JOHN BARNES' REPRISE, JOHN FOXX'S REUNION, WOLFMOTHER'S REPEAL AND N-DUBZ RELEVATION

JOHN Barnes, what have you done? Why agree to reprise your “rap” from New Order’s 1990 World Cup song World in Motion – for a Mars ad?

It wasn’t great the first time, and it just sounds like a lifetime of chocolate has made it even more laboured. I’m fond of you Barnesy, but are you sure this was wise? It is funny though. Can’t we just stick to Kasabian being the unofficial football soundtrack for the year?

• New Finsbury Park pop-up club The Silver Bullet’s already got the power to attract the big names. They’re holding the Rage Against the Machine after-party with Gallows and Eddy Temple-Morris DJing. Visit www.thesilverbullet.co.uk

• There’s something of a reunion happening at the Roundhouse’s electronic festival, Short Circuit 2010 (June 5). John Foxx, original frontman of pioneering UK synth-rock act Ultravox, reunites with guitarist Robin Simon, following DJ sets from Gary Numan and Jori Hulkkonen. Foxx and special guests will assemble on stage for the first time with the machines he used on debut solo album Metamatic in 1980 to perform material from past and present.

• The Egg club in King’s Cross has reopened and is attracting an incredible list of international DJs. Watch this space or visit www.egg-london.net

• Sad to hear Wolfmother have cancelled their appearance at Hard Rock Calling due to illness – one I was looking forward to.

• How much higher can these guys go? N-Dubz are sharing the bill with Usher at Camden’s Koko tomorrow (Friday). They’ve kept this one quiet. 

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.