FIFTY3FRIDAYS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUY (AND DAVID)

Struggling to find an opening gambit for today’s Fifty3Fridays, I noticed it was Guy Garvey’s 52nd birthday. So, I thought it was appropriate to raise a glass to the Elbow frontman and equally have an excuse to play out this issue to my favourite Elbow song, “My Sad Captains”; the name of our longstanding Fantasy Football League to boot. It is also David Gilmour’s birthday today. The Floyd maestro is a remarkable 80 years young. Happy birthday, Guy and David.

Photo of Guy Garvey at the O2, London April 2014 by Helen Boast

I am always up for an intriguing alias so when Becky Green aka Dear People popped her entry into last week’s Fresh On The Net Inbox I was hooked. A classically trained pianist, Becky studied music performance & composition at uni, leading to her pursuing her love for writing for film and TV. With experience playing in several bands from her own outfit under her birth name to a cinematic duo named Heir, Becky’s solo project, Dear People, was inspired by those boxes of old photos you can come across in charity shops. The fleeting nature of life is captured in images now consigned to basement prices. As a name, Dear People celebrates the common humanity and shared emotions which connect all those anonymised in the pictures. As Becky says, “We are all dear people.”

Love for Becky’s song, “I Don’t Know”, was clearly shared by FOTN’s moderators and readers as it made the Listening Post and went on to be voted a Fresh Fave last week. One of four tracks that will form a self-titled debut EP due out on 20 March, “I Don’t Know” shimmers with beauty from the earnest questioning in the opening bars, building with stately majesty as its melodic ideas develop without a conventional verse/chorus structure. A cry for help out of a desperate place, the lyrics unfold to point to place of hope where her pleas will be heard and resolved. The song has a lovely antique feel, drawn from old keyboards and drum machines while vocally Becky brings such light and shade and even a touch of euphoria to her dark materials.

Photo of Rosa Walton by Nicole Ngai

Formed by in 2013 by schoolfriends Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth aka Let's Eat Grandma began making music aged 13 and by 2022 had three albums under its belt. I have always been a fan and recall writing about the title track to the third of those, “Two Ribbons”, moved by Jenny Hollingworth’s poignant ode to two of the closest people in her life and how her relationships with them shifted over time through loss and life changes: “Like two ribbons, still woven although we are fraying.” The duo has been pretty much on hiatus since then but individually have worked on solo projects. Sadly, I missed the first of those – Quicksand Heart, Jenny’s debut album under the guise of Jenny on Holiday which came out this January. I hope to visit that one next week but meanwhile news of her band mate, Rosa Walton’s solo venture hit this week’s Inbox.

Rosa Walton has announced her debut solo album, Tell Me It's A Dream, via the lead single, "Sorry Anyway". The LP is not out till June but this song gives a hint of what may be to come; an energetic, euphoric power pop anthem highlighting self-acceptance and a daring individuality. That boldness is carried through to Rosa’s strident vocals and the characterisation in the accompanying video. "This song is about not letting anyone hold you back, whether in a relationship or in chasing your ambitions. It's about doing your own thing, embracing who you are, and not caring about fitting into boxes, and also trying to inspire others to have this attitude” Rosa explained. She seems to have nailed those sentiments.

It’s back to Fresh On The Net next as we highlight my two Alt Picks from last week. First up is five-piece indie rock band from South west England, Bottlemoth. Though just formed in January 2024 the band did not exactly hang about, going on to release a debut album, Even Us Ghosts, in October the same year. Described as a coming-of-age album, the record deals with themes spanning independence to returning home; celebrating friendships, first loves, growing up and deliberation of heartbreak. Sonically the band meld influences from folk, rock and indie in emotive and considered arrangements.

There is an uplifting air to the new single "Suki" that made me sit up and listen right from the off. Perhaps it’s the cat lover in me but I warmed to the inspiration behind the song, that of band members Ethan and Chessa’s beloved cat, Suki; a name which I am told means ‘loved one’ in Japanese. Drawing inspiration from the guitar music of the 1990s/early 2000s, there is a certain warm nostalgia to Bottlemoth’s sound. Reflective verses are balanced by euphoric choruses and everything is underwritten by a prevailing sense of love. Grounded in affection that feels intensely real, “Suki” is a genuine song of joy.

My second Alt Pick is a song that struck me on its very first airing but which goes on to deliver greater depth on repeat listening. As a solo artist, Jonny Morgan has been championed by Whispering Bob Harris no less and had comparisons drawn with early Springsteen. Having travelled through the USA in 2022, he returned to London the following year and released his debut album, Good Luck With the Music; a portentous title maybe but one which has clearly paid dividends. Jonny has now returned with a new band (aptly named The Moral Support) with a second album – The Hope That Kills You – and a clearly a thing for ominous sounding titles.

The new album is out next Friday (13th … those portents again) and is previewed by the splendid “30 By Spring”. Delivered by Jonny Morgan in a smooth and easy baritone over a cooking guitar-led backcloth, the song is a particularly accomplished slice of Americana.  It mixes a note of whimsy along with a dollop of humour as the songwriter contemplates turning the grand old age of 30. A high class problem as my old boss used to say and music to mature by indeed. You can catch Jonny Morgan & The Moral Support on a short UK tour this month.

Alan’s now Kickstarted

You will hopefully recall that I featured my fellow FOTN moderator, Alan Dreezer, in these columns two weeks ago. With 4 days to go, I am pleased to report that Alan’s Kickstarter campaign in support of his planned new album, Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes, has now reached 120% of his funding target. Sincere thanks to any readers who have pledged financial backing and there is still time to do so if you want to check it out further on Kickstarter HERE.

So, Happy Birthday Mr Garvey. The Shakespeare-referencing “My Sad Captains” charts the loss of a group of drinking buddies whose activities are labelled affectionately “what a perfect waste of time.” The song’s terrific melody is suitably emboldened by the Morricone-like brass in this recording for Later… with Jools Holland.

FIFTY3 FRIDAYS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 2026

FINALLY… on the first Friday of each month, I publish a Playlist on Spotify which reprises all the songs featured in this column over the previous month – all in order, for the obsessively compulsive.

Our Fifty3 Fridays Spotify Playlist February 2026 includes the 18 of the 20 songs from the month’s Fifty3 Fridays kicking off reflectively with “The Lamps Have Gone Out” by Kar Stanton and concluding with Olivia Miceli’s bittersweet “Friday The 13th”. Those suffering from paraskevidekatriaphobia will be less delighted to learn that for the consecutive month next Friday is also the thirteenth.

Unfortunately, you won’t find the missing two songs – “Cameron Figment” from Milwaukee’s Aubrey Van Gelded and SE7APH1C & Laura T’s “Echoes” – as neither are on Spotify. Both have their reasons for resisting the streaming behemoth which I fully respect. However, as it works for 99% of the artists I write about, I continue to use Spotify to publish these monthly playlists. You’ll find 75 of them on my Spotify page so please follow me @TonyHardy53, put the kettle on and give the latest one a spin.