July 30th, 2010

Central Park Summerstage doesn’t attract the rowdiest crowd. It’s usually hipsters in tight pants with meticulously groomed moustaches. The Black Keys, however, drew quite a different (and diverse) crowd. Let’s just call it “bro-centric.” There was a bevy of suits, NY Yankees hats, and old dudes in Harley gear. The ground was littered with half-crushed Coors Light cans and a marijuana haze floated over the crowd. Fist pumping was soon to follow.

Pink Floyd have backed an Iranian resistance movement which has adopted the band’s 1979 smash hit ‘Another Brick In The Wall‘. Founding member Roger Waters granted permission for the song to be re-worked by duo Blurred Vision who currently reside in Canada.

Our latest Soundbites has news from next month’s Reading/Leeds Festivals, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy truly falls under Kate Hudson’s spell, there’s a new event to mark Elvis’ birthday, and a Mercury-nominated act announce a new single and Franz Ferdinand discuss their new record.

Detroit Social Club have announced a tour to commence in October. The band will hit the road in support of their debut album ‘Existence‘, and will begin in Birmingham on October 8th, before finishing at the Leeds Faversham on the 16th.

Last Sunday, July 25, Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz project gave a special performance in the Syrian capital of Damascus. NPR Music is proud to transport audiences to this historic spectacle that took place within a 1,000-year-old walled palace through a specially edited version of the show now streaming here courtesy of NPR: