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Andreea has already had some success on home ground with Boca del Inferno, a song of Sistem, the well-known Romanian band who accompanied Luminita Anghel on stage at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. This time, Andreea appears with a different project called Sweet Lemon and a new image with an attitude. The electro pop Sweet Lemon band comprises Andreea (vocal), Bogdan (guitar) and Felix (percussion).

The two electro-pop songs submitted for the Romanina selection, are composed by Andreea Crepcia herself and Bogdan Ionescu, one of the band members. The production of the songs was made in collaboration with Narcotic Sound, two young Romanian producers and Christian D, an ex member of Refflex band.

“About Oslo, I understood that it’s cold this time of year so I must pack warm clothes for when I arrive there”, said Andreea confident and eager to represent her country in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.

Andreea, finalist of the Romanian Idol contest in 2007

Andreea and Sistem

Due to phenomenal demand, Paloma Faith has added a second London show to her headline tour of the UK due to take place in March next year.

After a teaser of headline performances in November and December 2009, and the release of her debut album ‘Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?’, Paloma Faith will be hitting the road once more in March 2010 stopping at 11 cities nation wide.

The Hackney born singer draws on diverse influences from her colourful past, including working as a magicians assistant, actress, burlesque performer and trained contemporary dancer, and uses unconventional theatricals and props to make her stage shows original, engaging and magical.

Paloma will be headlining the following shows:

March 2010
Tues 16th Dublin, Vicar St 0818 719 390 www.ticketmaster.ie
Weds 17th Glasgow, O2 ABC 08444 999 990 www.gigsinscotland.com
Friday 19th Manchester, Academy 0161 832 1111 www.gigsandtours.com
Sat 20th Leeds, O2 Academy 0844 477 2000 www.gigsandtours.com
Sun 21st Newcastle,O2 Academy 0844 477 2000 www.gigsandtours.com
Tues 23rd Cambridge, Corn Exchange 0844 576 5483 www.livenation.co.uk
Weds 24th Birmingham, O2 Academy 0844 477 2000 www.livenation.co.uk
Thurs 25th Southampton, Guildhall 023 8063 2301 www.seetickets.com
Fri 26th Bristol, O2Academy 0844 477 2000 www.livenation.co.uk
Sun 28th Oxford, O2Academy 0844 477 2000 www.livenation.co.uk
Mon 29th London, O2 Shepherds Bush 0844 576 548 www.livenation.co.uk
Empire
Tues 30th London, O2 Shepherds Bush 0844 576 548 www.livenation.co.uk

Empire

British singer-songwriter Tom McRae is to precede his full UK tour in early 2010 with an incredibly intimate free show at Cardiff’s North Star on Friday 11th December 2009.

Tom has been quietly moving up the ranks of the most respected songwriters in the world today after releasing four critically acclaimed studio albums over the last 9 years.

His eponymous debut album in 2000 was nominated for a The Mercury Prize, a Q Magazine Award, and a Brit, and the subsequent two years of touring cemented his reputation as one the most entertaining and powerful artists touring today.

Now, after a year away from touring, during which Tom moved back to London from Brooklyn, he is about to release his fifth studio album.

The Alphabet of Hurricanes, an album in two parts, is scheduled for release in February 2010. It is McRae’s most ambitious album to date, recorded over three years in studios, hotel rooms, and backstage both in the US and UK. Having set up his own studio, Gunpoint, in east London, McRae has been taken charge of the production once again, with his haunting melodies and poetic lyrics given a new sonic palette in an eclectic selection of powerful songs.

Tom will tour the new album in 2010 with a full band, and – as his fans can attest – for an artist working in a genre often considered by the music press to be ‘sensitive and self-indulgent’ he can take the roof off a venue with his passionate performances, as well as forging a strong humorous bond with his audience. This show is a unique chance to get up close and personal with Tom McRae.

The North Star is a converted Victorian pub on North Road, Cardiff (formerly The Maindy). This boutique conversion offers a huge open heated courtyard, drinks lounge, live music stage and an Italian open kitchen serving the best stone baked pizzas, pastas and grill dishes daily, from 12PM.

The North star offers all day breakfast menu from 10.30AM every Saturday and Sunday and serves up roast dinners from 12PM until 6PM every Sunday using only the best and freshest produce.

There’s acoustic live acts throughout the week and weekend at these regular events.

The North Star
131 North Road Cardiff CF14 3AEYou can follow The North Star on Twitter by following @northstarinfo and on facebook, just search for ‘The North Star Kitchen, Lounge and Courtyard’

Tom McRae plays the North Star Cardiff
Friday 11th December
support onstage 8.00pm
Tom McRae onstage 9.00pm
Free Entry

For those searching for the ultimate Christmas present for the music- lover in their life or those already dreaming of the best festival weekend of next year’s summer, DF Concerts and founding partners Tennent’s Lager are putting the T into Christmas this year with a limited batch of tickets for T in the Park 2010 available at this year’s prices for a short time only.

What better Christmas present to unwrap, for those that prefer Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree to a Silent Night in, than a T in the Park ticket? And for those who, In the Bleak Mid-Winter, want to look forward to the best weekend of the summer safe in the knowledge that they’ve already bagged their ticket?

The first T in the Park of a new decade will be truly huge and the team behind-the-scenes are already busy booking a phenomenal line-up and making plans for an incredible experience for the 85,000 people who will bring the heart and soul of T in the Park to Balado from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th July 2010.

All They Want For Christmas is a T in the Park ticket:

Saturday and Sunday Combined (No Camping) £145

Weekend Camping (Friday – Sunday) £170

Thursday Camping £180

(subject to booking fee)
For further information on T in the Park: www.tinthepark.com

Tom Waits will release a deluxe vinyl version of ‘Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards’ through Anti on 7th December. Originally released in 2006 and available as a triple CD collection, this limited edition vinyl set features 62 songs (including 6 previously unavailable tracks) across 7 LPs and a deluxe 12″ booklet. (In the original CD collection, the package contained 30 new recordings, which have now been upped to 32 with two newly recorded tracks as part of the bonus 6 on the vinyl set.) 



Among the bonus tracks exclusive to this vinyl collectors’ edition are a whimsical take on Fats Waller’s ‘Crazy ‘Bout My Baby’ and ‘Diamond In Your Mind’, a Waits/Brennan song first available on Solomon Burke’s Grammy Award-winning album ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’. Others include ‘Pray’, Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Canon Song’, ‘No One Can Forgive Me’ and ‘Mathie Grove’.

An assemblage of rare, new and mostly unheard tracks, ‘Orphans’ includes irreverent–or, rather, remarkably relevant-covers of songs by artists as disparate as the Ramones and Leadbelly, along with Waits’ compositions originally recorded by other artists. Waits’ selections dazzle as sonic experiments and twisted tales. Tom says, “Orphans are rough and tender tunes. Rhumbas about mermaids, shuffles about train wrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigrals about drowning. Scared, mean, orphaned songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don’t bite, they just need attention.” 


The songs are separately grouped and sub-titled – “Brawlers,” “Bawlers” and “Bastards” – to capture the full spectrum of Waits’ ranging and roving musical styles. “Brawlers” is chock full of raucous blues and full-throated juke joint stomp, “Bawlers” contains Celtic and country ballads, waltzes, lullabies, piano and classic lyrical Waits songs, while “Bastards” is filled with experimental music and strange tales.
Termed a “Boundlessly fascinating treasure trove ” by Uncut, the original CD release of ‘Orphans’ was among the fastest-selling offering of Waits’ career and a hit with critics. “‘Waits has made brilliant art by inhabiting an arcane world of his own imagination’,” noted The Times. Muses MOJO, “Masterpiece isn’t the right word for such a profusion of delights …he is the Rembrandt of modern music”



For more on Tom Waits and ‘Orphans’ check out the newly launched www.tomwaits.com

Rihanna will earn $500,000 to perform at a New Year s Eve party.

The Umbrella singer has been asked to sing at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi to help revellers see in 2010 in what will be her first performance in the Middle East.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: “She was supposed to perform back in May but she cancelled in the aftermath of the assault. This is a make-up date.”

Rihanna had been due to perform in Dubai earlier this year, which would have been her first show since she was attacked by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in February.

However, she cancelled the concert as she felt she wasn t ready to return to the stage.

Rihanna will not be the first star to earn a vast amount of money for a one-off concert.

On New Year’s Eve 2006, George Michael was paid $2.6 million to perform 13 songs at a party for Russian nickel magnate Vladimir Potanin and a few months later was given around $2.5 million to sing at the 55th birthday party of Sir Philip Green, the owner British fashion chain Topshop.

Last year, it was revealed Amy Winehouse was paid $1.6 million to perform in an old Russian bus garage for Daria ‘Dasha’ Zhukova – the girlfriend of Chelsea Football Club owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich.

The Rolling Stones were paid around $7.3 million for playing at the 60th birthday bash of billionaire David Bonderman.

Manchester United star, Rio Ferdinand today unveiled details for the launch event for his new charity the Rio Ferdinand Live The Dream Foundation. The charity aims to establish a series of centres in deprived areas to mentor teens and is designed to raise levels of aspiration, opportunity and achievement for all young people in the UK and overseas.

The glitzy launch event will take place on the 16th December at the Old Billingsgate in London where Rio will be joined by special guests and celebrities including top Premiership players like Frank Lampard, along with the likes of Robbie Williams, JLS and David Furnish to name but a few. Award-winning comedian James Corden has signed up as the host for the star studded event to unveil Rio’s Live the Dream Foundation.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Rio said: ‘I’ve always been passionate about helping those who haven’t had the best start in life – particularly young people. I was fortunate enough to realise my potential as a footballer and I want to help others do the same in whatever area that they believe they have the skills.

‘Essentially, the foundation is a vehicle to reach out to young people and provide them with the resources they need to unlock their potential. The Live the Dream Foundation will help to change lives.’

The new charity recognises that young people everywhere are motivated and enthused by a range of cultural, sports and arts activities – from music to photography, film to football and dance to drama, but are often unaware of the opportunities available within these industries to turn a passion for the activity into a career in the industry.

Chris Nathaniel, NVA Management CEO and co-founder of the Live the Dream Foundation said: “Rio’s always had a very clear vision of how he wanted the foundation to proactively reach out to young people without replicating what other charities are already doing. The direct involvement of someone of Rio’s profile is going to help keep pushing the importance of investing in young people higher up the agenda.’

Through the achievements, networks and partnerships of the Foundation’s trustees and partners, the Rio Ferdinand Live The Dream Foundation will deliver programmes of activity that will introduce young people to new activities, uncover new talent, provide accredited training and vocational skills, offer work placements, deliver careers workshops and support participants into education, training and employment.

Tokio Hotel took home the award for Best Group earlier this month at MTV’s European Music Awards where they also gave an electrifying performance of ‘World Behind My Wall.”

This guitar-charged ballad is their new, official focus track in the US and follows ‘Automatic’ as the second single off of Humanoid. Listen to “World Behind My Wall” below.

It’s a busy week for the band as their song “Human Connect To Human” is now featured in the brand new Verizon Droid commercial. Check out the sci-fi themed spot to see Tokio Hotel’s very fitting integration into the campaign.

Humanoid, the new album from Tokio Hotel, is available on iTunes now.

A London event to mark the seventh anniversary of the death of Joe Strummer has been confirmed today for Tuesday 22nd December at The Flowerpot in Kentish Town.

Promoting Strummerville – the Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music, prisons project Jail Guitar Doors and organised by Millitant Entertainment – the crew behind Glastonbury’s Left Field stage, the night will be a celebration of the life, work and lasting influence of Joe Strummer.

The London show will be one of a whole number of events held all around the world marking the untimely death of Joe in 2002.

With a range of special guests soon to be announced the line up so far includes Sam Duckworth (Get Cape Wear Cape Fly!), Drew McConnell (Babyshambles and Helsinki), Ray Gange (star of Rude Boy) on the decks and the Guvnor’s of Punk – Night of Treason playing the Clash classics with their customary very special guests.

There will also be special showings of the Jail Guitar Doors movie, Breaking Rocks, and clips from the documentary The Last Night London Burned with unique footage of Joe’s last ever London gig at Acton for the firefighters where he was reunited with Mick Jones.

Geoff Martin from Militant Entertainment said:

‘The night will be a very special celebration of the life and work of Joe Strummer and his lasting influence today. The spirit of Joe is as strong today as it ever was and there’s a whole army of us across the generations keeping the flame burning bright.’

Having just completed the recording of their second as yet untitled album with producer Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp) at the helm and mixed in New York with the legendary Michael Brauer, The Courteeners return with a SOLD OUT show at Manchester’s 10,000 capacity Central on December 11th 2009.

‘Cross My Heart & Hope To Fly’ will be available as a free download on December 7th from the band’s website – www.thecourteeners.com.

In addition a 7′ collectable single will also be available with an exclusive b side. Fans can also pre-order the album at the same time and get the 7′ along with their name printed in the album CD booklet.

Having just completed the recording of their second as yet untitled album with producer Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp) at the helm and mixed in New York with the legendary Michael Brauer, The Courteeners return with a SOLD OUT show at Manchester’s 10,000 capacity Central on December 11th 2009.

The band’s follow up to St. Jude will be released in February 2010. A UK tour will be announced shortly,