The Fat Angel Sings

Uncut is now in shops, featuring a deep dive into Bob Dylan’s wild 1966, as well as new interviews with Genesis, Manic Street Preachers, Snail Mail, Billy Childish, Sex Pistols, The Black Crowes, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Soft Machine – plus Arctic Monkeys, Alex Harvey, Zappa vs Beefheart, Charlotte Cornfield and much more!

Each issue comes with a free 15-track CD including tracks by Flea feat. Thom Yorke, Courtney Barnett, Tinariwen and The Long Ryders.

UFO bassist Pete Way once told this writer that when Paul Chapman took on the herculean task of replacing Michael Schenker in UFO in 1978, “he did a damned good job of making it a good rock’n’roll band. Paul was a great guitar player, more in the Gary Moore mould”. And just as Moore’s permanent return to Thin Lizzy that same year galvanised Lizzy to follow Live And Dangerous with the stellar Black Rose, Chapman’s arrival helped UFO land a knockout after “Strangers In The Night” with “No Place To Run” (1980).

Recording with producer George Martin at AIR Studios in Montserrat overran, forcing Way, Chapman, and vocalist Phil Mogg to fly from an already scheduled European tour to AIR London every few nights for mixing. Chapman later told me: “Our ears were knackered,” and he felt that subsequent remasters improved Martin’s original mix.

UFO perform “Young Blood” live on Top of the Pops on January 10, 1980—taken from their “No Place To Run” album, the first to feature guitarist Paul ‘Tonka’ Chapman. In a recent interview, Phil Mogg reflected on this era, calling Chapman “reliable… to a point,” and described working with legendary producer George Martin on the album as “a beautiful holiday—but not ideal for recording.”

“Young Blood” captures the band’s shift in sound post-Michael Schenker, with a raw edge that made the track a standout. This performance shows UFO at a pivotal point—between classic rock energy and polished production.

This newly remastered edition heightens the effect, outstripping its 2009 predecessor with a more focused balance of frequencies, adding clarity to Mogg’s passionate vocals and Chapman’s white-hot solos.

At their best, as this album presents them, UFO’s stage-drilled dynamism informed their songwriting, allowing them to segue effortlessly from the rampant hard rock of “Lettin’ Go” and a runaway take on Elvis’s “Mystery Train” to radio-friendly hit “Young Blood” and the title track’s seething menace. Disc 2 gives UFO’s mettlesome November 1980 Marquee performance its first full release, with freshly mixed highlights from “No Place”, sneak previews of its classic follow-up, and Schenker-era favourites.

Remastered Deluxe Edition of “No Place To Run” drops August 15th, 2025, featuring a full 1980 live set from the Marquee mixed from original tapes by Brian Kehew.

The Modfather Paul Weller is to release compilation of radio sessions recorded at the BBC between 2008-2024, “Weller At The BBC Vol. 2” will feature songs spanning the 67-year-old singer/songwriter’s career, between 2008-2024, from reworked takes on classic songs by The Jam and The Style Council through to his acclaimed solo career, and will includes Weller’s unique interpretations of songs by artists as diverse as Billie Eilish and The Kinks.

This second BBC outing gathers live session and live in concert performances, including intimate stripped back acoustic versions and re-workings of tracks across The Jam, The Style Council and Paul’s extensive solo career. 

From timeless classics such as “Start!”, “Shout To The Top” and “Wild Wood”, to deep cuts and covers, like The Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?“

The album also features some beautifully orchestrated tracks with the London Metropolitan Orchestra, arranged and conducted by Hannah Peel, including “Aspects”, and “Have You Ever Had It Blue”.

It also includes “When Your Garden’s Overgrown” and “Boy About Town” as featured on the limited edition seven inch single he’ll release on Record Store Day, April 18.

As denoted by its title, the album is the follow up to Weller’s 2008 compilation Weller at the BBC, which brought together BBC performances recorded between 1990 – 2008.

Courtney Barnett is releasing a new album, “Creature of Habit”, on March 27th via Mom + Pop. Now she has shared two new songs from it, “Mantis” and “Sugar Plum.”

Barnett had this to say about “Mantis” in a press release: “‘Mantis’ is the microcosmic centerpiece of this album, it embodies the message and meaning of every track. It’s a song about searching, and it helped me find my way through “Creature of Habit”.

“I was feeling particularly lost while I was working on this song. One day, I was standing in the kitchen, making a coffee, when I noticed a little green praying mantis sitting on top of the doorframe. I had never seen one there in the desert house, so I took it as an important sign from the universe. I texted a photo to Stella and she said, ‘It’s good luck, look it up!’ I did a quick search and found it to also represent patience, perseverance and a guide for those who needed direction. I stood and spoke to the mantis for a while, it was a strange and enlightening moment that I’ll never forget. Eventually, I got back to writing, and finally I had the chorus to this song.”

Barnett shared the album’s opening track, “Stay In Your Lane,” last October. When “Creature of Habit” was announced in January she shared its second single, “Site Unseen,” which features Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee .

In 2023 Barnett released a new instrumental album, “End of the Day“. Barnett’s last album of regular songs, Things Take Time, Take Time, came out in 2021 via Mom + Pop Music/Marathon Artists.

“Creature of Habit” was written after Barnett relocated from her native Australia to Los Angeles and also closed down her label, Milk! Records.

“Creature of Habit” Due Out March 27th via Mom + Pop

Jeff Tweedy with nods to London Greats Over Two Nights at Islington Assembly Hall, Debuts The Clash, Brian Eno, T. Rex, The Kinks and More Covers , Over the weekend, Jeff Tweedy took his current Solo Tour, which supports the September release of his new triple album, “Twilight Override”, to Islington Assembly Hall in London.

During the two-night stand, which took place on Friday, Feb. 20th, and Saturday, Feb. 21st, the formidable lyricist stacked his main frames with originals before finding pockets for debuts during the encores–takes on pieces by Richard & Linda Thompson, Brian Eno, T. Rex, The Kinks, and The Clash. Notably, all the musicians covered during the debuts were English acts. 

During Tweedy’s initial London encore, played Friday, Feb. 20th, he reverted to his own “Warmer” cut, “Family Ghost,” before the arrival of the weekend’s initial debut, a take on husband and wife duo Richard & Linda Thompson’s 1974-released, critically snubbed “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.” The musician kept up the speed by administering his first-ever take on Eno’s “Needles in the Camel’s Eye,” the opening number off the original artist’s 1973 debut LP, “Here Come The Warm Jets”. 

Similarly, during Tweedy’s return to the Islington Assembly Hall on Saturday, Feb. 21st, he continued with first-time plays. Rather than stick to two debuts, he expanded his concert capacity to three, beginning with T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution.” Played consecutively, Tweedy went with The Kinks’ “The Time Tomorrow” while continuing his cycle through debuts. This move ultimately led to a rendition of The Clash’s “London Calling” during the locational fitting finale. 

Courtney Barnett releases her fourth studio album “Creature Of Habit” “including single ‘Site Unseen featuring Waxahatchee. which leads her highly-anticipated fourth studio album, due out in March. 

Due for release on March 27th via Fiction Records, “Creature of Habit” marks a decisive new chapter in the Grammy-nominated Australian singer-songwriter’s musical evolution. According to the announcement, it’s a “bold, emotionally resonant record” that explores a central question: how to get out of your own way so you can truly feel your life.

Written in the wake of a relocation from Australia to Los Angeles, and the closure of her long-running label Milk! Records, Barnett was grappling with changes that put the future of both her life and career in question. Rather than internalising those feelings, she decided to bring the confusion directly into the recording process.

Her new single “Site Unseen” evokes the emotions that have drawn her listeners in since the very beginning. The song’s sentiments testify to the messages of openness and acceptance of change that are woven through “Creature of Habit”.

The track also holds particular personal significance to Barnett, because it features harmonies from one of her
favourite singers – Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee. It is also accompanied by a brilliantly droll music video, 

“I tried three separate times over two years to track this song, and each time it either wasn’t finished or didn’t sound right and each time we had to start again,” Barnett recalled.

“Creature of Habit” marks a decisive new chapter in Courtney Barnett’s musical evolution. It’s a bold, emotionally resonant record that explores the central question: how to get out of your own way so you can truly feel your life. Rather than internalizing those feelings, she decided to bring all this swirling confusion directly into the recording process.

“I kept hearing this really high harmony in my head, so for the fourth and final version, I asked Katie if she’d be into singing it with me. I’m a big Waxahatchee fan. I really love Katie’s songwriting and her voice, so it was an honour to have her sing on ‘Site Unseen’.”

“Site Unseen” follows the first single of Barnett’s new era, “Stay in Your Lane”, which she released in October last year.

The song is brimming with a ferocious rhythm section and raucous guitar riffage, and features her signature evocative lyricism. Following its release, Barnett delivered an electric performance of the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Courtney Barnett’s “Site Unseen” is out now, 

The punk rockers have announced a special edition vinyl and CD of their first two EPs, “Giddy Up” (2016) and “Big Attraction” (2017), which will be released on May 22nd via Virgin Music Group.

“Ten years ago, in a sharehouse on Chapel Street, four 20-year-olds with zero expectations wrote and recorded an EP in a single afternoon. Those six blistering minutes of music became “Giddy Up“. An hour later, Amyl and the Sniffers had a name, a Bandcamp upload, and the beginnings of a legacy,” a press release states.

“Following a year of backyard gigs, playing for friends and partying across Melbourne’s sticky carpet music scene, the band released their iconic second EP “Big Attraction” in 2017.

“Now, to celebrate a decade of raw power and reckless spirit, “Giddy Up/Big Attraction” returns in a definitive 10th anniversary 12-inch vinyl edition — fully remastered for maximum punch. Featuring early classics like ‘I’m Not a Loser’ and ‘Stole My Pushbike’, plus enduring live favourites ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ and ‘Westgate’ this is the sound of Amyl and the Sniffers before the world caught up — feral, funny, and unstoppable.”

Frontwoman Amy Taylor recalls: “We recorded and wrote over the afternoon… we’d never played together before that day… it’s spontaneous, and fun and achievable in that time because to us it sounded more than good and we weren’t perfectionists and it didn’t matter.”

The special LP comes in a gatefold sleeve showcasing Chris Sutherland’s iconic 2017 band photo, alongside an exclusive new essay from Taylor as well as some never-before-seen behind-the-scenes shots from the band’s earliest days by Jamie Wdziekonski.

Amyl and the Sniffers’ “Giddy Up/Big Attraction” LP is out Friday, May 22nd via Virgin Music Group 

This week, Pulp shared a new song, “Begging for Change.” It’s the fourth single from “HELP(2)“, the ambitious new charity album to benefit War Child UK. It’s due out March 6th via War Child Records. The song features a backing choir that includes Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Grian Chatten (of Fontaines D.C.), Kae Tempest, and Carl Barat (of The Libertines).

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker had this to say about the song in a press release: “Thirty years ago we gave our Mercury Prize (and the prize money) to War Child. This year we have given more. How much more? You’ll have to wait and see..”

Pulp won the Mercury Prize for their classic 1995 album, “Different Class”.

Cocker took part in our 2025 Protest Issue and his sign read “I’m Begging for Change.” Perhaps he already had this song written or in mind when he wrote that sign.

Pulp released More, their first new album in 24 years, last year via Rough Trade. It was one of our recommended Albums of 2025.

The basic tracks for “Begging for Change” were recorded during the “More” sessions, but the song remained unfinished until the HELP(2) sessions at Abbey Road Studios.

“MTV Unplugged” finds Dylan recasting 11 of his old songs, both famous and obscure. The most obvious example of how Dylan can transform his own songs is his new rendering of “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” When he first recorded it for the ’64 album of the same name, the song was a clarion call to action, a triumphant promise that better times were just around the corner. When he performed it for MTV, it became a dirge-like march, a prophet’s dire warning that the world is going down the tubes in a hurry. The new version opens with weepy dobro and funereal organ, and Dylan’s slowed-down, low moan gives an entirely different spin to such phrases as “The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast,” or “Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command.” 

Bob Dylan’s Classic MTV taping from 1995 featuring the standards “The Times They Are A-Changin'” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” Also included “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35,” plus “Dignity” that had just been released on his Greatest Hits Vol. 3 that previous November, as well as “John Brown,” a powerful antiwar song from 1963 + “Love Minus Zero / No Limit” which wasn’t available on the original release.

Jon Anderson has announced shows for his 2026 tour with the Band Geeks. The nine dates, consisting of seven in the U.K. and two in Sweden, follow a series of concerts in the U.S. that were previously announced for this spring. The U.K. shows will be Anderson’s first performances in his home country since a one-show appearance with the Rock Academy in 2023. The tour is billed as “YES Epics, Classics, and More” and will feature songs recorded during his 40 years as the lead vocalist of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The show will also include songs from his 2024 album with the Band Geeks, 

“To be back home in the U.K. performing YES music with the Band Geeks, who are dedicated YES fans, is a dream come true for me,” said Anderson, one of the most recognizable voices in music,

The New York-based Band Geeks came to Anderson’s attention in 2023 and has led to a partnership that has already completed three highly successful U.S. tours with a fourth starting this April. They are currently in production for their second album to be released by Frontiers Music Srl. Anderson and the Band Geeks also released a live album, “Perpetual Change”, in 2025.

This live album is a snapshot of an unforgettable event, a rejuvenated artist which explores his musical roots with a band of young virtuoso musicians who are able to breathe new life in classic songs that truly need no introduction to the fans!

Sep 15- Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall
Sep 17- Bath, UK – Forum
Sep 20- London, UK- Palladium
Sep 22- Liverpool, UK- Philharmonic
Sep 26- Manchester, UK- Opera House
Sep 28- Glasgow, UK – Royal Concert Hall
Oct 01- Gateshead, UK- Glasshouse