Serious-minded songwriters have returned. Gone is the foul, metastasising era of Stock Aitken and Waterman and their 'Hit Factory', swept aside at long last by a tide of musicians dedicated to making music of depth that resonates with a music-loving public, a public which is awakening from its own bad dream of botox, gussets and 'Zig-a-zig-ah'.

Foy Vance stands out back in the yard of the Islington Assembly Halls and rolls a cigarette. It's two hours before showtime and he's in a ruminative mood. 'When I was a kid, singing was second nature to me,' he says, as we clink bottle necks

Many moons ago, marketing men struck upon a simple mathematical equation: their product + a celebrity face = lots of sales. And so it has been ever...

Today, if you visit iTunes or any other digital retailer, you can find Pamela's first album, which was simply entitled Pamela Polland. It is very good, but it is not the masterpiece. Furthermore, the earthy photography seems to downplay rather than emphasise her good looks. Get it anyway.

Let's face it, it's one thing to sell out stadiums decades into your career, like the Rolling Stones are sure to do if they trot out their rumored 50th anniversary tour next year. But it's another thing to keep releasing actual, relevant new music. Remember that?

Numerous critics have been praising Bob Dylan's 35th studio album Tempest as the finest record he has made in a long time. Lyrically, it is a Dylan chef-d'oeuvre. Lines breeze out of him as he maximizes wordplay, and growls through his ballads. It is the album of a man who has found his calling as a totemic elder statesman of American folk and blues, and is a stark reminder why this septuagenarian remains music's foremost storyteller.

Florence Welch may have had to cancel her appearance due to a vocal injury and Bat For Lashes may have pulled out after getting stuck on a bus, but th...

The Stone Roses, Bob Dylan, Florence + The Machine and New Order are set to headline the Mediterranean all-night party that is Festival Internacional ...

And despite what I'm about to say, I actually had a bloody good time.

Bob Dylan is returning to headline the Hop Farm festival two years after his last appearance at the event. The veteran singer-songwriter, who playe...

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed he has finally given up smoking cannabis after deciding "enough's enough". The star has been an unashamed dope smok...