PADDY CONSIDINE'S MOONLIGHTING, AN UNEVENTFUL BRITS AND PETER, BJORN AND JOHN MOVE ON

SO THE Brits grew up? There was less silliness (bar James Corden), less rock ‘n roll and no irreverence – but is that what we want, or do we prefer the spectacle?
Don’t we watch these things for car crash moments, drunk speeches and offensive egotistical rock stars? Still, good to see Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons win awards, shame The XX were overlooked.

• Feeling Gloomy won’t let up with the “can’t miss” events. This time brooding Irish hardman Paddy Considine (of Dead Man’s Shoes, Hot Fuzz etc) and his band Riding the Low play the 02 Academy Islington (Feb 26). All I know is they describe themselves as “lo-fi, raw guitar rock with the fat cut out”.



• Don’t forget the Camden Crawl’s essential preview night CC Tips with Spectrals, Paris Suit Yourself, Patch William and Frontiers at The Bull & Gate (Feb 24).

• When your big hit turns up on Homebase ads, it's getting a bit old. And "whistling song" Young Folks was conspicuous by its absence when Peter Bjorn and John previewed new album Gimme Some to a crammed Old Blue Last in Shoreditch recently. Maybe they're sick of it, but probably not the royalties. Some good new songs though. See if it’s resurrected when they play The Lexington (Feb 23).

• It was the venue for Joy Division's first London show, a Stranglers live album, and has hosted everyone from Madness and Ian Dury to countless indie hopefuls. Now the Hope and Anchor, Upper Street, is getting a major makeover, reopening later this month. Just hope they don't get rid of the atmosphere along with the musty smell of faded glory.

• The Union Chapel’s free Daylight Music events are fast becoming the highlight of the weekend. This week see Chris T-T, Model Village and Padriag Whelan from midday.

HAPPY GLOOMY VALENTINE'S DAY

IF IT wasn’t for the effort Feeling Gloomy put into their Love Hurts Valentine’s night, I’d have ignored it altogether.

But every year they step in to fill the deathly absence of cards, flowers and dates for singles.

So head to the 02 Academy Islington (Feb 12) for torch songs, indie heartbreakers and rock to scream to plus Down With Dating’s Speed Hating (spill your dislikes) and Blind Hate (Cilla, but dark). Hankies on hand, dead flowers on the tables and classic divorce flic Kramer Vs Kramer will be screened – perfect.

Alternatively sketch Burlesque models at Dr Sketchy’s Valentine’s Special to mark The Old Queen’s Head’s birthday celebrations (Feb 14). Rob Da Bank, Jamie Woon, Mystery Jets , The Maccabees, Tribes and Sound of Rum will be making an appearance over the week’s festivities.

• The more romantic may enjoy Ronnkie Pop’s Valentine’s Prom Night at The Silver Bullet (Feb 11), complete with prom king and queen coronation, prom punch and the inevitable slow dance. Think Back to the Future’s Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

• I last saw Mark Ronson at the Roundhouse for the Electric Proms in 2007 when he brought along an assortment of celeb guests. I’ll never forget The Rumble Strips’ Charlie Waller’s unexpected and explosive cover of Back to Black (look it up on YouTube). The Proms may be no more but Ronson returns to the Roundhouse (Feb 16) with The Business International, who knows what he’ll have in store this time?



• Tickets go on sale today (Feb 10) for Mumford & Sons’ special gig at Dingwalls on Feb 22. Support from the divine Marcus Foster, Anna Calvi and Rachel Sermanni.

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).

RECORD OF THE WEEK - THE PIERCES, Love You More

I KNOW when I really rate a band when I start wishing they were French.
But heavy-eyed sisters Catherine and Allison Pierce come from New York (ok Alabama originally) and so almost qualify for geographical coolness.
The very first low strings set the tone for the desolate Love You More and the sisters’ bleak harmonies shun any high notes that might hint at optimism and ruin the wretched mood you should be in when listening
to this. A soundtrack for post-break-up solitude which MUST be included on the next Feeling Gloomy playlist.
(Single out Oct 25).

JON MCCLURE'S SNOWY BREAKS, CHARLIE SLOTH AND DAPPY TALK GRUESOME DISCOVERIES AND ARE THE RUMBLE STRIPS SERVING PINTS?

MY spies tell me Charlie Waller, frontman of The Rumble Strips, was seen serving pints at a Dalston pub last week. Does anyone know if it’s true? And, if so, is it because they need to make ends meet or just an Amy-Winehouse-behind-the-Dublin-Castle-bar kind of favour to a fave venue? Although there’s nothing wrong with having a day – or in this case night – job, I only hope it’s the latter. It’s a long way from playing the Roundhouse with Mark Ronson.

• Archive moment, for any who haven’t seen Charlie Sloth’s Guided Tour of Camden, here’s a reminder – look out for our favourite Greek restaurant – Andy's Taverna - scene of many awkward office Christmas parties.
There's also a reference to where Camden Ripper Anthony Hardy's victims' bodies were found - timely in light of Dappy from N-Dubz' claims in his biography that he witnessed the body parts dumped in a bin bag at the back of his flats.


• Gleeks unite! Camden Jazz Café’s Hairbrush Heroes Glee night is next week (April 16). Dress as a US teen and belt out those tunes – hard to believe this comes from the same people behind Feeling Gloomy.

• Get well soon to Reverend and the Makers’ Jon McClure. He’s just broken his shoulder on the slopes at Snowbombing but was able to tweet all about it while lying on a stretcher waiting for his operation.

DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING - FEELING GLOOMY SAY SAVE BBC 6 MUSIC + BEAUTIFUL SOUTH'S PAUL HEATON'S BEER AND BIKE MISSION

I’VE recently discovered our favourite misery night Feeling Gloomy at the 02 Academy Islington has succeeded in spreading its depression across the Atlantic – they’ve taken up a monthly residency in Fontana's New York – good for them.
And the gloom peddlers have also taken an ad out in The Big Issue, just to remind people to save BBC 6 Music from closure – they're not all about the bad stuff.


- On the same note, hundreds of protesters, musicians and DJs turned out at the weekend demo outside the BBC's Broadcasting House against the proposed closure of 6 Music and the Asia Network.
Favourite protest was the nod to Father Ted, with a bunch of people holding up the phrase “Down with this sort of thing”.

- Electronic pioneer Gary Numan’s playing a rare live show for The Playground at Scala (April 13) ahead of his appearance at Coachella in California, I know where I prefer to be.

- Remember Diana Vickers? She was the wide-eyed, slightly strangled-voiced one off X-Factor. See how she turned out at Scala (May 12).

- Ex Housemartin and Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton’s joined the cycling hordes. He’s cycling 1,000 miles around England to play local pubs. He stops off at The Monarch, Camden, (May 13). Fans are invited to join him on the trip. It's like Eddie Izzard's Marathon Man, with beer instead of ice-cream.

- We've had The Priests and The Soldiers so what's the next trade the record industry can exploit for their quaint-ness? That's right it's the Cornish Fishermen!
Universal music has signed up 10 Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends for an album of seafaring shanties. Something for Father's day perhaps? Whenever that is.