De La Soul talk new album with Damon Albarn

To all those De La Soul fans that are running around, doing push ups and pumping iron to the latest album in the Nike Fit series ('Are You In'), don't expect a new D.L.S album till 2010.

According to Entertainment Weekly, De La Soul will be following up their 2004 'The Grind Date' album with 'You're Welcome' in 2010. Early whispers are collaborations with Chuck D, Flavor Flav and even Damon Albarn again. Back in 2005, De La Soul appeared rapping on Damon Albarn's Gorillaz hit 'Feel Good, Inc.' News on the grapevine too is that De La Soul have contributed to a couple of new Gorillaz songs for their next album, tentatively titled 'Plastic Beach'.

De La Soul were recently in Australia and performed shows that proved why they are known as one of the master groups of hip-hop.

Reading/Leeds Festival announce more acts

We know you're still recovering from the news of Glastonbury's lineup, but we thought we'd let you in on a couple of new and welcome additions to the Reading/Leeds festival.

Known as the last big festival of the summer, the mainstage will now include the likes of New Found Glory, Madina Lake and The Rakes. If you're an NME magazine fan, then maybe their stage is for you. The NME/Radio 1 Stage has The Horrors, Crystal Castles, Passion Pit, Manchester Orchestra and more joining previously announced stars Gossip, Jamie T and Glasvegas.

The Reading and Leeds Festivals are held on dual sites over the final weekend in August.

Latest line-up additions

Main Stage
New Found Glory
Alexisonfire
Madina Lake
Sonic Boom Six
The Rakes
Fightstar

NME /Radio 1 Stage
The Horrors
Little Boots
Crystal Castles
Passion Pit
Metronomy
Frank Turner
Lethal Bizzle
In Case Of Fire
Broadway Calls
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Virgins
Manchester Orchestra
Dananananaykroyd
You Me At Six
Patrick Wolf
Metric
Spinnerette
Delphic
Dinosaur Pile Up

http://www.readingfestival.com/

ALBUM REVIEW: Kasabian - 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'

Kasabian - the Oasis of Generation Y - is back with a new record. 'The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' is a crafted blend of rock and dance. It's as addictive to kasabian fans, as ice is to junkies. After what some might describe as dissapointing sophomore effort with 'Empire', Kasabian have hit back with an album we believe is on par with their first album 'Kasabian'. Matching with as many hits as Kasabian's first album had (ie. 'Processed Beats', 'L.S.F.' and 'Reason is Treason'), this is one album that will no doubt make Music Universe's 'Best of 2009' list.

Some people may already be familiar with some of the songs on the new album. Opening track 'Underdog' is one hell of an opener, with Oasis similarities already visible. 'Underdog' is actually the song that's being played in the background of the new Sony Bravia ad. It's the one where Brazilian genius footballer Kaká is seen sporting his football tricks spread across a number of tv's. Thanks to Sony's billion dollar advertising budget, there's no way you could have missed it.

Another song that may be familiar with millions of FIFA playstation/xbox owners is 'Fast Fuse'. What a song! It's got everything you want from a song. It's feet tapping, hip swinging and completely boisterous. If you were asked by a non-kasabian-loser-listener what kind of music Kasabian sounds like or make, then you'd play them this song straight up.

Lead singer Tom Meighan and guitar/vocalist Serg Pizzorno are the Gallagher brothers of the band. Their on-stage cockiness and sex-symbol status, make these guys a legendary duo that you just don't see in many bands these days. The album was named after a genuine mental asylum from England in the 1800s, Serg himself coined the album as “the soundtrack to an imaginary movie” - and what a soundtrack it is.

Throughout the album Kasabian seem to go all western on us. Current single on the airwaves, 'Fire', is a stupidly sexy western-sounding song which is an obvious highlight. We haven't turned the repeat button off on this song yet. Song 'Thick as Thieves' sounds like an Antonio Banderas flamenco/Beatles singalong song with 'la la la la la' fixed into your brain for hours to come.

Other notable classic hits on West Ryder include 'Where Did All The Love Go?' and 'Vlad The Impaler'. Both songs will cause you to absolutely love this album, especially the latter which will no doubt hit your local bar's dancefloor in the coming few weeks.

West Ryder is a surprisingly well thought out album, releasing it six months after they initally wanted too (thought they'd wait for the KOL's latest album buzz to die down), as well as spreading the best songs across the album (as opposed to MGMT who put all their hits in the first 6 songs). Word on the street is that Kasabian will be making an appearance in Australia this August......expect the lunatics to escape from their asylums!

7.5/10

--- Contributed by Jase S.

Glastonbury Festival 2009 lineup revealed

The lineup was announced for Glastonbury Festival 2009 last night. It is with great displeasure and distress that we at Music Universe may not be able to attend.

In what's known as the biggest festival in the UK, if not the whole of Europe, this year's lineup boasts some of the biggest names in todays and even yesterdays music.

Let's talk about the main main headliners first. Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur will be the final big acts on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights respectively. Oh sorry, that's just the final acts on one of the 11 stages that will be erected for this monstrosity of an event. Other final acts on some of the other stages over the three days include Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, The Prodigy, Black Eyed Peas, Doves, Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Echo and The Bunnymen, Animal Collective, Bon Iver and on the dance stages 2 Many DJs, Calvin Harris, Erol Alkan and Peaches.

So far I've only talked about a couple of the final acts on just some of the stages over the three days. If your jaw is dropping now, wait till you hear just a few of the bands that will be playing before them.

On the Friday, fans will be treated to acts like Lily Allen, Fleet Foxes, Regina Spektor, Ting Tings, Friendly Fires, The View, The Streets, Jamie T, Metronomy, F***ED Up, Adam Freeland, Tom Middleton, The Horrors, Noah and The Whale and about a hundred more.

On the Saturday, we're-so-jealous-of-these-fans will see acts like Kasabian, Crosby Stills and Nash. Dizzee Rascal, Spinal Tap, Eagles of Death Metal, Pendulum, Maximo Park, Peter Doherty, Peter Bjorn and John, Florence and The Machine, Passion Pit, Temper Trap, Deadmaus, Pete Tong, La Roux, M Ward, Stanton Warriors and again a hundred more.

On the Sunday, the tired fans will finish up their weekend with the likes of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Madness, Amadou and Mariam, Easy Star Allstars, Glasvegas, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Art Brut, Roots Manuva, The Wombats, Ladyhawke, Cold War Kids, Magic Numbers, Status Quo and yet again a hundred more.

A quick note: some of the bands will be playing a few times over the weekend just in case you can't get to see them or feel like seeing them twice. Also, congrats to Melbourne band Temper Trap for getting the call-up too.

All in all this lineup is just disgusting and makes us projectile vomit all over the office. Music Universe possibly not being in attendance (we're working on getting there) feels like a bad dream that we can't wake up too.

So, lift your jaw off the floor and click on the 'read here for more' link to see the complete lineup. Be careful, your jaw might drop again!

PYRAMID STAGE

Friday
Neil Young
The Specials
Lily Allen
Fleet Foxes
TBC
Regina Spektor
Gabrielle Cilmi
Bjorn Again

Saturday
Bruce Springsteen
Kasabian
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Dizzee Rascal
Spinal Tap
Tinariwen
Eagles Of Death metal
VV Brown

Sunday
Blur
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Madness
Tom Jones
Amadou & Mariam
Tony Christie
Status Quo
Easy All Stars

OTHER STAGE

Friday
Bloc Party
Ting Tings
Antony & The Johnsons
Jamie T
White Lies
Friendly Fires
TBC
The Maccabees
The Whip
Mr Hudson

Saturday
Franz Ferdinand
Pendulum
Maximo Park
Paolo Nutini
Pete Doherty
The Script
Jason Mraz
Patrick Wolf
Peter, Bjorn & John
Broken Family Band

Sunday
Prodigy
Glasvegas
Bon Iver
Bat For Lashes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Enter Shikari
Brand New
F****d Up
Boxer Rebellion
In Case Of Fire

JOHN PEEL STAGE (known for the acts with the biggest buzz going around)

Friday
Doves
Lady Gaga
Jack Penate
Little Boots
Metronomy
VV Brown
The Virgins
F****d Up
Rumble Strips
Dan Black
General Fiasco

Saturday
Jarvis Cocker
White Lies
Florence & The Machine
Passion Pit
Gaslight Anthem
Hockey
Temper Trap
Esser
Big Pink
Baddies
The Nightingales

Sunday
Echo & The Bunnymen
The Wombats
Noisettes
Ladyhawke
The Soft Pack
Just Jack
Emmy The Great
Twisted Wheel
We Have Band

JAZZ WORLD STAGE

Friday
Q Tip
De La Soul
The Streets
Steel Pulse
Lamb
Hot 8 Brass Band
Stephanie McKay

Saturday
Playing For Change
Baaba Maal
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jamie Cullum
Rokia Traore
Erik Truffaz

Sunday
Black Eyed Peas
Manu Dibango
Roots Manuva
Khaled
Orquesta Aragon
Linda Lewis

ACOUSTIC STAGE

Friday
Ray Davies
Fairport Convention
Jason Mraz
Scott Matthews
No Crows
Hugh Cornwell
Ben Taylor
Sean Taylor
Karima Francis
John Smith

Saturday
Tindersticks
Kilfenora Ceili Band
Newton Faulkner
Lisa Hannigan
Gary Louris & Mark Olson (Jayhawks)
Lunasa
Bap Kennedy
Hope And Social
Stornoway
Cara Smyth Band

Sunday
Georgie Fame
Roger McGuinn
Sharon Corr
Gospel Choir
Beth Rowley
Imelda May
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Kate Walsh
Martin Harley Band
Lucy Wainwright Roche

THE PARK

Friday
Animal Collective
The Horrors
Emiliana Torrini
Noah And The Whale
TBC
Special Guests
James Hunter
Golden Silvers
Bishi
Lay Low

Saturday
Bon Iver
M Ward
Special Guests
Shlomo & Guests
Horace Andy
Easy All Stars
The Memory Band
The Low Anthem
TBA
First Aid Kit

Sunday
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Cold War Kids
Alela Diane
Terry Reid
The Rockingbirds
TBC
Alberta Cross
Chief
Micachu
Bristol Community Choir

QUEENS HEAD STAGE

Thursday
Metronomy
Kap Bambino
Ebony Bones
Golden Silvers
Alessi’s Ark
Liz Green
The Gentle Good
Charlene Soraia
Stornoway
We Have Band
Maximo Park
Smash n’ Grab

Friday
Jason Mraz
The Big Pink
The Rakes
Rumble Strips
The Virgins
Dan Le Sac Vs Scoobius Pip
Tommy Sparks
The Low Anthem
Team Waterpolo
Hope And Social
Dead Like Harry
Yr Ods
City Stereo
The Mojo Fins
Maura Kincaid
The Slips
Sub Universe
Glitterati

Saturday
Dan Black
The King Blues
The Shortwave Set
Special Guest
The Wombats
Official Secrets Act
Noah And The Whale
Emmy The Great
Broken Records
Special Guest
Peggy Sue & The Pirates
Marina & the Diamonds
Theoretical Girl
Blue Roses
Guilty Pleasures

Sunday
Robyn Hitchcock
Magic Numbers
The Aliens
Bombay Bicycle Club
Joe Gideon & The Sharks
Vagabond
Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong
Fight Like Apes
The Capitol Years
Soft Toy Emergency
Priscilla Ahn
Jersey Budd
Two Door Cinema Club
Major Major
Motown 50th Birthday

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/

Amadou and Mariam team up with David Gilmour

Mali sensations Amadou and Mariam have confirmed a very special collaboration with David Gilmour for the Crisis Hidden Gigs. This unique performance will take place on Monday 25th May 2009 in an intimate venue in central London and is the only confirmed live appearance from the British legend this year. However the venue will remain 'hidden' until 24-hours before the gig, when a text or email will be sent to ticket holders.

Mariam Doumbia and Amadou Bagayoko met whilst attending the Institute for Young Blind in Bamako in 1977. Following their first concert as a duo in 1980 they went on to record and tour internationally, and found worldwide success with the release of their Grammy nominated album 'Dimanche a Bamako’ back in 2005. The duo’s success continues to escalate through support slots for Blur and Coldplay this summer as well as last year's 'Welcome to Mali' album receiving rave reviews across the world.

The one-off live collaboration with David Gilmour for Crisis aims to raise awareness of and money for hidden homeless people in the UK1. The series of Crisis Hidden Gigs throughout May and June will be a fantastic opportunity to see top acts in intimate, unusual spaces - making for a unique musical experience.

By withholding details until the last minute, Crisis aims to raise awareness of the precarious situation facing hidden homeless people, who often don’t know where they will end up each night and are often forced to move from place to place.

To those in London, or who can get to this concert, firstly we're jealous and secondly, please enjoy.

www.amadou-mariam.com

Arctic Monkeys turn to Black Sabbath

According to Alex Turner, frontman of Arctic Monkeys, their new album is being heavily influenced by Black Sabbath from what we're hearing.

Turner said they started work on the album last summer and used their trip to the Latitude Festival as inspiration. Speaking to NME.com, he said: "We went to Latitude, ripped it up, wrote on our faces and eventually wrote some songs.

"We spent the first day there on the most complicated riff you've ever heard. It goes round in seven-and-a-half-time. We used it in the end, it's on an intro. It was like [Black] Sabbath."

Turner also confirmed that the band are hoping to release the album before their headline performances at the Reading And Leeds Festivals in August.

Got tickets to Reading/Leeds Festival this year? Let us know and who you're looking forward too in the comments below.

www.arcticmonkeys.com

REVIEW: Groovin In The Moo Festival (Bendigo, May 16th)

Jeez Groovin In The Moo Bendigo was one hell of a party. We didn't get there till just before 4ish (due to a certain football game featuring Liz Hurley), but as soon as we arrived we could already feel the party in the air.

First up for us was Okkervil River. Some of us had been waiting to see this band play for a long time now and we weren't dissapointed. Playing songs from all their albums, including the latest one 'The Stand Ins', Okkervil knew how to get the crowd going. Okkervil gave a fond farewell to the Bendigo crowd ending with the song 'Unless if Kicks' to make us salivating for more.

After Okkervil and a couple more drinks we headed to the tent for De La friggin Soul. One word comes to mind when we think back to their set - ridiculous. Non stop jumping and arm waving. Non stop shouting and singing. Non stop smiling and joy De La Soul are the masters. If you haven't seen them yet, put simply. you're an idiot. De La were definitely the best performing artist of the festival and you can ask every single person in that jam packed tent and we're sure they'd agree. Playing hit after hit and ending with 'Ring, Ring, Ring' . Without a doubt we at Music Universe won't ever forget when De La Soul got the whole crowd singing back to them 'Hey how ya doing, sorry i cant get through, why dont you leave your name and your number, and I'LL GET BACK TO YOU!"

After De La we needed a little break from the mosh and watched Architecture in Helsinki, Ratatat and The Grates from a distance. Architecture are always fun. The Grates leading lady Patience Hodgson was frenetic on stage pumping the crowd up with every song. As for Ratatat, we didn't hear much from where we were, but we could see the crowd in the tent and boy were they dancing. Next up for us in the moshpit was The Hilltop Hoods. The Hills have a new album about to be released 'State of The Art' and played a couple of newies off the album which weren't that bad, but obviously the crowd were only there to hear their big ones. Some of us at Music Universe had seen them a few times before and felt this wasn't their best set, but the Bendigoens still enjoyed it.

Last but not least was a choice between Muscles or The Living End. We chose The Living End so we could end on a bit of rocking and rolling and more importantly, a bit of moshing. Like De La Soul are one of the masters of Hip Hop, The Living End are one of the masters of true Aussie rock n roll. We've seen them about 25 gazillion times but they never get dull or boring. Playing a number of sorta still newish songs and a number of classics, The Living End know how to work a crowd. Ending with a rockabilly medley jam, with Chris playing his guitar with a VB can, fans left The Living End with dripping wet tshirts.

So, we grooved, we mooved and we enjoyed Groovin In The Moo Bendigo. We look forward to next year. Oh yeah, and for those who wanted to see what De La Soul's set was like live.....well here's a little clip we've got for ya. Enjoy!

The Gutter Twins announce two intimate Australian concerts

Come July, Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan will be heading down together to Australia for the first time as new band - The Gutter Twins. As well as making an appearance at the Splendour festival in Byron Bay, The Gutter Twins will also be doing two special side shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

Music lovers and fans can expect a diverse set list of crowd pleasers with songs spanning the musical careers of the Gutter Twins, Twilight Singers, Mark Lanegan’s solo offerings, as well as unreleased material and covers.

Tickets on sale Thursday 28th May.

The Gutter Twins new album, “Saturnalia” is out now through Sub Pop/Stomp.

July 23rd - York Theatre, Sydney NSW
July 24th - Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne VIC
July 25/26th - Splendour In The Grass Festival, Byron Bay NSW

www.theguttertwins.com

Vampire Weekend + Ra Ra Riot = Discovery

Do me a favour and make sure you are sitting down before you read this.....

Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot are teaming up to produce an LP, which is funnily enough going to be called 'LP'.

Going by the band name of Discovery - made up of Vampire Weekend's keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot's singer Wes Miles, the album will be released on July 7th.

For those of you who are bigger Vampire fans, you're in for something a bit more special - the album also features vocal contributions from Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. However, don't expect it to sound like a Vampire album, expect it to be a little bit more electro style.

Tracklisting:

01 Orange Shirt
02 Osaka Loop Line
03 Can You Discover?
04 I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
05 So Insane
06 Swing Tree
07 Carby [ft. Ezra Koenig]
08 I Want You Back
09 It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault)
10 Slang Tang

http://www.myspace.com/discoverdiscovery

British India 'God is Dead' tour pt. 2

To all those die hard British India fans (like us at Music Universe), well they're about to return home after a little tour of the UK.

British India have two sensational albums out at the moment, 'Guillotine'(2007) and 'Thieves'(2008). Latest single 'God is Dead Meet The Kids' is the second single to be released from their sophomore album and which is why they are currently on tour.

These guys are without a doubt one of the most frenetic and intense live bands that has come out of Melbourne town in a very long time. We've seen them a few times live and each time we've come out dripping and having to leave our tshirts on the dancefloor.

British India are another one of those 'must see acts before I die'. It's just so good to know that they're Australian too!!!

Catch them at one of these shows soon.

June 11th - Ballina Hotel, Ballina NSW
June 12th - Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour NSW
June 13th - Yamba Bowl Club, Yamba NSW
June 19th - The Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta QLD
June 20th - The Hi Fi, Brisbane QLD
June 28th - The Hi Fi, Melbourne VIC
July 3rd - The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide SA



www.myspace.com/britishindia

Doves are coming back to tour Australia

Guess who's coming back after four long years people....The Doves!!!!

Yep, those Mancs are heading over to Australia for a mini tour and what possibly looks like a headline spot at Splendour in The Grass.They’ve twice played Splendour In The Grass, in 2002 and 2005, so we can only expect the same especially looking at the dates they're playing.

The Doves just released their fourth album 'Kingdom of Rust' to rave reviews. We at Music Universe have seen them play before over in the UK and it was a very special show.

These guys are a must see act before you die.

Tickets on sale 9.00am Thursday 4 June.

Tuesday 28 July – Billboard, Melbourne
Thursday 30 July – Metro Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 1 August – Capitol, Perth

www.doves.net

Mew to release 'No More Stories' album...we think

Ummm.....how do we say this.......

Epic Danish band Mew are about to release their latest album and we think it's called 'No More Stories'. We say think because the title according to the band's myspace site reads as follows:

'No more stories
Are told today
I'm sorry
They washed away

No more stories
The world is grey
I'm tired
Let's wash away'

According to the site, the album is due for release on August 25th. To add to the weirdness of this whole thing, the track listing includes pictures in it. Yes, pictures as song titles.

No More Stories...:

01 New Terrain
02 Introducing Palace Players
03 Beach
04 Repeaterbeater
05
06 Silas the Magic Car
07 Cartoons and Macramé Wounds
08 A Dream
09 Hawaii
10 Vaccine
11 Tricks of the Trade
12
13 Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy
14 Reprise

www.mewsite.com

Liam Gallagher gets abused at Man City game

Here's one for all you mad football fans....

Liam Gallagher, frontman of Oasis for those that were just born, was taunted by thousands of football fans after he boasted to them that his team was going to win.

Gallagher was at the Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City match on Saturday, cheering on his beloved City side from outside a private box at White Hart Lane, north London.

The tosser he is, laughed loudly and stuck two fingers up at the Spurs fans sitting below him after Manchester City levelled the score to one all 65 minutes into the game and gestured that the score would eventually be 2-1.

However the Spurs fans soon had the last laugh when Tottenham scored from a penalty in the 86th minute to go 2-1 up and win the match.

The fans then turned on Gallagher with chants of "Liam, what's the score?" and "you're just a shit Chas & Dave", to which he responded by swearing and sticking his fingers up.

Later that day, to twist the dagger into Gallagher's heart even more, Manchester City's biggest rival Manchester United won the league title for the third year in a row.

Go Liverpool!

The Libertines reform for late night show

*Warning, this article may cause people to vomit and cry

According to reports coming out of London, three members of The Libertines reunited in the early hours a couple days ago to play live together for the first time since they split in 2004.

Singer/guitarists Pete Doherty and Carl Barat were joined by drummer Gary Powell onstage at the London Rhythm Factory for a tribute gig to the late Johnny Sedassy, who used to put on gigs by the band, plus those by Doherty's current band Babyshambles and his solo shows.

The night began with The Babyshambles playing a set at 2:15am to play seven songs: 'I Wish', 'Killamangiro', 'Delivery', 'UnStookietitled', 'Back From The Dead', 'Baddie’s Boogie' and 'Albion'.

Then to the sound of screams and cheers from the crowd Barat firstly walked out onto the stage and strapped on his guitar, then Powell came out and set up behind the drum kit. Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell remained on stage to complete the four-piece.

The foursome launched into a frenetic version of early Libertines hit 'What A Waster', with Barat and Doherty sharing a microphone as they sang the lyrics.

They then played 'Up The Bracket', 'What Katy Did', 'Can't Stand Me Now', 'Time For Heroes' and 'Death On The Stairs', with Doherty leaping into the crowd near the end of the short set.

Barat and Powell left the stage to more cheers then Babyshambles' Adam Ficek and Mick Whitnall returned – plus a surprise guest.

The band were joined by their former guitarist Pat Walden, now playing with three-piece Big Dave, for the finale, playing 'Pipedown' and 'Fuck Forever' to close the ridiculous show.

One word.......devastated.

www.nme.com

Radiohead back in the studio for 8th album

Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood spoke to both NME and BBC this week, emphasising one thing and one thing only - Radiohead is back in the studio.

Speaking to NME, Greenwood explained “it’s really cool and everything is sounding great.” “It’s early days and it is a bit like having a scrapbook at the moment because everything is up in the air, but it’s good to be back in the studio.”

Greenwood spoke in a slightly more creative tone for BBC. “It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we’re just looking at all the bits and thinking what’s next?”

Radiohead are playing at a couple of festivals in Europe this summer (winter time for you Aussie fans), but are yet to announce anything for Australia. It's been only 5 god dam long years since Radiohead toured Australia, and it seems not even a miracle will get them here. What's the deal with that? Kills us at Music Universe.

Anyway, Radiohead are still geniuses and the best. Time to buy a flight to Europe.

www.bestflights.com.au

www.radiohead.com

Hilltop Hoods announce Australian tour

After witnessing their performance at Groovin in The Moo festival in Bendigo, we've just learnt that Adelaide hip hop masters Hilltop Hoods have announced a national tour in conjunction with their appearance at Splendour in The Grass.

It's their first headline tour since 2006 and will no doubt be a sweat fest.

The trio’s fifth album 'State Of The Art' is due out soon (June 12th), with first single 'Chase That Feeling' already getting plenty of radio airplay.

Joining them as tour supports are Canadian veteran Classified and new kid Briggs.

Expect this tour to sell out. Tickets on sale Tuesday 26 May.

Saturday 18 July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, (Lic/All Ages)
Thursday 23rd July – Capitol, Perth (18+)
Friday 24th July – Hi-Fi Bar, Brisbane (18+)
Sunday 26th July – Splendour In The Grass, Byron Bay
Thursday 30th July – City Hall, Hobart (18+)
Friday 31st July – Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Saturday 1st August – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (Lic/All Ages)
Tuesday 4th August – ANU Refectory, Canberra (18+)

*Expect Hilltop Hoods photos and a review of Groovin in The Moo soon

www.hilltophoods.com

Friendly Fires announce short Australian tour

UK trio Friendly Fires have been labelled everything from dance-punk, to the new nu-wave, electro-pop, melodic song, and disco dance. Whatever you make of their sound, we are more than happy to tell you that Friendly Fires are undeniably one of the most exciting bands of 2009. In conjunction with their appearance at this year's sold out Splendour In The Grass festival, Friendly Fires will also be making a few appearances around the country.

So after playing sell-out shows throughout Europe and the UK and opening for acts such as Interpol and Blur, we are very excited to finally have Friendly Fires heading our way in 2009. The thought of hearing 'Jump In The Pool', 'Paris' and 'Skeleton Boy' being played live makes us drool at Music Universe like Homer Simpson drools over a doughnut.

Tickets on sale May 29th through moshtix.

July 24th - Amplifier Bar, Perth WA

July 25th-26th - Splendour In The Grass Festival, Byron Bay NSW
July 28th - Manning Bar Sydney Uni, Sydney NSW
July 29th - Prince Bandroom, Melbourne VIC

www.wearefriendlyfires.com

The Twilight Sad to release new album September 22nd

Scottish emo group The Twilight Sad have just finished up a U.S. tour supporting Mogwai. There they showcased a few new songs into their set.

Have no fear though fans, a whole bunch of new songs are headed our way soon enough because The Twilight Sad are set to release a new album very soon. On September 22, The Twilight Sad will release F'orget the Night Ahead', their follow-up to their excellent 2007 album 'Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters'.

Stay tuned for a sneak peak listen on the first track from 'Forget the Night Ahead', titled 'Reflection of the Television'.

www.twilightsad.com

Passion Pit coming to Australia in 2009

Speaking to Australian radio station Triple J this week, Michael Angelakos, songwriter and producer for Passion Pit, revealed that if you listen closely to the shiny pop songs on their debut album 'Manners' you'll hear lyrics that delve in to some pretty dark themes.

"The idea of hiding behind pop music, you can kind of get your message through in a really interesting way if you hide it. Most people don't really open up and tell people how they're feeling. They just pretend they're doing fine. It's a great exercise, it's very therapeutic."

Michael also informed Australia that Passion Pit will tour the country later this year, probably around November.

Now who's excited by that news? One guess......Music Universe are! Stay tuned for dates to come.

Jack White talks new White Stripes album

Jack White has revealed that The White Stripes will reconvene at the end of 2009 to record their next album.

Once he has completed his touring commitments with new band The Dead Weather, he and Meg White will start work on the follow up to 2007's 'Icky Thump'.

White spoke to musicradar recently and said "We had recorded a couple of songs at the new studio. I talked to her about coming by when I was done in the summer rehearsing with The Dead Weather - I won't be done in the summer touring with them, but after the summer jaunt."

White also talked about the duo's cancelled 2007 dates, when Meg White was said to be suffering from acute anxiety.

He explained it was “in the past”, adding: “Meg is a very shy girl, a very quiet and shy person. To go full-speed from a dead-halt is overwhelming, and we had to take a break. The train was out of control!"

Jack White teamed up with Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), Dead Fertitia (QOTSA) and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) to form an alt-rock supergroup known as The Dead Weather back in eearly 2009. They are about to release their debut album 'Horehound' on June 9th, having already released their debut single 'Hang You From The Heavens' on March 11th of this year.

UK Music Industry gets stimulated by £26 million

Why does the UK always get the good stuff? The UK music industry is set to be given a £26 million stimulus by the government to help create placements for the jobless during the recession.

Under the plan being curated by Culture secretary James Purnell, £50 million is being given to creative industries to help create new jobs.

According to spies within, the music industry will get over half the money with the initial aim of creating 200 placements in the 'festival' sector.

The money will come directly from the Department for Work and Pensions and jobs in other sectors of the music industry are planned for the future.

Ummm........Mr Rudd........take note you scumbag and stimulate the music industry package here in Australia!

Spinal Tap to play Glastonbury

Spinal Tap have confirmed that they will play this year's Galstonbury festival as part of a pair of shows in the UK.

The band explained that they had hoped to organise a full tour but other commitments meant they couldn't all perform at the same time.

Christopher Guest told the Philadelphia Daily News: "To be honest, we couldn't get that together. But we will do a couple of 'Tap shows in Britain, at Wembley Arena and the Glastonbury festival."

Spinal Tap will release the album 'Back From The Dead' on June 15.

Watch the volume knob go to 11 on this tour!

Sounds of Spring Festival 2009

On 26 September 2009, Brisbane will open its doors to the Sounds of Spring music festival once again. 15,000 fans will have a chance to catch some of Australia's finest indie acts - think of it like precursor to Homebake festival.

After a huge festival last year, Sounds of Spring invites you back for a bigger, better, louder festival, in every way. Apparently the phone has been off the hook with bands wanting to play at this years festival and so far the ones to make the first lineup we think you’ll really enjoy.

THE LIVING END, JOSH PYKE, FRENZAL RHOMB, THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, SHIHAD, BUTTERFINGERS, DOWNSYDE, URTHBOY, CHILDREN COLLIDE, SHONEN KNIFE, QUAN, PEZ, PHRASE, THE HARD ONS, THE FAUVES, RHUBARB, TOOTHFAERIES, DJ PERPLEX, TEXAS TEA, DJ KATCH, MY DISCO, NUMBERS RADIO, THE TONGUE, GIANTS OF SCIENCE, ROGERTHAT, KATE BRADLEY AND THE GOODBYE HORSES…

PLUS MANY MORE STILL TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Sounds of Spring 2009 is an 18+ event.

Tickets on sale 15 May

SOUNDS OF SPRING 2009
Victoria Park, Gilchrist Ave, Herston
(opposite RNA Showgrounds & Royal Children’s Hospital).

www.soundsofspring.com.au

Bimbadgen Blues Roots Funk n Grooves Festival

It's time for Bimbadgen Blues Roots Funk n Grooves festival.

Featuring The Panics, Blue King Brown, Kram, Ash Grunwald, Bluejuice, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Dialectrix and Here Come the Birds. The new and improved Bimbadgen festival will be held from 3pm through to 9pm on Saturday September 12th. This years Bimbadgen Blues Roots Funk n Grooves is going all out to create the best Funk n Grooves festival around.

Bimbadgen Blues Roots Funk n Grooves
Saturday September 12th
3pm to 9pm

Tickets only $65

www.bimbadgenblues.com.au

AC/DC announce 'Black Ice' Australian tour

Well the rumours can finally be quashed. After months of ifs, buts, whens, Aussie rock legends ACDC have finally announced they will be returning to Australia in February 2010 for five mammoth arena shows as part of their Black Ice world tour.

It will be the first time since 2001 that Angus and the boys have brought their show dowunder and supporting them on their home soil dates will be Australia’s other rock monsters Wolfmother.

So, get ready to be thunderstruck in 2010 as you kick off the new year with a bang at the following shows:

February 11 – Melbourne, Australia – Etihad Stadium
February 18 – Sydney, Australia – ANZ Stadium
February 25 – Brisbane, Australia – Nathan Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre)
March 2 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Oval
March 6 – Perth, Australia – Subiaco

Tickets will range from $99 to $149.90 with the band deliberately attempting to keep prices as low as possible.

Tickets go on sale Monday May 25th.

www.acdc.com

Bertie Blackman to release 'Secrets and Lies' and mini tour

Bertie Blackman will be celebrating the release of her new album 'Secrets and Lies' with intimate shows in both Melbourne and Sydney.

'Secrets and Lies' was created with Sydney-based UK producer Lee Groves (Goldfrapp, Gwen Stefani) and Australian producer Francois Tetaz (Gotye, Architecture in Helsinki).

After listening to a couple of Bertie's tracks, including the highly rotated 'Heart' on radio at the moment, this show is sure to sell quickly. Book early to avoid disappointment! 'Secrets and Lies' is in store and online May 8.

$16.00 (standard price) + booking fee

May 23rd - Toff in The Town, Melbourne VIC
May 29th - Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney NSW

www.moshtix.com.au
1300 438 829

The Presets playing after party gigs

After selling out their national tour, The Presets are going to offer fans something special. The Presets have just announced that they are going to play a couple of after-party gigs around the country. Considering this will be their last major tour for a while, this could be your last chance to catch them, even if it's only Kim DJing.

Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane will all host after parties. So if you're still wanting to kick on after the gigs or are one of those unlucky to miss out on tickets, buy buy buy now!!!

Tickets are only $13

9 May Shape Nightclub WA
16 May King's Head Hotel SA
21 May Sorry Grandma VIC
23 May Syrup TAS
27 May Trinity Bar ACT
29 May King Street Hotel NSW
30 May Trademark Hotel NSW
7 Jun The Empire Hotel QLD

www.thepresets.com
www.modularpeople.com

The Shins change band lineup

The Shins have made some unexpected lineup changes. According to an interview between lead singer, guitarist and frontman James Mercer and Pitchfork, keyboardist Marty Crandall has been replaced with Ron Lewis from Grand Archives and Fruit Bats, while drummer Jesse Sandoval’s place has been taken by Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse.

Mercer admitted the lineup shake up wasn’t due to any animosity between band members and that he, “…wouldn’t say I’d never work with them again. I love working with those guys,” but rather that, “I started to have production ideas that I wanted to do that basically required some other people...it's an aesthetic decision.”

The new band is working on a new album too. While there’s no release date, it will be released on Mercer’s own label Aural Apothecary, which is also set to re-release Mercer's pre-Shins project Flake Music's 1997 album, 'When You Land Here, It's Time to Return'.

www.theshins.com

White Lies announce Splendour sideshow gigs

UK Indie rockers White Lies have just announced a couple of Splendour in The Grass sideshows.

The group has had a great deal of success in their home country. They hit the #1 spot in the UK album charts with their debut LP 'To Lose My Life'. We've listened to the album and haven't been very impressed. So, having their sound been compared to the likes of Editors, Interpol, Joy Division, The Smiths and Echo and The Bunnymen - it sounds like they yet another one of those rip off bands. Let's hope not and that they can deliver something special with their shows.

Tickets go on sale Thursday May 21st at 9am.

July 28 - Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
July 30 - The Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne VIC

http://www.whitelies.com/

Paul Banks (Interpol) releases debut album as Julian Plenti

*Photo: Matador

According to the sick record label Matador, Interpol's lead singer, lyricist, guitarist and genius Paul Banks will release a solo album under his alias name Julian Plenti.

The album 'Skyscraper' will be release on August 4th. Banks has worked under the Julian Plenti alias for several years apparently, even before Interpol formed. Julian Plenti got credit on Banks' 'Narc' remix off the Antics special edition album in 2005.

According to the Julian Plenti website the album was recorded recently, but some of the songs were written more than ten years ago. The album has been described as having a "cocky, sexy" feel, with tracks that sound similar to Interpol mixed with Beirut.

Should be interesting.

www.julianplenti.com

Florence and The Machine release debut 'Lungs'

We love Florence and The Machine if you guys hadn't picked up yet.

So, after releasing a couple of singles ('Kiss With A Fist’ and 'Dog Days Are Over’) and a couple of covers ('Hospital Beds' - Cold War Kids, the ever so delightful Florence & The Machine has built up a formidable status with the music world, even taking out this years highly prestigious Critics Choice BRIT Award. Now Florence Welch is releasing her sensational debut album 'Lungs'.

Production duties on the album include the delicate care of Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Jack Penate, Maximo Park), James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, The Klaxons, Last Shadow Puppets) and Steve Mackay (Pulp, M.I.A).

After listening to 'Lungs' at least ten times in the space of a day, the staff at Music Universe are salivating at the thought of listening to it another ten times tomorrow.

We have no doubt that 2009 will be the year for Florence and The Machine and that 'Lungs' will festure into our 'Best Of 2009' list..

'Lungs' is out July 9th.

ALBUM TRACKLISTING:

1. Dog Days Are Over
2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
3. I’m Not Calling You A Liar
4. Howl
5. Kiss With A Fist
6. Girl With One Eye
7. Drumming
8. Between Two Lungs
9. Cosmic Love
10. My Boys Builds Coffins
11. Hurricane Drunk
12. Blinding
Bonus: You’ve Got The Love

www.florenceandthemachine.net

Radiohead were told to split up!

In one of the most moronic things we've ever heard, the manager of Radiohead apparently advised the band to split up just prior to completing 'In Rainbows'. Can you believe a world without 'In Rainbows' let alone Radiohead!

According to The Irish Times, Radiohead's manager thought that because the band couldn't achieve the sound that they were looking for (with 'In Rainbows'), he thought it could be the end. He felt that after two years of leaving EMI, Radiohead were still no closer to finishing the album. Well you know what Mr Manager, thank god Thom and co. don't listen to anyone but themselves.

'In Rainbows' went on to sell thousands and thousands of copies across the whole world - thanks to the master stroke of fans downloading the album for whatever amount they felt worthy of spending.

Mr Manager, you're an idiot!!

www.radiohead.com

Phoenix announce short Australian tour

French alternative rock band Phoenix have let slip that they will be making their way over to Australia for a quick pop in tour. Whilst some might have hoped that they would appear at Splendour in The Grass, a little bit of research has dimmed those hopes. Phoenix will be appearing at Besfestival (UK) over the Splendour weekend. Nevertheless, Phoenix will be performing a couple of shows so far in Melbourne and Sydney come August time. Time will tell if they expand this tour to the rest of the country.

Phoenix last played in Australia as part of the 2007 V Festival to a rapturous applause. Phoenix was formed in 1996 when Laurent Brancowitz joined after leaving his band Darlin', which later went on to become Daft Punk. After three studio albums, Phoenix are back with their fourth 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'. Its release date is set for May 25th, but already a single '1901' has been getting heaps of airplay over the radio. Their next single is 'Listzomania' and let us just tell you, it provides a great measure for what the rest of the album sounds like. We've been listening to 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' all week and it's bloody solid. It won't make our 'Best Of 2009' list, but its still a great listen.

Coldplay to release live album for free

Coldplay have decided to donate a new live album to a charity - the whole wide world.

Yes, the boys from Coldplay are to release a new live album which can be downloaded for free on their website. The nine-song set is called 'LeftRightLeftRightLeft' and fans will also be able to download the record from May 15.

So for those sitting on or below the poverty line, here's a chance to listen to a rousing live set whilst standing in line at Centrelink, on one of thousands of jobsearch websites or just bumming around blogging all day. Also, just in case you really have nothing to do, you can stare at the cover for a while and try and work out what you see. Everyone loves a Rorschach inkblot test.

www.coldplay.com