David Bowie’s friends, collaborators, and some of the musicians he inspired performed a tribute to celebrate his 74th birthday, CoS reports. Trent Reznor performed covers of 'Fantastic Voyage' and 'Fashion', Billy Corgan played 'Space Oddity', Duran Duran covered 'Five Years', The Cult’s Ian Astbury tackled 'Lazarus', Bowie’s friend Gary Oldman sang 'I Can’t Read', Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney covered 'Hang On to Yourself'. Other participants included Macy Gray, Adam Lambert, Boy George, Lzzy Hale, Peter Frampton, Perry Farrell, Gary Barlow, Anna Calvi... Guardian looks back on Bowie's legacy five years after his death, quoting writer Dan Fox - “He was the greatest art student of the 20th century. He never stopped learning, never stopped being curious. I think you can use his work as a model: don’t be afraid to admit ‘I don’t know’, and go and find someone who does”.

Small venues are important not only to touring musicians and gig-goers, but also to the fabric of our culture and to the future of young talent, NME writes in a lovely article about the Independent Venue Week (being held till February 2 in the UK, and one week in July in the US). “I was playing in places like this for about 10 years” this year’s Independent Venue Week Ambassador Anna Calvi tells NME - “I wasn’t confident when I first went out and started singing in a three-piece punk band. Over those 10 years, I became much more of a singer and completely changed the style of music that I wanted to make. You have to play live to find out what turns you on”. So, long live small venues!!!

Independent music venues in Britain should receive the same support as the ballet or opera, musician Anna Calvi said - “Just because it’s music that is played with guitars, why is it any different to a place like the ballet or opera?". The musician believes that venues which predominantly focus on live music need to be protected at a time when a third of smaller venues report they are struggling.

London rapper Dave has won the 2019 Mercury Prize with his debut album 'Psychodrama', a critically acclaimed concept album about mental health, relationships and social conditions. This year the Mercury shortlist was just great: 1975‘s 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships', slowthai‘s 'Nothing Great About Britain', black midi‘s 'Schlagenheim', Little Simz‘s 'GREY area', Foals‘ 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1', Nao‘s 'Saturn', IDLES‘ 'Joy as […]

Amy, Looking For Sugarman, Bird, Walk The Line, Whiplash, The Doors, Cabaret, Vox Lux, Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii, Woodstock, Control (and more) - a very good choice made by Anna Calvi, Neil Tennant, Nadine Shah, Wayne Coyne, Nitin Sawhney and Anna Meredith for the Guardian.

"The rap, grime and future R&B (Nao, slowthai, Little Simz, Dave) represented the most incisive rising British talent, the guitar rock (Idles, Fontaines D.C., Black Midi) was suitably disjointed, angular and innovative, the poised and/or melodramatic art-pop (Anna Calvi, Cate le Bon) bore not the faintest trace of Paloma or Florence, the bigger names (The […]