Keeping track of new music, media and industry news.

Every now and then there’s a story that reminds us just how privileged we are to live in a society where there’s relatively little stigma attached to listening to different forms of music. Sure, wearing a Bullet For My Valentine t-shirt and wearing excessive eye-liner might earn you the odd kicking in Midlands shopping centres, but hearing about emos being fatally targeted by militias in Iraq kind of puts it in perspective.

Similarly, while all-girl rock bands might still get heckled by someone’s patronising Uncle at gigs, they probably won’t suffer having a fatwa issued against them by a state-appointed cleric, as happened to high-school band Pragaash (translated as ‘Morning Light’) in Kashmir this week. The band have now sadly called it a day after the edict sparked a wave of hostile abuse on the internet, although the incident has opened up a huge debate on religion and misogyny in the disputed region…