Two gigs at the weekend to celebrate a friends 60th. Nick Harper played a “best of” set on Friday night -
superb, but definitely not birthday party music. Phil and Paul from TMTCH on Saturday afternoon, mix of stories and songs - some incredible stories about the late great Cush.

Oh my goodness, never knew that even existed. A mildly amusing attempt to play the MTV game - everyone else has a video, why not him ?

Has anyone ever seen this rather appalling video for The Wrong Heartbeat before?!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmvfqyeAPLI

Miles Davies is composer of the week on Radio 3, an interesting listen

Anybody else here actually seen him live?  I'm not even a fan...

Tonight, 11pm 'til 1am : Scattering The Roots with Dan Ogus...two hours of the finest folk, roots, blues, etc...plenty of etc...

***For this week only, due to Express FM's live coverage of The Portsmouth Music Awards, Scattering The Roots will go out 2 hours later than usual from 11pm 'til 1am***

I've rifled through my vaults to bring you some excellent music both new and vintage every Wednesday evening...

This week's show features the following artists :

Michael Weston King, John Hollier & The Revere, Peter Mulvey, The Cousins Project, Suzanne Vega, India Ramey, The Mediaeval Baebes,  The Albion Band, The Pogues, Steve Black, Ed Snodderly, Steepways, Edward & Jane, Bob Dylan, Pearl Charles, Blair Dunlop, Pink Floyd, Steeleye Span, Pilgrims' Way, Sandy Denny...

Listen tonight, 11pm 'til 1am on Portsmouth's Express FM, on DAB and online here :

https://www.expressfm.com/programmes/scattering-the-roots/

Back and almost recovered from Bearded Theory Festival.

The heat made it pretty hard work and meant that I missed a few acts as either couldn't get in to a tent or had retreated to a place of shade and rest for a while.

However, The Unthanks at night in a Woodland copse were superb, and I just about avoided a full blubber during King of Rome  

Other standout performances for me were Skunk Anansie, better than when I saw them 30 years ago. Kate Nash, fierce, angry, funny and with a great all female band. Walpurgis, a one off 'super-group' featuring Mike Vennart of Oceansize & Biffy Clyro fame who did a set of Ozzy era Black Sabbath, introduced by Stewart Lee. It was genuinely more authentic to the original sound than any of the times I have seen the real Sabbath. And lastly, Garbage who put on the best show I've ever seen  them do. The band were heavy and tight and, at 59 and following a double hip replacement, Shirley Manson is a new woman.

I look forward to doing it all again next year.

Good innings, but Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra) still going strong at 102!

BTW, Miles Davis was born 100 years ago today - another music colossus (IMHO), but a deeply flawed person.

Saw Kate Rusby at the Corn Exchange in Exeter on Saturday.  It was rather hot in the room (no air conditioning and a near sell-out!), but it was good to see the Barnsley Nightingale for the first time in a few years (probably when she was at Cropredy).

Reg Meuross at the tiny family chapel in Crewe Hall , capacity about 25. No amplification and no lighting apart from the fading light through the stained glass windows. Absolutely magical. Reg has been one of my favourite songwriters for a while and is certainly up there with the best of British (IMO) including Sean Cooney and Difford and Tilbrook. (Bob Kettle would be in there too if he was a little more prolific). Looking forwars to seeing Reg again at Bodelwyddan in a few weeks and especially at NFFF with The Fire and Dust Band featuring Marion , Phil Beer , Geraint Watkins etc, could Pete Townshend turn up?, probably not.