• In the days leading up to the release of her new album ‘Amazing’, Marcia Hines has been announced as the fourth ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day. “When I was a kid back in Boston, one of the most popular places on earth was our neighbourhood record store,” she said in a statement. “We’d spend hours looking through the racks when the weekend came to see what we could buy! The same thing applied when I arrived here in Australia. It’s always a happening place and it remains that way today.” Record Store Day impacts on Easter Saturday, April 19. Look out for our interview with Marcia, on the site in the coming days.
• Swedish DJ Adrian Lux will release a new EP early next month. The ‘Make Out’ EP will be highlighted by lead single ‘Sooner Or Later’ and while there’s no confirmation about an Aussie date at this stage, it’s reportedly due on April 08.
• Among the new music doing the rounds this week are latest tracks for Lady Gaga (‘G.U.Y’ radio edit), Ben Hazlewood’s ‘Loveless’, London Grammar’s ‘Wasting My Young Years’ and a duet from crooners Engelbert Humperdinck and Cliff Richard. Yes, really. We’ll have a bigger list of tracks available on our FACEBOOK page tomorrow. Go and give us a ‘Like’…
• It’s hard to believe, but Eurovision season is almost upon us yet again, with the first of this year’s semi-finals to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 06. News broke early yesterday that given this country’s love of the annual contest, Australia will play a part in the second semi final on May 08, delivering the interval act just before news breaks as to who’s made it through to the all-important grand final on Saturday May 10. SBS One will once again broadcast all three finals on concurrent nights; Semi Final #1 on Friday May 09, Semi Final #2 on Saturday May 10 (both at 8:30pm) and the Grand Final on Sunday May 11 (at 7:30pm).
• As always, we’ll be getting you in the Eurovision swing this year, delivering our daily look at each of the weird, wonderful and colourful characters and tracks (along with the hairstyles, chord changes and big vocal moments) with our ‘Countdown To Eurovision’ series, kicking off next Monday.
• The lads from Sydney outfit 5 Seconds Of Summer are doing rather well for themselves, it seems. EMI were crowing on Monday that their new EP ‘She Looks So Perfect’ was No.1 on iTunes in a staggering 49 countries around the world, including at home in Australia. Tickets for the boys’ just-announced tour are on sale this Friday.
• US singer songwriter St.Vincent has announced Australian headline dates. The performer, whose self-titled set was released earlier this year will be in the country predominantly for her gig as part of Sydney’s Vivid Live festival – at the Opera House on May 25, but she’s also set to play a gig at Melbourne’s Howler on May 22. Tickets for the Melbourne show are on sale today; the Sydney show on Monday.
• Also making her way back to our shores for Sydney’s Vivid Live is British singer Anna Calvi. She’s also got a date with our Opera House (May 28) and will also take in a show in Melbourne (at the Thornbury Theatre on May 30). Tickets for both are on sale on Monday.
• Pixies will release their first studio album in more than 20 years next month. ‘Indie Cindy’ is the band’s first full studio release since ‘Trompe le Monde’ way back in 1991 and will be released in Australia in both standard and deluxe editions on Friday April 25. Vinyl and download variants are also due.
• The UK’s love affair with DJ Duke Dumont continues unabated, with the chart superstar notching up his second No.1 one (after his breakout ‘Need U (100%)’). Dvbbs & Borgeous’s single ‘Tsunami (Jump)’ drops from one to five, with Little Mix’s Sports Relief single ‘Word Up’ premiering in the No.6 position. Example’s new track ‘Kids Again’ misses a top ten debut, coming in at No.13.
• And she may have kissed No.1 here in Australia, but Kylie’s ‘Kiss Me Once’ debuts in the No.2 spot in the UK, right behind George Michael’s album ‘Symphonica’. Nicholas McDonald’s album ‘In The Arms Of An Angel’ debuts at No.6, Pretty Reckless’ album ‘Going To Hell’ is in at No.7 and former Westlife star Kian Egan’s debut solo offering ‘Home’ is in at No.9. Enrique Iglesias, Skrillex and Lea Michele all miss the top ten on debut with their respective albums.
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