Missed Opportunity In A Jam Jar

Reggae legends The Cimarons played The Jam Jar in Bristol on Friday (3rd), supported by the equally brilliant hometown heroes Talisman. All for £16.20 a pop.

You'd be a fool to miss it, right?

Unfortunately, I discovered this was happening way too late to do anything about it, so I have to console myself with watching their respective ets from the Uprising Festival in Slovakia (2023) and the Balla Coi Cinghiali Festival in Italy (2017).

Both are superb from start to finish, and I'm sad that I was stuck at work on, rather than immersed in the experience of seeing both bands live on stage.

However, I did get out and about earlier this week to see another legend. Whilst not especially known for their reggae excursions, they have worked many times with the mighty Dennis Bovell. I'll be telling you all about that unforgettable night on Sunday.

Bag o' Tunes, Tunes, Tunes

Little in the way of commentary, plenty in the way of quality music to buy today, if you're reading this on Friday.

1) PIHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved): Dirt Bogarde

2) Marmite Marimba (Re-mastered): Bedford Falls Players ft. Kai Cooper

3) Ganja Provides The Answer (Gaudi Remix): Phonolab ft. Flowdan

4) Niemand: Duncan Gray

5) Illuminator (Demos): GIFT

6) Never Falter / Rootsland: Elastica Dub ft. Gabriel Blue

7) Earth Wind & Fire (Prince Fatty Remixes) EP: Paul Blackman

8) Chaos Outside (Free Association Remixes incl. Lambchop): Friendship

9) All That Is Over (Bandcamp Exclusive Bonus Edition): SPRINTS

10) Forces, Reactions, Deflections: Scanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funky Beggar

In July 1981, Spandau Ballet delivered their fourth single, Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On), with a suitably sweaty club video.

This saw Spandau Ballet step fully from the New Romantic movement into soul and funk and it worked, proving to be their biggest hit to date, spending seven weeks in the UK Top 20 and peaking at #3 in August 1981.

This resulted in the inevitable performance on Top Of The Pops.

To be honest, despite the chiselled features, slicked back hair and trendy threads, even as a 10-year old, I thought Tony Hadley was a bit of an arse, an opinion I'm not sure has shifted seismically in the last four decades.

However, the appeal for me here was the expanded line-up on stage, with three men in black leather trousers, carrying brass and grooving in the background in a way that Tony and the lads could only dream of. 

Yep, Beggar & Co. were here to steal the show. It wasn't their first appearance on TOTP, either. They'd had a #15 hit with their debut single (Somebody) Help Me Out, where the BBC and/or their record label had convinced them to dress a little more to (stereo)type with their band name.

Not ones to miss an opportunity to strike whilst the proverbial iron was hot, Beggar & Co.'s second single came in September 1981. Mule carried the subtitle Chant No. 2 in the hopes of drawing in some Spandau Ballet fans along the way.

Two weeks in, the single had reached #41, but was enough to get them back onto Top Of The Pops.

Sadly, a TOTP appearance doesn't guarantee a significant sales boost and, after a peak at #37 the following week, Mule (Chant No. 2) had two more weeks outside the Top 40 before disappearing altogether.

Being the 1980s, as you might expect, both versions of 'Chant' came with an extended version on the 12" single.

 

Fast forward to the 21st Century and Flash Atkins, the superhero alter ego of DJ and producer Ben Davis, had a stab at Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On) in 2010, with vocals by Danielle Moore (RIP).

Nobody has attempted the same with Mule (Chant No. 2) as far as I am aware, though in 2018 the always dependable Greg Wilson provided a satisfying update of Beggar & Co.'s debut single.

Built Upon Life's Little Sighs

Not one but two EPs from Jo Bartlett came out in September, both of which i'll be buying in October's imminent Bandcamp Friday (3rd).

In reverse order, first up is The River Or The Road, four songs recorded with Neil Haydock (Submarine). A cyberspace collaboration in June this year, files swapped in June, "mixed and tweaked" by Jo then released three months later. 

Lead vocals by Jo throughout, and in keeping with the vibe of her 2024 album Ghost Tapes 1 To 9, which I loved (and still do). This time though, the songs with a pastoral, acoustic feel that, with Neil's vocal and musical elements, lends a warmth to the offset the chill of oncoming Autumn.

Opening song Frozen In Time comes with a promo "made up of videos from the Green Man Festival 2007" that Jo found on You Tube, and all four songs are worth the purchase price. EP closer Innocence left a particularly deep impression on me.

The September To September EP is another four-tracker. Three of the songs have been out before - These Simple Things and Time And Time And Again (both April 2025) and Before The Police Car (October 2024) - however, this is the first time that they have been available to buy.

Completing the EP is The Story Of The Buzz Club, the soundtrack to a short film that Jo was commissioned to make for a project called the Aldershot Mix Tape, which premiered at the West End Centre in Aldershot on 13th September.

The Buzz Club was organised by Jo and Danny Hagan and held at the West End Centre. The list of bands that made a stop in Aldershot to play at the club in the 1990s makes for eye-widening reading: Blur, Cornershop, Dodgy, Elastica, Happy Mondays, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Spiritualized, Suede, That Petrol Emotion, The Beautiful South, The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, and many more.

You can watch The Story Of The Buzz Club on You Tube, whilst the soundtrack provides the opener for the September To September EP.

Both EPs recommended, both in my Bandcamp Friday shopping bag.

He's A Complicated Man, But No-one Understands Him

Theme From "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes was released as a single in the USA on 30th September 1971.

The original, full length 4:39 vocal version was the opener of the double album soundtrack to the blaxploitation film, out in July the same year.

The single was edited to a more radio-friendly 3:15, whilst retaining the almost two-minute instrumental introduction. As an aside, I've love to see Richard Osman have the balls to include this in the 'Win When They're Singing' round on his House Of Games.

Theme From "Shaft" got to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at #4 in the UK from 12th to 25th December 1971.  

Isaac deservedly won an Oscar for "Theme from Shaft" in 1972 for Best Original Song, itself becoming a historic moment. Hayes was not only the first recipient who had both written and performed the winning song, but he was also the first African American to win any Academy Award in a non-acting category. 

Apart from a slew of cover versions released around the same time as the single and film soundtrack, there have been relatively few since, and even fewer of note.

However, there are two in my collection that rate amongst my personal favourite covers, not least because given the artists involved, they are both surprisingly faithful versions.

Cabaret Voltaire are believed to have recorded their take on the Theme From 'Shaft" around 1981, though it didn't appear on an official release until the Eight Crépuscule Tracks collection in 1987.

The Wedding Present included their version of Theme From 'Shaft" as the B-side of Boing!, the eighth of twelve singles released every month during 1992, spending one week at #19 in the UK.

I've uncovered another couple of gems on t'internet, firstly a 1999 cover in Arabic by Malik Adouane, which adds a whole new layer of thrills, with a video that allows Malik to live his Richard Roundtree moment.

And lastly, an interpretive dance like no other by Lola Falana. You have never seen cops like this before... It's been recorded off the telly, so has the expected sound and vision glitches, but the arresting sight of Lola and her police squad provide ample distraction.

Did I say lastly? The last word has to be Isaac Hayes, naturally. If the 4:39 album still feels too short - DJDiscoCat clearly thought so - then how about his 2019 'Soul Purrfection' re-edit, all nine minutes of it?

I can dig it.

Return Of The Rebel

This Is Ska is a new single by Double Trouble and Rebel MC, their first in three and a half decades.

I wasn't expecting that!

Those who will remember their collaborative smash hits Just Keep Rockin' (UK #11, June 1989) and Street Tuff (UK #3, October 1989) will be reassured that this is a bouncing, upbeat tune in the same vein.

Coming along for the ride are the legendary Blackout JA and contemporary artist Kaya Fyah, who also happens to be Rebel MC's daughter.

In 1994, Rebel MC aka Michael West converted to Rastafari and changed his name to  Mikail Tafari. From this point, he continued to release music as Congo Natty.

So, it's a real blast from the past - and breath of fresh air - to hear This Is Ska. Guaranteed to blow away those Monday blues.

And, in case you need reminding...

 

Nobody Starts This Way

After two previous failed attempts, it was third time lucky as I got to see Billy Nomates perform live at Electric (formerly SWX) in Bristol on Wednesday night (24th).

A mad dash from work, a quick stop at home for a change of clothes, then via the M4 and M32 to Bristol. I'm always keen to catch the support act and feared I'd be late but, when i approached the stage, this was the sight that greeted me. 

 

Had John Medd arrived before me?

 

No, this was the stage device for Emily Sadler. I'd done zero research into the support but had I done even a casual search, then the clues were there: her Instagram moniker @cirquemily and a show billed as "Beneath The Big Top"; this wasn't going to be your standard 30-minute singer/songwriter acoustic support slot.

 

Emily describes herself as an "Aerialist, Handbalancer and Roller Skater" and we got two out of three live on stage...well, would you attempt roller skating with all the cables and kit lying around?

 

It was a truly arresting sight, as Emily performed to a backing tape, switching from introductory narration to music and back again, as she moved through several 'acts.

 

Not everything went strictly to plan, but you try walking across four upright narrow necked glass bottles, in ballet shoes and on point. Emily managed two, stumbled and dropped on the third, though from the audience's perspective, it was a win. 

 

That moment of seeing Emily perfectly poised, the tips of her toes resting in the mouth of two bottles, was jaw-dropping. The aerial hoop routine the choreography, the sheer novelty of seeing something off-kilter at a music gig got the evening off to a great start. 

 

Never skip the support act, kids! 

 

One thing that has dramatically changed in my gig-going experience since my teens is how punctual everything is these days. By necessity, of course, driven by venue curfews or club nights following hot on the heels of live music. For the punter, it's almost entirely eliminated the interminable wait between support slot and headliner.

 

And so, pretty much on the nose at 9.00pm, Billy Nomates took to the stage. The pendatic complaining consumer may have placed a call to Trading Standards at this point, as Billy clearly and unmistakably now has mates, in the form of Mandy Clarke (bass) and Liam Chapman (drums). Or, maybe they're not friends at all...

 

Friendship status aside, and frequently cited stage nerves notwithstanding, Tor Maries is a natural on stage, delivering stunning vocals, energy and presence, along with frequent and endearing between song banter.

 

"Whose idea was it to have a hometown gig to open the tour?" asks Tor at one point. "Promoters!", shaking her fist in mock indignation. 

 

It was a good call, though. There was a hugely positive vibe, the sense that no-one here was present to be convinced or persuaded that Tor Maries is an exceptionally talented songwriter and performer. Boy, did she and the band deliver, though.

 

Even the occasional fluffs were styled out with great humour: Mandy couldn't get a bass groove right early on and it took three starts before it locked in. And we just applauded all the more. On another occasion, Billy's banter was supposed to be a cue for Liam to lead in to the next song, and he missed it. Twice.

 

"in fairness," reflected Tor. "We haven't practiced it." 

 

All but one song from current album Metalhorse was played (what did Comedic Timing do wrong?), including Moon Explodes ("We were sat in the back of the van, definitely not stoned" remembers Tor with a twinkle in her eye) and Dark Horse Friend, with Liam doing a fair impression of Hugh Cornwell, who guests on the studio version.

 

Barring the set closer, Metalhorse dominates the first half of the show, concluding with Strange Gift, Tor's tribute to her dad, seeing her strap on an acoustic guitar, whilst LIam and Mandy remain seated and reading newspapers. After the energy of the last half hour or so, it's a beautiful, touching performance.

 

"Any interesting stories in the papers?" asked Tor after the song.

 

"Man drives 800 miles to return bag," deadpans Liam *

 

"800 miles?" wonders Tor aloud to the audience. "Uh oh... that's dangerous: 800 miles, I'm between two Scottish musicians; before you know it, you'll be asking me for...

 

When I wake up...

 

...maybe I'll do it at the end." (Spoiler: she didn't)

 

What we were treated to though, was a second half that delved into the already expansive Billy Nomates back catalogue, with songs from the self-titled debut and 2023 follow up Cacti.

 

2020's Emergency Telephone EP also got a couple of outings, with Heels and Petrol Fumes. Even more satisfying were a couple of songs from the growing "Tor Tape" collection that Tor has been gradually adding to Bandcamp since August 2023. 

 

pornos in the waiting room came out in July this year, knives in September 2023 and whilst these Tor Tape songs are described as B-sides and demos, they're every bit as hard-hitting and complete songs as those that have appeared on any of her albums.

 

After a muscular version of balance is gone - this 3-person line-up is spectacularly good - we're sadly at the end of the night. 

 

Joking that the band were "way too cool for an impractical encore", Tor, Liam and Mandy launch into The Test from Metalhorse, a highlight amongst highlights. 

 

"You know I can't come down," Tor sings at one point and, as I walk back to the car, reflecting on the last couple of hours, I'm not sure that I can either.

 

If you can get to any of the remaining dates on Billy Nomates' UK tour, I'd urge you to run not walk. Don't miss out.

 

Setlist hasn't (yet) posted details for the Bristol show but looking at the post for Southampton a couple of nights later, I think it's pretty much the same, so I've used this as the basis for today's hour-long selection. If you're new to or relatively unfamiliar with Billy Nomates / Tor Maries, then you are in for a treat.

 

As a bonus, I'm also reposting the 44-minute Dubhed selection I created in June 2023. A few duplicates/overlaps between the two but when the music is this good, who cares?

 

1) Life's Unfair (2025)

2) Metalhorse (2025)

3) Nothin Worth Winnin (2025)

4) Plans (2025)

5) No (2020)

6) Moon Explodes (2025)

7) Dark Horse Friend (ft. Hugh Cornwell) (2025)

8) Override (2025)

9) Heels (2020)

10) Gas (2025)

11) Strange Gift (2025)

12) pornos in the waiting room (2025)

13) knives (2023)

14) blue bones (deathwish) (2023)

15) Hippy Elite (2020)

16) Petrol Fumes (2020)

17) Spite (2023)

18) balance is gone (2023)

19) The Test (2025) 

 

2020: Billy Nomates: 5, 15

2020: Emergency Telephone EP: 9, 16 

2023: Cacti: 14, 17, 18

2023: knives EP: 13 

2025: Metalhorse: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 19 

2025: pornos in the waiting room EP: 12 

 

Nobody Starts This Way (1:03:11) (GD) (M)

 

 

And here's a bonus link to Little Boy, Don't Think You Quite Understand, my previous Billy Nomates selection from 2023.

 

 

* This is a true story!

A Dream Of A Forbidden World

An hour in the company of Marc Almond is never going to be dull, and today's selection is further evidence of this fact.

Exploring Marc's deeper, longform cuts, this is not for the faint hearted: the shortest song comes in at 5:51 and the Long Version of Split Lip is exactly that, over 17 minutes of Marc magic.

And the madness of opening song The Beautiful Light Of Madness is that this 1995 demo never made it onto an album or EP, only appearing years later on rarities collections or deluxe reissues. It says a lot about Marc's prolific songwriting that gems like this would not be polished up for a commercial release.

As ever, Marc's songs weave a wondrous web of intrigue, narratives that could comfortably be collected for a discomfiting fireside read. And, to close, a slice of French sleaze, originally written and recorded in 1972 by "La Chanteuse De Minuit" Barbara.

I've just realised that it's just over a year and a week since I last saw Marc perform live at the Beacon in Bristol, which seems a good excuse to reactivate my previous Marc Almond selections. Too much is never enough!

1) The Beautiful Light Of Madness (Early Demo) (1995)

2) A Lover Spurned (12" Version ft. Julie T. Wallace) (1990)

3) She Took My Soul In Istanbul (Album Version ft. Suraya Ahmed) (1988)

4) Split Lip (Long Version) (1984)

5) Demon Lover (Extended Remix) (2015)

6) Lord Of Misrule (Album Version ft. Ian Anderson) (2020)

7) Worship Me Now (Starcluster Remix ft. Jarvis Cocker) (2014)

8) Incestuous Love (Amours Incestueuses) (Cover of Barbara) (1993)

1984: You Have EP: 4

1988: The Stars We Are: 3

1990: A Lover Spurned EP: 2

1993: Absinthe: The French Album: 8

2002: Little Rough Rhinestones, Volume 1: 1

2014: The Dancing Marquis (bonus tracks): 7

2015: Demon Lover EP: 5

2020: Chaos And A Dancing Star: 6

A Dream Of A Forbidden World (1:00:45) (GD) (M)

Cover Stories (September 2024)

Playing Up The Vamp (May 2023)

A Promise Of Heaven Or Hell In Your Song (January 2022)

Spool If You Think It's Over

Dayve Hawk, an artist you may never have heard of, remixing artists you (mostly) may never have heard of...

In the late 2000s, my main source of finding about new music had shifted dramatically from magazines to online, sites like RCRD LBL (RIP) and The Hype Machine (still going!) opening the door to artists, remixers and music blogs that allowed me to tap into scenes and sounds that would otherwise have passed me by.

Dayve Hawk is a prime example, back then a self-described "stay at home dad" who also recorded and released music at home as Memory Tapes, Weird Tapes and Memory Cassette. 

Memory Tapes is perhaps the most well known of the three, with three albums between 2009 and 2012. The latter two can be found on Bandcamp, along with various singles up to and including what seems to be the last release to date in 2015.

Dayve was also a prolific remixer during the same period and I've collected ten for a C90-friendly side, one as Weird Tapes, the rest as Memory Tapes.

Dayve's work was frequently categorised as chillwave, glo-fi, "the sound of 2010" (though presumably not in 2011), along with artists like Washed Out and Neon Indian. The music has transcended and outlived most of the appellations and I struggle with labels anyway.

Elements of the music sound very much of their time, in a good way, but I also like the psychedelic elements of Dayve's work, the sudden dips into uptempo bangers alongside moments of beautiful serenity. Also, these are remixes in their purest form: vocals and elements of the original are present, but bent into new sonic shapes so that the finished version often bears little relation to the source material.

If you've never heard of Dayve Hawk and like what you hear, there's a fair bit more to check out. I've read that there's even an official remix of a Britney Spears single out there, which I've never heard. My curiosity is piqued!

1) This New Technology (Memory Tapes Mix): Midnight Juggernauts (2009)

2) Lions In Cages (Memory Tapes Remix): Wolf Gang (2010)

3) I Think (Memory Tapes Remix): Demon (2010)

4) Give It Up (Weird Tapes Version): Datarock (2009)

5) Suffocation (Memory Tapes Remix): Crystal Castles (2010)

6) Ambling Alp (Memory Tapes Remix): Yeasayer (2009)

7) Drive-In (Memory Tapes's B-Live Mix): Thunderheist (2010)

8) Real Life (Memory Tapes Remix): Tanlines (2010)

9) Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (Memory Tapes Remix): Tame Impala (2012)

10) Crystals (Memory Tapes Remix #1): Fixers (2011)

Spool If You Think It's Over (44:46) (GD) (M)

Nineteen Sixty Nine, OK?

Four festivals. Four icons. Four incredible performances.

Imagine it's 1969 and you got to experience at least one of these in person. 

Imagine if you got to experience all four *

Mindblowing.

1) Love City (Live @ The Woodstock Festival, Bethel, New York, 16th August 1969): Sly & The Family Stone

2) Sunshine Of Your Love (Live @ Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreaux, Switzerland, 22nd June 1969) (Cover of Cream): Ella Fitzgerald

3) Tutti Frutti (Live @ The Toronto Peace Festival, Toronto, Canada, 13th September 1969): Little Richard

4) Four Women (Live @ Harlem Cultural Festival, New York, 17th August 1969): Nina Simone

 

 

 

* It's roughly a two hour drive from Bethel to Harlem, so getting from Sly & The Family Stone's set at Woodstock to catch Nina Simone the following day was doable in theory...provided you weren't so stoned that you slept through your alarm clock and were fit to drive in the first place!