The Weeknd has announced the postponement of his upcoming album ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ and the cancellation of his Rose Bowl show in response to the ongoing wildfire crisis affecting Los Angeles County.

The artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, shared the news via social media, expressing his concern for the affected communities and emphasizing his commitment to supporting their recovery efforts. The highly-anticipated ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, which completes the trilogy following ‘After Hours’ and ‘Dawn FM’, will now see its release on 31st January 2025.

Industrial rock’s favourite Oscar-winning composers Nine Inch Nails have confirmed they’re plotting a proper return to the stage this year, though they’re being appropriately mysterious about the whole thing.

After some tour dates leaked online, Trent Reznor and co. took to social media to confirm that yes, they will indeed be bringing their thunderous live show back to waiting audiences. The timing couldn’t be better, with the band also teasing they’re working on new material that they’re “ready to be back in the driver’s seat” with.

The announcement of actual dates is currently on pause while the band direct attention to the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. While we wait for more details, it’s worth noting this will be their first proper tour since 2022, and follows their recent Golden Globe win for scoring Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’.

Well, this is properly massive – albeit in a slightly chaotic way. Thanks to a billboard that apparently didn’t get the “maybe hold off due to those wildfires” memo, we now know that indie royalty Rilo Kiley are reuniting for Just Like Heaven 2025.

The LA festival’s lineup leak also casually dropped that they’ll be sharing headline duties with Vampire Weekend, Empire of the Sun, Bloc Party, and a newly-reformed TV on the Radio. The festival is pencilled in for 10th May at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

For those keeping score at home, this will be the first proper Rilo Kiley performance since Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett’s brief team-up at Coachella 2015 (though they did do a quick livestream thing in 2021). The reunion hints have been mounting lately – new merch appeared on Bandcamp, streaming profiles got mysterious updates – but this accidental billboard confirmation is the most official clue yet.

Alabama Shakes legend Brittany Howard has only gone and formed a proper hardcore band. The Grammy-winning vocal powerhouse made her debut with new outfit Kumite at Nashville’s Basement East on Sunday night, linking up with members of local hardcore heroes Second Spirit to create what we can only describe as an absolutely massive racket (and we mean that in the best possible way).

The gig was actually part of a charitable hardcore benefit show that Howard organised herself. The night raised funds for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, Nashville Launch Pad, and the Southern Movement Committee, with support from Snooper and Inner Peace. Fan footage shows Howard absolutely demolishing an American Nightmare cover, proving that there’s literally no genre she can’t master.

Grammy Winner Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) new band Kumite covering “AM/PM” by American Nightmare. pic.twitter.com/eB1VPIZrwZ

— PJ Kinzer (@CivilWarSyndrom) January 13, 2025

Beyoncé has temporarily pressed pause on her much-anticipated announcement to focus on something far more important.

The global icon has instead directed her attention to supporting those affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, with her BeyGOOD foundation stepping up to donate $2.5 million to relief efforts in the region. The announcement, originally scheduled for January 14th, will be rescheduled “to a later date” – though no specific timeline has been confirmed yet.

In the meantime, BeyGOOD’s substantial donation will be directed specifically to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who’ve lost their homes, as well as supporting local churches and community centers providing immediate assistance to those affected.

The annual BRITs Week series is back to remind us all why watching bands in teeny venues is basically the best thing ever. Nova Twins, Soft Play, and Rachel Chinouriri are leading the charge alongside Kasabian, Clean Bandit, Tom Walker, Frank Turner and Blossoms for a run of intimate shows that’ll have you pressed right up against your faves (in a totally non-weird way, obvs). The gigs are all in support of War Child, meaning you can feel extra good about frantically refreshing those ticket pages.

Want in? Course you do. The War Child pre-sale kicks off at 10am on Thursday 16th January, with general sale following at 10am on Friday 17th January. If you’re feeling lucky, you can also donate £5 to War Child for a chance to win tickets – the prize draws will open once each show sells out. You can find all the details here.