Image source, Getty Images

We're pretty much over the hump of this working week now, so well done everyone.

Scroll down for news of the return of Shania, Madge bites back and Radiohead get sneaky with some anniversary artwork across Europe. Or do they? Plus see how you can cruise with Coolio and the crew and be backed for academic brilliance by Beyonce.

We'll leave you today with something old and something new.

Firstly, legendary new wave pop rockers Blondie have released a final track ahead of the release of their upcoming album Pollinator, which is out on 5 May.

It's called Fragments and sees singer Debbie Harry repeat the refrain: Do you love me now? We never stopped loving you Debbie.

It also sees her swear, so you'll have to find it for yourself online.

Next up is the BBC Sound of 2017 winner Ray BLK. 

She's just been announced to perform at Brighton's Great Escape festival, external on Thursday 18 May and marks that fact with a cool new Estelle cover.

Enjoy.

Former child star Macauley Culkin as Kurt Cobain? Check.

A papier mache Ronald McDonald escapeing from a man's chest? Check.

Bill Clinton playing the sax? Check.

It can only be the extremely troubling new video from sardonic troubadour Father John Misty for his track Total Entertainment Forever.

We'd say enjoy but that would feel rather disingenuous.

1Xtra

"Always in the plan to be the biggest in the world,' Migos told 1Xtra presenter Ace on Tuesday night.

And with a number one US album Culture and a ringing endorsemen, externalt by Atlanta creator and actor Donald Glover at the Golden Globes, few could argue they are halfway there.

Listen to them and and fellow rapper Lil' Yachty and UK artist Stefflon Don below.

Judging by the vast numbers of collaborations on his newly-announced debut album, which is due out on 14 July.

The guests include Damon Albarn, Christine & The Queens,Charli XCX, A$AP Rocky, Desiigner, Jamie Lidell, A. K. Paul, and Nao.

According to the producer, whose real name is Alex Crossan, the album captures “the confusion and chaos of being 20 and living in London for the first time.”

Speaking on Apple Music's Beats 1, external, Alex said Damon "was the big one for me", adding he "originally met about the Gorillaz record".

The full tracklisting is below

• 1. Messy Love
• 2. Nuggets (feat. Bonzai)
• 3. Love$ick (feat. A$AP Rocky)
• 4. 1 Night (feat. Charli XCX)
• 5. All Around The World (feat. Desiigner)
• 6. give me The ground
• 7. What If I Go (feat. Bonzai)
• 8. Firefly (feat. Nao)
• 9. NOTHING ELSE! (feat. Jamie Lidell)
• 10. helpline (feat. Tom Tripp)
• 11. Second 2 None (feat. Christine & The Queens)
• 12. Who Is It Gonna B (feat. A. K. Paul)
• 13. Blu (feat. Damon Albarn)

You can see Mura Masa at festivals across this summer, kicking off with Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull next month.

Colston Hall in Bristol, where artists including The Beatles, Bob Dylan and David Bowie played is to change its name in 2020.

The venue was named after businessman Edward Colston, who lived in Bristol and made much of his fortune from the slave trade before his death in 1721.

Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust, said it was "an entirely moral decision" to change the name of the venue.

Ms Mitchell added it was the "right thing to do" for the "artists, public and diversity of staff".

She acknowledged there would be a "backlash" over the name change but it was "absolutely the right thing to do and the right time to announce it". 

The venue's name had been criticised by the like of Massive Attack, who refused to play there

Read more.

BBC 6 Music

Two, is the simple answer. And neither are required for this project.

The Belgian brothers are now back working as Soulwax and performed tracks from their new record Deewee for 6 Music's Nemone at Maida Vale.

You can check out Missing Wires, Do You Want To Get Into Trouble? and Is It Always Binary above.

BBC Newsbeat

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Some pop/rock stars are just all heart.

Yesterday Mac DeMarco was offering some lucky fan the chance to help run his fanclub.

Now, Beyonce has gone one better...well four times better in fact.

The US superstar singer, who has two more kids of her own on the way, has announced she will be offering a quartet of 'Formation Soldiers' student scholarships, to mark a year since her Lemonade album release.

In a statement on her website, external, Beyonce said the scholarships, for creative arts, music, literature and African-American studies, are designed to "encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box".

I wonder if their Formation mum will be there come graduation day? 

Read more.

BBC Radio 4

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Friday isn't just about new music, it's about old music too.

Specifically it's about the old music that makes up the soundtrack of the Marvel movie Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol.2. 

It's out on Friday and, it you haven't seen the original, the music revolves around a mixtape carried around by the central character Peter Quill, which acts as a way for him to stay connected to the Earth and family he lost. 

The new movie features a new mixtape, which includes the likes of ELO's Mr Blue Sky and Cat Stevens' Father and Son.

The film's writer and director James Gunn has been talking to Front Row's Samira Ahmed about how the Awesome mixtapes set the tone for the whole film.

You can listen to the whole interview now.

"A Week of Harry Styles? God help us all...," confesses host James Corden after agreeing to let the singer stick around on the couch from 15 May.

Harry says he just "wants somewhere that feels like home". 

As well as delivering a debut solo #1 with Sign of the Times, the 1D man has been busy acting in the Christopher Nolan World War II film Dunkirk and perfecting his Mick Jagger impression for when the call comes. 

He'll perform a track from his forthcoming album each night.

Image source, Getty Images

Frontman Liam Fray is such a rascal.

Serving up this strings section and vocal line via social media...

...and then nothing more.

Their fifth album Mapping the Rendezvous was released in October last year and the band toured across the UK, walking offstage at one gig in Kingston after Liam was hit by a bottle.

Later with Jools Holland's 50th series continued last night with music from the unforgettable ex Gossip singer Beth Ditto.

She belted out her old band's classic Standing In The Way of Control and her own new solo single Fire.

The track will open her Beth's new solo album Fake Sugar which is out on 16 June.

Also on the show were Reading rockers The Amazons, US blues/soul guitarist Robert Cray and Laura Pergolizzi aka LP, who has written songs for Cher and Rihanna.

Completing the lineup were Eivor from the Faroe Islands singing in her native tongue and, making her UK TV debut, effervescent Afro-French pop singer Jain below.

"Can we get an ooooo ee Makeba...

*Warning: Flashing lights

You can catch the full show on Friday on BBC at 23:05.

Image source, Getty Images

A takeover bid for the Isle of Wight Festival is being investigated by a watchdog amid concerns over the deal.

The inquiry comes after bidder Live Nation said it had become the majority shareholder of the event in March.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating whether the takeover would lead to a "substantial lessening of competition".

The promoters made eight major acquisitions worldwide in 2016, with the Isle of Wight deal marked its sixth so far this year.

The CMA said it had not yet set a date for its decision.

This year's festival will be headlined by David Guetta, Arcade Fire and Rod Stewart.

Read more.

Billboard magazine

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In what would the greatest 90s throwback Thursday festival line-up EVER, veteran rappers such as the ladies above (pictured with their ever present DJ Spinderella), will be joined by the likes of Naughty By Nature, Coolio, Biz Markie, Tone Loc and..um.. Vanilla Ice on an all-star cruise in Florida next year.

Tickets are on sale later (you can find the details online).

If that ship goes the way of the Titanic it could wipe out the greatest rappers of a generation...and, um... Vanilla Ice.

Image source, Getty Images

Vulture

Image source, PA

Anyone else looking forward to getting their ears wrapped around the new Gorillaz album on Friday.?

The album features lots of collaborations, including Damon Albarn's one-time Britpop nemesis Noel Gallagher on We Have The Power.

Noel joined the band on stage at a secret showcase in London (pictured above) last month.

Damon told website Vulture that Noel practically begged him to be on the album. 

He said: "In a sort of lighthearted way, I’d promised Noel he could be on this record.

"Of course, no one’s asked Liam what he thinks about the song yet. No doubt he’d have a fantastic one-liner about what a bunch of... BLEEEEEEEEP* ...we are."

*bad word.

Image source, Getty Images

After the interviewer suggest Gallagher Junior had publicly-praised Damon's other band Blur for their most recent album The Magic Whip, he replied: "Yeah, but the Magic Whip didn’t have his brother and I singing about loving each other."

You can read more here, external about the recording of the collaboration and how one session was scrapped for sounding 'too anglo-saxon' and then re-done.

Oh it's a far cry from the regular mid 90s slagging matches isn't it?

We love a happy ending.

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It was the band's first new release in a decade and took just three days to record but Blue & Lonesome, the Rolling Stones' album of classic blues covers has been named at the Jazz FM awards as album of the year.

The veteran rockers were also presented with blues artist of the year prize. 

Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood collected the awards at a ceremony in east London where the band's drummer Charlie Watts was also honoured for his outstanding contribution to jazz.

Laura Mvula was named soul artist of the year while breakthrough act went to duo Yussef Kamaal.

Director of the Oscar-winning jazz musical La La Land, Damien Chazelle, won the impact award, saying in recorded message: "I've been jazz-obsessed my whole life, as a former wannabe jazz musician. I was never quite good enough to make it... so I decided to film jazz musicians instead and try to put jazz on screen."

It was a double honour for Damien yesterday, as the mayor of Los Angeles, where the musical is set, declared 25 April La La Land Day.

BBC Radio 1

Kasabian are back and were announced last week to perform at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull, alongside Katy Perry et al.

Mistajam had them in last night for a special intimate gig and chat at the Maida Vale Studios ahead of the release of their new album For Crying Out Loud next week.

Check it below from about one hour, six minutes in.

BBC Radio 2

If you have been watching the latest series of Peter Kay's Car Share (and if you haven't then we humbly suggest you do), then you can't fail to notice Elbow frontman and 6 Music DJ Guy Garvey's regular cameo as Kayleigh's brother-in-law Steve.

It's his first ever acting role but Peter told Radio 2's Steve Wright: "I just kept picturing him as this guy with a bike".

He added: "It was a bit of a gamble because he could have been really wooden but he was relaxed enough to be himself."

We wonder if Guy will return the favour and get Peter on guitar on the next Elbow album?

Listen to the full interview below.

Image source, Getty Images

The band's masterpiece album OK Computer turns 20 this summer.

Now, statements in the style of album track Fitter Happier have appeared (alongside the dates 1997-2017) on posters in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York.

The mystery messages appear to proclaim a political list of reasons why there is "MORE FEAR".

This has of course led to fans to speculate wildly on social media about a potential new anniversary release.

Check out the images below.

The band were yesterday asked by UK Artists for Palestine not to go through with a forthcoming gig date in Israel.

Billboard magazine

Everybody's favourite 90s country pop chick Shania Twain is back people.

Her first new album in 15 years will arrive in September, but Life's About to Get Good for her and her fans again from June.

That's going to be the name of her new single.

The singer, who broke the news while appearing on The US Voice, said in a statement: "I was at home looking out at the ocean and I said to myself, 'Here I am stuck in this past of negativity, but it's so beautiful out.'

Between 2004 and 2012, Shania withdrew from performing live after specialists discovered lesions on her vocal cords and diagnosed her with dysphonia, external.

She returned to the stage in 2012 and even performed a farewell tour in 2015.

She said: "You can't have the good without the bad. And that's what the song ended up being about."

See country music doesn't always have to be sad. But it helps. 

Her last last album Up! came way back in 2002 and topped the US charts and we reckon she's still the one for a lot of you guys out there.

News broke yesterday of a new Madonna biopic being in the works, chronicling her breakthrough years in the early 80s in New York.

Our poll of who should play a young Madge certainly threw up some rather interesting results.

Now, the singer has had her own say, posting a picture from back in the day alongside a caption implying no-one will ever really know what went down... except for her of course.

The 58-year-old said: "Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen.

"Only I can tell my story.

"Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool."

She added: "Looking for instant gratification without doing the work.

"This is a disease in our society."

Hardly a ringing endorsement.