Galen & Paul Make Room At The Top

Everything is quickly coming together for Galen & Paul, a new project from Galen Ayers, the singer-songwriter whose artistic projects include the rightly acclaimed solo album Monument, and Paul Simonon, bassist with The Clash, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad And The Queen.

Paul and Galen (Tom Oldham)

Following the release of their first track Lonely Town and news of the 19th May release of their debut album Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?, Galen & Paul share a brand new song from the album in the shape of Room At The Top. The tune is accompanied by an official video, which was filmed in London and directed and edited by Ayers with Dan Donovan. Watch it below:

Featuring an evocative Farfisa played by Dan Donovan (Big Audio Dynamite), the instantly memorable Room At The Top finds the duo painting a picture of an unappealing – yet somehow also strangely alluring – hotel room: the lyric “The hand of Chopin plays a melody” being its most revealing clue. The music is just as engagingly off-kilter: Latin-tinged rock with a folky edge and a haunting gothic ambience.

Galen & Paul have also announced details of a series of 7” vinyl singles which will each be available in limited edition pressings of just 500 copies. Set to become instant collectors’ items, their first two singles, Lonely Town and Room At The Top, are now available to pre-order exclusively from their official website ahead of their release on 19th May. Details of two further singles will be announced soon. All four singles will feature their instrumental version on the b-side. A special bundle compiling all four singles is also available.

Paul Simonon and Galen Ayers (Dan Donovan)

As with the rest of the parent album, Room At The Top was produced by the legendary Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T-Rex, Sparks) with a band that also features Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good, The Bad and The Queen) and Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear, David Byrne, Patti Smith). Elsewhere, the album journeys across the continent, taking in French chansons, Spanish pop and English sea shanties; evoking scenes stretching from Edgware Road to Hydra Island; and painting pictures of everything from chic Parisian cafes to drunk tourists in Magaluf.

Last week, Galen & Paul announced details of their first shows together at London’s Tabernacle (7th June) and La Maroquinerie in Paris (11th June). Any remaining tickets are available here for London and here for Paris.

Wunderhorse Are Thoroughbreds At The Joiners

Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park @ Download Festival XXIII (Neil Lupin)

Sunday In Photos At Download Festival XXIII

Three days of dust, riffs and relentless energy all led to Download Festival XXIII’s final chapter. Sunday offered one last opportunity for Donington to empty the tank, bringing together rising stars, legendary names and one of the most anticipated headline performances in the festival’s history. From emotional singalongs and crushing metal to triumphant returns and a crowning headline set, Download’s closing day delivered unforgettable moments from start to finish.

Behemoth @ Download Festival XXIII (Neil Lupin)

Saturday In Photos At Download Festival XXIII

After Friday’s celebrations had finally subsided, Saturday arrived with heavier riffs, glorious sunshine, bigger crowds and one of the most diverse days Download Festival XXIII had to offer. From early-morning punk rock and breakout British talent to black metal spectacle, metalcore mastery and one of rock’s most iconic names closing the night, Donington once again proved why no two Download days ever feel the same.

Friday In Photos At Download Festival XXIII

The rain clouds that had threatened Donington throughout the week finally gave way to sunshine as Download Festival XXIII burst into life. With expanded stages, one of the festival’s biggest crowds in years and a Friday bill built around celebration, nostalgia and outright chaos, the opening day delivered everything from rap-rock anthems and progressive metal masterclasses to dancefloor mayhem and a long-awaited headline triumph.

MacDeMarco @ O2 Academy Brixton (ShotByBrodie)

Not For The First Time Mac DeMarco Is Freaking Out The Neighbourhood At London’s O2 Academy Brixton

On a glorious summer evening in South London, for a third consecutive sold out night, Mac DeMarco brought his unrivaled laid back slacker rock to the London’s O2 Academy Brixton.

Julia Jacklin Announces New Album ‘The Gem’ And Shares Heartfelt New Single ‘Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon)’

Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin has announced her eagerly anticipated fourth studio album, The Gem, set for release on 25th September via 4AD. Marking her first release for the iconic independent label, the album is introduced by the charming and emotionally complex new single, Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon), available now alongside a self-directed video.

Dogstar Deliver Substance Over Celebrity At Camden’s Roundhouse

For a band whose bassist happens to be one of the most recognisable actors on the planet, Dogstar seem remarkably uninterested in making a fuss. That doesn’t mean the fuss isn’t there.

Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Muse Announce Supermassive European Arena Tour Including Four Huge UK Arena Shows

Muse have officially unveiled details of their newly announced The Wow! Signal Europa Tour, a major European arena run that will see the Devon trio return to some of the continent’s biggest stages later this year in support of their forthcoming tenth studio album, The Wow! Signal.

HIGHSOCIETY & Micah Martin Ignite The Rocktronic Underground With Explosive New Single ‘Tomorrow’s Over’

The boundary between electronic music and modern metal continues to blur, and few artists are pushing that evolution harder than HIGHSOCIETY and Micah Martin. The two genre-defying innovators have reunited for their latest collaborative single, Tomorrow’s Over, a ferocious rocktronic anthem that fuses crushing riffs, festival-sized electronic production and emotionally charged songwriting into one explosive package.