March 19, 2024

On the Radar: HIM’s final tour, QOTSA release new music, G Herbo’s new LP + More

G Herbo

Some exciting stuff going on in music this week. Queens of the Stone finally reveal new LP details, HIM prepare to say goodbye, and G Herbo talks new album. All this and more On the Radar.

HIM (finally) reveals 2017 North American tour dates

Back in March, Finnish rock band HIM broke the news that they were breaking up. To calm the nerves of fans around the world, they promised to tour one last time before calling it quits. While they were quick to post European dates, there were no hints of US dates. The wait is finally over. Last week the band revealed dates for their Bang and Whimper tour. Dates kick off October 25 in Phoenix, AZ and wrap up November 17 in New York. The band will play Chicago’s House of Blues November 10. Tickets are currently on sale.

HIM released Tears on Tape, what turned out to be their final album, in 2015. Regarding the decision to end the band, frontman Ville Valo said “After [a] quarter of a century of Love and Metal intertwined we sincerely feel HIM has run its unnatural course and adieus must be said in order to make way for sights, scents and sounds yet unexplored. We completed the pattern, solved the puzzle and turned the key. Thank you.”

Green Day revisit the old days with new music video

Remember back in the day when watching music videos was a shared experience? Everyone gathered around the TV for that world premiere. Green Day brought back a little of that magic with the release of their latest music video “Revolution Radio.” The band teamed up with live streaming platform Twitch to premiere the clip shortly after Sony’s E3 gaming conference.

The self-directed video shows the band performing at 924 Gilman Street, where they used to hang out and got infamously banned. The clip is spliced with footage from their older shows proving a young Billie, Mike, and Tre knew how to rock out back then. See the video above.

Green Day are currently touring overseas as part of their Revolution Radio tour. They’ll be back in the summer for the North American leg, which includes their first show at Wrigley Field in August. Tickets are currently on sale.

Queens of the Stone Age announce new album, ‘Villains’

Queens of the Stone Age have been teasing us for the past few months regarding their follow-up to 2013’s …Like Clockwork. Last week, they decided we’ve suffered long enough and announced their new album. Entitled Villains, the LP was produced by Mark Ronson. The band dropped the big news via a cryptic clip showing frontman Josh Homme hooked up to a lie detector test. The clip also features a taste of the new song “Feet Don’t Fail Me.”

One day after the announcement, the band released full album details along with the new track “The Way You Used to Do.” Check it out above. Villains drops August 25 via Matador Records.

In the meantime, you can catch Queens of the Stone Age when they headline Riot Fest on Saturday, September 16. Tickets are still on sale.

Upcoming Shows

You don’t want to miss German rockers Rammstein for their only Midwest performance of the year. They’ll be playing the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on June 24 with special guests 3Teeth. Tickets are still on sale.

Chicago’s premier country festival, Country LakeShake, is back! Catch Thomas Rhett, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, and more at the Huntington Bank Pavilion from June 23 – 25. You still have a chance to get tickets here.

Head out to Oakwood Beach for Mamby on the Beach festival June 24 and 25. This year’s lineup includes Mister Wives, Marian Hill, MGMT, Walk the Moon, Flying Lotus, Cut Copy, and Saba to name a few. If you didn’t get tickets, now’s your chance. Find them here.

In support of his new album, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie Gibbs plays the Metro June 22 with Jon Connor, Mata, and Forever Doyan. Find tickets here.

Chicago Artist Spotlight: G Herbo

Local rapper and philanthropist G Herbo dropped big news last week: he’s releasing a new album. Humble Beast, the follow-up to 2015’s Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe, is set to come out sometime this summer. Along with this announcement, the rapper shared lead single “Red Snow” produced by C-Sick. The track is a brutally honest look at the violence brewing in the Southside of Chicago, where G Herbo grew up.

Speaking about the new single in a statement, the rapper said “Red Snow is important to me because it’s from my heart, during a time when so many people were dying around me. The video just shows how immune and numb kids like me have become to violence in the ghettos like Chicago and all over the world.”

With G Herbo being one of rising voices in Chicago, never afraid to tackle politics with his fury and honesty, we can expect this album to be a good one. Hopefully, we’ll get word on a final release date soon.

“Red Snow” is currently available to stream and purchase.