When the flash-in-the-pan pop songs he pastiches have been long forgotten, the enduringly stupid back catalogue of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic will be the only remaining evidence they ever existed in the first place. Maybe. Witness the pop parodist’s Mandatory World Tour – named after his Mandatory Fun album of last year – in London and Dublin in October (Hammersmith Apollo, W6, 4 Oct; Vicar Street, Dublin, 6 Oct) …
Self-proclaimed “child of grime” Stormzy has been supporting ancient forefather Wiley on tour this month – and the Croydon MC has just announced a London date of his own (O2 Academy2 Islington, N1, 31 Mar) …
Marika Hackman also has a mentor of sorts, in the form of similarly folksy tour buddy Laura Marling. She’ll set off on a solo jaunt in the spring (Night and Day Café, Manchester, 4 Apr) …
Finally, details of this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust gigs at the Royal Albert Hall have been revealed. They’ll include a Paul Weller and Johnny Marr double bill, a Van Morrison headline set and Roger Daltrey – one of the charity’s patrons – performing with the Who (SW7, 23-28 Mar).
