After the doom and gloom of recent events surrounding venue closures, it’s good to see that the town can still put a full events diary in front of its discerning gig-going public.

As most of you will be aware by now, the shock news of the last week is that Basement 73, the newly re-vamped, re-named, re-launched Furnace, has closed, and the future of The Rolleston pub above it is still very uncertain.

There’s a lot of music in town this week that proves the point that it doesn’t have to be big to be clever; that sometimes the biggest impacts can come from the subtlest of approaches.

There’s a lot of music in town this week that proves the point that it doesn’t have to be big to be clever; that sometimes the biggest impacts can come from the subtlest of approaches.

I was amused to read today that, in an effort to raise his profile, Robbie Williams has agreed to sell his soul for charity.

In Love by Peace, out now on Columbia.

This weekend is all about the re-launch of one of the stalwarts of the local music scene.

The world of music was stunned this week after the shock announcement that Girls Aloud have split up the day after their tenth anniversary tour ended (almost as if it had been planned that way).

Review of the Simon Spillett Trio, performing at the The Prince of Wales, in Shrivenham.

Brother by Ruarri Joseph, out on March 25 on the Warner record label.

Loads to get through this week, so I’ll forego the “pointless and largely unamusing” intro (it’s so nice to get fan mail) and get straight on with this week’s recommendations.

I read with some amusement today that “Nasty” Nigel Lythgoe has come out of retirement to host a new show. In keeping with the current trend of making everything into reality TV, he travelled to Birmingham with the Archbishop of Canterbury and famous born-again Catholic Tony Blair to judge Popestars, a competition designed to decide the next pontiff.

Australian Pink Floyd, Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon Saturday February 16

There has been a lot of concerned discussion recently over rumours that The Victoria, pretty much the constant in the ever-changing local musical landscape of the last eight years, is up for sale.

I was amused to read today that the entire life and career of Phil Collins has been revealed to be an elaborate hoax.