps horizontally rather than vertically. Additionally, a dock has been added to the bottom Elsewhere in the UI, Samsung has made modifications to the notification panel by introducing a new card style UI complete with curved edges which complements the updated quick settings section. Separate to all of this, the company has finally introduced a dark theme to its UI, as seen in the screenshots. In regards to app updates, some big modifications to the Dialer, Messages, Gallery, Mail, and Bixby apps have been made, with the overall trend being a switch over to rounded corners and a simplified experience overall. Another app that has been updated is the Camera app. Overall, Samsung’s next major software update looks set to bring some rather drastic changes to its overall experience. And considering the company has made so many modifications so early on, it appears the benefits of Google's Project Treble are finally paying off. Thus, the new update should rollout earlier than usual.

Opera Touch, a mobile browser that made its debut on Android back in April, is coming to iOS this fall, developer Opera Software announced today. Opera Touch has many benefits over other mobile browsers, like the fact that it allows users to browse seamlessly across mobile device and PC. To connect the phone to your PC, simply start Opera for desktop and scan the QR code displayed there with Opera Touch, so you won't need any login, password or account. Moreover, Opera Touch has an interesting option called Fact Action Button, which allows you to browse with just one hand. According to developers, Opera Touch uses the latest in web technologies to keep users safe. All the data sent using the browser is fully end-to-end encrypted. Also, the browser includes Opera's cryptojacking protection, which should reduce the risk of your phone getting overheated or running out of battery when you browse the web. If all of the above convinced you to give it a spin, you can register for the limited private beta starting today. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until October 1 to be able to install Opera Touch on your iPhone.

Wasn't it just yesterday that Apple released iOS 12? It sure was, and today the company has started offering the iOS 12.1 developer beta, and the watchOS 5.1 developer beta. The iOS 12.1 developer beta includes Group FaceTime, a feature that allows iOS users to video chat with up to 32 people at the same time. Apple announced last month that Group FaceTime was being delayed until the Fall. Speaking about new iOS 12 features arriving later this year via a software update, there is speculation that the new developer beta might include a batch of fresh emoji that is expected to arrive via a future iOS 12 update. The build number for the update is 16B5059d and it weighs in at 2.77GB. Keep in mind that the idea behind the developer beta is for developers to see whether their apps run properly with the changes made to the last stable version of iOS (which is iOS 12 in this case). The iOS 12.1 developer beta is not meant for consumers and even if you're dying to use Group FaceTime, you might want to wait for the official OTA version of iOS 12.1 to hit your iPhone. Meanwhile, the day after watchOS 5 was released, Apple has made the watchOS 5.1 developer beta available. The latter's build number is 16R5559d.

Next month, on October 10, Razer will announce a brand new smartphone - its second ever. Seemingly called Razer Phone 2, the upcoming handset might not be much of an upgrade over the company's current smartphone (pictured above). Recently, based on information revealed by a benchmark listing, we assumed that the Razer Phone 2 would be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor (also found inside many of today's high-end Android handsets). However, from this point of view, the new Razer smartphone might disappoint us by ultimately packing a Snapdragon 835 processor - the same that's powering the original Razer Phone from last year. Thanks to a newly-leaked Google Play certification uncovered by XDA Developers, we now know that the Razer Phone 2 is codenamed "aura" and runs Android 8.1 Oreo. The same Google Play certification shows that the handset features a Snapdragon 835 processor instead of the superior 845, alongside 8 GB of RAM and a 1440 x 2560 pixels display, just like the 2017 Razer Phone. Additionally, we can see that the new handset (which, as reported not long ago, looks a lot like the original) comes with a pre-installed Chroma app. Chroma is a Razer-developed LED lighting system - implemented on keyboards and mice, for example - but it's unclear exactly how it will be used on the Razer Phone 2. Since these specs (and new phone image) have been submitted to Google by Razer itself, there's a pretty high chance they're accurate. If Razer's next smartphone does indeed pack last year's Snapdragon 835 processor, it's likely that the company is making this compromise in order to cut costs - which hopefully means the Razer Phone 2 won't be as expensive as its predecessor ($699 at launch). At this point, the next-gen Razer Phone simply doesn't look as exciting as the original handset was when it went on sale last year. But maybe Razer has some surprises to unveil on October 10 - let's wait and find out, shall we?

Samsung’s plans to release a foldable phone in early 2019 are certainly no secret, but according to a new report, the smartphone’s unique display may come with some big durability drawbacks. As is common with most smartphones nowadays, Samsung’s foldable device, which may be called the Galaxy F, will make use of a layer of toughened material on the front with the goal of protecting the display panel beneath. Usually, and especially with premium devices, this would mean a sheet of the latest Gorilla Glass on top of the front panel. However, due to the foldable nature of Samsung’s next premium handsets, this solution is no longer viable. Instead, the South Korean giant will make use of a new transparent polyimide (PI) that is supplied by Japanese company Sumitomo Chemical. In comparison to Gorilla Glass, the new solution is undoubtedly less strong. But its plastic nature will allow it to be both flexible and heat resistant, which are two very important features when it comes to foldable phones. Now, according to the report, traditional supplier Corning has developed its own solutions for foldable phones. Unfortunately, it seems as though Samsung didn’t think they were advanced enough yet, hence the adoption of a transparent PI. As manufacturing of Samsung’s first foldable smartphone has still not begun, it’s understood that the supplier of the protective layer is still working to improve its solution as much as possible. But with a release expected to take place in January, it shouldn’t be too long before the final product enters the manufacturing process.

September’s big hits are the new iPhones and Apple Watches, but October is shaping up to be even more interesting. After the summer break, not only are kids back to school, but phone manufacturers are back to releasing phones, and they’re coming in hard. Here are all the big announcement events we’re looking forward to in October, ordered by date: October 2: Microsoft to announce new Surface products Microsoft will be announcing its latest software and hardware products at the beginning of October. What we’re interested to see is the line of Surface tablets. The event will be held in New York and starts at 4 PM local time (Eastern Time). October 4: LG to announce the V40 ThinQ LG is releasing yet another flagship phone, this time the V40 ThinQ. The video accompanying the announcement revealed in no subtle way that the phone will have three cameras on the back and it’s expected to have an additional two on the front. The event will be in LG’s Science Park in Seul, South Korea and starts at 10 AM local time. October 9: Google to announce the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Google is preparing two events on the same day, one in New York and one in Paris. Both are for the release of Google's new hardware products and will be held at the same time. Needless to say, we’re most excited about the new Pixel phones. There have been a lot of discussions around the leaks of the Pixel 3 XL and its notch. The truth will finally be revealed on October 9. and we can’t wait! October 10: Razer to announce the Razer Phone 2 While not as highly anticipated as some of the other phones on this list, the gaming-oriented Razer Phone 2 is also coming next month. The key note by the company’s CEO starts at 6:30 PM local time (Pacific time), the event will be at Razer’s headquarters in Hollywood, California. October 11: Samsung to announce new Galaxy smartphone(s) This is more on the mysterious side of things, although not by much. Called “A Galaxy Event”, it’s expected to reveal a new phone from the Galaxy A line. There’s a rumored Samsung device with 4 cameras on the back, something the “4x fun” title might be referring to. Or it might be just hinting towards the four total cameras of the upcoming Galaxy A7. There is no location mentioned, but the press release provides a few links where you can stream it live. October 16: Huawei to announce Mate 20 smartphones Huawei is going to unveil the smartphones from its Mate 20 line in London, UK. The flagship devices will feature the first 7nm CPU on an Android phone (Apple snatched the world first for all smartphones), HiSilicon’s Kirin 980, and an upgrade over the triple camera setup first introduced with the P20 Pro. October 17: OnePlus to announce the 6T This one isn’t officially confirmed yet, but screenshots released by OnePlus show the date October 17 and it aligns with the projected timeline for the release of the new OnePlus 6T. OnePlus managed to kill some of the excitement around its new phone by confirming that it will have no headphone jack. While we have to wait for the announcement with information about the time and place, we’re pretty confident about the date of the event. Those are the major events we know of so far, enough to provide us with half a month’s worth of announcements. We’ll be following all of them closely.