FIFTY3FRIDAYS: NOW ON INSTAGRAM

Ever the Johnny-come-lately, last week I thought it was about time I opened an Instagram account -@TonyHardyFifty3. That bit was easy. Working out what to do with it will take a bit more time but most if not all the artists I have ever written about have an Insta page so it is much easier to tag them to point out I have just said something nice about their new single. Doing so on X has become a complete pain and after a longer break from publishing this column than I had intended, whatever algorithm that used to mildly favour my tweets has deserted its post and engagement has dropped to an all-time low. [Not from great heights either – Ed].

Photo by Alexander Shatov

Resolution #2? I’ve stopped spelling artist with an ‘e’ at the end.

Anyhow having got the Fifty3Fridays show back on the road last week with musings about Kate Walsh’s comeback concert, it was my turn to write the reviews for this week’s Fresh Faves as voted for by readers of Fresh On The Net. The independent music blog is a great source of diverse new music. Founded by Tom Robinson, it is now curated by the equally brilliant Del Osei-Owusu, assisted by a lovely team of music-mad moderators. The role of the mods is to collectively pick 25 tracks from all those submitted to form the week’s Listening Post. Readers then lend their own ears and vote for their five favourite tracks. The 10 tunes receiving the most votes become the week’s Fresh Faves and are reviewed by one of us moderators and published with a SoundCloud playlist.

I could have picked any of these 10 tracks to share with you here but I’d like to direct you to Fresh On The Net for the full playlist. So, simply to whet your appetite, here are two of them which particularly chimed with me for quite disparate reasons.

Austel is the moniker of London-based artist Annie Rew Shaw who originates from Devon and carries a certain folk sensibility you often associate with the West Country. After experiencing life as a session and touring musician and releasing two of her own EPs, she went on to self-produce her debut full-length record in 2024, Dead Sea; an album noted for its emotive piano songs exploring loss, recovery and transformation.

Topically titled, “The Beach In December” sees Austel musing on the premature end to a promising relationship with the location also evoking some memories of childhood. It is the first release from new material centred around the guitar and encompassing subtly employed field recordings, in this case naturally from Brighton beach. Solo or deftly layered to great effect, Austel’s relaxed vocal glides through the song with regret and reflection inbuilt into its characterful ebbs and flows. The sense of fleeting charm is palpable in a song that genuinely takes you there.

A Fresh Faves newcomer with an exquisite name. Gaby Duboisjoli describes herself as a singer, songwriter, performer, lover and host of a weekly radio show, The Velvet Curtain. Her self-styled ‘electro-cabaret-pop’ welds the pulse of modern electronica to glamorous night time theatrics. A French native, now living in Málaga, Spain after spending two decades in London, Gaby’s style is aptly summed up on her website with this press quote: “All the presence of Villanelle with a voice and sound of 60s Rive Gauche…”

For “Je Veux Ton Feu”, Gaby has teamed up with former death metal bassist, now analogue synth pioneer ŌKUBI to deliver what she describes as “a beautiful, undiluted trip-hop banger.” With a sultry vocal employed initially with a suggestion of detachment, the fire is soon stirred. You don’t need to brush up your French GCSE or turn to Google translate to decipher the lyric sentiments here. It’s all-consuming passion, simmering, brought steadily to the boil and poised to overflow. She wants your fire.

You can check in to Fresh On The Net every Friday to find the latest Listening Post, hear some fine new music and of course cast your own votes. Meanwhile to read my reviews and listen to all ten Fresh Faves, follow this link.

To conclude this week’s Fifty3Fridays, maintain an eye on the word count and keep the theme running, here are some more songs from Fresh On The Net entries over recent weeks which caught my ear. Not all of them made it through to the Listening Post or to Fresh Faves but each piece resonated with me for sure.  

NEEV - Put A Record On

Here the connection London-based Glasgow native Neev draws between love and music in this song is perfectly complemented by her vocal delicacy and haunting accompaniment. Just stunning.

THE DREAMING VOID - The Black Stone

An impeccably constructed song from Norfolk-based synth-pop-rock outfit The Dreaming Void with a chorus that is hard to shake off.  Lyrically, it appears to be a very personal song yet simultaneously intriguing.

ELEANOR DUNSDON & GREGOR BLACK - The Waulking Songs

Eleanor & Gregor were one of my three picks for Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2025. Here the pair fuse harp, strings and percussion on this quietly expansive piece, meshing folk melody and jazz rhythms with a delicacy of touch. I love the forward momentum of the theme and the way things reach a peak before softly resolving.

CLOCK RADIO - Cactus Is Cooler

Clock Radio self-describe as deluded jangle rockers. Nice! This has an early Belle & Sebastian vibe about it which immediately caught my ear. Jangly guitars add shimmer to a fresh summer haze while lyrically the song is peppered with a choice turn of phrase.

CITY LIMITS FEAT. DENNEY - If We Should Ever Talk Again

City Limits, the new aegis of Bournemouth come Surbiton pop troubadour Alex Hall, has teamed up once more with brilliant singer-songwriter (Emma) Denney to create this tender duet which captures the fragile space between moving on and falling back in love. It combines two voices which gel together so well and characteristic Alex Hall production touches.