Sculpture Magazine

Watch footage of Michael Jackson's last rehearsal - video

The Big Pink name debut album

Arctic Monkeys festival comeback interrupted by technical hitch

Guns N' Roses man teams up with Black Eye Peas and a Rolling Stone

Guns N' Roses man teams up with Black Eyed Peas and a Rolling Stone

Madness to play castle gig this summer

Pirate Bay's new onwers reveal novel business plan

Pirate Bay's new owners reveal novel business plan

Blur reveal 'Parklife' inspiration at Hyde Park gig

Blur Perform Massive Hyde Park Show

The Gaslight Anthem: "We Had To Show The Boss The Chords"

Elbow To Broadcast Halle Orchestra Show Live

Xfm Stage Announced For Get Loaded In The Park

MGMT And Karen O To Appear On New Flaming Lips Album

Blur To Release Live Album Of Hyde Park Shows

Maximo Park Announce New Tour

Johnny Marr: "We've Been Offered $50 Million To Reform The Smiths"

New Arctic Monkeys To Get First Play On Xfm Next Week

On hold in Oldham: Soulja Boy's wrong number

It seems unlikely that platinum-selling rap artist Soulja Boy has ever even heard of let alone visited Grotton. But for one family in this quiet suburb of Oldham, the singer's latest hit has bequeathed an unwanted legacy.

The great Glastonbury clean-up begins

The great Glastonbury clean-up was under way today as more than 1,650 tonnes of waste are swept from the festival fields.

Janet joins stars honouring her brother

A tearful Janet Jackson made her first public appearance since her brother's death today as she joined a host of stars honouring the King of Pop.

Jackson in Brief: Last rehearsal was 'filmed in HD'

Jackson's last rehearsal, filmed on the eve of his death and recorded in multi-camera, high-definition video, could be released as the performer's last album, according to several sources close to the now-defunct concert tour. The recordings were made as part of concert promotion company AEG Live's deal with Jackson, which included a plan to produce both an album and DVD of what Jackson had billed his "final performance" tour, titled "This Is It." The recordings also could be used to produce both a DVD or Blu-ray disc of the entertainer's last performance – the entertainer singing his greatest hits.

Even Jackson's burial gets caught in legal fight

America expects its biggest funeral since Elvis. The world is ready for an outpouring of grief to rival the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But as fans of Michael Jackson lit candles outside his former homes, or queued for hours to pay tribute at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, battle lines were being drawn over the singer's disputed legacy.

All the fun of the Festival: Glastonbury's generation game

If last year's Glastonbury, with its much-maligned headliner Jay-Z, was an attempt to look forward to the future of the festival, then this year's Holy Trinity of Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur was very much staring back in the other direction. Much of the goings-on at Worthy Farm this year had a heavy dose of nostalgia, kicking off as they did on Thursday evening with the death of a man who peaked 20 years ago. We must also remember that Young released his first solo record in 1968, two years before Jay-Z was born. This year, it was the good old boys who reigned supreme.

Glastonbury diary: Mike Skinner takes up the Jackson challenge

* While Neil Young belted out hits from his 30-year songbook on Friday night, bemused punters were treated to the sight of an oil painter with a canvas and easel at the side of the stage. The artist in question is one Eric Johnson, a Seattle-born painter who gets through some 11 paintings a set, as requested by Young. But why is the Canadian songsmith asking for them? Are they simply a more lasting alternative to the thousands of Twitpics of the singer that will be uploaded this weekend? The jury is still out.

More tests needed to determine Jackson's cause of death

Further tests will be needed to determine whether prescription drugs played any role in Michael Jackson's death, coroner's officials said today.

Promoter bet house on Jackson – and lost

Michael Jackson's untimely death, less than a fortnight before his 50-date London residency was due to begin, marks the failure of one of the biggest gambles ever taken by a concert promoter.

Big Pink Talk Debut Album

Noise-rock merchants The Big Pink have named their debut album 'A Brief History Of Love'.

A two piece, The Big Pink boast a long history. It's members have previously worked with Alex Empire before founding a record label which has released seven inches by the likes of Klaxons and more.

The band came together after a debauched house party, and began mixing noise elements with a classic rock template. Naming themselves after a seminal album by The Band, The Big Pink quickly began earning acclaim.

With a thunderous live show the group soon became a talking point amongst music fans. Their early singles have already become collectors items as the hype around them grows. Moving to New York to complete their debut album, the band recently returned to play a stunning set at Glastonbury.

Titled 'A Brief History Of Love' the band's debut album is due to be released in September. Record in New York's historic Electric Ladyland studios, the material is a striking blend of the old and new.

In an interview with BBC 6Music Big Pink member Milo Cordell revealed that the album title was chosen as "every song is a love song to some degree, about every different aspect of love."

"The good, the bad, the boring, the exciting, the dreams, the nightmares, the whole thing and I guess that's what encompasses the whole album, and we have a song called 'A Brief History Of Love', so it's apt".

Produced by Rich Costey, the band were apparently bowled over to be recording in such a historic environment. "It’s been great doing it in New York, being in Electric Lady. We recorded it in the same room as Combat Rock by The Clash."

Robbie Furze added that the band have held back material from their live shows. "There’s a couple of slower ones that we don’t play live. We actually wrote a new song out in Electric Lady which came very quickly in that room. That one is brand new to us. We’ll rehearse that one up for the festivals we do in August."

The Big Pink are due to release their new album 'A Brief History Of Love' in September.

Summer Madness Announced

The Isle Of Wight is set to be invade by an army of skanking 2-Tone revivalists with Madness unveiling details of an ambitious one day event.

Madness were formed in the aftermath punk. Keen to put some punk energy into the Jamaican music they knew and loved, the band's pop touch was obvious from the start. Releasing their first single through the iconic 2-Tone label, Madness would later depart the imprint for pastures new.

With a stellar run of 45s, Madness became the best selling acts of the 80s on the British singles charts. A lightly skanking beat, a lilting pop melody and Suggs acerbic lyrics Madness presented an invincible pop formula.

The band recently came out of hiatus for their first studio album of original material in over a decade. Madness are still on fine form, organising their massive Madstock event for central London and playing Glastonbury.

An odd choice, perhaps, for Worthy Farm but Madness simply ripped the place apart with a sensational set. Occasionally stopping for a breather, Suggs & Co. rolled out the hits for the festival crowd.

Now Madness have unveiled details of a new one day event. Performing as part of their 30th anniversary tour the band are set to hit the Isle Of Wight on August 30th. Along with a massive range of bars, stalls and support acts the 10,000 capacity event is one of the band's biggest shows this year.

Summer Madness! is the brain child of legendary live music promoter and Isle of Wight resident John Curd. “As an Island resident, I wanted to create a boutique music event, that offered fantastic fun at a great location' says the promoter.

Curd added "The Isle of Wight is now starting to become known as the festival isle and we want to add to that great reputation, by providing a yearly event that puts on the very best of music in one of the most beautiful settings in the British Isles.�

Priced at only £35 this is one of the summer's best value events. With the sun riding high in the sky, thousands will be escaping the city rush by travelling to the Isle Of Wight for a dose of the heavy, heavy monster sound. 30 years on, the nutty boys can still charm the crowds!

Summer Madness! is set to take place on August 30th.

Beatles Song To Feature In Ad

A song by The Beatles is set to feature in a new advert after being given an intimate overhaul by London duo The Hours.

The Beatles are back. Almost forty years since the Fab Four split up, the Liverpool quartet are set to be bigger than ever. With a massive re-issue program planned, alongside an appearance on a special edition of 'Rock Band' a new generation are set to be introduced to their music.

A new advert for the beer company Budweiser is set to be soundtracked by The Beatles. London duo The Hours have covered the band's lesser heard song 'All Together Now' for a new television campaign.

The Beatles were some of the most wide ranging songwriters in the history of pop music. The band moved from screaming rockers to ballads in the blink of an eye, with 'All Together Now' initially being written for their 'Magical Mystery Tour' project.

Designed as a song for children, the simple rhymes and melody recall a playground ditty. Included on the 'Yellow Submarine' soundtrack album, it is a fine example of the songwriting dynamic between John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

The new advert was shot over a period of five days on a regularly schedule train in Chicago, the Guardian reports. Titled 'Lyrics', the campaign launches in the UK soon and features people from all over the city coming together to spell the phrase 'all together now'.

Given the cover treatment by The Hours, the indie group recorded their version in a hotel room. Using objects around them as percussion, the jaunty ditty is given a lo-fi reworking.

The Hours recently released their second album 'See The Light' to great critical acclaim. The band were formed by one time members of Black Grape and Joe Strummer's Mescaleros, and are a blast of old school songwriting.

The ad features a 12-piece marching band, a bee on a trampoline, and an inflatable panda.

The new Budweiser ad premieres on July 10th.

Black Lips For Brooklyn Pool Party

Black Lips, Fucked Up and more are due to perform at this year's free 'Pool Parties' in Brooklyn.

Folk in the United States do summer a little differently than us Brits. Whereas in Britain the first sighting of the sun is followed by a stampede to the coast, in America they simply built enormous public swimming pools.

For some reason, these pools have built up a tremendous cultural impact. During an especially dry summer in San Francisco skateboarders used them to practice in, with boarders such as a young Tony Hawks inventing many of the moves that would later crave out their reputation.

In Brooklyn, however, the pools are used to showcase some of the finest in alternative rock music. Each year the pool parties gather some top quality names to rock out in front of lucky fans who get in for free.

Jealous much? This year's performers include some of the most intense groups around. Black Lips are well known for their onstage antics, with a recent tour of India ending after the group were literally chased to the airport.

With their lead singer's penchant for urinating in his own mouth, perhaps organisers had best change the water afterwards. Also due to perform are mind expanding Canadian hardcore types Fucked Up, who launched their debut album with an astonishing 24 hour show.

Grizzly Bear recently scored a surprise chart success with their album 'Veckatimest'. The band are charming live performers, and are set to drop by the city's East River State Park for a very special show.

Also due to perform are the likes of Dirty Projector, former Be Your Own Pet singer Jemina Pearl and Beach House.

Full line up is as follows:

Mission of Burma, Fucked Up & Ponytail & Jemina Pearl (July 12)
Magnolia Electric Co. & Dirty Projectors & White Denim (19)
Health & Grupo Fantasma & Trail of Dead & Black Lips (26)
Dan Deacon, No Age & Deerhunter (August 2)
Simian Mobile Disco DJ set & Fiery Furnaces & Dark Meat & The Netherlands & Finger on the Pulse (9)
Del the Funky Homosapien & Gravy Train! & DD/MM/YY & Kenan Bell (16)
Girl Talk, Max Tundra and Wiz Khalifa (23)
Grizzly Bear and Beach House (30)

Clash's Best Albums Of 2009 (So Far)

All week, ClashMusic.com has been looking back at the year’s best albums to date, marking six months of what we think have been some pretty splendid releases.

We’ve run lists – ‘top tens’, albeit in no particular order – from five key editorial types at Clash’s twin HQs in London and Scotland: editor Simon Harper, deputy editor Matthew Bennett, online editor Mike Diver (hello), reviews editor Nick Annan, and online news editor Robin Murray. Click the links below to visit each individual’s list:

Simon Harper
Matthew Bennett
Robin Murray
Nick Annan
Mike Diver

What has this exercise told us? Well, firstly that the Clash editorial team has some pretty varied tastes, as no one album featured more than twice across the five lists; and secondly that we’re going to be faced with some really, really tough decisions come the end of the year, when we need to put a proper best-of-2009 list together.

The albums appearing more than once are:

Micachu and the Shapes – ‘Jewellery’ (SH and MD)
Grizzly Bear – ‘Veckatimest’ (SH and MD)
Phoenix – ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ (SH and NA)
Passion Pit – ‘Manners’ (SH and RM)
Animal Collective – ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ (SH and MD)
DJ Hell – ‘Teufelswerk’ (MB and NA)
Toddla T – Skanky Skanky’ (MB and RM)
Future Of The Left – ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ (RM and MD)
Dananananaykroyd – ‘Hey Everyone!’ (RM and MD)

Which, we guess, makes them the best albums of the year so far. What’s that? No Dirty Projectors? Yeah, that is weird.

Blur Reveal Hyde Park Inspiration

Reformed Britpop icons Blur have revealed that Hyde Park helped inspire 'Parklife' - one of their biggest hits.

Blur first emerged from Colchester as a shambling baggy act. Trying to blend psychedelia with dance, it was clear that their heart belonged more with decidedly English mavericks such as Syd Barrett than it did with Chicago house.

Stung by criticism of their debut album 'Leisure' the band returned to the drawing board. Inspired by The Kinks, and their use of everyday circumstances for inspiration, Blur began working on a British form of songwriting.

Returning with 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' the band created the template for Britpop. On their follow up album 'Parklife' the band hit paydirt, almost overnight becoming one of the biggest groups in the nation.

Blur's success was propelled by their track 'Parklife'. Always a high point of their set, at the band's recent Glastonbury show they invited original narrator Phil Daniels onto the stage to reprise his role.

Playing the song at the opening night of their Hyde Park gigs, Damon Albarn said "I had the idea for this song in this park, I used to live near Kensington Church Street and I used to watch pigeons and people and all that stuff."

The singer also recalled the massive anti-war demonstration that passed through the park. "Two million people marched into this park in 2003" he said "and tried to stop something and you know what happened, I just want to remind myself about it."

As with their recent Glastonbury show the band opened with debut single 'She's So High'. Playing a number of massive hits, the band also performed fan's favourites such as 'Death Of A Party'.

"We feel really privileged to be able to do nothing for years then come back to this," said a visibly moved Albarn before 'Popscene'. "It's incredible, really incredible."

Blur are set to play another show in Hyde Park tonight (July 3rd). However Damon Albarn doubted if the band could meet the standards of the opening night saying "I honestly don't know how we're going to repeat this tomorrow, thank you for coming."

Barack Obama On Michael Jackson

The recent death of Michael Jackson has affected millions around the globe including, it seems, the President of the United States.

During his sensational career, Michael Jackson became an instantly recognisable icon. With his moonwalk and distinctive dress sense, the much imitated singer's fame dwarfed that of fellow entertainers.

Having met with world leaders on several occasions, Michael Jackson had continually campaigned for causes close to his heart. At one stage, the singer was even inducted into the Guinness Book Of Records after admitting to supporting almost forty different charities - the most for any celebrity.

With this track record, it is not surprising that prominent politicians are keen to pay tribute to the star. Although his fame and stature had waned in his final years, Michael Jackson continued to campaign on behalf of charities almost until his death.

In a new interview Barack Obama revealed his thoughts on the singer's death. "I grew up on his music - still have all his stuff on my iPod," Obama was reported as saying by Associated Press, adding that Jackson "will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers."

"I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life," Obama said.

"I'm glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer."

Some fans have questioned Obama after the President failed to issue a statement following the singer's death. However the politician insisted that he had simply not been asked about Jackson's demise.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, politicians have continued the tide of mourning after the singer's death. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said his thoughts were with Michael Jackson's fans.

"This is very sad news for the millions of Michael Jackson fans in Britain and around the world," a spokesman said.

Leader of the Conservative David Cameron revealed his grief at the singer's death. "Despite the controversies, he was a legendary entertainer. Everybody will be thinking of his family, especially his children, at this time."

Foals Talk New Material

Returning math rock heroes Foals have revealed that they have begun work on their new album, which is said to be influenced by funk, dub and soul.

Foals emerged from the ashes of several avant garde guitar bands in Oxford. Eager to try something a little more accessible, the band formed Foals yet were immediately shunned by the surrounding math rock scene.

Struggling for gigs, the band began playing house parties. Taking them across the nation, this unusual tour eventually found Foals playing on the cult television show skins. A deal with Trangressive followed, and Foals became one of the most talked about new groups in the country.

Debut album 'Antidotes' more than justified the hype. With its jerky rhythms and singer Yannis Philippakis' unusual lyrics it seemed like a breath of fresh air in a British indie scene increasingly dominated by dull, grey kitchen sink realism.

Since then the band have toured ceaselessly yet have also found time to work on new material. At recent shows they have introduced a noise jam, which Foals claim is their way of trying out new ideas.

Speaking to BBC 6Music, Phillippakis revealed that the band have decided to ditch their rock influences in favour of something a little more eclectic.

"Basically, everything that we didn't like before, we've got into now," he said, adding, "we don’t really listen to that much rock music at the moment."

Continuing, the singer went on to list the music he has been making. "We're listening to a lot of hip-hop, stuff like Donald Byrd and some long disco edits, Donna Summer, James Brown, stuff that before we would have always felt was too part of the canon."

Foals have a reputation as being a 'cool' band, and the singer claimed that he wasn't worried if some fans are distracted by their new taste for funk.

"With a lot of funk records, it's kind of seen as being uncool in some way, and it's just a challenge for us. We see it as being a chameleon basically," he told BBC 6Music.

Foals are currently working on their new album at their Oxford base, which is due for release in 2010.

Grizzly Bear Set For Orchestra Show

American freak-folk group Grizzly Bear are due to play a show with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Grizzly Bear have become one of the year's surprise success stories. Formed in 2004 the band's debut album 'Horn Of Plenty' contained an enigmatic collage of vocals samples. Since then, however, the band have honed their sound becoming one cult favourites.

Signed to Warp Records in the UK, the band's third full length album 'Veckatimest' gained rave reviews on its release earlier this year. A stunning blend of sophisticated songwriting and experimental touches, the album stunned everyone by smashing into the American charts.

Click HERE to read an interview with Grizzly Bear, talking about the new album!

Breaking into the Billboard Top Ten, Grizzly Bear suddenly found themselves competing with some of the biggest albums on the planet. Radiohead are big fans, and personally requested that the band support them on a tour last year.

Grizzly Bear performed a show back in February with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Adding a lush classical tone to their music, fans were left stunned by the shows which were acclaimed as a new milestone in the band's career.

Now it seems that British fans are also set to witness this exciting new project. The band have announced a very special show at London's Barbican venue with Grizzly Bear due to work with the London Symphony Orchestra.

The new date will follow on from the band's show at London's Koko venue. Due to take place on August 18th, tickets for the gig sold out almost three months in advance with fans scrambling for a chance to see their heroes.

In addition to this, Grizzly Bear are set to play at the Green Man festival. Held in the Brecon Beacons the event is the celebrated home of wyrd folk, with Grizzly Bear set to feel right at home with the likes of Super Furry Animals and Animal Collective.

With a full UK tour previously announced, it seems as though Grizzly Bear could repeat their United States success here in the UK.

Grizzly Bear have confirmed the following shows for throughout the year:

August
18 London Koko
22 Green Man Festival Brecon Beacons

October
31 London Barbican

November
2 Glasgow ABC
4 Manchester Cathedral
5 Leeds Metropolitan University
6 Bristol Anson Rooms

Click here to buy tickets for Grizzly Bear!

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