Arts Diary: Will Marriott
Bands have traditionally found it hard to break America, but not Vib Gyor.
The Leeds band have recently been single of the week on iTunes USA.
Formed five years ago, Vib Gyor, named after the colours of the rainbow, have already won support from the likes of Radio 1's Zane Low and XFM DJ Clint Boom has already predicted the outfit are likely to make a big impact on the music world.
Last week, the band released their debut album, We Are Not An Island, and with a tour scheduled in Japan it looks like their
long-awaited big break may just have arrived.
For those who haven't caught them yet, log on to www.vibgyorband.com/epk
Alan Bennett realised early on that a life in academia wasn't for him. At the recent Hay on Wye literary festival, the Leeds-born playwright recalled his early days at Oxford University where he presented a post-graduate paper on Richard II.
"At the end of the presentation, I said, 'Are there any questions?' There was an endless pause. Eventually, right at the back, a rather timid young graduate put up his hand and said, 'Could you tell me where you got your shoes?' At that point I recognised that academic life was not going to be for me."
Sir Alan Sugar doesn't go out of his way to make friends, but he has found unlikely support in a Yorkshire village.
During the recent Wetwang Scarecrow weekend, a straw look-a-like of the Apprentice boss won the public vote, being named best scarecrow in the festival.
The Scarepprentice was the brainchild of Sue George and helped to raise 5,500 towards the ongoing upkeep of Wetwang Village Hall.
Some people have a knack of looking on the bright side. Step forward Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner.
It turns out that last year the notebook he had written lyrics for the band's forthcoming third album was stolen.
Starting from scratch, he bought a couple of Moleskins and desperately tried to remember the works-in-progress.
"I lost loads. It was all in this brown book with a picture of a fox on it," he told NME.
"I sat around for a couple of hours trying to remember it all, but I found the whole process made me write more things, complete things that I wouldn't have otherwise."
The new album is out in August and with tracks like Dance Little Liar and Potion Approaching it sounds like they are on top form.
Lesley Garret has always cut an elegant figure in the opera world, but her rise to fame wasn't without its hardships.
"When I was a student at the Royal Academy of Music, I worked as a nude model, and if I didn't get the tips, I basically didn't eat," she told the Times.
"I modelled for artists and sculptors – not page three, I promise you. In the 30 years I've been a professional singer, I've only been out of work for about six months in the early 1980s, because I lost my voice."
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