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Rickie Lee Jones – Sermon On Exposition Boulevard

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Rickie Lee Jones – Sermon On Exposition Boulevard

Despite scoring big with "Chuck E’s In Love" in 1979, Jones has always been the quintessential cult artist: revered by a fanatical few, lauded by her peers, eyed with mild curiosity by the rest. Since first landing in mid-‘70s LA as a teenage runaway, her career has swung in odd directions. A female counterpoint to one-time lover Tom Waits, her early songs were piano-led forays into the seamy side of boho life, before she began embracing jazz standards and bittersweet, after-hours roots music. Whilst hardly prolific, the last decade has found her in more experimental form, with stripped jazz albums and, in 1997’s Ghostyhead, spoken recitations over ambient noise and guitar. Even so, when early last year she described a forthcoming work as "an improvised interpretation of Christian ideology", even the diehards could be forgiven a cold shudder. But what a record this is: Rickie Lee in the raw, scatting, squawking and whispering through 13 songs of angry rock and unnervingly stark arrangements. Fired by the gospel teachings, it’s as much an exploration of her own faith as a commentary on Christ’s place in a fucked-up world. Jesus, she feels, gets too much bad press. With Peter Atanasoff slashing guitar behind her like a vintage Lenny Kaye, Jones often sounds as fervid as Patti Smith. When exuding low-key menace, she could be a distaff Jim White. "Nobody Knows My Name" is a wholly improvised rant that, along with "It Hurts", suggests her faith is often a struggle. With its scratchy guitar coda, "Where I Like It Best" alludes to the Lord’s Prayer, whilst "Elvis Cadillac" imagines Presley coasting the heavens while Janis Joplin works the corner bar. The extra bursts of accompaniment are sharp – heraldic-sounding trumpets, the odd cannon-fire drumshot. But for all its weird dissonance, Sermon...'s musical crudeness gives it a powerful immediacy. Strangely accessible and highly addictive, it's her best work in three decades. ROB HUGHES

Despite scoring big with “Chuck E’s In Love” in 1979, Jones has always been the quintessential cult artist: revered by a fanatical few, lauded by her peers, eyed with mild curiosity by the rest. Since first landing in mid-‘70s LA as a teenage runaway, her career has swung in odd directions. A female counterpoint to one-time lover Tom Waits, her early songs were piano-led forays into the seamy side of boho life, before she began embracing jazz standards and bittersweet, after-hours roots music.

Whilst hardly prolific, the last decade has found her in more experimental form, with stripped jazz albums and, in 1997’s Ghostyhead, spoken recitations over ambient noise and guitar. Even so, when early last year she described a forthcoming work as “an improvised interpretation of Christian ideology”, even the diehards could be forgiven a cold shudder. But what a record this is: Rickie Lee in the raw, scatting, squawking and whispering through 13 songs of angry rock and unnervingly stark arrangements. Fired by the gospel teachings, it’s as much an exploration of her own faith as a commentary on Christ’s place in a fucked-up world. Jesus, she feels, gets too much bad press.

With Peter Atanasoff slashing guitar behind her like a vintage Lenny Kaye, Jones often sounds as fervid as Patti Smith. When exuding low-key menace, she could be a distaff Jim White. “Nobody Knows My Name” is a wholly improvised rant that, along with “It Hurts”, suggests her faith is often a struggle. With its scratchy guitar coda, “Where I Like It Best” alludes to the Lord’s Prayer, whilst “Elvis Cadillac” imagines Presley coasting the heavens while Janis Joplin works the corner bar. The extra bursts of accompaniment are sharp – heraldic-sounding trumpets, the odd cannon-fire drumshot.

But for all its weird dissonance, Sermon…’s musical crudeness gives it a powerful immediacy. Strangely accessible and highly addictive, it’s her best work in three decades.

ROB HUGHES

Soft Machine – Fourth, 5, 6, 7

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Soft Machine – Fourth, 5, 6, 7

SOFT MACHINE Third R1970 COLUMBIA HHHH Fourth R1971 4* 5 R1972 2* 6 R1973 3* 7 R1973 1* In some ways, Soft Machine were the ultimate progressive band. Over the course of their career they changed from being a fun, eccentric psychedelic band, to being jazz fusioneers, to changing virtually all their personnel until the only thing really linking them to the spirit and ideas of the original band was the name. As any reasonably wry observer might remark - well, that's progress for you. To the modern listener of these albums, a good part of this change must be noted in terms of the band's singer/drummer Robert Wyatt. A singular vocal presence, as well as a talented, off the wall jazz-inspired drummer, on Third (Wyatt and Hugh Hopper each have a “side”-long track, while Mike Ratledge gets two) there's a great demonstration of what Wyatt brought to the group.With him, they were an odder fish, straddling jazz, prog and pop. Without him, they were free to become fusioneers of no fixed melody line. Fourth (Wyatt's last) is all instrumental, but still contains mesmeric moments of confused jazz/rock. But while the path the band followed later became more musically sophisticated, possibly at the expense of some humanity, both 5 and 6 (check "The Soft Weed Factor") contain some great moments. What's missing, though, is a little something extra in their fusion. As done by Miles Davis or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, insane musicianship or some cosmic compulsion seemed to be driving things. By the time of their last albums in the mid-‘70s, with their moment gone, Soft Machine often simply seemed as if they were simply amusing themselves. JOHN ROBINSON

SOFT MACHINE

Third R1970

COLUMBIA

HHHH

Fourth R1971

4*

5 R1972

2*

6 R1973

3*

7 R1973

1*

In some ways, Soft Machine were the ultimate progressive band. Over the course of their career they changed from being a fun, eccentric psychedelic band, to being jazz fusioneers, to changing virtually all their personnel until the only thing really linking them to the spirit and ideas of the original band was the name. As any reasonably wry observer might remark – well, that’s progress for you.

To the modern listener of these albums, a good part of this change must be noted in terms of the band’s singer/drummer Robert Wyatt. A singular vocal presence, as well as a talented, off the wall jazz-inspired drummer, on Third (Wyatt and Hugh Hopper each have a “side”-long track, while Mike Ratledge gets two) there’s a great demonstration of what Wyatt brought to the group.With him, they were an odder fish, straddling jazz, prog and pop. Without him, they were free to become fusioneers of no fixed melody line.

Fourth (Wyatt’s last) is all instrumental, but still contains mesmeric moments of confused jazz/rock. But while the path the band followed later became more musically sophisticated, possibly at the expense of some humanity, both 5 and 6 (check “The Soft Weed Factor”) contain some great moments.

What’s missing, though, is a little something extra in their fusion. As done by Miles Davis or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, insane musicianship or some cosmic compulsion seemed to be driving things. By the time of their last albums in the mid-‘70s,

with their moment gone, Soft Machine often simply seemed as if they were simply amusing themselves.

JOHN ROBINSON

Nico – Frozen Borderline 1968-1970

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Nico – Frozen Borderline 1968-1970

When her first solo album, Chelsea Girl, had appeared in 1968 on the back of the first Velvet Underground album, Nico had not been best pleased with the results. She didn't like the string arrangements that producer Tom Wilson had added to her performances. She had clearly been shopping at Harrods for the material - with songs by Tim Hardin, her Velvets colleagues Lou Reed and John Cale, teen prodigy Jackson Browne, and one number, "I'll Keep It With Mine", written specifically for her by Bob Dylan. But she didn't like the way it represented her as just another flaxen-haired folkie chanteuse lacking the creative wherewithal to write her own songs. She was frustrated at being better known as the companion or lover of famous artists - Andy Warhol, Federico Fellini, Dylan, Alain Delon, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones - than as an artist in her own right. That would all change with her extraordinary follow-up album The Marble Index, one of that rare breed of recordings which, the better part of four decades later, still has no adequate comparison, existing in a genre all its own. The title derives from Wordsworth's “The Prelude”, where Louis-Francois Roubiliac's sculpture of Sir Isaac Newton is described as "The marble index of a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone." It’s a line which summarises perfectly the sense of questing isolation that comes through so strongly in songs like "No One Is There" and "Facing The Wind". Part of the inspiration for the album came from another ex-lover, Leonard Cohen, who encouraged Nico to take up the harmonium, the pedal-powered keyboard instrument whose wheezing drones would subsequently underpin all her future work, and which furnished a suitably haunting, miasmic base for her own compositions. As she began giving solo performances at The Scene nightclub in New York, Nico caught the ear of Elektra A&R man Danny Fields, who introduced her to label head Jac Holzman. It was a fortuitous match of company and artist: Elektra had made its reputation shepherding idiosyncratic artists through the '60s folk-rock boom, and despite her ice-queen voice and unusual instrument, Fields and Holzman recognised a talented singer-songwriter to stand alongside the likes of Tim Buckley and David Ackles. They were keen to have John Cale work on the project, but to cover his his lack of experience, installed Elektra soundman Frazier Mohawk as nominal producer. Mohawk is one of rock's Zelig figures, his name cropping up throughout the late '60s in a variety of contexts - he was, for instance, the one who named Buffalo Springfield after a piece of farming equipment - and he sensibly took a back seat to Cale and Nico's lead. Mohawk and engineer John Haeny ensured that the musicians' parts were clearly captured during the four-day session. They needed to be, too: Nico's voice and harmonium might easily flood the lower register, while John Cale's various instrumental parts were all improvised, and could pull the songs in unforeseen new directions. The combination works beautifully on "Lawns Of Dawns", where his twinkling celesta and glockenspiel are like a starlit sky above the oceanic pitching and yawing of Nico's undulating harmonium riff. The sense of exquisite disquiet is further increased by the vibrato guitar part that surges in and out as the song progresses. Cale's working method was to overdub individual improvised parts without reference to each other, then organise the arrangements from the disparate parts. It was a means of avoiding the kind of cosy, routine string arrangements that had ruined Chelsea Girl. "Each take, you didn’t have any idea of the centre of the song," he explained. "They all had an implied core, and then a real core.” It was a strategy that intensified the sense of chilly solitude and intense yearning in songs such as "Frozen Warnings" and "No One Is There", Cale's austere string lines providing the perfect setting for Nico's lonely lines like "All of them are missing as the game comes to a start/No one is there". The album built to a suitably harrowing conclusion with "Evening Of Light", where Nico's apprehension of "midnight winds" at "the end of time" are borne on a bed formed by a minimalist, cyclical celesta figure, while discreet, tortured string lines cut across each other in a bout of atonal jousting. It was a short album, mainly because Mohawk and Haeny couldn't listen to much more than half an hour of it. "It kind of made us want to slit our wrists," he recalled. "The Marble Index isn’t a record you listen to. It’s a hole you fall into.” This was only the first of many similar responses to the album. After Elektra's West Coast head and hip scenemaker David Anderle was played the final mix in a darkened studio, he sighed with relief and said, "I had no idea this was going on!" But Jac Holzman, to his credit, recognised the album's intrinsic quality - albeit not enough to sponsor the follow-up Desertshore, which appeared a few years later on Reprise. This time Cale was both producer and arranger, and the settings were marginally less terrifying: "Afraid" was sung over a gentle blend of piano and viola, while Nico's celebration of youthful fire, "My Only Child" - one of several pieces inspired by or written for her son Abi - came decked out in gorgeous three-part harmonies, with a lonely horn coda at the conclusion. But elsewhere, things are as tense and harrowing as before, particularly on "Mutterlein", whose Gothic cathedral of sound incorporates cacophonous piano clusters, bleak horns, and clanking industrial percussion. Both albums are reissued here accompanied by batches of demos, out-takes and alternative versions, many confirming the clarity, throughout the two projects, of Nico and Cale's vision for her songs. She would continue to voyage through strange seas of thought, alone, for the rest of her career, though never again with quite the potency and dark distinction of The Marble Index. ANDY GILL

When her first solo album, Chelsea Girl, had appeared in 1968 on the back of the first Velvet Underground album, Nico had not been best pleased with the results. She didn’t like the string arrangements that producer Tom Wilson had added to her performances. She had clearly been shopping at Harrods for the material – with songs by Tim Hardin, her Velvets colleagues Lou Reed and John Cale, teen prodigy Jackson Browne, and one number, “I’ll Keep It With Mine”, written specifically for her by Bob Dylan. But she didn’t like the way it represented her as just another flaxen-haired folkie chanteuse lacking the creative wherewithal to write her own songs. She was frustrated at being better known as the companion or lover of famous artists – Andy Warhol, Federico Fellini, Dylan, Alain Delon, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones – than as an artist in her own right.

That would all change with her extraordinary follow-up album The Marble Index, one of that rare breed of recordings which, the better part of four decades later, still has no adequate comparison, existing in a genre all its own. The title derives from Wordsworth’s “The Prelude”, where Louis-Francois Roubiliac’s sculpture of Sir Isaac Newton is described as “The marble index of a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.” It’s a line which summarises perfectly the sense of questing isolation that comes through so strongly in songs like “No One Is There” and “Facing The Wind”.

Part of the inspiration for the album came from another ex-lover, Leonard Cohen, who encouraged Nico to take up the harmonium, the pedal-powered keyboard instrument whose wheezing drones would subsequently underpin all her future work, and which furnished a suitably haunting, miasmic base for her own compositions. As she began giving solo performances at The Scene nightclub in New York, Nico caught the ear of Elektra A&R man Danny Fields, who introduced her to label head Jac Holzman.

It was a fortuitous match of company and artist: Elektra had made its reputation shepherding idiosyncratic artists through the ’60s folk-rock boom, and despite her ice-queen voice and unusual instrument, Fields and Holzman recognised a talented singer-songwriter to stand alongside the likes of Tim Buckley and David Ackles. They were keen to have John Cale work on the project, but to cover his his lack of experience, installed Elektra soundman Frazier Mohawk as nominal producer.

Mohawk is one of rock’s Zelig figures, his name cropping up throughout the late ’60s in a variety of contexts – he was, for instance, the one who named Buffalo Springfield after a piece of farming equipment – and he sensibly took a back seat to Cale and Nico’s lead. Mohawk and engineer John Haeny ensured that the musicians’ parts were clearly captured during the four-day session.

They needed to be, too: Nico’s voice and harmonium might easily flood the lower register, while John Cale’s various instrumental parts were all improvised, and could pull the songs in unforeseen new directions. The combination works beautifully on “Lawns Of Dawns”, where his twinkling celesta and glockenspiel are like a starlit sky above the oceanic pitching and yawing of Nico’s undulating harmonium riff. The sense of exquisite disquiet is further increased by the vibrato guitar part that surges in and out as the song progresses.

Cale’s working method was to overdub individual improvised parts without reference to each other, then organise the arrangements from the disparate parts. It was a means of avoiding the kind of cosy, routine string arrangements that had ruined Chelsea Girl. “Each take, you didn’t have any idea of the centre of the song,” he explained. “They all had an implied core, and then a real core.” It was a strategy that intensified the sense of chilly solitude and intense yearning in songs such as “Frozen Warnings” and “No One Is There”, Cale’s austere string lines providing the perfect setting for Nico’s lonely lines like “All of them are missing as the game comes to a start/No one is there”. The album built to a suitably harrowing conclusion with “Evening Of Light”, where Nico’s apprehension of “midnight winds” at “the end of time” are borne on a bed formed by a minimalist, cyclical celesta figure, while discreet, tortured string lines cut across each other in a bout of atonal jousting.

It was a short album, mainly because Mohawk and Haeny couldn’t listen to much more than half an hour of it. “It kind of made us want to slit our wrists,” he recalled. “The Marble Index isn’t a record you listen to. It’s a hole you fall into.” This was only the first of many similar responses to the album. After Elektra’s West Coast head and hip scenemaker David Anderle was played the final mix in a darkened studio, he sighed with relief and said, “I had no idea this was going on!” But Jac Holzman, to his credit, recognised the album’s intrinsic quality – albeit not enough to sponsor the follow-up Desertshore, which appeared a few years later on Reprise.

This time Cale was both producer and arranger, and the settings were marginally less terrifying: “Afraid” was sung over a gentle blend of piano and viola, while Nico’s celebration of youthful fire, “My Only Child” – one of several pieces inspired by or written for her son Abi – came decked out in gorgeous three-part harmonies, with a lonely horn coda at the conclusion. But elsewhere, things are as tense and harrowing as before, particularly on “Mutterlein”, whose Gothic cathedral of sound incorporates cacophonous piano clusters, bleak horns, and clanking industrial percussion.

Both albums are reissued here accompanied by batches of demos, out-takes and alternative versions, many confirming the clarity, throughout the two projects, of Nico and Cale’s vision for her songs. She would continue to voyage through strange seas of thought, alone, for the rest of her career, though never again with quite the potency and dark distinction of The Marble Index.

ANDY GILL

The Dears To Play With Keane

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The Dears To Play With Keane

Acclaimed Canadian epic indie rockers The Dears, have been invited by Keane to support them on their impending UK Arena Tour. The shows at the end of this month will be followed up with the release of the single "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers," the title track from last years, Uncut 4* rated album, "Gang Of Losers." The single will be backed with two brand new Dears songs, "Howlin'" and "People Like Us." The Dears' dates supporting Keane are as follows: Bournemouth, BIC (February 22) Birmingham, NEC (23) Nottingham, Arena (25) Cardiff, International Arena (26) London, Wembley Arena (28) Click here to see a great clip of The Dears perfoming "Hate Then Love" on The Late Show With David Letterman

Acclaimed Canadian epic indie rockers The Dears, have been invited by Keane to support them on their impending UK Arena Tour.

The shows at the end of this month will be followed up with the release of the single “You And I Are A Gang Of Losers,” the title track from last years, Uncut 4* rated album, “Gang Of Losers.”

The single will be backed with two brand new Dears songs, “Howlin'” and “People Like Us.”

The Dears’ dates supporting Keane are as follows:

Bournemouth, BIC (February 22)

Birmingham, NEC (23)

Nottingham, Arena (25)

Cardiff, International Arena (26)

London, Wembley Arena (28)

Click here to see a great clip of The Dears perfoming “Hate Then Love” on The Late Show With David Letterman

John Fogerty To Stop The Rain At Glastonbury?

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John Fogerty To Stop The Rain At Glastonbury?

Creedence Clearwater Revival look likely to reform, with the possibility of headlining the Glastonbury Festival, this June. In a message on his website, founder member and main songwriter John Fogerty has announced that he is set to play. The message reads: “He will headline the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 23rd. Details on more dates will be posted here soon.” Although it is highly possible that Fogerty could be headlining one of the stages at this years Glastonbury festival as a solo artist, the chances of a Creedence comeback gig are also good. At last years festival, organiser Michael Eavis caused a commotion by mentioning that 2007’s line up would feature a band that “officially gave up touring in 1972, a band that were once the biggest band in the world. A band that no one would expect.” Uncut strongly suspects that he could have been talking about CCR, the band who scored 20 Top 50 hits in their career from 1968-72, before calling it quits due to legal wranglings within the band. However, reforming the original line up was sadly ruled out in 1990 when Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitarist) passed away, but could John be planning to patch up his differences with surviving members Stu Cook (bass) and Doug Clifford (drums) to perform. Stu Cook and Doug Clifford have both continued performing and touring the songs of CCR with their own band as Creedence Clearwater Revisited. We’ll keep you posted with any CCR developments on www.uncut.co.uk/news Click here for CCR mainman Fogerty's website

Creedence Clearwater Revival look likely to reform, with the possibility of headlining the Glastonbury Festival, this June.

In a message on his website, founder member and main songwriter John Fogerty has announced that he is set to play.

The message reads: “He will headline the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 23rd. Details on more dates will be posted here soon.”

Although it is highly possible that Fogerty could be headlining one of the stages at this years Glastonbury festival as a solo artist, the chances of a Creedence comeback gig are also good.

At last years festival, organiser Michael Eavis caused a commotion by mentioning that 2007’s line up would feature a band that “officially gave up touring in 1972, a band that were once the biggest band in the world. A band that no one would expect.”

Uncut strongly suspects that he could have been talking about CCR, the band who scored 20 Top 50 hits in their career from 1968-72, before calling it quits due to legal wranglings within the band.

However, reforming the original line up was sadly ruled out in 1990 when Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitarist) passed away, but could John be planning to patch up his differences with surviving members Stu Cook (bass) and Doug Clifford (drums) to perform.

Stu Cook and Doug Clifford have both continued performing and touring the songs of CCR with their own band as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

We’ll keep you posted with any CCR developments on www.uncut.co.uk/news

Click here for CCR mainman Fogerty’s website

See Gary Numan Get Freaky With Sugababes

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See Gary Numan Get Freaky With Sugababes

Every day, we bring you the best thing we've seen on YouTube - a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies or TV shows. Today: See a great song and video splice of electro pioneer Gary Numan’s “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and pop group Sugababes “Freak Like Me.” Numan’s robotic Top of the Pops performance from 1979 is spliced with the girl group's 2002 promo video. The Sugababe’s cover version of Adina Howard’s R&B hit “Freak Like Me” used Numan’s synthesizer instrumental from “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” and he is credited as co-writer of the song. Wait for the closing minute of the mashup, the songs get more and more overlaid till it definitely sounds electric! See the brilliant mashup video by clicking here now

Every day, we bring you the best thing we’ve seen on YouTube – a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies or TV shows.

Today: See a great song and video splice of electro pioneer Gary Numan’s “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and pop group Sugababes “Freak Like Me.”

Numan’s robotic Top of the Pops performance from 1979 is spliced with the girl group’s 2002 promo video.

The Sugababe’s cover version of Adina Howard’s R&B hit “Freak Like Me” used Numan’s synthesizer instrumental from “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” and he is credited as co-writer of the song.

Wait for the closing minute of the mashup, the songs get more and more overlaid till it definitely sounds electric!

See the brilliant mashup video by clicking here now

Neil Young At Massey Hall

John Mulvey
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I've never really had the patience to collect bootlegs, so I'd never heard Neil Young's "Live At Massey Hall", 1971 until the official version turned up the other day. The Neil goldrush has really started now, following the "Fillmore East" set that was released at the end of last year. The first "Archives" box - a mere eight CDs - is finally set to appear in September. Allegedly. Until then, we'll make do with this solo acoustic gig. Which is great, of course. Seventeen tracks punctuated by Young's raddled mumbles. As has become his habit over the years, most of the songs were brand new at the time of the gig in Toronto. There's quite a difference, though, between sitting through a set which would become "Harvest", and enduring "Greendale" in its entirety (though actually I can make a case for that album, if I'm pushed). The audience here sound awed rather than disgruntled, or perhaps they're as wasted as Neil. Sweetly patriotic, too - when he sings of "a town in North Ontario" in "Helpless", they all clap obediently. According to the blurb on Neil Young's Myspace site, producer David Briggs wanted to release these live versions at the time, even at the expense of "Harvest". Young, as curmudgeonly as ever, didn't even bother playing the tapes until the late '90s. If "Harvest" sometimes feels a little soft-focus, there's a directness to the "Massey Hall" takes that are especially appealing to those of us who generally prefer electric to acoustic Neil. A medley of "A Man Needs A Maid" and "Heart Of Gold" at the piano, is especially striking, once he's finished his waffling intro. You can read more about the album in the next issue of Uncut, of course, or at Neil's Myspace. I'm gradually getting to grips with the blogging tools I have here, so I'll try and post links to music and stuff whenever I can.

I’ve never really had the patience to collect bootlegs, so I’d never heard Neil Young’s “Live At Massey Hall”, 1971 until the official version turned up the other day.

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The Police Confirm 30th Anniversay Tour

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The Police Confirm 30th Anniversay Tour

The Police confirmed that they are reuniting for a 30th anniversary world tour, at a press conference in Los Angeles last night (February 12). Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, who split from the band 20 years ago - have finally ended months of speculation about the reunion. The rock trio's world tour will begin in May, with thirteen cities in North America have been confirmed so far, culminating with two shows at New York's prestigious Madison Square Gardens on August 1 and 3. As well as the usual venues of arenas and stadiums, they will also perform a headline performance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee on June 16. Additional US cities including- Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco’s Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area- will be announced in the next few weeks. Suport on all dates will come from alt.rock band Fiction Plane, fronted by Sting's son Joe Sumner. Having his son go out on tour with the veterans is in a similar vein to the recently announced Van Halen comeback. Eddie Van Halen, too will have his son Wolfgang playing bass on the road with them. At the conference at The Whiskey venue last night, The Police played a newly rehearsed set of four songs; "Message In A Bottle," "When The World Is Running Down," "I Can't Stand Losing You" and "Roxanne." The Police have also confirmed that will play concerts in the UK and Europe in September and October, before heading to Mexico and Australia. Venues and dates will be confirmed in the coming months. The US dates in full are: Vancouver, GM Place (May 28) Seattle, Key Arena (June 6) Denver, Pepsi Center (9) Las Vegas, MGM Grand Garden Arena (15) Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Festival (16) Phoenix, US Airways Arena (18) Dallas, American Airlines Center (26) New Orleans, New Orleans Arena (30) St. Louis, Scottrade Center (July 2) Toronto, Air Canada Centre (22) Montreal, Bell Centre (25) Boston, Fenway Park (28) New York, Madison Square Garden (August 1/ 3) Tickets go on sale from February 17, priced $50-$225, limited to 4 tickets per person for arenas, and 6 for stadium shows. Click here for complete tour and ticket information from www.thepolicetour.com Pic credit: Wireimage

The Police confirmed that they are reuniting for a 30th anniversary world tour, at a press conference in Los Angeles last night (February 12).

Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, who split from the band 20 years ago – have finally ended months of speculation about the reunion.

The rock trio’s world tour will begin in May, with thirteen cities in North America have been confirmed so far, culminating with two shows at New York’s prestigious Madison Square Gardens on August 1 and 3.

As well as the usual venues of arenas and stadiums, they will also perform a headline performance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee on June 16.

Additional US cities including- Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco’s Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area- will be announced in the next few weeks.

Suport on all dates will come from alt.rock band Fiction Plane, fronted by Sting’s son Joe Sumner. Having his son go out on tour with the veterans is in a similar vein to the recently announced Van Halen comeback. Eddie Van Halen, too will have his son Wolfgang playing bass on the road with them.

At the conference at The Whiskey venue last night, The Police played a newly rehearsed set of four songs; “Message In A Bottle,” “When The World Is Running Down,” “I Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Roxanne.”

The Police have also confirmed that will play concerts in the UK and Europe in September and October, before heading to Mexico and Australia. Venues and dates will be confirmed in the coming months.

The US dates in full are:

Vancouver, GM Place (May 28)

Seattle, Key Arena (June 6)

Denver, Pepsi Center (9)

Las Vegas, MGM Grand Garden Arena (15)

Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Festival (16)

Phoenix, US Airways Arena (18)

Dallas, American Airlines Center (26)

New Orleans, New Orleans Arena (30)

St. Louis, Scottrade Center (July 2)

Toronto, Air Canada Centre (22)

Montreal, Bell Centre (25)

Boston, Fenway Park (28)

New York, Madison Square Garden (August 1/ 3)

Tickets go on sale from February 17, priced $50-$225, limited to 4 tickets per person for arenas, and 6 for stadium shows.

Click here for complete tour and ticket information from www.thepolicetour.com

Pic credit: Wireimage

Crikey, Watch The Police Live Webcast Here Tonight!

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Crikey, Watch The Police Live Webcast Here Tonight!

To commemorate The Police's 30th Anniversary announcement happening today, the band have set up a live webcast of this special comeback event. As previously reported, the group are holding a news conference at Los Angeles venue The Whisky, and are expected to announce details of a worldwide tour to take place this year. They played their comeback performance at last night's Grammy Awards, also in L.A. playing a fantastic rendition of their 1978 hit "Roxanne." The live webcast on www.thepolicerehearsals.com will be broadcast from 6.30 - 8.30pm GMT today (February 12). The Police will be performing songs, as well as taking part in a Q & A session after the 'special announcement.' A highlights programme will air tomorrow at 1.45pm (February 13). We'll be bringing you an update on Uncut.co.uk tomorrow, too. Click here for The Police's special announcement from 6.30pm!

To commemorate The Police’s 30th Anniversary announcement happening today, the band have set up a live webcast of this special comeback event.

As previously reported, the group are holding a news conference at Los Angeles venue The Whisky, and are expected to announce details of a worldwide tour to take place this year.

They played their comeback performance at last night’s Grammy Awards, also in L.A. playing a fantastic rendition of their 1978 hit “Roxanne.”

The live webcast on www.thepolicerehearsals.com will be broadcast from 6.30 – 8.30pm GMT today (February 12).

The Police will be performing songs, as well as taking part in a Q & A session after the ‘special announcement.’

A highlights programme will air tomorrow at 1.45pm (February 13).

We’ll be bringing you an update on Uncut.co.uk tomorrow, too.

Click here for The Police’s special announcement from 6.30pm!

LCD Soundsystem

John Mulvey
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Looking back over the past month and a bit, I think the two records I've played most in the Uncut office have been a new Grateful Dead live set from 1976, and the forthcoming second album from New York's LCD Soundsystem. Not sure what this says about my taste or my state of mind. But anyway: LCD's "Sound Of Silver" is tremendous - a kind of electronic party record written from the perspective of a grouchy man in his mid-thirties. James Murphy - who is LCD, ostensibly - has been stereotyped as a hipster over the past few years, thanks to his key role (as artist, producer and CEO of DFA Records) in the New York disco-punk scene. Murphy, however, is faintly disgusted at the idea of being cool, and "Sound Of Silver" proves that his music deserves to be much more than a passing fad. As the list of artists on his debut single, "Losing My Edge", suggested, Murphy has great taste, and one way of explaining his appeal is to note the influences here: Berlin-era Bowie, Neu!, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, the Velvets, New Order, early Human League, Steve Reich, The Fall, Liquid Liquid, yada yada. He's the sort of musician who doesn't see the point in hiding the debt to his favourite artists. But fortunately, Murphy has the character to be more than the sum of his influences. With blocked sinuses, boundless reserves of sarcasm and a fraction of sentiment hiding amidst all the viciousness, he's a gripping frontman. "We set controls for the heart of the sun," he sings on the outstanding "All My Friends", "one of the ways that we show our age." It's great. Especially after you've just sailed past the heart of the sun listening to a 20-minute jam by the Dead.

Looking back over the past month and a bit, I think the two records I’ve played most in the Uncut office have been a new Grateful Dead live set from 1976, and the forthcoming second album from New York’s LCD Soundsystem. Not sure what this says about my taste or my state of mind.

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Sofia Coppola To Make Operatic Debut

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Sofia Coppola To Make Operatic Debut

Acclaimed filmmaker Sofia Coppola is to direct her first opera, for The Montpellier Opera House in France. Taking on Puccini's romantic tragedy "Manon Lescaut", Coppola will prepare the opera for Montpellier's 2009/ 2010 season. Puccini's third opera "Manon Lescaut" consists of four acts based on "L’histoire du Chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut" by Abbé Prévost. Coppola, whose film credits include couture costume drama Marie-Antoinette, and the Oscar-nominated Lost in Translation, will also have have her work cut out with lead tenor, the controversial Frenchman Robert Alagna. Alagna- a frequent performer in the southern French city, and described as "the greatest tenor alive" by Montpellier Opera's director Rene Koering; is set to star as Chevalier Des Grieux, the lover of the doomed title character. However, last December, Alagna shocked the opera world when he stormed off the La Scala stage in the middle of a performance after he was booed by members of the audience. As well as Coppola's operatic production, Montpellier is planning a citywide celebration of her family's cultural heritage in July 2008. The festival curated by Koering will culminate with Francis Ford Coppola Day, during which the city orchestra will play music from the legendary director's films "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now". Artwork by Eleanor Coppola, Sofia's mother, will also be on display at an exhibition at the new Musée Fabre in the city. Pic credit: Rex Features

Acclaimed filmmaker Sofia Coppola is to direct her first opera, for The Montpellier Opera House in France.

Taking on Puccini’s romantic tragedy “Manon Lescaut”, Coppola will prepare the opera for Montpellier’s 2009/ 2010 season.

Puccini’s third opera “Manon Lescaut” consists of four acts based on “L’histoire du Chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut” by Abbé Prévost.

Coppola, whose film credits include couture costume drama Marie-Antoinette, and the Oscar-nominated Lost in Translation, will also have have her work cut out with lead tenor, the controversial Frenchman Robert Alagna.

Alagna- a frequent performer in the southern French city, and described as “the greatest tenor alive” by Montpellier Opera’s director Rene Koering; is set to star as Chevalier Des Grieux, the lover of the doomed title character.

However, last December, Alagna shocked the opera world when he stormed off the La Scala stage in the middle of a performance after he was booed by members of the audience.

As well as Coppola’s operatic production, Montpellier is planning a citywide celebration of her family’s cultural heritage in July 2008.

The festival curated by Koering will culminate with Francis Ford Coppola Day, during which the city orchestra will play music from the legendary director’s films “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now”.

Artwork by Eleanor Coppola, Sofia’s mother, will also be on display at an exhibition at the new Musée Fabre in the city.

Pic credit: Rex Features

Compile Onto The Bus With Funeral For A Friend

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Compile Onto The Bus With Funeral For A Friend

Welsh rockers Funeral For A Friend have put together a party compilation of classic rock tunes, ahead of the release of their third LP “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves.” The gold-selling quintet have condensed their tour bus soundtrack for the “Back To The Bus” series. Classic tracks from Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Pantera are all included amongst the line-up. Band drummer Ryan Richards explained the vibe, saying “What songs are playing on the bus usually depends on the general mood at the time (party mood, singalong mood, chillout mood), or more likely which one of us gets to the stereo first. So I think we got all bases covered, a bit of Queen for party time, a bit of Boston for some air guitar action, a bit of Megadeth for some headbanging and bit of Johnny Cash for some chillout time and everywhere in between.” Funeral For A Friend’s bus trip consists of the following guitar heavy tracks: Queen, “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Dub War, “Enemy Maker” Earthtone 9, “Tat Twam Asi” Faith No More, “Midlife Crisis” Boston, “More Than A Feeling” Van Halen, “Ain’t Talking About Love” Far, “Water And Solutions” Megadeth, “Holy Wars” The Haunted, “Bury Your Dead” Pantera, “Mouth For War” Black Sabbath, “Black Sabbath” Longview, “Further” Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” There is also an exclusive Funeral For A Friend live track and interview included on the compilation. Funeral For A Friend’s “Back To The Bus” is out on March 19. The studio album “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves” is due out in May.

Welsh rockers Funeral For A Friend have put together a party compilation of classic rock tunes, ahead of the release of their third LP “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves.”

The gold-selling quintet have condensed their tour bus soundtrack for the “Back To The Bus” series.

Classic tracks from Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Pantera are all included amongst the line-up.

Band drummer Ryan Richards explained the vibe, saying “What songs are playing on the bus usually depends on the general mood at the time (party mood, singalong mood, chillout mood), or more likely which one of us gets to the stereo first. So I think we got all bases covered, a bit of Queen for party time, a bit of Boston for some air guitar action, a bit of Megadeth for some headbanging and bit of Johnny Cash for some chillout time and everywhere in between.”

Funeral For A Friend’s bus trip consists of the following guitar heavy tracks:

Queen, “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

Dub War, “Enemy Maker”

Earthtone 9, “Tat Twam Asi”

Faith No More, “Midlife Crisis”

Boston, “More Than A Feeling”

Van Halen, “Ain’t Talking About Love”

Far, “Water And Solutions”

Megadeth, “Holy Wars”

The Haunted, “Bury Your Dead”

Pantera, “Mouth For War”

Black Sabbath, “Black Sabbath”

Longview, “Further”

Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues”

There is also an exclusive Funeral For A Friend live track and interview included on the compilation.

Funeral For A Friend’s “Back To The Bus” is out on March 19. The studio album “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves” is due out in May.

Matt Bellamy Is In The Hot Seat

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Matt Bellamy Is In The Hot Seat

Muse front man Matt Bellamy will be next in the hot seat for 'An Audience With...' in UNCUT magazine. So, is there anything you've always wanted to muse over with Matt? Do you want to know what his favourite Queen record is? Who really were the Knights Of Cydonia? Want to know how Muse felt about Klaxons turning down their offer to support them at Wembley Stadium? Just how does he get that amazing falsetto? You can ask the band absolutely you want - all you have to do is send us your question now - The more interesting, the better! Email your questions with 'Muse' in the subject header to Michael_Bonner@ipcmedia.com. Be sure to include your full name and where you're from. The best will be put to the band and published soon. Deadline is this Wednesday (February 14).

Muse front man Matt Bellamy will be next in the hot seat for ‘An Audience With…’ in UNCUT magazine.

So, is there anything you’ve always wanted to muse over with Matt?

Do you want to know what his favourite Queen record is?

Who really were the Knights Of Cydonia?

Want to know how Muse felt about Klaxons turning down their offer to support them at Wembley Stadium?

Just how does he get that amazing falsetto?

You can ask the band absolutely you want – all you have to do is send us your question now – The more interesting, the better!

Email your questions with ‘Muse’ in the subject header to Michael_Bonner@ipcmedia.com. Be sure to include your full name and where you’re from.

The best will be put to the band and published soon.

Deadline is this Wednesday (February 14).

See David Bowie’s Classy Chubby Little Fat Man Ode To Ricky Gervais

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See David Bowie’s Classy Chubby Little Fat Man Ode To Ricky Gervais

Every day, we bring you the best thing we've seen on YouTube - a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies or TV shows. Today: See David Bowie’s hilarious cameo appearance in hit BBC comedy Extras. Bowie improvs a hilarious song inspired by Ricky Gervais’ Extras character Andy, with the lyrics running something like: “Little fat man who sold his soul, little fat man who sold his dream, chubby little loser...Chubby little loser. National joke... Pathetic little fat man, no one's bloody laughing, the clown that no one laughs at, they all just wish he'd die. He's so depressed at being useless, the fatman takes his own life.” Bowie appeared in Extra: Season 2, and other brilliant cameos in the acclaimed series include Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Hollywood actors Ben Stiller and Samuel Jackson. Extras: Season 2 is available to buy on DVD from March 26. See the video by clicking here now

Every day, we bring you the best thing we’ve seen on YouTube – a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies or TV shows.

Today: See David Bowie’s hilarious cameo appearance in hit BBC comedy Extras.

Bowie improvs a hilarious song inspired by Ricky Gervais’ Extras character Andy, with the lyrics running something like:

“Little fat man who sold his soul, little fat man who sold his dream, chubby little loser…Chubby little loser. National joke…

Pathetic little fat man, no one’s bloody laughing, the clown that no one laughs at, they all just wish he’d die.

He’s so depressed at being useless, the fatman takes his own life.”

Bowie appeared in Extra: Season 2, and other brilliant cameos in the acclaimed series include Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Hollywood actors Ben Stiller and Samuel Jackson.

Extras: Season 2 is available to buy on DVD from March 26.

See the video by clicking here now

Ghostface Killah Launches Free Hip Hop Poker Site

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Ghostface Killah Launches Free Hip Hop Poker Site

Wu-Tang Clan collective member, Ghostface Killah, has launched his very own online poker site. The rapper introduces the gambling site as the place "where hip-hop plays hold' em" and prizes up for grabs will include VIP trip tickets to shows as well as wads of cash. The first free tournament "Hip Hop's Freeroll" to win $1,000 will take place on February 25. Explaining the GFK (Ghostface Killah) Crew history, the website says: "Ghostface and his crew are like most in the game, meaning they like to gamble. The GFK team knows that Hip Hop is down with holdem and is providing a place where the two come together!" The track "Pokerface" from Ghostface Killah's album "More Fish" has apparently become a poker room anthem. If you want to play with the playas, get your booty down to GFK.com, by clicking here now

Wu-Tang Clan collective member, Ghostface Killah, has launched his very own online poker site.

The rapper introduces the gambling site as the place “where hip-hop plays hold’ em” and prizes up for grabs will include VIP trip tickets to shows as well as wads of cash.

The first free tournament “Hip Hop’s Freeroll” to win $1,000 will take place on February 25.

Explaining the GFK (Ghostface Killah) Crew history, the website says: “Ghostface and his crew are like most in the game, meaning they like to gamble. The GFK team knows that Hip Hop is down with holdem and is providing a place where the two come together!”

The track “Pokerface” from Ghostface Killah’s album “More Fish” has apparently become a poker room anthem.

If you want to play with the playas, get your booty down to GFK.com, by clicking here now

The Queen Rules As Mirren Picks Up 24th Award For Role

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The Queen Rules As Mirren Picks Up 24th Award For Role

Jonathan Ross was a poor replacement for the mighty Stephen Fry. Not one of the presenters appeared able to read from an autocue. The cultural chasm between England and America was highlighted by the "You say 'tomayto', I say 'tomahto'" push-and-pull of how to pronounce Babel: "Bay-bell" or "Bah-bell"? In the end, Alejandro Innaritu's piece of mereticious clap-trap failed to nab any of the top awards, so perhaps it doesn't matter. Eva Green's hair might just be the scariest thing we've ever seen. Possibly worthy of its own blog. Elsa Lanchester's Bride of Frakenstein as reimagined by Crazy Meg of Bedlam. Kylie's blue dress was made out of metal. Helen Mirren won everything.... The BAFTAS are essentially like The Brits. An excuse for much industry back-slapping and a There were no great surprises at last night's awards, and Dame Mirren's Oscar momentum now seems unstoppable. Including the BAFTA, she's won 24 awards for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' picture, which also won Best Film. Forest Whitaker, another likely winner at the Oscar for his portrayal of Idi Amin, picked up the Best Actor award for The Last King Of Scotland. We were pleased to see Little Miss Sunshine get 2 awards -- for Best Original Screenplay and Alan Arkin for Best Supporting Actor -- although it stood little chance against the homegrown might of The Queen in any of the big categories. But which films will do well next year? We'd very much like to see Shane Meadows' brilliant Eighties-set skinhead drama, This Is England, receive serious acknowledgment. Apart from Andrea Arnold receiving the Carl Foreman Promising Newcomer award for Red Road, Britain's independent scene was disappointingly under-represented. An award next year for Meadows would show the BAFTAs can see beyond the box office receipts and big name glamour and reflect cinematic achievements outside the mainstream.

Jonathan Ross was a poor replacement for the mighty Stephen Fry.

Not one of the presenters appeared able to read from an autocue.

The cultural chasm between England and America was highlighted by the “You say ‘tomayto’, I say ‘tomahto'” push-and-pull of how to pronounce Babel: “Bay-bell” or “Bah-bell”? In the end, Alejandro Innaritu’s piece of mereticious clap-trap failed to nab any of the top awards, so perhaps it doesn’t matter.

Eva Green’s hair might just be the scariest thing we’ve ever seen. Possibly worthy of its own blog. Elsa Lanchester’s Bride of Frakenstein as reimagined by Crazy Meg of Bedlam.

Kylie’s blue dress was made out of metal.

Helen Mirren won everything….

The BAFTAS are essentially like The Brits. An excuse for much industry back-slapping and a

There were no great surprises at last night’s awards, and Dame Mirren’s Oscar momentum now seems unstoppable. Including the BAFTA, she’s won 24 awards for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ picture, which also won Best Film.

Forest Whitaker, another likely winner at the Oscar for his portrayal of Idi Amin, picked up the Best Actor award for The Last King Of Scotland.

We were pleased to see Little Miss Sunshine get 2 awards — for Best Original Screenplay and Alan Arkin for Best Supporting Actor — although it stood little chance against the homegrown might of The Queen in any of the big categories.

But which films will do well next year? We’d very much like to see Shane Meadows’ brilliant Eighties-set skinhead drama, This Is England, receive serious acknowledgment. Apart from Andrea Arnold receiving the Carl Foreman Promising Newcomer award for Red Road, Britain’s independent scene was disappointingly under-represented. An award next year for Meadows would show the BAFTAs can see beyond the box office receipts and big name glamour and reflect cinematic achievements outside the mainstream.

The Feeling Announce Forest Shows

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The Feeling Announce Forest Shows

Indie popsters The Feeling have announced that they will play three shows in the forest, as part of the Forestry Commisions annual summer tour, this June. Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling says: “We’re really looking forward to doing these Forest shows. Last year we played a few festivals but people didn’t really know our songs. I’m hoping that’ll have changed this year.” The Brit Award nominated band won't have to worry about people not knowing their songs this time around. Last years' four Top 20 singles "Sewn,” “Fill My Little World,” “Never Be Lonely” and “Love It When You Call" have earned them the title of most played group on UK radio. The four hit singles clocked up a massive total of 97,436 plays in the UK. That equates to 297 times a day! Forest Tours' Mike Taylor said he was pleased that The Feeling will be joining previously announced artsists, The Charlatans and Jools Holland, in supporting the Forestry Commission's valuable social and environmental programmes. He said: "We are delighted The Feeling has confirmed these shows. They are rising stars of the British music scene and will undoubtedly be a huge hit in the forests.” Gillespie Sells and co will be bringing their pop hits to the following green locations: Delamere Forest, Linmere, Delamere, Cheshire (June 16) Cannock Chase Forest, Nr Rugeley, Staffs (22) National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Nr Tetbury, Glos (30) Tickets cost £24 and will go on sale this Friday (February 16) at 9am. Ticket Hotline: 01842 814612 Click here to watch exclusive videos on The Feeling's artist website & click here for more details about the Forest Tours happening in 2007

Indie popsters The Feeling have announced that they will play three shows in the forest, as part of the Forestry Commisions annual summer tour, this June.

Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling says: “We’re really looking forward to doing these Forest shows. Last year we played a few festivals but people didn’t really know our songs. I’m hoping that’ll have changed this year.”

The Brit Award nominated band won’t have to worry about people not knowing their songs this time around. Last years’ four Top 20 singles “Sewn,” “Fill My Little World,” “Never Be Lonely” and “Love It When You Call” have earned them the title of most played group on UK radio.

The four hit singles clocked up a massive total of 97,436 plays in the UK. That equates to 297 times a day!

Forest Tours’ Mike Taylor said he was pleased that The Feeling will be joining previously announced artsists, The Charlatans and Jools Holland, in supporting the Forestry Commission’s valuable social and environmental programmes.

He said: “We are delighted The Feeling has confirmed these shows. They are rising stars of the British music scene and will undoubtedly be a huge hit in the forests.”

Gillespie Sells and co will be bringing their pop hits to the following green locations:

Delamere Forest, Linmere, Delamere, Cheshire (June 16)

Cannock Chase Forest, Nr Rugeley, Staffs (22)

National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Nr Tetbury, Glos (30)

Tickets cost £24 and will go on sale this Friday (February 16) at 9am.

Ticket Hotline: 01842 814612

Click here to watch exclusive videos on The Feeling’s artist website

& click here for more details about the Forest Tours happening in 2007

Snow Patrol Chasing Brit Single Award

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Snow Patrol Chasing Brit Single Award

The Best British Single nominees shortlist has been announced, prior to the Brit Awards ceremony this Wednesday (February 14). As previously reported, this years' Brit Awards will feature the first ever public live vote for the Best British Single category. The original eleven singles have been whittled down to five by public voting in recent weeks - the finallists are: Snow Patrol "Chasing Cars" Razorlight "America" The Feeling "Fill My Little World" Take That "Patience" Will Young "All Time Out" Taking place at London's Earls Court, this years Brit Awards will be hosted live by Russell Brand. Artists confirmed to perform at the all-star bash are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, The Killers, Scissor Sisters, Amy Winehouse and Take That. Oasis are to be presented the Brit 'lifetime achievement" award by former Beatle Ringo Starr. Click here for full information on how to text your vote for Best Bristish single

The Best British Single nominees shortlist has been announced, prior to the Brit Awards ceremony this Wednesday (February 14).

As previously reported, this years’ Brit Awards will feature the first ever public live vote for the Best British Single category.

The original eleven singles have been whittled down to five by public voting in recent weeks – the finallists are:

Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars”

Razorlight “America”

The Feeling “Fill My Little World”

Take That “Patience”

Will Young “All Time Out”

Taking place at London’s Earls Court, this years Brit Awards will be hosted live by Russell Brand. Artists confirmed to perform at the all-star bash are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, The Killers, Scissor Sisters, Amy Winehouse and Take That.

Oasis are to be presented the Brit ‘lifetime achievement” award by former Beatle Ringo Starr.

Click here for full information on how to text your vote for Best Bristish single

Dylan Double Grammy Win

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Dylan Double Grammy Win

Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" won the Grammy for best contemporary folk/Americana album, at the 49th Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, last night (February 11). Dylan's 32nd studio LP "Modern Times" debuted at No 1 in the US Pop charts at the time of it's release last autumn, making the singer, at 65 years-old, the oldest living musician to do so. Dylan, who did not attend the event, also picked up a Grammy for best solo rock vocal performance for the song "Someday Baby." The track from "Modern Times" was featured in an Apple Ipod commercial, starring Dylan himself. The song's form is based on that of Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More", and was originally made famous by the Allman Brothers Band. "Someday Baby" was also nominated for best rock song, but lost out to Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Dani California." Dylan has picked up ten Grammys in his career, he won best album for 2002's "Love And Theft" and the contemporary folk award for 1998's "Time Out Of Mind." Check out Dylan's Apple commercial here!

Bob Dylan’s “Modern Times” won the Grammy for best contemporary folk/Americana album, at the 49th Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, last night (February 11).

Dylan’s 32nd studio LP “Modern Times” debuted at No 1 in the US Pop charts at the time of it’s release last autumn, making the singer, at 65 years-old, the oldest living musician to do so.

Dylan, who did not attend the event, also picked up a Grammy for best solo rock vocal performance for the song “Someday Baby.” The track from “Modern Times” was featured in an Apple Ipod commercial, starring Dylan himself.

The song’s form is based on that of Muddy Waters’ “Trouble No More”, and was originally made famous by the Allman Brothers Band.

“Someday Baby” was also nominated for best rock song, but lost out to Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Dani California.”

Dylan has picked up ten Grammys in his career, he won best album for 2002’s “Love And Theft” and the contemporary folk award for 1998’s “Time Out Of Mind.”

Check out Dylan’s Apple commercial here!

For Your Consideration

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For Your Consideration

DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER GUEST STARRING: HARRY SHEARER, CATHERINE O'HARA, PARKER POSEY OPENS FEB 9 CERT 12A 86 MINS PREVIOUS satirical offerings confected around the Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer/Michael McKean axis have targeted dim heavy metal musicians (This Is Spinal Tap), hopeless small-town repertory thesps (Waiting For Guffman), weird dog obsessives (Best In Show), querulous folk singers (A Mighty Wind), and the vacuous milieus in which these creatures function. In For Your Consideration, they turn upon dim, hopeless, weird, querulous Hollywood actors, and the backdrop of glittering bullshit that constitutes their habitat - and, once again, dispatch their slow-moving target with graceful ruthlessness. For Your Consideration shares with its predecessors a method (a script, in this case by Guest and Eugene Levy, heavily embellished by improvisation), much of a cast (regulars Parker Posey, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, Bob Balaban, the reliably godlike Fred Willard, this time abetted by a cameo from Ricky Gervais as a heroically unctuous studio boss), and the sureness of touch that comes of knowing, even quite liking, the subject of one's scorn. It differs, however, by ditching the familiar mockumentary format - For Your Consideration is a straightforward narrative comedy. It takes place on the set of an underthought, overacted melodrama, Home For Purim, whose cast - rather bafflingly - become the subject of rumours regarding Academy Award nominations (the title is taken from the oleaginous plea traditionally attached to trade press advertisements touting Oscar hopefuls). From this premise unspools a gleeful burlesque of modern celebrity and the media that amplifies it - an industry in which people who don't really care report on things that don't really matter for the diversion of people who don't really think. The chief victims of this snowballing imbecility are the stars of Home For Purim, Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer, with the not inconsiderable assistance of a rack of sensational prosthetic teeth) and Marilyn Hack (Catherine O'Hara). Both are middle-aged mediocrities, who become plausibly and touchingly dazzled by the chimerical hope that their deluded dreams might, at last, be redeemed. The hollowness of their ambition is cutely but cruelly emphasised by embodying the acceptance they crave in hyperactively inane Hollywood reporter Chuck Porter. The attention of Porter, rendered by an inevitably show-stealing Fred Willard, inflates Miller and Hack to grotesque proportions, and when it all goes horribly wrong, he is merciless in batting them about as the hot air hisses out of them again. The scenes in which Porter interviews - that is, talks unstoppably over the top of - Miller and Hack are beautifully observed illustrations of a modern media environment in which everyone wants to be heard, however little they have to say, but nobody wants to listen. ANDREW MUELLER PLOT SYNOPSIS The set of independent film Home For Purim is gripped by rumours of Oscar nominations for various cast members. As the buzz swells, so do the egos of all concerned - in particular those of journeyman leads Victor Allan Miller and Marilyn Hack. The actors, studio bosses and Hollywood media all become progressively more convinced that glory awaits, despite the self-evident hopelessness of the movie in question. The consequences are not distinguished by dignity.

DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER GUEST

STARRING: HARRY SHEARER, CATHERINE O’HARA, PARKER POSEY

OPENS FEB 9 CERT 12A 86 MINS

PREVIOUS satirical offerings confected around the Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer/Michael McKean axis have targeted dim heavy metal musicians (This Is Spinal Tap), hopeless small-town repertory thesps (Waiting For Guffman), weird dog obsessives (Best In Show), querulous folk singers (A Mighty Wind), and the vacuous milieus in which these creatures function. In For Your Consideration, they turn upon dim, hopeless, weird, querulous Hollywood actors, and the backdrop of glittering bullshit that constitutes their habitat – and, once again, dispatch their slow-moving target with graceful ruthlessness.

For Your Consideration shares with its predecessors a method (a script, in this case by Guest and Eugene Levy, heavily embellished by improvisation), much of a cast (regulars Parker Posey, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch, Bob Balaban, the reliably godlike Fred Willard, this time abetted by a cameo from Ricky Gervais as a heroically unctuous studio boss), and the sureness of touch that comes of knowing, even quite liking, the subject of one’s scorn. It differs, however, by ditching the familiar mockumentary format – For Your Consideration is a straightforward narrative comedy.

It takes place on the set of an underthought, overacted melodrama, Home For Purim, whose cast – rather bafflingly – become the subject of rumours regarding Academy Award nominations (the title is taken from the oleaginous plea traditionally attached to trade press advertisements touting Oscar hopefuls). From this premise unspools a gleeful burlesque of modern celebrity and the media that amplifies it – an industry in which people who don’t really care report on things that don’t really matter for the diversion of people who don’t really think.

The chief victims of this snowballing imbecility are the stars of Home For Purim, Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer, with the not inconsiderable assistance of a rack of sensational prosthetic teeth) and Marilyn Hack (Catherine O’Hara). Both are middle-aged mediocrities, who become plausibly and touchingly dazzled by the chimerical hope that their deluded dreams might, at last, be redeemed. The hollowness of their ambition is cutely but cruelly emphasised by embodying the acceptance they crave in hyperactively inane Hollywood reporter Chuck Porter.

The attention of Porter, rendered by an inevitably show-stealing Fred Willard, inflates Miller and Hack to grotesque proportions, and when it all goes horribly wrong, he is merciless in batting them about as the hot air hisses out of them again. The scenes in which Porter interviews – that is, talks unstoppably over the top of – Miller and Hack are beautifully observed illustrations of a modern media environment in which everyone wants to be heard, however little they have to say, but nobody wants to listen.

ANDREW MUELLER

PLOT SYNOPSIS

The set of independent film Home For Purim is gripped by rumours of Oscar nominations for various cast members. As the buzz swells, so do the egos of all concerned – in particular those of journeyman leads Victor Allan Miller and Marilyn Hack. The actors, studio bosses and Hollywood media all become progressively more convinced that glory awaits, despite the self-evident hopelessness of the movie in question. The consequences are not distinguished by dignity.

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