GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER ELECTRIC PROMS + PARTY FOR PALESTINE WITH AKALA, LOWKEY ET AL + SEAN LENNON'S SABER TOOTHED TIGER POUNCES ON THE ROUNDHOUSE + SEASICK STEVE'S BLUES

REMEMBER the great BBC Electric Proms of 2008 – Oasis, Glasvegas and Burt Bacharach at the Roundhouse, Goldfrapp at Cecil Sharp House, the incredible Africa Express marathon at Koko, and The Last Shadow Puppets in Liverpool?

It was the best of the Proms, multi-venue, multi-genre, multi-generational, spanning north and south.
Last year the Beeb tightened its belt and shrank to one venue but still pulled in the huge acts – Dame Shirley Bassey, Smokey Robinson and Dizzee Rascal.

(One of my favourite songs ever - I love you Miles Kane!)

So what happened this year? It’s always fantastic to see classic legends in a venue as concise as the Roundhouse but the Proms has been reduced to three nights, each headliner – Elton John, Robert Plant and Neil Diamond – over 60 and white (or perma-tanned).
Younger names such as Plan B will support but still, the Proms was such a huge event and a chance for surprises and unexpected collaborations – a real celebration of musicians of all kinds remembering what it was like to jam and experiment. A move away from the fuddy duddy traditional proms that clogs up our TVs annually. Did this really have to be a casualty of the cuts?
• Don't miss Party for Pakistan, fave acts on the bill include Akala, Lowkey, Riz MC, and Facejacker – you know who I mean – great cause – 02 Academy Islington, (September 29).
• Who's Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger I hear you ask? Although the musos out there probably know. This is Sean Lennon and girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl's collaboration. Expect beautifully crafted songs from their debut gig (Roundhouse, Oct 13).

• Seasick Steve plays the Blues Kitchen (Oct 7) – it's an oddly-shaped venue but old Seasick can bring any stage to life – do NOT miss this.

HARD ROCK'S CALLING - STEVIE WONDER, PEARL JAM AND PAUL MCCARTNEY TAKE OVER HYDE PARK

HARD Rock Calling is days away and we’re praying for the beautiful climes of last year as we prepare to head to Hyde Park for three days of glory  from giants Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and the like.

Taking place from June 25-27, Hard Rock Calling is generally aimed at the more mature crowd – you probably won’t have to worry about being caught up in crushing mosh-pits or frantic raves.

You probably will, however, see more than one generation jointly nodding along in shared appreciation of the fact that there’s at least something they can agree on – a musical bonding session for parent and child/grown-up offspring.

This year’s highlight has to be Stevie Wonder (pictured), whose Saturday show is expected to be heralded by a mass rendition of Happy Birthday, to mark the singer’s 60th birthday.

This is a rare chance to catch him in full glory, and Wonder’s was naturally the first night to sell out.

Supporting will be Jamiroquai (more recently seen lending his talents to a Japanese noodle advert), James Morrison and Corinne Bailey Rae, while Melissa Etheridge, Alejandro Escovedo, Florence Rawlings, Rox, Rumer, Diane Birch and Maria Mena play the Pepsi Max stage.

Last year we had Seasick Steve’s joyous veranda anecdotes, The Killers’ messianic conversion of Hyde Park, some wholesome stonewashed rock from the Boss, and Neil Young being a bit dull.

To be fair, the last observation was thanks to my own prejudices and Young attracted all sorts of praise at the time.

This year, Friday’s line-up – headlined by Pearl Jam – should have included Wolfmother, who mysteriously cancelled due to illness some time back – a real loss as they were one of the must-see picks of the weekend.

In those years of being part of the pack of grungy teens in DMs and cardigans riddled with holes, I never got to see either Nirvana or Pearl Jam live, so this could be the resolution of some unfulfilled youthful dream.

But now Eddie Vedder’s cut his hair, will he still have his powers?

Supporting the “Jam” are Ben Harper & Relentless 7 (last year’s performance was a little too worthy), The Hives, The Gaslight Anthem and Robert Francis.

No stranger to Hyde Park appearances, McCartney headlines on Sunday. Last year, he helped double the dad-rock factor when he joined Bruce Springsteen on stage for the finale. This year, he’s keeping the spotlight to himself.

Supporting are Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crowded House and Elvis Costello.

Over on the second stage are Joshua Radin, Tiffany Page, Little Steven’s Underground Garage Revue featuring The Breakers, The Cocktail Slippers, and The Len Price 3, hosted by Little Steven Van Zandt.

PAUL WELLER AND SEASICK STEVE HEADLINE HAITI CONCERT AT CAMDEN ROUNDHOUSE

THE line-up for the Roundhouse's Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser on Feb 25 is shaping up nicely.
Paul Weller, KT Tunstall and Reverend and the Makers, confirmed this week, join Bombay Bicycle Club, Seasick Steve, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, Magic Numbers, Mr Hudson and The Futureheads for a night of comedy, music and most importantly to raise as much as possible for Haiti.
Due to the success of the night, a sister event has been set up at Proud Camden, including The Hoosiers, Adam Ficek Charlotte O'Connor, Example, The Strangeways and Stornoway. And Faithless' Maxi Jazz, Zero7 and Stereo MCs are amongst the list of DJs booked for the night.
All money raised will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres and ActionAid.
Tickets from www.haitiearthquakefundraiser.com