News about Ivor Novello

Madness have revealed their first impressions of frontman Suggs after the singer auditioned for the band back in 1977.  Regaling stories from their 40-year career together in a new ITV docuseries, Before We Was We: Madness by Madness, the band's keyboardist Mike Barson revealed his first thought about Suggs was 'he's alright'.  Graham McPherson, who is best known by his nickname Suggs, joined the band in 1977 after he auditioned with See You Later Alligator. 

One of the Church of England's best-loved cathedrals is at the centre of a bullying row over its world-famous choir, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Winchester Cathedral (pictured, top right) is reeling from the controversy that has seen key figures leave, with Canon Precentor Andy Trenier (left) accused of a dictatorial management style. He is said to have berated the Director of Music Dr Andrew Lumsden in front of the boy choristers, and told singers they could leave if they didn't agree with his approach. Those targeted by his volcanic temper are said to have been left trembling.

Put off by London's ever-increasing rent prices and the cost of living in big cities, young families and those fresh out of university are opting to live in quieter, more rural towns across the UK. Margate in Kent is one of these places, with a high number of young people moving down from London to the pretty seaside town, locally referred to as 'DFLs'. Rebecca Onyett, 33, who moved to the town from London nine years ago and owns local shop Reo Jewels, said: 'Living in London, the rent prices just kept going up and I really wanted to have my own shop with the jewellery and it just seemed unfeasible, like it wasn't going to happen for a long time in London.

British singer-songwriter Raye will seek to continue her winning streak as her debut record is among those nominated for the Ivor Novello Awards' prestigious best album prize. Her chart-topping album My 21st Century Blues, which picked up the best album BRIT Award earlier this year, has been shortlisted alongside Irish singer CMAT's Crazymad, For Me; London jazz musician Yussef Dayes' Black Classical Music; Irish folk group Lankum's False Lankum and London-born musician Sampha's second album Lahai. Harry Styles , Fred Again, Jungle, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice are also among the artists who have received nominat

JAN MOIR (left): Jeremy King (left) is back where he belongs, sporting his latest restaurant (right), which also happens to be his old restaurant and, perhaps more importantly, was his first restaurant. From 1981 to 2000, the King of Arlington, Texas, operated it with his business partner Chris Corbin as Le Caprice. It was purchased by billionaire Richard Caring in 2005, who closed it three years ago due to the pandemic, but the name and plans to relaunch it in a London hotel were mischievous. However, it is no surprise that it was King Le Caprice's version that thrilled and delighted London. The opulent, the undeniably popular, and the indelibly royal became a favorite haunt in St James's under Corbin & King's direction.

According to a list published on the Cabinet Office website, British grime artist Wiley, real name Richard Cowie, has forfeited his MBE for 'bringing the honours system into disrepute.' Richard Cowie, the singer's real name, and who is often referred to as the "godfather of grime," has been honoured for his contributions to music in 2017. After the honour was made public, he expressed his approval on social media, writing "Big up the Queen." However, he was banned from Twitter in July 2020 after spending hours on a long rant that included many anti-Semitic messages addressing the 'power' of Jewish people.

Morrissey ripped off his jacket in Sydney on Tuesday night as he gave an energetic performance. As he performed to adoring audiences, the 64-year-old pop star, full name Steven Patrick Morrissey, let loose as he stripped off while on stage. The singer is currently on his '40 Years of Morrissey' tour, rising to fame as the frontman for the '80s rockers The Smiths.

Sting performed at Mediolanum Forum of Assago in Milan on Monday, showing his ageless beauty. The former police frontman, 72, wowed the audience by his energetic appearance on stage, rocking his guitar. On his My Songs tour, which began in 2021 and will conclude this year, the singer appeared in his element, but in 2024, it will be followed by further dates.

On Monday, legendary British entertainer Morrissey came to a halt in Melbourne to inform fans of his new Australian tour. According to the Herald Sun, the 64-year-old pop star wrangled on stage, informing fans of how sorry he was after having to cancel a sold out show in Perth. Morrissey, a well-known celebrity, appeared to slam the Perth Concert Hall for the way they promoted the cancelled performance on their website at one point during a between song rant.

On Wednesday night, Madness debuted an electric performance at Camden's KOKO to support their latest album, Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie. Having not appeared at the venue since Madness's Invaders and KOKOKOKO was The Music Machine, just 1,400 people were able to watch them perform songs from the new album, as well as some of their old favorites for the first time. Although fans were raving over the latest music, one heckler couldn't wait to hear some of their old stuff and started calling out the names of his favorite songs.

In recent social media photos, two siblings who formed a pop band in the 1990s look unrecognizable - 27 years after their album crept into the top charts. They had hits like I Am, I Feel, and Indestructible, and although one was notably a redhead and the other a blonde, their hair colors were still matching. That's correct, they're Shelly, 51, and Karen Poole, 52, who formed the 90s band Alisha's Attic.

The production of 1944: Home Fires was supposed to begin in Wormwood Scrubs Prison (pictured right), but it was cancelled with just four days' notice, leaving furious organisers 'devastated'. In a post on Instagram (left), the show's producer said the decision to pull the plug on the opera, which had been in the works for two months, was because of prison Service bosses' apprehensions that could result in negative press coverage. The opera, which is scheduled to take place in London later this week, is based on the time when singer, actor, and composer Ivor Novello (inset top right) was arrested in 1944. Novello, one of the twentieth century's most popular entertainers, was gay and jailed for misusing petrol coupons. The stage play, directed by Homo Promos, shows Novello sharing a cell with violent gangster Fraser Fraser (inset bottom right), who spent 42 years in prison for offences including bank robbery. He is believed to have been in Wormwood Scrubs at the same time as Novello.

One BBC Award, two BET Awards, three BRIT Awards, and of course the coveted Ivor Novello have all been lauded among the numerous accolades he has received since coming from the British grime scene less than a decade ago. However, as Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Owuo Jr., the man most well-known as Stormzy, prepares for his 30th birthday this July, he insists the best - both musically and spiritually - has yet to come. In fact, the London-based rapper is back in the studio for his fourth album, just six months after he debuted his third - the critically revered and commercially lucrative This Is What I Mean.

EXCLUSIVE: Morrissey, 63, who had a string of hits in the 80s as frontman with British band The Smiths, was trapped in chaos after bad weather temporarily closed Dublin airport on Monday night. Severe thunderstorms caused his flight from London Heathrow to Shannon on the west coast of Ireland, where it sat on the tarmac for almost two hours before the weather cleared. However, witnesses on the tarmac demanded to speak with the captain and asked to be 'let off' the Airbus A320 as he didn't want to be lingering about in [a] coffin" for hours. "I didn't know it was Morrissey at first until someone told me and then I recognsied him," one eyewitness said. He was stuggish handclapping the pilot and the crew and crew, and he was obviously disrespectful to them all. He seemed to be inebriated and was on the front of business class, and was constantly looking for gin and tonics.'

CRAIG BROWN: When I was browsing old photographs of Sir Noel Coward, who died 50 years ago next Sunday, something struck me. His cigarette holder! In virtually every photograph, it was a symbol of luxury that had long ago. The cigarette holder has turned into a relic from bygone days, a reminder of what has been and gone, like Tipp-Ex, floppy disks, alcopops, skiffle, and Yellow Pages. I would guess that, nowadays, if you showed one to someone under the age of 30, they might mistake it for a pen or a tiny fishing rod. With a cigarette holder, Coward became the first celebrity to be photographed on a regular basis. Princess Margaret used to brandish one, almost as a weapon, but she was more suspicious of being photographed with it: even then, smoking in public was considered bad form.

The streets of Cardiff rang with the song after Welsh rugby bosses announced a ban on the Tom Jones masterpiece because its lyrics glorifies domestic violence. The opportunistic murder by a man who waits until his ex-partner's divorce leaves her house before deciding on his move - stabbing his unfaitful spouse. The tune was traditionally performed by a male voice choir before matches at the Principality Stadium, but the event was scrapped from the playlist ahead of today's Six Nations match.

History is playing out before our eyes, which is why this very recent book on Ukraine's struggle against Putin's Russia ranks at the top of my History list. It's also because the past, according to this personal account of one of Ukraine's top intellectuals, has a huge influence on what's going on today. This is a clash of cultures - individualism and independence versus meek conformity to whatever Kremlin dictates - that's been a long time in the making.