Most Recent Music And Entertainment News

If you’d like to discover the most up-to-the-minute music news, then The UK Top 40 supplies all the latest in music news, allowing you to discover all the hottest new gossip before your friends! Read our fabulous music articles and discover just why Adele has been forced to swap her robotic tones, for soulful ones and exactly why Muse have been forced to deny split rumours. Read on to uncover the ultimate music bulletins and garish gossip.

For all of you Manic Street Preachers lovers, you’ll be thrilled to learn that they’re BACK! Yes, the band’s new album ‘Rewind The Film’ is due for release on September 16th. They’re certainly not new to this industry. In fact you could say they’re the connoisseurs of the music industry.

Not only have they announced their 11th album – yes that’s right – we said 11th, but they have also announced details of a single and a tour. The album ‘Rewind The Film’ is due for release on September 16th.

Recorded in a selection of interesting locations, including the band’s own studio in Cardiff, Hansa in Berlin and Rockfield in Monmouthshire – it features a fantastic selection of guest appearances, including the likes of Lucy Rose on track ‘This Sullen Welsh Heart’, Richard Hawley on the title track and Cate Le Bon on track ‘4 Lonely Roads’.

Title track ‘Rewind The Film’ features Richard Hawley who told us “I am so chuffed to have been asked to sing with the mighty Manics” and “The whole experience is something I’ll treasure forever – I love the Manics and what they stand for and to be a tiny part of that means the world to me.”

‘Rewind The Film’ is the follow-up to their album ‘Postcards From A Young Man’ released in 2010. The band’s tour will shortly follow the September 9th release of their single ‘Show Me The Wonder’, where they’ll be playing at the following locations; Glasgow, Manchester, London, Bristol, Dublin and Newport.

See below for more details:

Newport Centre (September 13th)
Dublin Olympia (September 20th)
Bristol Colston Hall (September 22nd)
London Shepherds Bush Empire (September 24th)
Manchester Ritz (September 27th)
Glasgow Barrowland (September 29th)

If you love Manic Street Preachers as much as we do here at UK Top 40, be ready as tickets go on sale Friday July 12th. We hope to see you there!

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8 Jul 2013

Manic Street Preachers Are BACK!

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Ringo Starr is to reveal never-seen-before photographs of him and fellow Beatles bandmates in his new book due out next month.

The book titled ‘Photograph’ is due to be released in December this year, however the e-book will be available from June 12.

The Photograph e-book will be available to buy from Apple’s iBookstore, which will collaborate with Grammy Museum exhibit on Starr; Ringo: Peace & Love.

The eclectic and exciting assortment of Beatles photography include images of bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison during their journey to fame in Liverpool.

The e-book comes complete with commentary recorded by the iconic drummer. In a statement Ringo says: “These are shots that no one else could have.”

The Beatles UK chart record was recently beaten by Scottish singer Emeli Sande for the most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 for any album. She beat The Beatles ‘Please Please Me’ which remained in the Top 10 for 62 weeks during 1963 and 1964, with her album ‘Our Version of Events’ which run for an astounding 63 weeks.

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1 Jun 2013

Ringo Starr to Expose New Beatles Pictures

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

American singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill is to spend three months in prison for failing to pay around $1 million in taxes.

The former Fugees singer and mother-of-six, is said to have plead guilty to three counts of failure to file tax returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007. It is thought that the singer earned an estimated $1.8 million during that time.

Sentenced yesterday (May 6th), Hill will not only have to serve three months in prison, but must also pay a $60,000 (£39,000) fine. Once released, she will then have to spend a further three months in home confinement and under parole supervision for a year.

The successful songstress, best known for her hits with The Fugees which include ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ and ‘Ready or Not’, took a step back from the music industry during the very years she was accused of dodging tax. Hill’s rejection of the limelight was a result of what she described as ‘a climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism’ – Hill’s take on the modern music industry.

Despite her soon-to-be incarceration and seeming lack of love for the music industry, Hill is still set to release her new album – Neurotic Society. Speaking about the upcoming release, Hill said the following:

‘Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released.’

Lauryn Hill will report to an unnamed prison, on the 8th of July.

 

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12 May 2013

Lauryn Hill to Serve 3 Months in Prison

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Super model Lily Cole is the star of band Yeah Yeah Yeahs music video, for new hit – ‘Sacrilege’.

In the somewhat controversial video, the model turned actress plays a rebellious small-town girl, who has multiple affairs with local residents.

Scenes from the video show a scantily-clad Lily, cavorting with several different men – even a married woman. In another, the actress goes topless – quashing her squeaky-clean image once and for all.
However, this is not the first time that Lily has stripped down for the cameras. In 2008, she caused quite a stir after posing naked for the cover of French Playboy magazine.

The track for the video, ‘Sacrilege’, is the lead single from Yeah Yeah Yeah’s upcoming album – ‘Mosquito’. This will be the band’s fourth album.

Speaking about the album, front woman Karen O, 34, described the recording process as a ‘roller coaster’ of emotions.

‘It was tough. There were dark times,’ she said. ‘It’s probably some of the most tongue-in-cheek stuff that we’ve done in a while.’

‘Mosquito’ will be released on the 15th April 2013.

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11 Apr 2013

Lily Cole Bares All in Yeah Yeah Yeahs New Music Video

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Dave Grohl came clean last week, unashamedly revealing his all-time guilty pleasure – Psy’s Gangnam Style.

Unafraid to step away from his gritty rock ‘n’ roll image, the Foo Fighters rocker was quoted as telling rollingstone.com that ‘I can honestly say that Gangnam Style is one of my favourite songs of the last 10 years.’

Aware that many would challenge the star’s somewhat unusual admission, the unapologetic singer was quoted to have then said ‘F**k guilty pleasure…What about just pleasure?’

Dave was said to have made the comical confession whilst performing at the Southwest Music Festival. The festival, which is based in Texas, originally began over 27 years ago – in an attempt to give Texan up-and-comers a platform through which they could make their music known. The festival is said to have helped launch the careers of artists such as Green Day, Iggy Pop, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend.

Dave Grohl is no doubt joined by thousands of others in his love for the South Korean star Psy and his hugely successful ‘Gangnam Style’. The hit single, which was first released in July 2012, is best known for having the first music video to reach over 1 billion views on YouTube and has gained much popularity for its catching dance moves.

Grohl is yet to publically prove that he has any Gangnam moves of his own. However, now that his secret it out, we can hope that it is only a matter of time.

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20 Mar 2013

Dave Grohl Shares His Ultimate Guilty Pleasure

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

It was his first appearance at the Brits in 10 years, since that performance back in 2003, when he famously grabbed Kylie’s derriere.

However, the Justin Timberlake that viewers saw take to the stage last Friday, was a million miles from the Timberlake they watched perform all those years ago.

In a sensational return, the star decided to treat viewers to his first performance of new single ‘Mirrors’ – as opposed to his recent comeback hit, ‘Suit and Tie’.

For the night Justin had styled himself in a black suit and bow tie, finishing the ultra-sharp look with side slicked hair. His choice of song is taken from the singer’s upcoming album, ‘The 20/20 Experience’, which will be the star’s third studio album and no doubt at big hit at next year’s award shows.

Later in the evening, Justin continued to enjoy his success with a post-ceremony concert. With his beautiful wife Jessica Biel in tow, the singer took the party to the Kentish Town Forum, where he continued to sing into the night.

Jessica was clearly enthralled by her new hubby’s performance, and was seen dancing and singing along throughout the concert.

Much to the excitement of JT fans everywhere, the star has also recently made the announcement that he and Jay-Z will be coming together for a joint world tour, which is to begin this summer. The duo collaborated together for Justin’s recent single ‘Suit and Tie’, which they notably performed together at the recent Grammy Awards.

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Boy band One Direction have once again taken the charts by storm, this time with their Comic Relief charity single – ‘One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)’.

The single, a cover of both Blondie’s 1979 hit and The Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’, has already become the fastest-selling single of 2013. In fact, the song has proven to be such a success that it has even fended off competition from the likes of Bauuer’s ‘Harlem Shake’ and Macklemore’s ‘Thrift Shop’ to make it to the top of the charts – two viral hits whose success is comparable to that of Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’.

The boys treated fans to their first performance of the song whilst attending Friday’s Brit Awards. As the heartthrob five took to the stage, the O2 stadium was filled with what were arguably the loudest screams of the night by the boys’ many fans.

As well as achieving great success in the charts, the video for the single has also proven a big hit – already clocking up millions of online views. The boys shot the humorous music video themselves; clips include band member Niall taking a shower, the boys spending time in Ghana and even dancing around the Prime Minister.

David Cameron boasted of his big cameo in the video, by tweeting a photo of him and the boys. He wrote, ‘Enjoyed my cameo in @onedirection’s vid for @comicrelief charity single. Glad to help with the filming location.’

In aid of the charity single all five boys visited Ghana in Africa, to see for themselves how money raised by the charity will help to save families in desperate need of food, water and shelter. You can find out more about the boys’ trip during the live Red Nose Day telethon, which will be broadcasted Friday 15th March.

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23 Feb 2013

One Direction Bag UK Number One With Charity Single

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Emeli Sande, Ben Howard and Mumford and Sons were just a few of the many stars to be honoured at the London O2 ceremony.

Singer Emeli Sande was arguably the biggest winner on the night, scooping two awards for best British Female and British Album. In the meantime, the hugely successful Mumford and Sons were named best British group, whilst Ben Howard won the awards for best British male and newcomer.

Sande had received four nominations in total, two of which were in the best single category. The singer’s win in the best female category meant that there was no posthumous triumph for the late Amy Winehouse, who was also up for nomination.

Whilst accepting the award for best British Album, Sande gave a touching speech. Speaking on her win, she described herself as ‘a very unlikely pop star’ and spoke of how she wrote the album ‘because I didn’t have the confidence to say these things in person’.

Her debut album titled ‘Our Version of Events’ proved the most popular album of 2012, selling more than 1.4 million copies in the UK.

Sande was given the honour of closing the night’s celebrations. The singer, visibly enjoying the night, confidently took to the stage to sing a brilliant medley of two of her greatest hits – ‘Next To Me’ and ‘Clown’ – cementing her title as Queen of the Brits for the night.

Best newcomer Ben Howard, triumphed over the likes of Olly Murs, Calvin Harris and Richard Hawley to win the gong in the best British male category. His win as best newcomer however came as a shock to many, beating the bookies’ favourite Rita Ora.

Each winner was lucky enough to take home a trophy designed by popular artist, Damien Hurst.

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Adele has started the New Year with yet another big win – this time, winning a Golden Globe for the James Bond theme track ‘Skyfall’.

Beating tracks from The Hunger Games and Les Miserables, Adele’s rendition of the Bond hit ‘Skyfall’ bagged the trophy for Best Original Song at the prestigious Golden Globes award show.

Adele’s win at the Golden Globes was the star’s first big public appearance, since the recent birth of her son in October. The Grammy Award winner looked flawless on the night and as always, brought a chuckle to the star studded audience with her excited acceptance speech.

Whilst onstage, Adele was visibly shocked and overjoyed at her big win, saying: ‘Honestly, I’ve come for a night out with my friend Ida; we’re new mums. We’ve literally come for a night out. I was not expecting this. Thank you so much!’

‘It is very strange to be here. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your world for a night. It’s amazing. We’ve been pissing ourselves laughing all night…And this is for my boyfriend Simon, who convinced me to do it, and my lovely son. Thank you so much.’

The theme track for last year’s Bond film ‘Skyfall’ was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and Adele has said that recording the track alongside a 77-piece orchestra was one of the proudest moments of her life.

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14 Jan 2013

Adele Bags Golden Globe With Bond Song ‘Skyfall’

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

After eight long years, the girl group are back! Destiny’s Child has released their new single ‘Nuclear’, which is said to feature on their forthcoming album – ‘Love Songs’.

It was only last week that an excited Beyoncé took to social media site Facebook, to announce that the group had reformed, writing ‘I am so proud to announce the first original Destiny’s Child music in eight years!’

Destiny’s Child decided to go their separate ways back in 2006, in order to pursue their own solo careers. Whilst going solo, all three members of the group have enjoyed huge successes of their own.

Band member Michelle has enjoyed great success in the gospel charts, whilst members’ Kelly and Beyoncé have accumulated a string of top hits – with Beyoncé in particular reaching solo superstar status.

Much to the excitement of fans, the much-loved girl group are also reported to be reuniting live on stage for the February 2013 Super Bowl. They are expected to play their new hit ‘Nuclear’, as well as perform a medley of their greatest hits.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé has also revealed that she has been working with a number of R&B stars for her forthcoming new album. The singer is said to have been in the studio with big names such as Pharrel, Timbaland, Dream and Justin Timberlake.

The girl’s forthcoming album ‘Love Songs’ is due for release on January 29th.

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12 Jan 2013

Destiny’s Child Unveil New Single ‘Nuclear’

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Veteran pop superstar, David Bowie, shocked both fans and media alike when on his 66th birthday (January 8th) he released a brand new track.

The track is the megastar’s first in over two decades. The single, ‘Where Are We Now’, has already found its way into the UK Top 10 charts – selling 30,000 copies within the first five days of its release. Prior to this surprise release, Bowie’s last Top 10 hit was with the song ‘Absolute Beginners’ back in 1986.

Despite breaking his two decade long silence to surprise fans with this latest hit, Bowie is reportedly adamant that there will not be any live shows to accompany his new work. In a telling interview with Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti, it is made clear that Bowie never intended to take part in any live shows in order to promote his album.

Speaking to a magazine, Visconti revealed: ‘He’s fairly adamant he’s never gonna perform live again…One of the guys would say, ‘Boy, how are we gonna do all this live?’ and David said, ‘We’re not.’ He made a point of saying that all the time.’

This will no doubt come as a big disappointment to many fans that had hoped for a big Bowie comeback. However, who knows what the future may hold for the legendary artist?

For now, fans can look forward to some more hits from Bowie with his forthcoming album, ‘The Next Day’, which is due to be released in March.

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After months of speculation, Katy Perry and singer John Mayer have decided to go public with their relationship.

Katy Perry introduced the notorious lady’s man as her ‘boyfriend’ whilst the pair attended a Broadway Show, ‘A Christmas Story: The Musical in New York’.

The pair were spotted hand in hand together on the red carpet, with John said to be playing the dutiful boyfriend – letting his new lady soak up the spotlight as they made their way in to watch the performance.

The couple, who have been linked since the summer, were asked to meet the show’s crew and cast backstage. Whilst backstage, Katy is said to have then introduced John to the assembled cast, saying ‘This is my boyfriend John’.

Confirmation of their romantic relationship comes just several months after Katy’s divorce from Russell Brand was finalised. They were married for just 14 months.

Since Katy’s divorce from Russell she has been linked to a few men, none of whom seemed to stick. After the split from her husband, Katy spoke in an interview about her struggle to find love, saying ‘Being in love is the dream. But the reality of making it work is not like the movies.’

Meanwhile, John Mayer is known for his reputation as a ruthless ladies man. The musician has been linked to a number of Hollywood’s most eligible ladies, some of whom include Taylor Swift, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Jessica Simpson and perhaps the most memorable of all his relationships – Jenifer Aniston.

Let’s hope that this time around the pair are luckier in love.

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The result that we have all been waiting for – James Arthur has won this year’s X factor final!

Beating Jahmene Douglas to win the competition’s prestigious recording contract and prize money, it was James’s rendition of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ and his choice of winner’s song, Shontelle’s ‘Impossible’, that led to him scoping the win during the show’s live final.

Minutes after being declared this year’s winner, James, 24, said: “I don’t believe it…I’ve just got to say thank you to the people who voted for me…”

His mentor Nicole Scherzinger was also visibly thrilled with the result and described James as a ‘fighter’. On his win, Nicole said this:

“He wanted this, he willed this to happen. He deserves this so much.

“And Jahmene – I’m so proud of both my boys.”

James is originally from Saltburn by the Sea in north Yorkshire. Having gigged for several years in his local area, it is said that only at the very last moment did James decided to audition for the X Factor, after friends reasoned that ‘he had nothing to lose.’

Not long since his victorious win and James is already reaping the rewards of his success. His debut single ‘Impossible’ has already clocked up a whopping 255,000 sales – giving James the fastest selling single of 2012. This is another first for The X Factor, as never before has an X Factor finalists’ debut single hit such heights so quickly.

The proceeds from James Arthur’s single will be going to the children’s charity – Together For Short Lives – who support children and the families of children with life-limiting conditions.

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10 Dec 2012

James Arthur Crowned This Year’s X Factor Winner

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News

Its 25 years since the song enjoyed its original success, but The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ looks set to bag this year’s Christmas number one spot.

The popular hit from The Pogues and Kirsty McColl is arguably the greatest Christmas song ever written. Every man, woman and child will undoubtedly have memories of singing along to the song during happy Christmases past.

Originally reaching No. 2 in the 1987 charts (The Pet Shop Boys kept them off of the top spot), Shane MacGowan and Kirsty McColl’s gritty performance of the haunting ‘Fairytale Of New York’ ensured that it lived on to become the much-loved Christmas song that it is today.

So much so, that 25 years on from its original release and the hit has been given odds of 25/1 to reach the number one spot in time for this Christmas.

The song, which is still as popular as it was in the 80’s, has proven a hit with generation after generation – staying in the Christmas Top 20 Charts every year since 2005.

But just what is it about this reminiscent song and its storyline of quarrelling ex-lovers that made it the beloved Christmas hit that it is today?

Shane MacGowan, singer of The Pogues, had this to say about the song and its success:

“Obviously it is hard for me to say what makes Fairytale so popular…The band played really well and Kirsty did an incredible vocal. I also think a lot of people identify with the main characters being down on their luck and remembering better days and dreams they once had.”

‘Fairytale of New York”, 25th Anniversary single, is out now.

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Here at UK Top 40, we are very sad to announce that sadly, the singer Andy Williams has passed away at the grand age of 84.

Reports have stated that the legend that is Andy Williams died peacefully at his home in Missouri on Tuesday 25th September, having battled with bladder cancer for many years.

Mr Williams exposed that he had been battling with bladder cancer since November 2011. He declared that he would return to the stage after beating the disease, vowing that the cancer was “no longer a death sentence”. Unfortunately, a representative for the singer has now confirmed the news that Mr Williams succumbed to his illness.

Having stormed the charts with his first single back in 1953, he then went on to release 3 Platinum albums and 15 Gold albums! Altogether he recorded a grand total of 42 studios albums and was recognised as one of the most popular vocalists in the swinging sixties.

Not only was he a legendary singer, but he also thrived on running his own theatre in his home town ‘the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre’ – named after the renowned track. He also excelled in his very own TV series ‘The Andy Williams Show’ of which won three Emmy awards.

In the UK, he most recently released a hit single with Denise Van Outen ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ in 2002. This was a re-recorded version of the original and reached number 23 in the charts.

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27 Sep 2012

Andy Williams Passes Away Aged 84

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

According to recent reports – it is said that Rihanna is to defend her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in court. Brown reportedly tested positive for cannabis which if is true would mean he has violated the terms of his probation. He supposedly took the drug whilst completing his community service in Virginia.

Despite assaulting Rihanna on the night of the Grammys in 2009, Rihanna allegedly is prepared to defend her ex-boyfriend in court. Compulsory drug tests are not a condition of Brown’s probation, yet a judge has set a hearing to decide whether he has violated his probation on additional matters, including; travel restrictions and his community service.

Rihanna is said to want to tell Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg that a date should not be set for a probation hearing as Brown has shown remorse for his actions.

A source has stated that Rihanna told Chris she would support him in court on November 1st and would also tell the court that Chris Brown isn’t the same person now, as he was on that fateful night when he assaulted her.

Brown was sentenced to six months of probation and five years of community service after pleading guilty to criminal assault in 2009. Despite Rihanna’s support, Chris Brown has recently become the target of a UK sticker campaign. Copies of his album have been labelled with warnings to not buy his music as the singer “beats women”.

Rihanna is said to not be concerned if she gains criticism for standing by Chris as she genuinely loves him.

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Lady Gaga’s record label – has according to reports – advised that she loses weight and fast! Her Universal bosses are said to have ‘told her to stop gorging on her favourite foods’.

The ‘Poker Face’ singer is currently on her world tour with her Monster Ball show and has been asked to cut down on her junk food intake after additional costumes had to be ordered to fit her somewhat larger physique.

A radio interview revealed that Gaga said she had gained weight due to eating at her Dad’s Italian restaurant. A source to the star disclosed that her tight and skimpy costumes were not flattering her larger and fuller figure. This is where Universal decided to step in and order her more flattering costumes to last for the remainer of her tour.

Sources say that Gaga’s Italian roots are to blame for her huge appetite for Italian delicacies. When on tour it’s easy to gorge of pizza and pasta and any other foods that remind you of being at home, especially when working away from home for long periods of time.

Gaga’s tiny frame means that as soon as she begins gaining a few pounds, it shows – but all she needs to do to keep the weight off is work out in order to gain back her incredible slender physique.

Earlier this years, Gaga was criticised by fans and the National Eating Disorder Association after claiming on Twitter “real pop stars don’t eat”. However she has since admitted to suffering with both Bulimia and Anorexia since the age of 15. She said ‘I used to throw up all the time in high school’ and ‘I wanted to be that skinny little ballerina but I was a voluptuous little Italian girl’.

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10 Sep 2012

Bosses Tell Lady Gaga To Stop Gorging On Junk Food

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

After a successful first series, Jessie J is to return to series 2 of The Voice. Jessie confirmed the great news that she will be returning to the BBC talent show. Tweeting, Jessie said “The Voice UK Series 2… Are you ready? I AM ;-)

Ever since the 1st series came to a close, there were rumours circulating that Jessie J would not be re-joining the panel. However, since her 2nd tweet pretty
much confirmed her presence in the upcoming series,
saying “I WILL be a coach on the 2nd series of The Voice UK!” we have been jumping for joy.

Her following tweet stated “I’m BACK! As I have always said. Unless you hear it from me – Don’t always believe what you read! Can’t wait!”

In the first series, mentors Jessie J, Will.I.Am, Danny O’Donoghue and Tom Jones had to face away from contestants whilst listening to them perform. If they decided they wanted to represent that particular contestant they would then spin round in their chair to face them.

The second series, which is due to run in 2013, is yet to confirm the subsequent mentors and whether all three of the originals will return. Jessie J is the first mentor to announce her return to the 2nd series, so we will just have to wait and see who the others may be.

The series received brilliant reviews as well as many thousands of viewers throughout, however ratings dipped towards the end of the competition – this may be because the show went head to head with ITV’s talent show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

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24 Aug 2012

Jessie J to Return to the Voice

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Green Day launched their new album ‘iUno!, iDos!, iTre!’ at a live gig in London’s O2 Shepards Bush Empire on August 23rd.

Performing their 1st gig in the UK in nearly 2 years, the awe-inspiring band played 6 tracks from their new album trilogy, inclusive of their newest track single ‘Oh Love’ as well as their Amy Winehouse tribute track ‘Amy’.

To begin the show, Green Day’s drummer Tre’ Cool took to the stage on his own and playfully told the audience ‘Sorry everyone, Billie Joe’s (Armstrong) got Laryngitis”. He then played a raggedy version of ‘All By Myself’, which saw Armstrong appear and conclude the song by joining in on the drums. The two band members then swapped to their rightful places in presence of a defining cheer as the band launched into ‘Welcome to Paradise’.

Their set lasted two hours and the bank were accompanied by regular live guitarist Jason White as well as two extra musicians. Their performance included well-known tracks such as ‘Nuclear Family’, ‘Stay the Night’, ‘Stop When the Red Light’ and the closing to ’99 Revolutions’.

The band’s new album-trilogy ‘¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré!’ will be released in three stages. The 1st album ‘¡Uno!’ on September 24, the 2nd album ‘¡Dos!’ on November 12 and the third ‘¡Tré!’ on January 14.

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23 Aug 2012

Green Day Perform Their First UK Gig in Almost 2 Years

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

At V Festival 2012, Noel Gallagher’s performance was epic! He began his set by dedicating his Oasis track ‘Supersonic’ to double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah.

His set was packed with material from his debut solo album, along with classic Oasis tracks – Gallagher astounded his Essex-based audience on the Virgin Media stage in Chelmsford.

Prior to playing the classic song’s acoustic version ‘Supersonic’, Noel dedicated it to Olympic 2012 10,000m and 5,000m champion Mo Farah and in response received an overjoyed applause from an ever-so enthusiastic crowd.

Some of the cheekier crowd members were overheard chanting “Where’s Liam? Where’s Liam?” To which Noel’s response was… “Where’s Ian? He’s backstage” Referring to The Stone Roses main-man.

The legendary Manchester band was the closing act for the first day of Hyland Park’s Festival – a remarkable set that lasted 90 minutes.

Arriving on stage in a spectacular jacket – Ian Brown’s unique and specially designed windbreaker jacket was adorned with artwork from the band’s 1st album. “Do you like me Jacket?” was the question Ian asked his audience before launching into “I Wanna Be Adored”.

‘Mersey Paradise’ turned into a singalong, where frontman remarked “That’s nice of you, you wouldn’t be seen dead near the Mersey, am I right?”

The band played every song from their legendary 1989 debut album, except ‘Bye Bye Badman’ as well as many of their other classics, such as ‘Fools Gold’, ‘Ten Storey Love Song’, ‘Sally Cinnamon’ and many more. Their performance ended with a superb firework display as ‘I Am the Resurrection’ came to a remarkable close.

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18 Aug 2012

Noel Gallagher Dedicates ‘Supersonic’ to Mo Farah

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Adele, one of Britain’s biggest female artists, has revealed the exciting news that she is an expectant mum to-be!

The ‘Someone Like You’ singer made the shock announcement on her website that she and her boyfriend Simon Konecki were expecting a baby – much to the delight of her fans.

On the website, Adele broke the news by telling fans “I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together. I wanted you to hear the news direct from me, obviously we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time. Yours always, Adele xx.”

The singer has been dating her boyfriend Simon, 36, for just over six months now and the pair has seemed extremely happy together. The singer has never tried to hide the fact that she has always wanted to be a mother and once even said that she hoped to have at least three sons by the time that she reached 30.

After the success of her award-winning album ‘21’, which transformed her into a worldwide star, the singer also told the media that she planned on taking some time out from her career to focus on her relationship and have a family. However, the star then quickly rushed to take back her words after fans began to panic that they would see no more of the singer for some time.

Having said this, the beautiful soul singer is still yet to announce a date for her next album – or her new little arrival.

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It’s been the question on everybody’s lips since pop singer Katy Perry and comedian Russell Brand announced that they were getting divorced after only 14 months of marriage – who exactly was to blame for their split?
Katy Perry’s new documentary ‘Katy Perry: Part Of Me’ may have been portrayed as just another concert movie, but audiences have been stunned by the ‘warts and all’ depiction of the star’s breakdown of her marriage in the movie.
Since the shock split between both Russell and Katy, the celebrity pair has remained tight-lipped on the exact cause behind their divorce – until the documentary. In the beautiful songstress’s big screen hit Russell is frequently shown in the beginning of the documentary and the newlyweds appear very much in love. However, as the documentary progresses fans watch as Russell features less and less in the footage and a very lonely Katy begins to break down – with some scenes even showing the star to break-down in fits of sobbing.
Despite the unusually honest portrayal of the celebrity’s life, which fans are not used to seeing from a well-known star, Katy insists that she was more than happy to show her fans her more vulnerable side.
Talking frankly about her decision to include more painful moments from her private life in the movie, Katy told a magazine the following:
“I think sometimes, when you eat the dirt a little bit, it builds character… I’m OK with being humbled, even the hard way sometimes, and I don’t like to paint the perfect picture. I like to be able to show everything and make sure that people see that they too don’t have to be absolutely problem-free and perfect in order to get where they want to go.”
The documentary may not provide all of the answers as to why the couple choose to part ways, but one thing that it does show, is that nothing will keep this feisty female down for long.

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The streets of Hackney, London will be buzzing this weekend for the ferocious Radio 1 Hackney weekend! Music fans from across the UK are expected to flock to the capital for the event and will be donned in their best wellies and ponchos to see some of the greatest artists currently topping the charts.
From Rihanna to Professor Green, Kasabian to Nicki Minaj, Plan B to Lana Del Ray and Rita Ora to Leona Lewis – the endless list of stars to attend and perform at the event is truly astonishing, concreting the weekend-long festival’s status as possibly the greatest music event of the year. With six stages dedicated to sheer talent and fantastic performances, festival goers will certainly not be disappointed.
It is safe to say that both celebrities and fans alike will have an amazing time, particularly so for some performers who will find the weekend particularly momentous performing on their own home-turf. UK rappers Professor Green and Plan B, real names Stephen Manderson and Ben Drew, both are originally from Hackney and are said to be extremely excited about playing to large Hackney crowds.
Meanwhile, despite the forecase of rain for the weekend, it is reported that more than 100,000 music fans are due to attend the fantastic Hackney Weekend.

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The Bee Gee’s legend Robin Gibb has sadly died after his lengthy battle with cancer.

The well-loved singer was aged 62 years old when his battle with colon and liver cancer finally came to an end, after having made what was described as a ‘spectacular’ recovery from a coma only a month ago.

The star’s death was confirmed by his deeply saddened family a few days ago when the following statement was released to the public:
‘The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer…’

Robin Gibb’s spectacular music career began in the 50’s, when he and his brothers formed the band The Bee Gees. The group went on to enjoy huge success together that spanned over six incredible decades. Having enjoyed record sales of over 200 million, the group were best known for their big hits such as ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Night Fever’, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ and ‘I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You’.

Before he passed away, Robin had been working on a classical concept album ‘The Requeim for Titanic’ with his son Robin-John, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the nautical disaster. However, he was too ill to attend the premiere of his work.

Since his passing, numerous artists have come forward to express their sadness at the star’s death and to pay tribute to the influence that the star’s music had on them. Liam Gallagher, Bruno Mars, The Cribs and Duran Duran were among the many to pay their respects to Robin and show their appreciation for the impact that The Bee Gees had on the music industry throughout their long reign.

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Global superstar Lady Gaga’s plans for an arena show in the Philippines has been threatened, as Christian campaigners have been calling for the show to be cancelled.

Lady Gaga arrived in the Philippines to crowds of religious protesters who were insisting that the star ‘stops the blasphemy’ and cancels her show which was due to be played on two dates in the 20,000-seat Mall of Asia.

The majority of protestors who are hoping to put an end to Gaga’s plans for a show in the area, largely consist of members from the Bilblemode Youth Philippines group. Members of the group claim to be deeply offended by Gaga’s music and its blasphemous lyrics, especially the lyrics to one of her biggest hits ‘Judas’ which they feel ‘mocks Jesus Christ’.

Lady Gaga is no stranger to controversy and has been known to come up against these issues in other parts of the world. During a previous visit to Seoul in South Korea, in order for her to perform her show had to be changed to an over-18’s only gig. The star was even denied a concert permit to perform in Indonesia by the police.

Despite this, the organisers of the Philippines based show are adamant that the show will go ahead and have insisted that they will not be cancelling their plans, telling protestors that the show ‘will not pose a threat to their sense of morality and conduct’.

Gaga’s ‘Born This Way Ball’ will shortly be heading to the UK where two shows will be taking place in London’s Twickenham stadium.

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Much to the delight of her fans, show-stopping singer Jessie J has recently announced the plans for her first ever arena tour.

Jessie, who has had a fantastic year, has announced her recent plans in what could be her next big step towards total pop-world domination! The star has proven more than her worth during the past year, having sold over 2.5 million copies of her multi-platinum debut album ‘Who You Are’ and securing two number one UK hits with ‘Domino’ and ‘Price Tag’ – proving Jessie to be one of this year’s hottest pop stars to take the charts by storm!

The singer’s latest antics have seen her already expand her fan base to television audiences, as she currently works as a mentor on the popular BBC talent show ‘The Voice’. In addition to this, it is thought that the feisty vocalist has been busy working on the follow up to her debut album, much to the excitement of her fans.

It is thought that the new album will far surpass the success of the first, as it is already rumoured to contain tracks featuring Tinie Tempah and much-loved redhead, Ed Sheeran. With rumoured collaborations with stars such as these, there is no wonder that such a buzz of anticipation has been surrounding the singer’s latest antics.

The phenomenal live shows are said to begin in February 2013 when Jessie will be kicking off the first of thirteen shows, starting in Nottingham and coming to an end in the Dublin O2 arena.

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10 May 2012

Jessie J Announces Plans For Her First UK Tour

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Rapping and singing mogul Nicky Minaj has seen her career go from strength to the strength over the past couple of years and has expressed her determination to go on to nothing but bigger and better things.

The usually flamboyant and controversial female star has made it clear that she is looking to enjoy fame and fortune to the max, and has stated that she never intends to be poor ever again. Speaking on her difficult childhood and how it has given her the motivation to succeed in such a difficult industry, Nicki was reported to have said: ‘If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth and you come into this business you’re going to get let down a lot. And it will probably send you crazy. This is only for the mentally strong…’

It is widely known that the unusual singer suffered a difficult childhood which even saw her own father trying to burn down the family home, with her mother in it. Despite this, the fiery artist has always used her troubling past to fuel her desire for success and money – and has succeeded.

Minaj’s second album ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ debuted straight at number one in the UK charts earlier this month, following the astounding success of her first album ‘Pink Friday’ which gained the rapper the fame and success that she had worked so hard for.

If you are a big admirer of the larger-than-life star then you are in luck, as she has announced that she will be having a short UK tour which is to begin in June.

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Much to the shock and delight of his family and doctors, the Bee Gee star Robin Gibb has woken from a coma after doctors had warned his family that he was ‘in God’s hands now’.

The star, who had been in a coma for twelve days, had previously been given only a 10 per cent chance of survival from doctors, who had even suggested that his family start preparing for his passing.

The musician has been known to be critically ill for some time now, having been diagnosed as suffering from colorectal cancer. However, the musician took a turn for the worse after contracting pneumonia which resulted in what was believed to be a coma from which he would never awake.

Clearly shocked and overjoyed, the 62 year old singer’s wife spoke to the press of her joy and how the star came to beat the coma that no-one thought he would overcome. His wife, Dwina Gibb, talked of how the Bee Gee singer’s family had kept a constant vigil by his side and had been playing his favourite music when the singer finally awoke.

Speaking on when his father woke up, Robin-John, the singer’s son said ‘…the first thing he said to me was ‘Hi R-J, can you tell them my back hurts?’…they gave him an under 10% survival chance and he has beaten the odds…he really is something else.’

The remarkable recovery of the brave star is a testament to his extraordinary strength, and here at the UK Top 40 office we can only hope that it is a sign of positive things to come for the much-loved singer.

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Until recently, you would not be blamed for not recognising the name Carly Rae Jepson. But within the space of a few weeks, the Canadian singer is now a household name with a chart topping debut single which looks set for world domination.

The 26-year-old singer has shot to fame in shocking time, thanks to the unbelievable success of her debut single ‘Call Me Maybe’ which has rocketed to the top of the charts in both the UK and US. To date, the single has been labelled as the fastest selling single of 2012 – which is quite a feat for a singer who only a matter of weeks ago was virtually unheard of.

However, the secret behind the young songstress’s success is said to be a result of the hard work of the massive teen star Justin Bieber. It is reported that the young male heart-throb first heard Jepson’s catchy tune whilst it was being played on the radio. Bieber then went on to sign the shocked artist to his label, ‘Schoolboy Records’, before helping her to take the now hugely successful track ‘Call Me Maybe’ to the top of the charts.

On his decision to sign the Canadian singer, sources suggest that this may have been a way of ‘paying it forward’. This is because similarly to his own protégée Bieber was also scouted by another star, R&B singer Usher, who decided to sign him to his record label after hearing him sing on the radio.

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Finally, the wait will soon be over! Rock sensations Mumford & Sons have announced that their second album is in its final stages of completion and therefore it shouldn’t be too long before we are treated to some of their new material.

The album will be their second, following their hugely successful debut album ‘Sigh No More’. The first album was released in 2009 and since its release the band have been rocketed to stardom – with the album even making it to the top spot as best-selling rock record in the U.S.

But what will the band’s second album have in store for us? As a result of the huge success of ‘Sigh No More’ no one could blame the band for being cautious with this second album, but the boys from London have seemed particularly eager to push on with perfecting the final tracks for the album in order for a speedy release.

Speaking of their expectations for the album, Ben Lovett from the band explained that ‘We just want to make a record that’s cohesive and one that we feel represents us best right now…But we’re being urgent with it, we’re trying very hard.’

Some American fans have also been lucky enough to preview sample tracks from the band’s latest material, which the boys choose to premiere at a couple of their U.S gigs.

For the rest of us Mumford & Sons fans, we can only hope that the wait isn’t too long!

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Will they or won’t they? That has been the question on everybody’s lips since the five feisty females from popular girl band Girls Aloud parted ways.

The British girl band announced that they were taking a one year break back in 2009, but since then the years have slipped by and the girls have seemed more eager to pursue their own individual careers rather than reform.

However, the seeming black sheep of the band – Nadine Coyle, who over the past couple of years has been reported as becoming increasingly alienated from her fellow band mates, has recently announced that the girls are to reunite for a 2012 arena tour to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Nadine made the remarks during an Oscar fundraiser for the Elton John Aids Foundation, and mentioned that fans could expect not only a possible arena tour but also new songs to go with it.

Speaking candidly, Nadine spoke of the band’s reasons for regrouping. ‘At the end of the year it would have been 10 years and it feels like the right time to regroup…It will be arena dates at the start of next year and we will have new music to go with it.’

It seems that despite talk of a ‘rift’ developing between band member Nadine and the rest of the girls, that the possibility of a near future reunion looks very promising, as the girls are still contracted to provide their label with another album.

 

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12 Mar 2012

Are Girls Aloud To Reunite?

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Now in its 17th year, V festival still seems to be as popular as ever! Tickets for the highly acclaimed Essex and Staffordshire festival went on sale Friday 2nd March and were announced as being SOLD OUT by the end of the day.

The festival is known to be one of the most exciting musical events of the year, and throughout past years has drawn in thousands of fans who travel from across the world to watch their favourite acts.

This year’ V festival line-up is set to be as star-studded as ever, with acts such as The Stone Roses, Olly Murs, Nicki Minaj and Ed Sheeran are confirmed to perform for the crowds. Much to the excitement of many, including fellow acts such as Noel Gallagher, The Stone Roses are reported to be headlining the festival on its final night. The band, who fell apart in 1996, announced that they had reformed last October – much to the delight of fans everywhere.

The festival director Simon Moran announced that organisers of the festival were ‘…really delighted with the line-up this year’ and spoke of how ‘…the mix of established and exciting breakthrough acts promised to give festival-goers a cracking weekend.’

If you are one of the many lucky ticket holders to this year’s V festival, then it sounds like you are in for a treat! The music will be kicking off on Saturday 18th August, so hopefully the sun will be shining over the hundreds of happy campers who will be braving the campsites this year.

 

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5 Mar 2012

V Festival 2012 Sells Out At Record Speed!

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

The popular dance duo chase and status have recently spoken of their desire to collaborate with the ‘S & M’ songstress Rihanna.

The UK based dance DJ’s have spoken openly on their wish to work on a collaboration with the ‘Umbrella’ singer, admitting that they have a great deal of respect for the Barbadian singer.

Talking about the beautiful singer, the boys told interviewers ‘ We saw her recently and caught up with her at the O2 a while ago and we talked about it then…She’s always looking to write on interesting sides of music. It’s just finding the time really; we’re still artists as well as producers.’ The two stars were then quick to add ‘We love what she does and any chance we’ll get, we’ll take.’

The beautiful Rihanna has  never been one to turn done an opportunity to collaborate with well-known artists in the past, having previously teamed up with stars such as David Guetta, Eminem and Coldplay – which suggests that the pair from London may be in for a chance!

Controversially, Rihanna’s latest collaboration has been with her ex, singer Chris Brown. The former lovers have sparked up recent outrage by choosing to feature together on a track titled ‘Birthday Cake’, in which the two are heard singing explicit lyrics which have definitely caught the attention of fans everywhere. In light of their violent history, many people have expressed their disappointment at the two R&B singers’ latest antics and hope that their latest single doesn’t spell out a possible romantic reunion.

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International superstar Whitney Houston was finally laid to rest last weekend in a simple New Jersey funeral, where she was sent off by some 1,500 mourners, family and celebrity friends.

The four hour service was described by family members as a celebration of Whitney’s ‘return home’, but few could hold back their tears as friends and family reminisced over the star’s short but star studded life.

Among the mourners in attendance of the funeral, were stars such as Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey.  Furthermore, during the service the well-known actor Kevin Costner paid tribute to the ‘Dance With Somebody’ star, who he described as his friend. Whilst giving what can only be described as an emotion-fuelled speech, Costner urged the world to ‘dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and perhaps our anger’.

Also in attendance at the funeral was Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown, who split from the singer back in 2007. The two were known for having an extremely volatile relationship and many people have even blamed Bobby for introducing a life of drugs and excess to Whitney, who famously battled an addiction to both drugs and drink. However, in the months leading up to her death it had been reported that Whitney was slowly overcoming her demons.

Whitney was found dead in the bathroom of her hotel room, the night before the Grammys. The exact cause of her death is still yet to be determined.

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Award winning Adele found herself at the centre of a television controversy, after giving a rude one-fingered gesture at the recent Brit awards.

The stunning ‘Someone Like You’ star had recently arrived back in the UK after attending the highly prestigious Grammy Awards, where she picked up a whopping SIX awards. The star, who appeared absolutely ecstatic with her overseas triumph, arrived back in the UK before heading straight over to the equally as esteemed Brit Awards show – with her new beau Simon Konecki in tow.

However, despite going on at the Brit Awards to achieve even further success, picking up the awards for both ‘Best Female Artist’ and ‘Album of the Year’, the singer’s night took a sudden turn for the worse. After being announced as winner of ‘Album of the Year’ for her highly acclaimed album ‘21’, Adele took to the stage amongst an uproar of cheers from the crowds. However, within moments of taking to the microphone to give thanks to the fans that had voted for her, an apologetic looking James Corden approached the stage to cut her speech short.

On realising that she was being asked to leave the stage, a shocked looking Adele was heard to ask ‘Are you about to cut me off?’ Before adding, ‘Can I just say then, goodbye and I’ll see you next time around’. Controversially, the singer from West London then proceeded to show cameras her middle finger before leaving the stage.

Despite apologising later for her actions, claiming that the gesture was intended for the show’s producers, Adele was relieved to learn that the majority of fans and celebrities supported her in her actions, believing that the star had been treated unfairly by the show.

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14 Feb 2012

Angered Adele Gives The Finger To The Brit Awards

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Blues legend Etta James was finally laid to rest last Saturday, surrounded by hundreds of mourners and fellow celebrities who had come to pay their respects to the singer who had helped to inspire and shape their own careers.

R&B and Blues singer Etta James was diagnosed with leukaemia earlier in the year and finally passed away on the 20th January 2012 at the age of 73, much to the sadness of her fans and friends everywhere. James was hailed by many as ‘the greatest of all modern blues singers’ and despite having a somewhat troubled life that was plagued with bouts of drug dependency, enjoyed a musical career that spanned almost six decades – a triumphant feat for a female R&B star.

After her death, scores of celebrities and like-minded divas choose to pay tribute to the ‘At Last’ singer, with celebrities such as Beyoncé and Adele opening up within days of her death to talk of how the sultry singer had influenced their own careers.

Speaking on her blog, Beyoncé told of how ‘Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist.’

Superstar Adele also took to her blog to write ‘What a lady Etta James was. She was the ultimate original.’

Several stars including Christina Aguilera and Stevie Wonder attended the singer’s funeral, which was conducted at Los Angeles’s City of Refuge church. During the service a rendition of the much-loved classic ‘At Last’ was sung by an emotional Christina Aguilera.

The service was finished poignantly with cries from Reverend Sharp of ‘Etta, you made it, you’re going home. At last! At last! At last!’

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New kid on the block Lana Del Ray has become an overnight star, but with the recent revelations concerning her ‘plain Jane’ past the singer has come under fire from fans and music critics who have branded the star a ‘fake’. So who is Lana Del Ray? And what happened to failed singer Lizzy Grant, the conventional pop singer before the dramatic name change and online success?

Initially, when singer Lana Del Ray first burst onto the music scene with her sultry tones and unusual styling as a ‘gangster Nancy Sinatra’, audiences everywhere instantly warmed to her haunting voice and bee stung lips, convinced that an underground artist with an authentic sound had staggered out into the light of mainstream music. This was largely the result of online hit ‘Video Games’ which went viral, receiving over 20 million hits on YouTube and attracting the attention of music fans worldwide.

So what went wrong? Throughout the course of recent weeks Lana Del Ray has since experienced a backlash of large proportions from the public, who since hearing of the songstress’s past have expressed feelings of betrayal.

With Del Ray’s portrayal as a ‘struggling’ singer being revealed as nothing more than a carefully contrived image set up by the singer’s management team, along with her name, which is in fact Lizzy Grant and not the more glamorous Lana Del Ray, fans seem to have spectacularly turned on the singer and branded her a ‘fake’.

Regardless of whether her name is Lizzy or Lana, one thing that music critics have been unable to criticise is her undeniably amazing voice! To decide how you feel about Lana Del Ray, why not listen to her debut album ‘Born To Die’?

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Having first hit the music scene in 1998, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy are rumoured to be reforming the original Sugababes in order to release a comeback album.

The girl group first shot to fame in the 90s with their debut album ‘One Touch’ which was released in 2000 and brought the girls to the attention of the music industry. However after only one album, red headed Siobhan decided to quit the group amidst talk of bullying at the hands of her fellow band mates.

After Siobhan’s swift exit from the group, the other girls then also gradually disappeared one by one from the group, being rapidly replaced by a new girl band member which has resulted in the current line-up which consists of the gorgeous Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen.

However, rumours that the original Sugababes threesome are to reunite have recently surfaced, fuelled by comments from singer and songwriter Emeli Sande. The ‘Heaven’ chart topper recently confirmed some of the rumours that the band were to reform.

When asked if she was helping to write new material for the group, Sande responded with ‘Yes, that is true. I’ve written for the original line-up of the Sugababes, which I’m very happy about because I just loved them when they first came out.’

The three Sugababes originals are now reportedly working hard on a collection of tracks for their debut album as a new group, which sources claim have a more soulful feel in comparison to the pop orientated tunes that are being released by the current Sugababes line up.

We loved them the first time, but will the older and hopefully now wiser three girls be as much of a hit the second time around? Only time will tell.

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The superstar singer and song-writer Adele, has been forced to rely on a voice-generating application on her smartphone in order to communicate with other people.

 

The ‘someone like you’ star has resorted to this extreme and unusual action, as a result of her recent surgery for the removal of a benign polyp in her throat. The poorly singer uses the device in a style similar to Dr Stephen Hawking’s in order to communicate when out and about, as she has been given strict instructions from the doctor to rest her voice, in order to help it heal fully.

 

Thankfully, the singer who has recently endured a string of throat problems, was able to happily announce on her blog that her voice was ‘on the mend’, but went on to say ‘I have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever.’

 

A large number of fans from the UK and USA were devastated to learn that the singer’s recent health problems meant that she had to cancel all of her remaining live dates for the year, including a number of gigs in the UK and several in North America. However, support for the star has been continually pouring in, as both fans and celebrities urge the star to rest and make a speedy recovery.

 

Adele has recently enjoyed phenomenal success with her album ‘21’ which was inspired by the painful breakdown of a past relationship, and contains heart-breaking tunes that have seemingly struck a chord with audiences everywhere. As a result, everyone is eager to see the star take her incredible voice back on stage and wow audiences once again.

Get well soon Adele!

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Global superstars, and all-round rock legends – the band ‘Muse’ have found themselves over the past couple of days shrouded under a cloak of rumours and confusing speculation over whether they will be continuing to make music together.

 

Terror recently began to spread amongst Muse fans across the globe, as malicious rumours surfaced of the band’s impending split. Luckily for the concerned fans, the band has dismissed these latest rumours as being categorically false, and have revealed that the gossip was the result of a cruel hoax that went too far.

 

News of the band’s ‘split’ first came to light a few days ago, when a fake ‘NME.com’ page was sent out across Twitter, spreading the news that the band was sadly no more. The hoaxers even made a false post on the band’s official message board, which claimed that the band had decided to break-up as the result of an argument, causing panic amongst Muse fans everywhere.

 

Thankfully, the band’s current situation couldn’t be any further from what the rumours had suggested. The trio from Devon are currently enjoying working on their sixth studio album, which will be released in 2012 as a follow-up to their previous success with hit album ‘The Resistance’.

 

Despite the scare caused by the recent rumours, the band have continued to ride the wave of their success from the past couple of years, and even headlined at this year’s Leeds and Reading festival, with earth-shattering performances that made them look set to enjoy even further victories in the New Year!

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5 Dec 2011

Muse Are Forced to Deny Split Rumours

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

The usually sombre Janet Devlin finally seemed to have something to smile about last weekend – after being voted out of the hit TV show, the X factor!

 

Much to the surprise of everyone, the usually timid 16 year old seemed incredibly chirpy after the news broke that she was to leave the popular singing contest. Janet, who famously caught the attention of the public with her awe-inspiring rendition of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’, appeared more relieved than devastated after the judges decided that she would be the next contestant to leave the show. Her departure took place after she found herself in the bottom two of the results, and was forced to battle the fierce Misha B in a tense sing-off.

 

Shockingly, after the two girls had sung for survival, Kelly Rowland (who was mentor to both girls) chose to not vote for which girl should stay, ultimately resulting in Janet being booted out of the competition. However, the shy red-head seemed to display no hard feelings towards her mentor for her seeming betrayal, and instead openly smiled with relief at her chance to leave the show.

 

When asked about her departure from the competition, Janet spoke of her reluctance towards the show in her final weeks, saying ‘I don’t have THAT kind of X factor’, before adding ‘I would have felt guilty if I had won the show. I was like ‘I cannot win this show, because if I win people are going to expect something they won’t get.

 

Now that Janet has seemed to escape the ‘conventional’ pop-star making machine that is the X Factor, we only hope that the young star can use her unique talent to make music that will keep that new smile on her face!

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Jennifer Lopez wowed audiences at the latest American Music Awards, with her sexually-charged performance alongside rapper Pitbull. The 42-year-old mother danced across the stage in a flesh coloured cat suit that was encrusted with sequins, and pulled off seductive moves that would have challenged somebody half her age.

 

The Latino star performed with an energy and fieriness that pulled the house down – and it was reported that long after the star had left the stage, it was her performance that was still the main talking point of the evening.

 

However, J-Lo wasn’t the only female celeb to enjoy success that night, as the night definitely became one for the ladies! A whole host of other fierce females were recognized for their outstanding talents, with artists such as Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé winning awards for their recent achievements. Adele, who has recently suffered from an unfortunate vocal injury that has left her unable to sing, finally had something to smile about as the night left her with three trophies.

 

Unfortunately, for the usually very talented Christina Aguilera the night wasn’t as much of a success. The ‘Dirty’ star came under fire on the night for her shabby performance, and there couldn’t have been a bigger contrast between her and the considerably more energetic J-Lo. Aguilera sported an unflattering white dress that didn’t do much to silence her critics, who have recently branded the star as looking ‘cheap’ and ‘trashy’.

 

J-Lo on the other hand seemed to enjoy every minute of the awards, and even appeared to well-up as she went to collect her award for ‘Favourite Latin Artist’. It’s ok J-Lo, if we were wearing a cat suit that tight, we’d probably be welling up too!

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21 Nov 2011

J-Lo Steals the Show at American Music Awards

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

One Direction has announced that they are backing X Factor’s Little Mix, and are keen to see the ‘hot’ girl band take the winning title.

 

The heart-throb boy band recently met the young girl group when they were asked to perform at the popular ITV1 Sunday result’s show, and it was after their brief meeting that the boys were said to have become smitten with the group.

 

Little Mix has recently overcome the X Factor’s ‘curse of the girl groups’, having fought their way through to the final five acts. The feisty band members, who include Jesey Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwalk, have won over audiences with their refreshingly down-to-earth attitudes and stunning performances – and last week blew the judges away with their latest performance of the hit single ‘Don’t Let Go’.

 

However, One Direction has now come forward as the girl group’s biggest fans, and has spoken publically about their support for the band. One of the band members, Harry Styles, said of the girls ‘You can just tell they’re completely themselves – they’re the kind of girls you’d go to school with I guess.’ Before a very eager Zayne added ‘They are really hot too!’

 

The two groups were seen getting on so well, that it has already been suggested that a possible new romance between certain members of the groups could be on the cards.

 

So could this be the start of something beautiful between two of the UK’s hottest groups?

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Fans of the indie band ‘The Mystery Jets’ have been breathing a sigh of relief at the recent news of their return to the UK! The band, who have reportedly spent the entire summer in Texas writing and recording new album material, have returned to home soil for the upcoming release of their fourth album and hugely anticipated live show!

 

The band’s show, which is said to be headlining at the O2 Academy Brixton, is going to be their largest ever gig to date – causing much anticipation and excitement amongst fans everywhere. The UK show will be taking place in the May 2012, to coincide with the band’s equally anticipated new album, which happens to be their fourth.

 

Lead singer Blaine Harrison spoke out to fans, in a message which clearly demonstrated the lead singer’s own excitement about the band’s upcoming musical releases. Harrison spoke of the band’s latest songs, writing ‘dam me if they aren’t some of our favourite yet!’ He also sent a message out to his home fans, writing ‘It’s been a long old while London and I for one cannot wait.’

 

The five piece band from Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, have shot to fame over recent years with successful albums such as ‘Twenty One’ and ‘Serotonin’, and have become one of the UK’s most popular indie bands. As a result, the band’s recently announced show is set to become an instant sell-out!

 

So if you are a massive fan of the Jets, be prepared for the show’s ticket release on Friday 25th November to ensure that you don’t miss out!

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Are you a huge fan of Rock music? If so, there’s no better way to express your passion than in the rock ’n’ roll way of wearing a cool T-shirt. If you truly are the number one fan of Queen, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones or any other legendary artist, then buying a Band T-Shirt, is the definitive tribute to them.

 

Band T-shirts don’t need to be expensive, in fact you can get hold of a funky T-shirt for as little as £14.99! They come in various sizes – including small, medium, large and xl – ensuring music lovers are able to buy their favourite design in a comfortable size. If you’re unsure which size is best, you’ll usually find a size guide to assist you.

 

Are you the ultimate groupie? Do you love wearing loose fitted clothes like T-shirts and Hoodies when you’re at home, doing sports or even at work? If so, why not get a Band T-shirt? The quality of the print will ensure you can wear your t-shirt again and again as well as washing it, without it fading.

 

For family members and friends that are avid fans of Bon Jovi, The Beatles, AC/DC, The Who or any other artist, Classic Rock T-shirts make for the perfect gift. With such a wide selection of designs, you can be sure to get them a present they’ll never forget.

 

If you enjoy shopping around for a bargain, you’ll find that many online retailers offer great deals, be it reduced prices or a free T-shirt with your purchase. So what are you waiting for? Complete your rock memorabilia collection today with the best of the best in band T-shirts.

 

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18 Oct 2011

Bring Inspiration to Your Wardrobe with Rock T-Shirts

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

After the death of Michael Jackson, in June 2009, there are still many question left unanswered. Jackson’s family members and children, have has to under-go many tales, unable to know the truth of what happened on the day of Michael Jackson’s death.

 

The trial, which is currently taking place, has seen many witnesses who were present in Michael Jackson’s home at the time of his death, in order to discover what really happened to him.

 

Conrad Murray, who is presently under-going trial for Michael Jackson’s death, has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter but faces up to four years imprisonment if found responsible for the pop star’s death.

 

Prosecutors claim Murray not only caused Jackson’s death by giving him the powerful anaesthetic Propofol as a sleep aid, but that the doctor was also neglectful in the services of care that were offered.

 

As the trial unfolds, evidence has been exposed that Jackson’s own children – Paris and Prince – saw their father’s lifeless body as Doctor Conrad Murray attempted to resuscitate him. The court heard how the children cried in horror as their father’s life slipped away following a lethal overdose.

 

Witnesses including Jackson’s bodyguard, Faheem Muhammad told the court how he realised Paris and Prince Jackson had observed their motionless father lying in bed. Jackson’s ex-chief of security, additionally testified that Dr Conrad Murray acted very nervously during the course of the chaotic scene, whilst also describing his attempt at CPR as “a futile effort.”

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30 Sep 2011

Conrad Murray Trial Continues

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

At the age of 85, Tony Bennett has had huge success with his new album ‘Duets II’ featuring collaborations with Lady Gaga as well as the late Amy Winehouse. The success of his record, have meant Bennett has become the oldest living performer to top the US charts.

 

The impressive album has sold 179,000 copies in its 1st week, taking it to the highest spot, the record is also his first American number one hit throughout his career, which spans sixty years.

 

Tony Bennett, the multiple Grammy award winner, has previously reached number three in the US charts with sales of 202,000 for his original ‘Duets’ album in 2006.

 

Prior to Bennett, the previous oldest performer to top the chart was Bob Dylan with ‘Together Through Life’ in 2009 aged 67 years old.

 

The ‘Duets II’ album, which is currently available to purchase both online and in stores features his duet of ‘The Lady Is a Tramp’ with Lady Gaga. This song was initially featured in the Rodgers and Hart musical ‘Babes in Arms’. This song is an old-time classic, having been released by iconic artists including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr and Shirley Bassey.

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29 Sep 2011

Tony Bennett’s Still Got Flare At 85!

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Arctic Monkeys’ singer Alex Turner has spoken out on London’s recent looting by saying ‘Why has this country produced mindless thugs?’

 

The singer who was out of the country when the London riots broke out, stated there needs to be further investigation to find out why the riots happened.

 

Having returned from his time spent in the states, he told UK reporters “They certainly didn’t seem to have a focus in the way I am told the riots of the early 1980s did, I mean I wasn’t born then, but they say they were much more about politics and not just blokes out on the rob.”

 

The Artic Monkey’s frontman continued in saying: “The thing is that, even if you buy what the papers are saying and assume everyone involved is just some mindless thug or whatever they’re calling them, I think we still need to ask why this country has produced so many mindless thugs.”

 

He went on: I mean you can’t just treat this thing as if it was entirely unrelated to anything else. If all these kids are hooligans and thieves, then why are they all hooligans and thieves?

 

There’s particular reason for Turner’s disappointment – the London warehouse destroyed in the riots held substantial quantities of stock for the UK’s top independent record labels – the stock included Artic Monkeys’ records, of which are large number were ruined.

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28 Sep 2011

Alex Turner Speaks Out On London Rioting

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

 Tweets from Rihanna and Calvin Harris confirm that the rumours are true – the pair really will be teaming up to create a single! If you’d previously heard that superstar Rihanna, and world-wide producer Calvin Harris are collaborating to create a new club banger, your source couldn’t be more correct. The two are set to be making a track together, as Rihanna tweeted on Twitter.

 

The singer also announced that Mr Harris will be touring with her for a total of three months later on during this autumn. “Calvin is the perfect fit for the Loud tour” Rihanna recently said on the Australian leg of her loud tour this summer, also saying he is going to bring something unique and fun for the fans. While Calvin recently Tweeted: “Yes, I’m touring with Rihanna for next three months starting next week!!”

 

Rihanna has recently announced that she is releasing a new album this autumn, and the release will come exactly a year after her last record ‘Loud’ which was released in November 2010. Apart from the year 2008, the singer has released a new album each year since her first ever record, ‘Music of the Sun’ – 2005.

 

The singer is supposedly going to be performing throughout the UK during her next tour, performing in London’s 02 Arena. So London, watch out for Rihanna and Calvin Harris! This tour is certainly not something to be missed.

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The rumours about Mr Michael McIntyre leaving the Britain’s Got Talent panel of judges are true. While the nation is very sad, Michael’s fans will be happy to know that Michael is doing a 100-date tour next year and will be channelling all his energy into that.

 

Michael has allegedly been weighing up options, saying he will miss being on the panel as he thoroughly enjoyed it. Michael told a source: “I really loved being a judge on the show but I’ve been itching to get back on stage myself.” ITV boss Peter Fincham is said to have been fighting to keep McIntyre on board. However, there was little fighting be done once the comedian had made up his mind about what he wanted to do.

 

Since Simon’s Departure, we’ve seen Piers, McIntyre and the Hoff bid farewell to the show. The Sun recently told how bosses had decided to replace 59 year old judge and previous Baywatch star, David Hasslehoff. According to them the show “lacked sparkle”.  Although Hasslehoff was a fun judge, he’s been axed due to him having little connection with the acts, according to an inside source.

 

Now, pregnant Amanda Holden is the remaining judge and sole survivor. The nation’s viewings slipped last year, from 12.17 to its lesser amount of 11.6 million viewers when it returned last April. With such a dramatic slip, bosses are said to be trying to find new judges which will bring back the sparkle to the show, and hopefully this will show in the successful contestants.

 

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After previously being forced to cancel her tour due to a chest infection, Adele returned to Hammersmith Apollo at her very best, belting out some of the world’s favourite anthems and making what could only be described as a triumph performance.

 

Adele walked on stage and expressed to her fans that she’d been ‘s****ing herself all day’ and thanking them for their attendance.

 

Whilst Adele tugged on the heart strings of all her fans, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Adele performed hits from her hit album ‘21’, including ‘Don’t You Remember’, ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ and ‘Turning Tables’. While the singer belted her beautiful ballads in front of an image of London’s skyline, goose bumps were felt by every individual with fans and reviewers describing the performance as ‘incredible’ and ‘amazing’.

 

The singer was shocked when one of her overwhelmed fans fainted during her performance. The kind-hearted singer stood at the front of the stage looking concerned while waiting for paramedics to arrive, asking other fans to stand aside so that paramedics could easily get to the poorly fan.

 

Adele continued powering her way through some of our favourites of her singles, including ‘Chasing Pavements’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ which she dedicated to her inspiration, Amy Winehouse. She returned to the stage without her shoes to perform her encore, which included smash hit ‘Someone Like You’.

 

The ending of the tour was magical, said many. She stood and belted anthem ‘Rolling In The Deep’, with glitter falling from the ceiling onto the stage. The singer never fails to leave fans stunned by her breath-taking talent, well done Adele, and thanks for a wonderful performance!

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20 Sep 2011

Adele Rocks Hammersmith Apollo

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Kasabian have high hopes for their new album ‘Velociraptor’, due to be released on September 20th.

 

During an interview with the Daily Star Kasabian stated that they hope their new album ‘Velociraptor’ can acquire comparable global victory to Adele’s recent album release, ’21′.

 

Guitarist Serge Pizzorno told the Daily Mail that he’s an immense fan of London singer ‘Adele’ and of what she has achieved on both sides of the Atlantic. He said “Adele shows that people can still sell records in a time where no-one buys records anymore – good on her”.

 

“She comes across as a real sweetheart. I tip my hat to her. Adele is so refreshing as she’s cool and not the archetypal character – she’s not like Jennifer Lopez or Christina Aguilera”.

 

“We’re blowing up around the world and this album could be the one to take us to new places.”

 

So… we’ll just to wait till September 20th in order to discover whether Kasabian manage to go straight into the Album Charts at Number One!

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16 Sep 2011

Kasabian Aim for Adele’s Album Success

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Cheryl Cole who is currently visiting the war zone in Afghanistan as part of the Pride of Britain Awards, blew up a dummy of Simon Cowell, organised by army explosive experts as a humorous stunt.

 

Before hitting the detonator, Cheryl – who was sacked from the USA X Factor by Mr Cowell – joked “His head needed to be a lot bigger and the trousers could have done with being a lot higher.”

 

After this stunt took place, the Fight For This Love singer observed whilst troops demolished home-made bombs detained from the Taliban, whilst shaking her head in disbelief.

 

The Girls Aloud stunner stated: “I was astonished at the way they put their lives on their line. They are literally lying in the dirt using their hands to feel for bombs. They really are the bravest of the brave.”

 

Task Force Helmand spokesman Lt Col Tim Purbrick told The Mirror: “Cheryl has been fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble for her. It feels like she has met practically everyone on the base.”

 

During Cheryl’s time at Camp Bastion, she has taken part in a simulated gun battle and was even photographed grasping a SA80 rifle.

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15 Sep 2011

Cheryl Cole’s Vengeance on Simon Cowell!

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Being the hopeless romantic that he is, Sir Paul McCartney denied the offer of a pre-nup from his new love, Nancy Shevell, New York socialite.

 

Former Beatle, Paul McCartney hasn’t had the easiest of love-lives. His first wife, Linda McCartney passed away after a struggle with breast cancer in 1998. His second wife Heather Mills claimed a multi-million pay-out of £24.3 million when their marriage ended bitterly. Luckily, he has now found love with the elegant Nancy Shevell.

 

Mr McCartney is due to wed Nancy within the next few months. The pair appeared hand in hand to display a notification of the wedding at Marylebone Register Office, London – where Paul married his adored first wife Linda.

 

The 69-year-old pop legend began dating Shevell four years ago and in May an announcement was made that they were to get married.

 

The news hints that the wedding will be a low-key, small family affair, similar to the Beatle’s first marriage and completely dissimilar to his second marriage, lavish 2002 Irish wedding ceremony to former model Heather Mills.

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The popular and iconic band ‘Muse’ have topped the poll for best performance at both Reading and Leeds Festival 2011. The band, originally from Devon headlined both Festivals with fantastic performances with bands ‘My Chemical Romance’ and ‘The Midnight Beast’.

‘Muse’, the triumphant trio, who’s scintillating set featured their 2nd album ‘Origin of Symmetry’ from beginning to end, notched an average score of 7.87 in the poll. The overall poll saw as many as 800,000 votes cast.

‘My Chemical Romance’ came in at 2nd position with their own momentous set, recording an average of 7.75. ‘The Midnight Beast’ followed closely behind, resulting in 3rd place with their average score being 7.49.

Following in 4th place were ’30 Seconds To Mars’ with 6.69, while ‘The Strokes’ finished 5th with 6.47. Respectively ‘Two Door Cinema Club’ and ‘Cage The Elephant’ followed in 6th and 7th with 6.29 and 6.12, whereas ‘Panic! At The Disco’ resulted in the score 6.09, landing themselves in 8th place.

Finishing in 9th place was ‘Pulp’ who scored 5.98 and ‘The Vaccines’ polished off the top ten nicely with a respectable 5.83. Other acts included in the poll included ‘Bombay Bicycle Club’, ‘Elbow’, ‘The Horrors’ and ‘Friendly Fires’ of whom each scarcely missed out featuring within the top ten.

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Mercury Award Winner 2011 was announced September 6th at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. PJ Harvey was announced the winner with her album ‘Let England Shake’, she accepted her award as well as a £20,000 cash prize with a composed and direct speech. In her speech she stated “First of all I’d like to say thank you very much for this award, and the recognition of my work on this album”.

PJ Harvey, the 1st two-time winner of the award, made reference to her former win, which notably took place on September 11, 2001. This was of course outshined by the terrorist attacks in New York. She explained “It’s nice to actually be here. I was in in Washington DC watching The Pentagon burning from my hotel window, so it’s good to be here. So much has happened since then. This album took me a long time write. It was very important to me, I wanted to make something that was meaningful not just for myself but for other people, hopefully to make something that would last”.

Harvey went on to thank “the people that have supported her throughout her career,” her manager, her record company Island, agents and “those who helped me make ‘Let England Shake’”. The ceremony was broadcast on BBC Two and was hosted by Jools Holland.

For the 1st time in the competition’s past, the nominated artists were booked to perform at the ceremony itself, although Adele did not attend due to illness. The full list of nominees included: Anna Calvi, Elbow, James Blake, Katy B, Metronomy, Tinie Tempah, PJ Harvey, Gwilym Simcock, Everything Everything, Ghostpoet, King Creosote & Jon Hopkins and Adele.

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7 Sep 2011

2011′s Mercury Award Winner Is…

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday took place on September 5th, where former Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor celebrated at a charity event in London’s Savoy Palace.  Other celebs that also joined in the auction for The Mercury Phoenix Trust included Ben Elton, Fearne Cotton, Chris Evans, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas and Nicola Roberts.

Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia on November 24 1991. The Mercury Phoenix Trust raises money to help the world-wide battle against HIV and AIDS.

Brian May paid tribute to his dear friend Freddie on an especially created Google blog. He wrote: Freddie would have been 65 this year, and even though physically he is not here, his presence seems more potent than ever. Freddie made the last person at the back of the furthest stand in a stadium feel that he was connected. He lived life to the full. He devoured life. He celebrated every minute. And, like a great comet, he left a luminous trail which will sparkle for many a generation to come. Happy birthday Freddie!

May wrote kind words of his former band-mate, saying that “Freddie was fully focused, never allowing anything or anyone to get in the way of his vision for the future. He was truly a free spirit. There are not many of these in the world. To achieve this, you have to be, like Freddie, fearless, unafraid of upsetting anyone’s apple cart”.

May wrote warm-hearted words of his former bandmate’s attitude and approach to song-writing, calling him a “free spirit”. He also said that “to create with Freddie was always stimulating to the max. He was daring, always sensing a way to get outside the box”.

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6 Sep 2011

Birthday Celebrations in Memory of Freddie Mercury

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

This year’s “Children in Need” single is to be performed by X Factor judges Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos. Barlow, lead singer of Take That, explains he’s provided the annual charity track a “credible makeover”, by introducing urban current chart acts.

Wretch 32 the current chart headliner with “Don’t Go”, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk, all make appearances on the cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop, a real change from the usual characters chosen to perform the track. It will be introduced to the public just before the BBC TV broadcast on 18th November.

By tradition, the charity single often has a comedy element, but this year they have broken away from the old restraints, and gone for a more meaningful song. Gary Barlow stated he wanted to create interest for  a widely ranged audience, including the youth culture. He felt by introducing grime and commercial music artists that this year’s entry will benefit.

Massive Attack’s version of Teardrops, the original, has been sampled and the song lyrics recreated by Wretch 32 and others so that they’re more current.

Fellow X Factor judge and member of N Dubz, Tulisa, told DJ Fearne Cotton, who presents on Radio 1, that it was fun to work with old faces she already knew. She provided the statement: “It’s nice to be back with the grime crew, the urban family.” Tulisa added “The Track itself is really but current and I think it’s going to work.”

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29 Aug 2011

2011′s Children In Need Single

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

X-factor star Olly Murs and Pop Idol’s Will Young, are out to control the charts this weekend with them both on course to have number ones. Pop Idol Winner of 2001, Young, is set to dominate the number one album spot with his dance release Echoes.

Murs, X Factor 2009 finalist and runner-up to Joe McElderry, is going for his second number one single “Heart Skips A Beat”. The Essex singer, originally from Maldon, is now a presenter on the “Xtra Factor”, an ITV2 spin-off accompanying the popular reality TV shows “The X Factor”.

Whilst Olly Murs and Will Young are competing for the top spot, X Factor 2009 winner, Joe McElderry, is proposed to enter the album chart at number two this weekend.

After recently winning ITV1 show “Popstar to Operastar”, McElderry has felt a revitalised sense of achievement, which has obviously contributed to his confidence and overall success, at which people are sure to notice in his new album “Classic”.

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26 Aug 2011

Are the Reality Stars Taking Over the Charts?

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Sir Elton John informed the BBC that now is the ideal time to bring back music TV allowing the British Public to view the UK’s Top 40. Top of the Pops (TOTPs), was the last music show featured on the BBC, it’s final show took place on July 30th 2006. TOTPs was first aired in 1964 and was a weekly compilation of the UK’s public most listened to songs, played live on TV.

 

Sir Elton believes music TV, such as TOTP would be a “great help for new artists” for the prospects of launching their career. As he recalls it helped him massively. After the cancellation of TOTPs, music shows were deemed old hat, however, with the sudden rise of interest within music throughout the youth groups, maybe a music show would no longer go amiss.

 

Sir Elton expressed his interest in reviving TOTP whilst being interviewed by BBC Radio 2’s presenter Bob Harris, as the BBC celebrated the 40th anniversary of “The Old Grey Whistle Test”.

 

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25 Aug 2011

Sir Elton Speaks Volumes on BBC2

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

V Festival took place over the weekend in Chelmsford’s Hylands Park and Staffordshire’s Weston Park. Essex star Olly Murs said his appearance at Hylands Park in Chelmsford was one of the best days of his life. He said seeing his friends and family in the audience had been a great moment. When asked to sum up his day, Olly responded “I’ve had the most brilliant day and I’ve got it all recorded on DVD, so I’m going to watch it when I get home!”

Other acts that performed at V Festival included Tinie Tempah, Ellie Goulding, Katy B, Kaiserchiefs, Hard-Fi, Kids in Glass Houses, Lost Prophets, Bruno Mars, Jessie J, Chase and Status, Plan B, Dizzee Rascal as well as many others. Headliners included the legendary Eminem and sensational Rihanna.

More than 80,000 fans attended V festival each day. There were hundreds of police officers on duty, patrolling the festival due to the large crowds. Huge festivals, such as V unfortunately attract a lot of crime as well as many injuries. At V this year there were in excess of one hundred arrests, mainly due to drug possession by festival goers; additionally first-aiders treated eight hundred injuries.

V Festival is a substantial festival that grows in size every year, this year having been bigger than ever before. Preparations are already taking place for next year’s 2012 Festival.

 

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22 Aug 2011

V Festival, Essex’s Biggest Festival

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

If you missed the first showing of The X Factor, then I recommend watching a repeat, as the programme was filled with entertainment and emotion. One particular event that stood out amongst the show’s performances was when X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos was verbally abused by contestant George Gerasimou. Following George’s initial audition in 2009 as part of a trio, the detestable and talentless George explained to X Factor panellists, consisting also of Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Louis Walsh as well as the British Public, that he had come back to clear his name. He explained that at the time of his first audition, he had “a lot of anger”, but he had now matured. However, the judges, audience and viewers at home watched in disbelief as George caused chaos when he was once again, rejected.

X Factor judge revealed that she expected to get a hard time from contestants over her new position on the panel. The N-Dubz star – who has taken over from Cheryl Cole judging the talent show – told ITV’s Lorraine: “I think it was inevitable, I actually expected to get slack off someone. “I know there was a lot of controversy around the fact that I was taking the role as a judge. And you know, I just kind of expected it at some point, someone’s going to challenge me. So it wasn’t so bad when it came along… I gave as good as got I like to think.” George verbally criticised the judges, and called Tulisa the “scum from the block” before security forced him off the stage. Backstage, he received a firm telling-off from Dermot O’Leary who told him to “watch your mouth” when making a series of disparaging remarks about Tulisa.

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Hayley Williams recently revealed that her band, Paramore, have written four brand new and brilliant tracks for their new album. The singer explained: “We have written four new songs and they are quite diverse. There are some heavier songs, but there’s also one that we plan to play live soon that is called ‘In the Morning Mess’.”

Having spoken to Spanish website, Rockzone, Hayley told them on the subject of ‘Monster’: “I can’t really say that ‘Monster’ is an indication of what to expect on the next Paramore album. We, as a band, will always try to evolve and try new things. It will be different for sure, but it will still keep Paramore’s essence.”

Hayley also confirmed that Paramore would persist as herself, bassist Jeremy Davis and guitarist Taylor York for the conceivable future and that they were not looking for replacements for the Farro brothers, who left the band last year in December. She said: “We are not in the process of looking out for new members right now. The band is Jeremy, Taylor and I. We don’t spend too much time thinking about how Paramore will be in the future. It’s hard when you go through a period of changing members so what we want to do right now is play great songs.”

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27 Jul 2011

Paramore’s New Tracks

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

For three days every September, the Brown family invite you to Brownstock Music Festival, held within their farm grounds. Brownstock festival has grown enormously over the last six years. There are more bands and bigger crowds each year. The festival is completely family run, yet there are still big names performing. The music festival offers unique little touches that the Brown family have dreamed up and put into action, these include; the silent disco, which runs all night, as well as The Doodle Lounge to chill in and Busker’s corner.

Music Areas to Choose From Include:

Brownstock main stage; acts such as Athlete, The Milk, Darwyn, New Town Kings, Handshake, Stealing Signs will be performing this year. It opens at 7pm on Friday 2nd September with some special acts, reserved for the campers. Then at midday on Saturday 3rd September a variety of up and coming unsigned bands representing every genre of alternative music will take to the stage, rounded off with some local talent and two awesome headliners.

The Good Shed; hosted by Black Sheep is dedicated to bass lovers! This year the formula is just right for all you crazy bass heads. Good Shed acts include; Pendulum DJ set, Ms Dynamite, Zinc, Shy FX, Killa Kela, Format, Twiggy Garcia, Youngman, NimbleFingerz, Drawbacks and more.

Round the Clock Silent Disco; 2010′s popular Round the Clock Silent Disco returns to help you dance the day and night away. Expect music from The Beatles to Benga or from Prince to Pendulum, and everything in between.

The PianoDJ Bar; home to acoustic music sets. To join in, bring your guitar or any other talent and step up to the open mic. Otherwise, take the opportunity to play the grand piano. Just be sure to put your name down in the bar as soon as you arrive in order to play a few tunes.

For earlybird prices, book soon! An adult weekend camping ticket can currently be purchased for £58, once these have sold out, prices will go up £75 at full price or gate prices are £90. Youths get further reductions on their ticket, plus children under 10 go free.

For more information go to: www.brownstock.co.uk

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Amy Winehouse’s dead body was tragically found in her Camden home on the afternoon of Saturday July 23rd. The U.K. singer was just 27 years old. Reports have suggested that Amy was on a 36 hour drink and drug binge, ultimately leading to her tragic death.

Amy cancelled her latest European tour last month due to struggling with her long term drug addiction and alcoholism. A close friend of the highly talented 27 year old has come forward saying that she always thought Amy would become a member of the 27 Club, whose members comprise of famous musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, also dying at the age of 27.

Amy wanted to leave a legacy, and despite only releasing two albums, her second album, Back to Black, was a huge success, winning her 5 Grammy awards. Despite her huge musical talent and fame, her personal life seemed to attract just as much interest as her career, constantly featured in tabloids looking worse for wear due to her public drug habits. The singer made several attempts to get clean, repeatedly checking herself into rehabilitation facilities. Her last stint in rehab reportedly took place in May of 2011. In a previous interview with Amy, she was asked if she had any unfulfilled ambitions and replied: ‘If I died tomorrow I’d be a happy girl.’

Upon finding Amy’s body, the Metropolitan police issued a statement insisting that they were treating Amy’s death as ‘unexplained’ and no drugs or suicide note are thought to have been found in her house. They are now awaiting following test results, due to her autopsy not establishing the cause of death.

Amy Jade Winehouse, born September 14 1983, released her first album Frank in 2003, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. After a string of impressive festival gigs and an Ivor Novello song writing award, she began work on the album that made her an international star: Back to Black, released in 2007.

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25 Jul 2011

Tribute to Amy Winehouse

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

It’s come to the attention of many that former N Dubz band member Tulisa Contostavlos is joining the panel of X Factor judges in 2011. A source said that Tulisa is very excited about joining the panel, and has said that there’s a lot of talent already and for that reason she cannot wait to find out what category she’ll be mentoring this year.

Tulisa’s style caught Simon Cowell’s eye, and after undergoing a make-over that he’d demanded, Tulisa is looking sleek and styled and ready to take on the role, judging alongside big names like Kelly Rowland – the former Destiny’s Child singer and solo artist, Gary Barlow – former songwriter and frontman of the smash hit band Take That, and music man and judge Louis Walsh. Of course Tulisa will be filling the spot of former judge Cheryl Cole, and will no doubt have big boots to fill, yet many are adamant she’ll fill them, including The Wanted.

The Wanted are said to be very excited about Tulisa joining the X Factor panel and were more than happy to sing Tulisa’s praises, saying “she’s got feistiness” and “will speak her mind”. Max from The Wanted said: “I think she’ll be great – she’s got a great personality and I think she speaks her mind which is what’s needed. Rather than just sitting there being pretty or whatever, she’s actually got something to her.”

When asked about which category she’d rather have she responded saying “it’s all about where the talent lies”. We’re all keen to see how Tulisa will perform, and with her solo career taking flight, there isn’t a shortage of pressure.

 

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22 Jul 2011

N Dubz’ Tulisa Joins The X Factor Panel

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

The La’s, Liverpool rock band, have announced a revolutionary London show, which will take place on July 21st (Thursday). Band front-man Lee Mavers, head vocalist and guitarist, is said to be excited about their surprise gig.

Their debut album, The La’s, was released in 1990 and yet no follow up material ever emerged from the band. The influential group released classic songs, including; “Way Out” (1987), “Timeless Melody” (1990) and their most famous hit single “There She Goes” (1988). Although making a come-back in 2005, it was short-lived. Despite this, The La’s are due to appear this summer at a number of festivals, including Rock En Seine in Paris and Bestival.

All the way back in 2006, fellow band member John Power, backing vocals and bassist of the La’s, was indefinite about the reality of any additional record. He said that Mavers was “Still tinkering with something that’s majestic”, when asked about any possible release date, he replied “I can’t tell you where and when… because whatever he does, whether it’s in this lifetime or the next, it can’t be rushed.”

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The Mercury Prize Line-up was revealed in London on 19th July 2011. The 12 album short-list is always a nail biting event, but you’d imagine this being its 20th year, that the music industry would be well prepared for what’s in store. Head of the 12 membered judging panel, Simon Frith, said the process was “always difficult”. He continued to state “This year there were a couple of obvious records, like PJ Harvey, but then there were masses of records that could have been on the list, so in that sense it was difficult,” he said. “The final list is an amazingly good balance… it has been a good year and again British music is in a very healthy place.”

Lauren Laverne (DJ) was the lucky lady chosen to broadcast the shortlist. She went on to explain the combined-genre music that occurs nowadays. “These days everybody likes two songs of every genre and that’s a post-internet way of consuming music,” she told Music Week. “You no longer have to get the 12-inch of every band. That makes everybody’s tastes loosen up and makes music less tribal”.

The front-runner of this year’s Barclaycard Mercury Prize will be broadcasted live on BBC Two and 6 Music on September 6th (Tuesday). Lauren Laverne will host the TV show, whilst music star Jools Holland will be presenting the awards event.

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20 Jul 2011

Mercury Prize Line-Up Revealed in London

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Adele, the startlingly soulful singer, released her album ‘21’ in January this year. The singer’s album was primarily at number one in the albums charts for 11 weeks and has now re-claimed her pole position at the top spot, knocking Beyoncé’s album ‘4’ to second place. The ‘Make You Feel My Love’ singer hasn’t fallen lower than number two in the UK album charts since entering the charts 25 weeks ago.

With Adele’s first album ‘19’ sitting pretty at number 3, she has achieved an amazing accomplishment to have both her first and second album within the top three of the albums chart. Lady Gaga’s album ‘Born This Way’ is sitting at number 4, followed by The Horrors at number 5, with ‘Skying’.

Focusing on the singles chart for this week; popular boy-band The Wanted receive their 2nd number one with ‘Glad You Came’. DJ Fresh ‘Louder’ comes in at number two while Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ is at number three.

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19 Jul 2011

Adele Bumps Beyonce off the Top Spot

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE INCLUDES LANGUAGE THAT YOU MAY FIND OFFENSIVE!

If you’re a fan of the Foo Fighters, you may well think of Dave Grohl as your hero. However, if you’d attended their most recent gig at North London’s Roundhouse for a free iTunes gig on July 12th, you would have seen Dave Grohl putting on his most heroic performance ever. He stopped his show temporarily to throw out a troublesome fan that began fighting in the mosh-pit. Dave clearly explained that the fighting guy’s behaviour would not be tolerated!

Dave Grohl approached the disturbance as admirably as possible, the language used was rather graphic, yet effective; “Hey mothaf*cker! Stop, stop. No No No No! You don’t f*cking fight at my show, you asshole. Let me see him, who’s fighting right now? It’s that guy in the striped shirt.”

Having spotted the man Grohl continued “Hey motherf*cker look at me, get the f*ck out of my show right now.” He concluded, “I don’t put up with that bullsh*t, you people came here to have a good time and that guy can f*ck off.” The announcement was met with an enthusiastic ovation.

Within the crowds, were other music legends including Seasick Steve, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Metallica.

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Rihanna has now taken charge as being the most popular female star on Facebook via the ‘likes’ option. Both Rihanna and Lady Gaga stars were neck and neck at 40.5 million fans. Rihanna overtook Lady Gaga this week becoming the most popular female artist on Facebook. Rihanna now continues to pull ahead, with her Facebook fan base growing by around 100,000 per day. There is only one person to beat now, as Eminem sits in the pole position at 43 million fans.

The question is now can Rihanna make it all the way to the top? Eminem is currently 3 million ‘likes’ ahead on Facebook, but Rihanna continues to be the rapidest growing star in the world on ‘YouTube’, which is down to her provocative video ‘Man Down’ which has now racked up more than 40 million views. In the meantime Rihanna’s fame continues to develop as she stated earlier this week she is to become the new face of ‘Emporio Armani’ lingerie.

This year has been a remarkable one for Rihanna, who has seen her social media fame escalate dramatically following the release of her album ‘Loud’ last year. This February, Rihanna became the fourth artist in history to achieve 1 billion ‘YouTube’ views and is now the third most viewed star on ‘YouTube’ with almost 1.4 billion views. Additionally, Rihanna became the 13th person in history to achieve 6 million twitter followers just last week.

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16 Jul 2011

Rihanna’s On Her Way to the Top

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

If you fancy a change in festivals this year, why not try out a festival abroad?  Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB Festival) takes place this weekend and could be the perfect solution for your holiday blues. It’s simply a case of purchasing your ticket, booking a flight and a hotel. FIB Festival 2011 takes place in Benicàssim, Spain and is a four day music festival on the east coast of Spain between Valencia and Barcelona. It offers an all-star line-up of globally recognised bands.

All attendees with a weekend pass have the right to camp in any of the free of charge camping areas. Besides the camping areas, there are also other accommodation possibilities that include hotels, B&Bs as well as guest houses.

The bands performing at Spain’s number one music festival this year, are as follows; Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, Friendly Fires, Tinie Tempah, Primal Scream, The Streets, Plan B, Pendulum, Paolo Nutini, Chase & Status, Brandon Flowers, Mumford & Sons and many more!

The FIB Festival has been taking place in Benicàssim since 1995 and has hosted hundreds of astonishing acts ever since. Benicàssim is an admired tourist destination and has been for over a hundred years. Its fine sand, softly slanted beaches, crystal clean waters and accessible amenities continue to bring tourists back year after year.

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13 Jul 2011

Festival Internacional de Benicassim 2011

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Latitude Festival takes place this weekend Thursday 14th-Sunday 17th July at Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk.

There are just a few hours to wait till the utmost ethnic event of the summer begins! If you are lucky enough to have tickets to camp at this years’ Latitude Festival, then ideally you’ll be leaving work early today, in order to pitch your tent in the perfect place and begin the celebrations! At Latitude Festival there will be so much to see and do. Not only will there be some brilliant acts performing over the three days, including: The National, Paloma Faith, KT Tunstall, Paolo Nutini, The Cribs, Rumer and Suede.

There will be a number of stages to choose, each offering a fantastic array of performances ranging from amazing theatre performances, poetry readings, film screenings, live music and stunning visual displays on the lake. The stages are as follows; Obelisk Arena, The Word Arena, Sunrise Arena, The Lake Stage, Comedy Arena, Caberet Arena, Theatre Arena, Outdoor Theatre, The Waterfront Stage, Film & Music Arena, Poetry Arena, Literary Arena, Literary Salon, Pandora’s Playground, The Faraway Forest, In the Woods as well as stages for the younger audiences; Children’s Arena and The Inbetweeners Teen Area.

If this still isn’t enough for you, you will have a special opportunity to enter the realms of Narnia! You will be led to the magical Narnia wardrobe directed via arrows on the trees. Amongst the forest, will be the Ice Queen lurking then you’ll be able to follow a snow trail leading to large wardrobe doors leading to a snowy wood lit by a lamp-post. Once you’ve arrived in Narnia, you can have a great time dressing up from a selection of Jewellery, Hair pieces and crowns with Princess Lucy and get your picture taken with the Lion.

 

 

 

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12 Jul 2011

Latitude Festival 2011

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

V Festival is the best festival in Essex undoubtedly. V Festival is well known for its wide array of musical talent ranging from pop to hard-core drum’n'bass. You really are spoilt for choice and are guaranteed a weekend of pure, energized dedication to your ultimate artists. With the festival taking place on the 3rd weekend of August, you are pretty much guaranteed that the sun will have it’s hat on! Many festival goers will be seen basking in the heat with a hot dog and a beer, however the toilets are something less of desirable, but hey, that’s to be expected at any festival. V Festival has been running since 1996, so there is no reason to refer to it as less experienced, they offer all the plus points of any other well-known festival such as Download or Reading.

Of course, not only is V Festival taking place at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, but also at Weston Park in South Staffordshire as it has every year, since 1999. The event is held at the two parks simultaneously where bands and solo artists’ alternate days to ensure all ticket holders regardless of their location are offered the same, amazing musical experience. Basically artists perform at one location on Saturday then swap on Sunday. This way fans in both the North and South have the chance to see their favourite bands.

2011 Annual V Festival is taking place on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August. This year’s headliners for Saturday at Hylands Park include artists such as; Arctic Monkeys, Plan B, Kaiserchiefs, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Jessie J and Dizzee Rascal and headliners for Sunday include; Eminem, Rihanna, The Script, Manic Street Preachers, Pendulum, N Dubz and Ellie Goulding. Of Course, Weston Park will have the same artists perform, yet the days will be swapped around.

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11 Jul 2011

V Festival 2011

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Arctic Monkeys’ six years of amazing musical victory showed on Thursday night, during their phenomenal performance. Now, with the band promoting their 4th album, it is clear to see that the arctic monkeys have grown in confidence but also as musicians.

Last night’s moderately small gig was part of the iTunes Festival and went down a treat. The Roundhouse truly was the perfect location for the Arctic Monkey’s gig as it provided mosh-pit heaven where every dance move had a connection to the music being performed.

Their second album, 2007’s ‘Favourite Worst Nightmares’, deservedly had a fair share of the set, with ever popular ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ virtually raising the circular roof.

Well-known but timeworn tunes such as ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ were expecting less recognition as their music has come so far since 2006, but the audience jumped in to shake it back to life! The emotive pinnacle arose when the crowd grasped ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ and sang it with wholehearted supremacy and excitement, leaving the band to play accompaniment.

The Arctic Monkeys recently released their fourth album ‘Suck It and See’, which bragged no less than eight tunes from the twenty strong set and each gaining instantaneous affection from the fans.

On a humid night in London’s busy streets, the packed house showed the fan’s devotion with word-perfect vocals, passionate moshing and lots of perspiration. A great end as the jam-packed Roundhouse trailed into London’s heated atmosphere, gloomy it was over but a skip in their step.

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9 Jul 2011

Arctic Monkeys Perform at London’s Roundhouse

Author: katy | Filed under: Music News

Every summer, London Hyde Park is host to the Wireless Festival. When it was first started it was questioned by the majority if it would become a success or not – especially as it did not have an identity amongst the popular UK festivals. The Wireless festival runs for three days with different ticket options available and targets the R & B and dance music scene with artists who are present in the UK charts. There were some great artists performing including Pulp, Black Eyed Peas, Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Bruno Mars, Example, Chemical Brothers and Grace Jones, plus more. As if music isn’t enough there are always great attractions scattered around the festival sponsored by some top brands.

Written for UK TOP 40 at www.uktop40.com

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7 Jul 2011

Wireless Festival 2011

Author: admin | Filed under: Music News
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