Is Natalie Imbruglia Dating will.i.am?

The music industry is buzzing with the news Natalie Imbruglia is romancing will.i.am. The Black Eyed Peas frontman was seen smooching the gorgeous Aussie singer in London last week.

Reports say the couple was oblivious to onlookers, including Sienna Miller and Jesse Metcalfe, as they canoodled at Monroe’s nightclub at No. 5 Cavendish Square.

“It was a very drunken night in one of the private VIP rooms. A few models and the stars got through a number of magnums of champagne and vodka,” reported an unnamed source.

“Natalie and Will were getting on really well, and there were some surprised looks when they started kissing. Sienna made her excuses and left fairly early, but the others stayed until 7am.”

I never feel comfortable trusting those anonymous sources, but if the reports are true it would be some powerful music match!

Image source: Newscom

Massive V Festival Line-up Announced

The Killers, Snow Patrol, Duffy, and the Kaiser Chiefs are amongst the big names confirmed to play the V Festival shows in Australia next year.

They’ll join Elbow, Louise XIV, The Do, Tame Impala, The Temper Trap and Crayons.

Tickets for the shows go on sale on November 28 through Ticketmaster. Plenty of tickets will be sold, but don’t stress about the environmental impact. Ticketmaster promise to carbon offset the ticket process. In addition, Virgin will donate $1 from the sale of every ticket to their charitable organisation Virgin Unite. So you can enjoy some great bands, and feel like you’re doing a good thing too!

Here are the dates!

28 March 2009 – Centennial Park, Sydney
29 March 2009 – Avica Resort, Gold Coast
4 April 2009 – Melbourne Showgrounds
5 April 2009 – Claremont Showgrounds, Perth

Image source: Phil Romans @ Flickr

Avalon Drive Call it Quits

Avalon Drive

They might be in the middle of a national tour, but that hasn’t stopped Brisbane rockers Avalon Drive from going their separate ways due to irreconcilable differences!

The band released three EPs during their career and performed high profile shows with INXS, The Veronicas, and Fall Out Boy.

All gigs on their current tour have been cancelled. If you’ve got tickets for any of the scheduled shows, you can get a refund from your point of purchase.

Image source: AAA Entertainment photo gallery

Lime Spiders Reform for Festive Shows

It’s a very happy Christmas for Lime Spiders fans. The band is getting back together!

At this point the lads have announced three shows, but hopefully there’s more to come. They’ve also announced a new drummer. Tom Corben is the son of Lime Spiders’ guitarist Gerard.

There’s no word yet on what the future holds for the band, so fans will want to make sure they’re at these shows just in case there aren’t any more!

18 December 2008 – Harp Hotel, Wollongong
19 December 2008 – Manly Fisho’s
20 December 2008 – Annandale Hotel, Sydney

Image source: Lime Spiders press kit

Luke Dickens and Wes Carr Head to the Opera House

This is it Australia: our two Australian Idol finalists have been decided and they’re heading to the Opera House next Sunday! Mark Spano was eliminated, leaving Luke Dickens and Wes Carr to battle it out for the title.

The highlight of the show was the unveiling of the potential winner’s singles. That’s right, singles. For the first time ever, the singers have selected different songs to release should they become the next Australian Idol. It makes sense really: the contestants are always different so why have we forced them to sing the same song for so long? Best of all, neither song is the “I can’t believe I’m here and I won” anthem we’re used to. These are actually the kind of songs people might want to buy!

Luke Dickens’ is a song called “When We Hear Hallelujah,” a moving ballad with a tinge of country. I was drawn in but it kind of lost me towards the end. It’s a lot better than anything we’ve heard out of the Australian Idol competition, but it’s just not my kind of song.

Wes Carr’s single, “You,” was a completely different matter. What a fantastic song! This bluesy love song is the sort of thing I could happily listen to when it’s played to death on radio.

I love both Luke and Wes. They’re so talented, and I really have no clue who Australians are going to choose. But if the winner’s singles give us any indication of what sort of artist these guys will be, I hope Wes comes through in the end.

Snow Patrol Announce Sydney Show

Snow Patrol will play a very special show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre this Wednesday, November 19.

Except for the fans lucky enough to win passes to the Max Sessions, this is the only chance Aussie Snow Patrol lovers will have to see the lads play live during their promotional visit.

So how do you get tickets? Simple – get yourself to the Metro Theatre, call them on (02) 9550 3666, or log on to The Metro’s website. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9 am sharp, and they are sure to sell out. There is a limit of two tickets per credit card holder, and they can only be issued to folks over 18. You’ll need to show photo ID so don’t even think about trying to sneak in kids!

Good luck everybody!

Image source: Yellowlinephoto @ Flickr

Neil Finn’s Star-Studded Oxfam Charity Album

Neil Finn will team up with some singing pals to raise money for Oxfam. The charity album is a follow-up to Neil’s star-studded live smash 7 Worlds Collide. Again he’ll pair with Liam Finn, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, and Soul Coughing’s Sebastian Steinberg and Lisa Germano. But there’s some new faces too: Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone, Bic Runga, and Don McGlashan.

“Seven years ago I invited a few friends and fellow musicians to do a special series of concerts in New Zealand under the banner 7 Worlds Collide,” Neil Finn said.

“The concerts were an amazing experience for all of us and we are delighted to have found an opportunity to gather again, this time to expand the concept and the line-up too.

“Everyone is really excited about coming together again with a few new faces and extending the magic we created with 7 Worlds Collide the first time round, and with such an amazing group of people, I’m excited about the music we’ll be making.

“What will make these sessions particularly meaningful is that all the proceeds of this recording will go to support the continuing great work of Oxfam.”

James Ensor of Oxfam Australia is also excited about the awareness and funds the album will generate for his organisation.

“At a time when the number of people living in extreme poverty is growing, funds generated from this project will be vital to those in need, providing opportunities and hope for a better future,” Mr Ensor said. “Oxfam is delighted that artists of this calibre are supporting the work that we do around the world.”

Neil will record the album over the next few months in Auckland’s Roundhead Studios. Expect to see it in stores next year!

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr

Australian Idol Competition Heats Up

With just three singers left in the Australian Idol competition, I expected big things from tonight’s show. Instead there were some standouts, but a few performances that were more miss that hit. So who smashed it and who sank? Here are my thoughts!

Luke Dickens opened the show with “Stuck in the Middle with You.” This is a good fun song, and Luke enjoyed himself. I loved the rasp of his voice on this song, but I don’t think it was outstanding. At this stage of the competition that’s what I’m looking for. Instead it was the standard I’d expect to see on a good night at the pub. But he was back in form with his take on the Elton John classic “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” Luke knows who he is, and he’s got a voice that is just so recognisable. At this point he’s going to have a great career regardless of what happens tomorrow night.

Mark Spano was next up with the Fuel song “Bad Day.” Like Dicko, I didn’t know this one but he was just so convincing that it didn’t matter. It’s risky to perform a song the audience doesn’t know, but when you do it so competently the gamble pays off. I was very impressed. However I was less so with Mark’s rendition of “Smooth.” Maybe I was too harsh on him because Rob Thomas is my favourite singer on earth. But to me this just seemed like a pale version of the original.

It was a similarly lopsided night from Wes Carr. He never does a bad job, but I felt his version of “Easy” was a bit average. I loved the harmonica, but the rest of it lacked energy. You can be taking it easy without making us fall asleep Wes! There were no problems with the energy of his second song though. I was nervous when I heard Wes was doing “Get Back” as this song tends to get a little shouty, but it was a standout. Well deserving of the TV throw and the touchdown Wes!

With just one week until the Sydney Opera House finale I have no idea who’s going. Wes has to be there at the end, but I’m not sure who his rival will be. Mark is so talented, but Luke’s the Aussie battler and my nation always loves an underdog. I adore all three boys so I don’t really care which way it goes!

AC/DC Bigger Than The Beatles

It might have only lasted one week at the top spot in Australia, but AC/DC’s Black Ice continues to do massive things all over the world. It’s currently the number one album in USA, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Argentina, Canada, and Spain.

Black Ice actually topped sales in 29 countries, and more than 5.3 million copies of the album were shipped all around the world.

The American stats are really interesting though. Black Ice is the band’s first US number one, and they’ve achieved it easily will sales exceeding 1 million copies. With the sales of the newie and the back catalogue combined, AC/DC has outsold The Beatles in the United States this year.

No doubt these sales figures have been helped by the American leg of AC/DC’s world tour, which kicked off in Pennsylvania on October 28. Critics and fans alike have been going nuts for the performances which one reviewer described as “a celebration of all that is great about rock ‘n’ roll.”

Now if they would just hurry up and announce those Aussie dates!

Image source: Newscom

Kings of Leon Announce Aussie Tour

Aussies sent Kings of Leon’s new album Only by the Night and massive single “Sex on Fire” to the top of the charts, and now the Nashville rockers are looking to give back. They’ll say thanks to their local fans when they visit in March.

The Kings are regular visitors to our shores, but this will be the first time we’ve seen them as headliners. And if the international shows are any indication, Aussie fans are in for a good time.

“The mysterious, evocative lyrics, tight, searing guitar interplay and pounding rhythm section kept the crowd supercharged,” gushed The Seattle Times after they recently performed in Washington.

If you want to see what the Kings of Leon can do, make sure you pick up your tickets when they go on sale on November 24. But take note kids: while the shows are all ages events, no one under 16 will be permitted in the standing areas.

8 March 2009 – Rock-It No. 10, Perth
11 March 2009 – Memorial Drive, Adelaide
13 March 2009 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
16 March 2009 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
18 March 2009 – Sydney Entertainment Centre
22 March 2009 – Newcastle Entertainment Centre

Image source: Blank Slate Photography @ Flickr