Notebook Letters 9.

I don't go to anywhere near as many gigs as I used to, because of the ridiculous cost of tickets. Prices have shot up in recent years, as have booking fees and "transaction charges," whatever they are.

I'm just not prepared to shell out that kind of money on a band who may be cack. Maybe the credit crunch will convince promoters to get ticket prices back down to a reasonable level, but I'm not holding my breath. The Doc

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 1/7.

Oasis got to No 3 with a single that had no real B-side and that was out just a week before its album. Every Oasis album has produced songs for the "discerning punter," not that I'd expect sneerers to admit it. Aaron O'Neill

Cliché it may be, but the ones at heart of Annie's failure are her label, Island. If they spent less time trying to flog more copies of Back To Black and more on promo, Annie wouldn't be in this situation. New Rave Snail

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 2/7.

I expected a great show at Manchester Apollo from Art Garfunkel, but he was an apologetic little man with no charisma and a pleasant voice. It was relaxing, like being soothed to sleep by your mum as a child, but that was it.

He seems to still be missing Paul Simon. There were glimmers of the performer he must have been: if he could have sung it all with the passion he gave Troubled Water, it would have been a night to remember. Efils God

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 3/7.

Who cares what Sid Vicious would have advertised? He's the sort who would have gone on Celebrity Big Brother. Punk was filled with wannabes, the biggest mis-step in the history of rock & roll. Trying to create a year zero to replace the likes of zep was idiocy. Punk was meant for children but became the preserve of posh snobs. Croydon Ian

The beauty of Marc Bolan's lyrics was that you interpreted your own meaning. That takes genius. Peter Penham

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 5/7.

Following Earls' 9/10 review of The Incredible Flight of Birdman, there's a free album, Superheroes of Science, available for download which the band contributed to. It's available from intercontinentalmusiclab.com. DJ Gordy

Not only was Marc Bolan a lyrical genius, he wrote some great lyrics like Child Star. Also, thanks to Earls for his positive review of Brett Anderson. At least someone in the UK press still values a great talent. Gerard Tremers

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 5/7.

The self-titled Innerpartysystem debut album is a gem, electro-rock with amazing lyrics. It pulls you in and doesn't let you go. Jules Kirby

Paul McCartney says The Fireman could be the biggest embarrassment of his career. Thanks for the tip-off. If it's worse than Give Ireland Back To The Irish, Ebony And Ivory, We All Stand Together and his shameless 9/11 cash-in, then it really must be one for us all to avoid. Tony Vegas

The Void; Teletext page 827; 14th of October, 2008; 6/7.

Ani DiFranco/ Red Letter Year

Reviews by John Earls

As the title implies, something joyous seems to have happened to DiFranco in the last two years since her last album.

After 17 albums, she's rarely sounded more content, and it's a treat to hear DiFranco as blissed out as on Smiling Underneath and Good Luck.

But the old cliché of happiness marring creativity also applies, with several songs erring on mushy as DiFranco burrows into an MOR comfort zone. 6/10

1/6.

This Town Needs Guns/ Animals

Although citing Chicago indie acts like Maps And Atlases as inspiration, the Oxford band are more like standard emo.

There are some good intricate musical ideas at play, with Tim Collis' guitar spiralling out some intricate ideas over a tasty rhythm section.

But Stuart Smith's fake American accent grates, and the musical patterns are in place of a workable song. Limited until they overcome their influences. 6/10

2/6.

Robin Thicke/ Something Else

Best know as a songwriter for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Usher, Thicke drops the modern R & B stylings for a tribute to '70s soul.

This wouldn't be so bad, if Thivke wasn't trying to ape the gloopier parts of The Commodores' back catalogue.

Sidestep shows Thicke can do a decent mid-paced disco shuffle, but too much of it swaps one set of loverman clichés for another. 5/10

3/6.

Blood Ceremony/ Blood Ceremony

Aiming to recreate occult prog bands like Coven and Black Widow, the Canadians studied dozens of witchcraft films before writing their debut.

And if you think that means you can guess what they sound like, you're sort of right. The surprise is just how powerful the guitars are, churning like My Morning Jacket's early jams.

But Alia's comedy shrieks and Anchorman flute solos are pure parody. 6/10

4/6.

Koushik/ Out My Window

Following work with Manitoba and Four Tet, Canadian folktronica artist Koushik Ghosh steps up a gear.

As playful as Treva Whateva, as soothing as Adem and as insistent as RJD2, its laidback charm relies as much on strong tunes as it does on the sweet atmosphere.

Like hip hop filtered from the age of wind-up gramophones, it's so old-school it's wonderfully antediluvian.

5/6.

Emilana Torrini/ Bristol Trinity

Review by Ollie Holtam

Two additional band members are added to cope with the more in-depth and bigger sound of Torrini's new album, aired here for the first time. It helps that the sound quality is near-perfect.

Upbeat pop songs like Jungle Drum which she can afford to throw in mid-set, are a marvel.

But it's the strength and profundity of Gun and Birds that show how far Torrini has come musically and lyrically.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 14th of October, 2008.

* The Rotary club are an enemy of Palestine, according to hamas.

* Spiders use their webs to breathe underwater.

* Michael Caine was nearly sacked from the film for standing like Prince Philip.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 10th of June, 2011; 1/3.

* The Wombles have had four gold albums.

* Cow hooves are used to make the foam in fire extinguishers.

* Wearing high heels could increase the risk of arthritis.

* Chimps can outperform eight-year-olds in tasks.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 10th of June, 2011; 2/3.

* The odds of scoring two holes-in-one in the same round of golf are 67 million-to-one.

* Elephants can flirt.

* Zebras can do showjumping.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 10th of June, 2011; 3/3.

Indy 5 suggestion

Indy 5? How about Indiana Jones And The Promising Lord Richard Croft? It would explain why Croft's daughter and student Lara turned out to be the archaeologist she did. Both franchises are under Paramount's wing, too. Matth Stil, Wakefield

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 1/6.

Don't like Tarantino?

To slate Tarantino is to admit you have an understanding of modern film or pop culture. Just because you don't like that work doesn't make it bad. Ger, Sheffield

Still rare for blokes to admit to crying, but Schindler's List, Shawshank Redemption and Philadelphia always bring tears to my eyes. Si, Ipswich

Film mirrors: The Shining's "Redrum" scene. Faris Shoubber, London

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 2/6.

Scum a great Brit fim

How about Full Monty for a great Brit film? Or Scum? The one-trick pony Ricky Gervais must love the sound of his own voice. USA can keep him. Col, York

Vortex: D*ck Van Dyke is calling Gervais "one of the funniest human beings alive". Do you agree?

Dan, the only thing scary about Exorcist 3 is that it got made in the first place! One of the worst film sequels ever made! Russ, Crawley

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 3/6.

Ad for Rob Zombie

Jess Clark: regarding Rob Zombie; House of 1000 Corpses is a brilliant film, one of my favourites so far. Available from HMV. devil's Rejects carries on from House of 1000 Corpses. Watch and enjoy. Gemma, Leigh

I agree with the other viewer. I never cry at films but Grave of The Fireflies had me sobbing like a baby. An unforgettable anime classic. John, Darlington

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 4/6.

Shaky will be spinning

Just heard a big screen version of Shakespeare's The Tempest is being planned with Helen Mirren and, heaven help us, russell brand. Shakespeare won't be turning in his grave, he'll be spinning like a wheel! Sharon Holstead, Bolton

MWR, The Exorcist was one of the funniest films I've ever seen, but a washout as a horror film! Sue, Cwmbran

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 5/6.

Ecstasy disturbing

Can anyone remember a horror film in the mid-'80s called From Beyond? I think it was made by the same lot who created Re-Animator. Most disturbing scene was as the nd of a film called The Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael (2005). Ross, Norwich

Vortex: From Beyond is the 1988 horror directed by Stuart Gordon who directed Re-Animator (1985). Both starred Barbara Crompton and Jeff Combs.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 14th of October, 2008; 6/6.

To say "punk was full of posh kids" is ludicrous. The original London scene was insular but, as punk spread, it attracted the working class kids, not the art school drop-out types. Maybe Croydon Ian should read the excellent Burning Britain history of punk by Ian Glasper, or visit his Croydon neighbour Captain Sensible. The Reverend

What's killing the gig scene is the lack of good bands. Glasvegas aside, who have we got? Mal Reynolds

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 1/7.

A happy Ani DiFranco? What next, Miley Cyrus covers Red House Painters? I'm glad she's in a great place, but I hope the passion that produced the tormented glories of You've Had Time and Grey hasn't entirely deserted her. Kevin Lee

It's great that Adam Ant appears to have put his troubles behind him, and news of a new album is even better. Please join my Adam Ant For Glastonbury 2009 group on Facebook. Neil Smith

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 2/7.

How can Tony Vegas accuse Paul McCartney of a "shameless 9/11 cash-in"? The song might be dross but does he really think that Macca, with his millions, sat down and thought "Hey, I can make money out of this tragedy!" Why must people write such negative, hateful twaddle? Jonno

The killers' lyric really is "Are we dancer?" Their website says Human was inspired by hunter s thompson saying the US is a generation of dancers. TaDa

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 3/7.

Have other Voiders ever followed a band around the country that never made it big? I followed Leicester rockers Chrome Molly. I saw them in some right holes. The high was seeing them support alice Cooper, the low was supporting alice wannabes King Drummond. Duke X

As Oasis' new single drops like a stone maybe fans will realise Oasis just aren't as vital as they were a decade ago. Well, I don't expect Liam or Noel to accept the fact. Tyler Durden

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 4/7.

Of all the musical facts and figures I've heard, none is more shocking than a friend telling me that Robson & Jerome's album sold more in Britain than any by the rolling stones, Dylan or led zeppelin. If it's true, ladies have a lot to answer for. Steve Rogan

Kaiser Chiefs suffer from having the same songs show on every TV festival footage. Hopefully it's now new album, new start after Angry Mob was in the bargain bin within weeks. Shabadoo

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 5/7.

Top 10 classic albums

1) Parallel Lines Blondie
2) Bat Out of H*ll Meat Loaf
3) Regatta De Blanc The Police
4) Andthentherewerethree Genesis
5) Arc of A Diver Steve Winwood
6) Morning Glory Oasis
7) Hunky Dory David Bowie
Eight) Hopes And Fears Keane
9) Dark Side of The Moon Pink Floyd
10) All Mod Cons The Jam

Frank Goodall

The Void; Teletext page 827; 15th of October, 2008; 6/7.

The phrase "old-school" is overused by music journalism, and it's used by radio DJs and reviewers to approve of everything, from classic 1970s and 1980s tracks to today's music.

A case in point is Earls's review of the new Chemical Brothers single, with its reference to their "old-school jackhammer beats". It's a lazy phrase that has lost its original meaning. White Noise

The Void; Teletext page 827; 23rd of August, 2008; 1/7.

I'm tired of today's music. If it's not faux-'60s pop from the likes of Amy and Duffy, it's rehashed indie-lite from the current crop of 'new' bands. Even electro seems fashionable again. It's nothing new. The Ting Tings are just Toni Basil or Salt & Pepa by a different name.

Where's the new music? Where's the originality? Where's the inspiration? Come on, pull yer finger out. PineappleHead

The Void; Teletext page 827; 23rd of August, 2008; 2/7.

Jules Kirby shouldn't worry about the forthcoming Keane album. I doubt they will have changed their sound totally. They'll still have the piano and keyboards unless Tim's taken up the electric guitar or something equally unlikely.

I'm hoping for an upbeat album with a change of tempo in order to help us all move on after the troubled UTIS era. Tom Chaplin looks fit and well, so I'm optimistic. Indiegirl

The Void; Teletext page 827; 23rd of August, 2008; 3/7.