This week saw Londonist Get Scientific when we previewed We Are Scientists playing Soho Revue Bar this Tuesday, get excited about Eurovision and get cosy with Portico Quartet. A busy week all in all! Looking ahead to this week however, we have Eels playing Royal Festival Hall on Monday night. They've invited the Queen too, so it could be an amusing evening. Austin, Tx stars Spoon play a sold out show at Scala and rising......

Well, here it is. New Year’s Eve. We’ve told you where to go for fireworks, and where to go dancing, but you may not be feeling up for the whole NYE hullabaloo. If that’s the case, or if you’re feeling very ambitious and hosting your own celebration at home and are in need of background telly, here are a few things you might want to take a peek at. On TV, Londonist likes: New......

To be honest the rain and coldness is kind of making us not want to go to gigs at the moment, preferring instead to wrap ourselves up warmly at home. But if we did, this is what we'd be bouncing at. Monday: The biggie tomorrow is of course Led Zep at the O2, but you've more chance of meeting Santa than getting tickets for that. So instead, forget the dinosaurs and try something new......

As far as we are concerned, McCartney should have retired years ago, just before he started Wings and released Mull of Kintyre. Sadly he didn't and continues to release albums to this day, such as this year's ridiculously mediocre left-handed mandolin tinged effort that was sold at Starbucks. Rock and Roll. I suppose we don't really mind him releasing new solo albums, what really gets our goat is his Beatles cover band show that......

Following last year's inaugural success, the BBC Electric Proms return for a 2nd year from 24 - 28 October. Tickets go on sale today at 12pm and, given the calibre of the lineup, are expected to be snapped up in no time. The posher version of the Camden Crawl, the musical Leccy lineup is spread across Koko, Roundhouse, Barfly, Dingwalls, the Jazz Cafe and the Electric Ballroom, with relevant musical films taking place in......

This year’s Wireless festival kicks off in style on Thursday for their third year in the centre of the capital at Hyde Park. Four days of quality music from big bands you know and love, and plenty of bands you won’t know but can grow to love. This year they’ve got one of their best line-ups ever, with such names as Faithless, White Stripes and Daft Punk all gracing their stage, and plenty of bands......

Only 5 months after Monday night institution Trash closed, it's time for another big name in London clubbing to close it's doors. This time - Frog. Having recently celebrated it's 3rd birthday, Frog has spent each Saturday night bashing out indie and rock & roll to the masses. It's main draw however is the live bands they present each week. Over the years, they've grabbed the biggest names just as they're on the brink......

This week: my thoughts on the Glastonbury hoo-hah plus a quick round up of forthcoming London music festivals for every budget I was supposed to be meeting up with a friend this morning to have breakfast and catch up but got blown out because she wanted to stay home on the internet trying to get Glastonbury tickets. I'm fine with that, after all I understand how important it is to get tickets to see......

Watch Giddy Stratospheres: here Screw the Arctic Monkeys - those of us unblinded by intense hype have been well aware that the best band to come out of Sheffield after 1978 is the dazzlingly glamourous Long Blondes. Taking much inspiration from Pulp themselves, the LBs were the country's finest unsigned band until they finally joined forces with Rough Trade last year. Kate Jackson, Dorian Cox, Reenie Hollis, Emma Chaplin and Screech Louder formed the......

If going to Reading to get your music fix simply didn't do it for you, and the delights of this week's Bestival don't fill you with the desire to get on a hovercraft, then you might want to take a look at a festival that's a little more adventurous, and as yet unspoiled by British yobs: Iceland Airwaves. Held in Reykjavik from October 18-22, the festival is like Sonar in the sense of taking......

Formed out of members of Art of Noise & The Auteurs, we first came across Infantjoy while wallowing in 'OMG SARAH NIXEY IS BACK!!!111!!' induced glee a few months ago. Guest starring on their working of 'Silent Night', we were intrigued by this duo who seemed to produce mesmerizing, elegant instrumental music. Almost cinematic sounding, their concept album Where The Night Goes is based on the idea that 'each track takes place at a......

Fresh from last week's news that Pearl Jam are playing a small gig at the Astoria, they've decided to take it to the other size extreme and be the closing headliner at this year's Reading Festival. Franz Ferdinand have the honour of headlining first night Friday above Kaiser Chiefs on the bill, while Muse make a much awaited return to the festival stages with their only UK festival date on Saturday, above Arctic Monkeys.......

We're feeling a little sad today. Chico is still number 1, and after we insisted that you went to see The Modern play at Duckie on Saturday, we ourselves, trundled along a little sadly, after finding out their new single had just been disqualified from the charts. Tuesday's midweek had placed the band at number 13 in the official sales chart, but rumours about something dodgy began appearing on messageboards such as popbitch almost immediately.......

Anyone with even a hint of taste and decency will know that the only time to drink Carling is after you've been atomised by a particularly nasty nuclear power station meltdown. And yet still their indominatable quest to tie up every concert venue in the country continues, as does their role as foremost sponsors of UK indie-guitar rock. As they have done for the past couple of years, they're endeavouring to kick off the......

We bet you didn't know that this year's Brit Awards are the 26th, unless of course you remembered that last year's were the 25th. Taking place at a venue that won't look at all like the soulless aircraft hanger that is Earl's Court when it's done on the 15th Feb, ITV will be screening the awards the following evening. This means that if you're all alone on Valentine's Night you'll be comforted by the......

Now that the Pop Kid, the Noisy one and the Club Londonista have all had their say, it falls to Ricky to throw in his two cents. For want of a better pseudonym, let's call him RiotRicky. More appropriate job titles on a postcard please, along with your pick of last year's music. Top Ten Singles: Bloc Party - Pioneers Green Day - Holiday The Eels - Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) Weezer......

After a comment yesterday saying Londonist was a bit biased towards being maybe too cool for school and rock focused with their top choices of the year, I say HOLD YOUR HORSES. It’s time for me. I'm sparkly, shiny and hate Coldplay, Keane, and the dreary sleep inducing song writers of 2005. No doubt I will get lots of comments telling me that most of my likes aren't proper music. Bite me. Top Ten......

The NME Shockwaves tour line up was announced today; with tickets on sale tomorrow from 9am for the Brixton show on February 17th. It's a good, solid indie-pop line up: Maximo Park headlining, supported by Arctic Monkeys, We Are Scientists and Mystery Jets; the latter holding a slot that's launched the likes of Coldplay, The Coral, Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs. None of the 2006 line up seem to be capable of playing a......

The acts taking part in XFM's annual festive knees up have been announced today and they are: Kaiser Chiefs, Hard-Fi, Maximo Park, Editors,The Dead 60s on the first night; and Supergrass, Athlete, The Go! Team and Morning Runner on the second night. Not bad. We like the Winter Wonderland gigs because the Academy is one our favourite venues, they always have a few decent acts on, it's only £20 a ticket (per night) and......

With the music dungionistas breaking out their finest band t-shirts ahead of tomorrow's party and arguments breaking out over whether to play Outkast's version of Hey Ya or download a bootleg of The Twilight Singer's, we're going to use this week's MWMN to mention a few shows just announced as we really don't think we're going to make it on Friday. First off fans of Kaiser Chiefs will be able to pay homage at......

With Halloween traditionally a time for some serious gig going spectaculars, this year's a little bit of a damp squib, what with Marilyn Manson retiring from creeping folks out and concentrating on his new make up range and his Alma Mater, Alice Cooper, not yet in town, it would seem as if we're going to have to keep the Slipknot masks in the drawer for another year. There are some big shows in town......

Time once again to cast an eye over this week's gig going highlights. Wednesday: If you haven't already been tempted by The Magic Numbers being nicer than is humanly possible at the Shepherd's Bush Empire or Hard Fi being T4 favourites at the Camden Electric Ballroom then why not check out the Tits of Death at the Vibe Bar, Truman Brewery, Brick Lane. Probably best not though if you're of a nervous disposition. Thursday:......

Funny old thing the music biz. You're never more in than when you're out, never more up to date than when you're retro. If pop music is simply a process of reworking old standards under different banners, which it is, then everything should always be "in" which of course it isn't. There is, of course, a retro right and a retro wrong (a term we made up three seconds ago, feel free to use......

Help: A Day In The Life Anyone else spend the weekend battling with War Child's servers, trying to download Help: A Day In The Life? Frustrating as it was at times getting on that golden free server, the end result was a mostly satisfying always interesting collection of 22 tracks, recorded and released in just over 24 hours, that will make it's physical appearance in the record racks on the 26th September. Stripped of......

As the country attempts to break the record for the greatest number of non sports fans ever to bunk off work to watch a test match, a bunch of scruffy oiks (a.k.a musicians) are attempting to break another record, that of the fastest album ever recorded. As of midday today a host of bands, wherever they are in the world, entered the studio to record a track (either a new track, reworking or a......

...favourites, the Kaiser Chiefs. So no surprises there then. In fourteen years the Mercury Music Prize Chiefs have only once voted in the populist choice, last year's Franz Ferdinand, instead opting for the muso-ically worthy (2000's Talvin Singh), the then obscure (2003's Dizzee Rascal) or the just plain odd ('94's M People). Which is why, last night, one of the few remaining award ceremonies not chosen by viewers of T4, awarded the prize for......

It's a funny old world we live in, tearing down the information M25 waiting for the next speeding petrol tanker to flip itself over the central reservation right on to our unprotected heads. Terrified of losing control we've found a system that placates our every fear, that soothes our muddled minds, and gives us purpose outside of our living rooms. It is THE LIST. We have lists for everything, for good guys and bad......

The Polyphonic Spree - Kokos, Monday 15th August In our time we've probably seen enough stage divers and crowd surfers to pack out a Coldplay video. We've seen stage diving singers, we've even seen a crowd surfing guitarist. But only now can we say that we've finally seen a crowd surfing drummer. Playing a drum. One of those big military marching things. Or at least trying to - we guess it's not that easy......

Wa hey! Babybumbles are touring. Oh, no they're not. It would seem that like most of us, Pete D hates his day job and is pulling the mother of all sickies. I don't want to go to the studiooooooohhhhhhh (stomps feet). Our money's on Pete having been caught admiring his own reflection in the mirror causing Kate to be so annoyed she dropped her soya infused rice crackers on the floor, and he's now......

The nominations for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize are out and, as you would expect, it's a mixed bag (all quotes are from the Mercury judges): The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers "The Magic Numbers celebrate the joy of singing pop harmonies so fervently that it’s impossible not to cheer along." M.I.A. – Arular "Hip-hop, ragga, dancehall, pop and electro never sounded such perfect soulmates." Polar Bear – Held On The Tips Of......