News

Björk has announced a one-off gig at London's Alexandra Palace on September 3. This will be the first time the Icelandic singer has brought her long-running Biophilia Tour to the British capital and a post on her official site branded it "an emotionally significant show for Björk herself, who called the city home in her youth".

Elvis Costello has teamed up with Mumford & Songs to cover Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". Scroll down to watch the video. The cover was recorded for agit8, an "urgent call to action against extreme poverty" launched by Bono's One Campaign in advance of the G8 Summit in Belfast, Northern Ireland next week. Springsteen's original "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" was the title track to his 11th studio album, which came out in 1995.

Beck has announced details of two solo UK shows set to take place in July. The singer will perform dates in Cambridge and London on July 6 and 7 respectively, following his Song Reader performance at the Barbican on July 4. The line-up for the Barbican show will include Beck himself, alongside Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, Franz Ferdinand and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The Beatles' 1968 song "Octopus's Garden", written by Ringo Starr, is set to be turned into a children's book. Starr has given publishing house Simon & Schuster permission to turn the song into a picture book, with illustrations by Ben Cort, who is currently behind the kids series Alien's Love Underpants, reports The Guardian.

David Crosby has spoken candidly about the current state of his health. In an interview for The Wall Street Journal about his passion for sailing, Crosby explains, "Look, I have maybe 10 more years, if I'm lucky. I have hepatitis C, diabetes and heart disease. I'm managing them. I'm going to the gym three days a week, I'm feeling strong and I can still make audiences feel great."

The National have announced a one-off London show later this month. The band broke the news on their Facebook page yesterday (June 10), posting: "Hi London! We thought it would be fun to play at the Roundhouse on June 26th. Our friends Local Natives will be there too. Tickets go on sale at 9am local time on June 12th. Hope to see you there!" Tickets cost £27.50 each and will be "strictly limited to 2 per person", the Roundhouse website has confirmed. The National recently released their sixth album

John Paul Jones has ruled out the possibility of a Led Zeppelin reunion next year - because he is too busy writing an opera. Speaking in February (2013), Robert Plant hinted that he is open to the idea of Zeppelin reuniting next year, saying: "I've got nothing to do in 2014."

Ahead of the release of his memoir I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp, Richard Hell - the pioneer of New York punk - is set to answer your questions in Uncut as part of our regular Audience With… feature.
 So is there anything you’ve always wanted to ask him? What are his memories of playing CBGBs in its heyday? What was it like touring the UK with The Clash in 1977? Does he regret not touring with the Dim Stars, his band with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley?

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers had their show on Saturday (June 8) at Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre shut down by fire marshals. The concert was the fourth of a six-date residency at the 1,300 capacity venue. The setlist had included a mix of A-list Petty songs like "Here Comes My Girl" alongside rarities including "Angel Dream (No. 2)", the Traveling Wilburys "Tweeter And The Monkey Man" and covers including Paul Revere & The Raiders’ "(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone".

Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich shared unheard song 'Honey Pot' in a DJ set broadcast earlier today on American radio station KCRW. You can listen to the track on Soundcloud by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking play.