Music News

Damon Albarn found writing 'The Magic Whip' "a really great process".
The Blur frontman and guitarist Graham Coxon took a different approach to crafting the songs for their new record - their first LP in 12 years - and though they are happy with the result, the 'Parklife' singer isn't sure they could do it again.
Graham said: "It's always been my job to glean what i can from what Damon is saying and put it through a guitar."
Damon added: "And then once that happens I've got to go back and finish it. If he's interpreted a word or a sound, it kind of helps finish the words. Basically it's been a really great process this time round. I've never made a record in this way.
"On this occasion it's worked really well for us. Whether we could repeat it again? Who knows? Probably not."
The group will perform at London's Hyde Park for their fourth time this summer and though they want to play as much of their new album as possible during the gig, fan favourites won't be forgotten.
Damon told NME magazine: "We've got quite a few new songs that we wouldn't want to not play in a big field like that. There'll be an element of editing the new material to work in context with the old material."

Damon Albarn only went to the BRIT Awards so his daughter could meet Taylor Swift.
The 46-year-old musician was nominated in the British Male Solo Artist category at the ceremony on Wednesday (25.02.15), but admitted he had no interest in attending the event himself and only came to please his 15-year-old daughter, Missy, who is a huge fan of the 'Shake It Off' singer.
When asked if he was excited for the evening, he said: "Not really, no. I'm here because my teenage daughter and her friend want to meet Taylor Swift."
The 25-year-old superstar performed her hit 'Blank Space' at the event and took home the trophy for Best International Female, but Damon, who released his debut solo album 'Everyday Robots' last year, was pessimistic about his own chances because his competitors Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra are all so much younger than himself.
Speaking to Imperial College TV shortly before the beginning of the ceremony, he said: "I'm nominated but I'm in a category where everyone is 25 years younger than me so I don't stand a chance now."

Lawson, Kate Tempest and Shamir have been added to The Great Escape festival line-up. The 'Standing in the Dark' hitmakers are just one of 100 acts announced to play at the three-day metropolitan festival in Brighton in May, as well as the Mercury Pri...

Noel Gallagher insists he hasn't had a serious request to reform Oasis.
The 47-year-old rocker revealed although he is frequently questioned on whether he has plans to reform the 'Wonderwall' band with his younger brother Liam Gallagher, he has never been approached by anyone with a genuine offer for the group to reunite.
He explained: "Given all the rumours, I haven't had one serious offer for a reunion gig."
The Britpop band originally split in 2009 after an explosive row between the brothers, leading to the remaining members forming the ill-fated band Beady Eye with Liam, which also split up last year.
And while Beady Eye performed at Glastonbury festival in south-west England in 2013, he added organiser Michael Eavis has not queried whether they would team up once again to play at the annual event.
He told The Times newspaper: "Michael Eavis has never called up and asked if Oasis will play Glastonbury."
The musician - who released his second solo album 'Chasing Yesterday' this week - recently revealed even if they were offered a lot of money to get back together, it's very unlikely they would do so, and it's more probable he will make a record with Blur's Damon Albarn.
He confessed: "Is it likely to happen? No, me and Damon making a double album is probably more likely to happen".

Super Furry Animals have announced their first UK shows in six years.
The psychedelic rockers went on an indefinite hiatus in 2010 but are set to reform to play a string of five tour dates in May.
Speaking in next week's issue of NME magazine, frontman Gruff Rhys said: "It will be good just to play and hang out again. We'll probably be doing a different set every night and songs off all our nine studio albums. We'll be doing quite a lot of 'Mwng' because it's fun to play, but probably not the whole thing."
The tour will see them play two shows at Cardiff University (1-2.05.15) before heading to Glasgow's O2 Academy (5.05.15), Manchester's Albert Hall (6.05.15) and the O2 Academy Brixton in London (8.05.15).
The band - which formed in Cardiff in 1993 - released their ninth studio album 'Dark Days/Light Years' in 2009 but then parted ways to focus on their side projects, with Gruff choosing to concentrate on his solo career which has seen him release four albums.
As well as the tour, the band - which also features Huw Bunford, Guto Pryce, Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan - will reissue their fourth studio album 'Mwng' on May 1 as a two-disc and triple-vinyl package to mark its 15th anniversary, containing five additional tracks which previously featured on the US release of the record, 'Mwng Bach', as well as a live session recorded with John Peel.
Tickets to the shows go on sale on March 5.

Sam Smith isn't feeling pressure over his new music.
The 'Lay Me Down' hitmaker topped charts around the world with his debut album 'In the Lonely Hour' last year but insisted he isn't feeling anxious about creating the follow-up record, especially as he recently penned a track which he described as "really, really, really good".
Speaking to Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1, he said: "I'm very passionate about growing with music and growing as a person, and actually I wrote a song a few weeks ago which has taken the pressure off me because it feels really, really, really good, so no I'm not feeling pressure. I'm never going to repeat what I just did, it's just going to be different."
In recognition of his exceptional success in the past 12 months, the 22-year-old singer won BRIT awards for British Breakthrough Act and Global Success at the ceremony on Wednesday (25.02.15), and explained the wins, along with his four Grammy awards, have made him determined to continue to improve.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "Getting the Breakthrough award was particularly exciting because it's from the fans.
"Winning BRITs makes me want to work harder on my voice, train more and just get better and better."

Blur will be supported by Metronomy and The Horrors at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park. The electro pop and garage rock bands will play before the recently reformed four-piece 'Parklife' hitmakers at the central London park when the...

Kanye West says working with Sir Paul McCartney was "next level".
The 'Power' hitmaker has collaborated with the iconic musician on several tracks for his forthcoming seventh solo studio album and praised the 72-year-old star for his songwriting prowess, especially on Rihanna's single 'FourFiveSeconds' on which they also feature.
He said: "She [Rihanna] was killing that.
"I liked songs like that when I was growing up. I mean the type of chord changes Paul does, I don't even understand them. And to be able to be involved with writing a song like that, it's way next level."
The 37-year-old rapper - who performed his track 'All Day' at the BRIT Awards in London on Wednesday (25.02.15) - admitted he has been so inspired by the Beatles singer during his career that he likened him to his favourite fashion designer, Ralph Lauren.
He explained: "Meeting Paul McCartney is like meeting Ralph Lauren, it's like, wow. The greatest of their field. Period. Of all time."
And although the two musicians come from different backgrounds and have opposite personalities, Kanye insisted they worked well together when they were in the studio.
Speaking on BBC Radio 1, he said: "But it's all love, and great energy and positive energy and I just like the differences of views with our approach to music. Like when I'm sitting making music with Paul McCartney, I come in and I have all these lists of complaints, 'This happened, and that happened!' and he says, 'Yo man it's all cool though, how about we make a song?' And we just make song after song after song after song after song after song."

Kanye West wants to collaborate with Bruno Mars.
The 37-year-old rapper previously slammed the 'Uptown Funk' singer after seeing him take home two prizes at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013 but he's now spoken out to apologise and confess that he would like to work with him.
He wrote on Twitter: "I also want to publicly apologise to Bruno Mars, I used to hate on him but I really respect what he does as an artist.
"I also would love for Bruno to sing this hook on this song 88 Keys / Puff and I produced... I even asked Tyler to shoot the vid. (sic)."
Kanye - who unveiled his latest track 'All Day' at the BRIT Awards in London on Wednesday (25.02.15) night - ranted about Bruno's VMAs success during a concert in 2013.
He said: "I'm sitting there, I'm trying to enjoy motherf**kers performing and s**t. I'm looking, I'm watching Drake perform, I see Bruno Mars perform and s**t. And then they start giving out awards and s**t, and Bruno Mars won all the motherf**king awards, and s**t.
"Can't no motherf**king networks try to gas everybody up so they can sell some product with the prettiest motherf**ker out. I still ain't see a video better than Beyonce video 'til this motherf**king day."
The 'Clique' hitmaker's comments came after he interrupted Taylor Swift's win at the same awards ceremony in 2009 to claim Beyonce should have received the Best Female Video accolade.
Meanwhile, Kanye has also apologised to Beck for attempting to storm the stage when he was handed the Best Album prize at the Grammys earlier this year, once again claiming Beyonce was more deserving of the award.
He wrote on Twitter last night (26.02.15): "I would like to publicly apologise to Beck, I'm sorry Beck. (sic)."