Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 30 January 2011

And now the end is near…well, the end of January. It’s time for the last Where The Action Is! of the month. Join me for another great mix of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s! 

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, a birthday track or two for Steve Marriott and this week we have a Foreign Language track from Peggy March. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from Billy Fury.

The Tremeloes – Hello World (CBS 1969)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)
The Ivy League – Running Round in Circles (Piccadilly 1966)
Dino, Desi and Billy – Not The Lovin’ Kind (Reprise 1965)
The Marvelettes – I’ll Keep On Holding On (Motown 1965)
Manish Boys – Take My Tip (Parlophone 1965)
The Pirates – Can’t Understand (Polydor 1966)
The Shondells – Wonderful One (King 1962)
The Liverpool Five – I Can Only Give You Everything (TK 1965) (Connect 3)
Billy Nichols – London Social Degree (Immediate 1968) (Connect 3)
John Carter and Ken Lewis – Birmingham Brass Band (Demo 1968) (Connect 3)
Sanford Clark – Houston (Warner Bros 1965)
A Wild Uncertainty – A Man With Money (Planet 1966)
Small Faces – Autumn Stone (Immediate 1969) (Birthday: 30/01/47 Steve Marriott)
The Dee-Tees – Got Love If You Want It (Philips 1965)
John Carter – She Won’t Show Up Tonight (Demo 1967)
Peggy March – Das Ist Zauberi (Decca 1970) (Foreign Language)
Jackie Wilson – The Who Who Song (Brunswick 1967)
Small Faces – Own Up Time (Decca 1966) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Lesley Gore – My Guy, My Town and Me (Mercury 1965)
The Times – Tomorrow Night (Columbia 1966)
Don Drummond – Music Is My Occupation (Trojan 1963) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
The Rockin’ Vickers – It’s Alright (CBS 1965)
Rose & The Heavenly Tones – These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ (Unreleased 1966)
The Flower Pot Men – A Walk in the Sky (Deram 1967)
The Thrills – Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far) (Virgin 2002) (Under the Influence)
Mary Wells – You Beat Me To The Punch (Motown 1962)
Guy Darrell & Wind of Change – Stupidity (CBS 1965)
Sir Douglas Quintet – She’s a Mover (London 1965)
Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes – My Baby Plays The Same Old Song On His Guitar All Night Long (RCA 1963) (Connect 3)
Annette Funciello – Lonely Guitar (Vista 1959) (Connect 3)
Al Casey & The KC-ettes – Guitars, Guitars, Guitars (Stacy 1963) (Connect 3)
Mark Wynter – Lookin’ for Me (Pye 1964)
Stamford Bridge – Move Out of Town (Penny Farthing 1971)
Billy Fury – Things are Changing (Parlophone 1967) (Two of a Kind)
Billy Fury – Colette (Decca 1959) (Two of a Kind)
The Beach Boys – Heroes and Villains (alternate version) (Unreleased 1967)
The Small Faces – I Feel Much Better (Immediate 1967)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)

That’s it for this week. More great stuff next week and in a fortnight’s time it’ll be the Valentine’s Day special (albeit the day before) with songs of romance, hearts and flowers.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Review: Allo Darlin’/The Orchids (Captain’s Rest, Glasgow)

It’s fair to say that The Orchids have been round the musical block a bit while Allo Darlin’ are very much the new indie kids on said block. However, this blend of youth and experience combined beautifully to provide a packed-to-the-rafters Captain’s Rest crowd with a jumpy up and downy, tunetastic evening of jingly-jangly twingly twangly pop.

Following on from the debacle of the 26 minute set at Glasgow Popfest, The Orchids bounced back with a full set of old favourites and new best friends as they plundered their impressive treasure chest of tracks.

It’s always difficult for me to pick out a favourite Orchids tracks because I enjoy their entire body of work so much but tonight it was a joy to hear Apologies, a song older than the hills. In fact it was a B-side of the second single on the indiest of indie labels, Sarah Records, back in 1988.

Last year’s excellent and underappreciated album The Lost Star provided Les Spectacles de la Foire, single She’s My Girl, b-side The OK Song and Doot Doot (till it happens to you); the latter two tracks having made unexpected but very welcome appearances on BBC6Music last year.

The epic Sarah single Something for the Longing and the ever-popular Caveman completed a fabulous set of beautiful guitar pop songs. God, I love these guys.

Setlist: Obsession #1, The OK Song, Another Saturday Night, She’s My Girl, Bemused, Confused and Bedraggled, Les Spectacles de la Foire, It’s Only Obvious, Apologies, Doot Doot (till it happens to you), Something for the Longing, Caveman.

Being an indie schmindie ‘kid’ of a certain age headliners Allo Darlin’ brought back memories of Antipodean popsters Even As We Speak, with a light sprinkling of The Popguns. Great songs, fabulous energy and an infectious happy-go-lucky stage presence. They’re enjoying themselves and as a result everyone else does too.

If Loneliness Was Art kicked off a set brimful of sparkling pop nuggets and was followed by Silver Dollars, with an intro doffing its cap to Van Morrison’s Brown-Eyed Girl. Polaroid Song was one of my favourite tracks of last year and normally the sort of crowd-pleasing track that might finish a set but such is the confidence in the other songs the band could throw it out early on.

Tracks from last year’s eponymous debut long player nestled shoulder to shoulder with new songs before my personal highlight of the set. Dreaming is the modern-day take on Heavenly’s C is the Heavenly Option with Ronnie Borland, The Orchids’ bassmeister, assuming the Calvin Johnson role to Elizabeth’s Amelia Fletcher. What a pleasant and welcome surprise.

After three encore songs it was all over and far too soon for the jam-packed crowd. The band even reappeared to set out their market stall of merchandise on the stage. Personally I was shocked (and delighted) to find they actually had an XL t-shirt for sale. I’ve always wondered who these freaks are that buy small t-shirts. Skinny buggers.

Setlist: If Loneliness Was Art, Silver Dollars, The Polaroid Song, Darren, Let’s Go Swimming, Still Young, Kiss Your Lips, Dreaming (w/Ronnie Borland), My Heart is a Drummer, Tallulah, Henry Rollins Can’t Dance, Europe.

Allo Darlin’ Fact: They’re the most facially hirsute band – Elizabeth excluded – since the Followill boys reached puberty.

The Just Joans had been scheduled to play but didn’t. It’s a good job they didn’t replace them with a swinging the cat competition. The venue maybe a compact and bijou basement but it was the best game of sardines I’ve played in a long, long time.

Soundtrack to the gig: Nick Garrie – 49 Arlington Gardens (Elefant 2009)

Soundtrack on the way home: Allo Darlin’ – Allo Darlin’ (Fortuna Pop 2010)

Special thanks: The Orchids, Elaine and Sarah, Allo Darlin’ and the kebab shop near the venue with the fabulous cheese burger and chips! Also said hi to Carey from Camera Obscura.

Observation: Gigging in Glasgow is so much more pleasurable than it is in the capital or Dunfermline and I say that as an East Coaster. Parking was easy and ridiculously cheap, with loads of venues of varying sizes. Edinburgh and the East, take note.

The Orchids MySpace
The Orchids website
Allo Darlin’ website
Allo Darlin’s Bandcamp site

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Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 23 January 2011

Two days before Burns night we celebrate the obscure and not so obscure of Scottish rock and pop with a special Jocknroll edition of Where The Action Is! This selection of tunes should’ve been broadcast in November for St. Andrew’s Day but the weather put paid to that.

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three Jockanese tracks and this week we have a Foreign Language track from Lulu. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from The Poets.

The Misfits – Hanging Around (Aberdeen Students Charity Appeal 1966)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)
Bobby Patrick Big Six – Monkey Time (Decca 1964)
Studio Six – Bless My Soul (I’ve Been and Gone and Done It) (Polydor 1967)
Donovan – Catch The Wind (Pye 1965)
The Blues Council – Baby Don’t Look Down (Parlophone 1964)
Linda Flavell – And The Trouble With Me Is You (Decca 1966)
The Golden Crusaders – Come On, Come On (Columbia 1964)
New Faces – Never Gonna Love Again (Pye 1965) (Connect 3)
The Athenians – I Got  Love If You Want It (Waverley 1964) (Connect 3)
The Poor Souls – Love Me (Alp 1965) (Connect 3)
The McKinleys – That Lonely Feeling (Parlophone 1964)
The Scots of St. James – Timothy (Spot 1967)
Lulu – Stubborn Kinda Fellow (Ace of Clubs 1967)
The Luvvers – House on the Hill (Parlophone 1966)
My Dear Watson – Stop Stop There I’ll Be (Parlophone 1968)
Lulu – So Fing Es An (Decca 1966) (Foreign Language)
Davey Graham – Goin’ Down Slow (Decca 1965)
The Beatstalkers – Base Line (Decca 1966) (Half-Time Instrumental)
James Galt – With My Baby (Pye 1966)
Dean Ford and the Gaylords – He’s a Good Face (But he’s No Down and Out) (Columbia 1965)
Sol Byron and The Impacts – Pride and Joy (Flamingo 1964)
The Anteeks – I Don’t Want You (Philips 1966)
Societie – Bird Has Flown (Deram 1967)
Barry St. John – Hey Boy (Decca 1965)
The Orchids – She’s My Girl (Pebble 2010) (Under the Influence)
Joss Monroe & The Mark Eton Sound – Sha La La (West 1972)
The Black Ring – Take It or Leave It (SAUSCA 1965)
One in a Million – Double Sight (MGM 1968)
The Boston Dexters – Nothing’s Gonna Change Me (Contemporary 1964) (Connect 3)
Tam White – Don’t Make Promises (Deram 1969) (Connect 3)
The Buzz – You’re Holding Me Down (Columbia 1966) (Connect 3)
Dream Police – Living is Easy (Decca 1970)
Mickey Moonshine – Name It You Got It (Decca 1974)
The Poets – I Love Her Still (Decca 1965) (Two of a Kind)
The Poets – Wooden Spoon (Decca 1967) (Two of a Kind)
Hopscotch – Look At The Lights Go Up (United Artists 1968)
Jackie Dennis – La Dee Dah (Decca 1958)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)

That’s it for this week. (Please note, for the sake of compliance, that today’s show was actually recorded yesterday as I’m off to Glasgow tonight to see the BMX Bandits’ 25th Anniversary Concert).

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist – Sunday 16 January 2010

Here we go again. Eyes down for a full house, it’s time for this week’s Where The Action Is! Join me for another great mix of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s! As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, a birthday track for Dave Berry and this week we have a Foreign Language track from Ria Bartok. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from Ann-Margret.
 

The Action – I’ll Keep On Holding On (Parlophone 1966)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)
The What Four – I’m Gonna Destroy That Boy (Columbia 1966)
Lucas and the Mike Cotton Sound – Step Out of Line (Pye 1967)
Lee Hazelwood & Suzi Jane Hokom – Califia (Stone Rider) (LHI 1969)
The In Crowd – Blow Up (Unreleased 1967)
Felder’s Orioles – Backstreet (Picadillly 1966)
Billy Fury – Beyond The Shadow of a Doubt (Parlophone 1968)
The Panthers – I’ll Be Pleased (Polydor 1965) (Connect 3)
Brian Auger – Tiger (Columbia 1967) (Connect 3)
Hal Blaine & The Young Cougars – The Dip (RCA 1963) (Connect 3)
She Trinity – Climb That Tree (President 1970)
Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds – Hey Hey Hey Hey (Columbia 1964)
Caroline Munro – This Sporting Life (Columbia 1967) (Birthday: 16/01/49 Caroline Munro)
Al Casey & The Bats – (Got The) Teen-Age Blues (Highland 1958)
The Yardbirds – Stroll On (MGM 1967)
Ria Bartok – Roller Girl (Philips 1967) (Foreign Language)
The Marauders – Lucille (Decca 1964)
Mort Shuman IV – Monday Monday (Immediate 1967) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Rod Stewart – Shake (Columbia 1966)
The Girls – Here I Am In Love Again (Unreleased 1965)
Slim Smith & The Uniques – Build My World Around You (Trojan 1968) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
The Shacklefords – The City Never Sleeps at Night (Capitol 1966)
Barry Benson – Sunshine Child (Parlophone 1966)
The Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running (live session) (Radio 1966)
Jonny – Candyfloss (Turnstile 2011) (Under the Influence)
Keith Powell & Billie Davis – When You Move You Lose (Piccadilly 1966)
The Wildcats – What Are We Gonna Do in’64? (Reprise 1963)
Toni McCann – No (Sunshine 1965)
The Monkees – I’ll be Back On My Feet (Colgems 1968) (Connect 3)
The Hondas – Twelve Feet High (Eden 1962) (Connect 3)
Ten Feet – Got Everything But Love (RCA 1966) (Connect 3)
Timebox – I’ll Always Love You (Piccadilly 1967)
The Luvvers – Most Unlovely (Parlophone 1966)
Ann-Margret – You Turned My Head Around (LHI 1968) (Two of a Kind)
Ann-Margret – It’s a Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In) (LHI 1968) (Two of a Kind)
The Untamed – My Baby is Gone (Stateside 1965)
Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – Ain’t No Big Thing (Piccadilly 1966)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)

That’s it for this week. Next week’s show is a Jocknroll special, to celebrate Burns Night on the 25th, when we’ll be playing laods of Scottish acts.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist – Sunday 9 January 2011

Another week and another edition of  Where The Action Is, my usual mix of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s! As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, two tracks to celebrate the birthday of Scott Walker and this week we have a Foreign Language track from France Gall. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental and Two of a Kind from The Zephyrs.

Julie Grant – Count On Me (Pye 1963)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)
Kim Weston – Looking For The Right Guy (Tamla 1964)
Ronnie Jones – My Love (Decca 1965)
Suzi Jane Hokom – Need All The Help I Can Get (MGM 1966)
Tamiko – Rhapsody (Atco 1964)
The Gamblers – What’s Happening (Decca 1965)
Helen Shapiro – Walking On The Shore of Nowhere (Pye 1970)
The Shangri-las – The Train from Kansas City (Red Bird 1965) (Connect 3)
Annette Funicello – Train of Love (Vista 1960) (Connect 3)
The Cryan’ Shames – First Train to California (Columbia 1969) (Connect 3)
Sanford Clark with Al Casey – The Fool (MCI/Dot 1956)
Scott Walker – The Lady Came from Baltimore – Philips 1967)
Scott Walker – The Old Man’s Back Again (Dedicatyed to the Neo-Stalinist Regime) (Philips 1969) (Birthday: 09/01/44 Scott Walker)
The Rats – Gimme Some Wine (CBS 1965)
The Sharps – Have Love, Will Travel (Jamie 1958)
France Gall – Laisser Tomber Les Filles (Philips 1964) (Foreign Language)
The Contours – First I Look at the Purse (Gordy 1965)
Jimmy Nicol & The Shubdubs – Night Train (Pye 1964) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Anita Harris – London Life (Pye 1965)
The Cheatin’ Hearts – The Bad Kind (Columbia 1966)
Tommy McCook – Thunderball (Trojan 1965) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Billy Fury – Suzanne In The Mirror (Parlophone 1967)
The Darlenes – (I’m Afraid) You’ll Hurt Me (Stacy 1963)
Amen Corner – Our Love Is In The Pocket (Decca 1968)
The Maple Leaves – Golden Ether (Bubblegum 2010) (Under the Influence)
Billie Davis – No Other Baby (Piccadilly 1965)
The Cookies – In Paradise (Atlantic 1956)
Tommy Bruce – Over Suzanne (Columbia 1964)
The Freshmen – Just To See You Smile (Pye 1969) (Connect 3)
Truly Smith – My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down) (Decca 1966) (Connect 3)
The Isley Brothers – Behind A Painted Smile (Motown 1965) (Connect 3)
Lee Hazlewood with Duane Eddy & Orchestra – The Girl on Death Row (Jamie 1960)
Antoinette – There He Goes (The Boy I Love) (Piccadilly 1964)
The Zephyrs – Wonder What I’m Gonna Do (Columbia 1964) (Two of a Kind)
The Zephyrs – She’s Lost You (Columbia 1965) (Two of a Kind)
The Barker Brothers – You Can’t Stay Here (Kent 1956)
The Bats – Listen To My Heart (Decca 1966)
Tony Newman – Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (show theme)

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Royal Snail – The Way Forward?

The Royal Snail continues to deliver an average of two Christmas cards a day to Chez Jocknroll. Being a saddo I have a spreadsheet of names and addresses for Christmas card recipients and was able to check those we’d received against those we’d sent and there were loads outstanding. Now, there are bound to be a few missing with people perhaps saving money (e-cards are such an impersonal idea, don’t you think), simply forgetting or running out of time during the hubbub of the festive season but the number we’re missing is extraordinary. (Can I just say, in my defence, that the Christmas Card spreadsheet is linked to a mail merge document, which produces address labels for the Christmas cards we send out, thus saving us a lot of time at a busy time of year. Honest.)

One card was sent from Loanhead (Midlothian) in mid-December and arrived in Dunfermline, via Mount Pleasant in London, in early January. We also received our annual mystery card from Karen and Andy. We’ve no idea who they are but that’s three years out of four they’ve sent us one. No postmark and no return address means we can’t reciprocate or work out who the hell they are. I even put out a plea via Andrew Collins on BBC6 Music last year.

I’m still awaiting two records that were ordered in mid-December. One is the Seasonal Greet EP from The Just Joans (ordered 10 December) and another a compilation, Compendium from The Second Hand Marching Band, purchased online on 14 December. The latter has now posted out another one and I’d put money on it appearing before the first one.

(STOP PRESS: The Just Joans CD has arrived, albeit in the twee-est packaging imaginable. There’s no postmark but I trust that Wee Pop sent it when they said they had so that makes it 28 days to deliver it. Not really good enough. Of course, I won’t be able to play it on my Christmas shows, as originally intended, for another 11 months).

The posties on the frontline are blaming a new delivery system called, rather ironically, “The Way Forward”, while “Management” are putting the blame squarely at the feet of Mother Nature. Other areas, such as Alloa, which had similar weather issues didn’t have the problems of Dunfermline so the weather excuse falls flat. Seems to me that spineless, faceless management types are sabotaging their own employer in an attempt to get the company sold off sooner than later.

The Scottish Transport Secretary resigned for his part in the transport debacle. The boss of Northern Ireland Water resigned for his inability to cope with their problems. Heads need to roll at Royal Mail too for the chaos their “Way Forward” has caused and also for blatantly lying to the public about the reasons for the appalling service throughout December and January.

This thread from the local paper Dunfermline Press has given us more real information about what has or hasn’t been going on that Royal Mail, including eye-witness acounts from the men and women on the front line. (Please note while reading the comments that some West Fifers have no concept of spelling, grammar, punctuation or netiquette!)

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What’s Another Year? – Anyone Who Had a Harthill (medley)

Here we go again. Another post-Christmas bubble of hope, enthusiasm and resolution(s) destined to pop sometime around March.

Despite the odd bout of cabin fever – due in no small measure to the continuing persistent weather – the festive season was one of relaxation, family time and recharging the batteries.

With my voluntary redundancy application accepted I have to start preparations for 2011 before the old year is out. I know what I want to do, what I would like to do (escape the Admin rat race and give me something resembling job satisfaction) but time and, it pains even me to say it, age may be against me. My desire to be a writer-broadcaster may not happen this year but I have to aim for it. You can’t just say it won’t happen. I have to put the work in to give myself a shot at it. If I don’t I’ll never know if I could have got to my employment ‘happy place’.

I am already a writer-broadcaster of sorts but on a scale far removed from Radio 4 or Radio Scotland. I make irregular blog entries and present a two-hour retro music-fest on hospital radio, namely Victoria Radio Network 1287AM in Kirkcaldy. Of course, these are voluntary, unpaid positions and the audience for both is limited. Scottish radio airwaves are dominated by and saturated with unimaginative, chart-based, lowest common denominator commercial stations and with Radio Scotland trying to become Radio McFour, with less and less music on the air, the opportunities are few and far between. Community radio is the new local independent radio, although, again, it’s largely voluntary.

I joined Leith FM last year and have waited patiently to be offered a suitable slot. Come March I’ll have more time on my hands and may be able to put in some daytime shifts, if only to get used to the set up and get my “mistakes” out of the way before I get to do my own show for real. I’m also looking into the one-year HNC Radio course at Telford College and the two-year HND Radio course at Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy. While these might not get me permanent work in an industry where jobs are rarer than rocking horse poo, it may help with technique, technical knowledge and adding to my “rainbow of skills” ( © The Apprentice).

I’ve used the time off in December to lay some foundations so as to minimise the distractions that dogged me in 2010. 2011 has started well and already I have put in my first media appearance of the year, albeit in not in the ay I had hoped.

Last January I appeared on Fred Macaulay’s Radio Scotland show as part of their New Year, New You feature – a title “borrowed” this year by Scottish Television for a similar feature. Members of the public were paired with Radio Scotland presenters who had a similar goal for 2010. Losing weight, running a marathon and overcoming a fear were some of the goals and mine was to complete the book I’d started in 2009. I was paired with Out of Doors presenter Euan McIlwraith who wanted to write an Out of Doors cookbook.

Twelve months on and it was time for our last catch-up. The plan was to drive through to Glasgow and do the piece in their studio with stand-in host Susan Calman (Fred’s climbing Kilimanjaro) and Euan, as ever, on the phone. As my daughter’s school had tagged on an In-Service day to the Christmas holidays, I’d have Flick for company and I figured she’d enjoy the excitement of being at the Beeb and seeing where Nina and the Neurons is set/made (the Glasgow Science Centre is next door).

We never got there. An untimely black ice-induced crash on the M8 had closed the road for about 3 hours while the powers that be gritted it. By the time we should’ve been in Glasgow we’d only just reached Harthill services, two and a half hours after we left the Kingdom of Fife.

Of course, sod’s law struck and as soon as we parked up at Harthill the motorway traffic got moving again and returned to normal. It wouldn’t have made any difference to us though as we wouldn’t have made it anyway, even with Sebastian Vettel in the driver’s seat.

In the end the item was squeezed in at the end of the show after we decided to do it over the phone from the car. Occasionally when I did the show last year I had been frustrated that I hadn’t contributed as much as I’d wanted to but I was happy this time. (You can Listen Again here on the BBC iPlayer until next Tuesday). I was however cursing the driver(s) that had apparently caused the traffic chaos as I had missed out on the opportunity to sell myself – and some ideas I have – in person to the producers of the show.

After a stressful morning, during which my daughter showed the patience of an angel, we headed off to Cowdenbeath and the Leisure Centre swimming pool. After the events (or non-events) of the morning, this was quality time and a great way to end the holidays.

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Release: The Plimptons – 00s Nostalgia with The Plimptons

“00s Nostalgia with The Plimptons” is the new album by 6-piece Glasgow band The Plimptons, who have been honing their brand of DIY pop for 11 years. This, their 3rd album, retains the quintessentially Plimptons sense of melody and fun, but expands the scope to make an ambitious, resonant and masterfully executed pop album. The album includes the single “Lonely Old Man”, described by BBC6’s Tom Robinson as “just genius”.

The album is the product of 2 years recording and a decades-worth of living for the 6-piece, the 15 songs running the gamut across every side of the perfect pop polyhedron: From tortured new wave to stomping northern soul; from a Phil Spector sized ballad to sharp punk hectoring; from stuttering glam hooks to a 6-minute epic that goes from jazz-tinged heartbreak to club-ready electro and back again.

The Plimptons first formed in 1999 around the songwriting core of Adam (vocals) and Martin Smith (guitar/vocals), then 16, who shared a common ideal to make creative and upbeat pop music which avoided lyrical cliché, an attitude which marked them out as oddities in the musical climate of the time. As the increasingly short-lived cultural epochs of the 00s rose and fell around them, The Plimptons honed their unique brand of pop, releasing 2 full length albums in (2005 and 2007) a series of singles (in 2008-9), and building a cult following in the process.

In addition to critical praise (“Utterly spellbinding” – Daily Record, “Moments of deranged pop genius just leap out of this album like popcorn” – Manchester Music, “There is not a stinker on the CD…. All the songs rawk!!”, Punk Globe, “it’s hard to fault this… Here’s to the next 10 years of the Plimptons.”- Is This Music?. “What music should be all about.. fast, furious and fun”- Loudhorizon blog), the band have achieved widespread radio play both within the UK and internationally. High profile DJs who have been supporters of the band include the BBC’s Tom Robinson, Phill Jupitus, Canada’s Nardwuar the Human Serviette and US radio legend Doctor Demento.

The Plimptons have also established themselves as an energetic live presence, fusing the raw energy of early punk with the kind of theatrics not seen since the heyday of The Sensational Alex Harvey band. Their reputation as an unmissable live band has earned support slots with acts as diverse as The Real McKenzies, Art Brut, Groovie Ghoulies, Sultans of Ping FC, Bis, Half Man Half Biscuit,  Jim Bob (of Carter USM) and Kevin Seconds.

“00s Nostalgia with The Plimptons” is out now and available through iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Bandcamp and all good digital distributors. More details HERE.

www.theplimptons.co.uk
theplimptons1999@gmail.com

 

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Glasvegas – Scottish Tour (January 2011)

Glasvegas unveil a new drummer, Jonna Löfgren (pictured), and preview their forthcoming – as yet unnamed – album with a tour the length and breadth of Scotland.

Thu 6 Jan: Fusion, Kirkwall
Fri 7 Jan: Assembly Rooms, Wick
Sat 8 Jan: The Loft, Forres
Mon 10 Jan: Corran Halls, Oban
Tue 11 Jan: Queen’s Hall, Dunoon
Wed 12 Jan: Concert Hall, Troon
Fri 14 Jan: Town Hall, Hawick
Sat 15 Jan: Velocity, Dunfermline

I may even be at one of these gigs (*cough* Dunfermline).

The Cat
=^..^=

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James Grant – Gigs

Here are the dates of James Grant’s forthcoming acoustic shows, see the gig section of http://www.jamesgrantsongbook.com/ for further details. Harmonica God Fraser Spiers will be with him on these dates.

March

3 Eden Court Theatre, Inverness

4 Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling (This show will feature Karen Matheson and Donald Shaw as special guests)

9 Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock

11 The Met, Bury

19 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline

20 Lemon Tree, Aberdeen

27 Queens Hall, Edinburgh

April

12 An Tobar, Tobermory, Mull

16 Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

28 Howden Park, Livingston

There are a few more dates still to be confirmed. He’ll let you know as soon as he can.

Aside from the Love And Money GRCH gig, James will also be performing a couple of tunes at Forever Young – the Dylan gig (also at the Concert Hall) – on the 24 January. He might turn up at a couple of other things for a tune!

James has a few more shows planned later in the year, but in the meantime…he’s been asked to put together a classic album show in June, with his own band…not Love And Money! Which of his albums would you most like to hear him play? Email him at info@james-grant.com

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