FIFTY3FRIDAYS: STARTING WITH THE FINISH

I’ve started, so I’ll finish. Anyone who dreams or conversely has nightmares about being a contestant on BBC’s Mastermind might find themselves waking with a blissful smile or in a cold sweat with those words ringing in their ears. Well today, on the first Friday of the month, I am starting this column with a feature I usually finish with each month in the shape of my monthly Spotify Playlist which rounds up all the songs included here over the previous month, in order, should you wish to check! [That’s enough months in one sentence – Ed].

There are now 58 of these Playlists on my Spotify page which can be found at @TonyHardy53. Promoting this feature to the top of the page may of course improve interaction with it. Famous last words.

Spotify image by Alexander Shatov

FIFTY3 FRIDAYS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OCTOBER 2026

So, the latest F3F Spotify Playlist features all 28 tracks from our October issues – well, almost all as unfortunately Sharon Lazibyrd’s “Shades of Green” and Alexander Carson’s “Haven” are not yet on the platform so I have substituted “If” and “Lovers” respectively, both great songs from these fine artists. The Playlist opens with the emotive “Quiet In The Hurricane” from Lisa Cooke and closes with the inimitably theatrical Luvcat and“Bad Books”. Listen below or head to Spotify @TonyHardy53 later.

A new name to Fifty3Fridays now in the guise of Table 4_1, the project of Birmingham based singer-songwriter Harry Bott aided by Luke Billingham. The band name immediately made me think of, yes, “Table For One” that lonesome-tonight classic served up by the marvellous Morton Valence. Formerly the lead singer of Cigarette Social Club, Harry shares something with MV’s Rob ‘Hacker’ Jessett in his individual flair for distinctive storytelling and emotive lyricism. Harry’s own story is given added poignancy after a life-changing incident left him paralysed and his infectious energy for music making is all the more admirable.

Table 4_1 has delivered a truly striking ballad in the shape of “Day & Night”. The song moves beautifully from simple strummed guitar and perfectly defined vocals via a change of pace in the bridge and a reflective middle 8 before a considered build in which the words are never outshone.  A story of romantic impasse unfolds as the pain of a love that isn't meant to be is slowly revealed. The accompanying video filmed at The Black Country Living Museum adds piquancy and further context for the story. It is refreshing to see how a small team on a low budget can create such visual artistry with no AI in sight. As an important footnote Harry hopes to use any exposure and interest in Table 4_1 to raise awareness for The League of Friends at The Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry who helped him massively during periods of his 9-month hospital recovery. 

Photo of Rob Baker by Carol Keane

From the Black Country next to Dublin where we find a name familiar to F3F readers, one Robert Baker in the guise of his latest flame, Reluctant Bob & The Lonely Lovers. The songwriter and producer is on hiatus from helming the fine indie-pop quintet, The Crayon Set. Assisted by the musicians who make up the Lonely Lovers, Robert draws on classic 1960s production and psychedelic sounds spanning further decades to create airy, standout melodies and dreamy alternative pop.

Bob’s latest single, “Not the Enemy”, was voted one of Fresh On The Net’s Fresh Faves last week. It’s not officially out until 19 November so the above visualiser is currently unlisted. Recorded live at Black Mountain Studios in the Cooley Mountains, Co. Louth, the song includes guest vocals from Zoé Basha, alongside vintage synths from the studio's collection. A piano figure gives way to butter-soft vocals and harmonies with Zoé’s dreamy tones perfectly complementing Robert’s lead. There are some lovely melodic touches as the song develops before closing with an improvised coda. Lyrically it is a call to stand by someone you have a whole lot of history with no matter how difficult they make it for you to stay faithful. This could be friendship or love.

Now on to the Alt Picks. Alongside the weekly Listening Post and reader-voted Fresh Faves, Fresh On The Net also hosts this feature which highlights songs chosen from Fresh On The Net entries that did not make the Listening Post. Each moderator can pick 2 songs every week. Here are the songs I chose as my FOTN Alt Picks w/e 31 October.

MILO – Haunted House

Milo Holland is a 21-year-old independent artist from Berkshire who began songwriting around 6 years ago, teaching himself piano and picking up a guitar about a year later. While not keen to pigeonhole his music with a single label, his forte is writing lyrically intricate stripped back, acoustic songs which he executes entirely from his bedroom, also performing live as a solo acoustic act and as part of a three-man cover band.

With “Haunted House” Milo delivers a remarkably mature, well-constructed song built around a flowing, plaintive – I won’t say haunting – piano melody, an earnest vocal and subtle harmonies. Lyrically it’s an interesting exploration of self-doubts, change and how people see you. Imagining yourself as a ghost becomes a vehicle for questioning why people don’t see you for who you are or who you’ve become. It began as a song conceived for Halloween, though quickly changed to become metaphorical, written from the perspective of the ghost.

Photo of Selver at O2 Academy Oxford by Matt Shaw

SELVER – Hesitation

Selver is a six-piece indie rock band formed by songwriter/guitarist Jamie Williams in Oxford in early 2025 to develop a stash of tracks that he had amassed during a self-imposed exile from performing live. The band has gone on to play gigs at many of the city’s best-loved venues including the O2 Academy, The Bullingdon and The Jericho Tavern, plus a selection of local festivals. Three of those songs have landed on Selver’s debut EP, The Nerve, which came out in August.

From the EP, “Hesitation” opens with a crystalline solo vocal over chugging guitar and steady beats before the band blazes in for the chorus, this is an absorbing song from start to finish. I love the imaginative way the song develops through dynamic instrumental passages, an inventive middle 8 and a delightfully extended coda. The lyrics are great – enigmatic and image-rich; the kind that I feel an urge to start a book club around. I wrote that line before learning that a novel - Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich – did provide the initial inspiration for the song. Jamie has set it as a different event in the same world, almost like an imaginary deleted scene from the book.

We close with two songs from Brighton's Bess Atwell whose fourth studio album, Cut a Figure, is due for release in February. The singer-songwriter released her previous LP, Light Sleeper, in 2024 and I was fortunate to see her play a set with her 4-piece band at Glastonbury a year later. The above photo is from that show (not credited as taken by yours truly on my phone). Bess exuded a quiet confidence on stage, singing in a soft transatlantic drawl while relating tales from the heart with a natural intuitiveness. She has recorded the new album in Los Angeles in her words “taking a lesson or two from my younger self. The result is something I feel very close to, proud of, and genuinely excited for you to hear.”

The first two singles previewing the album, “The Act” and “Glass”, offer a contrast in styles, respectively reflecting on the experience of leaving home to empower a fresh start and the dichotomy between wanting to be understood so intensely that the effort leaves you feeling invisible. Looking forward to the full album very much.