Arts & Culture Editor
Ya-Wen Chang
ÉTAT HER 編輯角色。往返展場、書店與文化現場，負責把作品、人物與娛樂事件放回創作者和時代的脈絡裡。
Latest Stories
Microsoft Confirms Battlefield 6 Joins Game Pass Day One on October 13, Dismisses Ultimate Tier Overhaul Rumors
In its early-October Game Pass update, Microsoft confirmed that Battlefield 6 will be available on the service starting launch day, while several titles, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, are scheduled to exit the catalog on October 15.
Daisy Chain Fields Raised $20 Million—Yet a Food Truck Vendor Publicly Accuses Organizers of Unpaid Dues and Mismanagement
In an Instagram open letter, Mary Chacon, who owns Ugly Oats Kitchen, credited Olivia Rodrigo with staging a "safe and historic" festival, yet didn't hold back in calling it the worst day her business has ever endured.
Florence + The Machine and Playboi Carti Headline This Year's Record Store Day Black Friday
Record Store Day Black Friday returns November 27 with its complete release slate unveiled. Highlights include a limited chamber rendition from Florence + The Machine and Playboi Carti's debut vinyl pressing, bridging fresh pop releases with beloved reissues.
OpenAI's 722 Math Papers: Single-Prompt Breakthroughs or Unverifiable Claims?
OpenAI published 722 manuscripts on GitHub citing progress on 372 difficult math problems, most generated by feeding one prompt to one AI agent. The underlying model remains undisclosed, and neither the prompts nor computation times were shared, raising doubts about verification.
"Album Icon" Honors Go to Robbie Williams at National Album Day — First-Ever Red & Blue Vinyl Edition Confirmed for Classic LP
Coinciding with National Album Day 2026 naming Robbie Williams this year's "Album Icon," a reissue of "Sing When You're Winning" on red and blue vinyl was also announced — the album's first appearance ever in a coloured format.
Kings Of Leon Set London Comeback at The O2 in 2027 for Venue's 20th Birthday
The band will play London's O2 Arena on July 2, 2027—their first London date since 2024's BST Hyde Park—joining the venue's 20th anniversary celebration lineup.
25 Years Later, PS2's Original SPC970 Security Chip Finally Gives Up Its Secrets
After a four-year effort, developer DiscoStarslayer and collaborator Libby exploited an EEPROM write flaw to extract firmware from the original PS2's MechaCon security chip, posting 22 image files to GitHub.
At Gillette Stadium — the Venue That Banned Macklemore — Zach Bryan Took the Stage Wearing a "Free Palestine" T-Shirt
At Robert Kraft's Gillette Stadium, the very venue that had refused Macklemore a stage just weeks earlier, Zach Bryan and his entire band performed decked out in black "Free Palestine" T-shirts.
New Single "Big Ideas" From Radio Free Alice Features Water From Your Eyes' Rachel Brown
Ahead of their debut studio album "What's In Between", out October 30, Melbourne band Radio Free Alice have unveiled another preview single, "Big Ideas", bringing in Water From Your Eyes frontwoman Rachel Brown for vocals.
How Seventhirtyatmorning Turned a YouTube Type Beat Producer Into His Steady Collaborator
In conversation with The FADER, Minneapolis rapper Seventhirtyatmorning explains how Moscow-based producer luvxomea went from a type beat playlist name to his regular partner, while also detailing the credits and creative evolution behind his new album *Antione's Son*.
Metallica Revives '...And Justice For All' After 12 Years at Sphere Residency Kickoff
On the opening night of their Las Vegas Sphere residency, Metallica brought back '...And Justice For All' for the first time in over a decade and opened the show with the rarely heard 'Battery.' Drummer Lars Ulrich explained how the residency came together.
Square Enix Sets 2027–2028 Dates for Final Fantasy's 40th Anniversary Concert Tour
"Distant Worlds" will mark Final Fantasy's 40th anniversary with Arnie Roth conducting orchestral performances of music by series composers like Nobuo Uematsu. The tour launches in Japan in March 2027 before moving to North America and the UK.
Galaxy Buds On Debuts: Samsung's Open-Ear Earbud First Lands in Korea Before Going Global
Joining Bose, Huawei, and Shokz in the open-ear earbud space, Samsung will roll out its debut Galaxy Buds On in South Korea on October 27 at 299,000 won (about $220). Only a black colorway is confirmed so far, while global pricing and launch details remain unannounced.
GANS Channel Post-Breakup Hookups Into a Séance on Their Upcoming Self-Titled Album, Due February
The West Midlands duo GANS have unveiled their self-titled second album, led by single "My God Is A Stranger," which emerged from a tangle of post-breakup emotional turmoil and a fascination with the occult. Strap Originals will release the album on February 28.
Neurable Drops Master & Dynamic, Builds Its Own Brain-Reading Headphones at Last
Priced at $499, the Neurable One marks the company's first fully self-designed brain-sensing headphones. It pairs 40mm beryllium drivers and six-microphone noise cancellation with built-in EEG tracking for focus and brain age.
Bowling For Soup and Simple Plan Headline Slam Dunk 2027 as Both Mark a Quarter-Century
Slam Dunk Festival has unveiled its first 2027 lineup names, topped by Bowling For Soup and Simple Plan as each celebrates 25 years since their breakthrough albums. Killswitch Engage makes its festival debut, with shows set for Leeds on May 29 and Hatfield on May 30.
What to know | Zelda 40th Anniversary Orchestra Concert Quietly Adds Dates, Carnegie Hall and Hollywood Bowl Join the Tour Map
The key details: Less than a month after announcing its Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Orchestra Concert tour, Nintendo has quietly added new stops including New York's Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, responding to fan complaints that the original 27-date run felt too limited.
Roland Unveils Manhattan Flagship This October — And Leads With the TR-808
The brand's first standalone US store lands in the Meatpacking District, spanning 9,000 square feet with the TR-808 as the opening highlight. Doors open to invited guests on October 10.
Frank Turner Confirms Farewell Run: Lost Evenings Wraps at Wembley in 2027
The British singer-songwriter revealed that the beloved festival's tenth edition will also be its last, taking over OVO Arena Wembley for four nights in November 2027 — dates he's calling his final tour shows for the foreseeable future.
Taylor Swift's 33rd VMA Win Becomes A Tribute To Dolly Parton, The "Ultimate Showgirl"
Taylor Swift took home Video Of The Year at the VMAs for "The Fate Of Ophelia"—but used the moment to honor Dolly Parton, who died last month, calling her the "ultimate showgirl."
What to know | Down Two of Six, KATSEYE Pulls Off SNL Debut as a Foursome — And Even Jokes About Their Survival-Show Origins
The key details: KATSEYE performed "Animal" and "Hootie Frutti" during Saturday Night Live's Season 52 premiere on September 26. With members Sophia Laforteza and Manon Bannerman still on hiatus, the remaining four took the stage — and also poked fun at their own competition-show origins in a sketch.
Rachel Chinouriri Bridges Then and Now on SNL UK's Stage
The London singer-songwriter brought both eras of her catalog to SNL UK's second season, mixing a preview of new material with her breakout hit "Never Need Me" as she counts down to October's album drop.
What to know | Who Fills the Drummer Vacancy? Paul McCartney's Go-To Drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. Steps In for Pearl Jam
The key details: In its first show since Matt Cameron's departure, Pearl Jam surprised fans at Ohana Festival by bringing in McCartney's longtime drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. to man the kit, with Eddie Vedder calling him tonight's "sub."
What to know | Severe Weather Cancels Ed Sheeran's Two Gillette Stadium Shows, Closing the Book on Macklemore Controversy
The key details: Ed Sheeran was slated to play two shows at Robert Kraft's Gillette Stadium, but they were called off due to severe weather warnings from a powerful East Coast nor'easter, which also forced the cancellation of multiple major music events in New York and Philadelphia.
From a Single Tour Bonus Track to a Full Album: The Unexpected Origin Story of Julia Holter's 'Materia'
What began as Julia Holter's plan to write just one new song for her band's tour setlist turned into something much bigger: digging through an old Logic file led her to assemble an entire new album, Materia, drawing on material from 2020 through 2024.
When a Video Game Can Move an Entire League: Steven Adams' GTA6 Warning
At a press conference, Houston Rockets center Steven Adams predicted the NBA's overall performance will slip the week GTA 6 drops on November 19 — a claim Take-Two's own CEO has echoed before.
Age Verification Rolls Out on Discord: No Extra Steps for Most, Several Ways for Unverified Accounts to Confirm Age
This week marks the launch of Discord's automatic classification of adult and teen accounts, using signals such as account activity, with roughly 90% of users expected to pass without any action. Accounts that aren't auto-verified can instead prove their age via a credit card, the App Store, or a facial age scan.
London Gets a New Apple Venue Where Live Shows Double as Recording Sessions, Finished Masters Included
Inside Battersea Power Station, Apple Music Hall combines a 600-capacity stage with two built-in recording studios and 48 speakers, so performers can exit the stage already holding a Spatial Audio mix and multi-camera footage from their set.
What to know | She Says Elden Ring Saved Her Life, So She Wrote an Entire Album About It
The key details: Noctule, the solo project of former Svalbard frontwoman Serena Cherry, will release its Elden Ring-themed album Extinguish Thy Flame on September 25, with each track corresponding to a boss from the game.
What to know | Acer to Lenovo: Five Googlebooks Launch Together—Nearly Identical Specs, But Prices Differ by a Full $400
The key details: Google's first batch of Googlebooks opened for preorder today, with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo each releasing one model. Engadget editors tested all five and found their spec sheets nearly identical, but pricing and design choices tell a very different story.