The record’s first timely single Come on Summer (It’s Party Time) featuring the Ndlovu Youth Choir, famous for the Zulu version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Meanwhile, the full track listing is as follows: A Beautiful World – Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir, Violence Insane, What Really Matters, Don’t Photograph Food, I See You Now, Chump, Spit In His Eye, Jealous Guy (cover), Come On Summer (It’s Party Time) – Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir and A Great Big Beautiful World (reprise) – Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir.

If that wasn’t enough, the Queen drummer is heading back on a UK tour this September with the following dates: Newcastle O2 City Hall (21st), Edinburgh Usher Hall (22nd), Birmingham The Alexandra (24th), Manchester Opera House (25th), London Roundhouse (28th) and Swansea Building Society Arena (29th).

On the theme of Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, Roger elaborated: “There is a theme, you know, it’s in the title really, what a beautiful world we live in, don’t f*** it up. There seems to be all this insanity at the moment. The violence in the world seems to be as bad as it ever was, at any point, and certainly in my lifetime. It’s just horrific, a lot of insane violence. And we do seem to be f***ing up the world, plastics in the sea, you know, and all these awful wars everywhere and hatred born of different religions.”

The drummer added that he intended the tone of the album to be a hopeful one: “It’s a beautiful world, you know. And kindness is very important, I think, it seems to be forgotten quite a lot. So, that is basically the sort of underlying theme.”

On embracing a plethora of sounds and styles on his new record, Roger shared: “I like the idea of eclecticism. I like the idea of different things, you know? I mean, the great example being the Beatles. I always thought that their albums were very eclectic, especially the later albums from Revolver onwards. You never knew what the next track was going to be, and it was totally different to the track before it. We always tried to do that in Queen. We tried to make a lot of different things and fearlessly tread where no sane man would. Yeah, I think people are really going to like the surreal stuff.”

Violence Insane in a Beautiful World can be pre-ordered here – doing so allows first access to tickets for Roger Taylor’s 2026 UK Tour.

Music and football have crossed over for decades. In 1990, Luciano Pavarotti’s flawless rendition of Nessun Dorma, from Puccini’s Turandot, was chosen as the theme for BBC coverage of the FIFA World Cup in Italy. The song was as perfect as it was sublime, a swelling tide of hope facing off against operatic tragedy. I can’t hear it without picturing Gazza’s tears when England lost to West Germany on penalties in the semi-final. The closing “Vincero” (I will win) captured soccer’s drama and passion, catapulting Big P to number two in the charts. The whole world was football crazy that year, and not for the first time.

The earliest footie song, The Dooley Fitba’ Club, was written in the 19th Century and re-recorded as Football Crazy in 1960 by Scots folk duo Robin Hall & Jimmie Macgregor. BBC TV’s Tonight show and radio play helped it seep into the public consciousness. Three years later, the sound of the terraces dominated the charts for the first time when the Dave Clark Five romped to No 1 with Glad All Over. Their “Tottenham Sound” – north London’s boisterous answer to Merseybeat – consisted of instantly catchy songs inspired by the White Hart Lane crowds. Clark, a life-long Spurs supporter, loved the club so much he tried to buy it, and his beefy and unique booming drum beat – developed with engineer Adrian Kerridge – influenced glam rock. Freddie Mercury said Queen got the idea for 1977’s We Will Rock You from Dave Clark’s Bits & Pieces. The B-side, We Are The Champions was also terrace inspired. Wolverhampton’s Slade channelled a similar blend of rowdy rock with hefty hooks and choruses. Hits like Cum On Feel the Noize and Mama Weer All Crazee Now were regularly blasted over stadium speakers to hype up pre-match crowds, although their one football song, 1978’s Give Us A Goal (complete with old-school grumbles like ‘Stop your fancy footwork now!’), conked out at No 62 in the charts. The ultimate goal for soccer-loving English musicians has long been to craft the perfect England song, one that captures the hopes, thrills and disappointments of the beautiful game. And so, after seven decades of football-rock cross-overs, what England anthems were the greatest? Here’s my verdict.

11. We’re On The Ball – Ant & Dec

10. (How Does It Feel To Be) On Top Of The World – England United

9. Jerusalem – Fat Les

8. England’s Irie – Black Grape feat. Joe Strummer & Keith Allen

The Bard is well known for not playing his greatest hits at shows but for doing his own thing, randomly performing songs he hasn’t done in years. And the latest of these happened at this concert on June 6.

Dylan opened his show with You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, his 1967 classic, penned during his self-imposed exile from public appearances after his motorcycle accident a year prior. The track famously features on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes and hasn’t been performed live by the reclusive star since 2012. Listen to his iconic gravelly vocals in the recording above.