Music notes: Guns N’ Roses, Stanley Simmons and The Cure

With a world tour starting this spring, Guns N’ Roses are teasing fans with two “new” tunes: “Nothin’” and “Atlas.” The songs date back to the recording sessions for 2008’s Chinese Democracy but have been updated with fresh guitar and bass parts from Slash and Duff McKagan. 

Since reuniting in 2016, the band has released six songs, including two in 2021 (“Absurd” and “Hard Skool”) and another two in 2023 (“Perhaps” and “The General). Most agree “Hard Skool” is the standout, while many consider the other three forgettable cuts that may have been better left in the vault.

The good news is the pair of 2025 songs rise above the rest. The harder-rocking “Atlas” recalls classic GN’R, powered by tribal drums, Slash’s wailing guitar and Axl’s voice sounding as strong as it did, well, 17 years ago. The power ballad “Nothin’” opens with jazzy keys, builds into an impassioned guitar solo and lands with soaring vocals. It feels like a fitting bookend to 1991’s “November Rain.”  

Hopefully, the band will play “Hard Skool” and “Nothin’” on their 2026 world tour, which will hit more than 30 stadiums and festivals across the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe. The tour kicks off March 28 in Monterrey, Mexico, and stops at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 2.

All in the family

It’s hardly surprising when rock stars’ kids launch music careers of their own. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has two sons doing just that: Lennon performs in the punk band Automotion and Gene plays in Villanelle, a grunge/alt-rock group.

What is rare is when two children with parents in the same famous band form a group together.

Enter Stanley Simmons, a new duo from Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons, sons of KISS legends Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Evan, 31, and Nick, 36, have built momentum online since posting a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” on Instagram last year. On Dec. 5, they dropped their mostly acoustic debut, “Body Down.” While the pair’s voices echo their famous fathers, their sound leans more toward Crosby, Stills & Nash and America, with smooth, folksy harmonies far from KISS’ glam rock punch. 

It will be interesting to see where Stanley Simmons takes this. Keep an eye out for their upcoming album, produced by Green Day’s Rob Cavallo. 

The Cure for the holidays

As reported here in October 2024, following the release of The Cure’s first album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World, the British band filmed a live show at London’s Troxy in front of 3,000 fans. That concert film is now headed to theaters for a limited engagement Dec. 11, 13 and 14.

Directed by Grammy-nominated Nick Wickham, The Show of a Lost World features the full 31-song performance, remixed by Robert Smith and remastered in 4K. The nearly three-hour set includes Songs of a Lost World in its entirety plus classic hits and a tribute to their second album, 1980’s Seventeen Seconds. 

For San Diego theater locations and showtimes, check here.

And if you’re hunting for a cool gift for the music or Cure fan in your life, The Show of a Lost World will be available on DVD and Blu-ray starting Dec.13.

Donovan Roche is a longtime music writer based in San Diego. His “Music Notes” column and other work frequently appear in Times of San Diego.