UP 40 POINTS - KATY PERRY
She's just equalled Michael Jackson's record by having five Billboard number one singles from the same album. However, these are different times, and Teenage Dream has sold far fewer copies than Bad overall... more
Singer St Vincent is a one-off who cites Nick Cave and Disney among her musical influences. Her latest album, she tells Richard Godwin, is partly inspired by Marilyn Monroe... more
Becky and Rachel Unthank displayed the sort of delicate magic at the Shepherd's Bush Empire that's had the likes of Thom Yorke and Elvis Costello waxing superlative... more
Paloma Faith, actress, singer, magician's assistant and burlesque dancer, is a startling talent. Hermione Eyre meets the inventive eccentric who always knew she would be famous... more
Barack Obama is set for a tumultuous, relieved and heart-lifing welcome today, not least in New York where Time Out has a whole section devoted to where you can celebrate the end of the Bush years and the must-have gadget is a clock that counts down the seconds to the arrival of St Barack... more
American bands Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Cold War Kids both have promising futures after a mesmerising display at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, says John Aizlewood.... more
Madeleine Peyroux's fans have been warned there is a temperamental artiste lurking beneath her unglamorous exterior but there was no evidence of volatility on her visit to the Barbican.... more
There's a new Beatles album out that will make purists fume, Tom Waits releases 30 new songs on three exquisitely packaged CDs and former Busted boy Matt Willis goes solo with mixed results.... more
From country music via Tom Waits and a new singer-songwriter to a site that's more indie than indie,
David Smyth checks out the week's best downloads.... more
Texan singer-songwriter Jolie Holland plays the Roundhouse, the Scissor Sisters play free in Trafalgar square and Mekon are at Fabric. David Smyth selects the cream of this weekend's gigs.... more
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