Three teens arrested for Sony warehouse fire in London (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Three teenagers have been arrested for the riotous fire that tore through Sony's Digital Audio Disc Corporation warehouse in north London Monday, destroying more than 1.5 million CDs, BBC reports.

Scotland Yard police told the BBC that two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old have been charged with violent disorder and arson. Two of the three remain in custody -- one of the 17-year-olds has posted bail.

The center was used as a location for storage of DVDs, Blu-rays, and PlayStation Portable game discs. The Enfield facility also served as the main headquarters for UK music distributor Pias, which handles stock for independent labels such as 4AD, Sub Pop, Domino, Warp and XL.

While larger firms, such as Beggars, have additional CD stock in other locations, smaller labels such as Memphis Industries may be out of luck. Memphis Industries, which handles acts such Tokyo Police Club and The Go! Team -- said in a Tuesday tweet:

"So all the stock we got left is sitting in our office. Devastated is the word," the label said. "Thoughts go out to all other Pias labels too."

With parts of the building still smoldering, many building inhabitants have yet to assess their damage. The BBC reported that it took 40 firefighters to tackle the blaze.

In the wake of the fire, Pias and the Association of Independent Music are teaming up for a fund that will help labels get back on their feet.

"I am very confident that our combined efforts will result in the smallest interruption to our collective business," Pias' Kenny Gates said in a statement.

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Sony CD Warehouse burns down in London riots (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – More than 150 independent record labels were dealt a huge blow on Monday night, when a facility owned by Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation was destroyed in a fire that resulted from the riots that have torn through England in the past three days.

According to the BBC, the facility, in the London borough of Enfield, served as the main headquarters for U.K. music distributor Pias, which handles stock for independent labels such as 4AD, Sub Pop, Domino, Warp and XL.

Pias acknowledged the damage in a statement on its Web site on Tuesday, noting, "Pias is working closely with Sony DADC, who are implementing their emergency plans. Pias's UK offices in London and all other areas of our business are unaffected. More information will be communicated shortly to all our labels and partners."

Meanwhile, the labels whose stock was stored in the facility have been left struggling with the blow. One label, Memphis Industries -- which handles acts such Tokyo Police Club and The Go! Team -- said in a tweet that they've been "devastated" by the blaze.

"So all the stock we got left is sitting in our office. Devastated is the word," the label said. "Thoughts go out to all other Pias labels too."

A Sony spokesperson told TheWrap that the blaze was reported at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday night. Though the blaze has been brought under control, but because of the smoke levels, no one can enter the facility to fully assess the destruction.

"We are unable to confirm the extent of the damage or the cause until the fire is fully extinguished and a full investigation can be carried out by authorities," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that it will likely be at least until midday Wednesday before anyone can enter the facility to assess the damage.

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An enthusiastic Coldplay performs for London crowd (AP)

LONDON – Red lights beamed and green lasers shot across the room. Pink, purple, green and yellow colors shined in a windmill-like fixture. And huge balloons dropped from the air and multicolored confetti burst from the sides of the stage.

It was psychedelic and colorful — two words that also described Chris Martin's demeanor Friday night.

The Coldplay singer led the English foursome as they played more than a dozen songs at the Roundhouse in London's Camden Town.

An enthusiastic Martin switched from electric to acoustic guitar and then to the piano throughout the night, jumping around the stage in sneakers and rubbing his head after he finished a song.

"I love your makeup," he yelled to one girl after singing "Shiver," one of the band's first songs.

Coldplay — who has released four multiplatinum albums and has a fifth planned for this year — performed for hundreds as part of the iTunes' free music festival.

"For 12 years, we had to give away tickets, and nothing's changed," Martin joked. "We still have to give away things for free."

On the piano, Martin was most focused, towering over it like a mad scientist on tunes like "Politik" and a new song with a piano groove that the band had never played before and "might not play it anywhere else."

He was vocally top-notch on fan favorites like "Yellow" and "Viva la Vida," where the crowd continued to belt its addictive hook of "Ohhh's" until the band returned for an encore. They closed the show with timeless tracks like "Speed of Sound" and "Fix You." Then they performed their latest song, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall."

But it was the sound of "Ohhhhh Ohhh Ohhh" from "Viva la Vida" that really ended the night as concertgoers continued to sing it as they exited.

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Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin

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Wedding dress to draw record crowds to London palace (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Buckingham Palace expects record crowds this summer, when up to 650,000 people are set to file into Queen Elizabeth's London residence and past the dress worn by Kate Middleton at her royal wedding to Prince William.

The ivory and white garment, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, won over the fashion press and public when Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and a future queen, walked up the aisle of Westminster Abbey in April.

In the run-up to the fairytale wedding, details of the outfit were a closely guarded secret, known only to the handful of people who worked on the dress.

Hundreds of millions of viewers admired it on television and the internet, and now hundreds of thousands will see it for themselves, unprotected on a raised oval stage in the ornate palace ballroom where state banquets are held.

Reflecting the surge in interest in the royals after the marriage and the newlyweds' recent trip to North America, advanced ticket sales for the summer tour of Buckingham Palace have hit 126,000, up 107 percent on the same point last year.

In total a record 643,000 people are expected to take the tour, during which visitors can see 19 state rooms, a display of Faberge jewelry -- and the dress, Middleton's wedding shoes, earrings and a silk replica of her bouquet.

Above the dress is the original veil and Cartier "halo" tiara worn by the bride, featuring around 900 diamonds and lent to her for the occasion by the queen.

Caroline de Guitaut, curator of decorative arts at the Royal Collection, said the royal couple, whose wedding drew huge crowds to the streets of London, had striven for modesty as well as beauty and grandeur on the big day.

"They wanted the wedding to be modest as far as an occasion of that kind can be modest," De Guitaut told reporters at a press preview of the display.

"There is a sense of modesty in this dress. I think it will stand the test of time, definitely."

QUEEN AND DUCHESS TO VISIT

In a video made after the wedding and for the exhibition, designer Burton talked in detail about the painstaking process of making the dress and its 2.7-meter train.

Middleton was closely involved in the design process as well as in the decision to display the dress in Buckingham Palace. The queen and duchess were due to visit the display on Friday.

"What is so astounding ... is just how much thought and extraordinary work and craftsmanship and skill went into it," said De Guitaut.

Even the wedding cake is on show in a glass cabinet in the state dining room, complete with ornate sugar flowers and a deep cut where the couple plunged in the knife.

The other major attraction for visitors this year is a display of around 100 pieces from the British monarchy's unparalleled collection of works by Russian jeweler Faberge.

The exhibition, which features highlights from a total of 600-700 Faberge creations owned by the royals, ranged from treasures bought by and given to Queen Victoria to a recent bequest to heir to the throne Prince Charles.

"Many of these pieces are still in use," said De Guitaut. "Clocks, for example, are still on desks and (picture) frames are still used in private apartments. It's still a living collection."

The summer opening at Buckingham Palace runs from July 23 to October 3.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Tim Pearce)

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