Tag Archives: Britain

Blur frontman Damon Albarn hit the Tonight Show last night to perform my favorite track from his debut solo album, Everyday Robots. Americans might best know Albarn from the smash Gorillaz track, Clint Eastwood.

Via the Telegraph: Supermarket Asda has defended a “wearable England flag” it has launched for the World Cup after claims it resembles a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The £3 St George’s Cross, with the word “England” on the red cross, features a hood which Asda said was to allow fans to wear it and stay dry despite the unpredictable British …

He hangs by one hand at the end. Ow, my balls. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

Former Frankie Goes To Hollywood frontman (and JMG reader!) Holly Johnson will launch his first-ever solo tour in October. The October tour will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 3x platinum debut album ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’ which reached number 1 in October 1984. The album release followed the group’s controversial debut single ‘Relax’, …

From their 11th studio album, Meteorites, to be released on Tuesday. Some critics say the new album compares favorably with the best of their early 80s catalog. (1984’s Ocean Rain remains one of my favorite albums of all time. If you’re unfamiliar with Echo, start here.) I do like this quite a lot.

The Birmingham Mail has the details: The 11-date UK tour will be the band’s first shows for more than 15 years and will feature the original line-up, including Jon Moss (drums), Mikey Craig (bass) and guitarist Ray Hay. Prior to the live dates Culture Club, who sold millions of singles with songs such as Do You Really Want To Hurt …

Details.

Via the Guardian: Amnesty International has warned that a legal challenge is likely to the Northern Ireland assembly’s decision to block a gay marriage equality bill. A Sinn Féin motion to bring in gay marriage to Northern Ireland was defeated by 51 votes to 43. It was the third time in the past 18 months that Stormont has rejected same-sex …

TIME has a review: Lily Allen’s upcoming album, Sheezus, might poke fun at Kanye West, but on the recently premiered title track, she turns her attention to another crop of royals: Lorde, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga don’t just get name-checked on “Sheezus” — Allen’s search-engine-optimized opinions of her pop-star peers make up the song’s entire hook. At …

India’s Supreme Court announced today that it will reconsider its recent ruling which upheld anti-sodomy legislation enacted under British rule. J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed: This is LGBTI rights’ advocates last chance to toss out the decision, which was a harsh blow after a 12-year litigation process. In January, a two judge panel (which included one of the judges …

Rolling Stone reviews the first single from Coldplay’s coming album, which goes on sale next month: “Magic” is more of a return to form. Although the track leads with a bass-heavy, almost electronic-inflected groove – not unlike one of Radiohead’s moodier tracks – Martin’s voice makes it sound like vintage Coldplay. “Call it magic,” he sings. “Call it true. Call …

Britain’s Daily Mail tabloid reports that a street preacher has been awarded just over $20K in a lawsuit filed after he was arrested for telling two teenagers that they will burn in hell for being gay. John Craven, 57, recited from Revelation after two gay teenagers asked about his views on homosexuality. But after he read from chapter 21, verse …

Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales for only four days and already the BBC has published a trend piece on whether gay bars are destined to fade into history. (Spoiler alert: They aren’t.) The article opens by asking a couple of familiar questions. It’s a Saturday night in March, unusually mild for London, and Soho is thronging …

The paper’s Wiki says: Sunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out that it was not intended to …

“We’ve made that decision. Parliament made a decision to allow same sex marriage. We’ve done it and I, like all my colleagues across Government, have been involved in the process of making sure that the introduction of same sex marriage is smooth and effective. It’s now in place. The people who have been opposed to this, people who’ve had concerns …

Britain’s very gay-friendly Channel 4 yesterday broadcast the below interview with Scott Lively. The interviewer confronted Lively about his responsibility for Uganda’s brutal anti-gay crackdown: When I went on to point out that the President Obama is “wholeheartedly” against this legislation, Dr Lively chuckled and said: “I think Obama may as well be a homosexual himself. He is certainly a …

Conservative MP Mark Menzies resigned his position as a ministerial aide last night after a 19 year-old Brazilian male prostitute alleged that Menzies hired him for sex and asked him to procure drugs. Via the Independent: Menzies, 42, the MP for Fylde in Lancashire, resigned his position as the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the international development minister Alan Duncan, …

“The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are. It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality. It clearly says ‘you are equal’ whether straight …

Same-sex marriages have commenced in England and Wales! The law changed at midnight, with a number of gay couples vying to claim the title of being the first to be married in Britain by trying to time it perfectly so their vows are being said just seconds after the clock struck midnight. Among the first couples set to take advantage …