| CMU Daily - on the inside Thursday 11th May |
|
In today's CMU Daily:
- Stones postpone European dates while Richards recuperates
- Great White manager gets four years over club fire
- Snoop Dog flies to London, not with BA
- West sued over hired Merc
- Dirty Pretty Things celebrate album launch
- Petty cancels fan club tickets over tout fears
- EP review: The Aliens - Alienoid Starmonica
- BDP, BSP, Magic Numbers confirmed for new fest
- More bands announced for Wireless
- Snow Patrol announce tour
- Yet another Fightstar tour
- Plant announced for Arthur Lee tribute
- Single review: Prince - Fury
- SonyBMG gossip
- SonyBMG Euro appointments
- Neighbourhood launches new intimate set up
- New psy-trance/breaks nights kicks off this weekend
- Underworld webcast this weekend
- ITV commission new pop show
- Vines debut pop promo on YouTube
- Diesel U-Music accepting submissions
- Elton John pisses off the viewers
- Doherty exhibits his bloody paintings
- Doherty dissed by NME
- Tyson wants to record with Westlife
--------------------------------------------------
TOP BIT: MR MOUTH INTERVIEW>>
One last plug for the Student Music Awards finals, which take place at ULU in London tonight, headlined by the wonderful Delays (press info from Slice). I mention this here because one of the hosts tonight will be Mr Mouth - a student himself and possibly CMU's favourite beatboxer. It was through his beatboxing skills, often showcased at Leyline's JUMP night at Cargo, that we first discovered this guy - though he also lists "vocalist, performer, designer and freestyle BMXer" on his biog, which suggests there is considerably more to Mr Mouth than just the verbal-beats. Curious as to his wider masterplan, we stole some quality time with him a few weeks back to find out about his career to date, his wider musical ambitions, the challenge of getting together a live show, and the genius idea of making beatbox ringtones. So if, like me, you've always had a soft spot for the world of beatboxing, then get along to ULU tonight to see Mr Mouth in action, then check out our interview with him for the fuller lowdown. It'll go live later today at this here URL:
http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/interviews
--------------------------------------------------
ON AIR>>
TODAY ON TOTALROCK
It's time to welcome back Chris Dale from the pop troupe Sack Trick. He returns to his normal position, from 3-6pm on the 'Helldrive'. Which means more metal - and the occasional Kiss song! Listen live at http://www.totalrock.com
--------------------------------------------------
CMU SUPPORTS>>
THE GREAT ESCAPE: You know the deal by now - three great days in Brighton offering an unrivalled programme of one to one interviews with leading industry figures, including Michael Eavis, ie Music's Tim Clark and David Enthoven and, just added, EMI CEO Tony Wadsworth, plus more great gigs and showcases than you can possibly imagine including The Futureheads, British Sea Power, The Kooks, The Bees, The Feeling, The Cribs and Martha Wainwright. It all takes place 18-20 May - full details at http://www.escapegreat.com - plus if you work for an independent or grass roots media or music company, or in the college space, email [email protected] and we'll tell you how you can get a full delegates pass for the very special rate of £175.
--------------------------------------------------
RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
Beats in Brighton
The Brighton Festival is under way, and you can check out CMU's preview of the Great Escape, plus reviews of other music events taking place at the Festival this year courtesy of our sister title ThreeWeeks in Brighton, all online later on today at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
MySpace Of The Day: Captain
You may have heard of Captain, you may not. I've heard of them, which is why I'm telling you about them. The reason I've heard of them is that they released a single 'Broke' on the 1 May. It was one of those singles I picked up in a hurry on my way out of the office and played on the radio show without really having much of a listen first (normally, I hasten to add, I do select tracks for the radio more carefully than this - tracks would normally only get played for very good reasons - reasons like 'they're from Greenwich' 'they're from Deptford' and 'they know my mate' - nah, just kidding). This was, however, a gamble that paid off - it was very good track and I didn't regret playing it. But then, it was produced by Trevor Horn, so possibly it wasn't that big a gamble. Go there to listen to that single or watch the video. There are other tracks too. And info. Don't forget the info.
Read more about our MySpace of the Day right now at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------
STONES POSTPONE EUROPEAN DATES WHILE RICHARDS RECUPERATES
The Rolling Stones have postponed their upcoming European Tour, which was due to start in Spain on 25 May, to give guitarist Keith Richards time to recover from that brain surgery he underwent in New Zealand at the start of the week.
As previously reported, that brain surgery followed a fall from a palm tree in Fiji. A spokesman for Richards initially said the rocker had only suffered concussion from the fall, denied reports that the Rolling Stone would undergo surgery, and said the incident would not affect the band's upcoming touring commitments.
However, on Monday Richards' people issued the following statement: "Last week Keith was under observation in Auckland following a fall in Fiji and was feeling well after being examined by doctors last week, however after complaining of headaches yesterday doctors thought it prudent to move ahead with a small operation to remove the pressure. The operation was a complete success and Keith is already up and talking with his family today. He will need a few weeks recuperation."
Subsequent media reports have suggested Richards has had a second operation since that statement was released, and that his family have mounted a "bedside vigil", but his spokesman denies that is a case, saying the initial surgery was successful and the rocker now just needs time to recuperate.
Either way, that recuperation period will mean Richards is not sufficiently fit for the 25 May date, and the band say they are now looking to get going with their European tour at some point in June, though an exact start date and details of when the postponed dates will be rescheduled are as yet to be confirmed.
--------------------------------------------------
GREAT WHITE MANAGER GETS FOUR YEARS OVER CLUB FIRE
The former manager of rock band Great White has been jailed for four years over that fire at a Rhode Island night club that left 100 people, including the band's guitarist, dead. The sentence followed a deal struck between the defendant and prosecutors back in February when the former manager, Daniel Biechele, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
As previously reported, Biechele was held liable for the fire because he had been ultimately responsible for the use of the pyrotechnics during the band's show which caused the fire. There was considerable disagreement between him and the owners of the club where the gig took place over whether or not the band had been given permission to use pyrotechnics. Biechele said they had, but club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian said they had specifically denied permission.
Based on that disagreement, Biechele initially pleaded not-guilty to the 200 counts of manslaughter for which he stood accused (two for every fan killed, one for criminal negligence, the other for 'underlying offences' that led to the deaths). However in February he struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to 100 counts of manslaughter on the condition he would receive a maximum ten year prison sentence.
The judge sentencing Biechele this week said he had been lenient in terms of the length of his jail time because the former manager was already being punished simply by living with the terrible results of his actions. Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan Jr told the court room: "The greatest sentence that can be imposed upon you, has been imposed upon you by yourself".
The Derderians still also face manslaughter charges over the incident. Even if they did not give permission for the pyrotechnics to be used, they have been criticised for installing flammable soundproofing material in the venue which made the fire much more dangerous.
--------------------------------------------------
SNOOP DOG FLIES TO LONDON, NOT WITH BA
Snoop Dogg flew to London yesterday for a meet and greet, though this one was with the Metropolitan Police in relation to his involvement in that brawl at Heathrow Airport at the end of last month. As previously reported, he and five other men were arrested on suspicion of affray and violent disorder after a fracas broke out when they were refused entry to British Airways' first class lounge at Heathrown terminal 1, and Snoop, real name Calvin Broadus, and his companions all spent a night in jail.
At the time, police released all six men saying that they had not been charged with any offenses, but would be required to return to a London police station in May pending further investigations. Fulfilling that requirement, Snoop was due to meet officers at Heathrow police station yesterday to see whether any action would be taken against him over the incident, in which seven officers were injured. No word on what was concluded there.
No word either on which airline he flew in on - but it certainly won't have been BA - a spokesman for the company has, as previously reported, confirmed that Snoop Dogg has been barred from future travel on the airline.
--------------------------------------------------
WEST SUED OVER HIRED MERC
Into the pop courts civil division, and Kanye West and his production company have been sued by a credit firm over their alleged failure to return a leased car. It is alleged West's Konman Entertainment failed to return a Mercedes G500 they leased, at $1295 a month, back in 2002. Now DCFS Trust, who took over the lease from Prestige Motors Inc, want $53,747 plus legal fees and because West himself was the guarantor on the lease they are suing him and his company for the money. Neither West nor Konman have responded to the lawsuit as yet.
--------------------------------------------------
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS CELEBRATE ALBUM LAUNCH
Dirty Pretty Things held a 'secret' gig a few days ago at the Anywhere venue near London Bridge underground station to celebrate the launch of their debut album 'Waterloo To Anywhere'. Tickets had been distributed via a mobile phone competition for the event, which was organised by Nokia. The band played an hour long set that included songs from the aforementioned album as well as a few Libertines tracks.
--------------------------------------------------
PETTY CANCELS FAN CLUB TICKETS OVER TOUT FEARS
In the latest attempt by the music business to take on ticket touts, management for Tom Petty have announced they are cancelling 500 tickets allocated to fan club members after discovering some of those tickets being resold online at inflated prices.
Petty' management and sales agency Ticketmaster suspect that some touts joined the singer's fan club just to get access to the tickets with the intention of reselling them. In a bid to overcome that practice, the 500 tickets sold to fan club members will be reallocated, and this time fans will be asked to bring photo ID with them when picking their tickets up.
Petty's manager Tony Dimitriades told reporters: "We don't claim to have completely eliminated all reselling activity on these or any other shows. But this is definitely a step in the right direction and a major strike on behalf of the good guys."
Whether any action will be taken against the people reselling the fan club tickets remains to be seen. Joining the fan club simply to sell on tickets at profit not only breaks the club's own rules but is apparently against the law in the state of Minnesota where the gigs in question are taking place (though quite why the state of Minnesota has laws governing the joining of fan clubs with inappropriate commercial intentions, I'm not sure).
--------------------------------------------------
EP REVIEW: The Aliens - Alienoid Starmonica EP (EMI/Petrock)
Psychedelia is a tricky beast. Done right, it sounds amazing and otherworldly. Done poorly, it's tedious and fake - there's a very fine line to tread. Beta Band always managed it right, albeit in a rainy Scottish kind of way. Now that they've split up, what are fans to do? Well, probably get their hands on Beta Band founders John Maclean, Robin Jones and Gordon Anderson's new project - you guessed it - the Aliens. Opening seven minute epic 'Hey Leanne' crackles between static, country music, and insect noises, before finally kicking in with just a minute to go with a church organ intro to the second track - 'Only Waiting'. Oh. This is just the Beta Band. Nothing much new here. The song ends. Track three begins. Whoa! We're suddenly in night-time 80s Miami! When did that happen? 'Robot Man' is amazing, but runs far too briefly into final 8-minute track 'Ionas (Look For Space)'. Oh, we're back in rainy Scotland again. Shame, I was enjoying the cocktails. A big Beta Band fan will love this, but if, like me, you never quite saw the appeal then you don't need to get too excited. The Aliens aren't really out of this world, they're still in Scotland. DG
Release Date: 8 May
Press Contact: Darling Department [all]
--------------------------------------------------
BDB, BSP, MAGIC NUMBERS CONFIRMED FOR NEW FEST
According to reports, The Magic Numbers, Badly Drawn Boy and British Sea Power have all been confirmed for (yet another) brand new music festival set to take place in Leeds this summer. The event, entitled Across The Tracks, is set to take place at the city's Granary Wharf from 29-30 Jul.
The line up is also said to include Jose Gonzalez, Stephen Fretwell, The Young Knives, The Bees, The Research, Black Wire, The Rumble Strips and Shitdisco. Tickets are on sale now.
--------------------------------------------------
MORE BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR WIRELESS
More bands have been announced for the ever growing Wireless Festival. The event has announced a new stage, the MySpace stage, and bands such as King Creosote, Lorraine, Danko Jones, Catherine Feeney, Humanzi and Louie are all set to appear on it. The join high profile names such as Depeche Mode, Massive Attack and The Strokes on the bill for the event, which, as previously reported, takes place in June in London's Hyde Park, with a two day sister event taking place at Harewood House in Leeds in the same week.
--------------------------------------------------
SNOW PATROL ANNOUNCE TOUR
Snow Patrol have announced details of an arena tour to take place at the end of the year. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, dates are as follows:
28 Nov: Birmingham NIA
29 Nov: Manchester MEN Arena
30 Nov: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
18 Dec: London Wembley Arena
--------------------------------------------------
YET ANOTHER FIGHTSTAR TOUR
I know it only 'seems' as though I'm constantly reporting on Fightstar tour dates, but it seems it a lot. Anyway, this isn't just about tour dates, oh no, we've got release news too. The band are set to release the second single from their debut album 'Grand Unification' shortly. 'Hazy Eyes' will be out on 5 Jun.
So on to the live news: Fightstar are to make a string of festival appearances this summer, taking in The Full Ponty, the Download Festival, T In the Park and Reading/Leeds. They've got two in-stores planned, at Virgin Megastore in London on 5 Jun at 6pm and at HMV in Birmingham on 6 Jun at 5pm. And they head out on tour in support of Funeral For A Friend shortly, playing at the following previously reported FFAF dates:
15 May: Exeter University
16 May: London Shepherds Bush Empire
24 May: Bristol Carling Academy
25 May: Liverpool University
27 May: Southampton Guildhall
29 May: Reading Hexagon
31 May: Edinburgh Corn Exchange
1 Jun: Newcastle Carling Academy
2 Jun: Birmingham Academy
3 Jun: Manchester Academy
4 Jun: London Hammersmith Palais
--------------------------------------------------
PLANT ANNOUNCED FOR ARTHUR LEE TRIBUTE
Led Zeppelin man Robert Plant is to appear at that previously reported benefit for Love founder Arthur Lee. The concert is being organised to raise funds for Lee's medical bills, which are mounting as he battles leukaemia, and which he has no way of paying. Fans can also donate money at http://www.thelovesociety.com
Other artists announced for the event, which takes place on 23 Jun at the Beacon Theatre in New York include the New York Dolls' David Johansen, Yo La Tengo, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah man Alec Ounsworth and Love guitarist Johnny Echols.
--------------------------------------------------
SINGLE REVIEW: Prince - Fury (Universal/Island)
Prince hits us one more time with another instant winner, 'Fury', from chart topping album '3121'. Although his new tracks still sound ridiculously 80s, he is Prince and he is, arguably, the ultimate entertainer. His multiple octave spanning voice, influential style and ability to turn on everyone within ear shot inspires my immediate forgiveness for his obsession with hip thrusting beats, air guitar worthy solos and staticy synth chords. And he is Prince; finding fault with the only pop maestro who hasn't eaten himself to death or made friends with one too many kids is a difficult task. AW
Release Date: 22 May
Press Contact: Island IH [all]
--------------------------------------------------
SONYBMG GOSSIP
Some more SonyBMG gossiping for you. The consensus is now that the top guard at parent company Bertelsmann has been considering selling its half of the major record company for a while.
As previously reported, Bertlesmann's majority shareholders the Mohn family are keen to buy out minority shareholders Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, because GBL are talking about floating their shares on the stock market. The Mohns would need to raise rather a lot of cash to do that, and the favoured money raising option at the moment (well, favoured by the Bertelsmann board if not the Mohn family themselves) is to sell their 50% stake in Sony BMG.
Interestingly recent reports suggest that Bertelsmann chiefs have been considering the SonyBMG sale option for quite a while now, which might throw some light on those recent conflicts in the SonyBMG boardroom which, after much negotiation between Bertelsmann and Sony Corp, saw the power at the top of the joint venture record label swing away from former Sony execs and over to former Bertelsmann people. In particular, former BMG chief Rolf Schmidt Holtz took over the day to day running of the company from former Sony chief Andy Lack.
At the time gossipers said the conflict was caused by personal tensions between former BMG execs and Lack who, after all, was still relatively new to the music industry after a long career in the TV business. But some now wonder if Bertelsmann engineered the whole thing to get their former execs into positions of power at the merged major so that when the German conglom bails out of the record company completely, its former BMG execs aren't immediately axed by Sony Corp and their new business partners.
Whether anything so devious actually went on isn't clear - probably not. But if it did, then Bertelsmann's plans possibly worked. According to HitsDailyDouble.com, Schmidt-Holtz is proving to be a popular leader among many senior former Sony execs at SonyBMG.
--------------------------------------------------
SONYBMG EURO APPOINTMENTS
From cheap gossip about SonyBMG, to official statements from them. The major record company yesterday announced that Guy Goedgezelschap has been appointed VP of the group's operations in the Benelux countries, reporting to Sony BMG's Continental Europe President Maarten Steinkamp. In the new role, Goedgezelschap will coordinate the group's operations in both Belgium and the Netherlands (and, surely, the rock 'n' roll mecca that is Luxembourg).
Confirming the appointment, Steinkamp told CMU: "Guy is, without doubt, the best person to lead our two companies in these countries with their challenging and rapidly changing markets. He proved his ability to take on this job when he headed all integration projects in relation to the merger last year and then played a major role in forming our new integrated company. He is a very talented executive with great management skills and a strong, intuitive command of business and operational issues."
Elsewhere in the SonyBMG Continental Europe appointments news, Ulrich Jaerkel has been appointed to the brand new role of Senior VP Strategic Marketing & Business Development, Continental Europe in which he will, erm, lead strategic marketing and business development in Continental Europe, I guess.
On this appointment, busy Steinkamp told us: "In order for SonyBMG to become a total music entertainment company which diversifies across its product range and delivery platforms, it is critical that we create such a new unit to drive and respond to the demands of today's market. We owe it to our artists to bring their music and creativity to as many consumers and in as many ways as we can. With his diverse background and recent experience in the digital world, I know that Ulrich is the right person to deliver a wide range of existing ideas and concepts we already have and bring them to commercial fruition."
--------------------------------------------------
NEIGHBOURHOOD LAUNCHES NEW INTIMATE SET UP
West London venue Neighbourhood will get smaller tonight, which isn't normally something you'd necessarily boast about, but in this case it is. Basically the venue's management have set up the venue so it can switch from its normal size down to a 250-350 capacity venue, offering a much more intimate environment for music events (especially live music events) not suited to the standard Neighbourhood set up.
Designed by Julian Fullalove and Ben Brett and going by the name Soundbooth, the aim is that the mini version of Neighbourhood isn't just the same venue with one room locked off, rather it is a different set up completely, offering its own kind of atmosphere.
Whether or not it works you'll have to judge for yourself and, if you're very keen, you could do that tonight when the Soundbooth will be opened for the first time to host a new monthly garage night called Boombox, hosted by Kiss 100's DJ Swerve. The aim of this night is to provide quality garage without all the attitude and cheese sometimes associated with the genre. Guest DJ tonight is Joe Ransom.
Press info on all this from Get Involved.
--------------------------------------------------
NEW PSY-TRANCE/BREAKS NIGHTS KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND
We reported on this ages ago, but it's happening this weekend so we should mention it again. Nano Records and the Breaksday/TCR people are launching a new night this Saturday (13 May) which brings together the psy-trance and breaks communities.
Taking over the Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall, breaks wise you'll get Rennie Pilgrem & Chickaboo, Hybrid, Dreadzone Soundsystem, Aquasky and Pendulum, while on the psy-trance floor you'll find Tristan, The Commercial Hippies, Allaby, Zen Mechanics, Ans and Edoardo.
It all kicks off this Saturday at 10pm and runs through the night to 7am. Tickets are £12 in advance. More info from http://www.stir.uk.com, press info from [email protected]
--------------------------------------------------
UNDERWORLD WEBCAST THIS WEEKEND
Talking of things happening this weekend, Underworld will be doing another of their webcasts this Saturday (13 May) at 10.04pm (or there abouts). This is kind of a hybrid gig-come-radio-show thing, and we're told to expect loads of unheard material and announcements about what Rick and Karl are planning next, plus details about the third in the Riverrun download series. The whole thing can be heard online at http://www.underworldlive.com or, if you happen to live in Holland, on Dutch radio station VPRO's digital radio network. Press info from Strike 3.
--------------------------------------------------
ITV COMMISSION NEW POP SHOW
Independent production company Done & Dusted have won the pitch to make a new music show for ITV, a show which will basically replace CD:UK which, as we mentioned a few weeks back, has been quietly axed by the network (though it could be reappearing on Five or Sky sometime soon).
Word is that Done & Dusted are hoping to make a show that is a bit more "credible" than CD:UK, possibly with more alternative music featured and possibly, given that MySpace are some how involved, some kind of unsigned band slot.
That said, ITV reportedly axed CD:UK because it was too expensive, and are looking for a show which can be paid for more or less exclusively by sponsorship - so any long term commitment to alternative or unsigned music might fall by the way side once sponsor demands for a bigger or more mainstream audience start to take hold.
With all that in mind, really they should have just gone for a CMU TV show - we're credible, we know our pop and, crucially, we're very cheap.
--------------------------------------------------
VINES DEBUT POP PROMO ON YOUTUBE
The Vines have debuted their latest video exclusively on video blog set up YouTube - making them, I'm pretty sure, the first major label act to use the site for promotional purposes (though, of course, the fans of some major label artists have done their bit by illegally uploading pop promos onto the YouTube system). The two minute video to 'Anysound' went live on Monday and has been viewed some 101,316 times as I write this.
--------------------------------------------------
DIESEL U-MUSIC ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
Entries are being accepted for the next Diesel U-Music unsigned bands awards thingy. This is a great way for up and coming talent to reach the media, industry and wider world, with past winners including Mylo, We Are Scientists, Souvenir (Tom Vek), Infadels and DJ Yoda. If you are up and coming talent looking to reach the media, industry and wider world, the get on over to http://www.diesel-u-music.com and submit your MP3s. You've got till 25 Jun to enter. After that, awards organisers will pick 18 finalists who will then be judged by one of those industry panel thingimys.
--------------------------------------------------
ELTON JOHN PISSES OFF THE VIEWERS
Elton John has pissed off viewers of Paul O'Grady's new Channel 4 show by swearing on live TV. As my venerable colleague has just pointed out to me, there was a time when Channel 4 viewers complained if there wasn't any swearing. How times have changed. And are bound to, really, if you import your audience from ITV.
Anyway, it's all a bit of a palaver about nothing, if you ask me. It was only teatime, fair enough, but it's not as though he said cunt or fuck. Basically, speaking about the reasons for changing his name from Reginald Dwight to Elton John, he said "It's not much of a showbiz name is it? Sounds more like a banker - some would say wanker."
Around 20 viewers complained immediately, so much so that O'Grady apologised at the end of the programme, saying "sorry if it has been a bit raucous, ladies and gentlemen".
--------------------------------------------------
DOHERTY EXHIBITS HIS BLOODY PAINTINGS
According to reports, Pete Doherty is to exhibit some pretty rubbish paintings that were created using his own blood and which depict his life on the tourbus and spending time with fans. Well, I don't know for sure that they're all rubbish, but I saw an image of one, and that was kind of rubbish. The rest may, for all I know, be works of astounding genius.
Certainly the gallery that is planning to show the pictures is going to attempt to persuade people that they are in fact works of astounding genius, because they're going to try and flog them (to complete mugs) for £1000 each.
Commenting on the pictures, someone called Paul Roundhill told the Evening Standard: "I picked these pictures up at his flat in Hackney. Blood paintings are something he has done for a long time."
--------------------------------------------------
DOHERTY DISSED BY NME
Elsewhere in Doherty news, he's come second in NME's reader voted rock and roll heroes poll, and the magazine have berated their readership for placing him so high. The magazine wrote: "Yes, there was a time when Pete Doherty lived his life with an unrivalled romantic zest, when he represented a truly anti-establishment voice. But is he really still your hero? Now that his second home seems to be the courtroom? Now that he misses more gigs than he plays? Now that the performances in flats are cynical ploys to make crack money? Now that the 'sensitive songwriter' has a black eye every other week? Now that he's spotted in the tabloids every other day looking no different to the junkies passed out on Kentish Town High Street? Surely he's no longer anti-establishment, surely he's just a worn-out drug addict who needs help if he's every going to make decent music again? Don't you deserve better?"
The list, by the way, was topped by Curt Cobain.
--------------------------------------------------
TYSON WANTS TO RECORD WITH WESTLIFE
Talking of which, here's a news item about Mike Tyson, who, you remember, was recently serenaded in a Manchester hotel by one Pete Doherty, according to reports. The latest Tyson/music news is that he wants to sing with Westlife, which sounds insane and unlikely, but you never know with these boxer types.
Irish boxer Joe Egan, a close friend of Tyson's, apparently claimed: "He loves their music so much he wants to be part of it. Mike said he would be honoured to be part of a Westlife recording. Mike can hold a tune well and he just loves Westlife music. He melts to some of their songs".