- Oct 29, 2021
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEW
At the end of a month of Fifty3 Fridays largely devoted to live music, it’s back to the recorded variety today. Forgiving the ever so slightly weird cover shot above which could be captioned 'In Search of a Label' or perhaps something racier, choosing what to feature here is always a challenge. I hear lots of new, original material that I would gladly bring to your attention and equally new songs from acts I have previously featured which are just as good, or offer even bette
- Oct 22, 2021
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: REACH FOR THE FOIL HAT
It’s one of those occasions when I realise that travelling to distant lands, well County Durham, Cheshire and Derbyshire, is incompatible with trying to publish something new on the day you get back. So, forgive me the indulgence of one of my occasional anniversary editions today. It is indeed six years ago this month since the legendary master parodist Weird Al Yankovich hit these shores during his epic Mandatory World Tour. I was lucky enough to see the show when it landed
- Oct 15, 2021
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: CUT THE CHAT
The last couple of Fifty3 Fridays have seen the focus switched towards live music, whose welcome return is tempered by a nagging doubt that Covid hasn’t really gone away. Last night, down the road from King’s Cross at Water Rats to see Nadia Sheikh, I could have done with a box of masks to hand out to those annoying specimens of humanity who insist on having loud conversations towards the back of the room. They can’t all be liggers so why pay to see a band and then spend your
- Oct 8, 2021
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: BEDFORD BLISS
A deviation from the usual F3F format this week as we focus on a review of a spectacular evening in South-west London on 30 September at the iconic Club Room at The Bedford, Balham. It’s a unique circular space with a narrow balcony that puts you in mind of a mini Elizabethan theatre such is the proximity of performers and audience. Add a state of the art sound system expertly worked by sound engineer Rich, an ebullient host – Tony Moore - and a track record for giving a live
- Oct 1, 2021
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: SAVING THE WORLD, ONE SONG AT A TIME
To paraphrase Jesse from The Fast Show, this week I are mostly listening to live music. Well, not quite, but then attending two gigs in three days is a bit out there after the barren times imposed by Covid. On Tuesday, it was the turn of our local church, St John’s, to host one of the innumerably fine shows promoted by Banquet Records here in Kingston. Despite the band name, one of London’s infamous toilet venues would be the last place you’d find Kings of Convenience, the po