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A sassy young Aussie called Vassy

Andrew Cowen meets ambitious new singer Vassy who rolls into Birmingham today Read

Sharleen has come a long way from Texas

Sharleen Spiteri tells Andy Welch why she's finally ready to do her own thing. Read

Hop Farm Festival out to buck the trend

With Glastonbury out of the way, the summer festival season is in full swing, but Emma Brady spoke to promoter Vince Power on why size doesn't matter to music fans. Read

Bon Jovi electrify at the Ricoh Arena

American band Bon Jovi rocked a crowd of more than 30,000 fans at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Read

Review: Goldfrapp at the Symphony Hall

Alison Goldfrapp is, like Jarvis Cocker, Kate Bush, Morrissey and Mark E Smith, an English original, a one-off worth celebrating. Read

Shy guy Meat Loaf's not just in it for the bread

Interviewing Meat Loaf is an intimidating prospect. The scary image of him as an overweight force of nature with long, sweat-drenched hair stuck to his forehead, singing one of his overblown ballads, looms large in my mind. Read

Doobie Brothers legend McDonald plays Birmingham

How many white singers are capable of pulling off creditable performances of soul classics immortalised by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles? The answer, probably, can be found on the fingers of one hand. Read

Handsworth's ambitious new musical revolution

An historic recording studio in Handsworth has been reinvented as a communitybased centre for music and arts technology. Terry Grimley takes the tour. Read

Sex Pistols at the Carling Academy, Birmingham

There might have been more Grecian 2000s than six-inch Mohicans at Birmingham’s Carling Academy on Wednesday night, but the snarling pantomime of Johnny Rotten was unmistakeable. Read

Stevie Wonder announces Birmingham concert

Motown legend Stevie Wonder will visit Birmingham this September as part of his first European tour in more than a decade. Read

Sheldon man loses royalties claim against Busted

A Birmingham man who was a founding member of boy band Busted has lost his claim over unpaid royalties at the High Court in London. Read

Blues pioneer Bo Diddley dies of heart failure

Legendary Blues musician Bo Diddley died today aged 79. Read

Review: The Flyover Show at Hockley Circus

Not the kind of space in which most of us would usually care to linger, the grim undercroft of Hockley Flyover proved ideally suited to an experimental community arts festival. Read

Jason Pierce - back from the dead

Spiritualized's Jason Pierce tells Andy Welch how a brush with death brought new life to his music. Read

Review: Avril Lavigne at the NEC Arena

She's sweet-looking, but has an edge of rock star confidence. She pens love songs, ballads and full-on rock songs with more than a hint of grunge to them. Avril Lavigne is a hero to many a little girl, too. Read

Soweto Kinch gets his flyover show on the road

Soweto Kinch tells Terry Grimley why the Hockley flyover is the ideal place to showcase the best of Britain’s and Birmingham’s urban culture.  Read

Review: Martha Wainwright at Symphony Hall

While Andy Abrahams was finishing last in Eurovision over in Serbia, Martha Wainwright was giving Brummies a sublime taste of Europe. Read

Tapes 'n Tapes go global

Simon Harper discovers why the internet has been good to Tapes 'n Tapes. Read

UK clubbing legends in Birmingham for Bank Holiday special

Bacardi B-Live and Eclectricity are bringing a hotbed of dance music to Birmingham for a mini-festival that promises to have Digbeth rocking to a whirlwind of beats and sounds. Read

Rising stars in Birmingham for 02 Wireless Weekend

Following successful years in London and Leeds, the O2 Wireless Festival is coming to Birmingham this weekend with the O2 Wireless Weekenders. Read

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