| CMU Daily - on the inside Friday 21st April |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Doherty escapes prison, gets nicked
- EMI to continue administering Cobain catalogue
- More on Sony's Jackson deal
- EMI and Universal report healthy first quarters
- Free Arctic Monkeys download - for one day only
- Live review: The Insomniacs Ball
- Music industry major investors in R&D
- Lennon schoolbook fetches wodge of cash
- 02 Undiscovered finalist is Corrie star
- Single review: Director - Reconnect
- Moby working with Courtney, maybe
- Eurovision entry shocks Finns
- Capital Radio chiefs step down
- Album review: Whirlwind Heat - Types Of Wood
- Kooks tour dates
- Dinosaur Jr announce UK dates
- Jones questions his worthiness
- Jagger to star in sitcom?
- Single review: The Boyfriends - Adult Acne
- George Michael urged to go into rehab
- Whitney goes into rehab
- Dec disses Chantelle
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TOP BIT>>
So, the deadline for the Gower Report is upon us. This, of course, is the government's review on all things copyright. This is important to the music industry because it is an opportunity to amend the very statute that allows recording artists and record labels to have a 'copyright' over their work. The industry is keen to make an amendment, and to make it quick. As Cliff reminded us all the other day, the required amendment is to extend the copyright on sound recordings, which currently runs for 50 years after the recording is made. The urgent need to have that amended (upwards, of course) is because some very valuable recordings are about to come out of copyright (Cliff's recordings in particular, but a whole load of rock 'n' roll classics too and, leave it seven years, the early Beatles catalogue). What much of the media coverage of Cliff's mini-rant on this issue ignored (not ours, I should add) is that the BPI's line on this focuses less on a mission to simply extend that copyright length, and more on the inconsistency between the respective lengths of a recording and songwriting copyright - the former running for 50 years from recording, the latter for the lifetime of the songwriter, and then an additional 70 years. It's an interesting debate as to whether songwriters should enjoy a longer copyright to recording artists - on a creative level they possibly do, on a commercial level they possibly don't. But even if you do think that songwriters should enjoy a longer period of royalty than recording artists, a period that could be up to 100 years longer is surely not fair. The tricky thing here, though, is that my gut feeling is that the recording copyright is too short, but the songwriter copyright too long - therefore in a logical world these inconsistencies would be overcome by extending the former and reducing the latter. But while extending a copyright on recordings will probably prove to be quite easy (despite opposition from some consumer and media groups), I pity the politician left with the task of telling songwriters (or, more likely, their heirs) their copyright is going to be cut. Which is probably why it'll never happen.
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JOBS & STUFF>>
Successful North London based entertainment PR agency seeks Senior Account Executive to work on music accounts. Applicant must have broad range of media contacts, be highly literate and like working under pressure and to deadlines. You should have a minimum of 2 years PR experience. Starting salary of £20k plus bonuses and health plan. Apply to [email protected] in writing only. Please check your application for grammatical errors or typographical mistakes before applying or you will be immediately rejected.
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RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
MySpace Of The Day: Daisy Daisy
Now, some might argue that we should have reviewed Daisy Daisy's new single three months ago when we first got our hands on a sneaky promo copy, but as I've explained before, when you release something really good, there's always a real risk it will never reach the CMU reviews system, instead getting diverted directly from jiffy bag to my home stereo. So, in a way, no review is possibly the best review CMU can give. Though there's always a chance we're not reviewing something because it's so awful we can't bring ourselves to write about it - but that's definitely not the case here. 'Michelle Plays Ping Pong' is the almost dangerously hypnotic track that takes the table clipping of a ping pong ball as its beat - one of those great 'so obvious why had no one ever thought of doing it before' ideas. And it really works. If you don't believe me, or you've no idea what I'm talking about, then - you guessed it - get on over to the Daisy Daisy MySpace where you can stream the track in full. While you're there, make sure you listen to the Vicarious Bliss rerub too - because while the original is marvelous in itself, somehow the VB remix utilizes that ping pong beat to even greater effect. There's some chat from Daisy Daisy on the MySpace too, plus a link to the website where you can watch the track's pop promo (and if you thought the track was hypnotic, wait till you see the video). The single, meanwhile, is out now - with a Cass & Mangan remix also doing the rounds in the mad world of digital music (try http://www.beatport.com)
http://www.myspace.com/mydaisydaisy
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ON AIR>>
TODAY ON TOTALROCK
Redd gets to grips with The Ga*Ga*s ('Metal Lunchbox', noon to 3pm). The Mighty Twang finds out the hell The Gourami are, and also talks to Canadian metal heroes Threat Signal ('Helldrive', 3-6pm). On Saturday, April 22, there's a second chance to hear Talita's major interview with Lou Koller from Sick Of It All ('Breakfast At Talita's', 9am to noon, while Malcolm Dome chats to legendary producer Chris Tsangarides and veteran Canadian metalheads Anvil ('Doom & Co.', 6-9pm). On Sunday, April 23, Talita meets The Zico Chain ('Breakfast At Talita's', 9am to noon). Listen live at http://www.totalrock.com
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CMU FRIDAY TIPS
CARO'S LIVE TIP: Biosphere
We reported a few weeks back that Norwegian electronic legend Geir Jenssen, aka Biosphere, was to stage a tour of cinemas in London, Liverpool and Brighton, performing accompanied by visuals from award winning video artist Egbert Mittelstaedt. He's at Greenwich Picturehouse tonight; the initial show at 7.30pm sold out so they've added a second at 9.30pm, and if you can't make that, you'll find him at the Ritzy in Brixton tomorrow.
Friday 21 Apr, 7.30pm & 9.30pm at Greenwich Picturehouse, 22 Apr, 9.15pm at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton, press info from Seb & Fiona.
VIGSY'S CLUB TIP: Digipop at the Bar Music Hall
All round nice guy Colin Toogood of the legendary Fesh and Renegade Pop parties at the 333 has taken some of his club elements quite literally down the road to put on this one off event. Hosted by Johnny Woo, and with various special guests dressed however they see fit on the feast of St George, and in Shoreditch on Sunday, anything will go. The musical highlight will be original electro/techno wizard Alexander Robotnik while the launchmeister Toogood will be soundin a mash of electro/house tunes to wrestle with your ear drums. Expect a diverse polysexual crowd, with people absolutely off their heads at this rather swank bar. And it's free to get in, so nowt lost if it's all too much, which it may well be...
Sunday 23 April, Digipop at Bar Music Hall, 134 Curtain Road, EC2A, 10pm-1am, free. info at http://www.barmusichall.com/
CARO'S LIVE TIP 2: The Boyfriends
The Boyfriends, if you don't remember, are those guys who have won Morrissey as a patron - he took them with him on his recent European tour dates - so I was kind of predisposed to be suspicious. Not because I'm a hater, I cut my teeth on The Smiths, and I still love them, it's just that Morrissey pisses me off a bit from time to time. Anyway, I've had a listen, and they're not bad; reminiscent of The Smiths, actually, with Marrish guitars and vocals from Martin Wallace that do sound a bit like Morrissey. I'm not familiar with their live act, but I'm prepared to give 'em a chance, especially as this is a Love Music Hate Racism gig, which wins points, plus as an added bonus Lupen Crook is also on the bill. PS - I've just remembered there's a Boyfriends single review in the Daily today, so see below.
21 Apr, 8pm-2am, G-Lounge, 18 Kentish Town Road, Camden, see http://www.lovemusichateracism.com/, Press info on The Boyfriends from Emms.
CHRIS' CLUB TIP: Remix Night at Cargo
Eddy TM reckons this one is going to be especially good, and while we're both biased on this, I think he's probably right. Xfm's Remix Night takes over Cargo in London again tonight, with two storming new bands playing live, and one of the bestest DJs of the moment on the decks. The bands are Vatican DC and Dead Kids, both worth the ticket price alone, but they are just one part of the night, because things will get even wilder once Eddy TM and the mighty Krafty Kuts take to the decks. Definitely one of the weekend's hottest tickets.
Friday 21 Apr, Cargo, Rivington Street, London, EC2, 8pm-3am, £8 before 9pm then £10, press info from Leyline.
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DOHERTY ESCAPES PRISON, GETS NICKED
Pete Doherty managed to escape a prison term when he appeared at Thames Magistrate's court yesterday charged with drugs possession, then promptly got arrested, again, because he was in possession of drugs, again, with hours of leaving court.
In court to answer those previously reported charges, Doherty admitted to possessing heroin, crack and cannabis when he was stopped by police on 18 Dec last year, and again on 14 Jan. His solicitor, Sean Curran said: "I have noticed a significant improvement in his demeanour. He is fully appreciative of his surroundings and he is able to ask questions. He is clearly in a better physical and mental position than he was when he started."
Judge Jane McIvor agreed, saying he was showing "significant signs of compliance and effort", before sentencing him to a two year supervision order, 18 months in drug rehabilitation and a 6 month driving ban."It is going to be a long and slow process," she continued, adding that Doherty could still be sent to prison if he breaks the supervision order. He was ordered to return to court on 31 May for a review.
Of course, as it happens, he may be returning to court sooner due to the latest arrest, which took place in east London yesterday afternoon. Doherty was stopped by plain clothes police whilst travelling as a passenger with a 21 year old man. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "At 14.10 this afternoon two men, one aged 27 the other 21, were arrested after a vehicle was stopped in Roman Road, E2, by plain clothes officers in an unmarked police car on routine patrol. They were arrested on suspicion of possessing what was believed to be class A drugs with the intent to supply. Both men are currently being held in an East London police station. The older man was the passenger, the younger the driver."
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EMI TO CONTINUE ADMINISTERING COBAIN CATALOGUE
Friday morning seems as good a time as any for some lovely publishing news - so here we go. First up, representatives for Courtney Love have confirmed that EMI Music Publishing will continue to administer the Kurt Cobain catalogue, despite Love's new partnership with Larry Mestel's Primary Wave Music Publishing. As previously reported, Love announced earlier this month that she had entered into a new partnership with Mestel's company regarding the management of the Cobain catalogue, but this week she confirmed that the new deal won't affect her existing relationship with the EMI owned publishing firm.
Love's manager Peter Asher told reporters this week: "Courtney and I are both very pleased and excited that, alongside our brilliant new partners Larry Mestel and Primary Wave, we still get to continue our long and fruitful relationship with our friends at EMI Music Publishing".
EMI Music Publishing boss Martin Bandier added: "The continuation of our administration of Kurt Cobain's songs and the beginning of a new relationship with Larry and his partner is of great significance to EMI Music Publishing, and we are very happy to be in business together."
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MORE ON SONY'S JACKSON DEAL
Also from the music publishing file, gossipers have been, well, gossiping I guess, about the previously reported deal between Sony and Michael Jackson regarding ownership of the Sony/ATV publishing company.
Although there has been little official word regarding the much reported deal which will see Jackson reduce his stake in the company from 50% to 25%, the consensus is that negotiations between Sony Corp executive Rob Wiesenthal and Jackson's representatives in the Middle East are now more or less complete and, after legal fees, Sony will write a cheque to the singer for about $200 million. That should be enough to satisfy Jackson's main creditors.
Sony chiefs will be glad to have the deal done because it will end a period of insecurity during which there has always been an outside chance that Jacko's creditors would force an open market sale of the singer's share in Sony/ATV, landing Sony with a possibly unwanted new business partner. The new deal will also be welcomed by Sony/ATV bosses who will no longer have to consult Jackson, now a minority shareholder, on every deal over $1 million, a process which was reportedly trying given Jackson's unpredictable nature.
While the US investment community generally see Sony's deal with Jackson as a sensible one, some are questioning Sony Corp's willingness to use up cash reserves on deals like this - and even more so the $2 billion buyout of Bertelsmann's share in SonyBMG which the Japanese conglomerate is also said to be considering. Given that Sony's electronics business continues to struggle, some are questioning whether the company can really afford two such costly deals at the same time.
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EMI AND UNIVERSAL REPORT HEALTHY FIRST QUARTERS
Then again, perhaps Sony think the music industry is now in healthy enough shape to justify those investments. Certainly two of their major label competitors seem to be doing OK - with both Universal and EMI reporting healthy first quarter figures, and both of them noting the importance of growing digital revenues in relation to current success.
Following a successful 2005, Paris based Vivendi Universal continued its financial recovery in the first quarter of this year, with the Universal Music Group again a key player in delivering that financial joy. UMG saw sales rise by 8.4% in quarter one, up to $1.39 billion, with digital sales and booming publishing revenues cited as reasons for their success.
Meanwhile, London based EMI were also upbeat this week when they issued a trading update a month ahead of formally releasing its quarter one figures. They say that sales growth in the first quarter was close to 4%, with pre-tax profits expected to be up by almost 12%. Again, growing digital sales, which now account for 5.5% of the group's recorded music revenues, were one of the reasons cited for the recent successes.
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FREE ARCTIC MONKEYS DOWNLOAD - FOR ONE DAY ONLY
Now, as I understand it, everyone is an Arctic Monkeys fan. Did I get that right? Oh, everyone apart from Marc on the CMU review team - he hates them. In which case, you all (Marc excepted) need to get on over to http://www.thedownloader.co.uk today because there you will find an exclusive free MP3 download of a live version of 'View From The Afternoon', a track which features on that previously reported 'Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys' EP, which comes out on Monday. The track is only available to download for one day (ie today), so you better get on over there right now.
The track is the fifth of five free Domino downloads that have been made available via The Downloader this week in a special promotion to flag up the launch of a bargain label compilation, 'They'll Have To Catch Us First', a fourteen tracker Domino compo (featuring, among others, Franz Ferdinand, The Kills and Clearlake) that is available for just £2.99. There's more on that at http://www.dominorecordco.com - press info from Domino.
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LIVE REVIEW: The Insomniacs Ball at seOne on 13 Apr
OK, so why has it taken a week for me to report back on the mighty Insomniacs Ball? Well, firstly I went on holiday within hours of the Ball reaching its climax and have been far too busy taking cliff top walks and enjoying generously sized pub lunches to be penning any reviews. But I also believe that it is sometimes worth allowing a little time for reflection after a major music event, to process your thoughts and opinions before embarking on a review. Actually, that last bit is a rubbish excuse; basically I've been on holiday. But here it is, my Insomniacs Ball review. Of course some might question why we are running a review at all. CMU were media partners on the event, and with the CMU Beats logo flashing up on the wall of the main room every 42 seconds I was hardly an impartial observer. But then again, this media partnership business can be tricky because you're often forced to take a bit of a gamble, sticking your logo on the publicity for a new untested event that, at the time of entering into the partnership, is just a vague idea in a promoter's head and a date pencilled in some venue's diary, so I think it is important to report back - mainly so we can gloat at how good we are at picking which events to support. The Insomniacs Ball rocked. Taking over the seOne club which is a cavernous space in the arches underneath London Bridge station, the Ball consisted of three rooms of musical mayhem - with an indie rock bias, but enough eclecticism (on both a band and DJ front) to ensure this wasn't just indie schmindie central. Headline names like White Rose Movement and British Sea Power put on fine shows, although, true to its mission to be a mini-festival, it was the smaller name acts that provided the most entertainment - bands which I probably would not have yet stumbled across had it not been for the Ball. Alas the arches in seOne are long and, given my tendency to find a spot towards the back of the crowd, coupled with my failing eyesight, I couldn't always completely make out the names of the bands projected on the back of the stage - so some of the bands I enjoyed may have to go uncredited, though I'm pretty sure among the acts that entertained were New Rhodes, Captain Black, and The Holloways. Oh yes, and Art Brut rocked too - the Room 3 headliners having such a distinctive style they didn't need any labelling and, I can confirm, their quirky if slightly shouty sound works even better live. But to be honest, the concept was as much a part of the thrill of the Insomniacs Ball - a band-centric all-nighter in (and underneath) central London, a 20 minute night-bus ride from my house. Brilliant. Roll on Insomniacs 2. CC
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MUSIC INDUSTRY MAJOR INVESTORS IN R&D
UK record companies invest more proportionately in research and development than the aerospace, defence, car and computer industries. I know this, because the BPI told me. Which was very good of them.
In fact, by comparing the record companies' R&D expenditure with that reported by the DTI for other business sectors, the music industry is second only to the pharmaceutical industry in R&D investment - and they, as we all know, are evil, so they don't count. What exactly the record companies are researching and developing we're not sure - hopefully innovative ways to develop, communicate and sell the musical creations of the nation's artistic community, though presumably all that dodgy copy-protection software was researched and developed somewhere along the line, so it might not all be money well spent.
Either way, the BPI are using the record companies' high investment in R&D type things as one argument for the extension of the recorded music copyright which, of course, is being much debated at the moment because of the government sanctioned Gower Review of copyright law. BPI chairman Peter Jamieson observes: "We have long pointed out that record companies are the biggest investors in new music in the UK. This new data shows that in comparative terms the recorded music sector stacks up well against British industry as a whole and, surprisingly, against some of the most R&D intensive hi-tech sectors. Key to maintaining that investment is a strong copyright regime. We hear much from commentators about the transformation of the UK into a 'knowledge economy' based on creativity and intellectual property, but the recording industry is actually putting it in to practice. The diversity and quality of the music being enjoyed by British music fans is directly attributable to the amount being invested by record companies."
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LENNON SCHOOLBOOK FETCHES WODGE OF CASH
Well, you can never tell with these celebrity memorabilia auctions; sometimes stuff sells, sometimes it doesn't, and this time it did. One of John Lennon's old schoolbooks has sold for £126,500 at a London auction. The book is entitled 'My Anthology', and contained his thoughts, drawings and poems at the age of twelve. Ted Owen of Auctioneers Cooper Owen said: "It was a fantastic sale and it is fitting that one of the earliest items from Britain's greatest songwriter has fetched such a significant amount."
Elsewhere in the sale, Lennon's christening bracelet sold for £28,000, and a jacket he wore at The Beatles' Shea Stadium gig fetched £10,000.
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02 UNDISCOVERED FINALIST IS CORRIE STAR
02 and Polydor have announced the ten finalists of their previously reported unsigned band contest, 02 Undiscovered, and amongst them are a band called Shepherd's Pi - which counts amongst its members Coronation street star Rupert Hill. The judging panel did not, apparently, realise he was famous at the time of judging. Hill says: "We're obviously delighted that we made the top 10 out of 6,000 in the 'undiscovered' competition. I'm a bit worried that they don't know about my day job, but I'm very pleased that we were selected without that coming into it!"
The panel of judges, which includes Vince Power, critic Lisa Verrico, Polydor's Head of A&R Simon Gavin and former guitarist with Elastica Paul Jonze, will now have to select two winners from the shortlist of ten, which encompasses a wide variety of genres. The winning bands will get workshop sessions with members of the industry panel plus studio and producer time to record a track, a digital release of the track, and an opportunity to perform at the O2 Wireless festival in June.
Here are the ten finalists:
Joseph Macwan from Leicester
Scott McFarnon from Surrey
Nick Webber from Tonbridge Kent
Emma Rohan & Band from St Albans
George Burton from N. Lanarkshire/ Scotland
Shepherds Pi from Manchester
Stylux Marchin from London
Drink Me from London
Ejectorseat from Derby
Vix n Trix from South East London
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SINGLE REVIEW: Director - Reconnect (Warner/Atlantic)
If reviews of debut singles by young Dublin guitar groups excite you, then you'll be well served by reading on. (If not, don't worry, you won't miss much). The lovely 60s stylings of the sleeve and disc instantly grab the attention but are probably the best thing about this single. The fact that both tracks sound like The Strokes is anything but an inherent recommendation, of course, but 'Reconnect' does maintain a modicum of morose melodicism (sorry, but this review is partly sponsored by The Alliteration Society) that suggest a couldn't-care-less insouciance even though the band probably take things very seriously. It's subtle and poppy, clinical yet casual, with some foreboding chord changes and a snappy guitar overload ending wherein the guitarist was allowed to rock out for about three seconds before being hurriedly put back in his cage. It's all utterly inconsequential of course, but by no means the worst thing you'll ever hear, and, being a debut single that isn't completely awful. I'm contractually and ethically obliged to use the epithet "promising". Consider it done. MS
Release date: 24 Apr
Press contact: Atlantic IH [all]
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MOBY WORKING WITH COURTNEY, MAYBE
Moby has revealed that he may work with Courtney Love on tracks for her upcoming solo album. Or he may not. Here's what he said: "I'm not sure we're working together. The truth is, I actually don't know. I mean, I've known Courtney for a long time, and I find her to be remarkably talented and just a fascinating person, so we might work on something together, but I don't know. It's just been some friendly conversations at this point."
He added that he thinks Love's new material will "surprise" people, saying of the demos he heard: "It's actually really well-written songs that are very earnest, very passionate. So I'm sure she'll make a wonderful record. It's got a humble strength to it."
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EUROVISION ENTRY SHOCKS FINNS
Apparently it's not just Serbia and Montenegro getting themselves worked up over this year's Eurovision; Finland's entry for this year's song competition is causing a bit of an outcry amongst, er, the Fins. Well, some of them anyway.
The band set to represent the country at Eurovision, Lordi, are a scary metal band with scary masks wielding scary chainsaws, and their track, 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' is considered to be a fairly radical departure from usual Euro-fare. Lordi were selected to represent Finland via a TV vote, and garnered a fairly conclusive 42% of the vote, so the band are clearly popular with at least some of their fellow countrymen.
The reaction to their success has been strong however, with people expressing their fears on internet message boards that the group's performance will damage Finland's reputation abroad, whilst some Finns have gone as far as to ask their president to intervene. Inevitable rumours that Lordi are goat killing devil worshippers have been fuelled by the fact that the band have refused to do any TV interviews and refuse to take off their scary masks, or reveal their real names, although possibly somewhat refuted by the fact that one of their hit songs is called 'The Devil Is A Loser'.
Father Mitro Repo, a Helsinki clergyman says the band's use of the name 'Lordi', which means 'the lord', is sacrilege. "I think it's a stupid joke of Finland," he says "Lord have mercy on us Finnish people now."
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CAPITAL RADIO CHIEFS STEP DOWN
Things keep happening at the moment which I'm sure happened months ago - perhaps I've developed some kind of premonition skill. Then again, it is surely only a matter of time until every single former Capital exec has quit GCap Media following the actually-a-GWR-takeover-merger.
Anyhow, Capital Radio MD Keith Pringle is stepping down, as is the station's Programme Director Nik Goodman. Both departures have "immediate effect", with a new PD expected to be in place as early as next week (who's betting it's a former GWR man?).
The Guardian quote a statement from the radio company that reads thus: "As the group seeks to enter the next stage of development and attract new listeners to Capital, this decision is based on the need to recruit specific skills and experience that will allow us to fulfil these ambitions. At this stage, we cannot yet confirm the name of the new programme director but will do so in the next week."
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ALBUM REVIEW: Whirlwind Heat - Types Of Wood (Brille)
A few years back Whirlwind Heat released the mad thrashing album 'Do Rabbits Wonder?', produced by Jack White, with every song named after a different colour. So frenetic was the pace, that I filed them mentally in my head next to Liars and the rest of the Disco Punk movement of a few years ago. Their new album, 'Types of Wood', surprised me. The fast pace, heavy distortion and mad keyboard sounds of their debut have totally disappeared and been replaced by slow funk more reminiscent of the Fun Lovin' Criminals without the Fun, or Cake at their least interesting. I'll admit, I'm disappointed, but let's review Whirlwind Heat on what they're trying to be now, rather than past glories. Opener 'Air Miami' isn't bad, with its howling chorus of "Come on baby! Kill me again!", recent single 'Reagan', however, is utterly uneventful, and is followed closely by 'Gene Pool Style', which is a cringeworthy ode to sperm donation accompanied by 'oh yeah!'s in the backing vocals. Unnecessary. 'The Sun is Round' brings the tempo back up, but promptly ruins it with a chorus that just recites the alphabet. Were they that hard up for lyrics? Closer 'Nylon Heat' ends proceedings with 8 minutes of synth twiddling, chainsaw noises and 'experimentation'. Overall impression? Dull. It utterly fails to recapture the magic of 'Do Rabbits Wonder?', replacing it with slow funk and bored vocals. I know bands slow down as they get older, but this is ridiculous. DG
Release Date: 24 Apr
Press Contact: Motion Group [all]
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KOOKS TOUR DATES
The Kooks have announced a series of gigs, and they're all at seaside towns. Hurrah. Pack your bucket and spade. If you're a Kooks fan, obviously. And indeed, a sandcastle fan. The new single 'She Moves In Her Own Way' is out on 26 Jun. Tickets on sale now, dates as follows:
18 Aug: Hastings, Pier Ballroom
19 Aug: Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
22 Aug: Torquay, Riviera Centre
23 Aug: Blackpool, Spanish Hall
21 Aug: Skegness, The Farm
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DINOSAUR JR ANNOUNCE UK DATES
Dinosaur Jr have announced three UK live dates, set to take place ahead of their appearance at All Tomorrow's Parties, dates as follows:
21 May: Manchester Academy
22 May: Birmingham Academy
23 May: Bristol Academy
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JONES QUESTIONS HIS WORTHINESS
Tom Jones has said that he's not sure that he's worthy of a knighthood. In a recent interview, Jones explained his shock at learning of his honour. "It really does shake you up a bit," he said. "When you're on the New Year's Honours List, you start to question yourself morally. I kept saying 'am I worthy of this award?' It's a strange thing. Getting a knighthood is a very important thing. It puts a weight on your shoulders."
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JAGGER TO STAR IN SITCOM?
Frightening thought, this. According to reports Mick Jagger is currently in negotiations to star in a sitcom for America's ABC network. The plot is said to revolve around a group of New Yorkers who plan to rob a celebrity, with Jagger in the celebrity role. Some scenes have already been filmed for the pilot, but none featuring Jagger himself. Perhaps all the scenes would be better left that way.
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SINGLE REVIEW: The Boyfriends - Adult Acne (Boobytrap Records)
The Boyfriends are a London-based 5-piece whose website has had 40,000 hits. Apparently the press release thinks this is important, otherwise it wouldn't have told me. I'm going to pass this nugget of information onto you, in case you find it useful too, in a pub quiz maybe. The Boyfriends are very English. This single, 'Adult Acne' heavily recalls the Smiths, and in fact the Boyfriends are supporting Morrissey on his forthcoming tour. It's a typical indie tale of not having a girlfriend, with opening lyric "Rejection for the hundredth time hurts just as deeply as the first", but on reflection it struck me that it's been a long time since we've had an indie hit about not having a girlfriend. I suddenly feel like I'm 17 again and listening to Travis, and it's not nearly as bad as I remember. Is it time for a return to teenagers sitting in bedrooms, rather than looking good on dancefloors? DG
Release Date: May 8
Press Contact: Emms [all]
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GEORGE MICHAEL URGED TO GO INTO REHAB
Well, having had a couple of run ins with the police in the last couple of months, the Evening Standard reports that "music industry execs" are urging the "troubled" singer to seek professional help for his marijuana habit. Apparently they've told him he should check into rehab - which may or may not be true, but it brings us quite nicely to rehab news...
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WHITNEY GOES INTO REHAB
Whitney Houston has apparently checked into rehab, following those recent tabloid revelations about her continuing drug addiction. Sister in law Tina Brown, you may remember, exposed Houston earlier in the year by selling pictures of the singer's drug paraphernalia to the press, claiming that she was doing it for the star's own good.
Now Brown has confirmed that she is getting help, though seemingly has not learned to communicate much with her husband; Brown says that Bobby had no idea where Whitney had gone initially. Tina says: "At first he thought she was just off on another drug binge. It took a few days to find out from Whitney's family that they had talked her into rehab. All Bobby told me is that she is in treatment, in a secluded place. She can still be the singer the world adored. I pray to God she'll get herself clean for good."
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DEC DISSES CHANTELLE
I'm not quite sure how this is music news, though she is dating (marrying?) a musician, and he was once a popstar of sorts ('Shout' was a great song). Anyway, Declan Donnelly has been dissing poor old Chantelle, describing her rise to fame as a celebrity trick "got out of hand".
Speaking to Arena magazine, Dec says of the Celeb Big Brother winner: "Chantelle is like a trick played on celebrities that has got out of hand. I'm not sure that would happen in any other country. Celebrity used to be a by product of your day job, but now it's just a day job to be a celebrity. That never used to exist before. I wonder how many kids now do want to be firemen and policemen and nurses and stuff, and how many kids just want to be famous. It's a sad kind of reflection."
Thanks Dec, just what we needed, a bit of sad reflection for the weekend.