September 12th, 2012

Early bookies favourites Alt-J lead the 2012 Mercury Music Prize shortlist which was unveiled in London today (September 12th).

Unlike other such bands of recent times who likewise found themselves riding an avalanche of wellspring adulation and popularity overnight, the NME-hype zeitgeist has yet to be fully wrested away from the grasp of The Vaccines, a band whose celebrated arrival onto the scene last year drew comparisons with The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys for the sheer scale of anticipation that was bestowed upon them.

Well, within Britain at least.

Headlines such as ‘the return of the great British guitar band’, and ‘the hottest group in the world’ aren’t exactly things that are thrown around in jest.

But taking on the press camadarie with a cheeky sense of humour and a collection of surprisingly catchy anthems to boot, The Vaccines excelled and flourished on the groundswell of hype around them, making a debut album that reminded us why reinventing the past isn’t a bad thing, and why sometimes pure and primal rock n roll is all that’s needed to have a good time.

But where does that take them? Momentum is a function of success, and so following up ‘What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?‘ with another reckless collection of songs quickly was always going to be crucial for the band’s long-term ambitions. So will they feed the hype machine and ascend to even greater heights? Or will they destroy their good fortune altogether?

Ringo Starr has released a statement denying his involvement with newly-discovered recordings of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes - the band he was in immediately before joining The Beatles.

Madness have confirmed the details of their tenth album, which will be released next month.

Interpol‘s Paul Banks will show off his ‘Banks‘ solo album with a European tour early next year, which is to open up with a series of Irish and UK dates.

The music venue which witnessed the signing of Supergrass in 1993 is to receive some special recognition from PRS For Music next month.

Suede frontman Brett Anderson has revealed the band are looking for a return to the sound of their Nineties heyday as work continues on a new album following their successful run of reunion tours during the past 18 months.

Former Creation Records boss Alan McGee has said he is considering re-launching one of Britain’s most successful independent labels.

UK veterans Coldplay were named Best Act In the World at the Q Awards in London last year (10/24)! Here’s our special, exclusive gallery from their appearance on NBC’s Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. All photos © Live4ever Media