Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has criticised officials in London's Primrose Hill after they removed graffiti which featured lyrics from the band's 1993 hit single 'For Tomorrow' from a local footpath.

The lyrics, which read "And the view's so nice", were inspired by Primrose Hill and have been present on a footpath in the London area since 2000.

The drummer said: "It's a jobsworth attitude in an Olympic year where we're supposed to be celebrating British culture, and Blur did contribute to British culture. It's part of the Blur story. I can understand the decision, but I lived in the area for about 15 years and even I got used to it being there. It's a shame, it was in one of our videos, we felt deeply about the lyric and about the hill."



Bob Geldof has said he's convinced he could have enjoyed a solo career on the scale of Sting or Paul Weller if his commitment to fundraising hadn't got in the way.

The Boomtown Rats man, who set up Band Aid and Live Aid in the '80s, said it would have been "criminally irresponsible" of him not to hold the events, but he does believe it "damaged his music career".

Geldof said: "It's completely damaged my ability to do the thing I love. If it hadn't happened I think I would have been able to make the transition from The Boomtown Rats to a solo thing more like Paul Weller or Sting."




Shirley Manson halted a New Jersey show to reprimand a fan in the audience.

The Garbage frontwoman stopped singing 'Stupid Girl' when she saw a man hit a woman in the crowd at the sold out House of Blues show.

After the man was removed, Manson attempted to calm showgoers. She said: "I just think we all just need to simmer down... I think there's some bad karma in this room."

Garbage are currently on tour promoting their latest album Not Your Kind of People.





Good news Depeche Mode fans - Dave Gahan's revealed the band are currently working on their next album.

The electronic pioneers have a large collection of possible songs for the album, with the hope of completing it by the end of the year, Gahan told Billboard.

"We've got more songs than we've ever had to work on at this stage," he said. "Martin's been very prolific, written some great songs. I've got a bunch of tunes as well that we're working on that are really starting to develop into something cool.

"I'm excited about where this one's going; I think it's going to be a more direct record, a punchier record." Gahan also said they're looking into going on tour at some point in 2013 to support the album.




No Doubt and Activision will return to court later this year to settle a long-running legal dispute. The group sued Activision in 2009 for misuse of its likeness in rhythm action title Band Hero.

 No Doubt claim the developer turned them into a "virtual karaoke circus act" by allowing their avatars to be used for other artists' songs.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a ruling rejecting Activision's effort to invoke freedom of speech protections in defence of its use of the No Doubt avatars.

The gaming giant had earlier refused to alter the content of the game based on the band's suit because it would prove "too expensive".

Finally Bob Dylan has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  US president Barack Obama presented the singer and twelve others with the country's highest civilian honour on Tuesday.

"By the time he was 23, Bob's voice, with its weight, its unique gravelly power, was redefining not just what music sounded like, but the message it carried and how it made people feel," Obama said. 

"Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude," he continued. "There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. All these years later, he's still chasing that sound, still searching for a little bit of truth, and I have to say that I am a really big fan."

"I remember in college listening to Bob Dylan and my world opening up, because he captured something about this country that was so vital," Obama concluded.