Month: June 2011

Chris Wolstenholme, Muse (Photo: Live4ever) Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme has spoken candidly on his problems with alcohol, revealing an over-reliance on drink led to him ‘puking blood’ one Christmas. In an interview with Q Wolstenholme, who has been sober since the release of Muse’s 2009 album ‘The Resistance‘, described how…

US alternates Wilco have released the tracklisting for ‘The Whole Love‘, their forthcoming eighth studio effort. The 12-track album will be released on September 26th in the UK and has been produced entirely by the band in their own studios. Related news:…

Gigging with upcoming bands can often be perilous for established musicians. ‘The wolf at the top of the hill is never as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill’ goes the caveat, and so it often proves on the relentlessly competitive touring circuit. Tonight at Ivory Black’s a young four-piece…

James are to present fans with a reworking of their material when they hit the road for a UK tour beginning at the end of October. Billed as ‘An Evening with James with the Orchestra of the Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir’, the band will incorporate an extravagant 22-piece…

Nirvana‘s legendary 1992 Reading festival headline appearance will be screened at this year’s Reading/Leeds events, in celebration of one of both Nirvana’s, and Reading’s, crowning moments. “It was such a legendary performance that so many people haven’t seen – so we had to do it,” Festival Republic’s Tania Harrison told…

Gringo Star (Photo: Cyrus Shamir) Atlanta’s Gringo Star will release their second album ‘Count Your Lucky Stars‘ in September, worked on with respected producer Ben Allen and released through Gigantic Records, with whom the group have recently signed. Following the release of debut ‘All Y’all‘ in 2008, the band toured…

The Smiths‘ former drummer Mike Joyce has criticised Morrissey‘s decision to play a handful of the legendary band’s tracks during his recent Glastonbury performance, saying the songs belong to The Smiths, not their ex-frontman. Morrissey performed five Smiths tracks last weekend, including the Manchester group’s seminal hits ‘This Charming …

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has lifted the lid on some of the band’s more volatile moments, pointing to early Nineties tours when the group would come to blows after months on the road. Speaking to NME on the subject of punch-ups, Coxon remarked: “Blur did occasionally when we were very…

Summer’s here and up and down the UK and beyond bands are hauling themselves through rain, mud, occasional sunshine and irritating TV presenters as another festival season gets in full swing. So with 2011 already careering towards July, it seems like a good time to sit back, take stock of…

Wild Beasts will head out on a large North American tour from next month is support of their widely-acclaimed new album ‘Smother‘. The band will begin in the US at Philadelphia’s World Café Live on July 12th, moving up to Canada for a show in Toronto the following month on…

The saga of San Jose stoner rock titans Sleep is as strange and sordid as the slow, dread-ridden dirges that they have become known for throughout the course of their convoluted career. From their inauspicious beginnings as anarcho-punk band Asbestosdeath to their premature dissolution and subsequent decade-plus of inactivity, the…

First single taken from Coldplay’s forthcoming new album. Related news:…

Alice Cooper has placed Hollywood star Johnny Depp in the same exalted company as celebrated rock guitarists Slash and Brian May after he was recently joined on stage by Depp during a gig at London’s 100 Club. Speaking to Bang! Showbiz, Cooper declared his intention to work with Depp…

What would happen if you took a generous portion of Led Zeppelin, mixed it with some AC/DC, threw in a little Free and Bad Company, and seasoned with a touch of Black Crowes? The resulting gumbo would probably sound something like Rival Sons. Having being touted as ones to watch…

The Who‘s legendary frontman Roger Daltrey has revealed the rigours of decades of touring has left him ‘seriously ill’ and ‘almost hospitalised’ in the past. Related news:…

Before you hear about Jim McCarthy, before you join the dots between the songs and the prisons and the grave, ‘Rise Ye Sunken Ships‘ is already a giant of a debut record. Brimming with stories of doctors, drunks and shrinks, humming with the warmth of worn guitar strings, there’s no…