Joe Kavanagh's Music News

Controversy continues to engulf Bob Geldof's daughter, Peaches, with new allegations of drug use emerging even as she appeared to leave another scandal behind her. Geldof's daughter - who was previously known as a vocal public opponent of recreational drugs - was recently caught buying what appeared to be cocaine on video cameras, set up as part of a police sting operation designed to take down a drug ring catering to celebrities in London. Although she was brought in for questioning, police declined to press charges, citing a lack of evidence. Now, Neal Eldridge, former drummer with the Towers Of London, claims that he witnessed Peaches hopping off Colombian marching powder, right at the height of her public crusade against drug use and says that she was so proficient at sniffing coke that the band nicknamed her "Dyson", in reference to the famous designer of vacuum cleaners. Speaking to UK tabloid, News Of The World, Eldridge claims that he first saw Peaches indulging in coke while backstage at one of their gigs in October 2006, saying: "Peaches is the biggest hypocrite I know. She would go out on a drink and drug bender with us, then days later publicly claim to have a squeaky-clean, drug-free image. Every time the cocaine came out, she was there first to hoover (vacuum) it up. Lines of cocaine were cut up and laid out on a mirror. It was passed between everyone. When the coke got round to Peaches, she tried to hide what she was doing, turning away. She seemed to know what she was doing as the coke disappeared quickly enough. That was the first time she took drugs in front of us and it clearly played on her mind not to be spotted. She certainly can take her drugs. Perhaps she inherited that from her mother. She'll think this drug scandal is cool. If she is not careful she will head the same way as her mum." Peaches's mother, Paula Yates, died of a drug overdose at 41-years-old, in 2000 and we sincerely hope that this is not a case of the apple falling too close to the tree...

In a time when so many bands from the past couple of decades have decided to reunite in an effort to cash in on the nostalgia market, it was refreshing to read an interview with former Stranglers frontman, Hugh Cornwell, who poured cold water on any notion that his band would reform, in the wake of their dissolution almost a decade ago. Speaking to The Word magazine, Cornwell claimed: "Various people have tried to put it back together, but I couldn't be bothered. Creatively it's the last thing I would want to do. Move on. I've been offered loads of money to do it but I don't need that kind of money. It's in the make-up of human genome to look back and think of the nice things, through rose-tinted glasses, but you mustn't get fooled." Words to live by indeed and it's nice to see an aging rock star with a scintilla of pride...

Conversely, Rod Stewart was in the media last week slating the greediness of modern soccer players, stating: "Too many mercenaries think only of the cash they're going to pick up. The only ethic is money." The words "stones" and "glasshouses" spring to mind. After all, this is the guy who wrote the book on doing it for the money and most recently claimed that he is interested in doing an R&B album next; having already done a classic rock one, a swing one, a twee one etc. etc. In all candor, Rod Stewart has actually managed to turn what would more than likely have been remembered as an important musical career into a running joke by doing it purely for the money since some time in the mid-70s. Instead of Rod Stewart being remembered for The Faces and a couple of stellar solo albums, we're left with the image of a caricature lounge singer/Vegas type, singing other people's tunes for oodles of cash. Money has been more important than music to Rod Stewart for at least three decades. Incidentally, I'm not saying the message is wrong, just that the messenger needs changing. It would be kind of like Donald Trump lecturing people on humility... Or hairstyles...

A new West End musical is set to hit the stage later this year, based entirely on the songs of David Bowie. The as-yet unnamed musical will be loosely based on 1976 movie, The Man Who Fell To Earth, which starred Bowie as an alien and the star had resisted the idea for years despite several previous offers. I'm sure the cheque was sufficient enough to allow him to overcome his concerns...

Oasis have allegedly sacked drummer, Zac Starkey, because he is no longer getting along with Noel Gallagher and the band has already lined someone up to replace the son of Beatles drummer, Ringo. According to those in the know, the band has poached Robbie Williams' drummer, Chris Sharprock, who had grown tired of sitting on his hands while Robbie continues to strike in protest at recent changes that have taken place at his label, EMI. This could get a bit testy, given the fact that Robbie has appeared a wee bit unhinged of late and especially because of the bitter feud that developed between himself and Oasis a couple of years back after Noel Gallagher referred to Williams as "the fat dancer from Take That." I'm sure I'll knock a few lines of the result - that's newspaper lines, not Peaches Geldof lines...

Speaking of feuds, Kooks frontman, Luke Pritchard, recently attempted to patch things up with the Arctic Monkeys, after the two bands indulged in a bit of verbal sparring in the media last year. According to Pritchard: "I saw them (Arctic Monkeys) recently in a studio and tried to patch things up. I asked Alex if he wanted to have a bit of a jam in the studio, but he just turned his back and walked away. I suppose they are quite arrogant - but who can blame them? They've got a lot going for them." Personally, I think it has less to do with arrogance and more to do the fact that they just can't stand Luke Pritchard...

Gary Glitter's impending release from prison has put authorities in several Asian countries on alert for fear that the disgraced rocker might consider moving to one of their nations when he is released from a Thai prison this coming August. Glitter, real name, Paul Gadd, is close to finishing a three-year sentence he was handed down for committing sexual acts with two girls, aged 10 and 11-years-old. Although he will be immediately be deported to the UK upon his release, the shamed singer is expected to flee the country as soon as he can find another nation willing to put up with his pervert act. In an effort to preempt any inkling he might have of coming to their country, authorities in the Philippines announced last week that they are banning Glitter from their country as they have no intention of being the next destination on his global kiddie-fiddling tour. I hear there's some nice property in the Bering Sea these days. Maybe we could persuade him that a new planet has been discovered while he was in prison, where the inhabitants remain in a state of perpetual childhood and ask him if he would like to be the goodwill ambassador from planet earth. Then fire that sucker straight into the middle of the sun. I'm not fussy on the rocket either as long as it's got enough explosives on board.