Gitano will perform on the Vodafone stage at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, with former Miss Ireland Ms Brunker stepping in following the withdrawal of Jessie J.

JOE caught up with Gitano’s main man Francisco Garcia, who hasn’t been best pleased with some of the criticisms which have come his band’s way over the past few hours.

Far from being a film made in the Philippines, Argentina or Spain, a type of jeans, a guitar accessory or an entire Spanish race, it turns out Gitano is a band with a proven track record around the world.

They’ve released not one, not two, but THREE singles across the globe over the past six weeks – and, as Francisco tells us, not many Irish bands can say that.

“We’ve been signed by massive labels like EMI and Virgin in Germany, by Nervous Records in New York and by Cafe del Mar in Ibiza, the world’s biggest chill-out label. We’ve played at Oxegen before, in 2009, and we’ve also had a number one in the British dance charts recently, so it’s not fair for people to call us a wedding band.

“Have a bit of respect. We’re not a wedding band. Of course, we play weddings, we play anything that earns us money. There’s a lot of big money in weddings. We could be playing at The Residence in Dublin one night and a wedding for seven or eight thousand euros the next night.”

Neither are Gitano the Oxegen festival’s equivalent of a Billy-no-mates. It turns out that our rakishly-stetsoned investigative reporter was wrong to point JOE readers in the direction of a particularly friendless Gitano Facebook page earlier today.

“That’s not our page,” said Francisco. “Gitano doesn’t have an official Facebook page, that page is just a bunch of punks who play on the street. I put everything on my own personal page, or on gitano.ie.”

Francisco is also unhappy at people having a pop before they’ve even heard the band. “If you listen to the music and you want to express an opinion, whether you think it’s good or you think it’s crap, fair enough. But people have been saying stuff and they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

So what about Ms Brunker? How did that connection come about?

“I know Amanda a long time,” says Francisco, “and we’ve been talking about doing something together. She has a high profile and always gets a lot of publicity so we were delighted to do something together at Oxegen.

“She has a good voice for the kind of music we do. We play house, so we don’t need somebody with a very soulful voice, but Amanda’s voice has a good, sweet texture, so it works great for us.”

Here’s a YouTube video, although as Francisco tells us there are 15 bands around the world called Gitano, we can’t be entirely sure whether this is the lads who’ll be playing at Oxegen at 2pm on Saturday.

Wedding bands are an inevitability. She wants a Abba tribute band, he wants his friend’s rock band, but everyone knows that in-laws are not going to go for either. In the end the couple will acquiesce to mom’s wish for a handsome, sharp-dressed band that can nail Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson’s “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love.” But you still want a band that can get this party started, right? This is why the wedding band showcase is also becoming an inevitability.

As these things go, wedding band showcases are becoming regular for most agencies supplying wedding bands, Last week was good. If this is surprising, remember that whatever wedding bands lack in originality they make up in cheesy music and anything to make the bride and groom happy, including the first dance song.

Motor City Party Band, Panache, Lost Boys, Remix, Elite all have that polished, powerful, and clean  sound. Wedding bands that rap normally create an embarrassing feeling, but when any of these bands assault you with the rhythmic and  infectious,  horn lines of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” it’s nearly impossible not to search the room for free champagne and available, tipsy, guests and  bridesmaids.

All the bands represented and the most requested from Music for London are sure to get people happily dancing; two bands, Rudy and the Rent Boys and the Lost Boys, especially stood out.

Just out of  Trinity College, band members from Magma is the type of wedding band that doesn’t want to be a wedding band, but knows there’s no money in blue-eyed soul or white disco anymore. Its members are all a little too young, a little too talented and may sneak too much free booze during their breaks, but they can play.

Whether any of the bands will be hired to play at the weddings in London of the dozen or so couples who turned out remains to be seen. If these bands are what theyhad in mind, Music for London will be organising more showcases in the near future.

But be warned: You aren’t going to find anyone as, ahem, unique as your buddy’s rock band.

For Wedding Bands in London go to www.musicforlondon.co.uk

The UK wedding and function market for all intent and purposes has never been lucrative enough to justify the cost of running, managing and paying a band of professional musicians.

Like one musician brought up to me the other day. “It was never great during the good times, it certainly sucks now, we were working but after taking away the cost of maintaining a car to do these gigs, storage for the equipment and maintainance, rehearsal studio time, it never did add up”

Music agencies had a good run but with more bands being accessible via websites on the internet, the agencies have had less of a role to play. They have seen their advertising and marketing cost double but have seen their revenue half since the end of 2008 till now (2010 May).

Based on the current economic trend, 90% of professional performing musicians and bands generally need to start looking at music as a part time paying hobby. It can not longer be depended upon as a reliable source of income. 10% of professional and qualified muscians are with record companies and corporate events companies.

Recording Studios are charging what they used to charge in 70′s almost 40 years later.

The music industry is great, it is fun, you can travel the world as a giging musician, enjoy the perks when you are young and decent looking, but only get into it if you don’t mind worrying about your next months paychek for 30 – 40 years of your working life.  Teaching music has always been a good avenue but it remains a highly mundane profession and nine out of ten doing it because they have to and not because they want to.

Then off course if you get lucky and make it big and get to gig with the big names or are a techno trance DJ that plays to thousands you will be ok, but this happens to such a minute number of people, you need to ask yourself if you are likely to want to take that risk.

It is great to be your own boss, do what you really want, but is it really worth it in the long run?

I am not too sure at this juncture, I have been a self employed professional agent and musician for 20 years, since I left school, it has been great and wonderful ride.  I went om to finish my degree in music and Masters in Entertaiment Law. I have had a months where my income was nothing short of fantastic.

With a growing family for the next 20 years, with a steady source of income required,  it now seems rather daunting to be a professional musican as the main source of income based on the current economical trends.

Loke a baby’s first cry, the smell of new mown hay, the bleat of a new born lamb, the touch of a young girls lips…. somehow Diana brings the sensation of life’s beautiful moments into a heady distillation of melody and rhythm.

Artiste Robert Palmer

Release Date: May 1986

Writer Robert Palmer

UK Chart – 5 Weeks

US Chart – 22 Weeks

Robert Palmer is a blue eyed soul singer with a lounge lizard smoothness, and a chameleon tendency to change the style of his music. He started out in Vinegar Joe, soul rock group, but over the years has dabbled in reggae, techno, hard rock and big band sounds. He is brobably best known for the Addicted to Love video, which featured mini skirted models strumming guitars to Palmers pared down pusling vocals. It was slick and tacky but effective.

Artist: Phil Collins

Release Date: April 1984 (UK) – February 1982 (US)

Writer & Producer : Phil Collins

Label: Virgin

UK Chart Peak: 2 Weeks

US Chart Peak: 4 Weeks

Phil Collins wrote Against All Odds at the request of director Taylor Hackford, who needed a title for his film of the title. The song did quiet a bit better than the film, it was Phil Collin’s first US Number 1 as well as his first gold disc in America. He adapted it from an out take from his Face Value sessions, How can You Sit There?

Although his vocal performance is magnificent, the arrangement is far too safe despite he booming bottom line synth, however, it’s obvious that Phil has been asked to write for a paticular market and to supply a suitable musical scare as the credits roll. Paul Strange, Melody Maker, March 1984

An investigation into the death of the pop star Stephen Gately at his holiday apartment in Majorca will focus on a night out with his partner, Andrew Cowles. The police said that there was no suicide note or sign of violence when Gately was found by Mr Cowles on Saturday afternoon. A Bulgarian man who had been invited back to the couple’s £1 million apartment on Majorca early on Saturday is being sought by the police. A police source said: “We do not think this man is involved in any way in Stephen’s death but his testimony could prove vital.” Gately and Mr Cowles had spent Friday night out drinking before returning to their apartment in the upmarket resort of Port d’Andratx in the early hours of Saturday. The police were called at 1.45pm. A source who was called to the scene said: “There was no suicide note or evidence of any drug use or excessive drinking and the dead man’s friends were at a loss to explain what had happened. All we know is that they had gone out the night before till late and had quite a few drinks, and raised the alert when they found Stephen dead.”

The singer is reported to have been in his pyjamas. “He was in a strange position,” an investigator said. “He was squatting on the sofa, almost in a praying position.”

Pop stars and politicians joined in paying tribute yesterday to the singer, who was 33. The four remaining members of Boyzone flew to the island yesterday evening.

Bertie Ahern, the former Taoiseach, said: “He was 33 years of age, 15 years at the top, a fine musician, it’s just a huge tragedy to Irish entertainment, Irish music and further afield as well.”

Sir Elton John said that he and his partner, David Furnish, were stunned by the news. “Stephen was the kindest, gentlest soul,” he said. “We send our love and condolences to his partner Andy and to his friends everywhere.”

Lord Lloyd-Webber said that Gately’s death was a great loss to the musical world.

Gately, who had a civil union with Mr Cowles in 2006, sent ripples through the pop world ten years ago when he said he was gay, an announcement considered significant because most of the band’s fans were girls.

The couple are thought to have bought the three-bedroom property less than a year ago.

An investigating judge has been placed in charge of the inquiry. The post-mortem examination is expected to be delayed until tomorrow because today is a Bank Holiday in Spain. The results and a toxicology report are due by Wednesday.

A source said that investigators would try to establish from relatives whether there was anything in the singer’s medical history that might explain his death.

Gerald Kean, an Irish solicitor asked by Gately’s family to speak on their behalf, said: “There’s no foul play and it’s not suicide. It’s just a tragic accident is what we’ve been told and we’re happy that is correct information. There is nothing untoward, it’s not drugs, it’s not murder, it’s not a fight. That’s what we’ve been told.”

The Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham arrived at the apartment at 8.30pm local time, wearing dark clothes and sunglasses. They entered without saying anything.

Louis Walsh, the band’s manager and X Factor judge, pulled out of appearing on the hit ITV show last night. He was “very shocked and exceptionally upset” his spokeswoman said.

Simon Cowell paid tribute to the singer during the live broadcast of X Factor. He said that Gately’s death was “really, really, tragic” and sent his condolences to the singer’s family and Walsh, but added: “The show must go on.”

A message on Boyzone’s website read: “Stephen tragically died yesterday whilst on holiday with his partner Andrew in Majorca. The rest of the boyz will be flying out today.”

Wellwishers started to leave flowers outside the flat yesterday

WELCOME TO THE ……….DROPZONE

This brand-new, action-packed adventure series for BBC ONE will see eight teams of all ages battle it out to escape from six very different Drop Zones across the world…

To get to the next Drop Zone, each team will face a series of challenges inspired by each stunning location and designed to test their skills and ingenuity to the max…..

Who would you take?

Family, friends or work mates – whoever you chose you’ll need to be sure they won’t let you down. The only way to get out of the Drop Zone ahead of your rivals will be to work together. If you stay in the race and get to the sixth and final Drop Zone, you’ll be in with the chance of being crowned Drop Zone Champions…

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for teams of three from all walks of life.  Are you friends who work together – or maybe you know each other through your shared hobbies? Maybe you’re three generations of the same family…  What’s certain is that your team will have a selection of skills, experience and a determination to win. There’s no knowing what could give you the edge and get you out of the Drop Zone ahead of your competitors.

Get in touch!

If you think your team has what it takes to take part in this exciting adventure series, find out more and download an application form by visiting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/beonashow/dropzone.shtml

Alternatively, please email us for an application form at dropzone@bbc.co.uk

Filming will take place across a six week period in June and July 2009 so you will need to be free during this time.

GOOD LUCK!