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    Furious Damon Albarn slams Coachella crowd in sweary rant telling them ‘you’re never f***ing seeing us again’

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    DAMON Albarn let loose on the Coachella crowd watching Blur on Sunday night – branding the crowd ‘embarrassing’ before vowing never to perform there again. The Charmless Man singer, 56, was left unimpressed by the Coachella crowd and their less-than-enthusiastic reaction during their set. Albarn’s patience ran thin with the Coachella audienceCredit: AFPThe band encouraged the audience to singalong and got radio silenceCredit: AFPAs the group rattled through some of Blur’s classics – including Song 2, Girls And Boys, and Tender – Albarn noticed the audience weren’t doing much to embrace the set. Despite Albarn’s attempts to motivate the crowd to sing and dance along, the festival-goers refused to budge, causing him to get irritated and eventually snap at the crowd. During Girls And Boys, where an attempt to get the crowd to sing along to the iconic chorus got no results, Albarn declared they could “do better” and asked them to try again.When that attempt also failed, with the request being met with near-silence, Albarn declared: “You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well f***ing sing it”. READ MORE COACHELLAAs livestream footage from the incident circulated online, fans online jumped to the defence of the beloved British group and slammed the audience for being ‘dead’. “i can’t believe how dead blur’s coachella crowd is … this is how i know living in the uk has formed me as a person bc even me i would be acting like a drunk bald white man in a pub if i was there,” wrote one. “most of these ppl at coachella don’t even know how lucky they are to see blur THAT SHOULD BE MEE,” added a second. While a third ranted: “WHAT THE F**K IS HAPPENING im convinced coachella has the worst vibes and people possible. it’s f**king Blur, show some respect!!!” Most read in MusicOthers claimed it was on the Coachella organisers for placing Blur in a timeslot and space that wasn’t a fit for their audience – noting they did not have the same US success as they did in the UK. “Love Blur, but Coachella set them up for an L,” one person noted, while another stated: “Blur were absolutely wasted on Coachella, that crowd was an embarrassment. Americans just don’t get it” Cheddar, Lancashire & Caerphilly… how to make the perfect cheese toastie by Blur star turned cheesemaker Alex JamesIt seems like Albarn and the band were somewhat prepared for a mixed reaction ahead of performing – albeit not one quite as disheartening. Speaking to KROQ radio ahead of their performance, Albarn and Alex James, the band’s bassist, had acknowledged they were expecting a “weird one”. “This was a wonderful opportunity, it’s the biggest festival on the planet,” said James. “If I wasn’t here I’d have FOMO to be honest.”I have no idea how it will go,” added Albarn. “It’s a weird one, Coachella when it comes to the audience. It’s hard to know sometimes, because they’re sort of on their own planet a bit.” Despite this the band tried to make the best of it, even paying tribute to the Mojave desert, where the festival is held, by bringing on stage the native Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers to close their set. Alex James said the band couldn’t pass up the chance to performCredit: AFPAlbarn later said they would never perform on stage again.Credit: AFP More

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      Blur set for Brits showdown with The Rolling Stones after Damon Albarn criticised new album

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      FORGET the battles of old between Brit pop old guard Blur and Oasis.At this year’s ceremony, Damon Albarn’s Blur are going toe to toe with the Rolling Stones for Alternative/Rock Act.
      Damon Albarn’s Blur are going toe to toe with the Rolling Stones for Alternative/Rock Act
      Damon mouthed off about Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood in DecemberCredit: Getty
      And it could get hairy.
      Damon mouthed off about Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood in December, claiming their new album Hackney Diamonds was “exactly the same music but not that good”.
      But he might regret that if he runs into them at the bash.
      The Stones’ Brits nod is their first since 2013, when they lost out to Coldplay in the Best Live Act category.
      Read More on Bizarre
      Mick and co will have a point to prove against Blur, who are also nominated in the Group and Album categories, following huge comeback record The Ballad Of Darren.
      Damon – who will be at the bash with his bandmates, cheese-connoisseur bassist Alex James, guitarist Graham Coxon and drummer Dave Rowntree – badmouthed the Stones last month.
      He said of their lead single Angry, which starred Us actress Sydney Sweeney: “I listened to their new song and watched this horrible music video showing them at different stages of their lives on billboards. And this young woman objectified.
      “The truth is, they’ve become worse.
      Most read in Bizarre
      “Worse at persisting to stay themselves.
      “That’s something I don’t understand.
      “Making exactly the same music but not that good.”
      Fisticuffs between the Stones and Blur would be hilarious, given they are men of a certain age.
      But my money is on yoga-obsessed fitness freak Mick – even if he is 80.

      SHE is up against singers including Kylie Minogue, Sza, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Ray in the International Artist category at The Brits – and Taylor Swift has been getting into the party spirit early.
      The Shake It Off singer got together with her best pals Cara Delevingne and Brittany Mahomes for a night out in New York.
      Taylor Swift has been getting into the party spirit earlyCredit: Splash
      Taylor got together with her best pals Cara Delevingne, pictured, and Brittany Mahomes for a night out in New YorkCredit: Splash
      After finally sticking her Christmas party wear in the back of her wardrobe, Taylor pulled out a cool black dress which she wore with biker boots.
      The last time I was with Taylor at the Brit Awards, she hooked up with Calvin Harris – who is up for three awards at the ceremony – and they went on to date for 15 months.
      Taylor is well known for writing songs about her exes, and Calvin seemed to give her a taste of her own medicine with his 2016 song My Way, which was all about moving on from someone who wasn’t good for you.
      Taylor and Calvin are both happily coupled up now but if they run into each other at the O2, I think it could be pretty awkward.
      No one ever wants to run into their ex at a party.
      But then again, Calvin is up for Song of the Year for Miracle with his ex Ellie Goulding – so he might end up collecting an award with one…

      IT’S good news for feminists everywhere but terrible news for B&Q, which will see its sale of pitchforks nosedive after the Brits tweaked their genderless categories.
      After upping the number of nominations to ten rather than five, this year’s categories are packed to the brim with women.
      There was outcry during the 2023 ceremony when not a single woman got a nod in Artist of the Year.
      But this time around – six of the artists are female.
      And in International Artist of the Year, nine of the nominees are women.
      Quite simply: we now have females coming out of our ears and, hopefully, everyone who got in a right huff about it last year will now just get over it.
      Bringing in genderless categories has made the Brits a far more inclusive place and really, that is what music is meant to be about.
      It’s for creatives – regardless of their race, gender identity and everything in between.
      The Brits made a change for the better. And, after a couple of minor tweaks, they’ve made another tweak…again for the better.
      Who gives a f*** what gender nominees are?
      It’s the music they make that matters.

      YOU will soon be able to vote for your favourite in the genre categories: R&B, Alternative/Rock, Dance, Pop and Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act.
      The winners will be picked by a public vote run through Instagram, which will open at noon next Thursday and run until 6pm on February 15.
      To have your say, you will have to head to the Brits page on Instagram and comment on the category Reel using an artist specific hashtag.
      For all the info, go to brits.co.uk/vote. I’m relying on you to choose wisely.
      Bit of an Ed ache
      THEY’VE landed three No1 albums between them in the past 12 months but the Brits is going to be a low key affair for two of my favourites, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi, as they’ve only picked up one nod each.
      Ed’s personal track Eyes Closed has been nominated for song of the year, which will go head to head against Lewis’ own tear-jerker Wish You The Best.
      Both Ed and Lewis have enjoyed their fair share of gongs over the years – with Ed winning seven and Lewis having two – but it’s a shame they didn’t get more recognition.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      In fact, none of the records nominated for album of the year are in the top 40 list of 2023’s best sellers.
      Mind you, if I had my way, Simply Red would have got a nod or two as well. You can’t win them all. More

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      People call us 90s underdogs, but it’s probably why we’re still here… it’s kept us hungry, say Shed Seven

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      IT has been a busy and celebratory week for Shed Seven – they are on course for their first No1 album after three decades in the music industry.The five-piece from York, who formed in 1990, have been enjoying a resurgence in popularity since reforming in 2007.
      Shed Seven frontman Rick Witter with the rest of the bandCredit: Barnaby Fairley
      Witter, 51, says proudly: ‘It’s amazing that we are going to hit the top spot’ as the band heads for its first No1 in three decadesCredit: Barnaby Fairley
      And with it looking like they will hit the album top spot later today, you could say Shed Seven are finally hitting their peak.
      In the middle of a record store tour, singer Rick Witter, 51, says proudly: “It’s amazing that we are going to hit the top spot.
      “It’s taken us 30 years so we’ve put in the hours.
      “I remember when me and [lead guitarist] Paul started writing songs as 13-year-olds, we said the aim is a number one.
      READ MORE BIG INTERVIEWS
      “I just didn’t think we’d achieve it in our 50s.”
      I caught up with the Britpop star after an in-store gig in Brighton — and he has been enjoying being in the spotlight.
      He says: “It’s been great visiting record stores this week.
      “It’s amazing to see our fans and say hello.
      Most read in Music
      “And the acoustic performances in such an intimate setting have been great.”
      For a band who were supposedly at their biggest in the late 1990s, it’s an exciting start to 2024 for Witter.
      And the singer has no quarrels with those who didn’t rate them as high as other big bands of the era, such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp.
      ‘Expect hips to swing and voices to sing’
      “It’s all relative,” he says.
      “A lot of people use the terms under-valued and underdog when they discuss our ’90s phase, but I don’t let it worry me.
      “It’s probably the reason we are still here doing this.
      “It’s kept us hungry.
      “And we bump into loads of bands on our travels.
      “It’s always great to catch up with people we first met in the early ’90s.”
      The band have always had a big live following and their live performances mean their fanbase has kept growing.
      Witter says: “We pride ourselves on putting on a show.
      “If people are coming to see us live, expect hips to swing and voices sing.”
      The band today are founder members Witter, Paul Banks on guitar and Tom Gladwin on bass plus Rob “Maxi” Maxfield on drums and Tim Wills on keys.
      New album A Matter Of Time was born when Witter and Banks began writing songs in March 2022, starting with memories of being young and falling in love with music.
      Witter says: “We discussed our youth and reminisced about meeting as 11-year-old boys and bonding over a love of music.
      “Which then led us to writing songs together as 13-year-olds.
      “So, we wanted to capture a bit of what we were listening to as youngsters, so we listened to a lot of Duran Duran, Simple Minds, U2 and Frankie Goes To Hollywood as well as the staple bands such as The Smiths.
      “I think the first three ideas came quite quickly and that set us off on a creative path that we enjoyed travelling down throughout 2022.”
      Themes on A Matter Of Time are “love, hate, sex, death, stalking, recreation, travel and ornithology,” says Witter.
      And the album title is a perfect description for Shed Seven’s resurgence.
      Witter says: “We are putting out this new set of songs in our 30th year of releasing music, and we believe it’s up there with our best work, so I guess it’s us saying it was only a matter of time to arrive here.
      “It’s also a lyric in the last track on the album Throwaways and it’s kind of always stood out.”
      This defiant album closer includes the lines: “It’s just a matter of time before we belong somewhere/But we won’t toe the line, we won’t accept the dare/But we won’t be erased/Or left out in the rain/We won’t change our ways.” The standout song was recorded with Libertines frontman Pete Doherty.
      Witter says: “We played the Bingley festival in summer 2022 alongside the Libertines and Pete was watching our set and singing along, which was nice to see.
      “I went over and introduced myself and discovered he was a fan from way back.
      “I mentioned we had a song which he’d fit really well on and invited him to sing on it.
      ‘It’s a song about being outsiders’
      “He sang his parts remotely as he lives in France but as soon as he sent his parts over for us to hear it sounded like he’d always been on it.
      “I’m hoping he’ll come and guest on it live at some future shows.
      “It’s a song about being outsiders, which in some ways could be the Sheds or the Libertines, so that gives it an extra edge.”
      Other collaborators on the new album include Happy Mondays singer Rowetta on In Ecstasy and Reverend And The Makers keyboardist Laura McClure on Tripping With You.
      “As soon as I started humming the melody of In Ecstasy it reminded me of the Happy Mondays in the late ’80s and early ’90s, which is a period of time musically that was very influential for us.
      “So, I reached out to Rowetta and thankfully she loved it and what you hear now is exactly how it sounded in my head.
      “Then Tripping With You was a sweet, twee love song which didn’t sit right, so I threw it on its head and started to imagine it more as a dark stalking kind of song.
      “We invited Laura to sing on it as we wanted a really sweet female voice to counteract the dark imagery of what I was doing, and Laura nailed it.”
      Witter says: ‘We are putting out this new set of songs in our 30th year of releasing music, and we believe it’s up there with our best work’Credit: Barnaby Fairley
      Other collaborators on the new album include Happy Mondays singer Rowetta on In Ecstasy and Reverend And The Makers keyboardist Laura McClure on Tripping With YouCredit: Barnaby Fairley
      It’s just over six years since Shed Seven’s last album, Instant Pleasures, which was the band’s first new music in 16 years.
      “Instant Pleasures happened by accident,” explains Witter.
      “We ended up writing some songs which when we played the demos to family and friends everyone was saying these deserve to be heard.
      “It had been 16 years since the previous release so I guess that brought its own pressures.
      “That made the process of writing this one a lot easier in a way.
      ‘We are a better band all-round these days’
      “It kind of freed us up to enjoy the experience of creating and I think that is captured within the songs.
      “It sounds joyous.”
      Writing this sixth studio album saw the two friends stranded up the Sierra Nevada mountain near Granada, Spain, with Killing Joke and The Verve producer Youth.
      Witter says: “We spent three weeks halfway up a mountain with one vehicle which Youth owned, so we were kind of trapped, which is actually a positive thing as there were literally no distractions.
      “We recorded a song a day so it had a real live feel to it which was exciting, and I think that really comes across throughout the album.”
      It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Shed Seven who at their peak in 1996 enjoyed more hit singles than any other act that year, with indie anthems Getting Better, On Standby, Chasing Rainbows and Going For Gold.
      By 2003 their popularity had dwindled, with their record label refusing to release a would-be fifth studio album. The band decided to split and issued a statement announcing their current sold-out shows would be a farewell tour.
      Witter says now: “Wow! I’ve never really thought about it but it’s 20 years since we called it a day.
      “We had a three or four-year break and decided we missed playing live, which is essentially just showing off.
      “So, we spent a few years playing our back catalogue, which was all fine for a period of time, but we became conscious of becoming a nostalgia act and that didn’t sit right.
      “So it’s great that with the release of Instant Pleasures in 2017 and now this new album in 2024 we are still relevant.
      “I also think we are a better band all-round these days which perhaps comes with age and experience.”
      But does Witter have any regrets or wish he had done things differently?
      “No, never,” he answers.
      “Life’s a funny thing and you’ve got to ride it like a wild animal. You fall off and get back on for more wild rides.
      “The older I get the more I want to look forward and enjoy rather than look back and regret.
      “I think it’s amazing that in the very first week of our 30th anniversary year we have released a brand-new set of songs.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      “We are going to be busy all year with loads of exciting Shed-related business, so if I can be so bold as to give some advice, can I say if you are a fan of Shed Seven, I’d buckle up for the ride.
       “And if not, then find a big rock to hide behind. Or go and listen to something else instead.”
      Album A Matter Of Time is out nowCredit: PA
      SHED SEVEN
      A Matter Of Time
      ★★★★☆ More

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      From the label that turned down the Beatles to year X Factor started – only true music fans will know these quiz answers

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      DO you know which legendary group was turned down by Decca Records on January 1, 1962, or which group announced they were splitting up on February 22, 2021?Or which singer released their phenomenally successful album on March 3, 2017?
      How well do you know your Blur awards? See Q3Credit: Getty
      Don’t Stop The Music: A Year Of Pop History One Day At A Time by Justin Lewis is a meticulously researched book on music trivia, broken down into months of the year.
      Here, in an exclusive extract, we have created a quiz from the book so music buffs can see how good their knowledge really is.
      JANUARY
      Who originally turned down Britney Spears’ hot Toxic? See Q2Credit: Scope Features
      1. Jan 1, 1962: _________ record five songs as an audition for Decca Records but will be turned down by the label in favour of the Dagenham group Brian Poole And The Tremeloes.
      2. Jan 12, 2004: Toxic by Britney Spears. Co-written by Cathy Dennis and reportedly turned down by ___________, the song contains samples from Tere Mere Beech Mein from the soundtrack to the 1981 Hindi film, Ek Duuje Ke Liye.
      READ MORE ON MUSIC
      FEBRUARY
      How much do you know about Hips Don’t Lie singer Shakira? Find out with Q4Credit: Getty
      3. Feb 21, 1995: Blur wins four awards at the Brits: Best British Group, Best British Album (for Parklife), Best British Single (for Parklife) and ___________­___­ (for, erm, Parklife).
      4. Feb 27, 2006: The title of Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira came into being when the ________ singer instructed her band in the studio to watch the movement of her hips to see if a song was working.
      MARCH
      5. Mar 1, 1984: Prince records When Doves Cry in Hollywood without his group The Revolution. It is the final track to be recorded for the ______________ album.
      6. Mar 3, 2017: ÷(Divide) by ______________ sells 672,000 copies in its first week, and sees nine of its tracks placed in the UK top 10 singles chart.
      Most read in Music
      APRIL
      Wet Leg from the Isle of Wight… see Q8Credit: Getty
      7. Apr 30, 1993: At 12.15pm the UK’s first national commercial pop radio station, _____________ 1215, goes on air on medium wave. The first song played is a specially recorded cover of Born To Be Wild by INXS.
      8. Apr 8, 2022: Two very different but much discussed records this year — the debut album from Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg and As It Was by ___________ — both will win Grammy and Brit Awards in February 2023.
      MAY
      Mungo who? See belowCredit: Rex Features
      9. May 22, 1970: Spending seven weeks at #1, Mungo ________ In The Summertime will become the UK’s biggest-selling single of the year, and one of the biggest-selling singles worldwide, with sales estimated at over 30 million copies.
      10. May 27, 2022: On the same day that ABBA’s Voyage shows open in London — with its four members represented in hologramatic form — Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill begins an unexpected comeback when it is used prominently in the fourth season of the Netflix drama____________.
      JUNE
      11. Jun 2, 1987: Whitney Houston returns to the UK #1 spot with _________________.
      12. Jun 27, 2010: California Gurls by Katy Perry (featuring rapper Snoop Dogg) becomes UK #1. Inspired by the release of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ Empire State Of Mind the year before, the single’s spelling of “Gurls” is a reference to September Gurls by Big Star, whose lead singer _______________ has died months earlier.
      JULY
      Who was Elvis singing a duet with in July 1956? See belowCredit: Getty
      13. Jul 1, 1956: Elvis Presley appears on Steve Allen’s NBCTV variety show, and finds himself singing Hound Dog to a _____________.
      14. Jul 15, 2010: Exactly ___ years after Robbie Williams’ abrupt departure from Take That, it is announced that he has rejoined the reformed quartet for one album and one album only, the already recorded Progress.
      AUGUST
      What happened next for the Gallaghers? See Q16Credit: Getty
      15. Aug 1, 1971: George Harrison and Ravi Shankar stage two concerts for Bangladesh at ___________________ in New York — one at 2.30pm and the other at 8pm. Both Harrison and Shankar perform, as do Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Badfinger, Ali Akbar Khan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Ringo Starr. Around $250,000 is raised.
      16. Aug 28, 2009: The day before the fifteenth anniversary of Definitely Maybe’s release, Oasis split up when Noel Gallagher walked out of the band. He forms High Flying Birds, while younger brother Liam founded the group __________.
      SEPTEMBER
      17. Sep 4, ____: The X Factor premieres on ITV, with a judging panel comprising series creator Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.
      18. Sep 16, 1977: On the same day that La Divina Maria Callas dies in Paris, 29-year-old Marc Bolan is killed in a _________ in Barnes, south-west London. Bolan had recently finished recording a comeback series for ITV, called Marc.
      OCTOBER
      19. Oct 3, 1992: On Saturday Night Live, Sinéad O’Connor, while performing an acapella version of War by Bob Marley, tears up a picture of ____________ and says, “Fight the real enemy!” as a protest about apathy and abuse cover-ups in the Catholic church.
      20. Oct 12, 2018: South London rapper Dave scores the first rap UK #1 by a homegrown artist in three years with Funky Friday, a duet with North London’s ________. Released on Dave’s own label, its word-of-mouth success is closely linked to social media.
      NOVEMBER
      21. Nov 10, 2014: Uptown Funk sung by Bruno Mars and produced by___________. Perhaps in a streaming era, it might be more appropriate to talk about clicks rather than sales — by late 2022, its video will have been viewed nearly 5billion times. A flurry of lawsuits on the subject of musical similarity will ensue. The composers of The Gap Band’s Oops Upside Your Head, for one, are now officially recognised on the record as co-writers.
      22. Nov 13, 2006: After a sold-out come back tour, Gary, Howard, Jason and Mark release Take That’s first new material in over a decade. ___________will hit UK #1 and win the Best British Single award at the Brits.
      DECEMBER
      23. Dec 3, 1976: Ahead of a photo shoot for Pink Floyd’s forthcoming album, Animals, a 40-foot-long inflatable___, which has been moored to the chimneys of Battersea Power Station, breaks away and becomes a hazard for nearby aircraft. (It lands in Kent, alarming some cattle, and the image for the final Animals sleeve has to be faked.)
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      24. Dec 12, 1986: The Smiths play their final full set as a live band at an Artists Against Apartheid show at London’s Brixton Academy. They end with a performance of their very first single, 1983’s _________.

      This is an edited extract by Natasha Harding from Don’t Stop the Music: A Year Of Pop History, One Day At A Time by Justin Lewis (Elliott & Thompson) Out now, £16.99.

      1. The Beatles;
      2. Kylie Minogue;
      3. Best British Video;
      4. Colombian;
      5. Purple Rain;
      6. Ed Sheeran;
      7. Virgin;
      8. Harry Styles;
      9. Jerry’s;
      10. Stranger Things;
      11. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me);
      12. Alex Chilton;
      13. Basset hound;
      14. 15;
      15. Madison Square Garden;
      16. Beady Eye;
      17. 2004;
      18. Car crash;
      19. Pope John Paul II;
      20. Fredo;
      21. Mark Ronson;
      22. Patience;
      23. Pig;
      24. Hand In Glove More