MADONNA will play a special New York City concert on April 30th at the city's Roseland Ballroom, a day after the release of her new album 'Hard Candy'.

DURAN DURAN have confirmed that the European leg of their forthcoming 'Red Carpet Massacre' tour will consist of thirty shows, with only shows in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark announced so far. See GIGS for all the dates available.

NIK KERSHAW, SPANDAU BALLET's GARY KEMP, T'PAU's CAROL DECKER and MEL AND KIM's KIM APPLEBY were all among the judging panel for the Best Contemporary Song award which will be announced at the forthcoming Ivor Novello Awards ceremony which will take place in London on May 22nd.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE, BELINDA CARLISLE, ABC, DEAD OR ALIVE, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS and NAKED EYES are set to tour the US this summer under the banner of 'The Regeneration Tour' which will kick off in Phoenix on August 1st. See GIGS for all the dates.

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS frontman ROLAND GIFT and T'PAU singer CAROL DECKER are among a host of stars playing a special charity event at Eastbourne's Winter Gardens on September 13th. The show, entitled '80s Live!', will raise money for Muscular Dystrophy and will also features SCARLET FANTASTIC, KATRINA, MUSICAL YOUTH, B MOVIE, S'EXPRESS, BILLIE RAY MARTIN and HONEY BANE as well as ABC's Stephen Singleton, SUBWAY SECT's Vic Godard, SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK's Martin Degville, THE LOTUS EATERS' Jeremy Kelly and THE MOBILES' Anna Swift. More acts are due to be confirmed shortly.

NENA has a number of open air shows planned for the summer in advance of the release of a new studio album which is expected to be released in the autumn. See GIGS for all the dates.

DEAD OR ALIVE singer PETE BURNS has lined up a number of PA appearances - in Spain, the UK, the USA and Sweden - for 2008. See GIGS for all the dates.

GRACE JONES will make a rare UK appearance when she headlines this year's Secret Garden Party which will take place near Huntingdon in July.

MORRISSEY will release a new single 'All you Need Is Me' on May 19th on two 7" single formats and as a CD single.

GO WEST, who will be releasing their new album shortly, will play a special charity show at the Kids Count’s Best of the 80s Charity Ball which is being organised by radio stations 96.3 Radio Aire and Magic 828. The event will take place at the Queens Hotel in Leeds on May 16th.

HOWARD JONES is to be the subject of a strange tribute at this year's Bestival on the Isle Of Wight when a certain 'DJ Hojo Hits' will play a special DJ set, consisting of nothing but Howard Jones hits, dressed as the star. The tribute came about after fans lobbied the festival for Jones to play a set and having failed to make that happen DJ Hojo Hits - better known as chartered surveyor Robin Seamer - offered his services as a logical alternative and was booked by the festival...

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN frontman IAN MCCULLOCH will publish his currently untitled autobiography in Summer 2009 with publisher Transworld.

U2 will reissue their first three albums - 'Boy', 'October' and 'War' - in remastered, expanded 'deluxe' editions on July 21st.

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN will release their first new recording for a decade on April 14th when 'All Things Must Pass' is released as part of the soundtrack to the TV series 'Heroes'. The album also features tracks from WENDY & LISA and DAVID BOWIE.