The Ting Tings threw away a whole album before their new release, they tell Andy Gill

The Ting Tings have been away from the limelight for a while, but that doesn't explain why their fans now resemble the middle-aged crowd at a Bon Jovi gig.

Sometimes, it takes a great deal of skill, intelligence and patience to make the simplest and most immediate of pop music.

Visual Arts: The last exhibitions I went to see were Wolfgang Tillmans and Jean Nouvel. The Jean Nouvel pavilion was wonderful and the Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition was very exciting. I also saw the Fiona Banner installation at the Tate Britain, which I also think was good and impressive.

Suddenly the most fashionable band is a double act of each gender – friends, lovers, or brother and sister. Gillian Orr asks some of the best if their closeness can cause problems

It's tougher than ever for new bands to get noticed amid the maelstrom of online music – but a host of new initiatives may be about to make things a little bit easier, says Elisa Bray

Tim Davie, the director of audio and music at the BBC, tells Ian Burrell radio must act now or risk being left behind by new media devices

Of course Katie White finishes with "That's Not My Name", the 2008 number one single set to be the Ting Tings' signature song for the rest of their pop life. And the confirmation that this band have really hit a nerve doesn't come from the Ivor Novello Award their debut album, We Started Nothing, won days before this gig, or the iPod advertising campaign that has burrowed them into US hearts and minds. It comes in the melodic massed singing of the song's chorus by the intently staring women packed down the front. This is an adult version of the "Girl Power" White fell for when she bought her Spice Girls pencil case as a child.

Set in a lush Californian valley surrounded by mountains and bathed in the hot desert sun, Coachella heralds the start of the festival season.

A little-known musician working in a warehouse for a living and without a record deal was nominated for a coveted Ivor Novello Award today, joining some of the giants of British pop including Coldplay and Duffy.

As Bruce Springsteen heads for Worthy Farm, Blur reunite and Doves aim for great heights, this year’s festival season offers the perfect recession antidote. Ben Walsh is our guide

Madeira's exports comprise a motley bunch – fortified wine, cake, and Cristiano Ronaldo. You can hardly escape the epicurean offerings in the capital, Funchal, from cellar tours and wine tastings to bottle-filled shops (Madeira cake doesn't originate from the island but was devised to be eaten with the wine). Yet the island's Mr Bling – the winger for whom Manchester United paid £12m? Don't expect billboards or posters. This sleepy Atlantic island just doesn't seem that interested.

Last Monday was to have been the world premiere of an American political play Complicit at the Old Vic. It was a major event in the theatrical calendar. The main attraction was Richard Dreyfuss, pictured; one-time Hollywood star of films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The artistic director of the Old Vic, Kevin Spacey, was directing.