A collaboration between hip hop and ska has recently happened.
UK hotshot Sway has teamed up with Baby Blue and Madness on the new single Sorry. The single will be out on March 5th and is currently on Madness’ myspace page.
Sway has said that he had always wanted to work with Madness and hopes there are more team-ups with them in the future.
The Twang announce a host of live dates.
The Twang, who were only recently commended by the Kaiser Chiefs as being the only decent new band in the indie scene at the moment, have announced loads of tour dates for you to check them out at.
The band will be releasing their debut single, Wide Awake, on March 19th. So, if you want to see what the Kaiser’s fussing was about, head over to one of these:
February:
16th – Barnsley Lucorum
17th – Stoke Sugarmill
18th – Derby, Victoria Inn
21st – Hull The Lamp
22nd – Preston 53 Degrees
23rd – Newcastle Academy 2
25th – Aberdeen Cafe Drummond
26th – Stirling University
27th – Glasgow ABC2
28th – York Fibbers
March:
3rd – Sheffield The Plug
4th – Leeds Faversham
5th – Wolverhampton Little Civic
7th – London ICA
8th – Nottingham Social
9th – Tunbridge Wells Forum
10th – Guildford Surrey University
11th – Brighton Engine Rooms
20th – Liverpool Barfly
21st – Manchester Night & Day
22nd – Birmingham Academy 2
23rd – Norwich Arts Centre
24th – Leicester Sumo
26th – Cardiff Barfly
27th – Bristol Louisiana
28th – Southampton Joiners
29th – Oxford Zodiac
Def Jex rapper has teamed up with Nike on their new series.
Aesop Rock, who has a new album out this year entitled None Shall Pass, has been set alongside LCD Soundsystem and The Crystal Method after joining forces with Nike. He will release original compositions for the 3rd Nike + Original Run series.
All Day: Nike + Original Run will be a 45 minute mix, which was created with runners in mind and the rapper/producer said of the record:
“I wanted to create something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as if the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes.”
You can check out a snippet of the mix on his myspace.
Lady Sovereign will return to play a show in April.
The diminutive star, who played the London Scala this week, has expanded her world tour and will play dates in America, Australia, Japan and Europe. She is about to set out on 41 North American dates with Gwen Stefani as her profile in America continues to grow. The UK dates on her return are:
April
10th – Glasgow King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
11th – Birmingham Academy 2
13th – London KOKO
14th – Bristol Anson Rooms
16th – Norwich Waterfront
17th – Manchester Academy 3
The American release for the American Hardcore DVD has been set.
The film, which is based on Steven Blush’s 2001 book American Hardcore, features among others, Ian MacKaye, Steve Soto, Vic Bondi and Mike Watt. The film is directed by Paul Rachman, who had previously directed videos for Bad Brains and Gang Green.
The DVD will also feature deleted scenes, live performances and a commentary from both the director and the author and will be released on February 20th.
Make sure you check out our review of the DVD by clicking here.
Smashing Pumpins have officially set a date and titles for their album.
The album will be called Zeitgeist and will be released on July 7th. This means the release date is 07.07.07 and strangely enough, the release date falls on a Saturday.
This will be the band’s first album since 2000 but so far only Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have been confirmed for the album. Watch this space.
The nominations for the Junos, Canada’s equivalent to the Grammies, have been announced.
The event will take place Saskatoon on April 1st and the nominees are lead by Billy Talent and K-OS, who each receieved 5 nominations, including Album Of The Year and Video Of The Year.
Other bands nominated are Tegan and Sarah, Alexisonfire and Bedouin Soundclash.
4AD have announced the line up for their showcase at SXSW.
The 2007 SXSW festival will see the 4AD label hold a showcase for the first time at Emo’s on March 14th. The line up for their showcase will feature Blonde Redhead, who will be releasing their new album 23 in April, Mountain Goats, Beirut, Emma Pollack formerly of the Delgados, who will release her debut solo album this year and Wolf and Cub, another band who will release their album, Vessels, this year.
The Welsh band are hitting the road throughout May and June.
The dates for the Manics’ news tour are as follows:
May:
8th – Cambridge Corn Exchange
9th – Leeds University
11th & 12th – Cardiff University Great Hall
14th – Glasgow Barrowlands
15th – Newcastle Academy
17th – Sheffield Octagon
18th – Carlisle Sands Centre
20th – Preston Guildhall
21st – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
23rd – Norwich UEA
24th – Nottingham Rock City
26th – Llandudno Venue Cymru
27th – Manchester Apollo
29th – London Forum
30th – London Astoria
31st – London Shepherds Bush Empire
June:
2nd – Bristol Colston Hall
3rd – Truro Hall
5th – Southampton Guildhall
6th – Brighton Dome
8th – Leicester De Montfort Hall
9th – Reading Hexagon
Patti Smith will be releasing a new album in April.
The album, Twelve, will be released on April 16th and is totally comprised of songs created by other performers.
The recent inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame will cover songs by people like Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Hendrix, Tears For Fears, Nirvana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and more.