Music News

Jake Bugg performed his biggest headline show to date in London on Tuesday (21.10.14). The 'Lightning Bolt' hitmaker didn't need to rely on dazzling visuals, witty banter or an array of backing performers for his show at Alexandra Palace, instead keep...

Sam Smith wants to collaborate with Adele.
The 22-year-old singer/songwriter has admitted he'd love to team up with the 'Someone Like You' songstress, but Adele has yet to get in contact with him about a possible collaboration.
Talking to BANG Showbiz at the MOBO Awards at London's SSE Wembley Arena on Wednesday night (22.10.14), Sam said: "Of course I'd like to work with Adele! I think everyone would. She hasn't [asked]. I've met her though, she's lovely."
The 'Money on My Mind' hitmaker also revealed that he had been chatting to Rihanna recently but appeared to squash any talk of a musical collaboration.
He said: "I met Rihanna, I got to know her a little bit. She's an incredible woman. My collaborations always happen organically that's what I'm trying to do with everything. I don't like things to be forced together."
Sam - who took home an incredible four prizes from the MOBOs including the Best Album award for 'In the Lonely Hour' - explained that he is relying on his mother to stay grounded.
He said: "I'm still getting used to everything. I think when I think about it too much my head will just get gigantic so I need to not think about it and just let my mum carry on parenting me."

Katy B says the most unusual gift she has ever been given by a fan is a Hello Kitty doll dressed as Kiss star Gene Simmons.
The 25-year-old singer's "number one" fan is obsessed with her music and the rock band and as a gift he gave her the plush cat toy dressed in black leather and with white and black face paint just like the long-tongued bassist.
Speaking at the Argos Live event at the retailer's new digital store on Old Street in London, she told BANG Showbiz: "I have this fan who travels everywhere I go on tour and he is a massive Kiss fan as well, so it's Katy B and Kiss which is really random, but the other day he bought me a Hello Kitty dressed up as one of the members of Kiss, I think it was Gene Simmons as Hello Kitty which was pretty cool really."
Although she gets odd gifts from fans, the pop star insists she doesn't have any weird rider requests when she is on tour.
Katy - who is currently on the road in the UK - revealed: "My tour manager also manages Aloe Blacc and she said she requests on his rider specifically for herself - a fridge magnet for ever place she goes to and I was really jealous of that. I might have a fridge magnet making an appearance soon of east London or something."
Katy performed a short set to mark the opening of the store comprised of her hits 'Perfect Stranger', 'Katy On A Mission', 'Louder' and 'Lights On'.
During 'Perfect Stranger' she singled out one lucky guy in the crowd to sing specific lyrics to.

Alvin Stardust has died.
The 'My Coo Ca Choo' hitmaker - whose real name was Bernard William Jewry and who previously performed as Shane Fenton - has passed away at home at the age of 72 following a short illness, his manager has announced.
He had recently been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.
The sad news comes just a few weeks after the 'Jealous Mind' singer - who had 11 UK top 40 singles and appeared in a string of stage productions, including 'Godspell', 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and 'David Copperfield' - announced plans for a new album, 'Alvin'.
He said on his official website last month: "I am extremely delighted to announce that my new album is now finished and will be released at the beginning of November by Conehead Records.
"
Alvin' is a new and exciting departure for me and I'm immensely proud of the finished product and the amazing work of Richard Scott and Scott Ralph of Daftdog Productions in recording and producing it."
Alvin had three children from his two previous marriages to Iris Caldwell and Liza Goddard, sons Shaun and Adam - better known as producer and DJ Adam F - and daughter Sophie, and another daughter, Millie, 13, with third wife Julie Paton.

Sam Smith was the big winner at last night's (22.10.14) MOBO Awards, taking home four prizes.
The 22-year-old singer took picked up the trophies for Best Male Artist, Best R'n'B Artist, Best Song for 'Stay With Me' and Best Album for 'In the Lonely Hour' at the ceremony at London's SSE Wembley Arena.
Despite his success, Sam - who had earlier picked up Best New Act at the Q Awards - admitted he is still getting his head around fame.
He told BANG Showbiz: "I'm still getting used to everything. I think when I think about it too much my head will just get gigantic so I need to not think about it and just let my mum carry on parenting me."
Duo Krept & Konan - who have so far only released mix tapes independently but recently signed a record deal - beat the likes of Tinie Tempah to pick up Best Hip-Hop act and were delighted to take home the prize.
Konan said: "I feel great! The category had a lot of people that I respect... to be honest it's a great feeling. I feel like South London's got a negative stereotype but we're turning that into a positive, representing South London, that no matter what you do, anything's possible."
Other winners at the event included Jessie J - who opened the show with a performance of 'Bang Bang' - Ella Eyre, and Beyonce, while performances came from Professor Green and Tori Kelly, Krept and Konan and Candi Staton, who joined forces with rapper Little Simz for a rendition of her classic 1986 hit 'You've Got The Love'.
Mel B and Sarah-Jane Crawford hosted the ceremony, which returned to London for the first time in five years.
The winners were compiled 50% by the public and 50% by Mobo's Panel Of Specialists, except for Best Grime and Best Album, which was voted for by the public on Twitter.


MOBO 2014 list of winners:
MOBO Best African: Fuse ODG
MOBO Best Reggae: Stylo G
MOBO Best HipHop: Krept and Konan
MOBO Best RnB/Soul: Sam Smith
MOBO Best Gospel: Living Faith Connection Choir
MOBO Best Jazz: Zara McFarlane
MOBO Best Grime Act in association with Radio 1Xtra - Stormzy
MOBO Best Newcomer in association with HTC: Ella Eyre
MOBO Best Male: Sam Smith
MOBO Best Female: Jessie J
MOBO Best Intl: Beyoncé
MOBO Best Video: Skepta
MOBO Best Song: Sam Smith
MOBO Best Album: Sam Smith
MOBO Inspiration Award: Idris Elba

Nick Mason says Pink Floyd will not play live again because David Gilmour doesn't want to hit the road.
The two musicians reunited this year to make new album 'The Endless River', which features multiple parts recorded by late keyboard player Rick Wright - who passed away in 2008 aged 65.
However, fans hoping for a tour by the legendary band will be left disappointed as guitarist-and-vocalist Gilmour doesn't want to play the record live.
When asked if the group could tour again at the Q Awards on Wednesday (22.10.14), Mason told BANG Showbiz: "I would do it but Dave doesn't want to. So no there are no plans for any shows."
Speaking after he collected the Classic Album prize for Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon', he added: "It would be fun to play live, but it doesn't actually lend itself to a proper tour. It's something that you could play in UFO Club in 1967, it certainly isn't a stadium sort of event, and without Rick it's probably impossible. It's impossible to play, because the nature of it is that a lot of it is designed there and then - if one played it again, you wouldn't want to repeat what was one the record. It's not something where you learn it and play it."
Mason also revealed he and Gilmour never considered asking former bandmate Roger Waters to play on the album because the music was originally recorded when they were making 1994 LP 'The Division Bell' which Waters didn't play on.
The 70-year-old drummer said: "No it was never a consideration to get Roger on the record. All this music was stuff we did 20 years ago for 'Division Bell' which didn't have Roger on it wouldn't make sense to ask him."
'The Endless River' is the most pre-ordered album of 2014 on Amazon.co.uk, overtaking Coldplay's 'Ghost Stories' and it could even overtake One Direction's 2013 hit 'Midnight Memories' as the most pre-ordered album of all time on the website.

Tyga is trying to distance himself from his record label after admitting he "doesn't get along" with Drake or Nicki Minaj.
The 24-year-old rapper is signed to Lil' Wayne's Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records (YMCMB) label but insists he feels like he has been "forcing relationships" with the pair when he actually doesn't like Drake "as a person" because he thinks he is "fake".
He said: "Yeah, I'm tryna' go independent. I don't really get along with Drake. I don't really get along with Nicki Minaj.
"I don't like Drake as a person. He's just fake to me. I like his music; you know what I'm saying? I think his music is good, but we're all different people. We were forced together and it was kinda' like we were forcing relationships together. It is what it is.
"But I been friends with Chris Brown for like six years. That's my real genuine friend. We hang out all the time. He lives up the street from me, so we don't just do music we hang."
The star - who has been romantically linked to Kylie Jenner recently - is keen to go it alone due to his dislike of Drake and Nicki and insists he only signed to Young Money because he wanted to work with Wayne.
In an interview with Vibe magazine, he added: "I think being signed to Young Money, everybody felt like they had to force a relationship 'cause Wayne put us together.
"At the end of the day the reason why I signed to Young Money is because of Wayne. Not because of Drake, not because of Nicki.
"It was because of Wayne and my relationship with him. I try to be cool with everybody, but sometimes, everybody just has different personalities, motives, and different characters.
"When you realise that, you realise that's not a place where you want to continue to grow."

No Doubt are recording new music.
Frontwoman Gwen Stefani confirmed during a twitter Q&A on Monday (21.10.14) that the band have recently teamed up once again to work on new tracks.
Responding to one fan who asked whether the 'Don't Speak' hitmakers had plans to follow up their sixth studio album 'Push and Shove' from 2012, she wrote: "We're actually working on new music now.... (sic)"
The 45-year-old singer also spoke to users of the popular social networking site about her new music, following the unveiling of her new single 'Baby Don't Lie', explaining that she hopes to release her first solo album in eight years before the end of the year.
When asked when the record would be released, she said: "Hopefully if all goes well, sometime in Dec. (sic)"
The 'Hollaback Girl' singer - who is currently a coach on NBC's 'The Voice' - went on to talk about what fans can expect of the anticipated record, hinting that she will be teaming up with lots of other artists for her new music.
She told one fan that "the entire album is a collaboration," also revealing that she would like to collaborate with 'Swimming Pools' rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr thinks the Q Awards missed the hellraising behaviour of Liam Gallagher.
The singer - who was previously married to Patsy Kensit, who was also Liam's wife at one stage - was thrilled to be at the ceremony at the Grosvenor House hotel in central London today (22.10.14), but admitted it would have been livened up by Liam's rock 'n' roll behaviour.
When asked why there are fewer misbehaving rock stars now, the 55-year-old star told BANG Showbiz: "We're missing Liam. We need him. These things go in cycles - this time next year they'll be someone coming over the horizon to turn up and do something."
In 2000, Robbie Williams walked out of the Q Awards after a slanging match with Liam.
When urged to kick-start the bad behaviour at this year's ceremony, Jim laughed: "Are you reverting to typecast because we're from Glasgow? Look we certainly know how to get a party started. When you're younger you certainly do, we were barely out of school when we got a record deal. We were very much like kids in a candy store."
Jim hopes the singer brings out more music soon, whether with his band Beady Eye or through a new endeavour, because he is a big fan of the rocker.
He said: "I've no idea what Liam should do next but I'm a fan, I think he's a great frontman and I'm always curious as to what he is doing. You don't get to be that popular without having something."
Jim and his Simple Minds bandmates were honoured with the Q Inspiration Award, presented to them by Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield.
The singer was proud to receive the accolade and revealed the band have never lost their hunger for music during their near 40-year career.
He said: "Its cause were still into it, we've never woke up and felt, 'There's nothing else to do.'
"We still want to be a better live band, we still want to write better songs. I suppose it's obvious you've got to get on and you've to get through the good times and the bad."