Soundbites: Paul McCartney’s piggy bank swells, Lady Gaga & Justin Bieber are aliens, Sons Of Noel review


In today’s Soundbites – our look back at the past week’s news, reviews, and tabloid gossip – Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber get typecast in the new Men In Black film, Paul McCartney adds a few more pennies to his piggy bank, Coldplay aim to eek out a few more sales from ‘Mylo Xyloto’, the latest Sons Of Noel and Adrian track is reviewed, and our pick of the week’s new videos is selected.

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Paul McCartney (Photo: Live4ever Media)




Noel Gallagher brought together a bunch of old b-sides for this year’s Record Store Day, and promptly enjoyed the biggest selling vinyl of the many, many special releases which hit the shelves of independent record stores on April 21st. It proved to be another hugely successful day for the initiative, whose organiser Spencer Hickman remarked: “I can’t believe just how busy RSD was again this year, there were queues round the block with fans both young and old enjoying the unique atmosphere indie stores provide ensuring that RSD has become the date music buyers are marking in their diaries.”

“When we went to Russia it was like -25c, really harsh conditions, so the daytimes would maybe be a bit of a slog and be hard work, freezing cold. But then the crowds at night would just make it so worthwhile. You forgot about anything that happened during that day…any food poisoning that you’d got! The crowds just make everything disappear.” Russia loves And So I Watch You From Afar, and so do we. Read our exclusive interview conducted at last month’s SXSW in full here, when the band also discuss in length the departure of Tony Wright.

It’s quite clear Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber don’t inhabit the same world we do. So it shouldn’t be much of a stretch when they both make cameos in the forthcoming Men in Black III film, the plans of which were confirmed by director Barry Sonnenfeld this week. “In this there are a few people that you’ll see up on the surveillance board including Lady Gaga, Tim Burton, who probably knows more about aliens then I do, and let’s see who else…Justin Bieber,” he told Collider.

Above all else, Supergrass were fun. Had a ball they did. But now out on his own, it looks like Gaz Coombes has gone a bit moody on us. Well, being hidden away in darkened woods, bedecked in dog collars, hands tied, and being thrown about in some oversized, neon children’s toy is enough to ruin anyone‘s day. It’s all underpinned by a single carried along at a pace not-too dissimilar from that of Arcade Fire’s ‘Month Of May’. Visit our Videos section to sort through all of the week’s new and classic videos.

Paul McCartney’s marriage to Nancy Shevell has helped to add a few more pennies to his piggy bank. The former Beatles legend raked in an extra £170m in the past year, leading to a grand total of £665 million – enough to make him the third richest musician in the UK. Record executive Clive Calder and theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh, however, laugh in the face of such paltry sums. The pair are one and two respectively on the Sunday Times’ list of the Top 50 Music Millionaires in Britain and Ireland. Read more on this year’s list.

Coldplay will attempt to squeeze a few more sales out of ‘Mylo Xyloto‘ next week when they perform live on American Idol. Reports suggest the band will play two songs on the talent show on May 3rd. Last year, Coldplay also appeared on the UK’s X Factor final, leading to their Roadie 42 blog admitting they were ‘playing up to the haters’. For more defensive comments, click here.

Sons of Noel and Adrian will follow-up their self-titled debut on May 21st with ‘Knots‘. New album track ‘Matthew‘, released as a free download, shows the band cutting loose from the basic acoustic notions of that debut, while still retaining an understated power which demands attention, with brass and strings adding solidity to fragile origins. ‘Matthew’ is featured in today’s New Tunes Guide. Look, listen, discover.

Matthew by sonsofnoelandadrian


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