Happy Mondays have announced details of their first album in 15 years.

The band, fresh from their new signing to Sanctuary Records, have been recording brand new material under the production guidance of Howie B and Sammy Levine - Quincy Jones' grandson.

The results of the sessions will be a new single, which will be released in June, followed by a new album.

Speaking about the record, frontman Shaun Ryder explained: "I'm not the world's best salesman, me... I'm not a salesman at all. I think it's a really great album."

Asked if the band are still sounding as fresh as when they released 'Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches', their classic from 1990, Ryder added: "Of course it does. Fresher."

He was also quick to highlight the work of producer Levine, saying, "Sammy's great. A brilliant dude. A brilliant person."

News of new material is in addition to the announcement that Happy Mondays will be playing a host of new dates this year, kicking off with a debut gig at the Coachella festival in California and picking up speed with a series of small shows in the UK in May.

"It's going to be really weird," Ryder admitted. "We only just finished touring about fucking six or seven months ago when we got back from Japan.

The dates are as follows:

Inverness Ironworks (22nd May)

Aberdeen Music Hall (23rd)

Sheffield Leadmill (25th)

Middlesbrough Town Hall (26th)

Hull University (27th)

Cambridge Junction (28th)

Northampton Roadmender (30th)

Preston 53 Degrees (31st)

Dudley JB's (1st June)

Manchester Ritz (8th July)

Tickets for the tour go on sale on 30th March at 9.30am.

Primal Scream have signed up with B-Unique records, becoming label mates with the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, The Automatic, The Ordinary Boys and The Twang.

Bobby Gillespie and Co's deal with Sony BMG is understood to have ended following the release of 2006's "Riot City Blues" and the 2003 singles collection "Dirty Hits".

Despite containing "Country Girl", one of their most successful commercial releases, the new album received an underwhelming critical reaction.

However, B-Unique expressed their delight at signing-up The Primals, as they continue work on their forthcoming new album.

B-Unique co-director Martin Toher commented: "Signing a band as legendary as Primal Scream is a massive honour, they are one of the best British bands of all time."

Kaiser Chiefs have announced details of their next single.

'Everything Is Average Nowadays' will be the second track released from #1 album "Yours Truly Angry Mob", and will be released on 21st May through B-Unique.

The single will feature brand new B-sides "Out Of My Depth" and "I Like To Fight", with a live version of the A-side on offer as download only.

Damon Albarn will launch the brand new Manchester International Festival with his opera Monkey: Journey To The West, it's just been confirmed.The event is on from 28th June -15th July and will also feature exclusive performances from the likes of Smokey Robinson, Kanye West, Happy Mondays and PJ Harvey at venues around the city.

Lou Reed is also set to perform his epic Berlin in the UK for the first time, The Blue Nile are to make their first live appearance in more than seven years and Burt Jansch is to play alongside Bernard Butler and Beth Orton.

Other musical treats at the festival, which will also incorporate art and theatre, include William Orbit, The Fall, The Happy Mondays premiering their new album and an Unknown Pleasures new band showcase which so far includes The Noisettes, Findlay Brown and Sami band Adjagas.

Festival director Alex Poots revealed what Damon's opera involved.

He said: "Damon's taking the Monkey King story from China and turning it into a circus opera with a 45 piece circus troupe from China and Shaolin monks and martial arts experts."

Alex also explained some more about the festival as a whole.

He said: "The theme of the festival is to create a platform for great artists across all arts and culture to create new art. We've invited a range of I think wonderful artists too."

The Chemical Brothers have announced details of their forthcoming album.The follow-up to 2005's 'Push The Button' is entitled 'We Are The Night' and is due out in June via Freestyle Dust/Virgin Records.

The dance/electronica duo have also announced that they will play one show at London's Roundhouse on 31st May, just ahead of the album's release date.

The band posted a note on their website saying that tickets to the show will be available to "fans exclusively" beginning today (22nd March) via this website: Gigsandtours.com/chemicalbrothers.

Further album details and US tour dates are expected to be announced shortly.

Hip Hop legends Jurassic 5 are to split after nearly 15 years together. Member Soup revealed that the band will break up after a brief tour of Australia and Japan.

He said: "After the tour, that's basically it. I don't want to sit here and fake around with it - we're not seeing eye to eye right now. People see us a harmonising, loving group, but that's far from the truth.

Soup revealed that the reason for the break up is the desire for a certain member to go solo.

He said: "Some people here want their own shrine, their own thing. If that's what you want, I say more power to you. I hope it works out for you - just don't come up with lame excuses."

The group originally began as a six-piece in 1993, and released the acclaimed 'Jurassic 5' EP in 1997.

DJ Cut Chemist left the group in early 2006, while their third album 'Feedback' was released in July of that year.

Bjork has been talking about her massive performance at Glastonbury this year and has admitted how excited she was to be playing the festival this summer.She said "We have just started rehearsing and that is why I am in Iceland right now, we have a massive band, a ten piece brass band, we are rehearsing full on now, and I am kind of very excited but also very nervous which is a good thing."

Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis previously claimed that, out of all of those playing at this year's festival, Bjork for him is the most exciting and the one act he can't wait to see. The Icelandic star certainly promises to deliver, announcing that the Voltyas live show will include percussionist and album contributor Chris Corsano, long time collaborator Mark Bell, a ten-piece, all-female brass band, and an Icelandic Chinese concert pianist.

Aside from Glastonbury her live dates include a spot at Coachella in California before a series of other American shows and European festivals through the summer.

The new album Volta which hits shelves on the 7th May features collaborations with Antony Hegarty from Antony & the Johnsons and production from Timbaland, Bjork said she teed up with the super producer after visting areas hit by the Tsunami in Indonesia:

"A year later UNICEF reminded me to go to there and see what had been done with the money, meet some of the people and that had a big affect on me and a few months after that I flew to New York to meet with Timbaland and that is when a massive tsunami of emotion came out of me and we started working with beats."

Bjork's current world tour details are as follows:

April 2007

01 Reykjavik Iceland Nasa
27 California Coachella Empire Polo Field

May

02 New York Radio City Music Hall
05 New York United Palace Theater
08 New York Apollo Theater
12 Chicago Auditorium Theatre
15 Denver Red Rocks Amphitheatre
19 San Francisco Shoreline Amphitheatre
23 Vancouver Deer Lake Park
26 Washington Sasquatch! Gorge Amphitheatre

June

22 Glastonbury Festival
28 Belgium Rock Werchter

July

01 Poland Open' er Festival
05 Denmark Roskilde Festival
25 Switzerland Paleo Festival

Kaiser Chiefs have announced that they are to release an album of brand new material next month. The band recorded the songs at the same time as the current number one 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob' and plan to out them out as a fan club only release in April.

Bassist Simon Rix explained: "When we recorded this album ('Yours Truly…') we recorded more songs for a third album. It's done and we'd like to release it in April. It will be a fans-only album and we'll probably release it on our own label."

Alongside this, the Leeds lads are also planning on recording and releasing their third album proper as soon as possible.

Rix continued to MTV: "It can get frustrating waiting between releases. We wrote 'Employment' and then we didn't record for another two years. We'd prefer to start writing our next (major) album soon.

"Bands in the '60s used to bang albums out and that's what we want to do."

Hard-Fi's Richard Archer and The Rakes frontman Alan Donohoe both feature on the new Groove Armada album, 'Soundboy Rock'.The album is released on 7th May, and will be proceeded by the single 'Get Down', featuring Stush, on 30th April.

The album also features former Sugababes singer Mutya, as well as Rhymefest, Angie Stone and soul legend Candi Staton.

The group have also announced details of a May tour.

They will play:

Bristol Carling Academy (9th May)
Cardiff University (10th)
Southampton Guildhall (11th)
Manchester Apollo (12th)
Liverpool Carling Academy (14th)
Nottingham Rock City (15th)
Norwich UEA (17th)
Leeds University (18th)
Glasgow Barrowlands (21st)
Newcastle Carling Academy (22nd)
London Roundhouse (24th/25th)

Arctic Monkeys have confirmed details of a full UK tour starting next month.The band will hit the road in April ahead of the release of their second album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' on 23rd April.

The band wll play:

Southampton Guildhall (9th April)
Exeter University Great Hall (10th)
London Astoria (12th/13th)
Liverpool Academy (14th)
Newcastle Academy (16th)
Dundee Caird Hall (17th)
Glasgow Barrowlands (18th)
Birmingham Academy (20th)
Sheffield The Leadmill (21st/22nd)

Tickets are being sold via the band's mailing list to reward loyal fans.

Those wanting tickets should register with the mailing list by 7pm tomorrow (14th March) and then the right to buy tickets will be decided by a "fair ballot".

Those on the mailing list will be asked to register for one venue and successful applicants will be emailed with a personal PIN number (which will only work once) on 16th March and have until the following Monday (19th) to buy their tickets.

Go to http://www.arcticmonkeys.com for more information.

The band's new single 'Brianstorm' is released on 16th April