Michael Jackson, from his initial rise to the public spotlight since the days of the Jackson Five has been the focal point of some interesting and often quite crazy stories; now even in his death the strange and bizarre stories are still coming.

Whilst the latest Jackson gossip does not quite match previous stories such as pet monkeys called Bubbles, bones of the elephant man, oxygen tanks and fairground rides it is, as you would expect, very peculiar.

Apparently a reliable news source has recently reported that the online casino and gambling company; OnlineGamblingPal.com has just purchased some of Michael Jackson’s hair as they have decided they would like to make a roulette ball out of it!

The gambling website decided to purchase a small portion of the late singer’s hair from the memorabilia website know as ‘Gotta Have Rock & Roll’. The hair which was on sale had originally been found in New York at the Carlyle Hotel following a short stay at the hotel by the singer. The locket of hair was sold for a staggering 10,871 USD.

A statement was realised by the online gambling giants OnlineGamblingPal.com which described their unusual purchase as the most uniquely appropriate method of immortalising a part of the amazing entertainer.

The roulette ball which is to be made from the singer’s hair is to be made to the high professional standards required to make it eligible for professional use within any officially licensed casino.

Robert Raven wishes the gaming company plenty of luck with what they would surely hope will bring them maximum publicity, attracting fans of the late singer. Well after spending over $10K on a piece of hair the company are surely counting on this purchase to ‘pull in’ a significant amount of new customers.

Robert Raven today reports that finally proof has been released that the Stone Roses tour will not simply be reworked hits from the Madchester era but the band have not just been planning to go back into the recording studio to record newly written material but the opportunity for them to do so is now realised.

I have an exciting and trusted news source who confirms that the Stone Roses have just signed to the mighty record label Universal not just in the United Kingdom but also for the entire USA with the Columbia record label. In fact, this is the biggest record deal that the band could well have ever seen – it is simply one hell of a massive record contract with huge, established record labels.

The days of signing huge record contracts like the one that the Stone Roses have just signed had (most would of thought) long gone given these difficult modern times and economies. Given the smaller budgets and nature of today’s cynical music market the fact that a Manchester band from the 90’s has managed to scoop such a huge contract is a very big deal and shows how confident the market and label are in the band’s forthcoming tour and new recordings.

Robert Raven will be going to at least one of next year’s forthcoming music festivals to see the Stone Roses perform once again (with my good ole music buddy Dave) and to hear their newly written tunes live. My trusted news source also tells me that the band have already been in the studio recording demos for their new songs.

Robert Raven will be heading down to the Ritz in Manchester city centre (just off Oxford Road), in time for the 18.30 opening of The Ritz doors.

Manchester’s famous student haunt of nearly two decades is welcoming the most splendiduous of Indie bands that has emerged from the Indie Scene in 2010.
Having released their ‘Summertime’ album during the middle of 2010 (June), The Drums caught the attention of the indie world when this EP was initially released; the album proved to be an indie collection of golden nuggets in ‘beach loving’ fantasy melodies for any true indie escapist.

The Summertime EP preceded what was The Drums’ self titled debut album. Since 2010 the band’s ‘The Drums’ EP has claimed over 200,000 global sales. The Drums now truly reflect their world appeal having already toured; Chile, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, Brazil, Europe and a huge 6 week tour in the United States ending in the United Kingdom and two quickly sold out gigs at The HMV Forum.

The Drums are set to play The Ritz, Manchester this Saturday and Robert Raven has a ticket (so does Dave) so watch out for the gig review from Robert Raven.

The announcement has just been made that our very own Stone Roses will be the first band to headline next year’s 2012 annual Oslo extraviganza an outside music festival which proves hugely popular each year known as the Øya Festival.

Next year Norway’s Øya Festival is set to take place in the country’s capital city which holds the famous Middelalderparken and the festival is to cover five days from 7th August to 11th Augtust inclusive.

Stone Roses have also confirmed that they are playing a number of other big venue festival slots next year i and around Europe and much further afield.

The Manchester band have also confirmed they will be playing slots at the famous UK Festival ‘T’ In The Park which takes place in Scotland every year and they are also said to be playing Spain’s Benicassim.
Other foreign music festivals include The Hultsfred Festival in Sweden and Denmark’s NorthSide along with the immense Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. Ontop of this the Stone Roses are going to be playing three major UK homecoming events
all in their hometown of Manchester within Heaton Park, the gigs are to take place on 29th and 30th June and 1st July 2012.

Following my hints on recent blog posts, after a brief review of our very own (ex I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here), Manchester born and breed Mr Shaun Ryder.

Following Shaun’s most excellent gig a few weeks ago in November 2011 it is now more than a rumour that the Happy Mondays are considering a full band reform with the original line up from Madchester’s Hacienda days.

The latter end of 2011 has proven to be a very popular time for 90’s bands to reform, having just seen The Stone Roses announce their reform with the groups original line up and subsequently ‘sell out’ in minutes on all tour dates announced.

As with The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays are also set to tour again in 2012 and this time they are taking the cameras with them to catch every moment backstage with a view to releasing a film documentary once they complete their live dates.

As with The Stone Roses, many will take the news of Happy Mondays getting back together as exciting (especially those born and bred in Manchester). In the original band’s line up Shaun’s brother Paul Ryder will be working with him again also.

There is no doubt that as soon as tour dates are announced there will be an equally mad frenzy in the scramble for tickets; I only hope they announce more dates to play Manchester because I know of many disappointed Stone Roses fans who didn’t manage to get hold of tickets for their gig.

During the final week of November 2011 both John Squire and Stone Roses’ writer and lead singer Ian Brown decided to collaborate for a spectacular debut for one night only at The Ritz nightclub in Central Manchester. Some of the singles which were played were classics and included; Bankrobber (along with Mick Jones) forming a key part of the Justice Tonight Tour. The first track to be played upon taking the stage was Elizabeth My Dear a Stone Roses’ classic song following which they were joined by Pete Wylie and Mick Jones ‘ who make up the band ‘The Farm’ for a stunning rendition of both Bankrobber and then Armageddon Time; powerful stuff!

The Ian Brown and John Squire tour also features tracks and sets from none other than Pete Wylie, The Farm and Mick Jones his band mate who played great covers of some of The Clash’s better known songs.

The tour dates which have already been announced cover other major UK cities; they have already played Sheffield and London and during the first week of December 2011 they are set to play a couple dates in Glasgow and Liverpool. Rumour is that there are more special guests to be added to the tour dates.
The money raised from tickets sales is going to the Charity for Justice in aid of those who perished at Hillsborough in 1996 and towards the petition ‘Don’t Buy the Sun’ newspaper.

Did this Robert Raven promise you that John Lydon would soon have a name for his latest Public Image album or not….? He has just announced the album is to be called ‘This Is Pil’.

As seems to be the favoured tradition for these abrupt and short album titles some may consider it to be the ideal moniker for Public Image Limited’s first album release since back in 1992 when they recorded the album ‘That What Is Not’

Lydon informed BBC 6 music calling the album ; This is PiL’ due to the energy, effort and sheer work that went into making the album.

The new album is to be a 12 track release which is due for hitting the commercial music market in the spring of 2012 and there have been some rumours it could be released as early as January 2012. Once the album hits the market Public Image Limited have planned subsequent European and UK

Well this Robert Raven has decided he is going to attend one of these gigs after the announcement from the Buzzcocks and Howard Devoto that they are set to play two special concerts in 2012.

Buzzcocks have unveiled their plan for next year which is set to include the current band’s line up firstly and then the latter half of the gig is to be played by the band’s ‘classic’ line (those who played on the ‘Love Bites’ album) together with Howard Devoto who is set to join the band for ‘Spiral Scratch’.

The two 2012 gigs are on the following dates in the following places:

Apollo, Manchester – May 25th 2012
Brixton Academy, Brixton – May 26th 2012

Tickets are soon to be made available.

Buzzcocks’ original line-up was one of the most influential and key group of musicians in punk. The original line-up realised only one EP and played merely eleven gigs, however, their influence and relevance with regard to punk is simply massive!
Some might argue that Buzzcocks invented the punk rock DIY particularly given that they put on two of the most legendary Sex Pistols concerts seen in the summer of 1976 in the city of Manchester.

Tickets for a special charity gig in Manchester ‘Magic in the Air’ for the evening of Monday 28th November are still available to purchase for £19.50 from Manchester Comedy Store and booking agent.

Not only have Badly Drawn Boy come together for this special and intimate ‘fun raising’ gig but so do ‘I Am Kloot’ and the band ‘Everything Everything’ and the evening is to be hosted by comedian and compare Justin Moorhouse.

The charity evening has been named ‘Magic In The Air’ following the hit record from band ‘Badly Drawn Boy ‘and can be found here:

Tonight’s special charity gig is for ‘Billie Butterfly’ which is a charity that has been set up to help with the funding for special treatment for 4 year old Billie Bainbridge, a brave little girl suffering from brain stem cancer which has been deemed inoperable.

Whilst no conventional treatment or cure exists for little Billie’s condition she is to receive pioneering new treatment in the USA, (treatment which her parents are hoping is going to help extend her life) although this comes in at over a staggering £200,000.

All monies raised will go directly toward the funding of Billie Butterfly’s treatment and once her treatment cost has been covered any additional funds raised will be going towards the cost of research for this specific and rather devastating brain cancer.

The Sex Pistol’s make it into the news again during November 2011 after some of their old graffiti drawings produced by none other than Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) dating back to 1977 was found gracing a wall of a London flat where he once lived in the 70’s. As the graffiti that has been found was from the days of the Sex Pistols music revolution marking the start of the punk rock era in the UK it has been given the same respect from archaeologists as prehistoric cave art claim scientists.

Johnny Rotten’s 1977 drawings are mainly hand drawn cartoons of each member of the band along with their manager Malcolm McLaren. The Sex Pistols’ cartoons were found in November when a planning council decided to refurbish the block of flats on Denmark Street and change the building into an office block.

When the drawings were found it was decided that they are of such significance and importance that it was essential they should be preserved (and particularly as a reference point for future generations). The building has now been adorned with a blue plaque which sits on the external entrance explained John Schofield and Paul Graves-Brown (archaeologists at York University).

The drawings range considerably but the most significant shows the Sex Pistol’s manager McLaren with a wedge of bank notes clutched to his chest and another drawing depicts spiky haired Johnny Rotten showing his famous rotten teeth.