R.E.M hate Bush

The band’s frontman is backing Barack Obama for US president

27 August 2008 - The American singer, Michael Stipe, known for being socially and politically active, is supporting Barack Obama and has spoken out about his hatred for George Bush.

Initially speaking of Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife, Stipe said: “She’s a lawyer and she’s a mother, she knows how to present an argument, she knows how to present her ideas in a way that I think are understandable and I think she’s obviously a very smart and bright woman.”

And turning to Barack, Stipe went on to say: “Her husband is probably what my country needs more than anything right now.”

As to the kind of person and President the musician would like to see inhabit the White House, Stipe is championing everything Barack Obama stands for.

“You want an exceptional American, yeah, and I think he’s probably an exceptional person. You look at the way he’s put his campaign together and the way he responds to many of the criticisms that are already being lobbed at him, either from the Clinton family or from the McCains,” he told the One Show.

And Stipe has absolute faith that Obama will succeed in the Presidential race, saying: “Yes, I think he’s going to make it and it will be a better day for all of us.”

"That’s a reference to our current president who I very publicly despise. I just can’t stand the guy or his administration."
Michael Stipe

New single

R.E.M’s latest album is called Accelerate , which was released on 1 April this year.

Their new single is titled Man Size Wreath and begins with the lyrics: “Turn on the TV and what do I see / A pageantry of empty gestures all lined up at me.”

Stipe explained the lyrics: “That’s a reference to our current president who I very publicly despise. I just can’t stand the guy or his administration and it was about him going to the graveside of Martin Luther King, one of my heroes, and I think desecrating the memory of that great man and his work by being there during the Iraq war. I found it pathetic so I wrote that song about it.”

Still going strong

R.E.M formed back in 1980 and have a mammoth 15 studio and live albums in their back catalogue.

Turning to whether he’s had enough of the lifestyle of a musician, Stipe said he’s as passionate as ever about music.

“I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I love my job, I love the people I do it with and I think touring and writing music is really what I was intended to do, I love it,” he said.
 
Barack Obama is due to be officially nominated at the Democratic Convention for President tomorrow.

Georgie Rogers

Reading/Leeds Day 2

Killers, Editors and Mystery Jets all on the bill.

24 August 2008 - The killers headlined day 2 of the Reading festival last night (23rd August).

The band played a mix of classic crowd pleasers and new material including the song Spaceman which is the first time this track has aired in the UK.

Brandon Flowers and co. have been taking a break from live gigs and have hidden away in the studio for the last few months but speaking to the BBC they said how it felt to be back playing in front of thousands of people:

"It's strange. We're going to play a couple of songs from Sawdust and we're going to try a couple of new songs. At first it was a bit striking but we're starting to ease into it."

They also revealed that the new record would probably be released in November and even though it's been in the pipeline for a while they said they'd enjoyed taking a break from the live scene:

"It feels like we've had a healthy break. We haven't played a show since November which is about eight or nine months off. Just enough time to make the record."

"It feels like we've had a healthy break. We haven't played a show since November which is about eight or nine months off. Just enough time to make the record"  Brandon Flowers - The Killers

Editors also took to the main stage at Reading yesterday. Ed explained that is was coming to heavy rock bashes like Reading as a teenager that inspired him to be in a band: "The excitment of a festival was really encapsulated by those big rock bands," he said. "It made me want to be part of it I guess."
 
Editors will play Leeds tonight (24th August) before being airlifted to Manchester to support REM: "This is very much the conclusion of our album tour in the next couple of weeks," Ed explained.

"These are our last home shows. We go on a few dates with REM and then we're finished so we're fully concentrating on the next record."

The Mystery Jets have also been on the festival bill over the last couple of days. They've been taking a break while their drummer Blaine Harrison recovers from health problems.

But in an interview with 6music on site at Reading, it sounded like they'd coped well with having to cancel shows: "I don't think it was difficult at all. For Blaine it was difficult. No one wants to be the party pooper. But he's strong and we all see it for what it is," they said before adding:

"We'll be back and we'll be playing more gigs and in the long run it won't matter."

Elizabeth Alker

Reading/Leeds underway

We speak to some of the acts as thousands of rockers kick-off the party

22 August 2008 - Reading and Leeds festivals are upon us again this weekend (22-24 August) and performers XX Teens, The Enemy, Does It Offend You Yeah? give us their lowdown.

Today (22 August) is the first day and will see Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, The Cribs, Babyshambles, Vampire Weekend and more play across the two sites.

Coventry trio finish-up

Leeds festival marks the grand finale to almost two years of touring for the Coventry trio and will be their last live show of the year.

Frontman Tom Clarke says he's looking forward to it, but also a bit of time out: “It’s gonna be our last set of the year at Leeds then we’re gonna take a bit of time off, as we’ve been on tour constantly for two years. We’ve had no more than a week off so it’s gonna be nice to go home and put our feet up.

“But Leeds was an amazing festival. Last year we played the gig and then went straight out into the crowd to have a chat with the fans, it’s just a brilliant vibe at Leeds.”

Even though Leeds’ atmosphere pleased them, Tom says it might be hard to top their set at last year’s Reading bash.

“Reading was the highlight of our year last year I think,” he told 6 Music. “It was again one of those unexpected things where you turn up and you know it’s gonna be good, but you don’t really know how good. We walked on stage and got the most tremendous receptions. It’s amazing to go out there and have your expectations shattered.”

And as for their onstage antics, Tom reminisced: “Andy dived off the stage into the crowd and as he came back out the security attacked him because they thought he was a fan trying to get on the stage. That was quite fun to watch.”

"When we hear Rage playing, we’re gonna be like: 'Thank you very much, good night.' And just go and watch Rage because we’re fans of them."
Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Miles Kane’s hectic schedule

The Rascals’ frontman will be playing two gigs, today (22 August) in Leeds and on Sunday (24 August) in Reading - one with his band, The Rascals, on the Festival Republic stage, and then later with an orchestra and his famous mate, Alex Turner.

Their side-project, The Last Shadow Puppets, are hitting up the Radio 1 stage and Miles joked about how he will get from one gig to the next.

“We’re playing and then I’m doing The Last Shadow Puppets in the night as well, so I’m getting ‘copter-ed over,” he said.

To which the rest of his Rascals’ bandmates laughingly interjected with: “And we’ll get the megabus home.”

XX Teens’ trip down memory lane

Rich and Antony from XX Teens say they've only been to Reading once before - and they had quite different experiences.

Rich said: “I went and saw Blur once one year and then urgh, the horrible Red Hot Chilli Peppers were playing and I was a bit sick to myself.”

To which Antony interjected: “I saw them too, they were fantastic.”

XX Teens are often compared to The Fall and they say maybe it was their one visit to Reading years ago, that sealed their fate: “The Fall played, I like The Fall. We sound just like The Fall and they played and we just made notes together. We’ve just been dining out on it ever since.”

Does It Offend You, Yeah?’s tight spot

The English electro rockers Does It Offend You, Yeah? are also on the Reading/Leeds bill energising crowds with their upbeat dance inflected live shows.

The band say Reading and Leeds is a bit of a homecoming for them having toured their debut album, You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into , extensively in recent months.

They're a bit gutted to be playing so close to when headliners Rage Against The Machine are on stage though: “When we hear Rage playing, we’re gonna be like: ‘Thank you very much, good night.’ And just go and watch Rage because we’re fans of them, it’s gonna be a tough one, but a good one.”

And the gap between their sets isn’t as tight as it could have been, as vocalist James Rushent said: “I think we’re on an hour before them, at the same time as Queens Of The Stone Age, so that’s pretty good.”

Georgie Rogers

Kerrang winners

This year's awards knees-up attended by Metallica, Slipknot and Carl Barat

22 August 2008 - The Kerrang! Awards were held in central London last night (21 August) with two massive rock acts headed for Reading and Leeds festivals being awarded.

Rage Against The Machine, who're currently making a comeback, were inducted into the Kerrang Hall Of Fame and Metallica received the Inspiration Award.

Rage frontman Zack De La Rocha thanked the The Clash, Public Enemy and Bob Dylan from the podium, while Metallica singer James Hetfield said heavy metal was “coming alive again.”

Actor Jared Leto’s band 30 Seconds To Mars scooped Best Single for From Yesterday with Best Album going to Avenged Sevenfold.

The surprise attendee of the night was Carl Barat, who confessed he used to be into heavy metal.

The former Libertines man and Dirty Pretty Things frontman said he wanted to see Rage Against the Machine: “I’m a massive fan… so I thought I’d pop down and see what was going on.”

Bullet For My Valentine, who scooped the award for Best British Band, also spoke to 6 Music.

Padge from the band explained what the awards night means to them: “It’s a great ceremony and it’s great to bring everyone together and have a good knees up. As for winning, we’re just happy to be invited”.

Jay added: “If you win something, it’s just rewarding after all the hard work you’ve done all year.”

"It’s a great ceremony and it’s great to bring everyone together and have a good knees up. As for winning, we’re just happy to be invited."
Bullet For My Valentine

Speaking to the organisers

Katie Parsons, the new bands editor for Kerrang! Magazine, spoke to 6 Music about the importance of the night: “In the world of rock and metal and heavy music, there aren’t many mainstream opportunities to be recognised as being good at what you do, and the Kerrang! awards is the biggest event of the year for mainstream press to recognise these sorts of people are doing something great.”

She also thinks the awards differ from those that are chosen by industry insiders: “It’s voted for by fans, so I think it means a huge amount to bands, regardless of their genre to be involved in the Kerrang! Awards in any way, whether that’s presenting, coming along as an attendee, being nominated or in fact winning.”

Hosting the event was Scott Ian, from Anthrax, who thought his job was preferable to being nominated: “At least I get to be doing something for an hour and a half, whereas if you’re just sitting in the audience, especially if you’re not even up for an award, award shows are the most boring thing in the world.”

Kerrang! Winners 2008

Best International Newcomer – Black Tide
Best British Newcomer – Slaves to Gravity
Kerrang! Icon – Slipknot
Best Video – Coheed and Cambria
Best Single – 30 Seconds to Mars – From Yesterday
Best Album – Avenged Sevenfold – Avenged Sevenfold
Best Live Band – Machine Head
Classic Songwriter – Def Leppard
Spirit of Independence – The Dillinger Escape Plan
Best British Band – Bullet For My Valentine
Best International Band – 30 Seconds to Mars
Hall of Fame – Rage Against The Machine
Inspiration – Metallica

Victoria Hannaford

Reverend resigns

Frontman John McClure to quit the music biz after a second album

19 August 2008 - The Reverend And The Makers’ frontman plans to release the follow-up to their UK top 5 debut, The State Of Things , and then pack it all in.

McClure exclusively told 6 Music: "I don't want anything to do with this industry, it absolutely stinks."

The new album will be called The French Kiss In The Chaos , due for release in 2009.

The singer would then like to retire and become a “pedal taxi driver.”

It will all end in January

Their single, Heavyweight Champion of the World, received huge, mainstream pop success, reaching the UK top 10.

The band have also done a number of festival performances this summer, including Summer Sundae, V Festival, Ibiza Rocks and are set to play Get Loaded this coming weekend (24 August).

McClure’s other project, Mongrel, with former Arctic Monkeys’ bassist Andy Nicholson and Babyshambles’ guitarist Drew McConnell – is a mix of dub and hip-hop with an Iraqi rapper.

When asked if he feels apprehensive with the crossover between pop and alternative music, he dropped the bombshell: “It’s probably commercial suicide perhaps what I’m doing, but I’m gonna retire in January anyway.”

He says he finds the music industry a cynical world: "It's all done for profit and not for any degree of musical feeling or sentiment. Unfortunately, the press distort things to such a degree that you've not got a hope of knowing what the truth is, so it's not something that I want to participate in or fuel anymore.”

As to whether he actually intends on bowing out of the music industry completely, he responded: "Absolutely brother. It makes me tired and it makes me feel ill and I don't want anything more to do with it."

And the retirement wheels are already in motion as the singer says he’s sacked his management and plans to finish early next year.

"I'm gonna go out having told the truth and with my head held high and having stood for something,” the outspoken singer explained. “I feel like a sore thumb in a piranha pool in this industry. I don't like the way it's all run by rich men in their 50’s who went to private school. It's not something I want to be part of.”

"It makes me tired and it makes me feel ill and I don't want anything more to do with it."
John McClure

Record desires

McClure, who was once in a band with Arctic Monkeys’ man Alex Turner, also spoke about some of his contemporaries, saying: "You get these bands who have a few hits, say like the Pigeon Detectives, who come out with another album trying to do the same thing again.

"I'm going to make a record that's truly artistic, which is the Reverend and the Makers album, that's artistically interesting, then I'm going to retire and become a pedal taxi driver."

And the frontman concluded by describing his feelings towards his last offering: “It’s the best album that I could ever imagine in 2008, or 2009 which it will be by the time it comes out, but it sounds like everything that’s going on right now. I feel very, very proud of it - it’s a beautiful thing.”
 
See Reverend And The Makers play a session in 6 Music's hub.

Georgie Rogers

Bloc Party unveil LP

Surprise announcement that the band's new album is available from Thursday

19 August 2008 - Bloc Party have revealed details of their new album during a webchat with their fans.

Their third record is titled Intimacy and the digital version of the record will be made available from their official website www.blocparty.com this Thursday 21 August.

However, the physical CD won't arrive until the 27 October - but the band have stated that it will contain extra as-yet-unnamed, "different tracks," from the digital version.

Produced by previous Bloc Party producers Paul Epworth (Silent Alarm) and Jacknife Lee (A Weekend in the City) the album is available to pre-order from the band's official website now.

Intimacy was recorded in Kent and London and the first single, Mercury, was released on 11 August and marks a more experimental sound for the band.

The band are set to perform at the Reading and Leeds festivals this weekend (22-24 August) and the Scotland Connect Festival on Saturday 30 August.

The Intimacy tracklisting:

1. Ares
2. Mercury
3. Halo
4. Biko
5. Trojan Horse
6. Signs
7. One Month Off
8. Zephyrus
9. Better Than Heaven
10. Ion Square

Georgie Rogers

Steady vs Radiohead

"Radiohead have lost the plot" - Tad

17 August 2008 - "Radiohead have lost the plot". Not what were used to hearing about the band - but these are the words of Tad from The Hold Steady.

The guitarist has been exclusively talking to BBC 6 Music about his thoughts on the UK music industry, and in the interview he didn't hold back when it came to the 'Creep' artists.

Muse also came under fire, but he couldn't speak highly enough about Mancunian rockers Oasis.

When asked his thoughts about Radiohead's 'In Rainbows', Tad had this to say:

"I think they've lost the plot. What are they doing? Where are they going? What's happening? I don't get it any more. They lost me. I still appreciate what they're doing, or what they're trying to do. But I think they're trying too hard not to be Radiohead. That seems a little ridiculous to me".

Tad goes on to say:

"I like them as a rock band, all the buttons and sequencing and stuff like that I don't really care for. I'm a fan of rock music and what they're doing now I don't think is very good. When you have that kind of money, you can put on a great performance regardless of what you do. If you can't go out and pick up your instruments and play a good show, that doesn't do it for me. I don't have any interest in that".

Muse

V Festival headliners Muse also came in for a tongue lashing. Tad said of the band:

"There's tons of great musicians out there. There are a lot of people that rely on technology, electronics. I don't want to take anything away from them but it doesn't do it for me".

Oasis

But, Tad admits he does have a soft spot for Oasis.

"I love Oasis. I love them. I think that what they do is earnest. I think it's honest. When they get up and do what they do, it's one take and they get up and they perform. I trust Noel Gallagher to do a good job with the record".

Probably a wise idea to keep onside with the Gallaghers, eh Tad?

Louise Hulland