News

The Strokes have confirmed that they will release new album Comedown Machine on March 25. The title is the same one discovered on an album sleeve by fans who found an errant link in the coding of the band's official website last night (January 29). An official statement from The Strokes record label Rough Trade confirmed that the band's fifth album will be released in March with new single "All The Time" preceding it.

The forthcoming new MGMT album is reportedly set for a June release. The follow-up to Congratulations has been recorded over the past year in a cabin in Buffalo, New York. Rolling Stone claims that Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser's third album will be "even weirder" than their last. "We're not trying to make music that everyone understands the first time they hear it," explains Goldwasser of the album, which has been inspired by Aphex Twin and house music.

The Dream Syndicate have announced a one-off UK date. The band, who reunited in June 2012, will play London's Dingwalls on May 24 - the site of their first ever UK show in 1984. The show is part of the band's ongoing reunion shows to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of their debut album, The Days Of Wine And Roses.

Smashing Pumpkins have announced three UK tour dates for later this year. The band, led by Billy Corgan, will play three shows in July including dates in Manchester, Glasgow and a huge show at London's Wembley Arena. Starting in Manchester on July 1, Smashing Pumpkins will perform in Glasgow on July 2 before returning later in the month for their London gig (July 22).

Bjork has started a Kickstarter campaign for her Biophilia Educational Program. The project is named after the singer's 2011 album and sees her looking to raise money to educate children about science and music through the apps which she launched with the album. Bjork said: "The Biophilia Educational Program is a new way to teach children about science and music. It has met with success in many cities, sparking interest from kids and educators from all over the world, from South America to East Asia to Africa."

Fleetwood Mac are to play live shows in the UK in the autumn, Mick Fleetwood has confirmed.

Jimi Hendrix was keen to work with manager Chas Chandler and get back to more structured recording shortly before he died, Eddie Kramer has told Uncut. The engineer, who looks after Hendrix’s legacy as part of the Experience Hendrix organisation, says: “Before Jimi died, in 1970, he sought Chas’ counsel. I think he wanted to put back the old team. “He’d learned from the experimentation and realised he needed Chas – but he had to come to that realisation himself.”

Nick Cave talks about his new album with The Bad Seeds, Push The Sky Away, in the new issue of Uncut, out Thursday (January 31).

Tom Waits is staring back at me from the cover of the new Uncut, which goes on sale this Thursday, January 31. It’s a picture of the young Tom that I’m looking at, long before he ended up with a face that now makes you think a tractor tyre must recently have run over it, a corrugated look he shares with his friend, Keith Richards. He is in fact startlingly young in the picture, even though it would seem he hasn’t shaved for a week and for just as long has been sleeping in the clothes he’s wearing.

Eric Clapton has announced the release of a new studio album on March 12, called Old Sock. Featuring guests including Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, J J Cale and Jim Keltner, Old Sock is Clapton's 21st studio release and his first since 2010's self-titled album. Old Sock is produced by Eric Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II, Justin Stanley and Simon Climie and features two new original songs “Every Little Thing” and “Gotta Get Over” alongside 10 covers of songs by Leadbelly, George Gershwin, Peter Tosh and Taj Mahal, among others.