Weekly digest #33

Featuring PJ Harvey, Turnstile, Natalie Merchant, Spoon, Gina Birch and more

May 11, 2025

Welcome to Fire Red Sky’s latest weekly digest of punk rock, alt rock and indie music news and writing.

It’s a light read, a quick catch up on the week that lands with you every Sunday morning.

The links are mainly taken from my social media feeds, so if you want more of this sort of thing than you can follow me on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon (I’m also on Instagram).

Headlines

PJ Harvey (pictured above) scores new Othello production (Stereogum)

Gina Birch to release second solo album, shares 'Causing Trouble Again' video (Punk News)

Bloc Party to receive Outstanding Song Collection award at the Ivors 2025 (NME)

Ty Segall, No Age, Shannon & the Clams, and more contribute to new benefit compilation L.A. Recovers (Pitchfork)

Turnstile announce Never Enough companion visual album (NME)

New releases

One Step Closer return with new single 'Jinx' (The Punk Site)

Racing Mount Pleasant release ‘Racing Mount Pleasant’ (Stereogum)

New Found Glory sign to Pure Noise, release 7" to celebrate (Scene Point Blank)

Denver’s Midwife shares slowcore b-side ‘Signs’ (Stereogum)

The Saints ’73-’78 release Live Nights in Venice… Vol. 1 EP, featuring lineup that includes Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) (The Punk Site)

Listen/watch

The National’s Matt Berninger shares contemplative solo album opener ‘Inland Ocean’ (NME)

Destroyer and Jessica Pratt perform on Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney (Pitchfork)

Hear Walter Schreifels’ Pink Floyd cover from new animal shelter benefit comp (Stereogum)

Toro y Moi covers Broken Social Scene’s 'Stars and Sons' (Pitchfork)

Watch a taster of the new Pavement musical (NME)

Thanks for reading Fire Red Sky! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Fugazi’s live shows come out of the waiting room

Dom Tyer

May 6

Fugazi’s live shows come out of the waiting room

The last, to-date, Fugazi show was on 4 November 2002 at London's Forum in Kentish Town. I did not attend it. Awaiting the impending birth of my first son was very much the priority then, rather than gig going.

Read full story

Long reads

Natalie Merchant: “R.E.M. was atmospheric yet urgent, new yet mindful of tradition” (Uncut)

Gorillaz's Demon Days turns 20 (Stereogum)

Reissue of the Week: Butthole Surfers Live At The Leather Fly (The Quietus)

Spoon’s Gimme Fiction turns 20 (Stereogum)

That’s me in the spotlight: Michael Shannon on swapping Hollywood for an R.E.M. covers band (The Guardian)

Elsewhere on Substack

The Line of Best Fit

Michael Azerrad's Desk Notes

During the pandemic, I wrote The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana at this desk. I've had a standing desk for maybe ten years. It's gotten so I'm more comfortable standing, which can be a little awkward when everybody else is sitting. I have those nice Rokit speakers but I prefer to write in silence or with very quiet ambient music playing…

7 months ago · The Line of Best Fit

And finally…

Drummer on The Vapors' 'Turning Japanese' named mayor of Guildford (BBC)

Do you have a Substack article, news tip or other piece of writing you’d like to be considered for the digest? Send it to tangleofwires@gmail.com (same goes for press releases etc.)