News & UK Play Chart

M.I.A recently made it clear she’s not a huge fan of Lady GaGa – not least because she thinks GaGa’s been taking a few notes from her act and style over the years. Her video for single Born Free might well be her answer to GaGa’s Telephone – it has controversy, swearing, nudity and is nearly nine minutes long. It’s also pretty amazing.

If GaGa’s video felt like a Tarantino spoof then M.I.A’s is more like an apocalyptic movie. It’s not colourful or cartoonish but it does have violence and bad language – not to mention a real widescreen cinematic feel to it, with director Romain Gavras behind the camera.

Feeling like Justice’s infamous Stress video (also a Gavras creation) which featured gangs of hoodies rampaging through Paris, this is a gritty slice of urban aggression, with M.I.A’s new song providing an eerie, groovy and angry soundtrack. The track’s classic M.I.A – genre-bending with a hypnotic beat and hints that her forthcoming album might be her best yet.

It might just be the Reservoir Dogs to GaGa’s Death Proof. Make sure you’ve got Born Free on your jukebox - with Soundnet’s pre-release material you’ll have it at the same time as radios and MTV.

Glastonbury’s 40th anniversary is bound to go with a bang – the lineup for the Pilton festival’s been announced and it’s chock-full of rock’s A-list, from headliners U2 and Stevie Wonder to Ray Davies, Willie Nelson and Muse.

The UK’s biggest summer festival has pulled out all the stops for its big birthday by bagging the world’s biggest band - Bono and co are set to grace the stage at Glastonbury for the first time since 1982.

For all their big-name bookings the Eavis family still aren’t shying away from controversy – booking controversial Hip Hop star Snoop Dogg, even after Jay-Z’s headline slot in 2008 attracted dissent over urban music’s place at the hippy love-in. Snoop Dogg’s not the only rapper either – hot Brit grime star Dizzee Rascal’s also set to dust off his wellies.

Glasto’s not just about the headliners, though, with its new West Holts stage replacing the old Jazz Stage and featuring, among others, Jerry Dammers and his Spatial AKA Orchestra. Upcoming indie starlets will be down on the farm in numbers too, with Mumford and Sons, The xx and Vampire Weekend confirmed.
Start your festival season early with the latest hits and classics from the headliners’ back catalogues, available on Soundnet’s MIM, MIM AV and Rockbox packages.

Lady GaGa’s Telephone video is one of the most talked about since Thriller. Co-starring Beyonce it’s been watched nearly 25 million times on YouTube so far, but it’s not just the numbers which have got people talking about GaGa.

Starting in a prison full of scantily-clad dancers the video’s filled with flesh, swearing and a whole lot of in-your-face product placement (post-modern irony, or just plain brazen?) The song’s not bad either...

Breaking out of prison GaGa and Beyonce are like Thelma and Louise, if Tarantino was directing. Bumping off an unlucky fella the pair go on the run, but not before getting dolled up – even on the lam GaGa doesn’t do dressing down.

It’s not actually Tarantino behind the lens, but director Jonas Akerlund’s clearly been studying his movies. At nine and a half minutes there’s a cinematic feel, but it’s more B-movie than rom-com, with clunky dialogue, specs made from cigarettes and even the famous car from Kill Bill.

Pushing the boundaries of the pop promo, creating a storm of controversy and flogging a few mobiles along the way it’ll be hard to top this video, but knowing GaGa she’s bound to give it a go.
If you’ve not seen the video for Telephone yet it’s available in our MIM AV package.