GIVE JOSH HOMME AN AWARD + VIV ALBERTINE MOCKS MUSIC HISTORY + FOO FIGHTERS CAN'T KEEP A SECRET + DJ DEREK

SO newly haloed God-like genius Dave Grohl and the rest of his Foo Fighters played a not-so-secret gig at Dingwalls on Saturday. Sadly the news missed my print deadline so best I could do was tweet it – sorry. Anyone spot Dave roaming around Camden?


On to more important things – Dave’s Them Crooked Vultures buddy Josh Homme and his Queens of the Stone Age play their debut self-titled album in its entirety at the Roundhouse (May 17) – is it wrong to prefer them to the Foo Fighters?



• Ex-Slits guitarist Viv Albertine mocked musical history at the Roundhouse’s mammoth music affair Unconvention on Saturday. In a mischievous nod to ex-boyfriend The Clash’s Mick Jones, she recorded a Clash track in 30 minutes. She told me: "I chose Train in Vain because it was written about me and I thought it would be really cheeky. Like Mick Jagger doing a cover of You're So Vain I haven't dared tell Mick as I’m not sure he would find it very amusing. It's all about what a useless girlfriend I was. We are still very fond of each other so hopefully I'll get away with it."

• One-time Cadbury’s accountant Bristol’s DJ Derek has become a bit of an icon with his patois MC skills, and choice reggae, roots and dub tunes – nevermind that he’s 68. In fact there’s a facebook page dedicated to his legendary status. Catch him at the Old Queen’s Head, Angel, (March 4).

• The Charlatans' Tim Burgess and Mark Collins play an acoustic show at the Union Chapel (March 16). Support from Blue On Blue and Joseph Coward. A low-key night out?

• Don’t forget Detroit Social Club at Monto Water Rats on Saturday (March 5).

• Ps – Does anyone have a synonyms for music for next week’s column ?

ROUNDHOUSE RISING'S UN-CONVENTIONAL WEEKEND

LISTEN up struggling musicians.
You work hard, gig every venue, and often come home with less money than you left with at the start of the evening.
But it’s worth it and those who have done it before are here to give you faith.
Un-Convention, on Saturday, is part of the Roundhouse Rising Festival, which has filled the past week with masterclasses in band photography, sound engineering and music video masterclasses for youngsters.
But Saturday is for all ages. While top artists scramble to record an album in 10 hours, the timetable is heaving under the musical wisdom from panels of veterans, gurus and experts keen to share their insights.

Highlights include ‘Music as a Tool for Social Change’ – featuring figures from music projects in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Colombia and the UK, ‘Sustainable careers in music’ with Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers), ‘The Politicisation of Music’ and ‘Women in Music’ with Viv Albertine and Zoe Street Howe. Guests include Green Man Festival’s Fiona Stewar, John Dyer from Domino Records and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson.

There are also speed networking sessions, workshops and demos.
The festival wouldn’t be complete without some great live new music, see Ghost Eyes, Teeth of the Sea and Prizes, curated by Eat Your Own Ears (EYOE) on (Thursday), Swimming, DT, Beaty Heart and Chicago DJ Brenmar tomorrow (Friday) and EKO, DELS, Sampha and RoxXxan on Saturday.

More info from www.roundhouse.org.uk/rising