Music News LIVE: Celine Dion returns to the UK

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Well it's not New Music Friday we know, but the invention of the internet has meant that it's new music day everyday, isn't it?

First up, Hot Chip's Joe Goddard is back and he believes firmly that Music is the Answer.

We thought it was 42?

The Grammy-nominated producer's new solo album Electric Lines is out in April but you can check out the closing track off the record below.

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Next up is newly-knighted troubadour Sir Ray Davies.

The former Kinks man, who described the 60s as well as anyone, is still writing Poetry (quite literally) at the grand old age of 72.  

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The track is taken from his new album Americana, also out in April and is based around his recent memoir Americana: The Kinks, the Road and the Perfect Riff.

And Raymundo has hinted that it could yet morph again into a film or tv series.

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A fortnight ago, she was Mistajam's Hottest Record on Radio 1 and now Syd has shared another new track - the super steamy stripped back R&B groove Body.

You can listen below but be careful, this track could cause extreme sexiness.  

The more we hear from Syd the more we are loving her.

Her band, The Internet have also announced a US tour, which will feature solo sets from each of the Internet’s five members.

Wonder what happens if you Google them?

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Listen up all would-be Mozarts and Beethovens.

Classic FM are offering listeners who have less than a quarter of a century's worth of miles on the clock the chance to offer up a new composition, as part of their big birthday celebrations.

The station is teaming up with the Royal Philharmonic Society to commission six brand new pieces of classical music, written by composers who are no older than the station itself.

So, young composers from across the country who were born on or after Classic FM’s first broadcast in 1992 are welcome to apply and each new work will be recorded live for broadcast.

Must dig out that old Casio keyboard from back in the day. Oh and a time machine...

Read more.

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The last time Celine Dion played in the UK, Gordon Brown was still Prime Minister, Amy Winehouse had just won five Grammys and Heath Ledger played the Joker.

She's announced four arena dates this summer in London, Manchester and Birmingham (scroll down).

Its fair to say, some people are excited... 

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Lee 'Q' O'Denat, the founder of the influential website WorldStarHiphop, has died following a reported heart attack.

The site, regarded as one of the go-to places for hip-hop fans to see music videos and read interviews with rap stars, was also condemned for becoming a hub for viral videos of street violence and fights.

"O'Denat was a brilliant businessman who championed urban culture," a statement from the site said.

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Royal Mail is to issue a new series of stamps honouring David Bowie. 

The 10 stamps, which include live shots and images of album covers including Hunky Dory and Aladdin Sane go on sale on 14 March.

A spokesman said the stamp collection "celebrates this unique figure and some of his many celebrated personas."

Go on, have a lick, it's what he would have wanted.

The ongoing Bowie 70th birthday tribute bash world tour rolls on to LA tonight for a special show at the Wiltern, following gigs in London and New York.

The tour concludes with gigs in Sydney and Tokyo next week, so if you need to send Mike Garson, Earl Slick and the guys a letter, then you'll have to just use a normal stamp.

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Former Spice Girl Geri Horner is to stop right now and travel back in time in a BBC Two series about the 1990s.

Geri's Nineties: The Decade That Made Me will see the 44-year-old "reflect on her own incredible journey" in her first major presenting role.

In a statement, Horner said the 1990s were "a decade of hope, opportunity and change, in all areas of life".

The BBC said the show would offer a "glimpse into the real world of the female global superstar".

That show will be ready to spice up your TV viewing schedule soon.

Read more.

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Nina CocoranCopyright: Nina Cocoran

Now we all hear that 'kids these days' have far shorter attention spans than previous generations.

Well if that applies to you, then firstly well done for reading this far and secondly Sneaks' forthcoming album It's a Myth could be for you.

She's just shared a minimalist 60-second bass heavy effort called Inside Edition and it's the first track to be taken from her 18-minute forthcoming record, which is out on 31 March.

Sneaks aka Eva Moolchan from Washington, D.C, "has got art in her brain", according to her producer and ex Hex/Helium frontwoman Mary Timony.

If you think 18 minutes is short, then bear in mind it clocks in at a whole four minutes longer than her previous album Gymnastics.

Here's the single below.  Or as most bands would call it, intro...

Fun fact: If you've read this full post then you've probably outlasted the entire song - press play again and start reading...

You may remember a fuss being made about The Vaccines releasing the short track Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) in late 2010.

The opener from their debut album, performed below for Jools, came in at exactly 1.24 making it sound positively prog-rock by comparison to Sneaks.

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WikiHow says it's "disgusted and ashamed" after posting a picture of Barack Obama, Beyonce and Jay Z which depicted them as white people.

An image of the trio appeared on an article called "how to become a congressman", on the site which describes itself as the "world's most popular how-to website".

It appears a photo of a 2012 fundraising event had been turned into a cartoon, with all three being "whitewashed".

A move that could see the site blacklisted in the Z household.

Read more.

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We hope all our Scots readers saw the funny side of our opening post this morning.

If you don't know much about Robert Burns, then BBC Three has handily compiled a list of nine things that you should really know about him and his (for the time) rock star ways.

If he's good enough for Bob Dylan...

And if you find yourself invited to a Burns night supper this evening for lashings of haggis, neeps and tatties (that's turnips and potatoes to non Scots-familiars) and you're asked to recite something from his cannon of poetry, then BBC Arts has compiled several actors reciting his work so you don't sound like a dunce.

Repeat after Bobby... 

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It's been eight years since the French-Canadian high priestess of emoting took to our shores but Celine Dion has just announced a 16-date UK and European tour that will take in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Over the 30 year career she has sold an astonishing 250 million albums and won five Grammys, two Academy Awards, seven American Music Awards and 20 Junos in Canada.

Last year, Celine was presented with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards.

"These wonderful cities hold such special memories for me and I’m really excited to be coming back and seeing all my fans again," she said.

A proud day then for any Cockney, Manc or Brummie.

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Jess Glynne and Fatboy Slim are to headline Wildlife Festival at Brighton City Airport in June.

Yes, you read that right - it's at an actual airport.

Other early names to be announced are Eric Prydz, Rag 'N' Bone Man, George Ezra and Wiley.

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The festival was set up by Disclosure and Rudimental in 2015.

"Jess Glynne opened our inaugural festival, so to have her back as one of our headliners is going to be really special," says event manager Steve Walton.

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Huw Stephens welcomed T2 Trainspotting director Danny Boyle into the Radio 1 studios last night.

He spoke about the importance of music to his work and the pressure of curating the soundtrack for the follow up to the cult classic film, as well as revealing some of his own personal musical passions.

Danny joins Huw from about 01.02.00 in, but give yourselves a run-up as there's plenty of relevant bangers before that including the Underworld classic made famous by the first movie.  

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The new soundtrack features an updated version of Born Slippy plus Young Fathers, Wolf Alice, Fat White Family, Queen and a Prodigy remix of Iggy Pop.

T2 hits the big screens on Friday and here's a sneak peak at the trailer.

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Lily Allen was one of the many female performers to march on cities throughout the US and UK this weekend in protest against new President Donald Trump's apparent anti-feminist stance.

The London singer has captured her involvement in the Women’s March on London with a recorded cover of Rufus Wainwright’s polemic Going to a Town, with musical accompaniment from Mark Ronson.

Lily had performed the track live at the London leg of the protest, while the likes of Madonna, Alicia Keys and Sleater-Kinney marched on Washington DC and Charlotte Church did the same in Cardiff.

The song contains the lyrics: "They never really seem to want to tell the truth, I'm so tired of you America."

Watch her performance video of the song below, which was also included in her recent anti-Trump Spotify playlist entitled “He’s Got the Whole World, In His Tiny Hands”.

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Michael Jackson's only daughter, Paris, has given her first full in-depth interview to Rolling Stone and has said she believes her father was murdered.

She told the magazine, she was convinced Jackson's 2009 death was "a setup".

He died from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and his doctor Conrad Murray was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

But Paris believes there is more to the story. "He would drop hints about people being out to get him," she said.

"And at some point he was like, 'They're gonna kill me one day.'"

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That one goes out mainly to our friends and family north of the border but you can all enjoy this picture of Pete.

Burns day is about Pete isn't it? No?*

Anyway, cultural misunderstandings aside, welcome back to another edition of Music News LIVE, today as Jess Glynne and Fatboy Slim look set to headline a UK summer festival, Celine Dion announces her first UK tour in nearly 10 years, Paris Jackson gives her first major interview, new music from Angel Olsen and Hot Chip and Danny Boyle talks the soundtrack for T2.

For now, while you tuck into your tattie scones check out yesterday's LIVE blog for Geri's baby tribute to George, Kings of Leon and Richard Ashcroft gig news and you lot all going La La over the Oscar nominations for best song.

*we're kidding all fans of the Bard of Ayrshire