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Lorde’s ‘egoless’ Bowie tribute praised


Lorde has been praised for her "egoless" tribute to David Bowie.
The 19-year-old singer was joined by Bowie's former touring band for her rendition of his track 'Life On Mars' at the BRIT Awards at London's O2 on Wednesday (24.02.16) and the late musician's producer called it the perfect tribute to the star.
He wrote on Facebook: "A first class, respectful, sensitive, egoless tribute to dear David. Thank you Gail Ann Dorsey, Gerry Leonard, Mike Garson, Sterling Campell, Catherine Russel and Earl Slick. David loved you and I love you. Lorde, you rocked it! And thanks to The Brits. As the UK is my other 'home' I have to say you did the right thing."
He also praised Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman, who spoke movingly about the late musician, who died in January following a secret battle with cancer.
Visconti, who produced David's final album 'Blackstar', said: "Annie Lennox, love you. Gary Oldman, love you, and thank you for letting me play with your iPhone 6 when you came to listen to Blackstar in the making. You and David were cracking me up! What great friends you were."
David's son Duncan Jones was also touched, writing on Twitter: "Finally found the links to tonight's Brits. Just... beautiful. Thank you (sic)."
The praise comes after Duncan posted a cryptic tweet appearing to blast Lady Gaga following her tribute to his late father at the Grammy Awards.
He posted the Oxford English Dictionary's definition for the word "gaga" on Twitter the ceremony earlier this month, after the 29-year-old star performed nine of the late musician's hits in a stunning six-minute performance.
Bowie's son tweeted: "overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm; mentally confused." Damn it! What IS that word!? (sic)"

Nikki Sixx: Motley Crue ceased to be creative


Nikki Sixx thinks in the end Motley Crue "ceased to run on creativity".
The former Motley Crue bassist admitted the 'Girls Girls Girls' rock band - also including Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars - called it quits because they lacked the enthusiasm and passion to make new music and were just running on "mechanical motions".
He told Classic Rock magazine: "We talk about each other in a way that's endearing - but not. We say where we're really at. We talk about the drama and the pain of being in a band that has ceased to run on creativity, just on pure, mechanical motions."
And now that the Crue are no more after their final tour, Nikki, 57, is focused on his own band Sixx:A.M., which frontman James Michael says is no longer a "side project".
He told BANG Showbiz: "For this past year we've finally been able to commit ourselves 100 per cent to being Sixx:A.M. It has been a long journey and it kind of felt like it had been a side project for quite a while and we weren't really sure what Sixx:A.M. was.
"Strangely enough we've had some great successes, but now for the first time we went into the studio knowing that we were a real band and that we had a future of touring ahead of us and it really changed how we approached the record-making process and the songwriting process. We are having a great time and we've got a lot of music on its way."

Coldplay perfrom dedication to David Bowie


Coldplay dedicated their last song 'Til Kingdom Come' to David Bowie at their post BRIT Awards concert in aid of War Child on Wednesday night (24.02.16).
Frontman Chris Martin announced he was singing the emotional track - which begins "Steal my heart and hold my tongue, I feel my time, my time has come. Let me in, unlock the door, I've never felt this way before" - for the Ziggy Stardust legend, who passed away at the age of 69 in January from cancer.
The 38-year-old star first recalled that he had wrote the hit - which features on their 2005 album 'X&Y' - with the late country music legend Johnny Cash in mind and joked he offered it to One Direction, Adele and Justin Bieber before the late Cash, even though none of those trio of artists were releasing music at the time.
Speaking directly to the crowd, he began: "One Direction? They said no. Adele? She said no. We offered it to Justin Bieber and he said no, so we kept it for ourselves.
And added: "The truth is this, it was written for Johnny Cash, and this is dedicated to Johnny and David Bowie, and all those people that we really miss. This is about love lasting forever."
Coldplay opened the BRIT Awards earlier in the night with a colourful rendition of 'Hymn For The Weekend', but chose to begin the intimate show with 'A Head Full of Dreams'.
The crowd sang in unison with the band - which also includes Jonny Buckland on guitar, Guy Berryman on bass and Will Champion on drums - as they stormed through a string of familiar hits including their breakout track 'Yellow', 'Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall', 'Clocks', 'Charlie Brown', 'Hymn for the Weekend' - which features on their latest album 'A Head Full of Dreams' - and fan favourite 'Fix You'.
The night took an uplifting turn when Chris, 38, took to the piano and sang 'Viva La Vida', 'Adventure of a Lifetime' and 'A Sky Full of Stars'.
The group have had a busy few weeks after they performed at the prestigious Super Bowl half-time show in the US, so the star took the opportunity to thank the team around Coldplay - who picked up the Best British Group at the BRITs.
Chris said: "We're so proud to be here working with War Child so thank you to War Child. Thank you to all of our team who have been working so hard over the past few weeks with the Super Bowl and the BRITs.
"I don't know if you're having fun but it's so fun for us to just play a concert and we haven't done a concert for a while and it just feels wonderful, and we couldn't ask for a nicer occasion. So thank you very much."
Famous faces who joined War Child and O2 to watch the headliners perform included 'Britain's Got Talent' judge Alesha Dixon, 'Game of Thrones' star Maisie Williams, Welsh actor Luke Evans and singer Conor Maynard.
Revellers were delighted to be treated to a special menu of cocktails by Italian liqueur Disaronno, such as their 'Sky Full of Stars' tipple, created especially for the event.

Corey Taylor: I might step away from Slipknot


Corey Taylor "might step away from Slipknot".
The 44-year-old frontman admitted he's starting to get tired of touring as he gets older and if it gets to the point where he feels like he's letting his bandmates down, he's vowed to "completely quit music".
Asked if he'll ever retire, he said: "I don't know if I would retire. I might step away from Slipknot at some point, just because the way the music is, and that sense of energy, I don't know if I could be able to do that into my 50s. And I would never want the band to feel like I was holding them back, because I just couldn't physically do it. So that means I wouldn't completely quit music; I would probably just step away from Slipknot."
The 'Psychosocial' hitmaker added that he might as well be "60 in Slipknot years" as the pressures of being in such an energetic and frantic posse makes him feel haggard.
On whether he'll give up performing live with the heavy metallers, he told BBC Radio 1 DJ Daniel P Carter for the 'Someone Who Isn't Me' podcast: "You know, honestly, if you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said no. But I'm just kind of starting to. I'm 44 [years old]; I'm not young any more. And as willing as my will is, I'm just beat up, man. I mean, I might as well be 60 in Slipknot years, for Christ's sake."

Yannis Philippakis: We need more artists like Kanye West


Foals' Yannis Philippakis has praised Kanye West for "taking risks" in the "stale and boring" music industry.
The 'My Number' vocalist thinks the world needs more artists like Kanye because musicians today are too focused on being "careerists" to make "bold" art.
He told NME magazine: "I like Kanye. From what I've heard of [his new album 'The Life Of Pablo'], I really like it. I like Kanye's presence in the world as much as any of the music. I think things have got so stale, so boring and polished, so careerist and pastiche that he's one of the few people out there actually taking risks and making big, bold decisions. "Stuff has just gotten boring in music and I think that anyone who is the antithesis of that should be applauded. Whether he is a provocateur or not, I think there should be more of that. Stuff just needs to get heated up a bit."
The 29-year-old rocker's comments come after the 'All Day' rapper's recent controversial Twitter rants which have seen him diss Taylor Swift and most recently music producer Bob Ezrin.
Meanwhile, Foals - who were nominated for Best British Group the BRIT Awards - have called for a "resurgence of progressive guitar music" because there's not enough "wild and unpredictable" bands out there.
Speaking at the BRITs, Yannis told DIY magazine: "It definitely feels like there's been a bit of a brain drain ... I think it's time for a resurgence of progressive guitar music, because it doesn't feel like it's fresh. I feel like there's a lot of dressing up in parents' clothes and acting out relatively pastiche tropes that have happened before. I'd like to see a return of edgy, unpredictable, wild, passionate guitar music."

James Bay: BRITs win is surreal


James Bay says it was "surreal" winning the BRIT Award for British Male Solo Artist.
The 'Hold Back The River' hitmaker took home the prize from the ceremony - presented in association with MasterCard - held at The O2 in London on Wednesday night (24.02.16) beating Calvin Harris, Aphex Twin, Mark Ronson and Jamie xx to the accolade.
Bay can't believe he won considering his debut LP 'Chaos and the Calm' came out less than a year ago.
He told BANG Showbiz: "It's fantastic. My debut album hasn't been out for a year, it's surreal and the most wonderful kind of surreal.
"I'm endlessly thankful for the people that have got on board with my music, for the people discovering it now and those listening for a second time. Those are the really important moments."
But it was the 25-year-old singer/songwriter's surprise appearance playing guitar alongside Justin Bieber during his performance of 'Love Yourself!' that was the talk of the night.
Bay revealed the pairing came about when her met Bieber at an MTV Europe Music Awards after-party and the pop superstar simply said he needed a guitarist for his BRITs performance and Bay was more than happy to lend him his strumming skills.
The rocker said: "I met Mr. Bieber at four in the morning after an Italian MTV EMA party. He was very good at the pool table - that's the first thing I noticed. I know he looks great and he's very handsome ... he's a good singer as well.
"I met him and he was a lovely guy. I've seen him and his manager at different points along the way. To be honest, they just needed a guitarist. He was like, 'Hey do you fancy doing it?' And I was like, 'Yeah man I'll do it.' "

Tame Impala joke Rihanna snubbed them at BRIT Awards


Tame Impala joked Rihanna was "rude" for not speaking to them at the BRIT Awards on Wednesday night (24.02.16).
The 'Work' hitmaker - who performed with Drake at the ceremony at The O2 in London - covered the group's song 'New Person, Same Old Mistakes' on her latest LP 'Anti', but according to the Australian group she didn't come over to chat with them backstage. Speaking after collecting the award for International Group, frontman Kevin Parker told BANG Showbiz: "She hasn't said hello - she was quite rude in that regard. Obviously I'm joking!"
The 'Let It Happen' hitmakers were overwhelmed with their prize and admitting the BRITs were the "most extravagant" awards bash they've ever been to.
Discussing their first BRIT win, Kevin said: "I was just happy for all the people at our table - the record label and stuff, they're the ones who put all the effort into up getting to the next level. These kind of things [the award] are a physical symbol of that kind of stuff. The UK was the first place we came overseas. It's always been pretty special. It's been pretty intense - definitely the most extravagant awards show we've ever been to."
The rock group - which also features Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery and Julien Barbagallo - previously insisted they loved Rihanna's interpretation of their song, titled 'Same Ol' Mistakes' on her album.
Speaking on the group's behalf, a representative said: "Kevin was more than happy to send it her way. We're all really happy with how the song turned out, love it!"

Craig David’s dream collaboration


Craig David wants to write a garage song for Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
The 'When The Bassline Drops' hitmaker is keen to pen a track for the 'Crazy Stupid Love' singer because he know they'd "smash it out of the park".
He said: "As a song writer, I'd love to write a song for Cheryl - if she's ready?
"I know as an artist she can sing anything, so if I could write a garage song with her, I know we'd smash it out of the park."
The 34-year-old singer, who made his comeback this year, insists he is "just trying to enjoy" things this time around.
He told the Daily Mirror Online: "I'm just trying to enjoy my performances right now. I mean, when I walked down the red carpet this evening, there were 15 and 15-year-olds screaming my name like it was 1999 again! It's so overwhelming.
"My manager and I have agreed that this time around, we are going to enjoy every single part of this. We are not going to take it so seriously. We won't worry about getting to number one or if we've been played on the radio. No, this time, I just want to enjoy myself and see people come to my shows."

Adele’s tour nerves


Adele is nervous about her upcoming tour.
While the 'Hello' hitmaker is happy with how rehearsals have been progressing, she admitted there will be "a few bumps along the way".
Speaking at the Brit Awards in London on Wednesday (24.02.16), where she picked up four awards, Adele told BANG Showbiz: "I am looking forward to it but I'm nervous. I'm starting to think I'm crazy.
"The shows we were in production for before I went to Los Angeles for the Grammys were great. It's really exciting. It's really fun and very different from anything I've done. We are in such a big room and I wanted to make it intimate.
"I'm excited I just want to be healthy and be good for everyone. There will be a few bumps along the way because I sing live."
Meanwhile, Adele also admitted she felt "worn out emotionally" after winning four Brit Awards.
The 27-year-old singer won awards for British Female Solo Artist, British Single for 'Hello' and Mastercard British Album Of The Year for '25' and also took home the BRITs Global Success Award, which was presented by astronaut Tim Peake live from the International Space Station.
She also closed the show with an incredible performance of 'When We Were Young' but admitted that she was in a state of shock.
She said: "I feel a bit worn out emotionally. It feels absolutely incredible. I was hoping to win one but to get that many was amazing. I'm very lucky.
"I've watched it since I was last here and had a bit of a yearning just to be here and not nominated. I missed the bustle of it all."

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