Music News

Legendary soul singer Bobby Womack has died.
The 70-year-old star, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and enjoyed a career spanning seven decades, passed away in his sleep on Friday (27.06.14).
A spokesperson for the 'Across 110th Street' hitmaker's record label XL Recordings told RollingStone.com that his cause of death is currently unknown.
The late singer, who was in the process of recording a new album tentatively titled 'The Best Is Yet to Come,' with rumoured contributions by Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dogg, began his career as a member of Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers with his brothers Curtis, Harry, Cecil and Friendly, Jr., but they changed their name to the Valentinos shortly after they scored their first record deal in 1960.
The Rolling Stones' cover of their track 'It's All Over Now' topped the UK charts in 1964, just one month after the original version was released.
The group disbanded later that year after Cooke's death and Bobby became a session musician.
He released his debut album, 'Fly Me to the Moon,' in 1968 after playing guitar on a string of well-known albums, including Aretha Franklin's 'Lady Soul,' and went on to release several more successful solo records, including 'Facts of Life.'
The 'If You Think You're Lonely Now' hitmaker sought treatment in rehab in the 1980s for drug addiction, and later battled a series of health problems, including colon cancer, diabetes, pneumonia and showed early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
His 2012 release 'The Bravest Man in the Universe' was voted one of the 50 Best Albums of the year and he admitted he thought his songs were getting better with age.
He said at the time: "You know more at 65 than you did at 25. I understand the songs much better now. It's not about 14 Rolls Royces and two Bentleys. Even if this album never sells a nickel, I know I put my best foot forward."

Keith Richards has the blues "in his bones".
The Rolling Stones guitarist has a long-held love of the genre - which influences a lot of his music - and believes that is because he heard it so much when he was a child.
Asked how he discovered the blues, he said: "By osmosis!.
"See, my mother, she loved jazz, she loved Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Duke Ellington. That was what was around the house.
"There's a lot of blues in jazz. And so, in a way, it was in the bones before I actually got to hear country blues and real blues.
"At the same age, I was starting to hear early rock and roll. It sounded perfectly normal to me... not some new kind of music. It was sort of natural."
The 'Paint It Black' hitmaker is a huge fan of Chuck Berry - and didn't even mind when his hero gave him a black eye.
He told Planet Rock: "We've had our ups and downs. He once gave me a black eye. It was backstage at a gig of his. He'd left his guitar out in his dressing room and I just picked it up. And he walks in, 'Nobody touches that.' Bam!! But he didn't know it was me.
" A few months later I get this apologetic, 'Keith I didn't know it was you.' I said, 'Chuck, you did the right move, I wouldn't let nobody touch mine either!' "

Nicole Scherzinger wants to put her new album out now.
The former Pussycat Dolls singer isn't due to release the record until October but she is so excited by it, she wishes she could copy Beyonce, who released her self-titled fifth album - which featured 14 songs and 17 music videos - with no warning last December.
She said: "I want to do what Beyoncé did - make videos for all the songs and just put it out now. Catch everyone by surprise so they don't know what to do!"
Nicole famously helped put One Direction together when the quintet auditioned for the 'X Factor' as solo artists in 2010 and she finds it "weird" that she is now such a big fan of the band.
She said: "It's weird because now I'm the one queueing up in the stores to buy their merchandise.
"I'm like, 'Can I get a One Direction T-shirt?'"
However, the 35-year-old beauty has ruled out ever collaborating with the 'Little Things' hitmakers.
Asked about a future collaboration, she told the Daily Star newspaper: "Oh no, I don't think so - they're too big for me now!"

Kaiser Chiefs surprised fans at Glastonbury Festival by opening the Other Stage today (27.06.14).
The 'Ruby' rockers took to the stage at 11am this morning to entertain the crowd with an exciting set, as front man Ricky Wilson pushed up against the barrier and got close to the punters.
'The Voice' judge encouraged the fans to "sing along", even if they weren't familiar with the tunes, launching into 'Every Day I Love You Less and Less' from the group's debut album 'Employment'.
He said: "Glastonbury, sing along if you know the words. If you don't, sing along anyway."
They even brought a change in weather as they took to the stage, with the rain stopped for the first time all morning.
He joked: "Look at what the weather's doing. Are we going to stick two fingers up at the sky?"
The group's weekend at the iconic Worthy Farm festival isn't done, though, as they'll be headlining the John Peel Stage later tonight.
Meanwhile, two fans have died at the annual event since the gates opened.
Earlier today, a 26-year-old man died from a suspected adverse reaction to illegal drug ketamine, while a 67-year-old woman died in her sleep from what police believe to be natural causes on Wednesday (25.06.14).

The 1975 stopped their secret Glastonbury performance after a crowd member threw a can on stage.
The indie rock band halted their set as the music festival got under way on Thursday (26.06.14) when a fight broke out in the crowd.
According to NME.com, frontman Matthew Healy stopped singing mid-performance and said: "Ladies and gentleman I'm sorry to disrupt your peaceful Glastonbury but someone just threw a can on stage. I won't have people fighting at my Glastonbury."
The performance resumed after security quickly intervened and removed a male reveller from the audience.
The group - also consisting of Adam Hann, George Daniel and Ross MacDonald - proceeded to perform their hit song 'Chocolate' as well as other tracks from their 2013 debut album.
As The 1975 closed their hour-long set, Matt introduced another surprise act to the stage - electronica group Metronomy.
Referring to the festival's headliners, he quipped: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have to hurry it up as we have a very special guest up next. It's not Dolly Parton ... or Metallica..."
Metronomy performed a slew of their most popular songs including 'Holiday' and 'Radio Ladio'. They then dedicated 'The Look' to country music legend Dolly Parton to cheers from the crowd.
Dolly, 68, is one of this year's notable acts, while the headliners are Metallica, Kasabian and Arcade Fire.

Serge Pizzorno has an "evil twin".
The Kasabian rocker admits new track 'Treat' is inspired by another side to his personality, and though it sometimes leads him into trouble, he "buzzes off" his mischievous persona.
He said: "The lyric about my evil twin is that moment when you have one beer and you make certain decisions.
"After two beers decisions can still be made but after five or six beers you are a completely different person. But there is something amazing about the other person, your evil twin.
"Although he, or she, will get you into more trouble than you are ever likely to get into, you do buzz off that other person a bit."
The group headline Glastonbury this weekend - 10 years after they opened the event on the Other Stage - and claim they always knew they would top the bill.
Serge said: "We knew we'd headline it one year and now we're closing the festival. We've come full circle and silenced our critics who saw us as a lad band when we are anything but.
"We keep coming out with stuff that f**ks with people's heads. When you are confronted with confusion, people hit out.
"What we are doing is new. There hasn't been anyone like us."

Eric Clapton is quitting touring.
The 69-year-old guitarist finds travelling "unbearable" these days and he worries about becoming "embarrassing", but he won't give up music completely.
He said: ""The road has become unbearable.
"It's unapproachable, because it takes so long to get anywhere - and it's hostile. Everywhere. Getting in and out of airports, getting on planes, travelling in cars....
"There are tons of things I'd like to do - but I'm looking at retirement, too. I'm 70 next year.
"I think what I'll allow myself to do, within reason, is carry on recording in the studio... I don't want to go off the boil to the point where I'm embarrassing myself."
And the former Cream musician - who is nicknamed Slowhand - admits he is anticipating he may one day have to give up music altogether.
Asked if he can imagine a time when he will no longer play guitar, he told the new issue of Uncut magazine: "Maybe. Physically, it might be that I can't, if it hurts too much. I have odd ailments."
The 'Wonderful Tonight' star also claimed he thinks driving will eventually be illegal.
He said: "I'm thinking that maybe in 10, 15 years, driving will have become illegal - because they'll have introduced another form of transport, with robot cars and things. You won't be allowed to drive."

Skrillex wants to work with Kasabian.
The DJ is a big fan of the Glastonbury headliners and is hoping he can join forces with the 'Fire' hitmakers for a musical collaboration in future.
He told NME: "I love Kasabian. I'd work with them for sure, if it was natural and there was a vibe. Who knows what it would sound like - you never plan it."
Skrillex is playing The Other Stage at the Worthy Farm festival tonight (27.06.14) and revealed he will also be performing two extra sets following his 10.30pm headline slot.
The music producer is most looking forward to seeing controversial Saturday night (28.06.14) headliners, thrash metal band Metallica, and thinks the crowd is going to have a change of heart when they witness the rockers' amazing stage presence firsthand.
He enthused: "I definitely want to see Metallica - they're going to f**king kill it. What do you think? It's Metallica.
"Between the times I've played with Metallica and even when I was young, just seeing them, they're so good live. The crowds are always crazy and they're so cool."

Metallica claim they won't perform into their 70s like The Rolling Stones.
The heavy metal band - made up of James Hetfield, Rob Trujillo, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett - are in their 50s and admit their intense sets take a massive toll on their bodies.
Kirk said: "I saw the Stones last year in San Francisco and I thought they played fucking great, and for a bunch of guys who are 70-plus, it was a pretty amazing feat.
"I don't know if we can do what we do when we're in our 70s, because playing one of our songs is equal to playing eight Stones songs in terms of physical energy and intensity."
The 51-year-old guitarist hopes the band can work out a plan which means they can play for the next 20 years but he's not very hopeful.
He said: "I personally think we have another 10. Maybe that's one album, maybe that's two albums, I don't know."
The band claim there has been a lot of talk about how they need to "get our sh*t together" and release another record, the follow-up to 2008's 'Death Magnetic', but admit fans will have to wait a while longer.
Kirk said: "Getting the space and time to do it is what we need. We've already been writing, but there's still a lot to go.
"After this summer we're gonna work on it some more and see how it shapes up, but yeah... 2015, 2016, maybe? It's a f***ing long time, man."
Metallica will headline this year's Glastonbury festival with Kasabian and Arcade Fire.