Music News

Nile Rodgers sleeps with his guitar.
The 62-year-old producer and guitarist revealed he still has to practise every day to be on top form, and enjoys playing the instrument in bed which means he ends up snoozing next to it.
He admitted: "It's funny, he said he tried sleeping with it, I still sleep with my guitar. I do most of my practising in bed in night before I go to sleep."
The star - who kicks off his tour of the UK at London's Roundhouse this evening (20.03.15) - made the comments after fellow guest on BBC Radio 2, iconic guitarist Mark Knopfler spoke about how he had attempted to kip with his guitar as a youngster.
He said: "I think when I got my first guitar I tried to sleep with it on the very first [night] but it doesn't work. Electric guitars get very uncomfortable."
However, the Chic musician - who premiered the group's first single in 23 years, 'I'll Be There' on BBC Radio 2 this morning - insisted if he didn't practise every day, his live show would suffer.
He told radio host Chris Evans: "I have to. I always say that if I don't go one day without practise, I know it. If I go two days without practising, you know it."

Queens Of The Stone Age are currently "taking a break" but have not split, bassist Michael Shuman has revealed.
The musician insists the rock band - fronted by Josh Homme - are taking a much needed rest after two years on the road but has assured fans they are planning to reunite for a new album.
In an interview with Gigwise, Shuman said: "There will be future stuff with Queens, we're just taking a break since we had a long, long two years of touring. We'll take a break to do other stuff."
After completing their tour, the band did intend to head straight into the studio to record the follow-up to their 2013 album '...Like Clockwork'.
But after discussions between the five members - Homme, Shuman, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore - they made a collective decision to take some time for themselves.
Shuman added: "We were eager because we were in a good spot, having fun and the record had done really well. But we decided to take a break because we had been going so hard for so long, and we really worked on that record for a long time. It's not like we're sick of each other and don't want to do it - it's just better to step back for a second and come back once the world has had a little bit of a break from you."
Shuman is spending his time away from Queens of the Stone Age concentrating on his Mini Mansions side project.
The group - compromised of Shuman, Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford - release their second album, 'The Great Pretenders', on March 23, and the LP features Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson.

5ive's Sean Conlon found fame "overwhelming" as a teenager.
The 33-year-old singer revealed he found life in the band difficult when they first launched because everything in his life suddenly changed.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I think we were too young to process the success. It was overwhelming. You're dealing with a lot of life-changing experiences and because you're so young, you're dealing with that stuff. People telling you that you've changed. All the things that, when you're 17, you can't really comprehend ... moving away from home, things like that. You know, when you're 17, it's a lot to take in."
The band - which also featured Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, J Brown and Abz Love - enjoyed huge success with their hit singles such as 'If Ya Gettin' Down', 'We Will Rock You' and 'Keep On Movin', and while he admitted it was tough when the band were first around, he is enjoying it a lot more, having reformed with bandmates Scott and Ritchie several years after they split.
He explained: "Where we've been away from it, we've had a lot of time to process it and have a bit of normality, and then you come back and you have a bit more clarity and more perspective on it."
The star - who will head out on a UK tour in April - now insists he is enjoying being in the band because he is such good friends with his fellow musicians.
He added: "I think we're more understanding of each other's different personalities. We're more mature about it, and I think we're having more fun now than we ever did. We were so overwhelmed when we were young that it was just too much to take in, whereas now we're doing it because we actually really, really enjoy it."
Five kick off their 'Loud and Intimate Tour' next month. Visit www.kililive.com for tickets.

Example and Gorgon City are among acts confirmed for We Are Rockstars in Ibiza.
The series of shows will return to the Ibiza Rocks Hotel for a fourth year, boasting a line-up of some of the most exciting UK talent including the 'Kickstarts' hitmaker.
Other acts confirmed for the string of shows - which will happen at the iconic hotel every Friday from June 5 to September 18 - include grime star Skepta, drum and bass duo Sigma, BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ MistaJam, rising star Sinead Harnett and popular DJ Hannah Wants.
Gorgon City's return to the event will also be a live exclusive for the island following their appearance at the festival in 2014, once again taking to the world famous open-air Rocks stage.
The acclaimed DJ David Rodigan will also make his debut appearance in Ibiza to present 'Ram Jam' with support from SHY FX, Toddla T and Ms Dynamite, which the 63-year-old star admitted he is thrilled to be heading to the Balearic island for.
He said: "Very excited to be bringing Ram Jam to the Island for the very first time with my good pals Shy FX & Toddla T in tow! Sunshine and reggae, the killer combination!"

Iggy Azalea hopes to release her new "up-tempo" album later this year.
The 'Fancy' hitmaker has revealed she is hard at work on the follow-up to 2014's 'The New Classic' and is hoping to get it finished in the next few months after having to reschedule her spring tour until September due to "production delays."
She explained: "I didn't anticipate having any time to completely finish it, but now that I have kind of the time, I'd love to have an album at the end of 2015."
The 24-year-old singer - who recently worked with Britney Spears on the as-yet unreleased single 'Pretty Girls' - also spoke about the themes which will influence her next release, saying it will be a lot more "fun" and "girly" than her debut release, because that was all about the struggle of breaking into the music industry, which she has now done.
She elaborated: "My first album got pushed back so many times and it was really, probably like two years of recording on and off, not the entire time, but it was a real struggle and I think that was something that really like reflected in my album a lot -- I talk about trying to make it, trying to breakthrough.
"So my second album, now I don't have this problem. So I hope it's a little bit more up-tempo and just really fun. I just want to have something so summer and so girly, so loud and obnoxious and braggadocios."

Pharrell Williams believes the result of the 'Blurred Lines' trial "handicaps" creative people.
The song's co-creator, along with singer Robin Thicke, were ordered to pay $7.3 million (£4.9 million) to Marvin Gaye's estate for similarities based on inspiration, which is something the 41-year-old star says means artists have lost their "freedom to be inspired".
Speaking for the first time since the verdict was revealed, he said: "The verdict handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else.
"This applies to fashion, music, design ... anything. If we lose our freedom to be inspired, we're going to look up one day and the entertainment industry as we know it will be frozen in litigation. This is about protecting the intellectual rights of people who have ideas."
"Everything that's around you in a room was inspired by something or someone.
"If you kill that, there's no creativity."
Despite the ruling - which claimed there were distinct similarities between the track and Marvin's 1977 hit 'Got to Give It Up' - the 'Happy' hitmaker has insisted neither himself or Robin did anything wrong.
He continued: "There was no infringement.
"You can't own feelings and you can't own emotions . . .[in music] there are only the notations and the progression ... Those were different."
However, the musician - who is married to model Helen Lasichanh - revealed they have not yet decided whether to appeal against the verdict.
He told The Financial Times newspaper: "We're working out our next steps right now."

Jake Bugg will compete in the inaugural Football Rocks Trophy.
The 21-year-old singer is among the many big-name acts who will compete at the event, which will raise money for charitable causes, at Notts County's Meadow Lane on May 16.
Looking forward to the day, Jake shared: "I love football and the lads and I have a game wherever we can when on tour. Growing up watching Notts County play at Meadow Lane with my Grandad I can't wait to play there with my mates in front of a good crowd and raise some money for such great causes.
"The team are organising a really great day and the atmosphere will be brilliant for all ages with plenty of surprise visits during the day, everyone's being so generous with their time."
As well as Jake - whose self-titled debut album reached number one in the UK album charts in 2012 - the much-anticipated day will feature the likes of The Enemy and Reverend and The Makers.
The 10-team competition will raise money for Jake's Robin Hoody Foundation, which aims to provide musical instruments to schools who are struggling financially, and the British Heart Foundation.
The day begins at 11am with gates opening at 10.30am and will culminate in the final match at 5pm. Tickets are only £10 plus booking fee for adults with children (under 7s purchased with an adult ticket only £1).
Tickets go on sale 9am Monday 16th February at www.nottscountydirect.co.uk or www.gigantic.com

Zayn Malik has reportedly left One Direction's 'On the Road Again World Tour' due to "stress".
The 22-year-old singer pulled out of a commercial recording in Hong Kong today (19.03.15) and has flown back to the UK due to the stress of media speculation on his private life.
A spokesman for the band told The Sun newspaper: "Zayn has signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta."
His departure comes just hours after the 'Steal My Girl' hitmaker was forced to assure fans he had not cheated on his fiancé Perrie Edwards of Little Mix, having been spotted getting close with another woman while on a night out in Phuket, Thailand.
Taking to his Twitter account on Wednesday evening (18.03.15) he said: "I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous fucks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x (sic)."
Zayn - who was to pay a £3,000 bond in order to enter the Philippines this weekend following his previous rumoured drug use - will now be absent from the band's next three performances in Asia, but is expected to rejoin Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan for their show in Cape Town, South Africa, on March 28.
Speaking about the reasons for his temporary departure from the tour, a source said: "Zayn finds it tougher than the rest of his band-mates dealing with fame.
"Having his every movement scrutinised causes great anxiety and the pictures which surfaced with the fan yesterday was the final straw.
"He did nothing wrong but the amount of criticism he received was simply too much. He needs to get away.
"The band's management accept he needs some time off so he's been sent home with their blessing."

Ed Sheeran is taking inspiration from Bruce Springsteen for his next album.
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter is currently working on his third studio LP following the success of 2014's 'x' - which has sold more than 2 million copies in the UK - and is being influenced by the iconic 65-year-old star's 1982 record 'Nebraska'.
He revealed: "One of my main inspirations for the next album is listening to 'Nebraska' by Bruce Springsteen, which has incredible songs simply played."
The 'Bloodstream' hitmaker explained he would like his next release to have a more intimate, acoustic feel than his last album, following in the footsteps of the 'Born in the U.S.A.' singer.
He said: "He made 'Born To Run' and could've followed it with another stadium record but he made an acoustic album.
"Most songs can be turned into stadium songs, 'Atlantic City' can be played in massive venues, so that's what I want to focus on, great songs."
But despite his global success as a musician, Ed doesn't see himself in the same category as other superstars, because of his different behaviour.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "I am placed in it [that category] at award shows but I don't get mentioned in the same sentence as stars when it comes to music. My sales can match most of those people's, but I'm not mentioned in the same breath.
"It's about the way you portray yourself."