It's been an epic week in music - teeny-boppers and chart pretenders beware! The old school is back in the form of Girls Aloud, The Jacksons and the NME Awards, and they are not taking any prisoners.

The Hypnotic Eye make a photogenic combo, which may explain the evening's presence of several photographers who are eager to capture a band who look as if they've stepped straight out of the London of 1968.

Kurt Cobain passed 18 years ago and like when John Lennon passed, I was genuinely devastated. I was also in bad shape at that point. I ran into Kurt on a few occasions with Teenage Fanclub when they toured together in 1992/93. It was around that time I first met Courtney Love, Kurt's then partner. What's sad is he had really only just begun in music. I think some people just handle that level of attention better than others, and I think Kurt found it not just difficult, but impossible.

I am currently onboard a plane on my way to Australia flying from Tokyo and can't sleep so I'm doing this blog.