Bruce Springsteen is to headline the Pyramid Stage in the prestigious Saturday slot at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Q can exclusively reveal.

Making his first ever UK festival appearance, he will be backed by the E Street Band. Festival organiser Michael Eavis revealed to Q that he secured Springsteen, a long-time Glastonbury target, after sending him a handwritten letter. “It was one of my most passionate [letters],” he said in the new edition of Q, which goes on sale tomorrow.

“My daughter Emily liked it so much she asked me to rewrite it and have it framed for her. I think [Springsteen’s appearance] will be one of the biggest festival moments of all time.”

Springsteen will follow his Glastonbury appearance with his second headline set of the weekend at Hard Rock Calling 09 in London’s Hyde Park on Sunday, 28 June supported
by The Dave Matthews Band and The Gaslight Anthem.

Other strong rumours for the festival are that Neil Young will be the Pyramid Stage headliner on the Friday night. Fleet Foxes and Doves are also expected to be among the names to be added to the bill.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are enjoying a commercial purple patch – their last two albums, 2007’s Magic and this year’s Working On A Dream, topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic – and recently played shows at President Obama’s inauguration celebrations and Superbowl XLIII before a TV audience of 98.7 million.

Springsteen and the E Street Band kick off their next world tour in the US on 1 April in San Jose. They will also appear at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on 14 June.

This year’s Glastonbury is already a sell-out, although Eavis says a small number of unclaimed tickets, no more than a few thousand, will be released at 9am on 5 April. The bill is slowly beginning to take shape, with Franz Ferdinand confirmed to headline The Other Stage on the Saturday night. Other names linked with this year’s festival include Blur and The White Stripes, while Lily Allen has announced that she will play. And as official sponsor, Q will once again host its own stage, The Queen’s Head.

Michael Eavis is determined to keep one act a secret until they go onstage, saying only that they are a “major band” and will occupy the slot below Springsteen. Q understands re-formed ska legends The Specials and Neil Young’s erstwhile bandmates Crosby, Stills & Nash are under consideration, although it is unclear whether this is for the “secret” slot.

Source qthemusic

Kraftwerk and Uncut Music Award winners Fleet Foxes are two of the bands who have been confirmed for this year's Bestival taking place in September.

Also announced are Massive Attack, MGMT, Seasick Steve, Michael Nyman, Future Sound of London and Bat For Lashes for the three day event which takes place from September 11 to 13.

Source uncut

Crosby, Stills & Nash have just confirmed that they are to play two live shows in the UK this Summer.

Performing at London's Royal Albert Hall on July 1 and Manchester EN Arena on July 10, CSN will perform a two-set show.

Tickets go on sale on Monday March 2, priced between £37.50 and £65.

Source uncut

Last week we reported on reality TV star JD Fortune's account of how INXS dumped him from the band, leaving him high and dry at a Hong Kong airport.

Not so, says the band's former manager and now record company head, Chris Murphy - both the sacking and the location.

"Not only are we shocked by the claims, even the place the supposed incident was to have taken place is a mystery to the band," Murphy told the Daily Telegraph.

Murphy said that the band has a new recording deal in the works up with his own label Petrol Records and that Fortune was supposed to be a part of it. "I guess I have no reason to call him now," he said.

Fortune became lead singer for INXS after winning the reality TV show Rockstar: INXS. In a pair of interviews (see below) with Canada's Entertainment Tonight, he said his erratic behavior and cocaine addiction led to his dismissal from the band, and that he was currently living in his car.

Listen JD's interview at musicradar

The other day we reported on the slim-at-best details surrounding the Faith No More reunion tour. Now the band, or at least bassist Billy Gould, has expanded on the situation, most notaby who is in the band - and who isn't.

"What's changed is that this year, for the first time, we've all decided to sit down together and talk about it," Gould said in a statement.

He continued: "What we've discovered is that time has afforded us enough distance to look back on our years together through a clearer lens and made us realize that through all the hard work, the music still sounds good, and we are beginning to appreciate the fact that we might have actually done something right."

The reformed Faith No More may not be the band everybody knows and loves, but it'll be most ot it: founding members Gould, drummer Mike Bordin and keyboardist Roddy Bottum are all back, as is singer Mike Patton, who took over vocal duties after Chuck Mosely departed in 1988.

No Jim Martin

Of course, the huge absence is the freaky-haired, sunglass-sporting guitarist Jim Martin, who was a member of their band during from 1984 to 1993, an era that encompassed their platinum album The Real Thing and their gold follow-up Angel Dust. It's a huge loss to fans who reveleved in the band's glory days.

Guitarist Jon Hudson, who joined the band in 1997, will be Martin's replacement on this tour.

"Faith No More has always stood out as some sort of unique beast; part dog, part cat - its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members," said Gould. "When it all worked, it worked really well, even if the chemistry was always volatile.

"Throughout our 17 years of existence, the mental and physical energy required to sustain this creature was considerable and relentless. Though amicable enough, when we finally split, we all followed paths seemingly destined to opposite ends of the universe.

"Yet during the entire 10 years that have passed since our decision to break up we've experienced constant rumors and requests from fans and promoters alike. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, none of us kept in regular touch, much less to discuss any possibilities of getting together."

Still no tour dates

No tour dates have been revealed yet, but it's been reiterated that the reunion will only cover Europe. Still, Mike Patton has a solo slot at Coachella, a festival the band was rumored to play even before the reunion was announced - perhaps a US audience will catch FNM after all?

The band isn't saying, sticking instead to their script. "We can only hope that the experience of playing together again will yield results erratic and unpredictable enough to live up to the legacy of FNM," said Gould.

"Who knows where this will end or what it will bring up...only the future knows. But we are about to find out!"

Well, OK then. Let us know how it works out.

Source musicradar

For Beatles fans, it's like stumbling across the Holy Grail, a previously unreleased version of Revolution 1, which has surfaced online. The only question is this: Is it real?

Noted Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn wrote about this version in his definitive The Beatles Recording Sessions, asserting that this take (#18, revised to #20 after overdubs) was the first track recorded for 'The White Album," which the group commenced on May 30, 1968.

10 minutes, with chaos

Reportedly, takes 1-17 were shorter, more 'conventional' versions of the song, but #18 (the one edited for inclusion on the album) went on for over 10 minutes.

It eventually broke into chaos and served as the inspiration for the notorious Revolution 9 - and indeed, some of the elements heard on this track - sound effects and voices (such Yoko Ono's familiar "you become naked") - wound up on that daring, experimental cut.

But in this day of mash-ups and YouTube audio creations, it's reasonable to ask, is this the real McCoy or a supreme fugazy?

Most characteristics of the song - the lyrics and the basic structure - are in line with the verson that was released on 'The White Album.' It even features the familiar "take 2," uttered by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick (who would soon quit the sessions after he grew exasperated by the band's constant bickering).

Surprises to be found

But there are some surprises, such as the sound of John Lennon saying, "Take your knickers off and let's go," in his fabled mocking tone.

The horns that were overdubbed on the released version are nowhere to be found. Likewise, there is a recurriing high-pitched wailing sound (guitar feedback?) that is instantly memorable but not heard on the 'White Album' (was it buried in the finished mix?).

Halfway through, this Revolution 1 turns into a fascinating jumble of backwards vocals, crazed instrumentation and the constant "Om-shooby-doo-wop" background singing of George Harrison.

(Right now, the mentioned videos were withdrew from the internet as a copyright claim by EMI.)

Source murisradar