Music News

M.I.A's performance at Lovebox was hit by a power cut.
The 'Paper Planes' singer - who was headlining the festival, held in London's Victoria Park, last night (19.06.14) - was forced to cut down her set after an audience member dislodged a power cable with their foot.
The incident - which happened just after the 39-year-old singer invited fans to join her on the stage - caused the screens at the side of the stage to go black and the sound to cut-out shortly afterwards.
Following a great deal of booing from the crowd, M.I.A - whose real name is Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam - left the stage while organisers fixed the issue before returning to play three more tracks including her hits 'Paper Planes' and 'Bad Girls, closing her show after an hour instead of the planned 90 minutes.
M.I.A had faced further difficulties earlier on in the set when she appeared noticeably frustrated by sound levels and repeated, "Turn my mic up", during her performance of 'Sunshowers' and 'Bring The Noize'.
It is thought that the 'Galang' hitmaker - who also asked for her bass to be turned up - was struggling to hear through her ear piece.
Meanwhile, the london-born star seemed very happy to be headlining the stage in her hometown after coming to the end of her tour for her new album 'Matangi'.
She shouted,'Big up London town' and demanded more noise from the festival's revellers.
Other headliners at the festival included rapper NAS, dance act Chase & Status and DJ Annie Mac.

No Devotion will "definitely never" play Lostprophets songs.
The Welsh group disbanded after frontman Ian Watkins was jailed for 35 years for child sex offences in December, but the remaining members - Lee Gaze, Stuart Richardson, Mike Lewis and Jamie Oliver - now formed a new band with ex-Thursday singer Geoff Rickley, but won't be paying homage to their previous work when they go on the road.
Guitarist Lee said: "It's always at the back of your mind, it's a raw nerve. We have every right to carry on writing music, but you do think about how people will take it.
"We'd definitely never play the songs again. We can take some good stuff from it and some bad stuff and just bury it in a box at this point, but I don't think we'd ever revisit anything."
Lee admits he has no "regrets" about the end of his former band, except for the circumstances, but he does feel embarrassed when asked about his musical background.
He added to NME magazine: "We did Lostprophets for a long time. I flirted with loving it and hating it for many years for different reasons.
"So in the bluntest way possible, I don't have any regrets about the band being finished; I obviously just wish it wasn't in the circumstances that it was.
"You can't ever mention it to anyone, you know? We were really proud of it, whether people liked us or not, we came from the f***ing middle of nowhere.
"Now, when people ask what bands I've played with, my answer is just, 'Eurgh'. It's an awkward position to be in."

Kodaline don't think "perfect" gigs exist.
The 'Love Like This' group don't have a specific "formula" for a successful show because they know every venue and audience is different.
Frontman Steve Garrigan told BANG Showbiz: "I don't think there are set key ingredients that act as a recipe for a perfect gig.
"Obviously the crowd and their reaction are very important but we treat each gig very differently and wouldn't apply one formula to make all successful.
"Plus there isn't such a thing as a perfect gig. You always make mistakes and the key to a successful gig is turning the mistakes into great, enjoyable music."
Steve also revealed the group have been working on the follow-up to last year's debut album 'In a Perfect World', but fans will have to wait until early 2015 to hear any new songs.
He said: "We've actually already started to work on our second album. When we haven't been touring we've been in the studio and are about half-way through so far so hope to finish it by the end of the year. That way we will be ready to share some new music with our fans early next year."
Kodaline were part of the stellar line-up for this year's Summer Series at Somerset House with American Express(r), just one example of the enriched entertainment experiences available to Cardmembers. For more insider information from some of the UK's most sought after events visit youtube.com/AmericanExpressUK.

Ice T doesn't want to make hip-hop music any more.
The 56-year-old musician is releasing a new rock album with his thrash metal band Body Count and says this is the kind of music he prefers now as hip hop has lost its way.
He said: "Hip-hop's gone in a different direction - it's club music, no content, just, 'I got money, cars, girls'.
"Underground hip-hop's still prolific, but the stuff on the radio sucks.
"Ice T has always been about hardcore, aggressive music. With Body Count, it's art, it's over the top, it's hypersexual.
"I roll with the people who get it. The people who don't, I throw them a Barry Manilow album."
And Ice also mocked hip-hop fans who "act tough" but have no idea what it is really like in the worlds they enjoy hearing about.
Discussing his track 'Wanna Be A Gangsta', he told NME magazine: [It's critical of] suburban kids listening to rap and acting tough behind their keyboards.
"If they touch down on those streets, they're gonna get their ass sewn up."

Harry Styles was among the stars at Warner Music Group's big summer party last night (17.07.14).
The 20-year-old heartthrob took a break from One Direction's sell-out 'Where We Are' stadium world tour to sip cocktails at the lavish party, held in association with British GQ magazine, at Shoreditch House in trendy east London.
Harry and other A-list guests enjoyed music-themed cocktails including the Parlophone Punch, Atlantic Breeze and Warner Spritz.
Other stars who attended the lavish bash included former Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, who wore a striking halter-neck red dress, Conor Maynard, Rudimental and Amber Le Bon.
Harry was recently praised for his songwriting skills by US songbird Ariana Grande, for whom he penned a track called 'A Little Bit of Your Heart'.
She said: "I was at the studio one day and he was there, and literally, [songwriters] Johan [Carlsson] and Savan [Kotecha] were like, 'Hey, do you want to write something for Ariana?' And he was like, 'Sure, mate.' And he just did.
"It's a beautiful song. He's an amazing writer. It's really beautiful. He's amazingly talented."

Nicole Scherzinger says Beyonce is "a great hugger".
The former Pussycat Doll has praised her fellow singer, describing the 'Drunk in Love' hitmaker as an inspiration and revealing she "gives good" cuddles.
She said: "She's no stranger, we all know her, we all love her. I'm inspired by her in every way as a singer, as a performer, as a woman, very empowering.
"And she's a great hugger as well, gives good hugs."
Meanwhile Nicole also paid tribute to 'Purple Rain' star Prince and called her friend a "great mentor" as she explained what the pop icon means to her.
She added: "He is one of my favourite artists ever, I think most of the world can agree. And he's one of my favourite humans. A very good friend of mine.
"I've learnt so much from him, a great mentor, and I'm just inspired by every single one of his shows.
"I think I saw his last show recently here in London at Electric Ballroom. Probably the greatest performer I've ever seen."
Prince isn't her only idol from the past, though, as she described Janet Jackson's song 'Love Will Never Do (Without You)' as a direct inspiration for her own track 'Your Love'.
She explained: "This woman, although this song is a bit of a throwback, this song and video actually inspired my newest video and single 'Your Love'.
"This video I believe is the first video that Herb Ritts actually directed. It's a beautiful, classic video. It's timeless, and it just made me fall in love with Janet Jackson all over again."
Nicole Scherzinger was speaking to music streaming service blinkbox music.
For more information on the service please visit blinkboxmusic.com.

Sir Paul McCartney says he'll retire when he "feels like it".
The 'Hey Jude' singer has had an iconic career, but he insisted he is constantly learning new skills, which means he has no plans to call it quits just yet.
The rocker has recalled an early show when The Beatles were still known as the Quarrymen, and he messed up his big moment as he stepped forward to take on lead guitar duties.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "I don't even think we were The Beatles, it was the Quarrymen ... and I had a lead solo in one of the songs and I totally froze when my moment came.
"I really played the crappiest solo ever. I said, 'That's it. I'm never going to play lead guitar again'. It was just too nerve-wracking onstage.
"So for years, I just became rhythm guitar and bass player and played a bit of piano, do a bit of this, that and the other. But nowadays, I play lead guitar, and that's the thing that draws me forward. I enjoy it. So, yeah, that means the answer to 'Are you going to retire?' is 'When I feel like it'. But that's not today."
Paul, 72, admitted he was once told by a manager he should retire when he was 50, but he quickly dismissed the idea - and has now claimed The Rolling Stones prove why he can keep going.
He added: "I thought about it for a second and thought, 'Nah'. When will you give up? When will it give out? Who knows? But the margin has been stretched these days.
"The Stones go out now, and I go to their show and I think, 'It doesn't matter that they're old gits. They can play great'. And I talk to young kids who say exactly the same thing: 'They play good.' "

Blondie's current world tour could be their last.
The iconic rock band's drummer Clem Burke, 58, has admitted the group's frontwoman Debbie Harry, 69, "has hinted it could be time" for the 'Maria' hitmakers.
He told The Province newspaper: "By the time we get to beautiful Vancouver, we will have toured Europe, played Glastonbury and done a number of big festivals in North America.
"As for the rumours of the last tour, we've decided we'll live forever. But Debbie, is older than me and has hinted it could be time. Obviously without her, there is no Blondie."
The group's legendary singer opened up about their latest album 'Ghosts of Download' - which was released in May - and admitted it has been a breath of "fresh air", while urging other stars to try new things instead of simply playing it safe.
She said: "I'm excited because I love the new stuff. It's always a chance to breathe fresh air. It's good for artists to step out of their comfort zone."
Debbie forged her own solo career following the band's split in 1982, and started using her full name - Deborah Harry - after her third album because she wanted to have her own identity.
She previously admitted: "That's my proper name and I was trying to, as you say, draw a line in the sand between the Blondie identification and me as a solo artist.
"I think I was often confronted by the record company saying, 'Why can't you use the name Blondie?' Well, I'd like to use the name Blondie, but it's not Blondie, it's me."

Rita Ora's split from Calvin Harris has left plans for her new album in chaos.
Rita, 23, recorded a number of songs with her former beau - including hit single 'I Will Never Let You Down' - but he's now said that she cannot release any more of the tunes they made together.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Rita's album has hit a bit of a road block after Calvin pulled all the songs he had worked on for the project before they split.
"He'd made a lot of songs for her but they're now likely to go to other artists."
It's been reported that the pair made at least a dozen tracks together, which were to represent the bulk of the eagerly-awaited record.
The source added: "Calvin wants a clean break, personally and professionally. He's already given her one massive hit so doesn't feel her owes her.
"He doesn't want to be linked to her, especially now she's in a new relationship with Rich Hilfiger."
Rita's first studio album, Ora, was released in 2012 and spawned a number of huge hits, including 'RIP' and 'How We Do (Party)'.
And even without the help of her former boyfriend, Rita will hope to repeat that success when her next album goes on sale.