It is said that whenever magazine editors get bored and short of content they decide to publish a list. And, when they're bored, short of content and broke, they put on an awards show. This fuels a nice little merry-go-round of shameless self-promotion, sponsorship and cheap content.

And what's more, the magazine editors then get to chink bottles of the sponsor's lager with the great, good and genuinely talented. Selflessly, they chat to models and impossibly cool stars who then take the stage to thank the magazine for all the free stuff the award.

Quite what this says about a Hall-of-Fame type affair is anyone's guess. Is it right that talented musicians are singled out and praised for their contributions to popular culture? Yes. Do they need an award and a night with some music journalists and models in order to receive that recognition? Not really but it sounds alright doesn't it?

The MOJO Honours List sells itself (of course) as a counterpoint to the reactionary pop puppet culture that so dominates much of the mainstream media. It is deliciously easy to be cynical but any reminder of a world beyond Cheryl, Leona and, er, the others, where established credibility and enduring quality are the only currency is surely a good thing?

The awards are on June 10 and, in the week before, London's Jazz Cafe will host folk legend Roy Harper on 5th June, followed by Richard Hawley (7th June), John Grant (8th June) and Marc Almond (9th June). Tickets are on sale now, costing £25 for all but the John Grant gig, which is £12.50 + booking fee.

Since its June 2004 debut, the MOJO Honours list has recognized a wide range of influential figures in the world of music, not least the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, the Clash's Mick Jones and Ray Davies of the Kinks. It's hard to argue with that.

If you do want to argue about it, why not get down to one of the four live shows. You'll find the editor in the VIP area sipping the sponsor's beer.

Pre-sale tickets are available now.