The Nude Party – Somebody Tryin’ To Hoodoo Me

This weeks half dozen new music selections is taking a slight detour to reflect on some of the best live performances I have seen over the previous two months. In fact this weekend just gone was a highlight of the year thus far having attended the Red Rooster Festival and catching The Nude Party live for the first time and finding the supremacy I have previously raved about on vinyl also translates to the live arena, they surely are one of the best things happening in music today aren’t they? Three albums in and an absolute treasure trove of a catalogue is already building up. None of the clips I highlight today are from the actual gigs I attended (I never stand a gig with my phone held up filming I’m afraid, I get too into the music for that) but they are all good examples of the acts playing live in 2023 so here for starters are the Nude Party playing one of the many stand-outs from new New West Records album ‘Rides On’…

Fantastic Negrito – Oh Betty

This one represents another fresh-in-my-memory joyous experience from Red Rooster Festival, the Friday night main stage headliner Fantastic Negrito. Seen here with a blistering live version of an astounding song on last years Storefront Records released ‘White Jesus Black Problems’ album, he is surely ripe for a favourable comparison to Prince? It is all there in the lane swapping energy he exudes drinking from the deep well of blues, soul and spiritual music whilst firing out a sound and attitude that is wholly his own creation, what a star…

BC Camplight – The Last Rotation Of Earth

I wrote a little about my delight in catching BC Camplight live in a very intimate pub venue only a couple of weeks ago in June’s Monthly Playlist article. When I posted that there was very little I could find in the way of filmed performances of this current solo-piano tour he is playing but happily now this recent clip has emerged offering a nice taste of how favourably Brian’s songwriting gift is responding to such close, uncluttered scrutiny; truly one of the best songsmith’s on the current circuit…

Pokey LaFarge – Rotterdam

The Pokey show I caught at the start of his UK visit a few weeks back was a real throwback of the most satisfying kind. Reflecting on what was so wonderful about the show it is hard not to pull similarly vintage compliments like ‘professionalism’ and ‘musicianship’ out of the bag and there is something in that; the style he possesses, the charming panache of his presentation and the natural flair in his bands playing is not down to luck, they have worked at being this good and it shows. This is where I sometimes feel a little out of step with the conventional rock/alt music critics of the UK; yes I like punk and see how it was a welcome grenade on a seventies scene that was in danger of becoming too indulgent and bland, but I have never treated punk as the ‘Year 0’ that some do and neither do I think that being musically eloquent, proficient, knowledgeable or progressive are bad things, especially when used to make fresh sounds in the way an act like Pokey LaFarge does. Hold on too tightly to that (Lamacq endorsed) attitude and you end up believing dross like Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital are where its at and believe me, as much as I acknowledge everything has a place, I would not want to end up there! This is a far better music zone where the sounds are alive with pleasure…

Chuck Prophet – You Did (Bomp Shooby Dooby Bomp)

Now that I have lost the chicken-in-a-bucket yelping landfill indie readers with my previous paragraph, here is another taste of a Red Rooster Festival highlight that I was grooving to as recently as Saturday evening. I thought there was a purity to Chuck Prophet’s set, something nourishingly satisfying about an early evening performer coming to the stage offering “no bullshit, no gimmicks, no backing tapes, just simple entertainment” and making good on his promise. There was a natural confidence in his Nick Cave meets Tom Petty vibe, a seasoned patina that referenced both the electric 21st century Bob Dylan sound and the classic Springsteen rock of the past half century which simultaneously made us happy and feel something real. This is a recent live clip that only gives a glimpse to the Chuck experience but his audience slaying manner does shine bright, especially as he plays straight down the lens of what I assume to be a camera phone capturing this…

The Mock Tudors – Bin Day

Yes I have featured this exact same song once before earlier in the year but again, I am limited to the selection of recent live performance clips I can find online and this band do not have anywhere near enough (thus far). Nevertheless, I cannot miss The Mock Tudrors out of a run down on my stand-out live experiences of 2023 up to today. Yes I had enjoyed what I heard well enough back in the winter months but this band mean so much more when you see them live. Everything about their goofy and droll live show will put a smile on your face and like the other two bands I grinned inanely from ear-to-ear whilst watching this year (Half Man Half Biscuit and Shonen Knife), they have some pretty damn shit hot tunes to go with the irreverence. Catch all of these if you can…