“Water & A Flame” duet with Adele released November 2nd

October 2009 UK tour dates

Daniel Merriweather along with Razorlight and Kelly Rowland are inspiring 5,000 music fans to give four hours of their time to their local community in return for a money-can’t buy ticket to see the above mentioned names at Royal Albert Hall, September 25, 2009 as part of the Orange RockCorps gigs.

Daniel Merriweather, the biggest selling debut male artist of the year embarks on his maiden headline UK tour in October 2009, concluding with two shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, October 10th and 11th.

Daniel’s forthcoming single “Water & A Flame” out November 2nd is a sublime duet with Adele and the follow-up to his smash hit “Red”, which has sold over 300,000 copies.

“Water & A Flame” is the third single to be taken from ‘Love & War’, which has sales approaching 200,000.

Buy Music:

Daniel Merriweather on amazon.co.uk

Daniel Merriweather on amazon.com

Daniel Merriweather 2009 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

September 2009

Fri 25th LONDON, Royal Albert Hall Orange Rockcorps Gig

October 2009

Fri 2nd BRISTOL, O2 Academy
Sun 4th OXFORD, O2 Academy
Tue 6th BIRMINGHAM, O2 Academy
Wed 7th GLASGOW, ABC
Fri 9th MANCHESTER, Academy
Sat 10th LONDON, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Sun 11th LONDON, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

RockCorps Official Website

Daniel Merriweather MySpace
Daniel Merriweather Official Website

The Fray return to the UK this autumn to headline a show at the Royal Albert Hall on October 20, 2009. They arrive on these shores after a mammoth tour of the US, spanning 34 shows over 27 dates in eight weeks.

The band’s latest album ‘The Fray’ went straight into the top ten in the UK and was quickly followed up with a sold out national tour that took in Scotland, Manchester and finished with two dates at London’s Roundhouse.

CHECK OUT their appearance on the Transformers-Revenge of The Fallen Soundtrack. Alongside other American greats such as Linkin Park, Taking Back Sunday and Green Day, The Fray like the Transformers themselves, are “more than meets the eye”.

October 2009
Tues 20th – LONDON, Royal Albert Hall

*Tickets go on sale Friday 26th June, 9am
24 hr booking lines 0871 2200 260 & 0844 8262826
www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The Fray – Isaac Slade (vocals, piano), Joe King (guitar, vocals), Ben Wysocki (drums) and Dave Welsh (guitar) – set the UK alight in 2007 with their platinum selling debut album ‘How To Save A Life’.

Buy Music:

The Fray on amazon.com

The Fray on amazon.co.uk

The Fray Official Website Website

The Fray MySpace

Rufus & Martha Wainwright and their mother Kate McGarrigle bring their acclaimed seasonal show to London’s Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 with special guests.

Tickets for this must see event – ‘A Not So Silent Night’ – go on sale Friday, May 1, 2009 and are priced from £35 to £70.

Tickets are available from:
Web: www.artistticket.com
Hotline: 0871 230 0333
Or from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office.

In the US, Christmas has become synonymous with the semi-annual Wainwright/McGarrigle Carnegie Hall shows. “It’s an off-the-cuff evening of friends and family kind of popping on and off stage as if the stage was our living room,” says Rufus Wainwright.

Special guests consisting of Rufus, Martha and Kate’s friends and family will be announced later this summer.

A limited number of exclusive A Not So Silent Night VIP Packages include excellent seats for the concert, entry to an intimate post-show cocktail with the performers, and unique gift bags. These packages can be obtained by making a donation of $1,000 CAD, $750 USD, or £500 GPB to the Kate McGarrigle Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to cancer care and research and affiliated with the McGill University teaching hospitals and Cedars Cancer Institute in Montreal, Canada.

Proceeds from the sales of these VIP packages will benefit cancer care and research in Canada and the UK. For more information, call Cléa Desjardins at the McGill University Health Centre Foundation, toll-free at 1-877-601-4536 (1-514-931-5656 from outside North America), visit The Kate McGarrigle Fund website.

Rufus Wainwright Official Website
Martha Wainwright

The Blackout have announced that they have been forced to cancel their appearance with Bullet for My Valentine and Fightstar at Teenage Cancer Trust’s first rock night at the Royal Albert Hall. A statement from the band said:

“The Blackout have unfortunately had to withdraw from Teenage Cancer Trust’s show on Saturday 28th March. While in LA shooting the band’s music video, bass player Rhys Lews became ill and was admitted to hospital. Rhys is currently still in LA, and his parents have flown out to be with him.

We are sorry to disappoint our fans, however I’m sure you all understand and we’ll update you on Rhys situation as we get more information. Thanks – The Blackout.”

In Case of Fire will replace The Blackout and perform at the charity’s show next Saturday (28 March 2009).

The band, consisting of brothers Colin (drums), Steven Robinson (guitars, vocals) and Mark Williamson (bass), will join Bullet for My Valentine and Fightstar for the Kerrang supported event.

As well as completing their debut album ‘Align The Planets’ with producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Echo and the Bunnymen), the band spent last year touring with 30 Seconds to Mars and Queens of the Stone Age, playing shows with the likes of Kids in Glass Houses, Ash and Biffy Clyro, as well as performances at Download, Oxygen, T in the Park, Rock Am Park and Ring (Germany) and the Reading and Leeds festivals.

The band have also won an MTV2 ‘Spanking New’ competition, beating the likes of Adele, Foals, Black Kids and Likke Li to the viewer’s choice of bands to watch out for.

Tickets are still available for the night at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

Bullet for My Valentine’s 2006 debut album ‘The Poison’ sold more than one million copies worldwide and the band is now flying high on the success of their second album ‘Scream Aim Fire’. Last year they picked up the gong for best British band at the Kerrang! Awards.

Led by singer Charlie Simpson, Fightstar have just finished recording their third studio album. Last summer they opened the main stage at legendary rock festival Download, and headlined Guilfest, Summer Slam and Greenbelt Festival. They currently have their brand new single “Mercury Summer” blasting out across BBC’s Radio 1.

Ticketing information is as follows:

(Information subject to change)

Tuesday 24 March 2009: Antony and the Johnsons with Florence and the Machine and V V Brown
Thursday 26 March 2009: Stereophonics plus special guests
Friday 27 March 2009: Kasabian plus special guests
Saturday 28 March 2009: Bullet for My Valentine with Fightstar and In Case of Fire
Sunday 29 March 2009: An evening of comedy hosted by Mathew Horne and James Corden

Tickets are available from the following outlets:
Teenage Cancer Trust: www.teenagecancertrust.org 0871 231 0836
The Royal Albert Hall: www.royalalberthall.com 0845 401 5030
Gigs and Tours – www.gigsandtours.com
Q The Music – www.qthemusic.com
Absolute – www.absoluteradio.co.uk/tickets

Visit www.teenagecancertrust.org or call 0871 231 0836 for tickets.

The Blackout MySpace

Teenage Cancer Trust Official Website

Teenage Cancer Trust has announced an exclusive line-up of music and comedy to launch its ninth year of gigs at the Royal Albert Hall.

The charity’s annual shows at one of London’s most iconic venues are some of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the music calendar.

The 2009 shows kick-off on Tuesday 24 March 2009 with an evening featuring critically acclaimed artists. Mercury prize winning Antony & The Johnsons, hot off the heels of celebrated album “The Crying Light”, will be joined by Brits Critics choice winners Florence and the Machine.

The Stereophonics will take to the stage on Thursday night. Lead singer Kelly Jones has been an inspirational supporter of Teenage Cancer Trust since he joined The Who onstage to perform a storming version of “Substitute” at the very first Teenage Cancer Trust gig back in 2000.

On Friday, one of Britain’s hottest bands, Kasabian, will perform their first London show since recording their hotly tipped new album due for release in June. Kasabian will return to the Royal Albert Hall to perform for the second time for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Kasabian lead singer, Tom Meighan says “It’s great we can continue to support Teenage Cancer Trust and help them make a difference. We were inspired after meeting some of the teenagers with cancer at our gigs last year and it really made us want to do more for the charity.”

To bring the week of gigs to a close, comedy duo Mathew Horne and James Corden from Bafta winning sitcom, Gavin and Stacey, will host an Evening of Comedy. Hot property, Horne and Corden, are due to present the Brits later this month and launch their much anticipated new sketch show due to be aired on BBC3. This exclusive show for Teenage Cancer Trust will be one of the first live performances following the airing of the new series.

The brainchild of The Who’s, Roger Daltrey CBE, the renowned gigs raise money to help the charity provide the best possible care and support for young people with cancer.

Announcing the 2009 line-up, Roger Daltrey, Patron of Teenage Cancer Trust said: “At a time when your body is changing, your social life is everything and you’re still trying to figure out who you are, getting cancer can seem like an impossible blow to take. But thanks to Teenage Cancer Trust, thousands of teenagers are taking it, and coming out fighting.

Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall raises essential funds to support the charity’s work. There will be 7 completely new units built between now and the end of 2009. Everything about these specialist units has been designed to give teenagers the very best chance of a positive outcome. So show your support by coming to one the gigs or by making a donation.”

Simon Davies, Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “We are indebted to Roger Daltrey CBE for the work he does year on year for Teenage Cancer Trust and for helping us to secure the wonderful talent that makes our shows such a success. His continued support and dedication has helped us reach thousands of young people with cancer and to raise awareness of this often-neglected group. Six young people are told they have cancer every day in the UK. So far Teenage Cancer Trust has built enough units within NHS hospitals for half of them to have access to the dedicated, specialist support they need. Our aim is to build enough units so that, by 2012, every single teenager will be treated on one.”

David Elliott, Chief Executive of the Royal Albert Hall commented, “The Royal Albert Hall is delighted to once again host the Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts. This week is one of the highlights of our programme each year and we are thrilled to see such a fantastic line-up of artists in support of such a worthwhile cause.”

Absolute Radio Breakfast show presenter, DJ Christian O’Connell said, “The Teenage Cancer Trust gigs at the Albert Hall are a highlight of the year, it’s always an amazing line up and this year’s no exception – Daltrey’s done it again!”

Ticketing information is as follows:

Tuesday 24 March 2009: Antony and the Johnsons with Florence and the Machine

Thursday 26 March 2009: Stereophonics plus special guests

Friday 27 March 2009: Kasabian plus special guests

Sunday 29 March 2009: An evening of comedy hosted by Mathew Horne and James Corden

More acts to be announced – check www.teenagecancertrust.org for details.
Tickets onsale Friday 13th February at 10am.

Tickets are available from the following outlets:
Teenage Cancer Trust: www.teenagecancertrust.org 0871 231 0836
The Royal Albert Hall: www.royalalberthall.com 0845 401 5030
Gigs and Tours: www.gigsandtours.com
Q The Music: www.qthemusic.com

Roger Daltrey has worked tirelessly year on year to secure the best line-up. Previous music acts include The Who, Oasis, Coldplay, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, The Cure, Madness, The Stereophonics, Keane, Razorlight, Franz Ferdinand, Jools Holland, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher, Kasabian and Kaiser Chiefs. In addition to music’s biggest stars, Teenage Cancer Trust’s shows have played host to the cream of British comedy, including Ricky Gervais, Peter Kay, Little Britain, Steve Coogan, Simon Pegg, Russell Brand and Noel Fielding.

For more information please visit:

Teenage Cancer Trust Official Website (registered charity, no. 1062559)

In the late Sixties, at a time when rock was evolving further and further away from the forces that had made the music possible in the first place, Creedence Clearwater Revival brought things back to their roots with their concise mix of rockabilly, swamp pop, R&B, and country. Their vision was very much driven by legendary singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty who will be in the UK in June 2008 for two high-profile concerts, including a return to London Royal Albert Hall on June 24 where Creedence Clearwater Revival famously played in September 1971.

Creedence’s classic compositions evoked enduring images of Americana and reflected burning social issues of the day. The band’s genius was their ability to accomplish this with the economic, primal power of a classic rockabilly ensemble.

The songs of Creedence are still very much around, having become well known through regular radio play, movies and TV programmes, including the hits “Bad Moon Rising”, “Up Around The Bend”, “Born On The Bayou”, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” alongside the classic cover of “Heard It Through The Grapevine”. This outstanding TV collection will be released in June featuring comprehensive sleeve notes.

John Fogerty UK shows:

Monday, June 16, 2008 – Mojo Awards, London
Sunday, June 22, 2008 – Manchester Apollo
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 – Royal Albert Hall, London

The Best Of Creedence Clearwater Revival Tracklisting (released June 2, 2008):

1 Bad Moon Rising
2 Born On The Bayou
3 Proud Mary
4 Travelin’ Band
5 Have You Ever Seen The Rain
6 Green River
7 Down on The Corner
8 Lodi
9 Fortunate Son
10 Looking Out My Back Door
11 Run Through The Jungle
12 I Put A Spell On You
13 Susi Q
14 Sweet Hitch-hiker
15 It Came Out of The Sky
16 Who’ll Stop The Rain
17 I Heard it Through The Grapevine
18 Hey Tonight
19 Cotton Fields
20 Long As I Can See The Light
21 Molina
22 Hello Mary Lou
23 The Midnight Special
24 Up Around The Bend

The Best Of Creedence Clearwater Revival on amazon.co.uk

John Fogerty Official Website

How many times do you go to a concert and get four shows for the price of one? Well, this was the case at The Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, 24th May 2008. I have followed a-ha since the early days (23 years to be exact) and given my first concert was in 1988 standing up at The Portsmouth Guildhall dressed in ripped jeans and leather bootlaces on my wrists, things couldn’t get much better…could they?

The geniuses behind the mega success that is a-ha were performing as solo artists in their own right. A rare occurrence as the chance to do this has been difficult over the years.

First on stage was Magne F. An accomplished keyboard player, songwriter and all round established artist/sculptor. Magne emitted his own style upon us. In my words a kind of “rustic techno-pop” style with heavy undertones of what we know from a-ha.

Beginning with the title track from his new album, “a dot of black in the blue of your bliss”, he followed this with a fantastic song “Kryptonite” from his earlier album, ‘Past Perfect Future Tense’. His superb keyboard and guitar skills kept the audience wanting more. Later followed solo renditions of “Don’t Do Me Any Favours” and “Summer of our Youth” taken from the most recent a-ha album ‘Analogue’ finishing with “Come Back” again, taken from his latest album. Magne F is a critically acclaimed all round artiste worthy of all the success he has achieved.

Following Magne F came Savoy, a band led by a-ha guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, his wife Lauren Waaktaar-Savoy and drummer Frode Unneland. Again, Savoy have recognisable connotations from a-ha but complimented by what only can be described as angelic vocals from Lauren. The sounds of Savoy create a harmonious melodic sound which is …amazing!

Performing from the new album, ‘Savoy Songbook Vol. 1′ their set contained earlier songs as well as recent ones. Lauren sings on the song “Star” which is just beautiful. A wonderful song worthy of so many plaudits. “Whalebone” is a haunting sounding song followed later by the explosive track “Foolish”. Intermingled in this we find “Velvet”, a true classic featured on the a-ha album ‘Minor Earth, Major Sky’ Savoy have sounds reminiscent of Depeche Mode but execute their music in their own unique style.

Then followed Morten Harket. As he entered the stage, predictably the crowd erupted with screaming women (shades of 1988 entered my mind). Once the dust had settled, Morten began with songs from his forthcoming album, ‘Letter from Egypt’. One song in particular, “Movies”, has Morten at his very best. His vocal range and capabilities are probably one of the very best in the last 40 years or so. “Spanish Steps”, a song from his first solo venture ‘Wild Seed’ followed soon stirring memories of past years. “Shooting Star”, “Darkspace”, “There Are Many Ways to Die” and “The One You Are” came next, again from the forthcoming album. Morten truly commands the stage with his amazing vocals and constant relationship with his audience.

After, a small interlude with harpist Erin Hill. She played a-ha greats such as “Minor Earth, Major Sky” and “And You Tell Me” as well as David Bowie’s classic “Space Oddity”.

Then, to rapturous applause emerged a-ha. Back together for a small set, the crowd went wild. The early pop sounding track “Train of Thought” was amazing and this was followed by a surprise. Two new tracks from a brand new a-ha album currently in production giving us all something to look forward to later this year.

Then that was it! But after much clapping, cheering and stomping, the boys return for one last song. It could only be… “Take on Me”. I felt 17 again, smiling, singing and dancing in my own little world but with a few 1000 more. I have watched these guys perform at small venues to Wembley Arena and they never fail to provide.

Overall, a rare and unique insight into the singer/songwriters that are a-ha. They have pleased so many over the years and may they long continue to do so.

Morten, Paul and Magne, I salute you. Roll on this year for that new album.

Magne F

Savoy News fansite

Morten Harket

a-ha Official Community

Norwegian band Savoy are most likely to be relatively unknown to most people in the UK, but one of their members is far from obscure: Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is the man responsible for young women fainting en masse in the late 80s and early 90s.

He’s a member of the global super-hit Scandinavian band a-ha and penned some of their biggest hits including: “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.”, “Hunting High And Low” and “Take On Me”.

The Norwegian born songwriter’s band Savoy are made up of his wife; American filmmaker Lauren Savoy (guitar and vocals), Frode Unneland (drums) and Paul himself who leads the band on vocals and guitar as well as composing the songs with his wife.

Savoy has always only been able to be a side project for Paul as the demands of recording and touring with a band like a-ha were always very restrictive. In fact Savoy have never actually been out on tour as they don’t have the time.

Despite this, the band enjoyed considerable success in their home country selling more than 300,000 records with a career that spans more than a decade.

This new release, ‘Savoy Songbook Vol. 1′ is a collection of their best songs reworked, plus some new ones.

Savoy will be playing the Royal Albert Hall on May 24th, 2008 alongside a-ha band members Magne F and Morten Harket who will also play solo slots that night.

‘Savoy Songbook Vol. 1′ comes out through Genepool Records on May 5th, 2008.

Savoy on Myspace

Just before the release of their new studio LP ‘Accelerate’, REM announced they will play Apple Store on London’s Regent Street for a selection of lucky competition winners on Wednesday March 26th, 2008. This will follow what is sure to be one of the events of the year – REM’s highly anticipated headline performance at The Royal Albert Hall on Monday March 24th.

The ICA have put together a stellar day of REM related events in tribute to the band and their electrifying new album ‘Acclerate’. The day will consist of a pre-release playback of the new material, an exclusive screening of Vincent Moon’s R.E.M film Six Days, plus a Q&A with Vincent and Michael Stipe.

Monday March 24th, 2008
ICA REM DAY – beginning 11AM

Royal Albert Hall with Foals, The Duke Spirit, Robyn Hitchcock and John Paul Jones

Wednesday March 26th
Apple store, Regent Street

This UK visit follows a magnificent show at SXSW in Texas, where the band stole the show playing tracks from the new album ‘Accelerate’, as well as favourites from their back catalogue.

New album ‘Accelerate’ out March 31st, 2008 on Warners; 1st single “Supernatural Superserious” out now!

R.E.M Official Website

Just before the release of their eagerly anticipated new studio LP ‘Accelerate’, R.E.M. have announced four outdoor summer stadium shows for August 2008. Tickets go on sale Friday February 29th, 2008 at 9am.

One of the most successful and influential bands of all time, R.E.M. look set to make 2008 their year. These must see shows will be one of the events of the summer.

R.E.M. August 2008 UK tour dates:

w/ Guillemots

24th MANCHESTER, Lancashire Country Cricket Club
25th CARDIFF, Millennium Stadium
27th SOUTHAMPTON, Rosebowl
30th TWICKENHAM, Twickenham Stadium

Tickets go on sale Friday February 29th at 9am and are priced at £45 (may be subject to booking fee)

Cardiff, Southampton and Twickenham tickets available from Live Nation, and by telephone from 0844 576 5483 (cc 24 hrs)

Manchester tickets are available from GigsAndTours / TicketMaster – 24hr cc hotline 0871 2200 260

R.E.M – Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills will play their first ever show at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on March 24th, 2008 featuring special guests Robyn Hitchcock, Foals, Duke Spirit. The sold out event comes before R.E.M’s UK festival appearances at Oxygen in Dublin (12th July) and T In The Park (13th July).

R.E.M will tour the US from May 23 to June 21 before embarking on a European tour starting July 2nd in Amsterdam.

‘Accelerate’ is released in the UK on March 31st on Warner Brothers. The first single “Supernatural Superserious” is available now digitally. Physical release to follow.

R.E.M. 2008 European Tour / Festival dates:

Dates could be added or changed! Go to R.E.M.’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information

2nd July AMSTERDAM Westerpark
3rd July BELGIUM Werchter Festival
5th July SPAIN Bilbao Live ‘08 Festival
6th July SPAIN Doctor Loft 05.00 Festival, North Barcelona
8th July FRANCE Les Nuits de Fourviere Festival, Leon
9th July FRANCE Theatre de Verdure, Nice
12th July IRELAND Oxygen, Dublin
13th July UK T In The Park, Glasgow
15th July GERMANY Elbufer, Dresden
16th July GERMANY Waldbuhne, Berlin
18th July SWITZERLAND Locarno City Square, Moon & Stars
20th July ITALY Parco Santa Giuliana, Perugia
21st July ITALY Arena Verona
23rd July ITALY Mostra D’oltremare, Naples
24th July ITALY Villa Manin, Udine
26th July ITALY Arena, Milan
14th AUGUST AUSTRIA Frequency Festival, Salzburg
16th August HUNGARY Sziget Festival, Budapest
17th August CZECH Slavia Stadium, Prague
19th August GERMANY Ehrenhof, Stuttgart
20th August GERMANY Loreley, Rhine Area, Freilichtbuhme
22nd August GERMANY Wurzburg, Marienfest
24th August UK Manchester, LCCC
25th August UK Cardiff, Millennium Stadium
27th August UK Southampton, The Rose bowl
30th August UK Twickenham, Stadium
3rd September NORWAY Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo
4th September NORWAY Koengen Stadium, Bergen
6th September DENMARK Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
7th September SWEDEN Stockholm Stadium
9th September FINLAND Finnair Stadium, Helsinki

R.E.M. – Accelerate: Special Edition on amazon.co.uk

R.E.M. Official Website
Supernatural Superserious Website

The show takes place March 24th, 2008 and is scheduled to include special guests Robyn Hitchcock, Foals and Duke Spirit.

Tickets go on sale Friday February 15th, 2008 at 9am and are priced at 55 GBP/45 GBP/40 GBP/25 GBP (may be subject to booking fee).

Available from Live Nation and by telephone from 0844 576 5483 (cc 24 hrs).

Royal Albert Hall ticket phone line 0207 589 8212 (Limited tickets). Royal Albert Hall Official Website.

All profits will go to the ICA, a non-profit arts institute and registered charity. ICA Official Website.

Produced by Jacknife Lee and R.E.M., ‘Accelerate’ is released March 31st, 2008 on Warner Brothers.

The first single “Supernatural Superserious” is released February 11th digitally with a physical release to follow.

R.E.M. are also set to tour the US from May 23, 2008 to June 21 before embarking on a European tour starting July 2nd in Amsterdam.

UK dates will be announced shortly.

An official countdown for the album has already begun on Nighty Nights, which launched January 1st.

R.E.M. on Myspace
R.E.M. Official Website

Jools Holland shows what friends are for as he releases his twelfth studio album in as many years on 15 October, 2007 on Rhino. Entitled ‘Best Of Friends’ this album is a personal collection of some of Jools Holland’s best loved and most memorable tracks from his collaborations over his last six albums.

Featuring world class artists from across the musical spectrum, ‘Best Of Friends’ sees Jools join forces with legends and luminaries of the music industry, including giants such as Bono (“If You Wear That Velvet Dress”), Sting (“Seventh Son”), Tom Jones (“Think”), Chrissie Hynde (“Out Of This World”) and a cover of “I Put a Spell on You” with Mica Paris and David Gilmour, whose distinctive guitar style gives the song an entirely different tangent.

The album also features a brand new remix of the track “Horse To The Water” with vocals provided by the great George Harrison. Co-written with his son Dhani this is one of the last songs George ever wrote. Jools described the experience by saying: “George Harrison is one of the true giants of popular music. This was probably the orchestra’s greatest honour of all, to back George on a brand new song that he had written”.

Contemporary collaborations featured on the album include Norah Jones (“In The Dark”), The Stereophonics (“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”), India Arie singing of her home state with “Georgia On My Mind” and KT Tunstall, who lends her rich vocals to “Darkness on the Face of the Earth.”

In addition to previously released material, the album contains two brand new recordings with soul songstress Ruby Turner (“To Love A Child”) and the ever delightful Lulu on “Where Have All The Good Guys Gone?”, both of whom will appear with Jools on the forthcoming Autumn tour.

Other highlights of the album include tracks such as “Snowflake Boogie” with the late Edwin Starr, “Oranges And Lemons Again” with Madness lead singer Suggs, and “Mabel” with soul and country music pioneer Solomon Burke and guest appearance by guitar maestro Eric Clapton.

The CD also comes with a bonus DVD that contains real gems for established and new fans alike with footage taken from the recording sessions across the Jools & Friends albums. This includes an exceptional, previously unreleased, 49-minute long documentary, which features an extensive interview with Jools, cut with exclusive footage documenting the creation of songs on “Best Of…Friends”, with stars from the album such as Sting, Bono, KT Tunstall, Solomon Burke, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Lulu and Edwin Starr, not to mention people like Shane MacGowan, Ronnie Wood, Sugababes and Robert Plant also making an appearance. The bonus DVD also contains a selection of music videos and an interview with former Squeeze drummer and long time Jools collaborator, Gilson Lavis.

This spectacular collection of Jools’ best loved collaborations will follow his first ever autobiography which is released through Penguin Books on 4th October. ‘Bare Faced Lies And Boogie Woogie Boasts’ is a marvellously witty memoir by Britain’s most popular pianist and bandleader.

Jools Holland has had a fascinating life. From playing on bombsites as a boy in south-east London, to skiving off school and then rocketing to international success with Squeeze, the first twenty years of his life were eventful, chaotic and colourful.

From playing pubs in the East End docks as a teenage greaser, presenting The Tube and Later With Jools Holland, to leading his rhythm & blues orchestra and selling millions of records this century, it is his passion for music that has made Jools Holland into a doyen of the music scene and it is passion which suffuses the pages of this fascinating and delightful autobiography.

Watch video footage from Jools Holland’s new CD/DVD:

Small

Large

Coinciding with the release of ‘Best Of Friends’ Jools will embark on a 32-date UK tour. Kicking off on the 26th October, Jools Holland, performing with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, will tour the UK with special guest Lulu and will play two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall. See below for full list of dates.

Jools Holland – ‘Best Of Friends’ Tracklisting:

CD 1

1) Tuxedo Junction
2) Where Have All The Good Guys Gone? with Lulu
3) Out Of This World with Chrissie Hynde
4) Snowflake Boogie (2007 remix) with Edwin Starr
5) In The Dark with Norah Jones
6) Horse To The Water (2007 remix) with George Harrison
7) To Love A Child with Ruby Turner
Enjoy Yourself with Prince Buster
9) First Time Ever I Saw Your Face with Stereophonics
10) Seventh Son with Sting
11) Just To Be Home With You with Shane MacGowan
12) Darkness On The Face Of The Earth with KT Tunstall
13) The Return Of The Blues Cowboy with Joe Strummer
14) I Put A Spell On You with Mica Paris & David Gilmour
15) Rock Me with The Blind Boys Of Alabama
16) Georgia On My Mind with India Arie
17) Think with Tom Jones
18) Valentine Moon with Sam Brown
19) Oranges And Lemons Again with Suggs
20) Mabel with Solomon Burke & Eric Clapton
21) If You Wear That Velvet Dress with Bono

CD2 – Bonus DVD

1) Best Of Friends – The Story
2) Gilson Lavis – Interview
3) I’m In The Mood For Love – with Jamiroquai (video)
4) Oranges And Lemons Again – with Suggs (video)
5) It’ll Be Me – with Tom Jones (video)

Jools Holland Autumn Tour Dates 2007:

Dates could change! Go to Jools Holland’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

October

Friday 26 Norwich UEA
Saturday 27 Bradford St Georges Hall
Sunday 28 Ipswich Regent Theatre

November

Thursday 1 Nottingham Royal Centre
Friday 2 Nottingham Royal Centre
Saturday 3 Cambridge Corn Exchange
Sunday 4 Oxford New Theatre
Thursday 8 Brentwood Centre
Saturday 10 Harrogate International Centre
Sunday 11 Harrogate International Centre
Thursday 15 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Friday 16 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Saturday 17 Manchester Apollo
Wednesday 21 Reading Hexagon
Thursday 22 Bristol Colston Hall
Friday 23 Cheltenham Centaur
Saturday 24 Portsmouth Guildhall
Wednesday 28 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Thursday 29 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Friday 30 London Royal Albert Hall

December

Saturday 1 London Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday 5 Sheffield City Hall
Thursday 6 Sheffield City Hall
Friday 7 Glasgow SECC
Saturday 8 Glasgow SECC
Friday 14 Plymouth Pavilions
Saturday 15 Bournemouth Bic
Sunday 16 Birmingham NIA
Wednesday 19 Newcastle City Hall
Thursday 20 Newcastle City Hall
Friday 21 Cardiff CIA
Saturday 22 Brighton Centre

Jools Holland ‘Best Of Friends’ (CD + DVD) at amazon.co.uk

Jools Holland Official Website

Last night, the world premiere for the 2007 production of ABBA The Show took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I was there, and for about two hours, I think I was surrounded by the happiest people on the planet. There have been a few people in my life who are big ABBA fans, but I didn’t realize how hardcore their fan base was until last night at the sold out show.

This was the first time that I had been to the Royal Albert Hall. It’s amazing how intimate and yet large the historical venue is. Beautiful as well. I’ve seen many concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on TV, but I don’t remember seeing an audience quite like the one at the ABBA show. Let me just put it this way – if you’re thinking about buying tickets to one of the shows when they go on tour next year, be prepared for a party atmosphere – and to dance. If you don’t, then you will feel out of place!

The show seemed so authentic, and there were times that I felt like I was in a working wax museum. The costumes, the way that the singers and musicians from Sweden’s Waterloo playing Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida moved, the songs, the audience reaction – it was as if I was transported in time, back to when ABBA was on tour in the 70’s. This seemed even more surreal when original band members including Ulf Andersson (sax) and Lasse Wellander (guitar) came on stage to play.

There was narration by Matthew Freeman, who was also conducting The National Symphony Orchestra of London. In between sets, he would introduce each era of the ABBA phenomenon – through song and music, periods of when they formed, were on tour, divorce and their 1974 Eurovision win with the infamous, “Waterloo”, costumes and all.

Of course all of the popular ABBA songs were there: “Mamma Mia”, “Dancing Queen”, “Money Money Money”, “Knowing Me Knowing You”, “Take A Chance On Me”, “Voulez Vous”, “Chiquitita”, “Fernando”, “SOS” and more.

Camilla Hedren as Agnetha and Katja Nord as Anni-Frid (Frida) looked and sounded great. The band was top notch as were the backup singers. I’m sure it will be their performance that I’ll remember for a long time whenever I hear ABBA’s music.

If you’re an ABBA fan, not to be missed. Highly recommended.

For more information, go to:

Waterloo Official Website
Flying Music
ABBA The Show
ABBA Official Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

“New Orleans is a city of paradox. Sin, salvation, sex, sanctification, so intertwined yet so separate. The blurred lines from the dark blue of Mardi Gras night to the periwinkle of Ash Wednesday morning” is the way Connick summarizes the gritty and grandiose, soulful and magical Crescent City, where the musical culture is second to none.

“Jazz, gospel, brass band, rhythm and blues, country, funk aren’t all the styles played in New Orleans,” he emphasises. “But they’re the ones I wanted to play around with.”

And “play around with” them he does, to brilliant effect, on ‘My New Orleans’, which SonyBMG is set to release in September/October 2007.

Several of the titles will bring New Orleans instantly to mind, although Harry Connick, Jr. and his associates have inevitably found ways to provide a new perspective on these old favorites. “I put a New Orleans groove on ‘Jambalaya’, instead of a traditional Cajun or Zydeco feeling,” he says of the old Hank Williams hit, “then we move into an entirely new tempo for an entirely new groove – big-band swing.”

“Careless Love,” an even older warhorse, was arranged and performed spontaneously, at the end of the album’s final session, with a trio of Harry Connick, Jr. on vocals and piano, Jonathan Dubose on acoustic guitar and Arthur Latin playing only bass drum and tambourine; while “Working in a Coal Mine” gained new life through Latin’s imaginative overdubbing.

“Arthur worked his magic with all of his percussion toys,” Connick reports, “and each part he played told a different story of each different worker in that mine.” For “Somethin’ You Got,” Connick allowed several of the horn players in his band to take a breather and came up with what he calls “a traditional, old-school arrangement for four horns and a rhythm section.”

One of Connick’s original and most powerful compositions is “All These People,” inspired by the suffering Connick witnessed when he visited New Orleans in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina. “The song is all about the people who were left stranded at the Convention Center, with the verses describing what I saw as I was taken through by a kind fellow I had met on the street earlier that day named Darryl.” The track features Connick in duet with the great gospel singer Kim Burrell. “I wanted somehow to represent the voices of the brave people who were abandoned there, and Kim was the perfect choice. She asked me to write an added verse, because she wanted to represent the two dead bodies that Darryl showed me when I first arrived at the Convention Center; and her improvised line ‘Come see about me’ at the end is my favorite part of the performance, because that’s all those folks wanted, someone to come and see about them.”

A portion of Connick’s royalties from the sale of ‘My New Orleans’ will benefit the New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village. This project, conceived by Harry Connick, Jr. and his longtime friend and colleague Branford Marsalis, will consist of single-family homes and elder-friendly duplexes as well as the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, named for the modern jazz pioneer and patriarch of the Marsalis clan who counts Harry Connick, Jr. among his legion of successful music students. Connick and Branford Marsalis serve as honorary chairs of Habitat for Humanity’s hurricane relief effort, Operation Home Delivery, which began dedicating completed houses and delivery keys to needy families shortly before ‘My New Orleans’ was recorded.

For all of the work that remains to be done, there is a basic spirit of optimism and celebration that permeates ‘My New Orleans’ and that is best captured in Connick’s version of “Yes We Can.” “Allen Toussaint was prophetic on this one,” he says of the song’s legendary composer. “‘Yes We Can’ perfectly fits the bill of a post-Katrina New Orleans. This should be the theme song of our great city.”

It also summarizes the manner in which Harry Connick, Jr. views life – with positive spirit, a focus on solutions rather than casting blame, and a humanity that knows no boundaries. It is this same spirit that makes ‘My New Orleans’ such an honest and affirmative experience.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of both ‘My New Orleans’ and its companion disc ‘Chanson du Vieux Carre’, an instrumental album by Harry Connick, Jr. and his Big Band released by Marsalis Music in July and will benefit Musicians’ Village.

To learn more about this wonderful community that is being built by thousands of volunteers from all over the world, please visit New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village Official Website – www.NOLAmusiciansvillage.org

Harry Connick, Jr. last played a full, headline European tour in 2000 – seven years ago – and a complete schedule of new live dates will be announced shortly.

The following UK dates are confirmed and on sale:

November 3, 2007: Royal Albert Hall, London
November 16, 2007: Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow
November 17, 2007: Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Harry Connick Jr. – My New Orleans on amazon.com

Harry Connick, Jr. Official Website

Related – New Orleans Jazz Fest 2007 lineup announced

Read: ABBA The Show review!

You’ve seen the rest, now see the best!! There is no doubt that this is the most authentic ABBA show to date, featuring original band members including Ulf Andersson and Lasse Wellander. It’s like ABBA never left.

ABBA still sells around 2 million records a year – this show packs all their greatest hits into a 2-hour musical extravaganza. ABBA – The Show showcases the music of ABBA from their Eurovision beginnings all the way to major chart success. It is performed by Sweden’s Waterloo, a world renowned group who bring Abba to life, together with The National Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by Matthew Freeman.

ABBA – The Show has had phenomenal success around the globe reaching audiences in India, Spain and the USA, climaxing with a sold-out performance at the famous Hollywood Bowl. This new production for 2007 with even more epic lighting, sound and vision, will have its world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 26th September, 2007.

The show always tours with at least one former original band member of Abba. Since the original production started the following members have guest starred: Ulf Andersson – Saxophone, Lasse Wellander – Guitarist, Mats Ronander – Guitarist, Finn Sjoberg – Guitarist, Rutger Gunnarsson – Bass, Ola Brunkert – Drums and Roger Palm – Drums.

The show kicks off at the tail end of the 60s when Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida meet to play together for the very first time. Throughout the course of the production, the audience is led on a magical journey through the rise and rise of ABBA. Featuring classic songs such as “Waterloo”, “SOS”, “Mamma Mia”, “Dancing Queen”, “Money Money Money”, “Knowing Me Knowing You” and many more, this promises to be the must-see event of 2007.

“Absolutely the best ABBA since ABBA” – Official ABBA Fanclub

September 26th – Royal Albert Hall:
Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7.30pm.
***Standing room only! Sold out Abba the Show has just released 300 standing tickets for just 15 GBP from Flying Music Official Website

Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday 30th March 2007.

For more information go to ABBA – The Show