Wish I was there...

Two of my favourite acoustic folk people Damien Rice and Australia's Julia Stone (from Angus and Julia Stone) singing You're The One That I Want, yes the classic from Grease, a 1978 masterpiece. All happened at Latitude festival last weekend. Lovely!

And the nominees are...

This year's Mercury nominees are out. Who will it be to scoop the much lauded music prize?

Biffy Clyro

Corinne Bailey Rae

Foals

I Am Kloot

Laura Marling

Dizzee Rascal

Villagers

Paul Weller

Kit Downes Trio

Mumford & Sons

Wild Beasts

The xx

I reckon The XX will be like last year's Horrors, the band everyone puts their money on but who don't win the race at the end of the day. Still, saying that it's probably worth a few bob at the bookies (Just in case!). Foals, Laura Marling, Wild Beasts and Mumford and Sons have all produced excellent albums in the past year and could be well in with a chance. Then I Am Kloot have been around for ages and in the same vein of Elbow's 2008 win deserve some recognition. Dizzee Rascal - really?! I get that the Mercury Prize celebrates the album of the year but surely even though he's a grime-pop king, he's way mainstream for it now. It would be a bit like Kings of Leon getting it for their Sex on Fire (Only By The Night) effort. Bonkers! Just an opinion though. I'd certainly like to see Foals or Laura Marling win as Total Life Forever and I Speak Because I Can have been on repeat on my stereo.

Oh no! Poor Pink

I'm not gonna lie. I have a bit of a penchant for Pink. Even watched a documentary about her recently, charting a turbulent past with hubby biker dude. It was insightful and made me love her even more. Say what you will about her, she's ballsy enough to get fired over the crowd on a zip wire at the very least. Nice! But here's what happened when it went tits up....

DOH! But she got up and went on with the show didn't she. GO PINK!

A Flaming collaboration - Yeah!

In Zagreb at the T-Mobile INmusic festival Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne told me he's been badgering Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O for a special collaboration.

Plus there's an even bigger name he'd like to work with too. Ruuuuuude.

Hear all in my 6 Music package below:

BIG CHOOON

Massive Attack's next

Massive Attack have confirmed they are planning the Heligoland follow-up, kinda big news as that record took 7 years to hit shelves after the previous one.

They are playing all across the world this summer but only stopping at one UK festival - the Big Chill in August.

Then they are studio bound to get working on their sixth album.

Check this - it's Daddy G and 3D:

Morning Benders showcase

The Morning Benders are an indie quartet from Berkeley, California.

They released their second album Big Echo last month in the UK, and have fast become one of the 2010 'buzz' bands.

The record was co-produced by Chris Taylor of experimental rock band Grizzly Bear and I caught up with their main man Chris Chu before their sold out show at Camden's Barfly earlier this month.

Hear the full report:

Arcade Fire me up

The Canadian band showcased new material at one-off UK gig at the Hackney Empire on Wednesday. It was monstrous, monumental, ridiculously amazing and wonderful. 2,000 people in a tiny theatre. That close to Win and Regine. No words. Their new songs are fab too. Epic building songs - the sort that Arcade Fire do proper like!

Listen to my package of the night's events here:

James Murphy's future moves

We've known for a while now LCD Soundsystem headed up by DFA records man James Murphy will be disbanding after this current tour.

Recently they've been doing the rounds at Glastonbury and the O2 Wireless festival in London but are now in Australia where their tour continues.

I caught up with the man himself when he was in the UK and he gave me the full low down on what the future holds for New York's influential music mastermind:

Unkle and Nick Cave go 'glam rock'

One of my 6 Music work chums Adrian Larkin got the scoop on the Unkle and Nick Cave collaboration so when I caught up with them at Wireless thought it was only right that I squeeze out some more info from them about it all.

Sounds very exciting.

Watch Unkle chatting about it in this video:

Wireless coverage

In it's sixth year Wireless Festival took over London's Hyde Park at the weekend.

While the first day, Friday 2 July, saw Pink headline with support from the likes of Gossip and The Ting Tings, Sunday 4 July played host to Jay Z, Lily Allen and Friendly Fires.

LCD Soundystem, 2ManyDJs, DJ Shadow, Unkle, New Young Pony Club, The Big Pink, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott all took over the festival on Saturday.

It was an absolute scorcher and me and my chum George had some serious fun interviewing and later soaking up some beats.

Check out my audio and video round-up (the latter was kindly and lovingly filmed and edited by Mr Belfield):