The last time I was on a boat on the Thames, The Sex Pistols were playing “Pretty Vacant” as we sailed downriver past the Houses Of Parliament. It was Jubilee Day, 1977, and the cruiser we were on had just been surrounded by police launches, their searchlights raking the upper deck of our craft, dozens of their baton-wielding colleagues lined up in sinister ranks on Westminster Pier, waiting for us to dock so they could storm aboard and crack heads, which they eventually did with painful abandon.

The band to play at four venues in Europe this Summer

First tour in four years to promote new album

Influential 70s sit-com get DVD treatment

A glorious, ramshackle rag-bag stuffed with good times, black humour and great swathes of accordion

One singles-rich cracker, and one tampered-with turkey

Check out the two totally different set lists here

White Lies and more added to this July's event!

On tour last year – a portrait of a band finding their peak

It remains to be seen whether the global credit gloom will have a negative effect on the parties, the glamour and the excessively large yachts that tend to provide entertaining if diversionary colour from the Cannes Film Festival. But, certainly, in terms of heavyweight talent on display at this year's festival, you might be hard pressed to think of a more Cannes-like line-up.