... to Thomas Arne, composer of many things, but especially of Rule Britannia, and one of the first people to fight over copyright: In 1741 Arne filed a complaint in Chancery pertaining to a breach of musical copyright and claimed that some of his theatrical songs had been printed and sold by Henry Roberts and John Johnson, the London booksellers and music distributors. The matter was settled out of court. Arne was certainly one of the very first composers to have appealed to the law over copyright issues.It seems impossible to put up this posting without a video of Rule Britannia from one of the many Last Nights of the Proms. Tory Historian is spoilt for choice. Perhaps this one from 2008 with Bryn Terfel singing the...

Napalm Cheeseguttering has now become famous mainly through one of the strangest incidents of the last decade, at a time when mere fame became the lot of anyone un-self-aware enough to enter, with an eagerness often in direct inverse proportion to any discernable talent or ability, the increasing number of talent and ‘reality’ shows that seemed to infest the TV schedules like acne on the face of a teenager and to much the same aesthetic effect. At the time of the incident, Cheeseguttering was the lyricist, lead vocalist and bass player in Goat Knee Designator (formerly: Spunk It Up The Wall) yet another run-of-the-mill rock band. Rock music, despite being terminally moribund and about as musically exciting as an undertaker’s End-of-Year balance sheet, was still the main way that...

In this week's show, we examine the Knife's new Charles Darwin-inspired opera, Tomorrow, in a Year, with Olof Dreijer. Be warned, his voice is distorted, but we do have Planningtorock (Janine Rostron) on hand to speak (in a normal voice) about collaborating with Sweden's most talented siblings on the unlikeliest of projects.Alexis and Rosie are joined by Film & Music editor Michael Hann for Singles Club, in which they discuss new music from Joanna Newsom, Avi Buffalo and Goldfrapp. And the Feature With No Name returns, with Michael and Alexis discussing 70s proto-punk band Rocket from the Tombs. As always we're keen to hear your thoughts, especially on all the music featured and our glitzy new FWNN. You can friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter by searching MusicWeeklyPod. Until...

i went to see the pixies in auckland last night.  they were TOTALLY excellent i'll not go on about how good they were cuz that's a bit boring. but they were really fantastic.  so there. link | Comments (0) | music...

I watched the Iron Maiden concert that I recorded on BBC Four’s Heavy Metal Britannia night yesterday.  I understand it is a cut-down version of the Flight 666 film of theirs.  I don’t know what it is about Iron Maiden but I just can’t warm to them as much as I probably should.It isn’t that I dislike the music, just that I never got into it enough to really be able to distinguish between the tracks – except for the ones on the Number of the Beast album.  It doesn’t help that all their albums have such similar artwork it is hard to tell them apart. Another thing is that I still think of them as a new band…  and it is scary to realise that they have actually been going for about 30 years now. They do put on a good show though, and at the heart...

Recommended listening: Steel City Loungecore, Purple Radio 4th March with The Only M + there’s a mistrust remix in the playlist too! http://ping.fm/R2ppz...

The Infernal Comedy, based on true story of Austrian serial killer, among highlights of Barbican's plans for coming yearIt might not be the cheeriest night out, watching John Malkovich as a resurrected Austrian serial killer on stage with a baroque orchestra and two sopranos singing arias about murder and abandonment, but it will, the Barbican's artistic director cheerfully suggests, be one of his personal highlights."It's a kind of 21st-century version of an 18th-century melodrama," said Graham Sheffield. "Absolutely brilliant and completely unique."The Malkovich piece, The Infernal Comedy – part drama, part concert – is based on the true story of Jack Unterweger, who killed at least 11 prostitutes. "Probably not a thing to take a person on a first date," Sheffield conceded.The show...

Galaxie 500 were once lumped in with many of the shoegazing outfits currently hopping on the revival bandwagon. But their reissued albums show they were heartbreakingly apart, writes Alexis PetridisIf you came of musical majority as the 80s bled into the 90s, if your age means you can remember when a chart placing of 38 and Snub TV showing a homemade video represented a dizzying peak of mainstream acceptance that an indie band could scarcely dare to dream about, then recent events in rock may have left you feeling discombobulated. First, virtually every alt-rock band from that era reformed. It was all profoundly odd, like waking up one morning to discover that everyone you'd copped off with in your teens had assembled in your front garden and started batting their eyelashes at you. But it...

So EMI can no longer permit Pink Floyd albums to be sold as individually downloadable tracks, against the band's wishes.......

It looks as ice-cool as a Finnish swimming pool, and under the surface Nokia’s new X6 aims to please as well with a slew of features and free access to Nokia’s Come With Music service. But just because the phone comes pre-loaded with a few Gavin and Stacey episodes, will it keep you entertained in the long run? Let’s take a look. … [visit site to read more] Gadget Gift Ideas If you like what you’re reading then learn more about joining our FREE newsletter here. Lucky readers will win some fantastic gadget prizes! Also, check out our recession busting gadgety money saving ideas. Get paid for your old phones – Top 5 mobile recycling sites compared Free phone calls to exclusive discounts at restaurants from phone networks – Free Sim cards from various...

I missed the punk revolution the first time round.Of course, I was aware of punk rock - it was impossible to miss the shock-and-horror news stories or the deliberately outrageous album covers - but I never paused to listen to the music. Looking back, this seems startling, especially since I headed to Anti-Nazi League festivals - I think I may have heard The Clash play live in Victoria Park without noticing.It's hard to be sure why I missed out. In part I was busy discovering other aspects of music. I was prepared to travel a long way for a Monteverdi opera and to sit through an otherwise dull concert for a spectacularly good performance of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras number 5.I first encountered punk through an Oxford filter, which didn't help. Punk was greeted...

Former ITV boss to become executive chairman as troubled firm prepares last-ditch bid to raise £100m from investorsFormer ITV boss Charles Allen is taking control of EMI's music business, home to acts including Coldplay and Robbie Williams, after the surprise departure of chief executive Elio Leoni-Sceti.Leoni-Sceti will be leaving the troubled company at the end of March after just 18 months with the firm. His departure comes at a critical time for EMI, as the cash-strapped business puts the finishing touches to a new business plan which its private equity owners can present to investors.Allen, who joined EMI as a non-executive director in January 2009, will become executive chairman of the music company. EMI Music Publishing will continue to be run by chairman and chief executive Roger...

Half Man Half Biscuit ironically sang about Joy Division oven gloves, as branding the most miserable band in music history is one of the more difficult things to do. That was, I presume, the joke. However, once, I saw a t-shirt in Urban Outfitters which featured the artwork for the group’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ LP, complete with Mickey Mouse ears slotted into it. It was a baffling sight as, and correct me if I’m wrong here, it’s hard to imagine Ian Curtis settling down to watch The Little Mermaid or Gummi Bears. However, we’ve had it wrong all this time. You see, Ian Curtis wasn’t in Joy Division. Nope, a t-shirt found on eBay clearly shows that the Factory band were clearly fronted by Mark E. Smith (click here if the eBay auction vanishes). You...

ISPs, Google, Facebook, eBay and Yahoo sign letter saying clause threatens free speech and could lead to blocking of sitesAmendments made to the digital economy bill by the House of Lords threaten freedom of speech and will lead to British websites being blocked without due judicial process, the bosses of leading technology companies said today.The heads of the four largest UK internet service providers – BT, Orange, Virgin Media and TalkTalk – as well as Google, Facebook, eBay and Yahoo have all co-signed the letter, along with consumer groups, academics and the technophile television host Stephen Fry, objecting to amendment 120A to the bill, which was added to the bill last week with support from Liberal Democrat and Conservative peers.Ministers had been seeking powers to amend...

Radio 1 is broadcasting midweek singles and album figures for the first time during a new weekly show on Wednesday...

3D is the buzz word of 2010 From TVs to films and now even Lady Ga Ga (well she does get everywhere) It seems like every day there’s some sort of 3D announcement. So what’s happened so far and what’s going to happen in the future? Here’s a brief summary of all things 3D past, present and future. … [visit site to read more] Gadget Gift Ideas If you like what you’re reading then learn more about joining our FREE newsletter here. Lucky readers will win some fantastic gadget prizes! Also, check out our recession busting gadgety money saving ideas. Get paid for your old phones – Top 5 mobile recycling sites compared Free phone calls to exclusive discounts at restaurants from phone networks – Free Sim cards from various networks and there benefits....

If you enjoy a good game of Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band but can’t help that nagging feeling in the back of your mind telling you that playing these is all very well but it’s not actually teaching people to play an instrument – well, my gadgety friends, Seven45 Studios may be our saviours for they bring Power Gig. The first instalment of this game sounds almost like a ManOWar album: Rise of the Six String! As the title suggests – the game controller is an actual, real, stringed instrument. It sounds like the proto-axes and alpha build of the game were pretty impressive and the fact that not only will you be able to buy individual packs you’ll be able to get you buddies involved with the “band bundle” that includes the game, a...

If you’re one Related posts:Real Six String for Guitar Hero – ezGear YOU ROCK! ,,/,,/ Guitar Hero Metallica Video Demo Available Eneloop Music Booster to Power Your Guitar Effect Pedals...

I know nothing about guitars. In fact, many of my friends dispare at my complete lack of musical knowledge in any form except Meat Loaf and the theatre. I know a lot about Mario games. This makes my especially geeky friends very happy. I can now speak to both sets of friends thanks to the sheer awesomeness of another geek’s modding talents. Behold – the Koopa Troopa guitar! visit site to read more] Gadget Gift Ideas If you like what you’re reading then learn more about joining our FREE newsletter here. Lucky readers will win some fantastic gadget prizes! Also, check out our recession busting gadgety money saving ideas. Get paid for your old phones – Top 5 mobile recycling sites compared Free phone calls to exclusive discounts at restaurants from phone...

Just in case anybody didn’t know, the new album from Gorillaz, Plastic Beach, is on Spotify now.  I have only been half-listening to it while catching up on some reading, but it sounds pretty good to me.  Who else could get Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon, Mark E. Smith and De La Soul to guest on the the same...

The genius of Mark Linkous, who died tragically on Saturday, was to transform the twisted and cruel into the tender and transcendentMy introduction to Sparklehorse was an ugly and brutal experience. Detuned guitars hammering away relentlessly, as unforgiving as a smithy's forge, with a distorted vocal over the top. I might never have listened again had I not read an interview with Mark Linkous, in which he revealed the inspiration for the song: finding an injured bird and nursing it back to health. Never one for the literal, the lyrics to Hammering the Cramps run: "Hey little dog, can you fly? Hammering the cramps ..." It was heartbreaking on Sunday morning to hear that Linkous had taken his own life. Any sudden death comes as a shock, but as with Elliott Smith or Kurt Cobain, the news...

The latest stage of Capsule’s West Mids heavy metal legacy project, Home of Metal,  is a launch at big music bash SXSW. Here’s the invite that’s been sent out: If you’re in the area it might be worth popping in. If not, I reckon it’s just nice to know how these things are being pushed on. © chrisunitt for Created in Birmingham, 2010. | Add a comment | Support CiB - £75 per year gets you loads in...

Science writer Simon Singh and Tracey Brown from Sense About Science tell us about Libel Reform Week and the campaign to change Britain's libel laws and protect scientific freedom of expression. Simon is currently locked in a legal battle over a comment piece published in the Guardian. Matthew Applegate, aka Pixelh8, is performing an audiovisual study as part of Cambridge Science Festival. We went along to the Institute of Astronomy to hear the telescopes he used as his musical instruments. Ian Sample speaks to Kees van Deemter about the importance of being vague. Kees is trying to program computers to be a little more ... erm ... fuzzy? His new book Not Exactly: In Praise of Vagueness is out now. The Guardian's Nell Boase joins Alok in the studio. Post your comments below.Join our...

I had been thinking of posting this, then yesterday I heard it playing in a cafe so I knew it was meant to be.There was not a lot of sophistication around in the singles chart in 1973, but I recognised even then that there was more to this than you found in Suzi Quatro. I wouldn't claim that it sounds great today, but it has lasted better than most singles from that year.Wikipedia tells us that this, which reached no. 13 in the UK singles charts, is faithful translation of a song originally written and performed by Véronique Sanson. The lyrics describe the mind-set of a woman in the aftermath of her first sexual encounter.Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews in Bradford) is best remembered for "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", her duet with Elton John, which is hardly the finest hour in either of...

Loving it.  For my money this is the song of the year thus...

It's been a busy couple of weeks for gigs. On the assumption that at least some of my readers have similar tastes to me, here are brief reviews of the three gigs I've seen in the last couple of weeks.Fairport Convention, Union Chapel, 20th FebThis is the second year running that I've seen Fairport Convention on their "Wintour" at the Union Chapel. Last year was the first time I had seen them (which is bizarre for a band I've been a fan of for over thirty years). I can't quite put my finger on it, but this year's show wasn't as enjoyable as last year's. I suspect it was down to the number of songs taken from later Fairport albums that I'm not at all familiar with. Oh, and the arrangement of Matty Groves was very strange. The long instrumental that ends the song was unrecognisable.Thomas...

Laura Marling tells Sarah Boden about her second album, I Speak Because I Can, and about seeing her personal life dissected in the press"I'm almost an entirely different person to the one I was when I wrote the first album," says Laura Marling, smoking prodigiously on the patio of a King's Cross pub. Then, the singer-songwriter was a pale-faced, chronically shy 17-year-old keen on grungy T-shirts, mulishly determined not to be gussied up for popular consumption. Her 2008 Mercury-nominated debut, Alas, I Cannot Swim, saw her pushed, blinking, into the full-beam of acclaim. Marling was heralded as a precocious young talent, and her striking lyricism and graceful delivery gave rise to flattering Joni Mitchell comparisons.The LP was produced by her then-boyfriend Charlie Fink, frontman of the...

This is the week that was in matters musical… 1951, produced by the legendary Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm record “Rocket 88″ is released … considered groundbreaking for its use of the distorted electric guitar of Willie Kizart, it’s credited by many rock historians for being the first rock ‘n’ roll record … unfortunately for Turner, the bandleader and piano player, he is not the star on the record label—it is credited to saxophonist Jackie Brenston who handles lead vocals … Click here to view the embedded video. 1954, Elvis Presley auditions for The Songfellows, a country vocal group … they pass on the future king saying he can’t sing harmony … 1955, Elvis...

The BBC Four documentary Heavy Metal Britannia this evening was quite entertaining, as this whole series of programmes has been.  Possibly too long for a casual non-metal fan but too short to do more than scratch the surface it was still a good way to pass 90 minutes. I am wondering where they will go next.  We have had Folk Britannia, Prog Rock Britannia, Synth Britannia, and probably a few others I can’t remember.  Then there was the branching out into Latin music which required four parts and a change from Britannia to USA.  What next? I don’t think they have done punk, but that has been done so often it is hardly worth it. Post-punk/new wave could be a more fruitful choice.  Even better would be Pub Rock Britannia – 90 minutes of Dr Feelgood, Brinsley Schwarz,...

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We kick off this week's show with a bit of chat from Gorillaz head honcho, Murdoc Niccals. The 2D tearaway releases Tim Jonze from the stationery cupboard (he's been locked inside ever since his band hijacked guardian.co.uk/music) and answers a few questions about the many collaborations on their new album, Plastic Beach.In Singles Club, Alexis and Rosie are joined by Miranda Sawyer for a wee listen to Tinie Tempah's Pass Out, Tan Lines' Real Life and She and Him's In the Sun. And we round up with a live track from New York band White Rabbit, who came to the Guardian's studios armed with three guitars, but not one of the alleged three sets of drums they use to make a big noise on stage. So there. That's all for this week. Find us on Facebook should you wish to be our friend and please...

Music pours out of Wolfgang Rihm. How does he do it? Tom Service shares an afternoon, and a very fine malt, with the irrepressible composerThe taxi driver knows immediately who I'm going to see when I tell him the address I need in Karlsruhe. "That's Professor Rihm, right?" I'm a wee bit bemused that someone I've never met in this beautiful, stately town near Germany's French and Swiss borders knows that I'm here to meet its most famous musical resident – Wolfgang Rihm, one of the most brilliant, inventive, and prolific composers alive today. "We pick him up all the time. He doesn't drive, so he knows us all pretty well. He's a really nice guy."Rihm belongs to Karlsruhe. He was born and raised here, he sang in the city's choirs, played the church organs, and now teaches at the...

Is it me or are the public at large generally thick when it comes to using mobile phones.Normally if you can't hear the person on the other end then you would turn up your volume a bit but a passenger in the car this afternoon was on a call and he couldn't hear what his mate was saying and demanded that his mate "Turn HIS volume up so that his mouth is louder". (His words, not mine)When you turn the volume up on a phone you are increasing the level in the ear piece. Not the mouthpiece. He then went on to say to his mate that he couldnt hear him for all the music in the background. Wouldnt it have made sense if that person had left the room and moved somewhere quieter before attempting to make the phone...

All week we've been hearing about Plastic Beach, the island made of junk that's home to Murdoc from Gorillaz. We sent travel writer Harry Ritchie to spend a night thereIn pictures: Your travel guide to Plastic Beach Like to go off the beaten track? Well, it doesn't get more beaten-off than Plastic Beach – slap bang in the middle of the south Pacific, the bit of land that's furthest from any other bit of land, the remotest spot on the planet, so remote that it's the last place in the world still to be photographed by Google Earth.Given its almost improbable isolation, getting to Plastic Beach really couldn't be simpler – a 12-day hop, by British Airways to Lima, then by cargo plane to Easter Island, and then by passing tuna trawler to the place known on my map only as 48% 52' 36" S,...

Founding member Mutya Buena, who left the group in 2005, has applied for permission to use the Sugababes nameMutya Buena, a founding – and former – member of Sugababes, has applied for ownership of the band's name. The move comes as the current Sugababes book festival gigs and prepare for the release of the revamped lineup's first album, Sweet Seven.A legal firm representing Buena has applied to the European Trademarks Authority for permission to use the Sugababes name, according to BBC News. The request has been registered, but not yet approved. If granted, Buena would be able to use the Sugababes brand for everything from T-shirts to CDs.Buena helped form Sugababes in 1998 with Siobhán Donaghy and Keisha Buchanan. While Donaghy left in 2001 and Buena quit in 2005, Buchanan remained...

Tory claims that slashed spending on culture can be compensated by US-style philanthropy are wrongThe politics of the arts – a modest but fractious corner of the portfolio of Ben Bradshaw, secretary of state for culture, media and sport – will not decide the next general election. Yet the arts are a fascinating microcosm of the wider political theatre. We have an incumbent culture secretary who, largely through inattention, has created a vacuum into which has stepped the shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who has assiduously and politely haunted the arts world for the last two-and-a-half years. His ministrations have brought him friends in surprising quarters and culminated in a culture manifesto that is either admirably concise or characteristically lacking in detail,...

Insane technique but I am not sure that it is all that enjoyable to be...

Not laid back this...

Very nice laid back minor...