Once again the summer is almost upon us, and fingers crossed its going to be sun, sea and festivals.

We already have a sold out Glastonbury, T In The Park and V Festival and with the release of the line up and ticket details for the Reading & Leeds Festivals imminent all eyes are looking over security for the festivals.

Over the years Glastonbury festival received a high amount of criticism over its safety and crime. With people regularly turning up to the festival and simply just hopping over the fence. This lead to Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis to take a massive step and introduce the ‘superfence’. A 12-foot tall steel fence to guard the perimeter of Glastonbury. This has been known to be a great achievement.

But almost ten years on from this problem and Glastonbury it’s a modern day dilemma that is troubling festival chiefs. Ticket touting.

Glastonbury has done well with their id style cards, as they get attendees to send them a photo when applying for the festival.

But Reading and Leeds head chief Melvin Benn is concerned that ticket touts are now up to something new. Melvin thinks that touts are trying to scam people twice. Firstly through selling them bogus tickets online then when they get to the festivals and cant get in but are desperately seeking away to get inside the same touts will be on hand to sell them a second fake set of tickets for a high end price. Benn said: “The crook’s are getting better.”

Benn believes that this could be a constant problem for major UK festivals over this summer. But how will this be prevented in future years to come?

Will Glastonbury’s ID card scheme come into use over all major festivals or will it be a new type of security measure?

Melvin Benn though is looking towards sporting events, mainly football and the world cup for a solution. Benn wants to use scanning systems that are widely used in football stadia throughout the world.

Benn said: “The technology is there – it’s already in place for ticketing at football stadiums. However, applying that in a green field is often a much more difficult task.”

Benn wants all major festivals to have this equipment and to have tickets and wristbands that are barcoded and scanable by the summer festivals of 2013. He is also trying to get this idea for the technology applied to all music events for the future.

Benn said on the matter: “Changes will definitely be introduced this year in different forms at various festivals”

But he also wanted festival goer’s to realize that the problem starts when buying tickets and that they need to be highly cautious of where they purchase there tickets from.

Festival chiefs such as Benn have been working along side police and heads of security firms to fight against festival crime.

Such as Leeds festival police commander Superintendent Andy Battle who agrees with Benn’s idea of people being cautious of where they get their tickets. Battle said: “But all I can say to festivalgoer’s is don’t buy from touts, because all you are doing is putting money into criminals’ pockets”

Reg Walker of festival security firm iridium consultancy said he hopes “that a series of proposed testing points at festivals will act as a scaremongering tactic towards touts, as well as stopping innocent festival-goers from being scammed.”

Festival chiefs will be hoping to get this problem sorted as soon as possible to give festivalgoer’s the safest most enjoyable weekend that they can. And make them feel safe from the moment buying their ticket till the moment they leave the fields and hopefully by 2013 we wont have any of this to worry about

Tottenham Hotspur and England defender Jonathon Woodgate is to undergo further groin surgery in Australia, in a desperate bid to cure his ongoing groin problem.

The former Leeds, Newcastle, Middlesborough and Real Madrid man has only made 3 appearances this season for the Spurs, in an important season that could inevitably see them enter the Champions League qualification stages.

The 30 year old defender had two operations during the summer, but none of them were very successful as he has not featured in many games this campaign. However if all goes well in Austrailia, Woodgate is expected to be back training in pre-season.

“Jonathon Woodgate has had an operation out in Australia today, so we will keep our fingers crossed.” explained Harry Redknapp.

“It was a groin problem he has had. Eventually he went to America and has ended up in Australia to see a specialist out there and they have operated on him.

“There were a couple of options but they confident they have got the right answer so we will have to wait and see. Will he play again this season? There is no real chance.” said the Tottenham chief.

Further problems

Harry Redknapp has been hit with a load of injuries to vital members of his squad, including Aaron Lennon (groin), Jermaine Jenas (groin), Tom Huddlestone (ankle), David Bentley (groin), Carlo Cudicini (wrist, pelvis) and club captain Ledley King (thigh).

Ledley King was expected to be out for only a few weeks, but he has not responded well to treatment ever since he was forced to come off in Tottenhams 3-0 win over Wigan last month and is due to be out for a further two more weeks, which is a huge setback for Redknapp and his men.

Tottenham face Blackburn Rovers in tomorrows Premier League lunchtime kick off at White Hart Lane, in a must win game for Spurs if the want to strengthen their claim for that all important fourth place and final Champions League spot.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Blackburn Rovers live on Sky Sports from 12.30pm.

Martin Keown believes footballers should learn to handle the media as it will boost their chances of getting into the England squad.

The former Arsenal defender, now a BBC pundit, says today’s players should “move with the times” and “get out there more” to enhance their international prospects.

The England international also criticised Sky Sports News for “manufacturing” stories to fill their 24-hour rolling news coverage.

Speaking at a World Cup event at the BBC in Manchester, he said: “If you work with the media then they will look after you.

“I don’t know why, but John Terry has signed up to do a piece for the Sun for the World Cup. Now the Sun are always the first to jump to his defence.”

“Wayne Rooney is now being talked about as captain material because he has learned to handle the media.

“Players should definitely get out there more and move with the times because there are instances where favouritism within the media has helped some players get into the England team.”

Although the media can be manipulated, Keown warns they are a “powerful animal” capable of creating public animosity towards players.

“If a player doesn’t want to do interviews they become hard work for the media,” he says.

“If they feel they don’t need you, they will twist stories and that’s quite difficult to control as a player.

“Sometimes journalists have to be creative and find the angle other people aren’t thinking of, but Sky Sports news have to manufacture stories and some of them are not true. This kind of media is a problem.”

Whilst Keown advocates a player using the media to their advantage, he thinks managers should be concentrating more on coaching their teams.

“It’s different for managers. If a manager says too much he is fined and hauled up in front of the FA.

“Steve Bruce said too much to the media, was fined £2,500 and dragged down to London in front of a committee.

“He should have been in Sunderland with his team who had not won in 14 games and lost a day’s training. He shouldn’t have been in London.

“We saw Rafa Benitez criticise Sam Allardyce recently but he needs to forget the side issues. I believe that’s what lost them the league last season.

“Managers try to be interesting, but it’s a balancing act.”

Millions of years ago, the rules of evolution were simple: the biggest, angriest dinosaur wins.And with  Snakes For The Divine, High On Fire have evolved into Godzilla.

With their 5th album in ten years frontman Matt Pike has been leading his crew ever higher in the metal world. While the legacy of his previous band Sleep will always be engraved in the minds of many a stoner, Pike has moved on.

From the first few notes of the album title track, it’s obvious the lazy, stoner jam riffs have become sharper, faster, and penetrate straight into your brain instead of floating around you and pounding your brain. The core is still the same: The power trio, the huge, stomping riffs, the motörhead vocals and mentality. but the intensity at which it’s delivered just keeps increasing.

2007’s Death Is This Communion started the trend by beefing up the sound and and power, but it’s been stepped up here in every area. Des Kensel storms away at the drums, and even during the slow sections gives the feeling that the end of the world is coming, and the guitar work has more light and shade than ever, without losing it’s pontency at any point.

Pike’s vocals have become more and more an important part of the equation. Where once he was mumbling low down in the mix, now he barks and roars like Lemmy at his most angry. And even when he stays silent on The Path the anticipation continues to mount until it feels like the CD player or your computer will explode.

Clocking in at 40 minutes, even including the European bonus track, this is  their shortest L.P to date, and benefits all the more from it. All the fat has been trimmed from the edges and what’s left is sleeker and all the more effective for it without losing anything. Froshammer, Fire, Flood & Plague and the superbly named Bastard Samurai  storm by at six minutes each yet after it’s all done you still crave more.

Critics may say it’s simple and that the likes of Mastodon and Baroness may  have taken the post metal blueprint to new progressive highs, but High On Fire have gone the other and simplified it to it’s purest metallic form. Every song is fully formed and satisfying in a way even Mastodon don’t always manage. The bonus track “Mystery Of Helm” is a perfect example of simple, yet devastating.

With Snakes For The Divine HOF are guaranteed a new army of fans and will, with any luck, get the applause they deserve.

And when they have song names like Bastard Samurai, who is going to argue?

But it was a confrontation between Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards that will steal the attention of this particular race.

Busch had started the 325 lap race well, and having won this fixture last year, he was determined to fend off the rest of the field to complete his trifecta of wins at the track.

But it was a slight knock on Carl Edwards’ Ford by Dodge’s Brad Keselowski on lap 39, that sent tempers flaring, and would lead to the robbery of Kurt’s deserved limelight.

With just a handful of laps to go, Edwards sought revenge on the young Penske driver, and nudged the 26-year-old’s car into a roll on the front straightaway.

All evidence suggested that Edwards - having been nudged out of contention by Keselowski in the earlier incident on lap 39 - used his repaired car to go back on track and seek retribution against the youngester. In an interview with Fox Sports’ Dick Berggren, Edwards did tell the cameras that he had intended to push the 12 car around a little bit, though he admitted he had not set out to cause such a wreck.

Although out of the race, Keselowski escaped the wreckage unhurt, but Edwards - whose car had not been damaged in the incident - was reprimanded by Nascar, and he was ‘parked for agressive driving.’

A sorry end to the day for two incredible talents, whose history together actually proceeds their arrivals. In the 2009 Talladega race, Brad Keselowski got into the side of Carl Edwards in what was an almost identical wreck to this one, and although they had put that one behind them, it’s going to be a long while before these two drivers get re-added to each others Christmas card lists.

Aside form the squabbles, there was a great deal of intense racing, and Kurt’s victory was not as clear cut as the wreckages.

Kasey Kahne led the most laps for Dodge, and Juan Pablo Montoya spent most of the day cemented in the top five with his Chevrolet, but it was down to the 2004 series champion to lead home the pack and improve on his unexpected 35th place finish at Las Vegas last time out.

He took advantage of a poor restart from Montoya after a wreck involving Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer had put an end to the initial green-white-chequered, and led the final two laps of the second restart without any trouble from either of his closest challengers.

Matt Kenseth, who also got by the Colombian on the restart, came home second for Ford, while Montoya finished third in his Target Chevrolet.

Aside from Montoya, it was a surprise to some that only two of the top ten finishers were in facr, Chevrolets. With a manufacturer who usually dominate the circuits, it was a puzzling afternoon for Rick Hendrick, who saw five of his six cars retire from contention with tyre issues.

A special mention needs to be said of Paul Menard, who steered his Richard Petty Motorsports’ Ford Fusion through the carnage to come home fifth, which is his first top five finish in his115 race career.

The series now takes a two week rest while the drivers brace themselves for the spectator’s thrill that offers no mercy, the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway.

The night was split into two distinct gigs with Zane Lowe presenting Plan B, the Courteeners and the Futureheads in the main room before Nick Grimshaw presented two hyped bands of the moment upstairs in the Academy 2; Chapel Club and Frankie and the Heartstrings.

I didn’t see Plan B and I only saw half of the Courteeners’ set which sadly wasn’t enough to convert me into a fan of their quite derivative tunes. There were plenty who enjoyed it in the crowd though and I have certainly seen worse bands in my time.

The real focus, of course, was local heroes the Futureheads. There was no way I was missing them. About to return with a new album entitled ‘The Chaos’, they were able to give several tracks a new airing including single ‘The Heartbeat Song’. The other new tracks sounded promising.

Due to the constraints of being recorded for a radio show, they only played for forty minutes, not long for a band on their fourth album. Still, they managed to cram in all the favourites with ‘First Day’, ‘Decent Days and Nights’, ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘Skip to the End,’ all getting an airing before they closed with ‘The Beginning of the Twist’ and ‘Carnival Kids’.

To the aftershow and Chapel Club, who I was interested in seeing. They sound at times like a poor man’s Joy Division and at others like a more indie White Lies. I enjoyed their set musically but the contrast between their lack of stage presence and the frenetic sets of the Futureheads and Courteeners before left  most of the crowd underwhelmed.

The same couldn’t be said for Frankie and the Heartstrings who are the young pretenders to the Futureheads’ crown as North East faves. Musically they are different to anything out there at the moment with strong 50s rock and roll and surf rock influences.

However their real strength is frontman Frankie who charismatically dominates the stage with his part greaser, part James Dean, part mackem Morrissey approach. Their set was great fun and a brilliant end to the night.

The Courteeners are back with their highly anticipated second effort but is this the album that will save the genre of indie in 2010?

The band received a cult following back in there earlier days and this grew through the release of there 2008 album St.Jude.

But this album is a lot different to there last. The album feels more complex than there debut. It doesn’t just feel like its four lads playing guitar, drums, bass and singing. It has another level added to it, its a lot more grown up.

Lead singer Liam Fray described it as “elbow inspired”. And although I don’t think the albums as good as Elbow’s ‘Seldom Seen Kid,’ it definitely has that feel to it.

Most of the album feels more toned down and mellower than St.Jude but the songs seem to work well.

Starting with lead single ‘You Overdid It Doll’ it has this catchy dancier edge to it that you wouldn’t expect from an indie band but it works.

But you just feel like the band has stepped up all together. The guitar and drums just seems to have this grittier stronger sound and the use of an added piano throughout the album gives the band a different sound all together.

All these areas can be heard through album tracks “Scratch your name upon my lips, Cross my heart to hope to fly and Will it be this way forever?”

Personally I think the most grown up part of the album comes from the lyrics of Liam Fray. “I miss the city I love but I have been having an affair with L.A. And New York. Dundee and Doncaster.” Fray sings in album opener ‘The Opener’. Shows us that the band has been on a journey over the last couple of years, growing older and wiser. But that they still know where home is.

Overall the album is bigger than there debut an the band are a more mature band now. And by the end of 2010 they could be one of Britain’s biggest bands.

Falcon is out now The Courteeners are on tour in the UK starting next week and will be visiting the Newcastle 02 Academy on march 22nd.

“Having to chase bands members around the stage means with my lens that it never gets boring.” Everyone has their own way of staying on their toes.

Daniel Fellows is a budding photographer, with a keen eye for live shows and models. “I think I do prefer model work really, as there’s a lot more scope and I have a lot more control over the images.” Although he does admit he tends to swap between the two every few months. And although he describes live shoots as “A bit hit and miss” because “you have to work with what’s provided and work within certain rules” that can often cause frustration. “But then I do love the music and I’ve discovered so many new bands and genres this year so I do enjoy it a lot.

Fellowes come from Rugby, and says his life consisted of a “perfectly normal upbringing really.” Currently he works part-time in a newsagents to tide him over for money. He says: “I’m 20, hopefully moving out soon and getting a move on with my life!”

He has taken pictures of many bands, including Pendulum, ZZ Top, Devildriver and Bring Me The Horizon, as well as a few festivals such as Hellfire and Full Metal Racket. Fellowes explains his choice of subject: “ “Metal music is definitely my favourite to shoot, the musicians are generally a lot more active on stage than other gigs.”

But he is keen for work and admits that he “Wouldn’t say no to any kind of gig; I’m up for shooting anything I can and I’m always looking to gain experience in new things.“

His career as professional Photographer started by accident. ”A friend asked me to shoot a local gig for them and wanted some photos to show to people afterwards.”

He says it was “The first time I ever used a digital SLR camera,” and after borrowing his dads he “got my own camera within a few months and just didn’t stop using it.”
He followed this up through learning: “I went on a short course at the beginning but that’s all I’ve done. I did a lot of research on the theory behind photography though and stuck strictly to the book to start with.” But time has helped him along: “I’m a little more creative and experimental now but it’s always good to know you can create something that looks good if you’ve run out of ideas.”

As with everyone he has his own heroes: “Marianne Harris is an absolute inspiration with her band work, she worked with a band from Rugby around the same time I started out so I got to see her work and it gave me something to aim for.” As with a lot of things the original is still the best: “The ones who I noticed at the beginning seem to stick with me more than others that I discover now.” Adding that: “Lithium Picnic does incredible alternative work, I love to have a look at his work for inspiration and ideas.”

As for the long term he hopes to be a full time photographer: “In an ideal world I’d be able to get a job shooting advertising campaigns for fashion labels, models for magazines” while still being able to shoot the odd gig of course. He also entertains the idea of freelance or even wedding photos: “But I’ll keep striving for the ideal until it’s no longer possible.”

And in the end: “As long as I learn something from it, it’s worth it.”

To see more of his work join the fan page on Facebook: Fellowes [Photography] or go straight to his websites

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielfellowes

http://fellowes.carbonmade.com

Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas has left hospital but doctors cannot say if he will play football again.

Cabanas, who was shot in the head following an argument in a bar in January, will continue his rehabilition under close medical supervision at a clinic in Mexico City.

The Club America forward left intensive care last month but can only walk a few steps at a time and his speech is limited.

In a statement, America said: “After Tuesday’s evaluation, the doctor determined that Cabanas is in condition to leave the hospita to begin the next steps of his recuperation.”

The 29-year-old underwent a seven hour operation immediately after the shooting, but doctors decided it was too risky to remove the bullet from his brain.

Neurosurgeon Dr Ernesto Martinez said: “Salvador has already seen himself in a mirror and didn’t ask any questions, he just stayed there looking without showing any reaction.”

“Having a bullet in his brain would not necessarily impede him from returning to soccer but the neurological recuperation can take one, two or three years. We can’t say precisely.”

Cabanas was a key player in Paraguay’s successful qualification for this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

The main suspect in the shooting, identified by police as Jose Jore Balderas, remains at large.

Machine Head return to Newcastle on their 380+ date world tour of ‘The Blackening’, the most epic,evil, ambitious album ever made.

Hatebreed are the main support, and they warm the crowd into a frenzy. Jamey Jasta may not be as well known as some of the metal elite, but he is a veteran and knows how to connect with the crowd. the mosh pits are wide and busy, and everyone’s fists are pumping on command. the only problem is that with their brand of hardcore, the songs follow the same pattern the crowd starts to grow weary towards the end and the set goes along too long. But it’s still enjoyable, and full respect to the Hatebreed crew, who give so much effort and respect to their audience.

Machine Head have always been a live band, one of the people’s bands. After the slump that got them dropped from their labial it was their live shows and the passion of their live shows that brought them back onto a label and back to the top of the pile. Opening with a 12 minute song (Clenching The Fists Of Descent)  is brave, but the Bay area thrashers have the skills and the confidence to pull it off.

‘The Blackening’ was an ambitious album, but they have always been a thrash band with a brain, and live this album really comes into it’s own, ‘Now I lay Thee Down’ and ‘Halo’ feel even more intense and urgent than on record. The crowd respond in kind, yelling every word and moving as one huge sweaty beast.

The chemistry between the band, and between the audience makes this feel like an intimate gig, despite being sold out, and Robb Flynn makes you feel like this is the most special gig he’s ever been a part of. and to reward us we get rarely played cuts like ‘Spine’ and ‘Blood For Blood’. Every song is a highlightt: ‘Imperium’, ‘Take My Scars’ and of course the final double whammy of ‘Old’ and ‘Davidian’ send everyone insane and end the night on a high that few bands can ever reach, let alone do it every night.