Launched 40 years ago with the largely instrumental Tubular Bells (a 48-minute suite conceived by 19-year-old guitar prodigy Mike Oldfield that went on to sell 15 million copies), Virgin Records has staked its reputation on doing the unexpected. Since its early days the label has emphasised and supported the maverick, creative drive of its artists; whilst along the way, it has achieved global success in breaking some of the biggest and most influential acts of the past four decades.

Virgin and its artists have been at the forefront of almost every key musical movement of the past forty years. It was the underdog label that signed the Sex Pistols when they had been rejected by the rest of the music establishment and forged ahead to enjoy great critical acclaim in the post-punk era with the likes of Simple Minds, PiL, Magazine, Devo and XTC.

By the Eighties it was spearheading a colourful new wave of British pop acts, helping to steer Boy George's Culture Club and The Human League to the top of the charts. Then through London's Soul II Soul and Bristol's Massive Attack it helped to push DJ and sound system culture into the mainstream.

In the Nineties the label set a vibrant new benchmark for pop music with the rise of the Spice Girls, oversaw the birth of new, electronic dance genres with Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers before changing the post-Britpop landscape with The Verve's, Urban Hymns.

The pace has barely slackened in recent years with Virgin signing the superstar DJs Swedish House Mafia, nurturing the huge talent of critically acclaimed female singer-songwriters Laura Marling and Emeli Sandé as well as launching the career of indie pop newcomers Bastille.

It’s this desire to think creatively, challenge conceptions and take risks that has established Virgin Records as one of the most innovative record companies of the past four decades.  Founder Richard Branson said,

“Virgin Records is where it all started for Virgin and 40 years later it's great to see we are still being innovative. This exciting series of events is the perfect way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Virgin Records and the artists, from Mike Oldfield to Emeli Sandé, who continue to disrupt the status quo."

Taking place in the autumn and including artists past and present, the events to celebrate Virgin Records ‘40 years of disruptions’ will be supporting the charity, War Child. War Child protects children from the brutal effects of war and received the Special Recognition Award at this year’s BRIT Awards.

Events are as follows

1) Exhibition
The creative direction for the exhibition will be overseen by Adrian Shaughnessy, George Lee and the team at This Is Real Art. It will include photos (seen and unseen), seminal videos (including props) and memorabilia that capture the symbiotic collaborations between the cultural icons of the day. The location will be an exclusive venue in Mornington Crescent.
 
2) Book
A beautiful art book will be edited by leading music journalist Adrian Thrills. Adrian began his career editing the punk fanzine 48 Thrills before becoming one of the main feature writers for NME in the Eighties. He contributed fifty cover stories for the paper championing the 2-Tone movement and many of the post-punk, reggae and dance acts of the era; as well as writing the first ever cover story for iconic style magazine The Face featuring The Specials. The book will be designed by Adrian Shaughnessy.

3) Documentary  
A film produced by Leopard Films, one of the UK’s leading production companies, and directed by Paul Tilzey, the director of many award winning documentaries for BBC and Channel 4 including ‘The 70s’. Executive producer Todd Austin and Fiona Morris' projects include ‘Do it Yourself; The Story of Rough Trade’ (BBC Four) and ‘Imagine: Damon and Jamie’s Excellent Adventure’ (BBC One) respectively.
 
4) Events    
A series of live events. Virgin Records will be taking over legendary Camden venue KOKO in October. The shows will celebrate four decades of disruptions involving icons and luminaries from Virgin’s roster past and present.    
 
5) Compilations     

A compilation CD with 2 x Cd set; one disc with current Virgin artists covering Virgin classics, another disc with original Virgin classics. There will also be a series of Virgin 40 compilation CDs spanning the four decades.

Virgin Records four decades of artists include: Mike Oldfield, Sex Pistols, Neneh Cherry, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, N.E.R.D, The Human League, Public Image Ltd., Spice Girls, George Michael, The Rolling Stones, Culture Club, Massive Attack, Swedish House Mafia, Kelis, The Kooks, KT Tunstall, Bastille, Heaven 17, The Verve, Genesis, Iggy Pop, Tangerine Dream, Lenny Kravitz, MeatLoaf, Simple Minds, Laura Marling, Phil Collins, Professor Green, The Smashing Pumpkins, Janet Jackson, XTC, UB40, Malcolm McLaren, Emeli Sandé, Soul II Soul, Air, Peter Gabriel, Inner City, David Guetta, Daft Punk, Everything But The Girl, The Chemical Brothers.

http://www.virgin40.com/

The US star will perform at London's Notting Hall Tabernacle on May 31 in association with VEVO Presents.

The capacity of the venue is a reported 500, meaning that fans will get a supremely intimate look at the 'Heart Attack' singer.

Speaking about the date, Lovato said in a statement:

"I love performing in the UK, and it's exciting that I can share such an exclusive performance in London with my fans all over the world through my own VEVO Presents event."

Ticket details will be announced by VEVO on May 27.

Lovato meanwhile is due to release new album 'DEMI' in the UK on Monday (May 20), although all tracks can currently be streamed on YouTube.

The flamboyant singer turned heads recently when she revealed that she has been texting the One Direction singer.

However, she irked some fans of the boyband when she joked about "sexting" the star.

Speaking to Look, the 'Die Young' singer revealed her fear that angry Directioners might want to physically attack her. Ke$ha said:

"I hope they don't want to beat me up, I'm just a fan too."

She added that there is no chance of romance happening, confirming: "He and I area just friends. Actually we started texting a long time ago and we're just friendly, it's not sexy."

Daft Punk's new single is the No.1 track in the UK according to today's (May 15) midweek chart update and has now sold over 500,000 copies. The French electro-duo's new album, 'Random Access Memories', will be released in the UK on May 20.

This week's No.2 is Passenger's 'Let Her Go' and there's a new entry at 3 from Demi Lovato with her latest offering, 'Heart Attack'. Wretch 32's 'Blackout' is new in at 4, Stooshe's 'Slip' has made an appearance at No.11, and Tich's 'Dumb' has debuted at No.15.

Elsewhere in the UK Top 40, John Legend's 'Ordinary People' has climbed 10 spots to No.26 after an impressive 55 weeks on the chart, Bastille's anthemic single 'Pompeii' is up 1 to No.12, and Rudimental's former chart-topper 'Waiting All Night' has dropped 2 positions to No.6.

Watch Pharrell and Daft Punk perform 'Get Lucky' here:

Concertgoers will have the opportunity to win a new Kia Soul through an online sweepstakes

IRVINE, Calif., June 21, 2011 -- For the fourth consecutive year, Kia Motors America (KMA) will hit the road and visit more than 40 U.S. cities this summer as "Official Vehicle of the 2011 Vans Warped Tour®." Concertgoers can catch live music performances and a variety of interactive activities and events at the Kia Soul Lounge.  New for 2011 will be a virtual Facebook page (facebook.com/kiasoul) that provides backstage video blogs and behind-the-scenes tour photos as the festival moves across the country.  Videos of the exclusive acoustic sets from the Kia Soul Lounge will be streamed live during select tour stops.  

In addition to live music, fans can obtain information on Kia's lineup of stylish and fuel-efficient vehicles, including the recently introduced 2012 Soul, which brings more power and fun-to-drive performance to the funky and popular urban passenger vehicle; the all-new 2012 Rio5 subcompact that will deliver class leading horsepower and fuel economy of 40 mpg (1) when it is expected to arrive in dealer showrooms later this fall; and the performance-inspired 2011 Forte Koup.

"Music has played an important part in each of our new product launches since the Soul arrived in 2009, and as a brand with stylish, youth-oriented products that appeal to the Gen-Y audience we are thrilled to return to the Vans Warped Tour for another summer as we continue our efforts to connect with young consumers by interacting with them in fun and engaging ways," saidMichael Sprague, vice president of marketing & communications, KMA.  "For the second summer in a row, we are delighted to give music lovers exclusive access to autograph sessions, VIP entry and the chance to win a new Soul, all while checking out their favorite bands."

At each tour stop, festival attendees have the opportunity to visit the Kia Soul Lounge, an interactive tent featuring a DJ, stencil art studio, an Express Your Soul "Confessional" booth and exclusive daily autograph sessions (2) with hot tour performers, including Less than Jake, 3OH!3, Gym Class Heroes, Attack! Attack! and other special guests.  The Kia Soul Lounge also will feature exclusive acoustic performances (2) by Less Than Jake, Hello Goodbye, Aggrolites and Gym Class Heroes.  

Festival participants also may earn Kia VIP passes for exclusive access to a private riser near the main stage, providing shade and unobstructed views of some of the biggest performances throughout the day.  These passes, and a choice of either a Kia t-shirt or bandana, will also be available at the Kia Soul Lounge while supplies last.  Fans can bring the shirt or bandana to the Stencil Art Studio inside the Soul Lounge to paint a cool design on the items before taking them to the riser for access.

As in previous years, Kia remains the "Presenting Sponsor" of the Kevin Says Stage, a solar-powered stage that provides local bands the opportunity to play their music for 2011 Vans Warped Tour concertgoers.  Kia Motors' official Kia Warped Tour blogger, Steve Guttbinder, provides fans with behind-the-scenes insights, videos and photos as well as answers to fans' questions throughout the tour.  Steve's vlog can be accessed at Facebook.com/kiasoul.

"As a forward-thinking company I have always appreciated Kia's support that allows us to build the solar-powered stage and nurture young artists on the 'Kevin's Says Stage,'" notes Kevin Lyman, Vans Warped Tour founder and producer.  "We are happy to have Kia Motors back onboard as the 'Official Vehicle of the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.'"

Kicking off June 24 in Dallas, the 2011 Vans Warped Tour features more than 150 punk, rock, hip-hop, rap, metal, indie rock and electronic artists including current chart-toppers and long-running legends.  

Select tour dates and destinations of the tour include:

• 6/24 – Dallas
• 6/30 – Las Vegas
• 7/1 – Pomona, Calif.
• 7/2 – San Francisco
• 7/9 – Chicago
• 7/13 – Boston
• 7/21 – Philadelphia
• 7/26 – Washington, D.C.
• 7/30 – Miami
• 8/3 – St. Louis
• 8/5 – Denver
• 8/10 – Los Angeles
• 8/14 – Portland, Ore.

For more information on the Vans Warped Tour, including a full list of tour dates and any updates to the tour schedule, visit vanswarpedtour.com.