Westlife announce split after 14 years together (Telegraph)
By YudaThe Irish group will bow out following a farewell tour next year and said they are looking forward to ''new ventures''.
Over the course of their career the group has achieved 14 number one hits.
In a statement the group said tonight: ''Over the years Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family.''
The group - for many years managed by Louis Walsh - survived the departure of one of its founding members Bryan McFadden, and continued seamlessly as a four-piece.
Singer Mark Feehily also won admiration for announcing he was
gay when the boy band were at the peak of their success.
They produced hit after hit, with singles such as Swear It Again and Flying Without Wings among their number ones.
Many of their big hits over the years were cover versions and they capitalised on a swing revival by recording a Rat Pack-style album Allow Us To Be Frank.
Members Feehily, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne are due to release a greatest hits album shortly.
They said they had "countless memories that we will forever cherish" from their years together.
In a statement posted on their website, they said: "We today announce our plan to go our separate ways after a greatest hits collection this Christmas and a farewell tour next year.
"The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures.
"We see the greatest hits collection and the farewell tour as the perfect way to celebrate our incredible career along with our fans. We are really looking forward to getting out on the tour and seeing our fans one last time."
It continued: "Over the years Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family.
"We would like to thank our fans who have been with us on this amazing journey and are part of our family too.
"We never imagined when we started out in 1998 that 14 years later we would still be recording, touring and having hits together. It has been a dream come true for all of us."
The band have notched up 11 top five albums - seven of which have gone to number one - which have together sold 44 million copies around the world.
The group were initially groomed as the natural successors to Boyzone, but their astonishing string of number ones - each of their first seven singles topped the charts - meant they outstripped their predecessors.
The Boyzone connection helped to raise their profile in the early days, with the group's Ronan Keating co-managing Westlife at one stage.
They began life in July 1998 as IOU, headlining an annual Irish radio roadshow, and soon went on to land a record deal with RCA.
Prior to a support tour with Boyzone, the group changed its name to Westside, a name which Walsh had apparently seen written on the side of a bin.
They then took part in the annual Smash Hits Roadshow, and were handed the best new act award at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party.
But as a result of legal wrangles over the group's name they were renamed Westlife and released first single Swear It Again with instant success.
An uninterrupted run of consecutive number one singles followed, including their collaboration with Mariah Carey on the ballad Against All Odds, with an eye on breaking the US market which had so far failed to succumb to their charms.
In 2000, they won a head-to-head chart battle with Spice Girls, with Westlife's Coast To Coast triumphing.
But there was disappointment when What Makes A Man failed to take the Christmas number one - held off by Bob The Builder.
They were chosen to release the 2001 Comic Relief single, a version of Billy Joel's Uptown Girl with Claudia Schiffer in the video.
They recorded and toured relentlessly until shortly after a triumphant show in 2008 at Dublin's Croke Park - selling out 82,000 tickets in a day - when they decided to take a year off.- Telegraph
SNSD's S$1.8m SG concert most expensive K-pop solo concert here (CNA)
By Yuda
SINGAPORE: Korean girl group SNSD's upcoming S$1.8 million Singapore concert has pipped Shinee's S$1.7 million concert here, to become the most expensive concert staged in Singapore by a single K-pop act so far, said concert organisers Running Into The Sun (RITS) and Conceptual.
RITS revealed in a statement that SNSD's performance here will have all the bells and whistles of a large-scale K-pop concert and then some -- it will feature the standard massive LED screens and lasers as well as new elements like trapezes and two custom-built stages with three walkways between them.
The girls will move about on the walkways over the course of the three-hour show, allowing a little over 2000 concert-goers in the three mosh pits to see them up close, essentially making the mosh pits the place to be for hardcore SNSD fans.
Recent news that the nine-member girl group had brought forward their first solo concert in Singapore to December 9 had left their fans here in a tizzy, and sparked intense speculation over when ticket sales will begin and how much they will cost.
RITS said a total of 5500 tickets priced at S$168 and S$218 are available for sale.
Samsung customers and OCBC cardholders can get their tickets from October 29 while the public will have to wait till November 1 to purchase their tickets.
-CNA/ha
New Releases @ HMV This Week (17th Oct - 23rd Oct)
By YudaRock & Pop
- Breaking Benjamin - Shallow Bay: Best of
- Patrick Stump - Soul Punk
- Janes Addiction - Great Escape Artist
- Sting - Best of 25 Years
- Darren Hayes - Secret Codes & Battleships
- Matt Cardle - Letters
- Erasure - When I Start To Work (Break It All Down)
Asian
- Girls Generation - Boys
Scammers sell $60,000 fake Motley Crue tickets (TODAY)
By YudaMore than 1,500 people had bought tickets for US$40 each by the time the scam was uncovered late last month, according to news website Tempo Interactive.
Band members quickly responded to the rumour as word spread through social media. On Twitter, drummer Tommy Lee called the fake concert the work of a "shady promoter".
Central Jakarta district police chief Lt Col Angesta Romano Yoyol said an investigation is ongoing but there are no suspects.
- TODAY
GN'R: Axl Rose Plans On Being Late For Shows (RockNewsDesk)
By Yuda
Guns N’Roses have finally confirmed they don’t care how long they keep fans waiting before their shows.
Axl Rose’s band kicked up another storm of
protest after hitting the stage at Rock in Rio two hours late
last weekend. It followed a number of other high-profile delays
with crowds kept standing for anything from 20 to 120 minutes
after the published showtime.
In the past Rose has suggested there are real reasons for the delays, which he doesn’t want to get into.
But at the weekend a statement was posted on the band’s Facebook page, written in the usual Rose style.
He said: "Love it Hate it Accept it Debate it – You want 8 o’clock shows go find F-R-I-E-N-D-S or hit a cinema somewhere.. or you wanna be informed go catch the 10 o’clock news.. this is Rock N’ Roll!
"Treat yourself don’t cheat yourself thinking you’re gonna go to school or work or whatever you ‘normally’ do the next day. Oh and remember before you get high and never want to come down. ‘you can have anything you want but you better not take it from me!’
"This is Guns N’Roses and when the time is right the stage will ignite. Looking forward to sharing that with rockers soon!"
While many fans approved of Rose’s message, others were less supportive.
One replied: "Being Guns n’Roses still doesn’t allow you to disrespect your fans. And don’t hide behind rock’n'roll. You either commit yourself or don’t! Those tickets weren’t given away for free."
Another said: "We need our jobs – that’s how we pay for the tickets."
And another added: "I know the rock’n'roll lifestyle dictates you don’t cater to anyone. But we fans are the ones who made you a star. We’re the ones who stand in line for hours for tickets and buy your music and merchandise. Maybe you don’t have to grow up – but we did! We have families and jobs to pay for, and once in a while a concert. I wish you would get off your ass and work a real job for one day, then maybe you would appreciate what you’ve got."
One poster said simply: "I know you’re coming on after ten. But why not put it on the ticket?"
Thanks for the report to RockNewsDesk.com.Retrolicious 2011: The 80s return with a bang (CNA)
By Yuda
On October 8, 2011, a temporal rift opened up in Singapore and thousands of concert-goers at Fort Canning Park were sucked back into the 80s for three hours.
That first statement does sound a little crazy, but everything, except for the part about a temporal rift, is true.
About 7000 people were brought back to the 80s during the Retrolicious 2011 concert on Saturday at Fort Canning Park, by electrifying performances from UK band The Human League, US singer Belinda Carlisle and UK pop duo Bananarama.
Although Retrolicious 2011 went off to a slow start, with The Human League's opening song "Never Let Me Go" failing to garner much of a reaction from the audience, it shifted into high gear when the band brought out their 80s classics like "Don't You Want Me" and the amazing "Together in Electric Dreams".
The Human League's vocalist Philip Oakey may look a little different now - he sports a shaved head and doesn't wear eye liner or lipstick - but the audience loved him anyway, singing along to "Together in Electric Dreams" and swaying their arms to the beat.
Carlisle took to the stage soon after, belting out songs like "Circle In The Sand" and "Summer Rain" to the excited screams of the audience.
When she ended her segment with "Heaven is a Place on Earth", the whole venue erupted into applause and joined their voices to hers during the song.
Just when concert-goers thought the night couldn't get any better, Bananarama sauntered on stage to heat things up.
Judging from the thunderous applause, Bananarama was no doubt the crowd's favourite act.
The duo, comprised of Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin, was the only act to have backup dancers and they brought back the 80s magic performing hits like "I Heard a Rumour", "Venus" along with "Love in the First Degree".
Woodward and Dallin not only brought back the music but also the iconic dance moves that accompanied their songs in the 80s.
The audience was packed tighter than sardines in a can at Fort Canning Park, but they did their best to dance along anyway – some jumped up and down in place while others cautiously executed the moves and carefully avoided hitting their neighbours.
Bananarama concluded the concert with an energetic rendition of their 1983 hit "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" which left their fans chanting the chorus long after Woodward and Dallin left the stage.
While the show lacked the novelty of the first Retrolicious concert last year, Retrolicious 2011 made up for it with a good selection of acts and activities like an appearance by 80s soccer legend Fandi Ahmad, as well as a Michael Jackson-themed dance off.
Here's hoping another 'temporal rift' opens up in 2012.
-CNA/ha
Rock Musicians Pay Tribute to Steve Jobs (Noisecreep)
By YudaDee Snider (Twisted Sister, vocals): "Thank you, Steve Jobs. You rocked our world... and you never played a note."
Guns N' Roses: "When people say it's not about the possessions but how you're remembered - they are talking about people like Steve Jobs. RIP."
Bret Michaels: "He showed great strength and perseverance through his illness and continued to be an innovator all the while remaining positive while fighting his battle with cancer. I can only thank Steve for his innovation, inspiration and creativity while touching all of our lives in some way shape or form."
Lamb of God: "RIP Steve Jobs."
Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe, bass): "RIP Steve Jobs. Steve was of his era what Thomas Edison was to the beginning of the 20th century. You made all our lives a better place."
Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe, drums): "RIP Mr. Jobs! Excuse me... Mr. Incredible!"
Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit, vocals): "RIP Steve Jobs! True visionary."
Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit, guitars): "I feel stupid, but I have to say it: What an impact Steve Jobs has had on my life. My iPhone may just be the most useful tool I own. Bummer."
Papa Roach: "R.I.P. to Steve Jobs - one of the greatest innovators and visionaries, ever."
Billy Graziadei (Biohazard, guitars-vocals): "RIP, Steve Jobs, he was an inspiration to all of us who dropped out of school and made something of ourselves! He single-handedly changed the world with his vision! When you leave your mark on the world, you live forever! Kings never die!"
Godsmack: "RIP Steve Jobs... you sure did make your mark on this earth, and a brilliant one indeed!"
Brian May Wants Lady Gaga To Join Queen?
By Yuda
When Queen fontman Freddie Mercurypassed away in 1991, the rock world mourned the loss of one of its most charismatic performers. While many had speculated that Mercury would be irreplaceable, Queen had formerFree and Bad Company singer Paul Rogers join their ranks for a reunion tour in 2004. That engagement would end in 2009. Now, in 2011, it seems that Brian May is looking for a new vocalist for Queen, in the unlikeliest of places.
According to Contact Music, Lady Gaga is in talks with May to take over the role of Queen’s lead singer. Brian May offered the following statement to the Daily Expressregarding the situation: "We talk about going out on the road all the time but there’s a bit of a singer problem to put it mildly. We get a lot of offers to work with other people. I worked with Lady Gaga and she’s very creative and is someone we’ve talked about singing, fronting the band with. She’s not just a singer, she writes her own material."
Queen’s influence on Gaga is apparent. The "Poker Face" singer’s flamboyance evidently owes a lot to the theatrics of Mercury, and her stage name is even a play on Queen’s 1984 hit single "Radio Gaga". May is reportedly considering the reality TV outlet as another avenue for finding a new vocalist: "We have talked about doing duets with other people and in a strange way I almost pressed the yes button. We were debating the idea of a TV show where we have all these guest stars. We didn’t press it today but we are still looking at it. Lady Gaga has said she would like to do something with us."
Would Queen feat. Gaga be a return of the champions or a bad romance- Ultimate-Guitar
Bon Jovi: 'Steve Jobs Is Personally Responsible For Killing The Music Business' (Huffington)
By YudaYou can download Bon Jovi songs on iTunes, but don't expect the band to be too happy about it.
Rocker Jon Bon Jovi, whose band soared to prominence with its 1986 album Slippery When Wet, reminisced in the Sunday Times Magazine about his days as a kid in New Jersey, falling in love with music -- and ripped Apple CEO Steve Jobs for taking that opportunity away from a new generation of listeners.
"Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it," he said (via MSN), thinking back to his record buying days. Then came the less fanciful: the blame.
"God, it was a magical, magical time. I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: 'What happened?' Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business."
Interestingly, his criticism isn't about illegal downloading or any skewed road to success; instead, Bon Jovi is complaining about the actual experience of listening to music, which he thinks has been downgraded by iTunes downloads and iPods.
Apple's iTunes Store has become the number one music vendor in
the country; on February 24th, itsold its 10 billionth song download. Of course,
most downloads come in single song form, not a full album, and
album art work certainly is less prominent. For his part, the
rocker's band has released special editions of albums with bonus
songs on the service (such as 2009's The Circle), though
that may be in order to keep up with the times, not so much a
celebration of online downloading.
- HuffingtonPost
Alice Cooper: Halloween Came Early
By Yuda
This was our first gig at Hard Rock Hotel Resorts World Sentosa and we were really excited with this new venue. You can't compare this venue to the likes of Fort Canning Park and The Max Pavilion etc. In fact, our first thoughts were "hmmm...the stage is small..." It is smaller than the bigger venues for sure but don't judge the venue till you hear the gig!
Alice Cooper entered with a huge bang with The Black Widow. It was a sign of things to come with a fully equipped theatrical stage and Alice Cooper, himself dressed as a Black Widow!

