FORMER THINGS - Album Of The Year (Electronic Sound)
HINTERLAND - vibrant & urgent; truly a masterpiece (The Quietus)
Astonishing; a rare artist w/ a singular vision (Guardian)
NERVE UP - a unique, brilliant debut; a fresh, invigorating talent who transcends time & space (NME)
I know how hard it is to stand and perform alone on stage; it takes a huge amount of inner strength - and at least I have a guitar to keep me company. The usual misogyny baked into this. Billy Nomates is a champ.
the fact that billy nomates has asked 6 music to take down glasto footage of her due to all the trolling + nasty comments is so fkkn upsetting. WTF is wrong with people . Why is anyone who does music such an easy target ? shall we all come to your work and rip into you ? vile.
Reflecting on the period of time I spent working with Keith and John, I recall first meeting Keith. It was in a studio somewhere in London, and he walked in - 1/3rd of the men who had created Metal Fucking Box - he of that incredible guitar playing, 1/3
Behold; something impossible and magic. Peter Buck playing my Tele.
More to come on this..a lovely, natural moment. An absolute hero, whose rich, nuanced playing has nourished my soul since I was 14, REM obsessive then and always.
Meeting Peter will make me happy for always.
In the last 6-month period I earned £40.22 for all my streams on Spotify. ('Groove It Out' is my most streamed track at 1.2 million streams.) Making music is not sustainable at these rates, YouTube is even worse. Sign the petition if you want to
#FixStreaming
+ keep music alive.
I do view this album as my masterpiece. Nerve Up and Former Things are super strong, but Hinterland goes the extra distance. I honestly think, Christ, how did I manage all those great songs? But writing it nearly killed me. Because.. its really hard. But worth it.
#Hinterland
❤
To mark 40 years of Unknown Pleasures
@maryannehobbs
will play the album in full this Friday on
@BBC6Music
! To also feature spoken contributions from various artists & I'm delighted to have been asked to share a few thoughts about this very special album.
🖤⚠️👂
#unknownpleasures
'I am the King of all I see / My Kingdom for a voice.'
Happy Birthday to one of the greatest artists, performers, singers and lyricists ever - Michael Stipe.
Read 'His Grainy Voice' - my 2018 piece for The Quietus on a lifetime of loving
@remhq
→
Behold; something impossible and magic pt.2.
Just as the last of the crowds leave, Peter Buck takes me by surprise, heading over to say how much he enjoyed my guitar playing. I can't recall my stammered reply. The moment was captured.
🧡
Awards ceremonies such as The Mercury Prize only make me feel bad about myself and remind me I'm not In With The In Crowd - never was at school, never will be in adult life. I imagine it has a similarly negative impact on many artists.. C`est la vie!
Well, it's not everyday your album is Album Of The Day on
@BBC6Music
huge thanks to them for their ongoing support!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
#albumoftheday
FORMER THINGS is out now:
I am delighted and honoured to announce
@ElectronicMagUK
has named 'Former Things' their No.1 Album Of The Year!
Huge thanks!!! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The new issue featuring an interview with me is out now >>
I'm constantly being told off / disapproved of by men and asked - why do you work alone / why do you do it all yourself / why don't you have a band / why don't you collaborate...?
If I were male I'd be celebrated for what I do and the way I do it.
I am beyond delighted to announce that my new album, FORMER THINGS is OUT TODAY. It's the result of a lot of blood, sweat and tears and I'm so happy to share it with you at last. 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
Get your copy now at your local retailer or here:
I'm delighted to announce my new album 'FORMER THINGS' will be released on
@WarpRecords
on June 25th. Listen to new single 'Fear Colours' and pre-order the album now at . The result of a great deal of blood, sweat & tears, I'm so happy to share it with you.
My God - it has arrived, and it looks so magnificent: the end result of so much hard work, I'm so happy my new album FORMER THINGS exists in the world and can't wait for you all to hear and hold this beauty for yourselves. 🧡🔥 Preorder:
What. An. Experience! Shot in Brunswick Mill, Miles Platting, an area of Manchester with a lot of personal significance to me, an utterly beautiful film by
@BBCLater
capturing raw industrial beauty.. Grateful thanks to all involved 🧡
Watch again:
This is a really magical era of New Order for me. I love the early awkwardness, I find it beautiful somehow. Recorded 7 years ago on a Tascam 8-track, my cover of 'Cries And Whispers' has been rescued and is now available on Warp. Listen/Buy ➡️
"I write everything, I play everything, I produce everything, I engineer - I'm doing everything. When I do it I'm a control freak, when Prince does it, he's a genius."
Joan Armatrading is LONG OVERDUE a UK PRODUCER & INSPIRATION AWARD.
#JoanArmatrading
I owe BBC6 Music a lot, and the live sessions I've done for Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley & Gideon Coe are a huge part of that. They've made some great changes, some maybe less so..
Reinstate Marc Riley & Gideon Coe's BBC 6 Music shows - Sign the Petition.
Have you heard? We return on Saturday with a brand new series!📢
First up,
@Damonalbarn
and
@emelisande
take turns to sift through the Later archive and perform live from Jools' studio💥
Plus we're excited to have new music from Manchester's
@LoneLadyHQ
🎶
Saturday 10pm
@BBCTwo
New Order Synthesiser Sanctuary-Much like that Joe Exotic geezer I like to care for wild and dangerous synthesisers so the young can pet them and worry that I might be insane.
#timstwitterlisteningparty
people together 😅. Luckily we had John to bang skulls together & make things happen. I found Keith to be sweet, quietly spoken and daft, and we had a lovely time. Being a musician can be a way to not grow up. I'm very saddened, but what a legacy. RIP the Great Keith Levene 🖤
My biggest musical love is the post-punk era, esp. Gang Of Four, early REM, Wire, Josef K, Joy Division & many more...in the choppy, nervy, urgent world of post-punk, I had found my tribe…
I did try to do a ritual dance to bring forth rain, but it was not to be. Mooching round Macc with the spf50. The backdrop of hills behind the mural is suitably
#NorthernGothic
'After we shook hands, my insides turned to fireworks, and I started to sob with all the pent-up emotion of my younger, REM-obsessed self, who never would've dreamed such a meeting possible.' Read my piece for
@thequietus
about my love for
@remhq
#REMweek
Good morning from Amsterdam! I'm delighted to be in Europe! Enjoying a coffee in a quiet leafy street cafe in bright chilly sunshine.
Tonight's show in Utrecht is SOLD OUT - course it is, its
@sleafordmods
ffs.
I'm onstage at 7.30pm sharp - see you there! 💥
I wonder about the adult I’ve become & mourn the loss of former carefree magic & youthful ambition. I had fun making this record. I feel in flux, a bit lost, searching for something, looking for an answer. What is the answer? The answer is the album. And now its yours. Julie 🧡
The indisputable magical highlight of 2023 was meeting Peter Buck of my beloved
@remhq
, supporting him + Luke Haines back in February. Here he is playing my Tele - a sight I never could have imagined. Meeting him, and his compliments on my guitar playing, mean so much to me.
In line to get my booster jab; we're all seated at intervals along a corridor. Periodically we're asked to shufty along to the next chair. Radio 1 blares out. I remark to the stranger next to me "It's like the shittest game of Musical Chairs ever", and we laughed. Which was nice.
Merry Christmas! from me and my Tele (and the lil' gargoyle) 🎄
Thanks for listening, for coming to see me, and for supporting me 🧡
Looking forward to crackin' on with new music 💎
And that's a wrap!! this Tour is over!! Huge 🧡 to all who came to see us, we've absolutely loved playing to you - THANKYOU Hebden Bridge, Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Norwich, Southampton, Nottingham, Edinburgh & Glasgow!!
Frost, Field & Fire xxx
Paul Heaton made real money in an era when you could actually make money out of music. The costs that go into touring are an endless money pit; it's almost impossible as a low-to-middling profile artist - working class artist that is - to make money out of music. 1/6
Macclesfield; a remote farm where I have decamped to finish the album. During the 3 months I have been here I have been enchanted by the constantly changing weather and landscape, restored by nature and good vibrations from its musical associations.
#album3
@GBWhalley
@jetfury
@Spotify
Spotify etc has burrowed its way into people’s lives, normalising the idea of not paying for music. It isn’t free to make music, gig, run a studio and so on. Spotify etc are creating a landscape in which only well-off people will be able to make music & attempt a career out of it
Watching REM's peerless 1999 Glastonbury Set and having a little cry as they conclude with the majestic 'Cuyahoga' and Micheal walks across the stage to be with his friend Peter. How's your Saturday nite going? 💛
>
#ILoveREM
Its truly mind-boggling to support your favourite band & I value every moment of it.Being onstage while New Order soundchecked Transmission made me tremble &their incredible set was pure joy. The younger me,wearing out my JD&NO cds in my bedroom in Audenshaw would not believe it.
I hope you'll join me here on twitter TOMORROW 9PM as I guest host a mighty Tim Burgess
@LlSTENlNG_PARTY
featuring HINTERLAND⚡️I've got the Cava & boltcutters on ice, come with me, enjoy/endure my commentary and lets share our thoughts...see you there x⚠️
I'm delighted to announce I will be supporting the amazing
@sleafordmods
on 7 dates of their European Tour 🔥🧡
Oct
14 / Utrecht
15 / Antwerp -SOLD OUT
Nov
1 / Barcelona
3 / Madrid
5 / Bordeaux
6 / Nantes -SOLD OUT
7 / Paris -SOLD OUT
Tickets 👉
Friday 9th October
9pm (U.K. time)
Will you meet me here? Join me on a journey through HINTERLAND as I guest host
@Tim_Burgess
's mighty
@LlSTENlNG_PARTY
⚡⚡⚡
Thank you for listening; I hope you enjoyed the deluge of commentary.
Album 3 IS coming VERY SOON, thank you so much for your patience. Please head over to to sign up to my mailing list to be the first to hear about new releases, tourdates etc
bye bye! ❤️
I'm still digesting how my sold out home show at YES felt last Friday. I've never felt like that before: waves of warmth and recognition, crackles of tension and excitement...a sense of belonging, erruptions of euphoria. Thanks Manchester, it will stay with me a long time. 🧡
A wonderful evening in Soho with my old art school friend, too infrequently we meet. Margueritas were had, alas now a train kidnaps me back North.
I am prisoner for 3 hours: hit me with your Ask Me Anything / silliest remarks ➡️🍸
In a year of achievements, appearing on 'Later... With Jools Holland' was easily the highlight. Huge thanks to
@BBCLater
for inviting us, and for making such a beautiful film. Very grateful 🧡
Peter f*cking Buck! At Deaf Institute. We are seriously not worthy. I marvelled again at his quiet majesty and musicianship. Was agog again at merely being in his orbit. Agog further to be warmly greeted by him after the show and chat awhile. Took hours to come down. 🧡
#rem4ever
Flashback to Oct 2021 appearing on
@BBCLater
with Jools Holland performing (There Is) No Logic. Such a beautiful film shot in a crumbling Manc mill (now 'apartments' of course) by the amazing BBC Crew. 🧡
Watch in full:
Phew! It's been a while since I've done a radio session, they are intense in a different way to a gig...so nice to play a song off each album too 🎸 now kicking back with a barolo (from Aldi, not my wine cellar). 🍷cheers!
@marcrileydj
&
@BBC6Music
🧡
I bought my Fender Telecaster years ago from Bonecat Music Shop in Middleton, Greater Manchester. The owner Bonnar Coleano, from whom I bought my guitar, sadly passed away earlier this year. I remember he insisted I also have a clock with a cat on it...! 🎸🐈
.
@kristinhersh
@thetradesclub
last night was, obviously, wonderful. Seen her many times over the years.. you don't so much see her 'do a gig' as enjoyably drown in a flood of magic. Very warm & tolerant of my waffle too, for which I'm grateful. Go see her!
#guitarhero
#hero
I feel shy/wierd talking to camera, it makes me laugh. I unboxed + signed 100s of these beauties in my little flat on a boiling day... I'm so happy to at last share my new album 'Former Things'... and its all yours on FRIDAY!!!
#25thJune
#releaseday
Happy Birthday to my favouritist guitarist in the World, Peter Buck.
Earlier this year I met him (I may have mentioned it). Here is a truly magical photo of him playing my Tele 🧡
#REM4ever
Kicking off with festivals and a New Order support followed by a string of headline shows, this glorious tour is now over. Sincere thanks to everyone who came, and bought a record or Tshirt, you are keeping this alive. 🧡
This is the LL Krew signing off. LL Tour Pt 1 over & out!
There is much to celebrate, and what do my tears mean anyway, but I am deeply saddened at the passing of my guitar hero Andy Gill. When I first heard Entertainment! Andy’s guitar blew the walls of my room apart, and had a permanent impact on my own guitar playing. (1/6)
I've always loved the mystery and intimacy of ordinary streets and houses; the glow of windows, the electric charge of the day's potential; our little lives, our little histories playing out.
I'm delighted to reveal I will be supporting the mighty
@ScreamOfficial
on 5 dates of their Screamadelica Tour in July! Huge thanks to them for inviting me to play and bring on the adventure ⚡️⚡️⚡️
Tickets >>
I got this Yamaha keyboard when I was 10, and its worth about £30. I used its preset rhythms and sounds all over Hinterland. Its lo-fi sounds are childlike and crunchy, and really add character. Along with my Telecaster its my favourite bit of gear..
#TimsTwitterListeningParty
R E L E A S E D A Y ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
Phew...I can hardly believe this day is finally here.. can't take it in. I'm so happy to set 'Former Things' free in the wild at last. I hope you'll join me tonight at 8pm for a celebratory
@LlSTENlNG_PARTY
The album belongs to you now
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
those deconstructed, coruscating shards of beauty. I was awe-struck and kept pretty quiet in the corner. Later Keith said to me 'I fort you fort I woz a cunt cos you were so quiet.' Far from it. Far from it. This is what can happen when you get two essentially reserved/shy 2/3
Hinterland is a painterly, sprawling biography of me, of Audenshaw, of my Manchester...it sort of feels like my whole life and I love it so much. I hope you don’t mind me saying that, but its how I feel. ❤️
I'm delighted my new album 'Former Things' is
@BBC6Music
's ALBUM OF THE DAY🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I hope you enjoy your day soundtracked by the punch-and-crunch of electro-pop shot through with mournful reflections on the lost golden age of childhood 🧡
Out now:
Bilinda Butcher, Vicki Peterson and many more lurking in the margins, but most clangingly, egregiously absent is
@kristinhersh
, because - to quote that genius - "vagina". Not a single woman. Death to this male tedium & erasure.