• Are they or aren’t they? Word came through early yesterday that the Spice Girls (sans Victoria Beckham) would be reuniting for a world tour. But by late yesterday, Baby Spice Emma Bunton was pouring cold water on the suggestion telling listeners to her radio show, “nothing’s happening at the moment”. It’s been a staggering 19 years since the girl band began their dominance of charts across the planet with their breakout pop phenomenon ‘Wannabe’.
• Lana Del Rey will release a new single on Monday. The singer has been teasing followers on her socials about the new track, entitled ‘High By The Beach’, and it’s currently anticipated that her new album will drop later in the year.
• Sony Music has serviced media with the new LunchMoney Lewis single ‘Whip It’. The funky, uptempo number is oozing with soul a decidedly pop sensibility and follows on from his smash hit ‘Bills’, which peaked at No.1 on the ARIA singles chart earlier this year. We smell a hit.
• Triple J favourite Dustin Tebbutt has confirmed both the forthcoming release of a new seven track mini album entitled ‘Home’ and a visit to the five main capitals from midway through next month for live shows. The title track of the LP (LISTEN HERE) is pretty special. Tickets for the tour are on sale from 10am on Thursday.
• It’s been more than five years, but Jewel will finally furnish us with a new album this September. ‘Picking Up The Pieces’ (cover pictured above) has now been confirmed for an Australian release, delivering her long-time fans with a return of sorts to the kind of music that first won hearts around the globe. “This is just me. These are my thoughts. These are my feelings. This is my poetry,” the singer says of the new LP. “It really felt like returning to a part of me that I didn’t mean to lose, but with time and relationships and life and surviving and dealing, you take on new things and not all of them are great.” The 14 track LP will be released in Australia on Friday September 11.
• She’s had one hell of a year already and now Aussie starlet Courtney Barnett has confirmed a trio of headline shows early in the new year to ensure it kicks off with the potential to be even bigger still. She’ll play Perth’s Astor Theatre on January 07, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on January 16 and Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on January 22. Tickets for all are on sale this Tuesday.
• The Darkness will be back on Aussie shores in November this year. The British outfit are set to play shows in all five main cities, kicking off with a visit to Adelaide’s HQ on November 06. Tickets for all dates are on sale now.
• After a few years of trying to organise one, James Reyne will play a one-off show in Melbourne on the eve of the race that stops a nation. The Cup Eve show at the Corner Hotel will be filled with wall to wall hits and fan favourites can be requested via his Facebook page.
• Tkay Maidza’s star continues to rise. The Adelaide native has already completely sold out her recently-announced shows in Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart and she’s had no alternative but to add second shows in each of the three cities. Tickets are on sale now.
• British India have also confirmed a swag of live dates. They kick things off at the Beer InCider Experience in Brisbane on September 18, with shows to follow in Newcastle, Perth and Dunsborough before they jet off to the US for live dates Stateside. But they’re back with more shows from October 29 (Townsville) right through to December 29 (Mornington). Tickets for all shows are on sale from 9am this Thursday.
• One Direction is back. And in a big way. The chaps dropped their surprise new single ‘Drag Me Down’ last Friday for maximum sales impact and it worked; the track debuting at No.1 on this week’s UK singles chart, prising Little Mix out after three weeks. The 1D boys are widely tipped to do the same here in Australia tonight. Calvin Harris and Disciples shuffle from six to two with ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, leaving Little Mix to settle for No.3. Disclosure and Sam Smith’s new tune ‘Omen’ is ready for its time in the top ten, improving from No.29 to No.13.
• On the UK albums chart, it’s all about The Maccabees, who debut in the No.1 position with their latest long player ‘Marks To Prove It’. Lianne La Havas’ ‘Blood’ spills into the No.2 position on debut, while repackages of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Coda’ and ‘Presence’ claim the No.9 and No.10 positions respectively. Chemical Brothers’ album ‘Born In The Echoes’ tumbles from No.1 to No.11, with a trio of debuts to follow; Led Zeppelin’s ‘In Through The Out Door’ at No.12, Joss Stone’s ‘Water For Your Soul’ at No.13 and, in the wake of her death through the week, a Cilla Black best-of at No.13.
• Omi’s still holding the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week (his fourth in pole position), but according to Billboard’s stats, The Weeknd’s hit ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ (still at No.2) posted gains in both performance and digital sales over the last week. Major Lazer’s ‘Lean On’ is up from No.10 to No.6, while Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato both look as though they have designs on the top ten with their respective new releases.
• And hello Jill Scott! The US R&B singer notches up her second successive No.1 album in her homeland; ‘Woman’ debuting in the top spot, edging last week’s No.1 from Future to No.2. The new Lamb Of God album ‘Sturm Und Drang’ premieres at a respectable No.3, the ‘Southpaw’ soundtrack is new at No.5 and former US ‘X Factor’ starlet Bea Miller’s ‘Not An Apology’ debuts at No.7.
• That’s the UK and the US charts taken care of. You’ll now be wanting to find out what happens here in Australia. Saturday night is chart night and we’ll be here from 6pm (on the East Coast) to let you know who’s debuted and where with our weekly Chart Watch. L8R!
TICKETS PLEASE
MONDAY AUGUST 10 : Big Bang (Sydney, Melbourne)
MONDAY AUGUST 10 : One Electric Day (Adelaide)
MONDAY AUGUST 10 : Southbound Festival (Busselton)
TUESDAY AUGUST 11 : Courtney Barnett (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth)
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 : British India (Nationally)
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 : David Guetta (Melbourne)
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 : Justin Tebbutt (Nationally)
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 : The Waifs (Nationally)
Australia's first stop for pop!