Them Crooked Vultures: No pictures, please

It's something of a forlorn hope on the part of Promowest that they can turn back the tide of technology.

People going to see Them Crooked Vultures (John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and a desperate hope that people don't see the words 'supergroup' as a dire warning) are being told to leave their cameras at home:

NO CAMERA’S ALLOWED DURING THIS PERFORMANCE, INCLUDING CELL PHONES. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT TAKING PICTURES YOU WILL BE ASKED TO DELETE THEM. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT A SECOND TIME, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO DELETE THEM AND ESCORTED OUT OF THE BUILDING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

Back in the 1980s, sure, you could spot someone with a camera and bully them. But when everyone at the gig will have a phone with a camera built in, how is this even going to work?

Gordon in the morning: Rock sensation

It's not an exclusive - oh, no: it's a Rock Sensation, as Gordon breathlessly reports a story that I'm betting has very little basis to it at all:

LED ZEPPELIN frontman ROBERT PLANT is to be given an ultimatum by his bandmates – join us on tour or we’ll replace you.

Zep guitarist JIMMY PAGE, bassist JOHN PAUL JONES and drummer JASON BONHAM have been busy recently rehearsing in West London’s Ritz Studio and using stand-in vocalists.

And one American singer has been so impressive the other band members are confident they could hit the road next year WITHOUT their iconic frontman.

Did Gordon read that back before publishing it, do you think? The idea that a band could tour without the iconic frontman and somehow it would be worth doing?

Smart spends some time blustering through the idea that Page and not-actually-the-drummer-but-his-son are hurling ultimatums at Plant, before suddenly conceding that:

If he does not take part it remains unclear whether the group will be allowed to use the name Led Zeppelin.

So, they're threatening Plant that if he doesn't join a Led Zep reunion, they'll, erm, do something else.

Re-inflating the Zeppelin?

You never should believe stuff you read in blogs, just as a default position, but Danny Eccleston's Mojo Blog claims that Led Zeppelin could be about to reform have a ring of truth about them. Apparently Page, Jones and Plant have lined up Jason Bonham to take his Dad's place; the original idea is to do a get-together as a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun - and if that date, before the end of the year, goes well, there could be a tour.