Attention Ri-army! We have yet another exclusive video for you on our Nokia Rihanna dedicated page. Click the image to watch your girl and her crew as they practice to bring this world class performance to those of you lucky enough to be attending the spectacle that is The Last Girl On Earth Tour.

When you’re there, be sure to grab and share the Rihanna Widget so you and your friends can keep up to date with news, photos and even more exclusive videos throughout the world tour. If you’re on Twitter, remember to include the #RihannaTour hashtag for your tweets to show up on the Tour Tracker and if you have a compatible Nokia phone, don’t forget to snag your free Rihanna app for all the exclusives on the go.

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

It came as a lovely surprise a couple days earlier to learn that I had a ticket to see Mystery Jets at Somerset House. Though never exploring the band before, having heard praise of their live performance and finally getting the opportunity to experience a gig at Somerset House on a beautiful summer’s evening was enough to make one’s self rather up for the occasion.

Due to the ease of stage/bar/bathroom access, there was no chore in finding a comfortable, uncrowded space to stand between the headliner set and that of the surprisingly delightful Kiwi-born-London-based 4 piece Connan & The Mockasins who played support with their erratic-trippy-surf-rock and songs about “Forever Dolphin Love”. Apparently now going by the name of Connan Mockasin, they’re worth further exploration and come highly recommended.

Now, once again a lack of intimate knowledge of Mystery Jets’ music means I’m unable to dissect the track list, but a grand entrance to the ringing of air raid sirens, the aforementioned beautiful summer’s evening, and big tunes that entice the ear even upon first listen, made for a magical gig experience and a bit of self-reprimanding for not exploring them sooner!

Mystery Jets are available to download from the Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you have Comes With Music, they’re all free!

With Glastonbury I had intentions of blogging about the days performances at the end of every night or between sets. But lets face it, the place is massive, the heat this year was unbearable, and there’s a million things to see and do. So by now I’m sure you’ve all read some really negative reviews about the highly anticipated Gorillaz set, but allow me to tell you what I think…

Sure, the performances weren’t perfect. A couple of times Damon Albarn must have thought there was another measure before he had to start singing, On Melancholy Hill was poorly placed as the third song in the set, Snoop Dogg not performing his part on Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach when he was actually at the festival, and words like “Breaking the cardinal rule of headlining” with regards to them not playing a hit heavy set.

To those of you who think Gorillaz’ setlist was the wrong way to go, I say it’s all of you who need to open you’re eyes to what Glastonbury is really all about. Water Aid, Greenpeace, Plastic Beach… are you beginning to see a theme yet? If it isn’t blatantly obvious that Plastic Beach’s is one of environmental concern and had a necessary message for festival goers, then think about all the scattered plastic bottles and then think about Albarn’s futile attempt at trying to get the crowd to sing the single repeated stanza from Pirate Jet.

Regardless of the performance shortcomings like Mark E Smith having to read his lines on what didn’t sound anything like Glitter Freeze, at the very least Kano and Bashy on White Flag, and Little Dragon on Empire Ants and the beautifully dueted To Binge were enough to make it one to remember… but most seem to have missed the boat to Plastic Beach.

Sigh!

Flickr Set

Gorillaz are available to download now from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

After some crowd commotion I stand to see Michael Eavis take the mic to introduce “two superstars”. Unable to make out who the solitary figure on the stage is, I’m asked by the nearest person if I can see. I promptly take a peek through my 100-400 lens and am utterly gobsmacked to realise it’s none other than Thom Yorke, which immediately prompts the question “Who’s the other superstar?”

After an introductory lap with no sign of the second artist, Yorke takes his place at an upright piano for the title track from his solo debut The Eraser. With a Digital Delay Pedal at foot Yorke then takes the Bass and catches a loop, then takes up the keys for a compositely rich Harrowdown Hill.

After Black Swan the question is answered as Jonny Greenwood joins Yorke for Cymbal Rush, the last of the Thom Yorke solo material before indulging in a stripped down Radiohead set featuring Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Pyramid Song… But the real magic happens with Karma Police when it gets the loudest singalong of the set.

With Karma Police finished, Yorke and Greenwood experience technical difficultly and begin discussing something among themselves. Silence washes over the crowd for what seems like an eternity and it’s at this point the crowd takes control of the situation and begins to reprise the Karma Police climax. It’s not long before the issue is resolved and Yorke returns to the mic to play the song out again for what is without a doubt the single most magically moment of Glastonbury’s 40th.

They appropriately close the set with Street Spirit (Fade Out) and the tiny speckled goose bumps shine through the sun tortured red skin on my arms like stars in the night.

Flickr Set

Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke are available to download now from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

Failing to catch the end of Snoop’s set after choosing to watch Kele instead, I reach the Pyramid Stage about half way through Vampire Weekend.

They’re a band I liked the minute I heard the cross stick snare work in the intro to Mansard Roof back in 2007, but they’re also one of those bands I never took the chance to completely explore… But by some twist of fate I’m lucky enough to get there just in time to catch the songs I know, beginning with A-Punk.

Still orbiting the crowd perimeter and heading to the location that would become my staple photographing position for the remainder of the weekend, frontman Ezra Koenig shrieks a piercing “Blakes got a new face” revealing an impressive vocal ability. Apparently dissatisfied with the response, the shriek goes out again and this time the audience is far more receptive, and as I bare ever closer to the stage right barrier I’m moved by the scores of festival goers glee.

Finally in position, I snap a couple shots through the beat heavy Giving Up The Gun and Campus, then take a little deserved time out for a sing along to Oxford Comma, Horchata and Mansard Roof. It’s around this time Ezra takes a bit of time to thank the audience for giving “a couple knuckleheads” that “forget to even bring wellies the last time” for being so supportive, and then close with Walcott.

With careful consideration, I exit the Pyramid Arena to go around the back of the Other stage and head down to the Park Stage for the 20:30 TBA slot…

Flickr Set

Vampire Weekend albums are available to download from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

The trouble with Glastonbury is having to make choices. It’s not something I’m hugely fond of in everyday life, never mind when it comes to choosing who’s set to watch… and so it all comes down to logistics.

Having suffered from near heat exhaustion the day before with 5 treks between my tent on the western perimeter and the parking area way beyond the eastern perimeter, my choice becomes obvious as the John Peel tent entices me with it’s offering of sanctuary from the blazing sun, and a chance to see Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke’s solo incarnation.

Now Kele (his solo moniker) has been accused of being a miserable individual in the past, not something that I’ve ever observed, but this has been the general perception of him none the less. Touching down just in time for the start of the set, my eyes adjust from the glare outside to see a spritely Kele take to the stage with his debut solo album opener Walk Tall and it becomes immediately obvious that any of the aforementioned perceptions are either circumstantial, or just plain misperception. Kele’s in a good headspace!

Keeping close to The Boxer’s track order, playing On The Lam, The Other Side and Everything You Wanted sequentially, saving debut solo single Tenderoni until after a Bloc Party medley featuring a dance rendition of Blue Light, The Prayer and the ominously suggestive One More Chance – With consideration to the fact that moments before, Kele makes the bothersome statement “For those of you who don’t know, I used to be in a band”, suggesting that Bloc Party are officially no more!

Following 2 more tracks from The Boxer, we’re treated to the Euro-Techno stomper Flux as the set closer, elevating my mood in combination with my first proper Glasto set of 2010, and a moderately successful test shoot with the obscene lens I hired for the weekend.

Flicker Set

Kele – The Boxer and Bloc Party are both available to download now from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

A new addition to the Nokia XSeries family comes today with the announcement of the new Nokia X5. Colourfully expressive, musically charged and built with ease of use in mind for social networking & messaging on the move. In a world gone mad for touchscreen phones, the Nokia X5 thinks outside the box and offers a full sliding QWERTY keyboard for those who desire traditional keypads, as well as unique design without compromising on social networking features – Be there, be square!

Social features?

Access to Social Networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Hi5 and Myspace are all covered, all your favourite IM accounts supported, and the ability to log in to multiple email accounts makes it fun and easy to stay connected on the move.

As part of the ongoing XSeries standard, your favourite contacts can be accessed from the home screen, and now includes the new Message Box feature – Just shake the phone to reveal the number of unread messages!

Tell me about the music!

Excellent sound quality? – Check!

Loud speakers? – Check!

Easy access to the device’s music collection? – Check!

Space for all my music? – 2GB memory card for up to 1000 tracks. Upgradable to 32GB

What about special features? – Of course!… Spin your X5 during music playback to select a track at random with the new ‘Surprise Me” application (Your head should be filling up with party game ideas right about now!) and ‘Dance Fabulous’ which lets you use your own music on the device to play the game and create dance moves.

The Nokia X5 will also be available in a ‘Comes With Music’ edition in selected markets – TBA

That’s great, but what about self expression?

We all know that in the decade of the twenty-teens it’s all about the bold and the overstated, and so the Nokia x5 will be available in Pink, Azure, Graphite Black, Yellow Green, and Purple with an estimated retail price of €165 before taxes and subsidies.

For more details check out the Nokia X5 Data Sheet

The Nokia X5 is available soon in the Southeast Asian Peninsula, Eurasia and Latin America

Remember when Rihanna rocked the London O2 Arena on her Last Girl On Earth Tour a couple weeks back?… Well we managed to get a camera crew backstage to hang with your girl Ri and her crew. Check out our exclusive 3 minute documentary here. We also have loads more exclusive footage from the European leg of the tour coming your way, so don’t be a stranger and check back soon!

Download the free Ovi exclusive Rihanna Tour App and be the first to know all the Rihanna news. Get more video exclusives, music and chat with other Ri fans by getting the Rihanna Tour App now!

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

More research into the listening habits of Nokia Ovi Music Store users again, but this time of a more generic nature.

With availability in 36 countries, Ovi Music is in a unique position to observe global music trends. An interesting yet unsurprising result shows that pop powerhouse Lady Gaga’s first Fame Monster single Bad Romance is on course to becoming the most popular single of the year, with the track spending an average of 7 weeks at No.1 in 13 countries including Russia, Brazil and Italy.

With 2 songs making it into the Top 10 list for most downloads between the 1st January and the 15th May 2010, Lady G “has been widely recognized as a critical factor in the rise in digital music sales since 2009, and has helped push the recorded music market into growth for the first time in 6 years” according to music revenue figures from music industry body the British Phonographic Institute (BPI).

Global Top 10 Downloads In 2010 According to Ovi Music

1. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
2. Ke$ha – TiK ToK
3. Rihanna – Rude Boy
4. The Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
5. Iyaz – Replay
6. Owl City – Fireflies
7. The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway
8. Lady Gaga – Telephone
9. Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind (Jay-Z + Alicia Keys)
10. Rihanna – Russian Roulette

Just in case you missed that, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Rihanna, The Black Eyed Peas, Iyaz, Owl City, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are all available to download from the Nokia Music Store/Ovi Music and if you have Comes With Music get them all free.

What can be said about Rage Against The Machine fulfilling their promise of thanks to the 500,000 strong anti X-Factor campaigners who propelled the unlikely 17-year-old Killing In The Name into the coveted Christmas No.1 spot?… albeit that only 40,000+ could attend from a ticket lottery draw.

Well firstly, credit to the band for being true to their anti-establishment creed, as the absence of sponsored branding is immediately noticeable. Secondly, with no sponsors this raised the question of how a free event of this magnitude was being bank-rolled… Turns out the band are for it themselves with the money earned from festival appearances with 100% of the proceeds from the Xmas sales of Killing In The Name going to homeless charity Shelter… This selfless act, in my opinion certainly adds insult to injury for the X-Factor money machine… a glorious victory indeed!

So how was the show?… Full beer cups flying around, revellers in trees, pumping fists in the air, and a bouncing pit so infectious there was no escape!… you know, the good stuff!

With a setlist that included Justify, Sleep Now In The Fire, Guerilla Radio, Bulls On Parade, Township Rebellion and a cover of The Clash – White Riot pre-ceeded by the band introducing couple of the hour and now legendary Joe & Tracy Morter. After which, these thirty-year-old knees had seen better days… but era-considered, I’m sure I’m not the only one!

Here’s the show opening Simon Cowell skit that set the mood. Thanks to to Chris Fishlock at Sound-Revolution for fishing it from the oceans of YouTube uploads (sorry dude, I didn’t mean to play on the fish thing)

Also check out the great review from Rock Bitches