The Gaslight Anthem -- the New Jersey punk rock band who found international acclaim with their second album 'The '59 Sound' last year -- have revealed that a follow-up will be ready for release early this Summer.

Slated for release on Jun.15, the album will be called 'American Slang,' and is being recorded by previous album producer, ex-Flogging Molly producer Ted Hutt, at the Magic Shop studio in New York.

The band, led by Springsteen fave, Brian Fallon -- have also announced their first European and UK dates of 2010 -- after playing an impressive array of international festivals last year, including Hard Rock in London where Fallon duetted with The Boss.

Roadies and stage crew from around the world have voted U2's recent groundbreaking 360 Degree tour the best stage show around.

In an indirect and possibly unconscious homage to Spinal Tap, U2 used a giant "claw" stage to perform under, the tour being named live production of the year at the Total Production International Awards, the winners voted for by readers of the industry magazine of the same name.

TPI magazine editor-in-chief Mark Cunningham said of the claw, "It is a massive engineering feat - from scenery to video to audio with the biggest PA system to ever be seen on a tour.

"The four members of U2 are effectively the icing on the cake."

'Everybody Hurts'? Everybody buys, it seems.

The Simon Cowell-helmed charity cover version of R.E.M.'s 1993 single "Everybody Hurts" looks to have struck a chord with the British people, racking up an estimated 150,000 sales in its first two days of release.

Official midweek sales figures are released today, but it already appears likely that the star-studded collaboration will comfortably snag the top-spot on Sunday's chart. The Helping Haiti project includes contributions from Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Jon Bon Jovi (pictured) and Kylie Minogue plus a host of Cowell proteges like Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle and JLS, with proceeds going to help Haitians recover from January's devastating earthquake.

Artist: Ortolan
Song: 'Sticky Situation'
Album: 'Time on a String' [iTunes]
Sounds Like: Tilly and the Wall, Regina Spektor

Download: 'Sticky Situation' (MP3)

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Five years after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage that left him struggling to walk, talk, read and write, Edwyn Collins is releasing a new song.

'I'm Feeling Lucky' is the former Orange Juice singer's contribution to the 'Mavis' album, a compilation inspired by American R&B singer Mavis Staples.

"It's the first song after my stroke," Collins told BBC 6 Music, "it was difficult in a way but the lyrics are simple and direct. 'I'm Feeling Lucky' is about positive music, it's inspirational in a way.

"It's a good song. My son did the lead guitar solo. He's called William and is 19."

It's only the beginning of February yet the battle for last year's Christmas number one slot seems like such a distant memory. Well, it's soooo 2009, isn't it? Of course, the more razor-minded reader will recall Rage Against the Machine's convincing victory over the Simon Cowell-sponsored Joe McElderry (oh come now - you must remember Joe McElderry? 'X Factor' winner? Ring any bells now?) when 'Killing In The Name' stopped 'The Climb' doing just that.

At the height of the scrap, Rage Against the Machine promised to play a free gig if they secured first place and it now seems that the political rockers are every bit as good as their word.

The White Stripes are not happy with Uncle Sam this week. The object of their displeasure? An ad campaign for the United States' Air Force Reserve that launched during Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast. The 30-second advertisement uses what sounds like an instrumental re-recording of the White Stripes' famous hit, "Fell in Love With a Girl," set against video footage of extreme sports.

"The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support," reads a message on the White Stripes' home page. An exact copy of the statement also appears on the website of Third Man Records, the record label founded by the White Stripes' Jack White in 2001. You can view clips of both the original music video and the Air Force Reserve ad, back to back, at either website.