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Beastie Boys legend Mike D has announced details of his debut solo album ‘Thank You’ with new single ‘True Colors’.

• READ MORE: No Sleep Till… North Shields: Beastie Boys’ Mike D talks going solo and keeping weird venues alive

The rap legend became the first of the trio to emerge with solo music since the passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch in 2012 when he surprised fans last month with appearance on stage with his sons Davis and Skyler of indie-dance band Very Nice Person at Ojai Valley Women’s Club.

With his sons in backing band 5D, they soon played a couple of live solo shows in the US at some unusual locations where he debuted solo material before Mike D dropped his first single ‘Switch Up and later ‘What We Got‘.


A run of UK shows followed last week, kicking off with an intimate show at Kings Street Social Club in North Shields. Now, he’s shared that debut solo album ‘Thank You’ will arrive in August. Mixed by Derek ‘MixedByAli’ Ali and mastered by Nicolas de Porcel, the album was made at Diamond’s home studio after sessions with his sons the first of a cast of collaborators that would expand to include Carter Lang, Jared Solomon, Ging, Jason Lader, Eddie Ruscha, Tyran Donaldson and more.

“It’s been so much fun making this music with people I love and I have grown to really appreciate in our collaboration,” said Mike D. “And I just hope it’s fun for others and not overly serious, because let’s be real, I’m releasing this music into a very strange and dark and power-fixated world that really devalues art and feelings and compassion and empathy and equality.”


Mike D and his band, 5D. Credit Sam Finelli

The album is said to have “a fluid, intuitive nature”, reflected in the artwork by visual collaborators Can Can Press, Thad Higa and Charles Deroyan.

Speaking to NME about creating his first music since Beastie Boys’ final album ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ in 2011, Mike D explained why this was coming now and moving on from the passing of MA.

“We so much loved all three of us being in a band with each other for Beastie Boys,” Mike D told us. “When Yauch died, it was an extremely sad time for me so making music was just not on the table. Then being a dad was something I put myself into and eventually I worked on the [Beastie Boys Book] with Adam [“Ad-Rock” Horovitz] and that really helped both of us as we were really able to shine a light on our past together.

“I took a minute where I was watching my kids make music for a bit, which was an interesting thing as I was also working on producing records for other artists. That was fun and everything – and hats off to really good record producers, I’m not knocking it – but for myself I got to a place where I was feeling the most about what I was producing when bands were more executing my ideas. I was like, ‘What the fuck am I doing? Bands shouldn’t be doing my ideas, they should be making their own ideas and I should be making my own ideas’.”

Asked if he felt any pressure in being the first Beastie Boy to go solo, he replied: “To be honest, there was no race to the finish line on that one! I’m still thankfully good friends with Ad-Rock and he’s not racing me on this one. It wasn’t until I had to sit down and do the first interview that I realised that was a thing.”

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The artist and producer explained to NME how there was “a lot of commonality in terms of how I worked with Beastie Boys” in terms of “plugging in seemingly random instruments and falling in love with how certain things sound” before “getting a bit further down the line and really editing fearlessly and cutting stuff back”.

“The difference was that I had to get myself into a place of being very free in terms of doing my vocals,” he revealed. “In the band, we were all each other’s best editors. There was almost a little bit of competition and one-upmanship, in a good way. Here, I realised early on in the process that even with a lot of amazing collaborators, my kids were my best editors. They don’t relate to me [in that way]. They haven’t listened to ‘Hello Nasty’ a gazillion times. They were extremely frank with me on my vocals, which was super helpful.”

He added: “The way I describe the record is that musically it’s still pretty immature, and lyrically it’s a little bit more mature. I just feel like there’s more of the things I had to tap into. I had to learn how to feel all over again.”

Mike D releases ‘Thank You’ on August 28. Pre-order it here and check out the full tracklist below:

1. ‘Switch Up’
2. ‘What We Got’
3. ‘True Colors’
4. ‘That’s Right’
5. ‘Secrets Pt. I’
6. ‘Secrets Pt. II’
7. ‘I Don’t Care’
8. ‘Make It Stop’
9. ‘Crypto’
10. ‘Here We Are’
11. ‘Back To Start’
12. ‘It’s Time’
13. ‘Thank You’


Mike D announces his debut solo album ‘Thank You’. Credit: Press

His remaining tour dates with 5D are as follows. Visit here for tickets and more information.

JUNE
10 — Saalchen — Berlin, Germany
13 — Primavera Sound Festival — Porto, Portugal
14 — Beyond The Pale Festival — Wicklow, Ireland
16 — La 2 de Apolo Nitsa — Barcelona, Spain
18 — Blender at Bolwerk — Kortrijk, Belgium
19 — De Casino — Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
20 — Beyond The Streets — Paris, France
SEPTEMBER
26 — Portola Music Festival 2026 — San Francisco, USA

The post Beastie Boys’ Mike D announces debut solo album ‘Thank You’ appeared first on NME.

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Jessie J has announced she is cancer-free, saying she “exhaled for the first time in a year” after receiving the news.

The singer revealed in June last year that she had been diagnosed with early breast cancer and she successfully underwent surgery shortly afterwards. Three months later, however, she cancelled a tour as she was scheduled for a further surgical procedure.

Last month, she posted a video on Instagram that showed her going for her annual health checkup after a breast MRI, and she captioned the post with the jubilant news: “RESULTS ARE IN AND I AM CANCER FREE!!”

“I sobbed for hours and then exhaled for the first time in a year,” she added.

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Jessie also brought the positive energy to her return to the Chinese singing competition Singer, the show that she won back in 2018. The hugely popular series is watched by over 100million viewers and Jessie gave passionate performances of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ and her own song ‘California’, from her recent album ‘Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time’.

Watch those performances here:



At the end of last year, Jessie shared a personal and emotional reflection on her challenging 2025, describing it as “one of the hardest but most magical years”.

“This year has been heavy and hard in many ways for all of us, for me personally one of the hardest but most magical years of my life,” she said at the time. “Personally and professionally. But all the sadness has come up this week, it’s the first time I’ve stopped (working and being in public in months) So I’m crying a lot. Writing shit down feeling really low tbh. The lowest I have felt in a while.”

Last September, Jessie made an emotional return to the stage alongside her two-year-old son at BBC Radio 2 in the Park, just 11 weeks after undergoing surgery. “I’m still very much in the recovery process,” she said at the time. “But I’m just so grateful to be here.”

Her sixth studio album ‘Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time’ was released in November, including the singles ‘No Secrets’, ‘Living My Best Life’, ‘H.A.P.P.Y.’ and ‘I’l Never Know Why’.

She also played at the Mighty Hoopla in London last month, and is set to take the stage at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth later this summer.

The post Jessie J is now cancer-free, returns to stage for ‘Singer’ in China: “I exhaled for the first time in a year” appeared first on NME.

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Original Catwoman actress Julie Newmar has been hit with backlash after suggesting that men should run Hollywood.

• Read More: It’s time to call out your workplace Weinstein

The star famously played the DC character in the 1960s Batman series, and in a new interview, reflected on playing sexualised roles during her career and the male attention it has attracted.

“Luckily, I liked it,” she told The Guardian. “It was good. I’m… not the first in line in the #MeToo class.”

Newmar then elaborated: “I love men too much. I understand them. And the heads of studios, yes, they break a door down, and they do this or they do that. That’s how they act. You think you’re gonna change things? Not a whole lot… And you know what? It works. It works beautifully because men are very good to women.”

When asked about the entertainment industry being run by men, the actress then responded: “It should be. They do it best.”


The #MeToo movement gained prominence in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein, with many survivors coming forward with accusations of abuse in the entertainment industry.

The former head of Miramax Films was one of the most prominent names exposed by the movement, with more than 80 accusations of misconduct levelled against him. Weinstein has denied any and all wrongdoing, but is currently in Rikers Island prison following a rape conviction.

In 2020, he was found guilty of first-degree and third-degree rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The New York Court of Appeals later overturned the 2020 conviction, deeming that the judge at the trial gave improper rulings. This included the decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

However, Weinstein remains imprisoned, serving a 16-year sentence following a 2022 California rape conviction.

Last month, Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett reflected on the progress of #MeToo, arguing since then it had been “killed very quickly”.

“There are a lot of people with platforms who are able to speak up with relative safety and say, ‘This has happened to me,’ and the so-called average woman on the street is saying #MeToo. Why does that get shut down?” she said at the Cannes Film Festival.

“What [the movement] revealed is a systemic layer of abuse, not only in this industry but in all industries, and if you don’t identify a problem, you can’t solve the problem.”

She admitted that she is still on film sets that have a minority of women, adding: “I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same.

“You just have to brace yourself slightly, and I’m used to that, but it just gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace. I think it has an effect on the work.”


For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.


The post Original Catwoman Julie Newmar faces backlash for saying men should run Hollywood: “They do it better” appeared first on NME.

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rainy days are cozy but what do you actually do?? i always end up trying to do too many things at once and getting distracted by random articles about dwarf planets or some obscure 2000s band no one remembers lol. vote!!

Saxophonist Ike Quebec’s take on the bossa nova craze, 1962’s Bossa Nova Soul Samba, is one of Blue Note’s August picks to be reissued through their Tone Poet Vinyl Series. Quebec’s The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions was reissued through the same series last year.

Quebec is joined on the record by Kenny Burrell, Wendell Marshall, Willie Bobo, and Garvin Masseaux. Blending Brazilian bossa nova rhythms with his blues influences, Quebec offered a unique take on the genre.


Originally a pianist, Quebec switched to tenor in the early ’40s when he was in his early 20s. It was clear he made the right decision on his 78s recorded with Blue Note and Savoy, including his hit “Blue Harlem.” As a sideman, he worked with Benny Carter, Kenny Clarke, Roy Eldridge, and Cab Calloway.

In the late ’40s, Quebec did a bit of freelancing as a Blue Note A&R man and brought Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell to the label. Drug problems kept Quebec from recording for most of the 1950s, but he made a triumphant comeback in the early ’60s. Though he came back as strong a player as ever, he was suffering from lung cancer, which claimed his life at the age of 44 in 1963.

The Tone Poet Vinyl Edition of Bossa Nova Soul Samba was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket. Recent releases in the series include works from Jackie McLean, Michel Petrucciani, Big John Patton, and Curtis Amy.

“During the 2026 season of Tone Poet we’ll revisit rare gems, bold under-appreciated dates, and, of course, beloved titles from the Blue Note catalog that fans have been patiently waiting for,” Harley shared earlier this year.

Shop the Blue Note Tone Poet series now.

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Blue Note has announced the August releases of their Tone Poet Vinyl Reissue Series, including Jackie McLean’s Vertigo. Primarily drawn from a 1963 quintet session, Vertigo is composed of recordings from 1959-1963. McLean is joined on the record by jazz icons Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, and more.

Despite being recorded in the early 60s, Vertigo wasn’t released by the label until 1980. The album’s content reflects its title, moving through a dizzying array of styles from hard bop and slow blues to sophisticated funk and bristling post-bop. In addition to Byrd and Hancock, McLean was joined by bassist Butch Warren and drummer Tony Williams.


McLean was born into a musical family, with his father having played guitar with Tiny Bradshaw. Jackie started playing alto as a teenager, and was friends with his neighbors/future musicians Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. He made his recording debut with Miles Davis in 1951, and played with various groups throughout the 50s before striking out on his own.

He released 21 albums during his time with Blue Note, from 1959 to 1967. By 1968, he was moving into the jazz education field, and took a break from playing through the 70s. He regained his passion in the 80s, and often played with his son René McLean on tenor.

As always, this stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket. The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was’ admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. Was brought Joe Harley, a.k.a. the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.

Shop the Blue Note Tone Poet series now.

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Echo & The Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch was involved in an auto accident while travelling from Washington, DC to Philadelphia over the weekend as part of their North American tour. Via a statement from the band, he was taken to the hospital for his injuries which are not believed to be serious but Sunday night’s show in Philly was postponed.

“Postponing a show is always a last resort,” EATB wrote. “We never want to disappoint our fans, and we know many of you will have made plans to attend this evening’s concert. We kindly ask ticket holders to retain their tickets while we work through the next steps. A further update regarding the show will be provided as soon as possible.”

There is no word yet as to whether tonight’s Bunnymen show at NYC’s Brooklyn Paramount is still on; in any case we hope Ian makes a full and speedy recovery.

You can read the full statement from Echo & The Bunnymen below.

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Norman Jay, Dub Pistols, Daft Funk and loads more have been announced as part of BST Hyde Park’s free open house 2026 programme – check out all the details below.

The annual summer series is best known for its musical performances, and this year will have a stacked line-up including Garth Brooks (June 27), ATEEZ (June 28), Maroon 5 (July 3), Mumford & Sons (July 4), Duran Duran (July 5) Pitbull (July 10) and Lewis Capaldi (July 11 and 12).

In addition to its music programme, organisers also present a number of other live events, including days dedicated to sports and wellness. As was announced today (Monday June 8), its much-loved free open house midweek programme will be returning this year, running from from Monday June 29 – Thursday July 2, and Monday July 6 – Thursday July 9.

Across those dates, the open house will transform London’s Hyde Park into a free, open-air
celebration of culture, combining activity and entertainment with a host of experiences, including live music, cinema and live sports screenings.

There will be performances from Daft Punk tribute band Daft Funk, as well as Trojan Sound System, Norman Jay MBE & The Good Times Band, the London African Gospel Choir and the Official Pride in London Pre-Party featuring Sink the Pink, Tete Bang, and LCV Choir & Trans Voices.

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As well as the free wellness and sports activities on offer, there’s also dedicated events for children and families, including storytelling and theatre.

The Outdoor Cinema presented by British Airways will also be returning with a strong line-up of classics, including Wicked: For Good, Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, while the Outdoor Screen will show live Wimbledon coverage across the fortnight.

To check out the full rundown of the 2026 open house programme as well scheduling updates, visit here.

Also returning for this year will be The Hyde Park Darts Championship – a PDC Pro-Am tournament featuring top stars from the sport.

“We’re delighted to see The Hyde Park Darts Championship return following the huge success of last year’s event,” said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter. “Having some of the sport’s biggest stars involved alongside well-known celebrity names creates a fantastic atmosphere and introduces darts to a wider audience in a unique setting.

“The Great Oak Stage provides an iconic backdrop for the event and we’re looking forward to another memorable evening as part of BST Hyde Park Open House.”

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Other events taking place at BST Hyde Park Open House will span across two weeks, Monday June 29 to Thursday July 9, and include Move & Mind with Davina McCall on June 29 and a 3km run with Sir Mo Farah CBE on June 30. Visit here for more information.

The Darts Championship was held in BST Hyde Park last year too, and also saw Luke Humphries take part, as well as Luke Littler, Sherrock and Michael Van Gerwen. Celebrity guests included Olly Murs, Roman Kemp and Dion Dublin.

The post BST Hyde Park announce Norman Jay, Dub Pistols, Daft Funk and loads more as part of free open house 2026 programme appeared first on NME.

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Echo & The Bunnymen were forced to postpone a show after a road traffic incident left Ian McCulloch needing medical treatment.

• READ MORE: Echo and The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch and actor John Simm: ‘Going on tour together was pretty messy’

The band are currently on the road in North America and were set to perform at Philadelphia’s Filmore last night (Sunday June 7), but had to postpone the concert just hours before they were due to appear.

Taking to their official social media channels, Echo and the Bunnymen shared: “While travelling from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, Ian McCulloch’s vehicle was involved in a road traffic incident. As a result, Ian required medical treatment.”

They did add that the injuries sustained were “not believed to be serious”, but stressed that McCulloch had left “understandably shaken by the incident,” and was undergoing further medical assessments as a precautionary measure.

“After careful consideration,” the post continued, “we have made the difficult decision to postpone tonight’s performance in Philadelphia. Postponing a show is always a last resort. We never want to disappoint our fans, and we know many of you will have made plans to attend this evening’s concert.”

While travelling from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, Ian McCulloch's vehicle was involved in a road traffic incident.
As a result, Ian required medical treatment. Thankfully, the injuries sustained are not believed to be serious; however, as you can appreciate, he has been… pic.twitter.com/BDXx77jMcd

— Echo & the Bunnymen (@Bunnymen) June 7, 2026

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They also asked fans “to retain their tickets while we work through the next steps”, and promised that “a further update regarding the show will be provided as soon as possible”.

Later this month (June 30), they will play a huge homecoming show at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool as special guests of My Chemical Romance.

Their current run of dates follow the post-punk pioneers playing a series of live shows throughout 2025, which included a slot at Splendour Festival alongside Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Jake Bugg, Travis and more, as well as a headline show at the Halifax Piece Hall.

Before then, Courtney Love said at the end of 2024 that she was working with Echo’s Will Sargent on her new solo album, but not the “rude” PJ Harvey.

The band’s latest LP arrived in 2018, in the form of ‘The Stars, The Ocean and The Moon’.

The post Echo & The Bunnymen postpone show after “road traffic incident” leaves Ian McCulloch needing medical treatment appeared first on NME.

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Gaming fans have been reflecting on the first year of the Nintendo Switch 2, which was released on June 5, 2026.

• READ MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 review: easy to pick up, almost impossible to put down

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched last year with Mario Kart World, the biggest and most ambitious entry in the long-running racing series. Over the past 12 months, other exclusive games such as 3D platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Pokemon Pokopia and Yoshi And The Mysterious Book have been released, while the Nintendo Switch Online Classics Library includes GameCube, N64 and other vintage Nintendo titles.

In its first year, more than 20million Nintendo Switch 2 consoles have been sold and it’s the second fastest-selling Nintendo console in the UK after the Wii.

“I’ve loved absolutely every single minute of the Switch 2. It’s gone cross country with me a few times now, gets played allllll the time, just an excellent experience top to bottom,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “Easily the most incredible first year of any Nintendo system in history,” said another.

However other fans have complained about a “lacklustre” selection of games, with no new 3D Mario or The Legend Of Zelda titles on the horizon.

It's been a year, and Switch 2 has like maybe 5 games.

What the fuck is Nintendo even doing?

Cool to see they learned absolutely nothing from the 3DS launch.

— Syd Lexia (@Syd_Lexia) June 8, 2026

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“I wish there were more releases and exclusives to play,” wrote one Reddit user. “I love the console, however I’d say we need some stronger first party titles. A big 3D Mario, Zelda or new Smash Bros would have been nice to have closer to launch,” said another. “Definitely my favourite console I’ve ever owned. First party exclusives are kinda lacking but it’s looking like we’ll have a good year coming up,” offered one fan.

“I’d say it can only get better. People are starting to understand how powerful the Switch 2 can be. Better and better games are coming up and some are being released the same day as other consoles,” explained one optimistic Reddit user, with Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis coming to the Switch 2 early next year, following other big third party titles such as Hogwarts Legacy, Borderlands 4 and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition.

It’s rumoured a remake of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is currently in the works, while a new 3D Mario adventure reportedly won’t launch until 2027.

In other news, Snoop Dogg has confirmed that Tupac Shakur’s likeness will be used in Stranger Than Heaven, a new game from the creators of the Like A Dragon series.

The post Nintendo Switch 2 is one year old and fans are still waiting for new Mario and Zelda games appeared first on NME.

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