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Day two of our 'New Blood' recording sessions at Air.

The 'New Blood' orchestra are Digging In The Dirt this morning.

We had a great day yesterday at Air Studios recording orchestral arrangements of some of Peter's back catalogue. More is to come.

Our freight has just arrived back from the U.S.A as more dates for Europe go on-sale. Just time to store everything away before heading into more orchestral sessions next week.

Verona and Zurich have just confirmed.

Two flavours of live are on offer as Peter talks about 'New blood' shows past and future, he also confirms that he will be on a brief antipodean jaunt with the band later in the year

This month also brings Elbow's 'Mercy Street', a preview of next month's 'I Don't Remember' from David Byrne, amazing vocal performance from The Creole Choir of Cuba and 'Bought For A Dollar, Sold For a Dime' from Little Axe.

There's also a couple of ducklings, a bee or two and a little sunshine for good measure.

Peter and Elbow scratch each other's backs in May's Full Moon release on iTunes.

Peter Gabriel, Guy Garvey, John Metcalfe and Bob Ezrin talk about the recording of Mirrorball and Elbows reciprocal version of Mercy Street.

Mirrorball

"Dawn gives me a shadow I know to be taller / All down to you, dear." It's abundantly clear why this song, one of the highwater marks of Elbow's Mercury Prize-bagging The Seldom Seen Kid, holds such appeal for Peter. With Guy Garvey's poetic pen producing swooning lines like "We kissed like we invented it", John Metcalfe's surging strings are the equal, giving Mirrorball the big-screen sheen it truly deserves.

"...It's one of my favourite arrangements and has references to Stravinsky's 'Rites of Spring'. Often orchestral arrangements of rock songs are used to 'sweeten'. I think these arrangements have a real integrity to them. They are not a decorated background for a rock band, but use all the colours of the orchestra to provide the heart, passion, intensity and groove. " Peter Gabriel

Mercy Street

"We chose to cover Mercy Street because it's such an amazing song, It's my favourite from SO. Also because there's a real tenderness and understanding in the lyrics. Before I knew anything about Anne Sexton or her poetry - the song is about and dedicated to her- I just knew that there was a real comfort to the song" Guy Garvey

"you never know quite what people are going to do with your tracks. With this one they've been fantastic people to work with, very easy, open and straight forward, and the music is stunning." Peter Gabriel

Pentagram's London office welcomed WITNESS last night for an intimate dinner with Peter Gabriel. Co-hosted by Harry Pearce and Michelangelo Volpi the evening provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the work WITNESS does using video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations.

We've just announced further New Blood live dates for Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra in Avenches, Arnhem, Brussels, Barcelona, Köln, Hamburg, Leipzig, Amnéville, Madrid and Mannheim. We're hoping Verona and Zurich will follow soon. Details of soundcheck packages and the general release of tickets will follow as soon as the details are confirmed.

Peter's update tomorrow also has a mention of an Antipodean excursion later in the year, but we'll let him tell you on The Full Moon.

Help WITNESS raise $105K by helping them reach their $35K Challenge by June 18th and two generous donors will match all donations dollar for dollar! For every $1 donated = $3! These funds will support WITNESS' work to strategically use video to advance and protect human rights all over the world. Every contribution, no matter its size, makes a difference.

Guy Garvey of Elbow dropped into The Writing Room yesterday to talk to us about this month's 'Scratch My Back'...and 'I'll Scratch Yours' release - Peter's version of Elbow's 'Mirrorball' and their reciprocal version of 'Mercy Street'.

Elbow's 'Mercy Street' is getting a lot of play around the studios, everyone seems to be loving what they have done. We're working on the interview now in time for the Full Moon release.

We've just had these shots of Lou Reed at Radio City sent over by Lou's photographer Amy-Beth McNeely.

There are also some great images being uploaded by Full Moon Club members who went to the 'New Blood' shows.

We can now reveal full details of the 'Scratch My Back' Collector's Edition Box Set. It's taken a little while to pull together, but we hope you'll agree it's been worth the wait.

Peter talks with legendary rock journalist and author Dave Marsh this Sunday, May 9 on SIRIUS|XM.

Kick Out The Jams with Dave Marsh airs every Sunday from 10am - Noon ET exclusively on The Loft, SIRIUS channel 29 and XM channel 50.

Marsh began writing professionally for Creem in the late sixties, was the record editor at Rolling Stone in the seventies, and in 1983 founded Rock & Roll Confidential.

Witness are out on the road for some 'New Blood' dates with Peter, spreading the word about WITNESS and the work they're doing using video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations.

" I'm standing in the rain outside Other Music, waiting for them to open the store so I can buy Scratch My Back on vinyl. I thought it would be a nice prop for a video piece Peter Gabriel had agreed to do with Stereogum that afternoon.

My vision was that Stereogum would film Peter having an "exchange of ideas" with a like-minded young artist, much in the spirit of Scratch My Back and its forthcoming companion I'll Scratch Yours. I heard that Neon Indian's Alan Palomo was also a PG fan, and he agreed to participate"