Music News

Voting has opened for the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards 2015.
Nominations have been announced for the prestigious awards, with the results being unveiled at a star-studded ceremony at the Roundhouse in Camden, London on Wednesday 11 November.
Siân Llewellyn, Editor of Classic Rock, said: "What a great 12 months it's been for high-voltage rock'n'roll. And what a year for us to return to the Roll Of Honour's spiritual home at London's Roundhouse after celebrating its tenth anniversary in Hollywood.
"With fantastic new bands to celebrate and brilliant albums to consider it was trickier than ever to nail down our nomination shortlist. Put simply, it means that the Classic Rock Awards will be another brilliant evening of rock'n'roll celebration!"
Five of the categories are public-voted with bands like the Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Rush and Halestorm receiving multiple nominations.
For Band Of The Year, some of the world's biggest stadium acts received a nomination including AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters and The Who.
The evening will be hosted by wrestler and frontman of the rock band Fozzy, Chris Jericho.
To vote, visit www.classicrockmagazine.com/awards. The ceremony will take place at the Roundhouse in London on Wednesday 11 November.

Nicole Scherzinger will release new music next year.
The 37-year-old singer denied reports she has been dropped by her record label RCA but admitted she has signed with another company and hopes to have a new record out next year.
She told the Huffington Post: "I've got a new deal coming out. It was reported all this year that I was dropped and I actually wasn't dropped.
"I was signing a new deal with another label. We're still working on the contract, which I am unable to speak too much about.
"I'm really excited about this project and new music that I'm putting together, and which will be released next year."
Meanwhile, it was recently claimed that Nicole and her former Pussycat Dolls bandmates are planning a reunion, five years after they split.
The band ended in 2010 following a feud linked to Nicole's desire to make it big as a solo star, but since her latest release 'On the Rocks' failed to chart, the girls are planning on putting the past behind them and reforming.
A source close to the ladies revealed: "The band are in talks about reuniting soon and they are trying to see if they can get all of the girls together to do it.
"The fall-outs and bitching from back in the day are all water under the bridge now."
Nicole is apparently in talks with former members Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Melody Thornton and is keen to make amends.
The source told The Sun newspaper: "Nicole has seen most of the girls on and off over the years and she's ready to get back together.
"Rather than trying to patch up their differences, it's more about working out how to get everyone in the studio and see what it will actually sound like."

35 items from Jack Bruce's personal collection will be auctioned off later this month.
The Cream bassist - who passed away in October 2014 at the age of 71 - handpicked each of the items for the auction before his death and they include 18 costumes worn on tours and concerts across the world, eight guitars, handwritten lyrics and musical manuscripts.
Jack's beloved bass guitar, the Warwick Thumb Bass, will also be sold.
Speaking previously about the bespoke instrument, he said: "If something ever happened to my old Warwick Fretless Thumb Bass, then I might as well just hang it up [playing bass] entirely, because it is irreplaceable - I love it above all else."
The items will be sold at Sotheby's next Rock & Pop auction which will take place on Tuesday 29 September.
The auction will take place ahead of the sold out 'Sunshine For Your Love' concert, in aid of the charity EACH, which will take at London's The Roundhouse on Saturday 24 October (and will include performances from Ginger Baker, Joss Stone, Phil Manzanera, Ian Anderson and many more).
For more details go to http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/rock-pop-l15414.html#

Gwen Stefani is in a "really good place" with her songwriting.
The No Doubt singer - who split from husband Gavin Rossdale last month after 14 years together - is very impressed with her efforts since returning to the recording studio and admits she has never been so prolific.
She told TooFab: "I'm literally writing like I've never written, I think ever. Every time I go in the studio -- which I don't have a lot of time in my life -- so when I've gone in, every single time I have written a song.
"I have close to 10songs, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's over a very short amount of time. It's never happened.
"o I am in a really good place for writing and I think that has a lot to do with being on 'The Voice' last season and also just, I don't know, just opening up and being on a journey to get to this point to be able to write again."
The 45-year-old singer admits it is the first time in her life that going into the studio isn't a "chore" and she actually enjoys it.
She added: "I have never been in a place, where I'm like outside all my life, where all I want to do is get in the studio.
"It was always like a chore, like 'Oh no I have to go to the studio, I am not going to be able to do it. What am I going to say?'
"Like it's an opposite, it's like I gotta get in the studio. When is there time, you know? Every time I go, I know I'm going to have a song and every time I have a song I get to play it really loud in my car and it's really fun."

Bon Jovi have been banned from China.
The 'Always' rockers were due to play their first-ever shows in Shanghai and Beijing next week, but the gigs have now been "unexpectedly cancelled", promoters AEG Asia have announced.
Though no official reason has been given for the cancellation, it is thought to be due to the band using imagery of the Dalai Lama during previous shows in Taiwan in 2010.
The Financial Times' Beijing correspondent reported: "The Communist party's Culture Ministry acted after discovering that Bon Jovi once included a picture of the Dalai Lama in a backdrop video during a concert in Taiwan in 2010, according to people familiar with the matter. That followed a band member's tweet about meeting the spiritual leader."
The Chinese government are reportedly cracking down on Tibetan themes from visiting performers as this year is the 50th anniversary of Tibetan autonomy.
Bjork and Maroon 5 have also had concerts cancelled in China in recent years..
Bon Jovi are still scheduled to perform in Macau - which, like Hong Kong, is Special Administrative Region of China - later this month.

Skepta took home the top gong at the AIM Awards 2015 last night (08.09.15).
The 'Shutdown' rapper was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to Music at the ceremony that celebrated the independent sector's most important and influential artists and was hosted by Radio One's Alice Levine and XFM's John Kennedy.
AIM Awards judge and BBC Radio One and 1Xtra presenter MistaJam said previously: "Since grime was born out of the ashes of UK garage, Skepta has been a pioneer of the sound.
"There's no denying Skepta has put in the blood, sweat and tears for the last 10 whole years and now, as he stands on the cusp of true international acclaim, it feels right to award Skepta for his immense contribution so far to British music."
Elsewhere, alternative rockers Wolf Alice won the Independent Breakthrough of the Year award and Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis took to the stage at The Brewery in London to present British band Enter Shikari with the Independent Album of The Year for their fourth LP 'The Mindsweep'.
FKA twigs' song 'Two Weeks' was picked as the Independent Track of the Year, and Best Second Album went to Young Fathers for 'White Men Are Black Men Too'.
Last year's Outstanding Contribution to Music Award was won by techno deejay Richie Hawtin.

The full list of winners were as follows:

Outstanding Contribution to Music - Skepta
Best Small Label - Erased Tapes
Best Live Act - All Time Low
Independent Breakthrough of the Year - Wolf Alice
Hardest Working Band or Artist - Swans
Special Catalogue Release of the Year - 'Cities Of Darkscorch Boardgame'
Best 'Difficult' Second Album: Young Fathers - 'White Men Are Black Men Too'
Golden Welly Award For Best Independent Festival: Brainchild Festival
Indie Champion Award: Marc Riley - BBC 6 Music
Independent Track of the Year - FKA twigs - 'Two Weeks'
Independent Video of the Year - Flying Lotus - 'Never Catch Me'
PPL Award For Most Played New Independent Act - Jungle
Independent Album of the Year - Enter Shikari - 'The Mindsweep'
Innovator Award - Peter Quicke, Matt Black & Jonathan More - 'Ninja Tune'
Independent Label of the Year - Transgressive
Pioneer Award: Digby Pearson - Earache Records

Sam Smith wants to make songs that are "timeless".
The 'Stay With Me' hitmaker - who was confirmed as the singer for the 'SPECTRE' theme song - thinks he gave the song entitled 'Writing's On The Wall' the best "f***ing shot" he could and hopes he has made a song that will be remembered years after.
He said: "For me it's about making the most timeless songs that will last forever. I've given it a good f**king shot. I love the song.
"With Bond, if you go back through the songs not all of them won Oscars, even the most timeless ones."
Talking about making the track alongside the film's director Sam Mendes and iconic record producer, Jimmy Napes, Sam, 23, admitted some of the lyrics had to be changed as Mendes felt parts of the song "weren't working".
He told The Sun newspaper: "It's his [Mendes] film and vision and there were certain sonics and lyrics he felt maybe weren't working and needed to work in certain ways."
The GQ Award's Best Solo Artist winner also shared how he had to tell a few fibs to hide that he was chosen to make the song and joked that he has become a "really good" liar as a consequence.
He added: "You figured it out and then I had to lie through my teeth, which isn't much fun. My lying is really good now, when you say 'genuinely' people believe it."

Duran Duran don't miss the sex symbol label.
The band was formed over 30 years ago and insisted they are happy that as they get older there is more focus on their music rather than their looks.
During a webchat on The Guardian's website, they were asked: "Does being liberated from the 'sex god' label, and an audience solely interested in your musical talent, alter the way you now perform?"
Drummer Roger Taylor replied: "I don't think we ever took that stuff too seriously. Whereas we've taken our playing very seriously, and still do."
But bassist John Taylor joked: "I'm not sure I like that! 'Being liberated' is a very nice way of saying you're no longer a sex god."
And John also reveled that he hates to show the band's unfinished work to anyone, especially his "judgemental" children.
Speaking ahead of the release of their 14th studio album 'Paper Gods', he said: "I don't like sharing work in progress with anybody. Least of all my children who are amongst the most judgemental people I know. My stepson like Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, my daughter likes Kendrick Lamar, Stepdaughter, Adele."
However, Roger added: "I do play to my children and they say 'yeah, that sounds amazing!' Honest."

Prince decided to release 'HITNRUN' on TIDAL because they offered to pay him what he "felt it was worth".
The 57-year-old musician opted to share his latest album exclusively on Jay Z's streaming service and producer Joshua Welton admitted money played a big part, along with the respect Jay Z showed for Prince's music.
He said: "We believe in high quality music, we believe in artists coming together, we believe in artist ownership, we believe in people and we believe in community. The fact that TIDAL was willing to even pay for the album what Prince felt it was worth, that just showed the appreciation that Jay Z has for music and for Prince. TIDAL were the only ones who said 'we're going to pay you directly for the work that you do'.
"It was a beautiful decision that Prince made, based just on relationships. I don't think it took Prince long to make the decision, and fortunately Hannah [Joshua's wife and 3RDEYEGIRL drummer] and I met with Jay Z at a listening party. He's a really great guy, and the level of greatness that he brings to the table just adds to the great cause."
Joshua also revealed that 'HITNRUN' features some new sounds that fans will not have heard before.
He told Gigwise: "I would definitely say that people will put this on and say 'I have never heard this sound on a Prince record before'. I've heard that said. There's definitely some stuff that will tickle your ears a little bit.
"Prince is a creative, so it's not like he's going to constantly create the same thing. There's new inspiration - it's constantly moving. I don't think people have heard him in this light before, but you'll definitely be able to turn it up loud and get your groove on to it."