Music News

Pete Townshend changed the course of rock music last night (05.07.15) when he premiered a classical version of The Who's famous mod opera 'Quadrophenia' at London's Royal Albert Hall.
The 70-year-old guitarist was joined by an army of classical musicians from the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - including dozens of violinists, cellists, and brass players - a hundred-piece choir, singers Alfie Boe and Billy Idol and actor Phil Daniels, who appeared in the original movie, for a spectacular new take on the classic record.
Townshend - who had replaced his normally grungy grey T-shirt and jeans for a smart black suit and pristine white shirt - was on stage for much of the event singing the part of 'The Godfather' as well as playing guitar.
Speaking after the show, a beaming Townshend told BANG Showbiz's Managing Director Rick Sky: "I wanted to get a Who piece saved for posterity. I didn't want to die without my most important works being committed to sheet music for future generations. Of course there is some vanity involved in this but so many Who songs are such great songs that I felt need keeping and preserving as scores.
"Rachel [Fuller, Townshend's partner] is a classically trained composer and she did wonders with the orchestration and score. It means 'Quadrophenia' can now be played in all sorts of ways - from a small ensemble led by a piano to a large orchestra."
After a busy few weeks for the Who - including headline slots at Glastonbury and Barclaycard British Summer Time - the veteran rocker is planning a brief break but then will be back with a variety of new projects.
He added: "It's been a really hectic time for me. I am going to have a little rest because I want time to enjoy what I have now and to be happy and relaxed, but don't worry, I have got so many different projects lined up, including commissioning more operas. I am writing new songs all the time and also want to publish a novel."
Much pop music can lend itself to classical re-working but in the case of The Who this is especially so, partly because of Townshend's love of classical composers and sadly deceased Who bass player John Entwistle's rigorous training in classical trumpet and French Horn. This meant that the classical reinterpretation of 'Quadrophenia' - whose stand out moments last night were '5:15', 'Love Reign O'er Me' and especially the instrumental pieces 'The Rock', 'I Am The Sea' and the title track 'Quadrophenia' - was able to transport the audience to a different emotional space using the light, shade and subtlety that classical music can provide when well-executed.
At the end of the show, in true classical style, Townshend and all his collaborators took numerous curtain calls and bows with renowned conductor Robert Ziegler, taking his final bow dressed humorously in a Mod parka complete with Target logo.
Pete Townshend's 'Classic Quadrophenia' has just been released on Deutsche Grammophon.

Sarah Harding has premiered her debut solo single, 'Threads'.
The track is the first music to be released by the singer since she split up with her Girls Aloud bandmates in 2013, with the star admitting she is taking a "new direction musically" with her own material.
She said: "I've spent a long time writing and recording, and after co-writing 'Threads' I really feel this was the track to release as my debut solo single and show my new direction musically. It's a very exciting time for me at the moment!"
She added on Twitter: "It's me channelling my inner rock chick...think Avril Levigne crossed with a bit of Gwen Stefani but me inbetween (sic)."
The 33-year-old musician will release the track on August 7 through Sony RED UK as part of a four-song EP, featuring a remix by K Gee and two other new songs, 'Live Before I Die' and 'Indelible'.
Sarah confessed it has been odd working on her own material and shooting videos on her own following 11 years in Girls Aloud though, especially because she's used to her bandmates Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle always being around.
Asked what it was like making the 'Threads' video on her own, she said on Twitter: "Weird not having the girls around tbh but this is something Iv needed to do for a long time now so...cathartic (sic)."

Kasabian drank beer with fans on a beach until sunrise after their set at Poland's Open'er Festival.
The band - featuring Tom Meighan, Serge Pizzorno, Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews - headlined the final day of the festival on Saturday (04.07.15), and hit the beach with a selection of admirers later in the evening where they watched the sunrise.
A source told BANG Showbiz: "The guys were all on the beach drinking with fans until 6am in nearby Sopot, where their hotel was."
Earlier in the day, the Leicester lads thrilled the crowd with a 90-minute set featuring tracks 'Shoot the Runner', 'Eez-eh' and 'Club Foot'.
The rockers - photographed by M.Murawski / AlterArt - took to the stage with a rendition of the opening song from their latest album '48:13', 'Bumblebee' whipping the 80,000-strong audience into an excited frenzy with the track's crashing chorus.
However, the group - who last played at the festival five years ago - clearly weren't ready for the party to end when they finished their performance as they later invaded the stage during a set by fellow Brits, Disclosure, before heading off to their coastal hotel in Sopot where they enjoyed chilling out with admirers on the sandy shores.
Other acts to perform at the four-day festival included St. Vincent, Years & Years and Hozier.
The wild night came just a day after the group were honoured with the Royal Albert Hall Best Live Band accolade at the O2 Silver Clef Awards in London on Friday (03.07.15).

Damon Albarn was carried off stage when he refused to finish a five-hour long show.
The 47-year-old rocker was performing with his African Express project at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark when he got so into his performance, the stage manager was forced to remove him from the audience's view to end his set.
Following a cover of The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go', Damon told the crowd: "You want more, we're going to give you more!"
However, the crew member then arrived, putting the singer's jacket over his shoulders and lifting him off the stage.
The set finally ended at 4am following the mammoth set during which he was joined on stage by Laura Mvula and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, and sang Randy Newman covers and updated versions of tracks by Gorillaz.
Fans were less than impressed with the move despite being treated to the lengthy show, with Damon encouraging audience members who chanted, "We want more".
The 'Parklife' hitmaker - who recently released Blur's eighth studio album 'The Magic Whip' - has previously played with his Africa Express collective, which is a collaboration between African and Western musicians, at events including Glastonbury and the BBC's Electric Proms.

Will Smith is working on new music with Drake.
The 46-year-old rapper turned actor - who last released an album in 2005 titled 'Lost And Found' - has revealed he's writing new music, and may be collaborating with the 'Started From The Bottom' hitmaker.
Will revealed the news on the first episode of his son Jaden Smith's new Beats 1 radio show, the new 24/7 radio station running on Apple Music, during which he said the 16-year-old had invited him to a "group chat" with the hip hop star.
Elsewhere in the segment, the 'Miami' singer admitted he's in a "creative ceiling" where he's writing lots of material.
He said: "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but I'm exploring. I'm in a creative ceiling.
"I can't write and stop, I have to keep going and going and write them out."
Drake isn't the first star Will has hinted at working with as he previously stated he recorded "seven or eight" songs with Kanye West.
He said at the time: "You know I've recorded a lot. I've recorded a lot. I don't have anything I like yet, but I've probably recorded seven or eight [songs]. It's not for certain, it's just explorative."

Dave Grohl made his live comeback while sat on a throne on Saturday (04.07.15).
The 46-year-old rocker broke his leg while performing on stage in Sweden last month, but returned to action in unusual circumstances as he sat on a throne during a gig in Washington DC, surrounded by guitars, amps and lights.
Although Dave's leg break caused the Foo Fighters to cancel shows around Europe including their headline Glastonbury Festival performance, the iconic band have since been strongly linked with a starring role at the festival in 2016, with an insider recently claiming festival boss Michael Eavis has asked them to return next year.
The source explained: "Dave was beyond gutted about pulling out of Glastonbury, especially at such short notice.
"But Michael was quick to book him for next year as he's desperate for the Foos to headline. He knows they'll go down a storm at Glasto. Dave agreed within seconds."
Following his injury, Dave quickly admitted it was not "physically possible" for him to meet the band's touring commitments.
In a statement, he said: "You know I hate to do it, but I'm afraid it's just not physically possible for me at the moment.
"We're doing our best right now to work out a plan, so bear with us. You know we're good for our word. But for now, I need to make sure we have years of gigs ahead of us."

Mark Ronson wants to "produce a couple of records for other people".
The 39-year-old musician is hoping to work with other acts in the coming months, following the release of his fourth studio album 'Uptown Special' earlier this year.
Speaking about his plans for the future, he told BANG Showbiz: "I'm just going to be doing shows this summer - just doing DJ sets and playing live with the band. I'm doing some festivals.
"I think I'll probably produce a couple of records for other people because it usually takes me a bit of time to put my own albums together, I have to get the ideas together. I'm not confirmed to work with anybody."
The 'Uptown Funk' hitmaker insisted he isn't feeling pressure to live up to his chart-topping single in the future however, and will just go into making the collection with an open mind when he feels ready.
He explained: "There's no point in trying to top 'Uptown Funk'. It came from jamming the sort of music we love, me and Bruno (Mars). I just will try and approach the next record in the same way, make music that I love, and then the public will decide whether it's a hit or not."
Mark - who wed model and actress Joséphine de La Baume in 2011 - confessed his gruelling touring schedule has exhausted him recently, but he keeps upbeat thanks to boxing sessions.
He said: "I don't know how I look so good. All the late nights shouldn't have anything to do with it.
"I like boxing and exercising and stuff like that, but when it comes to yoga I'm useless."

Nicki Minaj arrived two and a half hours late for her set at New Look Wireless Festival on Sunday (05.07.15).
The 32-year-old rapper had been scheduled to take to the stage at the event in Finsbury Park in London at 7pm, but left fans waiting until 9.30pm for a half an hour set, which disrupted headliner David Guetta as she had missed her slot.
Explaining her tardiness at the end of her performance, she said: "My plane couldn't get off because of the weather, but I wanna tell y'all how much I f**king love y'all, I need to tell y'all how much I appreciate you guys for showing Young Money your love from day one."
The 'Anaconda' hitmaker had been travelling from Denmark where she performed at Roskilde Festival on Saturday (04.07.15) with the thousands of fans in London being told traffic issues on the M1 motorway were to blame for her late arrival.
A message shown on screens at the festival earlier in the evening read: "Special announcement: Good Evening New Look Wireless! It's just after 7:25pm and you are expecting the Nicki Minaj to be taking to the stage at this moment, but we have a little problem.
"We are told that she was due to be speeding down the M1 from Luton Airport as we speak but we have lost contact with her, we are hoping she will be here soon. We will update you as soon as we can. (sic)"
When the star eventually arrived - cutting the last 30 minutes from David Guetta's set - she wore a thong and cleavage-boosting black bra with sheer netting covering her stomach as she ripped through a selection of her hits including 'Super Bass', 'Starships', and 'Anaconda', during which she simulated sex positions with a male backing dancer.
However, other acts at the festival remained punctual, with audiences treated to sets from special guests Jaden and Willow Smith, Ciara and Jessie J, with Jourdan Dunn, Conor Maynard, Taylor Lautner and Brooklyn Beckham being among the famous faces enjoying the performances.

Kendrick Lamar stole the show at New Look Wireless day two.
The 28-year-old rapper took to the stage at the Finsbury Park festival yesterday (04.07.15) with a crowd-pleasing set featuring fan favourites 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe', 'Swimming Pools' and 'Poetic Justice'.
In his first performance since the release of his critically acclaimed album 'To Pimp A Butterfly', the 50,000 strong crowd chanted "King Kendrick" as the California-born hip hop star bounded around the stage.
Following the rapper's high energy set, Swedish DJ Avicii kept the crowd in high spirits as he hit the stage and performed his set on top of a colour-changing cube.
The 25-year-old star played a number of tracks from his 2013 album 'True', including 'Levels' and 'Wake Me Up' before rounding off his performance as fireworks and party streamers were let off from the stage.
Earlier in the day, Mary J Blige kept the revellers entertained as she belted out her hits 'Love Is All We Need', 'Real Love' and 'Family Affair' in an eye-catching red cut-out jumpsuit.
The 44-year-old singer - who also performed songs from her new album 'The London Sessions' - was followed by Gorgon City and a shirtless Childish Gambino, who kicked off his set with 'Crawl' before jumping off stage to mingle with his fans in the front row.