The Black Keys have announced they have signed to new management following a public split from their former team.
The band recently took to social media to claim they were “fucked” after their North American tour was cancelled and they split from their management on June 7. The Black Keys were due to play their ‘International Players Tour’ in the US and Canada from September to November this year, but it was reported late last month that the entire run of gigs had been abruptly scrapped, with no explanation provided.
Amidst speculation the cancellation was due to low ticket sales, the band opened up about the tour, saying it was axed and re-planned in favour of smaller theatre venues as featured on their recent European dates.
Billboard went on to report that the band had split from their management team, Irving Azoff and Steve Moir of Full Stop Management, in what was described as an “amicable parting”.
Now, Rolling Stone have reported that The Black Keys have signed to Red Light Management, whose clients include The Dave Matthews Band, The Strokes and Chris Stapleton. They cited a source “close to the situation”; CEO of Red Light Management Coran Capshaw did not immediately reply to a request for comment, whilst Azoff’s representative declined to comment.
Before then, The Black Keys spoke to NME last year and recalled their time working with the “incredible” Noel Gallagher in the studio.
“He’s hilarious and super talented,” said Carney. “We were referring to him as ‘The Chord Lord’ because he’s just a perfectionist with it.”
The band’s 12th studio album ‘Ohio Players’, which includes ‘On The Game’, was released on April 5. In a three-star review, NME wrote: “It feels like it’s about impact over depth, tamping down flyaway elements into a homogenised whole that more closely resembles last year’s ‘Dropout Boogie’ than any of the seven inch singles that got an airing during the writing process.
“The Black Keys might have a killer record collection but ‘Ohio Players’ is the work of a band who are perhaps too good at being themselves.”
In other Black Keys news, Dan Auerbach appeared on the new Johnny Cash song ‘Spotlight’, released last week.
The track features vocals from the country icon that were first recorded in 1993, with Auerbach one of a number of musicians that added new parts to the recording to bring it up to date. The song will feature on ‘Songwriter’, an entire album of unreleased songs by Cash, set to be released later this year.
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Jacob Alon recently opened up to NME about collaborating with longtime inspiration Kae Tempest, while also sharing why they continue to admire artists who speak openly on political and social issues.
The Scottish singer songwriter spoke with NME backstage at the Ivor Novellos last Thursday, May 21, where they picked up both the Rising Star award and Best Song Musically and Lyrically for ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’.
The recognition follows a huge year for Alon, who also earned the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2026 BRITs and became the first Scottish artist to win BBC Music Introducing’s Artist of the Year title.
The success arrives alongside the release of their highly praised debut album ‘In Limerance’, which came out last year and led to a support slot on Kae Tempest’s recent ‘Self-Titled’ tour. During those shows, the pair performed a moving rendition of George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ together. Speaking backstage at the Ivors, Alon also confirmed that they have recently been in the studio with Tempest working on new music.
“Kae is one of my absolute heroes,” they said. “We’ve been in the studio this week actually, writing together. I’ve never felt closer to another creative mind before.”
Although Alon avoided revealing too much about the collaboration, they described the experience as “the biggest privilege to witness his genius and to be in the presence of something raw and beautiful”.
They went on to say they are “really excited for the world to witness” the music they have been creating together.
The ‘Of Amber’ artist also spoke with NME about the importance of using their platform to stand up for causes they care deeply about. In recent months, Alon held a Palestinian flag during the BRITs and appeared at the Trans Mission event in London, where they defended those being “scapegoated by people who want to distract everyone from the real problems in society”.
“I’m endlessly inspired by those that use their voices and their platforms to speak out about what matters. I’m trying to do that myself,” Alon explained to NME. “It’s not easy to know what the right thing to say is sometimes, but I think the effort made to do that is always worthwhile.”
The remarks echo comments Alon previously shared with NME at the BRITs earlier this year, where they said they believe “music is important and can make a difference”, while also teasing a brighter direction for future releases compared to their emotional and introspective debut album.
“Going into making something new, it’s already different. It’s a different place to create from because now I know what’s out there,” they shared, joking that the next era may lean into punk influences and that all the praise might finally go to their head.
Later this summer, Alon is set to join the packed line up for Lewis Capaldi’s headline performances at BST Hyde Park. The concerts take place on Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12, with Conan Gray, The Vaccines, Absolutely, Nieve Ella and more also appearing across the weekend. Find any remaining tickets here.
At the 2026 Ivor Novellos, other major winners included CMAT for Best Album, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest for Best Contemporary Song, and Sam Fender taking home Songwriter Of The Year.
Rosalía was named International Songwriter Of The Year, while Radiohead’s Thom Yorke received the Academy Fellowship award presented by Harry Styles. George Michael was also honored posthumously with the Academy Fellowship award.
