Music News LIVE: Prince, Kate Bush, McFly...

Warners/Stephanie PistelCopyright: Warners/Stephanie Pistel

The full line-up for BBC Music Day has been announced, with Laura Mvula set to join previously announced headliners Duran Duran for a special show at the Eden project in Cornwall. 

Travis are set to team up with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for a performance in Glasgow, with singer Fran Healy promising 3 June will be a night to remember:

Quote Message: It's the coolest thing we've been asked to do, coming at a point, I feel, where we've hit full creative bloom as a group. And the fact the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will join us on our turf at the Barrowlands - and not in their usual habitat - is something I feel the audience will love. from Fran Healy Travis singer

It's the coolest thing we've been asked to do, coming at a point, I feel, where we've hit full creative bloom as a group. And the fact the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will join us on our turf at the Barrowlands - and not in their usual habitat - is something I feel the audience will love.

Other highlights of the all-day event include a vegetable orchestra led by Shaun the Sheep, live music at 40 iconic bridges around the UK for Take it to the Bridge and 50 church towers ringing out simultaneously all over the country.

The Eden Project concert will be broadcast live on Radio 2 with The One Show set to come from Cornwall too, with local BBC stations all set to take part too. 

Read more or check out the BBC Music Day website.

If you think we've waited quite long enough for the Stone Roses to follow up Second Coming with a new album (...and apparently it is coming soon folks!), scientists from the University of Cambridge have pieced together a song which hasn't been played in over 1,000 years.

It's taken researchers two decades to reconstruct songs from a medieval musical based on Roman philosopher Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy. 

They apparently had a breakthrough when they found a manuscript lost over 142 years ago.  

Read more.

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Blondie star Debbie Harry is the latest artist to put pressure on YouTube to "support the musicians and artists who have made that platform what it is today."

In a blog post for The Guardian she says she feels "compelled to speak out on behalf of a new generation of artists who are not being treated or compensated fairly."

She adds: "Artists are being exploited to make a very small percentage of people extremely rich."

It's after Nikki Sixx told the BBC YouTube and Google should live up to their corporate mottos and "do the right thing". 

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A new book charting The Stooges' rise, as told by Iggy Pop, is to be released on a new publishing subsidiary of Jack White's Third Man Records.

The new book entitled Total Chaos: The Story of The Stooges / As Told by Iggy Pop is due to be released later this year.

Author Jeff Gold apparently spent two days speaking with Iggy at his home in Miami for the book, which also features rare and unseen photos.  

Read More.

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For many music fans it's the ultimate dream team - jazz legend Miles Davis and superstar Prince. It's just a pity they never worked together... or did they? In fact the pair, who admired each other hugely, did once collaborate on a little-known, unreleased track in the mid-80s. BBC Arts has revealed the story behind the meeting of two musical giants. 

BBCCopyright: BBC

Much has been made of the number of writing credits on Beyonce's new album Lemonade, and Father John Misty has been explaining his.

He's featured alongside Diplo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig as a writer on Hold Up' - and released this statement on the matter: 

Quote Message: "About a year and half ago, my friend Emile Haynie played Beyoncé some of my music, along with some tunes I've written for other people, back when she was looking for collaborators for the record. Pretty soon after they sent along the demo for 'Hold Up', which was just like a minute of the sample and the hook. I'm pretty sure they were just looking for lyrics, but I went crazy and recorded a verse melody and refrain too that, unbelievably - when you consider how ridiculous my voice sounds on the demo - ended up making the record - right between picking up the baseball bat and decapitating the fire hydrant.

"About a year and half ago, my friend Emile Haynie played Beyoncé some of my music, along with some tunes I've written for other people, back when she was looking for collaborators for the record. Pretty soon after they sent along the demo for 'Hold Up', which was just like a minute of the sample and the hook. I'm pretty sure they were just looking for lyrics, but I went crazy and recorded a verse melody and refrain too that, unbelievably - when you consider how ridiculous my voice sounds on the demo - ended up making the record - right between picking up the baseball bat and decapitating the fire hydrant.

Quote Message: I was mostly kind of in the dark, my involvement with the record kind of ends with me just sending off the demo, it wasn't until she came to my Coachella set in 2015 and told me personally it had made the record that I really had anything concrete with which to convince my friends that I hadn't actually gone insane. from Father John Misty

I was mostly kind of in the dark, my involvement with the record kind of ends with me just sending off the demo, it wasn't until she came to my Coachella set in 2015 and told me personally it had made the record that I really had anything concrete with which to convince my friends that I hadn't actually gone insane.

Read more on Pitchfork. Meanwhile Koenig also explained his involvement in the album with the help of some tweets.

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Following in the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato have cancelled the North Carolina leg of their current tour in protest over the state's controversial new "HB2" law. 

Widely perceived as being anti-LGBT, the law requires people to use public toilets and changing rooms that correspond to the biological sex listed on their birth certificates. 

In a joint statement, Demi and Nick said "one of our goals for the tour has always been to create an atmosphere where every single attendee feels equal, included, and accepted for who they are."

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Kiss singer Gene Simmons has admitted the band struggle to contain fans paying overinflated prices for their gigs on the secondary ticketing market. 

He told the BBC: "I don't like it but capitalism is capitalism, if you buy a piece of furniture you're allowed to sell it for a profit. But we do try to limit that sort of shenanigans." 

The band offer tickets to shows on their own website. "You try to do the best you can but it is a free market system," he added. 

"The nature of money is that people tend to abuse it and when there is a chance to make hideous sums from somebody who really wants something, people will take advantage of people."

A live film from their residency at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel is due to hit selected cinemas across the world on 25 May.

It's the first time they've recorded a live concert. 

"We like to do things big, we've never done anything small since the first time we blew up a stage.

"What we do is, we shake the heavens."

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The creator of period BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders has said that David Bowie liked it so much he was keen to have music from his final album Blackstar featured on the series.

Writer Steven Knight has told the Radio Times that Bowie's "people" told him "he was a big, big fan" of the period drama.

Knight said Bowie even sent a photo of himself to the show's lead actor Cillian Murphy "with razor blades in his cap", a reference to his character's gang's weapon of choice. 

Read more.

The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon has said the band are working on new material and a UK tour.

Their last album Bang Goes the Knighthood was released in 2010.  

Neil was talking to Chris Evans on Radio 2's breakfast show earlier and said the new stuff will appeal to fans of the band's classic sound:   

You can listen to the full interview here.

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Musicians Trent Reznor and Sky Ferreira are among the cast of the forthcoming return of Twin Peaks.

They are included in the full cast list which has been released by the broadcaster Showtime.

Little is known about the series, which is due to be broadcast later this year

Directed by David Lynch, the original followed the weird residents of a quaint US town who were stunned when homecoming queen Laura Palmer was murdered. 

Among the many familiar faces, Kyle MacLachlan will reprise his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper. 

AFP / Fish People / Trevor LeightonCopyright: AFP / Fish People / Trevor Leighton

Kate Bush has published a heartfelt tribute to Prince on her website. 

The singer worked with Prince several times, including his appearance on her 1993 album The Red Shoes. 

Quote Message: I am so sad and shocked to hear the tragic news about Prince. He was the most incredibly talented artist. A man in complete control of his work from writer and musician to producer and director. He was such an inspiration. Playful and mind-blowingly gifted. He was the most inventive and extraordinary live act I've seen. The world has lost someone truly magical. Goodnight dear Prince. from Kate Bush

I am so sad and shocked to hear the tragic news about Prince. He was the most incredibly talented artist. A man in complete control of his work from writer and musician to producer and director. He was such an inspiration. Playful and mind-blowingly gifted. He was the most inventive and extraordinary live act I've seen. The world has lost someone truly magical. Goodnight dear Prince.

Following musical tributes from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Ellie Goulding and LCD Soundsystem in the days since Prince's sudden death last week, Coldplay are the latest act to cover one of the artist's tracks.

At a Chords 2 Cure charity fundraiser in Santa Monica, California, Chris Martin led a band of 14 and 15-year-olds from the Crossroads School, A-Side, in a cover of Raspberry Beret.

Jack Garratt's new song, Surprise Yourself, is all about letting go of your fears - and the video captures the moment several of his fans did just that.

They allowed themselves to be filmed as they confronted phobias about heights, sharks, tattoos and even balloons (that one's called Globophobia) and the results are surprisingly moving.

Watch below.

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It's black and white and pretty grainy but some unseen footage of The Beatles getting their make-up done ahead of an appearance on an Australian TV show has been released by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia . 

The footage was shot backstage on the special The Music of Lennon & McCartney tour in November 1965.

It's a process they clearly take very, very seriously...

Watch the film.

What better way to round off a couple of days of maximum Beyonce appreciation, than by playing her new album Lemonade in full? That's exactly what Radio 1's Annie Mac did on her show last night - hosting a Beyonce Lemonade Listening party.

She was joined in the studio by fellow presenter Clara Amfo and Sam Wolfson from Vice - and of course, plenty of listeners. Here are some of their reactions:

Meanwhile if your Beyonce appetite is still not whetted, feast your eyes on this round-up of the album's five key talking-points. 

Eleven Seven Music GroupCopyright: Eleven Seven Music Group

A couple of weeks back, I spoke to metal band Sixx AM, about their new album - a protest record, of sorts, reacting to the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, as well as the increasingly volatile and divisive elections in the US.

You can read the interview over here. But here's a little excerpt that didn't make the final cut - in which I asked Nikki Sixx (formerly of Motley Crue) why he's one of the few musicians who uses a plectrum to play the bass guitar.

Here's what he said:

Quote Message: I like the sound of a pick because I like the crunch of it. It really bites more. Especially when I was a kid and playing punk rock, it was snappy and I’ve always liked the sound of 10-inch speakers. I’d have these 8x10 cabinets and they were really grimy, almost like the sound of a piano string on the bass. from Nikki SIxx

I like the sound of a pick because I like the crunch of it. It really bites more. Especially when I was a kid and playing punk rock, it was snappy and I’ve always liked the sound of 10-inch speakers. I’d have these 8x10 cabinets and they were really grimy, almost like the sound of a piano string on the bass.

Singer and producer James Michael also explained how he utilised that sound on the new record, Prayers for the Damned.

Quote Message: Typically-speaking, using a pick on a Motley Crue record makes a lot of sense. It gives a gritty, grimy sound. But what’s exciting about bringing that sound into Sixx AM music is that it stands out a lot more, especially on this record. It took care of so much of the personality of these songs, just by being able to showcase Nikki’s personality. from James Michael

Typically-speaking, using a pick on a Motley Crue record makes a lot of sense. It gives a gritty, grimy sound. But what’s exciting about bringing that sound into Sixx AM music is that it stands out a lot more, especially on this record. It took care of so much of the personality of these songs, just by being able to showcase Nikki’s personality.

McFlyCopyright: McFly

McFly have announced they're getting back together for a 12-date, four-city UK tour in June. 

The band haven't played together since 2013 when they joined forces with members of Busted to form McBusted. 

Coincidentally the members of Busted also recently announced a reunion tour... 

Harry Judd, Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter have released a short teaser video to get fans excited: 

The band say they'll be playing all 64 tracks from their five studio albums over the three concerts at each venue. 

Read more.

The Avalanches have announced a second UK date this summer - playing Disclosure's Wild Life festival near Brighton on 11 June. 

The Australian band, whose comeback has been eagerly-awaited since their one and only album Since I Left You in 2000, recently announced three other festival shows. They'll also play Primavera in Barcelona, London's Field Day (the same weekend as Wild Life) and Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay.

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With no option of streaming his albums on anything other than Tidal, devoted Prince fans have still managed to buy enough copies of his albums following his death last week to push him to the top of the charts. 

The late musician holds numbers one to five in the midweek album chart, with a possible 16 albums set to enter the top 100.

His 2001 collection The Very Best Of Prince is at number one, followed by the 2006 collection Ultimate, according to the Official Chart Company. 

The Purple Rain film soundtrack is at three, followed by The Hits / The B-Sides and 1987's double album Sign O' The Times. 

His track Purple Rain is at number two in the singles chart - behind Drake - with another five hits set to chart.

Listen into the chart show on BBC Radio 1 on Friday to find out which tracks they are.

Read more