Beneath a grey sky, a sea of umbrellas bopped up and down on Clapham Common as a crowd wearing anoraks and Wellington boots braved the rain to listen to some great British talent.

They are not in uniform, they do not sit in circles and they are not speaking English. So what exactly is going on at Wix Primary School in Clapham?

'The bed was soggy, but cost only $6. I actually had a great night's sleep'

They were once hailed as pop's unluckiest band, but here are The Charlatans headlining a festival. It may not be Reading 1999, but they show their worth alongside more lacklustre fare – for Sundae's opening Saturday shows that, four years in, this corporate ice-cream tie-in struggles to mix on-trend ingredients with tried and tested tastes.

Songbird who likes living in a fantasy world

THE Ron Davies saga took another turn yesterday when he announced that he would stand down as MP for Caerphilly at the next election.

I'm amazed how common the belief is that we are secretly amused by jokes about blacks and poofs

A BATTLE for control of the Welsh Tory party broke out yesterday after Rod Richards, its Assembly leader, resigned to contest assault charges.

There is a fine line, say Craig Masson and Andrew McMinn, between kitsch and tat, a line which their year-old South London shop Kitschen Sync treads carefully: "We won't have any knobs," says Andrew, resolutely, "or big willies that turn into things. That's tacky." What they do have in abundance is quirky, amusing and downright fabulous merchandise that is quickly acquiring cult status for their Clapham Common store.

Sir: Your report of the resignation of Ron Davies from his Welsh Assembly post again trots out the old chestnut of his alleged "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.

RON DAVIES - Former Welsh Secretary. Last week pronounced himself compulsively addicted to risk. Had a Moment of Madness with a complete stranger on Clapham Common.