Tony Blair slams 'imbecilic' decision to pull out of Afghanistan and warns the UK faces diminished global role

After Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder recently got into a war of words with Nikki Sixx, a perhaps unexpected person has come to the defence of the latter’s band Mötley Crüe – Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard.It all began last month when Vedder said in an interview that he’d worked at a venue in the 1980s where hair metal bands like Mötley Crüe had played, and that he had always “despised” what he saw as a “vacuous” music scene.Sixx then hit back, saying that he was taking Vedder’s comments as a “kind of a compliment”, because Pearl Jam are “one of the most boring bands in history”. This prompted Pearl Jam to tweet a video of one of their audiences apparently having a whale of a time, with the caption “we love our bored fans”.But while Vedder was not, and is still not, a fan of Mötley Crüe in their heyday, it turns out that several of his bandmates were.In a new interview with Revolver’s Fan First podcast, Gossard says: “For sure, Jeff [Ament, bass] and Mike [McCready, guitar] and I loved hard rock, you know, like, [we] went through it all.

DEALSOlivia Rodrigo has reportedly signed a new management deal with Lighthouse Management + Media, having split from Camp Far West Management last month.———————————————-APPOINTMENTSUtopia Music has hired Steve Markland as Vice President for the company’s operations in Nashville. “I’m delighted to join Utopia on its mission towards ‘fair pay for every play’ and ultimately create new income streams for creators”, he says.Concord has announced ten promotions.

Courtney Taylor has always dreamed of having a baby and becoming a mother and, when she was married, tried for many months to conceive naturally.

Stirling is braced for snow on Friday as Storm Eunice is expected to hit Scotland.

Huge disruptions to travel across Scotland are likely today as Storm Dudley is set to arrive.

The music of one of Scotland’s top folk bands is helping unlock memories for Tayside’s dementia sufferers.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock has put on a sizzling display in a figure-hugging dress in a series of new snaps shared on her Instagram page. Little Mix star Leigh-Anne, 30, modelled the gorgeous tie-dye number as she posed for photos, which she posted on her Instagram on Tuesday 15 February. Mum-of-two Leigh-Anne, who recently enjoyed a family holiday to Jamaica, oozed glamour in the red-yellow and blue tie dye number.The dress had a plunging neckline and ruching in the middle of it.The asymmetric straps saw one placed over Leigh-Anne's shoulder as the other strap wrapped around her neck.

We’re sure we don’t need to tell you that the Kardashians and their sisters are famous for serving up iconic hairstyles day in, day out. In fact, we’re kind of surprised that momager Kris Jenner hasn’t brought out a coffee table book full of them yet (Kris, if you’re reading, we’d like a cut please.) The latest beauty look to catch our attention is a serve courtesy of eldest sibling Kourtney Kardashian, who has styled her long bob into a modern flicked out style with a heavy side part that feels very reminiscent of the style of the sixties.

Richard Madeley has cleared up his comments after he came under fire for a remark about Kier Starmer on ITV Good Morning Britain.

Alison Hammond has stunned This Morning viewers after revealing her age on the show.

Manchester United have been told they will continue to have problems with teams like Brighton until they address their glaring problem in midfield.

Thousands of PlayStation 5 orders may be at risk following the announcement that retailer Studio is to call in administrators.

There will be exhilarating entertainment for all when renowned international ballet star Carlos Acosta brings his world-class dance company The Lowry.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, 46, and Laila Rouass, 50, began dating in 2012 but have called it quits on their relationship.The Holby City actress took to Instagram to tell her followers the news.In view of her 31,100 followers, Laila took to her Instagram story this morning to announce the pair had parted ways.She penned: "After nearly ten years of love and memories, Ronnie & I have parted ways."Peace & love to you all."Laila X."

LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy along with Jonathan Galkin and Tim Goldsworthy, and they’ve since released records by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture and Hot Chip.Next month marks the 20th anniversary of DFA’s first releases – The Rapture’s ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ and The Juan MacLean’s ‘By The Time I Get To Venus’ – and the label is set to celebrate the milestone with a special event at the Knockdown Center in New York City on March 26.“Anniversaries, schmaniversaries, but given everything we’ve all collectively been through, this feels like a plausible excuse to throw a party. So that’s what we’re doing,” DFA said in a statement.It’s crazy, really.

Biffy Clyro have announced details of a new documentary called Cultural Sons Of Scotland, premiering on Amazon Prime Video next week (February 25).The new film is described as an “intimate documentary film showing the back-to-basics recording process they adopted to create their ninth studio album, ‘The Myth of the Happily Ever After’.“With unprecedented access to the band, the new feature length film takes viewers on the journey with Simon, Ben and James as they return to their home in Ayrshire to create their latest, critically acclaimed album in the most unusual of studio environments.”The synopsis adds: “The film explores how the experience of recording an album in Scotland for the first time prompted the band to reflect on the importance of where they’re from, how this has influenced their career to date and reinforced their lifelong bond as friends and bandmates.”Watch the first trailer for Biffy Clyro: Cultural Sons Of Scotland below.Speaking of the new film, which also traces Biffy Clyro’s 20-year history and sees them return to Glasgow for a massive 2021 show at Glasgow Green, frontman Simon Neil said: “In the same part of the world as I wrote my very first song is where we’re making this record, and there’s something really pure about that.”Drummer Ben Johnston added: “We don’t need all the bells and whistles for us to be fulfilled and happy, we just need the three of us to be making music together and have that vibe in a room – and that’s what keeps our hearts beating.”“Everyone should join a band…” bassist James Johnston said.

Futurama star John DiMaggio has said that he will only return for the show’s revival if the whole cast receives a pay rise.The voice actor, who plays chain-smoking robot Bender in the series, took to social media to explain his conditions to reprise his role.“I’ve been thinking about everything that’s been going on these past months and just to be clear, I don’t think that only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does,” DiMaggio wrote on Twitter yesterday (February 15).“Negotiations are a natural part of working in show business.

Madonna has revealed that the audition process is underway for her forthcoming film biopic.The singer and actor confirmed back in 2020 that she is co-directing and co-writing the forthcoming film, and later described the project as a “visual autobiography”.After announcing back in October that the script for the untitled biopic was “almost finished”, Madonna has now confirmed that auditions for the film are underway.Posting on Instagram overnight, the singer shared a clip of herself dancing to her track ‘Burning Up’, which was released in 1983.A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)“Auditions for my film are a surreal experience,” she wrote in the caption for the clip.

Future Islands have returned today (February 16) with a brand new track – listen to the groove-led ‘King Of Sweden’ below.The new song follows the standalone track ‘Peach’, which the band released last summer and was their first original track since their sixth album, ‘As Long As You Are’, came out in 2020.It’s not clear yet whether ‘King Of Sweden’ and ‘Peach’ are tasters of the band’s seventh studio album, which they confirmed in 2021 they had already started work on.For now, listen to ‘King Of Sweden’ below.Next week (February 21), Future Islands are set to head out on an extensive UK and European headline tour, their first since 2018.See the full list of dates, which include a show at London’s Alexandra Palace, below.FEBRUARY 202221 – Helsinki, The House Of Culture23 – Stockholm, Annexet24 – Oslo, Sentrum Scene26 – Copenhagen, VegaMARCH 20221 – Berlin, Columbiahalle2 – Warsaw, Palladium Warszawa4 – Munich, TonHalle5 – Zagreb, Tvornica Kulture6 – Milan, Fabrique8 – Barcelona, Razzmatazz9 – Madrid, La Riviera10 – Lisbon, Camp Pequeno12 – Nimes, La Paloma13 – Paris, Olympia15 – Utrecht, Ronda17 – Frankfurt, Batschkapp19 – Lille, Aeronef20 – Antwerp, De Roma21 – Cologne, E-Werk23 – Manchester, Academy25 – London, Alexandra Palace27 – Belfast, Ulster Hall28 – Dublin, Vicar Street31 – Newcastle, Northumbria SU InstituteAPRIL 20221 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall2 – Glasgow, O2 Academy Reviewing Future Islands’ new album ‘As Long As You Are’, NME wrote: “‘As Long As You Are’ maybe an unexpected handbrake turn for Future Islands and it may not be as hit-laden as its predecessor, but it’s a refreshing record in its own right and one that throws up plenty of existential quandaries.”

Prime Minister to phone Biden to extend the exit date as former PM Tony Blair said the UK had a “moral obligation” to stay on and complete the evacuation.

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