I’ve never been a big fan of the Kooks - to me they have been the McFly of the indie world, stage school brats with poppy fluffy anthems, and most recent single Always Where I Need To Be didn’t really do much to dispel this theory.

I must admit that the rest of this album wasn’t too bad though - you can tell that the band are have matured a lot. Mr Maker is a nice brit-poppy anthem whilst Gap is a lot more chilled out then the band’s previous offerings. Final track All Over Town is particularly pretty, a big slice of acoustic wonderfulness.

The rest of the album is a teeny weeny bit bland, and I’m definitely not a Kooks convert yet, but hey, it’s certainly a step in the right direction at least.

The Kooks have had two albums: Inside In Inside Out (2006) and Konk (2008).

The Kooks - Konk

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Here are some of the latest board shorts for women buy top surf, skate, and life style brands Animal, Billabong, Hurley, Reef, and Volcom.

Animal Ladies Fraggle. The Animal Fraggle boardies are made from 100% quick-dry polyester with a nice soft satin backing. Longer below-knee cut and a classic tie waist. Whether you’re tackling the surf or just chilling on the beach, these camo Fraggle shorts are perfect for summer.

Billabong Ladies Garani. The Billabong Garani board shorts are classically constructed surf shorts with a tie waist and a Velcro fly. Made from an amazingly soft supreme sued polyester, with a scalloped hem and small button down back pocket with drain hole. Contrast binding dresses the side-seams and Palm tree prints and Billabong branding complete the look.

Hurley Ladies Puerto Rica. The Hurley Puerto Rica board shorts are made from 100% polyester with a lovely soft satin backing. These beautifully finished boardies have a classic fixed waist with lace fastening and a lycra fly insert. The back pocket has a logo Velcro tab and a branded drain-hole and the waistband and pockets have piping detail. Silver branding and highlights with piping and stitch detail. The essence of Hurley is based on their love for the ocean and its constant state of change.

Reef Ladies Electric Maxwell. The Reef Electric maxwell boardies are made from 100% polyester mega suede with an all-over icon print and a contrast waistband lining. Designed by girls who surf for surfer-girls. Cut just above the knee with a classic fixed waist/lace fastening and a lycra fly-insert.

Volcom Ladies Very V Co. These Volcom Very V Co board shorts are just the right length and look stunning with the Stone print elastic waistband. Made from 100% polyester super-suede with a soft satin backing and a drawstring waist. The back pocket has a velcro tab, a logo drain hole and rubber branded label.

Click to See and Buy Board Shorts for women

Here are some of the alternative summer dresses hitting the shops this summer.

50’s / 80’s Halterneck Party Dress Collectif. Halterneck Party Dress Classic / Punky / 80’s / Rockabilly Style.

50’s Fitted Leopard Skin Halterneck Dress Collectif. Leopard Velvet Print with Black collar, bow & trim contrast. The slightly stretch fabric gives you support & comfort.

Summer Romance Betty Wrap Dress. Fabulous 50ts Vintage Style Fabric, vibrant colours and a flattering silhouette create a must have wearable design.

Click to See and Buy alternative summer dresses

Here are the latest official t-shirts from American EMO band Aiden.

Aiden T-shirt - Reflection. 

Aiden T-shirt - Die Romantic.

Aiden T-shirt - Stab Stab.

Aiden Messenger Bag - See You In Hell.

Click here to See and Buy official merchandise from Aiden

Okay - we all shudder a bit when we think of Nu-metal, we all remember how shockingly bad Limp Bizkit were. However, there is one band about today which mangages to blend punk, hip-hop, rock and metal together and their name is Linkin Park. They have sold over 50 million albums and have even collaborated with Jay-Z and organised their own tour, Projekt Revolution.

The band formed in 1996 and consists of Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, David Farrell and Joe Hahn. They were initially called Xero and then Hybrid Theory.

After struggling to find a record label, they released first album Hybrid Theory in 2000, with singles from it including One Step Closer, In The End and Crawling. The duel vocals of Shinoda and Bennington drew a lot of attention and the band won a lot of awards for their impressive videos. They released Reanimation in 2002, which featured remixed songs from Hybrid Theory.

Meteora was released in 2003 with singles including Somewhere I Belong, Numb and Breaking the Habit, the latter with a beautiful looking manga video. In 2004 the band released the dvd they collaberated on with Jay-Z, Collision Course.

Minutes to Midnight was released in 2007 after fourteen months of working on it. Singles included Bleed it Out and What I’ve Done and the album was seen as having a more mature, rockier sound.

Linkin Park have released three studio albums: Hybrid Theory (2000), Meteora (2003) and Minutes to Midnight (2007) as well as a remix album: Reanimation (2002).

Click to See and Buy official Linkin Park merchandise

Here are 3 awesome new T-Shirts from the anti-corporate graphic brand Disturbia. 

Disturbia T-shirt - Bad. What’s Michael Jackson? Michael Jackson is Bad! 100% cotton t-shirt with front print.

Disturbia T-shirt - Dead Rabbit. Because we’re all sick of seeing the Playboy Bunny printed everywhere, right?? 100% cotton t-shirt with front print.

Disturbia T-shirt - Mouse. Mickey Mouse decides enough is enough! 100% cotton t-shirt with front print.

Click to See and Buy t-shirts from Disturbia

Here are the latest t-shirts for men which have just been released by Durkl.

Durkl T-shirt - Digi Driver. 100% cotton t-shirt with front and back prints. Durkl tees are a great unisex fit!

Durkl T-shirt - Party Durkl. 100% cotton t-shirt with bold logo front print. 

Durkl T-shirt - Splatter Durkl. 100% cotton t-shirt with mad allover splatter print. Durkl tees are a great unisex fit!

Durkl T-shirt - Technivision. 100% cotton t-shirt with crazy TV test card print.

Click to See and Buy t-shirts by Durkl

Ben Folds is one of my favourite musicans - and I’m really looking forward to seeing him on tour in June this year.

Ben Folds became famous in the band Ben Folds Five, who were active from 1993 to 2000. They were different to a lot of bands from that time because they featured a piano and called themselves “punk rock for sissies”. The group released songs such as Brick, Army and Underground - a mix of comedy tunes and serious tracks.

Ben Folds released Rockin’ The Suburbs in 2001 - an album where he played all the instruments. In 2003 he released three EPs - Speed Graphic, Sunny 16 and Super D, a mix of original tracks and cover versions. The three Eps were merged into one album, Supersunnyspeedgraphic in 2006. Songs for Silverman was released in 2005 - which included a tribute song about Elliot Smith and backing vocals from “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Ben Folds is also a producer, and contributed to Has Been, William Shatner’s most recent album. He is also producing an album for Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls.

Ben Folds Five have released the following albums: Ben Folds Five (1995), Whatever and Ever Amen (1997), Naked Baby Photos (1998) and The Unauthorised Biography of Reinhold Messner (1999). Ben Folds has had three albums as a solo artist: Rockin’ The Suburbs (2001), Songs for Silverman (2005) and Supersunnyspeedgraphic (2006). (Click to buy Ben Folds CD’s)