MORRISSEY has been confirmed to be playing this summer's Reading / Leeds Festivals. The former SMITHS singer will play the two shows over the weekend of August 27-29 at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Morrissey has also been confirmed as a mainstage act on this summer's forthcoming Lollapalooza tour in the USA alongside SONIC YOUTH and JANE'S ADDICTION frontman PERRY FARRELL who will be playing DJ sets.

T'PAU have announced that they will be on the bill for a 'Here & Now' tour performance on July 10th at Bolton's Reebok Stadium. T'Pau will be halfway on the bill but no other artists have been mentioned... GO WEST have also announced a 'Here & Now' show in Bournemouth on July 31st, and TOYAH has been talking about an eighties tour this year alongside former HAIRCUT 100 frontman NICK HEYWARD...

DEPECHE MODE's epic single 'Personal Jesus' has been covered by Marilyn Manson for inclusion on his forthcoming Greatest Hits collection. The track is also expected to be released as a single to precede the album which is scheduled for an Autumn release.

FIVE STAR are to release their 'lost album' 'Eclipse' this year featuring new tracks including the 2004 Shanghai Surprise remix of their classic hit 'System Addict'. The band are also planning to reissue their catalogue albums 'Five Star' and 'Shine' as well as a DVD of all their videos.

ERASURE singer ANDY BELL has revealed that he is currently working on a dance-based solo project in addition to working on the new studio album from Erasure...

IMAGINATION frontman LEEE JOHN is in the process of putting together a jazz album and has been working on around twenty jazz songs, a mixture of originals and standards. The album is tentatively scheduled for an Autumn release. In the meantime work is also taking place on an ultimate Imagination DVD featuring videos, archive footage, exlusive interviews, audio and live recordings. The DVD is also scheduled for later this year.

HUMAN LEAGUE, ABC and HEAVEN 17 are all featured on an extended DVD version of the recent documentary 'Made In Sheffield'. The DVD will be released on April 26th with launch parties at London's Gossips club (April 26th) and Sheffield's Electro City (April 27th).

SUZANNE VEGA, SISTER SLEDGE, KRAFTWERK and MORRISSEY are among artists rumoured to be appearing at this year's Glastonbury Festival. Festival organisers this week revealed that PAUL McCARTNEY will be among the headline acts, and more confirmations are expected shortly.

KIM WILDE, HUMAN LEAGUE, ABC, BELINDA CARLISLE and PAUL YOUNG are all on the 'Here & Now' bill at Bournemouth's Fitness First Stadium on July 31st. The acts will join GO WEST who announced their participation last week. The show will be the second 'Here & Now' outdoor show this summer, following a show at Bolton's Reebok Stadium on July 10th featuring ABC, HOWARD JONES, FIVE STAR, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT, TOYAH and T'PAU.

ALTERED IMAGES, TOYAH, NICK HEYWARD, and CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT will all be touring later this year on under the banner of the 'Best Of The 80's'. The twenty date UK tour will start in Kings Lynne on October 6th and finish in Buxton on October 31st.

HOWARD JONES will release a new single 'Just Look At You Now' on April 19th. The limited-edition single will appear on CD, available from Howard Jones' website, and 12" vinyl, available on the website and on general commercial release.

SAMANTHA FOX has been in the recording studio working on a new album. Progress on the currently untitled record has been good and Fox will shortly complete work on her vocals and start the production process. There is currently no release date set for the album.

ELVIS COSTELLO will release two very different albums at the same time later this year. The singer songwriter is currently working on a new rock album with his band The Imposters as well as an album of his composition 'Il Sogno' with the London Symphony Orchestra...

http://www.remembertheeighties.com

Those dismissing the self-titled Scissor Sisters as a product of New York's latest fad band are jumping to conclusions. Yes, there's a certain cabaret aspect to what they do, but that's not to dismiss them as frivolous nightclub entertainment. That's only half the story.

"Comfortably Numb" may have nodded to gay disco but this eclectic bunch of fashionistas have more interesting reference points tucked up their puff sleeves. If anything, the prevailing mood here is sunny AM rock, the kind of thing you might have tuned into in 70s New Jersey.

"Take Your Mamma Out", perhaps the first song about coming out to your mother in a gay club, and sung by Jake Shears like primetime Elton John, is a cracker.

So too "Tits on the Radio" slick barroom boogie that takes a venomous swipe at New York's increasing conservatism.

Best here, though, is the anthemic "It Can't Come Quickly Enough", a retro carve-up of Nik Kershaw and the Pet Shop Boys that's more powerful than it sounds.