In a delightfully unhinged sketch from the third episode of Saturday Night Live UK, guest host Riz Ahmed plays a man whose growing fixation with the children’s game Operation spirals into genuine real-life tragedy. The surreal bit is exactly the kind of absurdist comedy that makes live sketch television worth watching. SNL UK, branded “Live From London,” premiered in March 2026 and airs live at 22:00 every Saturday on Sky, with six episodes in its first run. It’s the first British incarnation of the franchise Lorne Michaels launched in New York back in 1975.
Riz Ahmed Turns a Children’s Board Game Into Surreal Tragedy on Saturday Night Live UK
Australian Guitar Prodigy Taj Farrant Brings His “Chapter One” Tour to the UK
Taj Farrant has arrived in the UK, and he’s bringing everything with him. The Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter launches his thirteen-date “Chapter One” UK Tour on April 29th, opening with a sold-out show at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026. It’s a statement opener for a young musician who’s been making serious noise well beyond his years.
Farrant’s guitar work doesn’t fit neatly into one box, and that’s exactly the point. His playing draws from rock, blues, and pop, combining what he describes as vintage warmth with modern aggression. It hits hard and feels earned. This is the kind of tone that turns heads at festivals and holds rooms at full attention.
The resume speaks for itself. Farrant has shared stages with Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, and the Hendrix Experience team. He’s performed alongside Rob Thomas, ZZ Top, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. He’s played Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas, Telluride’s Blues & Brew, and Australia’s largest blues event, Bluesfest. These aren’t footnotes. They’re the foundation.
‘Chapter One’ is his debut album, and this tour is its proper introduction to UK audiences. Farrant’s songwriting matches his playing, direct, expressive, and built on real feeling rather than flash. The performances on this run promise exactly that kind of impact, intimate venues, no distance between artist and crowd.
Tickets are available now at alttickets.com and venue box offices. The Cheltenham date is already gone, so don’t wait on the rest.
“Chapter One” UK Tour Dates:
April 29, 2026, Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026, Cheltenham (Sold Out)
May 2, 2026, Bodega, Nottingham
May 3, 2026, The Garage, London
May 5, 2026, The Caves, Edinburgh
May 6, 2026, The Crescent Community Venue, York
May 7, 2026, Night & Day Café, Manchester
May 8, 2026, The Black Prince, Northampton
May 9, 2026, The Oast Rainham, Gillingham
May 10, 2026, Thekla, Bristol
May 12, 2026, Exeter Phoenix, Exeter
May 13, 2026, The Globe, Cardiff
May 14, 2026, The 1865, Southampton
May 15, 2026, The Waterfront, Norwich
James Valentine, Voice of Sydney and ARIA Hall of Fame Saxophonist, Dead at 64
James Valentine, the Australian musician, broadcaster, and author whose warm, curious voice became part of the daily rhythm of Sydney life for more than two decades, died on April 22 at home surrounded by his family. He was 64. Valentine had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in March 2024, and his family confirmed that he chose to end his life through voluntary assisted dying. “He was calm, dignified as always and somehow still making us laugh,” his family said in a statement. He is survived by his wife Joanne and their two children, Ruby and Roy.
Born in Ballarat, Victoria on September 12, 1961, Valentine grew up with music in his blood, studying saxophone and gravitating toward jazz before Melbourne’s vibrant music scene pulled him fully into its orbit. He joined Joe Camilleri’s group Jo Jo Zep in 1982 and fell into the Models almost by accident, after playing in a covers band whose rhythm section happened to be two of that band’s members. “All of a sudden I was in this pop band wearing black leather jackets,” he recalled. He stayed with the Models from late 1984 through 1987, appearing on their two most commercially successful albums, ‘Out of Mind, Out of Sight’ (1985) and ‘Models’ Media’ (1986). The title track of the former reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 and logged 13 weeks on the chart. When the Models were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010, Valentine was there to take his place on stage with his bandmates.
His musical collaborations extended well beyond the Models. He worked with Absent Friends, the Wendy Matthews Band, Kate Ceberano, Stephen Cummings, and Jo Camilleri, among others, building a reputation as a generous and technically gifted saxophonist. INXS bass player Garry Gary Beers, who recorded with Valentine in Absent Friends, put it plainly: “James was a truly great sax player and a very decent guy. I will always remember him as the guy who was always smiling, always happy to be in the moment and a guy you could depend on.”
The pivot to broadcasting turned out to be where Valentine’s gifts found their widest audience. He joined the ABC in the mid-1980s and never really left, spending more than 30 years across television and radio, including over 20 years presenting the Afternoons show on 702 ABC Radio Sydney. His show was conversational, curious, and deeply human, built around talkback segments that turned everyday life into something worth listening to. In 2020, he collected a Bronze Award at the New York Festival’s Radio Awards for Best Two-Way Telephone Talk/Interview Show. ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks described him as “a trusted companion for generations of our Sydney audience” who brought “warmth, wit, and humanity to radio.” Fellow presenter Richard Glover said Valentine had “lifted the spirit of the city every day for 25 years.”
Valentine announced his retirement in February 2026, after further tumours were discovered following his initial treatment. In the weeks before his death, Governor-General Sam Mostyn expedited his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), with the medal presented to his children at Admiralty House. “He was sharing his death with us to help us understand our mortality and how we live life better,” Mostyn said. His daughter Ruby noted that Valentine wanted his choice to be known publicly, hoping his voice could lend weight to the conversation around voluntary assisted dying. “If ever he could lend his voice to the argument of why this is such a necessary thing for so many people,” she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese captured the feeling of a nation. “With the passing of James Valentine, we have lost one of our national treasures. When he was on, you always felt like you were in the very best of company.”
10 Songs That Feel Like a Hug from the Universe
Some songs don’t just play, they hold you. They arrive at exactly the right moment and remind you that everything is connected, that beauty is real, and that you are not alone. These ten tracks have been described time and again as comfort in sonic form, the kind of music that wraps around you like a warm blanket on a difficult day.
“Across the Universe” by The Beatles
A transcendent, hypnotic track that feels like floating through space. Few songs in the rock canon feel quite so weightless, its luminous imagery inviting you to simply let go and drift.
“Space Song” by Beach House
Dreamy, shoegaze warmth that turns melancholy into something strangely comforting, like staring up at a night sky and feeling small in the best possible way.
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
One of the most generous songs ever recorded. A quiet, warm reminder that life’s beauty is right there if you slow down long enough to look for it.
“Holocene” by Bon Iver
An indie-folk masterpiece that places human smallness against an enormous, breathtaking world and somehow makes it feel like a gift rather than a burden.
“This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” by Talking Heads
A song about arriving somewhere you didn’t know you were looking for. Home, contentment, and safety wrapped in a groove that never gets old.
“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star
Slow, hazy, and deeply romantic. A cocoon of sound you can disappear into completely, the musical equivalent of a long, quiet exhale.
“Sunrise” by Norah Jones
Her voice is so naturally warm it feels like the day itself is greeting you gently. A song that wraps around you like a quiet, unhurried morning with nowhere to be.
“Ripple” by Grateful Dead
The folk equivalent of a hand on your shoulder. A gentle, reassuring nudge to trust the road you’re on and keep moving forward with an open heart.
“Sing to the Moon” by Laura Mvula
Orchestral, deeply human, and quietly uplifting. The kind of song that makes you feel capable of rising above whatever is weighing you down.
“Let It Be” by The Beatles
Perhaps the most universally comforting song ever written. A reminder that words of wisdom are always available if you go quiet enough to hear them.
Put these ten on a playlist. Press play. Let the universe do the rest.
Ravinia Festival 2026 Puts Over 90 Concerts on Sale TODAY With Paul Simon, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu and More
Ravinia Festival’s 2026 season goes on sale Thursday, April 23 at 8 a.m. CT at Ravinia.org, and the lineup is one of the strongest the Highland Park institution has assembled in years. Over 90 performances run from June through September, spanning pop, rock, classical, jazz, Latin, country, hip-hop, and family programming across six distinct venues. High demand is expected, and some shows will sell out fast. Tickets onsale here.
The headliners cover serious ground. Paul Simon plays two nights on July 17 and 18. Brandi Carlile, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Chance the Rapper, Miranda Lambert, Alabama Shakes, and Ziggy Marley are all on the bill, alongside newly added shows from Snoop Dogg on September 4 and Erykah Badu on September 10. Ricky Martin makes his highly anticipated Ravinia debut on August 20, and Hugh Jackman performs with the Chicago Philharmonic on August 9.
The 2026 season also marks a historic milestone for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, celebrating its 90th summer residency at Ravinia. The Grand Opening Night on July 11 inaugurates the brand-new Hunter Pavilion, a state-of-the-art replacement venue with enhanced acoustics built as part of a $75 million renovation. Chief Conductor Marin Alsop leads the opening performance featuring pianist Yunchan Lim and Lizzo on flute. Jazz fans can look forward to Joe Bonamassa, Harry Connick Jr., and an International Jazz Day performance featuring John Clayton and Steve Wilson on April 26.
Ravinia is urging ticket buyers to prepare in advance. Log on to Ravinia.org just before 8 a.m. CT on Thursday, have your show selections and payment information ready before the queue opens, and note that buyers have only 20 minutes to complete their order once they gain access. Any listings visible before 8 a.m. are not part of the official on-sale inventory.
Darrell Sheets, Storage Wars’ Beloved ‘Gambler,’ Dead at 67
Darrell Sheets, the beloved Storage Wars star known to fans worldwide as “The Gambler,” died on April 22 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He was 67. Lake Havasu City Police confirmed that officers responded to a report of a deceased individual at his home around 2 a.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene in what appeared to be a suicide. His body was transferred to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s office, and the case remains under investigation.
Sheets spent more than 30 years building a life around the thrill of the hunt, bidding on unclaimed storage units and pulling treasures out of places most people walked away from. “I have found everything from scrap crap to Picassos in storage units,” he said. “They call me the Gambler because I take the risks, bet big and come out on top.” That spirit, bold, warm, and unapologetically his own, made him one of the most watchable personalities on reality television. He appeared in 163 episodes of Storage Wars across 15 seasons from 2010 to 2023, and made guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Rachael Ray along the way.
What came through most clearly in everything Sheets said publicly was how much he loved his family. His son Brandon stood beside him at auctions and became a cast member in his own right. “I am lucky to have my son around me every day,” Sheets said. “I come from a large family, and I’m the practical joker of the bunch.” He spoke warmly of his partner Kimber Naisbitt Pino, calling her “the love of my life” and his biggest supporter. Between them, they shared four grandchildren he adored. Outside of Storage Wars, he found joy in boating, playing drums and guitar, and his dogs, who he said were giving him “a lot of joy” as recently as 2023.
After retiring from the show, Sheets opened an antique shop in Arizona called Havasu Show Me Your Junk, carrying the spirit of the hunt into a new chapter. Costar René Nezhoda, often portrayed as his onscreen rival, was quick to set the record straight after the news broke. “Deep down, me and Darrell were friends,” he said. “He is a very hard worker that cared more than anyone I’ve probably ever met about their family.” Brandi Passante, another longtime costar, wrote that her heart hurt for Brandon, Kimber, and granddaughter Zoe, and urged anyone struggling to reach out for help. “You are not alone,” she wrote. “The grief from suicide is endless. There is always help.”
A&E expressed its condolences in a statement: “We are saddened by the passing of a beloved member of our Storage Wars family, Darrell ‘The Gambler’ Sheets. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Darrell Sheets was 67. He was one of a kind, and he will be deeply missed.
What Music Journalists Are Really Looking for When Your Pitch Lands in Their Inbox
Music journalists genuinely want to find great stories. That’s the part that sometimes gets lost in the conversation about pitching. Every editor and writer who covers music is actively looking for something worth sharing with their audience, and a well-crafted pitch makes that job easier and more exciting for everyone involved. The key is understanding what makes a pitch feel like a gift rather than homework. It comes down to three things: a clear story, a specific angle, and a reason why readers should care right now.
Subject lines are your first and best opportunity to connect. Think of them less as administrative information and more as an invitation. A subject line that reads like a headline, specific, human, and curious, gives a journalist an immediate sense of the story waiting inside. The more personal and precise the detail, the more compelling the pitch becomes. Journalists respond to specificity because their readers do too. A vivid, honest detail about an artist’s life or creative process can open more doors than any number of superlatives.
Timing and relevance are your best friends. A pitch with a strong news hook, a release date, a tour, a milestone, a personal story tied to something resonating in the world right now, gives a journalist a natural entry point. It answers the question their editor will inevitably ask: why are we running this today? Doing that connective work in advance, showing how an artist’s story fits into a larger cultural moment, is one of the most generous things a publicist can do for the people they’re pitching.
Keep it warm, keep it brief, and make it personal. The pitches that land are the ones that feel like they were written by someone who genuinely reads and respects the outlet they’re contacting. A short, focused email with one strong paragraph, a clear link, a great photo, and an honest sense of enthusiasm for the artist goes a long way. Journalists are busy, but they’re also human, and they remember the publicists who make their lives easier and their stories better.
Live Nation’s Summer of Live Puts $30 Tickets to Over 4,000 Shows on Sale Starting April 29
Live Nation has announced Summer of Live, a week-long promotion putting $30 tickets to over 4,000 shows across the U.S. and Canada on sale starting April 29. The offer runs through May 5 at LiveNation.com/SummerofLive, covering shows spanning pop, hip-hop, R&B, country, Latin, rock, and more across clubs, theaters, amphitheaters, and arenas. All fees are included in the $30 price, with applicable taxes added at checkout.
The rock and metal lineup alone is worth the price of admission. Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, Avenged Sevenfold and Good Charlotte, Five Finger Death Punch, Evanescence, Godsmack, Shinedown, Staind, Breaking Benjamin, Motionless In White, Deep Purple, Kaleo, The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner, and Sammy Hagar are all part of the offer.
Country is equally deep. Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean, Hardy, Riley Green, Parker McCollum, and Hank Williams Jr. are all on the list, alongside the Outlaw Music Festival and 311 and Dirty Heads. The classic rock contingent brings James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Chicago and Styx, Santana and The Doobie Brothers, Toto with Christopher Cross and The Romantics, Deep Purple, and Rod Stewart.
Pop, hip-hop, and R&B round out the full picture with Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Kesha, Summer Walker, NE-YO and Akon, The Pussycat Dolls, New Kids On The Block, Ari Lennox, Pitbull, Yeat, and Empire of the Sun. John Mulaney, Weird Al Yankovic, Goose, Mt. Joy, Needtobreathe, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Thee Sacred Souls, Dermot Kennedy, O.A.R., Yacht Rock Revue, Young The Giant, Lindsey Stirling, Sarah McLachlan, Coral Reefer Band, mgk, The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls, The Guess Who, and Triumph round out a list that covers virtually every corner of live music.
Live Nation All Access members get early access starting today, April 23, through April 28. T-Mobile members get their own early access window on April 28 from 10am local time. General on-sale begins April 29 at 10am local time and runs through May 5. Inventory is limited. Full details and participating shows at LiveNation.com/SummerofLive.
Spotify Just Gave Artists a Powerful New Tool — and All Artists Need To Know About It
If you’ve ever discovered a release on your Spotify profile that you didn’t put there, you’re not alone. Metadata mix-ups, name confusion, and bad actors attaching music to the wrong artist page have been a problem on streaming platforms for years — and the rise of AI-generated tracks has made it significantly worse.
Spotify is now doing something about it.
The platform has just announced Artist Profile Protection, a first-of-its-kind optional feature now in limited beta through Spotify for Artists. For the first time on any major streaming service, artists can review and approve — or decline — releases before they go live on their profile. That means no more surprise tracks appearing under your name, affecting your stats, your Release Radar, or how fans discover your music.
Here’s how it works: When music is delivered to Spotify with your name attached, you’ll receive an email notification. From there, you log into Spotify for Artists and decide whether to approve or decline the release. Approve it, and everything works as normal. Decline it — or take no action — and it won’t appear on your profile. Spotify is also introducing an artist key, a unique code you can share with trusted distributors so your legitimate releases are automatically pre-approved and go live without delay.
It’s worth noting this feature isn’t for everyone. It requires active management, and if you miss a notification, it could delay your own releases. But if you have a common artist name, have dealt with repeated incorrect releases, or simply want tighter control over your catalog, it’s worth turning on.
The feature is currently in beta, so not all artists will see it yet. If you do have access, you’ll find it in your Spotify for Artists settings on desktop or mobile web.
Learn more and check if you have access at the Spotify for Artists Help Center
Report a misattributed release here
This is a meaningful step forward for artist rights in the streaming era — and a reminder to make sure your Spotify for Artists account is active, verified, and monitored regularly.
Local H Reclaim ‘As Good As Dead’ With a Definitive 30th Anniversary Reissue This Summer
Local H have announced the 30th anniversary reissue of ‘As Good As Dead’, their 1996 breakthrough, arriving this summer via G&P Records. Band-approved and freshly remastered, the double vinyl edition is pressed at 45rpm with updated artwork and surprise extras throughout. Pre-order is live now.
Guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas pulls no punches about what prompted the reissue. “Earlier this year, I was rather rudely awakened to how little respect others have for the record,” he says, pointing to a cottage industry of unauthorized, substandard pressings flooding the market. “Job one with this new re-issue was to reclaim this record and make sure that it continues to be available to all the new listeners that want to have a quality release without having to pay an arm and a leg on eBay.”
The album features seminal tracks “Bound For The Floor,” “Eddie Vedder,” and “Hi-Fiving MF,” and remains one of the sharpest, most ferocious records to come out of the mid-90s alt-rock era. Lucas has come around on celebrating it. “I’ve come to appreciate people’s personal affection for it,” he says. “Especially the younger people who have been coming to the shows the last couple of years. Their excitement is infectious.”
On the heels of successful tours with Everclear and Filter, Local H heads back out this spring and summer with Toadies for a full U.S. run that hits Webster Hall in New York, The Vic Theatre in Chicago, The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Belasco in Los Angeles, and dozens of cities in between. Full dates below.
2026 Tour Dates:
April 30 — Potosi Live — Abilene, TX
May 1 — Cooper’s Live — Christoval, TX
May 2 — Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater — Dallas, TX
May 3 — Tower Theatre — Oklahoma City, OK
May 6 — Welcome To Rockville Festival — Daytona, FL
May 8 — Eastside Bowl — Nashville, TN
May 9 — Iron City — Birmingham, AL
May 12 — The Masquerade: Heaven — Atlanta, GA
May 13 — The Orange Peel — Asheville, NC
May 15 — The Underground — Charlotte, NC
May 16 — The Ritz — Raleigh, NC
May 17 — The Fillmore — Silver Spring, MD
May 19 — District Music Hall — Norwalk, CT
May 20 — House of Blues — Boston, MA
May 21 — Webster Hall — New York, NY
May 22 — Union Transfer — Philadelphia, PA
May 23 — The Stone Pony — Asbury Park, NJ
May 26 — Capital City Music Hall — Harrisburg, PA
May 27 — Roxian Theatre — McKees Rocks, PA
May 29 — Bogart’s — Cincinnati, OH
May 30 — The Intersection — Grand Rapids, MI
May 31 — The Vic Theatre — Chicago, IL
June 2 — First Avenue — Minneapolis, MN
June 3 — The Astro Theater — Omaha, NE
June 5 — Ogden Theatre — Denver, CO
June 6 — The Grand at The Complex — Salt Lake City, UT
June 7 — Knitting Factory — Boise, ID
June 9 — The Showbox — Seattle, WA
June 10 — Roseland Theater — Portland, OR
June 12 — The Fillmore — San Francisco, CA
June 13 — The Belasco — Los Angeles, CA
June 14 — Observatory OC — Santa Ana, CA
June 16 — Observatory North Park — San Diego, CA
June 17 — The Van Buren — Phoenix, AZ