Magnus Lund might be the black sheep of the blond flankers' club for tucking his hair away under a nondescript scrum-cap but in every other way his talent is burning bright for all to see. England have picked the Sale open-side for the first time - they leave for the tour to Australia tomorrow - and if he continues to play like he did in this one-sided Premiership final, they will never let him go.

By far the most exciting live prospect in the run-up to Christmas is this pair of surprise gigs by one of the most full-blooded rock'n'roll bands ever - on their home turf in west London. The shows tie in with the release of Pete Townshend's Lifehouse box-set - the follow-up to Tommy, which has taken almost 30 years to see the light of day. It comes in the wake of a couple of Stateside concerts that have received ecstatic reviews. Over these two nights, the band will be playing most of their classics, and their aggressive, energetic and loud approach should transform an often-staid venue into a hot, sweaty rock joint. Joining original members Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle will be Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey on drums, and John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards. The only down side is that Christmas will literally have come early for the ticket touts.

LIGHTNING SEEDS: TILT

There was no sight more bizarre than that of 10 elderly Glaswegians lustily singing `Doh a deer, a female deer'

`A short, bittersweet novel about a writer who very nearly gets a prize with a short, bittersweet novel'

"THIS NAME isn't getting us very far," Alan Caldwell said to his Raving Texans one night in 1959. "We'll call ourselves the Hurricanes and change our own names. I'll be Rory Storm, Johnny Byrne can be Johnny Guitar and Ritchie Starkey can be Ringo Starr." And so, with Lu Walters ("Wally") and Ty Brian (also pseudonyms), Rory Storm and the Hurricanes became the most popular band on Merseyside. That is, until the Beatles came along.

Summer Term, week 4 at the Manchester Student House; Student life may be one long round of parties, but nothing compares to meeting Ringo Starr in Harrods. Is Manchester losing its magic?

We live in depraved times. Last Sunday I heard a band playing in front of an audience in a BBC studio. After a couple of songs, an oily presenter - I didn't catch his name - had a word with the lead singer, whose 21st birthday it had been the week before.

Drum and bass are at the heart of popular music and for 20 years Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare have been acknowledged the best. But who are their own favourites?

Queen's Roger Taylor famously wanted to break free ... maybe owning his own Surrey pub will do it. Photographs by Darren Regnier

Sean (left, with John) and Julian Lennon: You can hear the four- year-old Sean gurgling on some versions of "With a Little Help from my Friends" as his dad thrashes an electric guitar. Nineteen years on, Sean is energetically pursuing a career in avant-garde pop, though reception has been muted. His half-brother, Julian, enjoyed chart success, though the excitement surrounding his early career was never matched by musical credibility.

It's the time of year to catch up with family, meet old friends, eat decent food and... get the laundry done

The ex-Beatle is back - with a lot of help from his friends. By Pierre Perrone

FIRST NIGHT Ringo and his Pedigree Chums Shepherd's Bush Empire, London