Blogwatch

Yes, the resurrection (possibly for one night only) of an old favourite - it's been far too long...

As someone with such a passion for stand-up comedy that he set up a collaborative blog for reviews, news and interviews, perhaps it was inevitable that Alan would wind up giving it a go himself. Putting yourself at the mercy of a load of people who come along, sit in the dark and judge you (that's (c) Stewart Lee) is incredibly courageous, and so the congratulations due to him for making the semi-finals of So You Think You're Funny are especially well deserved.

More creative endeavours detailed on Speaking As A Parent - not only has Robin finished his book, he's also contributed to an Alphabeat record.

Of course, we're in the midst of the festival season, so there are plenty of reviews out there reminding me of what I've been missing. The Quiz Blogger followed Glastonbury up with a trip to Latitude (overcrowded and everything bar the main stage was "a bit, you know, meh and whatevs man"); Simon had his Los Campesinos! cherry finally and joyously popped at Indietracks (the Saturday report is here); and Ian went to his local shindig, Hillside in Ontario, which is so Canadian that all the beer and wine is served in reusable cups.

As is customary, Kenny's listed his top 20 albums of the first half of the year - no surprise to see Ladytron's Velocifero top of the pile, but solid placings for some SWSL favourites (Los Campesinos!, Blood Red Shoes, No Age and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds amongst others).

And finally, after months of preparing to up sticks to the other side of Manchester, Jonathan and family have decided to stay put. Good news for us readers, given that M19 has proven a rich and bountiful source of blogging material for Crinklybee. Hopefully now we might hear a bit more about "the launderette on Albert Road where on Boxing Day the old Irish lady plies the clientele with sherry, served on trays in little plastic cups" and "the antiques market on the A6 with the cafe hidden away in the basement, where on Sunday mornings the antiques dealers go to haggle over the price of battered grandfather clocks over bacon, sausage and black puddings".