Tag Archives: Old Fruit

Old Fruit

Old Fruit 1st August 2025

Dire Straits & Sting – Money For Nothing

This weeks retro half dozen is inspired by my recent re-watching of the July 1985 Live Aid concert on the BBC, who re-broadcast over eight hours of a highlights package. It reminded me of how, after that show, for the following seven years or so the British TV would repeatedly return to the day/night long live broadcast of a multi-artist concert from Wembley Stadium format. The notable ones I am revisiting with my selections today are the Nelson Mandela concerts from both 1988 and 1990 then finishing with a stand out performance from the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. First up though is one of the songs from that original Live Aid event that has actually aged rather well. Dire Straits ground a lot of music fans down in the late eighties simply because, like Phil Collins, you could not get away from them. It was after Live Aid actually that they truly became massive with their ‘Brothers In Arms’ album ushering in the age of the CD. But over exposure is no longer an issue forty years later and I was rather impressed with the energy (especially that of rhythm guitarist Jack Sonni), drama and tension on show here, you have to admit all that success was actually well deserved.

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car

Performing in front of a full Wembley Stadium and an incalculably large TV audience, this was the appearance that gave Tracy Chapman a career in music. To this day it stands as one of the all time remarkable, against the odds, dramatic moments in music history. She was on the bill as an unknown, filling in for a couple of songs while the larger stage to her left prepared for Stevie Wonder. On top of her very clear nerves was the intimidation of a crowd entertaining themselves with what sound like football chants, even as she started playing. Unbelievably due to the situation, that she was just backing herself with an acoustic guitar and the fact those present probably did not know the songs, Tracy almost instantly had them silenced and hanging on her every word. The fact that this is a superb song cannot have gone against her either but does this not prove that, sometimes, a great song is all you need?

The Bee Gees – You Win Again

At the time of Live Aid in 1985 the Bee Gees were keeping a much lower profile and so did not appear. Five years earlier, following their imperious disco years, it would have been unthinkable for them not to feature on the bill but by the mid-eighties they had enough self awareness to not risk over exposing themselves. However, by 1988 they had spent the previous winter firmly re-establishing their credentials as one of the all time great British bands following the chart topping success of ‘You Win Again’. They opened with that one at Wembley and re-watching this clip I was surprised / not surprised to notice they had Phil Collins on drums.

Little Steven Van Zandt & Simple Minds – Sun City

If I had to pick one band who could be accused of triggering the general reaction against this kind of star-studded, earnest, fund and awareness raising stadium shindig it could be Simple Minds. They certainly felt the rough end of the music press around this time, charged with evolving from a previously cutting edge band into a unit whose music was deliberately tailored towards a stadium sound, with air-filled wide reaching brush strokes and easily digestible ‘big’ production singularly failing to disguise a lack of subtlety or nuance. All a little harsh it has to be said although, the idea that they were intentionally reaching for a large outdoor arena size crowd was fair. Despite this, their appearances at the Mandela shows were triumphs as this clip shows, where they stepped back and gave front stage to Steven Van Zandt (who also brought Peter Gabriel, Jackson Browne, Darryl Hannah, Youssou n’Dour and Meat Loaf on as backing singers). His song was a direct political assault and a crowd pleaser all rolled into one audience pleasing, streetwise rock ‘n’ roll bundle.

Lou Reed – Last Great American Whale / Dirty Blvd

Talking of rock ‘n’ roll streetwise cool, two years later Lou Reed appeared hot on the back of his 1989 career masterpiece ‘New York’ album. Here he played solo electric versions of two tracks from that record, both very lyrical and heard minus the rhythm section familiar from their album versions, two facts that might have prevented them translating too well to a stadium sized audience ready to punch the air. But there is precious little evidence on the TV footage viewed here of any audience restlessness and Lou himself is the epitome of composure, wrapping himself around the songs and even changing the odd lyric here and there for the benefit of a UK audience who might not have known the NRA was a “gun club”.

Robert Plant & Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Queen might well have been the group who benefited most from Live Aid while Plant’s former band Led Zeppelin were decidedly lacking in positives. Queen’s 1985 set has gone on to be historically regarded as a showbusiness lesson in how a band should approach these sets. They rehearsed for starters, then engaged the audience with singalong, clap-along interaction in a twenty minute slot that abbreviated certain tunes in order to leave the stage with maximum hit packing punch. Led Zeppelin on the other hand, reforming for the first time since the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham, were under-rehearsed and retrospectively so disappointed with their Phil Collins on drums assisted showing that they did not allow footage to be included on DVD re-issues and, presumably, did not give the BBC clearance to re-broadcast as it was not in their highlights package. This 1992 version of a Queen rock ‘n’ roller finds both factions on superb form and Zeppelin even get a look in, as the rendition begins with the opening section of their ‘Led Zeppelin II’ track ‘Thank You’ before springing into the Queen zinger, Plant doing a stupendous job on a tough occasion for all involved.

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 25th July 2025

Jo Rose – I’m Yr Kamera

For this weeks dive into some selections and recommendations from the past I thought I would go back and see what Fruit Tree Records were causing a stir exactly ten years ago this month. Jo Rose had come to my attention at the time, a crazily gifted singer-songwriter from the Manchester area, with this song which instantly proves ten years later that quality is timeless. I do not know what brought him under my radar, maybe it was his association with First Aid Kit who he was not only supporting in concert but was also in a relationship with the duo’s Klara Söderberg. Whatever, his work had a musical finesse that is hard to find but as is so often the story with artists at this pubs and clubs level, they can disappear from view or just quietly drop out of music altogether. And so it is with great sadness that I have just found, after searching the internet for news on his current whereabouts, that he tragically died last year at the age of 36 following a head injury connected to an epileptic seizure. I had not intended for this post to be a tribute to someone special who has gone too soon, I was merely hoping to throw some appreciative retro light on wonderful music, but now I am doing both. Please listen to Jo Rose.

Wolf Alice – Turn To Dust

The good thing about having this sites monthly playlists stretching back a lot of years (roughly fourteen) is that I can occasionally find that I was actually slightly ahead of the curve on a band or singer. This tune from Wolf Alice’s newly released debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’ featured in the July 2015 monthly playlist and I do recall going on to feel they were a thoroughly deserving recipient of the Mercury Music Prize in 2018 following the release of their second album ‘Visions Of A Life’. This was a record that took the bare bones of the ghostly sound they are perfecting here, in a quality audience live clip from the following year, into new fields of celestial majesty with a sprinkling of indie-pop hooks for good measure. They have a fourth studio album called ‘The Clearing’ set to be released next month.

Flo Morrissey – Show Me

Here we revisit a singer with an eerily spiritual and acid-folk laced voice. Flo Morrissey, a former pupil at the Brit School who expressed regret that she did not meet as many like minded people there as she would if she had attended a normal university, had at the time just released her debut album on Glassnote Records. In 2017 her record of covers with Matthew E. White was equally loved in these parts thanks to its focus on eclectic late sixties, early seventies pop, baroque pop, folk and psych material but the Flo detail I have only just caught up on is that she is married to the equally eccentrically gifted Benjamin Clementine and that they have released music together as The Clementines. She can now be found performing as Florence Clementine and remains a creative artist ripe for discovery.

Bop English – Struck Matches

By 2015 the band White Denim were a long term favourite psych rock band from Austin, Texas who had built a deserved reputation as practitioners of wild, free, looping, jamming and essentially wonderous boundary defying rock. Many a time I had heard them playing radio sessions that would end in what the DJs could only advertise as a live wig-out. So I believe it could only be the White Denim connection that led me to front man James Petralli’s other musical outlet, Bop English, essentially a solo project. They were an altogether more structured, song based concern although that wild energy is still there for all to hear on their album ‘Constant Bop’, from which this track is taken.

Richard Thompson – Beatnik Walking

Returning to old playlists blows the dust off numerous acts and songs that did not stay in the forefront of my musical mind but nevertheless are a delight to revive and re-experience. That is not the case with Richard Thompson, much like a Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell or Tom Waits he is an ever present whose song compositional work and masterful guitar playing ensure he is always very close to the surface. This was a tune from his ‘Still’ album released early in 2015, a record which gained slightly more attention than some of his releases thanks to it’s being produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Max Jury – Home

Re-listening to this tune ten years later it surprises me to read that it was Max’s debut single. This sounds like the work of an artist whose work has matured over many years but here he was, ten years ago aged only 23, sounding for all the world like the next Rufus Wainwright. That may not have quite come to pass yet but in 2025 he is three albums in, growing as a musician and still very much producing recordings with tasteful echoes of the seventies, now with a clear move towards disco and pop production flourishes. The pop world needs natural creativity from single minded musicians with a vision and voice, Max could still be moving into that space. That said, even if he does not take that path, it does nothing to detract from the beauty of a song like this.

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Old Fruit

Old Fruit 11th July 2025

The Magpie Arc – Autumn Leaves

In anticipation of this weekends Ely Folk Festival, which will be reviewed next week on this site, here are a few anticipated highlights from the line-up over the coming three days. The Magpie Arc are a cross-border folk supergroup featuring Nancy Kerr, Findlay Napier, Tom. A Wright, Alex Hunter and one of the folk movements all time legendary guitarists Martin Simpson (and how great is it to find him playing electric guitar in a group environment?). All I will say is that a band with such pedigree in its line-up winning favourable comparisons to Fairport Conventions ‘Liege & Lief’, after their ‘Glamour In The Grey’ debut album, has got to be worth some time and attention; I shall be watching and listening with interest.

Danny & The Champions Of The World – Sooner Or Later

Heading up an evening of Americana will be this wonderful collective, formed in 2007 after the break up of the band Grand Drive. They are based in London and led by singer-songwriter Danny George Wilson who presides over performances and writing that sail pleasingly close to the soulful and rousing spirits of Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison. Not only that but their live sets are pretty damn life affirming and committed too so this promises to be a great one.

Fred’s House – Gaslight

One of the standouts among the many interesting local Cambridge acts performing this weekend are Fred’s House. They were formed in 2010 and their numerous releases have seen a gradual shift away from folk-rock origins towards a more pop-friendly sound leading to favourable comparisons to the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Crosby Stills & Nash. As this clip proves, these are likenesses that the band are more than capable of meeting head on, grabbing by the ears and shaking down into an enticing, groove friendly, melodic, song driven cocktail entirely of their own making.

Elly Tree – The Minotaur

Generously sprinkled among the more attention grabbing, rhythm and electricity pumping acts are plenty of traditional acoustic guitar and voice purveyors such as Elly Tree. It is important too that this side of a folk festival is not lost, this is where the roots of it all are found and, personally, I love those summer afternoons when an event such as Ely Folk Festival provides you with a tasty real ale whilst a tuneful troubadour entertains us with folksy story songs as heard here. Elly (real name Helen Woodbridge) is a singer-songwriter based in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Ezio – The Same Mistake

One of the real underground national treasures of the Cambridge scene for more than thirty years now is indisputably Ezio Lunedei, accompanied, as he has been all along, by the guitar shredder extraordinaire Booga. Weirdly, I think his name may have always held him back, you just do not expect such west referencing singer-songwriter mastery to be coming from someone whose name implies their music will be Spanish holiday disco music (or something). Put simply, if a song like ‘The Same Mistake’ were written by a Neil Young or a Mike Scott it would be regarded as a classic piece of melancholic, country-tinged, song writing genius for that is exactly what this is. Furthermore, Ezio has an armoury of similarly fine songs spread across his whole back catalogue.

The Cain Pit – Devil’s Side

Finally for this half dozen festival taster selection I am flagging up some thrilling punky bluegrass action that will be gate crashing the festival proceedings on Saturday night. Heading down from the mean streets of Norwich, the band were formed during the pandemic by cousins Daryl and Scott Blyth before expanding to a five piece. Their distorted blend of frantic banjo picking, double bass thwacking and raw pounding drum beating energy has seen them described as ‘punkgrass’, an appropriately original description for a sound with a thoroughly enticing approach. If you have never got a tattoo, that might change after you see The Cain Pit!

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