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Echo And The Bunnymen have been forced to cancel an Australian festival appearance, because frontman Ian McCulloch missed his flight.

Due to play the Laneway Festival inMelbourne tomorrow (January 30), the Liverpool group were due to appear alongside the likes of Florence And The Machine, Mumford and Sonsand Black Lips.

Despite the cancellation, festival organisers have confirmed that all other performances are due to go ahead as planned, with Melbournetrio Midnight Juggernauts stepping in to replace Echo And The Bunnymen

- NME

Though there have been many posthumous releases from Jimi Hendrix's archives since his tragic death, the recently-announced'Valleys of Neptune' isn't meant to be a "lost" album. Rather, it's a look at the creative period in Hendrix's life between the 1968 release of 'Electric Ladyland' and his legendary appearance at Woodstock the following summer.

"In the aftermath of 'Electric Ladyland,' he made a series of recordings with the original Experience," co-producer, author and Experience Hendrix catalog director John McDermott tells Spinner. "When they effectively stopped working as a three-man recording unit, he brought in [bassist] Billy Cox -- this album captures that transition. We don't want to over-dramatize it. This is that missing period of time."

The dozen tracks on 'Valleys of Neptune' reflect a time where Hendrix, finding his way with a new band while fighting contractual problems, was blossoming creatively. Featuring reworked hits like 'Fire' and 'Red House' as well as fully-realized songs that have never officially been released, the album shows that Hendrix was embarking in a new direction, one that would later be heard on 'Band of Gypsys.' While the album is due out on March 9, check out Spinner's exclusive premiere of the title track below to hear what McDermott refers to as a "snapshot" into a part of Jimi's life that's rarely been heard.

Listen to the track here.

What: Ridge EP Launch
Where: Esplanade
When: 24th Jan 2010

Line-Up:
Sultan Ali - Bassist 
A.Q Montana - Vocals 
Shaun Ng - Keys and Vocals 
Ben Chua - Lead Guitarist
Ken Tan - Drums 
Elaine Khoo - Lead Guitarist 

Having booked Machine Head, Megadeth and Iron Maiden in previous years, Rock In India festival shocked punters by booking… The Backstreet Boys…

Year one was Megadeth and Machine Head, year two was Iron Maiden and this year has The Backstreet Boys and Richard Marx. Imagine if that happened at Download! The Rock in India concert will take place in Delhi on February 20 and in Bangalore on February 22.

Journalist Vijay Nair reported to Hammer the following statement: “An Indian blogger described the announcement as a ‘National WTF moment’ and I think that sums up a fan’s opinion best. In a country with very few festivals, Rock In India enjoys immense following among rock and metal fans. Thousands of people flooded the last two editions making it hugely successful. Backstreet Boys, who had faded away from public memory (for good reason) are gonna change the nature of the festival and it will never be the same again. And Richard Marx?! WHO?”

Wikipedia says of the furore: “DNA Networks has officially announced that they will, by results of popularity votes, change the name of the festival to Frock In India. This is due to the immense pressure on them by the Rock Community to change to the appropriate nomenclature for this festival. Also, rock fans want the pictures of Iron Maiden,Megadeth and other rock bands to be deleted from the Rock In India website. DNA is labelled as corporate sell outs… The ever enthusiastic metal audience has been sacrificed for a different audience all together.”

- Metal Hammer

Muse have announced plans to make a Nirvana inspired tour documentary.

The band, who have released various live DVDs throughout their career - including 2005's Absolution Tour and 2008's H.A.A.R.P. - have revealed they would like to make something a bit different, reports BBC 6 Music.

"We'd like to something a little bit more along the lines of a touring documentary as opposed to just a live gig this time," bassist Chris Wolstenholme told Australia's Triple J radio station.

"Something a little bit more likeNirvana's Live! Tonight! Sold Out! I think that was one of the best tour documentaries I've ever watched; just life on the road and what it's like, with obviously a bit of music here and there, and other loads of other random stuff as well." He added.

Currently in Australia to play the Big Day Out festival, Muse will head out on a tour of North America at the end of February.

- NME

System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has cooled rumours about the band reforming, saying they have "not decided" on their future yet.

Tankian, who releases a new live album on March 8, was responding to a recent Twitter post by the band's bassist Shavo Odadjia, which said: "Are u guys ready for System???".

The band announced they were going on hiatus in 2006 and Tankianstressed that that is still the case now.

"We always have offers to play, from festivals and stuff, but we have not decided to do anything as of yet," he told Billboard. "We're in touch. We talk. We call it an indefinite hiatus, and that's how we still look at it. Nothing's really changed."

Tankian added that he's currently working on a new solo album, tentatively titled 'Music Without Borders', which he's aiming to release this summer

- NME

With so many shows gearing up for 2010, I'm sure there's gonna be some first-timers =) Not to worry! These tips will ensure you enjoy the show to the fullest!

Golden Rules:



#1 - Check the colour and logo of your shirt to make sure you don't wear your sister's Backstreet Boys Tee to Lamb of God. It might be your last gig ever.



#2 - Wear pants with pockets large enough to fit a squirrel in case they don't allow you to bring in your camera.



#3 - Don't Drive to Gigs and you won't Drink and Drive.



#4 - Locate the nearest convenience stall so you don't have to pay $10 for a plastic cup of what have you.



#5 - Drink and eat whatever you can before you enter...once you're inside it's forbidden like Sahara. 



#6 - Don't leave the merchandise purchasing to the end of the concert. You'll regret it!



#7 - Always buy free-standing tickets, unless it's Valentine's Day.



#8 - Following rule #6, try to make yourself taller if required =)



#9 - Visit the loo as soon as you can, as many times as you want, they're not gonna start on time. 



#10 - Look out for kids who look like they'll go all Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan during the show.

These are my 10 rules! What's yours? =)

AC/DC are set to headline this year'sDownload festival.

Taking place at Donington Parkbetween June 11 and 13, the other acts also confirmed are Them Crooked Vultures, Deftones, Bullet For My Valentine, Motorhead, Stone Temple Pilots, Wolfmother, Volbeatand Megadeth.

The 8th Download festival, this year marks the 30th anniversary ofDonington Park hosting rock festivals, dating back to the very first Monsters Of Rock festival back in 1980.

Tickets for the festival go on sale this Friday (January 29), with prices starting at £145.

The initial line-up for Downloadfestival is as follows:

AC/DC
Them Crooked Vultures
Deftones
Stone Temple Pilots
Bullet For My Valentine
Motorhead
Megadeth
Wolfmother 
Volbeat

- NME 

While the group recently claimed their latest effort In Rainbows almost "killed the band",Radiohead's guitarist Ed O'Brien stated his thoughts on others saying piracy is killing music. The guitarist noted that even though some won't purchase music legally, they will still continue to support music financially in other ways.

"I have a problem when people in the industry say 'it's killing the industry, it's the thing that's ripping us apart," said O'Brien. "I don't actually believe it is... [Pirates] might not buy an album, but they're spending their money buying concert tickets, a t-shirt, whatever."

In the same interview, O'Brien also offered a few ideas to what the industry can do to resolve music piracy.

"It's an analogue business model in a digital era. The business model has to change," he said. "You've got to license out more music - have more websites selling more music. You've got to make it slightly cheaper to get music in order to compete with the peer-to-peers."

"I find it staggering that the industry seems to be really dragging its heels on this - this is stuff that you could do in one week. Move quicker!"