The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 3 April

EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL 2013
This morning, the annual Edinburgh Art Festival announced its 2013 programme, with shows from internationally renowned artists such as Gabriel Orozco,Gregor Schneider and Lawrence Weiner, and two major exhibitions celebrating the artistic collaborations of Jeremy Deller and Franz West. In addition, there is a strong focus on new an emerging artists, and those whose careers have just begun to become well established, including Skinny favourite Rachel Maclean, whose solo show at Edinburgh Printmakers will feature new film and digital screen prints.

Glasgow's Ilana Halperin will also feature, in an exhibition whose centrepiece is a 1.3 ton stone 'library' at the National Museum of Scotland, featuring ‘books’ of the mineral mica. Arts organisation Collective will also feature, in a show displaying work by Rachel Adams, Jacob Dahlgren, Nilbar Güres and Haroon Mirza, at Meadowbank Sports Centre. The EAF runs from 1 Aug to 1 Sep in Edinburgh, at various venues – see website for details.

DAVID BOWIE FOR MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE?
We all had a good laugh at the BRIT Awards in 2012, when awards were given out in clear recognition of one factor, and one only – sales. Dominated by the corporate-sponsored, multi-million selling likes of One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars, it was a celebration of commercial music which put the emphasis on popularity, on market share, rather than on talent or achievement.

The Mercury Prize, established in 1992 as an alternative to the Brits with the idea of rewarding the 'best album' by a British band with a statue, a ceremony and a nice fat cheque to keep the studio meter running, has often rewarded artists at the start of their careers – Portishead's Dummy won in 1995 and Roni Size and Reprazent's New Forms in 1997, helping to break the Bristol sound worldwide. Dizzee Rascal's breakthrough Boy In Da Corner shone a light on the emergent grime scene when it won in 2003. Franz Ferdinand's 2004 win for their eponymous debut helped reinvigorate the Scottish indie rock scene for a nation-wide audience, and helped them crack the USA. 

In 2011, PJ Harvey won for the magnificent Let England Shake. It was Harvey's second win, and although the album was widely regarded as one of that year's best, some felt that it was a waste of the prize money to award it to an artist who was already well established. Last year's win for Alt-J also attracted controversy – although it was their debut album, some critics mentioned the fact that Gus Unger-Hamilton's connections to the record indusry (his brother is a Polydor exec) might have helped grease the wheels for the band. 

According to bookies, this year the front-runner for the prize is David Bowie, for his comeback LP The Next Day. Odds are also favourable for Glasgow's CHVRCHES (who are yet to release an album) and The Joy Formidable, for their second LP Wolf's Law. But the list also contains more than one very well established artist – also nominated are Johnny Marr, Suede, Goldfrapp and The Stereophonics. What do you think – should Bowie and other established artists be in the running for the Mercury? Should it recognise sales and well-established reputations as much as it recognises potential? Or should the prize be reserved solely for breakthrough artists? How would you feel about a win for the Thin White Duke? Tell us in the comments below.

ON TOUR: MIKEY RAMONE'S BLITZKRIEG FT. ANDREW W.K., WARPAINT
Mikey Ramone's Blitzkrieg are gearing up for a UK tour later in the year, featuring a very special guest on lead vocal duties – yes, king of hard partying Andrew W.K. will man the microphone when the Ramones legend's band hit these shores in October, playing Manchester's The Academy on 24 Oct and The Garage in Glasgow on 25 Oct. Speaking on his blog, W.K. seemed somewhat star-struck: "When Marky Ramone asks you to be his singer, you don’t even think about it. It’s an automatic, YES," he says. "There’s never been better rock ‘n’ roll music made than this, and I will give everything I have to do it justice."

Also on tour in October are all-female art-rockers Warpaint – they will play the o2 ABC in Glasgow on 28 Oct, and Manchester's The Academy on 29 Oct. No new album has yet been announced, but the band's follow-up to 2010's The Fool is hotly anticipated.

THOM YORKE INTERVIEWED BY ALEC BALDWIN
In a strange turn of events, Atoms For Peace have posted an interview on their website between front-man Thom Yorke and actor Alec Baldwin. The pair chat for an hour, discussing the formation of Atoms For Peace, Yorke's work with Radiohead, and his love of Ed Norton. There's a brilliant part where Yorke introduces Baldwin to the Warp Records back catalogue. Stream the full interview below.

KARL HYDE'S NEW DOCUMENTARY ON THE THAMES ESTUARY
Underworld's Karl Hyde has collaborated with dosumentary-maker Kieran Evans on a new film about the Thames Estuary. The Outer Edges. The film explores the landscape, people and industries clustered along the waterway running through Essex, combining fixed-camera images and interviews, it is a companion piece to Hyde's solo album Edgeland, which is due out on 22 April. Evans has previously collaborated with Saint Etienne on their 2002 film Finisterre. The film will be included with the deluxe version of Hyde's album.

NEW VIDEOS: PRIMAL SCREAM, EFTERKLANG, FLAMING LIPS, JUICE ALEEM
Primal Scream's new video, for It's Alright, It's Okay, was revealed on Monday. The track is the first official single fromMore Light, which is due out 13 May, in time for their headline appearance at Wickerman this Summer. The single is out 6 May.

Danish experimental alt.pop trio Efterklang's new video for The Ghost, taken from Piramida, follows a narrative that tells the story of a cursed amulet. The video is directed by Spanish film-maker Victor Carrey. Efterklang come to Glasgow on 20 April to play The Arches. 

The new Flaming Lips video is even more bizarre - taken from their collaborative album The Flaming and Heady Fwendz, and featuring a collaboration with Bon Iver, this is one of the strangest and most potentially disturbing videos we've witnessed in a while. There's an astronaut, and a baby. And, well... maybe you'd just better watch it yourself. Seriously NSFW. Look out for our extended interview with the Lips' Wayne Coyne in our April issue. 

We would also like to welcome the return of Juice Aleem, one of the UK's most influential emcees. He's back with a new single, MoorKaBa LightBikes/AnuMal, available now via ITunes. The video below shows him rapping over a hot, uptempo garage beat (co-produced by Roots Manuva) about "light bikes" (presumably the ones from Tron?) while claiming his spot as one of the UK's most accomplished rappers. 

FASHION DESIGNER HAYLEY SCANLAN HEADS TO NEW YORK TARTAN WEEK
Hayley Scanlan, named as the Scottish Young Designer of the Year in 2012, is off to New York to showcase her latest creations on 8 April as part of the much-loved Tartan Week events. The collection references Debbie Harry and Mary Queen of Scots, according to the young artist, a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone college in Dundee. "Debbie Harry is one of my icons," says Scanlan. "I loved the idea of pairing someone like her, with an equally rebellious heroine, Mary Stuart, the former Queen of Scotland. This is a collection that has taken me deep into the heart of my Scottish roots and represents a strong and feisty femininity." Congratulations to Hayley on this fantastic opportunity! Read our interview with Hayley Scanlan from October last year.  

FESTIVAL WATCH: PLISSKEN FEST, PLAYGROUND
Plissken Festival (16-19 May) in Athens has a few additions to its already-impressive lineup - they welcome Shigeto, The Haxan Cloak, Giraffage, XXYYXX, Brandt Brauer Frick, and Egyptian Hip Hop to the Greek sunshine, alongside the already-announced likes of Death Grips and Fucked Up. Details and tickets here.

Playground (7-8 Jun) at Brixton Academy also welcomes a new headliner in the form of the mighty Squarepusher - he joins the likes of Gary Numan, Booka Shade, Kavinksy, and Vitalic for the two-day in-the-city festival. Details and tickets here.

NEW MUSIC: BEAK>, THE KNIFE, DEERHUNTER, JELLO BIAFRA
BEAK> have unveiled their Record Store Day release online - their limited edition 10" features rare track 0898, plus a cover of Pink Floyd's Welcome To The Machine.

The Knife's Shaking The Habitual (reviewed here) is streaming in its entirety over at the band's website. The Swedish duo's return to music is their first since 2006's Silent Shout.

Deerhunter have unveiled a new track ahead of their curatorial stint at this year's All Tomorrow's Parties. The track, Monomania, is taken from the album of the same name, due out 7 May.

Finally, stream a new track by Jello Biafra, front-man of the legendary Dead Kennedys, taken from his new album, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine's White People and the Damage Done, which came out on 2 April. The track is available exclusively over at the Noisey Soundcloud.