The flowerpot is no more. The north London pub, famous as a venue where you could see bands tipped as "the next big thing" – and A&R men hoping to sign them – has been forced to shut after its building lease was sold.

HMV, the entertainment retail chain, said its strategy to diversify its revenues streams helped it post a rise in annual profits to just under £75m, as its decision to maintain the dividend sent its shares soaring yesterday.

Taking our three boys to their first proper pop concert hit a stumbling block before it even began – the gig, booked long in advance, clashed with a friend’s seventh birthday party.

In the name of Spain's national dance company, "ballet" simply means dance; in this case, a watered-down flamenco that lacks force or passion. Only guest star Tamara Rojo, here deprived of her pointe shoes, gives this evening some energy.

North-West

There were three of them, and they were standing right in front of me, yelling into each other's ears, shrieking with laughter, and generally having a high old time. And why not? Well I'll tell you why not. While all this was going on, Vampire Weekend were up on stage, giving the first of two shows earlier this week at the Brixton Academy. And this trio of concert-goers were not alone in preferring each other's incessant high-volume chit-chat to listening to a terrific performance by the zestful New Yorkers. There were plenty of other people around us who happily chatted their way through the music, and during the quieter songs a hubbub of conversation could be heard all over the auditorium.

Today: Throw light on the towers that protect ships from hazardous coastlines: the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth opens an exhibition entitled "Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks". Running for two years, it will display a four-ton optic, reconstructed living quarters, artefacts, photos and narratives (nmmc.co.uk).