Section: Showbiz:Music

TAYLOR SWIFT has admitted she no longer believed in ­marriage and had given up on love after splitting from long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

The superstar has used her new album The Life Of A Showgirl — out today — to document going from depression to being wooed back to life by her fiancé, Travis Kelce.

6

6

Though in a move that is sure to get the world talking, Taylor savages a ­mystery person, believed to be singer Charli XCX, for mocking her.

Taylor and Travis started dating in the summer of 2023 before he popped the question in August this year.

On lead single The Fate Of Ophelia, Taylor sings: “And if you’d never called for me. I might have drowned in the melancholy.

Rediscovered love of life

“I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I, right before you lit my sky up.”

She adds: “You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.

“And if you’d not come for me, I might have lingered in purgatory.

“No longer drowning and deceived, all because you came for me.”

The song is based on Shakespeare’s character Ophelia in Hamlet.

After being toyed with by rich and powerful men, Ophelia goes insane and kills herself by drowning.

The track acts as a bridge between the doom of Taylor’s 11th album The Tortured Poets Department and her new, rediscovered love of life, all thanks to her Kansas City Chiefs man.

On Eldest Daughter, Taylor pines for true love, admitting she feels played and betrayed by men her whole life.

She says: “I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool. But I’m not a bad bitch.

“The last time I laughed this hard was on the trampoline in somebody’s backyard. I must have been eight or nine.

“The night I fell off and broke my arm. Pretty soon I learned cautious discretion. When your first crush crushes something kind. When I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie.”

Vowing she still secretly pines for true love despite being hardened to disappointment, Taylor sings: “And I’m never gonna let you down. I’m never gonna leave you out. So many traitors. Smooth operators.

6

6

“But I’m never gonna break that vow. I’m never gonna leave you now.”

Despite only being out today, thanks to pre-orders The Life Of A Showgirl is already the fastest selling album of the year.

Written during Taylor’s record-breaking Eras Tour last summer, the record peels back what life was like for the star away from the stage.

On song Elizabeth Taylor, she sings about dating Travis: “Sometimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.

“All the right guys promised they’d stay, under bright lights they withered away. But you bloom. Tell me for real. Do you think it’s forever?”

Despite the glitz and glamour, Taylor says she had “everything and nothing all at once” — pining for true love over material goods.

She sings: “Hey, what could you possibly get for the girl who has everything and nothing all at once?

“Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust.”

On Opalite, Taylor sings about “dancing through the lightning strikes”, a reference to her splitting with British actor Joe just weeks before embarking on the biggest tour of her career.

Storytelling best

Continuing with the theme of yearning for the simple things in life, Taylor uses Wi$h Li$t to double down on wanting love over material goods.

She pines: “I made wishes on all of the stars. Please, God bring me a best friend who I think is hot, I thought I had it right once, twice but I did not.”

She adds: “I just want you. Have a ­couple kids.”

For the title track, Taylor reverts to her storytelling best alongside fellow superstar Sabrina Carpenter.

The Life Of A Showgirl tells the brutal reality of life on the road chasing fame and fortune.

Taylor sings: “The more you play the more that you pay. You’re softer than a kitten so. You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe

She continues: “I’m married to the hustle. And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe. And I’ll never know another. Pain hidden by the lipstick and lace.”

As a final nod to her record-breaking 24 months, the song —  and album —  fades out with live audio thanking fans as she takes her final bow on her Eras Tour.

CHARLI XCX

‘It’s sweet all the time you’ve spent on me‘

6

THE most brutal track on the album is called Actually Romantic.

It appears to be a full take-down of Brit singer Charli XCX, who is friends with Taylor’s love rat ex Matty Healy.

Charli’s husband George Daniel is part of Matty’s band The 1975.

Taylor sings: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.

“High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me.

“Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face. Some ­people might be offended. But it’s actually sweet, all the time you’ve spent on me.”

Charli has long been accused of glamorising drug use – even ­releasing a vinyl of her latest record Brat filled with white powder. Rather than being a flash-in-the-pan spat, the duo have a long ­history.

Charli supported Taylor on her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour. But the Brit hated the experience.

She told Pitchfork mag in 2019: “I’m really grateful that Taylor asked me on that tour. But, as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to five-year-olds.”

From then on things seemed to sour further – and Charli’s Brat album track Sympathy Is A Knife is believed to be about Taylor.

Charli sings: “This one girl taps my insecurities. Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling. Cause I couldn’t even be her if I tried.

“I’m opposite, I’m on the other side. I feel all these ­feelings I can’t control.”

SCOTT BORCHETTA

‘They don’t make loyalty like they used to’

6

DESPITE plenty of floor fillers, Taylor’s new album is not all sweetness and light. As well as having a dig at Charli XCX, on Father Figure Taylor appears to round on Scott Borchetta.

He is the CEO of her first label Big Machine Records, who sold the rights to her first six albums in 2019.

The track features lines of George Michael’s 1987 single of the same name, as she seemingly talks about how Borchetta, right, boasted about being able to make her a star before stabbing her in the back.

“I’ll be your father figure, I drink that brown liquor. I can make a deal with the devil because my d’s bigger. This love is pure profit, just step into my office.”

She later adds: “They don’t make loyalty like they used to.”

Her reference to brown liquor is thought to be a nod to how Borchetta celebrated selling her masters to Scooter Braun over a glass of whisky.

In an open letter to fans about the sale, Taylor wrote: “These are two very rich, very powerful men.

“Then they’re standing in a wood-panel bar doing a tacky photoshoot, raising a glass of scotch to themselves.

“Because they pulled one over on me and got this done so sneakily that I didn’t even see it coming.”

Earlier this year, Taylor finally bought back her masters.

Hinting at her victory, she ends the track singing: “We drank that brown liquor. You made a deal with this devil. Turns out my d’s bigger. You want a fight, you found it.”

BIZARRE VERDICT

★★★★☆

THE Tortured Poets Department – for me the best Taylor album until now – was always going to be a hard act to follow.

But a drastic change of direction here has served the star well.

Lyrically, she continues at her best – with enough metaphors and coded literary references to keep fans speculating for ages.

Pop records are the hardest to perfect when it comes to both lyrics and melodies, but with producers Max Martin and Shellback by her side, Taylor has once again made magic.

With The Life Of A Showgirl, she proves yet again she’s the best in the business. Are there a couple of skips? Yes. But there’s also some of her best ever work.

Lead single The Fate Of Ophelia is an earworm of a track that’s perfect for both radio and dancefloors. It’s also possibly the most infectious Taylor lead single of all time.

Elizabeth Taylor, Ophalite and Cancelled! are also standouts.

Taylor’s reign atop the music industry is far from over.

A POPULAR rock star has pulled out of his band’s 25th anniversary tour – after his wife’s death.

Greg Tribbett, 56, is the lead guitarist and a founding member of Mudvayne.

4

4

4

Writing on social media, Greg’s bandmates confirmed his absence from their 25th anniversary tour following his wife Debbie’s passing.

They penned on social media: “Tour starts today!

“We are going to miss our brother Greg on this tour, sending him and his family all the love.

“- Chad, Matt, Ryan, & Mudvayne crew.”

Mudvayne’s tour began on September 11 and will continue until October 26.

According to a GoFundMe campaign, Debbie had been diagnosed with Angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Meanwhile, a fan page wrote on social media earlier this week: “With the heaviest of hearts we mourn the loss of our dearest most beautiful friend Debbie Tribbett.

“Anyone who has been here from the start of the Mob family knows she was a huge integral part of this page and the family she did take a step back once she needed to but was still watching and sharing as she always did.

“She was fiercely supportive of MUDVAYNE and her loving husband Greg always so proud!

“I thank her for bringing her love and light to so many of us who were lucky enough to connect with her.

“We miss you beautiful sweet friend more than words can say god bless you and may your family be blessed with strength.”

One person commented: “Ah man this is so sad to hear. Praying for Greg and the children. This is tough.”

Another added: “I heard the news yesterday and cried my eyes out. Makes my heart hurt for her babies.”

Mudvayne formed in 1996 with Greg, vocalist Chad Gray, drummer Matthew McDonough and bassist Shawn Barclay.

Ryan Martinie joined the group a year later, to replace Barclay as bassist.

Mudvayne went on hiatus in 2010 before returning to the stage in 2021.

4

A BRITISH rock band has split with a long-serving member just days before kicking off a UK tour.

Crawlers have ‘decided to part ways’ with their drummer Harry Breen a year after their debut album, The Mess We Seem to Make, reached number seven in the UK charts.

3

3

A statement on Instagram reads: “After a period of reflection, and discussion with our drummer Harry Breen, we’ve each decided to go our separate ways.

“CRAWLERS continues, louder and more alive than ever before. we can’t wait to continue to tell our story, and to forge that beside you on our upcoming headline shows and when we join Pierce the Veil in arenas across Europe this autumn.

“Evolution is in motion, the future is big, there’s a new world building around us and it’s ours to share. all we have is us. yours always, holly, liv & amy.” 

Harry had been due to head out on the band’s new UK tour which kicks off in Portsmouth next week.

It’s thought that the band will have a session drummer to fill in for the tour dates.

The band are also due to head out on tour in Europe with US rock giants Pierce the Veil later in the year. 

The band first formed in 2018 after band members Holly, Liv and Amy met while studying at performing arts college.

Harry joined soon after. The band went on to gain a huge internet following after their song went viral on TikTok.

Following their success, the band gained support from BBC Radio 1 and MTV.

They have also performed multiple sold-out headline tours across the UK.

In 2023, their song So Tired was used in DC universe series Doom Patrol.

Their debut album The Mess We Seem to Make was released in late 2024 and entered the official charts at number seven. 

Last year they had been set to support alt legend Jane’s Addiction on their reunion tour but after frontman Perry Farrell fought with guitarist Dave Navarro on-stage, the band split and run was pulled.

3

THEY say that a cat has nine lives – and this particular one has used up several of his.

For the life of Cat Stevens, the singer-songwriter who became Yusuf after converting to Islam, has been shaped by his brushes with death.

8

8

8

The first of them happened in his early teens when the teeming streets — and inviting rooftops — of London’s West End were his playground.

One night, while out gallivanting with his best friend Andy, he found himself clinging by his fingertips to a ledge, several storeys up, near Prince’s Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Fall and his short life would be over but, as “the dark abyss” beckoned, Andy stretched out, grabbed his arm and pulled him to safety in the nick of time.

“It was the moment I first faced up to mortality,” Yusuf tells me, casting his mind back to the early Sixties.

“I already considered myself as a thinker by then and, as such, you can’t help thinking that one day you won’t be here.

“Whether it’s through an accident or illness or by dying in your sleep, it’s all one thing. You leave this world.

“That to me was a problem. I just had to understand more about it.”

So began a spiritual quest that Yusuf has carried with him to this day.
Two more narrow escapes followed.

In 1969, he contracted a life-threatening bout of TB which required months of recuperation.

With time to ponder his existence, he underwent a rapid transformation from Carnaby Street-styled pop star to tousle-haired, guitar-toting troubadour.

His thoughtful but hook-laden songs began flowing freely — Father And Son, Wild World, Moonshadow and Peace Train among them — and they made him a global superstar and bedsit pin-up.

Then, in 1976, he nearly drowned while swimming    off the coast of Malibu, California.

As his life ebbed away, he looked up to the sky and prayed, “Oh God, if You save me, I’ll work for You!”

At that moment, a wave rose up and nudged him towards dry land. He sensed that, “God was right there”.

Not long afterwards, his brother David Gordon bought him a copy of the Qur’an for his birthday.

It had a dramatic effect, prompting Cat Stevens to embrace Islam, change his name to Yusuf (a variation on Joseph) and begin a lengthy retreat from music.

He says: “I was like, ‘This is actually it’.

“Everything I’d been writing in my songs was converging into this one new message. It overtook everything.”

And yet, as we know, there was a second coming.

For the past two decades, Yusuf has rekindled his passion for songcraft — releasing acclaimed albums and keeping his timeless Cat Stevens songs alive with gigs around the world, including the Glastonbury “legends” slot.

‘BLANK CANVAS’

Now he has documented his singular journey in a heartfelt, detailed, illuminating, funny, sad, often profound memoir, Cat: On The Road To Findout.

There’s also a hits album celebrating his various eras, and last weekend he embarked on a book tour of the UK and US, described as “an evening of tales, tunes and other mysteries”.

That means I’ve been given another chance to speak to Yusuf via video call.

With his neat grey/white hair and beard framing still handsome features, the 77-year-old greets me warmly before diving into subjects closest to his heart.

After our chat ends, I realise we’ve covered his faith, his family, his music, the impact of those near-death experiences — all the things which have moulded Yusuf/Cat Stevens.

If I had to pick his defining song, I know which one I’d go for and I think the man himself might agree.

It’s the fourth track on side two (I’m going vinyl here) of his classic 1970 album Tea For The Tillerman.

Called, as you might have guessed, On The Road To Find Out, it serves as his mission statement — an early acknowledgement of his spiritual journey.

Recalling its creation, Yusuf says: “I had scraped my way through a lot of life’s difficulties and challenges but they were the things which built me and prepared me.

“So I was already feeling like a receptacle for some kind of inspiration to be my guide.”

I watch as he recites the opening lines of the song he’s sung so many times, “Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out/I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out.”

He maintains that when he wrote On The Road To Find Out, not being tied to one religion proved “very, very useful”.

“I wanted a blank canvas,” he says. “I didn’t want to be influenced by my background or wherever I was situated in society.”

8

Yusuf draws my attention to the end of the song and adds: “It’s incredible really. It says, ‘Pick up a good book’.

“I was absolutely determined to write ‘a’ good book, not ‘the’ good book. I didn’t want people to think it had to be The Bible.”

His thoughts turn towards his childhood, his first encounters with spirituality and the parents he writes so affectionately about in his memoir.

His “handsome, bold” Cypriot cafe owner father Stavros was Greek Orthodox and his “beautiful azure blue-eyed” Swedish mother Ingrid was a Baptist.

They sent their youngest of three children, Steven Demetre Georgiou, as he was known then, to St Joseph’s Roman Catholic elementary school and he also attended Mass.

Though this was the first time he came “close to God”, he still felt like an “outsider” as a non-Catholic.

“Sometimes, the church itself can be a barrier between you and your creator,” muses Yusuf.

“When Jesus was asked how to pray, he didn’t say go to church. He said, ‘Pray direct to God’.

Mum taught me how to love and dad taught me how to work

Yusuf/Cat Stevens

“I was fortunate not to be tied to a strict religion.

“That gave me flexibility — I achieved my observer status as far as spirituality was concerned.”

As a child, Yusuf was given a lively introduction to the world.

“Growing up in the West End had a big impact on me,” he says.

“It felt like the whole world was crammed into this little area of London where everything happened.

“You didn’t necessarily learn how to climb trees, but you did learn how to climb roofs,” he adds with a rueful smile about the time he nearly fell.

Next, I ask him to share memories of his parents.

“Mum taught me how to love and dad taught me how to work,” he replies.

Yusuf says that his mother Ingrid “had a massive impact on me”.

“Swedes have a characteristic which is beautiful in a way. It is called ‘lagom’ which means equality — you don’t need everything, you just need enough.

8

“From that, you can develop your attitude towards charity and all sorts of things.”

He continues: “Mind you, Dad was also charitable. He used to give cups of tea to tramps.

“It was part of the culture of the family to appreciate having food on the table.”

Yusuf describes how his father Stavros “first went from Cyprus to settle in Egypt”.

“Then he went to America and, from there, he passed back through Greece to the UK — you know, to the Empire, because Cyprus was connected to Britain at that time.

“He gave me the traveller’s bug and also a work ethic. I certainly know how to wash dishes!”

Yusuf credits his parents to a certain extent for his love of music and performing.

He remembers writing a “sweet Swedish lullaby” with his “naturally musical” mother while they sat at the piano.

The final couplet translates as, “Come will you take my hand and lead me away/The way to my heart is so short.”

In the book, Yusuf describes Ingrid’s strength of character when she discovered her husband was having an affair with a waitress, leading to their separation.

She whisked her children to her hometown of Gavle for five months, where young Steven was the only “dark-eyed, black-haired lad in town”.

‘SO FORTUNATE’

Yusuf says his “extrovert” father probably gave him the characteristics to command a stage.

“He was extremely sociable to customers and an expert at Greek dancing with glasses of water balanced on his head.”

One of the most moving passages in the book arrives when Yusuf gets to 1978 and his dad has only days to live.

Stavros had called him “Stevie” from the day he was born but, as he lay on his deathbed, he whispered, “Where’s Yusuf?”

It was an act of acceptance for Yusuf’s Muslim faith for which he is eternally thankful.

He says: “You called your son one name all your life, and that’s the one you chose for him.

“Then, at the end, you accept his path and his identity. You don’t detach from it, you embrace it.

“My God, I was so fortunate. I was so lucky to have a dad like that.”

Now it’s time to turn our attention to music… after all, it’s what made Yusuf/Cat Stevens famous.

In the autobiography, he recalls buying his first single, Baby Face by Little Richard, how much he loved Buddy Holly and how later on he was blown away by John Lennon’s mighty holler on The Beatles’ cover of Twist And Shout.

8

He tells me with a laugh: “You can just imagine the Queen at the Royal Variety Show watching The Beatles and wanting to pull off her pearls and diamonds and dance in the aisles.

“But I’m afraid she couldn’t.”

So what compelled him, already a gifted visual artist, to venture into the music business and adopt the “hip” stage name Cat Stevens?

“I felt I had something to offer,” he replies. “I felt that people should get it.

“It wasn’t just a career choice or business decision. It was more than that — it felt like a calling.

“I responded to it and it responded to me. My songs, everything, came so easily.

“I wrote The First Cut Is The Deepest when I was 17 [in 1965].

“My brother David also had a big hand in it because he was the business head of the family.

“He was instrumental in getting me contacts.”

After a run of hits including I Love My Dog, Matthew & Son and I’m Gonna Get Me A Gun, Cat Stevens went through his dramatic change of tack, prompted by him contracting TB.

“It was an opportunity to take another stab at life — from a new, inspired position,” says Yusuf.

As human beings, our way forward is to understand that we’re all the same in our dreams, our visions and our hopes

Yusuf/Cat Stevens

“By that time, I’d read a very interesting book dealing with metaphysical issues of the spirit, the soul, the beyond, the divine. It put me on another plateau.”

One of the songs written by the “new” Cat Stevens was Where Do The Children Play?, as relevant today as ever.

He says: “There’s a very poignant line pointing to what we are facing today, which is assisted dying.

“I say, ‘Will you tell us when to live/Will you tell us when to die?’.

“I mean, God Almighty, you’ve got a chance to live. You don’t want to lose that.

“When you look at the way the corporate world is moving, it really is designing life for the people of this planet.

“And it may not be the best life because we’re detached from nature so much of the time.

“Where Do The Children Play? is a song about nature and children are perfect examples of human nature.”

Before we go our separate ways, I ask Yusuf about the long hiatus from music after his conversion to Islam.

It was a time when he was dragged into various controversies.

One headline, which he repeats in the book, even read, “Cat Stevens Joins The Evil Ayatollah”.

“It’s just prejudice,” says Yusuf. “And that is something we have to be very careful about.

“As human beings, our way forward is to understand that we’re all the same in our dreams, our visions and our hopes.”

This comment reminds him of “what we’re seeing right now in Palestine”.

8

8

“These are people, these are families,” he says. “They’re not from an alien planet.

“That’s why it’s good to see the response from ordinary grandparents and ordinary kids, responding to the devastation people are facing.

“You may argue about the term genocide, but you can’t argue about the term infanticide.”

Returning to his break from music, he says: “I have no regrets at all. I chose the name Cat Stevens and was content with that.

“That was my success but it was not the success I was yearning for overall in my life.

“The biggest thing for me was finding my identity — and that’s twice as difficult when you have a show name.”

It was Yusuf’s son Yoriyos, one of his five children with wife Fauzia (a sixth died in infancy), who encouraged him to make his comeback.

“He got what I was about and he said, ‘This cannot be buried’.

“It wasn’t a case of reinventing, more of reviving the spirit. He saw it as a pure, good thing — and it inspired me.”

Finally, I ask Yusuf if he’s still on the road to find out.

He answers: “There’s a saying in the Qur’an — ‘If all the seas were ink and all the trees were pens, you would never exhaust the words and the knowledge of God’.

“So, yeah, no fear about drying up here.”

ED Sheeran has revealed he has gone through with his plan to move to the US with his family.

Speaking in an interview for the 2 Johnnies podcast last month just before heading to the States, the A Team hitmaker said he was leaving Suffolk with wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra five, and Jupiter, three.

7

7

7

7

The family had spent their time living in a £3.7million pad – dubbed Sheeranville – which boasts a gym and pool, as well as a tree house and even a separate bungalow.

Yet Ed, 34, has said: “I’m just about to move to America.

“I feel like I might be the only person moving to America.

“I’m going on tour there for a while and I have a family so I can’t dip in and out.

“We’re going and settling there.”

Giving a glimpse into his home life on Instagram previously, he uploaded one showing him in a cosy-looking living area complete with a telescope for stargazing.

It also captured a huge library which was the perfect space for Ed and his song writing partners to pen his smash hits.

Ed’s sprawling £3.7million complex is made up of multiple homes — including swimming pool, two-storey treehouse and pub — and is in the Suffolk town he grew up in.

Land Registry records show that Ed bought his main home — a detached farmhouse and surrounding land — for £895,000 in June 2012

Despite the move, the Afterglow hitmaker has understandably retained his home but he also revealed he has built a second private boozer at his studio.

He said: “People always look at stuff like that in my lifestyle and think it’s a bit weird, but I think to go out and really let loose with camera phones round, you can’t really do that any more – as in like if you’re well-known.

“So it’s having a place where you can have a few pints, a dance, a sing, get a bit silly and not worry about it being on TikTok the next morning.”

OWN GOAL

Ed then admitted he will no longer be able to watch his beloved Ipswich Town, where he owns a 1.4 per cent stake and was their shirt sponsor.

Chatting just before they lost on penalties at Bromley in the Carabao cup four weeks ago, he said the match was going to be the only game he’d be seeing this season before settling in the US.

He said: “I went to almost every game last season – I think I can only make one this season because I’m moving to the States.”

ALL CHANGE

The Shape of You singer previously expressed a desire to move into country music and potentially relocate to the US.

He said earlier this year: “When you transition to country, you can’t transition back.

“Nashville is my favourite city in the States and it’s always been my end goal to move to Nashville and transition to country.”

However, he did not reveal in his more recent interview just before planning to fly out whether it was Nashville where he was now setting up home.

7

7

7

ON July 22, 2025, R&S Records came home.

The pioneering Belgian label, founded in Ghent in 1984, staged a free party at the week-long street festival, Gentse Feesten, transforming the city’s historic centre into a vast, open-air dancefloor.

6

With thousands gathering to hear Nastia, Charles Webster (live), LTJ Bukem, and founder Renaat Vandepapeliere himself, the night felt like both a celebration of R&S’s stories past and a bold statement of intent for its future.

Renaat’s set was as fearless as his impeccable, genre defying label with a diverse selection of electronica challenging and delighting the crowd.

6

For Vandepapeliere, the night was a leap into the unknown. “Honestly, I almost backed out myself,” he admitted. “I’ve never played for 6,000 people and I was nervous. I even called around to find someone to replace me, but a few friends convinced me to just go for it.

“The main goal was to take a risk and hopefully entertain some new people. Many had never heard us or the music before.”

6

Risk-taking has always been central to R&S. From the early days of releasing Joey Beltram’s Energy Flash, Model 500 and Aphex Twin, to shaping the careers of CJ Bolland, James Blake and many more, the label has built its reputation on fearless choices.

“We had no idea, we weren’t trying to be anything other than sharing music we liked and believed in,” Vandepapeliere reflected. “Let’s be honest, good music is good music. There is, as I always say, the right time and the right place to play whatever it is.”

6

That philosophy was evident in the Ghent lineup, which spanned genres and generations.

“It’s an opportunity to bring other people into the genre that aren’t necessarily into those sounds,” Vandepapeliere explained. “It has raw authenticity and a depth behind it. I could make a billion lineups like that, there’s so much talent and exciting music to share.”

His own set was guided by instinct and emotion. “It was intuitive, with many influences,” he said. “Today, if a set is different, it could be bad, so my honest opinion is to ask the crowd.”

6

The reaction was telling. He added: “You didn’t see any phones going up and all that. It was random people wondering what the hell was going on, of all ages, which I also find very interesting.”

For Vandepapeliere, who has spent much of his career behind the scenes, the experience rekindled something powerful. “Let’s say it’s actually set a new spark,” he admitted. “I now want to play more.”

Looking ahead, he is keen to build on the success of the Gentse Feesten. He said: “I would love to do more events. I don’t know if it’s possible, but yes, I’d really love to. Keeping it different, keeping it fresh, I think that would be really cool.”

6

But through all the years and transformations of dance music, Vandepapeliere insists the spirit of R&S hasn’t changed.

“We always wanted to be an eclectic label,” he said. “Not really be pushed into a certain corner and have a freedom of expression.

“It’s definitely not about formula. I wanted to be free. That’s all. You have to love what you’re doing and work for it. Nothing comes that easy. It is work, with a lot of failures and a lot of frustration. But hey, that’s the price you have to pay for freedom.”

AN American rock band has canceled their remaining tour dates, with the frontman making a confession about the ‘hardest decision’ he had to make.

Earlier this month, The Dangerous Summer, which was formed in 2006, revealed their summer tour would expand into the fall – but this is not the case anymore.

4

4

4

Fans are gutted after learning that the band has unexpectedly canceled all of their remaining tour dates for the year.

Their frontman AJ Perdomo penned a touching statement about needing to step away from music for a while.

He penned, “There is no easy way to say this, but I am burning out from being on the road so often.

“It is the hardest decision in the world to make, but I have decided to cancel the remaining tour dates for the rest of the year.”

He added, “I need to go home and be a father, a fiancé, and a creative. I need to work on my life at home for a moment.

“I have the dreamer’s disease. Next year will be 20 years since this band has started.

“It has become such a large part of my existence, and how I value myself as an individual. I have been overworking to fill a hole in my heart that no amount of shows or success will be able to fill.”

Opening up further, AJ continued, “When I am standing up on stage singing a song like ‘What’s an hour really worth?’ I start to think about the life that is passing me by while I am away from home.

“It broke my heart to tell my band, my manager, and my team of agents—but they have been extremely supportive of my decision to take some time away from touring.”

Reassuring the band’s fans, AJ urged that this was not the end.

“This isn’t the end, and in fact, making new music is one of the driving factors in this decision,” he explained.

“Creating music is where my heart truly lies, and I need to get back to it.

“Please continue supporting live music, and the bands/venues that we had intended on hitting this fall/winter.

“Music and art need your support more than ever.”

Fans were quick to react to the sad news of the tour being canceled, but were understanding of AJ’s reasoning for doing so.

One fan replied to his post on X saying, “’ll speak for every fan and say take all the time you need! Cherish those moments with your fam and we’ll see you again later.”

A second added, “That sucks but totally understand AJ. Do what you need to do and see ya back on stage at some point.”

While a third wrote, “Much love and respect, AJ. Enjoy the time with your family.”

The Dangerous Summer had a “messy breakup” before reuniting.

They were initially together from 2006 until 2014 when they disbanded.

They then reunited in 2017.

When the band was not together, AJ had settled into a more lowkey lifestyle.

He had gotten into the groove of raising his daughter with his wife in L.A, as per a report three years ago.

“I loved the life I created,” AJ told Metro Times in 2022, adding, “I kind of loved having a nine-to-five. You know, the grass is greener.”

4

BY rights, I shouldn’t really be talking to The Black Keys duo, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

But here they are on a Zoom call with me to discuss their thirteenth studio album, No Rain, No Flowers.

3

3

The 11 tracks are coming kicking and screaming into the sunlight earlier than expected — and for good reason.

Last September, The Black Keys were supposed to start a North American arena tour in support of their previous album, Ohio Players, noted for songs written with Noel Gallagher and Beck.

But, to their dismay, the dates were scrapped, prompting the pair to fire their management team.

Without going into detail, Auerbach says: “The first thing I wanted to do was kill somebody and the second thing I wanted to do was kill somebody.”

Carney adds: “I don’t want to get into it too much because we’ve gotten letters telling us not to talk about it by one of the most powerful people in the music industry.

“We got f***ed by the person who was supposed to be looking out for us.

“So, because of some bad advice, we were left with no plans for the summer. We had to take one on the chin.”

The situation was a rare mis-step in The Black Keys’ upward trajectory, which stretches back nearly 25 years.

Starting out in a dingy basement in Akron, Ohio, childhood friends Auerbach and Carney took their exhilarating mix of bluesy garage rock to the world stage, drawing on soul, hip hop, psychedelia, you name it, along the way.

Their new album, however, is the product of unplanned time on their hands. Still smarting from losing their tour, they convened at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound studio in his adopted hometown of Nashville — and set about turning adversity into triumph.

‘Reminder of the power of our music’

“We realised that maybe we’d better do something positive with this free time,” says the singer/guitarist.

“So we dove head first into working with people we’d never met and trying things we’d never tried before as a band. Ultimately, it really helped us.”

For drummer Carney, it was a natural reaction to what had happened.

“When Dan and I are not on the road, we’re in the studio,” he says.

“So we thought, ‘Let’s just get back in there and reboot’.”

One thing that remains undiminished is the cast-iron bond between Auerbach and Carney.

The latter affirms: “We’ve been doing this together for almost 25 years — from the struggle to the big s**t.

We got f***ed… so we thought we should do something positive

Carney

“Dealing with being broke, dealing with getting money, headlining Coachella, dealing with getting married, getting divorced, having kids, we’ve been through it all.

“As screwed up as last year was, it had very little to do with us so we got back on it, to prove to ourselves what we can do.”

As we speak, The Black Keys have been back on tour — on this side of the Atlantic.

Carney says it can be “brutal chasing the festivals, sleeping on the bus or in hotel rooms.

“But getting out here and getting in front of these crowds has been the biggest reminder of the power of our music.

“Seeing the fans flip out has helped us to get our heads out of music-business bulls*t and back into what it’s all about”.

Auerbach agrees: “The show in London [at Alexandra Palace] was the biggest headliner we’ve ever played.

“It was great after the year we had. Whatever happens, we know the fans are still there for us.”

Another thrill was playing Manchester’s Sounds Of The City festival two days before the first Oasis homecoming gig at the city’s Heaton Park.

“The atmosphere was electric. Our audience was so up for it,” says Auerbach.

Noel and Liam are both incredible — we’re really happy for them

Auerbach

He credits Oasis with lifting the mood. “I feel like they’ve transformed the continent. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

And he couldn’t resist visiting the Oasis Adidas store. “I had one of the black soccer jerseys made — Oasis on the front and AUERBACH on the back. Had to do it, man, they’re the kings.”

It was in 2023 that The Black Keys visited Toe Rag Studios in Hackney, East London, to write three songs with Noel Gallagher, who they describe as “the chord lord”.

Auerbach says: “It was amazing. We just sat in a circle with our instruments and we worked things up from nowhere.

“Not too long after that we played a song with Liam [in Milan] and hung out with him afterwards. He gave us some really good advice about our setlist.

“Noel and Liam are both incredible — we’re really happy for them.”

‘We’d never written with a piano player’

We return to the subject of their new album, No Rain, No Flowers, which involved a new approach for The Black Keys.

Instead of big-name guests like Noel and Beck and, before them, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, they turned to acclaimed songwriters — the unsung heroes — for their collaborative process.

They welcomed into their world Rick Nowels (Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Lana Del Rey), Scott Storch (Dr Dre, Nas) and Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves).

Auerbach had encountered Nowels while producing Lana Del Rey’s 2014 third album Ultraviolence and had long been impressed with his keyboard skills.

He says: “We’d never written with a piano player before. After 20-plus years in the band, it was cool to try something new in the studio.”

Carney adds: “The way we worked with each one of these people was completely different.

“With Daniel, for instance, we’d start with a jam session. With Rick, it was all about getting the title of the song.”

And Auerbach again: “Scott’s all about instrumentation. He didn’t want to think about the words. He just lets you do that stuff afterwards.”

One of the co-writes with Nowels is the life-affirming title track which begins the album.

With lines like, “Baby, the damage is done/It won’t be long ’til we’re back in the sun”, you could be forgiven for thinking it reflects on the band’s recent woes.

Auerbach says it does, but only up to a point. “It started with the title and we built it from there.

“We tend to shy away from diary-type songs. It gives us ‘the ick’ when it sounds like somebody’s reading from their diary.

“But there’s a lot of truth in the song. It’s us trying to be positive, which maybe wasn’t how we were feeling.

“It was a nice thought to write a positive anthem but still have blood in the eye.”

If The Black Keys’ go-to sound has been the blues, this album is remarkable for its funky, airy and soulful vibe.

Auerbach says: “We were heavily influenced by soul growing up, maybe more than anything, and it really shows.

“With us, it’s all about the feel. When we started out, we didn’t know what the hell we were doing, but we knew when it felt right.”

Another strong touchstone has been hip-hop, which is why Auerbach and Carney are thrilled to have worked with Scott Storch, another dazzling keyboard player, who started out in the Roots and went on to work with Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Beyonce and Nas.

“We are a product of where we were raised,” affirms Auerbach. “We grew up in the golden age of hip- hop. That’s what pop music was for us.

“The first time I heard the Geto Boys was at the middle- school dance and it affected us.

That’s the s**t on those blues records I love so much. You hear Son House grunting when he’s playing slide guitar

Auerbach

“But then my mom’s family played bluegrass — I would listen to my uncles sing. And when The Stanley Brothers sing, it’s white soul music. I love it all.”

As for Storch, Auerbach continues: “We’ve obsessed over videos of him since we were in high school. Seeing him play all the parts of his hits makes our jaws hit the floor.

‘You can hear Scott physically grunting’

“The idea of getting him in the studio seemed crazy because he seemed like a larger-than-life figure.”

Auerbach was mesmerised by Storch when he arrived at Easy Eye Sound.

He says: “Scott’s a real player, an absolute musical savant. As a hip-hop producer, he tends to spend 99.9 per cent of the time in the control room.

“But we have all these acoustic pianos, harpsichords and analogue synthesisers. He was in heaven, and so were we watching him go from keyboard to keyboard.

“On Babygirl, he’s on an acoustic piano with microphones and you can hear him physically grunting in time with his playing. That’s got to be a first for Scott Storch on record.

“That’s the s**t on those blues records I love so much. You hear Son House grunting when he’s playing slide guitar.”

The No Rain, No Flowers album is loaded with hook-laden songs — the exhilarating rocker Man On A Mission, the psychedelic Southern rock swirl of A Little Too High.

One explanation for their eclectic approach is The Black Keys’ regular Record Hang in Nashville, which involves Auerbach and Carney hosting all-vinyl DJ dance parties.

For these, they scour online marketplaces and record shops for obscure but revelatory old 45s.

Carney explains: “We end up exposing ourselves to thousands of songs that somehow we’ve never heard.

“It’s really cool to be so deep into our career and uncovering all this incredible music. It’s totally reinvigorating — particularly when one of us finds a record that the other hasn’t heard and it’s a banger.” So check out Carney’s discovery Nobody Loves Me But My Mama by Johnny Holiday, which he describes as “f*ing insane — psychobilly fuzz rock”.

Then there’s Auerbach’s fave, Yeah Yeah by Blackrock, “a rare 45 instrumental which rearranged our minds. It still hits like crazy”.

We just fell right into it, started playing it and luckily we were recording

Auerbach

With The Black Keys, you always get a sense of passion for their craft, and for other people’s.

Auerbach says: “Pat and I were talking about this earlier — music can hypnotise you. You can use it for good or for evil. It’s a very powerful tool.”

And Carney: “It’s my biggest passion and it has been since I was 11.

‘Sensitive about what we listen to’

“I also think about the delicate balance you need when you do it for a living. You’re taking the thing you love the most but you never want to ruin it for yourself.

“Dan and I are very sensitive about what we listen to. We were at a music festival in a spot in between seven stages. It sounded horrible. I said, ‘This is the kind of thing that could make me hate music’.”

Finally, we talk about another of their own songs, the sublime, festival-primed anthem Neon Moon, which closes No Rain, No Flowers.

Written with Daniel Tashian, Auerbach modestly calls it a “first-take jam” but that doesn’t really do it justice.

“I think it just started with the ‘neon moon’ lyric,” he says. “We just fell right into it, started playing it and luckily we were recording.”

As the song gets into its stride, he sings: “Don’t let yourself get down too long.”

It’s a line that The Black Keys have taken to heart.

THE BLACK KEYS

No Rain, No Flowers

★★★★☆

3

THE opening ceremony at Glastonbury has been branded a flop by disappointed festival-goers.

Disgruntled revellers called out a fireworks display and criticized sound issues at the iconic event in Somerset this evening.

6

6

6

One festival goer told The Sun: “The opening ceremony started 10 minutes late, there was a huge choir on stage that no one could hear.

“All we could hear was the sound of a couple of drums.

“It was a massive fireworks display with no music, the whole silence lasted 30 minutes.”

And their comments were echoed by fellow visitors, one fuming reveller penned on X: “Not good from a sound standpoint. I think you have let the performers down here to say the least.”

“Sack the sound guy,” wrote another.

A third agreed: “Is there meant to be no sound at the #Glastonbury2025 opening ceremony? Local regs? Crowds a bit restless at the back.”

“Where’s the sound? Kicked out of Greenpeace for crowds. No sound and lost audience at opening ceremony. Get it together,” posted someone else.

One fuming ticket-holder slammed: “No sound. Can’t hear anything. Underwhelming.”

The Sun contacted Glastonbury for comment.

It comes as thousands arrived to set up camp for the first day of Glastonbury today.

But revellers at the festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, faced a drenching – after the Met Office forecast rain and thunderstorms.

However, temperatures are set to soar by the weekend, with highs of 30C.

Although it could be a messy start to the festival, with its 1,500 acres of farmland turning into a mud bath in previous years.

While the festival is best known for its music, revellers can enjoy the range of stalls, set up their tents and explore the grounds in the meantime before the main performances kick off on Friday.

Opening headliner The 1975 take to the stage at 10pm, while acts such as Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Charli XCX, and Doechii will perform on Saturday.

6

6

6

Sunday is due to see Rod Stewart gracing his fans – with Lewis Capaldi also set to make a sensational return to music.

The singer will be dropping his comeback single at the festival.

The release, Lewis’ first since he put out Strangers and A Cure For Minds Unwell in January last year, coincides with his secret set on the Pyramid Stage at Glasto.

As the gates to Worthy Farm opened to let the first of this year’s revellers through, a source said: “Lewis took a decent chunk of time away and now he’s ready for his fans to hear what he has been working on.

“Tomorrow is a huge day for him. He will be releasing a brand new single and it is his Pyramid Stage performance. He is in a great place and feels ready to come back into the spotlight.”

Lewis’ last performance at Glastonbury on that very stage in 2023 ended in tears, with the Someone You Loved star breaking down before cutting the set short.

However, Amyle and the Sniffers’ upcoming set is still hanging in the balance after illness swept through the band and their team.

The Aussie rockers were forced to cancel their Vienna gig on Monday after two band members and a crew member came down with “a very nasty virus”.

And it comes just days before they’re due to hit the stage at Worthy Farm.

Meanwhile, a huge US popstar has hinted that they’re the secret act ‘Patchwork’ at the festival.

Ever since organisers revealed the full line-up and stage times for Glasto, revellers have been trying to work out who the mysterious act is.

At the beginning of the month, Glastonbury organisers shared the complete schedule.

However, there are still several ‘TBA’ slots that hint at secret sets on the Pyramid Stage and beyond.

Now fans have a brand new theory about who could make a surprise appearance at the legendary festival.

On the 2025 Glastonbury schedule, the Saturday 6.15pm slot has a mysterious act called “Patchwork” pencilled in, and fans have been trying to work out what it means.

Now fans are convinced that Chappell Roan is “Patchwork” after she posted a telling clue on Instagram.

It came after the Pink Pony Club star shared a picture of herself holding a patchwork quilt, and wrote next to it: “Insane vibe.”

Glastonbury 2025 – confirmed acts so far

TICKETS to the 2025 festival sold out in just minutes before some of the acts were even confirmed. Here is who has been confirmed so far.

Confirmed headliners:

• The 1975 will take to the Pyramid Stage on Friday.
• Neil Young will headline the festival for the second time after his last set in 2009 on Saturday after RAYE makes her return.
• Charli xcx will headline the Other Stage on Saturday night.
• On Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo is due to belt out her hits for her first appearance while Rod Stewart will perform in the legends slot.
• More acts to appear on the Other Stage include Loyle Carner and The Prodigy.
• Doechii will make her Glastonbury debut on the West Holts Stage on Saturday night.
• Other names confirmed include Noah Kahan, Alanis Morissette, Gracie Abrams, Busta Rhymes, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Myles Smith, En Vogue, Amaarae, Cymande, Shaboozey, Osees and Gary Numan.

COOL Britannia is back – and that’s official. 

High society bible Tatler is among those making the declaration on its new edition, which features the offspring of Nineties music legends Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft. 

10

10

Heralding the rebirth of the Britpop-era movement, the magazine pictures Molly Moorish-Gallagher and musician Sonny Ashcroft proudly standing in front of a giant Union Jack. 

Anyone over the age of 40 is likely to spot the obvious homage being paid to a similar front cover published by Vanity Fair in 1997. 

That iconic picture saw Oasis singer Liam sharing a bed with his then girlfriend, actress Patsy Kensit. 

The couple married a few months later when Oasis were arguably the biggest music stars of the decade. 

And it is no coincidence the new magazine cover comes just days before the Oasis reunion tour, which will have Richard Ashcroft as the support act. 

But Tatler did not go for another “power couple”, like Liam and Patsy were, and instead took the nepo baby route. 

But as the new faces of Cool Britannia take centre stage, it’s less champagne supernova, more alcohol-free explosion.

Tatler

However, editors still think the duo are living proof of a second coming.

The mag claims: “Ahead of the Oasis reunion, Liam’s daughter Molly Moorish-Gallagher and The Verve scion Sonny Ashcroft are leading the Britpop revival. 

“They’re the next generation of Britpop: Molly Moorish-Gallagher and Sonny Ashcroft are gracing the cover of Tatler as their fathers, Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft, prepare for an earth-shattering Oasis reunion. 

“But as the new faces of Cool Britannia take centre stage, it’s less champagne supernova, more alcohol-free explosion.” 

10

10

10

10

The piece continues: “She is the daughter of Lisa Moorish and Liam Gallagher; he is the eldest son of Richard Ashcroft and Kate Radley. 

“Together, they are the new faces of the (Br)it crowd. 

“But what do the pair make of Cool Britannia 2.0?” 

It turns out that neither of the nepo babies shares their parents’ hellraising ways, and the revival will not be based around downing pints of lager or being “chained to the mirror and the razor blade”, as Oasis once sang. 

Sonny proudly tells the magazine he’s not one for a night out.

He said: “I’m very much a night-in person.

Seeing friends, some good food and drinks and playing games of some kind.

Molly Moorish-Gallagher, Liam’s daugher

“A nice meal with friends and then gathering over some sort of board game or film at home.” 

While Molly says her idea of a wild night is: “Seeing friends, some good food and drinks and playing games of some kind.” 

But if the Cool Britannia nepo kids aren’t keeping the Nineties hedonistic vibe going, it seems Gen Z-ers are keeping the momentum going through fashion. 

Love Island host Maya Jama recently recreated Liz Hurley’s famous Versace safety pin dress that she wore to the Four Weddings And A Funeral premiere in 1994. 

Singers Dua Lipa and Lola Young have been inspired by other huge names of the Nineties in their fashion choices. 

And Liam’s son Lennon was pretty much an identikit copy of his dad when he attended a Burberry pub takeover last week. 

A new study has also revealed that youngsters are now huge fans of some of the decade’s greatest hairstyles, including The Rachel from Friends, the floppy hair of actor Johnny Depp and Victoria Beckham’s Posh bob. 

10

10

10

10

The study, commissioned by Funkin Cocktails, also found a fondness for Doc Marten boots and baggy jeans, famously sported by the likes of Mark Wahlberg when he was rapper Marky Mark. 

Ashley Birch-Ruffell, from Funkin Cocktails, said: “Nineties fashion is very on trend, and it’s fun to see what our official favourite styles are. 

“There are clearly many iconic hairstyles and memorable moments from this decade that live on in the public consciousness. 

“It seems clear that Nineties trends aren’t going anywhere anytime soon — and why would we want them to?” 

“It’s clear that the whole culture of the Nineties is still considered unapologetically iconic.” 

Gen Z can’t match our hellraising era 

IT was a sensational whirl of bucket hats, Union Jacks, lads’ mags, boozy bands and more than a whiff of the old marching powder, writes Rod McPhee.

The late Nineties were a hellraising golden age not seen since the Swinging Sixties. 

But despite being due another period of partying, I’m sorry to say we’ll never quite be able to match the magic of the original Cool Britannia. 

Trust me, I was there, I did it. I got the T-shirt – and the dodgy Liam Gallagher shaggy haircut

What’s more, I loved it all. From music to fashion, and movies to models, the run-up to the year 2000 was the perfect blend of sex and, yes, drugs, plus lashings of rock ’n’ roll. 

Of course, it’s great to get a taste of the good old days when Oasis stage their comeback tour next week, plus there’s the prospect of the Spice Girls doing a similar celebratory event next year. 

But nothing can once again live up to a period in modern pop culture history which I believe was genuinely unique. Maybe I’m looking back at the past through rose-tinted glasses. 

But no pop groups, artists, catwalk stars or actors these days come close to the tearaway Primrose Hill crowd that kept us entertained and shocked three decades ago. 

That said, no one would love reliving some of the brilliance of the Nineties more than me. 

So let’s make the most of summer 2025. 

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.