The Forty-Five

  • Home
  • The Forty-Five

The Forty-Five Disruptive music commentary through a different lens

Out this Friday, the debut album by – a supergroup of sorts comprised of super-in-their-own-rite popstars and . It's a...
16/09/2025

Out this Friday, the debut album by – a supergroup of sorts comprised of super-in-their-own-rite popstars and .

It's a record that values timeless songwriting over Spotify streams. The music of the ‘70s was certainly in mind. “It’s just aged so well,” FINNEAS says. “You look at something from the past and go, ‘Wow, if this still sounds great in 2024 then it’ll probably sound good for another 20 years’.”

But, far more surprisingly, so were the big-hitters from two decades further down the line – and, in particular, a pair of formerly warring brothers who’ve recently laid down their arms… “We’re not singing big Noel Gallagher melodies on top of it, but there’s a feeling when I hear ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’; there’s a tug that I wanted to imbue this music with,” Finneas grins. “‘The Bends’ by Radiohead, and songs like ‘High and Dry’ and ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ – they don’t feel old but they don’t necessarily feel modern either. They have this ethos that’s ageing super well and the foundation is just great lyrics and melodies and a heartbreaking quality.

Read the full interview at thefortyfive.com
✍🏻:

has announced the initial lineup for the Together For Palestine concert in London. Featuring and lots more. Tickets...
08/08/2025

has announced the initial lineup for the Together For Palestine concert in London. Featuring and lots more. Tickets are available now from OVO arena.co.uk and at the link in stories

Ever wanted to get married at a show? Now you can
23/07/2025

Ever wanted to get married at a show? Now you can

💚💚💚💚
19/07/2025

💚💚💚💚

Ok we've been patient. We want back right now📸:
19/07/2025

Ok we've been patient. We want back right now
📸:

Get me someone to boop me on the nose when I do something clever like boops . Congrats on the No.1 album !!
18/07/2025

Get me someone to boop me on the nose when I do something clever like boops . Congrats on the No.1 album !!

have announced their second album 'From The Pyre' will be released in October. The news comes with the release of a new...
17/07/2025

have announced their second album 'From The Pyre' will be released in October. The news comes with the release of a new track 'This Is The Killer Speaking'. Listen to it here.

Of the new album, the band say:

“This record is a collection of stories, and the concept of album-as-mythos binds them. ‘The Pyre’ itself is an allegorical place in which these tales originate, a place of violence and destruction but also regeneration, passion and light.

“The songs are character driven but still deeply personal, a commonplace life event pushed to pathological extreme. Being ghosted becomes a Western dance with a killer, and heartbreak laughs into the face of the apocalypse. Lyrics invoke rifles, scythes, sailors, saints, cowboys, floods, Mother Earth, Joan of Arc, and blazing infernos. We found this kind of evocative imagery to be the most honest and truthful way to discuss the way our experiences felt, giving each the emotional weight it deserves.”

“This record feels a little darker, more raw and more earthy; it takes place looking out at a sublime landscape rather than seated an opulent table. It also feels metatextual and cheeky in places, like a knowing look reflected back at ourselves.”

First question: will there be bangers though?

Our photographer was busy shooting as many sets as she possibly could this weekend. Here are some of our favourites pho...
01/07/2025

Our photographer was busy shooting as many sets as she possibly could this weekend. Here are some of our favourites photos from 2025. One for the books, I think you'll agree.

As the sun set on the Pyramid Stage for the final time, theories swirled about potential surprise guests for Olivia Rodr...
30/06/2025

As the sun set on the Pyramid Stage for the final time, theories swirled about potential surprise guests for Olivia Rodrigo's Sunday-night headlining set.

In a weekend marked by not-so-secret performances by Pulp and Lorde, the audible gasp in the crowd indicated Rodrigo had managed to pull off a genuine Glastonbury surprise with Robert Smith, who duetted with her on 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Friday I'm in Love.' It was the clear highlight of a triumphant set that drew upon much of the ethos of Rodrigo's Guts Tour but eschewed dancers and choreography in favor of heavy guitars, fireworks, and pyro.
✍🏻:
📸:

After six months that sent her stratospheric, closes 's West Holts stage last night in a show that proved she's here to...
29/06/2025

After six months that sent her stratospheric, closes 's West Holts stage last night in a show that proved she's here to stay. The production, pacing and choreo is flawless – not to mention the flow. This is a woman who has grinded to get where she is and the finesse of this show proves she's not taking any of it for granted. At her UK festival debut, Doechii took us to school to educate us in her story, in rap history and to cement herself as one of the greats. A true masterclass.📸:

Last time played Glastonbury it was back in 2023, for a then-massive Other Stage afternoon set that landed right as the...
28/06/2025

Last time played Glastonbury it was back in 2023, for a then-massive Other Stage afternoon set that landed right as their hyped debut album was propelling them rapidly upwards.

The stage and the slot may have remained roughly the same, but the band that return today are almost unrecognisable from the bonnet-clad, wide-eyed group trying to justify their own hefty buzz back then. Where the Wet Leg of old were endearingly awkward and giggly, now frontwoman Rhian Teasdale strides out for opener ‘Catch These Fists’, muscles on show like the start of World’s Strongest Woman contest. Having zipped around the globe several times over, playing stadiums and arenas and supporting some of the world’s biggest stars, now Teasdale is a supremely confident and practiced band leader.

It’s still idiosyncratic and cheeky - particularly on closer ‘CPR’ where Teasdale and bandmate Hester Chambers trade lines over a red telephone - but now those lines are followed by the singer gyrating around the phone cord like a full-on pop star.

If before Wet Leg leant into their quirks hard, now they’re unafraid to be sexy and bold and sassy too. In between the tried and tested hits, they play a bunch of new tracks from forthcoming second LP ‘Moisturiser’ - ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is fleshed out and heady, while the grungy throb of ‘Pillow Talk’ is the heaviest thing they’ve laid to tape.

Wet Leg have done an awful lot of growing up in the two years since they graced this hallowed stage, and the result is a true graduation.
✍🏻:
📸:

08/06/2025

When I grow up, I want to be sister
📹:

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Forty-Five posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share

What is The Forty-Five?

The Forty-Five is an online music publication for fans.

For years, the music industry has been dominated by men. That goes for music journalism too. Can you believe that still only 14% of music journalists are women? When the critique is always one-sided, is it any wonder that there’s such a problem with gender imbalance in music?

We want to see that change, so we’ve created a supportive network of female storytellers who love music and have something to say. We’ve hand-picked the best writers from around the globe to bring you the most insightful commentary, interviews and playlists about your favourite artists.

Our writers are immersed in the scenes that matter. They are experts, tastemakers and disrupters in the music space and they’re here to help you find your new favourite record.