Music News

Alice Cooper thinks modern rock 'n' roll is "limp".
The 'Schools Out' singer has aired his views on the state of the rock industry and admitted he doesn't think there is any other band out there "killing it" like Mötley Crüe.
Speaking at 'The Last Ever European Press Conference' at The Law Society in London today (09.06.15), he said: "Our generation of bands wrote songs which will appeal to kids aged 16, 30 years from now, who will still go, 'Oh yeah, that's me'. The state of rock and roll right now is so limp. There's not a lot of rock and roll bands out there, so that's why you see bands like Mötley Crüe still killing it."
The 67-year-old rocker has been invited to support legendary 'Girls Girls Girls' hitmakers Mötley Crüe on their last ever European tour, and said he enjoys it because they make the audience "exhausted".
Asked what it felt like to be invited on their last tour, he said: "We've known Mötley for years and never played with them. So when they said do you want to send us off, I said, absolutely. We are two bands that really bring it every night. It's good for the audience because there is not a lot of rock 'n' roll around anymore: Not real rock or hard rock. With these two bands we want these kids to be exhausted by the end of the show. "
While the end is insight for Mötley Crüe - who will split up after a show in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve (31.12.15) - the 'Poison' hitmaker joked: "We are booked in for the next century."
Alice Cooper is only playing selected dates. Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday, June 19.
Their final European dates are as follows:
November 2 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, England
November 3 - Manchester Arena, England
November 4 - Birmingham Genting Arena, England
November 6 - London SSE Arena, England
November 8 - Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
November 9 - Basel St. Jakobshalle, Switzerland
November 10 - Milan Mediolanum Forum, Italy
November 12 - Monte Carlo, Monaco Sporting Club, Monaco
November 13 - Munich Zenith, Germany
November 14 - Dusseldorf ISS Dome, Germany
November 16 - Stockholm Ericsson Globe, Sweden
November 18 - Helsinki Hartwall Arena, Finland
November 20 - Abu Dhabi Du Arena, United Arab Emirates

Pitbull always stays "single, bilingual and ready to mingle".
The 'I Know You Want Me' rapper - who can speak English and Spanish - has revealed he never wants to be tied down with a relationship because he prefers to have fun with his life, and even has a catchphrase to match his life choice.
When told about how his fellow Miami musician Jason Derulo is now single, he said: "Good for him, congratulations! I stay single, bilingual and ready to mingle!"
The 34-year-old musician insisted he doesn't consider himself to be a "player" who treats women badly though, and said he's just having a good time so people can say he had a "fun" life when he dies.
Shortly before his performance at Capital's Summertime Ball with Vodafone on Saturday (06.06.15), he told Capital FM: "I'm not a player, I'm just enjoying life. My funeral is not even going to be a funeral, it's going to be a fun-eral. Alright, and at the fun-eral everyone's going to go up and go, 'That guy enjoyed life, that guy had fun'."
And while chatting on the show about which act on the event's line-up he would most like to marry, he admitted he liked the idea of tying the knot with five-piece girlband Fifth Harmony.
When questioned on how he would be able to keep all five members happy, he joked: "Well that's the beauty of it, I was raised by women so I'm kind of used to it."

Iggy Azalea has apologised for homophobic comments she made "as a young person".
The 'Fancy' rapper has decided to pull out of a scheduled performance at Pittsburgh Pride concert on 13 June following criticism of her booking, due to her previous homophobic comments on Twitter, admitting she "deeply regrets" the things she has "carelessly" said in the past.
She wrote: "I am truly disappointed I have to share this news, but I will no longer be performing at Pittsburgh Pride on June 13th. This has been a difficult decision as I truly support the event and LGBTIQA communities, however I feel my participation at this point would only serve to further distract from the true purpose of the event (sic)."
The 25-year-old musician went on to declare she is a "firm" believer of "equality" and would never use the comments as an "adult".
She continued: "I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have. The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character. I meant no harm and I deeply regret ever uttering those words. As an adult I would never used them because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues I do truly believe in.
"I am sorry to anyone I have offended or disappointed & I wish all my fans and family participating in Pride the best of luck (sic)."

Ella Henderson is feeling "devastated" after her dad was charged with fraud.
The 'Ghost' singer's 49-year-old father Sean, who also manages her career, was charged on Monday (08.06.15) following allegations of fraud, theft and money laundering, two years after he and his wife Michelle, 51, were questioned.
A pal of the family said: "Ella is close to her family and devastated about the charges."
The 19-year-old musician's mother has now been released, although three other people have reportedly been charged in association with the case, with a fifth person to be charged at a later date.
Although officers refused to name the other people involved, Humberside police said: "A 49-year-old man from Tetney has been charged with seven offences relating to fraud, theft and money laundering.
"He has been released on bail to appear at Sheffield magistrates' court on July 8."
However, the former 'X Factor' contestant, who released her debut album 'Chapter One' last year, previously said they are a "very strong family" and it takes a lot to "break" their spirit.
She said: "We're a very strong family.
"It takes a lot for me to break down or cry. Someone would have to be terminally ill for that to happen."

Ariana Grande has written a new song about a boy she went on a date with.
The 'Problem' hitmaker - who recently spoke out about her issue with being referred to as the ex-girlfriend of her former boyfriends - has now revealed going on a date with "this boy" is the inspiration behind one of the tracks on her new album 'Moonlight'.
She said: "It's about this very cute night we had together. I have a playlist of 12 songs already."
The 21-year-old star - who split from the rapper Big Sean earlier this year and is rumoured to be dating One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan - claims her upcoming record will reveal more about her than any of her previous music.
She told The Sun newspaper: "I plan on writing a lot more as soon I get home. It's the most personal music I've ever written."
Ariana - who is currently on the UK leg of her self-titled world tour - also admits she's getting more and more confident each time she takes to the stage.
The brunette beauty added: "The more I experience life, the more music I make, the more performances I do, the more stable I am."

Nathan Sykes has shut down rumours of a The Wanted reunion.
The 22-year-old singer admitted he has his doubts about whether he will ever reunite with his former bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker, after the group decided to go on hiatus in January 2014, because all of his former bandmates are "happy doing their own thing".
When asked about the prospect of a comeback for the group, he told BANG Showbiz: "I don't know. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in five or 10 years time. But everyone's really happy doing their own thing at the moment."
The 'Glad You Came' hitmakers released three albums during their time together, all of which charted in the UK top 10, and while Nathan is now enjoying forging his own solo career he said "you never know" what will happen with the band in the future.
Speaking at Capital's Summertime Ball with Vodafone, he continued: "You know it's really funny, like, when we were together, everyone was just like, 'When are you guys going to split up or take a break?' and then we did, and everyone's like, 'When are you getting back together?' So you can't win. But you never know what's going to happen."
And after years of performing with his bandmates, the 'Kiss Me Quick' singer is adjusting to the task of singing on his own, despite the fact it adds extra pressure.
He explained: "I'm having so much fun, but it is different.
"I think, you can't make a mistake and hope that people didn't see it. When you look up and there's those massive screens, especially at Wembley Stadium, the screens are huge, you kind of go, yep, I just messed up."

Patti Smith moved people to tears at Field Day in London on Sunday (07.06.15).
The 68-year-old rock star and poet paid tribute to music icons the late Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones and performed all of the songs from her first album, 'Horses'.
At the beginning of the song, the singer missed her cue but said: "I don't do nothing perfect ... I only f**k up perfect."
The 'Because the Night' hitmaker also insisted she was connecting with the crowds despite wearing shades to protect her eyes from the sun in London's Victoria Park.
She told the crowds: "I'm not wearing these shades to look cool. It's just, you know ... the sun."
An activist, Smith couldn't resist using the platform for a dig a capitalism and took a moment to energise the crowd.
She said: "We are all being f**ked by corporations, by the military. We are free people and we want the world and we want it now!"
The star was a favourite at the festival - which grows bigger every year - and fans took to Twitter to express their joy at watching the idol sing in the sunshine.
One user wrote: "I've seen some awesome people perform live in my time but Patti Smith blew it out of the water!! She is SO bada*s and incredible. (sic)"

Usher wants to move to London.
The 36-year-old star revealed he would "love" to move to the English capital from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, because he wants his sons Usher 'Cinco', seven, and Naviyd Ely, six, to explore the city.
Speaking at an intimate show in the city on Sunday (07.06.15), he said: "I'd love to live in London, and I'd love my kids to explore the culture, the languages, everything. I've always wanted to do a stint in London."
The exclusive semi-acoustic show was held as part of MasterCard's Priceless Surprises campaign, with 400 lucky guests being treated to some of his biggest hits including ''OMG', 'Climax' and 'Good Kisser' alongside a five-piece band.
Speaking after his set, Usher added: "Performing tonight was a completely unique experience - from the intimate crowd and acoustic set, to the incredible venue. It was great to be able to perform a completely different type of concert for my British fans."
Celebrity fans including 'Jealous' singer Labrinth and Bond girl Naomie Harris were among the lucky stars in the audience for the show, during which the 'Burn' hitmaker sipped tea as a tribute to the UK.
Mary J. Blige is the next artist to perform for the Priceless Gigs series, for which MasterCard cardholders have an exclusive chance to win tickets by entering before Thursday 9 June at www.pricelesssurprises.co.uk/MaryJBlige

Katy Perry is set to make a dig at Taylor Swift with a new song.
The 30-year-old pop star has a long-running feud with the 'Shake It Off' singer and is expected to take their rivalry to a new level after registering a song titled '1984', the year she was born, which is an alleged dig at Taylor whose latest album is called '1989'.
News of the song - which was registered on BMI - comes just months after the 30-year-old chart-topper teased she would be singing about their sour relationship in an upcoming track.
When asked about the widely reported argument, she said: "If somebody is trying to defame my character, you're going to hear about it."
Last month, Taylor, 25, premiered the video to her track about the pair's feud, 'Bad Blood', featuring cameos from stars including Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding.
And speaking about Katy, who she refused to name, while promoting her record, Taylor said: "She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me.
"And I'm surprisingly non-confrontational - you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It's awkward, and I don't like it."
Following the comments, Katy took to Twitter to compare the singer/songwriter to 'Mean Girls' villain Regina George.
She wrote: "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing..."