THE ROLLING STONES frontman Mick Jagger has co-written, recorded and performed the theme song for the highly anticipated Apple Original series “Slow Horses” with Academy Award-nominated film composer Daniel Pemberton. The brand-new track, titled “Strange Game”, was released today (Friday, April 1) via Polydor Records / Universal Music to coincide with the series premiere of “Slow Horses”, which will launch globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday.

The official lyric video for “Strange Game” can be seen below.

Based on a series of acclaimed books by Mick Herron and starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses” follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 — Slough House on the outskirts of London. Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but irascible leader of the spies who end up in Slough House due to their career ending mistakes. The six-part series also stars Kristen Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Olivia Cook and Jack Lowden.

The atmospheric and infectious title track “Strange Game” captures the series’ dark and mischievous premise, and the surreal world of espionage and exclusion the main characters find themselves in. Underpinned by Jagger’s powerful and eerie vocals, the poignant, moodily strutting theme tune, which references elements of the show’s original score, encompasses both contemporary off-kilter sound design and delicate piano arrangements, highlighting the narrative of yearning for the days to “dance with the big boys again”. Jagger and Pemberton have created a title theme that not only feels instantly iconic but one that also cleverly references many aspects of the show’s multiple storylines.

Pemberton states: “Working with Mick Jagger has been one of the most exciting collaborations of my professional career. I think we have managed to create an incredibly unique and original title’s theme and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to hear it.”

Series director James Hawes adds: “We always wanted a song to set the tone for the show and there was only ever one name in my mind — Mick Jagger. Hearing the track for the first time was utterly thrilling. Mick’s lyrics and performance have totally nailed the mood of ‘Slow Horses’ with all the humor and swagger I dreamed of.”

Track producer and co-writer Pemberton, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for his work with the singer Celeste on the song “Hear My Voice” and recently nominated for a BAFTA for his score to “Being The Ricardos”, is best known for his work as a film composer, where his credits include “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”, “The Trial Of The Chicago 7”, “Oceans 8” and “Yesterday”. He is also responsible for creating the original score and soundtrack of “Slow Horses”, to be released soon via Universal Music. The sync of the series’ title track “Strange Game” was secured by BMG.

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On March 30, QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor was awarded an OBE — Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Roger was included in the 2020 New Years Honours list, which rewards a lineup of well-known figures from the worlds of art and sport.

The legendary musician was presented with the honor by the Prince Of Wales during an investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle and he dedicated the honor to his late friend and fellow drummer Taylor Hawkins of FOO FIGHTERS.

Roger said in a statement: “My whole family and his whole family were very close. He was, [as] my wife called him, sunshine in human form. He was the most wonderful man, and I can’t quite believe that I’m not going to see him again.”

Roger also credited Taylor with being an “inspirational mentor” to his son, Rufus Taylor, who is the drummer for THE DARKNESS.

“He’s done a lot to help my son, who’s a great drummer, and he actually sort of mentored him,” Roger said. “We’re going to miss him so much.”

Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia on March 25. Local officials said an ambulance was sent to the hotel after a man reported having chest pains. The 50-year-old FOO FIGHTERS drummer did not respond to resuscitation efforts and was declared dead, the city’s health department said.

On March 26, the Colombian attorney general’s office announced that Hawkins had opioids, marijuana and other drugs in his system before he died. A toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including anti-depressants, the office said. The statement added that the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences “will conduct the necessary medical studies to ascertain the cause of death” and that it “will continue the investigation and will report the results obtained within the framework thereof in a timely manner.”

FOO FIGHTERS announced Hawkins’s death on their Instagram account. “The FOO FIGHTERS family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the announcement read. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”

The FOO FIGHTERS were scheduled to perform on March 25 at the Picnic Stereo festival in Bogota but their performance was canceled.

The band played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20. They were scheduled to headline Lollapalooza Brasil on March 27.

Hawkins has been open about his history of drug use. He overdosed on heroin in 2001 and spent a week in a coma, just four years after joining the FOO FIGHTERS.

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During an appearance on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, who played on Ozzy Osbourne’s last studio album, 2020’s “Ordinary Man”, confirmed that he will also appear on the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer’s follow-up effort. “We made another [Ozzy album], and it’s getting mastered tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got Robert Trujillo [METALLICA] playing on some songs, who’s been in Ozzy’s band. Duff’s [McKagan, GUNS N’ ROSES bassist] on a couple again. Me and [producer/guitarist] Andrew [Watt] are doing it.”

Chad went on to say that “the English royalty of guitar players” has been recruited to guest on Osbourne’s new album. “Tony Iommi and Ozzy have never collaborated outside of BLACK SABBATH,” he said. “Tony sent us a bunch of riffs and we took what we thought was the best of ’em, which was fucking great. So Andy’s on the bass doing fucking great — the bass on the song is amazing. And Tony sent us the riffs — files; he’s in England — and we played to it. It’s fucking got everything. It’s got all the stuff that you would want. Ozzy loves it. And so he’s on that track. Then Eric Clapton plays a fucking wah-wah CREAM-type solo. We’re, like, ‘Eric, can you solo on this song? Wah-wah, please. Eric, what do you think about this, with the wah-wah?’ Because that’s his fucking thing. And so he’s soloing all over this other track. Then Jeff Beck is on two songs. We tried to get Jimmy Page [LED ZEPPELIN], we tried to get the holy trinity, but I don’t think Page plays anymore too much, unfortunately. But Mike McCready’s [PEARL JAM] on a track. Josh Homme, my neighbor from QUEENS [OF THE STONE AGE], solos on a track. And then Zakk Wylde [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] is on the record as well, all over it. So it’s like if you’re a guitar player, [it’s] pretty fucking good.”

Last year, Ozzy confirmed that 15 songs had been recorded for his follow-up to “Ordinary Man”. In October, he told Metal Hammer magazine that his new album will be “similar in tone to ‘Ordinary Man’, but I can’t describe it completely. I’ve not heard it for a while because it keeps going over to the next person to add their parts — we’re fucking around with it all the time,” he said.

Watt connected with Osbourne after meeting Ozzy’s daughter Kelly at a friend’s party and pitching her on the idea of Post Malone and Ozzy collaborating together.

In December 2020, Watt told Guitar World that Ozzy’s next album would feature guest appearances by a number of notable musicians. “There’s a bunch of people involved,” he said. “I can’t say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo, who used to play in Ozzy’s band. And Taylor Hawkins [FOO FIGHTERS] also came in and played a bunch on the record as well, which adds a different flair — it kind of harkened back to Ozzy’s ’80s era, in a great way. And I think it’s so cool for a rock fan to be able to listen to half an album with Chad Smith on drums, and then you flip it over and you get to hear Taylor Hawkins. And you know, the last album was really special for everyone involved. And so there was no point in Ozzy or me doing this again unless we thought we could bring something new to the table. And I feel like we’re achieving that.”

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LAMB OF GOD has joined forces with MEGADETH to remake a true classic. Originally released in 1986, “Wake Up Dead” was the lead single from MEGADETH’s iconic multi-platinum selling album “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” And now, one week before the second installment of “The Metal Tour Of The Year” is set to commence, LAMB OF GOD has released “Wake Up Dead” featuring MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine as well as the other three members of the current lineup of MEGADETH. LAMB OF GOD vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell and drummer Art Cruz recorded the MEGADETH classic remotely and recruited the MEGADETH frontman himself to feature guitar and vocals on the song. Mustaine lent his signature vocal to the track, with lead guitar work on the various solos by Morton, as well as Mustaine and MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro. The recording also includes vocal contributions from Loureiro and other MEGADETH members Dirk Verbeuren and James LoMenzo.

Commented Mustaine: “We had a blast playing with LAMB OF GOD on their cover of ‘Wake Up Dead’. Almost as much fun as we’re going to have playing every night on ‘The Metal Tour Of The Year’. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone!”

Added Blythe: “The first leg of ‘The Metal Tour Of The Year’ back in 2021 was a total blast, and we’re about to take it on the road again. What better way to kick it off than a little inter-band jam session? All nine members of MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD are on the thrash classic ‘Wake Up Dead’. Turn it up, and we’ll see you on the road!”

Said Morton: “‘Wake Up Dead’ was a massively important song for me as an aspiring young guitar player. It was one of the first songs that began my lifelong love of thrash metal and helped reinforce for me that, while solos may be fun, my allegiance is to the RIFF! So you can imagine what a thrill it’s been for LAMB to cover this legendary song with Dave and the rest of the MEGADETH guys. Truly an honor. We all had a lot of fun putting this together and I think you can hear that energy in the track. I hope everybody enjoys this one and we can’t wait to see y’all on ‘The Metal Tour Of The Year’.”

The 2022 leg of LAMB OF GOD’s “The Metal Tour Of The Year” with MEGADETH will kick off on Saturday, April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada and hit a further 21 cities before wrapping in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 15.

LAMB OF GOD recently entered a California studio with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) to record some of its brand music, tentatively due later in the year.

LAMB OF GOD’s upcoming effort will be the follow-up to the band’s self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. That LP marked LAMB OF GOD’s first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group’s founding drummer, Chris Adler.

“Lamb Of God” was recorded with Wilbur and included special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).

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FOZZY played its first show with the band’s new drummer Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE) last night (Thursday, March 31) at the Diesel Concert Lounge in Chesterfield, Michigan. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Brooks joined FOZZY in January as the replacement for the group’s longtime drummer Frank Fontsere.

Frank discussed his departure from FOZZY in a recent interview with the “Talk Toomey” podcast. The 54-year-old musician said: “I’ve been doing it a long time, and I still love playing, and I still love playing live, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of the traveling. I’m not Dora The Explorer; I don’t really care about seeing exotic places or all that stuff. For me, it was always about the shows. I used to think, ‘Man, it would be nice if I could just teleport to every show.’ And especially having a kid — he’s seven years old — I was missing him. We weren’t spending tremendous amounts of time on the road, but still, it was just getting harder. And there were other factors too; there were other things I wanted to pursue. I kind of needed to figure out who I was, who Frank Fontsere was as opposed to Frank the drummer for FOZZY. That was the entirety of my identity, and I needed to figure out who I was and can I just go out there in the world and do something completely on my own.

“It had been years and years and years of ‘the kind of success that will sustain me is just around the corner’ or ‘the kind of success that will sustain us is just around the corner’ — it was always ‘just around the corner.’ And I couldn’t take that anymore,” he continued. “‘Cause the band is doing well, but it’s not like we flew around on private jets and stuff like that; there were still things to deal with. We would have tour buses and they were nice and everything, but there was still a lot of showering at truck stops and gyms and things like that. I’m not a snob — it’s not like that’s some kind of true hardship — but it just wears on you after a while when you get to be in your 50s, especially when you don’t have any skin in the game. I didn’t have any songwriting credits — I’m not a songwriter — and I had no control over what the band did at all; I had no say over what the band does. It was, like, when they say ‘jump,’ I say ‘how high?’ And it’s not like they were dictators or anything like that — we had a good relationship — but ultimately, I feel like I’m working toward something, or at least I was trying to work toward something and I didn’t have any real control over the outcome.”

Frank added: “They say, ‘Well, if you’re gonna fail, fail on your own terms.’ The band that follows their heart and does the music that means something to them, they think, ‘Well, if we sell no records, at least I have the records and at least I can be proud of that.’ And I didn’t really have that; I had no real investment in what was going on.”

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with singer Chris Jericho and guitarist Rich Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere’s departure, the band said that he was “stepping down to focus on his family and other projects.”

In a separate statement on his personal Facebook page, Brooks said that he was “super excited” about his new gig. He wrote: “So thankful for this amazing opportunity! Huge shoutout to Rich Ward, aka The Duke and Chris Jericho for reaching out to me and offering me the gig.”

FOZZY will release its new album, “Boombox”, on May 6. The LP, which includes the top 10 singles “Nowhere To Run” and “Sane”, was once again produced by Johnny Andrews.

FOZZY’s “Save The World” 2022 U.S. tour, featuring special guests GFM, KRASHKARMA and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR, will wrap on May 16 in Sauget, Illinois.

FOZZY debuted a brand new song, “Purifier”, during its September 2021 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Back in July 2021, FOZZY played another new song, “The Vulture Club”, during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its previous single, “Sane”, live for the first time.

In May 2021, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned “Sane”, which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.

In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY’s next LP would contain 12 songs, including a cover of FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD’s “Relax”.

Ward and Andrews once again did “the lion’s share” of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to producing “Judas”, Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY’s “Lights Go Out” track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November 2020, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Grant Brooks (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

I was there at tonight’s Fozzy concert in Detroit Michigan & it was amazing! Thanks @FOZZYROCK for the amazing performance and for giving us a night to remember! And thanks @IAmJericho you’re the best in the world at everything you do indeed!!! #dieselconcerttheatre #fozzyrock pic.twitter.com/p4iT2UAAnc
— Sarah Ann (@Its_sarahann95) April 1, 2022

Thank you, #Detroit and @DieselLoungeMI! pic.twitter.com/rN8EbcX6Mw
— FOZZY (@FOZZYROCK) April 1, 2022

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS have released the official Malia James-directed music video for their latest single, “These Are the Ways”. The song is taken from the band’s new album, “Unlimited Love”, which arrives today (Friday, April 1) via Warner.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS’s first new LP with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium” was once again produced by Rick Rubin who previously worked on “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (1991), “Californication” (1999), “By The Way” (2002) and the aforementioned “Stadium Arcadium”.

The band stated about the new record: “Our only goal is to get lost in the music. We (John, Anthony, Chad and Flea) spent thousands of hours, collectively and individually, honing our craft and showing up for one another, to make the best album we could. Our antennae attuned to the divine cosmos, we were just so damn grateful for the opportunity to be in a room together, and, once again, try to get better. Days, weeks and months spent listening to each other, composing, jamming freely, and arranging the fruit of those jams with great care and purpose. The sounds, rhythms, vibrations, words and melodies had us enrapt.

“We yearn to shine a light in the world, to uplift, connect, and bring people together. Each of the songs on our new album ‘Unlimited Love’ is a facet of us, reflecting our view of the universe. This is our life’s mission. We work, focus, and prepare, so that when the biggest wave comes, we are ready to ride it. The ocean has gifted us a mighty wave and this record is the ride that is the sum of our lives. Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy it.”

Frusciante said: “When we started writing material, we began by playing old songs by people like Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, THE KINKS, THE NEW YORK DOLLS, Richard Barrett and others. Ever so gradually, we started bringing in new ideas, and turning jams into songs, and after a couple of months the new stuff was all we were playing. The feeling of effortless fun we had when we were playing songs by other people, stayed with us the whole time we were writing. For me, this record represents our love for, and faith in each other.”

On lead track “Black Summer”, ethereal guitar underlines introspective lyrics as the rhythm unlocks a hypnotic drum groove highlighted by evocative bass. It quietly inhales only to exhale with a massive refrain, “It’s been a long time since I made a new friend, waiting on another black summer to end,” before a guitar solo echoes to the heavens and back. For the music video, the group teamed up with acclaimed director Deborah Chow (Disney+’s “The Mandalorian”, “Obi-Wan Kenobi”). The result continues a tradition of captivating cinematic visuals — with a twist.

The interplay between the band borders on intergalactic once again — yet elevated to another stratosphere altogether. “Unlimited Love” represents the united spirit of four individual souls still fearlessly exploring the future of their eternal friendship and musical congregation.

“Here Ever After” follows a staccato bassline down a rhythmic wormhole as the hook promises, “She’s the kinda girl that make you wanna go faster now.” And whether it be wrangling wild horns and boisterous bass on “Aquatic Mouth Dance” or the poetic dreamscape of confessional ballad “Not The One”, the album twists and turns with gleeful unpredictability. On “Poster Child”, a funky riff spiked with wah pedal magic wobbles in tandem with the delivery as a blissful chorus takes hold. “The Great Apes” charges forward towards a primal clarion call. For nearly six minutes, “It’s Only Natural” slips in and out of hypnotic harmonies and magnetic grooves. The slinky funk of “She’s A Lover” bleeds into a chantable gang vocal and dancefloor-ready refrain, while “These Are The Ways” sees a soft melody give way to guitar and vocal catharsis.

“Whatchu Thinkin'” leans on head-nodding percussion as the vocals flutter with the tempo only for guitar to ignite the chorus. An analog synth choir colors the intro of “Bastards Of Light” while a heavenly crescendo elevates “White Braids & Pillow Chair” beyond the clouds. Hitting the highways, “One Way Traffic” revs up funk at an intersection of airy bass and drums. “Veronica” trades the band’s sunny Los Angeles for the South Side of Chicago and a near-cinematic story about the title character. Then, there’s “Let ‘Em Cry” where trumpet punctuates the momentum before peaking on an emotionally charged guitar solo. “The Heavy Wing” takes flight on a climactic burst of distortion and vocal conjurations. The ride culminates on “Tangelo”. Threaded together with delicate guitar and emotionally charged vocals, this otherworldly lullaby leaves off on a vibrant, vulnerable, and vital final note as it slips into the arms of feedback.

“Unlimited Love” track listing:

01. Black Summer
02. Here Ever After
03. Aquatic Mouth Dance
04. Not The One
05. Poster Child
06. The Great Apes
07. It’s Only Natural
08. She’s A Lover
09. These Are The Ways
10. Whatchu Thinkin’
11. Bastards Of Light
12. White Braids & Pillow Chair
13. One Way Traffic
14. Veronica
15. Let ‘Em Cry
16. The Heavy Wing
17. Tangelo

Last fall, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith told Rolling Stone that the four members of the band were “getting along great”, and were “really listening to each other in a new way”.

“All of our records are just real good snapshots of where we’re at that time,” he said. “You can’t really go, ‘Oh, gee, I hope it’s as good as…’ Then you’re starting to have preconceived notions about what you want to write.

“Look, John hasn’t been in our group in 10 years. That’s a long time. So of course it’s going to sound different, but it’s going to sound like the four of us because we do have this special chemistry together. It sounds like RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, but it’s different and new, and to me that’s great.

“We really like it and we’re proud of it and it has to start there. If other people like it, great. If people compare it to this or [say] it doesn’t sound like that, we have no control over that. But yeah, we’re all really happy with the record.”

Regarding the return of Frusciante, Smith said: “He is so dedicated. He’s so into it. He’s working so hard. We’re all working hard, but he’s in there with all the overdubs and the magic that he brings.”

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS will embark on a world tour this summer. The North American leg will kick off in Denver, Colorado on July 23 at Empower Field at Mile High. It will conclude in Arlington, Texas on September 18 at Globe Life Field.

Frusciante originally joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. This lineup recorded two highly successful albums that brought the group mainstream popularity: “Mother’s Milk” and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Sadly, Frusciante fell into a deep heroin addiction that caused him to leave the band while touring to support “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Frusciante rejoined CHILI PEPPERS six years later, playing on 1999 album “Californication”, 2002’s “By The Way” and 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium” before quitting the band again in September 2009.

In October 2020, Frusciante told the Australian digital radio station Double J that playing with his RHCP bandmates Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Smith once again was like “returning to family. I’m extremely comfortable with those people. It was as if no time had gone by at all when we started playing, pretty much, with a couple of minor exceptions, like how Chad and I gradually got our communication together in a new way. Basically, we’re all just as comfortable with each other as we ever were, and it just felt like that right off the bat.”

Photo credit: Sandy Kim

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