Blondie, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

BLONDIE, USHER HALL, EDINBURGH More than a stroll down memory lane from an energetic Debbie Harry and company

More than a stroll down memory lane from an energetic Debbie Harry and company

Blondie are one of a handful of bands capable of producing a set list which renders rational critical argument all but obsolete. If they play the hits and they play them straight and true, there’s not really much to complain about. Last night in Edinburgh the six-piece line-up (half original members, half relative newbies) played (most of) the hits, and well, but let’s break it down to specifics.

Five things you want to see at a Blondie concert

Iggy and The Stooges, Royal Festival Hall

IGGY AND THE STOOGES, ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL The lords of Detroit rock and roll are sheer dynamite at Meltdown

The lords of Detroit rock and roll are sheer dynamite at Meltdown

Having witnessed Neil Young’s shambolic O2 concert on Monday – Young treating the occasional venture into his back catalogue with listless contempt whilst serving up multiple banalities from his recent albums – I considered skipping seeing more veteran American rockers.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, O2 Arena

NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE, O2 ARENA Veteran campaigner still ready to run heavy metal marathons

Veteran campaigner still ready to run heavy metal marathons

"Don't say it's over," wailed Neil Young at the end of "Hey Hey, My My", his raging anthem against the dying of the light which still sounds as bellicose and cantankerous as it did in 1979. And happily it isn't over yet, because on this evidence the 67-year-old Young still looks fighting fit and raring to run round-the-clock heavy metal marathons.

Le nozze di Figaro, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVAL OPERA Mozart revival maintains its original style with new cast and conductor

Mozart revival maintains its original style with new cast and conductor

The Marriage of Figaro is so much a part of Glyndebourne’s history that it’s sometimes hard to recall the details of this or that production. Michael Grandage’s current staging, though, will be easily remembered for its strong characteristics, both good and bad: for Christopher Oram’s marvellous Alhambra sets, for the brilliance and occasional vulgarity of Grandage’s direction, for its perfection of movement and timing and its almost total obliteration of the social distinctions on which the plot hinges.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Royal Albert Hall

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS, ROYAL ALBERT HALL The Beloved Entertainer surges through the hits and selections from the Spinning Songbook

The Beloved Entertainer surges through the hits and selections from the Spinning Songbook

Comebacks may be all the rage but Elvis Costello just keeps on going. It's the third year running that he has taken his band The Imposters on the Revolver Tour, featuring The Spectacular Spinning Songbook: a giant carnival wheel of songs which audience members are brought on stage to spin and dictate the set list.

The King of Marvin Gardens

THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS Melancholy meets irrational optimism in Bob Rafelson's New Hollywood classic

Melancholy meets irrational optimism in Bob Rafelson's New Hollywood classic

Bob Rafelson’s 1972 The King of Marvin Gardens takes its title from the Atlantic City Monopoly property, connoting the New Jersey resort’s then imminent future as a board game for real-estate developers. The conman Jason Staebler (Bruce Dern) acknowledges its status thus when his younger brother David (Jack Nicholson) arrives in town to bail him out of jail.

Tomorrow's World, ICA

Good things happen when one of Air collaborates with New Young Pony Clubber

The ICA was the perfect location for the UK debut of hotly tipped new duo Tomorrow’s World, consisting of Air’s Jean-Benoit Dunckel and English synth-rockers New Young Pony Club’s ivory tickler Lou Hayter. The venue added a prestigious edge to what promised to be an auspicious occasion. A scant crowd suggested this was more of a test run than a full-blown debut, but they needn’t have worried about the reaction. Their music spoke for itself.