THE LIBERTINES ARE BACK for real this time - cigarettes, sardonic humour and all. The band held a lively press conference yesterday in the grungy quarters of North London's Boogaloo Bar in anticipation of their upcoming appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

After a thirty-minute wait for drummer Gary Powell (Doherty was actually on time), all four boys finally waltzed in, Carl Barât in a bright red military coat with an illegal cigarette already in hand, Doherty appearing worse for wear as usual, but a tad spruced up in a tweed blazer. Powell and bassist John Hassall appeared reserved and squeaky clean - both have families now.

Taking his place amongst the pints of Guinness, guitars, and a Union Jack draped behind him, Barât made it clear they are "dead excited" to be playing together again. "It's something I've been dreaming about for six years," he mused. "Just to get onstage and say, "We are the Libertines," and really mean it. That is euphoria."

And regardless of Doherty's typically blasé attitude and jokes about "sneaking off for crafty cigarettes", they assured us they are serious this time. As they should be with a supposed £1.5 million cheque on the table, or actually "1.2 million or whatever is left after taxes" as Doherty clarified.

The band concluded their press conference with a touchingly sentimental half-hour set, strumming guitars side-by-side and sharing vocals and laughs. They were joined, in typically confusing Libertines style, by "The Rabbi" John Connor, a little old man with a dwarfish beard, who reprised Time For Heroes B-side Sally Brown to backing from the band.

Libertines fans will be pleased to learn that, although they may have lost six years, they've lost none of their chemistry, or ability to confound.

Source MOJO

JULIAN COPE AND FIONN REGAN JOIN the bill at the Laugharne Festival of music and literature next weekend, April 9-11. Nicky Wire, Martin Carthy, Nick Kent, Bill Drummond, Mark Olson, Stuart Maconie, Howard Marks, Will Hodgkinson and Roddy Doyle also feature at the event, the third to be held in the South Wales village.

Julian Cope will be giving a lecture based on his classics of archaeological tourism, The Modern Antiquarian and its sequel The Megalithic European, while his former nemesis Drummond will read from his latest book, 17, a questioning of modern attitudes to music and sound. Meanwhile, ex members of The Fall, Steve Hanley, Martin Bramah and Mike Leigh, are in conversation with writer Dave Simpson about their experiences under the yoke of Mark E Smith, and Manics bassist/lyricist Nicky Wire will be interviewed live by MOJO's Phil Wilding about his influences and inspirations.

Musical nourishment is provided by Fionn Regan, whose latest album *The Shadow Of An Empire was heartily reviewed in MOJO, venerable folkie Martin Carthy, The Jayhawks' Mark Olson, Viv Albertine of The Slits, Trembling Bells, Richard James and Welsh surf group Y Niwl.

Laugharne has a long history of literary connections. Dylan Thomas spent the last four years of his life there, in the boathouse which is now a heritage centre dedicated to him, and the town has hosted a music and literature weekend since 2007. Festival acts have included Patti Smith, Ray Davies, Will Self, Simon Armitage and Roger McGough.

Weekend tickets are now on sale, priced at £50.00. Tickets will also be available for individual performances, priced between £5 and £10. All tickets will be available in advance from www.ticketweb.co.uk. There is a direct link to ticketweb from www.thelaugharneweekend.com

Source MOJO

Doves are to headline this year's Green Man festival, which takes place from August 20-22.

The Manchester band will headline the Friday (August 20) night of the Brecan Beacons festival, with previously announced headliners The Flaming Lips playing the Saturday (21) and Joanna Newsom closing proceedings on Sunday (22).

The line up, so far, for Green Man is:

Alasdair Roberts
An Horse
Bear In Heaven
Beirut
Billy Bragg
Caitlin Rose
Cass McCombs
Darwin Deez
Doves
Egyptian Hip Hop
Erland & The Carnival
Field Music
Fionn Regan
First Aid Kit
The Flaming Lips
Fuck Buttons
Girls
Henry's Funeral Shoe
Jack Northover
Je Suis Animal
Joanna Newsom
John Smith
Lone Lady
Lone Wolf
Matthew and the Atlas
Megafaun
Memory Tapes
Mountain Man
My Giant Head
Neon Indian
O.Children
Pete Greenwood
Silver Columns
Simone Felice
Sleepy Sun
St Just Vigilantes
Steve Mason
The Smoke Fairies
The Unthanks
The Wave Pictures
These New Puritans
Voice Of The Seven Thunders
Wild Beasts

Tickets for the festival are on sale now.

Source UNCUT

Ray Davies has been added to the bill for this year's Hop Farm Festival.

Headlined by Bob Dylan, other new acts playing the Kent festival include Pete Doherty, Mumford And Sons, Laura Marling and Seasick Steve.

The event takes place in Kent on July 3.

Tickets for the bash are on sale now.

Source UNCUT

Slash's forthcoming solo album has been made available to stream online.

The self-titled solo record, which is released on May 10, features several guests including Black Eyed Peas' Fergie, Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Cornell, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale and Lemmy of Motorhead.

Iggy Pop, Kid Rock, Dave Grohl and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Duff McKagan also feature, as does Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

To hear the album go to Aol.com.

The tracklisting of 'Slash' is:

'Ghost' (featuring Ian Astbury)
'Beautiful Dangerous' (featuring Fergie)
'Nothing To Say' (featuring M Shadows)
'Crucify The Dead' (featuring Ozzy Osbourne)
'Promise' (featuring Chris Cornell)
'By The Sword' (featuring Andrew Stockdale)
'Doctor Alibi' (featuring Lemmy)
'Saint Is A Sinner Too' (featuring Rocco De Luca)
'Watch This' (featuring Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan)
'I Hold On' (featuring Kid Rock)
'Gotten' (featuring Adam Levine)
'We're All Gonna Die' (featuring Iggy Pop)
'Starlight' (featuring Myles Kennedy)

Source NME

Peter Hook has announced plans to perform Joy Division's debut album live in its entirety to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of late singer Ian Curtis.

The ex-New Order bassist will be joined by a host of guests at the newly refurbished former Factory Records site FAC51 in Manchester on May 18, the same day Curtis hung himself in the kitchen of his home in Macclesfield.

Before that, Hook will showcase previously-unseen Joy Division and New Order footage as part of a new show set to tour the UK in April.

Billed 'An Evening Of Unknown Pleasures', the nights will see Hook give talks on his past bands and Factory Records along with the footage, plus live music. Fans will be able to quiz the bassist as part of the evening.

Peter Hook's 'An Evening Of Unknown Pleasures' will call at:

Birmingham Glee Club (April 11)
Bolton Albert Hall (12)
Worcester Huntingdon Hall (13)
Milton Keynes Stables (15)
Middlesbrough Town Hall (18)
Gateshead Sage (20)
Durham Gala (21)
Burnley Mechanics (22)
Cardiff Glee Club (25)
Oxford Academy (26)
Wakefield Theatre Royal (27)
Gloucester Guildhall (28)
Derby Assembly Rooms (29)
Norwich UEA (30)
Salford Lowry (May 1)
Hull Truck Theatre (2)

To check the availability of 'An Evening Of Unknown Pleasures' tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

Source NME