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Irish woman thunders into Swedish rock band

A singer from Ireland has been sharing how she got headhunted by Swedish girl rock band Thundermother and is now aiming for European success with the group.

Irish woman thunders into Swedish rock band
Clare Cunningham from Ireland now fronts a Swedish rock band. Photo: Thundermother
Clare Cunningham says she got a voicemail from one of Thundermother's founding members around eighteen months ago after she posted some of her own material on Youtube.
 
She was told that the band was looking for a new lead singer.
 
“At first I was very sceptical and had no idea of what was involved – and I was very busy with my own band I had in Cardiff at the time,” she told the Irish Independent.
 
She was initially so busy that she didn't respond to the message. 
 
But according to the newspaper she was persuaded by original band members Filippa Nassil and Giorgia Cateri who had also recruited bassist Linda Ström and drummer Tilda Stenqvist.
 
They told her that her first show would involve opening up the Metaltown festival for Motorhead, a big name on the rock music circuit.
 
“That obviously caught my attention and so we discussed it further and within a couple of days I was learning ten brand new songs.”
 
Cunningham described her first gig as "insane" and said that "from that very moment walking onto that stage my music career was about to change".
 
The band are currently touring Europe, with dates in the UK and Ireland this week and back in Sweden at the end of the month.

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JOHNNY HALLYDAY

French rocker Johnny Hallyday released from hospital

Veteran French rocker Johnny Hallyday, who has been battling lung cancer for several months, returned home on Saturday after being hospitalised for days with breathing problems, a family member said.

French rocker Johnny Hallyday released from hospital
Johnny Hallyday has been battling lung cancer for several months. Photo: Eric Feferberg/AFP

France's answer to Elvis Presley checked into a private hospital in western Paris early Monday morning.

A musical icon known simply as “Johnny” at home, Hallyday has sold more than 100 million records in his decades-long career.

The 74-year-old announced in March that he was being treated for cancer but said his life was not in danger.

During his stay in hospital Hallyday received numerous visits from his family including his daughter Laura Smet and manager Sebastian Farran, who said on Friday his condition had “stabilised”.

The star's early concerts in the 1960s prompted scenes of hysteria similar to those seen at shows by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones as the rock 'n' roll revolution swept the Western world.

Hallyday is also known for an eventful private life and a row over his decision to dodge French taxes by taking up residence in Switzerland.

His major hits, almost always sung in French, include local versions of Presley's “Hound Dog”, “Let's Twist Again” by Chubby Checker and “Bebop a Lula” by Gene Vincent.