Congratulations to Pixies mainman Frank Black and his wife Violet, on the birth of a girl. She’s been called Lucy Berlin Thompson.

Norwegian prog metalheads Green Carnation are going to London.В This will be on August 24 at the Camden Underworld.

Jucifer, a duo from Athens, Georgia, have signed a deal with Relapse. The band – who’s influences take in Minor Threat, The Carpenters, Slayer, Jimi Hendrix and My Bloody Valentine – are to release an album in the Autumn. It’s to be called ‘At The Hands Of Our Intercessors’.

The re-united Lemonheads have signed to Vagrant. The band are to shortly start recording their new album with producer Bill Stevenson.

In Flames and Lauren Harris (daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris) are the latest acts confirmed for this year’s Download Festival, which happens from June 9-11 at Donington.

A new website has just been started to celebrate Slayer. Called www.nationaldayofslayer.org, it’s urging everyone to turn June 6, 2006 into ‘Slayer Day’, by listening to the band veryВ l-o-u-d-l-y wherever you may be.

Former Led Zeppelin pair Robert Plant and Jimmy Page at to get back together onstage for a performance at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. They play on June 30.

Norwegian trio Communic are to release a new album through Nuclear Blast on May 22. It’s called ‘Waves Of Visceral Decay’.

Tarja Turunen, the former Nightwish singer, is to release a Christmas album at the end of the year. The English title is ‘Breath From Heaven’, and this will be on the Universal label. Recording will happen during the Summer, with producer Esa Nieminen.

The Streets have announced that their next single will be Never Went To Church.The ballad will be the second single from Mike Skinner‘s third album The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living.The track sees Skinner confront the death of his dad, after a long battle with illness.Never Went To Church is due in shops […]