Music News

Culture Club have had to call off their first tour in 12 years after singer Boy George was diagnosed with a vocal polyp.
The 'Karma Chameleon' hitmakers were left with no choice but to halt their UK and US run of shows so the 53-year-old frontman can be treated for the growth, which was diagnosed by a specialist in Los Angeles and may require surgery.
In a Facebook post on his personal page, George wrote: "Due to serious issues with my throat I have been forced to cancel both the US and British tour with Culture Club.
"I have a polyp on one of my vocal cords which has haemorrhaged and one of my vocal cords is unusually enlarged and won't close properly when I sing. In true British fashion I have ignored it thinking the problem might just be tiredness ... I have been advised by doctors that to continue singing with this polyp would further damage my voice and would further damage my voice and could cause irreparable damage. It's a risk I just cannot take."
George admits his decision has left him "devastated" but he has promised fans that Culture Club will be back on the road once his throat is better.
He added: "I feel gutted to be letting people down. Such support makes my decision so much harder, to say I am devastated barely touches how I feel. I know that those of you who love and support me will understand that this is a decision I just had to make. I will definitely get better and will see you all soon back on tour. Thank you for the love it means everything."
Culture Club's 21-date tour of Britain and America - kicking off at the Rancho Mirage, in California - would have been the first shows featuring the band's full original line-up since 1986.
Organisers are planning to reschedule the concerts but fans can get a full refund from point of purchase if they wish.
The band will release their first album, 'Tribes', since 1999 in early 2015. They recorded the LP with producer Youth, who has previously worked with Sir Paul McCartney, The Verve and Embrace.
Culture Club - George, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay and Jon Moss - sold in excess of 100 million singles and over 50 million albums in the 1980s and were one of the biggest pop bands of the 80s.

Lykke Li covered Drake at her sold out London show on Thursday (13.11.14).
The 28-year-old singer performed a mystical set at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, which included a heartbreaking rendition of Canadian rapper Drake's 2013 single 'Hold On, We're Going Home'.
The Swedish singer/songwriter played an extensive set of melancholy tracks from her third studio album 'Never Learn', including 'Sadness Is A Blessing', 'Never Gonna Love Again' and 'Sleeping Alone'.
Lykke released the album, which is drenched in misery, earlier this year, drawing inspiration from her split from her boyfriend which spurred a move from Europe to Los Angeles.
Despite the wallowing nature of her music, the enigmatic singer - who recently launched her own clothing range - was anything but motionless when performing the emotive tracks, treating the audience to energetic, wild dance moves, resulting in a brilliantly captivating show.
Performing at the packed out venue, Lykke appeared comfortable on stage, but in an interview with InStyle last month, she revealed that touring isn't something she's a particular fan of due to the relentless and repetitive nature of life on the road.
She said: "It's pretty rough to be on tour for years straight and not have a home and not have anywhere to rest. It creates a restlessness inside of you. It wears you out."

Lykke Li's setlist:
Never Learn
Sadness Is A Blessing
Just Like A Dream
Wicked
Silent My Song
Hold On, We're Going Home
Little Bit
Sleeping Alone
Gunshot
I Follow Rivers
Never Gonna Love
Rich Kids
Get Some
Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone
Heart Of Steel

Rumer is a big fan of Taylor Swift, describing her as a "natural star".
The 35-year-old singer/songwriter - who returned to music this week with third studio album 'Into Colour', which she co-produced with fiancé Rob Shirakbari - is a big admirer of the 'Shake It Off' hitmaker and considers her one of the most "talented" artists around.
In an interview with website Entertainmentwise.com, Rumer said: "I think Taylor Swift is really talented. She can play guitar and she is a really good songwriter."
"I think you have to work extremely hard and make a lot of sacrifices to be Taylor Swift. I think she's one of these young people that are born to be a star. She knows how to play the role of a star, she's a natural."
Although Rumer admires Taylor she is not impressed by celebrity culture, but hopes most people are intelligent enough to not take it seriously.
She added: "Celebrity culture shouldn't be too influential in society especially with the younger generation. It's all good fun to numb your brain with some stupid vain people on television sometimes. It's an escapist kind of thing. I just think they shouldn't be role models."
Rumer has had a two-and-a-half-year break from music, but now she's back in the charts she's decided to postpone her wedding plans to Rob.
She said:"Luckily, I have a partner who is with me on the road and is my co-producer, my co-writer ... so we're kind of in the same project together, doing everything together."

Foo Fighters will headline Glastonbury if Oasis reform for the festival.
The band's frontman Dave Grohl has revealed the rockers have not been asked to top the bill at the legendary music festival but they would say yes if brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher reunite and Prince agrees to be the third act to headline.
He said: "If Prince does it, and Oasis does it, you've got the Foo Fighters, how about that?"
The 'All My Life' singer says he has never spoken to organiser Michael Eavis or his daughter Emily - who has said she'd "love them" to play - about topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage, but he is interested as the group haven't played at Glastonbury since 1998.
The former Nirvana drummer told BBC Radio 1: "He hasn't called me. I mean, I don't want to give out my phone number on air, but I like playing shows! I've been to that festival before. It's pretty fun. We'll see what happens. We'll get a conference call happening, we can work this out. Imagine Prince and Oasis on the telephone, that would be amazing."
Grohl is a huge Oasis fan, and having toured with the brothers and hung out with them he is sure they could put their differences aside to play at Glastonbury, which will take place at Worthy Farm in South West England from June 24-28.
He said: "In America Oasis sort of crept up on us, and it was one of the first times that an English band became massively enormous in a really long time. We ended up seeing them and playing shows with them and I got to know them a little bit. I love them as people, they're the sweetest people in the world. I know they have this sort of reputation of being brash and nasty, but I don't think they are. I've watched them live and there are not that many bands that can just stand there motionless and make 100,000 people go bananas, and that comes down to the songs. When your songs are that good, you've got something good going on. I miss them.
"If Taylor Hawkins and I can be in a band together, I'm sure that they can be in a band together too."

Azealia Banks wants to "punch the ugly one" from Disclosure.
The 23-year-old American rapper fell out with the electronic duo - brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence - following a recording session with them last September which she revealed on Twitter much to their annoyance.
Azealia doesn't now know what is happening with the track and she is so angry with how they reacted to her posts she wants to hit one of them to take out her frustration, even though she still likes their music.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, she said: "I want to punch one of them in the face - the little one. The ugly one. I want to hit him so bad. I saw him at the airport in Australia and I came over to him and I was like, 'Hello? Like, what are we going to do with this song?' And he was just being a d**khead. I started crying, I was so angry. I wanted to hit him. I cannot stand that little boy with all those pimples around his mouth. I love their music, though."
Azealia still doesn't understand why they wanted to be secretive about the collaboration, and has hinted the brothers' British heritage may be responsible for their attitude.
Explaining how their feud started, she explained: "I tweeted that I just had the best session with Disclosure, because I was such a fan-girl and I was so excited to have met them. But I guess their thing was, 'What if the song isn't that good and you hyped it up?' But I was like, 'So f***ing what?' So they tried to be, like, assholes. And the next day they went to the media and they were like, 'Oh well, I don't know why she's so excited, because we haven't even finished this song or written a hook for it.' I mean, come on!"
Azealia - who has just released her debut album 'Broke with Expensive Taste' - has been involved in several feuds during her short career, including a bust up with legendary British indie band The Stone Roses at the Future Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia, in 2013.
The 'Chasing Time' rapper says the row was sparked because one of the group's roadies tried to sabotage her stage in a pact with her ex-boyfriend, who was also her tour manager, and it led to her screaming in Ian Brown's face on the festival site.
She said: "I'd been looking for The Roses all day, and this van comes up and Ian Brown gets out the car, and he's like, 'Why you talking about me on Twitter?' And literally I got this close to him. I'm like, 'Rarrrrrr!' "

Roger Daltrey believes Oasis will reform.
The Who frontman performed alongside 'Wonderwall' rocker Liam Gallagher on Tuesday (11.11.14) and admitted that he is convinced that the band will get back together at some point in the future.
Talking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he said: "I've got no doubt Oasis will reform. I've never had any doubts."
The 70-year-old singer - who will embark on a final UK tour with his bandmate Pete Townshend later this month - continued, saying that the 42-year-old musician has nothing else to do apart from get back together with his brother Noel Gallagher, and the other Oasis members.
He said: "I just know groups, in the end they'll start to think, 'why not?' It's what they do! What else is he going to do, become a painter decorator?"
However, Roger shut down suggestions that he would record an album with him, like he did with Dr Feelgood star Wilko Johnson earlier this year.
When asked whether a collaborative record could be on the cards, he replied: "No, no no no. That was a one-off success story."
Liam and Roger both performed at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Tuesday (11.11.14) in a concert which celebrated the 50-year career of the 'My Generation' rockers, to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which Roger is a patron of.
He gushed: "That was a great night. Really, really good fun. It was just wonderful."
Talking at 'The Who in Virtual Reality' event at The Goldhawk Club in Shepherds Bush, London on Wednesday (12.11.14), Daltrey confessed that, despite the band's huge Mod following, he'd never sat on a scooter in his entire life.
As he climbed on to a scooter which was being used to sit for guests to try out the virtual reality headset, he said: "I've never even been on a scooter! One of the things is that everybody thinks Ace Faces used to have just a scooter, all of the serious Ace Faces, all of the good looking ones, they used to have mini-vans. Use your imagination! No really, that's true!"

Kerry Katona has revealed that Atomic Kitten will release a new album in 2015.
The 34-year-old singer has revealed that she and her Atomic Kitten band mates Liz McClarnon, 33, and Natasha Hamilton, 32, are planning to return to the recording studio next year.
Kerry explained: "Atomic Kitten are doing a new album. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say, but we are.
"There'll be a tour all over the world with just the Kittens and the album should be out next year."
It will be the first record the ladies have recorded since their debut album 'Right Now' in 2000.
Kerry left the girl band in later that year and was replaced by Jenny Frost.
The singer then joked: "Atomic Kitten were big everywhere - after I left the band!"
After she confirmed the news, Kerry told The Sun newspaper: "The new music will be the original signature sound, which is cheesy pop.
"That's what people loved. We can't try and go funky when we're competing with the likes of Rihanna and Beyonce."
Kerry, Liz and Natasha reformed in 2013 when they took part in 'The Big Reunion' on ITV2.

Rihanna won't tell fans when her new album is coming out.
The 26-year-old singer is very proud of her new record, which is rumoured to be called 'Lost Files', but won't announce a release date, though she hinted it will be previewed one track at a time.
She said: "I can't give you any hints of when it will drop. It's going to be great, that's all I'm going to tell you and I'm excited about it.
"I can't wait for everybody to hear [the music] little by little. ... little by little. I can't wait."
And the 'Diamonds' hitmaker admitted she is constantly trying to "outdo" what she has recorded before.
Speaking at a meet-and-greet with fans in Virginia, she said: "I try to battle myself and outdo everything I've done and that's been the hardest thing to do. You start overthinking things at times."
While Rihanna is keeping tight-lipped about the record, her 'We Found Love' collaborator Calvin Harris recently admitted some material he sent to her hasn't made it onto the finished album.
He said: "No I'm not on the Rihanna album.
"I did a few things for it but they don't get back to you. There are a lot of people involved!
"She listens to everything - I know that - but she's got a strong idea and identity and an idea of what her album should sound like."
However, the 30-year-old DJ - who, along with Rihanna, is signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation record label - insists he's not bothered about being snubbed from her latest LP.
He said: "It's not like they put me on 'We Found Love' because I'm signed to Roc, they did it because it's a f**king good song.
"But it's OK because I'm working on my stuff and it's going fine so I'm not concerned about it."

Pete Doherty wants to help other drug addicts get sober.
The Libertines singer - who has endured numerous stints in rehab in the past - is a month into treatment at the Hope Rehab in Bangkok and believes so strongly in the programme that he wants to establish a foundation to help fund stays for other people wanting to kick their deadly habits.
Clinic founder Simon Mott said: "I think there is a difference between motivation and inspiration, we have designed our programme to include many of the wonders Thailand has to offer visitors.
"Peter is not only a talented musician but a strong character who has a lot to offer - he has expressed a wish to use his influence to help other struggling addicts. Together with Hope he wants to start a trust funding treatment places."
The founder has known the 'What A Waster' hitmaker for some time and felt his approach would help the troubled rocker in his battle against heroin addiction.
A statement from the clinic given to NME.com read: "[Simon] believes a change in environment is important for recovery and invited Pete to get involved with his new treatment project in Thailand.
"Many addicts do not fit into conventional rehabs, however today [Pete] is a month into his recovery of a well-documented heroin addiction. Peter does not suit typical treatment approaches - clinical environments limited by their setting and formality."