Music News

Travis Barker has urged Tom DeLonge to "man up" and quit Blink-182.
The drummer and his bandmate Mark Hoppus are preparing for a gig without the guitarist in two weeks time and the rocker thinks his estranged bandmate - who will be replaced at the show in California by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba - should make his indefinite hiatus permanent and walk away.
Speaking after Tom repeatedly denied Travis and Mark's claims he had left the band, the drummer said: "I think the right thing for him to do would [be to] just man up and quit the band instead of telling people he didn't quit and just be real with the fans. I think that would give him some closure too and really do what he's passionate about."
Travis believes Tom's heart is no longer in the band because he doesn't even like their type of music anymore.
He told Alternative Nation: "Even amongst all the other projects I do, I can always find a way to prioritise and still be passionate about Blink-182 when it comes around.
"I love playing, listening and everything about punk rock. It changed my life. I think for Tom, he doesn't like punk music and it was a phase for him."
And Travis claims it is the third time Mark has walked away from the band.
He added: "I think this is the third time he's quit without anyone knowing about it because we didn't announce the other times. But this is just the last straw.
"It's just not cool for the fans. He'd always agree to go on huge tours and record albums, but when it came down to going into the studio, he'd find some excuse not to. And we wouldn't even hear from him; it would be his management. It comes to a point where you decide you're not going to force anyone to do anything they don't want to do and it's time to move on."

Kelly Clarkson "had to cry" to get her music released.
The 32-year-old singer struggled to forge the career she wanted even after winning the first season of 'American Idol' in 2002 because her label wanted her to release soul music instead of pop when she started out.
She explained: "I wanted to do pop, because that means "popular", and anything that was soulful. But it was hard to get that across at first. With 'Miss Independent', I had to cry in my label's office to get it out [as a single]."
Despite having six successful solo albums, she found opposition towards her eagerness to be a pop singer difficult, although she soon managed to persuade her label to let her create the music she wanted to make.
She said: "They wanted me to sing like the Aretha songs I'd done on the show, and I was, like: 'I'm 20 years old, I can do big ballads, but I also love guitars.' They didn't want to do a lot of production with me. It was the same thing that would happen with Adele - she does ballads with a piano. I said: 'That's beautiful, but can I do other stuff?'"
However, the star - who has eight-month-old daughter River Rose with husband Brandon Blackstock - believes it was her drive and vision which has led to her having such a long and illustrious career.
She told The Guardian newspaper: "I don't know why I've lasted - you focus on the music, and sometimes the stars align and sometimes they don't. I think it helped that I knew what I wanted to do from the start."

Iggy Azalea thinks people "hate" her.
The 24-year-old rapper felt relieved when Eminem's 'The Marshall Mathers LP 2' won the Best Rap Album Grammy Award at the ceremony last month because if she had won it for 'The New Classic' she believes she would have received lots of abuse from people who dislike her.
She explained: "I did not want to win that award. My speech would have been like, 'F**k this. I don't want it, take it. Get it away from me'.
"People already hate me enough. I do not need to be hated any more."
However, the 'Fancy' hitmaker - who recently unveiled the video to her new single 'Trouble' featuring Jennifer Hudson - finds it "ironic" people were pleased to see the 42-year-old musician pick up the accolade, because he is also Caucasian.
She told LA radio station Power 106: "I found it to be kind of ironic. It was because I'm white, therefore I'm appropriating culture, but then Eminem won it - who's white and won it many times - and they didn't seem to say anything about that. I suspect it was just because they dislike me."
The honest comments come just months after fellow rapper Azealia Banks, who recently quit using social media, accused her of copying black artists, describing it as "cultural smudging".
The '212' singer said: "I don't want to see no more white people f***ing whipping people in no more movies. Because my black story is deeper than the boat ride over, do you know what I mean?
"So this little thing called hip-hop that I've created for myself, that I'm holding onto for my dear f***ing life. I feel like it's being snatched away from me or something.
"The blackness is gone."

Noel Gallagher thinks Kanye West is a "f***ing dumbass".
The 'Ballad of the Mighty I' singer was baffled when the rapper invaded the stage at the Grammy awards when Beck collected the Album of the Year accolade, subsequently admitting he felt Beyonce deserved the prize more, and can't understand why the 'Bound 2' hitmaker thinks he "runs the music business".
He said: "I read on the papers that he got on stage at the Grammys and said to Beck, 'You should respect artistry and give Beyonce that award.'
"That **** needs to look up the description of the word 'artistry'. If Beck, the player of 14 instruments is not an artist then f**k me.
"Kanye's a f***ing dumbass.
"His interview with Zane Lowe a couple of years ago was f***ing priceless, but he does have this thing where he thinks he runs the music business."
The former Oasis rocker - who kicked off his 'Chasing Yesterday' tour in Belfast on Tuesday (03.03.15) - insists Kanye wouldn't stand a chance if he tried to pull a similar stunt around him.
Speaking in this week's issue of NME magazine, he added: "Imagine if he'd got up at the Brits in the 90s, I'd have knocked him out."
Meanwhile, Noel also has a strong dislike of the Grammy awards' big winner this year, 'Stay with Me' singer Sam Smith.
He blasted: "Sam Smith just stands there like Boy George in a coma."

Little Mix's new music is inspired by the 1980s.
The four-piece girl band - featuring Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall - revealed their new music will be a throwback to the decade, counting 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' hitmaker Cyndi Lauper as their biggest influence on their third studio album.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper at their exclusive Bizarre Annual party in association with Ciroc and Bootea at Steam & Rye bar in London on Monday (02.03.15), Jesy said: "Our biggest inspiration is Cyndi Lauper. We want it to be music for everyone - but especially for girls."
However, the 61-year-old star isn't the only musician to have had an impact on their forthcoming release, as the 'Move' hitmakers are also huge fans of Prince.
Jesy added: "We love Prince too, he's an icon and definitely inspired the sound."
And while the group have never come into contact with the 'Little Red Corvette' singer, they are hoping to meet him through a beautician who works on his eyebrows.
Leigh-Anne explained: "He's just so cool. How can we meet him?
"The closest we've got is our eyebrow lady does Prince too. She was like, 'Right, I'm done with you, I'm off to Prince now.'"

Kanye West performed a surprise show with Big Sean and Raekwon in London on Wednesday morning (04.03.15). The 37-year-old rapper arrived on stage at KOKO in Camden, north London at 1am and was joined by a host of other musicians including British grim...

Muse's new single is "too offensive for radio".
Frontman Matt Bellamy made the revelation in a response to a fan on Twitter, revealing their forthcoming tracks might not get much airtime due to the risky nature of their new music.
Responding to a fan who asked "are rumors about airing the single on the radio true? (sic)", he wrote: "Too offensive for radio..."
The 36-year-old musician - who has recently been romantically linked to singer Lana Del Rey after splitting from long-term partner, actress Kate Hudson - also teased the release of their new music by posting links to articles about brainwashing, suggesting the group's first single will be called 'Psycho'.
He tweeted: ""Psycho" coming soon... http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brainwashing1.htm ... #HumanDrones (sic)."
Quoting a question posted by a follower, he then wrote: ""@ryleeishaught: @MattBellamy can't tell if you're hinting album themes or just expressing your opinion via social media" Single 1 Theme (sic)."
The band - whose last album release was 'The 2nd Law' in 2012 - are expected to release the album, which has been tentatively named 'Drones', later this year, featuring production from Robert 'Mutt' Lange.
Adding to the confusing speculation about the record, Matt quoted another Twitter follower, writing: ""@0Showbiz: @MattBellamy Drones is the first single? Drones drones drones?" #psycho handler, brainwashing us to be become human #drones (sic)."

Noel Gallagher is already halfway through his third solo album.
The 'Ballad of the Mighty I' hitmaker - who only released second LP 'Chasing Yesterday' this week - criticised Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page for not making more new music and dwelling on the past as he revealed he is already making progress with his next record.
He said: "Lyrically I can look back from time to time, you can look back in a song, like 'The Dying of the Light,' for instance, you can take on a character in a song that's looking back, but me personally, I'm already halfway through recording my next album.
"I mean, as much as I love Jimmy Page -- and I f***in' love Jimmy Page, as a guitarist and a guy, he's a f***in' brilliant, brilliant man -- all he ever does is f***in' remaster Led Zeppelin records. D'you know what I mean? F**k me! Get a job!"
The 47-year-old rocker also spoke about the "struggle and chaos" of his time in Oasis, comparing it with his "really cool" solo career that is packed with "twists and turns".
He told the new issue of Vogue magazine: "I'm going to give you an analogy here. If you could sum up my career with films, Oasis was a cross between 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and 'Saving Private Ryan' - it was all about the struggle and the chaos. My first solo album was like 'Titanic' - it was a love story - and this part of my career is like a really cool TV series, like 'Breaking Bad'.
"Oasis was an all-action big-budget thriller, y'know what I mean? Planes crashing on beaches... and this is a bit more serene and majestic and a bit more interesting. A film is one story, but a TV series can go on for months and get inside your brain with different twists and turns, which is how I see it at the minute."
Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday (03.03.15) that Noel will headline Latitude Festival in July.
The rocker will top the bill at the family-friendly event in Suffolk alongside Alt-J and Portishead, with acts including Manic Street Preachers, James Bay, The Vaccines and La Roux also performing.
Tickets for the festival, which takes place across the weekend of 16-19 July, are on sale now.

Gregory Porter wants to make a record with Sam Smith.
The 43-year-old jazz singer has got to know the chart-topping 'Stay With Me' hitmaker during a series of meetings in the past year and is hoping to start working on new music with the star.
He told BANG Showbiz: "We've had brief conversations a couple of times and he's spoken very kindly of me, speaking about my music, and I very much appreciate that. He's a great artist and has a great personal touch with his music. If he comes knocking wanting to do a record I'll be like, I'm right here man, let's do it."
The 22-year-old performer - who released his debut album 'In the Lonely Hour' last year - has already won four Grammy Awards and two BRITs, but has previously taken time to praise the singer, whose album 'Liquid Spirit' is currently at number nine in the UK charts.
And seeing as they are both such fans of each other's music, Gregory believes they could make a great record together if they did decide to collaborate, because they both have soul music backgrounds.
He explained: "He has a soulful vice, there's some elements of his voice that are reminiscent of where I cut my teeth in music with a soulful, kind of gospel approach to music, so [the record] may be a soulful thing."