TOM JONES' ALTAR STAGE INVASION FEATURING JO WHILEY'S MUM + PULP'S BEST. NEWS. EVER. + BRAINY AKALA + THE REVENGE OF D:REAM

TOM Jones set ageing pulses racing at Islington’s Union Chapel on Monday night as he headlined the first night of the magical Mencap Little Noise Sessions.

At Paolo Nutini’s gig the next night, my spies tell me Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley confessed her mum stormed the stage when the irresistible Mr Jones was playing – bear in mind the stage is an altar – these Jones fans are wild.


Here's Mr Jones with Green Green Grass of Home, his encore.
• My fave up-and-comers, quirky, Louis le Prince play cult venue The Lexington (Nov 24). If you’re looking for one new band to adopt, this is it.

• The Electric Ballroom’s got a mighty list of gigs on its way – Kele (Bloc Party) plays Friday, The Fall (Nov 23) and The Tallest Man on Earth (Nov 24).

• In case you’ve been living on another planet I’d like to point out that Pulp are reforming and headline Wireless next year – Best. News. Ever. My fave song’s Babies, what’s yours? PS 02 Academy Islington’s great club night Feeling Gloomy hosts Pulp’s Wireless launch party on Saturday – prizes, surprises and rare Pulp records played early.

• Akala’s sooo brainy and a good guy, not like those bad rappers you read about in the papers. He’s been teaching schoolkids hip-hop Shakespeare – check out his cerebral lyrical dexterity at the British Library (Nov 26).

• I’ve not been complimentary about D:Ream in the past and it seems they’re taking revenge. The checky-trousered dance act, which I hold personally responsible for the birth of Blair, (Tony, not the one-hit-wonder of Have Fun Go Mad obscurity), have managed to convince former keyboarder Brian Cox now a widely respected physicist to abandon sanity and reform – songs from new album “In Memory Of...” (I’d stop there) will be performed at 02 Academy Islington (Dec 1).

WHICH MILIBAND IS A-PUNK? HOW MANY IN ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT + GOLDIE IN THE RING

HOW much do we really care about a politician’s record-sifting skills? 

If you're a Labour party member, maybe more than you think.

Before the election David Miliband told me his chosen campaign music would be Things Can Only Get Better – Blair’s atrocious D:Ream New Labour anthem.

Hmmm, I thought, can’t Mr M think of a single new track in the last 13 years? Even a classical piece would have been more forgivable.
Last week young Ed Miliband marched to victory over his sibling for the Labour leadership - his chosen anthem? Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw – a neighbour of David – pointed out helpfully it was Vampire Weekend’s A-Punk. Say no more.

Course I prefer Cousins...

• I never really worked out how many people were in the laid-back extended family that made up Arrested Development. Count for yourself when they play the Barbican supported by M3SNA, October 13.
• He’s wearing gaudy gold shirts and competing with Anne Widdecombe on the dancefloor, Soundclash, he’s put on a penguin suit and conducted full-scale orchestras but happily Goldie is returning to what he does best at Roundhouse Culture Clash (Oct 14). Four contending soundsystems, five rounds, one champ – it’s like fight club with Metalheadz, Scream & Benga, Channel One Soundsystem and Soul Jazz Records with Don Letts as referee.