Music News

Suggs has started writing songs for a new Madness album.
The 53-year-old singer has revealed the band are heading into the studio this summer to start recording their 11th studio LP.
Suggs has rediscovered his passion for songwriting and has been finding lyrical inspiration from the people he meets in his life.
Speaking about the album, Suggs told BANG Showbiz: "We're about to start (working on it), I've started writing some songs actually for the first time in a couple of years, I've been doing this one man show and I'll be doing that again for two months in April and May, so I'm trying to write some songs now so I've got something to do with the band. I keep getting caught up in other things when the band are writing albums and I've just been throwing in scraps that have had hanging around for years. So I want it to be different this time.
"I've always written about characters and I've been trying to think about people in my life .. I've always written like that. Someone once said that the band made folk music and we were f***ing horrified, but then you realise the songs are about folk, you're own folk."
Suggs says fans of the ska band can expect the album to come out near the end of 2014 and Madness will definitely be touring the record in December.
Suggs revealed: "It will probably be out at the end of the year and regardless of how albums sell these days - and our albums don't sell too bad we kind of make a bit of money from our albums still - the plan is we're going to do a big tour around Christmas time. The main thing is you're doing new stuff, the people know you're doing new stuff and it keeps the whole thing alive and keeps you alive."
The musician hosted 'An Evening with Suggs' at Porchester Hall in London on Thursday night (20.03.14) to raise money for charity Pancreatic Cancer UK with a line-up that included himself, The Who singer Roger Daltrey with Wilko Johnson and Jools Holland.
Suggs - who lost his sister-in-law to the disease - was joined on stage for a rousing rendition of Prince Buster song 'Madness' by Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko and pianist Jools.
Wilko was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in January 2013 and has already lived five months longer than doctors predicted and Suggs paid tribute to him at the start of the fundraising evening.
Addressing the guests, the 'Our House' singer said: "The most remarkable thing about this evening is that Wilko Johnson is appearing on stage - I'm sure you all know the gig he played here last year was supposed to have been one of his last ... God bless him that he is still around, and we're all very pleased he is. For most people who contract pancreatic cancer they only live for about four months."

Sarah Harding played her first solo gig at London's Kensington Palace last night (20.03.14).
The former Girls Aloud singer performed two new tracks and her old band's hit 'Promises' at the charity event to celebrate Street Child's fifth birthday.
The 32-year-old star wore a stunning £40,000 full-length gown by Yuvna Kim for the acoustic set and admitted she was nervous about stepping out on her own without her old band mates - Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts.
Ahead of the show, Sarah exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I'm excited but nervous. I'm laying my soul out to bare, it's all very stripped back as well, I'm jumping in the deep end."
The blonde beauty, who has been working on her new tracks with DJ boyfriend Mark Foster, realises there will be people who are critical of her decision to go it alone but it hasn't stopped her.
She explained: "You can't please everyone, there's always going to be critics out there. Over the years you learn self-acceptance is the key. If you can enjoy what you're doing, regardless, then that will come across to everyone else.
"There will be a minority, or a majority, probably, waiting for me to fail, you do feel like you've got a lot to prove [but] I always want to prove it to myself first."
Sarah will head to Africa later this year with Street Child, which creates opportunities for children to go to school in some of the world's poorest countries.
She added: "I can't wait to go to Africa. The work that goes into helping these people and guys giving them opportunities in life. How can you not get involved in something like that?"
Donations to the charity for the next three months will be matched by the Government as part of the 'Every Child in School' campaign.
Sarah will perform a showcase gig at O2 Academy Islington on Wednesday (26.03.14) and hopes to release her album later this year.

Iggy Pop says he would rather be eaten by a shark than die in an old people's home.
The 66-year-old Stooges frontman "seriously" hates the idea of entering into "assisted living" as a pensioner and claims he would prefer to be eaten alive by a shark.
Iggy told Playboy magazine: "I have a beach house in the Cayman Islands, where there are sharks. When I go swimming I think, 'Boy, a shark attack would solve a lot of problems'.
"I seriously do not want to go into assisted living or a nursing home, so I'm hoping for a shark attack. That would be good."
Iggy's comments come after Stooge's drummer Scott Asheton was found dead on Sunday (16.03.14).
Scott - who retired from the band temporarily in 2011 after a stroke, but returned for their 2013 album 'Ready to Die' - died aged 64 due to an unspecified illness.
Scott formed The Stooges in 1967 with his older brother, guitarist Ron, who passed away in 2009, bassist Dave Alexander and Iggy, real name Jim Osterberg.
Iggy said: "Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Asheton's have always been and continue to be a second family to me."
Meanwhile, Iggy has began a new role as a host on BBC 6 Music where he is covering Jarvis Cocker's Sunday afternoon spot while the Pulp singer is on hiatus.

Kate Bush has announced her first live shows since 1979. The legendary British singer will play a 15 night residency, entitled 'Before The Dawn', at London's Hammersmith Apollo throughout August and September, with the first gig kicking off August 26...

Kylie Minogue's next tour will be more "streamlined".
The 'Into the Blue' singer is known for her show-stopping, lavish tours, but she has now decided to strip back the production on her upcoming 'Kiss Me Once' Tour and has taken inspiration from the intimate feel of her own house.
She explained: "I'm currently obsessed with this kind of 1970s, soft-focus sexiness - I mean, I'm on the verge of putting a brown-orange sofa and maybe an orange lamp in my house.
"My shows have a reputation for being over-the-top, but I really want this one to be more streamlined, with more of that vibe.
"There will probably still be glitter and feathers. I just definitely don't think bigger is necessarily."
The pint-sized star parted ways with her manager of 25 years, Terry Blamey, last year to join Jay Z's Roc Nation, and she claims it was the "perfect time" to switch management teams.
Kylie, 45, told the Metro newspaper: "I used to joke with Terry that they might as well pickle us, we'd worked together so long. So to change was a big deal but it was totally harmonious. It was the perfect time to wrap it up."

Shakira "bosses" Jay Z about.
The 'Hips Don't Lie' hitmaker, who will release her self-titled 10th studio album on Monday (24.03.14), her first record since signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation label, insists the 'Holy Grail' hitmaker does not tell her what to do.
She told The Sun newspaper: "He's not my boss. He is my manager. In fact he says that I boss him around.
"But he is a great manager. He is very chilled, which is important.
"I think male managers are very relaxed and they know how to handle very stressful situations.
"The thing with women is we give so much importance to every little detail. Everything has the same level of importance. We lose perspective, or at least I do.
"The hairdresser didn't turn up! Arrrrrgggghhh, what can I do? It's the end of the world!
"Where's men's minds don't work like that so they have to prioritise so that puts things in perspective."
Shakira, 37, thinks women can be more "hysterical" when things go wrong and they "lose it" more than men.
She explained: "But Jay Z, in particular, keeps his cool, which is great for me because with a female artist's career there is always some chaos."
'Shakira' is her first English-language album since 'She Wolf' was released in 2009 and her first as a working mum, after giving birth to 14-month-old Milan, her son with FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique.
She added: "It's exciting to be back. A bit scary and exciting at the same time and I honestly don't know how I do it. Only we women can multitask in the way we do. Men would never be able to juggle in the same way."

Liam Payne has offered to write tracks for Neon Jungle.
The One Direction hunk is keen to pen songs for other acts and told the British four-piece last month that he'd like to work with them in the future because he likes their style.
The group's singer and rapper Amira McCarthy told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "We met Liam at the Brits afterparty.
"He told us he wanted to write for us and likes our sound, which was amazing.
"We couldn't believe it, so that's definitely something for the future."
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old singer and his bandmate Louis Tomlinson teamed up with Good Charlotte's Joel and Benji Madden in the United States earlier this month to work on material, which is expected to feature on One Direction's upcoming fourth album.
Although Liam and Louis' bandmates - Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik - weren't involved in the collaboration, Harry, 20, has also been working on some new music with Irish rock band Kodaline.
Niall has also been spending some time with McFly - consisting of Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd - recently and was busy writing a song with them earlier this week.
However, this isn't the first time Niall, 20, has teamed up with McFly as they also collaborated last year for several tracks, which featured on One Direction's 'Midnight Memories' album.

Mark Ronson was "starstruck" when he first met Jay Z.
The 38-year-old DJ, who first spoke with the 'Holy Grail' hitmaker properly at an album launch, was stunned when the rapper asked to feature on one of his tracks after he discovered him DJing in New York clubs.
Mark told Breaks magazine: "I started to get quite a lot of work and then in the late 90s, like 97, 98, that's when Puffy and Jay Z and Biggie and Big Pun are coming down to the clubs that I was DJing at.
"I was [later] DJing for Jay Z at the 'The Dynasty: Roc La Familia' album launch in 2001 and I was playing it and he came right up to me and said 'is this your song, is this the girl you produced?', and he'd only talked to me maybe once in my life up to then so even with that I was still pretty star-struck."
Mark was shocked when Jay Z said to him: "Promise me you'll let me by the dude that rhymes over the remix", even though the track was never made.
He continued: "Needless to say Jay Z never returned the phone calls at the time to do it but it was still a big deal after eight years of DJing these clubs for these people to have a record that they knew and liked.
"And thats how I got my record deal with Elektra, the guy who signed me loved that Nikka Costa record and he signed me and let me make my own album."
For the full interview with Mark, visit breaksmag.com/issue-6/interview-mark-ronson.

Jack Savoretti was given career advice by Sir Paul McCartney.
The 30-year-old singer, who appeared alongside Johnny Depp and Kate Moss in Paul's recent video for his track 'Queenie Eye', was given some tips from The Beatles legend and has kept in touch with him.
Jack told BANG Showbiz: "I was very lucky to be able to hang out with Paul McCartney for two hours and he's just an absolute legend.
"I was surprised by his enthusiasm to talk about the stuff he's probably been asked [about] a thousand times. It's was as if I was the first person ever to ask him, 'What was it like to be a Beatle?'
"He asked me how things are going and he said, 'Don't worry about things too much, just make sure you come up with good songs'.
"He played me Lady Madonna on the piano and none of my friends believed me. It was a great experience and he has kept in touch since. He sent me a card on my birthday and a Christmas card. I wasn't expecting that.
Jack, who will release her new EP 'Sweet Hurt' on March 24 on Lanza Records, also previously recorded a duet with pal Sienna Miller called 'Love and Hate', which featured on The Vampire Diaries.
He said: "She's an incredible singer. I saw her at the Groucho Club [in London] one night stand up on a table and sing Nancy Sinatra acapella. I remember being completely shocked like, 'I didn't know you could do that'.
"She was going through something, I was going through something [at the time] and I wanted to write a song about the fine line between hate and love."
Jack, who has released three albums, is also about to step out on a headline tour of the UK, after supporting the likes of Jake Bugg and Bruce Springsteen.
He added: "I think the crowds in the UK are actually the most knowledgeable about music, you have to pick up your game. You have to give them something they haven't heard before or haven't seen."