NEWS WRAP

• He may not have walked away with the title on this year’s inaugural Australian season of ‘The Voice’, but it’s clear that fan favourite Lakyn Heperi is an important part of Universal’s domestic plans. They’ve serviced his new single ‘Don’t Tell Me’ to media this week. The track is lifted from his recently released EP ‘Better Than That’.
• Plenty more new music heading out to media this week, including Leona Lewis’ ‘Trouble’, the Kanye West reworking of Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’, Tyga’s ‘Rack City’ and a couple of Christmas favourites from Norah Jones. We published a more comprehensive list of new tunes over at our FACEBOOK page earlier this afternoon.
• US rapper Childish Gambino has announced Big Day Out sideshows in both Sydney and Melbourne. He’ll play The Standard in Sydney on January 16 before heading to Melbourne for a show at The HiFi on January 23. Tickets for both dates are on sale tomorrow from 9am.

• Pop god Sam Sparro is giving aspiring remixers across the country the chance to work their magic on his next single ‘The Shallow End’. Though the competition to create a new remix of the track closes on Monday, fans will have the chance to vote on their favourite from Tuesday, with the winning mix to form part of a new EP, to be released on Tuesday January 15. The guff HERE.
• Kasey Chambers and husband Shane Nicholson have announced a free concert in Tamworth. “We want to thank all our fans for their ongoing support, not only for ‘Wreck & Ruin’, but for all our music over so many years. We can’t think of a better way to say ‘thanks’ than to perform a very special LIVE & FREE concert, with the Wreck & Ruin Band, right where so many of Australia’s favourite country music stars got their first break – downtown Peel Street in Tamworth at the annual Country Music Festival,” they said in a statement. They’ll play a mix of old and new tunes at the January 23 event.

• Jimmy Barnes has announced a one-off show in Melbourne in January. He’ll play The Trak on January 17, performing hits from across his extensive career. Tickets are on sale on Friday.
• Wilco’s announced a second Melbourne show. With the March 27 gig at Hamer Hall all but sold out, the band will play a second date the following night. Tickets are also on sale this Friday.
• British outfit Foals has added a second Sydney club show to their local schedule. Tickets for their first club gig sold out within ten minutes, so expect demand for the January 22 Oxford Art Factory gig to be super high. Tickets are on sale tomorrow at 9am.
• John Butler Trio will kick off the new year with a winery date in Western Australia. They’re set to play the Leeuwin Estate Winery in Margaret River on January 03, with tickets on sale next Monday, November 26.
• Grinspoon has also announced a national tour. They’ll hit the road in March for a series of shows across the country, with all tickets on sale this Friday. Dates at www.grinspoon.com.

• If you love your hip hop, but prefer it with a little more of a local slant, then Warner Music has the compilation for you. ‘The Best Of Australian Hip Hop Vol.1’ brings together tracks from a raft of your favourite local stars including Hilltop Hoods, Bliss N Eso, Phrase, 360, Diafrix, Koolism, Illy, Pez and more. The 20 track compilation will be released on Friday December 07.
• Local songstress Shelley Harland has confirmed that with the financial support of her fanbase, she’ll release her new album ‘The Girl Who Cried Wolf’ in the new year. She’s revealed a ‘making of the album’ video on YouTube, which you can clap your eyes around HERE.

• It was a tight tussle for the top spot in the UK this week, with Bruno Mars, Little Mix and One Direction locked in a three way battle. In the end, however, it was the 1D boys who prevailed, with their new single ‘Little Things’ debuting atop the British singles chart. Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’ came in at No.2, with the new Little Mix single ‘DNA’ (the title track of their new album) premiering at No.3. Last week’s No.1 (Robbie’s ‘Candy’) drops to No.6, while a new McFly track (‘Love Is Easy’) debuts at No.10. Stooshe’s cover of TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ left us entirely disappointed early last month. It seems to have had the same effect on the British public, failing to make the top 20 (No.21 debut). Subsequently, their album release has been pushed back to March.
• Predictably, One Direction has also triumphed on the British albums chart, with ‘Take Me Home’ slamming to No.1 spot. The new Rod Stewart Christmas set popped in at No.2, with The Rolling Stones’ ‘Grrr!’ entering at No.3.
Robbie’s ‘Take The Crown’ did so last week on debut, but drops to No.5, while the new Alfie Boe record debuts at No.6. Christina’s album ‘Lotus’ misses the top 20 and Steps’ Christmas comeback album ‘Light Up The World’ misses the top 30.

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