Having taken a year out of the spotlight, Brian Molko and co. finally return with what is arguably their best record since 1998’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’. The trio rediscover the guitar-driven urgency of their early records on songs like ‘Drag’ and ‘One Of A Kind’ but still retain their love of experimentation, particularly evident in the looped beats and beautifully expansive melancholy of ‘Pierrot The Clown’. The angst-fixated lyrics of yore have also given way to more reflective, outward-looking subject matter, although old-school fans need not worry; Placebo are still along way off from ‘jolly pop song’ territory.
Don’t be put off by recent single ‘Because I Want You’ – it’s one of the weakest tracks on offer here, and will no doubt provide a good opportunity to go and get a drink or re-apply your eyeliner at the upcoming shows:
5th April – Blackpool Empress Ballroom
6th April – Glasgow Academy
8th April – Newcastle Academy
9th April – Birmingham Academy
11th April – London Alexandra Palace
Endearingly old-school, Boston skate-core quartet Bones Brigade hark back to the days of flipped-up baseball caps, big shorts and Suicidal Tendencies records. This, their latest record, sees them blasting out thirteen songs of gurning fast and thrashy early eighties hardcore with thrash metal influences.
Here’s yet another incredible album of rock action from the fine folk at Deranged Records who just keep on pumping out the hits. Following hot on the heels of recent godlike releases from Career Suicide, Dead Stop and Fucked Up, Brutal Knights effortlessly fuse the sheer speed and raw power of early eighties hardcore with the gurning garage punk of bands like Zeke and the New Bomb Turks. 
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlitt’s cartoon creations will be involved in this weekend’s Inside Outside festival on London’s Southbank. In honour of Hewlitt’s nomination for this year’s Designer Of The Year, four Gorillaz videos will be beamed onto the side of the National Theatre on March 24th.
King Biscuit Time aka Steve Mason and his cohorts take to the road in May for 6 dates around the UK. Kicking off in Mason’s home town of Edinburgh on May 17th, the tour takes in a show in at London’s Scala on 18th.
The South By South West Festival brings together the best upcoming bands in the world to Texas every March and as you would expect, things get a little out of hand, and rightly so at any party full of booze and people.
When I hear news about Michael Jackson’s staff filing a possible lawsuit against their employer for arrears and non payment since December of last year, I feel their anger.
So, on top of being swindled, your good name is now in disrepute because of a problem at the printers! How a machine can erase your copy and replace it with some twisted fineprint does not cease to amaze me. Is there a little angry man in that box of wires, cogs and screws..?
Much hyped Gnarls Barkley have just announced they are going to play two dates in the UK. The duo, DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, will be on the bill of the Wireless festival this coming June, starting with the London date and then following up the next day in Leeds.