In a statement published on fan site true-to-you.net, Morrissey reportedly slams the Olympics for "blustering jingoism". In a statement, dated 3 August 2012, Morrissey writes of his recent tour experiences in Italy, Turkey, Israel and Greece before launching into a sustained criticism of the London Olympic Games. He writes:

One of the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot has spoken out about their case, claiming they are not "enemies of Christianity". Nadia Tolokonikovoy is one of three members of the Russian punk collective who have been in detention since their arrest in March following an impromptu gig at Moscow's Christ The Saviour Cathedral. The band sang a song called "Holy Shit" as a protest against the Orthodox Christian church's support for Russian president Vladimir Putin. The three women face up to seven years in jail on hooliganism charges.

John Murry first entered Uncut airspace in 2006 with World Without End, the bleakly brilliant album of country death songs he wrote and recorded with Bob Frank. Six years on, Murry has just released his first solo album, The Graceless Age, an album of almost symphonic emotional turmoil, co-produced by late American Music Club drummer Tim Mooney. The songs on the record deal sometimes explicitly with Murry’s heroin addiction, specifically the 10-minute ‘Little Coloured Balloons’, a harrowing account of a near-fatal OD. I reviewed The Graceless Age for the current issue of Uncut and emailed Murry some questions, to which he replied in detail and at illuminating length, as you will see from the fascinating transcript that follows.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse debuted six new songs on the opening date of their 2012 tour. The tour opened on Friday night at the Pavilion, Hard Rock Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Young and the Horse played a 15 song, 2-hour show, including six new tracks and an airing for a 1981 studio outtake. The set list for the Albuquerque show was: 1. Love And Only Love 2. Powderfinger 3. Born In Ontario (new) 4. "Walk Like A Giant" (new) 5. The Needle And The Damage Done (acoustic solo) 6. Twisted Road (new) (acoustic w/ the band)