That's Why There's No Big Present On The Kitchen Shelf

2025 was CMAT's year, without a doubt. Skip back to December 2020, and Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson teamed up with Ronan Kealy aka Junior Brother to release the alternative, acoustic festive fare that is Uncomfortable Christmas.

You can this, plus CMAT's pre-global superstardom catalogue on Bandcamp; Junior Brothers also put his wares up there.

A mad old time, one big racket

I hate the smell of your winter jacket

I hate to think how long you've had it now

A dying fire was not long roaring

Technically it's no Christmas morning

But I won't leave till the drinks stop pouring out

I could feel you moving from the back of my...

The one thing I don't want is a holiday fight

Everybody laughs but it leaves us in the wreckage

Oh and I didn't wanna sit next to you

I hate this season of uncomfortable truths

And trees that lie like the way your eyes used to

When you looked at me

When you looked at me

No surprise

That's why I suit myself

That's why there's no big present on the kitchen shelf

Just a trail of white from the fire to the roof

Is it a new year when the sleigh bells ring?

Did this turkey die for my sins?

Is it okay to be nervous all of the time?

Oh and I didn't wanna sit next to you

I hate this town, that's why I had to move

And trees that lie like the way your eyes used to

When you looked at me (Uncomfortable Christmas)

When you looked at me (Uncomfortable Christmas)

When you looked at me (Uncomfortable Christmas)

When you looked at me

Bad Santa VIII

Lord help me, is it that time of year again...?

Something that seems to have become an annual tradition, it's the last Sunday before Christmas and here's another Bad Santa selection, 25 tracks in just under an hour and cheaper than an inflatable reindeer to stick in your front garden.

I'll continue to post throughout the festive season and hopefully I will get to replying to your lovely comments...thanks for your patience!

1) Away In A Manger (Cover of traditional song): Josh T. Pearson (2011)

2) Last Christmas (Instrumental): Wham! (1984)

3) Holiday I.D.: Bullet Boys (1988)

4) Christmas Boogaloo: Big Boss Man (2000)

5) Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Single Edit): Boney M. (1979)

6) Blue Christmas (Remix): Dead Or Alive (2000)

7) One Christmas Catalogue: Captain Sensible (1984)

8) Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop): Adam Faith (1960)

9) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Cover of Darlene Love): Holiday Sidewinder (2018)

10) Frosty The Snowman (Cover of Gene Autry & The Cass County Boys): Cocteau Twins (1992)

11) Got A Cold In The Node For Christmas: Gayla Peevey (1954)

12) Back Door Santa: Clarence Carter (1968)

13) Xmas In Motherwell: The Plimptons (2011)

14) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Cover of Judy Garland): The Beths (2019)

15) All I Wants Is Truth For Christmas (Demo): The Anchoress (2024)

16) Eggknock: Jonwayne (2018)

17) Child's Christmas In Wales (Album Version): John Cale (1973)

18) Father Christmas (Cover of The Kinks): The Joyzine Christmas Band (2025)

19) It Will Still Be Christmas: The Boy Least Likely To (2020)

20) Christmas Ain't Christmas, New Years Ain't New Years Without The One You Love: The O'Jays (1973)

21) Christmas Alone: Yacht (2020)

22) Frosty The Snowman: Santa Sabbath (2015)

23) A Christmas Message From John & Yoko: John Lennon & Yoko Oko (1971)

24) Christmas Lullaby (Full Length Version): Shane MacGowan & The Popes (1996)

25) Seasons Greetings: Jonwayne (2018)

Bad Santa VIII (56:43) (GD) (M)

And, if you are a glutton for punishment, here are the previous Bad Santa selections from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017 and 2016. 

Links are currently inactive, but I will have them up and running in the next day or so...

Concert Climax

From a gig perspective, 2025 was fantastic. Here are my lucky 13 of the year:

1st Feb: John Grant / Big Special

6th Mar: Alan Sparhawk / Circuit Des Yeux

22nd Apr: Mark Eitzel

13th May: Andy Bell (Erasure) / Hifi Sean & David McAlmont

9th Jun: Little Simz

11th Jun: Butler, Blake & Grant / Charlie Noordewier

9th Jul: Josh Rouse / Later Youth

24th Sep: Billy Nomates / Cirquemily (Emily Sadler)

30th Sep: Edwyn Collins / The Hanging Stars

10th Oct: Robert Forster & His Swedish Band

18th Nov: Water From Your Eyes / Morgan Garrett

24th Nov: The Sabres Of Paradise

8th Dec: The Charlatans

Click on the links to read all about my experiences. I've not reactivated any of the related Dubhed selections on this occasion, instead opting for a brand new 20-song session.

Sequenced in chronological order of when I saw them, the whole thing kicks off with Shithouse by Big Special, who set the bar impossibly high for all the support acts to follow, though pretty much all of them rose to the challenge. Charlie Noordewier and Later Youth were especially good. 

As for the headliners, John Grant, Hifi Sean & David McAlmont, Billy Nomates and Robert Forster were on my wish list for a long time, whilst Mark Eitzel, Andy Bell and Little Simz were completely unexpected and completely brilliant.

Bernard Butler, Norman Blake, James Grant and Josh Rouse sold me their vinyl at the merch stand, signed it for me and proved to be lovely blokes to chat with.

Water From Your Eyes were a revelation. Speaking of which, Edwyn Collins brought tears to my eyes, as did Alan Sparhawk. And the previously unimaginable thought of seeing The Sabres Of Paradise reform and play live was hugely emotional. 

Another first to end the year, with an exceptional show from The Charlatans. 

I already have a clutch of tickets for 2026 and, if this year is anything to go by, it's going to be bloody brilliant.

1) Shithouse: Big Special (2024)

2) Black Belt (Dungeonesse Remix By Jenn Wasner): John Grant (2013)

3) Megaloner: Circuit Des Yeux (2025)

4) Can U Hear: Alan Sparhawk (2024)

5) Nothing And Everything: Mark Eitzel (2017)

6) Celebrate: Hifi Sean & David McAlmont (2024)

7) Put Your Empathy On Ice: Andy Bell (Erasure)

8) Lion: Little Simz ft. Obongjayar (2025)

9) Dear Diazepam (Live At Deep Litter Studios, Devon): Charlie Noordewier (2025)

10) The 90s: Butler, Blake & Grant (2025)

11) Arcane Love: Later Youth (2025)

12) My Love Has Gone: Josh Rouse (2005)

13) Moon Explodes: Billy Nomates (2025)

14) Ava: The Hanging Stars (2025)

15) Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation: Edwyn Collins (2025)

16) Good To Cry: Robert Forster (2025)

17) The Mirror: Morgan Garrett (2025)

18) Playing Classics: Water From Your Eyes (2025)

19) Wilmot (Edit): The Sabres Of Paradise ft. Wonder (1994)

20) For The Girls: The Charlatans (2025)

Concert Climax (1:19:12) (GD) (M)

If There's Something Inside That You Wanna Say

The Beta Band, reformed and rejuvenated, returned to KEXP last Saturday (13th) for a four-song session, their first in over two decades.

The band:

Steve Mason (vocals, guitars)

John Maclean (piano, sampler, vocals)

Richard Greentree (bass, vocals)

Robin Jones (drums, vocals)

The songs:

00:26   Push It Out (Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos EP)

07:27    Dr. Baker (Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos EP)

12:08    Dog's Got A Bone (Champion Versions EP)

17:46     Dry The Rain (Champion Versions EP)

24:30    Interview by DJ Morgan Chosnyk

Touring to promote and celebrate the reissue of The Three E.P.'s, ironically this session covers the first and the third, missing out second E.P., The Patty Patty Sound.

The interview:

Worth listening to, not least for Steve's (mostly unsuccessful) attempts to get Robin to answer questions, and a final anecdote about getting into trouble on tour with Radiohead.

The effect:

Thirty four minutes of sheer joy. 

This Is The Place...These Are The Days...We Are Love

What better way to complete my 2025 gig list than with The Charlatans at The Forum in Bath on Monday 8th December?

The Charlatans formed in 1988, released their first album in 1990 (this year's We Are Love being their fourteenth) and have played thousands of gigs in the past three and a half decades. Yet, this was the first time I have seen The Charlatans.

Better late than never and with the opportunity to see the band in the intimate setting of The Forum, a beautiful old school theatre in the heart of Bath. There was a palpable sense of excitement as I approached the building, even more so once I got inside.

 

There was a palpable sense of excitement as I approached the building, even more so once I got inside. It was a mostly seated show, stalls and balcony, with a relatively small section at the for standing tickets. Thankfully, I'd managed to get the latter and got right into the cente, a few metres from the main stage. As we waited for the main event to begin, a series of phrases appeared on the backdrop screen.

Tim Burgess had announced just prior to the start of the We Are Love tour that the support for The Charlatans would be... The Charlatans. Yep, one band, two sets, and the promise of some deep cuts as well as a fair chunk of the current album. 

And boy, did they deliver! Twenty four songs, including encores, over the best part of two hours, with barely a ten minute break between the first and second sets. 

We Are Love was well represented, with eight out of the eleven songs performed, Kingdom Of Ours opening both the album and the first set, the title track the second set and Now Everything the three-song encore. 

My knowledge of The Charlatans back catalogue is patchy at best. To my shame, they are one of those bands who have always been there and in that respect, I've kind of taken for granted that they always will be and have been pretty slack in checking out their albums, despite what is indisputably a run of great singles.

So, it was very much a case that there were plenty of songs that I was unfamiliar with, but with the knowledge that a big hit was almost certainly coming next. Kingdom Of Ours was followed by a thrilling version of Weirdo; Let The Good Times Be Never Ending from 2015's Modern Nature into Blackened Blue Eyes and Then.

And there are so many classics: North Country Boy...Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over...One To Another...even if they didn't get to play someone's favourite song, say, How High, Love Is The Key or Me. In Time, I can't see how anyone could find fault with the song choices for this show.

The band were really on it and enhanced on several songs by additional percussion from Loz Colbert of Ride (to the left of the photo of Tim playing guitar near the top of this post). Apparently, Loz had joined them ad-hoc on an earlier date and they'd all had such a good time that he tagged along for the rest of the tour!

  

Which kind of summed up what an evening in the company of The Charlatans was all about. Tim is a heartwarming frontperson, embracing the audience (metaphorically not literally) and welcoming everyone in. 

I'd expected to be packed at the front like a tinned sardine, but the opposite in fact: I was so lost in the moment that it was easy to forget that I was in a room with The Charlatans and about 1,500 other people, such was Tim's connection with everyone.

He blew kisses to the balcony, he took photos, he played guitar on a few songs, he sang wonderfully and he looked like he was enjoying the night every bit as much as we were.

The second set closed with The Only One I Know and Get On It, The Charlatans left the stage, returning to the stage for a third and final time for an encore. Now Everything got a huge response, as did all of the songs from We Are Love, before things ramped up even further for Tremelo Song and Sproston Green, the closing song of debut Some Friendly and a final wig-out to wind up what had been a life-affirming evening and an absolutely fantastic way to experience The Charlatans live in concert for the first time.

We Are Love is on my Christmas list and I hope Santa decides that I've been a very good boy this year. As for The Charlatans, on the strength of this show, they have been exceptionally good.

Set 1

1) Kingdom Of Ours

2) Weirdo

3) For The Girls

4) North Country Boy

5) Many A Day A Heartache

6) Oh! Vanity

7) Let The Good Times Be Never Ending

8) Blackened Blue Eyes

9) Then

Set 2

10) We Are Love

11) Tellin' Stories

12) Out On Our Own

13) Deeper And Deeper

14) Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over

15) Toothache

16) Here Comes A Soul Saver

17) Appetite

18) In The Tall Grass

19) One To Another

20) The Only One I Know

21) Get On It

Encore

22) Now Everything

23) Tremelo Song

24) Sproston Green 

Oh, and for the first time this week, all of the photos used today were taken by me on the night...!

Party Gone Out Of Bounds

In a break from my concert catch up, here's a review of The Last Dinner Party's show at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff on 2nd December 2025 by my very special guest, Mike!

So, Mike, how do you manage to feel very old in Wales on a Tuesday night?

Go to a gig where the average age of the rest of the crowd is 35 years + below your own!

Yes, the above is an issue. Luckily some of the audience at the back were parents – However, I had no such excuse!

So why were you there? 

Good question! I blame YouTube! 

I made the mistake of watching one video of The Last Dinner Party and thought it was quite good and then I just randomly looked at other videos by them that then popped up on the right hand side of my screen and realised I liked a lot of them! 

I also have been having an issue with mates who will go and see [insert band name] that we have seen for the 37th time and have been watching them since 1983. Can we attempt watching something new please!! 

We’ve all got mates like that, right? Maybe it’s YOU! [not me, Mike, I promise! - K]

But I do think we do need to tune into new stuff otherwise we may as well shuffle off to the old people’s home now..!

So it’s 8.30pm and I am ‘juries out’ as to what I’m going to see…and then the music between the support and the main band starts coming out (which I assume the band members have chosen)..

First up – This Corrosion by The Sisters Of Mercy…how great does that sound in a large arena?

Then Baby’s On Fire by Brian Eno – the teenagers next to me are utterly mystified – fantastic!

Next a Jimmy Somerville track, Coming, from the film Orlando – great!

Then Scott Walker! [According to my "research", I believe it's The Walker Brothers' 1966 cover of Another Tear Falls, originally by Gene McDaniels & The Johnny Mann Singers - K)

It was worth crossing the bridge just to listen to this – whoo!

And then the band came on….

I have to admit if a 80’s or 90’s band sang the second line of the first song "Lee Hazelwood, you were singing" then this would be apt but a band where members of the band were born in the late 1990’s..WTF! 

Agnus Dei is The Last Dinner Party in a microcosm – if you don’t like, then it’s potentially a Queen rip off; if you like it (like me) then it’s clever word play, with excellent musicianship. 

Next up Count The Ways – Abigail is quite the showwoman – is that a word? (it’s underlined in red so I assume not but it’s staying in) and her voice is pretty incredible throughout.

Personally I don’t like The Feminine Urge as much as some of the other tracks and I felt I Hold Your Anger was a bit of a dirge (sorry Aurora) but throughout the first half the album tracks stand out really well and show how talented they all are as musicians.

There are two standout tracks for me – Second Best which was one of those tracks that got me out of the house and take the 50 mile trip to Cardiff. The verses are pure Sparks for me but the chorus is a Siouxsie / PJ Harvey mash-up and remind me of something that wouldn’t have been out of place on Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. 

The second is Rifle which is part prog, part heavy metal. It also highlights how well the guitars are played throughout the performance – I was trying to recall the last time I heard lead guitars played so well at a gig. 

Big Dog continued the loud guitars – and therein lies the conundrum of The Last Dinner Party – I saw one comment which was "trust fund, indie posho rock" and I can see that argument but why not just enjoy it??

I really like The Scythe – the flute is excellent and I think it just works and the song shows off the best of all the musicians. The last four songs are all excellent – My Lady Of Mercy the standout for me on the night just because of the rawness of it and excellent drum and bass playing.

A two song encore ensues and the night ends… what do I make of it? At their worst The Last Dinner Party are a caricature of all your favourite bands from the 20th century. Sometimes it does become a little bit too derivative but which bands aren’t? I love Suede but they have a tendency to rip off Bowie.. 

However at their best The Last Dinner Party really are a fantastic live band. 

I’m fascinated about what happens now – I think history suggests that at some point Abigail will go solo but I hope that doesn’t happen. It’s obvious when you see them live that it’s five very talented women (with a stand in female / male drummer!) [the band don't have a permanent drummer - K] who will produce better music together than apart. 

For those that are sniffy about this stuff, have a proper listen and you’ll gain from the experience.

Thanks, Mike! Whilst I like to think I'm not sniffy about this stuff, I also have to confess that The Last Dinner Party have so far completely passed me by. This was a great way to get a crash course introduction to the band and their music.

Personally, I think it'll take a few more listens, though I enjoyed their videos and live performances. 

Also, respect to The Last Dinner Party for a value-for-money 20-song set, including the whole of current album From The Pyre, an encores and a reprise of Agnus Dei.

1) Agnus Dei

2) Count The Ways

3) The Feminine Urge

4) Caesar On A TV Screen

5) On Your Side

6) Second Best

7)  Hold Your Anger

8) Woman Is A Tree

9) Gjuha

10) Rifle

11) Big Dog

12) Burn Alive

13) The Scythe

14) Sail Away

15) Sinner

16) My Lady Of Mercy

17) Inferno

18) Nothing Matters

Encore

19) This Is The Killer Speaking

20) Agnus Dei (reprise, with tour crew thanks) 

Strange Sabres

On Tuesday 24th November, I saw The Sabres Of Paradise play the first date of their UK tour at Strange Brew in the heart of Bristol.

Now that's a sentence that even a year ago I never expected to string together. But I've been pinching myself for the last few weeks and I am now convinced that this actually happened and wasn't just a crazy. feverish dream.

The absence - and presence - of founder Andrew Weatherall aka Lord Sabre is keenly felt, though this celebration of the old band getting back together and recreating the past in order to continue moving ever forward.

It's entirely justified. The Sabres Of Paradise may have only existed for a few short years, released two albums (three if you count the rejigged and remodelled Sabresonic II), but they were a proper band with proper hits in the UK. A Top 30 album (Sabresonic), a Top 40 single (Wilmot) and four other Top 100 singles; the first two albums also went Top 20 in the Vinyl Albums Chart when they were reissued this summer.

I didn't see The Sabres Of Paradise when they toured between 1993 and 1996, so this was a big deal. The opportunity to see them play in one of my favourite venues, in a mind-bogglingly intimate setting, felt like a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I wasn't alone in knowing that I was about to witness something very special.

With the inevitable exception of Andrew Weatherall, the 1990s touring line-up were all there on stage: Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns with Phil Mossman (guitar), Nick Abnett (bass) and Rich Thair (percussion).

Every single one of them has a hugely impressive CV, yet coming together again after three decades demonstrating what an incredible dynamic they have. Impressive though the studio versions of tonight's set list are, the translation to a live setting was nothing short of breath taking. 

It was easy to forget that this was entirely instrumental music, with no between song banter from anyone on stage, because in spite of all that, the band and the sounds they made engaged from the opening seconds and didn't let up until the show came to an end, an hour and a half later.

Not only had I never seen The Sabres Of Paradise live in concert, but with the odd exception, I rarely heard their music in the clubs I went to in the 1990s, so there was the added joy of being immersed in the sounds and dancing my heart out. Another wonderful aspect of the live performance: even the seemingly more downbeat numbers on vinyl found their groove when released into the atmosphere of Strange Brew.

Evenly split between Sabresonic and Haunted Dancehall, all the 'hits' were there: opener Tow Truck blending into the Depth Charge remix of same, a lovely tribute to another fallen comrade, J. Saul Kane. 

From there, the cinematic sweep of Theme then Edge 6, originally a B-side of Theme then promoted to album status with the Sabresonic II reissue. Two from Haunted Dancehall, Duke Of Earlsfield followed by a triumphant, celebratory Wilmot, before a drop to the serenely beautiful Beatless Mix of Smokebelch II. 

Ballad Of Nicky Wire follows before another trio of Sabresonic tracks, Clock Factory, Ano Electro (Allegro) and Still Fighting, which samples another much-missed legend, Denise Johnson. 

And then it's over, Jagz clapping and showing his appreciation as he and the band take their leave. Has it really been over an hour? Is it really the end?

Of course not. In time honoured tradition, the band return to the stage to rapturous applause and cheering to play - what else? - the David Holmes Remix of Smokebelch II.

As with every song that preceded it, and impressive though that would still have been, this is no mere reproduction of the studio version. Every one of The Sabres Of Paradise brings something unique and special to the stage and together they are unstoppable.

Fifteen minutes later and I didn't want the music to stop. It was incredible from start to finish and all the more wondrous that I could never have imagined that it would ever happen. But it did, and I was there, and I will never forget it.

Gig of the year, no question. 

1) Intro / Tow Truck (Album Version)

2) Tow Truck (Depth Charge Mix)

3) Theme

4) Edge 6

5) Duke Of Earlsfield

6) Wilmot

7) Smokebelch II (Beatless Mix)

8) Ballad Of Nicky McGuire

9) Clock Factory

10) Ano Electro (Allegro)

11) Still Fighting

12) Smokebelch II (David Holmes Remix)

Rather than create a Dubhed selection for this set, I'm instead pointing you to Bandcamp where you can listen to all of the songs via the parent albums, Sabresonic, Haunted Dancehall and Sabresonic II. Better still, buy all three albums and enjoy the full Sabres experience.

Note: Yep, another night with no photos from me. Today's lift is three pics by Adam Burrows (#3, 4 & 5) to accompany his review of the gig, published by Bristol 24/07. The first two are taken from The Sabres Of Paradise page on the Book of Faces.

Tears, Fears, Cheers And, er, What's Going On Here...?!

Nearly a month ago, I went to see Water For Your Eyes perform live at Strange Brew in the heart of Bristol.

As it's taken me several weeks to catch up on this and a clutch of other gig reviews, this week will be mostly dedicated to a round up of my experiences on the live circuit (plus one guest review).

2025 was a reasonably good year, with a total of thirteen live gigs - and one lecture - although I also had to sell up tickets at the last minute for five shows that I couldn't get to, and one was postponed for the second time in twelve months.

However, what I saw this year was varied but connected insofar as I had a great time at each and every one. I've realised that being at a gig is one of my happy places, and the Water From Your Eyes show on 18th November met that expectation, and then some. 

It was also a momentous occasion because I met with SWC from the superlative No Badger Required for the first time, together with his friend Mr. L, who had both driven to Bristol from Devon. 

That said, my other aim to always catch the support act(s) was somewhat tested on this occasion by Water From Your Eyes' touring  buddy, Morgan Garrett from Philadelphia.

I knew absolutely nothing about Morgan's music prior to his appearing on stage and it's fair to say that I wasn't particularly enlightened when he departed with his two fellows half an hour later.

In between, the audience was subjected to thirty minutes of experimental music as therapy, catharsis, possibly exorcism too. Morgan was accompanied by Zach Darrup to his left on electric guitar, shaven headed, punky, laser focused on chords and stance, and Jackie McDermott to his right on drums and frankly looking at times like he was wondering what the hell he was doing there.

Morgan, tall, dressed in black, with a mass of long, tightly curled hair and using a seemingly detuned acoustic guitar more as a prop as an instrument (a chair got the same treatment later on), clearly wanted to provoke and challenge the audience, but it didn't quite land for me.

SWC and Mr. L were delayed on their way and pretty much missed the support slot. Paraphrasing the fading memory of my comment at the time, I think I described it as Morgan rescuing his collection of Swans, Extreme Noise Terror and Hula records from a house fire, finding that the slagged, merged lump of vinyl was somehow still playable and then trying to recreate the results on stage.

To these jaded ears, it sounded all a bit heard-it-all-before and it didn't help that Morgan's frequent gurning was less reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in The Shining and more Wilfred Brambell in Steptoe And Son.

Thank goodness then that Rachel Brown and Nate Amos aka Water From Your Eyes were every bit as cool on stage as off. 

Wearing shades is de rigeur I guess, and although Rachel occasionally lifted them to view the crowd, there was nothing pretentious about the band on stage. In fact, the benefit of the 330-capacity venue was that, although it was packed, it managed to simultaneously feel like an intimate show and the best indie club night ever.

Nate, no shades, baseball cap peak face forward, delivered wave after wave of guitar which, together with Rachel's ethereal voice, called to mind everything from Curve to Cocteau Twins to My Bloody Valentine, but with a added grooves. I don't think I stopped dancing all night.

I came to Strange Brew largely ignorant of the Water From Your Eyes catalogue, having heard only a handful of songs and then intentionally avoiding listening to anything else pre-gig so that I would experience most of tonight's songs for the first time, in a live setting.

Clearly I was in a minority, judging by the rapturous reception of certain songs throughout the night. I enjoyed every single one, though, and it was hard to believe that barely an hour later, it was all over. They ended with the fantastic Playing Classics, an apt title given what they'd just been doing.

SWC described Water From Your Eyes as his gig of the year. It's not quite mine though it was pretty close, and I would strongly recommend seeing them if you get the chance. But don't kick yourself if you miss the support act.

1) Born 2

2) Structure

3) Barley

4) Out There

5) Life Signs

6) Nights In Armor

7) Buy My Product

8) You Don’t Believe In God? (taped interlude)

9) True Life

10) "Quotations"

11) It’s a Beautiful Place

12) Blood On The Dollar

13) Playing Classics 

 

 

 

Note: I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't take a single photo on the night, so I've 'lifted' a couple of shots taken by Josh Taylor  and used to accompany George Ward's review of the gig, published by Clunk Magazine.

Like Sunlight Shimmering On Open Oceans

No round up of the best of 2025 would be complete without mention of the one-man music industry that is Richard Norris.

I remain in awe: Richard's output continues to match quantity with quality, with a breath-taking amount of music across multiple genres, whether under his own name, in collaboration with Lol Hammond and Zeke Manyika or as an in-demand remixer.

I've taken a slightly different tack with today's selection. As all of these releases are this year, and I strongly urge you to track down and buy the originals on Bandcamp - better still, become a subscriber, it's a bargain - every single track is an edit.

In the case of the Music For Healing picks and Richard's beautiful tribute to his friend Dave Ball, these are shorter extracts of the full length pieces. For the featured remixes (tracks 2, 5, 7, 9 and 10), I have spliced, mashed and generally messed with multiple versions to produce a final edit. 

Open Your Eyes by Zeke Manyika & Dr No takes Richard's instrumental and vocal mixes to create a 12 min 44 second behemoth. Likewise, the edits of Gulp and Pale Blue Eyes chop and change the structure (subtly, I hope!) of his main and voxless versions.

Let Yourself Go by Una Camille & Dr No is pretty much just laying Richard's Lysergic and Main mixes on top of one another so that you get the best of both worlds, with vocal and infectious bass line throughout.

For the edit of The Glow by Moon Dust, it starts off with the Ambient Mix, then introduces the main mix, before cutting to the Slowed + Reverb version to close things out. I think it works...!

Sequenced with the Music For Healing pieces, I'm happy that the 90 minute selection works as a whole and more importantly, showcases why Richard Norris continues to astonish with every release. For a few quid a month, it's an understatement to say that subscribing brings an embarrassment of riches.

A perfect Christmas gift for the one you love...?

1) Siren 2: Richard Norris

2) Open Our Eyes (And All Shall Be Revealed Edit By Khayem): Zeke Manyika & Dr No

3) Cornflower (2025 Edit): Richard Norris

4) Cornsilk (2025 Edit): Richard Norris

5) How Long Is Now (How Long Is A Piece Of String Edit By Khayem): Pale Blue Eyes

6) Deep Down (In B) (For Dave Ball): Richard Norris

7) Let Yourself Go (Khayem's Let Himself Go Edit): Una Camille & Dr No

8) Rust (2025 Edit): Richard Norris

9) Wildflower (Richard Norris Remixed It, Khayem Plucked It Edit): Gulp

10) The Glow (Khayem's Radiant Edit): Moon Dust

11) Low Tide 2: Richard Norris

Like Sunlight Shimmering On Open Oceans (1:30:00) (GD) (M)

Release The Beats

Immersed as we are in end of year round ups and best ofs, I'm swimming with the current and today's 64-minute selection rounds up some choice choons from the year to date. 

A couple of these tracks have appeared on previous selections, but are too good not to bring back in. 

Like Fire by Airsine came out on the ever-excellent Paisley Dark Records label in March and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Today's selection meaning that I've now posted all four versions from the EP, every one a winner, as they say.

Speaking of fire, Leo Zero has been on fire (musically speaking, not literally) with a truckload of releases that haven't skimped on quality. June saw Nebulon Systems Vol. 1, a 20-track monster of an album, with Orangutan placed smack dab in the middle, at track ten. Not only a great album, but a ridiculous bargain at £4.00 for the lot.

Another mind-boggling bargain was the Powder Wax Vol. 2 EP by Jesse Fahnestock, revisiting his 10:40 alias, whilst also delivering a dizzying array of music in 2025 with Darren Bell as Jezebell. 

Powder Wax Vol. 2 arrived in February as a 'name your price' purchase, comprising two songs, Beneath The Waves and Miracle Me. Both appeared on 2025 highlights selections in March and May, and Beneath The Waves makes a welcome return here.  

Pye Corner Audio have frequently dropped a new track in time for Bandcamp Friday, always an automatic 'add to cart' come the day. The Deep Cut appeared in March, one of five new standalone tracks in 2025, all of this calibre.

Orange Sunshine was originally on a flexi 7" with limited vinyl quantities of Hifi Sean and David McAlmont's album Twillight. In April, Orange Sunshine appeared as a standalone single, featuring rapper Sawlty (and David's nephew). Feel it!

In 2024, sLEdger provided Fluke with a superb remix of Fluke's single Real Magnificent. June saw the favour returned, with Jon Fugler and Mike Tournier's remix of Tweeba, sLEdger given a refreshing Fluke rinse. Wonderful stuff.

I've continued with The Future Sound Of London's 'calendar' compilations of outtakes and unreleased music for a few years now, and still get a buzz when each monthly link arrives, building up a 12-track collection by year end. PSUN K arrived in November, the penultimate piece from another cracking collection.

August saw the return of Puerto Montt City Orchestra with And We'd Be So Happy, a lovely slice of Balearic sunshine with a spoken word vocal by Kitty Salter, the daughter of band member Tim. The initial single was backed with The Cruel Mistress Mix, included here, with two further remixes from Balearic Ultras and downtownLOOP arriving a fortnight later. Sounds just as good in winter as it did in summer.

Fluke's spectacular comeback continued with May's release of I Wanna Be, a bouncing, life-affirming single in it's original form, and given a fantastic dub rinse by Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons. I am over the moon (all five of 'em) to have new Fluke music in my life.

Wrapping up this final round up of 2025's beautiful beats is Tambores En Benirras, who I splurged my cash on during Bandcamp Friday earlier this month, snapping up the entire catalogue in one go. It was worth every penny, not least for the trio of remix EPs accompanying the album Ondas Horizontales. 

It was almost impossible to pick just one, but I've settled with Steve Cobby's nine-and-a-half minute revision of Extensor Entregado from the inaugural EP. Highly recommended!

1) Like Fire (Mindbender Remix By Mårten Attling): Airsine

2) Orangutan: Leo Zero

3) Beneath The Waves: 10:40

4) The Deep Cut: Pye Corner Audio

5) Orange Sunshine (Single Version): Hifi Sean & David McAlmont ft. Sawlty

6) Tweeba (Fluke Remix By Jon Fugler & Mike Tournier): sLEdger

7) PSUN K: The Future Sound Of London

8) And We'd Be So Happy (The Cruel Mistress Mix): Puerto Montt City Orchestra ft. Kitty Salter

9) I Wanna Be (Justin Robertson - Five Green Moons Remix): Fluke

10) Extensor Entregado (Steve Cobby Remix): Tambores En Benirras

Release The Beats (1:04:11) (GD) (M)

More 2025 beats on prescription via these previous Dubhed selections: 

28th March: It's A Glamorous World 

11th May: Doused In Dopamine

4th July: Staring Into Air

9th August: Is It Obvious? Or Is It Delirium?