Scissor Sisters burst on to the scene as the biggest, best queer-straight disco party on earth, an all-inclusive gathering of a global Rainbow Nation.

There's been increasing traffic between the folk and classical fields of late, though it's rare for a contemporary songwriter to be the focus, as in this "Elizabethan Tribute to Nick Drake".

Rumer's risky follow-up hasn't quite got it covered

New bands should take top billing at the big festivals, says Emily Mackay

Lady Gaga upset fans by saying she wants to go shopping in Bangkok – for a fake Rolex. She made the comment to her Twitter followers, sparking uproar among some Thai fans who called it offensive and insulting.

When the French folk-pop singer Mina Tindle supported fellow Gallic artist Camille at the Barbican recently, you could tell the lesser known musician had fairly slayed the audience, when before her final song, someone shouted out for Tindle to introduce herself (it may have been a savvy employee of her record label, mind you, but still...).

The handover between "Over the Border" - a semi-spoken memoir about the powerful hold of pop over the young mind - and "I've Got Your Music" encapsulates everything that's great about Saint Etienne: one minute they're singing about great pop, the next they're actually doing some.

The production team of Rich Machin and Ian Glover previously recorded with Mark Lanegan as primary vocalist (with cameos from the likes of Mike Patton and Gibby Haynes).

It's the rule in Cannes: arrive champing at the bit for drop-dead masterpieces, and be prepared to swallow a few disappointments before things really warm up.

Hit Eighties' songwriter blames today's singers for taking the easy option

Kelly Pratt, who to all intents and purposes is Bright Moments, has in the past supplied horn parts to Arcade Fire, Beirut and LCD Soundsystem.

A sympathetic portrayal of a young girl’s descent into crack addiction and prostitution didn’t sound like the recipe for a global hit.

“I can feel your beats in my vagina,” Beth Ditto informs her drummer Hannah Blilie. “Because the room is so small... welcome to the Beth Ditto Comedy Hour, everyone! I’m here all week.”