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Tim’s Listening Party is the new podcast from The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess as he brings his world-famous Twitter Listening Party to Absolute Radio. Back during lockdown with everyone missing live music, Tim realised we all had the opportunity to take part in one great big listening party. What has followed is over a thousand album playbacks in real time, together with the people who made them. Now, Tim will bring these listening parties to podcasts as he celebrates records alongside some of his favourite artists. We’ll hear unique stories and exclusive insights to albums as Tim once again creates the world’s biggest listening party.

Tim's Listening Party

Tim Burgess is joined for a listening party by Robert Smith from The Cure, to talk about the band’s brand new album, Songs of a Lost World.

The band’s long-awaited and much-anticipated 14th album marks 16 years since their last release and has received universal acclaim from fans & critics. 

As well as going through the band's latest release, Robert opens up about channelling grief into his song writing, his role as the singer of the band and why he continues to wear his iconic make up. Plus, he reveals what job he dreamed of having before he was in the Cure - it might surprise you!

Songs of a Lost World was released on 1st November 2024 on Fiction, Lost, Polydor, Universal & Capitol.

The Cure’s Songs of a Live World, an incredible set recorded at Troxy in London, is out on December 13th, and all the royalties from the album go to War Child

The Cure

This episode, Tim Burgess is joined for a Listening Party by Alex Kapranos & Bob Hardy from Franz Ferdinand.

Just as British indie rock exploded in the noughties, Franz Ferdinand’s debut represented something a bit different. It had elements of indie rock, but also funk, punk and dance. It stood out at the time as an arty take on indie, and remains incredibly and effortlessly cool. A commercial success, the record went Platinum both sides of the Atlantic, and won the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2004.

One of Scotland’s greatest musical exports, they continue to make brilliantly interesting and enjoyable music. Their upcoming 6th album, the Human Fear, comes out in January.

Franz Ferdinand was released on 9th February 2004 on Domino.

Franz Ferdinand

This episode, Tim is joined by Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol, to talk about the band’s brand new, eight album, The Forest Is The Path.

Over the years, Snow Patrol have racked up multi-platinum selling albums and singles worldwide, they’ve achieved having a song with over a billion Spotify streams, as well as winning a prestigious Ivor Novello award. Having just entered their 3rd decade as a band, they continue to go from strength to strength, still one of Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s favourite bands.

The Forest Is The Path was released on 13th September 2024 on Polydor.

Snow Patrol

Earlier in 2024, Tim Burgess recorded a very special episode with Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Ros for their 2002 album, (), at Iceland Airwaves Festival.

It was the first time we had held a Listening Party Live in the actual space that the album was recorded, so we'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone at Sundlaugin Studio for making that happen. Thanks also to Iceland Music and the Record in Iceland project.

Iceland is famous for its incredible landscape with waterfalls, volcanos and hot springs, its famous for its fishing, its famous for Bjork. Sigur Ros are certainly up there with one of Iceland’s finest exports, making so much intriguing music since their debut in 1997, including their third record that they discussed, ().

() was released on 28th October 2002 on FatCat & Bad Taste.

Sigur Ros

This episode, Tim Burgess is joined for a listening party by Nile Rodgers, to talk about Chic’s 1979 album, their third record, Risque.

Nile Rodgers, along with his band Chic’s contributed to music cannot be understated. They are one of the most important artists in the popularisation of disco music in the 1970s.

Nile Rodgers himself is one of the greatest guitar players of all time, with a unique style that he continues to lend to leading artists to this very day. He also remains a hugely in-demand record producer, his CV boasting credits on some of the biggest recordings from the likes of Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Madonna, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, INXS the B52-s, Pharrell Williams and so many more.

Risque was released on 30th July 1979 on Atlantic.

Nile Rodgers & Chic

This episode Tim Burgess is joined for a Listening Party by Elvis Costello, to talk about his 1986 album, King of America.

Which has been re-released as King of America and Other Realms, a new 6 disc box set including the remaster of this classic album, a previously unreleased live concert, demos, outtakes, live recordings, so much there to discover.

Elvis Costello has rightly been lauded one of the greatest songwriters of his generations.

His music embraces jazz, country, classical, rhythm and blues, rock n roll, Tin Pan Alley, with Dylan-esque lyricism which is underpinned by punk ethics & traditions. His genre-spanning career has seen him cross paths with everyone from Allen Toussaint to The Roots, Paul McCartney to Burt Bacharach, and his genius has been rewarded with a BAFTA, multiple Grammys and Ivor Novello awards.

King of America was released on 21st February 1986 on F Beat & Columbia.

Elvis Costello

This episode, Tim Burgess is joined by one of Britain’s best bands to talk about their brilliant debut on its 10th anniversary.

Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher from Royal Blood remember their self-titled first album that gave us hits like Figure It Out and Little Monster.

Their debut record went to Number One in the UK, went double platinum and won them the Brit award for Best British band in 2015. 

It announced this incredibly loud two-piece onto the rock music scene and Tim asked Mike & Ben how it felt to be given the title ‘the saviours of rock’.

Royal Blood was released on 25 August 2014 on Warner Brothers.

Royal Blood

This episode, Tim Burgess is joined by Holly Johnson for a Listening Party.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Welcome To The Pleasuredome stands out as one of the most iconic album releases of the 1980s. Musically it soundtracked the middle of the decade as Frankie dominated the charts, this album containing 3 consecutive number one singles in the UK.

They also dominated the conversations of the time, the record steeped in controversy, with on air bans, shocking videos and less controversially, everyone wearing Frankie Says Relax t shirts.

Welcome to the Pleasuredome was released on 29th October 1984 on ZTT.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess brings his world-famous Twitter Listening Party to Absolute Radio.

Trailer

This episode of Tim's Listening Party, Tim Burgess is joined by one of the most popular pop punk bands in the world, Fall Out Boy. They’re a multi-Grammy nominated band, whose albums have gone multi-platinum internationally. They’ve had 4 number 1s on the Billboard 200 and they’ve headlined stadiums around the world.

Tim chats to Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz & Andy Hurley to have a listening party for their brand new album, So Much (For) Stardust which came out on 24th March, on Fueled by Ramen and DCD2.

Fall Out Boy

For this very special episode, Tim Burgess is was joined for a live Listening Party by Andy McCluskey, the lead singer and bassist of one of the most influential synth-pop acts in history, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

Pioneers of electronic music, OMD were one of the earliest synthesizer-led bands to emerge from the post-punk scene, influencing many artists since, and making their presence felt in the Second British Invasion in the US with the advent of MTV. 

Simply put, OMD are partly responsible for the sound that defined the 80s, and the album they are discussing, Architecture & Morality, remains one of the enduring records of that era.

Architecture & Mortality was released on 6th November 1981 on Dindisc.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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