Music News

Purity Ring captivated audiences at London's Roundhouse on Thursday (29.10.15).
The electronic music duo - featuring singer Megan James and instrumentalist Corin Roddick - performed tracks from their latest record Another Eternity and wowed the crowd with a breathtaking lighting set-up to captivate the audience.
Framing the stage was strings of light bulbs which pulsated with the music, while Corin was surrounded by eight crystalline bulbs which flashed when hit in time to each song's chiming synth sounds.
The Canadian act have been making waves in the alternative electro scene since their debut album 'Shrines' in 2012 and have more recently been working with Nick Jonas on music for his next record, but they stuck to their trademark sound during their hour-long set, much to the delight of the hundreds of fans.
On stage, petite Megan proved herself to be an enigmatic yet entirely bewitching presence while her high-pitched child-like vocals showed no sign of strain as they whizzed through a series of songs including fan favourites 'Fineshrine' and 'Lofticries'.
However, minimal interaction with the crowd meant their set went from one song to the next with little time to pause, resulting in many of their tracks seeming to roll into one.
But this was fixed by the end of their set, as while addressing the audience before playing 'Stillness In Woe', she said: "You guys are rad. But I just want to encourage more crowd surfing and maybe this sounds the wrong time because this song's quite slow but sometimes I think it's really pretty to crowd surf to slow songs."
And while no-one else took her up on her offer, she leapt into the crowd during final song 'Begin Again', which she sang while being carried around the venue.
Emerging at the end of the track, she insisted: "I'm OK!"
Purity Ring's tour continues around Europe until mid-November.

Sam Smith dreams up lyrics when he sleeps.
The 23-year-old singer often wakes with song ideas and he wishes he could turn "every single thought" he has into a song but if he did he would be swamped with new tracks he wouldn't be able to edit down.
In an Instagram post, he revealed: "Sometimes I wake up with so many lyrics in my head. I wish I could put every single thought of mine into songs for you all. But we would be on album 5 if I did that haha (sic)"
Sam has been working on songs for his second LP - the follow-up to his Grammy Award-winning debut 'In The Lonely Hour' - over the last year and is currently enjoying the success of James Bond theme 'Writing's on the Wall' in the charts.
Speaking about the time frame for his follow-up album, he assured his fans they could expect to hear new music "in the next year or so" but he is going to have well-deserved break first and "spend some time dating".
He said: "I'm not going away for a very long time. I'm already writing my album. I've got the title and I've got two songs I'm absolutely in love with. I'm a songwriter and an artist and I think and breathe my second record every day of my life.
"I will bring my album out in the next year or so, but it's not going to be immediate because I think people are going to get sick of me if I brought an album out next week."

Noel Gallagher says he won't reform Oasis to headline Glastonbury because the festival doesn't "pay enough".
The rock icon says there's no chance he will reform his defunct band to play at the world famous music festival again because organisers Michael and Emily Eavis can't afford the huge sum it would take for him to reunite with his estranged brother Liam Gallagher.
Speaking at the premiere of Bradley Cooper's new film 'Burnt' in London on Wednesday night (28.10.15), he said: "I don't know where the rumours keep coming from about Glastonbury. Would we ever do it? They don't have enough money I'm afraid. That's the bottom line, they just don't pay enough. I've done it a few times, I know what they pay and it's not enough."
Oasis have played Glastonbury on three occasions, stealing the show on their debut appearance in 1994 before going on to headline the next year in 1995 and then again in 2004.
Liam has since opened the festival as a surprise act with his last group Beady Eye in 2013.
Although he doesn't want to reunite Oasis for Glastonbury, Noel is keen to perform at the festival in Somerset, South West England, again as a solo act with his band The High Flying Birds.
The 'Lock All The Doors' singer previously said: "If I was asked, yeah. I'll headline the spoken word tent, anything. If you're listening Michael Eavis, I'll do it."

Rihanna's new album 'Anti' is steeped in reggae.
The Bajan singer has teamed up with duo R. City on her forthcoming eighth studio album - which is rumoured to drop next month - and the brothers have revealed that the record has a distinct "Caribbean vibe".
Theron Thomas revealed: "We definitely contributed to Rihanna's album. We did some cool stuff and Rihanna is a cool person, good vibes, good energy ... (She's) very talented from the Caribbean just like us, we are from St Thomas. We have a whole new level of respect for her and she is tuned into the Caribbean vibe this time."
The 27-year-old R&B superstar's 2012 record 'Unapologetic' included pop heavy songs like 'Diamonds' and 'Stay' but this year, the singer released hip hop track 'Bitch Better Have My Money' - which hinted a change in her musical direction.
And the brothers - who collaborated with Ariana Grande and Adam Levine on hit 'Locked Away' - hope their "tailor-made" track has made the cut for 'Anti'.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, Timothy said: "One of them in particular is tailor-made for Rihanna. If Rihanna doesn't use it, I don't see anyone else being able to record it outside of her."
He added: "We grew up in the slums, so to be in the UK chart here is beyond a dream come true."

Phil Collins is making a musical comeback with a new album and tour.
The 64-year-old singer - who first found fame as the drummer and then frontman of Genesis - has officially confirmed he is out of retirement and ready to unveil fresh songs to the world.
Phil's motivation for ending his self-imposed exodus is that his youngest children, Matthew Collins, 10, and Nicholas Collins, 14, have never seen him perform on stage.
He revealed to Rolling Stone magazine: "I'm no longer officially retired. The horse is out of the stable and I'm raring to go.
"My kids are now 10 and 14 and they want to see what their dad does. They were in nappies when I was last on the road. They love my music and I'd like to take them out so they can enjoy it."
Phil hasn't released an album of original material since 2002's 'Testify'. He briefly reformed with his Genesis bandmates - Mark Rutherford and Tony Banks - in 2007 for a reunion tour and in 2010 he released a Motown covers LP entitled 'Going Back'.
Phil retired from playing music due to his bad back and hearing issues, affected from playing drums, but the doctor has told him he can play percussion again.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "After this surgery, though, the doctor said to me that my vital signs were all there. He said to me, 'If you want to play drums again, all you have to do is practice.' "
On touring again, Phil said he doesn't think it will be a massive set of dates, but he'd love to play stadiums.
He added: "I don't think I want a very long tour. But I would like to play the stadiums in Australia and the Far East, and that's the only way to do that. But there's a part of me that just wants to do theatres, so we'll see."
And on whether Genesis will reunite, Phil concluded: "Let's start with this [solo] bit first. I love the guys. I would just prefer to do this first. For now, let's just see how this goes."

Selena Gomez will receive the Chart Topper award at this year's Billboard Women in Music event.
The 23-year-old singer - whose latest album 'Revival' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 earlier this month - will be presented with the prestigious award at a ceremony in New York on December 11.
Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group, said: "In the last few months, Selena has broken onto the scene as an adult, and come into her own as an artist with the success of 'Revival'. We want to highlight this moment for a woman who has become a role model for many, a feminist, an independent voice whose new album truly showcases her as a mature artist."
Janice also revealed that Selena will perform at the event, tweeting: "Can reveal Selena Gomez to also perform, among 8 @Billboard TV performances incl Lady Gaga, Brittany Howard, more (sic)."
Selena follows in the footsteps of Iggy Azalea, who won the award last year.
Lady Gaga has been named Woman Of The Year for her music achievements and contribution to the industry and will be presented with the award at the ceremony in New York.
The 'Bad Romance' crooner has sold 28 million albums and won six Grammy Awards but spent most of 2015 working as an actress in series 'American Horror Story: Hotel'.
Liz Gateley from female-focused cable network Lifetime - which will televise the Billboard awards in December - said: "Lady Gaga is an extraordinary artist, emblematic of the strength, courage and fortitude that Lifetime celebrates, and we are thrilled to offer our platform to recognise her in every way she deserves."

Keith Urban is envious of Ed Sheeran's "spellbinding" song 'Photograph' and wishes it was a track he had written himself.
The 48-year-old country star was blown away by Ed's musical talents when he went to one of his sold-out concerts at London's Wembley Stadium in July and in particular the track he co-wrote with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid about a long-distance relationship he had with fellow singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Keith said: "I fell in love with this song ('Photograph') at Wembley, watching everybody in the audience sing along. The songwriting is just spellbinding."
As well's Ed's track 'Photograph', Keith also wishes he had been the man who penned David Bowie's 'Changes'.
Referring to the track, he said: "I've been getting back into Bowie recently. The pop architecture in his songwriting here is really exquisite. I still find it mind-blowing."
Keith - who is married to Nicole Kidman - has been one of Ed's most vocal celebrity fans and admitted he was totally transfixed by his Wembley Stadium show in front of tens of thousands of fans.
He recently enthused: "It's beautifully refreshing to watch somebody on stage that's just about the music. It was extraordinary because this is a guy holding 90,000 people in the palm of his hand, not running around the stage, no flashy-ism at all, no smokes and bombs or pyrotechnics - nothing except just a beautiful heart. I'm flabbergasted at the level of songwriting."

Bono makes "animal noises" to warm up for U2's concerts.
The 55-year-old singer prepares his vocal cords by shouting, singing and emitting chicken-like clucks before taking to the stage on the band's current 'Innocence + Experience Tour'.
However, he will only do his warm up routine on his own as he'd be embarrassed if anyone saw him going through his pre-gig ritual.
Speaking to Chris Moyles on his Radio X breakfast show, Bono revealed: "I make animal noises before I go on stage, I've heard other singers, and people you really admire in the TV studio, doing the same thing. I could never do that, I couldn't do it in public, but I do now, I make those clucking sounds. If you happen to be in a bathroom near U2's dressing room, that might be me."
While Bono clucks like a chicken, his bandmate Adam Clayton warms up his "wrist" before taking to the stage.
Despite the rock band's four-decade spanning career, the bassist admits he still gets nervous about performing some songs and at the moment he always gets butterflies about playing 'Cedarwood Road' and 'Idris (Hold Me Close)' from their latest LP 'Songs of Innocence'.
He admitted: "There are certain songs that I have a little bit of anxiety about, for the first 10 years 'Streets' was one of those. 'Cedarwood Road' is like that at the moment and 'Iris', another 10 years and I'll probably have no anxiety around them. I genuinely feel nauseous on the day of a show, I wake up and feel a little odd."
U2 - also comprised of The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. - were speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X which is broadcast every week day between 6.30am and 10am via the digital radio platform D1 and on 104.9FM in London and 97.7FM in Manchester.

Katy Perry joined Madonna on stage on Tuesday night (27.10.15) to toast her latest 'Rebel Heart World Tour' concert with a shot from a banana bottle.
The 'Roar' hitmaker surprised fans at the sold-out Forum in Los Angeles when she joined the Queen of Pop during her set closer 'Unapologetic Bitch' along with Diplo and Anderson Cooper.
Firstly, Katy twerked against Madonna as the legend playfully slapped her butt and then performed a series of sl*t drop dance moves around her fellow music minx.
Katy, 31, couldn't contain her excitement at getting the chance to gyrate with Madonna, 57, and grinned from ear-to-ear and giggled as finished twerking before grabbing the microphone from her idol and jokingly shouting "I love you mom".
The pair then celebrated the show by each taking a swig from the unusual fruit-shaped container, although Katy looked unsure before downing the mystery drink she shouted "It's Tuesday? See you on Friday!" and then took her gulp.
Following her impromptu appearance, Katy posted on her Instagram account: "Well, that was unrehearsed but ILY @madonna my QUEEN ... Because all popstars are code "mom" #meta @madonna #Repost @tiersz (sic)"
Madonna was just as thrilled as Katy with their dance-off and drink.
She wrote on Twitter: "Sharing a Banana with Katy Perry!! Highlight of my show at the Forum! Thanks Katherine ... Best Unapologetic bitch ever! Thank you Katy! Thank you L.A. (sic)"