Guardian Music — The Sage, GatesheadBelle and Sebastian used to play so quietly that a rustling crisp packet could be louder than the band, perhaps because they wished to avoid the aural havoc that cranked-up rock PA systems could wreak on their painstaking creations... more info

Guardian Music — (Crammed)Five years ago, the Kinshasa-based band Konono No 1 released their Congotronics album, with extraordinary results. They used DIY instruments, some made from junkyard scrap, mixed highly amplified, wildly distorted traditional likembe thumb-p... more info

Guardian Music — I'll Be Your Mirror, which launches in 2011, will be the first in a new series of festivals to be held in cities instead of holiday campsAll Tomorrow's Parties is to launch its new festival series early next year. Like the original ATP, I'll Be Your ... more info

DrownedInSound — The people behind All Tomorrow's Parties have announced a new event, this time in London, without any chalets in sight. I guess you could call it a festival, but ATP are calling it I'll Be Your Mirror. Any self-respecting Velvet Underground fan would... more info

ContactMusic — THE VELVET UNDERGROUND star JOHN CALE paid a touching tribute to his late mum as he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in London on Friday... more info

Sky News — Velvet Underground founding member John Cale has collected his OBE from Buckingham Palace - with his hair dyed pink, white and blue. more info

NME — Velvet Underground man unveils 'Red Shirley' at Vienna Film Festival more info

Totally Fuzzy — G O D said... BIRTHDAY PARTY Rare,Live,& Demos "The Black Mass Has Started"-Live5/26/82 Clarendon Ballroom,London "Ready As We'll Ever Be"-Live 6/12/81 Moonlight Club,London "God Damned Demos" THE TOM RYERSON COLLECTION-Tom and friends in Canada,with... more info

Altsounds — As recently announced, on Sunday 27th February 2011 renowned concert promoters All Tomorrow's Parties will collaborate with Japan's Creativeman to present their first Japanese event. Named after the b-side to The Velvet Underground's original All Tom... more info

Guardian Music — Unity, LiverpoolAndy Warhol once declared that he "never wanted to be an artist – I wanted to be a tap dancer". This seems about as likely as Fred Astaire expressing a secret desire to surround himself with a retinue of drag queens and weirdos, yet... more info