Excellent Online

A bit of a cheery update on the future of the HAPPY MONDAYS. As we reported yesterday, the band's set at last weekend's Glastonbury Festival was a bit tumultuous, and ended with frontman Shaun Ryder storming off-stage not once, but twice. Many news reports came out yesterday claiming that the recently reformed band was about to split due to internal strife. Well, Excellent Online can officially reveal that this is NOT the case.

A few tidbits from this weekend's Glastonbury Festival: Excellent Online's scouts in the crowd tell us that the HAPPY MONDAYS set this weekend descended into chaos. Early interviews with Bez showed the less-than-straight vibes-man staggering around and slurring words.

OASIS are readying a live album to be released sometime early next year, according to a report on NME. The album is being culled from the band's brief American tour earlier this year. There's still been no official announcement as to the band's future, following the row between Liam and Noel Gallagher that sent big brother Noel off the tour and to his Ibiza hideaway. Noel claimed in interviews last week that he was readying a solo album; Liam, still on the road with the rest of the band, says that if Noel continues with the solo record, Oasis will be no more.

A sad story makes it way around the Net today. Tough times indeed for former MARION frontman JAIME HARDING, who, according to a press clipping from the Macclesfield Express that's been circulating about the Net, was arrested in his car earlier this month and charged with heroin possession. Also implicated was the singer's girlfriend, Dawn Brocklehurst. The singer has never denied drug problems in the past, and it's been long rumoured that Harding's habit was the real reason behind the band's breakup last year.

COURTNEY LOVE is doing what she does best today: making people put her name in boldface in news stories. Courtney's taken to the pages of Salon Magazine to make her points about Napster known to the world. In a (somewhat disjointed) letter, Hole takes the side of Metallica's Lars Ulrich in stating that she'll also file a lawsuit if her songs have been misappropriated; however, she goes on to support free music swapping and file sharing on Napster, as long as the labels don't see any cash from the mp3-swapping utilities.

THE BETA BAND are set to begin work on their sophomore album this September. In an interview with NME, Beta frontman Steve Mason reveals that the group were on the verge of splitting following the horrid reception of their first full-length record last year. The new album is said to be full of shorter, more concise tracks. The band recently found US acclaim after being featured in John Cusack's movie adaptation of Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity."

SHED SEVEN have signed a new record deal, following their departure from Polydor Records last year. The band will now be releasing all material through Artful Records, best known for their work with The Fall and The Clint Boon Experience. The band are expected to enter the studio next month to begin work on the next album, expected in early 2001.

     Alright, listen up: if you ever form a band, if you ever break out and go solo, if you ever find yourself singing in a public place, if you ever find yourself on a stage doing whatever amazing thing that you possibly can do in front of an audience...never, ever come back and do a "why, thank you" encore unless -- and this is critical -- the audience actually asks for it. Idiot.

In true old school fashion, Shaun Ryder told the NME today that there will be no further HAPPY MONDAYS releases, citing his hatred for the rest of the band. The reformed Mondays, who co-headline next weekend's Glastonbury Festival, were previously thought to be working on an album of all-new material, but according to Ryder, this is not to be.

A little bit of finality to the IAN BROWN saga. Interscope Records' web site still shows him belonging to their roster, but the US tour is officially off, with the exception of TWO dates: New York (rescheduled to June 25th) and Los Angeles (still on June 29th.) Though Interscope still has him listed as a signed artist, whenever a label pulls tour support like this, it's a baaaaaad sign.