Joe Kavanagh's Music News

Sinead O'Connor continues to evolve as an artist and person with news that her next album will explore religious themes, in her seemingly never ending search for spiritual enlightenment. Almost 15 years after incurring the wrath of a continent - and committing career suicide - by ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live, the shaven headed songstress has announced that her latest work will be titled: Theology. Speaking in an interview last week, O'Connor said: 'Theology is an attempt to create a place of peace in a time of war. It is my own personal response to what has taken place and is affecting everyone around the world since September 11, 2001. I simply wanted to make a beautiful thing which inspires me.'...

Scottish singer Paolo Nutini has come under fire from fans for appearing to drunkenly mumble and stumble his way through a recent gig in Swindon. Now it emerges that the singer had good reason to be drunk, after fellow Scotsman and member of Travis, Andy Dunlop, leaped to his defense by pointing out the fact that Nutini is a huge fan of Celtic Football Club, who had just won the Scottish league title the day before. The guitarist explained: 'The guy's 20, he's in a band and his team won the league. What do you expect? He's young and he's having fun. That's what it's all about. People should get off his back and let him get on with doing what he does best.' Hardly a crime, I know Celtic fans that are still drunk...

Travis singer Fran Healy was also in the media last week for claiming that Bloc Party vocalist, Kele Okereke, should expect a good old fashioned whooping the next time he bumps into Oasis bad boy, Liam Gallagher. Healy was referring to Okereke's recent comments that Oasis had a 'negative and dangerous impact on British music' and taught a generation of kids that there is 'something cool about being dumb.' Speaking last week Healy claimed, 'When Liam catches up with Kele he'll probably kick his arse. But you have to admire Kele. He's gobby but he's smart with it. His anti-Oasis rant made me sit up. I won't say it was what made me buy the Bloc Party album but it did get my attention and I have bought the album.'...

Perhaps Liam will take a leaf out of brother Noel's book, after the older Gallagher sibling showed a more magnanimous side upon meeting a former adversary at a recent showbiz bash. Scissor Sisters' singer Ana Matronic was determined to meet Noel after hearing that he had referred to her band's sound as 'music for squares' and she got her opportunity when the two found themselves in the same room at an event last week. The quirky frontwoman claimed: 'After I heard [what he had said], the next time I saw him I marched up to Noel, pinched him on the cheek and gave him a big hug. If someone says an ill word about Scissor Sisters, my goal is to kill them with kindness. Noel called me a 'top bird'.' In fairness, he probably didn't even know who she was...

Fratellis bassist Barry Wallace has blasted singer Lily Allen for her lackadaisical approach to her career after the Smile singer cancelled the remainder of her US tour last month because she was exhausted and missed her family. Talking to gigwise.com, Wallace said: 'She's a snobby f**king brat. It's Keith Allen's daughter so what can you expect. I've never properly met here but when we were going up to collect our Brit (Award), she shouted, 'You're a robbing s**t' to John (Lawler - frontman), saying we had robbed the award from her. I've no time for the girl. A couple of times we've wanted to pack it in and go home but we've carried on for the fans who have bought tickets. Lily Allen is a different kettle of fish. She's a pop artist so she never went through two years of touring constantly to get a break.' All laudable enough except for the curious fact that Wallace seems to have forgotten that his own band cancelled recent US dates, citing - yes, you guessed it - exhaustion. The words 'glasshouses' and 'stones' spring to mind...

Kooks singer, Luke Pritchard claims that he is sick of being snubbed by the Arctic Monkeys, telling an interviewer that the Sheffield outfit pretend not to know him every time they meet. Pritchard says: 'It's getting tiresome. We've met them loads of times but every time they act as if they don't even recognize us. I don't get it.' Now I'm no rocket surgeon but I'm guessing that if they keep acting as if they don't recognize him or his band mates, then it's a pretty safe bet that they don't like him. Given the fact that Pritchard is widely referred to as one of the most pretentious people currently playing music, I can't say that I blame their collective amnesia...

Brian May has returned to university to finish his PhD in astronomy, after dropping out over 30 years ago to pursue a career in music. The Queen guitarist claims that he is finding the workload so tough that he is no longer able to spend time pursuing his music career. Come on now, I wouldn't imagine that the phone has been ringing off the hook since Freddy went to the great gig in the sky. Before looking as far away as the stars, maybe he could take a look at what's on the top of his head and find a haircut that doesn't make him look like the fifth musketeer... If he finds one, maybe he could pass on a tip or two to Donald Trump while he's at it...

John Squire is set to have his own art exhibition this summer at the prestigious Smithfield Gallery in London. The former Stone Roses guitarist will display a set of his original paintings and various other 'multi-media' exhibits...

Robbie Williams is allegedly going to release an album that somehow fuses the genres of hip hop and bluegrass if his mate Mark Ronson is to be believed. After seeing his dismal Rudebox album totally bomb last year, Ronson told an interviewer last week that Robbie is set to move in this new direction after being inspired by the soundtrack to Oh Brother Where Art Thou? Now that's an album that should appeal to, ohhh, perhaps a couple of dozen hillbillies in the outer Ozarks. I'll bet news like that make the good people at Sony really happy that they spent over $100 million to secure William's signature on a new contract a couple of years back...

According to the UK tabloid, News Of The World, Amy Winehouse will be offered a role in the next James Bond movie after producer, Barbara Broccoli, became smitten with the singer upon hearing her Back To Black album. She certainly has enough sass for the role anyway...

The Go! Team has announced that their hugely anticipated sophomore album will hit shelves on September 10, although they have not yet come up with a title. The follow-up to 2004's Thunder, Lightening, Strike will be led off by two singles titled, Grip Like A Vice and Doing It Right, which will be released over the summer months.C