A shot in the arm for music

Well, we have a new Christmas number one and for the first time in 5 years, it's not whoever happened to win X Factor this year. I don't need to tell you what happened and that's kind of what's so great about Rage Against The Machine pipping Joe Whassisface to the top of the Christmas chart.

This wasn't a Blur v Oasis style straight forward battle of two artists. In many ways Rage and Joe were pretty irrelevant, merely pawns in a much more interesting contest.

This was music drawing two distinct lines in the sand and stirring up people's emotions. This is music exciting people and this is music pissing people off. This is how I remember music to be when I first jumped around to 'Killing In The Name' back in the early 90's and it feels good.

This little battle has stirred something in the British musical psyche. Joe fans are ranting on Facebook about the injustice of an American shouty band they've never heard of stealing their boy's big moment. On the other side, Rage fans are reveling in sticking two fingers up to the X Factor hit conveyor belt. A victory for real music by real musicians, they say.

Whichever side you sit, it doesn't really matter. The real winner here is the music, which shapes us culturally as a society more than any other art-form.

A bit of passion, a bit of anger, a bit less nonchalant indifference.

It all bodes well for the decade to come. I hope the battle rumbles on and I hope nobody ever wins!