Wow. Whatever you may think of Susan Boyle – a fantastic singer plucked from obscurity or an average singer who got lucky – she is currently outselling everyone with her debut album I Dreamed A Dream. In fact, based on first day sales, it could end up being the fastest-selling debut album in the UK of all time.

Last week saw Amazon announce that I Dreamed A Dream had broken its record for the largest number of global CD pre-orders. The album was finally released on Monday (Nov. 23) and it’s already doing exceptionally well.

The annual Q Awards celebrate the best in popular music with a focus on rock, indie, and alternative music. This year’s ceremony will be held on October 26 at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.

The Arctic Monkeys are leading this year’s nominations as they’re up for best live act, best single, best album, and best act in the world today. Oasis are up for two awards despite Noel having left the band and the rest failing to signal their intentions yet as to whether they will carry on as Oasis. So if Liam turns up to accept an award it could …read more

Arctic Monkeys are sitting pretty at the top of the UK albums chart with third album, Humbug. And they’re now heading out on tour to play the new material to their legion of fans. The tour is taking place in arenas across the U.K. and Ireland this November.

Liverpool Echo Arena (November 13)
Sheffield Arena (14)
Newcastle Metro Arena (16)
Wembley Arena (18)
Birmingham NIA (20)
Manchester MEN Arena (21)
Nottingham Trent FM Arena (22)
Glasgow SECC (24)
Belfast Odyssey (25)
Dublin O2 (26)
Tickets for all venues are due to go on sale this Friday (Sept. 11) at 9am (BST) through the usual channels. All venues will likely sell out …read more

The UK music charts may mean less now than they used to but they’re still an indicator of what’s hot on the popular British music scene right now. This week’s Top 10 singles and Top 10 albums are listed below.

The singles chart sees Jay-Z straight in at number one, with the Sugababes having to settle for number two with Get Sexy. Dizzee Rascal drops from one to four, while Kings Of Leon are still in the Top 10 with Sex On Fire.
The albums chart sees Arctic Monkeys still at the top with Humbug, while Vera Lynn (wartime sweetheart) has …read more

Arctic Monkeys have been around for seven years now, although most of us only learned of their existence in 2005 when they crashed on to the scene with I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. There are of course thousands of people who claim to have been into the band years before they hit the big-time but in reality those people number a relatively small amount of Sheffield scenesters.

In that seven years since they’ve been together Arctic Monkeys have evolved substantially, with their sound slowly progressing from being completely in your face to something much more refined. Their lyrics …read more

Dance isn’t my preferred genre of music. I’ve dabbled over the years, going through a phase when younger of loving the rave and house music scene. Then there are the big acts such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx etc. that have crossed genres and crossed over into the mainstream. And those acts I like. But Simian Mobile Disco are a new one on me.

I’ve heard of the group by name, and know that one of its members, James Ford (the other being Jas Shaw), is also a producer for the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons. But …read more

Arctic Monkeys blew everyone away when they crashed on to the Brit Music Scene in 2006 with their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. It’s an album that was amazing then and is still great to listen to now. They followed that up with the equally fantastic Favourite Worst Nightmare in 2007 and are now preparing to unleash their third studio album on the world.

Humbug is the name of Arctic Monkeys’ new record and it’s due out between August 19 and August 25 depending on where you live. The album’s cover has already been revealed, …read more

Maximo Park have been around for a few years now, and have released three studio albums during that time. The band are currently on a UK tour to support their new album, Quicken The Heart, and I went to see them live at the Manchester Academy on May 23.

I’ve seen Maximo Park play live on three different occasions, once after they’ve just released each album. It’s very interesting, to me at least, to chart their progress in that time. A lot has changed in the space of four years.

The first was in Leeds on an NME tour after A Certain …read more

Arctic Monkeys have just returned from recording their new album in America with producer James Ford. While there, they got up to some rather exciting things. Which prompted drummer Matt Helders to upload a video diary.
Arctic Monkeys, surely one of Britain’s greatest exports in recent times. Quintessentially British, specifically North of England-ish, they have managed to gain fans from all around the world. And rightly so.
P Diddy, formerly Puff Daddy, may belong to a different genre but he is, at heart, a genuine lover of music. Good music at least. Which is why he loves Arctic Monkeys. Don’t take my …read more

British music is probably the second most popular country-specific music in the world, with only those dastardly Americans beating us as usual. But being a mad British music fan who lives in the UK, I sometimes forget that other nations may see things slightly differently.
What I may see as British artists strengths could be seen as weaknesses in other countries. While a regional accent can help a band succeed in the UK, giving them an identity and a presence, it could go against them when they try and take their music abroad.
Is it possible that some bands are just too …read more