Kitten: We were right to keep out Katona

Natasha Hamilton has defended not inviting Kerry Katona back for the recent Atomic Kitten reunion:

Well, she left the band, didn't she? When we stopped the band, it was me, Jenny and Liz, so that's how we'll proceed in the future."

Let's try not to worry too much about the threat implicit in the last few words there, and just wonder if Hamilton is, perhaps, playing up to the stereotype by pretending not to quite grasp the concept of a "reunion".

Had Katona been invited, the record would have been worse than it was; but the extra press interest might have managed to flog a few more. And it was meant to be for charity, wasn't it?

Dead Prez gig ends in microriot

The Dead Prez date at Evergreen State University ended in a riot after members of the audience questioned conduct of police officers. The cops were taking a man into custody following a fight when a group gathered, first taunting the officers and then blocking their exit.

More police came out to help the campus police, and - after the arrested man was released to defuse the situation - it looked like things might calm down. Unfortunately, the police couldn't then start their own car. And it all kicked off.

Apparently, Dead Prez didn't help matters, either:

After the arrest, [Trooper Brandy Kessler of the Washington State Patrol] said, a member of the hip-hop group reportedly told the crowd, “They’re taking one of our people. Go take care of it.”

“It sounds like the band may have been encouraging them a little,” she said.

Perhaps ironically, the fight appears to have started after gig security ejected the guy from the concert for smoking cannabis - which makes it seem less like the police were taking one of "their" people as arresting someone who had attacked one of theirs.

Amongst all the turmoil, a police laptop was stolen from the car - interesting privacy questions raised there although nobody seems that bothered; State officials are confident they can identifty, arrest and charge rioters.

Shakira and Beckham take on Chavez

The cancellation of a gig by Alejandro Sanz, after he'd criticised Hugo Chavez, was meant to have been a quiet cancellation. Not now, unfortunately, as celebrities have got involved. Shakira, David Beckham and "music's Ricky Martin" have signed a letter calling on the singer to not be silenced.

Actually, though, he hasn't really been silenced - he's just been refused permission to play at a state-owned stadium. It's not acceptable that the government should cancel the date because Sanz called for a referendum on recalling Chavez from the presidency, but from the reports we've seen, he's not being banned from performing, only from performing at a venue underwritten by the state he disapproves of. It's not so much a question of censorship as whether Chavez is using state property as if he was a media company CEO.

The sudden media interest in a gig in Valenzuela was, of course, in no way an attempt to move the news agenda on from the awkward resignation of Spielberg from the Olympics.

There was a time when your life did briefly intersect with that of someone quite famous, wasn't there?

We don't know what's more heartbreaking in this headline from the Glenrothes Gazette:

Pop star in Glenrothes

The implication that a pop star - any pop star - coming to Glenrothes is, of itself, an event; or the realisation that Faye Tozer is now so obscure her job title is considered more of a pull than her name.

It gets even more heartbreaking: Tozer is playing Eva Cassidy in a musical. Yes, that would be a rotating sound coming from that graveyard.

Bookmarks: Some stuff to read on the internet

John Niven writes in the Times, recalling his time as an A&R man as the party was coming to an end:

I quickly learnt a key fundamental for survival in meetings - say everything with absolute certainty and as though your life depended upon it. I saw a very senior industry figure (someone who, in all likelihood, has signed and developed music which you own) throw the first White Stripes record out of a fourth floor window with the words: “No one will ever - ever - be having this f***ing nonsense!”

I went one further. As the last chords of a mildy hot demo hung in the air I punctured the silence in the conference room with: “Is anyone really going to be having another bunch of sub-Radiohead drivel?” Thus did I terminate our company's interest in the emerging Coldplay.

Turn that noise down. No, really.

MC Glammer emails us with a timely reminder about the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. From April, the definition of a workplace will include music venues, with, as MC points out, consequences:

The acceptable exposure limit for staff during an 8-hours shift is 85dB. For every 3 dBs above that limit the acceptable exposure time is halved, so by the time you get to, say, a pub band in a small bar (approx 115dB) the exposure time is down to 5 minutes.

To be frank, five minutes of most pub bands is probably more than enough anyway.

The Health and Safety Executive's approach seems to be conciliatory and keen to find ways to work with the live music scene - rather than sending in blokes with clipboards to unplug speaker stacks - but for some venues, the month after next is going to be a strange environment to operate in.

Dosen she do well?

While we're offering up video delights, here's the promo for Vinalhaven Harbour, the new single from Stephanie Dosen.

Nick Cave hears voices

As a mucking-around way to generate some viral interest in his new album, Nick Cave is doing this sort of thing:




It's one part Scooby Doo to two parts that bloke who used to pop up on Paul Daniels with an act which involved yelling "Spirits, are you there?"

Weddoes in Brighton: full details

Someone pointed out in the comments section that the Wedding Present are lauching El Rey with a Brighton gig. The full details have appeared on the band's MySpace blog:

Lout presents
The Wedding Present
Friday 30th May 2008
At The Corn Exchange, Brighton
Doors: 7.30pm
Tickets: £14.50 adv
All Ages show, under 14's must be accompanied by an adult

We suspect that the vast majority of under 14s would have to be dragged along by an adult, never mind accompanied.

Avril remains true to her word. Again.

As far as we can tell, it is the same Avril Lavigne in this month's Maxim as the Avril Lavigne who pledged "I won't wear skanky clothes that show my booty, my belly or my boobs." Perhaps she just meant all at once.

Darkness at 3AM: Is this to stop them doing it in ten years?

Yesterday's 3AM column (welcome to the always-on internet world, Trinity Mirror) carried a dread threat that the Spice Girls might reunite for one last time, to mark Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.

As if the poor man hasn't seen enough suffering and conflict in his lifetime.

A source tells us: "Nelson is desperate for them to perform one last time - and he's confident it will happen. He first met the Spices in 1997 and called them his 'heroes', so he has deep admiration for them."

To be honest, we suspect he was being polite when he said they were his heroes. There's every chance he might hold one or two other people in higher esteem.