Music & Gigs - What's On

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THE son of Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney is following in his father’s footsteps.Read

A HAITI Fundraiser is being held at The Cluny, Newcastle, on Friday, with Field Music, Beth Jeans Houghton and The Hooves Of Destiny. There are also DJ sets from Frankie & The Heartstrings + Our Beat Is Correct. 7pm to 1am. Tickets £8. See www.ticketweb.co.uk

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS have announced a new UK tour. The British pop band will head out on a 22-date tour in April to coincide with the release of their second album, Everybody Wants To Be On TV, on April 12. Band member Roy Stride says: “Having spent the past year locked in the studio, we cannot wait to get out there and do what we do best. We are so excited about this tour – It should be our greatest yet.Read

Timing right as ’Beat goes on

DANISH pop group Alphabeat are heading to the North in March to support Lady Gaga. LIZ LAMB chats to singer Anders SG.Read

CORINNE BAILEY RAE – THE SEA: It is four years since Corinne Bailey Rae’s eponymous debut album of happy jazz tunes was released. In the intervening years, the Grammy-nominated 30-year-old has been to the depths of despair when she lost her musician husband Jason to an accidental drugs overdose in 2008. Her second album, The Sea, clearly reflects her emotional journey. Lead single I’d Do It All Again was written two months before Jason died, after the pair had a fight. Are You Here combines the lightness of a simple guitar riff, with Bailey Rae’s soaring, yearning vocals, while Paris Nights/New York Mornings is even more upbeat. The record has been therapeutic for her and, while many lyrics touch on pain and death, it has a hopeful feel.

THE POSTMARKS – MEMOIRS AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Imagine being given a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates with a shiny ribbon around it, intricate swirls on every sweet and a “menu” of flavours under the lid complete with fancy fonts? Now imagine putting one in your mouth and finding out it is just a Rolo. Listening to The Postmarks’ new album produces a similar sense of deflation. Everything about it is wonderfully put together – a suitably grandiose title, lovely retro packaging and the crispest of production. Then there are the songs. Thoroughly inoffensive and, like a Rolo, perfectly fine. But there is no wit and little panache and the recurring orchestral rushes scream style over substance.Read

MARINA MAKES HER OWN MARK

WITHOUT a hint of irony Marina confesses: “I knew from when I was nine I was going to do this. I knew,”Read

Tempest’s still raging

THEY were once one of the biggest rock bands in the world, selling 16 million albums worldwide – and now Europe are back with a new album and tour. LIZ LAMB chats to lead singer Joey Tempest.Read

YOUR Sunday Sun is giving you the chance to meet the sensational hard rockers Europe before their highly-anticipated concert at the Newcastle O2 Academy on Saturday, February 27.

Not only will you get the chance to meet Europe before the show, but you will also win a pair of tickets to the concert, a signed copy of the band’s Last Look At Eden album and an exclusive band T-shirt.Read

Latest album could be best yet

SONGSTRESS Katie Melua could be on the way to producing her finest album to date.Read

FYFE DANGERFIELD – FLY YELLOW MOON: Ever since Guillemots were on everyone’s Ones To Watch list back in 2004, there’s been something special about the band’s charismatic frontman, Fyfe Dangerfield. As he’s proved on their two albums, Through The Windowpane and Red, he knows his way around a song and has a glorious touch with a melody. Taking a step away from his band for a second, he’s managed to record a solo album, and what a lovely effort it is too. Fans of the breezy nature to Guillemots’ debut will find lots to enjoy here. Thankfully, Fly Yellow Moon abandons the R’n’B elements which threatened to spoil Red and goes for simple, emotive string and piano arrangements, which let Dangerfield’s wonderful songs, none finer than closer Don’t Be Shy, do the talking.

ESMEE DENTERS – OUTTA HERE: She was spotted by Justin Timberlake when her R&B covers were uploaded to YouTube. Now, signed to the NSYNC* star’s own label, Tennman Records, she releases her debut album with “Trousersnake” as the executive producer on the singer’s album. Timberlake has made a shrewd business move by signing the Dutch singer. While she doesn’t offer anything particularly out of the ordinary, her vocals lend themselves perfectly to pop R’n’B numbers – the kind which has been clogging up the charts over the past couple of years. Think of Amerie and Ciara crossed with Miley Cyrus. The tunes are radio and chart-friendly and should see her thrust into the mainstream.Read

WARP Records is celebrating 20 years of music and one of the most successful artists on the books is North band Maximo Park. LIZ LAMB catches up with lead singer Paul Smith who has returned to the region after a year on the road.

IT’S been a heady 12 months for Maximo Park.Read

JEDWARD, Ape, Middlesbrough Empire

X FACTOR sensations John and Edward have described the audience at their North gig this week as “one of the loudest and best we’ve ever had”.Read

INDIE band Ash has announced they are going on tour this year. Last year they announced they were releasing 26 singles known as the A to Z singles series. The latest is Ichiban, the seventh single. They play Newcastle 02 Academy on April 25. Tickets are £15 and are on sale now at www.gigsandtours.com 0871 220 0260.

TO coincide with their hugely anticipated new album, Field Music, out on February 15, Sunderland’s Field Music will be hot-footing it up and down the country for a series of in-store gigs. They will be at RPM Records, Newcastle, on February 20.Read

Making change a sequin at a time

FLAMBOYANT singer Lady Gaga is heading to the region in March. LIZ LAMB takes a look at her career.Read

Looking back on a decade of pop

FROM Spice Girls to Geordie Joe - we bring you the music of the decade.Read

A rocking great year from first to last

TAKE THATRead

V VARIOUS ARTISTS – IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME, THE ULTIMATE FESTIVE COLLECTION: Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s The Power of Love opens proceedings, and is followed up by Slade, Status Quo and Band Aid, plus hits from Dina Carroll, Michael Ball and The Shadows. The second disc will keep teenagers happy with tracks from Lady Gaga (Christmas Tree), Gabriella Cilmi (Warm This Christmas) and McFly (Deck The Halls). The final disc is filled with traditional classics. From Bing Crosby and Judy Garland to Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, it will add a touch of warmth to winter’s chill.

V JETHRO TULL – THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM: This double album from the veteran experimental rock band will prove to be a hit with fans. The first disc is a re-release of Jethro Tull’s 2003 Christmas album, which features lead singer Ian Anderson and co storming through traditional hits such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, together with their own material. The second disc is a recording of their December 2008 charity concert at St Bride’s Church in London, and is full of Christmas tunes. The performance is full of festive cheer and, with readings from Anderson and an introduction from Rev George Pitcher, it’s a traditional Christmas musical offering.Read