Dublin popsters The Picture House celebrate Valentine's day with their new single, Love In The Streets, a song about the band's first visit to the red light district of Amsterdam. Must have been a heavenly day.

The young Irish-person's guide to becoming a rock star: send a demo tape to PO Box 5466, Dublin 4 before March 1, be selected for the IMRO Showcase Tour '99, get to play your own showcase gig, have your demo sent to three UK re- cord companies, and be one of seven bands picked to play a "Best Of Tour" gig in Dublin. Easy-peasy.

Rock the Vatican: Abba Pater is the pope-tastic title of a new album on Sony Classical featuring the voice of Pope John Paul II delivering prayers and sermons over a classical and world music backing track. Heavenly.

Celtic rockers Kin'sha fuse traditional Irish music with jungle, techno and drum 'n' bass to create a new "hybrid" sound, says the press release. This "hybrid" sound, however, bears an eerie resemblance to Simple Minds.