Tomorrow: The World Ski and Snowboard festival is under way in the Canadian resort of Whistler, with freelate-night music events, art and fashion exhibitions, and extreme sports bringing the season to a jubilant close until 22 April (wssf.com).

Never mind the excuses about additional ticketing platforms and third-party agencies, the only compelling explanation for the inexorable rise of the online booking fee is still straight-out commercial shamelessness.

As the gig of a lifetime looms for the Winchester singer, he tells Steve Anderson why he's seizing the moment while silencing the critics from his past

A boat-shaped holiday let on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall is a bold addition to London's landmarks, says Stephen Bayley.

The son of a distinguished Austrian artist, Martin Isepp was part of that hugely vibrant émigré community who contributed immensely to the broadening and enrichment of British cultural life in the latter half of the 20th century.

Simon Fox, the chief executive of HMV, has said the group still has to "convince" the City it has a future after it posted another slump in underlying sales over the Christmas trading period.

Listen and learn from an odd couple

George Groves has withdrawn from his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight title defence after sustaining a hand injury in training.

Amir Khan will defend his WBA light-welterweight title against the unbeaten Paul McCloskey in his first UK fight in two years at the MEN Arena in Manchester tomorrow night.

In the baroque surroundings of a compact venue, a crowd is gathering in excitement. The front row is within touching distance of the stage, so when Paul Banks and Interpol emerge it feels as if they're walking into your front room. The immediate punch of opener "Success" is throbbing and powerful, its echoing riff and haunting refrain fitting the gothic location perfectly.

They may have written their forthcoming album, EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\ , at a beach house in California, but Glasvegas's new tracks will surely never sound more at home than on this debut mini-tour of remote Scottish locations in the dead of winter. This band make music to suit a wet Wednesday night on the Ayrshire coast, but it helps if you're surrounded by a few hundred Scots in full voice and off their faces.

At venues as beautiful as Somerset House, there is an unwritten rule: any band that sets foot onstage should give a performance to match the magnificence of their surroundings. Having conquered the charts and critics' hearts worldwide with their indie-pop debut, Conditions, Melbourne quartet The Temper Trap attract an excited crowd to their sold-out gig in the cobbled open-air square.

It's been nearly two decades since their debut record, and Cypress Hill long ago cemented their reputation as one of the best-loved rap groups, even if their output since the turn of the millennium has been inconsistent at best.

A fire broke out today at the Berlin Philharmonic's home, sending thick smoke pouring from the crest of the iconic downtown building as firefighters and musicians rushed to save instruments.