Music News

Britney Spears insists recording an album is not a "full priority".
The 'Toxic' singer - who has sons Sean, nine, and Jayden, eight, from her marriage to Kevin Federline - has been working on the follow-up to 2013's 'Britney Jean' since September but admits it is a slow process because her children's needs come first.
She said: "I'm gonna do [a new album] slowly but surely.
"There's a lot going on with my kids and schools and, you know, adding new sports and stuff like that. I'm gonna try to do my best to do an amazing album, but it's not my full priority right now.
"Kids can drive you crazy."
Instead, Britney - who is in negotiations about extending her Las Vegas residency to 2017 - will focus on releasing singles as her manager Larry Rudolph doesn't believe albums are particularly important any more.
He told Billboard magazine: "Right now we're just concentrating on putting out a few great singles as they come.
"We're not really talking seriously about a new album yet. Albums just aren't as important in the digital age as they used to be. Britney will get to one eventually, but not right now."

Blur have announced a one-off live performance of their new album 'The Magic Whip'.
The 'Parklife' hitmakers - made up of vocalist Damon Albarn, guitarist and vocalist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree - will take to the stage for the first time to perform the tracks from their new record ahead of its release on Parlophone on 27th April.
The show will be free and take place at a small venue in West London on Friday 20th March.
The rock band first started working on the album - their first offering in 16 years - while they toured in Asia last year, but the group didn't decide for some time that it would become their eighth studio album.
Damon, 46, said: "We had some downtime, we had a cancellation when we were in Hong Kong, so we thought we'd put five or six days to good use.
"We just went in there and knocked about loads of ideas.
"Nothing happened after that. And I said, 'I really don't think anything's going to happen.'"
Graham, 45, added: "It was casual and just something we did off our own backs and I thought it would be great to let it ferment and go back and have a look."
The news followed the release of the album's cover online. The sleeve shows a neon ice cream cone between Chinese lettering which reads 'Blur' and 'The Magic Whip'.
Damon said of the artwork: "It's in simplified Chinese characters. On the left it says Blur and on the right it says 'The Magic Whip'."
He added that the rockers are looking forward to playing tracks from the new album, which will be out April, when they headline Hyde Park's British Summertime in London later this year.
The London-born singer said: "On this occasion we will have a whole new set of things to get excited about so we'll have even more music.
"I love it [playing in Hyde Park] because I can cycle to work!"

Visage's Steve Strange was laid to rest today (12.03.15).
Stars packed All Saints Church in Porthcawl, South Wales to pay tribute to the late musician, who tragically passed away whilst on holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt after suffering a heart attack last month.
Martin and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and Boy George carried the coffin, which was colourfully decorated with music notes, photographs and prints of the band's logo.
The coffin entered into the packed church to the sound of a marching jazz band before one of the band's biggest hits, 'Fade to Grey', was played.
Family, friends and fans listened as Boy George paid tribute to the "futuristic fashionista", "seminal pop star" and "wildcard". His speech was met by applause from those within the church and the crowds congregating outside.
Spandau Ballet's saxophone player Steve Norman recalled how the late pop star supported him and Martin Kemp during the 1970s.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reports that in the eulogy, he said: "We did not have any money back then, and Steve would always pay for our drinks and whatever we wanted. He was a generous and caring human being with a massive heart.
"A lot of great stuff has been said about Steve since his passing - about how he shaped the 1980s - and it is very much deserved. I just wish a few more people had told that to him when he was around... He was a sensitive soul who needed that affirmation from people."

Olly Murs is releasing a new book about life on the road.
The 30-year-old singer has announced he is compiling a new tome which will document his upcoming 2015 'Never Been Better Tour'.
The book will contain backstage photos and details of what Olly does to prepare for his concerts.
In a post on his Twitter account, the 'Wrapped Up' hitmaker revealed: "Excited to announce I'm doing a 2nd book! It'll be a fly on the wall BTS of my tour!! Out in Oct!! #OllyOnTheRoad (sic)"
Olly also posted a link to an Amazon page where fans can pre-order the book, entitled 'On The Road', which is out on October 8. The first 4,000 bought will be personally signed by the former 'X Factor' star.
A synopsis for the book on the shopping site read: "Go backstage with Olly Murs. This official, illustrated autobiography is filled with hundreds of exclusive pictures and tales from life on the road.
"This book will show a side to Olly that we have not seen before and provides an in-depth and intimate portrait of one of the UK's biggest stars. With exclusive access, we learn how Olly copes with being on tour, the preparation, how he deals with the pressure to perform, what it is like being away from his family and friends, how he manages his nerves and lots more.
"A must for all of Olly's fans, 'On The Road' is fly-on-the-wall look at his time on the road, and taking you closer to Olly than ever before."
Olly kicks off his tour on March 31 at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England, and it wraps up on August 23 at Weston Park in Weston-under-Lizard in Staffordshire, England.

Madonna wanted Mike Tyson on her new album because he's a "remarkable human being".
The pop superstar was determined to have the former world heavyweight champion boxer on the track 'Iconic' - taken from her 13th studio LP 'Rebel Heart' - despite facing criticism because of his troubled past, which includes a conviction for rape.
Madonna, 56, has revealed wanted to work with 'Iron' Mike because epitomises what it means to turn your life around.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun newspaper, she said: "He's gone through a lot. I think his evolution is quite interesting. I knew him when he was married to Robin Givens.
"I've seen all the trials and tribulations he's been through. He's a changed man. He's been through a lot. He's suffered a lot.
"He's made other people suffer. But I think he's a truly remarkable human being. I think he's a role model. He's the perfect example of how you can come from a very bleak upbringing, with no education, make mistakes and turn your life around."
The thing that convinced Madonna to work with Mike was the one man show, 'Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth', he developed with Spike Lee in which he bared his soul.
She explained: "I saw his one-man show that Spike Lee directed for HBO. I was really impressed with his honesty, his wit and charm. He seemed to be very remorseful. I thought, 'That's a man.' "
Mike, 48, recently recalled a double date he went on with his ex-wife Robin and Madonna her first husband Sean Penn in the 1980s that resulted in the two men falling asleep.
The revered ex-pugilist said: "We saw Pee Wee Herman's 'Big Top' ... We were with both of our significant others at the time, of course. It was in the 80s. She was married to Sean, I was married as well. Me and Sean fell asleep in the movie."

Madonna rehearsed her BRIT Awards performance "20,000 times".
The 56-year-old singer was closing the ceremony at London's O2 Arena last month when a cape she was wearing caused her to suffer a tumble on stage, and she has now revealed she "beat up" on herself for a week after the performance because of the mishap.
She explained: "I rehearse everything to death. I never do anything live that I haven't rehearsed.
"I tied it [the cape] with a silk string, we rehearsed in 20,000 times ... I pulled the string that time and it didn't come undone, it turned into a knot."
"No one beats up on me more than me, I have a lot of pride in doing shows well and not messing up and I did and that's really what I did, beat up on myself. That lasted pretty much the week."
And although the 'Living For Love' hitmaker has led an illustrious, 13-album career, she confessed she still gets anxious before shows, especially if her friends and family are in the audience.
She said: "If someone I know is in the audience I would get a little nervous."
One such nerve-wracking experience was the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012, when she performed a medley of her tracks in front of a reported 114 million viewers worldwide.
Speaking about the experience, she told SiriusXM DJ Howard Stern: "Oh my god, I was so nervous. S****ing myself."
Talking about how she felt after the performance, she added: "I was so relieved ... that I went to my locker room, lay down on the floor and cried."

Muse have announced their new album 'Drones'.
The LP - which will be their seventh - will be released in the UK on June 8, with frontman Matt Bellamy suggesting the record, which has been produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, will follow the idea of human indoctrination.
In a statement posted on the band's website, he wrote: "To me, 'Drones' are metaphorical psychopaths which enable psychopathic behaviour with no recourse. The world is run by Drones utilizing Drones to turn us all into Drones. This album explores the journey of a human, from their abandonment and loss of hope, to their indoctrination by the system to be a human drone, to their eventual defection from their oppressors."
The first track to be heard from the 12-track album, 'Psycho', will premiere today (12.03.15), while the official single will be 'Dead Inside' which they have teased will debut on the week commencing March 23.
As well as the album, the trio have announced a last minute 'Psycho UK Tour' beginning on Sunday (15.03.15) in Belfast and ending in Brighton on March 23.
The band - which also features Chris Wolstenholme and Dom Howard - released their last album 'The 2nd Law' in 2012, featuring the singles 'Madness' and 'Survival'.

The tracklist for 'Drones':
1. 'Dead Inside'
2. '[Drill Sergeant]'
3. 'Psycho'
4. 'Mercy'
5. 'Reapers'
6. 'The Handler'
7. '[JFK]'
8. 'Defector'
9. 'Revolt'
10. 'Aftermath'
11. 'The Globalist'
12. 'Drones'

Muse's 'Psycho UK Tour' dates:
15 March - Ulster Hall, Belfast
16 March - Barrowland, Glasgow
19 March - Newport Centre, Newport
20 March - The Great Hall, Exeter
22 March - Manchester Academy, Manchester
23 March - Brighton Dome, Brighton

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams intend to appeal the 'Blurred Lines' court ruling.
The pair were sued by the family of the late singer Marvin Gaye on Tuesday (10.03.15) and ordered to pay $7.3 million (£4.8 million) in copyright infringement due to similarities to the Motown star's track 'Got To Give It Up', but their lawyer, Howard King, has insisted they "owe it to songwriters" to fight the verdict.
He told Fox Business: "We owe it to songwriters around the world to make sure this verdict doesn't stand.
"My clients know that they wrote the song 'Blurred Lines' from their hearts and souls and no other source.
"We are going to exercise every post trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand. We look at it as being in the seventh inning of a game that could go into extra innings."
As well as claiming the sum of money from Robin and Pharrell, Marvin's family are calling for sales of the track - which is one of the best-selling songs of all time - to be halted while they come to an agreement about how future profits should be split.
While the pair flatly refuse any wrong-doing, Robin spoke about their inspiration with DJ Trevor Nelson in 2013, admitting they went into the studio with the intention of making something similar to the 1977 hit.
Speaking on BBC Radio 1Xtra, he said: "I went into the studio and I told Pharrell, I'd love to do something like Marvin Gaye's 'Got To Give It Up', and Marvin Gaye's song is in the minor key, and so he started doing the drums and then we changed it to a major key, which makes it more like a country song. It was totally inspired [by the song]."

The Shires think Taylor Swift made country music "cool".
The British country duo - which is made up of Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle - believe they have the 'Blank Space' hitmaker to thank for bringing the music genre into the forefront.
They said: "Taylor Swift is really the artist over the last few years who has put the ball up for anyone to hit in terms of making country cool. I mean she has just made it so cool. She's an absolute star...
"So hats off to her, she's the one who should be held up there, because she's incredible. The new stuff as well. I know a lot of the purist country fans have gone, 'Oh, she's gone pop,' but it's great. I think it still has that country sensibility."
The duo - who recently made UK chart history by becoming the first British country band to reach the top 10 in the Official UK Album Chart with their debut LP 'Brave' - have admitted they are not quite sure whether they will follow in the footsteps of the 25-year-old star and change their sound as their career progresses.
Speaking to the Official Charts, they added: "I don't know what the future holds in terms of where we will go with our sound, but I think we'll always be country at our core because that's what we love about music.
"We always focus on the song and that honesty and whatever comes out, comes out. If our tastes start to change and we start listening to other stuff, then maybe."