NEWS DIGEST: Tuesday, April 15

1:01 PM GMT 15/04/2008

Coldplay have confirmed they will release their fourth album on June 16. Viva La Vida was recorded in London, Barcelona and New York and produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs.

Portishead’s new album will be available to listen to a week before its release through www.last.fm. Fans will be able to listen to Third from April 21. Last.fm co-founder Martin Stiskel said: “It means a lot to us, as Portishead was the first artist we ever uploaded to Last.fm and Cowboys from their second album was the first track ever played when we went live in 2002.”

The Good, The Bad and The Queen will play the Rock Against Racism Carnival in Victoria Park, London on April 27. The event is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The Clash's Paul Simonon played at the organisation's first event in 1978: “It is what it is…musicians against racism. I was against it then and I still am today.” The line up already includes The View, Patrick Wolf and Hard-Fi, as well as The Specials' Jerry Dammers.

Here are a few choice quotes from Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E Smith. The autobiography is to be published on April 24.

“A lot of people say I'd be a really good dad. But I'm the sort who'd forget about the child. I'd be at the pub engrossed in a conversation when I should be at home because the baby's in front of the fire getting slowly roasted.”

“I've always tried to dress smart. It's important. There's no need to look like a demick: Primark sells some all right stuff at a fair price. Go and shop there; you don't want to be walking around like an urban scarecrow. Nobody takes a scruff seriously.”

“I can't work amid clutter. I crave space. I only have three chairs in the house: one for the wife, one for me, and one for a guest. No more. One guest at a time - that's my philosophy. You don't want your house turning into a hippy commune.”

And finally…Happy Birthday Bessie Smith! The blues legend would have been a whopping 114 today!

Laura Prescott

Posted by Ross_Bennett at 1:01 PM GMT 15/04/2008

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