October 10, 2022 - Music Observer

‘Significant Other’ Director Doesn’t Want to Reveal More Than He Has Uncovered

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

If you want to watch Significant Other, you may want to think twice before sitting in front of the TV with your significant other.

Per a line from Dan Berk, who co-wrote and co-directed the film with Robert Olsen, they call the film “the best anti-date movie possible.”

“We do like to sometimes call it [that] because there’s definitely a lot of people that are going to be watching it in the audience tonight, and at home starting tomorrow, that are in a relationship – at a certain point in their relationship – that while the movie’s playing, they’re gonna be [side-eyeing their partner,” he stated in an interview in EW’s New York Comic Con studio, with Olsen and actors Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy.

In Significant Other, Monroe and Lacey portray a couple planning a remote backpacking vacation in the Pacific Northwest. However, a series of disturbing events makes them realize that everything is not as they thought.

Significant Other Info Limit

Olsen, who admitted he doesn’t like watching trailers for movies he wants to see, explained that that’s all he would unveil about the movie.

“It’s always the less you know, the better. There’s a lot of movies out there that you don’t want to know,” he states, referencing the latest horror movie Barbarian as an example.

“When you tell someone to go see that, you’re like, ‘You don’t want to know anything about it, just go see it.’ And so, we try to have it be as much as that as possible.”

Berk then said, “Enough press has entered the discourse that some of the genre cues we’re playing with aren’t necessarily a secret, but you can say to someone it’s like a romantic drama wrapped in a sci-fi thriller sprinkled with horror with a little comedy glaze on it.”

If you want more information on Significant Other – including what brought Monroe and Lacy to the film, what it was like shooting in the woods, and more – watch the interview.

Photo: EW

Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel Literally Takes ‘Til Death Do Us Part in ‘Shotgun Wedding’

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

A chaotic beginning to a happy ending.

At first, the knot between Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) seems destined for a dream event, but in the trailer for the upcoming Shotgun Wedding movie it feels like a somewhat bizarre ceremony.

The dress is secured, the seats are arranged, and all the guests are at the venue – including out-of-this-world future in-laws (Jennifer Coolidge) and Darcy’s ex (Lenny Kravitz), who sports a shocking entrance through a helicopter during the dinner.

But as she puts on her wedding dress and prepares to walk down the aisle, Darcy says, “something doesn’t feel quite right.”

And true to her suspicions (no, she doesn’t have cold feet), while waiting for the newlyweds at the beach altar, they were abruptly ambushed and taken hostage by a group of armed men.

Darcy and Tom then needed to take an adventurous journey to save their wedding party from certain death – while handcuffed to one another. The video contains clips of the couple zip-lining, using grenades, firing shotguns, and utilizing a cake knife to defend themselves from the pirates.

Moreover, they get a little help from friends and family, like Coolidge’s character screaming like crazy and firing a machine gun.

In an amusing coincidence, Duhamel, who was involved in the film after Armie Hammer left following allegations of sexual misconduct, encountered a minor life mimicking art while filming in the Dominican Republic.

Shotgun Wedding to Duhamel

In a May 2021 interview, Duhamel told Tonight Show that he had a scary experience in the ocean during the production.

“The waves were crashing like 30 feet in the air,” he recounted. “This rogue wave comes up as I’m videotaping this thing and literally washed me almost over the edge of this cliff.”

Fortunately, he fled with just a few gashes. However, if the movie’s trailer is anything to go by, his character, Tom, might not be capable of saying the name.

Besides Lopez, Coolidge, Kravitz, and Duhamel, Shotgun Wedding features Sônia Braga, Cheech Marin, Selena Tan, D’Arcy Carden, Callie Hernandez, Desmin Borges, Steve Coulter, and Alberto Isaac.

The film is directed by the filmmaker of Sisters and Pitch Perfect, Jason Moore, and contains a screenplay by Mark Hammer. It is also produced by Lopez, Todd Liebermann, David Hoberman, Alexander Young, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and Benny Medina.

Shotgun Wedding will be released worldwide on January 27, 2023, on Prime Video.

Photo: EW

Constance Wu Talks About Experience After Tweeting About ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Renewal

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

Image commercially licensed from Unsplash

Constance Wu talked about the pain of being rejected by the Asian community after the controversy surrounding her tweets in 2019.

Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk, Wu explained that she felt rejected by her community after posting her tweets about Fresh Off the Boat’s renewal (she was disappointed by this) – mentioning one specific gala event, which happened months following her suicide attempt.

At the Unforgettable Gala, an annual Character Media event, presenter Simu Liu told a joke about her after being comforted that she wouldn’t be mocked.

“They wanted me to come ‘cause they wanted to celebrate [Fresh Off the Boat] and the kids on the show,” Wu said in the interview with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.

“At the time, there was so much controversy around me that I was like, if I go, people are just gonna want to talk about the tweets. And like, I love my kids on the show so much. I want this to be a moment for them to celebrate.”

Wu said, “I told them, ‘I don’t want anybody to make fun of it ‘cause I’m still in a very raw place about it. I’m not ready to be mocked for it.”

At the time, she said, no one, including her colleagues, was aware of her suicide attempt.

“But I expressed that I can’t deal with that. They promised me. They said, ‘No, no, no, no. We love Constance. It’ll only be warm energy and positive vibes towards her.’ So, I was like, ‘Okay, okay, I’ll go.

“And they sat me, like, in the front row and, like, had all these cameras on me, and within ten minutes, the host of the show made a crack at me.”

She shared more details about her experiences appearing for Fresh Off the Boat at the time.

“I was sitting there alone, trying not to cry in a public setting, and the whole audience was like, ‘Oh, s—!” Wu stated.

“They had promised they wouldn’t mock me, and they did it right off the bat. It almost felt like they were setting me up for it. And it truly felt like a betrayal from the Asian American Community. A couple of months prior to that, I was in the emergency room.”

Fresh Off the Boat Harassment

It was not clear what the joke meant, but Wu said Liu had extended his apologies to her.

“The host of that, Simu, he did the right thing, and he apologized, and it was a sincere apology,” she stated.

Although the Shang-Chi actor has sincerely expressed his apologies, Wu said she still feels ostracized by the rest of the community.

“I feel like they are avoiding me,” she said. “I feel the disapproval, but rather than being blatant, the silence of how much people reached out to me before, pre-tweet versus post-tweet. And you can tell. The silence has an effect.”

On Wednesday evening, Wu took the Instagram story to clarify that she had mistaken the gala she cited Liu hosting on Red Table Talk.

“It was the Unforgettable Gala that was hosted by Character Media, not CAPE (Coalition Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). I apologize to @capeusa & regret the error,” she said.

Liu did host the 18th Annual Unforgettable Gala, which honors Asian and Pacific Islanders who made their voice heard for API representation in entertainment and culture, in 2019.

In the interview with the mother-daughter duos, Wu also mentioned the sexual harassment she went through on set of Fresh Off the Boat from a senior producer, her encounters with sexual assault outside of set, and her relationship with her mother – all of which are discussed in her memoir, Making a Scene, which is available now.

Photo: Best W News

Steve Burns Returns to ‘Blue’s Clues’

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues, is back with his old friends in this first Nickelodeon series-inspired film, following a touching message of love that moved fans to tears about a year ago.

Burns appears in Blue’s Big City Adventure alongside co-stars Donovan Patton (Joe) and Josh Dela Cruz (Josh). The film follows Josh and everyone’s favorite pup taking a trip to New York City following Josh securing an audition for a Broadway musical.

However, Josh has left a handy dandy notebook at home, so Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper heads to the big city, where they find someone familiar who lives there: Burns, who swapped out the unforgettable green striped polo shirt for a more grown-up green striped tie.

As the journey to the Big Apple unfolds, Josh and Blue meet new friends and discover the magic of music and dance. The musical, which premieres on Paramount + on November 18, also features performances by BD Wong, Phillipa Soo, Ali Stroker, Alex Winter and Steven Pasquale.

Blue’s Clues was first released in 1996 on Nick Jr., with Burns guiding the children through various mysteries and his dog, Blue, helps them unravel the clues. In 2002, Burns left the show, giving the lead to Steve’s brother Joe, played by Patton.

The series was rebooted as Blue’s Clues & You! in 2019 with new host Dela Cruz.

Burns Talks About Previously Leaving the Show

Last year’s 25th anniversary of the show, Burns shot a video message about his sudden exit (in season 4, “Steve Goes to College”), slicing onions for fans.

“Hi, you got a second?” he stated, dressed in a new green polo.

“You remember how when we were younger, we used to run around and hang out with Blue and find clues, and talk to Mr. Salt, and freak out about the mail, and do all the fun stuff? And then one day, I was like, ‘Oh hey, guess what? Big news… I’m leaving.”

Burns then asked, “Can we talk about that?”

The 48-year-old host elaborated that the time he was away made him challenge himself and utilize his mind.

As a grown-up, “I literally am doing many of the things that I wanted to do.”

He further said, “Look at all you have done and all you have accomplished in all that time. And it’s just… it’s just so amazing, right? I mean, we started out with clues, and now it’s what? Student loans, and jobs, and families, and some of that has been kind of hard, you know?

“I know you know. I guess I just wanted to say that after all these years, I never forgot you. Ever. And I’m super glad we’re still friends.”

In an interview with EW in 2003, Burns said that Blue’s Clues family always held a part in his heart.

“I’m really protective of the show and the new guy [Donovan Patton],” he stated. “But the nice thing is now I get to bust that character out whenever I want to. It’s kind of like being Clark Kent.”

Photo: Nicki Swift

Constance Wu Shares Sexual Harassment Experience in an Interview

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

Constance Wu can’t help but cry when she talks about the sexual harassment allegations she made against an unnamed Fresh Off the Boat producer in her latest memoir, Making a Scene.

The actress, known for her role in Crazy Rich Asians, said she initially “didn’t want to write” about what she went through filming the ABC show’s first two seasons during her appearance on Monday’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers.

“That was the last essay I wrote for the book, and only after being, like, pushed by my editor, like, ‘You should write about this. This is what people want to hear,’” she shared to host Seth Meyers. “And I was like, ‘I’m done with that chapter of my life.”

In the essay, Wu states that the showrunner, whom she calls M —-, always meddles in her affairs, keeps an eye on her and her friends, makes inappropriate jokes and statements about her appearance, and physically harassed her at a basketball game.

Wu shared that, being a novice in the industry, she was afraid of what might happen after she spoke.

“I had never done anything big before. I had just graduated from being a waitress. I was scared of being fired,” she stated.

“Once I, sort of, felt a little bit of job security, then I started saying no to this producer, which infuriated him. But it was okay, so I thought, ‘You know what? I handled it. I don’t need to stain the reputation of this show or of this producer. I can just keep it inside.”

Subsequently, Wu recounted that she was “never really able to be myself on set,” further stating, “I’d see my abuser being buddy-buddy with everyone else, knowing what he had done to me.”

Wu Included the Incidents to Her Memoir

However, not huffing has never really helped either – in fact, Wu said her buried pain was part of what prompted her to react strongly to the show’s sixth season renewal, which she expressed on Twitter.

“So upset right now that I’m literally crying,” Wu wrote on Twitter at the time. “Ugh.”

“The thing I learned is that bad feelings and abuse don’t just go away because you will it to. It’s gonna come out somewhere,” Wu said as her tears poured.

“I think people didn’t understand the context of those tweets. And thank you for not making fun of it, because it led me to a really dark time.”

In July, Wu shared that the harsh criticisms she was thrown online made her want to take her own life.

“I decided to include it in the book because I think it’s important that we engage in curiosity and empathy before we go straight to judgment,” she revealed. “Because if somebody does something that is out of character for them, it usually means something is going on in their life.”

In an interview, Wu revealed to Good Morning America that she is “of course” scared of the criticisms ahead after sharing her experience in her novel, stressing that there’s “not much to be gained when survivors tell their stories.”

Additionally, Wu noted that the harassment happened “before the #MeToo movement.”

“I was just like, ‘Nobody’s going to believe men,’” she stated on Late Night. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Photo: Hearstapp

Arctic Monkeys Reveals North American Tour in 2023

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

Arctic Monkeys dropped the bomb – they are going on a North American tour in support of The Car.

The tour will kick off in August 2023, including two nights at the Forest Hills Stadium in New York and one at Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum. Fontaines D.C. will back them for these dates.

Previously, the band released a second single under The Car, “Body Paint,” with a video directed by Brook Linder. Furthermore, they performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The Car, the band’s long-standing collaborator James Ford as producer, also hosts lead track “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball” and a tune dubbed “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” which the band has been performing live this year.

The Car came after 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, which followed five years after Arctic Monkeys fifth album, AM.

AM reached the top 1 on the UK charts, like all its predecessors. After Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Arctic Monkeys released the B-side “Anyways,” played for Austin City Limits, and dropped a live album for charity, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Arctic Monkeys Dates:

11-04 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Jeunesse Arena

11-05 São Paulo, Brazil – Primavera Sound

11-08 Curitiba, Brazil – Pedreira Paulo Leminski

11-10 Asunción, Paraguay – Kilk Fest

11-12 Santiago, Chile – Primavera Sound

11-13 Buenos Aires, Argentina – Primavera Sound

11-15 Lima, Peru – Arena 1

11-17 Bogotá, Colombia – Coliseo Live

11-19 Mexico City, Mexico – Corona Capital Festival

12-18-01-01 Glenworth Valley, Australia – Lost Paradise

12-19-31 Birregurra, Australia – Falls Festival

12-31-01-02 Byron Bay, Australia – Falls Festival

01-04 Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl

01-05 Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl

01-06 Adelaide, Australia – Heaps Good Festival

01-07-08 Downtown Fremantle, Australia – Falls Festival

01-11 Brisbane, Australia – Riverstage

01-14 Sydney, Australia – The Domain

05-29 Bristol, England – Ashton Gate Stadium

05-31 Coventry, England – Building Society Arena

06-02 Manchester, England – Emirates Old Trafford

06-03 Manchester, England – Emirates Old Trafford

06-05 Middlesbrough, England – Riverside Stadium

06-07 Norwich, England – Carrow Road Stadium

06-09 Sheffield, England – Hillsborough Park

06-10 Sheffield, England – Hillsborough Park

06-12 Swansea, Wales – Swansea.com Stadium

06-14 Southampton, England – The Ageas Bowl

06-16 London, England – Emirates Stadium

06-17 London, England – Emirates Stadium

06-18 London, England – Emirates Stadium

06-20 Dublin, Ireland – Malahide Castle

06-25 Glasgow, Scotland – Bellahouston Park

08-25 Minneapolis, MN – The Armory

08-27 Chicago, IL – United Center

08-29 Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre

08-30 Toronto, Ontario – Budweiser Stage

09-02 Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre

09-03 Boston, MA – TD Garden

09-05 Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann

09-07 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion

09-08 Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium

09-09 Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium

09-11 Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

09-12 Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater

09-15 Austin, TX – Moody Center

09-16 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena

09-18 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

09-20 Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Arena

09-22 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

09-23 Vancouver, British Columbia – Pacific Coliseum

09-24 Portland, OR – Moda Center

09-26 San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

09-27 Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center

09-29 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum

with Fontaines D.C.

Photo: Wallsdesk

MTV VMAs of the Year Winners

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow hosted the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Music’s biggest and brightest stars were honored, and some even won a Moon Person trophy. However, the party was milder than any previous year of the ceremony.

The crowd was graced with performances from Anitta, Blackpink, Lizzo, Maneskin, Jack Harlow, J Balvin, Marchmello x Khalid, Panic! at the Disco, and Kane Brown – who set records as the first male country singer to perform at the VMAs.

A mega trippy and fierce team-up between Eminem and Snoop Dogg, who went all out in performing their track, “From the D 2 and the LBC,” graced the stage.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the coveted Video Vanguard Award to Minaj. The musician, who has garnered 17 VMA nominations over her career, began with a medley of her hits that included everything from “Super Bass” to her latest song, “Super Freaky Girl.”

After accepting the award, she made a heartwarming comment about how she wished Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson would be there to celebrate her.

“I wish people took mental health seriously, even for those who seem to have perfect lives,” she stated of the late music icons.

The most talked-about moment of the ceremony came at the end of the show, when Taylor Swift won the Video of the Year award.

Following her Moon Person trophy acceptance, she announced her newest album dropping on October 21 and said she would give out more information at midnight.

MTV VMAs of the Year

Here is the complete list of winners below:

GLOBAL ICON AWARD

Honoree: Red Hot Chili Peppers

VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD

Honoree: Nicki Minaj

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10-minute version) (Taylor’s version)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Bad Bunny

SONG OF THE YEAR

Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”

BEST NEW ARTIST

Dove Cameron

PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

December 2021: Seventeen – “Rock With You”

BEST COLLABORATION

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “Industry Baby”

BEST POP

Harry Styles – “As It Was”

BEST HIP-HOP

Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby – “Do We Have a Problem?”

BEST ROCK

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Black Summer”

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Måneskin – “I Wanna Be Your Slave”

BEST LATIN

Anitta – “Envolver”

BEST R&B

The Weeknd – “Out of Time”

BEST K-POP

Lisa – “Lalisa”

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Lizzo – “About Damn Time”

BEST METAVERSE PERFORMANCE

Blackpink The Virtual | PUBG

BEST LONGFORM VIDEO

Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10-minute version) (Taylor’s version)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Harry Styles – “As It Was”

BEST DIRECTION

Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10-minute version) (Taylor’s version)

BEST ART DIRECTION

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “Industry Baby”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “Industry Baby”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Doja Cat – “Woman”

BEST EDITING

Rosalía – “Saoko”

SOCIAL CATEGORIES

GROUP OF THE YEAR

BTS

SONG OF THE SUMMER

Jack Harlow – “First Class”

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Harry Styles – Harry’s Ho

Wynonna Judd Still Emotional Over Mom Naomi’s Death

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

Six months after the death of her mother Naomi, Wynonna Judd decided to go on tour for a bittersweet farewell as half of the award-winning musical duo The Judds.

Revealed before Naomi’s death in April, the Judds’ tour – which will cover 11 cities – now morphs into concerts celebrating the life and legacy of the late country legend.

Ahead of the first show’s start at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Van Andel Arena on Friday, Wynonna contemplated getting back on stage for the first time with only herself and missing her longtime Judds partner and beloved mother.

Wynonna said the rehearsals have not been easy, since the loss is still painful.

“It’s devastatingly beautiful to go back to the past and relive some of these memories,” Wynonna said in an interview with Associated Press. “Yesterday I was in rehearsal, and there’s a part in the show where they sync up Mom singing with me. And I turned around, and I just lost it.”

Naomi’s husband of 33 years Larry Strickland said he can’t wait for fans to feel comforted by hearing his late wife’s song on stage again. However, he confessed that it would be difficult for him to see pictures of her on the big screen and hear her voice.

“I’m having trouble now just seeing pictures of her,” Strickland shared to AP. “I don’t know how much I can handle.”

For Naomi, performing on stage “was her world,” Strickland stated. “She loved being on the stage and singing. She loved people.”

Wynonna Tour

The tour, scheduled to end on October 29 at the Judds’ home state, Kentucky, at Lexington’s Rupp Arena, will host special appearances from guests like Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, and tour opener Martina McBride.

Other legs of the tour include Forth Worth; Toledo, Ohio; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Nashville.

During the weekend, Wynonna shared a clip of a show on her Instagram, showing Carlile joining her on the heartbreaking and heartwarming night in Michigan.

Naomi, who was outspoken about her struggles with depression, committed suicide on April 30. She was 76 years old. Wynonna shared her last moments with her mother on CBS Sunday Morning last month.

“I said goodbye to her in the hospital, and I closed her eyes, and I kissed her forehead, and that was that,” Wynonna stated. “And the next thing I know, I’m sitting here on the front porch, on the side porch… you know, and I’m just tryin’ to figure out what’s next.”

Photo: Rolling Stone

‘Dahmer’ Production Assistant Kim Alsup Shares Horrible Treatment Experience on Set

Music Observer Staff on October 10, 2022

After Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer was released on Netflix on September 21, the series received widespread criticism from the global audience and families of Dahmer’s victims.

And now a production assistant who worked on the show is sharing her bad experience on set.

A month ago, Kim Alsup shared on Twitter that she was “treated horribly” while filming Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters as the serial killer who killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Furthermore, according to her, she was always mistaken for another crew member.

“I worked on this project, and I was 1 of 2 Black people on the crew, and they kept calling me her name,” she said.

“We both had braids. She was dark skin[ned] and 5’10. I’m 5’5. Working on this took everything I had as I was treated horribly. I look at the Black female lead differently now too.” (Since then, Alsup has made her Twitter handle private.)

Recently, Alsup said she hasn’t seen the show due to the horrible memories she has of it.

“I don’t want to have these PTSD types of situations,” she said in a new interview with Los Angeles Times. “The trailer itself gave me PTSD, which is why I ended up writing that tweet, and I didn’t think that anybody was going to read.”

Alsup slammed the show as “one of the worst shows” she’s ever been on as a person of color, saying the show didn’t hire any mental health coordinators and there were none on set.

“I was always being called someone else’s name, the only other Black girl who looked nothing like me, and I learned the names for 300 background extras,” she added.

Alsup Reveals Treatment

Alsup emphasized that the workplace environment improved while shooting the show’s sixth episode, which had Janet Mock as writer and Paris Barclay as director, who are people of color.

But, according to Alsup, in general, she found the work “exhausting.”

When asked for comments, Alsup and Netflix representatives did not respond.

Alsup is not the first person to slam the adaptation. In an essay for Insider, the sister of Errol Lindsey – one of Dahmer’s victims – Rita Isbell said she was “never contacted about the show” ahead of its release, despite the production using her emotional 1992 victim impact statement to Dahmer as inspiration for one episode.

Audiences have also slammed the streaming platform’s move to tag Dahmer as an LGBTQ series on its service. One fan said it was “not the representation we’re looking for.”

Following the massive backlash, Netflix has since pulled out the tag.

Photo: NME