Waltons Music Shop Bans 'Falling Slowly'..

Dublin music store Waltons has banned Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's Oscar winning song Falling Slowly. The song from the film Once has become a hindrance for the shop's staff and they have said hundreds of people have attempted to play the song on the shop's piano.

During the film young Czech girl Marketa takes a busker played by Glen into the music shop so he can listen her play piano. It is here that they end up playing the song and it has been this scene that has become such an annoyance for Waltons. Some footage from the film can be viewed HERE

The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was also nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2007.

A three part feature on Glen Hansard will be posted to this blog later in June.

Stay tuned.

Morrissey Celebrates Brithday With Hometown Show

On Friday night Morrissey played a birthday hometown show at Manchester's Apollo to a massively enthusiastic crowd. It was his 50th birthday and the former Smiths frontman was greeted with a standing ovation when he first walked onstage. The crowd chanted and chanted until the band finally attempted to drown them out with the classic 'This Charming Man'.

Guitarist Boz sang Happy Birthday just before another Smiths classic - 'Girlfriend In A Coma'. Morrissey quipping - 'Did you rehearse that? It sounds like you did...'

The setlist for the show was:

This Charming Man / Irish Blood, English Heart / Black Cloud / How Soon Is Now? / All You Need Is Me / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Girlfriend In A Coma / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Let Me Kiss You / Ask / Something Is Squeezing My Skull / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself? / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / I Keep Mine Hidden / When Last I Spoke To Carol / Best Friend On The Payroll / Sorry Doesn't Help / Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others / The Loop / I'm OK By Myself // First Of The Gang To Die

The setlist for every show on Morrissey's current tour is almost identical each night.

I went to see him at Omagh Leisure Centre, Northern Ireland at the start of this month and loved the show. I wonder why he doesn't mix it up a bit more. He has the back catalogue... You can read a review for that Omagh gig HERE

Heritage Centre New Video

Dublin based indie-pop rockers Heritage Centre have recently filmed a video for their current single 'I Will Protect You'. The band are on tour in Ireland at the moment to promote the single and have just uploaded the video to YouTube. To watch the video click HERE

To read a review of the single posted on this very blog a few weeks ago then click HERE

For more info check out: myspace.com/heritagecentre

The remaining tour dates of the 'I Will Protect You Tour' follow..

May 22 2009
8:00P
Whelans s/ Delorentos
May 30 2009
8:00P
Bound for Boston
Derry
Jun 4 2009
1:30P
Phantom 105.2 Radio Session
Radio
Jun 5 2009
8:00P
http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=29743448&Band_Show_ID=38546146
Dublin
Jun 12 2009
8:00P
TMW Showcase - De Barras
Cork
Jun 13 2009
8:00P
The Pumphouse
Kilkenny
Jun 25 2009
8:00P
Roisin Dubh
Galway
Jul 2 2009
8:00P
Spirit Store
Dundalk, Louth

Reviews Coming This Weekend

Two reviews will be posted this weekend - Derry, Northern Ireland band the Q's new EP 'Big Fubb' and the Watford based band We Rock Like Girls Don't new album.

Both reviews will be posted on Sunday.

If you are in a band or have any music news don't be afraid to get in touch.

The email address is: alyricalgallery@gmail.com

Watch this space. Meanwhile please enjoy all the mainstream music news below...

The Boss to play final show at Giants Stadium

Everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Police to U2 to Paul McCartney have entertained crowds at Giants Stadium. Bruce Springsteen AKA the Boss has been announced as the last performer to play at the legendary venue.

Bruce will play three nights at the New Jersey stadium on September 30, October 2, and October 3.

The stadium, which is home to the Jets and the Giants, is being closed for good as the teams will be playing in a new stadium which is being built close by.

Previous to this AC/DC (July 31st) and U2 (Sept 24th/25th) will be playing at the stadium where the majority of the Guns 'N' Roses video ''Paradise City' was shot.

New Muse Album Coming Soon

Muse have officially announced that their new album will be titled 'The Resistance'. It has been rumoured that the album will be released on the 16th of September 2009.

The follow up to 'Black Holes and Revelations' is currently being mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent and is available to order from play.com by clicking HERE

The official Muse Twitter page had uploaded a photograph of Matthew Bellamy and Dom Howard holding open a musical score in Milan earlier this week. Fans guessed the title of the song to be 'United States of Eurasia' - a direct reference to George Orwell's 1984. This has been confirmed on the official Muse website as a track title on the forthcoming album.

Roll on September folks!!

Thin Lizzy Announce Dublin Show

Thin Lizzy have announced that they will play Dublin's Olympia Theatre on the 28th of November.

It was previously announced on the HotPress website that the band will be supporting the legendary AC/DC at Punchestown on June 28th. It has now been confirmed that the band will play their own headline date in Dublin towards the end of the year timed nicely for the release of the new Lizzy CD 'Still Dangerous.' The album is a live recording of two gigs the band did back in 1977 while on the Bad Reputation tour. It features the full line up of Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and Brian Downey.

Some of the tracks already feature on the double-live album 'Live and Dangerous' which was a compilation of live performances from the aforementioned tour and was released in 1978.

Tickets for Thin Lizzy live at the Olympia in Dublin go onsale on the 23rd of May through Ticketmaster.

http://www.ticketmaster.ie/ for more info

Radiohead back in the studio to work on follow up to 'In Rainbows'

For the past week Radiohead have been busy in the studio working on the follow up to 2007's 'In Rainbows'. It is not yet known if the Oxford band will be distributing the album in the same format as the last release or when it will be finished.

'In Rainbows' was controversially released as a digital download in 2007 and fans could choose whatever price they wanted to pay for the purchase of the record on the Radiohead website. It was later released as a physical disc. Despite the controversy surrounding it's release it received much critical acclaim and picked up two Grammy awards - Best Alternative Music Album and Best Special Limited Edition Package.

The band have just returned from touring with their musical heroes Kraftwerk in South America and are set to play the Reading and Leeds Festival this summer.

Tori Amos to play four dates in the UK this September

It has been announced that Tori Amos will be visiting the UK for a four date mini-tour this September. The singer will start the tour on the 6th of September in Manchester Apollo and then moves on to Birmingham Symphony Hall (7th of Sept), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (8th of Sept) and finished at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on the 10th. No Irish dates have been announced as yet.

Tori's latest album 'Abnormally Attracted To Sin' is released today (May 18th) in the UK.

The 'Sinful Attraction' Tour hits North America before coming to the UK and takes in the following dates:

Seattle, WA WaMu Theater (July 10)

Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (11)

Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre (13, 14)

San Diego, CA Humphrey’s (16)

Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre (17)

Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre (18)

Salt Lake City, UT Abravenal Hall (20)

Denver, CO Paramount Theatre (21)

Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre (23)

Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre (24)

Austin, TX The Long Center for the Performing Arts (25)

Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre (27)

Orlando, FL Bob Carr Performing Arts Center (28)

Miami Beach, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach The Jackie Gleason Theater (29)

Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center (31)

Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall (August 1)

Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre (3)

Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre (4)

Minneapolis, MN State Theatre (5)

Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre (7)

Detroit, MI Detroit Opera House (8)

Toronto, ON Massey Hall (10)

Montreal, QC St. Denis Theatre (11)

New York, NY Radio City Music Hall (13)

Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre (15)

Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion (17)

Kasabian Cancel Cork Show

Kasabian, who were scheduled to play the Marquee in Cork, Ireland have cancelled the show in order to keep up with promotional commitments.

The gig which was to take place on the 21st of June has been called off, however, the band will still be performing as support for Oasis at Slane Castle on the 20th. They have also been confirmed to play Glastonbury 2009 alongside Bruce Springsteen.

In other Kasabian news, it has been announced that they will be playing a secret intimate show in an unknown venue in London this Wednesday the 20th of May. To get tickets you must apply here. 200 names will be chosen from the entrants and each will be allowed to bring one friend to this special gig.

8th of June sees the release of their newest album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'. Judging by recent single release 'Fire' it shows a more mature side to the band while keeping that edge they're known for. If you'd like to pre-order the album from I-Tunes you can do so by clicking HERE.

21st Century Breakdown tops UK album charts plus free album stream...

Green Day have entered the UK album charts at number 1 with their latest offering '21st Century Breakdown'.

The album, which was released on Friday, topped the charts and shifted Bob Dylan's new release 'Together Through Life' down to number 8.

Staying with Green Day - '21st Century Breakdown' is available as a free stream HERE

REM work on new material

REM guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills have said they have begun work on new material for the band without Michael Stipe.

Buck and Mills have been demoing material in Portland with producer Tucker Martine and they say the abscene of Stipe is so that they can come back with material to excite the singer.

In an article from pitchfork.com Buck said they already have around 14 demos recorded as work begins on a follow up to 2008's 'Accelerate'.

Jacknife Lee will be in the producer's seat when the band plan to properly record the album later in the year.

Libertines reunite early this morning for London show

Yes.. it's true. It's been rumoured for quite some time now that a Libertines reunion was on the way. In the early hours of this morning it happened in London's Rhythm Factory.

The gig in question was a tribute for Johnny Sedassy who used to put on gigs for the Libertines before they split in 2004.

Babyshambles played a set first and then Doherty was joined onstage by Carl Barat and drummer Gary Powell.

They played Libertines favourites like 'What Katy Did', 'Up the Bracket', 'What A Waster' and finished up with 'Time For Heroes'.

Barat and Doherty had previously re-united in April 2007 but this is the first time the band have played together as a full band since they split.

Updates..

Hey all. Just a word to say you can now read music news on this page and I have added a menu to the right of the page for you to navigate between the news section, reviews and features. This main page was getting a bit messy so I've decided to break it up into separate sections from here on.

You can now also sign up to a mailing list for weekly updates and banter. Just enter your email address in the box (also on the right hand side of the page) to subscribe.

The first feature will go up on the 19th of June and it'll be a three part article on Frames/Swell Season frontman Glen Hansard. I look forward to that!

Take it easy folks,

TJ Shiels.

Coldplay Free Live Album

Coldplay are currently giving away a free live album to download on their official website coldplay.com

The album is a mix of different live recordings from various gigs on their Viva La Vida tour. A physical copy of 'LeftRightLeftRight' will be made available for free at every gig the band play for the remainder of this year with festivals excluded. According to the band it is a thank you to all their fans for the support they have given to Coldplay over the years.

Tracklisting:

1. Glass of Water

2. 42

3. Clocks

4. Strawberry Swing

5. The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far

6. Viva La Vida

7. Death Will Never Conquer

8. Fix You

9. Death And All His Friends

Bell X1 new video for 'The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella'

On the 20th of February 2009 Irish band Bell X1 released their fourth studio album 'Blue Lights On The Runway.' It spawned the radio hit 'The Great Defector' and the second single 'The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella' is about to be just as successful.

The Kildare lads recently flew out to Berlin to film a video for the single with Jan Van Holleben. The link to the video is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZGkL4-lG7c

The band play the Marquee in Cork on June 26th and are currently on tour in the UK.

Dates:

Brighton, The Great Escape, The Arc - May 16th - Tickets

Birmingham, Academy 2- May 17th - Tickets

London, Scala - May 19th - Tickets

Manchester, Club Academy - May 20th - Tickets

Glasgow, King Tuts - May 21st - Tickets

Major Supermarket Chains Fear Manic Street Preachers cover will offend customers...

Four major supermarkets in the UK will only stock the Manic Street Preachers new album in a blank sleeve because they believe the artwork is potentially offensive.

Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco and Morrissons are among stores in the UK who will censor the album cover for 'Journal For Plague Lovers' the ninth studio album from Manic Street Preachers.

The cover (pictured above) is a painting by British artist Jenny Saville and some believe it depicts a child with a bloodied face.

In an interview with BBC6 Music lead singer James Dean Bradfield rubbished the claims that they cover is offensive.

"We just thought it was a beautiful painting. We were all in total agreement."If you're familiar with her work, there's a lot of ochres and browns, and reds and browns and perhaps people are looking for us to be more provocative than we are being. We just saw a much more modern version of Lucian Freud-esque brushstrokes. That's all we saw."

"You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs," he said, "but you show a piece of art and people just freak out."

Journal For Plague Lovers produced by the legendary Steve Albini is out on Monday 18th of May in the UK.

U2 Magnificent Video

With the new U2 tour 'U2 360' just around the corner Bono and the lads have released the second single from 'No Line On The Horizon'. The track 'Magnificent' is the first time that U2 have failed to reach the Top 40 in the UK since 1982.

The video which was shot in Fez where the band started work on the new album can be viewed on u2.com. Just follow this link:
http://www.u2.com/stream/article/display/id/4692

The U2 360 Tour starts in Barcelona on the 30th of June.

Rory (ex Revs) releases new radio single Waterfall

Kilcar singer-songwriter Rory Gallagher (formerly of the Revs and now known as just Rory) has had an interesting musical background so far. At 30 years of age the Donegal musician has been one of the few Irish musicians to play Slane Castle and has had numerous top 20 hits with his previous band the Revs. He has just begun a solo career and launches his second single 'Waterfall' to radio this week.

One Christmas in the early 80's Rory woke up to find Santa Claus had brought a 'Top of the Pops' drum kit. This was Rory's first step into the family business - his parents doing the rounds on the showband scene with 'Pluto'. Frighteningly, before most kids can read and write Rory could bash out Roxanne by the Police and made his first stage appearance playing 'Eye of the Tiger' at a community festival aged just 4.

Throughout his teens Rory formed some local bands and began playing solo lounge gigs across the North-West. At 18, Gallagher released a low-budget, self-produced album of original songs called '20th Century.' The album was made record of the week by Larry Gogan on 2fm. Rory also made the final of the 2fm songwriting competition... twice.

The loneliness of solo work combined with an ambition that outgrew playing 'Wonderwall' to a pub audience led Rory to form the Revs with childhood friend Michael D O'Donnell and Dundalk guitar player John McIntyre.

The speed at which the Revs found fame was extraordinary. After just their third gig (a band competition in Dublin sponsored by HotPress) they signed an indie record deal and within their first year they went on to play over 200 gigs across Ireland. Debut single 'Wired to the Moon' followed and the song became a summer hit. The band's debut album 'Sonic Tonic' went into the charts at number five and featured a cover version of the Vapours' 'Turning Japanese'. The band found themselves playing the Oxegen festival (they played the mainstage at Oxegen for four years running!). The band picked up a HotPress Award and a Meteor Award for best newcomers (beating the likes of Gemma Hayes, Damien Rice and Snow Patrol).

Supporting bands like Muse, the Hives (Dublin Castle) Stereophonics and Counting Crows (Slane Castle) the bands sound started to mature. With the release of their most successful album 'Suck' which reached number 3 the band had a hit with the single 'Death of a DJ'. The Revs' success started spread and the song was made 'Single of the Week' by Kerrang magazine, they played the Reading and Leeds festival, completed two mini-world tours, made the cover of several magazines in Ireland and Australia and were voted third Best Irish Band in a HotPress Readers Poll - beaten only by U2 and the Frames.

In 2005 the band took a break to write and record their third album. Recorded in Malmo, Sweden they released 'the Revs' to much critical acclaim. Musically the album was the groups most successful record. Tracks like Time Slippin', You Shine and Take It All Back were perfect songs for the band to properly break into the international scene. The album, however, was a commercial failure. It sold only 2000 copies and with it the Revs spirit was diminished. Record company mistakes and financial struggles ended up with the Revs playing one last 5 date tour in Ireland in 2006. If you can get your hands on that album definitely give it a listen!

Rory moved to Lanzarote in 2007 and started work on his first solo offering since the demise of the Revs. God Bless the Big Bang was released in August 2008 with Rory playing every instrument on the record, apart from steel guitar which was played by his father. Rory came back home to Ireland for a promotional tour for the record. The first single from the album 'Raindancer' received lots of airplay and became a radio favourite throughout the summer of 2008. 'God Bless the Big Bang' was made album of the week by the Sunday World, The Anglo Celt and Today FM. Rory finished off 2008 by running the New York Marathon and playing gigs back home supporting Ocean Colour Scene.

The first release in 2009 for Rory is the second single from '..the Big Bang'. 'Waterfall' is a radio-only single in Ireland and is one Rory has had in the vault for a long time. This man has worked hard to make a living from his music and the proper recognition he deserves is surely around the corner with this single.

Rory plays Whelan's in Dublin on May 11th.

God Bless The Big Bang is available on I-Tunes now.

MORRISSEY - OMAGH LEISURE CENTRE - FRI 1ST MAY 2009

It felt like I was walking into a school dance on Friday past when I arrived at the venue for the Omagh date on Morrissey's Tour of Refusal. Basketball nets at both sides of the hall and a stage that looked slightly out of place in such a building.

We had arrived fairly early so the decision was made that we'd make our way to the bar. Great idea, if there had been one. Instead, we were greeted with a swimming pool that was still in use and a table serving crisps, chocolate and soft drinks.

Things got worse when the support band took to the make-shift stage. Doll and the Kicks, I read somewhere, are a mix up of Blondie and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. To me, the lead singer looked and behaved more like the lead singer of the Ting Tings on speed. It seemed to me that Doll and the Kicks seemed like two different bands. Guitar player and singer were in one band and the rhythm section were in the other. The latter being a much better, more solid and knowing group. The divide was obvious visually and sonically. Perfect support act for when there is a bar open.

However, it wasn't long before Moz took to the stage. It also was very easy to get up close to the man himself. Starting off with 'This Charming Man' I was greeted with the final musical negative of the evening. The melody of the opening song was nothing like the genius that Johnny Marr had laid down on record. Morrissey's current line up were bashing it out at a quality worse than any local pub band. In saying this, Morrissey seemed on top form and his vocal ability hasn't left him after all these years.

The band had redeemed themselves by the time 'How Soon Is Now?' came along. Quickly followed by 'How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?' 'Irish Blood, English Heart', 'Girlfriend In A Coma', it became apparent that we were all in for a treat. You suddenly forgot you were in a leisure centre as the place began to heat up and Morrissey had the whole audience captivated. Morrissey was quick to remind us of the unusual setting for this gig - 'I believe there is no alcohol in the house.. I will be back tomorrow for a game of five-a-side with my shin pads on.'

You couldn't care less that the scent of beer that usually hangs around a music venue was replaced by the smell of chlorine by the time Morrissey had got to 'Some Girls Are Bigger than Others' and the new single 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull' before which he said 'if you have been in any record stores lately you won't have noticed we have a new single.' A swipe at HMV stores who allegedly wouldn't stock the single.

Finishing up with 'Ask', 'I'm Ok By Myself' and an encore of 'First of the Gang To Die' Morrissey proved he is still an extremely relevant performer who hasn't run out of steam. The next day I walked into HMV to discover 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull' in stock. Maybe it was something he said...

Heritage Centre are here with a brand spanking new single 'I Will Protect You'. Using the method of getting into the back of a van and touring around the country constantly this Dublin based band are destined to be Ireland's finest indie-pop exports..

I woke up with the mother of all hangovers last Thursday morning. Made my way downstairs not even half dressed to check the post. I wasn't expecting anything except bills, however, I found, to my delight, that I had received Heritage Centre's new single sent from their Stoneybatter HQ in Dublin.

My relationship with the song goes back a few years. I got a feeling of nostalgia as Conal McIntyre's (keys, guitar and lead vocals) voice led me into the opening bars of the song. I first heard the tune in 2005 when McIntyre played an acoustic solo gig in Derry's Playhouse. Even then, the potential of this song was obvious. Sometimes bands can end up destroying the beauty of their songs by twisting too many knobs and pushing too many buttons in the studio. However, one of the joys of this single is that Heritage Centre sound confident, experienced and they know how to rock. It makes you want to be with them in that room when they laid down the tracks. A gifted bunch they are with melodies and harmonies to die for they are a live act that is definitely worth checking out.

I for one can not wait to see them on the 'I Will Protect You Tour'.

www.myspace.com/heritagecentre

I Will Protect You is released this Friday 8th of May.

Tour dates:

May 3 2009 8:00P Spirit Store Dundalk, Louth
May 5 2009 8:00P Academy 2 s/Sky Larkin D1
May 8 2009 8:00P WHELANS SINGLE LAUNCH Dublin
May 9 2009 8:00P McGarrigles Sligo
May 11 2009 10:00P 2FM Session Broadcast Dublin
May 16 2009 8:00P Cypruss Avenue s/ Delorentos Cork
May 22 2009 8:00P Whelans s/ Delorentos
May 30 2009 8:00P Bound for Boston Derry
Jun 6 2009 8:00P The Pumphouse Kilkenny
Jun 7 2009 8:00P Spirit Store Dundalk
Jun 12 2009 8:00P TMW Showcase - De Barras Cork
More dates to be announced........