British indie-rock duo Wet Leg are teasing a full-scale return, plotting their launch with a pair of upcoming U.S. dates.

The group – which was formed in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – announced their live return via a post on social media on Wednesday (March 19). 

“Hey there neighbor,” they wrote. “Been a while hasn’t it? Why dont u come on down to the bottom of our garden? it’s about time we had ourselves a little gathering…just a couple of special nights in NYC and LA.” 

The first of these shows will take place on March 31 at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel, while their Los Angeles show will be on April 8 at The River in Frogtown. Sign-ups for ticketing access have been made available via the band’s website. These live shows will be the band’s first since August, and are set to be followed by a series of performances throughout the U.K. and Europe over summer.

News of the upcoming U.S. dates follows on from a surprisingly active period of time on social media for the band this week. On Monday (March 17), a post captioned “we’re so back” urged fans to visit Wet Leg’s website, where hints of the band’s new era were provided.

“Salutations, lonely heart,” a message in a Windows 95-era textbox reads. “You have wandered far, but you are home. Enter Moisturizer Valley — where the skin never cracks, and the body never withers. Enroll now. Learn how to live forever.”

This was followed up by a snippet of a new song shared on Tuesday (March 18), though no official release date for the track has been revealed as yet.

Wet Leg rose to fame in 2021 with the release of their debut single “Chaise Longue.” Reaching No. 15  and 21 on the Alternative Airplay and Rock Airplay charts respectively, the Mean Girls-referencing track was featured on the band’s self-titled debut LP in 2022, which reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.

Such was the success of Wet Leg that they scored a nomination for best new artist at the 2023 Grammys, with “Chaise Longue” taking home best alternative music performance and their LP winning best alternative music album. The group have also managed to snare high-profile support slots for the likes of Harry Styles and the Foo Fighters in stadiums around the world in recent years.

After close to two decades together, Guns N’ Roses and drummer Frank Ferrer have parted ways,

News of the band’s lineup shift was confirmed by the group in a statement released on Wednesday (March 19). “Guns N’ Roses announce the amicable exit of Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in their storied run,” the statement read. “The band thanks Frank for his friendship, creativity and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.”

Ferrer became a member of Guns N’ Roses in 2006, taking over from Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who had joined in 2000. Holding the role for 19 years, he is the longest-tenured percussionist in the band’s history, second only to Steven Adler, who sat behind the kit from 1990 to 1997.

Ferrer’s recorded contributions to the band began with five tracks on their famously-delayed (and currently, their most recent) studio album, Chinese Democracy, which arrived in 2008. He would also appear on the live portion of 2022’s Hard Skool EP, with former drummer Brain appearing on the studio tracks and their 2023 singles “Perhaps” and “The General.”

Ferrer’s last appearance with the band took place at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in November 2023, which is currently the most recent live performance from Guns N’ Roses to date.

Currently, the band are scheduled to return to the road soon, launching their awkwardly-titled Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour in South Korea on May 1. The tour will visit the Middle East and Europe over the following months, with no dates set past their July 31 concert in Germany. No replacement for Ferrer has been named at the current time.

Outside of his time with Guns N’ Roses, Ferrer had previously performed with The Beautiful, later joining future Guns N’ Roses bandmate Richard Fortus in both Love Spit Love and The Psychedelic Furs. In 2019, Ferrer also co-founded the rock band PSSR, who have issued a handful of singles in recent years.

Dua Lipa is continuing her tributes to iconic Australian artists as she tours throughout the continent this spring.

Just a day after Lipa covered AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” during her Radical Optimism tour stop at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, the pop superstar continued the covers for night two at the venue.

On Tuesday (March 18), Lipa opted to perform “Torn” by Australian and British singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia. “Illusion never changed/ Into something real/ I’m wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn,” Lipa sings in the chorus, surrounded by her band and rocking a black lace jumpsuit with red shorts and a faux fur scarf placed over her shoulder.

Watch a snippet of the performance via a fan social media account here.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Lipa sold out the Australian leg of her global Radical Optimism Tour. The singer will remain in the country for just two weeks, with five nights scheduled for the Rod Laver Arena, and a further three at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena. Lipa will then jet over to New Zealand for two sold-out dates at Auckland’s Spark Arena in early April.

The pop superstar also kicked off 2025 with a new collaboration, appearing as a guest on JENNIE’s “Handlebars,” off the BLACKPINK singer’s freshly released debut solo LP, Ruby.

A former employee of Eminem (Marshall Mathers) has been criminally charged in connection with the sale of unreleased music by the rap superstar, it was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck on Wednesday (March 19).

According to the criminal complaint, the FBI was contacted by employees of Eminem’s music studio in Ferndale, Michigan, to alert the agency that unreleased music created by the rapper was available for sale on the Internet. The FBI subsequently identified multiple people who purchased the unreleased music, all of whom identified Eminem’s former employee, Joseph Strange, as the person who was selling it. A press release states that the music “was still in the process of being developed by” the rapper.

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If convicted on the charge of criminal copyright infringement, Strange faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A conviction on a charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Strange worked for Eminem from 2007 to 2021, according to the press release.

“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” said Beck in a statement.

“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ intellectual property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally,” added Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Thanks to the cooperation of Mathers Music Studio, FBI agents from the Oakland County Resident Agency were able to swiftly enforce federal laws and ensure Joseph Strange was held accountable for his actions.”

The case against Strange is being investigated by special agents of the FBI Oakland County Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Wyse and Alyse Wu.

UPDATE (March 19): A week after SZA’s SOS matched Michael Jackson’s Thriller with 79 nonconsecutive weeks each in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, the Grammy-winning Top Dawg/RCA singer-songwriter has broken that tie. Her SOS now boasts 80 weeks in the Billboard 200’s top 10. As noted in the original story below, no other Black artist has as many, or more, weeks in the top 10 for a single album since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956. 

SZA’s 80th week in the top 10 occurs on the latest chart, dated March 22 (at No. 4 again). Thriller spent 78 of its 79 weeks in the top 10 during its 1983-1984 peak, including 37 of those weeks at No. 1. The record for most weeks in the top 10 reached by any album is the original cast album to My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 from 1956-1960.

SOS was originally released on Dec. 9, 2022, to immediate commercial success. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 10 of its first 11 weeks at No. 1 and remained a regular fixture inside the top 20. The album received a second wind – including two more weeks at No. 1 – after the release of its SOS: Deluxe LANA edition, which dropped on Dec. 22, 2024 and added 15 new tracks. (All versions of the album are combined for tracking and charting purposes and continue to chart under the title SOS.)

“Luther,” SZA’s duet with Kendrick Lamar, now has four weeks at No. 1, breaking Lamar’s personal best. It’s also SZA’s longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1: her previous two – “Kill Bill” and as a featured act on Drake’s “Slime You Out” — each had one week on top in 2023.

ORIGINAL STORY (MARCH 12): SZA has hit another chart milestone. The singer/songwriter’s SOS has tied with Michael Jackson’s Thriller, notching 79 total, nonconsecutive weeks each in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. No other Black artist has as many, or more, weeks in the top 10 for an album.

“My album tying MJ’s Thriller record … Got me speechless,” a shocked SZA told TMZ Hip-Hop following her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday evening. In his own social media post on X, Top Dawg Entertainment president and SZA manager Terrence “Punch” Henderson succinctly described the momentous occasion with one word: “Insane,” followed by two praying hands emoji.

SOS reached its 79th week in the top 10 on the latest chart, dated March 15, when it held steady at No. 4. MJ’s Thriller claimed its 79th week in the top 10 when it jumped 115-7 on the Dec. 2, 2022-dated chart following its 40th-anniversary reissue.

For those wondering, the record for most weeks in the top 10 reached by any album is the original cast album to My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

SZA’s latest chart achievement comes in the wake of other good news this week: “Luther,” her duet with soon-to-be tourmate Kendrick Lamar, is celebrating its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That feat also finds Lamar tying his prior longest Hot 100 reigns: three nonconsecutive weeks with “Not Like Us” between last May and this February and three weeks in a row last April with “Like That” alongside Future and Metro Boomin.

Lamar and SZA’s highly anticipated Grand National Tour kicks off April 19 in Minneapolis.

Sir Rod Stewart is not done with Las Vegas. The ageless pop wonder announced another six-pack of residency shows at the Colosseum for this fall, extending his Sin City run yet again. “Las Vegas! You wanted more, so here we go—I’ve added more shows! I’ll be back at @colosseumatcp this September and October, Can’t wait to see you all for another round of unforgettable nights,” Stewart wrote on Instagram on Tuesday (March 18).

Tickets for the shows slated to take place between Sept. 24 and Oct. 4 will go on sale this Friday (March 21) at 10 a.m. PT through Ticketmaster. There will also be a fan club sale beginning at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday (March 19) and one for Caesars Rewards members and LN/Ticketmaster customers on Thursday (March 20) at 10 a.m. PT.

Stewart has a trio of residency shows this week, beginning tonight, followed by gigs on Friday and Saturday (March 22). After that he hops over to Europe, with shows in Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Italy and Portugal through mid-May; he will return to Europe in November for more gigs in Germany, as well as stops in Switzerland, Austria, Bulgaria and Greece.

As if that weren’t enough road work for the 80-year-old pop legend, he also has another six Colosseum dates in May and early June before he launches a North American tour with his pals in Cheap Trick that will span June, July and August, with a quick break to headline the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K. on June 25.

The new Colosseum dates are: Sept. 24, 25, 27 and Oct. 1, 3 and 4.

Check out the announcement below.

Australian rock icons Silverchair are set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal debut album, Frogstomp, with a special event in Sydney next week. However, frontman Daniel Johns will not be taking part.

The event is scheduled for March 26 at the Metro Social in Sydney, a venue that holds significance for Silverchair, as it hosted some of the band’s early performances before their rapid rise to fame.

The night will feature drummer Ben Gillies, former Silverchair manager John Watson, and label executive John O’Donnell, all sharing insights into the band’s meteoric success. Additionally, celebrated music photographer Tony Mott will be in attendance, and Sydney-based indie rockers The Buoys are set to perform tracks from Frogstomp in tribute.

Released in March 1995, Frogstomp catapulted Silverchair to international stardom. The album debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and made history by reaching the top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 9 and marking the first time an Australian band had done so since INXS.

The record, which features hits like “Tomorrow” and “Pure Massacre,” earned five ARIA Awards and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

The upcoming anniversary celebration follows the release of Love & Pain, a memoir co-authored by Gillies and bassist Chris Joannou in 2023. The book offers an in-depth look at the band’s origins in Newcastle and their rise to becoming one of Australia’s most successful rock acts. However, the absence of Johns from the event is consistent with his continued reluctance to revisit Silverchair’s past.

Johns has been vocal about distancing himself from his former band. He previously opposed the airing of a two-part Australian Story documentary on ABC iView, which coincided with the release of Love & Pain, citing unauthorized use of Silverchair’s music. In an Instagram post, Johns addressed his stance:

“I was and remain incredibly supportive of them telling their story,” he wrote. “I was asked at the end of filming to be interviewed about their contribution to the band and although I wished them all the best, I respectfully declined for one reason. I haven’t been involved in the book nor am I aware of the contents. I’ve asked on many occasions to read the book but haven’t been sent a copy, consequently, I was uncomfortable being interviewed to help promote it.”

Despite Johns’ absence, the Frogstomp anniversary event is expected to be a significant occasion for longtime Silverchair fans, offering a retrospective look at one of the most defining records in Australian rock history.

John Legend is marking the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Lifted and recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to reflect on his journey.

During the interview, Legend reminisced about one of his earliest experiences in the music industry—meeting Lauryn Hill and earning his first-ever recording credit on her groundbreaking album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

“So the first time I met Lauryn Hill, I was still a student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, so I was going to school there, and I used to play at this church up in Scranton. So Scranton’s a couple hours north of Philly, and I would drive up there every weekend. And one of my choir members’ name was Tara Michel, and she went to high school with Lauryn Hill,” Legend recalled.

“And The Score had already been a huge success for the Fugees and ‘Killing Me Softly.’ And everybody was wondering when Lauryn’s going to go solo. And she was working on her solo album, and Tara was like, ‘Johnny, come to Jersey with me, and we’re going to meet Lauryn Hill. She’s working on her solo album.’ And so they’re working on the album, and I get on the piano just to show her what I could do.”

“It was like a mini audition,” Legend continued. “I was nervous, but, you know, I did my thing. I sang a little Stevie Wonder, sang an original song, too, and then she was like, ‘Why don’t you play piano on this song I’m working on now?’ And it was ‘Everything Is Everything’ from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”

Legend reflected on the significance of the moment, noting, “That was my first credit on any album. And it was, you know, one of the greatest albums of all time.”

At the time, Legend was still credited under his birth name, John R. Stephens. “I didn’t know if the song was going to make the album. I didn’t know if my parts were going to make the album. And so I was just waiting to find out, and I get a call from A&R at Columbia Records, which is where Lauryn signed, and they asked me how to spell my name for the album credits,” he said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, okay, you want to know how to spell my name?’ So I was like… John R. Stephens. John R. Stephens—S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S. And I was like, in retrospect, that was not a great stage name to, like, put on the album credits.”

Reflecting on his current stage name, he added, “John Legend’s a lot better. I didn’t become John Legend for a while. But I was John R. Stephens on Track 13 of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”

Beyond reminiscing about his past, Legend looked ahead to the future, announcing his Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour, which is set to kick off on May 27 in Glasgow, U.K.

The tour will cover more than 40 cities across the U.K., Europe, and North America, including stops at The O2 in London, Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Accor Arena in Paris, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and Barclays Center in New York, before wrapping up on December 9 in Oakland, California.

To commemorate the anniversary, Legend also revealed plans for a deluxe edition of Get Lifted, which will include remixes and unreleased tracks from the era. The album, originally released in 2004, featured hits like “Ordinary People,” “Used to Love U,” and “So High,” and helped establish Legend as a major force in R&B and soul music.

In 2024, Billie Eilish explained that her Hit Me Hard and Soft album was set to be her most eco-friendly release to date. 

While a number of vinyl variants were still released out into the world, each were produced by using recycled materials, including a 100% recycled black vinyl edition, and seven colored vinyl versions being made from ECO-MIX or BioVinyl.

Though Eilish would also criticize the “wasteful” practice of “some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages” for fans to purchase, the other side of the vinyl equation comes about when the topic of disposing of music is raised.

Sales of physical media remain strong in the streaming age, and though consumption as a whole has largely shifted to the digital format, the question of how to ethically get rid of music is one that is as pertinent as ever. 

That’s why U.K. music manufacturer Key Production Group has now launched the full roll-out of its plans to ensure vinyl and CDs are disposed of in an environmentally-responsible way.

The U.K. company initially launched their Key Production Recycling efforts in early 2020, only for progress to be stunted by the then-burgeoning global pandemic. Fast forward to 2025, and it’s been kick-started once again, launched just in time for Global Recycling Day on March 18.

Partially inspired by the ongoing vinyl boom and the question of what to do with unplayable media once it goes beyond its usefulness, retail stores such as Rough Trade have also joined in with the scheme in an effort to find a sustainable option for disposing of unsold or unplayable stock.

According to Key Production, those with unwanted vinyl or CDs – regardless of size, packaging, or condition – are able to send their items directly to the organization who will then recycle them depending on the materials.

While vinyl records and CDs are made of different plastic compounds – polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for the former and optical grade polycarbonate for the latter – their materials are then reused as opposed to spending hundreds of years in landfills. For vinyl materials, this can see albums being repurposed once again as PVC, to be used in the composition of future vinyl records, or to be utilized in building and road construction. For CDs, polycarbonate can be reused for the likes of automotive parts or electronic devices.

“We believe vinyl and CDs should be cherished and if looked after well will last a lifetime,” Key Production notes on their website. “However, should you find that you have damaged items that you would like to recycle then that can be facilitated, distributors will usually have a responsible recycling scheme of their own so if you work with one do check with them. Alternatively we can take records and CDs for recycling where we can guarantee that every element of a product is being recycled responsibly.”

“Sustainability is a vital part of our identity here at Key Production Group and the idea to develop Key Production Recycling was born from our commitment to understanding and managing the lifecycle of physical music products, prompting us to ask: what happens when they can no longer be used,” explained Key Production’s Strategy and Sustainability Director, John Service.

“We are so excited to be working with labels and record stores across the country and allow the public to utilise something that is so beneficial in extending a product’s lifespan.”

“Being able to provide a solution that’s not only sustainable but that will also have a positive impact on the life cycle of a product is really important to us at Rough Trade,” added Rough Trade Managing Director, Lawrence Montgomery. “Key Production Recycling is and will continue to be beneficial for us at Rough Trade and our facilities and we’re lucky to be able to use this great system!”

Full details of Key Production Group’s Recycling scheme are available on their website.

Matty Matheson, the Canadian chef and actor known for his role on FX Series The Bear, has turned his attention to the world of music, announcing new hardcore band Pig Pen.

The new outfit was detailed by Matheson via social media on Tuesday (March 18), explaining that the project’s origins can be traced back a few years. “A few old friends got together a couple years ago and wrote and recorded 10 songs over 2 days,” Matheson wrote. “We just wanted to hangout and see what’s up. This is our band. We are Pig Pen.”

Despite not having a particularly well-known musical history, Matheson is joined by Alexisonfire guitarist and backing vocalist Wade MacNeil, while Daniel Romano joins on guitar, Ian Ski Romano on drums, and Tommy Major on bass. “Just when you thought I couldn’t possibly join ANOTHER band,” wrote MacNeil on Instagram. “WE GO AND START PIG PEN.”

Pig Pen have also announced their debut show, which is scheduled to take place at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto on April 25. Joined by Best Wishes and Pluto’s Kiss, tickets to the event are already sold out, though a waitlist has been launched.

Currently, no details in regard to whether Pig Pen will be releasing music have been announced, though a teaser clip of the band’s sound indicates that they have spent time in the recording studio at some point.

Matheson rose to fame as a chef in Toronto in the early 2000s, going on to be named the executive chef of Parts & Labour until its closure in 2019. Alongside his culinary career, Matheson launched an entertainment career thanks to hosting roles on television series such as Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime!.

In 2022, he rose to wider fame when he joined the cast of The Bear, portraying the character of handyman Neil Fak. As part of his role on the show, he and the rest of the cast were nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series at the 2023 and 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning the latter.