Old Fruit

Old Fruit 20th February 2026

Jake Thackray – Lah Di Dah

This week’s voyage into the archives is focusing on a niche collection of song writer’s who can bring a smile and a laugh to their audiences faces without specifically being a comedy act. Instead they are both observant and delightfully mischievous in their portraiture of the everyday life around them. They have an eye for the ridiculous, the pretentious and the grandeur that folk shield themselves in but have a lightness of touch when translating these details into song. They can play it for laughs in tandem with composing a beautiful, memorable song without resorting to being straight gag merchants or comic impressionists. Some of the selections this week, the first two in particular, are naturals in front of the TV camera as they have the gift of audience communication and can command a television studio as much as a concert stage. Jake was a UK TV regular some fifty years ago and does in fact preface his song about upper class aspirational types with some gentle jokes. The songs are his strength though and there are many more like this, I strongly recommend this 1967 – 1976 retrospective as a place to start https://amzn.to/4cK5o6e

Loudon Wainwright III – The Doctor

Loudon was one of the many singer songwriter’s labelled as a ‘new Dylan’ in the early seventies but the reality of his act has always been a long shot away from the Bob turf. For starters, Loudon has always been transparent when writing about his personal life, sometimes to the apparent annoyance of his children, in a way that Dylan generally avoids or disguises. Secondly, he has always been comfortable with playing it for laughs in the same moments he is punching you in the face with a hard truth. Finally, Wainwright will think nothing of setting up a song in concert or on a radio session with a long spoken, explanatory, introduction; something the monosyllabic onstage Bob will rarely do these days. Loudon’s career is long and distinguished at this point, here he is in the early 1990s with a song from that years ‘History’ album, which can be purchased here: https://www.discogs.com/release/2986342-Loudon-Wainwright-III-History

Tom Lehrer – We Will All Go Together When We Go

Here is a master satirist from the fifties who only got his hands dirty in music for a relatively short period, regarding himself as a mathematician first and a performer almost by accident. As the political events of the sixties unfolded he claimed to find them hard to satirize, sensing that he would merely be stating the obvious. That said, of the artists featured so far he is definitely the most overtly comedic and his wit could be as razor sharp as his wordplay could be biting. You can sample his recorded output easily enough, this being one of a few CD retrospectives available: https://amzn.to/4qStT4N

Randy Newman – My Life Is Good

Here is one America’s most acclaimed and consistently rewarding song writer’s who has found rich potential for his music in many films and soundtracks. Something that jumps out from this live clip is how musically eloquent he is, the way he dances around the piano firing off little dramatic musical intervals to build the drama around those incredible lyrics is worthy of the musical theatre. Anyone who enjoys the previous artists ability to be both funny and poignant in the same breath will surely find much to love in Newman’s work. Take this as a fantastic example, the singer playfully mocking the financial elite who believe their wealth elevates them above basic humanitarianism. The original recording appeared on his 1983 LP ‘Trouble In Paradise,’ an album that recently enjoyed the expanded deluxe edition treatment: https://amzn.to/4aschb5

Jonathan Richman – Vampire Girl

Not an act who is intentionally soliciting for laughs in the slightest, at least not that he would ever admit. Jonathan’s whole schtick has been built around playing on his wide eyed innocence, then following through with that in both writing and performance thus unlocking a career of a wholly unique stripe. He favours the stripped back simplicity of early rock ‘n’ roll and sings without a trace of cynicism or irony. The humour in his work is warm and gentle whilst his live sets are a primitive delight that cannot fail to entertain. ‘Vampire Girl’ is available on this 2002 ‘best of’ compilation which can be purchased via the link: https://amzn.to/4aFeVsL

Half Man Half Biscuit – 24 Hour Garage People

Half Man Half Biscuit are arguably the definitive example of an indie band who could not be described as a comedy act but are routinely hilarious in their writing nevertheless. The band have always been a vehicle for the writing of Nigel Blackwell, a musician whose work is keenly observed and littered with UK specific pop culture, indie rock and football references. The music always packs a primitive guitar band punch forming a canvas for Nigel to spray paint his observations, take downs and dry social send ups on. The song in this live clip tells of a hilariously dour encounter with a late night petrol station attendant which the singer extends brilliantly with a freeform riff in the middle. It originally appeared on the album ‘Trouble Over Bridgewater’ which can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/3Oqcnay

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Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 16th February 2026

Cat Clyde – Man’s World

I have featured Cat Clyde in Fresh Juice in previous years but some artists are worth returning to again and again. It was the ‘Down Rounder’ record from 2023 and a blistering set at the End Of The Road festival that originally caught my ear, although that was actually her third long playing release having put a well received debut out in 2017. Over the years many have praised her ability to put a fresh spin on an old sound but I do not see things through such a retro lens. For me, the rocking country music that Cat delivers is raw and alive, very much a legitimate part of the 2026 landscape and I am excited to hear more of her vintage modernistic flavours when the new ‘Mud Blood Bone’ album is released on 13th March; you can pre-order that right away here: https://i.concordrecords.com/catclyde

GENA – Lead It Up

This is the latest single from the duo of Liv.e and Karriem Riggins who are about to release, on 27th February via Lex Records, a new album called ‘The Pleasure Is Yours.’ It is one of the most hotly anticipated records scheduled for the opening weeks of 2026 and this promo film tells you exactly why. These are subtle soulful sounds with a jazz flare and a cutting edge that could leave you bloodied and bruised. Just listen to those savage waves of distortion that tear it up as the song enters its finale. This is only one side of the sound GENA produce, flip things over and there are strong R&B and hip-hop elements as part of the cocktail too. This video film was directed by Cam Hicks and stars Liv.e, Karriem, Errol Chatman and Aijani Payne. Get your hands on this by visiting https://lexrecords.com/

Spencer Cullum – Rowan Tree

There are many acts around today who pull inspiration from the warm analogue sounds produced by British folk bands during the late sixties and early seventies. Sprinkled with a little acid guitar magic, buzzing with the throb of electricity against a deep traditional song structure and propelled by an organic rhythm section, it remains a sound that, the more it is repurposed for the present moment, moves way beyond the evocation of an era into an increasing timeless realm. Spencer and his various collaborators across different projects has proved himself to be one of the best, so it is fantastic to welcome ‘Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 3,’ the concluding album of the ‘Coin Collection’ trilogy out on 27th March via Full Time Hobby. You can pre-order and reserve your copy via this link: https://spencercullum.ffm.to/cc3

Courtney Barnett ft. Waxahatchee – Site Unseen

This is a pairing that makes perfect sense on paper and is proving to be extremely fruitful in practice too. Courtney has been keeping that slacker, grunge energy, shot through with a little Lou Reed streetwise cool and wit, alive for more than ten years now whilst Waxahatchee has been responsible for some of the truly essential modern country sounds to come out of the US in the 21st century. She (real name Katie Crutchfield) appears with Courtney singing a high harmony part on this, a taster single from Barnett’s forthcoming ‘Creature Of Habit’ album which is due for release on 27th March. Get yourself a pre-order of the vinyl by following the link: https://cbmusic.lnk.to/CreatureOfHabit

John Andrews & The Yawns – Something To Be Said

Time for a bit of chilled reflection with this suitably laid back number, it comes from a modestly titled album arriving on 3rd April called ‘Streetsweeper.’ Like our previous artist, John Andrews has been on the scene for a good ten years or more now and, through his various connections in the indie rock world, has a growing reputation as a fine purveyor of vintage sounds and a classicists hand at song composition. The Yawns were initially an imaginary band as John played most of the instruments on his recordings himself but, gradually, he has evolved to the point we find him at today, capturing the authentic live sound of musicians cooking together in a room (albeit in a very relaxed manner). You can pre-order the album today via the link: https://earthlibraries.com/

The Claypool Lennon Delirium – WAP (What A Predicament)

I am sure they will not thank me for saying it but there is some real Beatle Juice bleeding into the kaleidoscopic audio of this new track. Of all the Beatles next generation, it is frequently Sean Ono Lennon that seems to be the most plugged in creatively and who so often delivers the goods. This is the band he formed with the Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool who have more recently expanded to include Joao Nogueria on keyboards and Paulo Baldi on drums. Once more for this weeks Fresh Juice, they are an act that have been around for about ten years and continue to evolve and stay relevant, this new music refining the ‘progadelic’ notion coined by Lennon in an effort to describe the bands music. Keep up with their new recordings and live dates here: https://theclaypoollennondelirium.com

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 13th February 2026

Leonard Cohen & Sonny Rollins – Who By Fire

This week’s journey through some vintage musical selections has a theme of unlikely or, as is the case with all six choices, very welcome collaborations. It was spurred by my chance encounter with our opening offering, a 1989 TV collaboration between a song writing icon and a free jazz legend. The programme which brought this pairing about was called ‘Night Music,’ hosted by David Sanborn and Jools Holland, a show well known for its matching of bright lights from seemingly opposite ends of the musical spectrum. This was an especially inspired pairing, as Rollins in tandem with Cohen’s backing singers and the Was (Not Was) band transformed the poets meditation on the fragility of life into a spiritual prayer of some considerable, freeform and exuberant, force. Best of all, behind that solemn face, you can easily detect Leonard’s delight in this transformative interpretation of one of his strongest works.

Nick Cave (with Toots Thielemans & Charlie Haden) – Hey Joe

‘Night Music’ was a new discovery to me and it turns out that pulling together unusual, first time, collaborators for live performances was one of its specialities. It was curated by Hal Willner and other intriguing sounding pairings included Conway Twitty with the Residents, Lou Reed & John Cale alongside Harry Connick Jr and Miles Davis (more on him in a bit) playing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For my other ‘Night Music’ pick today I have gone for this Nick Cave rendition of the sixties classic ‘Hey Joe’ because, once again, it speaks to oceans of untapped potential in the marrying up of deep singer-songwriters and the cutting edge of the bebop jazz world. Charlie Haden is a celebrated double bassist and composer who, among many other landmark appearances, had played on the 1959 ground breaker by Ornette Coleman, ‘The Shape Of Jazz To Come.’ And if that were not enough it also features the man routinely titled ‘the best harmonica player in the world’ Toots Thielemans and a very early televised sighting of Nick Cave playing with his long time band mate Mick Harvey.

Amy Winehouse & Paul Weller – Don’t Go To Strangers

This one is from the days when Jools Holland’s ‘Hootenanny’ on New Years Eve still had the capacity to delightedly overwhelm with its musical guests and match ups. Taken from the 2006 edition and capturing Amy at the end of a year that regrettably would prove to be the peak of her powers before they were tragically cut short. Together these two real-deal performers covered ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ in addition to this sympathetic rendition of a song originally heard in 1954 by The Orioles. It gave Amy a chance to once again flex the jazz stylings she had been known for when breaking through only a few years before and Paul an opportunity to prove what a jazz-soul connoisseur he is at heart. It is wholly understandable when watching back that this should be one of the all-time great appearances on the long running show and one that many frequently refer back to.

Anne Briggs & Bert Jansch – Go Your Way My Love

I include this one simply because any filmed appearance by the reclusive, legendary folk singer Anne Briggs is a super rare thing and to be treasured. She recorded a pair of albums during her time as an active artist in the sixties and early seventies, both highly regarded and influential to all leading names in folk these past fifty years and beyond, even bands like Led Zeppelin were indebted to her. But she retreated from public view permanently in the early seventies never to re-appear, save for this short, soon to be terminated, moment at the start of the nineties when she briefly indulged requests with an occasional appearance. One of those is here where she was filmed with guitar legend Bert Jansch at the old ‘Howff’ Folk Club on The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, for the 1992 BAFTA nominated music film documentary ‘Acoustic Routes.’

Miles Davis & John Coltrane – So What

Not strictly a double billing because John Coltrane was a part of Miles Davis first famous quintet from 1955 onwards and then, by the time Miles was laying down his ‘Kind Of Blue’ masterpiece in 1959, Coltrane was a long established and vital member of the group that, by then, was a sextet. This is of course the opening track from that classic album which also boasted a jazz heavyweight line up in the other players, featuring Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. In any other genre more would be made of two legends in the form appearing side by side like this on a record that, still today, is regarded as one of the greatest in the music’s history. Jazz can be more about respecting the music as much as the stars but still, for anyone that finds it an impenetrable genre I would point them to ‘So What’ and say just go from there. If something as timeless and wonderful as this does not pull you in, then get yourself another interest, music is not for you!

David Bowie & David Gilmour – Comfortably Numb

From a 2006 show at the Royal Albert Hall when David Gilmour was touring in support of his recent superb return to form solo album, ‘On An Island.’ Bowie had been out of the spotlight for a couple of years by this point following a health scare that prematurely terminated his ‘Reality’ tour. Little did we know at the time that his gentle return to public view in 2006 was not a step back into full time activity but instead the prelude to a final decade spent entirely out of the spotlight (save for the two late album releases prior to his death). It is of course understandable after the onstage trauma he had been through if he was reluctant to put himself in that situation again so, therefore, we are fortunate that this occasion was captured on film. If nothing else it shows the power of the man that he could, as near as possible, turn arguably David Gilmour’s signature Pink Floyd contribution into a David Bowie song for one night. Not that Gilmour did not step up and stamp his mark on it by the end too, both were on dazzling top form for sure.

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Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 9th February 2026

Ginger Molasses – Heidi Fleiss

New music is not necessarily better if it sounds like old music but neither does it have any less relevance if it happens to be built around a design classic in sound. Ginger Molasses definitely fall into the retro rock category in terms of their style but this Nevada City quintet play with enough funk and conviction to prove that, as opposed to being mere revivalists, they are in fact the real thing. Not only that but this new song, which they often close their rapturously received live sets with, is a fine piece of original writing based on the real life notorious name, Heidi Fleiss, who ran an upmarket prostitution ring in Los Angeles in the 1990s. The lyric and accompanying video celebrate Fleiss’s unlikely recovery following the collapse of her empire, as she re-established herself by running a laundromat far away from the glare of the public and the press.

I’m With Her – The Obvious Child

I am ambivalent about award ceremonies like The Grammy’s, feeling that the requirements of the industry machine are always going to dictate such events far more than any actual balanced critical appraisal of music. That said, I also always enjoy it when an act that I rate gets some deserved recognition at these glitzy shows as had happened last week for I’m With Her. They are almost a folk supergroup consisting of Sara Watkins on fiddle and guitar, Sarah Jarosz on banjo and mandolin and Aoife O’Donovan on guitar and keys. They picked up two gongs at the awards, for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song and are seen here on a brand new TV appearance playing a Paul Simon cover version set to appear on their forthcoming live album.

Tyler Ballgame – Matter Of Taste

‘The former Tyler Perry adopted the ‘Tyler Ballgame’ identity with the intention of bringing a more theatrical, showbusiness even, presentation to his live act and music. It was Jonathan Rado of Foxygen who discovered the singer who had built up a positive reputation performing cover versions but clearly had a voice of his own crying to be heard. This is a track from his debut album ‘For The First Time Again’ and it should stand as an inviting mouth waterer for the record as a whole, showcasing Tyler’s musical eloquence and the range of his rock classicism. The song itself focuses on the desire to find love but asserts with the philosophical reasoning that rejection is nothing to feel down about, it is after all, just a matter of taste.

Squeeze – You Get The Feeling

It is always nice to welcome back a favourite group from decades of the past, but especially so if they are delivering new music that can match the quality of their best work. But the story behind the new Squeeze album ‘Trixies’ is not quite as straight forward as that, because it is actually a record built around songs that the bands writing partners Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook wrote in 1974 when they were still teenagers. Not feeling experienced enough to attempt them at the time, the project was revived for 2026 after Difford found the original cassette in his loft and felt the songs warranted taking into the studio. On top of this great news, the band also enjoyed some creative re-ignition whilst there and put together another album of entirely new material at the same time, which should be heard in the very near future.

Marta Del Grandi – Alpha Centauri

This sumptuous offering comes from Italian singer-songwriter Marta Del Grandi who has just released a new album called ‘Dream Life.’ It is a mesmerising record that takes the listener on a journey through dreams, presenting songs that defy rules and musical boundaries with a boundless adventurous spirit and melodic sensibility. It is a panorama that navigates its way around serenity and disillusionment, gets stuck into aspirations and lifetime hopes whilst surrendering itself to the mysteries of the unknown and the deep, distant stars before ploughing on even further into the beyond. What Marta is doing with her music is developing and expanding to her own voice, the rich sonic landscapes that define Art Rock and producing on the other side a work that is alive with audio pleasure.

Young Fresh Fellows ft. Neko Case – Destination

Proving that the words “featuring Neko Case” can almost always be a guarantee of quality, this is a track from the Young Fresh Fellows new album ‘Loft’ which is presumably named after the Wilco run studio they recorded it in. For the unfamiliar, they are a legendary name on the US college rock circuit and have been around since the early eighties. Main man Scott McCaughey has strong connections with R.E.M. which probably explains the presence of their Peter Buck on an album also boasting other notable Wilco and Decemberists associated contributors in addition to the wonderful Neko. The LP did sneak out last year as a limited “Eco-Mix Splash” vinyl version, but the full official release is scheduled for the 26th March.

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 6th February 2026

Teleman – Dusseldorf

This week’s selection of older tunes focuses on the theme of wonderful bands and artists who do not get the kind of exposure on mainstream television that their music and talent warrant. It was inspired by a recent episode of TV comedy quiz show ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks,’ in which Teleman’s main man Thomas Sanders (also of the band Pete And The Pirates) appeared in the mystery person line up. It reminded me a bit of the days when a national TV appearance from a favourite indie band member was a rare and exciting thing, a little moment of infiltration and victory for the kind of musicians normally hidden from view. This felt just like that, almost like Thomas would never have been in contention for landing a slot as one of the main contestants on the show but he got in through the back door anyway and both of his excellent bands got a mention. So here is some Teleman with a track from their 2016 album ‘Brilliant Sanity,’ followed by five other tracks from artists similarly deserving of the more widespread recognition so often afforded to far less (for me) worthy recipients.

Peggy Sue – Always Going

Even though I still found a few things to enjoy in the 2025 series of ‘Later With Jools Holland,’ there was often a sense of frustration at booking opportunities missed and unnecessary chat time offered to guests with little of interest to say. But maybe one of the biggest ‘so near yet so far’ moments came when the main front duo from a favourite band of mine, Peggy Sue, appeared on the show as one of the headliners (I should add as a side note, they were not credited but I am certain it was them) but not under their own name or playing their own material. No, they were part of the dance troupe performing with Self Esteem. Obviously I cannot fault Rosa Slade or Katy Young for taking the work, whatever pays the bills I guess and besides, I am sure if Self Esteem offered me enough money to pull some shapes I would quite speedily suspend any critical issues I might have with the music. But all the same, Peggy Sue are a wonderful band in their own right and to see them appearing, playing Peggy Sue songs, on any national TV show would be a massive win for music. Here they are performing a number from their 2014 album ‘Choir Of Echoes.’

Andrew Bird – Lazy Projector

Andrew Bird was actually an artist I discovered via a TV programme, probably a good fifteen years ago now, possibly more. My next door neighbour at the time had been raving about this amazing musician that I had to see, which elicited the usual “I think I will be the judge of that” private scepticism from me because, like all music obsessives, nothing seems quite as exciting and revelatory as the thing you discover for yourself as opposed to that which someone else puts your way. I thought the sound of him was a bit gimmicky, as the USP put to me was that Andrew played all his own instruments simultaneously and built up the sound using loops and pedals. But then I did stumble across him playing on a live music show called ‘From The Basement’ and sure enough, he was as incredible as had been described. The thing about him for me is, aside from the multi-faceted facilities on various instruments, is that he can write a rather fine song, like the classic presented here.

Inspiral Carpets & Mark E Smith – I Want You

Mark E Smith’s band The Fall were potentially the number one cult UK act in 1994, beloved by John Peel as well as clued up sections of the music press and record buying public but seemingly forever destined to miss out on the kind of wider recognition their believers anticipated. All the same Mark was a relentlessly quotable presence in the weekly music press and the news that he was finally going to be appearing on the BBC’s long running chart show ‘Top Of The Pops’ promised to be much watch TV. He did not disappoint, prowling around the stage with a live microphone to recreate his ad-hoc additions to this brilliant Inspirals tune, you can sense the nervousness around at the unpredictable presence. He walks those boards like he wants to follow a feckless punter around a pub bar intent on picking a fight. There is even a story in circulation that he threatened to pull a knife on a member of the ‘Eastenders’ cast in the BBC canteen. If that is true it has to be a candidate for the most unusual route taken to national treasure status by anyone, such was the warmth that eventually grew around Mark E Smith’s unfiltered personality that the BBC even let him read out the Saturday afternoon football scores on one memorable occasion.

Spoon – Hot Thoughts

If it felt like I was giving ‘Later With Jools Holland’ a bit of an undeserved bashing in my text for the Peggy Sue song, it was only because I genuinely felt there were too many missed opportunities in the 2025 series and a wave of acts that I felt worth a national television leg-up not appearing whilst some far less essential, predictable names with major label clout pushing them forward, ate up too many broadcast minutes. That and the shorter length format, not to mention a dismal Hootenanny, gave the impression, for me, of a show running out of steam. But I do not want to lose sight of what essential viewing the show has been since its 1992 launch, with a winning eclectic music focused formula. It has frequently been the only place where acts of a certain stripe would be seen on the box. Spoon are one such example, one of my favourite bands for the whole of the 21st century but equally one that I do not recall seeing on British TV other than here, on ‘Jools’ in 2017.

Ween – Exactly Where I’m At

An uncategorisable oeuvre or a love of the absurd and the unpredictable might be enviable facets in the story of a band, but they are not qualities readily appreciated by TV producers and bookers. Ween have never been an act with an easy answer to the question “what do you do?” They are essentially a deeply skilled band who can get a hold of the essence in any genre or style, be it heavy metal or country, folk songs or the avant-garde, then put it through their own Ween blender and produce something that is impossibly, sometimes hilariously, wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have had a few TV appearances in the US and, although I would like to direct readers to the eccentric charms of ‘Mister Can You Please Help My Pony?’ I could not find a television version of that one, so I present this superb rendition of the opening track from 2000’s ‘White Pepper’ album, arguably one of the bands more easily accessible efforts.

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Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 2nd February 2026

The Marsh Family Group – Minnesota

This weeks batch of new music recommendations are dominated by artists responding in song to events that have unfolded in Minneapolis over the past couple of weeks. To start with we have a family group from Kent who first found themselves an audience posting humorous internet song parodies during the pandemic lockdowns. This, however, is a change of tone released as a protest to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. It is a re-working of the sixties flower-power Scott McKenzie hit ‘San Francisco,’ written by John Phillips, with new lyrics and some extra instrument parts written played over the originals back bone. The family say they chose it “because of its link to protest, its soaring refrains, its simplicity, its earnestness, and its celebration of love and solidarity. Taking on the guns, masks, fear, and falsehoods requires more than flowers and songs. But they are powerful nonetheless, especially if they remind folk of previous generations that navigated trauma, and that you are not alone.”

Bruce Springsteen – Streets Of Minneapolis

Bruce explains the writing of his new protest anthem, composed in the style of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, during the intro to its live debut featured in this clip. He mentions voicing his concerns that it might be “a bit soapboxey” to Tom Morello who brilliantly re-assured The Boss that, although nuance has a place, “sometimes you’ve got to kick them in the teeth.” It looks like the direct approach has cut through because as of yesterday the song was top of the US iTunes Top Songs chart. The version here is not the only one available as Bruce also recorded the song in the studio last weekend, the day after he wrote it, then got it immediately released, thus echoing the speed that songs used to enter circulation back in the days when the protest movement was a vital source of topical, social and political information.

Billy Bragg – City Of Heroes

If there is one artist who has unreservedly held onto the belief that a song can make a difference, then it has to be Billy Bragg. He knows full well that it only takes a handful of good people to bring about change and he stands in solidarity with those paying the ultimate price against injustice. Of ‘City Of Heroes’ he had this to say. “I wrote this song yesterday as a tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis who, knowing that these trigger happy ICE thugs operate with seeming impunity in their midst, are still willing to put themselves in harms way to defend their community. Their resistance is an inspiration to us all.”

Yo La Tengo – Big Crime

Here is a recent live clip from one of America’s greatest ever bands, captured in the final days of 2025 covering a still very new Neil Young song taking aim at Trump’s administration in a deliberately unfiltered manner. With a similar sense of urgency to all the tracks featured so far this week, Neil’s version was recorded at a soundcheck and released with speed as a standalone single. “No more great again” is sung repeatedly as electric guitars bring the turbulence of the times to the foreground. In that sense, there could be no finer band than Yo La Tengo to pour some water on this seed, helping it spread its message to more and more ears with their own undeniable conviction.

Kathleen Edwards – Say Goodbye, Tell No One

Kathleen is one of America’s greatest living songwriters, which might sound like I am indulging in a bit of hyperbole but just listen to any of her records and then try and tell me I’m wrong. This is a live rendition of a song from last years ‘Billionaire’ album recorded at Jack Kerouac House. Kathleen says of the experienc playing there that walking in “was an incredible feeling, to step on the terrazzo floor down the hallway and into the rooms where he lived, to sit in a chair he also sat in many a night. A house preserved like a time stamp – mid-century coloured curtains, a typewriter still sitting in one of the bedrooms. His story is complicated, but compelling and his books ‘The Dharma Bums’ and ‘On The Road’ captured my imagination as a high school student and the vagabond hippie canoe kid who eventually became a songwriter.”

The Molotovs – Today’s Gonna Be Our Day

I admit I approached this band with caution because they appear to be the recipients of a great deal of media hype at the moment. Not only that but after one look at them, without even hearing a note, I knew exactly what they were going to sound like. Paul Weller and The Jam, to put it bluntly. But then, I also had to think, so what? After all, Weller himself was blatantly influenced in looks, style, sound and attitude by the Small Faces Steve Marriott when he started out and his career evolved into one of the UKs most musically celebrated. Weller also went on to be a voice of political activism, a point which also got me thinking about The Molotovs, because the one noticeable thing about the topical songs I have highlighted this week is that they are mostly coming from the old guard. So maybe it is bands like this, inspiring a younger audience, who can pick up the baton at some stage? The main reason I have included them though is the music. With the crunching riffs and hooks aplenty that are on display here, they have got the basics right and really, what better place to start could there possibly be?

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Monthly Playlists

February 2026 Playlist

Among the more surprising inclusions on this month’s playlist are a brace of authentic sounding, traditional in form, new protest songs by a pair of prominent artists. Both Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’ and Billy Bragg’s ‘City Of Heroes’ arrive at a moment when the daily news bulletins are awash with shocking reports of civilians being shot dead on the cold, snowy streets of Minneapolis with the Springsteen song directly addressing these events and naming the casualties too. Bruce is reported as having written the song the previous weekend, recorded it the next day and got it released by the end of the week. Obviously, in a recording industry where getting a song distributed is a simple upload and for a man with the Boss’s wealth and presumably easy access to top notch recording equipment, this feat is not quite as remarkable as John Lennon trying his hand at a similarly quick turnover for ‘Instant Karma’ back in 1970, but it is a noble and good intentioned effort all the same. Furthermore, Springsteen is sufficiently high profile for the song to make the news and get itself widely heard and reacted to. A withering, personal put-down in Bruce’s direction from the President himself is surely only a matter of hours away.

The unexpected side of the release is simply down to the fact that any artist believes a protest song to be a valid idea in 2026. It is a seasoned song form, mainly associated with the folk movement, that hit a real peak in the early 1960’s when protest songs became a big deal. The idea that news stories and activist agendas could be spread in song form, often printed out as sheet music in Broadside magazines, to be circulated by the artists and players themselves, was a potent idea in a pre-internet age when radio and TV stations were slow to keep up with the evolutions in popular song. Bob Dylan became the figurehead of the whole scene, mainly because he wrote the best numbers, the ones that acts like Peter Paul and Mary could cover and take high in the charts and into the homes. Bob had a poetic eloquence to his work that was absent in some of his more earnest contemporaries, although a peer like Phil Ochs could pack just as much punch with his hard-hitting musical polemics. Ochs would arguably be a bigger influence on an artist like Billy Bragg, because he really believed and pushed for the social and political changes the work dreamed of, he was a hands-on activist compared to Dylan. Unlike Phil, Bob was content to write and then move on, forever serving the art rather than the cause, his sudden progression away from the protest scene perhaps reinforcing the wider belief that to expect songs to change the world is naive.

Of course, songwriting that criticizes current affairs and attempts to raise awareness about any issue close to the writers’ heart did continue beyond its era of ubiquity. Not just in the hands of an unashamedly conventional protester like Bragg, but also in diverse acts like Public Enemy, Rage Against The Machine and Asian Dub Foundation whose anger was expressed as they called hypocrisy out. Somehow though, the idea of the guitar wielding troubadour putting the world to rights became a bit passee, bringing memories of past disappointments to the fore by a generation determined not to be fooled again. When Paul McCartney responded to 9/11 with a simple rousing song called ‘Freedom,’ a straightforward declaration that we should fight for the right to live in freedom, not too dissimilar from Lennon’s ‘Give Peace A Chance,’ I thought it was a welcome chartbound commentary, but it mostly inspired mocking derision. I sincerely hope that Bruce Springsteen does not meet with similar indifference, regardless of what you might make of the artistic merits in the song, I have absolutely no doubt that the man really cares about his fellow citizens. Most minted singers in their mid-seventies would be content to hide away in the secure surroundings of their ranches or whatever, not Bruce; he is standing up and firmly answering the age-old ‘which side are you on?’ question and for that he should be applauded.

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 30th January 2026

The Charlatans – One To Another

This weeks’ selection of vintage music focuses in on great bands of the 1990’s playing their classic material to a present day mid 2020’s audience. And still sounding amazing if not even better than in their heyday. It also maybe highlights the difficulty so many bands have in matching the highs of their early records with new material years later. There are some in these selections who have re-formed on the basis that they remain creative and put out fresh music, others who willingly accept their audiences appetite for the old stuff and then some, like first offering The Charlatans, who have never really stopped writing new albums and mixing it up live with the older classics. Still, seen here in the 2025 series of ‘Later With Jools Holland,’ they had initially played a couple of tunes from their latest release but it was still their rendition of this 1996 classic that gave the show a suitably rousing finale.

Blur – Beetlebum

Blur’s Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon have both individually remained relentlessly creative musicians and have learned the value in re-branding for newer projects and loosening themselves from the shackles of the past. And even though they are fully aware that the re-formed Blur are playing Wembley Stadium, as they did in 2023, not because of the new music but rather to let the golden days of the nineties rain down one more time, this did not stop them from tying a recently recorded album of new songs to the venture. By the time of the concerts however, there was only a passing acknowledgement of ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ during shows, attracting crowds of roughly 150,000 across two nights, that revisited the classics such as this 1997 number one single, taken from their ‘Blur’ album of the same year.

The Lemonheads – My Drug Buddy

Of course the thing about The Lemonheads is that they are essentially a one man vehicle for the music of Evan Dando, the other band members remaining a rolling cast of side-people that would not detract from the commercial clout of a Lemonheads project, no matter the identity of the players at Evan’s side. He obviously was canny enough to recognise that the band name packs more of a punch for his new music than he received when trying out as a solo artist. Furthermore, going out under the band name has given Dando license to dip into the pair of still un-surpassed grunge era classics they released; ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ and ‘Come On Feel The Lemonheads’. A temptation that got the host especially excited on a recent TV appearance for ‘Tonight With Jimmy Fallon.’

The Cardigans – My Favourite Game

There is no evidence that I can find of The Cardigans having ever officially split up but despite this, they have not released a new album of songs since 2006’s ‘Super Extra Gravity.’ From 2011 onwards however, they have played together for occasional gigs or festival appearances, describing themselves when asked as still a going concern although evidently one that is happy to play the old stuff. It is true that they were thought of as quite twee in their earlier days and so by the time the band hit big with this song later in the 1990’s, it actually was a head-turning surprise. By the sounds of this recent live appearance, the harder rock muscle of their work remains an element they are very comfortable with, indeed they quite excel at it.

The Beta Band – Dry The Rain

Before they got a big shout out in the film ‘High Fidelity’ towards the end of the nineties, not too many had heard of The Beta Band and indeed, by the time they split up in 2004 it did feel like a case of gone way too soon. Some 21 years later they announced their reunion to tie in with a deluxe re-issue of ‘The Three EP’s’ and they atypically, amusingly, accompanied the news with statements about “shaking it out every couple of decades” and “showing the wall the Luminol, killing the lights and hitting the UV.”

Oasis – Cigarettes And Alcohol

Unlike their rivals from the decade, Blur, the re-formed Oasis showed absolutely no interest in writing any new material or attaching any particular importance to having the original line up of band members from the classic period. Neither were they bothered about TV or film coverage of the shows, this was all about the numbers all the way and squeezing every last drop out of the public appetite to attend and experience this communal live event. That is not to criticise though, because as this live clip from last year definitively proves, the combination of audience energy and band conviction did generate some authentic rock ‘n’ roll momentum from the occasions as the songs that made Oasis great in the first place enjoyed a fully deserved resurrection.

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Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 26th January 2026

Craven Faults – Yard Loup

This is taken from the new Craven Faults album ‘Sidings’ which is out now on The Leaf Label, a dependably bold and present day progressive label who make a virtue of the idea that there is some fun going forward. This is an act shrouded in some mystery but they are building a track record laced with expansive analogue electronic music of the mind. The new record takes its inspiration from the rusty deserted landscapes of post-industrial Northern England where the ghosts of electricity smoulder out of disused buildings, wherein ancient monuments of sound and recording equipment are recharged into existence and Craven Faults are a conduit for the thrum of sounds that re-emerge back into the atmosphere. This is electronica without limits, a sound that messes with the balance of time and space where the light and shade, the flesh and the steel, the settled and the disturbed breathe and feel as one.

Lady Nade – One Of Us

It is delightful to learn of new music coming from Lady Nade, an artist whose work balances the integrity of a folk singer-songwriter with the emotional heft and melodic flare of a serious soul artist. There are not too many I can think of who walked that line so convincingly, maybe Joan Armatrading or Tracy Chapman but either way, the singer born Nadine Gingell has had all these facets from the get go. It is said that the artists earliest influences came from the record collection of Nadine’s grandfather, which exposed her to Americana and rock ‘n’ roll as well as the more detectable elements of the Lady Nade sound. And now, ten years on from debut ‘Hard To Forget’, recorded in her kitchen, there is every reason to predict that Lady Nade’s evolution into an artist of great depth and an unmistakable creative fire is playing out before our very eyes and ears.

Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong

And while I am talking about singer-songwriter artist who are making a welcome return, here is one of the greatest ever. This is Lucinda continuing on the path of rehabilitation from a stroke using her creative energy as a font for regeneration. There is a bit of fire and anger in there too, the singer in full react and respond mode to the unfurling political situation in her homeland and stating in plain speak the way she sees it. But anyone can spout an opinion or jump on a soapbox, the craft is turning these impulses into song and creating a new piece of art; it sounds like Lucinda Williams still has all those senses fully plugged in and functioning. No wonder she has, with good reason, been called the female Bob Dylan; just like Dylan these days, the human condition and all its physical pitfalls does not dim the desire or the need to feel, write, perform and express. This is the title track from her new album.

Foy Vance – I Think I Preferred The Question

This is one that came out towards the end of 2025 by the Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance. It is a new chapter for Foy as he moves to Rounder Records and mines an earthy, muddy realism in both his sound and his composing. The track was produced by Ethan Johns which instantly ensures the offering arrives with a trademark of quality, but still it would be nothing if Vance was not on the devastating form we find him in here. Lyrically it seems to be meditating on the wonder in mystery, in the importance of enjoying the journey towards something, because maybe the feeling of fulfilment, of reaching your destination, does not match up to the mysteries of the unexplained. The disappointment of reality maybe? Well if I try and come to a definitive conclusion I am rather proving the point made in the song; instead just enjoy the drama and tension as it builds in this superb track.

Katherine Priddy – Hurricane

Not a cover of the Bob Dylan classic but instead perhaps the folkiest of all the artists I have featured this week, Katherine Priddy, tapping into the gentle soulful groove I spoke about with Lady Nade previously. More so, there is a subtle hint of smooth jazz and bossa nova at play here. All of which sit in sharp contrast to the darkness that prevails in the shades of violence in the lyric, showing an artist who is evolving away from the pure folk routes of her earlier work into a musical force across the spectrum. ‘Hurricane’ is an immense song with some irresistibly lush changes as the verse builds to the chorus. This is the third single from her new album ‘These Frightening Machines’, which is coming out on March 6th 2026.

Greazy Alice – Circles

This is some tender, laid back, rear porch, rocking chair, country balladry of a high stripe to close proceedings this week. With the ‘As Time Goes By’ album due out at the end of the month, this is from an EP of the same name released on Loose by a band comprising Alex Pianovich on vocals, guitars and piano, Jo Morris on backing vocals, Lee Garcia on drums and Will Repholz on bass guitar. There is an element of grief and the sense of life dishing out some hard lines imbedded into this tune, but a light shines through the melancholia as well, ushering a motion from introspection to hope and beauty.

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 23rd January 2026

Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made For Walking

This week’s Old Fruit half dozen music offerings is based around early music videos, a look at how acts were approaching the visual medium in pre-MTV days, long before ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ in fact, which is where many assume the age of the music video began. Actually, the idea that a piece of promotional film could be shot to accompany a 45 release was already widely practised in the 1960s, albeit with far less attention paid to the quality or indeed the purpose of the picture. Half the time, as we shall see later, it was merely a case of a band getting their hands on a camera and filming themselves larking about. Not with todays first example though, Nancy Sinatra may have gone down the obvious sing and dance route but isn’t that all this classic slice of sixties pop needed? As long as Nancy and the dancers are all wearing boots and there are plenty of primary colours, hair shaking and movement they could hardly go wrong. Stand on it Nancy!

Mason Williams – Classical Gas

With no specialised music channels to aim for, often films would be created with a specific slot on an established TV show in mind. Such was the case for Mason Williams, who just happened to also be a chief writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and so had a ready made outlet for the short film accompanying his latest composition. By marrying a montage by Dan McLaughlin called ‘3000 Years Of Art,’ which utilised a method known as kinestasis, the early concept video showed rapid-fire images that created a sense of motion and helped push this classical guitar showcase high up the charts both in the US and the UK.

The Beatles – Rain

It is Strawberry Fields Forever that people often think of when crediting the Beatles with pioneering the music video medium in addition to multiple musical grounds the band broke. But, the previous year they had purposely shot promotional films for their latest ‘Paperback Writer’ 45, going to the trouble of capturing this video for the b-side ‘Rain’ as well. There is no suggestion of narrative or concept, this is nothing more than the fab four looking cool in the picturesque surroundings of Chiswick House and Gardens while half heartedly miming to the recording (sometimes, sometimes not). Still, at a time when the twin pressures of demand and volume of work made it impossible for them to reach or be seen by their whole worldwide audience at any one time, a short video to go with the latest records felt like a perfect solution.

Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

An artist less likely to be remembered as a music video pioneer than Bob Dylan you probably could not find. Admittedly, in later life he has caught everyone by surprise and appeared to fully embrace the medium, there is the ‘Must Be Santa’ video for starters with its inexplicable long wig and dancing but then, after Bob made a Christmas album anything became possible. That does not change the fact that for the longest part of his career he had no interest in videos. There is an interview in Q magazine from 1989 when the journalist reports on his record company trying to cajole Bob into making a video, only to get the response “can’t they use a photo?” Maybe he felt he had already mastered the form with this iconic piece shot in 1965? It certainly is a classic and best of all, if you are ever near the Savoy Hotel in London just go around the back and there, minus the scaffolding, is the exact same unchanged location that this film was shot.

Pink Floyd – Point Me At The Sky

Here is a band at the other end of the spectrum in as much as they would go on to invest creativity into the visual side of their music every bit as much as the audio and songs. Here though, there is precious little evidence that they will go in that direction. As friend of the band Aubrey Powell told Uncut magazine about this film: “When it came out, they asked Storm and I to make a film. We went to Biggin Hill and rented a couple of Tiger Moths. Everybody took turns to fly in them while we were shooting with a couple of old Bolexes and an Arriflex 16mm camera. It was all Biggles and jolly hockey sticks. That’s a very middle class, public schoolboys fun day out. Five Go Mad At Biggin Hill.”

Small Faces – Lazy Sunday

As much of a laugh as the Floyd boys may have had shooting their film, it was positively mapped out and storyboarded compared to this Small Faces effort. The whole essence of the film seems to be just turn the camera on and we will do something off the top of our heads. Crack a joke, run from left to right, shoot Steve as he goes into the outside toilet round the back of the house. It’s a lazy sunday, that will do won’t it? There is the one shot of Marriott taking a nap on the grass but it feels like they set up the shots of giant speakers magically appearing at the start, realised that had taken too long to set up, then captured the disgruntled elderly neighbour scene and thought, well that will probably do. The thing is, this is the Small Faces and ‘Lazy Sunday’ is one of the many delights on their classic ‘Ogdens’ album so yes, they can do as they please, the music does more than enough on its own!

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