UK Music News

The Power Behind Prince

Jasmine Dotiwala | Posted 18.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Jasmine Dotiwala

This fortnight much of the music industry was excited about the announcement of a Prince tour which begins on 22 May in Australia... Whilst all eyes are on the front player, it's always interesting to see whom the movers, shakers and influencers behind the scene are. The unexpected force behind Prince is an Asian British female - Kiran Sharma.

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): Madness in Paraguay

Noel Gallagher | Posted 10.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Noel Gallagher

Had a nice little (I say little but it was perfectly adequate) bra slung onstage!! Always a treat. One side of it was a sequinned Paraguayan flag... the other a sequinned Union Jack!! And in that wonderful moment our two great nations had never been closer.

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): Where Someone Wants to Adopt Me

Noel Gallagher | Posted 09.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Noel Gallagher

Yes comrades... so... Buenos Aires? F***ing great show. It always is in that place. It never disappoints. Big crowd, about 10,000!! Just like the old days (man)!!

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): Latin American Adventures

Noel Gallagher | Posted 08.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Noel Gallagher

So... Rio? F**k me! What an unbelievable night. A truly special gig. Not because of anything I did I hasten to add - I played AND sang like sh*t!! But them kids man!?!? It was just a privilege to have been there never mind on the stage AND I got in for free. (I know the bass player innit?)

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): Strange Cats These Brazilians

Noel Gallagher | Posted 03.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Noel Gallagher

So, Sao Paolo. What a spectacle. The crowd (or some of them at least) were waving yellow and green balloons as we took to the stage. Looked mega. Great atmosphere. Lots of very amusing banners, signs, placards etc. Here's but a few examples...

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): The Next One Was Fully Booked Leaving Me Stranded!

Noel Gallagher | Posted 02.07.2012 | UK Entertainment
Noel Gallagher

The next day I had a video shoot for my new single... I played the part of a slightly hungover grumpy northern taxi driver which is just as well as that's exactly what I felt like. I feel it's some of my best work and most definitely worthy of at least one Bafta. That actress Mischa Barton was in it too. Nice girl. City fan would you believe!?!?

Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol. 2): Where I Get Blanked by the Dalai Lama

Noel Gallagher | Posted 24.06.2012 | Home
Noel Gallagher

Where were we? San Diego? Strange place. Nice place. Very hot. Not much else to say about it really. It was an in and out job. The gig was a bit... a bit... a bit... I'm searching for a word here and I can't find it... a bit meh? That's what you young people say innit?

Wiley: Grafting - a Life of Grime

Thomas Morris | Posted 22.06.2012 | UK Entertainment
Thomas Morris

There's a chance the name 'Wiley' might not mean anything to you. Or, it rings a faint bell, and there you are remembering Wearing My Rolex. "Not a bad tune that", you think. But otherwise, the stage name of Richard Kylea Cowie might have passed you by.

Record Store Day: More Than Just Listening to a Band

Wayne Hemingway | Posted 20.06.2012 | UK Entertainment
Wayne Hemingway

Today is Record Store Day. That it was felt necessary to instigate a Record Store Day says a lot about how technology is changing life's landscape.

The Book, the Label Chief, His Life and Some Covers

Tim Burgess | Posted 20.06.2012 | UK Entertainment
Tim Burgess

Hi. Come in, you came just at the right time. It's four days until the publication of the book I just spent the last year writing.

Santigold's Five Most Memorable Collaborations - Interview

Ben Falk | Posted 20.06.2012 | UK Entertainment
Ben Falk

Santigold has written for other artists including Lily Allen and Ashlee Simpson, but now she's got a new record Master of My Make Believe, as well as single Disparate Youth. The 35-year-old is an intimidating solo performer, but she's also known for her collaborations. I asked her to recall her favourites (both her own and others).

Whitney, Women, Addiction and the Press

Fran Singh | Posted 17.04.2012 | Home
Fran Singh

The tabloid press can struggle with journalistic ethics surrounding intrusion into grief at the best of times. With the death of Houston they faced two further tests; writing respectfully about women and responsibly reporting drug addiction. On both counts I think they've failed. Much like the case of Amy Winehouse, the reason for her death was considered a given before any official statement was made. "Once an addict, always an addict". It's a lazy and inaccurate portrayal of addiction but one all too often taken up by the popular press.

Lipgoss: Adele, Petra Ecclestone and Christina Aguilera Have Much Nicer Homes Than You

Anna Hart | Posted 17.04.2012 | Home
Anna Hart

I'm pleased to bring you some Grade A real estate porn. Here's Adele's 10-bedroom, grade II-listed Home Counties mansion, complete with two swimming pools and 25 acres of greenery... Valued at £7 million, with a monthly rent of £15,000, it's nonetheless a rustic cottage compared to Petra Ecclestone's LA mansion.

REVIEW: Bob Marley, The Cornerstone Of Kevin Macdonald's Documentary

Colin Grant | Posted 20.04.2012 | UK Entertainment
Colin Grant

As seen at the world premeiere of Marley at the Berlin Film Festival last night, Bob Marley has found a champion in the innovative filmmaker Macdonald - who says that he hopes he has made the "definitive documentary" - to chart his extraordinary and thrilling life.

The Summer of Whitney Houston

Andrea Mann | Posted 13.04.2012 | UK Entertainment
Andrea Mann

To a young British girl (me) Whitney Houston (she) was exotic. Her songs were exotic. She may have launched her career with a song about loving a married man, but on her eponymous second album - not to be confused with her eponymous debut album - Whitney took it one step further, and sang about loving yourself. We Brits had never heard of such a thing!

A Camden Crawler's Guide to Festival Management: Week 2

Lisa Paulon | Posted 06.04.2012 | UK Entertainment
Lisa Paulon

It might seem like running a festival by committee is like taking up herding cats as a hobby, but in some ways it makes things much easier. Our committee is made up of grizzled veterans of the grassroots music scene, and they know what they like - so the element of democracy this approach brings can also cause a few headaches.

A Camden Crawler's Guide to Festival Management: Week 1

Lisa Paulon | Posted 27.03.2012 | UK Entertainment
Lisa Paulon

I'm approaching 20 years of involvement in the Camden Crawl, the metropolitan music and arts festival in London I helped set up in the mid-Nineties... The environment of live music has changed beyond recognition since those days.

A New Song in Berlin

Coldplay Roadie #42 | Posted 10.03.2012 | UK Entertainment
Coldplay Roadie #42

I hadn’t thought about it until Chris mentioned it on the B-stage. He thanks the Frankfurt crowd and mentions that Germany is where this tour re...

Five Countries on Three Continents in 48 Hours - Part 2

Taylor Hanson | Posted 02.03.2012 | Home
Taylor Hanson

9am Saturday morning, we finally make it to Mexico City. The haze of the overnight flight is broken abruptly as we enter baggage claim to the sight of the growing crowd of excited fans holding signs, cameras and gifts through the frosted glass on the other side of immigration.

New Music January on BBC Radio 1

George Ergatoudis | Posted 28.02.2012 | UK Entertainment
George Ergatoudis

But why is it important that we support a wide range of new music? In my opinion, the biggest challenge facing any artist or musician today is simply getting noticed. The internet has democratised music production and distribution and the barrier to entry is now so low that the web is flooded with millions of tracks and thousands of undiscovered artists. Simultaneously, there has been a global decline in the number of trusted guides or filters with sufficient audience to make any difference and without significant gatekeepers operating at mass-market scale music makers will find it harder and harder to emerge beyond their niche.

Music: The Sound of 2012

Christopher Beanland | Posted 20.02.2012 | UK Comedy
Christopher Beanland

The most on-the-money music journalists and critical commentators have selected the six new music acts that they reckon will be "blowing up big" in 2012...

Five Countries on Three Continents in 48 Hours

Taylor Hanson | Posted 11.02.2012 | Home
Taylor Hanson

In the last 14 years we have traveled from Manila to Anaheim, from Santiago to Amsterdam, all the while seeing places both grand and humble along the way - in almost 40 countries, if you're counting.

Lipgoss: Job Vacancy as Lady Gaga Sacks Creative Director

Anna Hart | Posted 16.01.2012 | UK Entertainment
Anna Hart

Lovers and spouses come and go, but a celebrity's relationship with a manager, publicist or creative director is supposed to be sacrosanct. This week, we're sending out the sympathy cards and tubs of Ben & Jerry's to Lady Gaga and her creative director Laurieann Gibson, whose split seems to be going the acrimonious way.