NEWS
BRITs Week 26 for War Child, delivered by DHL, reached a spectacular crescendo last night as the iconic Robbie Williams took the stage at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. The performance served as the grand finale to a week-long series of intimate shows, proving to be a fitting homecoming for the pop titan as the BRIT Awards leave London for the first time in their nearly 50-year history.
Williams’ commanding presence reminded the capacity crowd why he remains one of the UK’s most enduring entertainers. His show-stopping set seamlessly blended nostalgia with modern flair, featuring tracks from his seminal debut album, Life Thru A Lens, alongside hits from his recent chart-topping record, BRITPOP. The atmosphere was electric, bolstered by a high-energy opening set from local favorites and Manchester-based pop outfit, The Lottery Winners.
This year’s BRITs Week marked a new era for the concert series, expanding its footprint across the UK with performances in Newcastle, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Brighton, and London. By moving the awards to Manchester, the initiative allowed fans nationwide to witness world-class talent in venues far more intimate than the usual arenas.
Beyond the music, the evening carried a profound weight. All proceeds from the tour are dedicated to War Child’s essential humanitarian work. Currently, over 520 million children globally—one in five—are living in conflict zones, making this the deadliest time in history to be a child. The funds raised provide life-saving protection, education, and specialist mental health support to those whose lives have been shattered by war.
As the final notes rang out in Manchester, the success of the night stood as a testament to the power of the British music industry to effect change. For the fans in attendance, it was an unforgettable opportunity to see a legend at close range while directly contributing to the rebuilding of young lives across the globe.
NEWS
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe has given a live debut to a new solo song ‘The Rest Of Ever’ on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – watch below.
The legendary singer has been working on his first full solo album for several years and while he has said in recent weeks that it has taken “longer than I wanted”, he has said he is now adding the finishing touches to the record, and has said it should be out in 2026.
On Thursday (April 23), Stipe appeared on Colbert to play the never-before-heard song ‘The Rest Of Ever’, alongside the house band Louis Cato and The Great Big Joy Machine.
The mature, contemplative track sounds like a slower-tempo version of an outtake from R.E.M.’s ‘Monster’, with Stipe earnestly addressing a loved one, embracing the deep huskiness of his current vocal register.
Watch the performance here:
Also on the show, Stipe attempted to describe the sound of his new album. “One of the songs is the sound of a tree hearing itself for the first time,” he said. “It’s this confusing situation. My friend recorded a tree in my backyard in Georgia and played it back to itself, and so it sounds like Daft Punk, but I’m putting a sea shanty [in the song].”
Colbert then asked which sea shanty it was, to which Stipe said, “It’s the most familiar that everyone knows,” before breaking into ‘Drunken Sailor’.
“The tree has not responded yet,” Stipe added. “We’re gonna let his people get back to my people and see what happens.”
Speaking about the album’s delay in March, Stipe said: “Covid didn’t help, but I’m finishing it. When the band split, I just needed a break. I took five years but I got pulled back into music. It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing. I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.”
Previous Stipe solo releases include the 2019 single ‘Your Capricious Soul’ and ‘Drive To The Ocean’ the following year. He also released ‘No Time For Love Like Now’ with Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine in 2020.
Last month, he also joined forces with Andrew Watt, Josh Klinghoffer and Travis Barker to share the new theme song for the show Rooster.
By all accounts, Stipe remains on good terms with his former R.E.M. bandmates – guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry – and they appeared together in summer 2024 when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The band split amicably in 2011, while Berry had left the group during the height of their commercial success in 1997. However, at the ceremony, the quartet gave a surprise acoustic performance of their 1991 classic ‘Losing My Religion’. That marked the first time the four played live together since their 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Last month, Stipe joined Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy at one of their ‘Lifes Rich Pageant’ 40th anniversary tour shows in Brooklyn. They played versions of R.E.M.’s ‘These Days’ and ‘The Great Beyond’. A year ago, he also sang ‘Pretty Persuasion’ with them.
Stipe has also been clarifying lyrics from ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ on Bluesky, revealing that many fans have been getting some of the lines wrong for decades.
