Kasabian, Stone Roses and Snow Patrol confirm T In The Park

Snow Patrol, The Stone Roses and Kasabian will all headline the three-day event at Kinross in Scotland. Snow Patrol will play Friday July 6, on a bill that also features Tinie Tempah, New Order, Florence And The Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Temper Trap, The Darkness, Pulled Apart By Horses, Tribes and more. Saturday July 7 sees The Stone Roses, plus Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Calvin Harris, The Vaccines, Two Door Cinema Club, Ben Howard, The Courteeners, The Maccabees, Enter Shikari, Peter Doherty and more. Kasabian head up Sunday July 8, with a bill including Elbow, Chase And Status, Happy Mondays, James Morrison, Frank Turner, The Enemy, Miles Kane, Maverick Sabre, Twin Atlantic, The Horrors, Spector, Band OF Skulls and more. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Wednesday February 29. See www.tinthepark.com for more info.

Avril Lavigne wants X Factor job

Avril Lavigne reportedly wants to be an X Factor judge. The Canadian singer-songwriter is said to have told her management to enquire about the possibility of making her a mentor on the second series of the US version of the talent show. A protégée of current panelist L.A. Reid, the rock starlet shot to fame at the tender age of 17 and thinks her showbiz experience and award-winning career qualify her for a role on the panel. Following the departure of Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger from the American version of the programme, there are two judges'' seats to fill alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. According to our sources, Avril had her people reach out to the folks at X Factor to let them know she''d like to be considered for the job. Our sources says Avril feels that since she came up in the biz at such a young age, she can mentor the kids on the show the right way,' US website TMZ reports. Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Beyoncé Knowles has demanded $50million to join the UK X Factor judging panel. The global pop sensation is said to have been approached by show boss Simon Cowell to take former mentor Kelly Rowland's seat on the 2012 series. According to reports, the media mogul has been left stunned by the Love On Top singer's asking price, which roughly equals the budget for the entire programme. 'Even Simon was shocked by the scale of Beyoncé's demands. However, she would be an incredible signing,' a source told British newspaper The Mirror.

Primal Scream join IOW Festival line-up

The genre-defining Primal Scream will headline the Festival opening night in the Big Top on Thursday June 21st. Also joining the Big Top's red-hot bill will be one of the originators of drum & bass and this week's current no. 1, DJ Fresh, who will be appearing on Friday June 22nd. Critically acclaimed duo The Pierces will bring their irresistible magnetism to The Garden Stage on Sunday June 24th for a magical headline performance. Primal Scream have influenced countless bands and artists and been widely acclaimed by critics as one of the defining groups of the 1990s. Now the band returns to the island and takes their inimitable style to headline the Big Top on Thursday night. Also joining the bill on Friday is DJ Fresh who has had an impressive 12 months taking the UK dance sensation by storm. Topping the bill on The Garden Stage on Sunday are Allison and Catherine Pierce aka The Pierces who make a welcome return for the second year running. The Isle of Wight Festival hosts the biggest names in music, along with the best up and coming acts around, making it one of the most loved events of the summer calendar. Make sure you head to the official Isle of Wight Festival Facebook site Facebook.com/iwfestival for all the latest Festival updates, exclusive news, videos & interviews. And follow us on Twitter @IsleofWightFest to get up to the minute tweets to keep you in the know!

2012 LINE UP:

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS • PEARL JAM • BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND • GROOVE ARMADA • THE DARKNESS • MAGNETIC MAN • ELBOW • BIFFY CLYRO • NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS • EXAMPLE • TINIE TEMPAH • NOAH AND THE WHALE • JESSIE J • THE VACCINES • FEEDER • MADNESS • PRIMAL SCREAM • LABRINTH • KELIS • ENTER SHIKARI • DJ FRESH • ASH • BAND OF SKULLS • JOAN ARMATRADING • PROFESSOR GREEN • WRETCH 32 • KATY B • BLACK STONE CHERRY • LOICK ESSIEN • STOOSHE • CLEMENT MARFO & THE FRONTLINE • SPECTOR • ZULU WINTER • THE MILK • SWITCHFOOT • BOYCE AVENUE • BRIT FLOYD • CRYSTAL CASTLES • THE CHARLATANS TELLIN' STORIES • THE PIERCES • MILES KANE • PULLED APART BY HORSES • BEST COAST • DRY THE RIVER • CARO EMERALD • PENGUIN PRISON • X • THE VIRGINMARYS • THE CHRISTIANS • CHRISTINA PERRI •BETH HART • TERRY REID • STACKRIDGE • TENSHEDS • THE REAL D'COY

Metric announce new album 'Synthetica'

METRIC has confirmed June 18th, 2012 as the UK release date for their fifth full-length studio album, Synthetica. Following the success of their last album Fantasies, which was self-released outside Canada and sold well over a million albums/singles worldwide, Synthetica will continue the trend and be released through the band's own label. While many artists feel strangled by the industry's power structure, the Toronto-based quartet has undone all their business entanglements and started their own company, Metric Music International (MMI) with the help of independent managers Mathieu Drouin and Françoise de Grandpré. On Fantasies, they became the first artist in history to achieve their first ever Top 20 hit at U.S. commercial radio without the backing of a traditional label; sold out arenas and headlined festivals; picked up JUNO Awards for "Alternative Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year"; had a hand in scoring films for everyone from Edgar Wright to David Cronenberg, and wrote the theme song for the Grammy nominated and Academy Award shortlisted Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack with composer Howard Shore. They even performed "Gimme Sympathy" at a private event for the Queen of England Shaw describes Synthetica's enthralling balance of futuristic and organic sound on the new record as '[.] the culmination of everything we've done. We've always had a sound in our heads that we hoped to realize. We finally heard it coming back out of the speakers this time.' Haines first envisioned the word 'Synthetica' as the name for a particularly resilient skin-job from Blade Runner, a female replicant who voices an inner monologue of all your human imperfections. "If you imagine a nightmarishly fake version of me as a pop star, that's her,' she says. "And this record was about me saying, I'm going to give more to the music than ever, but there's no way I'm going to turn into someone like that." As she sings on the album's hard-rocking title track; "We're all the time confined to fit the mold / But I won't ever let them make a loser of my soul."

One Direction get highest US Hot 100 debut for UK act in 14 years

One Direction's single 'What Makes You Beautiful' is the highest US Hot 100 debut for a UK act in over 14 years. One Direction makes waves on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week as 'What Makes You Beautiful' debuts at No. 28. It's the highest bow for a UK act's debut US single in nearly 14 years, since the Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony' entered at No. 13 on the chart dated March 28, 1998. Beautiful' sold 132,000 downloads in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, starting at No. 12 on the Digital Songs chart. The last UK group to see its first US single start higher was the Spice Girls, when 'Wannabe' landed at No. 11 on Jan. 25, 1997. 'Wannabe' vaulted to No. 1 four weeks later, spending four straight weeks at the top of the tally. The success of 'Beautiful' may only be just the beginning. It makes its retail launch even before One Direction's record label -- Columbia -- officially begins going for airplay at pop radio next week.   Next up for the group will be a US tour with Big Time Rush beginning Feb. 24 in Chicago, with dates lined up through March 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. They'll also play NBC's Today show on March 12 -- the day before 'Up All Night' is released.

The Beatles ringtones released for the first time worldwide

Beginning today, Beatles fans around the world can, for the first time, purchase ringtones for the legendary band's 27 UK and US #1 hits, exclusively on iTunes. The 27 chart-toppers are also showcased on The Beatles 1. The album made its digital debut in September 2011, exclusively on the iTunes Store, bowing at #1 on several iTunes top albums charts around the world, including the US, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico, Sweden, Spain, New Zealand, and Greece. 

 The Beatles #1 ringtones

1. "Love Me Do" 15. "Yellow Submarine"
2. "From Me To You" 16. "Eleanor Rigby"
3. "She Loves You" 17. "Penny Lane"
4. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" 18. "All You Need Is Love"
5. "Can't Buy Me Love" 19. "Hello, Goodbye"
6. "A Hard Day's Night" 20. "Lady Madonna"
7. "I Feel Fine" 21. "Hey Jude"
8. "Eight Days a Week" 22. "Get Back"
9. "Ticket to Ride" 23. "The Ballad of John and Yoko"
10. "Help!" 24. "Something"
11. "Yesterday" 25. "Come Together"
12. "Day Tripper" 26. "Let It Be"
13. "We Can Work It Out" 27. "The Long and Winding Road"
14. "Paperback Writer"

Bruce Springsteen: Childhood inspired music

Bruce Sprinsteen says that his childhood inspired his music. The rocker explained that he grew up in a household that was filled with tension because of his father's unemployment The Born In The USA star praised his mother for striving to support the family, but said his upbringing left a mark on him nonetheless.  My experience growing up was that my mother was the primary breadwinner, she worked very hard every day. My father struggled to find work and I saw that was deeply painful and created a crisis of masculinity. Lack of work creates a loss in itself. Work creates an enormous sense of self. I saw this in my mother, she was an inspiring figure to me,' he told British newspaper The Mirror. 'A house can turn into a minefield, it can be abusive in different ways and have tremendous emotional turmoil. I kind of lost him and I think a lot of the anger that surfaced in my music came out of that particular scene. I'm motivated by the issues of the day, but ultimately for the reason I ask questions, go back to the house I was brought up in. Bruce is currently promoting his new album Wrecking Ball, which he says is an attack on 'fat bankers' and 'robber barons'. Despite a hugely successful career in music, the 62-year-old explained that his working class background never leaves him and forces him to continuously look at social influences.

Journey drummer ordered toattend anger management

Deen Castronovo, drummer for Journey, has received his sentence in a January 31 domestic incident. Castronovo has been ordered to perform eighty hours of community service and attend anger management classes in an agreement between the drummer and Polk County (OR) prosecutors. The original charges included assault in the 4th degree, criminal mischief in the 2nd degree, harassment, coercion and interfering with making a report. Castronovo was having an altercation with his ex-girlfriend when neighbors called the police and, later, grabbed the phone away from her when she tried to call her father. Castronovo has played on albums from a multitude of artists including Bad English, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai and Social Distortion. He has been on all five of Journey's albums released since 2000.