Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten joined The Pogues on stage to perform “Streams Of Whiskey” in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday night (Dec. 17). Watch fan-filmed footage here.

The Pogues played a one-off show at the city’s 3Arena yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1984 debut LP, Red Roses For Me. The gig featured a wealth of special guests, including Nadine Shah, members of Lankum, rapper Kojaque and John Francis Flynn, among others. Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll also performed as part of the live band.

Following the death of singer Shane MacGowan last year, the current Pogues line-up consists of singer Spider Stacy, and founding members Jem Finer and James Fearnley. The band recently announced their first headline tour in 13 years – and first since MacGowan’s passing – to mark the 40th anniversary of their second album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash. 

Scheduled for May 2025, the upcoming trek will include dates in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and Newcastle. Further details and ticketing information can be found via The Pogues’ official website. 

Chatten paid tribute to MacGowan after he died aged 65 last November. “So long North Star,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will love you forever.” Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, he explained the impact that the songwriter’s passing had on the recording process for Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance.

“We were in the middle of recording the album when Shane died,” he said. “And I had to f–king take a break. I was really, deeply affected by it. Partly because he enhanced my relationship with my family! You know, he connected me to my Irishness maybe in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.” 

In 2020, Fontaines D.C. shared a cover of “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day,” a traditional Irish song made famous by The Pogues, for SiriusXM.

Elton John has teased the possibility of new music, revealing during his Dec. 18 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that his creative drive remains as strong as ever.

Reflecting on his recent projects and the time he’s taken since retiring from touring, Elton confirmed, “You will be getting some more [Elton John music].”

“The juices have never dried up. They never want to dry up because I’m always looking to create things. It’s just having the space now to do it at my own time. Of course there will be new Elton John music,” he added to cheers from the crowd.

Reflecting on his Apple Music show Rocket Hour, John spoke passionately about supporting emerging artists like Chappell Roan. “When I first heard [her], I think I was the first person to play ‘Pink Pony Club.’ I interviewed her, and then we became friends. These young artists have so much energy, they’re so good, and if I can help them in any way get a foot on a ladder, I will.”

Brandi Carlile, Elton’s collaborator on the theme song for Never Too Late, joined him during the interview. The two shared stories about their friendship and creative process, including how Brandi’s heartfelt letter to Elton sparked their relationship.

Elton described their bond, saying, “I was doing a residency in Vegas at the time, so I asked her to come to Vegas and I played and sang on the record and as soon as I saw her, I became friends with her. It was like I’d known her all my life.”

This revelation follows the release of Never Too Late, the theme song for his Disney+ documentary of the same name.

Elsewhere in the interview, Elton reminisced about the artists who shaped his career. “Ray Charles touched my heart. Little Richard touched my heart. Elvis Presley changed my life with ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ When I first heard that record, I knew I wanted to do this.”

Watch Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert here.

Fans of indie rock icons Pavement are readying themselves for the first piece of new music from the band in a quarter of a century.

The California band were initially active from 1989 until 1999, releasing a total of five albums, including 1992’s Slanted and Enchanted, 1994’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and 1997’s Brighten the Corners, which gave the group their highest-charting U.S. release when it hit No. 70 on the Billboard 200.

The group initially split in November 1999, with the previous month’s Major Leagues EP serving as their final piece of original material. Since then, the band’s members have been intensely active on other projects, including a run of reissues that complemented their original albums with a myriad unreleased and rare tracks.

While Pavement reconvened for a reunion tour in 2010, another hiatus occurred before announcing their second reunion in 2019. These dates were delayed until 2022, with the band’s most recent (and ostensibly final) performance taking place in October of this year as part of the New York premiere of Alex Ross Perry’s experimental biopic/documentary, Pavements.

Initially premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in September, Pavements is readying itself for a wider release with a movie soundtrack also set to accompany its arrival.

In an interview with the Kreative Kontrol podcast, Pavement’s Scott ‘Spiral Stairs’ Kannberg spoke to host Vish Khanna alongside Perry and producer/editor Robert Greene about the film before turning his attention to the upcoming soundtrack. When asked about current Pavement activity and the band’s future, Kannberg explained that a new track from the band will also be featured.

“There will be a new Pavement song on the soundtrack, that’s all I’m going to give you,” he explained. “I just heard a mix of it today, and it’s pretty good. It’s not a big deal, it’s just cool because it’s something different and it’s a song that we all kind of loved playing.”

According to Kannberg, the as-yet-unnamed track began life during reharsals of the band’s recent reunion, though previous setlists indicate it didn’t receive a performance during any of those shows.

Currently, the official status of Pavement is unclear, with their recent New York performance seeing percussionist/vocalist Bob Nastanovich telling the crowd it would be their “last show for a long time”. That same month, vocalist and guitarist Stephen Malkmus began live performances as one quarter of the indie supergroup The Hard Quartet alongside members of Chavez and the Dirty Three.

Billie Eilish is Apple Music’s 2024 Artist of the Year, and to celebrate, the superstar and her brother Finneas performed a live acoustic set in their hometown of Los Angeles earlier this month.

The performance featured a Q&A as well as renditions of hits from Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard & Soft, including “The Greatest” and “Birds of a Feather.”

For fans who were unable to experience the show in person, the event is available on demand for Apple Music subscribers around the world at the link here.

In a new video from the show, Eilish performs a swinging, stripped back version of “L’Amour de Ma Vie,” in which she sings in the chorus while Finneas harmonizes: “I need to confess, I told you a lie/ I said you/ You were the love of my life/ The love of my life.”

The performance came shortly after Eilish was named the platform’s Artist of the Year. “Since day one, Apple Music has supported my music and artistry, and I am both honored and humbled to receive this recognition as Artist of the Year this many years into my career,” Eilish said at the time of the news.

It’s been a groundbreaking year for Eilish. Hit Me Hard and Soft arrived in May, and upon release, the album soared to No. 1 on Apple Music’s all-genre albums chart in 138 countries worldwide. The project also hit No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart.

Going into 2025, she’s nominated for seven Grammys. Hit Me Hard and Soft is up for album of the year and best pop vocal album, while “Birds of a Feather” snagged nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. The “Over Now Extended Edit” of “L’Amour De Ma Vie” is nominated for best dance pop recording, while her Charli XCX “Guess” collaboration received a nod for best pop duo/group performance.

Megan Thee Stallion is demanding a restraining order against Tory Lanez, claiming he has continued to “terrorize her” with a “campaign of harassment” even as he sits behind bars on a ten-year prison sentence for shooting her.

In a petition filed Tuesday (Dec. 17) in Los Angeles court, attorneys for the superstar (real name Megan Pete) claim that Lanez (Daystar Peterson) has conspired with people outside prison to “harass, bully, and antagonize” her with misinformation amid his “desperate” appeal of his 2022 felony convictions.

“Mr. Peterson’s attempts to retraumatize and revictimize Ms. Pete recognize no limits — indeed, they continue even while he is behind bars,” Megan’s lawyers write. “While Mr. Peterson distorts and recklessly disregards the truth in his desperate attempt to appeal his conviction, his false assertions have reignited a slew of negative, harmful, and defamatory comments directed to Ms. Pete.”

Monday’s petition cited a separate lawsuit Megan filed in October against YouTuber and social media personality Milagro Gramz, who she claims has served as a “mouthpiece and puppet” for the convicted singer. In an updated version of that case filed last week, Megan alleged that discovery in the case had revealed prison phone calls in which Lanez coordinated payments to Gramz.

“Mr. Peterson’s father—when he thought no one was listening—asked his son about payments to Ms. Cooper for her harassment of Ms. Pete,” Megan’s attorneys write in the new filing. “Instead of denying that Ms. Cooper has been paid, they question how Ms. Pete uncovered their conspiracy.”

If granted by a California judge, the restraining order would immediately bar Lanez from any harassing conduct. In the filing, Megan’s lawyers ask the judge that Lanez be “ordered not to contact Ms. Pete, directly or indirectly, or harass or intimidate her, directly or indirectly, online.”

The exact contours of such an order — what constitutes harassment of Megan versus Lanez simply speaking about his own defense — could be further clarified by the judge. Lanez would later have a chance to respond, and the judge would then decide whether to issue a longer-term restraining order.

Attorneys for Lanez did not immediately return a request for comment.

Lanez was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts over the violent 2020 incident, in which he shot at the feet of Megan during an argument following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the Hollywood Hills. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He has filed an appeal, which remains pending.

In the new petition, Megan’s attorneys also directly accused Lanez of orchestrating a high-profile false story that circulated on social media earlier this year, claiming incorrectly that an appeals court had declared him “innocent” in the shooting.

“Mr. Peterson, through third parties, disseminated a rumor which falsely suggested that an appellate court declared his innocence,” Megan’s lawyers write. “Mr. Peterson’s interpretation underscores his desire to spread misinformation in an effort to save his public image.”