Mojo - The Music Magazine

Noel Gallagher was stunned when Morrissey joined Oasis backstage at their gig in Los Angeles last week. Before the show, Gallagher had posted an entry on his tour diary: “They reckon Morrissey's on the guestlist tonight! Really? I'll believe it when I see him. An Oasis concert doesn't sound like the natural environment where one would see a Morrissey." But afterwards Gallagher revealed his surprise to fans when a “very funny” Moz joined the band for a bit of banter. "Well, well, well. He turned up!" Gallagher wrote on his blog at www.oasisinet.com. “He asked me did I have any 'new moves'!! Genius."

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Franz Ferdinand have announced details of their 2009 UK tour. The band, who release their third studio album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, on January 26, will play:

Limerick Dolans (February 28)
Dublin Olympia (March 1)
Glasgow Barrowlands (4)
Manchester Academy (6)
Birmingham Academy (8)
London Hammersmith Apollo (9)

Tickets go on sale on Friday (December 12)

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Jeff Beck has criticised Led Zeppelin’s plans to reunite without frontman Robert Plant. The 64-year-old guitarist praised the group’s one-off performance at the O2 last December as “fantastic” but feels that the band’s surviving members “should just leave it there”.

"I really don't think it's a good idea, not if Robert doesn't want to,” said Beck. "They will have been offered loads of money and it'll be tempting but that's not a good enough reason to me. It would be different if they all wanted to do it and record new material but that's not the case."

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The Bad Seeds’ Warren Ellis has revealed plans for new albums from both Grinderman and The Dirty Three in 2009. In an interview with Australia’s Triple J Radio, the violinist also mentioned “another theatrical piece and a couple of documentaries and possibly a ballet on the horizon.” Warren Ellis: a busy man.

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The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have been awarded for their role in helping to revive interest in the blues. The pair received the Kennedy Center Honors, an accolade recognising individuals who have had an impact on American culture, alongside Morgan Freeman and Barbra Streisand at a ceremony in Washington DC at the weekend.

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Paul McCartney has defended allegations of plagiarising blues legend Blind Willie Johnson. In his liner notes to recent album Electric Arguments, McCartney acknowledged that The Fireman song Light From Your Lighthouse was inspired by Johnson’s Let Your Light Shine On Me, but McCartney and producer Youth have stated that it did not breach copyright laws.

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Brian Wilson will release a companion DVD to That Lucky Old Sun in the new year. The DVD features a live performance of the album (including track by track commentaries from Wilson and collaborator Scott Bennett) along with a full-length documentary entitled about the making of the record and Wilson's return to Capitol Records.

The feature, entitled Going Home, will cover the making of the California-themed album and Wilson’s return to Capitol Records. Bonus material will include behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions along with a performance and audience Q&A.

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M. Ward has announced a one-off intimate show in London. The Portland singer-songwriter - and the ‘Him’ in She & Him - will play The Borderline on February 25 in support of his forthcoming album, Hold Time.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 12.

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Quincy Jones will give the keynote address at next year’s South-By-Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas on March 19. The legendary producer is expected to deliver a speech on the power of music to create positive change and the responsibility of the artist to use their craft to unite people.