In the latest episode of GameSpot's weekly PC show Steam Punks, Jess and Ed talk about some of their favourite old PC games and discuss why they still hold up today. Watch the video above to see Jess and Ed talk about games like the adventure game/RPG hybrid Quest for Glory series, the original RollerCoaster Tycoon, Jordan Mechner's The Last Express from 1996, and 1999's excellent strategy game Heroes of Might & Magic III. Ed also talks about why he believes the original Fallout game is the best in the franchise. Despite their dated graphics and systems, these games are still worth your time in 2018 (though whether or not you have time to play them with all the big new releases coming up is another matter). All of them are available on GOG.com, where you can get them without any DRM. Classic games are also available on stores like Steam and other digital storefronts. Jess and Ed also answer your questions about last week's Steam Punks where they talked about about the always controversial loot boxes and microtransactions. Steam Punks airs every Monday on GameSpot. What are some of your favourite old PC games? Let us know in the comments below!

Sony made the big-time announcement today that it will finally allow cross-play between PlayStation 4 and competing consoles like Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Cross-play support is currently live, but only for one game: Fortnite. In its statement announcing cross-play, Sony said cross-play support for Fortnite is just the start of the company's wider plans. This has led to discussion and speculation about what other games may support cross-play. Bethesda's Fallout 76 won't be one of them. "Folks, chill," Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines said on Twitter. "I work with a lot of devs and games for whom this is important going forward. Fallout 76 does not support crossplay, for a number of reasons. I have no idea if it ever will. But I assure you it is not on our radar right now as we focus on B.E.T.A. and launch." Bethesda has been saying for a long time now that Fallout 76 will not support cross-play. However, after Sony made its announcement, Hines tweeted, "Well done, Sony," using the clapping hands emoji. Some fans saw this an indication of hope that Fallout 76 will support cross-play, but it won't, at least not right away. Unlike previous entries in the Fallout series, Fallout 76 is an always-online, multiplayer-focused game. A beta for the game kicks off in October, first on Xbox One. The full game launches on November 14 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. As for Sony's big cross-play announcement, the company said it recognises that cross-play adds "significant value" for players. As such, it decided, after a "comprehensive evaluation process," that it would allow cross-play for select third-party games, beginning with Fortnite.

The next PAX event is PAX Australia, and it's coming up soon. PAX Aus 2018 takes place October 26-28 in Melbourne, and now the event's panel schedule has been released. There are more than 125 panels and events in all, while GameSpot again has its own theatre. GameSpot's theatre, the GameSpot Dropbear Theatre, will have programming running Friday through Sunday. We'll be hosting panels on Fortnite's coverage in the mainstream media, voice acting featuring actors from Telltale's The Walking Dead and Fallout 4, and hacking a video game, among other topics. You can see the full programming lineup for the GameSpot Dropbear Theatre here, while a full list of every PAX Aus panel can be seen here. Outside of panels, PAX Aus will include a show floor featuring juggernauts like Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft, Nintendo, and Bandai Namco. A list of playable games hasn't been announced yet, however. Also new for this year is that PAX Aus and another big-time Australian gaming show, the EB Expo, are joining forces. PAX Aus kicks off on October 26 with a keynote address by Rhianna Pratchett, who worked on the Tomb Raider reboot and its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider. She also wrote Mirror's Edge, Heavenly Sword, and the Overlord series. During her PAX Aus keynote, she'll be engaging directly with fans, answering questions about any number of topics. PAX Aus three-day tickets are sold out, but you can still buy single-day tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday here on the event's website.

WildStar developer Carbine Studios is shutting down, and as part of this, the game is also coming to an end. Today, Carbine announced exactly when the shutdown will occur. WildStar will end on November 28, 2018, Carbine announced in a blog post. "It's never easy to say goodbye to something, especially something that has meant so much for so many," the studio said. "It has been our great privilege to share those adventures with all of you over the last four years." The studio added that its ambition for WildStar was to make "something special that presented a different kind of MMORPG experience." Carbine said it was happy with the game it launched back in 2014, but unfortunately it failed to find a big enough audience. Carbine has disabled the ability to spend real money in WildStar, while refunds for real-money purchases made since July 1, 2018 are available. You can read more about the refund process here on WildStar's website. WildStar developer Carbine Studios is shutting down, and as part of this, the game is also coming to an end. Today, Carbine announced exactly when the shutdown will occur. WildStar will end on November 28, 2018, Carbine announced in a blog post. "It's never easy to say goodbye to something, especially something that has meant so much for so many," the studio said. "It has been our great privilege to share those adventures with all of you over the last four years." The studio added that its ambition for WildStar was to make "something special that presented a different kind of MMORPG experience." Carbine said it was happy with the game it launched back in 2014, but unfortunately it failed to find a big enough audience. Carbine has disabled the ability to spend real money in WildStar, while refunds for real-money purchases made since July 1, 2018 are available. You can read more about the refund process here on WildStar's website.

This year's Assassin's Creed Odyssey allows players, for the first time in franchise history, to choose to play as a man, Alexios, or a woman, Kassandra. Game director Scott Phillips said in a new interview that he hopes future games developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the lead developer on Odyssey, will also offer players the ability this kind of choice. "I think it would be a mistake to limit our players, limit our fanbase from as many people as possible," Phillips told GI.biz. "I don't know why we would go back. We should continue pushing in this direction, bring in more players, more fans to enjoy this experience and make it their own experience." Ubisoft Quebec's last Assassin's Creed game, Syndicate, also featured male and female protagonists, but not on the level of Odyssey. That older game featured brother and sister assassins Evie and Jacob Frye with a character-swapping setup throughout. In Odyssey, you get to choose right at the start if you want to play as Alexios or Kassandra. Playing as either Alexios or Kassandra does not affect the story or gameplay. However, both characters have different voice actors and character models, similar to how the male and female Commander Shepards were treated in Mass Effect. The spinoff Assassin's Creed III: Liberation features a female protagonist, Aveline. At E3 2014, Ubisoft made headlines for stating that none of the playable characters in Assassin's Creed Unity are women because it would have doubled the workload. The quote from Scott Phillips, the director of Odyssey, seems to suggest that he's talking about future games from Ubisoft Quebec and not necessarily Ubisoft overall. Development on Assassin's Creed games is headed up by one studio with Ubisoft's other teams globally acting as support teams. For example, Ubisoft Montreal led development on last year's Assassin's Creed: Origins. Odyssey launches on October 5 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is also coming to Nintendo Switch, but only as a streaming title in Japan.

Tonight's episode of the long-running TV game show Jeopardy featured a "Video Games" category, and the contestants struggled. In the hard-to-watch clip below, the contestants get almost every single question wrong or don't answer at all, as they do their best at coming up with answers about video games. Before watching the clip, test yourself and see how you would do. Here are the questions: "This company's 'Infinity' allowed you to play characters from The Incredibles and Cars, to name a few." (For 200) "Morrowind and Skyrim are iterations of this 'venerable' set of games." (For 400) "A big gaming story of 2018 is Fortnite: This genre of game where the winner is last shooter or last team standing." (For 600) "In the classic video game Joust, contestants were placed upon these birds." (For 800) "Make your future fighting Ghaul, leader of the Red Legion in the second iteration of this Bungie game." (For 1,000) Host Alex Trebek jokes about the contestants not doing so well, which draws laughter from the audience. The fact that the Video Games category was chosen last probably says something about the contestants' confidence in their video game knowledge.

Sony made the big, unexpected announcement this week that it will finally allow cross-play between PlayStation 4 and competing consoles like Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The first supported game is Fortnite, while others may follow later. Now, Microsoft and other companies have responded to Sony's announcement, and it seems that nothing has been decided regarding other titles that may support cross-play down the track. Starting with Microsoft, the company responded to PlayStation's tweet about cross-play with the raising hands emoji. As of 1 AM ET on September 26. Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who has been one of Microsoft's most outspoken proponents of cross-play, has not tweeted at all about the cross-play news. Neither has Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg. That doesn't mean much, though, as tweets are just tweets and not everyone has time or interest to tweet. A Microsoft spokesperson responded to Sony's cross-play news with a statement to IGN in which it says it is "supportive of new scenarios that enable more people to play and have fun together while gaming." The statement added that Microsoft hopes Sony will allow cross-play for Minecraft, but added that it has "nothing further to share at this time." Minecraft, which Microsoft owns, currently supports cross-play between consoles like Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. On Switch, players have to create a Microsoft Account to play. If such a requirement was in place for PS4, that might be one of the reasons why Sony isn't willing to connect PS4 with Xbox One for Minecraft. IGN also spoke to Activision Blizzard about cross-play. The company remarked that it has already had a "great experience" with cross-play for Hearthstone, adding that the company recognises how cross-play is a "compelling" feature for many. However, Activision Blizzard said it still has "a lot of work to do" internally and with its partners like Xbox and PlayStation to decide if cross-play will be added to its other titles. "So we'll be watching the upcoming [PS4 cross-play test for Fortnite] and will assess what the potential impact of this feature would be for our players and our games," the Activision Blizzard representative said. Bethesda, the developer and publisher of Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, confirmed that Fallout 76 will not feature cross-play for "a number of reasons" that were not disclosed. Another developer, Rocket League studio Psyonix, chimed in as well. VP of Publishing Jeremy Dunham said Psyonix is "really happy" that Sony is allowing cross-play for Fortnite, adding that it is a "great step forward" for the gaming industry. He went on to say that Psyonix is aware that Rocket League fans want cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One, but there is no word on when this could happen. Rocket League supports cross-play on console between Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, but not PlayStation 4; and it looks like it's going to stay that way for a while longer. Psyonix was among the first studios to express interest in cross-play support on console. Dunham added that cross-play support for Rocket League comes with a number of challenges, including political ones. He also said he wants to ensure that if Rocket League ever supports cross-play between competing consoles that players won't have their accounts locked to one platform as other games have done. One of the issues people had with Sony over its cross-play stance was that, in Fortnite, players were locked out of their accounts if they played the game on another platform. Thankfully, Epic Games is addressing this with an upcoming update. Epic is working on an account-merging feature that allows players to combine their purchases that should launch in November. On the more immediate horizon, in the next few days Epic will enable players to unlink their console from a Fortnite account and re-link to another account. This is all good news for people who frustratingly had to create multiple accounts to play on different systems. Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson has also spoken enthusiastically about cross-play, though whether or not Battlefield V or other upcoming EA games support cross-play remains to be seen. "We're looking at key franchises in terms of how we should deliver cross-platform play ... in a similar way that Fortnite has, especially ... some of our titles have a broad and diverse player base," Wilson said in July. "Households typically have one console, so the ability to bring PC to console and console to mobile into that play experience can bring families together, can bring friends together. And we think it's an important part of our future development profile, both in terms of mobile games that we have today moving up per se to console and PC, and console and PC games being playable in mobile. And I expect more from us on that front in the future." Sony's announcement of cross-play support comes a few months after the company said in July that it was confident it would be able to find a solution that makes gamers happy and preserves Sony's business interests. The specifics about the deal Sony hammered out with relevant parties to make cross-play a reality have not been disclosed and likely won't be. In March 2016, Microsoft made the unexpected announcement that it had invited other networks, such as PlayStation Network and Nintendo's service, to connect to Xbox Live. It was a major announcement, considering cross-play between competing consoles was basically unheard of until that point. What do you make of Sony's big cross-play announcement? Let us know in the comments below!

The box art for Red Dead Redemption 2's PlayStation 4 Pro bundle not only revealed that the game carries a 105 GB file size, but also some other key details about the sequel. According to Rockstar Intel, the back of the box also shows that the PlayStation-exclusive content for Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode, Red Dead Online, will be exclusive to Sony's PS4 for a period of 30 days. Sony first started talking about the PlayStation-exclusive content for Red Dead Redemption 2 all the way back in 2016, but this is the first time we're hearing about the duration of its exclusivity on Sony's platform. There is still no word as to what the PlayStation-exclusive content is, but now we know it's for Red Dead Online and that Xbox One owners will have to wait to check it out. Sony has a co-marketing deal in place with Rockstar Games for Red Dead Redemption 2, which explains the PS4 Pro bundle and the timed-exclusive content. The game of course is also coming to Xbox One, and it will presumably take advantage of the power of the Xbox One X for those who have Microsoft's super-power console. This isn't Sony's first co-marketing deal with a big sequel. The company also has a deal in place with Activision to bring Call of Duty content first to PS4. The arrangement seems to have been adjusted recently, as Black Ops 4's PlayStation-exclusive DLC will only be exclusive for a week instead of a month as it was for past games in the series. The packaging for Red Dead Redemption 2's PS4 Pro bundle also mentions that Red Dead Online will support up to 32 players. This is double the number of players that could be in a Free Roam session in the multiplayer mode of 2010's Red Dead Redemption. The maximum number of players in a GTA Online session on PS4 and Xbox One is apparently 30. The Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Pro bundle comes with a 1TB jet black system, matching DualShock 4 controller, and a copy of the standard edition of the game. It costs $400 USD, which is the standard price of the console, so the game is essentially free. GameSpot recently had an opportunity to play Red Dead Redemption 2. You can check out our hands-on feature where we talk about what's new and exciting about the sequel. Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on October 26 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Season 6 of Fortnite is almost here. The next season of the popular battle royale game kicks off on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile today and it'll arrive alongside the release of the game's 6.0 update. The Fortnite servers have been taken offline so that developer Epic Games can issue the new patch and get the season rolling. As previously revealed on Twitter, Fortnite servers will be down from 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST while Epic rolls out the game's 6.0 update. The developer didn't provide an estimate for how long this downtime will last; previous maintenance periods have typically run between one and two hours, though the timing could vary, particularly as patch 6.0 will presumably make some rather significant changes to the game. Once the servers return, players will be able to officially dive into Season 6. We still don't quite know what to expect from the new season. Epic hasn't revealed many concrete details about it, but the developer has been dropping a series of teaser images that feature what are likely to be some of the new skins players will be able to acquire. On Monday, Epic showed off a robotic llama; Tuesday's teaser featured an outlaw; and the most recent image depicted a werewolf. All of the teaser images are also set against the infamous purple cube, suggesting it will continue to play some sort of role in Season 6. The mysterious object first appeared in the game back in August, after a lightning storm struck the desert. Shortly after that, it began slowly rolling around the island until it eventually came to Loot Lake last week. Much to players' surprise, the cube plunged into the lake, turning the entire body of water purple and bouncy. Epic typically makes some fairly big changes to Fortnite's map at the start of each season, so other areas are likely to receive an overhaul when Season 6 finally arrives. The developer also offers a new Battle Pass to purchase during each season. Epic hasn't yet provided any details about Season 6's Battle Pass, but these typically cost 950 V-Bucks--Fortnite's in-game currency--and can be leveled up throughout the entire season to unlock new skins, cosmetic items, and other rewards.

It's finally here... Lil Wayne has finally confirmed that anticipated album ‘Tha Carter V’ is finally set to arrive on his birthday – Friday September 28.T The record is a direct follow-up to 2011’s ‘Tha Carter IV’, but it has been stuck in development hell for over seven years. However, he’s now confirmed in a YouTube video that the record’s long-awaited arrival is imminent. In the clip, he’s seen taking fans on a tour of his own studio, before finally dropping the positive news. “With this album, I’m giving you more than me”, he says in the video. “This is years of work… that you’ll be listening to. I hope you enjoy it, you don’t have to love it, you don’t have to like it, but I hope you enjoy it.” He also revealed the artwork, the same cover seen below – which was first touted in 2014. The record was originally set for released in 2015, but faced a number of setbacks after Lil Wayne experienced extensive legal battles with Cash Money records Birdman – who he sued for $51 million in order to be released from his contract. At one point, it was also claimed that the finished record had been purchased by notorious pharmaceutical boss Martin Shkreli. “This is going to make Wu-Tang look like nothing”, said Shkreli at the time, referring to his previous purchase of the only copy of the hip-hop group’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’. Lil Wayne’s last album came in 2015’s ‘Free Weezy’.

"I can be a moron. But my intentions were straightforward and without any agenda" Lily Allen has reflected upon the way in which she she ‘apologised on behalf of the UK’ in 2016 after witnessing the appalling conditions for child refugees in the Calais ‘jungle‘ – and the aftermath of ‘violent threats she received. Allen was appearing on the BBC for Victoria Derbyshire’s show when she met children staying at the migrant ‘jungle’. Among the 1,000 youngsters living there without parents, Allen met with a 13-year-old boy who fled Afghanistan where he says ‘the Taliban were trying to kill me’. After he unveiled the extent of his ordeal and that he would try to smuggle his way into the UK after authorities would take too long to process his move, the ‘Smile’ singer broke down in tears and said: “At three points in your life [the UK] has put you in danger. We bombed your country, put you in the hands of the Taliban, and now put you in danger of risking your life to get into our country. I apologise on behalf of my country, for what we’ve put you through.” Now in her new memoir My Thoughts Exactly, Allen has written that while her phrasing may have been ‘foolish’, her intentions remained pure and ‘without any agenda’. “It was a clumsy thing to say,” wrote Allen. “I wanted to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and I wanted to acknowledge that I was part of the problem, and that we are all part of the problem if we don’t do more to help. The words came out badly, and for that I felt foolish. I was embarrassed about putting it like that. “I can be a moron. But my intentions were straightforward and without any agenda. I just wanted to help, in whatever tiny way I could.” She added: “I got a lot of stick about my visit to Calais. I’ve always been trolled and bullied on social media, but after Calais the online bullying I experienced went off the charts. People jumped to conclusions and made assumptions about everything I said: when I said, for example, that I believed our invasion of Iraq was wrong, they accused me of slandering the Armed Forces as a whole. “People wrote in violent terms about what they’d like to do to me and what I deserved. They often included my kids when they discussed dishing out my punishments. I minded all that.” The book also sees Allen hit out at the ‘trolls and bullies’ who hijack her on social media to send hateful and abusive messages, adding: “I don’t want to be silent. Women have been silenced for millennia.”

Suede have discussed how the “meaningless, post-truth world” of 2018 “seeped” into their new album ‘The Blue Hour’ – as well as describing Brexit as “a tragedy for this country”. Watch our full video interview with the band above. The band are currently at Number 2 in the charts with their adventurous new album ‘The Blue Hour‘ – as the band adopt a notably darker sound and themes, exploring fear and vulnerability in the UK’s rural communities as told through the eyes of a child. While not directly inspired by the tumultuous political and social landscape of 2018, the band did reveal that it had some kind of impact on the album’s mood and viewpoint. “I don’t think it’s deliberate – [Brett] didn’t sit down and say ‘The world is in a terrible place, I’m going to write a record like that’,” bassist Mat Osman told NME, “but if you’re talking about children, if you’re talking about the next generation, then I think most people are afraid of the kind of meaningless world that’s around them – this kind of post-truth, post-politics world. “It’s not something that you react to particularly logically, but it seeps into your dreams and your fears.” Frontman Brett Anderson continued: “It’s an interesting thing, having a child. You’re plagued with fear for their future, but of course at the same time, having a child is an act of hope. You can’t have a child and think that the world is going to be a terrible, terrible place. There’s a real duality and contradiction on some ways. “As you get older as people, it’s easier to see the murkier side of life. I’ve probably always dwelled on it a little bit, but it’s an interesting paradox.” Quizzed on the topic of Brexit and if it had become a regular interview topic overseas in recent years, Osman replied: “You’re always asked about it, and it’s incredibly boring talking about it – everyone’s really bored of it. I’m quite passionate about not leaving Europe, but I’m still quite bored about us talking about it.” Anderson then continued: “It’s obviously quite a tragedy for this country, that goes without saying. But what do we do now? This is something we can chat about, but it’s not musicians’ jobs to find solutions for these things. “Politicians got us into this state in the first place, but anyone with any sense realises what a tragedy it is for this country.” Suede’s new album ‘The Blue Hour’ is out now. The band’s upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates are below. They will be joined by The Horrors. Friday October 12 – LONDON Eventim Apollo Saturday October 13 – LONDON Eventim Apollo Sunday October 14 – DUBLIN Bord Gais Energy Theatre

“I went up to Seattle and spent four or five days with him" Bradley Cooper has revealed how Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder wasn’t convinced that his big-screen reboot of A Star Is Born would be a good idea. The film, which is set for release next month, has seen Cooper touted as an early Oscar contender for his acclaimed turn as rocker Jackson Maine and his first time behind the camera. But despite awards beckoning, it seems that Pearl Jam frontman Vedder wasn’t so sure after he was visited by Cooper to achieve inspiration for the movie. “I went up to Seattle and spent four or five days with him and I asked him 9,000 questions,” Cooper revealed to Yahoo. “And he gave me minor, little things that only musicians know about what to do, just aesthetically and the inner workings.” However, he wasn’t perhaps entirely on board with the whole project. “He thought it was crazy I was going to do this movie,” Cooper said. “He was like, ‘What? Bro, don’t do that.’ He added that Vedder was “wonderful.” A Star Is Born debuted at the Venice Film Festival in August and secured instant critical acclaim. It follows the story of boozing country singer Maine, who falls in love with Ally (Lady Gaga), a talented young waitress-cum-singer as their careers head in entirely different trajectories. An early review for Talkhouse, lauded the film as an “instant classic”, saying: “It’s one of those rare movies that grabs you from the opening shot and then just gets better and better with each passing scene”. A Star Is Born is released on October 4.

"I just wasn't having it" A pair of nightclubbers who were catapulted to online fame have explained exactly what was happening in a photo that captured the man shouting in the disinterested woman’s ear. Schoolfriends Patrick Ritchie and Lucia Gorman were pictured at Milk Tuesdays at Edinburgh’s Bourbon nightclub, with the snap being shared thousands of times across social media. Users soon began speculating as to what was being said in the photo – and added their own possible conversations. “Am not a weirdo ah actual play for Motherwell”, one user suggested. Another made it into a dull chat about the merits of Arctic Monkeys’ latest album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’. But Ritchie and Gorman have now spoken out – and explained the story behind their poses “I just wasn’t having it, I needed to go home”, Lucia told Capital FM. “Patrick always talks rubbish anyway so it could have been anything.” Patrick added: “It’s weird, my cousin told me it made it onto some Facebook page in Australia which is mental “[Lucia] was one of my pals from school so she was probably fed up – she looks it as well. We get on she’s good fun. “I’m so surprised because it was just quite standard, what’s the big deal.” As well as the popularity of the original meme, users began combining it with other internet staples – such as the “distracted boyfriend”. Bourbon Nightclub is yet to respond.

'His personality changed dramatically' The sister of late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence has given a frank interview about the singer’s final years before he took his own life. Hutchence was found dead on 22 November 1997 after he took his own life, just seven months after the Australian rock veterans released their 10th album ‘Elegantly Wasted’. He was 37-years-old. Now in conversation with The Guardian, his sister Tina Hutchence has spoken about her new book Michael: My Brother, Lost Boy of INXS. In it, she reveals that the icon suffered a ‘traumatic brain injury’ after fracturing his skull in an altercation with a taxi driver in 1992. “He was put on Prozac and told he’d get through the headaches,” said Tina. “But there has been so much written about TBIs in the US over the last five years, looking at football players and boxers. It made sense to me the more I read, because Michael’s personality changed dramatically. “I’ve now done a couple of podcasts about it in the States and I intend to continue to working along those lines.” Speaking of the ‘media circus’ that surrounded Michael, his partner Paula Yates and ex-husband Bob Geldof, Tina said that he became a particular target for UK tabloids when they pitted him against the Boomtown Rats singer. “I think you can always tell if an article is from a UK newspaper, just from reading it,” Tina continued. “He’d always had such a great relationship with the press. They didn’t bother him, or didn’t even realise it was him. I had observed him walking around in Paris, LA and Australia and people would just say, “Oh hi, I caught your show the other night,” and he’d say, “Thanks mate,” shake their hand and walk on. “But when all that exploded in London, he was absolutely beside himself. I was once told that with the tabloids they’ve got to have a good guy and a bad guy. What role could he take if Bob [known in the UK tabloids as “Saint Bob”] was on the other side?” Tina also said that she found it ‘very upsetting’ that INXS’ management did little to help when he was visibly distressed during the band’s final tour in 1997. “I found out more in reading some of the statements to the police,” she added. “The fact that the manager wrote Michael a letter saying she was very worried about him, and what can they do? Well obviously the thing to do is call off the tour that he didn’t want to be on, but they didn’t – it was on with the show.” Last year, a new documentary aired – revealing what were believed to be the final words of the singer, with the following lyrics written on a yellow notepad on the night of his death: “Wouldn’t be right to take it Wouldn’t be right laying down Sick of the dogs outside my window That’s right take a look New plan with a hook Stuck into me All the bitterness Has started showing Five years no one hears.”

"It's a different riff every 10 seconds" Muse are teasing a retro new video for their upcoming single ‘Pressure’ – described by the band as more of a “straight Muse rock track”. Taken from their upcoming album ‘Simulation Theory‘, ‘Pressure’ follows on from recent singles ‘The Dark Side‘, ‘Thought Contagion‘, ‘Something Human‘ and ‘Dig Down’. While the tasters for the new record so far have leaned towards a more pop-friendly and electro-rock approach, frontman Matt Bellamy has said that this one is more traditional of the band. “It’s more like a straight Muse rock track,” Bellamy told Radio X. “It’s like a different riff every 10 seconds, basically.” It looks like the track could be coming very soon – with Bellamy and drummer Dom Howard teasing a retro video, that seems to be recreating the prom scene from ‘Back To The Future’, with Muse assuming the role of the band and the frontman seemingly dressed as Marty McFly. Produced by Rich Costey, Mike Elizondo, Shellback and Timbaland, ‘Simulation Theory’ is due for release on November 9, 2018. Meanwhile, this weekend saw Muse debut tracks from ‘Simulation Theory’ live at Reeperbahn Festival where they performed as special guests. UK and world tour dates for 2019 are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.

"I have got something nice for you bite on... our assholes... see ya loser!” Sharon Osbourne has hit back at the bosses of concert giant AEG, after husband Ozzy Osbourne dropped a lawsuit against the company. Ozzy had previously lodged action after claiming that his forthcoming show at London’s O2 Arena next year came with the proviso that he must also play the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. Instead, the rock icon argued that he preferred to play the Los Angeles Forum – operated by AEG rival Madison Square Garden Entertainment. But Sharon Osbourne has now responded with a fierce rebuttal, after AEG described the dropped lawsuit as a “victory”. “We know Mr. Anshultz (aka ‘Daddy Big Bucks’) is living in his billionaire bubble, but the fact is that Ozzy sued AEG for the right to perform at the O2 in London,” said Osbourne in a statement. “We won the case and Ozzy’s show at the O2 went on sale on September 5 for a show next year (February 11, 2019) — so in my world that means we won the case.” She continued: “Ozzy is playing the O2 without having to play the Staples Center, which is all that mattered to us. From the start of this dialogue in February, this has been a battle about respect for the artists and their personal preferences. It wasn’t then and isn’t now a battle between promoters, which is how this is being portrayed by the recent statement from AEG claiming this as a ‘victory’,” “To say that this ‘suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation,’ and that ‘it was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off,’ is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team working on this tour. “Whatever differences you have with Irving Azoff, don’t presume you know who instigated the lawsuit or you know anything about Ozzy Osbourne, because you obviously don’t know anything about Ozzy’s history or mine. So stop with your hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and your little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG.” Osbourne added: “”Ozzy’s preference was to perform at The Forum, a venue that has been a part of his music history for more than 46 years. From the start, this was not a battle solely for Ozzy, as much as one for other artists who were being forced to abide by these rules and regulations. Let’s not all forget why you’re here… the artists.” “The only thing remotely interesting in your statement was your pitiful attempt at humour with your quote that Ozzy ‘had no idea what he was biting off.’ If you’re interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you bite on… our assholes… see ya loser!” Osbourne’s UK farewell tour kicks in February 2019.

"That just shows you the level of craziness" Billy Corgan has claimed that former bassist D’Arcy Wretzky continued to ask if she could re-join Smashing Pumpkins, even after the animosity between them around the reunion had peaked. Last month saw the Pumpkins 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. While the line-up also features longtime collaborator and guitarist Jeff Schroeder and touring bassist Jack Bates (son of Joy Division and New Order legend Peter Hook.), original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky is not included as relations remain fraught between her and the band. However, Corgan has been very vocal in stating that Wretzky was invited to take part in the reunion, albeit in a limited capacity due to her years of musical inactivity and supposed history of stage anxiety – before communications broke down. Now in a new interview, the frontman has elaborated on events – as well as adding that she kept asking to “come back”. “The goal was to see the four of us on a stage,” said Corgan, reports Pulse Of Radio. “I was cool if it was going to be one song or a whole show, and the whole thing broke down when we had to start talking about time and reality and opportunity, and, of course, the business part of it all.” Corgan continued: “The difference between what I saw as a very sympathetic and empathetic opportunity was: ‘No, it has to be like this’… The reaction wasn’t, ‘Well, let’s get together in a room and play, and let me show you you’re wrong.’ It was, ‘No.’ Then the threats started, then the mendacity started.” He added:”Even after the bridge was blown up, and it was blown up for good, there was a backchannel communication through an intermediator: ‘Can I still come back?’ That just shows you the level of craziness.” Fellow former bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur recently spoke out to lend her support to the current incarnation of Smashing Pumpkins, having not been invited to be part of their reunion. Meanwhile, Smashing Pumpkins recently teased that they’d love to perform ‘Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness’ as well as ‘Machina‘ on the road in full. Smashing Pumpkins 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.

"Good luck with the tour". Richard Ashcroft has responded after The Coral took aim with a spoof of the Verve musician’s recent drugs denial. Addressing “trolls on Twitter”, Ashcroft said in the video: “Number one: Cocaine and I have had no relationship for decades. Number two: Don’t you ever surmise what has fallen out of my pocket. And, don’t bring my children into it.” He added: “You’re on thin ice. Don’t libel my name. My dad didn’t like litter and I don’t really like litter. But it gets a bit preposterous in my pocket. In The Verve I was known as Colombo, so get your facts right. You’re on thin ice. Peace.” The Coral then posted a piss-take video, in which band member Nick Power addressed his own online ‘trolls’. “Number one: Don’t you ever surmise that I can’t ice skate,” he said during the clip. “I was doing triple axels before some of you were born. And Number B: Me and peas have had no relationship for decades – I prefer carrots.” “If you don’t get down to our tour next week, you’re gonna be on thin ice,” he continued. “In The Coral they call me Miss Marble, ’cause I might’ve lost my marbles.” He signed off by holding up a bag of frozen peas, saying: “You’re on thin ice. Peas.” Now, Ashcroft’s responded to the Liverpool band – and he’s seeing the funny side of the joke. “Good luck with the tour mate hope I brought a bit of traffic you’re [sic] way,” the Verve singer commented on the Instagram video. “I might even pop down see you”. The Coral’s UK tour kicks off in Newcastle next week, before concluding in London with a show at Camden’s Electric Ballroom. Find tickets and the full schedule here. The Hoylake band released their latest album, ‘Move Through The Dawn‘, on August 17. It was recorded at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios and was produced by The Coral and Rich Turvey.

The festival was recently revealed to be entering administration The company who loaned Bestival money prior to the festival entering administration have offered to buy the brand – saying that they hope to continue Camp Bestival, but remaining silent on the future of Bestival itself. Rob Da Bank’s annual music event launched in 2004 and has welcomed the likes of The Cure, Massive Attack, Outkast and Florence & The Machine as headliners. Originally taking place in the Isle of Wight, the festival relocated to Dorset in 2017. The more family-friendly sister festival Camp Bestival has also run on the Dorset site since 2008. At the weekend, it was reported that administrators would appointed to Bestival Group, Bestival Ltd, and Camp Bestival, after loans tycoon James Benamor filed the administration notices at the High Court. According to filings at Companies House, Richmond Group Debt Capital – privately owned by Benamor – extended a loan of up to £1.6m to the festival back in February of last year. Now, Richmond are looking to take over the brand. “Richmond Group has today made an offer of £1.1m to purchase the brand and assets of Bestival Group, with the intention of running the successful Camp Bestival going forward,” a spokesman has told NME. “Under this offer, all Camp Bestival 2019 tickets sold so far will be honoured.” RG CEO James Benamor added: “We have been fans and supporters of Bestival since the beginning. Our children have grown up with wonderful memories of these festivals. “Bestival is an example of Dorset being world class and we are keen to ensure that this fantastic institution goes on to delight families and local businesses, for many years to come.” When NME asked if this meant that Camp Bestival would continue but Bestival would not, Richard Group were unable to comment further. Rob Da Bank and Bestival are yet to comment on the latest development. These reports follow the cancellation of Camp Bestival’s final day earlier this year. Bestival’s family-orientated sister event was closed due to severe weather conditions in July. At the time, organisers promised to issue refunds “as quickly as possible”. Bestival 2018 saw performances from the likes of London Grammar, M.I.A, Grace Jones and Plan B. Fans had hoped for more events to come, after Bestival announced that it would be going cashless in 2019 – and for the next five years.

"That son of a bitch better stop using RATM as an underpinning for his racist diatribes". Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has vowed to “dry slap” former Ukip leader Nigel Farage if he ever encounters him. Morello has long been a critic of the divisive Brexit campaigner – and previously branded him a “pissweasle” after he adopted the ‘Farage Against The Machine’ title for his LBC podcast. In 2012, he also warned Farage against using ‘Killing In The Name of’ at Ukip Rallies. However, he’s now delivered perhaps his biggest threat to date as he responded to a fan in a Guardian webchat. “I am open to accidentally giving Nigel a dry slap, if I encounter him on the tube. Though I doubt he rides the tube for fear of all the dry slaps he would receive”, Morello said. “Regardless, that son of a bitch better stop using RATM as an underpinning for his racist diatribes, or we’re coming for him. Warning issued!” Although Farage is yet to respond, Morello previously joined the rest of the band in sending him a cease-and-desist letter earlier this year. Responding to the name ‘Farage Against The Machine’, the band wrote: “Your surprising attempt to associate yourself with RATM is wholly inappropriate and completely inexplicable, unless it’s part of some kind of bizarre cleansing ritual. “Whatever the motivation, please stop. Stop using RATM’s name and logo, change the name of your podcast and find some other target to troll. We suggest President Trump.”

RIP. Tributes have been paid to Dale Barclay, after The Amazing Snakeheads frontman’s death from brain cancer was confirmed. Friends, fans and collaborators have taken to social media to honour Barclay, while a member of his management has since confirmed the tragic news to NME. His death comes only a month after a GoFundMe campaign was launched to fund treatment, following Barclay’s diagnosis with grade four Glioblastoma brain cancer late last year at the age of 32. Bands including Shame, Franz Ferdinand, Fat White Family and Honeyblood have took to Twitter to share their support. “I have had one craniotomy which removed 90% of the initial tumour,” he wrote at the time.“After that, I did six weeks of radiotherapy and six months of a clinical trial alongside chemotherapy. My tumour has two mutations which make it rarer than average (had to be!). The cancer has returned. The fight continues with the power to face it raging in me.” Paying tribute on Twitter, Sam Fender wrote: “RIP Dale Barclay, an earth shattering frontman”. The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds described him as a “captivating” performer. During his time with The Amazing Snakeheads, Barclay released debut album ‘Amphetamine Ballads’, described by NME as a “willfully frontloaded album”. “‘Amphetamine Ballads’ showcases a group with good taste, to quote The Cramps, and the ability to cook up an adrenalised racket or a melancholy fog”, our verdict stated.”There aren’t quite enough classic songs here to render their voice vital, but as long as boring bands exist, this kind of piss and vinegar will always be welcome.” The group announced their split in 2015, before Barclay later joined Glasgow group And Yet It Moves.

"They’re all jolly nice and totally good on their instruments, but it became a thing and it was very, very boring" Graham Coxon has said that the Britpop era was “really fucking dull” for guitarists – and that he found musicians from America more interesting and “expressive” at the time. The Blur guitarist turned solo artist was speaking to The Guardian about the release of his soundtrack for the hit series The End Of The Fucking World, when he said that he found most guitarists from the UK in the ’90s to be quite monotonous. “I was excited once I figured out where the good music was coming from,” said Coxon. “And it was from America and from Leftfield. Talking as a guitar player, Britpop for me was dull. It was fucking really dull. “No one was doing anything interesting with a guitar. Of course, Jonny Greenwood was, Radiohead, but for the majority of it, it was just drongos who were there to back up a female vocalist.” Speaking of his peers at the time, Coxon continued: “They’re all jolly nice and totally good on their instruments, but it became a thing and it was very, very boring. For me, people like Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, Pavement and other small-label punk groups from America – these kids were teenagers, they were playing like they didn’t give a shit and like their life depended on it.” Coxon went on to say that he admired how US guitarists were more ‘expressive’ at the time, and that any rivalry suggested between Britpop and grunge was “bullshit”/ “I didn’t understand that,” Coxon added. “That’s why I got so upset, because that should have been a time for me to be like, wow, brilliant. There was a particular kind of proto-grunge punk rock, with people like the Melvins and the Wipers, and these bands are brilliant unsung heroes, really.” Earlier this summer, Coxon provided an update on his solo projects and explained why he doesn’t “see why there can’t be another Blur album.” Coxon said that there were “no plans right now” for a new Blur record. However, he said he wanted to make another album with the band, but it was “impossible to say yes and when to because these things just come out of nowhere.” “I really don’t see why not and why there can’t be another Blur album,” he continued. “We’re all still alive and in reasonable control of our faculties. It’s just the time when that notion comes upon us all and the stars align and we go, ‘Yeah, why not?’”

The track will be released next month Halsey has teased her new single ‘Without Me’ with a brand new visual. It marks her first new material since last year’s album ‘hopeless fountain kingdom‘. Originally unveiled during her London gig on Sunday (September 23), the new video shows flashing images of the singer under pouring water, with lyrics “Said I’d catch you if you fall” and “Does it ever get lonely?” coming up on screen. After debuting the video, the singer told the London audience that the forthcoming track will released on October 4. You can watch the teaser below. Earlier this week (September 24), Halsey described Machine Gun Kelly as “pathetic” after her apparent relationship with the rapper was dissed by Eminem and G-Eazy. Eminem claims that Kelly is “salty” because of G-Eazy’s on-off relationship with Halsey during his diss track ‘Killshot’.G-Eazy, meanwhile, says that Kelly would be “mad”, because he collaborated with Halsey on ‘Him and I’. Halsey took to Twitter to let her thoughts be known, “how *absolutely* pathetic”, she wrote. Kelly has previously claimed that he had “smashed” the singer – after the pair reportedly dated in 2017. “Did you really smash [G-Eazy’s] girl?”, Charlamagne tha God asked in recent US radio interview. “Yes! Many of them,” Kelly responded. “Did you smash Halsey?” said Charlamagne. “Absolutely”, Kelly said. Kelly later insisted that it was “whack” that she had been dragged into the feuds. It comes after Kelly was dragged into a feud with Eminem after he was dissed on surprise album ‘Kamikaze’. It marked the beginning of a back-and-forth between the pair.

“I’m never going to search for anyone’s acceptance" Brockhampton‘s Kevin Abstract has discussed being championed as a queer icon within the group’s fan base – saying that he hopes his music can speak to a wider range of people. The California outfit released their new record ‘Iridescence‘ last week (September 21). It’s the follow-up to their third LP, ‘SATURATION III’, which came out in December last year. Now, in a new interview with Shortlist, Abstract has opened up about being defined by his sexuality. “I don’t want to be a queer icon,” the frontman told the publication. “I want to be an icon. “In order to make a change, I have to exist in a traditionally homophobic space such as hip-hop. If I were to just be this queer rapper, who only spoke to queer kids… I don’t think I could as effectively make a change for another young, black queer kid growing up in Texas.” Dom McLennon added that this outlook is “one of the most inspiring things” about Abstract. “One of the most enlightening and profound things I’ve learned from you is watching you make the effort to normalise your experience,” he said. “I’m never going to search for anyone’s acceptance,” Abstract responded. “I’m just going to be me, and people are eventually going to have to accept it.” Meanwhile, Brockhampton released the official video for ‘J’OUVERT’ last week. Directed by Spencer Ford and shot entirely on an infrared thermographic camera, the resulting effect makes for a trippy watch as members of the self-appointed boy band rap and sing along to the track.