Guardian Music — Union Chapel, LondonNewton Faulkner seemed a whimsical choice to headline the final night of the annual Mencap Little Noise series – previous shows had featured more obvious star turns such as Florence + the Machine and Mika. An unprepossessin... more info

Kerrang! — Iron Maiden have scooped the gong for Best British Live Act at this year's Brit Awards. The band, who are currently on their Somewhere Back In Time world tour, accepted the award via a recorded video message. "We are delighted to receive the Brit Aw... more info

The Mirror — The Brits 2009 launch party will have Scouting for Girls, Gabriella Cilmi and Florence And The Machine playing at the Roundhouse in North London on January 20. Can't wait. more info

Guardian Music — For anyone too young to remember the early 70s firsthand, progressive rock can seem almost impossibly arcane and strange. Was there really a time when a band could expect to do good business with 21 minute-long songs in 9/8 time about supernatural ex... more info

Idolator — Just yesterday, intrepid reporter Kate Richardson asked a very pertinent question about CMJ 2008: "Who are all these bands?" Up until very recently, I worked as a publicist for an indie PR firm, and I know a ton of small acts because of it. Some I ... more info