| CMU Daily - on the inside 27 Jun 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Evans loses court wrangle with Virgin
• MC in sexual battery charge
• Electrelane power up
• Hyde park shows possible cancellation
• East West new bods
• Everybody in ads
• Ministry's massive refurb plans
• Cowell is immodest shocker
• Review: The Evenings - [Two Tracks Each From The Firefighters Ep And The Dying Ep]
• S club's Rachel goes solo
• Freq Nasty preview ep
• Fred fib
• Respect festival in the dome
• Live review: Prefuse73, Plastic People
• Eavis expected to continue
• Swords not allowed on planes shocker
• Roskilde Festival
• Review: Miss Machine - Not Another Pop Queen (Shoplifter Records)
• Real unsigned promotions
• Andrew WK new LP
• Live review: Burning Brides At the Underworld
• Britney Spears not square
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EVANS LOSES COURT WRANGLE WITH VIRGIN
Chris Evans yesterday lost his court case against former employer Virgin Radio. As previously reported at length, Evans was suing Virgin Radio's parent group, SMG, for £8.6m of share options he claimed they owed him after they sacked him in 2001. SMG said he had voided his claim on the options by breaking his contract on a number of occasions and that, in fact, he owed them damages for jeopardising the station in the week before his dismissal.
Mr Justice Lightman yesterday said that Evans had lost his claim because he had breached his contract more than once. In particular the time Evans took time off unannounced to fly to America to marry Billie Piper, and the occasion when he phoned in sick and was then photographed on a drinking binge.
Justice Lightman said: "Mr Evans is a talented radio performer. His distinctive appearance, spontaneity, inventiveness and irreverence are his trademarks. He is very experienced in matters of publicity. He knows how to play the media and obtain a good splash. He is given to extremes: moderation has no part to play. Drinking to excess is part of his lifestyle. He is a binge drinker. He told me with pride and no trace of embarrassment that more often than not he presented the show with a hangover. He has a reputation for laddish behaviour including drunkenness. Despite his confident front, he is very insecure in himself and as a consequence frequently (but not invariably) has recourse to any means (legitimate or otherwise) to avoid confrontation or unpleasant or unpalatable situations. To achieve what he wants without confrontation, he is manipulative and has resort to any means, fair or foul, to achieve his ends." With this in mind Lightman denied Evans his claim to share options and ruled that SMG would be entitled to damages, which would be decided upon in a later hearing.
A spokesman for a jubilant Virgin Radio said: "We were always confident that the court would support our position that Chris Evans repeatedly breached the terms of his contract. It was clear to everyone when Chris Evans walked out on us - that Virgin Radio was put in an impossible situation, and had no option but to take the action we took at the time. We are saddened that it has taken so long, and this needless court case, for it to be established that his actions were totally unacceptable."
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MC IN SEXUAL BATTERY CHARGE
Mystikal (Michael Tyler) has pleaded guilty to charges that he forced his hairstylist to perform sex acts on him and two bodyguards.
The Grammy-nominated US MC had been charged with aggravated rape (carrying a sentence of life imprisonment). At the court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he agreed to plead guilty to extortion and a sexual battery charge.
Tyler was sentenced to five years probation for extortion and has been set a second sentencing date set for the sexual battery charge on 25 Sep.
Prosecutor Sue Bernie said Tyler confronted his hairdresser in his Baton Rouge apartment last July and accused her of stealing cheques from him. Tyler told the woman he would not tell police about the cheques if she did something 'degrading' for him, she said.
Tyler then forced her into a number of sex acts including intercourse, all the time videotaping the incident.
Tyler's lawyer, David Bourland, said his client did not agree with all the allegations, but agreed that sexual battery took place.
Mystikal's album Tarantula was nominated for a Grammy in Jan of this year.
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RUMOURS ABOUT BANG FUTURE
Much rumours circulating this morning about the future of Future Publishing's much heralded (and critically acclaimed) new music mag Bang following the departure of editors the Gloom brothers – Crispin Parry and Danny Ford. The official line is that the pair were hired as launch editors and were always scheduled to leave once the title was up and running. However with the departure of a number of other editorial staff some are questioning if things are going as smoothly for the new title as the publisher suggests. Former Kerrang man Dan Silver will take over as editor.
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ELECTRELANE POWER UP
Electrelane are back in Brighton after completing their new album. The as yet untitled LP was recorded by Steve Albini in Chicago and mastered at Abbey Road, and will be released through Too Pure in the very near future. This will be Electrelane's first release for the Beggars Group imprint, eschewing the girls' own PIAS-backed Let's Rock! label.
The band play two dates with Sleater-Kinney in August, where they will be joined by a new, fifth member on guitar. Additional support comes from Klang, Donna Matthews' new slow-groove rock band. The dates are:
12 Aug: Old Market, Brighton
13 Aug: Mean Fiddler, London
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HYDE PARK SHOWS POSSIBLE CANCELLATION
The Route of Kings concerts, due to take place in Hyde Park next month, has come under threat. Shows involving Blue, Roxy Music, Jools Holland, Simply Red and Paul Weller may now not happen because the concerts' promoter is embroiled in a financial dispute with the organisation that runs London's parks.
A spokesman for the Royal Parks said: "The first payment for the staging of the concerts had not been paid by promoters Triple A Entertainment. As far as we are concerned, Triple A have not provided the first stage payment so they do not have a licence. It was today that we took the decision - we informed them they did not have an agreement with us. We would never say never. We are obviously trying to make sure these events do happen as people enjoy going to events in Hyde Park."
The dispute will not affect Party in the Park, Pride in the Park and planned Bon Jovi and Shania Twain concerts.
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EAST WEST NEW BODS
Gareth Currie has been appointed as General Manager of Warners label East West in the UK. The announcement was made by Managing Director Korda Marshall who has been redeveloping East West since he took on the top post in May after the major swallowed up Mushroom's UK operations.
Currie will report directly to Marshall and oversee the day to day running of East West Records UK.
Currie leaves Universal Island Records where as Head of Marketing he worked on campaigns for Sugababes, Nelly, Busted and The 80s Matchbox B-line Disaster.
Also joining East West Records UK is Richard Skinner who, reporting to Currie, will be the new Creative Director. Skinner previously of the Creative team at XL Records – overseeing campaigns for Badly Drawn Boy and The White Stripes.
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EVERYBODY IN ADS
Levi's have announced that they have recruited Blur and Unkle for their new US TV ads.
The first ad titled 'Car' will air in July and feature music from Blur. The ad will only be shown during certain shows. The brief is: a young man's relentless quest to tame an 'escaped' car that is running wild.
The second ad is 'Horse', and featuring music from Unkle will be aimed at women. The brief is: a modern fantasy backdrop, the star and her horse unite to test the laws of gravity and reality.
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MINISTRY'S MASSIVE REFURB PLANS
Ministry of Sound have just revealed details of major re-refurbishment programme that they hope will be ready for a relaunch party over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The changes include: main room overhaul, up-graded state-of-the-art custom built, surround sound system, addition of a brand new 'Bay Box', new DJ booth, new 'shot bar' in the Main Bar, a completely new Balcony Bar, a 'Green Room' (a green glass box that claims to "float in mid-air"), private booths with table booking and waitress service in the VIP lounge and refurbished toilets including marble, leather-padded walls and make up stations for the girls.
Commenting on the refurb General Manager Gary Smart said: "It's Ministry of Sound's job to revolutionise club culture and take it to the next level."
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COWELL IS IMMODEST SHOCKER
Simon Cowell started tongues wagging in the US yesterday when Howard Stern asked the Pop Idol judge "what he's worth". He joked he reckoned he was worth $10m – though subsequently added that doesn't mean he has anywhere near that kind of fortune in the bank.
The comments followed rumours regards how much Cowell and his fellow American Idol judges are demanding from Fox to appear on the third series of the hit show. Cowell alluded to the judges being on par with the cast of Friends. If the judges are on anything near the fees earned by the sitcom starts then that $10 million might not be too far from the truth - – the cast of Friends now get $1 million per show
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REVIEW: The Evenings - [Two tracks each from the Firefighters EP and the Dying EP] Self-released
The Evening formed as a reaction against "the staid nature of current electronic music". These (unnamed in the press material) tracks are taken from their third and fourth releases, and come on a dinky three-inch CD. And they certainly make plenty of racket. The first track, is about a minute and a half of early Pavement (except with synths), then track two is the sound of the pub CD player when it finally succumbs to passive smoking. Three is more thoughtful - it would fit in an interactive museum or the Tate Modern - and considerably longer, with spoken Scottish vocals. Final track is the sound of an underground aquarium, all dripping echoes and unidentified scrapings. The Evenings, unlike so much electronic music, appear to have some musical sense, and for that we must applaud them. MB
Release date: 7 July (through www.oxfordmusic.net)
Press contact: Mark Baldwin (07816 872939)
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S CLUB'S RACHEL GOES SOLO
Rachel Stevens is the first member of S Club to officially go solo, signing to Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment company and Polydor Records for a reported £1m. The four-album deal starts immediately with a first single written by Cathy Dennis - 'My LA-Ex' – due for release in Sep.
Stevens, 25, was again ranked the sexiest woman in Britain in the annual poll by FHM magazine last month.
Stevens said: "It's a huge move for me to be going solo but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's also quite nerve-wracking having been surrounded by my six friends for four years, but I love the new single and other material I'm working on and we're all very supportive of each other. I am delighted to be staying with Simon. Polydor Records have been committed to me from the start of my career so to stay with the people I trust is really important to me."
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FREQ NASTY PREVIEW EP
Freq Nasty (Darin McFadyen) will release a limited edition four track EP with songs from his forthcoming LP 'Bring Me The Head Of Freq Nasty' due 15 Sep on Skint. The EP will feature 'Punkadelic', 'Clit Licker', 'Sil Num Tao' and 'Boomba Clatt' ft Roots Manuva and Yolanda. The New Zealand ex-pat's LP also contains collaborations with Rodney P and Junior Delgado.
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FRED FIB
It turned out yesterday Fred Durst thought he'd have a bit of a pranking wheeze when he told everyone the upcoming Limp Bizkit releases will be called 'Bipolar' and 'Panty Sniffer'. Yesterday he told fans both titles were fake – adding: "The fake titles are for the people who just won't be patient."
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RESPECT FESTIVAL IN THE DOME
Organisers of The Respect Festival, which will take place on Sat Jul 19 at the Millenium Dome, yesterday confirmed Panjabi MC, Un-Cut, Heartless Crew and Gregory Isaacs will all appear this year.
The music event follows Respect Week – a week of music, sports, photography and film events across London to 'promote anti racism and celebrate cultural diversity.'
For more information visit http://www.respectfestival.org.uk
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LIVE REVIEW: Prefuse73 at Plastic People on 22 Jun
Scott Herren under his Prefuse73 moniker may be the current darling of the progressive/avant hiphop scene, but is still a surprise to see an A205 style tailback outside the small Shoreditch club… especially on a Sunday. Scott Herren had the advantage of one of London's finest sound systems and worked his way through booming renditions of cuts from his new album 'One Word Extinguisher' and altered versions of other tracks. A dedicated crowd of Warp followers and hiphop heads had turned out to see Scott twist his tough beats through digital effects and layer in the future clicks and bleeps. The young Atlantan has surely convinced any skeptics as to his conversion from headphone to stage. JG
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EAVIS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
67-year-old Michael Eavis had planned to retire from promoting Glastonbury three years ago, but has now hinted that he may carry on into his 70s.
Eavis told Ceefax: "I've always said when I'm 70 I'd put my feet up but I've got another three years to go on that one. It's going to be a difficult thing to close it down or hand it on. I just wonder whether I can let go."
However he indicated he would be less likely to continue with the festival if Pilton locals continued to get harassed. "I think we're spending loads of money, probably too much [on security], but this is the one to make things work this time. We've certainly got the fence right - now we have to get the village properly looked after. If people are still miserable there's no point. I need to convince myself people are not unnecessarily harassed".
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SWORDS NOT ALLOWED ON PLANES SHOCKER
Norwegian rockers TurboNegro have been arrested at Stuttgart airport for arms smuggling.
The six-piece where heading from Germany back to Oslo when the authorities noticed an 18 inch knife on the x-ray machine. Police immediately swooped.
A spokesperson said: "The band tried to explain that it was a stage-prop used by Hank. It was held inside a cane and the cane was inside a guitar case. But they were having none of it. When the police asked who it belonged to, the band said it was all of them."
The police refused to arrest the entire band. Eventually Trond took the blame and was taken to the local police station. He was released some time later after paying a fine.
Happy Tom said: "What's the world coming to when men in long black hair and long black beards can't bring an 18 inch dagger onto planes anymore."
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ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
Although Denmark's Roskilde Festival officially started yesterday, the campsite has been steadily filling up since Sunday with a number of smaller bands playing on a stage in the campsite.
As the official proceedings properly kick off 90,000 festival-goers will be treated to performances from with Electric Six, Metallica, Interpol and the Polyphonic Spree, ADF, Sigur Ross, Iron Maiden, Coldplay, The Streets, Blur, De La Soul, Bjork, The Cardigans, Queens of the Stone Age and Massive Attack.
People attending Roskilde this year are able to surf the festival's programme on-line, tick the bands they want to see and print out their own hour by hour schedule for the weekend. Once on site festival-goers can receive schedule updates via their mobile phones.
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REVIEW: Miss Machine - Not Another Pop Queen (Shoplifter Records)
"She wants to fuck the stars," sing Miss Machine. She is bad, she is bored, she is sleazy. She is Anna Mercedes who was discovered in New York by Gordon Raphael who brought her to the UK and produced this single. 'Not Another Pop Queen' has a great chugging guitar riff which may have been stolen from Elastica but seeing as Justine Frischmann tea leafed it in the first place, she can hardly complain. The vocals recall punk goddesses Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux. Miss Machine are a killer live band and this is a great song. JW
Release date: 18 Aug
Press contact: Impressive [all]
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REAL UNSIGNED PROMOTIONS
Real Promotions are inviting unsigned bands to submit tracks for a forthcoming compilation album which will be targeted at the music industry.
Real Promotions has been specialising in getting unsigned music into the hands of the music industry for three years. They compile albums of unsigned band's work and then target them at key decision makers at record labels across the UK.
People interested in submitting tracks or receiving a copy should check http://www.realpromo.co.uk.
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ANDREW WK NEW LP
Andrew WK will release his follow-up to last year's 'I Get Wet', on 8 Sep with his new album 'The Wolf'.
He describes 'The Wolf' as "pure unadulterated triumph, unmitigated glory, absolute complete, euphoria, melodic ecstasy, and true human victory."
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LIVE REVIEW: Burning Brides at the Underworld, London on 26 Jun
With his poncey locks, ostentatious moves and arrogant lyrics, you'd be forgiven for thinking Dimitri Coats a big-head. His tall, beefy frame and huge hands make his guitar seem awkwardly small as he moves with strange elasticity around the stage. Yessir, Dimitri has much to be cocky about; Burning Brides have as much character visually as their songs do sonically. Just as their hometown Philadelphia is close to New York, their sound borders on the New York sound. But in fusing this with garage rawk, stoner rock and extremely early Nirvana, Burning Brides have created a compelling sound for sure. Dimitri's girlfriend, bassist Melanie Campbell, thrashes her head but maintains a firm stance. Next to her hulking boyf, she seems as short and skinny as her bass. But she wields it well; cool as a cucumber, if not for her eternal grin. Maybe itís this girlfriend/boyfriend dynamic that causes the dirty sex sound on 'Stabbed in the Back of the Heart'. Then again, the catchy verse of 'Plastic Empire' is like a soft caress before the anal rape of its explosive whirlwind chorus. The sound tonight is impeccable; dripping with spite, louder than lions. At the end, the big-head applauds his own band wildly, a fine mist spraying forth from his sweaty curls, and the crowd applauds even louder. A captivating show from a stunning band. DR
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BRITNEY SPEARS NOT SQUARE
Britney Spears has admitted that she has tried drugs.
She told reporters this week: "You reach a stage in your life when you're curious - and I was curious. Was it a mistake? Yes."
Re partying: "Yes, I'll go out and have a good time - why shouldn't I?"