Buzzin Pop Music

Spaghetti Western Orchestra

Spaghetti Western Orchestra made a triumphant return to London’s South Bank last week with their hilarious celebration of the iconic collaborations between Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone. This highly theatrical show features classic themes from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, For A Few Dollars More and Once Upon a Time in the West as well as ingenious recreations of the saloons, spittoons and shotgun-slinging ambience of the  ‘Wild Wild West’. Now Spaghetti Western Orchestra embark on a debut tour of the UK and Ireland throughout February and March 2012.

Dressed in period attire against a dramatic scorched sun backdrop, five brilliant musician performers play over 100 ‘instruments’ which range from the conventional to an incredible array of everyday objects including playing cards, coat hangers and a packet of cornflakes. The musical arrangements are accomplished and endlessly inventive, summoning the power of an entire orchestra and using foley (sound effects) artistry to recreate the punch-ups, gun-shots and jangling spurs evoking the glorious movies that made Clint Eastwood a star.

Spaghetti Western Orchestra burst on to the international scene at The Montreal Jazz Festival in 2007 and has garnered critical acclaim and energetic fans whenever it has played at International Festivals throughout the world.  Two previous visits to the Southbank Centre in 2009 and 2010 were sold out, the show featured on the achingly cool Later With Jools Holland in 2009 and also on the BBC Proms in August 2011.

Spaghetti Western Orchestra UK & Ireland Tour

February 2012
7th BRIGHTON  Theatre Royal
8th OXFORD New Theatre
9th BRISTOL St George’s
10th LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru
12th CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
13th WIMBLEDON New Wimbledon Theatre
15th YORK Grand Opera House
17th SALFORD QUAYS The Lowry
18thb LEEDS  Town Hall
19th SUNDERLAND Empire Theatre
22nd KILLARNEY INEC Theatre
23rd DUBLIN The Helix
24th GALWAY The Black Box Theatre
25th  CORK  Opera House
2th BELFAST The Ulster Hall
29th BASINGSTOKE The Anvil

March 2012
1st  COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre
2nd NOTTINGHAM  Royal Concert Hall
3rd STOKE ON TRENT Victoria Hall
4th CARDIFF Wales Millenium Centre
6th LIVERPOOL Empire Theatre
7th LEICESTER De Montfort Hall 7.30pm
9th GRIMSBY Auditorium
10th FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Hall
11th RICHMOND Theatre
12th GLASGOW City Halls
13th EDINBURGH Festival Theatre
14th ABERDEEN Music Hall
16th BIRMINGHAM Town Hall
17th INVERNESS Eden Court Theatre
18th BRADFORD St George’s Hall

Radio 1's The Official Chart Show with Reggie Yates

Music fans will be able to watch live top ten countdown as BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart Show with Reggie Yates to be available in vision.

The format of BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart with Reggie Yates is set to be transformed next month as the top ten best-selling singles in The Official Chart will be visualised via the Radio 1 website for the first time ever.

From Sunday 26th February Radio 1 listeners will be able to watch the final hour of The Official Chart with Reggie Yates (6-7pm) online, as Reggie counts down the Top 10 singles in The Official Chart. As well as watching Reggie live in the studio, listeners will be able to see the music videos of those artists in the top 10, previous Live Lounge performances and exclusive interviews with artists that are featured in the chart. In addition, listeners will be able to interact visually with the show via Facebook, Twitter and text.

This is the first time the Top 10 has been visualised weekly at the BBC since 2006, when long running weekly music chart show Top of the Pops ceased, having entertained audiences since 1964.

The Official Chart with Reggie Yates on BBC Radio 1 counts down the 40 best-selling singles in the UK and is broadcast every Sunday between 4-7pm.

Ben Cooper, Controller of BBC Radio 1, says:

“This is the Chart Show for the 21st century. I’m very excited about this innovation. Young people will be logging on to listen, watch and take part in the show. I hope that this will be to our young listeners what listening to the chart and waiting to record your favourite pop songs was for another generation.”

Reggie Yates, Radio 1 DJ, comments:

“It’s so exciting that Chart Show listeners can now become Chart Show viewers. For the first time fans will be able to see all the antics and interviews that take place each week on the show in the run up to announcing the No.1 single as well as being able to watch the music videos from the Top 10 artists.”

Martin Talbot, Managing Director of the Official Charts Company, says:

“It feels completely appropriate that Radio 1 should choose to reinvent the concept of the radio show in the year that the Official Singles Chart marks its 60th anniversary. The Official Singles Chart has always reflected changing musical tastes and the evolving ways music fans have bought and enjoyed their music. And Radio 1’s innovation will change the way music and chart fans engage with the weekly Official Chart Show.”

You can watch The Official Chart with Reggie Yates live online from 26th February 2012 at 6pm at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1.

Get Fit for London 2012

The music and fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you.

Get Fit is the title designed and timed to help inspire and motivate you for the New Year as thoughts turn to getting fit and losing those excess pounds acquired over the Christmas period.

In association with London 2012, Get Fit is full of music that has been specifically chosen by the brains behind The Workout Mix. The music sequencing ensures a steady pace of training, quickening as it progresses, and then finishing with a wind down period at the end.

Inside, an informative fold out poster booklet gives you useful training tips!

Get Fit: the music & fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you

1. Taio Cruz – Dynamite – Radio Edit
2. Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) – Radio Edit
3. Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game – K Klassik Radio Mix
4. CeCe Peniston – Finally Album Version
5. Brothers In Rhythm – Such A Good Feeling – Radio Mix
6. Yazz, The Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up
7. Sugababes – Hole In The Head – Clean Radio Edit
8. Bodyrockers – I Like The Way – Radio Edit
9. Pixie Lott Boys And Girls – Album Version
10. The Hughes Corporation – What A Feeling – Radio Edit
11. Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now – Album Version
12. The Saturdays – Just Can’t Get Enough – Radio Mix
13. Sonique – It Feels So Good – Radio Edit
14. Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta Get Thru This – Radio Edit
15. Girls Aloud – Jump
16. Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money – Edited Single Version
17. Michael Sembello – Maniac
18. Lighthouse Family – Lifted

Get Fit: the music & fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you is out now released by Universal Music.

London - Songs To Define The City

In association with Time Out Magazine, Universal Music has released a compilation of songs with titles which refer to places in London or the name of the city itself.  The title of the CD is London – Songs to define the city and promoted as ‘a musical souvenir of the world’s music capital’.  The compilation certainly doesn’t define the city though does come with a 24-page guide to London’s music history and pull-out map of music landmarks.  So one of those is factually correct.

London is  where memories are made and dreams fulfilled and this collection takes you on a musical journey across London from Electric Avenue to Warwick Avenue, from Baker Street to Primrose Hill.

As with all genre hopping compilations, this isn’t aimed at music purists but music lovers who enjoy a sing-a-long to the likes of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ and Streets Of London’.

London – Songs to define the city features diverse music artists such as The Kinks, The Jam, David Bowie, Pulp, Pet Shop Boys, Duffy, The Small Faces, Eddy Grant, Jamie Cullum and John & Beverley Martyn.

Personal favourites include the ‘Soho Square with the wonderfully angelic and sadly missed voice of Kirsty MacColl, Gerry Rafferty’s all-time classic ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Rainy Night in Soho’The Pogues at their very melancholic best.

London – Songs to define the city tracklisting is as follows:

1.    Roxy Music – Do The Strand
2.    Jamie Cullum – London Skies
3.    The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
4.    Squeeze – Piccadilly
5.    Kirsty MacColl – Soho Square
6.    Pet Shop Boys – London
7.    Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
8.    Simple Minds – Chelsea Girl
9.    Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue
10.    Pulp – Bar Italia
11.    Duffy – Warwick Avenue
12.    The Jam – Strange Town
13.    Ralph McTell – Streets of London
14.    Small Faces – Itchycoo Park
15.    Bert Jansch, John Renbourn – Soho
16.    David Bowie – The London Boys
17.    Caetano Veloso – London London
18.    The Pogues – A Rainy Night In Soho
19.    John Martyn, Beverley Martyn – Primrose Hill
20.    Saint Etienne – London Belongs To Me

Leona Lewis to play ‘Angels In Concert’ show

Leona Lewis has just confirmed that she will be performing with Natasha Bedingfield and Friends at the exclusive ‘Angels In Concert’ show on December 2nd.

Leona Lewis, multi-million selling platinum artist and three time Grammy Award nominee, has now topped charts in over 30 countries across the world. Her debut album  ‘Spirit’ made her the first British solo artist to go straight to the top the Billboard 200 with a debut album while her debut single “A Moment Like This” broke a world record after it was downloaded 50,000 times in 30 minutes. She has since had seven Top 5 UK hits and sold over 10 million albums. Her third album ‘Glassheart’ is scheduled for release early next year.

The ‘Angels In Concert’ show is part of a major celebratory charity evening on behalf of Global Angels. It follows straight on from the inaugural Global Angels Awards and dinner at the Four Star Park Plaza Hotel, 200 Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1 7UT.

Among others also appearing with Natasha Bedingfield are the Grammy nominated musician John Forte  and DJ Oisin Lunny. As an added bonus Daniel Bedingfield will be playing an acoustic set earlier in the evening.

Commenting on Leona’s addition to the bill Natasha Bedingfield said   “I’m thrilled to announce that Leona and Joss have agreed to join me for this amazing evening – it’s going to be such a fun night! I can’t think of anything better than live music on stage with my friends who are exceptional performers, loved all over the world for their vocal brilliance. I love what Global Angels is about and the incredible effect the organisation has on people’s lives. I’m really looking forward to this event and I’m so grateful for the support that Leona and Joss bring to Daniel, John Forte and I by being involved in it.”

Tickets for the two and a half hour concert are available now priced £55 and £70 from angelevents@globalangels.org or by phone on 0207 484 5408. A small number of VIP tickets are also available. Tickets can also be purchased from www.seetickets.com subject to booking fee.

Doors open at 8.30pm, concert starts at 9pm. Dress code: Elegant with a touch of gold. Entrance is by Plaza Suite to Westminster Ballroom.

Global Angels is the 100% charity that helps disadvantaged children and communities across the world. It is an international charity that work in partnerships resourcing best-practice-projects empowering children, young people and communities – their ‘100% Projects’. Every penny received from public donations goes directly to the ‘100% Projects’ providing water, food, education, homes, medical care and resources to transform lives.