Jack White has announced the release of his first solo record, Blunderbuss, which will be released April 23.

The album will be preceded by the single ‘Love Interruption’, available for preorder here.

The aim of a film score is to encapsulate the mood of the movie, to add an aural element to fully immerse the viewer in the storyline. The very best of these can stand alone as albums in their own right, like the scores to Grease and The Godfather, or soundtracks to films such as Pulp Fiction or Vanilla Sky. The encapsulation of a mood makes The Internet’s debut sound like a film score, but the mood it encapsulates is hard to grasp.

The duo’s laid back electronica is reminiscent of The Dust Brothers’ score to Fight Club, though where that was able to stand alone as an album regardless of the film and feel like it could accompany your own mental collapse and not just that of Edward Norton’s character, Purple Naked Ladies sounds like it needs specific visual accompaniment to allow the listener to relate to it in some way.

Opening track ‘Violet Nude Women’ is an instrumental that would fit perfectly over the opening credits of many films while ‘Cunt’ could soundtrack any film’s ‘dream sequence’ with ease. ‘Love Song -1′ and ‘Visions’, two of the best songs on the album, are so short they sound as if they were edited to fit a scene rather than to work as part of an album. That these could potentially fit into any film demonstrates how removed it all sounds.

If one mood is created by The Internet on this album then it is that of detachment, leaving you feeling that there it is incomplete in some way. Were the album to be the score to a film it could have been possible to relate the music to something more tangible. As it stands, Purple Naked Ladies is a good album let down by its lack of any real emotion or feeling.

The SMiLE Sessions by The Beach Boys

No, it’s not an album. But without any doubt it is the best thing to be released this year. Despite ‘not being finished’, the genius of Brian Wilson is more than evident here.

Skying by The Horrors

As far as real albums are concerned, this is number one. Three albums in and The Horrors have created a near perfect album of pop-psychedelia.

SBTRKT by SBTRKT

Taking dubstep and placing pop-sensibilities around it has helped make SBTRKT’s self-titled debut the album of 2011 that you can listen to on a Saturday night and a Sunday morning.

Timez Are Weird These Days by Theophilus London

The best rapper of 2011 is definitely Theophilus London. With his first official album (various mixtapes have been making the rounds online for a while now) London has developed his music by tightening up production and delivering the smartest lyrics in hip-hop this year.

Ritual Union by Little Dragon

The Swedish band’s third album is the most effortless album of the year. Wonderful melodies cascade around playful lyrics and offbeat drums from start to finish without the band ever seeming to try.

Let England Shake by PJ Harvey

When PJ Harvey won the Mercury prize this year, everyone was in agreement: Let England Shake is an incredibly melodic, touching and beautiful album exploring Englishness both past and present. It deserved to win.

Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West

Although 46 minutes of ostentation from two of hip-hop’s titans doesn’t exactly sound like a great album to release during an economic downturn, Watch The Throne is a fantastic album demonstrating why Jay-Z and Kanye West really are the kings.

The English Riviera by Metronomy

While this Mercury nominated album sounds otherworldly throughout, it also sounds undoubtedly English. With their third album, Metronomy are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam by Ghostpoet

Another Mercury prize nominee, this is the smartest hip-hop album to come out of the UK this year. Dub/dubstep-influenced beats and sparse soundscapes provide the perfect setting for Ghostpoet’s lyrics on modern life.

Angles by The Strokes

The criticism leveled at this album has been constant: it’s nothing new, it sounds like The Strokes imitating The Strokes, etc, etc.  But sounding like The Strokes isn’t a bad thing and while there’s no ‘Last Nite’-type single to speak of, it’s an assured record that deserved far more attention than it received.

You can listen to all of these records on a Spotify playlist here.

Alternatively, listen to my favourite track from each album in another playlist, here.

Have a great 2012!

This is everything that’s happened on Tom’s Listening To over the last twelve months:

Mike Skinner retired The Streets – at just the right time.

Radiohead released The King Of Limbs, and I reviewed it on Twitter:

Hurts said hi.

The Gully Gallery (aka Calum Torbett) produced a music video.

Ron Sexsmith finally bloomed.

The Strokes released an album that sounded like The Strokes.

Amazon.co.uk sold one of my favourite compilations ever for under £4.

I got annoyed by someone called ‘I Am Voyager 1′.

The Beastie Boys made the best music video of the year.

I really enjoyed listening to the new Fleet Foxes album.

Not content with just making an amazing video, the Beastie Boys then released a fantastic album in the best packaging of the year.

Tyler, The Creator released a good album, not a great one.

Friendly Fires missed out on rave culture.

I predicted that Beyonce would be the highlight of Glastonbury 2011 (I was right).

Gil Scott-Heron died.

Beyonce released her 4th album – and called it ’4′.

Glastonbury Festival was yet again, incredible.

Amy Winehouse died.

Both DELS and Ghostpoet put on a great live show.

I got a bit sarcastic when reviewing a Nicola Roberts single.

Bombay Bicycle Club released a good album, though not good enough.

Some Danish punks made quite an impression with their 24 minute album.

Everyone else listened to ‘Video Games’ while I listened to ‘Blue Jeans’.

Lou Reed and Metallica released an album…

My hard-drive died but I got over it by listening to this:

Kate Bush returned.

The Horrors covered Beyonce.

M83 made an incredibly good album.

Coldplay made an album fit for festivals.

Justice got me dancing again.

Cher Lloyd made a much better album than I had expected her to.

Scroobius Pip was quite good live.

The Fall were amazing live.

Summer Camp made someone cry.

Wild Beasts were boring.

Low were adored.

Merry Christmas

In 1974, at 14 years old, my father went to see Pink Floyd at Wembley. Along with his friends he stood on his seat and cheered loudly as the band came on stage but was immediately given a stern tap on the shoulder by a Floyd fan who said; “Sit down you lot, they’re not that kind of group!”

At that point in their career, they were a band to be appreciated. You certainly didn’t dance to them. And although I never got to see Pink Floyd live, watching Low at The Old Market made me imagine what they would have been like.

Although there was a brief applause as they came on stage, the room quickly descended into silence. As the band tuned up, we waited. Three people were waiting at the bar but none were ordering; the bartender was filming the dark stage with her phone and they had their eyes fixed firmly on the group anyway.

When the Minnesota band did begin to play, the audience didn’t make a sound. Everyone in the sold out Old Market simply stood there and appreciated what was happening in front of them. With a set drawing heavily from their 2011 album, C’mon, the band gave more than enough to be admired.

In 1974 Pink Floyd were playing The Dark Side Of The Moon live, note for note. The structure of the album demanded that it was played in such a way on tour and people accepted this. The beauty of Low’s live show is that they were able to take each of their songs and make them feel unique to that performance.

Their wonderfully soulful harmonies wrapped themselves around the solid rhythms of Mimi Parker and Steve Garrington while front man Alan Sparhawk played his guitar as if each note had been made for this venue and this crowd alone.

The biggest noise from the crowd came when the band left the stage at the end of the evening. They weren’t just appreciated. They were adored.

It’s the morning after Wild Beasts played in Brighton and I’ve just put their 2011 album, Smother, on the stereo.

I might as well be back at the Concorde 2.

Note for note, this sounds exactly the same. To complain about a band playing their songs so that they sound like their songs might seem strange but I wasn’t the only person thinking this. When asked by his friend what he thought of the show, the man stood next to me in the crowd said; “I love Wild Beasts, I really do. But close my eyes and I might as well be sat at home listening to the CD.”

The band is clearly talented (you don’t get a Mercury nomination for nothing) but do nothing to show off this talent. Each member seemed shy and hid behind their instruments. Hayden Thorpe, the bands’ front man, was the main offender. When facing the crowd he mostly kept his eyes shut and when playing keyboards he’d only have been able to see the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

When the band’s guitarist spoke to the crowd before singing lead vocals on a track himself, it came as quite a shock. Asking us if we minded him playing “an old song”, Fleming came across as a much more natural front man than Hayden Thorpe, who didn’t say a word to the crowd all night. From this point forward it was hard not to view Thorpe as more of a secondary member of the band than the front man of a Mercury-nominated group.

By no means was the gig a bad one though. As I mentioned above, the band is clearly talented. Each note was played as perfectly as you hear it on record, which can be tricky when you’ve spent a long time in the studio recording each part of a track separately.

A big boost of confidence and bit of movement on stage would make the band far more of a live draw. As it stands however, I’m more than happy to keep listening to the CD at home.

Originally published on Brighton Noise.

The lights go down and the crowd goes quiet. The strumming of an acoustic guitar and the opening lines to ‘Better Off Without You’ become audible but there’s no one on stage. Heads turn to the back of The Green Door Store and from behind a curtain emerges Elizabeth Sankey singing at the top of her lungs and Jeremy Walmsley on guitar.

Making their way through the excited crowd, the London-based duo work through the first verse unaccompanied by microphones and amplifiers and step up to the stage just in time to swap acoustic for electric, bursting into the song’s euphoric chorus.

As the set continues, clips from brat pack-era films are projected behind the band; a perfect backdrop for their catchy, 80s-inspired songs. Almost every track taken from their debut album Welcome To Condale could soundtrack a Molly Ringwald movie, a point proven by her numerous appearances on the wall behind them.

The band stepped back into the crowd midway through the show for an astonishing acoustic rendition of ‘Losing My Mind’. Each exhilarating note from both vocal and guitar chords reverberated throughout the intimate venue. Those who didn’t recognise the song to begin with were singing along at the top of their lungs by the end. Turning to my left as the song ended and the audience burst into applause I saw one woman with tears streaming down her face.

The band plugged back in for the remainder of the set and continued to inspire sing-a-longs from the small crowd. As the show ended the band strolled back through the crowd to sign autographs and pose for photos.

I’m not sure who was happiest at that point; the audience meeting the band they so admired or the band meeting their gushing fans. The band were smiling from ear to ear and the woman with tears in her eyes was now giggling as she had her photo taken with them.

Originally published on Brighton Noise.

Mark E Smith is squaring up to me and everyone else in the audience. The bloody cheek of us Fall heads having paid £20 a ticket to come and see his band. How dare we?

And they are his band. Within minutes the Fall front-man is asserting his authority by turning down the amps of guitarist Tim Presley. Not that he seemed to notice – twisting around in front of his speaker stack like David Byrne doing a Wilco Johnson impression, Presley still played with passion and precision regardless of what Smith did.

Even Mark E Smith’s wife had her keyboards turned up and down throughout the set. But unlike some Fall gigs, every time he did it, it worked. Grabbing the neck of his bassist’s guitar, stopping any notes from escaping, allowed for blistering guitar riffs to be heard in all their glory and the pounding drum beats to whip up a whole audience into a pogoing frenzy.

After an hour’s set taking in plenty of tracks from Ersatz GB, their new album, they left to rapturous applause. After what seemed like an age, the band returned with their front man feeling a little bit more grateful that this crowd had come to see his band.

Opening the encore with fan favourite ‘Theme From Sparta F.C.’, Smith no longer looked like starting a fight. He actually seemed happy to have us there.

After two more tracks, the band exited the stage for the final time. Fans poured out of the venue, with almost every one of them saying at high post-gig volume how it was “without doubt, the best night of my life!”

Fans of The Fall always say that after a Fall gig. And rightly so.

Originally published on Brighton Noise.

From the moment the doors opened at The Coalition on Friday night Scroobius Pip was manning the merchandise stall. With an album, book, t-shirts and hats on sale, the most hirsute man in British hip-hop was posing for photos, shaking hands and signing each and every item he sold as his fans crossed his palm with silver.

Whilst this was undoubtedly thrilling for the majority of his fans, it seemed to dispel the myth of the artist somewhat. By being the ‘ordinary bloke’ at the merch stall, the worry was that he wouldn’t be able to hold the crowd in his hands in quite the same way as usual. After all, he was the guy who just counted out my change.

Before this issue was to be addressed however, one B. Dolan took to the stage. Proclaiming himself as both performance artist and master of ceremonies, he fit the description perfectly. The Brooklyn based rapper arrived with a noosed-rope ‘necklace’ round his neck, a menacing glare and a beard to rival the headliner’s. He then proceeded to take a crowd who had never heard of him before and ensured that they were all chanting his name by the end of his short set.

Shortly after B. Dolan exited the stage the newly solo Scroobius Pip appeared, immediately making all worries about his stage presence disappear. Opening with ‘Introdiction’ and powering through a set taking in nothing but his solo work, the bearded bard had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand throughout. And what a crowd.

From public school boys and arty hipsters to bikers in full leather and bandana get-up, middle aged wine drinkers and everyone inbetween, the Coalition was wall to wall with a cross section of Brighton.

The rapper’s cross-generational allure is easy enough to understand. His clever lyrics appeal to everyone because his flow is closer to traditional poetry than that of traditional hip-hop. Whilst many of his contemporary’s lyrics can be equally (if not more) clever and witty, Scroobius’s gift is to deliver these lyrics in far more of a conversational tone than that of Dizzee Rascal, for example.

After an intense hour of distorted guitar, live hip-hop beats and the aforementioned poetry-rap, the show ended as it had started: with Scroobius Pip selling his wares.

After completing an encore it was the crowd who had him in their hands, as he crowd-surfed back to the merchandise stall.

Originally published on Brighton Noise.

The miserable growl of Mark E. Smith and the latest incarnation of The Fall will be returning to the Concorde 2 this Thursday night.

The current line-up may change between now and then (there have been an estimated 66 members of The Fall in their 35 year history) but regardless of who’s playing behind Mr. Smith, you can be sure you’ll be watching a gig to remember.

From the incredible guitar riffs and pounding beats, to the grumbling lyrics shouted out by The Fall’s leader, the music you hear at their gigs will blow you away every single time.

Their latest record, Ersatz GB, sees the band on top form yet again. By which of course I mean: if you’re a Fall fan, you’ll love it. And if you’re not, well, why not? Picking up any Fall album is an experience in itself but it’s on the stage that The Fall really come to life.

The continuously changing nature of the band, which their front-man has described as more like a football team than a traditional band, ensures that every single Fall show is spectacularly different.

By no means could I guarantee that the Fall line-up at the time of writing will be the same band playing the Concorde 2 on Thursday. What I can guarantee is that it will no doubt be a show to remember.

John Peel described them best when he said “they are always different, they are always the same.”

We wouldn’t want it any other way.

Originally published on Brighton Noise.

Every track on Cher Lloyd’s debut album could easily have come from a different artist. From the dancehall bounce of opening track ‘Grow Up’ to the balladry of ‘Beautiful People’; the album is an erratic and jumpy affair saved by its only constant: personality.

Unlike the recent offering from her X Factor rival Matt Cardle, Lloyd’s Sticks + Stones is unique to the artist. Recurring references to swag/swagger remind us of her first audition on the ITV talent show last year, while her raps prove that she really is the big fan of Nicki Minaj she’s always saying she is.

While not as assured as Minaj’s debut, Sticks + Stones is an endearing, if exhausting, record. By jumping between genres (dubstep, grime, hip-hop and pop) and lyrical styles (doowop harmonies, rapping and more) she has released a unique record full of personality that only she could have delivered. Something that can’t be said about her X Factor rivals.

While their first album was clearly influenced by Daft Punk and the French/Belgian electro scene that they spawned, their follow up brings in far more from the world of guitars than it does samples and broken beats. The power chords on album opener ‘Horsepower’ set the tone for what’s to come – a six-stringed attack on the dancefloor designed to get fists pumping and heads banging.

With ‘Civilization’ and ‘On ‘n’ On’ the pair evoke Freddie Mercury at his most theatrical and Jeff Lynne at his most operatic, all the while pounding out stadium sized beats and prog-rock riffs that you’ll be hard pushed not to dance to. On ‘Newlands’ and ‘Ohio’, synth hooks and guitar solos evoke further memories of the 70s and 80s guitar bands at the same time as sounding like a song that could only have been made in 2011.

While all of this certainly sets them apart from their contemporaries, Justice haven’t forgotten their roots: the vocals on each track have been pushed through synthesizers and arpeggiators  just as Daft Punk have always done. However, with Audio, Video, Disco the duo have managed to set themselves apart from their direct influences as well and create an album of heavy-hitting yet entirely danceable pop music.

At this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Coldplay put on a show so spectacular that the Pyramid Stage itself burst into life with an explosion of colour. On Mylo Xyloto the colour is splashed right across the record sleeve, but musically there isn’t quite as much colour as youone might hope.

Jonny Buckland’s Edge-like guitar-play and Martin’s typically life-affirming lyrics are present as ever, not to mention the “whoa-ooh” vocal hooks favoured by the band making numerous appearances throughout the record – something that will annoy as many as it will delight.

Coldplay’s detractors won’t be converted by this album; it doesn’t push them further as a band, nor does it break any of the musical boundaries you might expect it to with Brian Eno in the producer’s chair. What the album does do is confirm that Coldplay are the kind of band who will be invited back to Worthy Farm again. And when they do, the Pyramid Stage will burst into life yet again.

All next week Vice.com will be taking over venues up and down the country with performances from Purity Ring, Deaf Club, Walls, Theme Park and more.

Tom’s Listening To will be at the Brighton leg of Vice’s Issue Launch and so should you!

Why? Because Purity Ring, Deaf Club and Theme Park will be gracing the Green Door Store’s stage alongside DJ sets from Dark Party, The Recommender, Danger De Mort, and AÉREO. On top of that it’s free to get in and again, I’ll be there.

For those that can’t make it to Brighton next Friday (28th October), Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol and London will all play host to Vice nights from the 25th October.

Find out when Vice will be in your town here.

15 million light years from earth, the M83 Galaxy has not only been the site of 6 supernovae but also contains several red knots – the parts of space where active star formation takes place. Its spiral arms create a mesmerising view, earning it the nickname of the Pinwheel Galaxy.

All in all, the M83 Galaxy an epic and grandiose place, making Anthony Gonzales’s choice to name his band after it rather fitting.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming sounds like a thousand stars bursting into life whilst majestically spiraling through space. Though it skirts close to being overblown throughout, the double album stays just on the right side of excess to create a stunning 22 tracks of beautiful pop music, unmatched in 2011.

With his sixth album, Gonzales has created not only his best album yet, but possibly the best album of the year.

Listen to the track below and tell us what you think:

Everything in me hopes she decides that 2011 is the year to tour again.

Though the likelihood of that is rather slim isn’t it?

That is what the new Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration sounds like.

UPDATE: This is what the new Lou Reed Metallica collaboration sounds like:

… and I’ve loved every single moment of it.

Despite one being a Danish punk band and the other being an LA hip-hop collective, there are comparisons that can be drawn between Iceage and Odd Future (OFWGKTA). The hype surrounding both comes largely from their highly energetic live shows, which often end with injuries sustained to both band and audience. Taking a look at Iceage’s blog reveals images of lead singer Elias Rønnenfelt covered in blood, a scene fans of Odd Future’s front-man Tyler, The Creator will be familiar with.

The similarities end there though. As anyone who heard Tyler’s Goblin will know, hype will only get you so far. Iceage however, have transcended the hype that’s been heaped upon them and created one of the best albums of the year.

The four-piece hail from Copenhagen, where the album was released at the beginning of the year, and all four members are under 19 years old. With their chaotic gigs, they are clearly a punk band in attitude, though their music takes in not just the sound of 1976, but also early 80s hardcore, the atmosphere of goth and the guitar work of post-punk. By taking influences and keeping them just that, influences, they avoid the trap of sounding like a covers band and instead deliver music entirely their own whilst still paying respect to those that came before them.

The most unique aspect of their sound comes from their lead singer’s lyrics and vocal style. Singing in English, not his native tongue, Rønnenfelt can often be entirely unintelligible, but what his wordplay lacks in clarity the band more than make up for in attitude and atmosphere. At various points in the album, you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to new work by the Buzzcocks or even Wire.

Over the album’s 24 minutes, angular guitar work turns suddenly into crunching chords. Pounding beats quickly become crashing cymbals, all the while pushed forward with solid bass lines and those intriguingly incomprehensible lyrics.

Unlike Odd Future, Iceage won’t be taking to the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards any time soon, but they won’t receive a critical mauling either. With New Brigade, Iceage seem to be the exception to Chuck D’s rule: don’t believe the hype. This time, you can.

While not exactly a departure from the sound they have come to be known for, Bombay Bicycle Club’s third LP is an assured album that builds upon their existing style; adding more textures and layers than previously heard from the Crouch End four-piece.

On album opener, ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’, their usual folk-style guitar is built upon with stadium-style beats and Jack Steadman’s distinctive vocals. Along with songs like ‘Shuffle’  and ‘Beggars’, the album hints at a band destined to be much higher up festival billings in the future, but not quite yet.

The problem with Bombay Bicycle Club is their seeming refusal to release an album that fully utilises their obvious talents. With both I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose and Flaws, the band showed more than enough promise, and while their third effort is undeniably good, it is not yet great. The album sounds as if they are holding back, scared of being too smart with their music.

The only point at which the band appear to try and show off a bit is on the final track, ‘Still’, in which piano accompanied vocals are intermittently put through reverb to brilliant effect; hauntingly upfront without ever becoming the centrepiece of the song. More of this creativity could provide material for the great album we have been waiting for (which if they carry on at their current rate will be out within 12 months).

With A Different Kind Of Fix, the group have released a record brimming with confidence. Now all they need to do is harness it.

The Daily Mail recently described ‘Lucky Day’ by Nicola Roberts as “totally catchy-sounding”.

Catchy-sounding? The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘catchy’ as “appealing and easy to remember”. ‘Lucky Day’ is both of those things, specifically the latter.

Easy to remember sounds are the noises we first make as children. Repetitive noises so catchy that when they’re uttered by an infant, a fully-grown adult will start talking in ‘baby talk’.

The utterly addictive noises start early in ‘Lucky Day’: within 30 seconds there’s not only a ‘woah woah woah woah’ but a ‘mwah mwah mwah mwah’ too. It doesn’t stop there either. Moments later there are ‘boom’s and ‘zoom’s, not to mention at least one ‘aha’.

Nicola manages to fill the bridge with both an ‘oooo’ and an ‘oh!’. Then, just when you think; “this song couldn’t possibly be easier to remember!” she brings in the final chorus, giving the listener everything from ‘Lu-u-u-u-cky’ right through to ‘daaaaaaaay’, and even one special use of ‘day-ay-ay-ay-ay’. The song has it all.

This all leads to ‘Lucky Day’ being not just easy to remember but rather appealing too. It’s far more than just “catchy-sounding”, it is full on, top of your lungs, hair-brush in front of the mirror, pop song sing-a-long catchy.

With a Mercury Prize nomination behind Ghostpoet and a wealth of acclaim from critics up and down the country for DELS, you would be forgiven for thinking that getting hold of tickets for their double-headline show in Brighton last week would be a challenge. In reality, tickets were being offered at almost half price just days before the show, and a glance around the Concorde 2 on that Friday night suggested around half of all tickets went unsold.

Those that did get themselves tickets that night were more than rewarded for their purchase. Ipswich-born DELS took the first slot of the evening, bringing his unique flow of delayed urgency; giving each of his lyrics full impact without ever forcing them onto the audience, and a band that brilliantly transferred his complex studio sounds into an impressive live show.

Ghostpoet, currently riding high on the hype that inevitably comes with a Mercury nod, took to the stage soon after and delivered an energetic set that stood completely at odds with his near-stoned lyrical style.

For a pair such talented rappers to deliver such impressive sets to an underwhelming crowd was a treat for all those that attended, but a shame for both artists. With any luck, that will be the last time they play such a small venue, or even feel the need to share a headline set. DELS and Ghostpoet are the two most talented rappers in the UK right now and if you get the chance to help fill a venue they’re performing in, I would highly recommend it.

Amy Winehouse has been found dead in her London flat this afternoon (July 23rd), aged 27.

The Metropolitan Police have issued the following statement confirming the singer’s death:

“Police were called by London Ambulance Service to an address in Camden Square NW1 shortly before 16.05hrs today, following reports of a woman found deceased. On arrival officers found the body of a 27 year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.”

I saw Amy Winehouse live three time over the years, each time with mixed results. While her performances could be erratic, I never left a gig underwhelmed. In 2006 I saw her perform in a small tent at Benicassim Festival and she blew me away. The raw talent that she exuded made her a highlight of the festival. A year later, she arrived on stage an hour late at The Brighton Centre but still delivered an impressive show.

The last time I saw her was in 2008 at Glastonbury Festival, which unfortunately ended with Amy punching a fan. Despite this, and many more troubles Amy Winehouse has been through over the last few years, the singer will always be remembered for her true talent; her stunning voice.

Below is my favourite Amy Winehouse song. May she rest in peace.

Friday opened with a performance from The Master Musicians of Joujouka on the Pyramid Stage, an odd enough band to watch without the man dressed in fur waving a branch around like some sort of Moroccan Bez making things even more surreal. The real beginning to the festival for me however was from The Secret Sisters, who opened the Acoustic Stage half an hour later. The Alabama siblings played a beautiful set interweaving their voices to create wonderful harmonies that entranced the whole crowd.

Later that afternoon, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan arrived on the Pyramid Stage with the chaotic rapping they became famous for almost 20 years ago. Following the Staten Island crew came BB King, who had to be helped on stage. The bluesman played a powerful set and received a standing ovation from the crowd when he left the stage an hour later.

Over at The Park, a reformed Big Audio Dynamite played to an ever swelling crowd, probably because at this point everyone at the festival had heard Radiohead were the special guests performing after them. The ever-smiling Mick Jones performed a greatest hits set with his 80s cohorts which ended up being far more entertaining than the following set which saw Radiohead play almost nothing but new material, leaving the enormous crowd very displeased.

For those who decided to give Radiohead a miss, Jimmy Cliff had returned to Glastonbury to perform yet another storming show of reggae classics to a crowd that wouldn’t stop dancing, no matter how much it rained.

Headliners of the night, U2, already a year late to the stage, had a lot to prove. Protests about their decision to register their corporation tax returns in the Netherlands instead of Ireland were being made across the festival while a large balloon declaring ‘U PAY TAX 2′ was inflated just before the band came onstage (though it was swiftly, and somewhat controversially, taken down by security).

U2 came onstage with no messing about, opening with ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, the band stormed through a greatest hits set that also involved a video created by Damien Hirst and a live satellite link-up with astronaut Mark Kelly on the International Space Station. Tax-dodging aside, U2 proved on Friday night that they really are the greatest live band on the planet.

The London Afrobeat Collective opened the West Holts stage on Saturday morning. Despite arriving slightly late on stage, the group brought sunshine to Somerset with their Fela Kuti inspired music. Later that afternoon, Dry The River played to an ever growing crowd in the John Peel tent while on the Pyramid Stage, Rumer gave an impressively soulful performance to a much smaller audience than expected considering her staggering album sales this year.

Over on the Other Stage, The Kills were playing the rock music they’re known for, though apparently the lady stood next to me was unaware of their reputation. When I noticed her pulling a face at each of Alison Mosshart’s shrieks I asked what she thought of the duo. “It’s very… loud” she said.

Paolo Nutini, who played the main stage that evening, didn’t seem to upset anyone with his singing. His adaptable voice glides over each song he and his band play to an adoring crowd that he was warming up for the mighty Elbow.

From the very moment Guy Garvey came on stage he had every single member of the audience in the palm of his hand. He had the crowd singing along to each song and even commanded them to sing the band happy birthday after he claimed they had formed 20 years ago to the day. What he had probably not expected was that the crowd had him in the palm of their hands too. When the lead singer reached for a sip of his pint midway through the set, the audience began shouting “Down it! Down it!” at him. Watching thousands of people heckle him into downing his pint was one of the highlights of the whole festival.

Following Elbow were Glasto veterans Coldplay, who performed one of the most accomplished sets of the weekend. Delicately placing new songs in with well known tracks that had everyone singing along made for an impressive headline show, not to mention the fireworks, confetti and lighting up of the Pyramid Stage itself.

Sunday saw sets from Don McLean and Paul Simon in the ‘heritage’ slots previously occupied by James Brown and Brian Wilson. McLean had the whole crowd singing along to what seemed like a ten minute version of ‘American Pie’ as part of his impressive show. Paul Simon, on the other hand, proved to be a disappointment. With a CV that includes the entire works of Simon & Garfunkle, not to mention Graceland and decades more solo work, Simon managed to put in a fairly straightforward performance, only including one or two of his hits.

Soon after Paul Simon came the most popular rapper turned soul singer there is; Plan B. Ever the showman, Ben Drew played a set relying heavily on his most recent LP, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, to an ecstatic crowd that lapped up every bit of action coming from the stage.

Pendulum, the most bothersome booking of the year had somehow managed to end up second from the top of the main stage at the biggest festival there is. How this happened I’ll never know, but it shouldn’t have. Following Pendulum came what was possibly the most anticipated gig of the weekend. Beyonce.

The former Destiny’s Child proved that she is the single most entertaining woman in pop music right now. Opening with her smash hit ‘Crazy In Love’ and swiftly following it with the wrist-wiggling ‘Single Ladies’, Beyonce played the show of her life.

“Are you ready to be entertained?” she asked the crowd as the show began. Everyone was ready to be entertained but what Beyonce delivered was so much more than entertainment. It was the headline act of the year.

When Neil Young released Harvest, he was booed on stage for playing his new album in its entirety. He promised the crowd that when he had finished it, he’d play them “something you’ve heard before.” True to his word, after finishing the set, he played it all again.

Musicians performing a new album in its entirety is a well known bugbear for gig goers. No one pays large sums of money to see Stevie Wonder perform his new stuff, they pay to see ‘Sir Duke’ and ‘Living For The City’.

Former Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, will be headlining Glastonbury Festival this year and I can honestly say that I would be happy for her to only play tracks from her forthcoming LP, 4.

Opening with the powerful love song, ’1+1′, Beyonce’s new album is an one of two halves. The first half is about love and loss, with tracks such as ‘I Care’ and ‘I Miss You’ keeping us in familiar lyrical territory, played over the kind of cutting edge production that a career such as Beyonce’s affords.

Part two, whilst still about pop’s favourite subject, love, is also about partying. ‘Love On Top’ is tinged with the kind of retro-soul that will have you smiling ‘from ear to ear’, while ‘Countdown’ showcases Beyonce’s incredible vocal range over an ever changing beat which will no doubt be remixed to death over the coming months to fit onto numerous Ministry of Sound-style compilations.

Beyonce’s Glastonbury set will be a highlight of the coming weekend. 4 is already a highlight of the year.

Gil Scott-Heron has died in New York. The poet, musician and author was one of the most talented songwriters of the seventies and last year released the phenomenal album I’m New Here.

From his groundbreaking track ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ to the protest songs of ‘Johannesburg’ and ‘B-Movie’, right through to his latest work, Gil Scott-Heron was a widely respected musician. He will be missed greatly.

One of my many favourite songs by Gil Scott-Heron, ‘B-Movie’

Amazing