“A lot of thought went into the place where we could throw the best party,” said a statement from the band members. “We never wanted the typical stadium venue, so Milton Keynes Bowl was perfect for our first ever UK Warrior’s Dance Festival ‘coz it felt like a mad party in a field.”

“The night was massive for us. It was important to us to bring a proper festival day and night for the people to remember and bring the same intense atmosphere like when we play Brixton Academy…and it was.”

“We never intended to do a live DVD, but when we saw the footage we knew it had to be done…and born out of that we realised we had a great live album too!”

The packages will be released on May 23rd.

The band have confirmed they headed back into the studio on Sunday (April 24th) to begin work on the follow up to 2009′s ‘Not Without A Fight’.

Guitarist Chad Gilbert wrote on his blog: “If you follow me on Twitter.com/xchadballx then you’ve read a bunch of tweets from me about new album stuff, demos, and writing over the course of the last six months. Well the time has finally come and we have never been this prepared!”

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The 77-year-old singer was arrested on November 26th last year, but Texas County Attorney Kit Bramblett told said that he could avoid a prison sentence if he sang ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain’.

“I’m gonna let him plead, pay a small fine and he’s gotta sing ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain’ with his guitar right there in the courtroom,” Mr Bramblett told CNN.

“You can bet your *** I’m not going to be mean to Willie Nelson.”

Music tickets for a host of top UK and European events are available now.

The album, named ‘World Wide Rebel Songs’, will be his third under the Nightwatchman name. It will be released later this summer.

The album follows 2007′s One Man Revolution and 2008′s The Fabled City.

Morello has praised his label, New West, in a statement. “Their commitment to their artists is inspiring and I’m looking forward to fanning the flames of discontent with many Nightwatchman releases under their banner,” he said.

Music tickets for all the top UK and European events are available online.

The lesson, held on March 3rd, was certified by Guinness based on Vai having recruited 4,455 students over the first 15 minutes to take part.

Vai teamed up with Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, to stage the first-of-its-kind event, which brought together almost 7,000 members of the international guitar community in a celebration of online music education.

Music tickets for all the biggest UK and European events are available now.

What seems to be less known is that Steven Tyler, Joe Perry et al will also be performing at the London O2 Arena on June 15 with a substantial amount of tickets remaining unsold. At the last count there were over 1700 Aerosmith tickets available which is a remarkable figure for a band that have stood the test of time.

It is possible that the majority of Aerosmith’s  hardcore UK fans will be making the journey to Castle Donington to see their heroes but you would expect a band with 40 years worth of music making behind them to sell out their show in the capital.

One drawback could be that it is right in the middle of festival season and, with money tight, many rock fans are having to pick and choose their gigs. Nevertheless, anyone with an interest in seeing a seminal rock band live could do worse than part with the £50 currently being asked by GetMeIn for a seat in the upper tier of the arena – the cheapest ticket on offer.

The cheapest general admission Aerosmith ticket can be bought through Viagogo for £55 and gives you the freedom to mosh to your heart’s content. But if you want a great view as close to the stage as possible then you may have to fork out up to £680 via Ticket Network to sit in prized Block 101 with that price perhaps suggesting that Aerosmith are still very much in demand after all.

Stereophonics warm up by playing the first ever concert at the new Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday but there are still over 6ooo tickets available for the rest of their summer excursions.

Stereophonics tickets are still availeble for that date and for their subsequent appearances at Oxegen Festival, T-In The Park and V Festival.

Tickets begin at £80 to see the Welsh rockers at V Festival or Oxegen but despite the expensive looking price tag it’s worth remembering that they will be just one of a host of acts and entertainers performing at each festival.

The tickets are three-day passes that allow the holder to get away from the mud and overflowing urinals by staying in an exclusive campsite. You can stay in a ‘kabin’ a caravan, a ‘tipi’ or even a hotel as you recover from a day or three moshing to Megadeth and co.

Download Festival is being held at the infamous Castle Donington venue that has been a home to hard rock music for decades. This year’s Download Festival is a three-day event featuring huge headline acts such as AC/DC, Rage Against The Machine and Aerosmith.

Download Festival RIP tickets have been sold out on the primary ticket market for some time but can still be purchased on the secondary ticket market. The RIP tickets are not cheap with prices ranging from £715 to £894 for the duration of the Download Festival but as you get to see some rock gods AND get a good night’s sleep it will definitely appeal to many festival goers.

Star Wars In Concert – a unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores – is on a worldwide concert tour.

Narrated live by Anthony Daniels (the actor who portrayed C-3PO in all six films), the production features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen – one of the largest ever put on tour.

The live music and film elements are synchronized in order to create a full multi-media, one-of-kind Star Wars experience.

At present there are three confirmed dates for the UK which are as follows:

Liverpool Echo Arena – March 9th

Birmingham LG Arena – April 2nd

London o2 Arena – April 3rd (matinee and evening performances)

London 02 Arena – April 4th(matinee and evening performances)

Compare and buy Star Wars tickets online now.

The tour will be co-headlined by Is Tropical though there will be occasional dates when just one of the two bacnds will be performing.

Their is an added treat for dedicated fans with the first 20 through the door at each gig receiving a limited edition CD.

The dates are as follows:

Bristol Start The Bus (January 28)
Sheffield Bungalow & Bears (29) (Is Tropical only)
Manchester Soundcontrol (29) (Egyptian Hip Hop only)
Nottingham Stealth Vs Rescued (30)
London Stag’s Head (February 4) (Egyptian Hip Hop only)
Manchester Kraak Gallery (5)
Leeds A Nation Of Shopkeepers (6)
Glasgow Captains Rest (7)
Liverpool Mojo (8) (Is Tropical only)
Sheffield Bungalow & Bears (19) (Egyptian Hip Hop only)
Liverpool Korova (20) (Egyptian Hip Hop only)

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New Young Pony Club will be hitting the road next year and they have released details of wher they will be playingyear.
The tour is due to conincide with the release of their second album on March 1 which is to be title ‘The Optimist’.

The tour will consist of 11 dates with the venues as follows:

London, O2 Academy Islington  – February 22
Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms  – March 15
Birmingham, Academy 2  -16
Bristol, The Thekla – 17
Oxford, Academy 2 – 18
Manchester, Moho Live – 20
Leeds, Cockpit 2 – 21
Nottingham, Stealth – 22
Glasgow, King Tuts – 23
Newcastle, Academy 2 – 25
Liverpool, Korova – 26
Cambridge, Junction 2 – 27

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Robbie Williams has revealed that he plans to return to the tour bus within the next two years.

The former Take That member cancelled part of his last tour due to ill health and he had intimated that he may have had enough of the road.

However, the Millenium singer is suffering from a case of itchy feet and wants to play some more live dates in the near future.

“I will be going on tour. That will be happening. When, where, I don’t know. But it will be happening. Definitely before 2012,” Williams was quoted as saying.

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Peter Gabriel has announced details of a one-off show that he will be performing in 2010.

The former Genesis frontman has had an experimental career since launch a solo career in the late 1970s and this show will be no different.

The date – at the London O2 Arena on March 27th – is beingmarketied as a concept show that will feature no guitars or drums and will rely on solely on an orchestra to provide the musical accompaniment.

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Calvin Harris and Scouting For Girls have been lined up for the new Playaway Festival that will launch in 2010.

Tickets for the festival went on sale on Friday morning for the event which will be held at Butlins in the Lincolnshire seaside resort of Skegness from 16th to 18th April.

Sheltered accomodation is available for the festival goers with tickets priced from £140-£170 depending on the standard of sleeping quarters.

Playaway is the latest venture from promoter Live Nation which promises to resurrect that faded grandeur of resort that was once the most popular in the UK.

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Tickets for the 2010 Cornbury Music Festival went on sale this morning.

From 9am, tickets priced £90 for an adult camping or £45 for 13-16 year olds were available to purchase for the two-day festival that will take place in Oxfordshire on the 3rd – 4th July next year.

Those over 70 years of age and under the age of 12 get in free while VIP passes are available on application.

Past perfromers at the Cornbury Music Festival include such luminaries as The Pretenders, Paul Simon, Beverly Knight and Robert Plant.

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Coldplay fans queued for up to two days to get their hands on a ticket to the bands first gig in their hometown of Exeter for nine years.

Tickets were being sold at HMV and fans were so determined to see the band’s homecoming that they braved the elements to make sure they could get a glimpse of Chris Martin and co.

The band will be performing at the Big Noise Session that will also feature the vocal talents of Lily Allen and La Roux in an event at Exeter Castle that is rasingin money for Mencap.

Tickets were on sale for £50 but now they are simply priceless.

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Whitney Houston fans can see her perform on The X Factor TV show this weekend, but whoever wants to see her live in concert in April 2010 are going to have to scramble for tickets as a massive frenzy is to be expected.

It has been announced that the Whitney Houston tour will play at the Manchester Evening News Arena (April 8), Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (April 11), Birmingham LG Arena (April 13) and the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (April 22) before drawing the tour to a close at the London O2 Arena (April 25).

Tickets go on general sale on Friday October 16 at 9am, however fans looking to secure their tickets now and avoid the massive rush can already do so with Tixdaq.com.

Whitney Houston tickets are available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com with prices starting from £99, but be aware that fans may have to pay more if they do not get theirs soon.

It seems George Michael had a significant influence on the hip-hop superstar as Jay-Z claims that his music had a strong standing in urban culture. John Lennon and the Beatles were also named as musical influences.

It has also been announced recently that Jay-Z is up for two nominations in the American Music Awards, where nominees were determined by record sales but online votes determines the overall winners.

Jay-Z has been nominated for Favourite Male Artist and Favourite Album in the Rap/Hip-Hop category, and the winners will be announced on November 22.

Jay-Z fans will be pleased to hear that tickets for his show at the London Alexandra Palace on November 4 are still available to buy despite selling out at the box office in 15 seconds, according to Live Nation.

Jay-Z is sure to perform songs from his current album The Blueprint 3, so don’t miss your last chance to catch Jay-Z live in the UK.

Jay-Z tickets are still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com from £63.

Pink performed her last US tour date in Madison Square Gardens, New York and some reports have described the show as theatrical and well choreographed, giving an indication to what Pink fans can expect if coming to see Pink live in action in the UK.

Pink began the show wearing an outrageous orange outfit full of feathers to perform Just Like A Pill, but later revealed red hot pants and matching cheetah-print top as she sang Who Knew.

There were more eccentric costume changes throughout the night but the song that seemed to really get the crowd up on their feet was during U + Ur Hand, after Pink told the crowd that this song made her want to dance around like an idiot to then encourage the crowd to join her and do the same.

Some spectacular choreography could be seen during So What, where female dancers in their underwear staged a playfight whilst pushing a male dancer around on top of a bed, with more feathers flying about all over the place from the pillows used to beat up the only male.

However, events later turned into a sombre affair for the performance of Family Portrait, where Pink sang next to a pianist and violinist whilst wearing a white tank top, jeans and no shoes. This was later followed by the performance of Dear Mr. President to continue the serious mood, as the large screen in the background showed clips of broken families, war and poverty.

Things later returned back to its lighthearted nature just as the show was coming to an end, where Pink gave a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

During the title track to her album Funhouse, all connotations to the word could be seen. Imagine a circus; glitter, mirrors, clowns and dancers doing acrobatic moves in the air with twirling ribbons. Pink was also lifted in the air to join in with her own moves to really give the wow factor to her performance.

Tickets are still available to see whether the UK Funhouse tour will match up to what was already witnessed in the States, but Pink fans will need to be quick.

The Pink tour will visit major UK arenas such as the Manchester Evening News Arena (October 23-25), Birmingham National Indoor Arena (October 30 & 31) and the London O2 Arena (December 8 & 10).

Pink tickets are available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com, with prices starting from £35.

They join Green Day and Leona Lewis who were the first names revealed on the line-up.

Green Day are nominated for Best Live Act, Best Group and Best Rock.

However, Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon top the list of nominations with five each, followed by Beyonce with four.

Green Day’s performance at the MTV EMAs will come a few days after the final date of their UK tour for the album 21st Century Breakdown.

The Green Day tour begins at the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (October 19) and will be stopping off at other major UK arenas such as the London O2 Arena (October 23 & 24), Birmingham LG Arena (October 27 & 28), Manchester Evening News Arena (October 30 & 31) and the London Wembley Arena (November 1).

Beyonce will be sticking around Europe after the MTV EMAs as her UK tour for the album I Am Sasha Fierce begins at the Liverpool Echo Arena on November 11 before playing other major UK arenas like the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 12), London O2 Arena (November 14 & 16), Manchester Evening News Arena (November 18), Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 19) and the Nottingham Trent FM Arena (November 20).

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl will also be in Europe this Winter as part of Them Crooked Vultures as they embark on their headline UK tour throughout December to coincide the November release of their eagerly anticipated new album.

Them Crooked Vultures tour the UK from December 10 at the Plymouth Pavilion before heading for venues including the Birmingham O2 Academy (December 14), Edinburgh Corn Exchange (December 15) and the London HMV Apollo (December 17 & 18).

Hundreds of Green Day tickets, Beyonce tickets and Them Crooked Vultures tickets are all still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Teenage country singer Taylor Swift won the Best Female Video award for the single You Belong With Me and was in the middle of her acceptance speech before rapper Kanye West stormed onto stage, grabbed the microphone and declared Beyonce should have won for her video for Single Ladies.

Beyonce revealed that before the winner was announced, Kanye West had already said to her “You have this award”, so she already knew his intentions to “stand up for art”.

When her name was not announced as the winner, Beyonce saw how shocked Kanye West was and she became increasingly mortified as he invaded the stage before declaring his opinion out loud.

In the end, Beyonce felt the night was not ruined and even seemed pleased when she did not have to make her own acceptance speech when she won Video Of The Year at the same awards ceremony, instead giving Taylor Swift her second chance to come back on stage to give the acceptance speech she couldn’t before.

Both Taylor Swift and Beyonce will take to the stage in the UK for their upcoming headline tours next month.

Taylor Swift will perform songs from her current album Fearless at the London Wembley Arena on November 23 and the Manchester Evening News Arena on November 24.

The Beyonce tour for the album I Am Sasha Fierce will start at the Liverpool Echo Arena on November 11 before playing major UK arenas like the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 12), London O2 Arena (November 14 & 16), Manchester Evening News Arena (November 18), Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 19) and the Nottingham Trent FM Arena (November 20).

Hundreds of Taylor Swift tickets and Beyonce tickets are still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Speech Debelle has had an impressive year so far having won the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize last month for her debut album called Speech Therapy.

There might even be a chance of seeing Speech Debelle and Basement Jaxx performing something special together on stage, as Basement Jaxx are known to collaborate with various singers on their dance tracks.

Tickets are still available for your chance to catch Speech Debelle and Basement Jaxx live in action in a town near you just before Christmas.

The Basement Jaxx tour will kick off at the Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre (December 6) and will also be playing at the Glasgow Barrowland (December 12), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (December 13) and the Bournemouth International Centre (December 16) before drawing the tour to a close with a massive show at the London O2 Arena (December 17).

Basement Jaxx tickets are available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Forever Is Over is taken from the second studio album called Wordshaker by the girl group The Saturdays, but singer Mollie King has revealed that the song was originally written for the American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.

The song was written by James Bourne, the former member of boy band Busted, and Mollie King recalls how the song fell out of Kelly Clarkson’s hands and into theirs.

She said the first time the girls heard the song was at The Saturdays’ record company offices whilst James Bourne was talking to the head of the record label.

The Saturdays entered the office and openly said they wanted to record it, and despite being informed the song was intended for Kelly Clarkson, James Bourne gave the song to the girls instead.

However, it seems Kelly Clarkson is doing fine despite missing out on the song, as she recently performed her own unique and exclusive cover song whilst on tour for the album All I Ever Wanted in the US.

Kelly Clarkson performed a mix of Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon with That I Would Be Good by Alanis Morissette.

Maybe those attending Kelly Clarkson’s UK gigs will also get to see her perform this live.

The Kelly Clarkson tour will take place at various UK venues next year such as the Liverpool Echo Arena (February 9 2010), Bournemouth International Centre (February 15), Cardiff International Arena (February 17) and the London Wembley Arena (February 19).

Kelly Clarkson tickets are available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

A few new revelations about Beyonce have come to light as the UK starts to get ready for her upcoming tour for the album I Am Sasha Fierce.

It has been reported that Beyonce claims she is a disastrous cook and the way she prepares to host a dinner for friends is to order takeaway from the best restaurants and having it delivered to her.

She has also revealed that she loves ordering room service at hotels and that in some hotels, she is so familiar with the menu already that she looks forward to ordering her favourite dishes as soon as she arrives there.

However, when Beyonce is not touring from city to city, she likes to spend her free time riding her bike. She said she enjoys cycling with other members of her entourage, such as her stylist and her assistant, and rarely gets recognised.

Beyonce said that cycling helped keep her grounded as she is able to cycle as normal without being stopped as onlookers tend not to realise it is actually her and when they do realise, it is too late.

It also seems that video games is something else Beyonce is interested in outside of music because she has revealed she would like to create a new dance fitness video.

Admitting she is a fan of the Nintendo Wii Fit game, Beyonce claims that dancing and choreography is the most fun way of working out and thinks women would also think the same, especially when compared to running on the treadmill.

Beyonce will have to wait a while for her free time as her massive UK tour is set to start at the Liverpool Echo Arena on November 11.

The Beyonce tour will also play at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 12), London O2 Arena (November 14 & 16), Manchester Evening News Arena (November 18), Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 19) and the Nottingham Trent FM Arena (November 20).

Hundreds of Beyonce tickets are still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

The Big Day Out festival is scheduled to take place throughout January 2010, playing a total of six shows in Auckland (January 15), Gold Coast (January 17), Sydney (January 22), Melbourne (January 27), Adelaide (January 29) and Perth (January 31).

Muse and Kasabian are two rock bands who have been announced for the Big Day Out so far. Other UK acts due to appear include Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris.

All these artists have upcoming UK tours to complete before heading to Australia and New Zealand.

The Muse tour for the album The Resistance is taking place at many major UK arenas such as the Sheffield Hallam FM Arena (November 4), Liverpool Echo Arena (November 5) and the London O2 Arena (November 12 & 13).

Also throughout November, Kasabian will be performing songs from their current album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum as they tour across the UK across, playing at venues like the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 10), London Wembley Arena (November 14 & 15) and the Manchester Evening News Arena (November 20).

Touring the UK this November and December, Lily Allen will be performing songs from current album It’s Not Me It’s You at venues including the Manchester Apollo (November 17 & 18), Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 24) and the London Brixton O2 Academy (November 27 & 28, December 15 & 17).

Lily Allen will also headline two shows together with Dizzee Rascal at the Manchester Evening News Arena (March 5 2010) and the London O2 Arena (March 7), with tickets going on general sale on Friday October 9 at 9am.

The Dizzee Rascal tour is already underway this month where the Tongue N Cheek rapper will perform at the Birmingham O2 Academy (October 17), London Brixton O2 Academy (October 22) and the Leeds O2 Academy (October 26).

Calvin Harris is also touring the album Ready For The Weekend this month and in November, with gigs at the Manchester Academy (October 24), London HMV Forum (October 28) and the Glasgow O2 Academy (November 4).

Tickets to all these tours are still available, even for shows which may have already sold out after general release.

Muse tickets, Kasabian tickets, Lily Allen tickets, Dizzee Rascal tickets, and Calvin Harris tickets are all available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

This meant that last week’s number one album Celebration by Madonna dropped one place to number two.

This week’s other high new entries in the album chart came from Newton Faulkner, Barbra Streisand and Ian Brown.

Newton Faulkner’s follow up to Hand Built By Robots called Rebuilt By Humans entered the chart at number three, Barbra Streisand came in at number four with Love Is The Answer whilst My Way by Ian Brown entered the album chart this week at number eight.

Most of the artists with new album chart entries this week have also got their headline UK tours coming up.

The Newton Faulkner tour is taking place this month and tickets are still available for shows including the York Grand Opera House (October 14), Salford Lowry Centre (October 19) and the London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (October 20).

Paramore kick off their tour at the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium on December 10 before playing at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (December 11), Cardiff International Arena (December 14), Manchester Evening News Arena (December 16) and the Brighton Centre (December 17) before drawing the Paramore tour to a close at the London Wembley Arena (December 18).

The Ian Brown tour will take place across November and December, playing at venues like the London Brixton O2 Academy (December 4 & 5), Leeds O2 Academy (December 10 & 11) and the Manchester Evening News Arena (December 19).

Newton Faulkner tickets, Paramore tickets and Ian Brown tickets are all still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Miley Cyrus had recently been suffering from throat problems which led to a handful of shows for the Wonder World Tour being cancelled.

However, as well as declaring her love for performing in Michigan, she told her Twitter followers that doctors had given her the all clear and she was ready for the crazy show ahead.

Miley Cyrus returns to the UK for a host of headline concerts this December.

The Miley Cyrus tour kicks off with two dates at the London O2 Arena (December 13 & 14) and will also return to the same venue on December 19 & 20. Miley Cyrus will also play two dates at the Birmingham LG Arena (December22 & 23) and two dates at the Manchester Evening News Arena (December 27 & 28).

Miley Cyrus fans will need to be quick as tickets for these shows are selling out fast.

Miley Cyrus tickets for all her UK shows are still available to compare and buy at Tixdaq.com

Paramore recorded the soundtrack Decode for Twilight starring British actor Robert Pattinson, with many fans eagerly anticipating the second installment called New Moon.

However, lead singer Hayley Williams explains that Paramore declined the opportunity to record the follow up to Decode because she did not want Paramore to be referred to as the ‘movie band’.

Hayley Williams said she would rather leave the opportunity to record the movie soundtrack to another band, rather than capitalising on the success from the movie industry.

Hayley Williams also revealed that the band were asked to record for the Transformers 2 movie, but would rather focus on their own album to promote.

Paramore release their third studio album Brand New Eyes this week and coincides with the upcoming tour of major UK arenas this December.

The Paramore tour kicks off at the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (December 10) and will also be playing at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (December 11), Cardiff International Arena (December 14), Manchester Evening News Arena (December 16) and the Brighton Centre (December 17) before drawing the tour to a close at the London Wembley Arena (December 18).

Paramore tickets are still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Lily Allen, whose album It’s Not Me It’s You could be her last as previously reported on Tixdaq News, will be performing at the Manchester Evening News Arena (March 5 2010) and the London O2 Arena (March 7 2010) with the East London-born rapper.

Dizzee Rascal has already collaborated with Lily Allen for the single Wanna Be, which featured on his third studio album Maths and English.

Both have shown their excitement about the forthcoming shows. Lily Allen said she’s a huge fan of Dizzee Rascal’s work whilst Dizzee Rascal is expecting the shows to be memorable as they have worked well together in the past.

Tickets for the Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal tour go on general sale on Friday October 9 at 9am.

However, you can still catch Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal in action before the end of the year during their separate headline tours.

The Lily Allen tour kicks off at the Sheffield O2 Academy (November 16) and will also be playing at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 24), Liverpool Echo Arena (December 9), two nights at the Manchester Apollo (November 17 & 18) and four nights at the London Brixton O2 Academy (November 27 & 28, December 15 & 17).

The Dizzee Rascal tour, which coincides with the new album Tongue N Cheek, will be performing at venues like the Newcastle O2 Academy (October 6), Birmingham O2 Academy (October 17), London Roundhouse (October 21) and the Leeds O2 Academy (October 26).

Lily Allen tickets and Dizzee Rascal tickets are all still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

It has been reported that Paolo Nutini has been eyeing up fellow Scottish artists for a star-studded collaboration. He revealed he would like to work with James Allan, frontman of the group Glasvegas, and has already spoken to Franz Ferdinand where they have a studio together in Glasgow.

Paolo Nutini said he has already made a pact with Kyle Falconer, lead singer of The View to record a mini album together, and it seems the desire to work with more successful Scottish artists is set to continue.

However, Paolo Nutini is also a fan of London-based group The Noisettes by saying he would not mind working with their lead singer Shingai Shoniwa.

The Noisettes are also about to start their UK tour for the album Wild Young Hearts, playing venues like the Manchester Ritz Ballroom (October 20), Birmingham O2 Academy (October 23) and the London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (October 26 & 27).

The Paolo Nutini tour will also be playing at top UK venues such as the Manchester Apollo (October 5), Leeds O2 Academy (October 9), Newcastle O2 Academy (October 10 & 11) and the Glasgow O2 Academy (October 14 & 15).

The Noisettes tickets and Paolo Nutini tickets are all still available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

Lily Allen claims that she remains an avid music fan but with reference to the illegal file sharing issue, she describes her days of making money from recording music are well and truly over.

Lily Allen set up the blog in the hope that people would post messages of support against music piracy and claims for the government to do more to tackle the issue by enforcing harsher punishments.

However, Lily Allen has also written on her blog recently about her thoughts on pursuing a career in acting, but this post had now been deleted. This possible next career move for Lily Allen would be following in her father’s footsteps as the daughter of Keith Allen, the comedian and actor.

A spokesman for Lily Allen has tried to downplay her decision to quit music and claims that she is not thinking about her next album right now because she is still promoting her current album It’s Not Me It’s You.

It seems the upcoming Lily Allen tour could be the last time fans can see her perform live if she does quit music for good.

The Lily Allen tour kicks off at the Sheffield O2 Academy on November 16 and will also stop off at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 24), Liverpool Echo Arena (December 9) as well as two nights at the Manchester Apollo (November 17 & 18) and four nights at the London Brixton O2 Academy (November 27 & 28, December 15 & 17).

Lily Allen tickets are available to compare and buy now at Tixdaq.com

It seems Lungs by Florence and the Machine is one of the bookmakers’ favourites to take home the accolade. Florence Welch claims that she is so nervous about tonight’s awards ceremony that she is considering hiding in the toilets until the winner is announced, saying that it is sitting through the ceremony that is scaring her the most.

Fellow nominee Elly Jackson, singer from La Roux, also thinks Florence and the Machine is the favourite to win together with the self-titled debut album from the Friendly Fires. Elly Jackson says that she was not expecting to win and was looking forward to her live performance as well as the live performances of her fellow nominees.

She also said that even if La Roux do pick up the gong, there will be no time to celebrate as they have to jet off to France soon after the show. It seems the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2008 winners Elbow agree with La Roux’s Elly Jackson, having said they think Friendly Fires will win take the crown from them this year.

Speech Debelle has talked up her own chances of winning the Barclaycard Mercury Prize with her album Speech Therapy. She claims that if it was a popularity contest, she would lose but will have a very good chance if the decision was based on the reasons why she was nominated for the shortlist in the first place.

Speech Debelle has also described her album as being different to what is always heard on the radio and is confident of winning the top prize, despite saying she does not have a speech prepared.

Also in the running for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize is Kasabian with the album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Kasabian guitarist Serge Pizzorno claims that the band might donate the money to charity if they win the award, unless the money gets given to the barman, that is.

Many of this year’s front runners to lift the Barclaycard Mercury Prize crown are also on tour playing at many venues across the UK.

Florence and the Machine, already performing shows throughout September, has just announced details of new tour dates for the UK and Ireland scheduled for December 2009. The new Florence and the Machine tour dates include the Glasgow O2 Academy on December 9 as well as the Manchester Apollo (December 10), Lincoln Engine Shed (December 11) and the London Brixton Academy (December 13).

Florence and the Machine tickets for the December gigs go on general sale on Friday September 11 at 9am, however tickets for their September shows are still available to compare and buy at Tixdaq.com

The Kasabian tour begins at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena on November 10 and will also stop off for two dates at the London Wembley Arena (November 14 & 15), the Manchester Evening News Arena (November 20) and ending the tour at the Sheffield Hallam FM Arena (November 23).

Also playing UK venues throughout November is La Roux, like the Leeds University Union on November 13 as well as the Birmingham O2 Academy (November 18), the Southampton Guildhall (November 24) and two dates at the London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (November 25 & 26).

Kasabian tickets, La Roux tickets, as well as tickets to see fellow Barclaycard Mercury Prize nominees The Horrors and Bat for Lashes, are all available to compare and buy at Tixdaq.com

The intimate gig will coincide with the release of the new album from Jay-Z called The Blueprint 3, available from September 14.

The Blueprint 3 was produced by Kanye West, who features on the new Jay-Z single Run This Town with Rihanna and is available now.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Jay-Z is excited by the fact that his new album has been leaked online.

Rather than discussing the potential consequences of people already hearing his eagerly anticipated new album before its official release, Jay-Z instead talked about how he might be the most bootlegged artist in history but was proud of his work so listeners should enjoy it.

Jay-Z also claimed that he had been getting feedback from those who had already listened to it.

Elsewhere, Jay-Z went to visit Africa to check up on his Water For Life campaign, and has since described how rappers should not talk about their gangster backgrounds because their lives are much easier compared to those living in Africa.

Jay-Z believes that those really living in the hood are those who have to wake up in the morning to get water for the family, and living with no bathroom in their house.

Jay-Z said that seeing Africa in this way puts life into perspective, and that using his celebrity status to bring awareness to this was something he felt good about.

Jay-Z tickets for the show at the London Roundhouse on September 17 will go on general sale from Friday September 4 at 9am.

The Coldplay tour featuring Jay-Z begins at the Lancashire County Cricket Club on September 12 and will also play at the Glasgow Hampden Park (with White Lies on September 16) and the London Wembley Stadium (September 18 & 19).

Hundreds of Coldplay tickets are still available to compare and buy now at tixdaq.com

The Arctic Monkeys prepared for their headline live performance with a gig at the London O2 Brixton Academy last night, their first live gig since the release of their hotly anticipated third album Humbug.

Not only did the Arctic Monkeys perform the new songs, but belted out the hits from their previous albums Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare. Also, as reported earlier on Tixdaq News, Them Crooked Vultures filled in the support slot.

Now whilst some bands like the Arctic Monkeys warmed up on stage in the run up to their Reading and Leeds Festival performance, another band have had to cancel upcoming gigs.

Maximo Park have had to announce the cancellation of their tour of North America due to illness, which was scheduled to take place from September 6.

In the statement from Maximo Park, the cancellation was cited as being for personal reasons, and wholeheartedly apologised to those looking forward to the shows.

The statement also said that Maximo Park always like coming to North America and would do all they can to reschedule the shows.

Let’s hope Maximo Park are well enough to perform at the Reading and Leeds Festival, but if not, Maximo Park are scheduled to return to the UK for three headline dates in October.

The Maximo Park tour will play at the Glasgow Barrowland (October 7), Manchester Apollo (October 8 ) and the London Royal Albert Hall (October 9).

Maximo Park tickets are still available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com.

Meanwhile, another band set to take the stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival is Fall Out Boy, despite their lead singer Patrick Stump allegedly being arrested in Hollywood with a driving charge in the early hours of August 26.

It has been reported that Patrick Stump was driving without a license and paid $15,000 (£9,200) bail. However, the incident is not expected to get in the way of their Reading and Leeds Festival appearance.

The Reading and Leeds Festival is taking place at the Reading Richfield Avenue and the Leeds Bramham Park from August 28-30.

It’s not too late to catch all the action live, as Reading and Leeds Festival tickets are still available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com.

It has been announced that Jay-Z will perform a special show to mark the eighth anniversary of the terrorist tragedy that hit New York city on the world famous Twin Towers on September 11.

The special gig is to be broadcast live on Fuse TV with tickets to attend costing in the region of $599. However, the date in which tickets will go on sale are yet to be revealed.

September 11 is also the date when Jay-Z releases his new album The Blueprint 3, which is released on September 14 in the UK.

Proceeds from the tribute show, which will take place at Madison Square Gardens, will go to the New York Police and the Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund.

Jay-Z has spoken of the upcoming gig as encompassing the true spirit of New York City. Jay-Z has also spoken of his honour towards the victims’ families and praised the city’s resilience as people continue to look after their own.

The day after the New York tribute concert, Jay-Z is set to take the stage once again, but this time to support Coldplay in the UK.

Coldplay and Jay-Z will play three major shows in September, starting with a gig in the Manchester Lancashire County Cricket Ground on September 12.

Then, Coldplay and Jay-Z will also be joined by White Lies at Glasgow Hampden Park on September 16. Coldplay are then supported by Girls Aloud at London Wembley Stadium on September 18 before being joined by Jay-Z one last time at London Wembley Stadium on September 19

Coldplay tickets and Jay-Z tickets are still available to compare and buy from Tixdaq.com

Earlier this month, a statement on the official website for the Reading and Leeds Festival announced that flags were not allowed to be brought into the main arena, in order to allow ticket holders the best possible view.

Some have opposed the ban, claiming that the wave of colours was a main feature of the festivals, and that the flags had some practical implications such as being used as a meeting point in the sea of people. However, others may be thrilled with the flag ban, especially those who have had their views obstructed by flags in the past.

Now it seems Glastonbury may implement the flag ban next year after conversations were held between Michael Eavis, the Glastonbury festival chief, and Melvin Benn, the head of Festival Republic.

Melvin Benn, who runs the Reading and Leeds Festivals and also helps to organise Glastonbury, reflected on this year’s Glastonbury festival, which was held in June, and claimed that there was poor visibility of the acts on stage because of the number of flags.

Melvin Benn continued to say that there had always been flags at festivals but not to the extent as now, where flags had become very long and tall and there were more flags now than ever before.

For now, no official decision on a flag ban at Glastonbury has been made, and despite some protests against the flag ban at the Reading and Leeds Festival 2009, event organisers have failed to respond.

Despite the summer months coming to an end marking the end of the festival season, there are still plenty of festivals to look forward to in the UK.

Of course, the Reading and Leeds Festival is still to come, taking place at Reading Richfield Avenue and Leeds Bramham Park from August 28-30, headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Kings of Leon.

However if dance is more your taste in music, you can check out Creamfields 2009 which takes place at the Halston Daresbury Estate from August 29-30 where you can catch Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris in action.

Get Loaded In The Park is one of the last of the biggest festivals that take place in the capital, and is happening at London Clapham Common on August 30, featuring Orbital, Royksopp, VV Brown, and a DJ set from Pendulum.

Bestival 2009 is one of the last festivals to feature some chart-toppping acts such as Elbow, Massive Attack, Lily Allen, Florence and the Machine, and Little Boots. Bestival 2009 is taking place at the Isle of Wight Robin Hill Adventure Park from September 11-13.

Reading and Leeds Festival tickets, Creamfields tickets, Get Loaded In The Park tickets, and Bestival 2009 tickets are all available to compare and buy now at tixdaq.com

Calvin Harris has entered this week's album chart at number one with Ready For The Weekend.

This week’s number one album saw a battle between two of this year’s successful artists: Calvin Harris and Tinchy Stryder.

It was Ready For The Weekend by Calvin Harris that came out on top whilst Catch 22 by Tinchy Stryder had to settle for the number two slot.

Both artists have enjoyed much chart success recently. Calvin Harris, who stormed the charts with his collaboration with Dizzee Rascal on Dance Wiv Me, has rarely been seen out of the charts since.

Meanwhile, Tinchy Stryder already has two number one singles to his name. The single Never Leave You featuring Amelle Berrabah from the Sugababes is the number three single this week having hit the number one spot in its first week. The single Number One, which was a collaboration with N-Dubz, is now spending its 18th week in the top 40.

Another act who is hanging around in the charts is Beyonce with the album I Am Sasha Fierce, which is spending its 40th week in the chart and is this week’s number three album.

All these acts who have enjoyed album chart success this week are also gearing up for their forthcoming UK tours.

You can catch Calvin Harris live at Creamfields 2009, which takes place at the Halton Daresbury Estate over the weekend of August 29-30.

Then the Calvin Harris tour kicks off at the Norwich UEA LCR on October 15 and will be stopping off at the Leeds O2 Academy (October 21), Manchester Academy (October 24), London HMV Forum (October 28) and the Glasgow O2 Academy (November 4).

The Tinchy Stryder tour starts at the Cambridge Junction on September 17 and will also be playing at the Liverpool O2 Academy (September 19), London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (September 25), and the Bristol O2 Acadamy (October 5) before drawing the tour to a close at the Sheffield O2 Academy on October 8.

Also, the Beyonce tour kicks off at the Liverpool Echo Arena on November 11 before stopping off at the London O2 Arena for two dates (November 14 & 16), the Manchester Evening News Arena (November 18), Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 19) and the Nottingham Trent FM Arena (November 20) before taking the tour to Ireland.

Creamfields 2009 tickets, Calvin Harris tickets, Tinchy Stryder tickets and Beyonce tickets are all available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com

Liam Gallagher has apologised for the cancelled Oasis headline slot at Sunday's V Festival.

Liam Gallagher has spoken out for the first time about his band Oasis having to cancel their headline slot at Sunday’s V Festival, scheduled to take place at the Chelmsford Hylands Park venue.

Oasis were able to perform at the V Festival the day before at the Shifnal Weston Park, but singer Liam Gallagher was diagnosed with viral laryngitis by doctors and was forced to pull out of their performance for the following day, disappointing many of the fans who came to V Festival to see them especially.

Liam Gallagher posted his comments using Twitter, claiming his voice had disappeared, and that he was gutted and sorry. He also paid respect to the bands who covered Oasis songs on the Sunday night in their absence, which included Keane.

Lead singer of Keane Tom Chaplin has admitted wanting to work with Oasis some day and that the band are huge fans of theirs.

Despite Oasis not showing much support towards Keane in the past, Tom Chaplin believes the two bands share a lot of fans and that they are two bands who relate to their audience.

Tom Chaplin also thinks that both Keane and Oasis songs are always direct whilst the group of people who go to Keane and Oasis gigs is like the coming together of a community.

Other bands who covered Oasis songs during their absence at Sunday’s V Festival were MGMT and Snow Patrol, who became the new Sunday headliners.

MGMT, with current album Oracular Spectacular, are scheduled to play one more UK festival this year and it comes in the shape of Bestival 2009, which is being held at the Isle of Wight Robin Hill Adventure Park from September 11-13.

Also, Snow Patrol will be back in the UK for their Winter tour, which they have called the Reworked Tour and are sure to perform songs from their last album A Hundred Million Suns.

The Snow Patrol Reworked tour begins at the Brighton Centre on November 18.

It will then stop off at the Bristol Colston Hall (November 20), Newcastle City Hall (November 21), London Royal Albert Hall (November 23 & 24), Manchester Palace Theatre (November 27 & 29) and the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (November 30) before taking the tour to Ireland.

Snow Patrol tickets go on general sale on Thursday August 27 at 9am.

Bestival 2009 tickets and Snow Patrol tickets are available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com

Tito Jackson will pay tribute to his younger brother Michael as he supports Gladys Knight on her UK tour.

Tito Jackson has confirmed that he will perform a tribute to his brother, the late Michael Jackson, as he supports Gladys Knight in concert on her farewell UK arena tour.

Tito Jackson, a founding member of the Jackson 5, will perform songs by Micheal Jackson as well as the Jackson 5 hits, together with a 14-piece live band.

Tito Jackson claimed that the UK was a special place to his younger brother Michael, and was excited about the opportunity show his gratitude to the King of Pop’s UK fans.

Tito Jackson also revealed that it was Gladys Knight who introduced the Jackson brothers to Berry Gordy, which then led to the group signing with Motown Records.

Tito Jackson will be joined by other members of the Jackson family for the live tribute, but so far exactly who will join Tito Jackson on stage has yet to be disclosed.

The Gladys Knight tour, with Tito Jackson as the support act, kicks off at the Manchester Evening News Arena on October 6.

Gladys Knight and Tito Jackson will also be playing at the London Wembley Arena (October 8 & 9), Nottingham Trent FM Arena (October 11), Sheffield Hallam FM Arena (October 13), Liverpool Echo Arena (October 15), Cardiff International Arena (October 17) and the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre (October 20).

Gladys Knight tickets are available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com.

The Snow Patrol Reworked tour kicks off at the Brighton Centre on November 18.

Snow Patrol have announced a new set of UK dates for Winter this year, which they have called the Reworked tour.

At the Snow Patrol Reworked tour, fans can expect to hear Snow Patrol’s biggest hits which span across a 15-year period, including those from the current Snow Patrol album A Hundred Million Suns.

However, as the tour name suggests, some songs will be performed with a little bit of a twist.

Gary Lightbody, frontman of Snow Patrol, will also introduce material from his side-project The Reindeer Section, as well as being joined on stage by a number of other guests.

The Snow Patrol Reworked tour begins at the Brighton Centre on November 18.

It will then stop off at the Bristol Colston Hall (November 20), Newcastle City Hall (November 21), London Royal Albert Hall (November 23 & 24), Manchester Palace Theatre (November 27 & 29) and the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (November 30) before taking the tour to Ireland.

Snow Patrol tickets go on general sale on Thursday August 27 at 9am.

Snow Patrol fans will be pleased to hear that it is not too late to catch Snow Patrol in action at V Festival 2009, which is taking place at Chelmsford Hylands Park and Shifnal Weston Park over the weekend of August 22-23.

V Festival tickets and Snow Patrol tickets are still available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com

The Streets will play at the Edinburgh HMV Picture House on August 31 after having to cancel their original date of August 14.

The original August 14 show at the Edinburgh HMV Picture House had to be cancelled because The Streets’ bassist Wayne Vibes was diagnosed with swine flu.

Original tickets will remain valid for the new date.

The Streets are also scheduled to perform on The Arena stage at V Festival, which is taking place at Chelmsford Hylands Park and Shifnal Weston Park over the weekend of August 22-23.

The Streets‘ last scheduled date for the UK will take place at the Birmingham O2 Academy on September 12.

V Festival tickets and The Streets tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com

Placebo have had to cancel dates for their North America tour so that frontman Brian Molko can recover from illness.

Last week, Brian Molko caught a virus whilst touring Asia and in combination with jet lag and exhaustion, fainted on stage in Osaka, Japan whilst performing at the Summer Sonic Festival after the first song.

Now, Brian Molko’s doctors have ordered him to take a six-week break and recover at home in London, resulting in the cancellation of their North American dates, which would have begun in Portland on September 12.

The statement on the official Placebo website from Riverman Management claimed they would try to rearrange the cancelled dates as soon as possible.

However, there has been no announcement as to whether Placebo will still be appearing at the Reading and Leeds Festival.

The Reading and Leeds Festival is taking place over the bank holiday weekend of August 28-30 at Reading Richfield Avenue and Leeds Bramham Park.

If Placebo do not perform at the Reading and Leeds Festival, fans will be pleased to hear that the band are scheduled to return to the UK to tour in December.

The Placebo tour of their current album Battle For The Sun kicks off at the Birmingham LG Arena (December 8 ) and will be playing at the London O2 Arena (December 9), Bridlington Spa Theatre and Royal Hall (December 11), Manchester Central (December 12) and the Glasgow SECC and Clyde Auditorium (December 14).

Reading and Leeds Festival tickets and Placebo tickets are all available to compare at tixdaq.com

The Prodigy have announced details of their Run With The Wolves Tour which takes place in January 2010

Rock and dance act The Prodigy are to go on a mini tour of the UK in January 2010 in what they have called the Run With The Wolves Tour.

The venues are places The Prodigy have rarely visited and is the result of the demand from many of their fans who have yet to catch them perform live.

The Prodigy are currently on a world tour of their album Invaders Must Die and will be releasing the single Take Me To The Hospital on August 31.

The Run With The Wolves Tour begins at the Doncaster Dome on January 21 2010 and will be stopping off at the Bridlington Spa (January 22), Blackpool Empress Ballroom at Winter Gardens (January 23), Plymouth Pavilions (January 25), Southend-on-Sea Cliffs Pavilion (January 26), and finally the Bournemouth International Centre (January 27).

The Prodigy tickets for the Run With The Wolves Tour will go on general sale on Friday August 14 at 9.30am.

The last scheduled UK festival date for The Prodigy this year is the Reading & Leeds Festival, which is taking place at the Reading Richfield Avenue and the Leeds Bramham Park over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 28-30.

Reading & Leeds Festival tickets are still available to compare at tixdaq.com

Big Green Gathering ticket holders now have the chance to see Basement Jaxx at the Big Chill Festival

Those who originally bought tickets to the now cancelled Big Green Gathering can attend a different festival instead.

The Big Green Gathering, which was originally due to take place at the Somerset Fernhill Farm from July 29 – August 2, was cancelled because of the threat of an injunction from the local council.

Now, Big Green Gathering tickets can be traded in for tickets to attend the Big Chill Festival, providing an additional payment of £20 is also made to make up for the value of the Big Chill Festival ticket.

The Big Chill Festival will take place at the Herefordshire Eastnor Castle Deer Park from August 6-9.

Some of the acts confirmed to appear at the Big Chill Festival are Orbital, Basement Jaxx, David Byrne and Spiritualized.

The Big Chill Festival tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com, however these acts appearing have also got other UK tour dates planned.

Orbital begin a headline tour at the Birmingham O2 Academy (September 17) and will also play at the Manchester Academy (September 18 & 19), Newcastle O2 Academy (September 21) and the London Brixton O2 Academy (September 24 & 25).

The Basement Jaxx tour, which will heavily feature the new album Scars, commences at the Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre (December 6) before stopping off at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall (December 13), Plymouth Pavilion (December 14) and the London O2 Arena (December 17).

David Byrne has two upcoming headline shows at the Southampton Guildhall (August 4) and the Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre (August 8 ) as part of the Edge Festival.

The Spiritualized tour starts with two dates at the London Royal Festival Hall (October 12 & 13) and will also play at the Manchester Apollo (December 14), London Barbican Centre (December 16 & 17) and the Sage Gateshead (December 19).

Orbital tickets, Basement Jaxx tickets, David Byrne tickets and Spiritualized tickets are all available to compare at tixdaq.com

The future for Bloc Party will be decided after their current touring commitments

The upcoming dates to catch Bloc Party live in the UK could possibly be your last chance as frontman of the band Kele Okereke says he does not know if the band will record a new album.

Bloc Party are currently on the tour circuit having already performed at the iTunes Festival earlier this month, but Kele Okereke did not have a definite answer when asked recently what their future plans were.

Kele Okereke claimed that now they were out of contract, they could take some time off, maybe one or even three years.

He continued by saying that Bloc Party might never make a new album again, but then again could also end up straight back in the studio.

The only thing that seemed certain was that the band were to see how they feel once their touring schedules have been completed.

Bloc Party will have one more major UK festival to perform at, which is the Reading & Leeds Festival taking place at the Reading Richfield Avenue and the Leeds Bramham Park (August 28-30).

Then Bloc Party will head out on their headline tour of the UK throughout October.

The Bloctober tour begins at the Blackpool Empress Ballroom at Winter Gardens (October 2) and will be playing at many UK venues such as the Hull City Hall (October 8), Sheffield O2 Academy (October 10), Liverpool University (October 19) and the Bournemouth International Centre (October 31).

Reading & Leeds Festival tickets and Bloc Party tickets are all available to compare at tixdaq.com

Jay-Z, who is currently writing a book, will be performing three UK shows with Coldplay in September

It seems that rather than focusing on rehearsals and other touring duties, Jay-Z and Coldplay have been pursuing other non-musical interests in the run-up to their upcoming shows in the UK.

Details of a new autobiography by Jay-Z have been revealed, and surprisingly he is to open up about his wedding and marriage to fellow American artist Beyonce.

The couple have always kept their relationship private but a source claims Jay-Z will write about everything from his days as a drug dealer to his wedding day, and how he writes his lyrics and records his songs.

No title or release date for the book has been announced, though a spokesperson did confirm that Jay-Z was writing a book and fans can expect his upcoming new album titled The Blueprint Volume 3, which is released on September 11.

Meanwhile, Coldplay will be making a cameo appearance on The Simpsons, where frontman Chris Martin will play himself and the band performs a private show for Bart and Homer after Homer wins the lottery, but then the show has to stop when Bart goes to the bathroom.

Coldplay and Jay-Z are going to be playing three massive UK dates together at the Lancashire County Cricket Ground in Manchester (September 12), Glasgow Hampden Park (September 16) and the London Wembley Stadium (September 19).

Another Coldplay date will feature Girls Aloud, which is at London Wembley Stadium on September 18.

Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce is also touring the UK in November.

The Beyonce tour of the album I Am Sasha Fierce kicks off at the Liverpool Echo Arena (November 11) and will be stopping off at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena (November 12), London O2 Arena (November 14 & 16), Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (November 19) and the Nottingham Trent FM Arena (November 20).

Coldplay tickets, Jay-Z tickets and Beyonce tickets are all available to compare at tixdaq.com

Jet will perform an acoustic show at the London Parker McMillan club before their UK tour

Having just announced new September tour dates for the UK, it has also been revealed that Jet will be performing an acoustic set as a warm-up gig a month before they hit the road.

Jet will perform at the London Parker McMillan club on August 12 as part of the ‘This Feeling’ night.

The Jet tour will coincide with the release of their new album Shaka Rock, which is released on September 7 and they hit the road two days later at the Nottingham Rock City (September 9).

Jet will also play at the Manchester Ritz Ballroom (September 10), Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (September 14) and the London HMV Forum (September 17).

The acoustic show at the London Parker McMillan club will be supported by Jersey Budd, who is also touring the UK in September.

The Jersey Budd tour kicks off at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms (September 28) and will also play at the Sheffield Leadmill (September 26), Manchester Night and Day Cafe (September 29) and the London Relentless Garage (October 2).

Jet tickets and Jersey Budd tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com

Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs broke a rib whilst supporting Green Day at Madison Square Gardens, New York.

A statement from the Kaiser Chiefs reports that frontman Ricky Wilson broke a rib whilst performing in New York at Madison Square Gardens as the support act for Green Day.

Ricky Wilson was jumping between the barrier and the stage when he injured himself, but after treatment it was found that the injury was not serious enough to cancel any upcoming dates they have.

It seems Ricky Wilson has a habit of injuring himself whilst on tour of the US. He has already broken his ankle in Seattle in March 2005 and then suffered ankle ligament damage at the Austin Limits Festival in September 2007.

Kaiser Chiefs will be returning to the UK for the Reading & Leeds Festival, which takes place at Reading Richfield Avenue and Leeds Bramham Park (August 28-30).

Green Day will also be touring the UK later this year in support of their latest album 21st Century Breakdown.

The Green Day tour begins at the Glasgow SECC & Clyde Auditorium (October 19) and will be playing the major UK arenas such as the London O2 Arena (October 23 & 24), Birmingham LG Arena (October 27 & 28) and the Manchester Evening News Arena (October 30 & 31) before closing the tour at the London Wembley Arena (November 1).

Reading & Leeds Festival tickets and Green Day tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com

Idlewild will be touring the UK for the new album Post Electric Blues with 11 dates in October

Scottish rock band Idlewild have announced 11 October dates for their tour of the new album Post Electric Blues, which is also expected to be released in October.

Idlewild recently performed two songs from the new album in front of the T In The Park crowd on the NME/Radio 1 stage.

These new songs were called ‘City Hall’ and ‘Readers and Writers’.

The Idlewild tour begins at the Manchester Academy (October 10) and will be stopping off at the London Electric Ballroom (October 16), Oxford O2 Academy (October 18), Birmingham O2 Academy (October 29) and the last scheduled date at the Sheffield Leadmill (October 30).

Idlewild tickets will go on general sale on July 31 at 9am.

Idlewild fans who cannot wait that long to see them live can also catch them in action at the Summer Sundae Weekender at the Leicester De Montfort Hall (August 14-16), and the Wizard Festival which takes place at the Turriff New Deer Showground (August 28-29).

Summer Sundae Weekender tickets and Wizard Festival tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com

Kings Of Leon are scheduled to play the Reading & Leeds Festival, despite Caleb Followill feeling under pressure from the constant touring

Caleb Followill from Kings Of Leon will be hoping for a break from touring soon as he recently admitted feeling overloaded with work.

He felt so much pressure during the Kings Of Leon performance at T In The Park earlier this month that he smashed his guitar.

Caleb Followill later explained that he does not have anything to complain about with regards to their hectic work schedule.

He would never dream of damaging his guitar, but smashing it was a way of relieving some of his anger and that he takes it as a sign to say that he needs a break.

For now though, a break from touring is not happening anytime soon as the band gear up for another UK festival appearance.

Kings Of Leon are scheduled to play at the Reading & Leeds Festival, which takes place at Reading Richfield Avenue and Leeds Bramham Park over the weekend of August 28-30.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that the Reading Festival was going to get louder and bigger in years to come.

The local council will allow an increase in capacity from 78,500 to 82,000 and then an increase of up to 85,000 in 2011. The Reading Festival will also have their maximum noise level increased from 98 decibels to 107 decibels.

The latest acts confirmed for the Reading & Leeds Festival line-up are Kids in Glass Houses and Middleman.

Kings Of Leon join Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead as headliners of the Reading & Leeds Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Reading & Leeds Festival tickets are still available to compare at tixdaq.com