Alvin Hall . . . scary cackle. Photograph: BBC There are probably easier people to have around when you’re in financial meltdown than Alvin Hall. In the first of a new series, Alvin Hall’s Generations of Money (Radio 4), the perky financial guru spent the morning with Frances, a... 

Feargal Sharkey … could be about to shake up the music debate in the Lords. Photograph: Brian Rasic / Rex Features Last week I had tea with Lord Lucas in the House of Lords (I know – whodathought?). He wanted to have a chat about what the Lords could do to help artists and music creators.... 

Not a concert, but a pantomime … the Doctor Who Prom. Photograph: Ian West/PA One has to feel a little sorry for the musicians at Prom 10 – the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster and Grant Llewellyn, and the London Philharmonic Choir, plus solo singers Mark Chambers... 

Ayahuasca is traditionally taken in the presence of a shaman. Photograph: Reuters Have this generation’s crop of hippy-dippy indie artists found a new drug to match their music? Devendra Banhart, the Bees and Klaxons have in recent weeks namechecked ayahuasca, a so-called “plant... 

Home-clubber. Illustration: Jon & Mick/moderntoss.com That Amazing Camping Trip, Appleby It’s heartwarming to have seen this annual summer camping trip grow in popularity due solely to word-of-mouth recommendation, much like the sporadic and nomadic Mancunian club night That Amazing...