Very slight family claim to fame…my Mum was in a TV Toffo advert in the mid sixties.

That Albert Hall youtube clip sounds wonderful. How fantastic to see that simple thing, great tunes played well. Can’t describe it any better than that really.

Hmm, might have to get these. Great band. Didn’t Karl Wallinger have a nasty health scare some years back now? Anyone know how he’s been since?

Definitely prefer the first one, there’s a hint of late eighties “Oranges and Lemons” era XTC in there too.
The second one reminds me of the type of stuff on the second Buggles album.

I do have quite a lot of time for the new album so may give this tour more consideration. The Albert Hall is the most obvious gig for me but I’d prefer somewhere smaller really.

I quite fancy one of these dates too Steve but April or even May is surely too soon to take a punt isn’t it? Never seen the Furs live…what were/are they like?

Hmmm, I want to go to one of these but a trip over to the other side of London from me doesnt really appeal. Might combine one of the other southern nights with an overnight trip…

They’ll need to get that central heating fixed.

Apple Venus was perfect enough in it’s original incarnation but I will no doubt get this. XTC were so brilliant but they left their very best best album in this one. Wasp Star isn’t quite as good but might […]

Could happen. From reading his posts, Dave seems like an unabashed pop fan (absolutely not a slur) and some of Bowie’s stuff just isn’t in that bracket. Even on one album he can go from pop to prog to industrial […]

Ziggy for me, every time, and by some distance. The others all have their moments for sure, but as a whole album it is brilliant from start to finish.

It’d be great if it covered the Professionals, the first album’s great, very underrated in my view. I bet it won’t though. Even a bit on the later Pistols singles like Silly Thing would be good. Always thought […]

Looking forward to this. Yes, I’m a huge Pistols fan but the book by Steve Jones is quite a good read. He’s quite damaged in some ways and is possibly a more complex character than he might first appear.

I’ve got this album on CD, issued by Viper Records if I remember correctly, the label formed by Mike Badger, who formed The La’s with Lee Mavers. The label releases lots of Scouse ephemera and is worth checking out.

Obviously Michael is the most well known and heralded but I saw John Head do a very quiet and understated solo acoustic set at a festival about 10 years ago. I assumed an album would follow but if it has it passed […]

Toby Young is a superb choice, couldn’t agree more. He’s an odious, two-faced creep and I can never understand why he gets airtime.

I expect someone will take up the baton so to speak but whether or not the participants will want to continue is another matter. There must have been a lot of trust built up over the years and I wonder if they […]

Ah, you left the year before I went there then!
Apparently it was knocked down in controversial circumstances too, being a listed building or something.
I’m a long time Sunbury man but as well as going to […]

Yes, The Strands album is fantastic, possibly my favourite thing he’s done. I found some of HMS Fable a little too shrill in places but most of the songs on the Strands, like X Hits The Spot, are sublime.

Great post Dave, enjoyed reading it. I’ll hold my head up and say I liked In The Name Of Love and Hold Me Now at the time.
And you an Ashford lad…we sound about the same age, you didn’t go to Spelthorne College did you?