The Zutons announce first album in 16 years, produced by Nile Rodgers and Ian Broudie
Details of a 2024 tour have been shared, as well as an album trailer featuring three new singles
By Liberty Dunworth - 14th November 2023
The Zutons are back with their first album in 16 years, as well as an upcoming run of UK tour dates.
Titled 'The Big Decider', the new album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers, alongside the band's original producer Ian Broudie. It is set for release on April 26.
Completed by Dave McCabe (guitar, lead vocals), Abi Harding (saxophone, vocals) and Sean Payne (drums, vocals), the forthcoming album follows on from the three LPs the multi-platinum selling band released between 2004 and 2008, and is one "born under the weight of family tragedies".
According to a press release, the album was "wrestled into shape under the kind of steam that only decades-long friendships – with all their messy fall-outs, make-ups, breakdowns and ultimately love – can muster", and became symbolic of the love of creating music rising above all else.
The Zutons 'The Big Decider' album artwork. CREDIT: Press
The members were also brought together after McCabe's stay in rehab, which sparked a turning point for the artist and a closer bond being formed between the members.
"Dave has been through an awful lot in the last few years, and these things have obviously really impacted him. But his songwriting has only got better. Now he spends more time on his songs. He's in touch with his own and others' emotions, and that all goes into the songs. It has been so nice to watch him grow. I'm so proud of him," said Harding.
Speaking of the upcoming album, McCabe said it was "great to reconnect with Ian Broudie", and that working with Chic legend Nile Rodgers was "an amazing experience" which "gave me a confidence that I've never felt before making a record".
The announcement of 'The Big Decider' also comes with a new album trailer video – featuring new songs 'Creeping On The Dancefloor', 'Pauline', 'In Your Arms' and 'Rise'. Check it out below, as well as the full album tracklist.
'The Big Decider' tracklist is:
1. 'Creeping On The Dancefloor'
2. 'Pauline'
3. 'Water'
4. 'In Your Arms'
5. 'Disappear'
6. 'Company'
7. 'The Big Decider'
8. 'Rise'
9. 'Best Of Me'
To celebrate the announcement of the new LP – which marks the band's first new album in 16 years – The Zutons have also shared details of an intimate UK tour, set to run throughout the new year.
Kicking off on January 31, the tour will commence with a slot at the Old Fire Station in Carlisle, before continuing in February with stops in Blackpool, Huddersfield, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Northampton and more.
From there, the band will also play through the first two weeks of March, with intimate shows set to be held in Leicester, Stoke, Dundee, Rossendale and more. The 2024 tour dates will conclude with a stop at St Laurence Church in Reading on March 9.
Tickets are available from 10am GMT next Friday (November 24) and can be found here. Additionally, pre-sale options are available to those who pre-order the new album – which you can do here. Find a full list of dates in the tour poster below.
Read the full article on NME:
https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-zutons-announce-first-album-in-16-years-tour-new-singles-preorder-buy-tickets-3538958
Nile Rodgers & CHIC: Tiny Desk Concert
Sheldon Pearce | October 25, 2023
Before Nile Rodgers & CHIC set the Tiny Desk off, the icon established a sort of mission statement for the group's sound: "If we can funk in this, you know we can funk." They surely can. In stints since 1972, CHIC has assured its position as funk ambassadors — a position its members clearly relish — and no space is resistant to their grooves. When Rodgers asks singer Kimberly Davis to show the audience "how we do it in the CHIC organization," she launches into high-powered vocals that vaporize every note. And when he asks drummer Ralph Rolle to lead them to "maximum funkocity," Rolle ignites call-and-response with an electrified crowd. As the ringleader of the CHIC experience, Rodgers crams a lifetime's worth of nightlife into every strum of his guitar.
Rodgers' career is epic in both scope and impact. The 1979 CHIC album Risqué was a disco milestone that became a hip-hop cornerstone. Standing at inflection points for two different genres is enough to make a career, but Rodgers was far from done. An incomparable songwriter and session musician, his call sheet as a producer is emblematic of his immense range: David Bowie, Diana Ross, Madonna and Mick Jagger, just to name a few. His work is embedded in the very fabric of popular music, and he continues to add to his resume decades after first making changes to the sonic landscape. In 2014, Rodgers won the Grammy for record of the year with Daft Punk. This year, he amassed more honors for his work on Beyoncé's RENAISSANCE.
His wondrous set spans his massive catalog — songs he wrote for CHIC, songs he wrote with collaborators, songs he wrote for other stars and a surprise song he wrote for a classic movie. Throughout, Rodgers is the pulse for an ever-amplifying funk. The band's performance of "I'm Coming Out" builds to a rip-roaring sax solo. A rollicking performance of "We Are Family" breaks down in the middle before erupting to a triumphant finish. And atop the rippling bassline of "Good Times," Rodgers breaks into an impromptu version of "Rapper's Delight," which samples the song. It all leads to the maximum funkocity of Bowie's "Let's Dance," a tribute to the genre's reach and power.
SET LIST
"Le Freak"
"I'm Coming Out"
"We Are Family"
"Get Lucky"
"Good Times"
"Let's Dance"
MUSICIANS
Nile Rodgers: guitar, vocals
Russell Graham: keyboards, vocals
Jerry Barnes: bass, vocals
Ralph Rolle: drums, vocals
Richard Hilton: keyboards, vocals
Ken Gioffre: saxophone
Steve Jankowski: trumpet
Audrey Martells: vocals
Kimberly Davis: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bobby Carter, Bob Boilen
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
Audio Assistant: Ted Mebane
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Grace Widyatmadja
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
Music Support: Taylor Hawkins Tribute Collection
I loved Taylor Hawkins like a brother and was honoured to be a part of the Tribute concerts celebrating his music and memory so I’m very happy to donate one of my guitars to this special auction to help raise funds and awareness for @MusicSupportCharity. Click here to find out more and place your bid. Good luck! @foofighters #TaylorHawkinsTribute
NY POST: Eye-popping disco skating rink boogies into Central Park this summer
A rendering of the DiscOasis rink, set to open in Central Park this summer.
The wheeled variant of boogie fever is still going around.
Yet another roller skating rink is coming to NYC. On the heels of JFK Airport’s TWA Hotel reopening its Roll-A-Rama venue and Rockefeller Center swapping its blades for wheels at the new Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, sales have launched for Central Park’s new DiscOasis, with general admission tickets ranging from $16 to $65.
The “immersive, musical and theatrical roller disco experience” will open on June 16 at the Park’s Wollman Rink, where it will remain through Oct. 1, according to a press release. Created by “experience-based” production studio Constellation Immersive in partnership with Los Angeles Media Fund and events promoter Live Nation, the boroughs’ newest wheeled dance venue will offer not just a place to skate but also “theatrical performances,” as well as live DJs, artists and special guests.
Nile Rodgers 'HITMAKER' Strat by Fender
Nile Rodgers' Hitmaker Stratocaster is a true vintage rarity. Featuring a 1960 alder body – smaller and more contoured than the average Strat and refinished in Olympic White by Nile himself, a ’59 maple neck and an uncommon hardtail bridge – this unique instrument became an essential ingredient in Nile’s extraordinary rhythm tones. Watch as Nile plays through some of his top hits and dives into the story behind his iconic guitar.
LEARN MORE HERE:
https://fender.com/en-US/nile-rodgers-hitmaker-stratocaster.html
