News and opinion from the world of music.
Big-in-Japan Korean pop princess BoA's success in Japan means more Korean artists are on the way… The "Showcase Live" buffet at Velfarre in Tokyo this week may have included a bowl of kimchi but headline Korean J-Pop star BoA's performance was more about music than nationality. With boy band Tohoshinki and the female foursome Tenjochiki […]
Continue ReadingZimbabwean maestro, Virginia Mukwesha, is championing the fight against discrimination in the German capital ahead of the World Cup… Hundreds if not thousands of black people are expected here for the world’s highest soccer showpiece that kicks off on 9 June. Angola, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Togo and Tunisia are participating in the tournament […]
Continue ReadingUS grunge torch holders Pearl Jam began an extensive European and US tour with an intimate club show in London on Thursday night… The five-piece band led by front man Eddie Vedder played most of their new album, entitled ‘Pearl Jam’, and dubbed ‘Avocado’ by fans, to euphoric fans in their first European show for […]
Continue ReadingOn the eve of chart success, Xan Phillips describes his first encounter with the Sheffield four-piece phenomenon… For a band to make their mark on music history it requires hard work, great songs, loyal fans and that stroke of luck which seems to bless a few and narrowly miss many. The same could be said […]
Continue ReadingOn the eve of chart success, Xan Phillips describes his first encounter with this Sheffield four-piece phenomenon… For a band to make their mark on music history it requires hard work, great songs, loyal fans and that stroke of luck which seems to bless a few and narrowly miss many. The same could be […]
Continue ReadingThe vocalist of Swedish metal band Nasum has officially been declared dead after he went missing in the Asian tsunami. Mieszko Talarczyk’s body was identified in February and is due to be flown back to Sweden. An official list of the dead and the missing was recently published in the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. The […]
Continue ReadingInterview The frontman of the Mercury Music Prize nominated group explains why they certainly aren’t just another Travis or Coldplay… TC: How did you all get together? Tim Rice-Oxley: We all met years ago and became friends straight away. We were at school together and used to hang out at the weekends. When we were […]
Continue ReadingOne of the world’s biggest and best metal festivals is held in Scotland for the first time to the delight of thousands of hard-rocking fans. First, Glasgow had T in the Park, which was subsequently moved to its new home, Balado near Kinross in Fife, nine years ago. Then there was Gig on the Green […]
Continue ReadingThe music industry and the internet continue their rocky relationship into the online ticket arena, with the king of music festivals proving, once again, to be a hurdle too high. The music industry is still bruised from Round One, which saw the proliferation of music downloading leaving CD sales spiralling downwards. But while people are […]
Continue ReadingA rising reporter offers newcomers practical advice based on his own experience of the long, hard road into the music press. My first tip is not to consider music journalism as a full-time career. The whole industry is in recession right now and job opportunities are few and far between, even for people who have […]
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