GARBAGE RETURN WITH MUCH ANTICIPATED SIXTH ALBUM

Garbage fans will be chuffed to hear the band's sixth album is on the way on June 10.
Shirley Manson, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson and Butch Vig will release Strange Little Birds, their sixth studio album, on June 10 on the band’s own label STUNVOLUME. 
The band recently shared the title via Twitter, and today released the track listing and artwork. The album, produced by the band, is the follow up to 2012’s heralded Not Your Kind of People. 
Working initially in Vig’s basement and then at Red Razor Sounds in Los Angeles,  Garbage drew on a variety of sources, from their recent fan letters back to the albums they loved growing up.  
Edinburgh born lead singer Shirley Manson said: “The guiding principle was keeping it fresh, and relying on instinct both lyrically and musically." 
Strange Little Birds is “less fussed over” than anything Garbage has ever made. “We fell in love with immediacy,” added Vig. Shirley said. “To me, this record, funnily enough, has the most to do with the first record than any of the previous records. It’s getting back to that beginner’s headspace. In part, she says, that’s a result of not having anyone to answer to.”
Garbage will perform at various festivals and headline shows across Europe this summer. 

STRANGE LITTLE BIRDS TRACKLISTING

1.     Sometimes
2.     Empty
3.     Blackout
4.     If I Lost You
5.     Night Drive Loneliness
6.     Even Though Our Love Is Doomed
7.     Magnetized
8.     We Never Tell
9.     So We Can Stay Alive
10.  Teaching Little Fingers To Play
11.  Amends 

LIVE DATES

May 24 - La Cartonnerie ­– Reims, France

May 26 - Rock im Revier Festival – Dortmund, Germany

May 27 - Women Of The World Festival – Frankfurt, Germany

May 28 - Rockavaria Festival – Munich, Germany

May 30 - The Paradiso – Amsterdam, Holland

May 31 - Den Atelier – Luxembourg, Luxembourg

June 1 - Caribana Festival - Nyon, Switzerland

June 3 - Le Radiant – Lyon, France

June 4 - Montereau Confluence Festival - Montereau, France

June 5 - La Belle Electrique – Grenoble, France

June 7 - Center Urbane Kulture Kino Siska – Ljubljana, Slovenia

June 8 – Fabrique – Milan, Italy

June 10 – Nova Rock Festival - Nickelsdorf, Austria

June 13 – Troxy – London, UK

June 14 - Rock City – Nottingham, UK

August 8 - Lokerse Festival - Lokeren, Belgium

August 10 - A Summer's Tale - Luhmühlen, Germany

www.garbage.com

BIG COUNTRY'S STUART ADAMSON INSPIRED NEW SONG BY SCOTS MUSICIAN CAROL LAULA

SINGER Songwriter Carol Laula claims she was inspired to write a song about late Big Country star Stuart Adamson on her new album. 
Paisley born Carol, whose new EP The Bones Of It , her eighth to date, has been released on Vertical records, relived her happy memories of touring with the Scots star as well as the tragedy that befell him in her new song Leave A Light On. 
Skids guitarist Stuart who was also the lead singer of  '80s rockers Big Country was found dead in a Honolulu hotel room in December 2001 after apparently descending into an alcohol-fuelled spiral of personal tragedy.

Carol said of the track: "Leave A Light On was written primarily about Stuart Adamson and it's about the dichotomy of having a straight forward life mixed with problems with addiction and other difficulties. I knew Stuart pretty well and had the privilege of  touring round the UK and Ireland with Big Country. I wrote a song with Stuart too for my fourth or fifth album and when I did that he was sober and straight. He was such a sweet guy who would travel through the night to a gig and get there at 6am in the mini bus and still take time to speak with fans."
 Carol  whose style has been described as something inbetween Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading, has also drawn on her experience working with prisoners and social workers in the Criminal Justice System for her new offering.
She's looking forward to some forthcoming tour dates in between working for the Scottish Book Trust on children's projects as an early years music and story specialist.  

Tour Dates: 

12 March 2016 at The Green Hotel, Kinross 

16 May 2015 (with local opener) at Heart of Hawick, Tower Mill Cafe Bar, Hawick 

27 May 2016: Tolbooth, Stirling 

16 July 2016 at Northern Pride Festival, Gateshead
 
23 July 2016 at Easdale Island Hall, Easdale Island 

18 June 2016 at Woodend Bowling and Tennis Club, Glasgow 

RUNWAY READY SPRING SUMMER 2016 FASHIONS FROM HOUSE OF FRASER

TAKING  a risk with a neon green blazer, a palm print tracksuit, or a fringe sued jacket is order of the runway for this spring summer.
 The new collection at House of Fraser boasts a range of trends from Utility Luxe, Summer Brights and Indido Trail to Fringing, Orangina and Exotic Safari that we'll be seeing on the hottest of celebs.
Utility Luxe sees maxi dresses, cargo trousers and trench coats as the key styles with hues of deep green and khaki, mixed with washed blacks seen throughout.
If you're looking for something a bit more blue then Denim could be the answer with everything from jumpsuits to shirt dresses that can be styled up or down. Mix with as bag or printed bomber and you are on your way.
Summer oozes sunshine and the brighter the clothing the better as a dramatic pops of colour from bright yellow strip dresses to hot pink bags help to keep the clouds away.

On a similar note bright orange also makes a big statement this season with plenty of accessories taking on the tangy hue.
Backpacks continue to be popular for holding your glam essentials and there's plenty to choose from, patterned or plain.
Last year we saw plenty of Fringing and that trend continues from the catwalks of Diana Von Furstenberg, Edun and  Derek Lam as well as Biba and Label Lab who come up with the goods on the high street.
Safari prints are go with plenty of lush embroideries and exotic colour combos  from the likes of Margelia and Dries Van Noten so you can go wild just like The Showbiz Lion.

DYNAMO REVEALS SECRETS BEHIND TRICKS

                                                   Jim Marks photo  DYNAMO has revealed the secret behind seven incredible new illusions for a new campaign which will help people add a bit of magic to their selfies.
The magician appears to be floating above the London skyline using an umbrella, shrinking himself l to the size of a pint glass and jumping crowds of people on a pedal bike in the series of clever illusions for the Samsung Galaxy S7 promo.
By using a mix of "forced perspective" techniques, combined with everyday items he's provided a simple guide on how you can achieve special effects yourself.
The Magician Impossible star said: "Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in looking at the world in different ways.​ I have always been fascinated by the fact that a simple twist on perspective can completely affect our perception of an image. I wanted this concept for the Everyday Illusions pictures.
"They say magicians should never give away their secrets - but for one time only, I wanted to create a series of illusions that anyone can create and show you exactly how to do it.
"The pictures highlight the incredible resolution and focus of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 phone. The Images are forced perspective alongside a few simple props to create mind boggling illusions which I believe anyone can achieve​with a little time and imagination."

Here's a guide to the illusions
ILLUSION 1 – GODZILLA – Dynamo appears to tower over a London traffic scene. We created a miniaturised London road with some props to create a forced perspective illusion that really makes you look twice
ILLUSION 2 – THE PUB CHAIR – This illusion uses a simple chair prop. The seat of the chair is actually a separate component which is put further back in the shot which when lined up makes whoever is sitting on it look tiny
ILLUSION 3 – WALL OF WATER - I wanted to try a really cool shot using water, and just by flipping the orientation of the image, I was able to create this incredible image of me walking out of a wall of water.
ILLUSION 4 – THE MATRIX – Creating the illusion that you are standing on a ledge is all about finding the right location, in this case, a concrete bench. The paper aeroplane really adds to the shot casting shadows and confusing the orientation. This shot was caught by using the super-fast focus on the S7 to capture the plane in flight
ILLUSION 5 – BMX JUMP - When I was younger I used to be into BMXing. I’d try loads of crazy scores but I wasn’t that good at it. But using some very clever camera work, you can actually become the ultimate extreme sports star – all you need is your imagination a birds-eye view
ILLUSION 6 – BOOTS – this is by far the easiest illusion of the set but it’s still brilliantly effective and very easy to create, shooting from a low angle and positioning the boots to line with your feet – simple!
ILLUSION 7 – MARY POPPINS – This shot showcases the super-fast shutter speed of the S7 – if you haven’t guessed already this involves a trampoline a decent stretch of sky and trying to look like you are walking rather than jumping! Having a ‘burst mode’ on your camera phone really helps as one out of 10 shots will achieve the right effect
BONUS: STAGE FACE - Dynamo shot a final ‘Bonus’ illusion he has called ‘Stage Face’ – onstage during his tour at the Liverpool Echo Arena

WHAT WILL MARIAH CAREY ASK FOR ON TOUR?

THE countdown to Mariah Carey's latest UK tour is on and before she comes to Scotland for the first night we thought we'd have a look at her previous tour requests.
The Game of War spokesmodel who is said to sing across seven octaves will kick off her 25-date Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour on March 15 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Her visit comes thirteen years since she last appeared on stage at the neighbouring SECC for her Charmbracelet tour in 2003.
At that point she had a reputation for demanding everything from puppies and kittens to play with backstage as well as an alleged request to 'not do stairs' at the venue.
Her entourage reportedly consisted of make-up artist, hair stylist, dresser, masseuse, bodyguard and chef as well as a TV consultant to ensure there were no unflattering angles during shooting.
In 2009 it was claimed she wanted 20 white kittens and 100 white doves to be released while she turned on Christmas lights at Westfield London Shopping Centre. A Rolls-Royce, a pink carpet, pink podium, confetti shaped as butterflies, 80 security guards and 15-person entourage were apparently also requested.
Publicly shown tour riders in the past asked for plenty of Cristal champagne with bendy straws, but in 2010, according to a document released by The Smoking Gun, Mariah's tastes appeared to have matured slightly.
A $200 bottle of cabernet sauvignon was requested in her dressing room alongside a Jo Malone vanilla aromatherapy candle and two dozen white roses.
Mariah appeared to want things homely and not too fussy as her rider requested
"no busy patterns; black, dark grey, cream, dark pink are all fine."
The room temperature was specified at "about 75 degrees," and a "lamp or clip light" was to be provided so that "harsh lighting may be turned off" in her backstage bathroom.
This time round it's still unknown what Mariah has asked for at the SSE Hydro but we can just about bet it won't be an order for two pints of Tennent's, a steak bake, some Irn Bru and a packet of fags.

GRADO TAKES INSPIRATION FROM MICHAEL BARRYMORE

SCOTLAND'S cult Wrestler Grado has looked to Michael Barrymore for inspiration in his new comedy show.
The unitard wearing banter merchant reckons Barrymore was good at involving everyone of all ages in his performance and he's planning lots of laughs for his two shows in the Kings Theatre at Glasgow Comedy Festival.
Grado who will perform stand up in his own show It's Masel' on Thursday April 17 and Friday April 18 said: "I've got two shows at the Glasgow Comedy Festival which starts on March 20. I've never done stand up before but I I like to think of it like Michael Barrymore in the nineties. He was good with the old yins."
Realising that Barrymore may be a bit of a controversial role model he added: "Obviously I don't want to be promoting it as the Michael Barrymore Show but it will be about the weird and wonderful celebs I've idolised and what happened to them. There's weird stuff including my gran's tights but she's passed."
Grado who is is still an active part of Insane Championship Wrestling and is the former world heavyweight champion reckons he might feel a bit of pressure to be funny.
He added: "I think I'm funny but don't put me under any pressure now. The wee guy who cut my hair today is taking a wee Cypriot burd to the show so that's good.
Grado also claimed he packs his unitard everywhere he goes just in case the occasion calls for it.
He explained: "I always pack my gear in case a match ever breaks out. It can happen if you are walking across the town in Glasgow. There's never any hassle actually. People want selfies and it's all good banter. I've never had to get the muddle maker out.

VINYL LOVER NOEL GALLAGHER PUTS FANS IN PICTURE

NOEL Gallagher fans will be thrilled to hear the talent is releasing an exclusive, limited edition 12” picture disc for Record Store Day on April 16.

The disc will incorporate El Mexicano (The Reflex ‘La Revolucion’ Remixes) - featuring previously unreleased remixes of The Mexican by The Reflex aka London-based French native Nicolas Laugier.

Nicholas uses only the original sounds from the master tapes to breathe new life into soul, pop and disco classics and his fan include Nile Rodgers, Kid Creole, Disclosure, Jazzy Jeff, and Greg Wilson.

Noel is a supporter of Record Store Day and once famously said in Desert Island Discs: “I remember buying ‘Stand And Deliver’ by Adam and the Ants and it came wrapped in a poster, and it said on the corner of the poster, limited edition, first 750,000 include free poster…. Your lucky if you can shift 750 of anything these days."

He said of his new release: "Record shops are as important as the records themselves".

The Mexican is taken from the No.1 album Chasing Yesterday, which was one of the highest selling albums in its first week on sale in 2015.

Noel and his band High Flying Birds come to Glasgow's SSE Hydro as part of a sold-out UK arena tour this spring (with special guests Super Furry Animals), followed by headline festival dates (with more to be announced soon).



UK live dates:



21/04/16 SSE Hydro, Glasgow

24/04/16 GE AECC, Aberdeen

25/04/16 Echo Arena, Liverpool

27/04/16 First Direct Arena, Leeds

29/04/16 Genting Arena, Birmingham

30/04/16 International Centre, Bournemouth



28-31/07/16 Kendal Calling, Kendal

30/07/16 Y Not Festival, Pikehall

04/08/16 Lytham Green, Nr Blackpool

28/08/16 Victorious Festival, Portsmouth

04/09/16 Festival Number 6, Portmeirion





Tracklisting for the limited edition Record Store Day 12” picture disc:



1. El Mexicano (The Reflex ‘La Revolucion’ Vocal Mix)

2. El Mexicano (The Reflex ‘La Revolucion‘ Dub Mix)

3. El Mexicano (The Reflex ‘La Revolucion‘ Instrumental)