Joe Kavanagh's Music News

As the mother of Irish rock music's greatest icon, Philomena Lynott has a position of utmost respect in the Irish rock fraternity, but this goodwill does not apparently extend to some of those in the lower echelons of the Irish music industry. Organizers of a recent talent show in Dublin were delighted to have the mother of Phil Lynott as a judge on their panel but one member of the audience in particular took umbrage at her presence when she voted against one of the acts on hand. Ms. Lynott told interviewers: 'I was minding my own business when a girl walked up to me and said, 'What the f**k do you know about rock music?' She was upset because I hadn't voted her boyfriend's band the winners.' I don't suppose her boyfriend was a tattooed wreck with a Birmingham accent by any chance? ...

Speaking of Irish legends, Shane MacGowan could only manage a measly third place in a karaoke show in London last week, with his rendition of Billy Joel's, We Didn't Start The Fire. In fairness, it wasn't as bad as it sounds (the result, not the song) because it was all part of a charity event where the singer that received the biggest donation from those on hand won first prize. This year's winner was Elton John, with his take on Elvis' Are You Lonesome Tonight?, which netted a cool $200,000 for charity while Nick Cave's rendition of Bootylicious by Destiny's Child, managed to raise a further $140,000. All money raised went to Palestinian children...

Scottish singer, Edwyn Collins, will make a welcome return to the world of music later this year with his first album since 2002's Home Again. Best known for his global hit, A Girl Like You, the singer suffered two brain hemorrhages while putting the finishing touches on an album in 2005. We wish him the very best... Just two weeks after 1,683 guitarists in Kansas made the Guinness Book of World Records, for a mass rendition of Deep Purple's, Smoke On The Water, the record has been broken by over 1,800 musicians who performed the same tune in Germany last week. Don't you just hate that if you're from Kansas? I mean, it's not like they've got a lot to boast about there in the first place...

UK act The Verve, are the latest band to suffer a bout of reformitis after they announced last week that they will reform for a tour and album later this year. In fairness, The Verve has prior form in this respect given the fact that they broke up in 1995, then reformed a year later, then broke up in 1996, then reformed a year later, only to call it a day one more time in 1999. Given the fact that they are not due to perform live until later this year, I'd imagine that you could get good odds on them breaking up before they even get together this time around. If you know what I mean...

Punk is not as dead as the legend declares but it sure is trying. Once known as young firebrands who threatened the very fabric of society, punk band, The Exploited, are now really just a bunch of overweight, middle-aged men, who are still touring 30 years after their heyday, but last week they proved that they are still capable of stirring up a little trouble and controversy. While the band was performing at a festival in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, a vicious fight broke out between almost 100 punks, who used bricks, bats and chains to beat seven different colors out of each other. Dozens of people were injured in the melee, with eight listed as being in serious condition...

Speaking of old punks, Iggy Pop stirred up a whirlwind of controversy for the BBC last week when he used a racial epithet when reminiscing about his time in London. Speaking in a live interview broadcast from backstage at the Glastonbury Festival, Iggy (real name: James Newell Osterberg) spoke of his time hanging around London. At one point, he talked about spending time in 'p**i shops' using a slur that is employed against people of Pakistani origin. The BBC issued a full apology after it received several complaints...

One person who is unlikely to receive an apology in the wake of another Glastonbury incident is daughter of Irish singer/savior of all mankind, Bob Geldof: Peaches. The young socialite (kind of an English Paris Hilton with brains) was unceremoniously thrown out of a party being held in the Winnebago of English band The Enemy, who had just performed their set at the huge festival. According the band's singer, Tom Clarke: 'She kept coming into our trailer all high and mighty nicking all our food. We were p***ed off with her for that, but then she started taking the p*** singing our song Away From Here and that was that.' Peaches allegedly left in floods of tears while others such as Pete Doherty, The Kooks, and Scissor Sisters looked on laughing...

On a more serious note, Iain Smith, of up-and-coming UK band, Chow Chow, was found dead after a party in London last week. The 26-year-old singer died of a suspected heart attack as the result of a suspected heart attack. Chow Chow had just been picked up by Fantastic Plastic Records and their highly-touted debut album was due to hit stores later this year.