ARCHIVE MOMENT - THE RASCALS, I'll Give you Sympathy

THIS song is just one reason why Miles Kane, who supports The Courteeners at Camden's HMV Forum, is so fantastic.
The Rascals are truly cheeky scamps - I can vouch for that, I've got the interview tape with anecdotes of foiled customs searches following a trip to Amsterdam - to prove it.
But they had a stroke of creative genius, stemming from Kane.
They managed to give what could have been straightforward northern rock just a tiny glow of psychedelic guitars and muted 60s beats and I loved them for it.
Live, they strayed down untraceable guitar solo paths and sounded all the more attractive for it.
Then Miles excelled himself when he went and teamed up with bessie mate Alex Turner (are they still) to create The Last Shadow Puppets - will we ever see them again?
And now Miles is doing his solo thing, supporting The Courteeners and I hear teaming up with Noel Gallagher.
I'm positively overdosing on all this luscious northern talent.
More please.
But in the meantime, remember The Rascals.

RECORD OF THE WEEK - BEADY EYE, Bring The Light

I KNOW it's the obvious choise but this blog wouldn't be complete without a glance at Liam Gallagher's latest effort (with most of Oasis) - as Beady Eye.
I listened three times. When I say three, I mean twice and a half, by which time my attention moved to a passing spider. Not sure about the Jerry Lee Lewis piano, Noel's more poetic approach is missed and Liam's given up the snarly drawl. Not bad '60s vibe but needs more work to distract me from errant arachnids.
 

SNOOP'S GOT THE GALACTIC GOODS BUT WHAT ARE NOEL GALLAGHER AND IAN BROWN UP TO?

Snoop comes out looking best in this remake of the famous Star Wars bar scene, but why are Noel Gallagher and Ian Brown playing the naughty boys giggling at the back of the class?
Surely they'd be propping up the bar? Or would the bar be propping them up?

OZZY OZBOURNE GOES DARK FOR THE ROUNDHOUSE ITUNES FESTIVAL

TIME was, Ozzy Osbourne was primarily associated with Black Sabbath, alter-ego The Prince of Darkness and his on and offstage antics.

But in these days of celebrity obsession, half his family have overtaken him. The media spotlight spends more time shining on wife Sharon’s celebrity judge stints, daughter Kelly’s weight-loss and son Jack’s latest daredevil stunt.

In turn, Ozzy’s become the Boris Johnson face of heavy metal – a harmless-looking amiable mumbling chap, with unkempt hair, a questionable past and  oft-seen wobbling on  two wheels. But give the guy a break, he’s taking his limelight back and will be trying to be as convincing as possible as The Prince of Darkness at July’s month-long iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse.

The full 31-day line-up – featuring more than 60 acts – has not yet been announced but we do know Scissor Sisters, Tony Bennett, Faithless, The XX, Chew Lips, The Drums, Chipmunk, Darwin Deez, Ellie Goulding, Kate Nash, Diana Vickers and Daisy Dares You are all on the bill. 

Pick the right gig and you could inevitably find yourself witnessing one of those rare, historic sets that brings more than you bargained for. At last year’s festival Liam Gallagher made headlines at one of Oasis’s final performances when he strode on stage in a furious mood, eyeballing the crowd and swearing about students throwing beer at him. Even so, they played on for two hours, although at times it looked like Liam was about to go on strike.

The atmosphere between him and Noel was visibly tense, as big bro dismissed his sulky younger sibling and played on while Liam collected himself. But the entire evening was electric and one that won’t easily be forgotten. The irreparable cracks were pushed further apart and it was only a matter of time until our boys just couldn't stand to share the same stage any more.

The iTunes sets are usually quite short but who’s complaining when there’s the chance to see some huge acts up close for free. 

That’s not to say you can just walk in. Apple is making tickets available through Facebook and a series of competitions and giveaways. My only reservation about this is it seems you can only access their iTunes page by allowing it to access your own Facebook page and take the details of your friends.

I may be wrong about this, but I could find no other way of getting on to it. 

It will be the first time that Ozzy, Scissor Sisters and Tony Bennett have graced the Roundhouse stage.

All performances will be recorded and can be bought from iTunes stores worldwide. The best of the festival will be broadcast on ITV.

• Visit www.itunesfestival.co.uk