While on their North American tour earlier this year, Swervedriver played a radio session for Seattle-based KEXP. During the session, Adam Franklin revealed the band was working on some new music, though no firm plans for a record or release have been set. Watch the four-song set and short interview (interview segments are at 08:20, and 18:30) with host Cheryl Waters below:
It's another exciting day for Blur fans around the world as the band are set to play two live events for the BBC later today. The BBC domination begins at 4pm GMT/11am ET with a three hour Blur interview/special for BBC Radio 6. The special will include a six-song live set which is scheduled to start at 6pm GMT/1pm ET (an additional 2 songs will stream as "web exclusives" at 7pm GMT/2pm ET). Blur then head to BBC Radio 2 at 8pm GMT/3pm ET for a live hourlong concert. The concert will stream live on BBC Radio 2 as well as Blur's official website.
Public Image Limited have announced dates for a North American tour. The tour kicks off October 3rd in Orlando and runs through the end of November. Tickets for many of the shows (including the Detroit area show October 19th at the Royal Oak Music Theater) go on sale August 3rd. Take a look at the full tour itinerary and ticket info here.
Morrissey played Manchester's MEN Arena last night and from all accounts the show was fantastic. Moz appeared to be in great spirits and didn't disappoint with stage banter--he threw down a few digs:
On the Queen: "Congratulations for surviving the Diamond Jubilee? When will we be rid of that family?"
On the Olympics: "You'll notice I wasn't invited to the Olympics opening ceremony because my smile was judged to be too sincere."
On Manchester: "I was recently in Israel where I was given the key to Tel Aviv and it's worth pointing out that the governing bodies of Manchester council have offered me absolutely nothing...and I don't know why"
Judging from fan comments on Twitter, musically the fan favorite seemed to be his amazing emotional performance of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want." Take a look at fan shot footage and links to pictures from the show below:
Essential viewing: The Smiths Live In Derby. The concert was filmed in 1983 and features 11 songs. Get some flowers and envelop yourself in the awesomeness.
Toy dropped their debut single, "Left Myself Behind" last December and they're preparing to drop their full length album on September 10th. The self-titled album includes 12 tracks and will be released on cd, double vinyl, and as a digital album. The album will be preceded by a new single, "Lose My Way," on September 2nd, which is backed by the non-album track "Bright White Shimmering Sun." U.K. fans can pre-order the full length album here or here. So far, no word on a North American release.
Watch a trailer for Toy's debut album:
Toy's label, Heavenly Recordings, is offering a free two song download of their single "Left Myself Behind" and b-side "Clock Chime." Details on the free download are available here.
The first issue of U.K. based Electronic Magazine hits news stands today. The print version of the mag features articles on Gary Numan, Human League, Can, Juan Atkins, an archive interview with Kraftwerk, plus the issue comes along with a free 14 track cd with songs by Fad Gadget, Cabaret Voltaire, Nitzer Ebb, Yaz, Heaven 17, OMD. An online preview of the magazine with short features on Gary Numan, Human League, Kraftwerk, and Juan Atkins, can be viewed here. For more info on Electronic Magazine, visit them on Facebook.
Sebadoh have returned with new music! The secret EP features five songs and is available digitally through Bandcamp. Physical copies of the EP will be available on the band's month-long North American tour in August. Stream secret EP and take a look at the tour itinerary below. Full tour info is available here:
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the split of the Smiths. Johnny Rogan's best-selling book about the split, Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance, was recently updated and given a 20th anniversary makeover. The Quietus has featured the book on their site this week and posted the text of a full chapter on their website. Read the chapter, Unhappy Birthday, here, and purchase a copy of Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance through Omnibus Press or Amazon U.K. In the U.S. the book is currently only available for e-readers, but it will see a physical release in October. Copies of the original pressing from 1992/1993 are still floating around but command BIG bucks.
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
New Order were recently interviewed by NME after their set at Benicassim 2012. Bernard Sumner talked about the band's schedule, being a successful band, and how they never wanted a career when they first started out. Sumner also got a dig into Peter Hook by again implying he was to blame for the delay of their long awaited outtakes album LostSirens (he made similar allegations in May.) Watch the interview below:
New Order announced dates for a short run of North America this fall. The fall outing is the band's first tour in seven years, and their first set of dates in the U.S. without original bassist Peter Hook. Feast your eyes on the dates below:
10/05 – San Francisco, CA – Oakland Fox Theatre 10/07 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre 10/10 – Denver, CO – Broomfield 1st Bank Center 10/12 – Dallas, TX – Palladium 10/18 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom 10/21 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom 10/23 – Toronto, Ontario – Sony Center
Meanwhile, Peter Hook announced dates for his UnknownPleasures tour in U.K. with his band The Light. Hook is also set to release his Joy Division memoir Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division this fall. The book will be released in the U.K. in October and will be available in the U.S. in December.
Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan appeared on the new Soulsavers' album TheLight The Dead See, and on Saturday night, he joined the band live onstage for an intimate showcase gig in Los Angeles. A crowd of 150 lucky people were on hand to watch Gahan and Soulsavers rip through a seven song set. RollingStone's report on the show includes a short blurb from Depeche Mode manager Jonathan Kessler, who revealed that other one-off shows like Saturday's are possible in the future, though Gahan is "immersed in his day job" aka finishing up work on the new Depeche Mode album, which Kessler confirms will be released in April 2012. Read Rolling Stone's report here.
A collection of fan shot photos from the event are posted here (scroll to very bottom of page & click to enlarge)
"Take Me Back Home" Soulsavers featuring Dave Gahan (official video)
On July 21st Morrissey's tour visited Israel and hours before the show Tel Aviv's mayor Ron Huldai presented him with the key to the city. Morrissey managed to drop the key (yes, he sure did) and later sat down for a short interview where he slammed Madonna and revealed he wouldn't be able to live in Tel Aviv since he's "too noisy." Watch video of his pre-show visit below:
Despite having dropped the key, Morrissey seemed genuinely honored and thanked the crowd for the award during his concert at the Exhibition Grounds:
Morrissey later informed the crowd what he'd do with his new found key/power before performing "Meat Is Murder"
Read a review of the Tel Aviv concert in the Jerusalem Post, and watch some close-up fan shot footage from the show below:
"How Soon Is Now?" (show opener, with introductory comments "war is old, art is young" + slight technical glitch)
The Cure have been on the road playing the European festival circuit. Along with the performances Robert Smith has also done a few interviews during a few stops in France. Watch video clips from recent interviews below:
Paleo 2012
Stage D interview
Stage D interview (short blurb of Robert Smith confirming 2013 South American tour)
Daily Motion interview (click here if trouble viewing video below)
A Joy Division exhibit, Joy Devotion: A Year in the Life of a Rock Shrine, opened in London last week. The exhibit is a collection of pictures shot by Jennifer Otter*, who spent a year photographing Ian Curtis' gravesite as part of her PhD research project, which focuses on fan devotion/obsession. For the project, Otter chose to capture items/trinkets left at Curtis' memorial (an estimated 2000 people flock to the site in Macclesfield each year) and photographed the site monthly from 2009-2010, including May 18th, 2010--the 30th anniversary of Curtis' death. Otter's pictures are currently on display at XOYO in London, and she's also published the photos in her newly released book, Joy Devotion A Year of Trash, Trinkets and Tributes at the Ian Curtis Memorial Stone.
Joy Devotion: A Year in the Life of a Rock Shrine runs through July 31st at XOYO. More info on the exhibit is available here, and a short review of the exhibit/book is posted here. The book, Joy Devotion: A Year of Trash, Trinketsand Tributes at the Ian Curtis Memorial Stone can be purchased here or through Otter's official site.
Watch a short promo video for Joy Devotion below.
*Otter is no stranger to the world of music; she began her career as a label rep for Sony, and spent time on the road with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Rage AgainstThe Machine, and worked on marketing campaigns for U2, Eminem, and others. Otter later returned to graduate school to obtain her PhD in Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths University of London. Her work has focused on artists and fandom (her Master's thesis was on Morrissey) and she's spoken on the subject as an associate lecturer at several universities.
James Lavelle, leader and organizer of music collective Unkle, has posted a 70 minute mixtape featuring Unkle remixes of songs by Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Moby, Daft Punk, Trentemoller, Queens of the Stone Age, The Beatles, and more. Stream and download James Lavelle Presents Unkle Sounds - The End Pt 1 below:
U.K. tabloid the Sun is reporting Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye are performing the Oasis classic "Wonderwall" at the London Olympic closing ceremonies. According to the Sun, a source from the Olympics wanted something, "quintessentially British--a real flag waving, singalong moment to show the rest of the world what this country has produced. Oasis were exactly that and, whether it's Noel or his brother Liam, they just wanted a bit of rock n roll in there."
The Sun's report also claims that Olympic organizers originally wanted NoelGallagher to perform "Wonderwall," but he declined. This is a fact that seemingly hasn't gone unnoticed by Liam. Perhaps that's the reason for the snarkalicious tweet he sent out last night:
snore patrol Noel Gallaghers high flying smurfs who said rock n roll is dead LG
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) July 19, 2012
Blur are preparing to release their career spanning boxset Blur 21 at the end of the month. The deluxe version of the boxset features all seven studio albums from Blur, (the first five albums were remastered) with over five hours of rarities/previously unreleased tracks, 3 DVDs, a book of photos, and more, plus the box comes with a digital download code for all the albums and rarities.
In addition to the 21-disc Deluxe Box Set, all 7 studio albums will be available individually, each with a second disc of b-sides, previously hard-to-find tracks and exclusive bonus material. Blur 21 will be released on July 30th in the U.K. and on July 31st in the U.S.
To celebrate Blur 21, the band debuted an interactive timeline with information on all their songs, videos, artwork, and more and can be accessed here. Blur have also released a couple of promo videos for Blur 21 which are posted below.
Vancouver's Mode Moderne have been creating dark-electro/goth sounds since 2009 (kind of a darker/gothier New Order) and are set to release their latest album Strange Bruises in the U.S. on September 3rd. The album has been out in Canada since May, and is available to stream on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Stream and download the album track "Foul Weather Fare" below and catch up with Mode Moderne on Facebook:
Last week Trent Reznorrevealed that he's composed the theme to the upcoming video game Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, and now a short promo video featuring Reznor and others involved in the project has emerged (via Consequence Of Sound). Watch the short video below (which also features the Reznor-composed theme).
Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails' 2007 track "Survivalism" has been remixed by Deadmau5. Take a listen to the remix below:
As you may have seen over the last week, a few Depeche Mode-related websites, message boards and news sites have posted alleged tour dates for 2013. While the band will indeed be touring next year, we have not confirmed any show dates yet and tickets will not be on sale until late fall. Be assured, we will make a timely official announcement on DepecheMode.com and the band's official Facebook and Twitter accounts as soon as dates are confirmed, and at that time will give full details on when tickets will be made available. Stay tuned for more updates from the studio and exciting news over the next few months. We look forward to seeing you soon.
-Jonathan Kessler
Manager, Depeche Mode
Bottom line: dates have not been confirmed, but notice Kessler didn't exactly say the posted dates were bogus. Stay tuned! Related Depeche Mode posts:
A reported 798 drummers attended Sunday's Stick It To MS charity drumoff in Manchester, England in an effort to beat the previous world record. Mike Joyce (The Smiths) and Pete Salisbury (The Verve) were among the drummers who took part in the event, which required all the drummers to hold a steady rock beat for five minutes. Sunday's gathering appears to have beat the the Guinness Record: the previous world record was set in 2009 by 582 drummers in Birmingham, England.
Organizers are still awaiting official word from Guinness, though the confirmation of the record likely won't be official for a couple of months. World record or not, a good time was had by all, and the event raised 50 thousand pounds (over 75 thousand dollars) for the MS Society. View pictures from the event here and find out more about Stick It To MS here.
Handsome Frank is a U.K. talent agency representing artists and commercial illustrators, and to help promote their artists, the agency recently asked Twitter followers to tweet out "illustration briefs" (art ideas) they'd like to see created into art. Over 200 briefs/ideas were tweeted out--including Tim Burgess' request to see an illustration of New Order's "Blue Monday" and another follower's idea to "see inside the mind of Stanley Kubrick." Handsome Frank took the best brief ideas, handed them over to their artists for inspiration, and voila--art was created!
The results are now on display as part of the Tweet-A-Brief exhibition in London, and a few photos from the exhibit opening (including the pic of the "Blue Monday" inspired art) are posted here and Creative Review posted a feature on the exhibit with photos here. Other photos from the exhibit are posted here and here. The Tweet-A-Brief exhibition runs through July 22nd at the The Church of London.
Afghan Whigs announced a handful of new dates for their North American tour yesterday, plus offered up a free download of their Frank Ocean cover "Lovecrimes." The song has been a staple at their shows recently and to celebrate their tour a recorded version of "Lovecrimes" is now available for free. Grab your download here and take a look at the band's full tour itinerary. Take a listen to "Lovecrimes" courtesy of The Fader below.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds release "Everybody's On The Run" as a single on July 30th. The single will be backed with the Amorphous Androgynous remix of "AKA...What A Life." The remix clocks in at a leisurely 16 minutes and can be heard in its entirety below and is available to pre-order here:
Noel Gallagher just announced dates for a fall run of North America with Snow Patrol. The cities are posted below and full tour itinerary/ticket info is posted here.
New Order headlined Benicassim on July 15th and paid tribute to Ian Curtis (Curtis was born on July 15th) by dedicating the entire show to him. High quality video of the show is yet to emerge, however overall comments seem to indicate the set was emotional and amazing. View the setlist, read a translated review of the show, take a look at a picture here and read another review of the show.
Fan shot footage of the band's opening comments and first song "Elegia" have been posted as well as the band's final song, "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Watch both videos below (good sound, obstructed view at times):
Bryan Ferry headlined GuilFest on July 15th with special guest Johnny Marr playing guitar for the entire set. Watch some fan shot footage from the show below - so far all the video is from far away, but you can definitely see Marr in the video, and the sound quality is great.
Noel Gallagher performed at Spain's Benicassim festival on July 14th. Gallagher was in high spirits during the show and before the final song told the crowd it was the band's 100th gig, and revealed, "this one of the best shows we've ever done, maybe the best show we've ever done. You've been the best crowd we've played to so far, so thank you very much" then launched into "Don't Look Back In Anger."
Watch pro-shot video from the show plus XFM's pre-show interview with Gallagher below:
Malka Spigel returns with a new solo record Every Day Is Like The First Day on September 4th. Spigel recorded the album with husband Colin Newman (Wire) at Press Play Studio in London, and features collaborations with Johnny Marr, Andy Ramsay (ex-Stereolab and current owner/operator of Press Play), and Matthew Simms (Wire/It Hugs Back) among others. Take a listen to the album's first single, "See It Sideways."
The tracklisting for Every Day Is Like The First Day is posted below. Visit Spigel's official site to learn more about the album.
Last night Gary Numan headlined the Good Time Guide stage at GuilFest 2012 in Surrey, England. Numan was interviewed prior to his set and discussed how the recording process is a daunting task for him. Recording isn't a happy time for Numan: the process is filled with many ups and downs, and he finds himself fraught with self doubt. Though he said the "relief is phenomenal" when he's completed recording, overall the good moments are worth the bad ones. Watch the full interview with Gary Numan below:
Update: Watch video of Numan at GuilFest 2012 below:
As a tribute, I've posted the promo film for music photographer Kevin Cummins' 2010 photo book Joy Division below. Cummins is a well known photographer who shot tons of bands over the years (everyone from the Rolling Stones, U2 and Iggy Pop, to The Smiths and the Stone Roses) and was responsible for many iconic Ian Curtis and Joy Division pictures. The 20 minute video features Cummins' Joy Division/Ian Curtis photos, the story behind the famous pictures/photoshoots, and interviews with Cummins and those close to the band. Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Curtis' daughter Natalie are featured, and there's also a very short audio interview clip of Curtis himself. In addition, JohnnyMarr and Noel Gallagher also make a brief appearance. Take a look at the film below:
Earlier this month Paul Heaton (ex-Housemartins and Beautiful South) released a new album Paul Heaton Presents...The 8th, which is the studio version of his opera The 8th. The album features performers from the original cast, including ex-Beautiful South singer Jacqui Abbott. Watch a trailer for The 8th, featuring Heaton discussing the opera below:
The 8th was released as a physical and digital album in the U.K., and is available on import in the U.S.
Heaton just wrapped up a short tour to promote The 8th, and some video is posted below.
"Me and the Farmer" (Housemartins) Sheffield, July 10th
Montage of video London, July 5th
"Old Red Eyes Is Back" (Beautiful South) May 31st on Heaton's 50/50 tour.
Johnny Marr, Alison Moyet, and Mark Ronson joined Nile Rodgers/Chic onstage last night at Montreux 2012. So far, still waiting for video to surface, but in the meantime take a look at this very short video montage with Marr and the gang (it's at the very end of the video, fyi.) Nile Rodgers has also posted a few pictures on his blog. Other fan shot photos are here and here. More video from the event is bound to show up later, so check back for updates!
Update: video is now available courtesy of YouTube uploader gfainky. Watch Chic, Johnny Marr, and Mark Ronson play the Smiths' classic "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" with Alison Moyet on vocals.
Here's video of Chic performing "Le Freak" featuring Johnny Marr. Around 13 seconds into the clip, someone close to the video camera realizes Marr is onstage and points it out to others (and sings along in an awesomely French accent, by the way). The video is shaky at times, but you can definitely make out Marr.
Here's another short video of Chic's "Freak Out" from last night featuring Johnny Marr on guitar (yeah, it's far away and you can barely make it out, but the person who shot the video got an awesome shot of the disco ball!)
Finally, the video below is a montage of some other performances from the event. A short clip of Alison Moyet performing the Yaz classic "Don't Go" is featured around 2:29
A scan of a letter Morrissey wrote to a new penpal in 1980 has been making the rounds on the net. This Charming Girl was the first to get a hold of a scan of the initial letter Morrissey wrote to Robert Mackie, and it recently was reposted on archive site Letters of Note. The short letter was written on the back of a James Dean photo - (fanboy Morrissey wrote a book about James Dean in 1981) and was signed "in poverty, Steven." Take a look at the scan here, and check out the transcript of the letter below. While reading it to yourself, it's pretty easy to imagine what Morrissey would sound like reading this aloud with his legendary dry wit!
Steven Morrissey
384- Kings Rd
STRETFORD
Manchester- M32 8GW
Dear Person,
So nice to know there's another soul out there, even if it is in Glasgow.
Does being Scottish bother you? Manchester is a lovely little place, if you happen to be a bedridden deaf mute. I'm unhappy, hope you're unhappy too.
In poverty,
Steven
Morrissey wraps up his European tour in Scotland on July 30th, then takes a few months off before kicking off his North American tour in October (includes a Detroit area show October 26th at Whiting Auditorium in Flint). Check out the tour itinerary here, and watch video from Morrissey's July 13th show in Grado, Italy below:
The Specials performed at the Cruilla Festival in Barcelona on July 7th. Watch highlights from the band's set below. FYI, the Specials' full set is posted here, however the audio is lower quality than the videos posted below.
New York Dolls' mega fan Morrissey was interviewed for the 2005 documentary New York Doll, which focused on Arthur Kane and his post-New York Dolls' life. In the film Morrissey discussed seeing the Dolls for the first time as well as their influence on him and music in general. The interview footage featuring Morrissey has appeared online and is posted below.
Morrissey on Arthur Kane and the New York Dolls, Part 1
Morrissey Part 2
Chrissie Hynde, Iggy Pop, and Mick Jones are also featured in New York Doll, which is available on DVD. Visit the film's official site here, and watch the trailer below:
