PAUL Weller isn't the only pop star turning the big five-oh. Prince, Madonna, Nick Cave and Michael Jackson have also either entered or are about to enter their sixth decade.

Of course, the milestone has strange effects on some people. In the case of Prince, he inexplicably decided to blank 55,000 fans who were planning to give him the bumps in a GAA pitch in Dublin. As for Jacko, we can almost certainly expect at least one piece of weirdo news ahead of his 50th in August.

Madonna's 50th coincided with her jumping ship from long-term home Warner Music to live music giants Live Nation in return for a very large cheque. Her goodbye to Warner came with an album which received more attention for how she was attired on the cover than how she sounded inside.

Cave and Weller, meanwhile, are proof that age shall not wither some rockers. After years of shenanigans with The Bad Seeds (and Kylie Minogue) and a lifestyle that probably had many wondering if he'd even survive his 20s, Cave marked the half-century milestone as only he knew how - by forming the excellent Grinderman and releasing a wonderfully snarling self-titled album that harkens back to the nihilistic blues and devil-may-care attitude of The Birthday Party.

Weller also decided to buck any notion of taking time out to tend to his garden. His current album, 22 Dreams, is a revelation, a musician shunning what he's best known for and trying out some new tricks. There's plenty of life in this old dog yet.