I May Need to Invest in a Whistle...

I bought myself some gig tickets this week. It's OK, it fits perfectly with my target of not going to see lots of American indie bands strumming guitars in 2009 (dammit, that Shearwater gig is so tempting!). It also allows me to tick off one of my must see bands who have reformed. I say reformed - the band consists of 2 brothers in silly glasses (no, not the proclaimers!). Oh yes, I am going to see Orbital... at Brixton in September.

Let's remember why they are so amazing:

Belfast


Satan


Dr Who


Chime

Soul on Sunday - Don't Play That Song for Me / Aretha Franklin

It's been a busy week for Aretha Franklin, what with singing at Obama's inauguration and all that, but here she is from her late 60s peak. I always like her piano playing on this song.

Hey baby you lie:

Antony and the Johnsons - Epilepsy is Dancing

Antony and the Johnsons new album is released today and you should definitely go and buy it. This is my favourite song on first play - listen to the way his voice builds towards the finish. Spectacular.

Soul on Sunday - Pusherman / Curtis Mayfield

Classic blaxploitation this week from Curtis Mayfield with a damning critique of drug culture (I'll heal your pain, I'll take your soul etc). Curtis Mayfield is just perfect for late night relaxation, lazing with a nice beer.

Super cool, super mean:

Soul on Sunday - You Got My Mind Messed Up / James Carr

If push comes to shove, James Carr is pretty much my favourite soul singer. It is one of the great injustices of the music world that he is pretty much unheard of compared to his contemporaries. Perhaps if he had signed to a major label, he might of had the recognition he deserved, but we'll never know. This is the title track from his debut album on Goldwax, regarded as one of the greatest albums ever by it's fans.

I just can't keep it all to myself:

Ron Asheton RIP

Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been reported dead. He created one of the all time great riffs for I Wanna Be Your Dog, and helped make the Stooges one of the great bands before Punk had even been invented.

I don't go to all that many full-on "Rock" gigs, but their meltdown performance will live long in my memory.

Pressure Drop

Apparently it's a bit chilly outside? It's lovely and sunny at 1MD towers...

Soul on Sunday - In The Midnight Hour / Wilson Pickett

For some reason I always think that Wilson Pickett fails to get the respect he is owed. Don't know why I think that, I just do. This is probably my favourite of his songs, and one of the best known. The video clip is from a show he did in Ghana and it is something of an understatement to say that the crowd is having fun!

There's no-one else around: