Gordon in the morning: A lucky break

Peeking across the Sun's mighty paywall this morning, you could be spending your cash reading about how a former Spice Girl is delighted she flunked a job interview:

GERI HALLIWELL doesn't have much faith in her own ability. Ginger Spice says it's a blessing in disguise that she didn't end up getting a judging role on X Factor as she'd have messed it up.

Yeah, that's right, Geri. When life gives you lemons, pretend you don't even like satsumas anyway.

Kelly Rowland appears to believe that God is responsible for Verizon infrastructure

You're at sea. You have a small bit of trouble. Your phone is able to get a signal and you can call for help.

That, most people would assume, was a combination of luck and investment into the mobile phone network.

Not Kelly Rowland, though. She puts it down to God:

Speaking about the accident and how she came to be rescued, Rowland told Metro: "I remember thinking to myself, 'Lord, please don't let this boat capsize'." She added: "I was like, 'Please Lord, give me two bars. He gave me two bars and we contacted some folks that were on land and they helped us." The boat was 33 miles (53km) north of Provincetown when it was stranded.

Why would you only pray for a weak singnal? "O, lord, give me 4G, but not yet."

Furthermore, why would you ask god for a weak phone signal rather than, say, a boat, or help, or one of those whales out the Bible that you can live in assuming it's not a mistranslation of a metaphor for depression?

And, come to that, what sort of God is it who'd see one of his children bobbing about on the ocean, and decide that the intercession required was limited voice-carrier capability?

Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.

Embed and breakfast man: Capital Children's Choir

This is excellent. The Capital Children's Choir covering Crystal Castles with only mouths to work with.

Gordon in the morning: One of JLS makes a playlist

Behind The Sun's paywall this morning, your cold hard cash will buy a chance to read a story about Marvin out of JLS plotting a dance album. This, it appears, is cause for Calvin Harris to "watch out". Presumably in case Humes borrows his headphones but doesn't return them.

New York sells off vinyl

The New York Public Library is selling surplus vinyl records - things it has been given, but already has a decent copy of. It frees up space, raises funds to expand the collection.

They've got a tumblr with some of the merchandise on display.

"This also available in licenced version" plan

There's something sweet about Comcast's plans to pop up a message when it sees someone downloading an unlicenced track:

As sources described the new system, a consumer illegally downloading a film or movie from a peer-to-peer system would be quickly pushed a pop-up message with links to purchase or rent the same content, whether the title in question exists on the VOD library of a participating distributor’s own broadband network or on a third-party seller like Amazon.

How effective is this likely to be? There's two reasons why people grab torrents - because the content isn't available through licenced platforms; or because it is, but they'd rather not pay.

In effect, this is like trying to do home security by sticky-taping the Argos catalogue laptop page to the top of your Macbook.

Robin Thicke's dealer sees him coming

You know when the police seize drugs and claim they're worth squillions, and everyone stares at the story, and does the maths, and wonders where the cops think they'd find anyone paying that for drugs on the street?

It turns out Robin Thicke might be the pictured customer, as he's somehow managed to spend half a million dollars on cannabis.

To be fair, he doesn't say how long it took him to get through this cash, and if he was really doing half a million dollars' worth of dope, he probably lost track of days about three hours in.

I know, I'm taking the honking claim of an insecure young man desperate to impress way too seriously. I mean, he can't have been doing all those drucks because he was telling me he was totally driving his car at two hundred miles an hour up and down the A5 last night, right?

Gordon in the morning: Naming rights

Come with us for a quick peek over the Sun's paywall, to see what fresh meat Gordon is laying out to tempt you in the new marketplace.

Today, he's got a story about MKS, in which Keisha Buchanan reveals they could have grabbed the Sugababes name had they wanted to [don't bother following the link, there's a paywall].

That's worth the price of entry, right?

Although you could have read pretty much the same story on the NME a week ago. And they'd lifted it from BBC News the day before.

Still, who wouldn't want to pay Rupert Murdoch to read stuff the BBC had so long ago they might have forgotten reading it in the first place?

Billy Bragg's local struggling London lad actually scion of Nottingham pie dynasty

Turns out that when Billy Bragg was patiently explaining how those mean Undercroft skateboarders were stopping local people from starting their businesses with pop-up shops in the space, his example wasn't quite as local as he thought. Or as much of a start-up:

Supporters of the Long Live South Bank (LLSB) campaign to save the undercroft skatepark at the South Bank Centre (SBC) have asked me to correct an assertion that I made in my Guardian comment piece on Wednesday 31st August. I stated that Luke's Cafe, a pop up venture on the Queen Elizabeth Terrace was run by a 'local lad'. It has since been pointed out to me that Luke is in fact Luke Heartland of Heartland Pies, a Nottinghamshire business that his father owns. It was a mistake on my part, when I spoke to Luke he didn't go into detail about the background of his business and, clearly, I should have.

But hey, at least Luke isn't Starbucks, right? And that's what this is all about. Focusing on Starbucks not, probably, taking space in the Undercroft.

You might think Bragg would be slightly abashed; at least to allow the correction to stand alone for a while.

But, no. Having done the "actually it turns out he's from 100 miles away and not a start-up" confession, Bragg then trots out his arguments all over again. Just in case you might want to process the idea that Bragg was holding out Luke as the sort of person who so badly needs a helping hand that the skateboarders have to give up their area.

How Altered Images and Spandau Ballet made the new Doctor Who

Peter Capaldi once supported Spandau Ballet on tour - he was a stand-up; they were desperate to avoid giving the impression they were part of the rock machine by doing something as "industry" as having a band blow them off stage ("support them").

Shapers Of The 80s has the full story, but it was Gary Kemp's passion for Clare Grogan that put Capaldi in the right place to get the gig:

Kemp, himself then 22, recalls vaguely how Capaldi came to his attention at the age of 23: “It was through Gerry MacElhone who managed Altered Images. Maybe he played me a tape, or something.” Clearly he had other more important things on his mind at the time. The point was Grogan had starred in Forsyth’s 1981 cinema smash, Gregory’s Girl, and Spandau’s Diamond tour launched in March 1982 with three dates in Scotland and Capaldi live onstage as the warm-up.

Capaldi reckons that it was that slot which got him the role in Local Hero. And that set Capaldi on the road to the TARDIS.

Clare Grogan is at the centre of everything.

[Sidenote: Both Grogan and Capaldi played parents in Skins, closing the circle.]

Furore-leafed Clovers

Harold Winley - who was a member of The Clovers when they did Love Potion Number 9 - is trying to win the right to perform under the band name from the trademark owners.

The Associated Press explain what happened:

Winley and another band mate, Harold Lucas, went on to perform with separate musical groups that called themselves The Clovers, and Harold Lucas' group eventually trademarked the name in the 1980s. Lucas died in 1994, but two of the men he trademarked the group's name with continue to use it when performing.

Yeah, you thought the Sugababes had weaved a tangled web.

Winley has been refused the right to be Harold Winley And The Original Clovers. He doesn't think it's right:

"It is our position that when people come to see The Clovers they expect that they are going to see Harold Winley or another original member of The Clovers," said Winley's lawyer, Brad Newberg.

To be honest, I suspect that most people who go to see The Clovers think they're going to see the band that did Saturday Night At The Movies; or, more likely, they're thinking 'this is the kind of stuff that Dad likes, isn't it? Why isn't he smiling? Shit, maybe we should have done the winery tour after all'.

But there's a twist here. The trademark-holding Clovers turn out not to be worried about Winley being a Clover; they're upset at his suggestion he's more of a Clover than they are:

Charles Stevens, one of the group members from Lucas' Clovers, called the lawsuit "frivolous." Stevens, who lives in Washington, said Winley is not an "original Clover" because he didn't start with the group until the late 1940s. Lucas and three others were performing as the Four Clovers before Winley joined.

They're having peace talks today. Good luck, everybody.

It's PJP v DWP

PJ Proby was, you might recall, cleared of benefit fraud last year. He's been wondering aloud if the DWP didn't waste a lot of time and money pursuing him:

I was apparently being investigated for seven years before they arrested me in 2007, and then it took another five years to get to court. I wasn’t worried about going to prison.

Far from being worried, Proby had planned ahead to such an extent I think he might have already been working in the prison library:

I’d have coped in prison.

I had it all worked out. I was going to keep prison diaries under the name JL Bird and sell them when I got out.

I was on the verge of telling my secretary to go out and buy me an electric razor to shave my head, ready for prison.

Jesus, I know Group 4 are awful, but surely they don't make you share your own head.

But Proby - at least by his account - has been really ill-served by the DWP. They dropped the charges after finding "a box of evidence" but won't tell him what it was; as a result of all the upheaval Proby lost his home of 13 years:

They threw me out of that house at the trial. I’d rented it for 13 years and didn’t expect to move, but the owner didn’t want tour buses coming by showing everyone where the criminal lived.

I'm not sure they'd have been running tour buses on that basis; and even if they did, I'm not convinced they'd have attracted more visitors than a tour bus to go and look at where trouser-splitting music legend PJ Proby lived.

So, understandably, Proby holds a bit of a grudge against the DWP. Is there any part of the UK state that he's okay with?

I thought the judge and jury could be bought like they can be in America. But I learned so much about English law and I was very impressed by the legal system. They followed protocol and it was handled correctly.

Don't worry. Chris Grayling's working on that.

Teignbridge District Council give up, plan to get Muse to do job

There's a germ of an idea lurking in Teignbridge councillor Jeremy Christophers' plan to ask Muse to run the district for a day. Unfortunately, that germ has been submerged in a gimmicky stunt:

Jeremy Christophers, who is the leader of Teignbridge District Council, said: "We're still in talks to get things sorted. It's vital for the council to engage with the younger generation."

He also claimed that the political themes of the band's most recent album, 'The 2nd Law', made them suitable candidates for the role. "Muse have been busy on tour promoting their album 'The 2nd Law'," he said. "The album has songs about global warming and sustainable living, which are important issues."

Well, yes, Muse are interested in that. The problem is that local politics has a focus on getting the opening hours right at Newton Abbot Swimming Pool and making sure that the recycling bins of Dawlish Warren are emptied on time.

Those are important things too, but it's not entirely clear by having Matt Bellamy stand in the council offices talking about ecogeddon is going to link the kids (by which we actually mean Muse fans, who are increasingly-less-young people) with the debate over double-yellow lines in Teignbridge.

After all, Westminster City Council had one of Blur actually fighting for a seat and that didn't do much for the turnout.

This week just gone

On the first of August, The Sun disappeared behind a paywall. It's not a hugely expensive paywall - it's about the cost of bribing a prison officer for a month's worth - but effectively it means that Gordon Smart's column overnight went from one of the most-read scuttle sites to... well, less popular than the Daily Star's website.

To mark the end of this era, here's the ten most-read Gordon in the morning pieces:

1. Gordon promotes the Tulisa sex tape
2. Gordon discovers Jennifer Aniston has nipples; keeps a "Smarties League" of women with nipples
3. Gordon stares at Basshunter orgy photos before pronouncing them inappropriate for a family newspaper. Or even The Sun
4. Gordon reports on a Buzzcocks line-up
5. Gordon gets someone to photoshop "punk" hairstyles onto One Direction
6. Gordon introduces himself and promises he'll be first with the "next Oasis". Wasn't clear at the time he meant Beady Eye
7. Robbie Williams laments that he wasn't enough of a Mod for Liam
8. Gordon amusingly calls gay man by a female name
9. Gordon gets overexcited by breasts
10. Boyzone sex themselves up. Dry boke

These were this week's interesting releases:


Alela Diane - About Farewell

Download About Farewell



Luke Haines - Rock And Roll Animals

Download Rock & Animals



Martin Stephenson - Vagrant Stanzas

Download Vagrant Stanzas



Pet Shop Boys - Vocal Remixes

Rock sick list: Lemmy

Lemmy's not been having a great time of it recently, and it doesn't sound like his health has turned a corner: Motorhead cut short a gig last night after six songs.

There's some pretty lurid rumours circulating about what actually happened after the sixth song, and everything appears to be at about fourth hand, but Ultimate Classic Rock seems sure about this:

Motorhead ended their scheduled 75-minute set at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany after only 30 minutes. According to Metal Talk (via Classic Rock), the band played their songs at a slower tempo than usual and that Lemmy looked pale. At one point he told the crowd, “I’ve been ill recently – I’ve come onstage to play some rock n’ roll and f— myself even more.”

He seems to have done that pretty successfully.

[Thanks to @zaichishka]

Bookmarks: Wham!

It might be slightly alarming to realise that Club Tropicana is now thirty years old, but at least it's given The Quietus an excuse for a reappraisal:

In the video the leather jackets and street corner rants have been ditched for swimming trunks and lounging by the pool. The boys had escaped the shackles of home and work and were now enjoying the spoils of their stardom.

Billy Bragg: Won't someone think of the children? The other children?

With skateboarders fighting hard to keep the space under the Southbank Centre that they've made their own - turned from a concrete void into a bustling space of community - it was great to hear that Billy Bragg had got involved.

Bragg, you'll recall, was a miner. He was a docker. He was a railwayman. This was between the wars, obviously, but even so. The firebrand on the side of the little guy.

Let's here it, Billy. Stand up for the kids.

I don't believe that the skateboarders set out to put themselves above everyone else in the South Bank community.

Hang about...

Yet, by refusing to meet with us, they appear to want a veto on all our plans and dreams, resisting changes that can unlock the potential for thousands of kids who have just as much right to express themselves through their creativity as those defending the undercroft.

Oh, "us". In the "them and us" of the battle of the Undercroft, you're not on the side of the us, you're on the side of them.

To be fair, Bragg isn't chomping a cigar and demanding the Undercroft gets redeveloped just for the hell of it - he sees this as the only way of releasing funds and creating a space for the Royal Festival Hall to work with local kids. And besides, suggestions that the Undercroft is going to be handed over to bland multinationals is a fib, he says:

And in the undercroft itself, there are no plans for a Starbucks, despite what some have claimed. There will be two new restaurants, but the real focus will be series of pop-up ventures, similar to Luke's Café, giving young entrepreneurs the opportunity to start up their own businesses

Some lovely misdirection there, you'll notice, sliding over the question of the "restaurants" and pointing at the lovely, lovely community businesses instead. Which are lovely. All popping up and giving young people a chance.

That might work as an argument if you were still half-asleep, I suppose, but it clearly doesn't add up. If the idea of turning the Undercroft into retail space is to fund the Floating Glass Rehearsal Space and the education projects inside it, you're not going to do that from three-week businesses selling upcycled lamp-standards. It's clearly the anchoring restaurants that are the financial heart of the project.

A quick look at the Southbank Centre's Shop-Eat-Drink webpage offers a slightly more honest view of the sort of business that will be courted once those pesky skatekids have moved on - currently, you can choose from Eat, Yo! Sushi, Wagamama, Wahaca, Le Pain Quoitedien, Las Iguanas... there's even a branch of Tesco's Giraffe there. It's hilarious the Southbank keep focusing on there not being a Starbucks, like that cancels out the rest of the chains.

So, even if the Undercroft was full of teenagers with dreams and piping bags, they'd be fighting for attention against some the largest marketing budgets in the country.

Bragg's argument - that this is a way to create a space and the funding to do interesting outreach with kids (I say "Bragg's argument", much of it is just cribbed directly from the Centre's talking points) has some merit to it:

There is currently no dedicated education space for the South Bank to realise its dream of offering children from local state schools the opportunity of artistic immersion – learning all of the subjects on the curriculum through the medium of the arts. The Festival Wing development will provide that environment.

It's just a pity when they found the room for the Tesco Giraffe they didn't notice this apparently pressing need for rehearsal space. After all, it's only been there since 2011.

There are other questions that just hang in the air, unanswered - if the other place that is being offered to the skateboarders is so great, why not put the Definitely Not Starbucks there? I mean, it's not like you're trying to sweep the skateboarders back into the middle of nowhere, is it? Is it?

Sure, Bragg's project is a good one, and it does great work. But what we've got here are two different types of endeavours which allow young people to build their skills, interests and confidence.

One is - fundamentally - well-meaning, but an interjection of concerned adults with budgets and targets and clipboards; the other is something that, mostly, the kids have organised for themselves, and do for themselves.

Bragg might not think of himself as marching into a genuine piece of punk culture and telling the guys to clear off because he and the Arts Organisation know better what young people need, but that's exactly what he's doing.

It's okay, though, because there's no Starbucks.

Meanwhile, Bragg might like to re-read Solzhenitsyn's For The Good Of The Cause.

[Thanks to @Pedro_Dee for the tip]

Johnny Borrell: When you give life lemons, someone will make lemonade

You know how you can tell when your record sales are really bad? It's when your label stops trying to talk up your record, and joins in the gales of laughter.

I wouldn't normally plonk down an entire press release, but Stiff Records' giggling at Johnny Borrell's sales deserves to be read in full:

Stiff Records is proud to announce first week sales figures for its latest album – Johnny Borrell's 'Borrell 1' – of 594.

'Borrell 1' is the début solo LP from the former Razorlight vocalist and is the first new album on the highly prolific Stiff Records since 2007.

That last album was the multi million-selling two-volume set, '30 Years Of Stiff Records' (although admittedly that was a free cover-mount with 'The Independent on Sunday').

"First week sales of 594 makes 'Borrell 1' the 15,678th best selling album of the year to date," comments a Stiff spokesperson. "So far we've achieved 0.00015% sales of Adele's '21' – and 0.03% sales of this week's No. 1 album from Jahmene Douglas – so we feel like it's all to play for as we move into the all-important week two."

“We might even break the Top 100.”

'Borrell 1' is out now on Stiff Records. If they're dead, we'll sign them.

You could almost feel sorry for Borrell - after all, it's unlikely Stiff warned Borrell that failing to sell any copies beyond his immediate family would result in public humiliation; and, as we know, Borrell does have a precious self-image which might struggle with knowing there are another fifteen and half thousand more popular albums than his. This year alone.

Johnny Borrell is people, after all. And, let's face it, while he might make terrible albums, it's not his fault that someone at Stiff - which is now just a tiny outcrop of Universal - decided to spend money on releasing it.

And given that marketing and promotion is what the major label is meant to provide in return for its cut, this is a bit like an inept surgeon mocking the dead guy on his operating table.

On the other hand: 594. I know Razorlight were growing ranker than a week-gone bobcat left to fester in an open drain towards the end, but were there no curious fans left by the end?

[Thanks for the tip to @curiousiguana]

Life imitates Roy Of The Rovers

Oh, how we laughed when Melchester Rovers signed two of Spandau Ballet. As if a real football team would waste its time signing pop stars, even for the stunt value.

The joke, it turns out, was on us. Doncaster Rovers have signed Louis Tomlinson out of One Direction.

There's a charity-related angle to the whole thing, so it looks like a publicity stunt with its heart in the right place.

If this was Roy Of The Rovers, there'd be a massive flu hit to the team, forcing Tomlinson to appear in the first team for an all-important cup match. (Probably while a disgruntled former goalkeeper attempts to burn the stadium down.) But that... that would be too far-fetched, surely?

Judge Jules takes step closer to being actual judge

Judge Jules - perhaps irked by the constant 'he's not a real judge' gags - has joined a legal firm as a trainee lawyer. The Drum reports:

“Some of you may have read that over the past 5 years I’ve been refreshing my legal qualifications. This was my game-plan for many years, and in early June my final law exam was done and dusted,” he said.

“From October I will be taking up a part-time position practising law at a top entertainment lawyers Sheridans, in addition to carrying on with my regular DJ and music production duties.

“Confidentiality prevents me from listing them, but suffice to say that Sheridans represent some of the biggest names in global music, including some huge individuals from the world of EDM/dance. They also cover other aspects of entertainment, including film, music, theatre and sport. I’ve learned a huge amount from my many years in the music business, which will hopefully position me as a strong and insightful advice giver.”

Yes, I'm sure that'll be invaluable, as you'll be able to advise people to put a donk on it, but then bill them two grand for the advice.

In other news, University College Hospital has taken out a restraining order against Dr Fox.

Gordon in the morning: Corden announces availability

A second dip into the Sun this morning, as Gordon Smart reveals that James Corden is hoping to extend a Mugabe-like grip on the Brit Awards:

JAMES CORDEN has held talks about another year at the helm of the Brits.

This year’s show pulled in the biggest TV ratings in the event’s 30-year history – but in terms of rock’n’roll antics the best description of the night was “beige”.

However, the host with the most has demanded some assurances on the line-up for next year before committing to the gig for a fourth time.

Corden should be in with a chance of keeping his job - when last year's show was met with ill-stifled yawns, James trotted out a defence so corporate I suspect he delivered it via Powerpoint:

“The show is put on and made to showcase British music and sell British music so people buy those albums and that money will go back into record companies to invest in other British artists who will then inspire another generation of musicians.

I suppose it's slightly more appealing than the jokes he tried during the show.

Gordon in the morning: Mumford 'umble

You know that point in Michael Caine's career where he suddenly started wittering on about how it's great in America because nobody cares about class? That's the point Mumford And Sons have reached:

anjo player WINSTON MARSHALL said: “Class is a big issue here. And some people get picked on more than others. I think we probably do.

“I mean, it doesn’t help that we wear waistcoats and tweed the whole time.

“But there is a reverse snobbishness in England towards that sort of stuff.

“And I think that’s one of the reasons we really enjoy America, ’cos we’re classless.”

Yeah, Winston. People think you're posh boys because of the tweed. Nothing to do with you and Mumford having met at an Eton Group private school, of course.

Worth remembering here that a couple of years back, there was an attempt to drag The Vaccines into the posh band part of the venn diagram, but, despite the parents with expensive London property and the best efforts of Simon Price, the label never stuck.

Compare that with the Mumfords. They can send their footmen to the front gates all they like, displaying "We are classless" messages on gilded easels until it's time for a kitchen supper, but the sense that they'd be played in a sketch by John Cleese rather than Ronnie Corbett always hangs over them.

I don't think it's that America doesn't notice this; indeed, it's a big part of their appeal over in the US - a country which happily shoved all the guns from the Royal baby salute onto the news.

If Winston turned up with his banjo but without the accent in New York, he'd not be given Grammys and would probably be thrown onto a bus heading off to the Appalachians.

It's okay for the Mumfords to complain about how they get "picked on". They seem less interested in admitting the massive advantages their background gave them.

Gordon in the morning: The Wanted are charmers

Oh, what larks, Pip: The Wanted have taken to pouring stuff onto people's heads:

Victim DR TODD SWIFT called cops after being drenched in champagne from a second-floor window.

He also claims he was verbally abused by the boyband, saying they called him BARACK OBAMA because of his accent.
[...]
“I came out of the gym and was walking down the street.
[...]
“Suddenly I was hit with a lot of liquid. It was not, as the police claim, a glass of champagne. It was a lot of liquid. It went all over my hat, jacket, shirt and face. I looked up to the second floor and there were three young guys laughing at me. One of them said, ‘P*** and beer, mate’.”

The police muttered they couldn't do much because it was difficult for them to know exactly who had thrown the stuff. It's not clear if the cops meant they were unable to tell members of The Wanted apart, or if, like the rest of the world, they struggled to differentiate The Wanted, One Direction and Union J.

Todd Swift is a poet, and has turned the assault into a poem, After The Boy Band Assault:

I became afraid of champagne.
Looked up for signs of spit.
No longer Beliebed.
Went in every direction at once.

Was the new kid on a scooter.
Danced to myself.
Heard my heart beat, beat, beat.
My voice was autotuned.

I walked out of sync.
My arms were full of broken dolls.
I ate scandal for breakfast.
I took it, and that, and that too.

I feared five star hotels.
I feared five star windows.
Sniffed tabloid paper for kicks.
I was a page three boy.

The stories I read came true.
I was in a shocker.
Called Simon Simon, Lou Lou.
I was backstreet frontpage.

I was electronic and empty.
I was hand-picked young.
My life went west.
I smelled like a back seat.

My shadow, my entourage.
My sanity was syndicated.
My doctors and lawyers called from LA.
My dry-cleaning was paid for.

My facebook was not my own.
I was blamed for doing too much.
I was hopped up on capital F.
I was not wanted.

I was a report being made.
I woke in the night screaming hits.
I was 2.30 am stumbling out.
Hit an all-time low.

The Wanted might also turn the incident into something creative, the next time they get the finger paints out.

Times Of India exits UK radio market

Somewhat inevitably, the Absolute family of radio stations have been swallowed up by Bauer, ending an exciting period when The Times Of India owned a national UK radio station.

It looks, roughly speaking, that the value of the portfolio - which also includes a bunch of decade-themed digital channels - has dropped about thirty million quid in the six or so years since the paper bought what was then called Virgin Radio.

This means that alongside Kerrang and Planet Rock, Bauer now adds Absolute Classic Rock to its stable of superserving the heavy metal fan. An exciting era of further consolidation beckons.

Spektor at the feast: Regina acts like the Queen

It looks like Regina Spektor had a smaller band thrown off the Secret Garden bill at the weekend, which is a bit disappointing. Electric Banana reports:

Eddy Temple-Morris, the curator of the Temple of Boom for SGP, took to Twitter to slam the singer. He Tweeted: “I’m heartbroken. Regina Spektor has thrown her toys out of the pram and threatened to pull unless we cancel the wonderful @cleanbandit.”

The official reason was that the bass from Clean Bandit was reverberating through the entire site, but site rumours are suggesting Spektor's demands were motivated more by worry at the relative size of crowds at her stage and Clean Bandit's.

Whatever the motivation, Eddy Temple Morris (who curates the festival) is going to put things right:

Clean Bandit will headline Temple Of Boom next year l promise. In a slot that even Axl Rose couldn't pull. @cleanbandit

— Eddy Temple-Morris (@eddyTM) July 28, 2013

Spektor doesn't appear to have addressed the story anywhere, yet. Clean Bandit, however, are making out like bandits on the publicity. It could turn out to be the best thing that's ever happened to them, although it clearly didn't feel like that at the time.

[Thanks to @houmansadri for the tip.]

Thieves score Score's solo album, Seagull kit

Coming to this late, but: A Flock of Seagulls had their van pinched in Downey, California.

The van has been recovered, but no sign of the equipment as yet. Amongst the musical instruments, there was also a hard drive featuring work Mike Score had pulled together for a solo album.

Singersongwriterobit: JJ Cale

JJ Cale died Friday night in San Diego. He was 74.

There's a lot being written about Cale at the moment, but there's a comprehensive interview with the man from Jambase that's pretty much all you need - he explains why he sees his albums as "song-writing demos", talks about touring, and reveals that he started using drum machines in 1970 after he got hold of one by swapping an electric banjo.

Gordon in the morning: Hold the front page

Whoever would have thought:

LADY GAGA’s next tour will be even weirder than her previous gigs.

As breaking news goes, that's right up there with 'October will be cooler than July', 'Glastonbury 2014 tickets will cost more than they did the year before' and 'ignored toddler will screech more loudly when ignored in Tesco'.

But thanks for telling us, Gordon.

A quick thought of Liam Gallagher and Rupert Murdoch

The extra-marital sex story about Liam Gallagher was hinted at by The Sun, but the paper was too cautious to publish until an American paper ran the story. At that point, with the story in the public domain, The Sun decided it was okay to talk about it.

Let's hope the owner of The Sun doesn't have any part in an alleged sex scandal that's being discussed in publications in the US, otherwise The Sun's rush to publish the Gallagher story would make it very difficult for Rupert to argue the same principle shouldn't apply to him, eh?

This week just gone

Most-read July-published stories:

1. How well did The Face's choices for best records of 1983 stand up?
2. Rolling Stone puts current affairs story on front page; terrorists win
3. Thom Yorke takes music off Spotify, except the Radiohead ones
4. Harry at Glastonbury
5. Sweet dreams are not made of cheese
6. Westwood leaves Radio One
7. Back! Back! Back! Jody Watley
8. RIP: Steve Hay
9. Steve Grand comes out while NME hosts "that shit is wrong" video
10. HMV bully former manager into changing shop name

These were this week's interesting releases:


14 Iced Bears - Hold On Inside



Houndstooth - Ride Out The Dark

Download Ride Out The Dark



Grant Hart - The Argument

Download The Argument



Front Line Assembly - Echogenetic

Download Echogenetic



Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus

Download Slow Focus