West Coast Folk Festival last weekend in Blackpool.

Very Good - Blackbeard's Tea Party

Good - Nick Harper, Seth Lakeman, TRADarr (who were short staffed), Baskary, Louise & Chris Rogan and Hazjak(?).

Could Do Better - Honey & The Bear (dull to my ears although they seemed very nice people), Jon Boden (he's never been my thing) and Webb Sisters (who I didn't get last time and my opinion wasn't any different this time).

Well run festival without any drama - roll on to the fourth.

A North American line-up on this week's show or rather, mix. It features some of those who are taking part in the current Transatlantic Sessions tour. Tune in at 8pm to hear...

Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, Patti Smith, Martin Harley & Daniel Kimbro (w/Jerry Douglas), Kathy Mattea, Bob Dylan, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Eric Bibb, Neil Young, David Crosby, Janis Ian, Saso and Reverend Freakchild

https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

Which would be 975 tickets...

Email just received from Fairport states, "Talking of Cropredy, tickets are selling very quickly indeed for our ‘right sized’, reduced capacity festival that was such a hit last year. 85% of the 6500 tickets have now been sold so if you do wish to attend, please book asap to avoid disappointment".

Just a heads up for anyone wanting to go but not having yet bought tickets...

Down to just Ric now, I think?  I saw the original lineup at the Reading Festival in 1983, and I thought they were, lets just say, 'unexciting'.  I think there's an album of it somewhere....  Lovely venue!

The latest incarnation of Ten Years After at the very wonderful Barnoldswick Music and Arts Centre yesterday. Ideal Cropredy band.

Springsteen single 'Streets of Minneapolis' - I haven't seen Bruce this angry for a long time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDaPdpwA4Iw

Parthenon Huxley, one of my favourite musicians for the last decade or so since I discovered his work, has sadly passed away at the age of 70.

P Hux, as he was better known, was one of those musicians whose work was instantly familiar yet sufficiently original and interesting. A well-connected player in the music biz but always on the fringes never quite breaking through.

Hux is probably best known as a member of ELO Part II/The Orchestra, masterfully cranking out the greatest hits of ELO on tour the world over.

However, his superb solo albums are treasure troves of excellent guitar-based "power pop" and are well worth checking out.

Stream them, download them, buy them, there are musical treats within...

RIP Parthenon Huxley (Richard Miller 1956-2026)

Dominie Hooper at More Music in Morecambe last night. I'd seen her a couple of years ago supporting This Is The Kit and enjoyed her set, especially her cello playing. She released her debut album last year and that was what she played last night - the album from start to finish and no encore.

So quite a short concert but she pretty much filled the venue and tickets were only a tenner. More Music do a lot in the local community and one of their singing groups of youngsters joined Dominie and her band on stage for a couple of numbers which worked well.

They're off up to Glasgow today and are playing Manchester next week.  

Miles Davis - the complete "live at the plugged nickel 1965" - the new re-release. 8 CDs, over 7 hours of the 2nd great quintet - Davis, Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams.