Image source, EPA

Scroll down for news of Linkin Park returning to the practice room and to find out which fields you can see the Foos and Gary Barlow perform in next summer (not together of course. Although, that said...)

Also find out which two Liams are to perform on BBC's new flagship Friday night music show and what Kanye really thinks about Beck's music - according to Taylor Swift that is.

Plus,Beyonce is doing it for the kids with her new video and the first ever academic study into grime yields some interesting results.

See you tomorrow for New Music Friday, featuring the likes of Pink (above), Robert Plant and St Vincent.

Who releases an album on Friday the 13th though?

Best of luck.

Props to the good folk at Rolling Stone, external for today's #TBT.

As we told you earlier, following their Glasto glory this summer Dave and his Foofs will return to these shores for a series of big stadium gigs next summer.

But there was a time that he wasn't yet an all-conquering rock guitar god. He was once a skinny young debutant drummer in a little known (but soon to explode worldwide) band called Nirvana.

Here's some fan-shot footage of the band's (at least) fifth drummer playing his first ever gig with them 27 years ago this week, at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington.

Warning: This video contains scenes of sweaty bare-chested young men enjoying themselves.

BBC 6 Music

Earlier we told how Beck revealed to su what Kanye really thought of his last album - according to Tay Tay (scroll down).

Now the singer and guitarist, whose new album Colors is out tomorrow, has revealed another truth to 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne.

This news changes everything. Just when you think you know someone

Listen above.

BBC Radio 1

Loving Is Easy by Rex Orange County.

Annie was chuffed to finally meet the band after having been a fan for years.

They say never meet your heroes but this rendez-vous seemed to go just fine.

Listen to their chat and smooth new jam above.

BBC Radio 1

Not sure we need much of an intro on this one.

Rising R&B star Kelela - who released her debut album on Friday - popped into the Radio 1 studio for this simply beautiful stripped back cover of a classic song by Sade.

Shivers up your spine time folks.

Noel has posted the above video of him and his High Flying Birds performing new single Holy Mountain from forthcoming album Who Built The Moon? for the first time live, in Buenos Aries.

The performance came in the same week that an inspired hat-trick of goals from living footballing legend Lionel Messi (pictured below) officially sent Argentina on their way to the 2018 World Cup in dramatic fashion.

It seems his three goals pleased the former Oasis chief as much as it will have done the locals - who were nearly given next summer off.

Alongside the video, he wrote:

Enough said.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Pop superstar Pink was a surprise guest on one of 2017's most profitable US tours on Tuesday night.

She joined Guns N’ Roses on stage at Madison Square Garden for a rendition of their 1989 ballad Patience.

The band's Not In This Lifetime tour continues tonight at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.

So far, its made a whopping $55m in revenue, external.

A few canny fans managed to catch the hook-up on video.

Stereogum
Stereogum

Image source, Getty Images

Roger Daltrey will tell all in a new memoir which is due out next year.

The Who frontman has penned his story for UK publisher Blink Publishing and Henry Holt and Co in the US. The as-yet-untitled tome will come out next August.

Apparently the book will not only reflect on his time with the hugely influential band but also how Britain has changed during the 73-year-old's lifetime.

Read more, external.

Red and white tape to be more precise - to fit in with The White Stripes traditional colour scheme.

While vinyl remains the hipster choice of music for many, how many of you out there still own a cassette tape player eh?

If you do, then news that the now-defunct garage rockers are to reissue three remastered classic albums on tape for Cassette Store Day, external may excite you.

If you happen to be passing through Nashville or Detroit this Saturday, that is...

You'll be able to get your fingers/pencils into the spools of three famous records; The White Stripes, De Stijl and White Blood Cells.

For those of you under the age of 25, this is what we're talking about...

Image source, Getty Images

If you're having trouble waiting for the three weeks to pass until Sam Smith releases his second album The Thrill of It All, then he has handily posted a new short making-of video just for you.

It's got choirs, it's got jazz improv', it's got strings, its got Jimmy Napes, it's got laughs.

It's below.

As its lunchtime, here's some new music to let wash over you like a refreshing dip in some cool water.

Sufjan Stevens has shared a song from his forthcoming outtakes and demos album The Greatest Gift.

It's a companion piece to his acclaimed 2015 album Carrie and Lowell.

The track is Wallowa Lake Monster and while it's not exactly singles material, it's a totally worthwhile seven minutes of your precious time.

What else is a star to do when she has more that 85m followers on Twitter and and 104m on Instagram but doesn't feel she's quite getting through to her fans.

Well, if you're Taylor Swift, you start you own social media app.

It's "pretty awesome", she says above.

"I think you guys are really gonna like this. I mean, I hope. It would be preferable if you did."

Bit late for a humblebrag now isn't it Tay?

Scroll down to see what she told Beck recently about a dinner date with Kanye.

Tour news part two today, sees Take That star Gary Barlow leave the lads behind to go it alone next summer.

Gazza will kick off his tour in Edinburgh on 16 April and travel around the country before ending with a gig in Delemere Forest in Cheshire, near the singer's old hometown of Frodsham.

The prodigal son returns and he's "so excited" about it. At least he'll be able to take some washing home with him after nearly two months on the road.

See the full list above.

...older than we thought to be honest.

Seems the likes of Stormzy (above), Skepta and Nadia Rose are not just down with the youth. According to the first comprehensive academic study into the genre, the average age of a grime fan is actually 29.

Over 2000 British music fans were questioned about their attitudes towards grime in a newly-published study conducted by Ticketmaster, in partnership with Disrupt and University of Westminster.

Yesterday, we told you about how grime affected the recent UK election.

The study found that while 73% of the sample were aware of grime, only 43% actually listened to it.

Read the report, external

Nu-metal rockers Linkin Park are officially back in rehearsals for the first time following the tragic death of singer Chester Bennington, aged 41.

Bass player Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell has posted the above image, alongside the following caption:

"Home from the #dunhilllinks, external and back to “work!” Good to be back with the guys 🎼🎸🥁🎤🙌🏽

The band are gearing up to perform alongside the likes of Blink 182 and Korn at a special tribute gig at LA's Hollywood Bowl on 27 October.

Keep on rocking fellas.

BBC Radio 1

Brit hip hop/dancehall star Stefflon Don performed her latest single Hurtin' Me on Annie Mac's show on Wednesday.

She revealed she is about to go on a European tour with US rapper Future.

"I feel like performing and hearing an entire crowd had been the peakest moment of my career so far, it's what I've been dreaming about."

She also rolled out a cover of Lauryn's Turn Your Lights Down Low, external.

"With all that's going on in the world right now, let me sing a nice song about love," she told Annie. "And it's one of my favourite songs."

That's a lot of letters to take on board, so let us break it down for you.

The star hosts and performers for the first two episodes of BBC One's new prime time music series Sounds Like Friday Night have just been revealed.

In show one, the start host will be Jason Derulo, with performances from Charlie Puth and Jessie Ware, plus full-time rock star and part-time comic Dave Grohl featuring in a specially-filmed sketch.

The next episode will be hosted by One Direction and new solo star and daddy Liam Payne, with performances from Liam Gallagher, plus a special guest to be announced soon.

Jason D said: "I'm truly honoured to have been invited to be the first guest host on Sounds Like Friday Night.

It all kicks off on 27 October on BBC One at 19:30 BST.

So tune in or hit series record now.

Image source, Peter Hapak

Beck is back tomorrow with a new album Colors.

We caught up with him ahead of his appearance on Jools Holland, which you can watch in full on Saturday night on BBC Two.

He took the time to tell us how his last album won over serial award ceremony interrupter Kanye West (Taylor Swift confirmed it), why MC Hammer is signing copies of his new record and how completing his "painstaking" new LP was "like finishing a marathon".

He also reveals what it was like touring with the huge but friendly U2 "machine" and what "a thrill" it has been to see album co-writer/producer Greg Kurstin "gently take over the world!"

Read more.

Not that we aren't uniquely special here on MNL but he also spoke to Radio 2's Jo Whiley about being at being at David Bowie's 50th birthday party.

Listen below. It sounds just like an average 50th...honest.

And if you haven't reached peak Beck yet, then you can listen to him on Lauren Laverne's show on 6 Music from 10:00 BST.

Blimey, you'd think he had an album out or something.

Dave and the crew's love affair with this country continues after they just announced three big stadium gigs for next summer.

The Foos headlined Glasto, opened a pop up pub in East London and performed at the Royal Albert Hall for Later...with Jools Holland's 25 birthday bash and will now play two dates at the London Stadium (that's the Olympic Stadium to us and you) and Manchester City's Etihad Stadium next June.

Check the full dates above.

We expect them to apply for full British residency soon.

It's indisputably the song of the summer and now Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Despacito is the first video to clock up four billion views on YouTube.

The video was first posted on 12 January and has already left two videos released in 2015 and 2012 - Wiz Khalifa’s See You Again and Psy's Gangnam Style - in its wake.

Luis tweeted his thanks above to nearly half the world's population who have watched the video.