Robbie Williams has said he wants to make a “new Rat Pack album”.
The pop star released his big band swing covers collection, ‘Swing When You’re Winning’, in 2001 and followed it up with 2013’s ‘Swings Both Ways’. Both albums went to Number One in the UK.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams revealed that he was keen to revisit this style of music on a forthcoming record.
“I would like to write a new Rat Pack album,” he told the publication. “I think I might do it. And whether they join in or not, it’s up to their estates, but we’ll see.”
The comments came after the singer was asked which artist he would collaborate with if he could, “dead or alive”.
Williams continued: “Most of the time we take artists for granted because they’re just there and they’re in our lives. It wasn’t until the Olympics when Celine [Dion] came [on] when I was reminded, ‘Oh my Lord, this is a very special person’.
The Rat Pack was an informal group of vocalists in the 1950s and ’60s, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Many consider them to be the founding fathers of Las Vegas, with the entertainers performing together at casino venues in the city.
In 2016, NME featured Williams’ ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ in a round-up of the UK’s all-time best-selling albums that “have no redeeming features whatsoever”. The star ‘duetted’ with a recording of Sinatra’s vocals on the LP’s track ‘It Was A Very Good Year’.
Elsewhere in the Hollywood Reporter interview, Williams spoke about putting together the soundtrack for his new biopic Better Man, which is directed a co-written by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman).
“I sent a bunch of songs to Michael Gracey, the director, and he would then send them back and tell me basically, kindly, they weren’t good enough,” he recalled, before comparing himself to Eminem in 8 Mile.
He added: “I didn’t have a bird’s-eye view of the film. I didn’t know what was needed. We saw the film, and basically what it needs is a hug, so we [gave it] a hug because by the time you get to the end of the movie, you’ve been through a lot and you need a hug.”
Williams released a reflective new single called ‘Forbidden Road’ from the Better Man soundtrack last November.
He said in April that he had “written loads of songs” and was feeling “full of purpose and loving life”.
He later revealed that a new album would be coming soon. However, the singer explained that he was “waiting to know when exactly the film [was] coming out before” announcing anything about the project.
Speaking to NME last month, Williams responded to reports that Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi would be appearing on a track from his new “guitar rock” album.
“And Glenn Hughes! I wanted to make the album that I’d make if I’d left Take That now, knowing what I know,” he said. “This particular song encapsulates that perfectly.
“Unfortunately and fortunately for me, pop songs turned up along the way, too. I’m like: ‘Ah, fuck – a hit!’ This [track] is massive guitars, as you can imagine. It’s adrenaline-filled and balls-to-the-wall. That one in particular is my favourite song off my new album – that I’ve just announced is happening!”
NME then asked when the track and album would be out, to which Williams replied: “I dunno – let’s see how well the film does.” You can watch the full video interview above.
Williams is due to embark on a huge tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe this year. The announcement came shortly after he’d hinted to fans that he would be hitting the road again “soon”. Find any remaining tickets here.
In other news, Williams has shared his thoughts on ‘Forbidden Road’ being disqualified from the Oscars 2025 shortlist for Best Original Song.
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Fontaines D.C. members Carlos O’Connell and Tom Coll have been behind the production of the forthcoming second album from French indie outfit Film Noir. To introduce the project, the band has unveiled the paired singles ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ and ‘VEGITA’, which you can listen to below.
The Fontaines D.C. guitarist and drummer worked alongside Film Noir at La Frette Studios just outside Paris. The renowned recording space is also where Arctic Monkeys created their two most recent albums, ‘Tranquillity Base…’ and ‘The Car’.
O’Connell is partnered with Film Noir vocalist Joséphine de La Baume, who is also known for her work as an actor, filmmaker and model. Together, they share two children, with their first child serving as the inspiration for Fontaines’ 2025 track ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’.
Reflecting on the project while announcing his role in the album, O’Connell shared on social media: “In early 2020 I walked into a gig in a club in Paris and was introduced to a band called Film Noir. I fell in love with the singer, I went on to make babies with her to to fall in love twice again with them.
“A little while back myself, [Coll] and @filmnoirmusic went to La Frette and recorded their upcoming record.”
The guitarist continued: “Producing this record was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had. Blessed to have so many. This album means the world to me & I hope it’ll mean something to many more.”
Film Noir have offered an early look at the still untitled album through the release of ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ and ‘VEGITA’. O’Connell handled production duties on both tracks, while Coll contributed drums. O’Connell also took care of mixing on ‘VEGITA’.
Opening with a light acoustic arrangement, ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ gradually unfolds into a dreamy sound shaped by shoegaze influences. In contrast, ‘VEGITA’ leans into a brighter, surf inspired feel that complements de La Baume’s floating vocal performance.
The group has also released a behind the scenes video capturing moments from the recording sessions for their sophomore album, which can be viewed below. At this stage, no official release date has been announced.
Back in spring 2020, O’Connell collaborated with Film Noir on a rendition of Lee Hazlewood’s ‘For A Day Like Today’ (via LiveForever). When the track arrived, the band described the guitarist as “a great supporter of the European rock scene and a common friend”.
Film Noir first emerged with their debut EP, ‘Vertiges (Men Of Glory)’, in 2019, followed by ‘Tendrement’ a year later. Their first full length album, ‘Palpitant’, arrived in 2022.
Outside of music, Joséphine de La Baume portrayed Marie in the 2011 film adaptation of One Day alongside Anne Hathaway. She has also appeared in Apple TV’s The New Look and the Polish period feature Chopin, a Sonata in Paris.
O’Connell also produced the self titled debut album from Dead Dads Club, the new project led by former Palma Violets singer Chilli Jesson. Released in 2026, that record was also created at La Frette Studios.
Speaking with NME earlier this year, O’Connell explained that the French studio “feels like a home”. He continued: “There’s nothing about it that feels corporate or constrained by time. My mind goes into this creative mode in which I can hear things in a certain way, and it doesn’t stop until I leave the building.”
Jesson also spoke about the experience, saying: “It was really organic. Carlos, on one of the tours we were on together, was working on a Film Noir album, and he was always mixing it and playing around with sounds. He’d just come out of the studio at La Frette and to see that process, with the production, I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ I’d been in a world where it was all on the computer, and then suddenly he’s talking about a fucking bass drum that’s two metres long.’”
More recently, Fontaines D.C. contributed music to the soundtrack for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The band also appeared on the collaborative charity release ‘Help(2)’, which supports War Child.
The group are preparing to return to the stage this summer for their first performances in nearly a year, beginning with three headline concerts in Spain before taking on their first ever top billing appearances at Reading & Leeds 2026.
Their schedule also includes a headline performance at Electric Picnic in Ireland, alongside appearances at European and American festivals including Frequency, La Route du Rock and Shaky Knees.
Discussing new material with NME at the beginning of the year, O’Connell revealed: “We’ve been writing, it’s been fun. We’re at [Reading & Leeds] and there are a couple of shows before that. I think if the music is there, it could get busy.”
Asked whether any fresh songs could appear during the Reading & Leeds performances, he responded: “I’d say so. If there is stuff written, then I would say so, yeah. That’s what we used to do all the time, play the new stuff live, songs that weren’t even finished. It’s a good way to test the songs.”
O’Connell was also asked whether elements of the visual production from the ‘Romance’ era might carry over into the band’s 2026 shows. “I think ‘Romance’ was so intense in every [way]… the visual, the production, the setlist… It wasn’t just about the music,” he explained.
“It’s almost a bit of the identity of the band now, but I guess that’s the decision to make. Does that become the identity of the band, or actually, it’s just a phase and you reinvent it? I don’t know.”
He went on to add: “I personally like the idea of revisiting some old stuff at Reading & Leeds, making the setlist maybe a bit more ‘Dogrel’ heavy. I’m excited about that. I’ve been listening to music like that much more. This morning I was listening to Sonic Youth. I want to go [in] that direction, but we’ll see, because anything could happen now, literally anything.”
‘Romance’ ultimately secured the Number Two spot on NME‘s list of the 50 best albums of 2024, finishing just behind Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’.
