Currently on its 35th series, BBC2’s later live with, Jools Holland remains the unmissable Tuesday night 10pm essential for music fans of all ages backgrounds and tastes. Coupled with its perfectly timed 11.35pm extended version on Friday nights, the show truly exists as the most visible and consistent champion of quality music on the nation’s TVs, a fifteen year institution that has become as valued a friend and resource to the artists and musician featured n the show as for the audience themselves. Like its TV counter-part, ‘Later Live 2, with Jools (Read more…)

Arctic Monkeys have been blasted for their unfriendly attitude at the Reading Festival. The ‘Crying Lightning’ rockers - who headlined the music event on Saturday (29.08.09) - have come under fire for their insistence on a segregated backstage area and refusal to mix with other acts on the bill. A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “At festivals most bands take the opportunity to hang out with each other but the Monkeys demanded privacy. “They had their own area set up away from the other acts on the bill, which was guarded at all times by two security guards. “Now they’re on their third number one album they can make any demand they want and (Read more…)

Each track on Manic Street Preachers’ new album, ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’, is to be remixed for future release. Following on from the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai, Stereolab, David Holmes, The Avalanches, Cornelius and Massive Attack, the Manics have given free rein to a diverse, hand-picked selection of studio hands. The results range from a Public Image-meets-Charlie Watts cosmic disco stomp to a galloping Joe Meek goes shoegaze homage. The stellar cast of ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ remixers is:

Andrew Weatherall ‘Peeled Apples’ http://www.rottersgolfclub.co.uk
Saint Etienne ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’ http://www.saintetienne.com
British Sea Power ‘Me And Stephen Hawking’ http://www.britishseapower.co.uk
Patrick Wolf ‘This Joke Sport Severed’ http://patrickwolf.com
Optimo (Espacio) ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ http://www.optimo.co.uk
The Pariahs ‘She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach’
Adem ‘Facing Page Top Left’ http://www.adem.tv/site
New Young Pony Club ‘Marlon JD’ http://www.myspace.com/newyoungponyclub
The Horrors ‘Doors Closing Slowly’ http://thehorrors.co.uk
Errors ‘All Is Vanity’ http://www.weareerrors.com
Four Tet ‘Pretension/Repulsion’ http://www.fourtet.net
Fuck Buttons ‘Virginia State Epileptic Colony’ http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk
Underworld ‘William’s Last Words’ http://underworldlive.com
Jonathan Krisp ‘Bag Lady’ http://www.jonathankrisp.com

The Answering Machine are pleased to announce details of a tour support with Manic Street Preachers on their forthcoming UK dates. The Manchester quartet were personally requested by the Welsh trio to join them on their tour as main support, and will head out at the end of May for seven dates. The band begin their tour with Twisted Wheel in Sheffield today, and will play at Brighton’s Great Escape on Thursday (14th). Vocalist Martin Colclough said: ‘We’re dead excited to be touring with a band that we all grew up listening to. I think everyone has their favourite Manics record, and for them to ask us to support them is amazing. We can’t wait!’ The Answering Machine release their new single, Obviously Cold, on the 1st June and their debut album ‘Another City, Another Sorry’ on the 15th June through Heist Or Hit Records.

The Answering Machine play:

13th May Sheffield, Leadmill (with Twisted Wheel)
14th May Brighton, The Great Escape
15th May Birmingham, Rainbow Garden (with Twisted Wheel)
16th May Manchester, Academy 1 (with Twisted Wheel)
18th May Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (with Twisted Wheel)
19th May Bristol, Thekla (with Twisted Wheel)
20th May London, Kings College (with Twisted Wheel)
21st May Portsmouth, Wedgwood Rooms (with Twisted Wheel)
25th May Glasgow, Barrowlands (with Manic Street Preachers)
26th May Llandudno, Cymru Arena (with Manic Street Preachers)
28th May London, Roundhouse (with Manic Street Preachers)
29th May London, Roundhouse (with Manic Street Preachers)
30th May London, Roundhouse (with Manic Street Preachers)
1st June Wolverhampton, Civic Hall (with Manic Street Preachers)
2nd June Brighton, Dome (with Manic Street Preachers)
5th June London, Koko (Club NME)
7th June Kent, Sellindge Festival
26th July Clapham Common, London (Ben & Jerry’s Sundae Festival)

www.myspace.com/theansweringmachine

THE XCERTS’ story began around the turn of the century when then 13-year-olds Murray MacLeod (vocals, guitar) and Jordan Smith (bass, vocals) met in the headmaster’s office of their school in Aberdeen. In 2006 they relocated to Brighton and met drummer and Exeter exile Tom Heron, where the line-up of THE XCERTS was finalised. After a barrage of dates with Future of the left, Bat for Lashes, Biffy Clyro, Make Model, Cage the Elephant, Brakes, Get Cape.Wear Cape. Fly and Fighting with Wire and recent supports with Enter Shikari and Feeder, THE XCERTS are gearing up for recording their debut full length album late summer with producer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers / Idlewild) . They’re a double edged sword of ferocious guitar and dainty, poetic words - a distorted pop band who fuse the influences of fellow countrymen Idlewild and Biffy Clyro with the thoughtful approach to songwriting of old school ‘emo’ bands like Jimmy Eat World and Bright Eyes. With support from Radio 1, XFM, MTV2, Rock Sound and !Kerrang, and a work ethic of epic proportions with a live show to match, these are exciting times for the Aberdeen / Exeter and Brighton based trio. “Nothing short of astonishing” - !Kerrang “Ludicrously Punchy” – Steve Lamacq “’The Xcerts are going to be making big strides in 2008” - Drowned in Sound Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’ The Xcerts can now reveal plans for their next single. ‘Just Go Home’ will be released on 8th June through Xtra Mile Recordings as a download on iTunes and all major DSPs. Fans who purchase ‘Just Go Home’ in the week of release are eligible for an additional free live track recorded at the band’s recent sold out Glasgow show and mixed by Dave Eringa (Idlewild, Manic Street Preachers,) who also produced the band’s debut album. For more information please see www.xtramilerecordings.com No strangers to the road, The Xcerts who spent a lot of last year touring with the likes of Get Cape, Wear Cape. Fly, Twin Atlantic, Feeder and Fight Like Apes will soon embark on a national tour supporting My Vitriol while stopping off at every festival along the way!

Dates below:

MAY
15th - Great Escape Festival
17th - Aberdeen Tunnels - Supporting My Vitriol
18th - Liverpool Barfly - Supporting My Vitriol
20th - Cardiff Barfly - Supporting My Vitriol
21st - Exeter The Hub - Supporting My Vitriol
22nd - Southampton Joiners - Supporting My Vitriol
23rd - Audio, Brighton
JUNE
5th - Herts Uni Summer Ball
6th - Hull Uni Summer Ball
20th - Lexapalooza Festival, London
24th - Southend Arts Festival
25th - Warwick Uni
JULY
3rd - Electric Bay, Perth
4th - Electric Bay, Perth
5th - Perth Music Festival, Perth
24th - Wickerman Festival (Solus Festival), Scotland
25th - Truck Festival
26th - Truck Festival
AUGUST
1st - Leopallooza Festival, Cornwall
30th - Beachdown Festival Brighton

Arctic Monkeys, Moby , Korn, Patti Smith, Manic Street Preachers, Kraftwerk, The Prodigy and Madness to headline Exit 2009 Arctic Monkeys, Moby, Korn, Patti Smith, Manic Street Preachers, Kraftwerk,The Prodigy and Madness have been confirmed as headliners of Exit festival which will take place on Petrovaradin fortress, in Novi Sad, Serbia, from 9th till 12th of July. This year’s exclusive line up for Dance Arena is featuring back-to-back performances of the biggest DJ stars of today. Among the names who have marked previous festivals, at one of the biggest electronic music stages in the world, we will be able to experience those of: Sasha and John Digweed, Richie Hawtin and Dubfire, Green Velvet and Carl Cox, Sander Kleinenberg vs Darren Emerson, Kissy Sell Out vs Alex Metric and Heidi vs Justin Martin.

The main stage of Exit Festival is bringing in new names in the After 2 program, which begins at 2 a.m. and finishes after 6 a.m. On the first day of the Festival, at two o’clock after midnight, you will be able to see a very fresh dubstep duo, Caspa & Rusko with MC Rod Azlan, and two hours later, DJ Sub Focus with MC Jakes from London. On Friday 10th July, ‘After two’ continues with drum’n’bass scene stars, the first on stage being the legendary Andy C and his guest MC GQ, followed by Brasilian DJ Marky and Dynamite MC at 4 a.m. The third day brings together the two drum’n’bass stars, Fabio and Grooverider, who will be supported by MC Rage. On Sunday, at 2 after midnight the visitors will be able to see London duo Chase&Status, supported by vocals Takura and Plan B. The tenth Exit Festival’s main stage program will be closed by two popular drum’n’bass DJs, Bryan Gee and Kenny Ken, in the company of the famous MC Skibadee.

Exit festival Is celebrating 10 year anivarsary. Festival started as a protest against government of Slobodan Milosevic and today become one of the biggest European festivals. The list of the musicians who have performed at Exit includes Beastie Boys, The Prodigy, Iggi Pop, Massive Attack, Moloko, Underworld, White Stripes, Slayer, Roni Size, Manu Chao, N*E*R*D, Sex Pistols, Frankie Knuckles, John Digweed, Eric Prydz, Carl Cox, Roger Sanchez, Sven Vath, Deep Dish, Laurent Garnier, The tenth Exit Festival will be a green one. Under the slogan „Leave no trace’, the association of 50 biggest festivals in Europe, „Yourope’, has developed the concept “Green & Clean”, and Exit Festival, which will be held for the tenth time, from 9th to 12th July 2009, has joined them this year.

With a line-up already crammed full of fans’ favourites OXEGEN 2009 is shaping up to be the music event of the summer. The great and good of Rock ‘n’ Roll are coming from all over the world to play for you this July. Today, we are delighted to announce the latest star players to be added to the musical team sheet. Turntable-maestros 2 Many DJs have been added to Friday’s line-up. Renowned for pioneering the mash-up scene, the Belgian duo have recently been busy working with the likes of Daft Punk and Gorillaz.

Fans can also look forward to the soulful and bluesy vocals of James Morrison. Still only 24, he’s already been compared to the likes of the mighty Otis Redding and Van Morrison. Scottish post-rock pioneers Mogwai bring their own wall of sound to Friday. This critically acclaimed 5 piece always deliver an outstanding, often deafening live show. Regina Spektor is a unique singer songwriter that cannot be pigeonholed. Her undoubted talent embraces influences as diverse as folk, punk, rock, hip-hop and jazz. Check out a virtuoso at work on Saturday. With 18 top 20 singles including classics such as ‘The Day We Caught The Train’ and ‘The Riverboat Song’, Ocean Colour Scene will need no introduction to the OXEGEN masses on Friday. It’s a big welcome back to Maximo Park who last rocked out in 2007. Their eagerly anticipated third album ‘Quicken the Heart’ is due out on May 11th and OXEGEN is the place to experience it live on Saturday. The Hours have an enviable music pedigree, with members Antony and Martin having worked with Pulp, Elastica, Black Grape and UNKLE. Now they have teamed up with their pal artist Damien Hirst on his new label,check out their cracking new single,’Big Black Hole’, due out today. A big, fresh sound for Friday night. Fresh from starring at SXSW and riding their ever-growing wave of buzz, You Me At Six will bring their provocative punk metal sound to the up for it OXEGEN crowd on Sunday. Since forming in the summer of 2004, Crystal Castles, the Toronto-based duo of Ethan Fawn and Alice Glass have amassed a cult following through their uncompromising and intense delivery, a slew of limited edition singles, and shows packed solely from word of mouth. Catch them on Saturday. Having supported Kings of Leon and The Killers on tour M83 come highly recommended. Jump into their dream pop sound on Friday. Described by The Guardian as an ‘Irish Outkast’, the Republic of Loose define themselves without any reference to anyone else other than a respectful nod to James Brown and The Rolling Stones. Nominated for 2 Meteor Awards this year, they add their funk-filled sound to Friday’s line up. BBC Sound of 2009 hot tip La Roux will go ‘In For The Kill’ on Sunday this year. Following their current support slot on Lily Allen’s UK tour and the forthcoming headline gig on NME’s 2009 Radar Tour, the annual new talent showcase will lead them nicely into their summer slot at OXEGEN.

OXEGEN artists announced so far:

FRI 10TH JULY
Blur, Snow Patrol, The Script, Keane, Lily Allen, James, Pendulum, Eagles of Death Metal, Ladyhawke, Fight Like Apes, Swedish House Mafia, Crookers, Dreadzone, God is an Astronaut, Tom Middleton, Aeroplane, 2 Many DJs, Mogwai, Ocean Colour Scene, The Hours, M83, Republic Of Loose

SAT 11TH JULY
Kings of Leon, Pet Shop Boys, Bloc Party, Elbow, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Doves, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Pete Doherty, The Mars Volta, The Game, The Saturdays, Squeeze, Hockey, Tiga, Digitalism, Gary Go, James Morrison, Regina Spektor, Maximo Park, Crystal Castles, La Roux

SUN 12TH JULY
The Killers, Razorlight, Nine Inch Nails, The Specials, Lady Gaga, The Ting Tings, Jane’s Addiction, Katy Perry, Manic Street Preachers, Paolo Nutini, Glasvegas, Florence and the Machine White Lies, Jason Mraz, Foals, Friendly Fires, of Montreal, Miss Kittin and The Hacker (Live), Hudson Mohawke, Wallis Bird, You Me At 6

Tickets for this year’s festival are on sale NOW and are priced at a 2008 price freeze of 224.50 Euro (incl. booking fee) for 3 day including camping ticket. For an extra 20 Euro fans can purchase a 4 day including camping ticket which will include Thursday campsite stay also.