News

Bob Dylan has unveiled a new touring guitarist, following the departure of Duke Robillard on June 30 in Nashville. Robillard had joined Dylan's band in April. He played only played 27 shows with Dylan before he was replaced by Charlie Sexton - the guitarist that Robillard had replaced in Dylan's band three month's previously.

Independent record shops sales soared by 44 per cent in the first half of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012. According to an analysis of Official Charts Company data by the Entertainment Retailers Association, indies have seen a huge increase in sales, despite an overall decline in the sale of albums over the same period by 1.5 per cent.

James Murphy has said that Arcade Fire's new album has been "the food I eat and the air I breathe" and that he has now finished his work on the record. The band, who teamed up with Murphy to record their forthcoming studio album, will release the new record in October.

Bob Dylan was joined on stage by Jeff Tweedy and Jim James last night [July 24] for a cover of "The Weight" by The Band. The performance took place on the AmericanaramA tour at Farm Bureau Live, Virginia Beach. You can watch footage of the performance below. This is not the first time The Band's presence has been felt on the AmericanaramA tour.

The first picture of Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in the forthcoming biopic has been released. The picture is taken from the website for the Toronto International Film Festival, where the biopic - titled All Is By My Side - will receive its world premiere in September. The festival has also released a new synopsis for the biopic.

Prefab Sprout release a new album, Crimson/Red, on October 7.

Michael Eavis has said that he is sure David Bowie could headline Glastonbury again.

The nature documentary uniting Bjork and legendary broadcaster David Attenborough will be aired on Channel 4 this Saturday (July 27).

Van Morrison has spoken out about the forthcoming reissue of his album, Moondance. The album is due for a deluxe reissue on September 30 through Warner Bros. However, in a statement posted on his website, Van Morrison has this to say about the reissue.

Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly quit the forthcoming biopic of Freddie Mercury over creative differences with Queen. The actor has been attached to star as Mercury since September 2010, but Deadline reports that he's now pulled out of the project because he and Queen, who have script and director approval, can't agree on the type of movie they want to make. The band apparently want the biopic to be a PG affair, while the actor is keen to delve into the grittier aspects of Mercury's lifestyle.