The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 9 January

NEW ATOMS FOR PEACE TRACK
Atoms For Peace, the new 'supergroup' founded by Radiohead's Thom Yorke, veteran producer Nigel Godrich, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joey Waronker (touring drummer for both Beck's band and R.E.M.), and percussionist Mauro Refosco, have unveiled a new track from their forthcoming studio album, Amok. Judge, Jury and Executioner is a track the band have played live at recent shows in the US. As with the previously unveiled tracks, the sound is closer to Yorke's solo material on Eraser than to the Radiohead sound, or the work of the other band members, featuring reverb-saturated falsetto from Yorke, understated, clattering broken beats and restrained, intricate bass playing. Stream the track below.

SUEDE ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
Suede are one of the Britpop bands who are easy to dismiss as all style and no substance - Coming Up was all ill-judged clubland kitsch and trashy glamour, Head Music was a bit of a damp squib, and by the time 2002's A New Morning was released, only the most diehard of fans were still listening. Singer Brett Anderson's solo albums were pretty underwhelming. And yet, return to their debut and sophomore albums - the excoriating, insouciant glamour of 1993's Suede and 1994's Dog Man Star - and you will be reminded how utterly vital the band were at their peak. Sweeping, epic arrangements and guitar-wrangling courtesy of Bernard Butler, Brett Anderson's Bowie and Bolan-riffing, plaintive wails - Suede's combination of hard-bitten, kitchen sink drama and romantic, androgynous abandon was deeply influential, echoes of it recurring in the music of everyone from Menswear to the Longpigs to the Manics. The band return with a new album, Bloodsports (which, like their latter output before the split, is without Butler's involvement) , in March, with early reports suggesting a thrilling return to form. 

Anderson spoke candidly about the recording process, and the band's reprisal: "After a year of sweating and bleeding over the record it's finally finished so we wanted to get some music out there as soon as we could. ‘Barriers’ isn't the first single but we are proud of it enough just to chuck it out there and thought that it's pulsing, romantic swell somehow summed up the feel of the album quite nicely. The album is called Bloodsports. It's about lust, it's about the chase, it's about the endless carnal game of love. It was possibly the hardest we've ever made but certainly the most satisfying. Its ten furious songs for me have reclaimed from ourselves what Suede was always about; drama, melody and noise.” Stream Barriers below.

THE BEACON ARTS CENTRE OPENS
A new arts centre opened in Greenock this week. Located on the site of the well-loved Arts Guild Theatre, the new state-of-the-art facility, called The Beacon Arts Centre, will become the premier arts venue in the Inverclyde area, offering a main theatre, a studio space, rehearsal rooms and a bistro. Artistic director Julie Ellen has somke exciting events planned in the build-up to the offical launch in Summer this year.

The Beacon will be hosting touring productions from the likes of the National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Dance Theatre, Nicola Benedetti, Children’s Classic Concerts, Communicado, Dorothy Paul, Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra, Mull Theatre and a Sunday season from Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre’s Play, Pie and a Pint. Ellen commented: "The Beacon is a significant addition to the Scottish arts scene and will be a venue of choice for touring productions as well as being a vibrant hub for community groups in the area." 

The first production to visit the venue is a joint venture between Birds of Paradise, in the Studio and Vox Motus. They will be rehearsing and previewing their works before setting off on tour across Scotland. The Beacon Arts Centre is located at Custom House Quay, Greenock. Vist The Beacon's website for more information.

CHAMBRE 69 TO CLOSE
Sad news this week from the operators of popular Glasgow night-spot Chambre 69 - the venue is to close. Thanking their loyal punters, the venue operators issued a statement via Facebook, detailing the reason for the sudden closure: "These events have transpired due to an issue with our lease and the landlord which we are not able to go into detail about, however this has came totally out of the blue for us and we are not in a position to negotiate staying in the venue any longer. This is a huge blow for us given the hard work that every member of staff has put in to make the venue the great place it has been over the last 18 months. We are currently in the process of securing a new city centre space, but that process could take some time, so until then, all our operations are on hold." We'll keep you up to date with news about the club's relocation as it becomes available. 

MOMUS COVERS NEW BOWIE TRACK
The big story in the music world yesterday was the new single by David Bowie, his first new material in nearly ten years. Reactions to the rather wistful new song, Where Are We Now?, were mixed, with some fans welcoming the track with delirious praise, and others left nonplussed by the understated production and performance. Veteran journalist, blogger and experimental artist Momus (last seen round these parts with Ben Butler & Mousepad's Joe Howe, on their collaboration, Sunbutler), was quick off the mark in releasing his cover version, along with an odd, simian-themed video. See what you think...

NEW ICEAGE TRACK
Much-touted Danish punk-rockers Iceage, whose New Brigade was a highlight of 2011 have unleashed the first track from their eagerly-awaited follow-up, You're Nothing, due out on Matador on 18 Feb. Coalition is a squall of urgent, hardcore guitar and sneering, artfully torn vocals. The band play Broadcast in Glasgow on 25 Feb. Stream the new track below.

WATCH THE NEW TRAILER FOR THE GREAT GATSBY
One of 2013's most anticipated films is The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann's lavish, 3D adaptation of the literary classic about 1920s America by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Featuring Oscar-baiting performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire, Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher, the initial previews suggest that Luhrman's treatment is focused on the tailoring, architecture and cityscapes of Fitzgerald's novel, with a strong emphasis on the story's mystery/thriller elements. Whether he and the cast will also be able to capture the subtle political and philosophical undercurrents of the novel remains to be seen - one thing's for sure, it definitely looks like it has the trademark epic sweep and sumptuous visual flair of Luhrmann's best movies. Watch the trailer below.