Life is Good On The Open Road For Trampled By Turtles

Celebrated Minnesota sextet Trampled By Turtles have announced details of their long-awaited new album Life Is Good On The Open Road, due for release via Thirty Tigers on June 1. After an indefinite hiatus, the band are returning with their first new album in four years following in the wake of previous Billboard-charting records which have included three No.1s on the Bluegrass and Folk charts. In line with announcement, the band have shared the first single Kelly’s Bar which you can listen to here.

Coincidentally, the band had arranged to regroup at banjo player, Dave Carroll’s cabin on the same day that their mutually beloved hero, Tom Petty sadly passed away.

Within an hour of converging at the cabin, instrument cases were opened and ideas were passed around.

“We started cracking beers and hanging out, and all of a sudden it was like, ‘wow’!” frontman and primary songwriter, Dave Simonett recalls. “So we went down by the lake and brought a speaker and a bottle of whiskey, and just sat and listened to like six Tom Petty records straight. It felt good as a band to be sharing in that. Somebody we had all admired so much musically, that we could kind of bond over.”

By the second day of their retreat, Trampled went live on Facebook with a performance of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, and by the end of the week, they were already working with handful of new songs that Simonett had written, and firming up dates at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, to record their next album.

After 15 years of recording and performing high-energy live shows, Trampled By Turtles have built a large and loyal fanbase that fill venues in their home of the US and here in the UK. Trampled By Turtles have previously toured with the likes of Hiss Golden Messenger and Deer Tick, performed at festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza, and played twice on the David Letterman Show. The band are set to announce a slew of UK dates in support of the new release.

Life Is Good On The Open Road is the welcome return that the group’s legions of passionate fans have been waiting for. Led by the songwriting of lead singer Dave Simonett, the new songs touch on key elements from the entire spectrum of Trampled By Turtles body of work, while creating something that sounds fresh and invigorated. Simonett, and bandmates Erik Berry, Ryan Young, Dave Carroll, Tim Saxhaug and Eamonn McLain reunited at a cabin in the Minnesota woods to see if the special chemistry they once shared still existed. It did not take long for the magic to reveal itself with an invigorated sense of purpose and the result shines brightly on Life Is Good On The Open Road.

https://rockshotmagazine.com/16840/live-review-gin-wigmore-dingwalls/

Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Muse Reach For The Stars On Ambitious New Album ‘The Wow! Signal’

Muse have never been a band to think small. From dystopian concept records and politically charged anthems to symphonic rock epics and stadium-sized spectacles, the Devon trio have spent more than two decades redefining what modern rock can sound like. Now, with the release of their tenth studio album, The Wow! Signal, Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard once again prove they’re unafraid to venture into uncharted territory.

Brandon Flowers Returns With First Solo Album In Over A Decade, ‘THRASHER’, Shares New Single ‘Plans’

After more than a decade away from solo releases, Brandon Flowers has announced his long-awaited return with THRASHER, his third solo album and first since 2015’s The Desired Effect. The record arrives on 21 August 2026 via Island Records, with its lead single, Plans, available now.

Download Festival XXIII (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Download Festival Is More Than Just the Metal

I’ve been attending Download Festival since 2005. Every year, as I walk through those gates, I feel something that can be difficult to explain to people who have never experienced it. For a few days each June, I stop feeling like I’m standing on the outside looking in. I belong.

Sophie Grey @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

SOPHIE GREY. Reaches For The Moon With Euphoric New Single ‘Lunar Highs (Hands Go Up)’

Rising electro-pop artist SOPHIE GREY. has unveiled her shimmering new single Lunar Highs (Hands Go Up), a euphoric slice of synth-driven pop arriving just ahead of June’s Strawberry Moon and setting the tone for a busy summer of high-profile live performances.

Kimberly Schlapman & Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town @ Royal Albert Hall (Kalpesh Patel)

Little Big Town Team Up With Ashley Monroe On Soulful New Single ‘Sucker For A Sad Song’

Country music favourites Little Big Town have unveiled their latest single, Sucker For A Sad Song, a heartfelt collaboration with acclaimed singer-songwriter Ashley Monroe, offering another enticing preview of their forthcoming album It’s A Dying Art, due for release on 28th August.

Lucia and the Best Boys @ O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (Kalpesh Patel)

Lucia & The Best Boys Continue Their Rise With A Spellbinding O2 Shepherd’s Bush Performance

Fresh from an acclaimed appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival, Lucia & The Best Boys arrive at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire with momentum firmly on their side. Opening for the reunited 4 Non Blondes, the Glasgow quartet seize the opportunity with a commanding seven-song set that feels less like a support slot and more like a statement of intent.

4 Non Blondes @ O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (Kalpesh Patel)

4 Non Blondes Return On Their Own Terms At O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

More than three decades after their breakthrough, 4 Non Blondes arrive at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire not to relive the past, but to redefine themselves in the present. Supported by the excellent Lucia & The Best Boys, the reunited San Francisco outfit make it abundantly clear that this tour is not a nostalgia exercise. Instead, it is a bold statement of who they are now — and whether the audience is willing to come with them.

Snow Patrol @ Eden Sessions (Adam Smith)

Snow Patrol Complete The Hat-Trick At Eden Sessions In An Evening Of Heart, Humour And Hits

There are few concert settings in Britain as naturally dramatic as the Eden Sessions. Nestled within a former clay pit and framed by the iconic biomes of the Eden Project, the venue possesses a unique sense of occasion before a note is even played. On this June evening, the Cornish weather appears determined to play its part too. Persistent rain hangs over the site for much of the day, only to disappear almost on cue as Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid walk on stage. It feels as though somebody has edited the weather into the evening’s script.