Last night, the Pixies played Santiago’s Teatro La Cupula, their first-ever headlining date in Chile, and proceeded to celebrate the successful rescue of all 33 miners by playing an epic 33-song set (plus a two-song encore) that’s being billed as the longest set they’ve ever played.

Last night, a host of musicians — including Alison Moyet and Billy Bragg — gathered at London’s O2 Sheperd’s Bush Empire to remember the life and musical legacy of Kirsty MacColl on what would have been the late singer’s 51st birthday.

Having marked the 30th anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death last May by performing Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ in its entirety, bassist Peter Hook will reprise that feat with a full orchestra this weekend at a U.K. festival before performing the record in Australia and the U.S. this fall and winter.

The life and musical legacy of Kirsty MacColl will be celebrated this fall at an all-star concert in London featuring the likes of Alison Moyet, Billy Bragg, Johnny Marr and Shane MacGowan, who famously duetted with the late singer on the Pogues’ classic ‘Fairytale of New York.’

This year may be nearly half over, but it’s certainly not too late to catch up with The Smiths Project, an ambitious and impressive effort by San Jose, Calif., musician Janice Whaley to record layered vocal arrangements of every song ever released by The Smiths — all by the end of 2010.

Ex-New Order bassist Peter Hook will dig through his celebrated musical past this spring, embarking on a U.K. spoken-word tour and performing a set of Joy Division songs at his new Manchester club on the 30th anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death.