Obviously buoyed from last week’s tour announcement and feeling in the mood to put right the world of rock, Kiss’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have turned their attentions from pop singer Rihanna to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Well, they have never been nominated themselves – despite selling over 40 million records since 1973 - which would certainly explain some of their angst, but they do have a point.
Simmons is only too aware of how the inductees are chosen by the selected 500 “rock experts”, with various artists from other music genres somehow finding their way into the honours list, thus cheapening the accolade.
He said:
“It’s become a joke… We’ve been thinking about it and the answer is simply, ‘We’ll just buy it and fire everybody’.
“In all seriousness for the fans, for something to be called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is such an insult to Madonna, Blondie and Tone Loc.
“Who the f**k knows what other disco act is in there? It’s an insult to them because they don’t get to be in the ‘Dance Hall of Fame’, because that’s what they do. They’re legitimate dance, disco artists. They don’t belong in rock and roll.”
Paul Stanley added:
“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has reached a point where they’re really scrounging and scratching to find someone left that they consider viable.
“With all due respect, when you get to Patti Smith you’re about two steps away from Pete Seeger.”
I’m not sure these comments will have helped their chances of being inducted in the future, but I suppose they could take the Sex Pistols view…
Hard rock legends KISS and Motley Crue have revealed they are to embark on a huge 40-city rampage when they return to the stage this summer. For lucky fans in North America, they will get to see both acts perform live for the first time in 30 years.
Members of both bands addressed the awaiting media at the Roosevelt Hotel in LA to discuss “The Tour”. As usual Gene Simmons stole the show, laying into “fake” pop singers such as Rihanna, while Nikki Sixx of Crue tried to be a bit more diplomatic when he said that the audience can expect to see “real rock & roll”.
Tickets go on general sale this Friday from official outlets Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
Those hoping to get their tickets for the biggest indie rock event in Scotland have been advised to consider where they get them from. Tickets for T in the Park went on sale at 9am this morning and trading standards officials have moved to warn genuine music fans about only buying from official sellers.
With Snow Patrol, The Stone Roses and Kasabian due to headline the July event, the usual clamour for tickets is anticipated and so the warning is unlikely to be heeded by some desperate to get their hands on any tickets they can.
Many of those purchasing tickets from fake sites never end up getting them anyway and unless you pay with a credit card, could lose the full amount.
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said:
“People who fall victim to fake ticketing websites on average lose £80 each, although if it is festival tickets it is likely to be more.”
It is advisable to go to the T in the Park website or official partner Ticketmaster for further details on buying genuine tickets.
We reported back in 2010 (following Guns N’ Roses’ last UK appearances) how the band really tested fans’ loyalty at the Reading and Leeds festival gigs, while they kept the crowd waiting at the MEN Arena in Manchester too. Now, the rockers are set to return with seven UK dates, following their upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
And while the original line-up certainly deserves some recognition for their feats from the mid-80s to the early-90s, even die-hard fans are finding it increasingly difficult to defend the band’s antics over the past few years.
The Axl-led band are due to appear on these shores in May, a month after the 14 April induction in Cleveland Ohio, with rumours still abounding about a potential reunion of the original line-up. But unless Axl and co realise the true fans won’t put up with the same old tricks of turning up late to play and going through the motions during their expensive shows, we can’t see why Slash et al would want to return.
If you do want to see GN’R live in the UK, the tickets for the seven gigs will be released this Friday at 9am.
One of the founders of Britpop, Blur are to reunite to headline the closing ceremony gig at Hyde Park in London this summer, while bassist Alex James suggesting that their Brits appearance where they will collect an outstanding contribution award may very well be their ‘last bow’.
So, putting two and two together means that this Olympics date could very be the last time that fans get to see Blur perform together.
Frontman Damon Albarn is already looking forward to the BT London Live Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert and sees the upcoming performance as being something of a party. Supported by New Order and The Specials it is sure to be a fitting finale to the games.
James told The Sun:
“Pulling the band back together is like reassembling The A-Team for one last job.
“There is always a feeling that this may be Blur’s last bow, which I suppose makes it all the more exciting.
“We’ve been asked to perform five songs. I met up with the band last week and we discussed what we will play.
“I’m more excited about playing some of the old hits again than winning.”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced that due to recent surgery on frontman Anthony Kiedis’ foot, the band are to postpone their tour until the end of March.
By the time the funk rockers return to the UK in June, the injury should hopefully be just a distant memory with Kiedis jumping around the stage as much as he normally does.
The live dates are now set to kick off in the United States on March 29 in Tampa, Florida where eager fans will get to see the RHCP perform their 10th studio release “I’m With You” as well as the usual array of classics from their extensive back catalogue.
Following last October’s announcement that the Stone Roses were to get back on the road again for the first time in 16 years, the Happy Mondays have now followed suit with all seven members returning in May for 11 UK dates.
The dance-rockers have not performed with their original line-up since 1993, so fans have been waiting nearly 20 years to see them back together. It is just going back to the early 90s again.
Even though fans of the Happy Mondays won’t care, it is just a shame that the return of these bands from the Madchester scene is just about the money.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Kirk Hamnett, Metallica’s long-serving guitarist, revealed that the band’s tenth studio release is set to be a “heavier ‘Black Album’”.
The 1991 self-titled album has never really sat easily with Metallica’s dedicated band of followers and its commercial success only served to push the metal rockers into the mainstream.
It has already been announced that the ‘Black Album’ will be played in its entirety at this year’s Download Festival, but even though the new album is to go back to “more groove-oriented” songs, fans have been told to expect this version to be heavier. Eight of the new tracks have already been written for the album.
In an interview with Vulture, Bret McKenzie, one half of the indie-folk-rock-comedy act Flight Of The Conchords, spoke about his (and Jermaine’s) plans for the coming year.
Not only is he due to perform a cameo role in The Hobbit as Lindir the elf, different from the one he played in the Lord of the Rings, but a reunion tour is in order with the Conchords.
Bret said:
“We’re planning to do solo tours at exactly the same time. On the same venues. And we’re going to play the same set list. We’ll play the same songs, simultaneously. We’re loosely planning to tour in the next six months, yeah.”
With such a big following in the UK, Bret and Jermaine are bound to come over to these shores at some point, so if you want to know the latest on this, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more details when they are released.
It still remains to be seen whether we will ever see a FOTC feature film, as HBO revealed it had no plans to make one, despite Bret admitting they had discussed it.
Rock-themed restaurant chain Hard Rock Café has revealed it is looking for the next big thing on the music scene. In order to find the right talent they are giving one band the opportunity to perform with the likes of Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling in July.
To be in with a shout of claiming a supporting slot at the Hyde Park event, you need to register your interest at some point between January 6 and 17 on their official Facebook page.
Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Hard Rock International, John Galloway, said:
“Hard Rock believes it is critical to support emerging artists and discover new musical talent through the Hard Rock Rising programme.
“We are confident our partnership with ReverbNation will help us secure world-class talent that we can showcase to the international music community at this year’s Hard Rock Calling festival.”
The festival will be taking place across three days (July 13-15), with other headliners to be revealed over the coming weeks.
